#quite possibly the only member of the children of the watch defense club

[vashti-lives]

My unpopular and uninteresting mandalorian season 3 opinion is that Bo Katan is fun and I don't hate the thought of a Din/Bo romance. Its not my favorite but I actually prefer it over the show writers clinging so tightly to the status quo, which is what they did for all of season 2 and what it looked like they were going to keep doing for season 3. I suspect it won't happen, but I wouldn't be mad if it did.

My unpopular but potentially more interesting hot take is that I don't think the Children of the Watch's actual behavior shows many signs of actual destructive cult shit and people's reaction to them as if they were a harmful cult is purely based on a) the line of a character who is clearly unreliable and has an axe to grind* and b) all the aesthetics that make them uncomfortable.

*and again I like Bo Katan, but she's not an unbiased source here.

When you look at their actual behavior? The first thing that happens is that Din shows up with a baby Jedi, the Armorer recognizes him as Jedi, and tasks Din with returning him to his people EVEN THOUGH the Jedi have been at odds with the Mandalorians for centuries. They must return him to his people, it is the morally correct thing to do, and they believe this SO MUCH that they straight up sacrifice everything to make it happen. They could just commit a little light cultural genocide and say, oh the Jedi are gone so he's a Mandalorian now. But they don't! Some of them straight up die to help a child OF THEIR ENEMY. I can tell you right now that fundie christians would fucking never. Even Paz Visla, who is constantly clashing with Din, is on board with helping the baby.

And yeah, the whole exile thing once Din removes his helmet sucks, and is definitely the closest they get to really negative cult-y behavior but even that kind of falls apart under a closer look. Like, even after Din is considered apostate he is allowed 1) to keep his ENTIRE SUIT of beskar armor even though it both has SIGNIFICANT religious value AND actual monetary value 2) KEEP THE FUCKING DARKSABER and 3) to take a fucking-- again beskar-- CHAIN MAIL BABY ONESIE for Grogu even though as far as they know Grogu is a Jedi now. Plus the task the armorer gives to Din is so easy its literally accomplished in one episode. I kinda low key think she knew the mines were accessible already and only said they weren't as a test.

Then once he left he was pretty clearly still in contact with them because the covert in season 3 is really obviously not located where Din shows up in BoBF. Like... this is not how being shunned from the group looks in fundie christian circles.

Once Din completes the task and proves it he's back in, no questions asked, no recriminations, no guilt trips. Not only that but Bo Katan is welcomed as well even though we know that previously the armorer knew of her and did not like or respect her. Bo Katan completed the ritual and that alone was enough. And yeah, she's in a vulnerable place right now that might make this sketchy but the invitation is extremely straightforward, includes immediately the fact that she can leave at any time, there's no reason to believe they know about the night owls leaving her, and they absolutely don't know her home has just been blown up.

They are absolutely pretty fanatical and aren't perfect by any means but I think a lot of the really negative impression people in fandom have about them is not actually supported by their actions in the show. This is a group of people that have been deeply traumatized by genocide and are reacting to it in perhaps unhealthy but honestly very logical ways. The DnD alignment chart has its issues but its hard not to see them as really hardcore lawful good here.

Also, although there's less textual evidence for this, I very strongly believe that they are a splinter group from Death Watch that left for moral and religious reasons, probably including rejecting the practice of kidnapping and indoctrinating children. (And I don't know how much of the legends backstory they're going to keep for Bo Katan but uh... yeah not an unbiased source of information about Children of the Watch IMO.)

Also I am aware that there are fundamentalist religious groups that aren't christian but since most of the fandom is western/American that's what I see people pull from the most and Children of the Watch are one million percent more ethical and less hypocritical than even the most mainline of evangelical christians are, let alone the ultra fundie groups.

[datheetjoella]

Meeting Royalty

Author: DatHeetJoella Fandom: Free! Pairing: MakoHaru Rating: T Summary: When they were younger, Haruka and Makoto made a promise to each other. Now, thirty years later, their promise is one step closer to being fulfilled.

In which Haruka and Makoto surprise their children with a visit to the shelter, where they meet two cats who might just become the new members of their little family. Word count: 5,766 Part: 1/3 Notes: This fic is a gift for my friend @softmakoharus! Everything she does is amazing, please check out all of her work.

Read at: AO3, FFn, or here!

                                                Part 1: The Surprise

"Sleep well, sweetie. I love you," Makoto murmured as he tucked Umiko in and kissed her goodnight.

"Love you too. Goodnight," she replied drowsily, clearly on the verge of losing consciousness yet fighting to stay awake just a tad longer so she could return her parents' wishes of sweet dreams.

Meanwhile, Haruka whispered similar words to Mizuki and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. The poor boy was so exhausted from playing around on the beach all day that he had fallen asleep halfway through Makoto's anecdote-bedtime story. And he had been so excited about this particular story too; when he and his sister heard that their parents had starred in a short film back in high school to help recruit new members for the swim team, their eyes lit up with curiosity and they were all ears. Haruka smiled to himself as he recalled how their adorable faces had twisted in disbelief when it was revealed that their kind, sweet father had been assigned the part of the evil king. Admittedly, it hadn't exactly been a fitting role, as Makoto had proven with his acting skills - or lack thereof. The end result was cute, though. Haruka made a mental note to ask Nagisa later if he still had a copy of all the footage saved somewhere.

They would fill Mizuki in on the details he missed during breakfast tomorrow, but for now, he could conjure up his own fairytales in his dreams.

Once Makoto and Haruka were done saying goodnight to both of their children, they left the room to let them sleep. The small star-shaped light that illuminated the darkness was kept on just in case Mizuki woke up at some point during the night; while Umiko claimed that she was a big girl who wasn't afraid of the dark and therefore no longer needed the nightlight, Haruka was pretty sure that she hid her own fear behind Mizuki's and very much appreciated the glowing star. He would never call her out on this, but it was amusing and quite endearing nonetheless.

"Do you want tea or coffee?" Haruka wondered as they walked down the stairs together.

"Coffee," Makoto said, "but wait."

"On what?" Haruka questioned sceptically, following his husband into the living room but doing so with confusion. There wasn't much time left before the tv show that Makoto had been looking forward to watching would start, and he wanted them to be on the couch with a hot beverage before then.

When Makoto made sure the door was closed behind them to prevent their children from possibly overhearing - which seemed highly unlikely considering the sleepy states they had been in - a wide grin stretched his handsome face. "The shelter got back to us."

"Already?" Haruka asked, eyebrows raising in surprise, "That's fast."

While they were painting yesterday afternoon, Umiko had casually opened up the topic of adopting a dog for discussion. Her brother had supported the idea wholeheartedly, but dogs needed a lot of specific care and attention that they unfortunately wouldn't be able to give at this point in time. As a compromise, Haruka had offered that they could maybe get a cat instead. Makoto and he had already wanted a cat for as long as he could remember, and they had promised each other when they were kids that they would get one together when they were older.

Alas, after thirty years, that promise hadn't been fulfilled yet because it never seemed like the right time to get a pet; either they were too busy with school and training, or their careers caused them to be away from home too often, or every waking moment was dedicated to taking care of their adorable but needy infants.

But that was all in the past now; the children were a little older and didn't need round the clock care anymore, work at the swim club was calm and stable and they had a neat, orderly schedule. Their lives had reached a comfortable and steady point so he concluded that the time to expand their family with a cat had finally come.

As soon as Makoto heard about the conversation that was held when he was still at work, he scoured the internet in secrecy in search for a feline friend or two. Somewhere along the way, he stumbled upon a pair, seven-year-old Princess and five-year-old Duchess, who had been left in the shelter's care after their previous owner passed away. The instant Makoto saw the white cat and her orange tabby companion, he fell in love with their cute faces and thought that they were the perfect additions to their family.

After the children had gone to bed that evening, he showed them to his husband and fortunately for him, Haruka had immediately taken a liking to them as well. So they had written up an email explaining their situation and expressing their interest in meeting them, as the shelter required approval and a visitation before they allowed anyone to adopt a pet. Because of that, they decided to keep it a secret until the shelter gave them the green light. It would be bad if Umiko and Mizuki fell in love with them too but the shelter didn't think they were the right fit for Princess and Duchess.

"Yeah, I was surprised too," Makoto muttered as he fished his phone out of his pocket, "I already saw it before dinner but I didn't get the chance to tell you sooner. I was afraid the kids might hear something, and you know how inquisitive Umiko has been lately…"

Haruka understood where he was coming from; while they encouraged her curiosity and stimulated her zealousness, in situations like these they had to be careful. If she somehow got the idea that they had their sights set on two cats then they wouldn't hear the end of it until she saw them and they were hers. Of course, Mizuki would be dragged along with his older sister's interrogation and that wouldn't exactly make it easier. Precaution was key when it came to things like this.

"And, what did they say?"

An excited gleam appeared in Makoto's gorgeous eyes. "They said we can come to meet them anytime they're open."

A small yet nonetheless joyous smile appeared on Haruka's lips at that confirmation. They were approved on paper and were allowed to see them in person. The chances of the shelter denying their adoption request was significantly smaller now, given that they would like the cats and the cats liked them too - though he honestly didn't see why either wouldn't. "That's great."

"Right? I'm so happy," Makoto said, his entire face lighting up like a Christmas tree.

If it weren't the cats and their childhood promise being closer to being fulfilled that made Haruka smile, then seeing his husband so genuinely thrilled definitely would have done the trick. After so many years, that blinding smile still ignited sparks in his stomach. "Me too," he murmured softly, "So when do you want to go?"

"I was thinking Tuesday afternoon," Makoto replied without missing a beat, proving that he had already thought about that - not that Haruka had expected otherwise. "My classes end early on Tuesday, so that's when we have the most time to see them and play with them before the shelter closes."

"Sounds good," Haruka agreed, though he couldn't help but tease him a little, "If you can keep it a secret until then." They wanted it to be a surprise for the kids, but that wouldn't work if Makoto's unerasable grin revealed it all.

"I think I can manage three days," he argued, wanting to seem offended yet failing miserably when he smiled again.

"Are you sure, because your face says otherwise." Haruka jokingly poked at the curled up corner of Makoto's mouth, because that thoroughly elated expression held no secrets at all, not from Haruka and surely not from Umiko and Mizuki either.

Hearty laughter erupted from Makoto's chest as he swatted his husband's hand away. "I'm sure," he declared solemnly as he swiped his palm in front of his face and unveiled the serious look that was left in its wake. He was able to maintain that demeanour for about half a second before it crumbled with a chuckle. He bit his lip in an attempt to repress it, but it was in vain.

Haruka could only smile at his giddiness. In Makoto's defense, he had been able to not only keep Princess and Duchess a secret for the children for an entire day, but he had also successfully kept this information hidden for a few hours from none other than his own husband, who knew him through and through. He could do anything he set his mind to.

"Anyway," Makoto mumbled as he tried to recover from his giggles, fumbling with his phone for a bit and then he gave it to Haruka. "Here's the email if you want to read it."

Haruka quickly scanned the text with his eyes, his own smile softening when he read the confirmation for himself. But when he opened his mouth to reply, the tv in the background blared a familiar tune.

"It's started!" Makoto gasped and his eyes widened comically.

"Here," Haruka snorted as he handed him his phone, "You can email them back later. Go sit down, I'll get us our drinks."

"Are you sure?" Makoto asked, knowing that Haruka didn't like to watch something if he missed the beginning. When Haruka didn't waver, he muttered, "Thanks, Haru. You're the best!"

Before Haruka had the chance to stutter an objection to that, Makoto blessed him with a quick kiss of gratitude. There was truly no better way to silence him than that.

"Ah, I'm so excited!" Makoto sighed, and it was obvious that he wasn't talking about the tv show.

As always, Haruka couldn't do anything but smile in response to his husband's almost childlike enthusiasm. He was really too cute. "Me too."

The sea of children that had poured through the seams of Iwatobi Elementary's doors had long since dissipated, yet Umiko was still nowhere in sight. When Haruka pulled out his phone to check the clock, he confirmed that she was indeed running late. It was no point of concern for him, because he knew just how easily she could get caught up in conversation and lose track of time, but the small hand that was clutching his was slowly growing more and more jittery with impatience.

While Umiko had the tendency to be a bit tardy if she got distracted, Mizuki was very punctual, always ready with his little backpack firmly around his shoulders by the time one of his parents came to pick him up from kindergarten. He despised waiting and therefore made sure no one would have to wait on him either. While Haruka thought both of their habits were endearing in their own way and didn't mind waiting on Umiko for a couple of minutes when they weren't in a hurry, Mizuki got visibly annoyed if his older sister was taking too long for his liking.

Haruka averted his gaze from where it had been glued to the doors, that his husband and he had passed through countless of times when they were just children themselves, in favour of looking at their grumpy son. Most people probably wouldn't notice anything off about him, since a bright smile wasn't exactly part of his default expression, but Haruka could tell that his bottom lip was protruding slightly more than it did when he got here. That pout would surely disappear instantly if Mizuki knew what was ahead of him today.

"She'll be here soon," Haruka tried to appease him, smiling when Mizuki only huffed in response. "Do you want me to carry you?"

"No."

He wasn't going to insist; Mizuki would change his mind if his legs got tired, but Haruka didn't think it would get to that point. Even though Umiko was taking her sweet time, he was sure it wouldn't be long now. It wasn't like she would make her family wait forever.

Almost like he had sensed it, at that moment a familiar mop of black hair left the building and, as predicted, Umiko wasn't alone: three other children were with her, some of which Haruka recognised from playdates at their house.

The instant Umiko spotted her dad and little brother standing near the gate, she quickly said goodbye to her friends and ran towards them, red bag jostling on her back. It seemed like her face had trouble deciding which emotion to display; remorse for being late or the excitement that was the cause of it.

"Why are you late?" Mizuki demanded to know the second Umiko was within earshot, sounding like he was her dad instead of Haruka and Umiko owed him an explanation.

"Sorry," she apologised and though it was sincere, as soon as the word was past her lips, her enthusiasm won the battle and a wide, radiating grin appeared. "I was talking with Suzu-chan and Hiro-kun and Mari-chan. Suzu-chan got a guinea pig!"

"A guinea pig, huh?" Haruka muttered as he ruffled her hair in greeting before crouching down to kiss her head. Then his hand found one of hers so he could lead the three of them safely across the street to where the car was parked.

"Yeah! She got one, and her older sister got one too! She said guinea pigs need to have a friend."

"It's always nice to have a friend," Haruka agreed, but before he had the chance to say anything else about rodents, Umiko chimed in.

"Why are we taking the car?"

Usually, Makoto and he would drop off the kids at their respective destinations together before driving to the swim club in the morning. When school was finished, Haruka would pick them up again and the three of them would walk to their house, or wherever they happened to be going, so that Makoto could drive home after a long day of hard work.

"We're going to the swim club," Haruka replied, "I thought it would be nice to pick Papa up together. He still has one class, so we can watch him while he works."

It was technically the answer to what she had asked, but it wasn't the full truth either. Fortunately, it seemed like the kids hadn't noticed that.

"Can we swim too?" Mizuki wondered, although his way of moving through the water could hardly be called swimming just yet, as it was more like wading.

"Not today, I'm afraid," Haruka said, hoping that they wouldn't inquire further, "I thought you would still be tired of swimming after swimming all day last Saturday."

"I'll never get tired of swimming!" Umiko proclaimed.

"Me neither!"

Truly spoken like they were his own, Haruka thought to himself with a small snort. "Me neither," he echoed as he took his keyring out of his pocket and unlocked the car. Before they had the opportunity to ask him if he had already swum today - the answer to which was yes - he tried to change topics. "So, what colour is Suzu-chan's guinea pig?"

"White with brown spots, and her sister's guinea pig is black with brown spots!"

Successfully diverged.

While Umiko rambled on about every detail her friend had told her about the new pets, Haruka put Mizuki into his carseat and fastened the belts. Then he went to check if Umiko had strapped herself into hers properly, not wanting to take any chances when she was so busy chattering. Once they were both secured, Haruka buckled himself up and started the car to drive the route that had become more than familiar over the past decades.

After a short drive, they arrived at their family's business. Though the entire way here had been dyed with Umiko's high-pitched voice as she talked about anything and everything noteworthy about her day at school - though it was mostly still about Suzu-chan's guinea pig -, the second they came to a halt in the parking lot, she freed herself of her seatbelt and leapt out of the car to run inside.

"Wait for me!" Mizuki called after her, impatiently trying to unbuckle himself too but he couldn't quite figure out the somewhat complicated system.

Not wanting him to be left behind, Haruka helped him and lifted him out of the car so he could chase after his sister. He wasn't in a hurry like the kids were, so Haruka calmly grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder before he followed them inside.

They were far ahead of him, but Haruka wasn't bothered. The swim club was their second home and they knew this place like the back of their hands. Even the other staff members weren't fazed at all by their presence, as they had long since gotten used to the six-year-old and her four-year-old brother roaming around the halls. Knowing just where they were going, Haruka took a detour to the break room, the fridge of which contained some juice boxes reserved for occasions like these. Along with two of them and a bottle of water for himself, Haruka went to join the children.

Their faces were already smudged up against the glass, looking out over the pool area where a handful of instructors were having classes in different lanes, amongst whom their very own father. It didn't matter how often they were here to witness it, for some reason this remained to be a spectacular sight to see. Haruka got it though; Makoto did look really cool helping kids from all ages through the water - and really hot in his wetsuit, the design of which hadn't changed at all since he wore it for the very first time a little under twenty years ago.

"You'll stain the glass if you press up against it like this," Haruka remarked. Even though their enthusiasm was cute, it hadn't been long since he had last cleaned these windows and he wasn't eager to have to do it again tomorrow.

"Sorry," Umiko and Mizuki muttered in unison, immediately stepping away like the glass had burned their palms and noses.

Haruka smiled, bidding them a small nod of appreciation. "Here," he said as he handed them each a juicebox. Then he sat down on the bench right behind them and put his bag down beside him.

"Thanks!" they replied as they followed his example and plopped down.

After taking a swig of his water, Haruka rummaged through his bag a bit and pulled out a box of leftover vanilla muffins from last Sunday. They wouldn't be home until it was time for dinner, so he made sure to bring their afterschool snack with them. It would be bad if Umiko and Mizuki got hungry and cranky on a day as important as this one.

The same response sounded out again as the children grabbed a proffered muffin, nibbling mindlessly as they peered out over the pool. It was an occurrence as common as the next, but when Haruka looked at them, he was reminded of Ran and Ren, who he had taken here back when Makoto was first working as a swim instructor to help out Coach Sasabe. The twins had been a couple of years older then than Umiko and Mizuki were now, but the glint of excitement shimmering in their eyes was the exact same.

Suddenly, his hands began to itch with the need to capture this sight; the unawareness of the world around them as they were fixated on their father guiding other children through the water, with nothing to distract from it than the combined flavours of sweet vanilla muffins and apple juice. But a good dad always came prepared, and Haruka searched for his camera in his bag, trying not to rustle it too much in fear of disturbing the atmosphere.

He carefully scooted over to the edge of the bench and held the camera at an angle so that their vague reflections in the windows were within frame too. As soon as the shutter clicked, the spell was broken and their faces instantly turned to him. The excited glimmer was replaced by adorable confusion, their eyebrows twisting into a frown to complete the look.

Knowing they were just startled, Haruka said, "Smile," as he snapped another photo. He had already gotten the perfect, almost entranced-like picture, so a couple of goofy ones were a nice follow up to that.

A dozen or so photos were shot, some of which the children demanded be taken in front of the windows in the hopes of catching their father in action. The results weren't that great, but it was a task that was pretty much impossible to execute well, so Haruka simply obliged without protest. They'd forget about it sooner or later anyway.

Eventually the kids were reminded of their treats left abandoned on the bench and returned to them. Haruka put the camera away. He could continue to take pictures forever, but he didn't want the memory card to get too cluttered just yet. There were certainly more endearing moments coming up, ones that were rarer than these, and it would be a shame to miss out on eternalising them.

Time flew by as Umiko and Mizuki finished their snacks and babbled with their dad. Before they knew it, Makoto and his students were already standing on land again as today's class was ended. The children trickled out of the room and Makoto was left to clear away the kickboards and floaties that were used.

"Come on," Haruka said as he got up, collecting the empty snack packages to discard into a bin along the way, "Let's go to Papa."

The kids didn't need to be told twice.

They quickly traded their shoes for slippers and entered through the staff locker room, where Haruka grabbed the laid-out towel to hand to his husband. Unlike before, Umiko and Mizuki now slowly followed behind him, knowing that they weren't allowed to run anywhere near the pool because it was dangerous.

"Good work," Haruka murmured as he stepped into the room.

Upon hearing that voice, Makoto came to a halt and a bright smile stretched his face when he saw him. "Haru!"

A matching smile naturally broke through Haruka's demeanour and he threw the towel to Makoto, who caught it as effortlessly as always.

"Papa!"

"We came to pick you up!"

The chiming voices of their children drew Makoto's gaze downwards and his smile widened. "Is that so?" he chuckled, roughly drying his brown locks with the towel before letting it slip to his shoulders. "Thank you, I really appreciate it!"

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Haruka offered. He convinced himself that he asked it to help his husband out, but he couldn't deny the excitement that bubbled up in his stomach as he thought about where they were heading next.

"No, that's okay," Makoto declined with the cute head tilt that he never grew out of, "I just need to put away some stuff and get dressed and then I'm ready to go."

But instead of doing either of those things, he stepped closer to them and swiftly stole a kiss from his husband's lips. Before Haruka could ever register the contact, let alone respond, Makoto had already pulled back again with a cheeky grin on those enticing lips. The flame of playfulness that was ignited in his eyes went out as quickly as it was lit and swooped down to kiss Umiko and Mizuki's crowns before he turned around and strolled off.

"See you soon," he called over his shoulder with a wave of his hand, and Haruka couldn't help but snort.

He really loved that adorable idiot with all his heart.

Less than fifteen minutes later, the Tachibana family was seated in the car and conversation was alive as per usual, mainly thanks to Makoto and Umiko; the latter was telling the former all about her friend's newly acquired guinea pig. Because Haruka and Mizuki had already heard everything there was to know about it, they didn't feel the need to partake in the same discussion again. Since Makoto would always humour her and, like Haruka himself, was genuinely interested in everything she and her brother had to say, this was no issue at all.

On the contrary, Haruka was actually kind of glad he didn't have to engage so he could focus all his attention on driving. Though he was pretty certain he knew the exact road they needed to take to their destination, it had been quite a while since the last time he was there so he wanted to make sure that he didn't accidentally take a wrong turn.

The children hadn't noticed anything yet, and Haruka was glad about that. It meant that the surprise would only be greater when they arrived.

"And Suzu-chan's dad made a big cage, and also a big… thing so they could run outside in the yard!"

"Guinea pigs can get pretty big, huh?" Makoto commented, amused by their daughter's enthusiasm, "So it's good that they have a lot of space to move around and play."

"Yeah," Umiko affirmed, vigorously nodding her head, "Her and her sister's are still small because they're babies, but she said they can get this big." She made an indication with her hands, that might have been a teeny bit exaggerated, but Makoto only chuckled along.

"Really?"

"Yeah!" she repeated excitedly, "And she said that I can come over to see them sometime!"

"That's nice of her," Makoto said with his sunny smile, "When did you plan to do that?"

"I don't know yet. Hiro-kun and Mari-chan also wanted to see them, but Suzu-chan says she can only have one friend at a time over at her house."

"Why is that?" Haruka questioned with a frown at this new piece of information.

"I don't know," Umiko shrugged, "She said her mom said so."

"Maybe it'll be too busy for the guinea pigs otherwise. They might feel scared if they're surrounded by a lot of people, trying to hold them all at once," Makoto tried, but Umiko shook her head.

"I don't think it's because of the guinea pigs. Before she had them we could never play at her house together either."

"Maybe her mom's the one who gets scared if she's surrounded by a lot of people," Haruka joked, coaxing chuckles out of everyone. While Haruka knew better than anyone else that children could be a handful, he didn't really understand parents who had rules like that. Those types of playdates occurred every once in a while and lasted for no more than a few hours at a time at best, so it wasn't like there was much of a difference between having one kid over or two or three - at least, not to him. It only caused for some children to get excluded from playing with their group of friends.

And because he never wanted Umiko and Mizuki to get excluded, he wouldn't cause for other kids to get excluded either. The more the merrier, or something corny like that.

"Oh, and I told Suzu-chan and Hiro-kun and Mari-chan that we're going to get a cat, and they asked if they could see it when we get it!"

Makoto's eyes darted to the corner to shoot his husband an inquiring look, but Haruka just pursed his lips as a subtle sign that he didn't know either. It must have been a coincidence, for Umiko would surely speak up if she caught wind of what was going on.

"Of course!" Makoto replied, trying his best not to let his expression betray him and expose their secret, "You can invite them over when we get one."

"Or two," Mizuki added, so out of nowhere that it almost seemed like he was onto something. The look of indifference on his face, however, contradicted this.

"Can they all come over at the same time?" Umiko asked, diverting the subject from the cats they were going to get back to her friends, much to her parents' joy.

"Sure, I don't see why not," Haruka said. In his opinion, it was easier to have all three of Umiko's closest friends come over at once than to plan three separate cat-viewing playdates. "You can invite Tomo-kun over too," he told Mizuki, knowing that Mizuki only had one friend he was close enough with for him to invite into their house. He had been told multiple times that he was allowed to bring more friends than just Tomo-kun, but Mizuki always declined and said that he just wanted his best friend to come. It seemed like the other children in his kindergarten class hadn't unlocked the stage of friendship yet in which Mizuki felt comfortable having them over.

But even his best friend was not on Mizuki's mind right then. "Where are we going?" he questioned in confusion. The car ride home wasn't supposed to take this long, and he didn't recognise the buildings around him either.

"Are we going to the store?" Umiko wondered, since taking the car and picking up her father made sense in that scenario.

Makoto just shook his head.

"Then where?"

"It's a surprise."

"Oh no," she gasped in horror, "we're not going to the dentist, are we?"

"No," Makoto chuckled at the fact that that was her first guess for some reason, "we just went to the check-up appointment a few weeks ago, and your teeth don't hurt, right?"

"No," Umiko said, and even if she could have expected that outcome, she was still visibly relieved.

"I promise that you'll both like where we are going," he revealed, and that would be the sole hint he would give them.

Then it was Mizuki's turn to gasp. "Disneyland?"

That was probably the only place that would make them even happier, but he couldn't have been more wrong. If that was their expectation, then they were surely going to be disappointed; any place paled in comparison to Disneyland.

Thankfully, Umiko was the voice of reason. "Of course we're not going to Disneyland!" she argued, "Disneyland is super far away and we have to go to school tomorrow, and Papa and Daddy have to work."

"Oh yeah," Mizuki mumbled dejectedly, pouting as he averted his head to stare out the window. Haruka hoped that his frown would soon be turned upside down when he found out where they were actually going.

"No, unfortunately we're not going to Disneyland," Makoto regretfully confirmed, "but the place where we are going is a lot of fun too."

"The playground?" Mizuki tried, as it was technically a smaller, plainer version of Disneyland.

"Oh, I know!" Umiko suddenly exclaimed, the metaphorical light bulb switching on beside her head as she had an epiphany, finally able to connect all the dots. "We're going to get a cat!"

"Ding-ding-ding, we have a winner," Makoto announced like a game show host, making the children cheer like they just won a hundred million yen. "We're going to the shelter!"

Instantly, Mizuki's pout morphed into a large grin. "Yes!"

"Are we going to pick out a cat?" Umiko asked, her brown eyes wide and gleaming with excitement.

"No, we're going to meet two cats that Daddy and I picked out already."

Before the kids had the chance to moan and complain about not being allowed to help pick out the cats, Haruka cut in, "Papa found these cats on the website and thought they were perfect for us, so he showed them to me. And I thought so too, so we sent a message to the shelter, because before we are allowed to adopt them, we have to meet them in person. They said we could come today, so we wanted it to be a surprise for you until now."

Fortunately, that explanation satisfied them, and they began to rapidly fire questions at their parents about the cats' identities.

"Are they boys or girls?"

"What do they look like?"

"What are their names?"

Their passion was so endearing that Makoto couldn't do anything but laugh merrily, and Haruka's heart swelled with fondness upon consuming the cocktail of rambled curiosity and bellowing joy.

"Okay, okay," Makoto hushed with remnants of giggles, "Their names are Princess and Duchess, and they're both girls. Princess is white and Duchess is orange. That's what you both wanted, right?"

"Yes!" they yelled in unison, excitement dripping from their faces as they visualised their ideal cat in their heads.

"But Papa," Umiko mumbled as she recalled the conversation they had about their desired cats last Friday afternoon, "I thought you wanted a black cat."

If Makoto was going to say what Haruka expected him to, he was going to kick him as soon as the car came to a halt. But it seemed like Makoto had left his playfulness behind at the swim club and he answered earnestly, "It doesn't really matter to me, I'm happy with any cat."

Umiko smiled at that - if anything, she was probably just glad that at least one of the cats had fur in her desired colour. "How old are they?"

"Princess is seven and Duchess is five."

"That's older than me!" Mizuki gasped in surprise, like he had never even considered the possibility of that.

"That's right, and Princess is even older than Umiko," Makoto said, and their son's mind was positively blown by that fact.

"Wow."

"We're almost there," Haruka informed, disrupting their elated chattering. He hated to be the spoilsport, but the children were getting a little too excited about the idea of having Princess and Duchess as their cats and he had to remind them that they weren't theirs just yet. "Remember that we're going to meet them to see if we like them, but if we don't for some reason or if they don't like us, then we'll continue to look for a different cat."

"But," Makoto added before their grins could be wiped away by their dad's words to make place for crestfallen frowns, "I think we're going to like them a lot."

To support this claim, Makoto elaborated and shared all the details he knew about the royalty they were about to meet. It was safe to say that Umiko and Mizuki had already fallen in love with the descriptions they were given, just like their parents had. Now they probably wouldn't settle for anything less than Princess and Duchess - and fortunately, they didn't have to either.

[hemsworths-chris]

do you wanna be a member?

JILY CHALLENGE | @howlingremus​ vs @queensaphrodite​          lonely hearts club (marina and the diamonds) + muggle librarian!au

for my amazing partner, @queensaphrodite! and for elena (@meraudurs) and nai (@hiddenpolkadots​), for inspiring me to write and create (and for helping me edit this <3)

The library closes far too early, in her opinion. Sure, it closes at eight, and sure, maybe she ought to try just showing up earlier, but in her defense, it isn’t solely her fault. She only gets off work at five, and there are just so many books to read. How are three hours anywhere near enough?

She frequents the place almost every day, knows it like the back of her hand. But there’s something off about it today. Maybe it’s the fact that the historical fiction section switched places with the biography section, but that was last week.

Lily grabs her books and walks up to the counter to ask Peggy whether or not there’s a copy of Everything, Everything available and oh shit that’s what’s different.

There’s a different librarian - a bloke - at the desk, with hair too messy to be legal, glasses too outdated to be unintentionally bought, and a shirt too wrinkled to ever have come in contact with an iron. He’s the kind of fellow who’d be perfect as the main character as one of the books Lily wants to check out - maybe a Peter Pan or a Percy Jackson kind of fellow.

Lily blinks.

Well, fuck.

He looks up from fiddling with the cuffs of his button-down, meets her gaze for a moment, and cocks an eyebrow.

“You’re the first person under forty I’ve seen so far.” His voice almost seems to echo, and it’s much louder than most librarians tend to be.

Lily can’t even tell if he’s being dense or just kind of cocky, but she’ll place her bet on the latter. It’s clear as day in the way he holds himself - self-assured, unashamed, even a bit arrogant but still good-natured.

She crosses her arms. “That’s not true, and you know it. You’re literally right next to the freaking children’s section.”

The bloke laughs, a sound almost out of place in this quiet library. She owes herself twenty dollars.

“Check and mate, I guess. But then again, it’s not like I can really see them.” He taps his glasses with a ridiculously long finger. “They’re getting smaller every day, I swear.”

Lily even smiles at that for a second, before stuffing it back where it came from. This arrogant, loud-mouthed (they’re in a fucking library, has he no sense of volume?), far-too-handsome idiot has no place in this library of hers.

(All the same, she wouldn’t mind reading about someone like him.)

“Yeah, sure” she says, quickly, trying to get to the point. “Listen, do you guys have another copy of Everything, Everything?”

He shrugs. “Hell if I know.”

Lily is done with this bloke. She makes her way around the desk to where he’s sitting, pushes away his chair (“Oi, what d’ya think you’re doing?” but he doesn’t sound particularly annoyed, just curious), opens up the catalog page on the monitor in front of him (the first thing she sees when she opens it up is a March Madness bracket - she now kind-of-sort-of-really wants to punch the guy), and soundlessly types in the words Everything, Everything.

No more copies available, but there’s one currently on hold. And it’s not hers. Damnit.

The guy standing behind her takes a look at her screen, and she can hear him let out a breath. “Oh, shit, that book? Isn’t that the one with like the mysterious guy and the girl who’s supposed to be sick but - “

Lily hastily shoves out her hand, as if to slap it over his rambling mouth. “No spoilers!” she all but yells. And she realizes that she’s being such a hypocrite right now, so she adds, a little bit more quietly, “Please.”

The bloke smirks, like he knows exactly what she’s thinking. “Alright, then.” He peers over at the screen once more, and Lily presses the power button. She gets up, and moves over to the side of the desk that she ought to be on.

“Well,” she says curtly, trying not to smile (for some reason) at this endearing annoying stranger. “Thanks.”

He grins at her. “Don’t mention it.”

Suddenly, something occurs to Lily. “Hold on,” she says slowly. “You’ve read this book?”

For some reason, the bloke turns red. “Er - um, no? I got it for my friend…Marlene? And like I read the summary on the back -”

Lily smirks. “Liar. You’ve totally read it.”

If possible, he turns even redder - it’s quite a funny sight. “I was bored, alright? And it was lying around - I really had bought it for Marlene - and I…may have skimmed it?”

Lily laughs and tucks a strand of red hair behind her ear.  “Why are you acting so defensive? It’s just a book, relax.”

“Well, it’s not as good as the Percy Jackson series.” Besides the point, but Lily can’t deny that it’s true.

“Fair,” she admits.

She notices a watch on his hand (it looks extraordinarily beat-up, made of old leather and a face of cracked glass), and checks the time. Crap, the library closes in a few minutes. “I really should be going,” she says, making sure she has all the books she wants before turning around.

(She’s not sure if she’s imagining it, but the librarian’s face seems to fall slightly.)

Just as Lily’s about to head back, she hears a quiet “Wait.” She turns around.

“What is it?”

“Er.” The librarian looks…pretty sheepish, and he rubs the back of his neck. “What - what does it say on your shirt?”

Lily almost rolls her eyes, and she pulls back the cardigan she’s wearing.

“I left my heart in a book,” the guy reads. He looks back up at her.

“Is that, like, for a book club or something?”

Lily stares at him in confusion. “Sorry?”

“The shirt - you must’ve got it from some sort of club.”

“I…got it from Macy’s? So no, not a book club.”

He looks quizzically at her. “You know, you should probably make that shirt a book club, then.”

Lily raises an eyebrow. “For hearts in books?”

“Yeah, something like that. Like, aggressive bibliophiles or something.”

She perches herself on the desk, her legs starting to get tired of standing, and almost ends up knocking over a stapler. “Who’d join?”

“I would.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, and I’d grab some friends, too. Get some drinks, maybe some fries, and master the art of abandoning our poor, forsaken hearts in some dusty old books.”

Lily actually lets out a laugh. “I - don’t think that’s what it means.”

“But wouldn’t that be more dramatic?”

Come to think of it, it would be. Lily tries to envision it, but the only thing that really comes to mind is some sort of cult with an obsession for Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley. And they, of course, take their fries with a small cup of blood.

Anyways. She shrugs, and gets off the desk. “You do have a flair for the dramatics, then. Say, who the hell are you?”

His hands fly up to his hair - for what, to make it even messier? - and ends up almost knocking his glasses off the bridge of his nose.

“Stop giggling, bloody hell. And it’s James.”

Against her better judgement (sod it all, rational thought), she reaches over and pushes up his glasses. His hazel eyes follow her fingers, and he looks a little bit cross-eyed. It’s all a little bit sweet.

“James, is it? Well, I’m Lily, founder of the Hearts in Books Club.” The bloke - James, now - snorts at that, only causing to Lily to giggle even more.

James looks down at his watch . “I think the library closes right about now, you’d best be off.”

Lily swears under her breath, and James raises an eyebrow.

“Now, what was that?” The accent he’s putting on sounds a bit like some old-fashioned English professor, which kind of goes with the button-down, but not with the hair. “You do know you’re near the children’s section, next to so many impressionable young minds - you wouldn’t want to give them the wrong idea -”

“Oh, sod off,” she says, but not before glancing over to see if there’s anyone under the age of ten watching them. She checks to see if she still has all her books, and actually turns to leave.

“See you, Jimmy.” She smirks.

“OI, WATCH IT!”

~

Once she turns the corner, she can’t stop smiling. And even once she gets home and picks up her books and tries to - tries to lose her heart in them, damnit, she can’t stop thinking of James and the Hearts in Books Club and that damn hair.

Fuck, she thinks.

~

Lily returns to the library the next day, of course - she needs to pick up the sequel to Six of Crows, the novel she just finished.

(And she may or may not want to see if James is there.)

(He isn’t. Peggy is back, and though she loves Peggy, she’s a bit disappointed.)

(What is wrong with me, she thinks.)

After finding Crooked Kingdom, finally, she traipses over to the holds section. As far as she remembers, she doesn’t have anything on hold, but it’s always good to check.

There’s a book in her slot.

Furrowing her brows, she reaches up (and, quite embarrassingly, has to get up her tippy-toes; damn her lack of height), and grabs it. It’s hardcover, feels pretty new, and strangely enough, it doesn’t have that clear library binding around it.

The cover reads Everything, Everything. It’s the book she wanted yesterday - the one that the library shouldn’t have an available copy of. Confused, Lily opens the front cover, and the first thing she sees is a little note on a yellow Post-It, scribbled in Sharpie.

Lily,

Can this be the first book of the Hearts in Books Club?

See you Thursdays and Tuesdays.

- James.

There’s a little smiley face doodled next to her name, and Lily feels a strange, swooping feeling that she normally only feels at the end of a really good book.

And oh, fuck, she can’t stop grinning.

(But maybe, when she gets home, it’s something more than the book itself - something having to do with the note on the inside front cover - that prompts her to read it over and over again).

(Maybe. Just maybe).

[dfsdf23234-blog]

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[technicolour32]

It: Chapter One

Disclaimer: Views are mine. Date and Year of Release: September 8, 2017 Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Jaeden Lieberher, Jackson Robert Scott, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Hamilton, Jack Dylan Grazer, Jeremy Ray Taylor, and Wyatt Oleff. Director: Andy Muschietti Running Time: 135 minutes I had been waiting for this film ever since the first rumors and the eventual proof of the remake were splashed across media. What got me intrigued: (i) it was based on a Stephen King (Master of Horror) story and (ii) the casting of Bill Skaarsgaard as the eponymous Pennywise, the Dancing Clown. He is the member of the famed (and rightly so) Skaarsgaard acting dynasty, and got the acting chops (for reference check: TV series Hemlock Grove where he acted as the soulful and brooding outsider-vampire Roman Godfrey, unaware of his true lineage; the Swedish films- Simple Simon which is one of the best films on autism; and Simon and the Oaks where he is a working class boy trying to find his way at the peak of World War II). As a kid, I watched Tim Curry’s sadistic take on Pennywise, and it had quite the impact on me. Particularly, it shaped how I viewed clowns. I am not afraid of clowns, but am no fan either. Earlier, I used to be excited whenever a circus would wind up in my sleepy little beautiful town. Watching the antics of the clowns would leave me in splits. But Tim Curry changed that perception. If one goes by numbers, a large number of people in the USA suffer from Coulrophobia, and the media has only worked to sustain this fear of clowns. Recently, the creators- Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk of another favourite TV show, American Horror Story has received flak for depiction of the scary clown in the form of Twisty, the Clown in Season 5 titled Freak Show. But, in their defense, I would say that Twisty is a take on the notorious American serial killer John Wayne Gacy aka “Killer Clown” (who killed at least 33 boys in the 1970’s and who dressed as Pogo, the clown at charity events and children’s parties. He was also viewed as an upstanding member of his society). Watching the 2017 version made me remember my own experience of watching the Tim Curry version, Twisty, and my fascination with serial killers from a psychological stand point. From the go, the film set the pace right. Beginning with a moody piano at the background, the film starts with the Denbrough siblings and the pitter patter raindrops. Set in 1988, elder brother Bill makes a paper-boat for his younger brother Georgie, who proceeds to set it sail. He runs after it as it moves ahead. This sets sail the eventual unleashing of horror as the boat accidentally gets inside the sewer and we get to see the macabre Pennywise charming Georgie before eventually taking him, and worming his way in the fictional town of Derry in Maine beginning his terror on Bill and his gang of losers in 1989. Pennywise is ‘it’ and ‘it’ takes the form of Pennywise- a shapeshifter, assuming the form of individual fears of each of the children, and a trans-dimensional entity feeding on ‘fear’. Each of the children see it in the form of what they fear the most. To know what their individual fears are one has to watch the movie. The movie climaxes as the children unite to battle the demon, who promises to rise again. I had gone to watch this film alone and even though I was surrounded by girls, we collectively shuddered at every twist. This film comes at an interesting time. I say this because we live in a time where fear grips our imagination. Donald Trump in the USA is only the tip of the iceberg. Every nation now employs fear as a tactic to keep the citizens under its rule. I say fear in the context of politics and the theme of the film. Pennywise strikes when no one looks or says a word against it. The residents of Derry are aware that children are disappearing and yet pretend otherwise. The residents are also aware that these disappearances happen every 27 years. At the end it is upon the gang of “losers” to fight the demon by standing against it united and telling it, on its face, that they are unafraid of it. The central theme of this film is not Pennywise, but fear which sets the moody ambience. Of course, one has to take note of who has directed the film- Andy Muschietti (of another horror film, Mama fame). Mama had its obvious flaws, but that film too dealt with the horror of fear and what it makes one do. In the case of Mama, it was the fear of losing children, and how a Mother’s love lives on even in a supernatural dimension. I wonder if he is the Jim Jarmusch of the horror genre. Jim Jarmusch is known for his depiction of moody antiheroes (Dead Man, Only Lovers Left Alive). Andy Muschietti’s supernatural beings are not monsters themselves, but a reflection of monstrosity we see in day-to-day life. I would place him next to Guillermo del Toro’s humanizing take on monsters (The Orphanage, The Devil’s Backbone, Crimson Peak and the TV series, Strain based on the books he himself wrote). Similar to Toro’s demons, Andy too depicts ‘It’ as more human than humans themselves. Pennywise only attempts to reflect. Kudos to Andy for giving us a masterpiece. Next, I am not disappointed with Bill Skaarsgaard who takes on this challenging role with an intensity, charisma and madness that Tim Curry so generously gave to his version of Pennywise. Unlike Tim Curry though, Bill is sinister. Just like fear is. Fear is sinister and makes one commit the sinister. And what a performance. I remembered his role of Roman Godfrey in each frame. In the Netflix horror series, Bill portrayed a vampire with grace. He portrayed Pennywise with the same grace, that actors don’t often portray as titular monsters. I am sure many critics will say that he has the Skaarsgaard name, but no. His siblings and parents have made a name for themselves, and he stands out with this role of a lifetime. Interestingly, his elder brother Alexander Skaaarsgaard portrayed the character of the vampire Eric in True Blood and that had a charm, unique to Alexander. I think I will wait for Bill’s work in the years to come. And yes, the right choice for Pennywise, considering that another heavy weight Tilda Swinton was also considered for this role. Bill was considered for his build as one of the producers noted him being tall and lanky and a bit clown-like in his mannerisms, and for bringing his own take on how Pennywise should be. Further, the casting is perfect. Finn Wolfhard as Richie (of Stranger Things fame) is the adorable extroverted nerd; Jaeden Lieberher as Bill, the elder brother with a speech impediment; Jeremy Ray Taylor as Ben, the new kid in town bullied for being overweight; Sophia Lillis as Beverly, another new kid who is slut shamed for simply not fitting in; Wyatt Oleff as Stan, the Jewish kid at odds with his religious beliefs and his own coming of age pragmatism; Chosen Jacobs as Mike, the African American whose parents death haunts him; and Jack Dylan Grazer as Eddie who struggles with being a hypochondriac. They form the Losers Club- a gang who do not fit in. Opposed to this club, is the gang of violent troublemakers led by Henry Bowers (played by Nicholas Hamilton to perfection) that bullies the Losers. What an amazing performance by each one of the kids. I love watching children act precisely because it can come from a place of innocence and coming of age. Needless to say, in an environment where elders in Derry do not check bullying because often, they are bullies themselves, ‘It’ manifests. The actor who steals the show for me; however, is Jackson Robert Scott who so innocently portrayed the character of 7 year old Georgie, and later turns malevolent (for reference: the sink scene in the Basement scene). Next, themes in the film stands out- it remains true to Stephen King’s themes of anti-bullying, anti-fear, pro-acceptance and pro-outsiders. (Carrie, Misery, The Shining). That it is okay to be what you want to be. The remake celebrates these in the form of Pennywise. Finally, the soundtrack by Benjamin Wallfisch is brilliant and sets the tone of the film. There is something visceral about children singing in horror films. It is spine tingling, because it pits the innocence of children against the loss of innocence. The music does this well. Right from the first scene- the mood is set with the piano piece. As young Georgie is about to lose his childhood in the form of death, a lady (possibly his mother) plays the piano. Bill cannot accompany him because he is sick and bed ridden. We see the impending doom in the form of the continuous rain as seen dripping from the window panes while the curtains are still. Truly sets the ambience. A good background score is always important in horror movies. Guillermo del Toro uses music well. The background score of Mama was good as well. Rating: 5/5 - This is a must watch. The strength of this film is that Pennywise strikes when you expect him to. This goes against the norm (as seen in the films by M. Night Shyamalan where you know that the monster will strike but not when). Here, you know precisely when. This is vital for this film for without it, the impact is not there. You will not sit on the edge of your seat. But it will terrify you, nonetheless. Pennywise is fear after all, who ironically fears that others do not fear him enough. Like Pennywise, fear lurks everywhere. The only way to fight ‘It’ is to stand united. Much like in the world today. We need more horror movies. No other genre is subversive as this genre. Hope you watch this film after this review. Please do. Maybe we can discuss about your thoughts.

[hellstate--rp-blog]

↪ b a s i c s ;

N A M E: Nathan Toussaint “Nate” Harper A G E: 38 P L A C E   O F   O R I G I N: Miami, Florida G R O U P: Cheyenne Country Club O C C U P A T I O N: Leader F C: Anthony Mackie

❝ The pain will always be in you — but you will not always be in pain. ❞

↪ p e r s o n a l i t y ;

P O S I T I V E   T R A I T S: disciplined ; methodical N E G A T I V E   T R A I T S: strong-willed ; suspicious

↪ b i o g r a p h y ;

L I F E   B E F O R E   T H E   O U T B R E A K:

‘Poor, unfortunate boy.’ Those three words had followed Toussaint all his life, ever since his birth, even though he was named after a hero that lead their people into revolution. ‘Poor, unfortunate boy.’ The rapid fire sad clucks of his friends mother’s floated over his head as they handed him patties to eat before he went home to the ramshackle plywood shack. ‘Poor, unfortunate boy.’ Said to him when a doctor rested a large hand on his forehead at age eight as he burned with a fever that claimed his parents. ‘Poor, unfortunate boy.’ Whispered by nuns as he sat, alone and withdrawn, studying French picture books while the other children ran around him laughing in the orphanage. ‘Poor, unfortunate boy.’ Spoken in a language he didn’t understand as he stared into the first set of blue eyes he had ever seen when missionaries knelt in front of him and tried to get him to smile.

That language and those missionaries took Toussaint away from the world he had known for two years, the colorful walls of the dormitories and whispers that went long into the night in a language the nuns refused to acknowledge, and shoved him into world that wanted him to forget everything before. They branded him with a new name, Nathan, and fed him food he had never eaten before that made him gag. Enclosed him in a room that was so quiet at night he couldn’t hide his tears. They made him learn another language, one that sat heavy on his tongue and made him angry.

Then the words that followed him changed. ‘Willful, ungrateful child.’ He could hear it through his ‘parent’s’ walls in their new oceanside home or uttered in sharp tones to him when he tipped over his plate that made him sick to his stomach at the breakfast table. ‘Willful, ungrateful child.’ Lectures from his school authorities when he refused to speak English that he could hardly understand or fought with children that made fun of him for the color of his skin or the way his words tripped over themselves. ‘Willful, ungrateful child.’ The church community tittered among themselves at the only black boy in the pews, one that stared with glum eyes and a unsatisfied slash of a mouth that never smiled but only looked at the crucifix with something like envy. ‘Willful, ungrateful child.’ Hissed through clenched teeth as his new mother scrubbed his clothes to wash away mud and dirt from his playtimes that ruined the perfect picture they wanted to create.

But he adapted, tucked his languages he grew up with into the back of his mouth and watched his knuckles split open from concrete walls as he bit back the anger.Both sets of three words fell away, and he became Nate — an angry teenager that had a heart of steel. They all told him he should be thankful that he was saved from the slums of Haiti, while he kept in his back pocket a map charting the way to the Haitian community in Florida, a place he believed would be more of a home to him than his parent’s. He made it through high school, graduated even, and moved to Miami. His parents might have been tearful when they found the note on his bed, but he would never know, as that evening was the last time he would ever see them.

Miami was everything he dreamed of. There, his languages were spoken as he remembered, the tones and slides that filled his dreams in that lonely bed over a thousand miles away. But it was hard from him there. He lived in a car, and then an apartment shared with four other young men like him. One of the other boys one day came back with a thick packet of information, a folder embossed with a globe and anchor, an eagle with with its wings spread. The next day he found the closest recruitment center with a poster in the window that boldly proclaimed: ‘the few, the proud, the Marines.’

Nate found an outlet for the anger in his bones. He pushed himself and his fellow recruits as hard as their trainers, and volunteered for extra duties. If the Marines were the best of the best, Nate wanted to be better. He wanted to be a hero, worthy of his name his birth parents gifted him with. He made it through basic training with one of the highest scores his instructor had ever seen, and was soon before the screening board in the reconnaissance selection. He passed on his first try, a near unheard of feat.

Two years of intense training, of black hats screaming at him that he just broke his knees, of carrying a full pack while submerged, of living in the bush for a week, pushed him like he had never before been pushed. But Nate relished it, the drive he felt making him try harder to be the best he could possibly be. Two years of intense training before he was certified as a ‘Reconnaissance Man, Parachutist and Combatant Diver Qualified.’ It was the proudest achievement of his life and he was placed with the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion just in time for the start of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Iraq became his proving ground. Nate met the men that became more than his platoon, more than just comrades wearing the same insignia. They became his everything, his sword and shield, the adopted family of brothers he believed in more than God or their commanders. He re-upped again, disappointed to lose contact with some of his fellow Devildogs but always happy to meet new ones. He moved around the country, deployed to far flung corners of the world he never imagined he would see.

Yet through it all, the underlying anger of his youth simmered beneath his skin, burning hotter than any unforgiving sun that that might beat down on his skin. He remained bitter, but hid it well from his fellow men with sarcasm ( but sarcasm always shown at the right time ), an intent to protect the soldier next to him, and a desire to further the mission at whatever personal cost. Nate climbed up the ranks, becoming a Sergeant in due time, with a command over his own Recon team.

L I F E   D U R I N G   T H E   O U T B R E A K:

Nate was in his re-up period, he had signed the paperwork already and had his orders — but he was relaxing for a week at home in Miami before attending another speciality school, this time Military Free Fall Jumpmaster School. Then he got a new order, join the Recon Marines in Camp Pendleton to assist with a national level emergency. Nate flew out, and found the camp in high gear, rolling out Reserves and combat personnel in equal measures, something that worried him. He was assigned to San Diego, set up in a IFAV with a Recon team of six men, two of which he already knew.

By the end of the day, that number was whittled down to three, both men he previously knew were dead, ripped apart by humans that weren’t quite humans — creatures that had to be put down by headshots. He could only watch helplessly as the civilians and service members alike died, finger fluttering around the trigger of his M4. They didn’t have ROI that told them they could open fire, hell, they didn’t have any sort of communication from upper management. Nate took it upon himself to change the ROI and told his remaining men to fire in self defense.

Then it was just him. It tore his heart in half to see every single man under his command dead or missing, but that was the moment Nate knew nothing was going to be the same. He left San Diego, abandoning his post like the coward he felt he was in the first week. His family was gone, not his adopted parents, they had disappeared from his life far before, but his brothers in arms and he felt like he was responsible for it. His old life was over and he was a man lost.

He aimed for Canada, certain the colder weather would slow down the dead walking, as he knew he could survive in the wilderness for as long as it took. However, this new life had different plans for him. Just outside Salt Lake City, a little over two years into the whole mess, a shadow started following him. A shadow of breathing living kind. A young boy — maybe 9 or 10, small for his size, skin a darker shade of midnight than his — followed him from a distance. He was like a carrion bird, trailing after him and picking at the scraps he left behind.

The boy reminded him of himself when he was his age, the same sullen look and glare like the world was the one angry at him ( not the other way around ). Maybe that was the reason why when the boy creeped into his small clearing, he didn’t immediately run him off. Instead he offered the rest of his can of beans, which the boy scarfed down. Nate asked questions, where he came from, what was his name, what he wanted from Nate. The boy didn’t answer any of them and just stared at him from across the fire, chin on knees and curled into a small ball. When Nate grew tired of his questioning ( this kid could give the interrogator trainers a run for their money ) he laid down and said the kid could follow him as long as he would like, even if he never spoke a word.

The kid luckily could speak, though he didn’t often. Nate gave him his name, Red, after what appeared to be the kid’s favorite color. Despite his appearance the kid was strong, willing to keep pace with Nate for longer distances than most kids would. But even a kid like Red became worn down and Nate found himself carrying Red more and more often on his back. Nate knew he wouldn’t be able to continue like this. He would either have to stop or leave Red behind and the later was not an option for him. He had become attached to the young boy and when his sense of responsibility was awoken, it was a hard thing to forget. So they stopped in the nearest city, Cheyenne.

L I F E   A F T E R   T H E   O U T B R E A K:

Nate still remains angry, pissed off at a cruel world that doesn’t seem to care for any sort of boys like Red and him. He no longer has any false ideals of being a hero, of being better than the best, he just tries to be a good man now. He still mourns the loss of his brotherhood of Marines, the pride of being something bigger than himself, and wishes to find something resembling it again. Bitterness coats his mouth every time he opens it, but the fire of being a survivor still burns in heart.

Part of that is thanks to Red, as the boy gives him a cause to live for. He had vowed to himself to never put another child in a position like he had been growing up, confused and separated from everything they had known but he knew for Red, he has become all the young boy knows. He isn’t willing to give up again, not when Red is clearly still alive and looking to him to be a role model. Yet he knows he can not be all Red knows forever, as one day, Nate will follow the route of his men — he’ll die — so he has assumed command of a camp established in Cheyenne, hoping to give a sense of community to Red he never had.