i am a man on fire

Rafael "Rafe" Reyes || Closed RP Blog for The Final Hour

[rafikecoyote]

[tfhxrafe-blog]

mcganhotch​:

It was due to her keen tracking skills which got them to find the herd of deer. As much as she saw the hooves in the dirt, Megan wasn’t sure they’d actually get anything. So many times they’d be tracking prints to find the animal already dead from being feasted on by an infected; not this time. Six deer - one buck, and five doe - stood together munching and grazing. Immediately the hunters sprung to action and took down all six. 

Coming back to the group she was looked at as a ‘hero’ of sorts; the council members definitely made it that way. But Megan doesn’t feel as such and hoped that way of thinking wouldn’t catch on. 

Sitting by the bonfire, the woman’s gaze fell and stayed with the fire. She wasn’t much interested in the gathering, mingling with others in an attempt to forget about the constant danger they’re in. No, Megan wanted to stick to herself or with Eric. 

Lightly shaking her head, Megan realized someone had said something to her. Looking up to them, she raise a brow. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening. What did you say?”

Rafael navigated his way through the party, only managing a few brief words of small talk with some of the others. Nothing that probed beneath the surface of things, nothing that would allow either party to learn something new about the other. Maybe Rafael should have been ok with that but it only added to his feeling that he didn’t quite belong with this community. Everyone else seemed to manage to converse beyond the throw-away small talk; he was the odd one out.

But maybe he wasn’t alone in not fitting in. He saw Megan sitting by the bonfire, staring into the flames, and decided to reach out to her. He couldn’t put his finger quite on the point but there was something about the way she was watching the fire that prompted him to want to talk to her, instead of his original plan of running back to the solitary of his room.

“All I said was: are you ok?” He asked again now that he was sat next to her in front of the fire. The warmth from it bathed him, nearly overwhelmed him but it was nice, compared to the relative cold of the last of the Alabama winter. “Or would you prefer if I go back to talking about the weather?”

[henrvcavill]

DAVID CASTAÑEDA Shows Us His Best Dance Moves - Bustle

[tfhxrafe-blog]

--closed thread for @victorbakker​--

Rafael had never been a big fan of parties. Parties usually meant too many people, making too much noise and that made Rafael extremely uncomfortable. But here he was trying to fit in with the rest of the community and he wasn’t going to achieve that by shying away from social events like the big party happening right now. Despite wanting to be a part of things, he still skirted the edges of the gathering, watching rather than participating.

He wasn’t the only one skirting the edges of the party though. Rafael raised the beer bottle he was holding as a sort of toast/salute to Victor who appeared to be content with watching the shenanigans unfolding. “Thanks for bringing in the good haul,” Rafael said to him as a conversation opening since Victor was one of the hunters whose hard work was now going to feed the community for a while. 

[tfhxrafe-blog]

peyton-arquette​:

“ I’m fine and yes, I’m sure.” Quietly she place her food down next to his own. The first bit was a lie, she was anything but fine but he didn’t need to know. This would be attempt number two for the day at trying to eat . At this point it was a lost cause. Food sat on her tongue cold, flavorless. As soon as she swallowed her stomach rejected it. So instead of trying to figure out how to eat  she opted not to. A pattern she kept for the last week and a half. Eventually she would have to eat, to stomach the idea that she was alive while others were not, while he was not.  Shaking her head, Peyton crossed her arms looking away from the man. “ I’m a doctor of sorts. My lack of appetite isn’t because I’m ill.” She didn’t elaborate didn’t feel the need to go any further. Mainly because what would have been the point of talking about it so– she wouldn’t. “ Eat up, you guys need it more than I do.” 

-*-

Even before everything went wrong, Rafe could never turn down free food. As such, he accepted the woman’s plate when she passed it over and offered it to him. He took it from her and put it down next to his existing plate. He had an urge to turn his back on the woman and continue consuming all of the food that was now in front of him but his conscience wasn’t going to allow that. While he wasn’t expecting her to divulge any details of what was troubling her to him, he couldn’t just take her food and then ignore her. His mother raised him to be better than that!

“I’m Rafael,” he told her. “And I’m always happy to accept offerings of food. But in the future, I have to warn you, I might insist on you eating something too. Just for peace of mind’s sake. Wanna make sure everyone’s getting their calories.” At this time, he did quickly shovel in a small fork’s worth of food into his mouth. He waited until he had finished chewing and had swallowed the food before turning back to his newest companion. “I hope you feel better soon, though.”

[tfhxrafe-blog]

mcrcus​:

As Rafael announced his actions, Marcus nodded in agreement. Rafael was a great student with little training before he began to get the shots right. Sure, they weren’t head shots one hundred percent of the time, but at least he hit the targets. Even in the military when Marcus would train fellow Marines, those who were training for years couldn’t get it right. Many didn’t come to think about all which factored into shooting a target from a lengthy distance, but there was something about it that calmed and soothed Marcus’s mind. Maybe it was the patience one needed for it, or the focus - either way he loved it. 

Peering into his binoculars, Marcus watched as the right infected fell to the ground, however still moved. 

“Yeah dude,” Marcus instigated. “You gotta take all them fuckers out.”

Rafe nodded at Marcus’s instruction. Inwardly he chided himself for asking what was probably a really obvious question. But he was trying to obey the chain of command. Better to ask for clarification rather than wasting precious ammunition and getting chewed out for it.

Rafe repeated his previous actions of double-checking his aim, taking in a deep breath, bracing himself, and finally pulling the trigger. The gunshot thundered, making Rafe’s ears ring, as the the bullet flew through the air towards the intended target. This time, Rafe’s aim was true and the zombie was hit right between the eyes. The zombie hit the ground and didn’t move again. The other zombies turned to look at their fallen brother with what could have been the bare minimum of interest, as if some faded memory told them that’s what they should do.

Rafe knew he had to take advantage of the two remaining zombies being momentarily distracted. After all that would be in keeping with Marcus’s advice of taking all them fuckers out. “Aiming for the one on the left now,” he told Marcus. “It’s a cleaner shot.” 

[tfhxrafe-blog]

mcganhotch​:

Walking over to the familiar face, Megan gladly sat a fair distance from him on the ledge. Tired hues glanced to the sky; she wasn’t afraid of a little rain. In fact, it was always her favorite time of the day whenever it would rain, even before the viral infection took over. There was something soothing about walking around, feeling as if all her sorrows were washing away with each rain droplet. She knew exactly why she felt that way - there was something about being a psychologist and psychoanalyzing everything, everyone, including herself. “We’re really going to talk about the weather?”

She knew things around the group were sizzling - there wasn’t much to talk about, to rage about, brag about so what was there to talk about? “I never got to ask, how it is like being a guard here at the hospital?

Rafe let out a soft laugh at Megan’s question. When he recovered, he gave her a simple shrug of his shoulders. “Sorry,” he told her. “I’m no good at small talk and all I could think of to say was the weather.” He had only been a part of the community here at the hospital for about a month and he didn’t know much about the people he shared this space with. For example, all he knew about Megan was her name and that she was a hunter. Oh, and she was also incredibly, almost intimidatingly pretty. Now was a chance for him to learn more about her, as long as his awkwardness didn’t put her off.

Fortunately for him, Megan came to his rescue with a new topic of conversation, saving him from trying (and probably failing) to think of one himself. He gave her a grateful kind of smile before providing his answer. “It’s great,” he said. “I mean, shooting zombies isn’t all that great considering they used to be people like us. But apart from that, it’s good. It’s good to feel useful and that I’m contributing in a way, you know?” 

[imamysticalwitch]

David Castañeda (request)

[cowboyhudsons]

[bestintheparsec]

David Smiles™ (requested by @forever-rogue💗)

[tfhxrafe-blog]

mcrcus​:

since the very beginning marcus felt as if it was his duty to look out for the group. despite his many years of solitude (his only companion his now deceased trusted canine) the man knew with his skills, he could be of value to the survivors and help out in keeping them safe. some could say it was his hidden guilt of not keeping his fellow troops safe way back in the day peeking its ugly head, but whatever it was, marcus had been a great asset to the group as he was able to see trouble coming from miles away, and was able to take care of it due to his sharpshooting skills (and his ability to create makeshift silencers for his long range rifles.) 

peeking through his binoculars, marcus kept his gaze pointed at one direction out in the distance. three infected individuals slowly limped their way toward the hospital. they were at least two miles out, little ants in his vision, but they were potential alerts if marcus didn’t take care of it as soon as possible. “are you ready?”

looking back to his partner for that day, marcus agreed with the council other guards needed to learn how to successfully shoot long range. volunteering to teach them, marcus paired with new guards every other day in order to train. “there’s a boogie about two miles out. you have the option to try and shoot now, or wait ‘til they’re a mile away. your choice - but keep in mind everything that factors in when it comes to shooting this length; the wind, their steps … everything.” @callhimbeck​ @nathandanvrs​ @ofoliviasmith​ @tfhxrafe​ @tfhxseth​

Rafe looked down through the sights of the gun he was holding and tried not to think about how much he hated guns. They were loud, they were dangerous, and these days, they were essential in keeping walkers and biters away from the hospital. Rafe wanted to give back to the community here and in his position as one of the guards, that meant using guns to ensure the safety of the others. He might not like it but he still had to do it.

Marcus pointed out the targets and Rafe moved the gun so he could hold them in his sights. They lumbered slowly over the terrain, clustered together. They were still a way out from the hospital but Rafe didn’t want to risk them getting any closer. If he took a shot now and missed, he’d still have time to correct his mistake. If he waited until they had closed the gap between them and the hospital’s walls, he wouldn’t get a second chance if he missed.

“I’m gonna take a shot now,” he said, confirming his action with Marcus before following through. He took in Marcus’s advice about the varying factors that influenced taking a shot at this range. Rafe adjusted his aim to account for the wind. He took a deep breath and wrapped his finger around the trigger. He double-checked his aim, still accounting for the wind, their footsteps, the distance between him and them. He pulled the trigger. The gunshot rang out as the gun jerked back, Rafe moving with it like Marcus had trained him to do. In the distance, one of the walkers fell down to the ground. It wasn’t a head shot like Rafe had been aiming for but at least he had hit the bloody thing. “Should I go again now?”

[viktorhargreves]

INSP

[tfhxrafe-blog]

peyton-arquette​:

Slender fingers tugged the three beads woven on to her bracelet. The threading was warn. Months of grime had worn away the vibrant reds and blues and purples muting the colors. It didn’t much matter, it was still something precious that she didn’t dare take off. She had abandon her bowl of food , slowly working making her way through the meal but she didn’t have the appetite. Swallowing thickly as the room began to spin and her stomach began to turn with it. Eyes closed she pushed the bowl away, fearful of what else she might lose if she took another bite.  “ Hey,” calling towards the person a table behind her.  “ Do you want the rest of this? I didn’t eat much and I’d hate for it to go to waste.” 

@tfh-starters​

Rafe had finished his latest guard shift and made his way way to the cafeteria. Normally at the end of his shifts, he’d head straight back to his room whilst hoping he wouldn’t encounter anyone along the way. Small talk was not something he was good at and attempting it often exhausted him. Trying to make small talk so soon after a shift was too draining for Rafe but today, he was too hungry to just disappear into his room. And so he was in the cafeteria, chowing down, when the stranger offered him her food.

“You sure?” He asked her. He was going to reach over and take the offered plate of food from her but before he did so, he noticed she looked... Well, she didn’t look great. Which was kind of the norm these days. No one looked their best these days. But even though Rafe hadn’t met her before, he could tell something was wrong. “You OK? Do you need a medic or something?”

[tfhxrafe-blog]

mcganhotch​:

Life was weird. Sure her life was always weird, dark and, quite frankly, annoying. But living in an era where infected human beings became raging parasites wanting nothing but to rip into flesh and eat whatever they can was a whole level of weird she never expected; who did? Living for as long as she had during this new era surprised Megan, but she was thankful for every day that passed by and she was able to live like a normal human being. 

She had made Eric promise, if anything were to happen to her, the virus mutated and began infecting the immune, he would kill her if she would turn - and vice versa. 

Going up to the roof, Megan needed the fresh air to clear her mind before going off to bed. As soon as the wind hit her skin, she could feel herself instantly relax. As she rounded the corner, the woman realized she wasn’t alone. “Needed some fresh air?” the woman asked, approaching them. @tfh-starters​

-*-

Making sense of this whole virus mess seemed like too much of a headache most of the time for Rafael. One day everything was normal and fine, the next everything was like a scene from a George A. Romero movie or a page from the Walking Dead comics. Hell, Rafe even drew pages for a zombie comic way back before the outbreak. If only past Rafe could see him now, or something like that.

Whenever trying to make things make sense got too much and made his brain too full, Rafe climbed up to the roof of the hospital. Sitting up there sometimes offered him a little clarity. If not, at least the view was kinda nice. It was no surprise to him that other people would try to escape up here too.

Rafe looked over at Megan as she arrived on the roof and he gave her a small smile that he hoped looked welcoming as opposed to awkward. “Something like that,” he replied to her question. He looked back out at the scenery beyond the hospital walls and motioned towards the sky with his hand. “Although we might have to make it quick since those clouds over there look like they’re carrying a lot of rain.” Beyond commenting on the weather, Rafe wasn’t sure what else to say. Maybe pointing out the possibility of rain would be enough of a starting point for conversation. Or maybe they’ll settle into a non-awkward silence.

[byrontronks17]

[marvelific]

Soft boi™

[jvstjewels]

Basics:

Name:  Rafael “Rafe” Arturo Reyes Age: 30 Group Occupation: Guard Face Claim:  David Castañeda

Bullet Points:

Rafael and his twin sister were born in Mexico City. When the twins were three, their parents decided to try and move to the United States of America through legitimate means. However, gaining visas wasn’t easy and they kept facing constant knock-backs. Fed up with the struggle, the twins’ father decided to smuggle his wife and children across the border. They managed this feat and relocated to San Diego, California where Rafael’s aunt already lived. Once in the US, the twins’ parents were able to secure permanent residential status for the children. Their father returned to Mexico City to restart the process of gaining entry to the US through official channels.

Rafael was a shy kid who did well at school. He excelled in anything to do with art, be drawing, sculpting, or painting. One of his best friends, Oliver, introduced Rafael to comic books and Rafael was creating stories of his own. He went on to study fine art at college after high school. When he graduated from college, he worked as bartender while he continued to build his portfolio and sent it to various comic book publishers for consideration. He managed to stir some interest in his work but not enough for him to give up his bartending job and work full-time as an artist.

When the aftermath of the outbreak built and built, Rafael got separated from his family. His father was still in Mexico City. His mother and aunt were in San Diego. His sister was in San Francisco and he was in Los Angeles. He tried to find them but as all means of communication failed, he struggled more and more. He holds onto the hope that they’re all still somehow alive and they will find each other again.

When Rafael first arrived at the settlement, he wasn’t sure how he was going to fit in with the rest of the survivors. Especially in terms of what job he would perform to contribute to the rest of the society they were forming together. He did consider being a teacher for the survivors’ kiddos but an encounter with a stray pack of zombies which led to Rafael remembering what he had learned in the karate classes he took as a kid, he decided to take up a guard position.

Rafael still feels out of place among the other survivors. It’s not something he can put his finger on and therefore deal with and get over. He suspects it may be due to him being more introverted than the others but in his darkest moments, he thinks it’s because no one likes him and he is outstaying his welcome among the others.

Personality:

Rafael is introverted and there are times when he prefers to be alone. He can find big gatherings overwhelming but he still goes to them as an attempt to fit in with everyone else. Rafael is considerate and polite to everyone but will stand up for himself if provoked. In the past, people had taken advantage of how easy-going he tries to be but he is learning to recognise this trait in others. He prefers to try and reason with others rather than fight or argue. Rafael is imaginative and creative and can think of solutions to problems that other people may have missed.