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justjessame · 4 years ago

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A Little Ass and A Lotta Sass Chapter 44

When Negan met the truck, I could see that he was relieved we were back, but I could also see that he was conflicted about who to check over first. I settled it for him, unbuckling our daughter from her seat and handing her to him. He did a careful and thorough inventory of all of Kiara’s limbs and skin that could be checked through her outfit, and I waited so we could finally get into our rooms.

“Are you finished?” I asked, my voice quiet because he had a crew of people kneeling in the dirt around us. “I’d like to talk to you in private.”

His eyes met mine and I felt a flip in my stomach. “Of course, Callie,” he was expecting a more triumphant return, but damn it, he had to know this shit would take time. “Come on, sweetheart,” he kissed my forehead and took my hand, after handing Kiara back to me. “Let’s go home.”

Upstairs, after watching me feed Kiara, since she’d only had a bottle since we’d left, I could feel him holding off on bringing up what my meeting with Maggie had managed. I was rocking our little one, watching her nod off as she fed, when I started to tell him.

“I threatened her with retaliation the likes of which she’s never seen if she makes another move against us.” My voice was quiet, careful to keep Kiara eating and ready for bed. “And I meant it, and she knows that. She’ll be ready to negotiate once she rolls the reality of how well she knows me versus how well she imagines she knows you.” I looked up from our daughter’s calm face and pursed lips. “Trust me, Negan, Maggie knows precisely how ruthless I can be if challenged or if my family is threatened.” I could see he had doubts, and he wanted to know what I could possibly have done to be so scary.

“When?” The important question of course, when could we expect to head to the table to make the deal to keep us all safe.

Kiara was finished, and her eyes were fluttering against the nap she’d fought off for too long. “Here, Daddy, burp our baby and we’ll get her ready for bed, and then we’ll discuss it over dinner.”

He took her from me and I went to the kitchen and started our own meal. I watched as I prepared it, as he talked her through her burp, then changed her diaper and pulled out her pajamas. I had dinner in the oven when he motioned for me to follow him to our bathroom. We bathed her in the sink, carefully because she was clearly exhausted from her first trip outside the Sanctuary. Then, sweet smelling, dressed in her jammies, I went back to finish dinner while he went to put her down in her crib for the night.

I felt him before I saw him, his heat pressed against my back as I dished out our food onto plates, and then his lips against the base of my neck. “I hated you being out of my fucking sight, Callie.” I shook my head, but kept filling our plates. “Out of this building, without me, with just Laura? That shit can’t happen again, do you hear me?”

I stopped and turned, so his arms were wrapped around my back. “I am NOT a fairy princess, Negan.” Tilting my head back so I could look up at him, I saw he was about to argue. “I KNOW you think of me as your queen or princess or whatever, but I’m NOT one. I have fought, scratched, clawed, and killed, to survive this world, and I don’t want you to lose sight of that.”

“Callie, honey,” he was going to remind me that I didn’t HAVE to anymore. “That was before-”

I snorted. Turning back to the counter, I picked up our plates. “Grab the silverware?” I sidestepped him and his arms, and moved to our table. Sitting his plate down, I sat and waited for him to join me. He handed me my utensils and took his own seat. We ate for a few moments, before I finally sighed. “Before I met you?” His eyes met mine across the table. “I told you about Dad and how he took Mom’s death.” A nod, and I had to take a drink before I could continue. “I didn’t tell you how I took it.”

“Sweetheart, you don’t have to-” I knew that he was thinking about when he told me about Lucille.

“Yes, I do.” I answered, reaching my hand across the table. “Mom died, giving birth to Judith, like I told you.” Fighting the wave of memories of the blood and gore of that day, I pushed on. “Dad went off the rails, but me? I internalized it all. I realized that every tiny little fucking thing that could go wrong, would go wrong in this world. Nowhere was safe, not really. I mean, even the prison, where she died. Dad and the others helped make it safe, for a while, but then this asshole with one eye came back because of-” I chuckled and our eyes met again. “The ‘Governor’, I almost forgot him, he was a lot like you.” Negan’s eyebrow raised. “Not,” I gestured between us, “like this, but he was sure that he had all the answers. He and Dad, unlike the two of you, tried a different path toward peace and it ended with him beaten and us making a life at the prison with most of his own people joining us.”

“How long did it last?” Negan took his own drink. “The peace?”

“Not long enough,” I couldn’t remember how long it lasted, honestly. “We had a rush of a plague inside, well the flu, but it might as well been the fucking plague.” I remembered the first of Carol’s skeletons I knew about, her killing sick people in advance of their deaths, why Dad had exiled her. “Nothing is built to last forever in this fucking world, Negan. Even you know that.” He shook his head and I rolled my eyes. “Not that I won’t fight beside you to try to make our life last. Anyway, we were too complicit, he came back, and he killed Maggie’s dad in front of us all.” His eyes widened. “We split up, we were forced to, the walls got overrun by the dead, there was chaos. Dad and Carl were together, but me and Judith ended up with a different group.” The second notch in Carol’s skeletal closet horde. Lizzie. And because we didn’t see the danger fast enough, her sister Mika. “By the time we found them, everyone I mean, things had gotten bad. Cannibals and Claimers, things that most survivors never make it past.”

Dinner was finished, somehow even talking I’d managed to eat through my own and his plate was empty. I stood up and took our plates to the sink to run water over them, but put off washing them for now. His hands pulled me back, sitting me on his lap at the table. “You don’t have to keep going, Callie,” he was looking up at me, but I shook my head again and smiled.

“You still think that I was just a narrator or a witness, Negan, I wasn’t.” Cupping his face between my hands I kissed him gently. “I have killed men, women, and monsters just as easily as anyone you’ve ever met. It became muscle memory, I almost didn’t even have to think about what needed to be done, and their bodies would be down in front of me.” I thought about the band of feral people who had tried to overtake Alexandria. “I could blink and there would be a pile of bodies.” It was true, all of it. The path from Maggie’s farm to Alexandria was littered with bodies of the redead and the nearly killed, and none of them, not a single one stuck in my mind in detail of how I killed them. “My mouth gets me in trouble, that’s more true than not, but Negan, Dad kept me out of things not just for that reason, but I think even he had moments of fear of me.”

“You?” He was staring at me like he was FINALLY seeing me fully. “Callie, you killed to survive, what could be scary about that?”

I laughed, because I wished it were that simple. “Not everyone I killed was for my own survival, Negan. Some were because-” I shook my head working out how to explain. “If I felt there was a danger that no one else saw, or could see, then I wouldn’t hesitate to end it before it managed to grow roots.” Faces were flashing before my face, and I wished I could remember their names, but did that really matter anymore? “My family? My people? I would let the ground turn red with the blood of anyone who endangered it, or at least I would have, once upon a time.” ‘What changed?” His voice was low, but I could see he was as curious as ever. “Why would you think-”

“That I still have that part inside of me?” I smiled. “I stopped because Dad kept me out of the loop. And because I saw Carl’s face after I took down someone,” he was terrified, and I could still see how afraid he’d been. “I couldn’t stand to see him look more afraid of me than he’d been of anyone else. But it’s still in here, Negan,” I touched my chest with one finger. “And when you finally told me about Maggie and the other attempts, even if my keeping her secret from you helped her get that far, I felt the urge rise up again.”

“You’d take on someone you considered family?” This was the part that seemed to shock him, that I was so damn loyal to my family, but that I would cut Maggie, or any other former family member down.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and stared deeply into his eyes. “YOU are my family. You and our daughter, Negan. Maggie made her place forfeit as soon as she chose to endanger us. IF she makes the right choice, which I think she will, then and only then will she maybe take a tiny step back into the familial fold.” I kissed him long and hard before pulling back and standing up. “You coming to bed?”

Shaking his head, like his mind was overflowing from the information I shared, he took my hand and followed me to our bedroom.

#negan x ofc #rick grimes daughter #The Walking Dead #alternative universe

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spidermecc · 6 years ago

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Unintentional love (Elu fake dating AU) Ch. 3 - Never again

Elu fake dating AU chapter 3 is up. As always, comments and feedback is very welcome. I hope you enjoy, let me know what you think. Find it on AO3 here.

”Oh my God Lucas, just pick a fucking shirt, they all look the same” Basile grunted.

The boys had spent the last hour in the same mens-wear shop, trying to find a new shirt for Lucas to wear to the party tomorrow.

”Honestly Lucas, you’re already dating the guy, why are you so stressed out?” Arthur asked sympathetically, while Yann picked up two shirts and headed for the dressing room.

”Fuck off, I just thought it would be nice to look good for once, it has nothing to do with him” Lucas said, not completely being able to hide his blush.

He had never been the type to care about what he was wearing, but even though he’d rather eat dirt than admit it, he was probably trying harder because he wanted to impress Eliott. He knew he didn’t stand a chance anyway, and Eliott was just helping him out to be friendly, probably because he didn’t have many friends at his new school, but he couldn’t help but want to look a bit different at the party, and maybe, just maybe impress Eliott a little bit.

“Fuck it, I’ll just wear the same shit I usually wear, let’s go get something to eat, I’m starving” he said, giving up on trying to find anything nice. Everything he’d tried on was either way too expensive or way too .. not him.

“FINALLY, I was beginning to think I’d have to eat the granola bar that’s been in my bag for four years” Basille exclaimed, almost running out of the shop.

“Yeah, let me just pay for this and we can get out” Yann said, fishing for his wallet in his bag.

After they exited the shop, they found a nice little café with cheap pizzas and beers to hang out at. It was nice to chill with the boys, they didn’t do this kind of stuff often, but when they did, Lucas always enjoyed it, even though they drove him mad half the time. This time was no exception. They’d all been grilling him about Eliott all week, and Lucas had successfully avoided the topic every time.

“So tell us something about this mystery guy” Yan said, while cutting his pizza with the shitty plastic knife and fork the café had given them.

“I already told you guys a thousand times, there’s not much to say. We’ve just hung out a few times and well, yeah we’re seeing each other I guess” Lucas answered, trying to avoid the topic yet again.

“Nu-uh” Basile said taking a sip of his beer, “you’re not getting off the hook so easy this time. Tell us something about him, I mean how did you manage to hook up with him? He looks like an actual model, if I was gay or bi or whatever, he’d be on my TO-DO list” he said laughing at his own joke.

Lucas couldn’t argue with that. Eliott did look like a model. His perfectly messy hair, his signature brown jacket, and those eyes.. those eyes that Lucas saw every time he closed his eyes, were out of this world. But what did Lucas actually know about Eliott? He knew that he was absolutely stunning, that he apparently was interested in the foyer, he had no social media (none that Lucas could find anyway) and that he drew weird looking rats in the library alone. It wasn’t much to go on, and if this whole pretending to date thing was going to work, he needed more. He pulled out his phone and found his newly added contact: Mon mec <3

Lucas: Tell me three things I should know about you

As soon as he hit the send button, he started worrying. That was a weird text to send out of the blue right? Shit Eliott didn’t even have his number, he should probably tell him who’s texting.

Lucas: This is Lucas btw. Lucas: Your pretend mec, haha

Read

Putain, what the hell was that mess? He’d sent three incoherent messages and not surprisingly Eliott left him on read. Fuck, was he even going to show up to the party tomorrow after Lucas sent him weird ass shit like that?

“Are you texting your boyfriend?” Arthur asked, mouth full of peperoni pizza, oil dripping down his chin.

“Nah, it’s Mika, he forgot his keys, so I have to head back, see you guys tomorrow” he said, desperate to get out of there, go home and bang his head against the wall until brain cells, that he obviously didn’t have, magically started to appear.

“Okay, see you tomorrow man, can’t wait to meet Eliott” Yann said, with such an honest smile that it broke Lucas’ heart. He really hated lying to his friends, especially Yann.

“Yeah, he can’t wait to meet you guys either” he answered, putting on his scarf, feeling like an absolutely horrible friend.

____

When he finally got home he threw himself on the bed and yanked his phone out of his pocket. Still no answer from Eliott. Of course not, why would he answer such silly messages from a complete stranger? While Lucas was contemplating how to tell the boys that Eliott would not attend the party tomorrow, without letting them know that he’d been lying he heard a pling.

Eliott: Phew, you just go straight to the personal questions, huh Lucas?

Shit, he’d offended Eliott. Of course he had. He could have at least started off with a ‘hey’ or a ‘thanks for agreeing to be my pretend boyfriend and going to a party with a bunch of people you don’t know’.

Lucas: I’m so sorry, I know that was totally out of the blue and weird

Eliott: Hahah, I’m kidding Lucas.

Lucas felt a weight lift off his chest. So Eliott wasn’t upset with him?

Eliott: I’ve actually just spent the last hour thinking of a good answer and I think I have it, are you ready?

Lucas: I’m ready, hit me

His heart starting racing out of nowhere. The prospect of getting to know Eliott, even if it was just three facts, had him sitting on the edge of his bed, tapping his foot on the floor in pure anticipation.

Eliott: 1. My spirit animal is a raccoon. 2. My favorite music is dubstep. 3. You’ll have to earn the third.

Lucas read and reread the message for what might have been ten times. Dubstep? Really? How was this mystery guy, who looked and talked like an actual angel, into freaking dubstep? Also, a spirit animal? Lucas had never even considered what his might be, but God, Eliott was an actual dork.

Lucas: How do I earn the third?

Eliott: I’m sure you’ll figure something out.

Shit, was Eliott flirting with him, or was Lucas just imagining things? He decided not to dwell on it and continued tapping on his phone, forming a response quickly, so Eliott didn’t think he’d left him on read.

Lucas: So those rats with masks on them that you were drawing in the library were actually raccoons?

Eliott: RATS?! Wow Lucas, you’re already breaking my heart and we’ve only been dating for a week.

His heart started racing. He felt kind of sorry for teasing Eliott about his drawings, but he couldn’t help himself. He wondered if Eliott also had a huge grin plastered on his face right now, because Lucas sure as shit did.

Lucas: I’m a real heartbreaker, sorry

Eliott: Yeah, I noticed at the bus stop, no mercy huh? Eliott: So it’s your turn now, no?

The grin that had been dominating his face during the entire conversation fell as soon as he saw the message. Eliott had probably, maybe, meant it as a joke, but the prospect of Eliott thinking he was cold hearted, made him want to cry.

Lucas: Actually, I’ve got to go, I have a ton of homework. See you tomorrow at the party.

Eliott: Okay, see you tomorrow.

He threw his phone on the other side of the bed and buried his face in his pillows. He definitely wasn’t ready for tomorrow.

______

Lucas was standing in front of the bathroom mirror trying to tame his hair. He’d been in need of a haircut for a while now, but he barely had money to pay the rent, so spending money on a haircut was the furthest from his mind, when Mika barged in. “Looking good kitten, meeting up with your new man?” he said, toying with Lucas’ hair. “Yeah, we’re going to a party tonight” he answered, swatting away Mikas hands. “Bring him over to the apartment some time, I have to approve before you take the next step you know” he said, still playing with Lucas’ hair, not getting the hint. “Need to see what his intentions are with our little kitten” he continued, laughing. “Gosh, can you please fuck off Mika, the last thing I need is you scaring him away with your sex talk” Lucas answered, starting to get slightly annoyed. “Gee always so touchy, you know you have to loosen up a bit, or you’ll never get any dick” he exclaimed, finally pulling his hands away in defeat. “Have fun, remember to use a condom” he finished with a wink, leaving Lucas’ hair in a worse state than it was to begin with.

As soon as Lucas left the apartment he regretted not bringing his scarf. The cool night air was already starting to sting, and he could feel his ears starting to cramp from the cold. He’d agreed to meet Eliott halfway, so they could arrive together, making the whole thing seem more believable.

“Salut” he heard a voice from behind. There he was, Eliott Demaury in all his glory. He looked stunning as always, wearing a white t-shirt, a skin tight leather jacket and skinny denim jeans, showing off his perfect figure. Lucas was pretty sure his mouth was starting to water, but he tried not to dwell too much on it. “Salut” he answered, trying to sound nonchalant, and probably failing miserably. “Let’s go” Eliott said as he started walking. Lucas was struggling to keep up, seeing as Eliott’s legs were much longer than his, almost jogging next to the taller boy.

As they walked, it almost felt like they’d known each other for ages. Lucas kept joking about the raccoon drawings, while Eliott dramatically clutched his chest, as if Lucas was breaking his heart all over again. They talked about music, which subjects they liked and disliked, which movies they liked (Eliott’s favorite was Titanic, how cliché), until they finally circled back to the drawings. “You know for someone who looks so innocent, you sure can be a sarcastic little shit” Eliott laughed, after Lucas, once again, had made fun of the drawings. “I’m sorry. And I don’t look innocent” he said, another laugh escaping him. “Yeah you do. You’re short but spikey” Eliott said continuing “you know what you remind me of?” “What?” Lucas said, looking up at the taller boy, clinging on to every word he said. “A hedgehog” he said, bursting into giggles. “A what?! I do NOT look like a hedgehog” Lucas exclaimed, trying to look upset, but he was pretty sure the huge ass grin on his face gave him away. “Whatever you say, but I’m pretty sure that a hedgehog is your spirit animal” Eliott said, lightly puffing Lucas shoulder. Lucas couldn’t help but smile at how cute Eliott looked when he was smiling and joking and he wished that they could just keep walking for hours, talking and laughing.

As they reached the apartment, Eliott swung his arm around Lucas, who involuntarily flinched. “Calm down, it’s just for show right?” Eliott said, seemingly amused by the expression on Lucas’ face. “Yeah, sorry” he answered, staring down at the ground. As soon as they entered the smoke filled apartment, they were greeted with his loud friends. “LUCAAAAAAS” Basille screamed, trying to drown out the music. Yann shook Eliott’s hand, introducing himself as Lucas’ best friend, and Lucas felt a pang of guilt wash over him again. He really hated lying to his friends.

After the boys had introduced themselves, they all went out onto the balcony, where Arthur was trying to roll a joint, but failing miserably, having drunken one beer too many. “Here, let me” Eliott said, reaching out and taking the paper and weed from Arthurs trembling hands. “Damn, good looking and good with his hands, what a catch Lucas” Basile exclaimed, and Lucas had a sudden urge to throw him over the balcony. “I’m the one who got lucky” Eliott said with a wink, not taking his eyes off Lucas. He couldn’t help think of, how in another universe, they were actually dating, and he was happy and contempt with his friends and his gorgeous boyfriend getting along. But right here, right now, it all felt a little bit too much, and Eliott’s gaze made him feel sad about all the things he wished he could have but didn’t.

“It’s getting pretty cold, I think I’m going to head inside” Lucas said, grabbing his beer from the balcony floor. “I’ll go with you, here you go” Eliott said handing over the joint to Arthur, “nice to meet you guys, we’ll catch up later” he continued as he swung his arm around Lucas, and opened the balcony door for him. They had only been doing this for an hour or so, but it was already proving very difficult for Lucas to handle it. Every move Eliott made, seemed effortless and natural, he almost let himself believe for a second that they weren’t pretending.

They headed inside, and got comfortable on a couch in the corner. “Your friends are cool” Eliott said, taking a sip of his beer. “Yeah they’re great, they can be a pain in the ass, but they’re really the best friends a guy could wish for” Lucas answered honestly. “I’m jealous of you, you know” Eliott said, staring intensely at Lucas. “Huh?” “You have these great friends, and I can tell how much they care about you just by the way they were trying to impress me, it’s adorable” Eliott said, his smile dropping faintly. “I’m sure your friends are great as well” he answered, trying to cheer Eliott up, desperate to see him smile again. “Yeah, something like that” he said, putting the beer bottle to his mouth, almost finishing it in one sip. “I’m gonna get another one, can I get you anything mon mec?” he asked a playful smile lingering on his lips. “No I’m good, thanks” Lucas said, a faint blush appearing.

Eliott had been gone for almost twenty minutes and Lucas was starting to get worried. As he was getting up to look for him, a guy came over and sat down next to him. Lucas looked at him, and got the feeling he’d seen the guy before, but he couldn’t quite make him out. He had long blond hair, tied up in a tight bun, wearing a navy blue shirt and a silver necklace around his neck. “Salut, I’m Curtis” he said, handing Lucas a new beer. “Salut, Lucas” he answered, still scanning the room for Eliott. “Why do I get the feeling that I’ve seen you before?” he asked, confirming Lucas’ suspicion that he looked familiar. “I’m not sure, but I think I’ve seen you before as well” he answered, not fully committing to the conversation, still concerned about Eliott’s whereabouts. “I’m friends with Idriss, maybe you know Imane?” the guy said, scanning Lucas’ face, trying to catch his eye. “Are you looking for someone?” he finally asked. “Yeah sorry, I’m looking for my uh.. my-my boyfriend, Eliott” Lucas said, feeling awkward saying the lie out loud to a stranger. “Eliott is your boyfriend?” the guy asked, looking surprised. “Yeah, uhm why- do you know him?” Lucas answered, nervous that he’d overstepped, by calling Eliott his boyfriend to someone who might actually know him. “I don’t know him personally, but Idriss mentioned him a few times” he said, continuing “but uhm I saw Eliott on my way over here. He went into a room with Lucille, his ex-girlfriend” he said, looking slightly uncomfortable. “His what?” Lucas asked, his heart stopping for a few seconds. Eliott had an ex-girlfriend? Here at the party? Why hadn’t he told him? “Yeah, I recognized her from some photos Idriss showed me of them a while back” Curtis continued. Lucas could feel the heat rising to his face. He felt like he’d been completely fucked over. If Eliott wanted to hang out with his ex, which probably wasn’t an ex anymore if they’d spent such a long time alone in a room, he could have just told him.

“Hey, come on, I’m sure they’re just talking” Curtis said, trying to cheer Lucas up, who was now busy fiddling with the sticker on his beer, trying to hold the tears at bay. Why was he so upset? Eliott had upheld his part of the deal, he’d met his friends as Lucas had asked, so he probably thought it was done and over with. “I have an idea, let’s get some shots huh?” the blonde said, getting up and pulling Lucas up with him, dragging him into the kitchen.

Ten minutes and five shots later, Lucas was absolutely fucked. His vision was blury and he could feel himself babbling, not sure what words were coming out of his mouth, but apparently Curtis, who hadn’t stopped laughing for two whole minutes, found it very entertaining. “Can I tell you a secret” Lucas said leaning into Curtis, almost whispering in his ear. “Yeah, shoot” “Eliott and I aren’t actually dating” he said bursting out on laughter. It all seemed so funny and stupid right now. They hadn’t even been able to keep up the act for one night before Eliott was off with his ex and Lucas was spilling the secret to strange guys. “Come again?” Curtis said, seemingly confused. “Yeah, we’re just pretending, it’s aaaaaall fun and games” Lucas continued, still laughing like a maniac. “But why?” “Was trying” he was literally struggling for air, it all seemed so silly right now, he couldn’t stop laughing, “to get rid of a girl” he finally managed, taking another shot, almost spitting it out in the process, not being able to contain his laughter. “Wow, that’s.. that’s a relief” Curtis finally said. “Huh?” Lucas had finally stopped laughing and looked at Curtis, for the first time tonight he noticed how he was actually quite handsome. Not Lucas’ type at all, blondes just weren’t his thing, but he was definitely good-looking. “That means that I get to ask you out, what do you say” Curtis said, flashing a smile at Lucas. Lucas wasn’t sure what was happening, but he found himself giggling “suuuuure thing” he managed, between giggles. He was definitely too drunk, because this guy couldn’t actually just have asked him out right? And what had he answered? He suddenly couldn’t remember anything. But before he had time to process what just happened, and what he’d said, he felt his stomach turning. Without a word, he ran to the bathroom, knocking over some girl in the process, desperate to reach the toilet before he spilled his insides all over the floor.

After five minutes, Lucas had thrown up everything he’d drank all night and probably all of his meals the past five days. He managed to get up and wash his mouth and face, and got out of the bathroom, desperately looking for his jacket. He needed air, he needed to get out of here, when a hand touched his shoulders. “Eliott?” he said turning around, not able to hide his disappointment when he saw the blonde guy before him. “Hey are you okay? You just ran away, and locked yourself inside the bathroom, I was getting worried” “Yeah I’m f-fine” he managed “have you seen Eliott?” “He left with Lucille, I think” Curtis said, not meeting Lucas’ eyes. “Oh.. of-c-of course.. I should go as well” “Want me to walk you home?” Curtis asked, hand still on Lucas’ shoulder. “No, no, I’m good, I’ll see you later yeah?” he said, grabbing his coat from the couch and practically sprinting out of the apartment.

He wasn’t sure how or when he got home, but he finally managed to get to the apartment and throw himself on the bed, not bothering to take off his clothes. ‘Never drinking again’, he thought to himself, closing his eyes, trying to will the room not to spin, never again.

#elu fic #skamfr #skam france #elu #eliott x lucas #eliott demaury #lucas lallemant #fanfic

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redux-pain · 6 years ago

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ITEM collection

[note: as with the character names in the profiles, I haven’t been able to find where the item names are located in the script files. Since I’m in the end game and only have a few items left in the inventory, I’ll just be giving them my own labels in {brackets} for now; labels in those may not reflect the original Japanese text. And I don’t know if it’s mentioned in-game, but the voice on these indicates that Nola is the one cataloging them.

EDIT: located the item names in the bindt/gymsys file!]

タクヤのノート

Takuya’s Notebook

中庭で拾ったノート。一見普通のノートだが中には学園内の人々に対しての悪口が恐ろしいほどにビッシリと書かれている。こびりついた思念から井上タクヤの物と思われる。実に根暗なヤツだ……。

Ａ　ｎｏｔｅｂｏｏｋｆｕｌｌ　ｏｆ　ｂａｄｔｈｉｎｇｓ　ａｂｏｕｔｓｔｕｄｅｎｔｓ．Ｉｔ’ｓ　Ｔａｋｕｙａ’ｓＳｈｉｎｅｎ．　Ｈｅ’ｓｃｒｅｅｐｙ．

A notebook found in the courtyard. Seemingly an ordinary notebook, but scrawled inside is a terrifying amount of insults about people around the school. Judging from the Thoughts clinging to it, it must be Inoue Takuya’s. He’s a seriously gloomy guy...

金剛青鬼水

Kongou Ao-Oni Water

大倉ユウジにもらった金剛青鬼水が入っている瓶。見るからに怪しい、どう見てもヤバイいかにも怪しげな瓶の中からは、真っ青でドロリとした液体が、次なるチャレンジャー（犠牲者）を待ち構えている……。

Ｙｕｚｉ’ｓｈｏｌｙ　ｗａｔｅｒ．Ｓｔｒａｎｇｅ，ｓｔｉｃｋｙ　ａｎｄｖｅｒｙ　ｂｌｕｅ．Ｗｈｏ　ｄａｒｅｓｔｏ　ｄｒｉｎｋ　ｔｈｉｓ？

A bottle from Ookura Yuuji, full of Kongou Ao-oni water. Looks pretty dodgy. Within a truly suspicious bottle, a risky proposition no matter how you look at it, is a gooey, deep blue liquid waiting for its next challenger (read: victim)...

[note: I started this playthrough some years ago, so it’s been *quite* a while since I played the scene where he gives you this. I can tell they changed a fair amount in the localization, so this is a translation lacking some important context.

Kongou: refers to a vajra or other indestructible substance

Ao oni: the blue type of traditional Japanese ogres. Think the guys who Goku meets in ‘HFIL’.

I can’t tell without seeing the scene whether these need to be translated, or whether it’s a brand name or something. ...And, to top all that off, the clauses in that second sentence are *really* something, so I tried to separate them out as accurately as possible.

Note from the future: “Vajra-Wielding Blue Ogre Water” is just fine as a translation.]

アーサーのナイフ Arthur’s Knife

アーサー・メイズの血痕と、死を彷彿とさせる思念がこびりついたナイフ。リュウ・イーが止めに入った際、自らの肉体を傷つける為に使用していた物と思われる。あの美しい肌に傷など、もったいないことを……。

Ａｒｔｈｕｒ　Ｍａｙｓ’ ｂｌｏｏｄｙ　ｋｎｉｆｅ＆　ｄｅａｔｈ　ＳｈｉｎｅｎＬｉｕ　Ｙｅｅ　ｓｔｏｐｐｅｄｈｉｍ　ｂｕｔ　ｈｅ　ｃｕｔｈｉｍｓｅｌｆ．　Ｈｅｓｈｏｕｌｄｎ’ｔｈａｖｅ．．．

A knife stained with Arthur Mays’ blood and Thoughts, vividly reminiscent of death. Apparently this is what he was using to wound his own body when Liu Yee stopped him. What a shame to [cut/scar] that beautiful skin...

殺人犯のナイフ Murderer’s Knife

ソエジマ邸の前にある草むらの中に隠されていた殺人犯のナイフ。こびりついた思念から殺人の犯行に使用された物と思われる。血はキレイに何かでふき取られているが、うっすらと嫌なサビが着いているようだ。

Ｓｏｅｊｉｍａ’ｓｋｎｉｆｅ．　ＴｈｅＳｈｉｎｅｎ　ｓｈｏｗｓｉｔ　ｗａｓ　ｕｓｅｄｔｏ　ｋｉｌｌ．　Ｔｈｅｂｌａｄｅ　ｉｓ　ｃｌｅａｎｂｕｔ　ｓｌｉｇｈｔｌｙｒｕｓｔｅｄ．

A murderer’s knife, hidden in the grass in front of Soejima Mansion. The Thoughts clinging to it reveal that it was used for a killer’s crime. The blood has been wiped clean with something, but a slightly unpleasant coating of rust remains.

銀行強盗の銃 Bank Robber’s Gun

ＡＭＳ銀行で起こった銀行強盗に使用された銃。犯人である警官のまがまがしい思念が付着している。犯人が逃走する際に投げ捨てたと思われる。手入れが行き届いてたのだろ��か？　汚れもなく、黒く輝いている。

ＡＭＳ　ｂａｎｋｒｏｂｂｅｒ’ｓ　ｇｕｎ．Ｈｅ　ｗａｓ　ａ　ｃｏｐ．Ｈｅ　ｄｕｍｐｅｄ　ｔｈｅｇｕｎ　ａｎｄ　ｒａｎ．Ｈｅ　ｃｌｅａｎｅｄ　ｉｔｖｅｒｙ　ｗｅｌｌ．Ｉｔ　ｉｓ　ｂｌａｃｋ　ａｎｄｓｈｉｎｙ．

A gun used in a bank robbery at AMS Bank. Clinging to it are the ominous Thoughts of the police officer who was the culprit. It seems the culprit threw it away while he was escaping. I wonder if it was well-looked after? It shines black, with not a speck of dirt in sight.

[note: This is lost a little in translation, but to a Japanese audience, the mere fact that the culprit had a gun is a strong indicator that he was a cop using the weapon he was issued for his work. In America you might acquire a second gun to avoid suspicion when it goes missing at work, but Japanese gun laws would make that more trouble than it’s worth.]

スポーツドリンク Sports Drink

御堂アキラがアツキにくれたスポーツドリンク[.]飲みかけだが、遅刻して来たアツキのことを思って渡してくれたのだろう。飲みかけだが……。男同士なので大丈夫だろう。スポーツ大好きなアキラにはピッタリの飲み物。

Ａｋｉｒａ　ｇａｖｅＡｔｓｕｋｉ　ｈｉｓｓｐｏｒｔｓ　ｄｒｉｎｋａｌｒｅａｄｙ　ｏｐｅｎｅｄ，ｂｕｔ　ｔｈａｔ’ｓ　ｏｋ．Ｈｅ　ｗａｓ　ｌａｔｅ．Ａｋｉｒａ　ｌｏｖｅｓｓｐｏｒｔｓ　ｓｏｉｔ’ｓ　ａ　ｇｏｏｄｄｒｉｎｋ　ｆｏｒ　ｈｉｍ．

A sports drink that Midou Akira gave to Atsuki. He started drinking it, but must have handed it over out of concern for Atsuki, who was late. Although he did drink part of it... They’re both men, so I guess it’s okay. This is just the right beverage for the sports-loving Akira.

[note: Nola seems to be concerned about indirect kisses here.]

ルイのストラップ Rui’s phone strap

ルイの退院祝いにプレゼントしたストラップミカがアツキから渡すようにと、事前に用意してくれていた。もの凄くセンスを疑いたくなる代物。他にもピンク色の物もあるとか。一部の女性に高い人気を得ている謎のお守り

Ｒｕｉ’ｓ　ｃｅｌｌｐｈｏｎｅ　ｓｔｒａｐＭｉｋａ　ｂｏｕｇｈｔｆｏｒ　Ａｔｓｕｋｉ　ｔｏｇｉｖｅ　ｈｅｒ　ａｆｔｅｒｓｈｅ　ｗａｓ　ｉｎｔｈｅ　ｈｏｓｐｉｔａｌ．Ｓｔｒａｎｇｅ　ｄｅｓｉｇｎｂｕｔ　ａ　ｌｕｃｋｙｃｈａｒｍ　ｆｏｒ　ｇｉｒｌｓ．

A phone strap given to Rui to celebrate her leaving the hospital. Mika had this ready beforehand so Atsuki could give it to her. An object that inspires a deep mistrust in her sense of aesthetics. It also comes in pink. A mysterious charm that’s quite popular with a certain kind of girl.

バンソウコウ Bandage

ミントの血痕が付いたバンソウコウ。ナミがミントを看病した際に貼ってあげた物。ナミを訪れて来た時、何かに引っ掛けて落として行ったのだと思われる[ 。 ]ミントのナミに会いたいという気持ちがたくさん込もっている。

Ｂａｎｄａｇｅ　ｗｉｔｈＭｉｎｔ’ｓ　ｂｌｏｏｄ．Ｎａｍｉ　ｐｕｔ　ｉｔｏｎ　Ｍｉｎｔ　ｗｈｅｎＭｉｎｔ　ｗａｓ　ｈｕｒｔ．Ｗｈｉｌｅ　ｖｉｓｉｔｉｎｇＮａｍｉ，　ｉｔ　ｃａｍｅｏｆｆ　Ｍｉｎｔ．　Ｍｉｎｔｍｉｓｓｅｓ　Ｎａｍｉｖｅｒｙ　ｍｕｃｈ．

A bandage stained with Mint’s blood. Nami put it on while she was nursing Mint. It must have gotten caught on something and come off when Mint came to visit Nami. It’s filled with Mint’s desire to see Nami.

Hidaka’s Note 日高のメモ

亡くなった日高ナオトのポケットに入っていた謎のメモ。『私は顔の無いスパイです』と意味深なメッセージを残している。日高が自分で書いた物なのか、それとも誰か他の者が書いたのかは分かっていない。

Ｔｈｅ　ｍｅｍｏｆｒｏｍ　Ｎａｏｔｏ’ｓｐｏｃｋｅｔ，　ｔｈａｔｓａｙｓ　”Ｉ　ａｍｔｈｅ　ｆａｃｅｌｅｓｓｓｐｙ．”　Ｎａｏｔｏ’ｓｄｅａｄ．　Ｗｈｏｗｒｏｔｅ　ｔｈｅｍｅｍｏ？

A strange note [found] in the deceased Hidaka Naoto’s pocket. It bears the intriguing message, “I am the spy with no face”. It’s unknown whether this is something Hidaka wrote himself, or whether it was written by someone else.

[note: The message as described here uses “watashi” instead of the “boku” you see when Aya relays it to you in the game. I can’t say if the game is going for something here, or if it’s just a mistake.]

ケイの手紙 Kei’s Letter

遠野ケイが山瀬ルイに残した手紙。ルイと一緒に過ごして楽しかった日々のことを書いているようだ。一緒にご飯食べたこと。出かけたこと。本当にありがとうと感謝の気持ちがいっぱいに込められている。

Ａ　ｌｅｔｔｅｒ　ｆｒｏｍＫｅｉ　ｔｏ　ＲｕｉＨｅ　ｗｒｏｔｅａｂｏｕｔ　ｈａｐｐｙｄａｙｓ　ｔｏｇｅｔｈｅｒｓｈｏｐｐｉｎｇ　ａｎｄｅａｔｉｎｇ．　Ｉｔ’ｓｆｕｌｌ　ｏｆａｐｐｒｅｃｉａｔｉｏｎ．

A letter left by Tohno Kei for Yamase Rui. Apparently he wrote about the happy days they spent together. About eating together, about going on outings. It’s filled to the brim with feelings of gratitude.

東方堂のカギ Touhou-dou Key

１年前に宇波リョウがゴミ出しの際落とした鍵��鍵穴ごと取り替えられているので、現在は使われていないようだ。しかし、毎回ゴミ出しの度に締め出しをくらうとは、もう少し学習能力を養って欲しいところだ。

Ｔｈｅ　ｋｅｙ　Ｒｙｏｄｒｏｐｐｅｄ　ａ　ｙｅａｒａｇｏ　ｉｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｔｒａｓｈ．Ｔｈｅ　ｌｏｃｋｓｃｈａｎｇｅｄ　ｓｏＴｈｉｓ　ｋｅｙ　ｉｓｕｓｅｌｅｓｓ．　Ｈｅｎｅｅｄｓ　ｔｏ　ｂｅｍｏｒｅ　ｃａｒｅｆｕｌｔａｋｉｎｇ　ｏｕｔ　ｔｒａｓｈ．

The key Unami Ryou dropped a year ago while putting out the trash. The locks have been changed, so it’s useless now. Also, locking yourself out every time you take out the trash? Please work on your ability to learn from mistakes.

パンダ人形 Panda Doll

パンプキン・ウィッチのマスコットキャラの１つである、パンダの人形。胡美鈴がアツキへの愛の証として置いて行った。胡美鈴の想いが熱く込められている。

Ｐｕｍｐｋｉｎ　Ｗｉｔｃｈｍａｓｃｏｔ　ｄｏｌｌ，ａ　ｐａｎｄａ．　Ｉｔ’ｓＭｅｉｌｉｎ’ｓ　ｇｉｆｔｆｏｒ　Ａｔｓｕｋｉ．Ａ　ｒｅｍｉｎｄｅｒｏｆ　Ｍｅｉｌｉｎ．

A panda doll. It’s one of Pumpkin Witch’s mascot characters. Hu Meiling left it behind as prove of her love for Atsuki. It’s full of her passionate feelings.

#items #system info

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kmbtob-monthly · 6 years ago

Text

July 2018 Story # 1 : Beautiful Melody

Title: Beautiful Melody

Author: Mika

Summary: Hyunsik met Melody in probably one of the most cliché way. Now seeing her walk down the aisle made him remember their moments and a lot of beautiful things about her.

---

As far as my eyes can see, faces of people I knew almost half of my life were there. All of them anticipated with glee for her to come through the doors of the chapel. And I was not an exception. As a matter of fact, I think I felt different kinds of emotions all at once that time.

When she appeared at the entrance, my heart raced at an increasing rate. To say that she is beautiful was an understatement.

She held a bouquet of pink and white peonies. I remember her saying that it’s her favorite for it embodies romance, prosperity and a happy marriage.

The moment our eyes met, I felt nostalgic. I can still remember in detail the day when I first saw her.

I met her in spring...

The moment when I first met you

It's still very clear

The moment you hugged me

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" A voice bellowed from behind. I turned around and saw a speeding bike a few meters away from where I was standing.

The girl riding it seemed to have lost control of the bike as I saw her hand was continuously pressing the brake handle and still, it was not stopping. The downward slope of the road made the situation even worse.

"You might get hurt! Stay away!" She warned me again. But instead of avoiding her, I put down my guitar and readied myself to catch her. I don’t know exactly how I will do that but I can’t just let her go into a bigger trouble.

She hit an uneven part of the road, causing her to separate from the bike. The impact sent her flying.

“AAAAAAH!”

Everything happened so fast. I caught her with my arms and we stumbled on the ground where fallen cherry blossom petals were scattered.

“Are you okay?” I asked when I felt her grip on me loosened. She lifted her head, frightened eyes stare into mine. My face were inches away from hers and my breath hitched at the sight of her up close.

She’s pretty.

She pulled away from my embrace, I forgot that I was still holding her. “Y-yes, thank you.” she answered when we both stood up and shook the dirt off our clothes “How about you?” she asked full of concern.

I nodded then smiled and I saw her sigh in relief. We decided to check her bicycle that fell on the pavement. It was a good thing that no one was near us when the accident happened, so no one got hurt.

“The brake cable snapped off, that’s why it didn’t stop when you pulled the handle” I explained to her when I saw the cause. I can tell that she has been using it for a long time now. The color already faded, fenders were dented and the chain is rusty. “It’s not safe riding this, you must get it fixed.”

She said she was about to go home from the convenience store and forgot to check if the brakes were working. We were going the same direction so I picked up my guitar and walked with her, I learnt that they just moved in their new house a few days ago and she also transferred to the school where I go to. She pointed at a house a couple of steps from us. “That one is ours.”

And I pointed at one, two doors away from hers saying that it is where I live. We walked a little more and halted in front of her house “Thanks again for saving me, I’ll get my bike fixed.” her lips curved upward.

“No problem. You should, and always remember to check the brakes before riding it.” I said, adjusting my glasses.

“Yes, sir.” She jokingly saluted and we laughed “I’ll go in now.”

I nodded and waited for her to go inside but I just remembered something.

“Hey uh- I forgot to ask” she turned back to me “What’s your name?”

She smiled a toothy grin and I thought that was the most beautiful thing I’ve seen all day.

“Melody” she said “My name is Melody.”

Wow. Even her name is pretty.

“I’m Hyunsik.” Giving the same smile, I stated “Welcome to the neighborhood, Melody”.

And to cut a long story short, we became friends. We became comfortable around each other for we meet and talk everyday, whether in school or while going home.

In school, we also share the same circle of friends and teasing us became their habit. Melody and I will just shake our heads and laugh it off.

I know the whole world become brighter

I felt it was different from yesterday

Oh because of you everything has changed

“Is that a new song you are writing?”

I was too focused on what I was doing that I didn’t notice her sit next to me. We were under a tree nearest to the school building.

“Mm- yeah. It’s only halfway done.” I said still scribbling on the notebook.

“Can I hear a little bit of it?” I felt her move closer as she slightly pleaded “Just a teeny tiny bit?”

She knows that I won’t let her hear the song until it’s finished but her puppy dog eyes never fail to make me say yes.

She always wins.

“Okay okay, I’ll sing a bit” I surrendered.

“Yay!” Melody clasped her hands and I started to sing the chorus. She put her hands under her chin and leaned.

Just wait, I will fly high just like you Higher than the countless twinkling stars above you Just wait, I will always be by your side I’ll be your star that shines brighter than anyone else

She listened intently as I sing until the last line. When I finished, she clapped and her eyes twinkled with delight. “Woah Mr. Im Hyunsik! The song is soooo good and your voice is amazing as always.” She sincerely said “What’s the song called?”

“I haven’t decided on it yet.”

She was silent for a moment before saying “Star. How about ‘star’ for the title?”

I nodded in agreement “Star it is then.”

The next minute, we heard meowing sounds and she followed it to see where it came from. It led her to a bush. “Hyunsik, come and look at this” she called to me.

It’s a mother cat with three kittens, their colors were a mix of black, gray and white. Melody scooted down and carefully patted them “I bet you’re hungry, it’s almost lunch time” she talked to them. I watched her get a canned tuna from her bag. She opened it and fed the tuna to the kittens and their mother.

Melody has this soft spot for animals, especially for cats, albeit she can’t keep one because of pet allergy. She always carry cat/dog food or canned fish so that whenever she met stray cats or dogs, she’ll never think twice to entertain and feed them. Also, she always find time to volunteer in animal shelters.

“Imagine you are alone in the street, you have nowhere to go to, nothing to eat, and no one is there to take care of you. It’s sad right?” she said to me once. “If only people will just care more about these kinds of things then the world would have been a better place.”

If you’d ask me what is the most beautiful thing about her and I only need to pick one, I’d say it is her heart.

“They’re so cute, don’t you think so?” she looked up to me with happy eyes and she giggled. I heard her humming to the song I sang earlier.

At that moment, I noticed something different about her. But what is it?

Did she change her hair color?

Did she put make-up on?

Why does she look extra pretty today?

I might be over-reacting but I thought she was glowing.

It was the first time that I felt something different too.

When I close my eyes, I see you again

In my head, I only think of you

I somehow, only for today

I want to say it to you

Her eyes.

Her smile.

Her laugh.

My mind kept replaying scenes on the things that she does or the things she likes to do like when she likes something so much she’ll say “this is soooo good” for not less than 5 times or how she ties up her hair in a bun when she will do something that needs her full concentration or how she fiddles with her watch when she’s nervous or the way she sketches when she’s in a good mood and when she has nothing to do. Those little things I noticed whenever I secretly look at her.

I kept thinking about her. Not a day passed without me wanting to see her, wanting to hear her stories and her hearty laugh.

I wanted to confess that I like her but I just couldn’t bring myself to say it.

Prom came, Melody and I each had our own dates but that night, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her. She wore a simple maroon chiffon dress, light make-up and her hair had curls on the ends. Melody’s beauty radiates without her putting on too much effort.

I saw that she was genuinely happy....happily dancing with her date.

He is a transferee like her and he came from the US. The guy is her crush she often talks to me about. I silently hope that at some time, she’ll notice that I don’t really like that topic.

More days gone by and the feelings I have for her grew. My eating and sleeping habits were a mess. I keep spacing out and one day my brother snapped me out of it “You could just tell her, you know. What are you so afraid of?”

“What?” I just went back to my senses, we were taking a break from playing a video game and he just said that out of the blue.

“Melody. You like her, right?” He leaned back on the couch.

“I just couldn’t say it to her, hyung. I feel like I’ll ruin the friendship we have.” I hugged the cushion and buried my face.

“You should, Hyunsik. Either she feels the same way or not, that friendship will never be gone if it’s true.” He stood up and said “Besides, you’ll never really know what she feels about you if you don’t tell her. Worst case is, what if someone confesses before you do?” hyung left me and went to the kitchen.

As if on cue, my phone lit up and a text message came in.

From: 🎶

I ran some errands a while ago and decided to get the tickets since I’m near the cinema. Don’t forget later okay? See ya sikkie~

Oh right, we were supposed to watch The Incredibles 2 tonight. She kept telling me that she wants to watch it with me since the first Incredibles movie were both our fave movie of all time.

And then I remembered what my brother said.

I need to confess now.

8:30 p.m.

The movie won’t start ‘till 9 and here I am outside the movie place thinking of how I will bring it up to Melody.

I can do this, I repeated over and over.

I went inside and my eyes found her immediately. She wore a sky blue top and denim pants and was sitting at a table near the arcade.

I sneak up behind her and covered her eyes with my hands “Guess who~” I said in a higher pitch-female tone voice and I can’t help but giggle with what I was doing.

“You need to practice more, Im Hyunsik.” She confidently said.

“I’m not. You are wrong.” I said in the same tone.

She burst out laughing “Hyunsik! Stop with the voice already.”

I removed my hands and sat across her. “I know you too well to not recognize that it’s you.” She chuckled and rested her hand under her chin.

She did that twinkling eyes again I can’t help but stare at her. She was telling me something but I was not paying attention. I want to tell it to her. It’s now or never.

“Hey, are you still listening to me?” she tapped my hand that was on the table.

“Melody” I switched our hands and put mine on top of hers.

Her expression changed to a serious one “Hyunsik, is there something wrong?”

I pursed my lips and shook my head “No. There’s… there’s something I want to tell you.” my heart was beating so fast I think it’s going to explode.

It was a weekend so many people came to watch a movie but suddenly, all I can see is her.

She’s looking at me, her eyes telling me to go on “Melody, I’ve been wanting to say this to you for a long time. I-“

“Oh hey sorry, the line in the restroom is too long.” I was surprised when someone interrupted.

It was her prom date that she has a crush on.

He gave an apologetic smile and then looked at me “Hi! You’re Hyunsik right? Melody told me a lot of things about you. Don’t worry, they’re all good though.”

“Hyunsik, you remember Peniel right? He’s at the class next to ours.” She pulled her hand from mine and stood up from her seat, I felt the emptiness.

“Nice to meet you, bro.” he held out a hand.

I took it and greeted back. “Nice to meet you too, Peniel” I forced a smile but inside I was not really pleased in meeting him. Not to be rude, but he just ruined the moment.

I saw his hand intertwined with hers. I think I stopped breathing for a while.

“I’ll get us some popcorn, what flavor would you like?” He asked us both.

“Anything would be fine, Hyunsik and I eat everything.” She said then looked at me “Right?”

“Y-yeah, right.” I faked a laugh.

Peniel went to the counter and waited in line and Melody got back to her seat.

“What were you saying again?” she asked me.

“Oh that… I just want to tell you that uh- I finished ‘Star’. I already recorded and I’ll let you hear it.” I half lied. Well, I really finished it and I’ll give the song to her.

“Wow! Really? I can’t wait to hear the whole song. Every song you make is really good and worth to listen to everyday. I also let Peniel hear your other songs and he agrees with me.”

Since when were they that close? And since when are they dating that I didn’t even noticed it?

It seems like she read my mind “Oh, we’ve been constantly contacting each other since prom night and earlier he said he wanted to meet me. I was at the bank that time, mom asked me to make a deposit and I said to him that I’m going here, so we met here. And-“ I saw her blush before she continued “He confessed to me and I still can’t believe my crush likes me back.” She slightly squealed.

I felt like a bucket of ice cold water was poured on me. The whole night I continued to fake smiles and laughter.

Peniel is a gentleman and very kind, even to me. Whenever he asks her something, he’ll never forget to include me in the conversation. He’ll crack jokes about the characters in the movie that’ll make her laugh, from time to time he’ll feed her popcorn. I think I watched them more than the movie.

Her smile was different that time, she was blooming and oh how beautiful her lips curve up into a smile and her eyes formed tears from too much laughing.

I really wish that it was me making her laugh like that, making her eyes disappear to thin lines, making her happy.

It was supposed to be just the two of us.

It should’ve been me.

If only I was a little braver.

When you’re tired, when the tears fall out

Just remember this one

You are more precious than me

I will hold your two hands, I’ll be here

We graduated high school and we went to different universities. I majored in music while she majored in architecture. Albeit having different schools, we still had the same schedule. Peniel goes to the same university with Melody but they have different schedules so I still go home with her since our schools were just near to each other.

That’s the only time I can catch up things with her because her free days are for Peniel.

Now how can I argue with that?

I just can’t, because I’m only the bestfriend and he is the boyfriend. I let it be.

I tried getting out of this one-sided feelings by focusing on my studies, composing songs, spending time with my family and other friends.

But at the end of the day, it’s still her.

I also tried to look at other girls. I was in my last year in the university when this girl in one of my classes gave me homemade chocolates on Valentine’s Day and she confessed to me thru a letter.

I gave it a shot and dated her. I thought I was happy with her and that I have moved on but every time I’m with her, Melody was all I could think of. When she took care of me when I had a fever and I was at school, I remembered how Melody always bring me herbal drinks whenever I’m sick.

Every thing she does reminded me of Melody. We were nearing our anniversary when I decide to tell her how I really feel. I thought that I can reciprocate fully what she felt for me so I tried to focus on just us and we’ve come this far, but I guess my heart was really held by someone else.

It was New Year’s Eve, and I know how she loves watching fireworks so I took her to the rooftop of our school building because that is where it can be seen clearer and it’ll feel more closer.

As expected, she was very happy when it started “I feel like I can reach them with my hands.” She said chuckling and she looked at me “Thank you Hyunsik” she rested her head on my shoulder.

I thought about Melody again. We didn’t really had much time to talk with each other because college life had been busier and also we had different schedules now so we rarely see each other.

Is she also happy watching the fireworks now?

“Sami.” I held the hands of my girlfriend “I am glad that you liked it.” I brushed my thumb against the back of her hand and I inhaled deeply “I have been nothing but happy these past months. I realized you are a wonderful person as I got to know you more.” My eyes never left hers as I say those words.

“But I can’t go on with this anymore. When I’m with you, I can’t help but also think about her. I felt like I was cheating on you and you don’t deserve that. You don’t deserve me.” This time my gaze dropped to our hands, I swallowed hard “I’m sorry, I’m in love with someone else.”

I was waiting for her to cry and be angry with me but instead she gave my hand a squeeze and she lifted my chin so that we were face to face again.

“I know.” I was surprised with her reply

“When we took pictures in the photo booth in an arcade, you went to the restroom and left your wallet with me, our pictures came out and I decided to put it in your wallet.” She paused for a while “But when I opened it, I saw your picture with her. And I recalled the many times I’ve seen you staring at it, the happy tone of your voice and the different glint in your eyes whenever you mentioned her name to me. It made me jealous but I didn’t say it to you.”

My heart was breaking, that day we went to the arcade was our first date as a couple. I didn’t remove my picture with Melody because I didn’t have to. Or maybe… I didn’t want to.

“And that time when you introduced us to each other, I saw how you looked at her and I know that you’ll never look at me the way you do to her.” Her voice faded and she cleared her throat before continuing “This was the day that I feared the most, but I still prepared my heart for it. So don’t feel too bad, okay?” she smiled even though her eyes were glassy, she was fighting back her tears.

I pulled her into a hug “You are beautiful inside and out, someone is out there waiting for you and you deserve his full attention and love. You deserve to be really happy.” And I sincerely do want her to find the love and happiness that I can’t give “Thank you Sami, thank you for everything.”

She hugged me tighter, her voice was faltering “Thank you too, Hyunsik. I wish you luck and hope you’d be happy too.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you very much” I ended the call and shouted with glee “Yes!” I was accepted at Cube Entertainment and will become part of the music production team. It is a step closer in reaching my dream to become a producer.

I instantly thought of going to Melody. I want her to be the first one to know. After being an intern for a year and a half, she also got accepted in her dream company. As for Peniel, he went back to the US because his family misses him and so does he so when he got the opportunity to work there, he didn’t let the chance slip away.

Melody was hesitant about the long distance relationship at first but she didn’t want it to look like she was keeping him away from his family.

It was okay at first, Peniel’s contract there is 3 years and they’re halfway through the LDR. But as months passed by, even if she doesn’t say it, I noticed that Melody got sadder. She told me they rarely talk now and sometimes Peniel would sleep in the middle of their conversation because of the different time zones and he got busier as work loads got heavier.

I stood outside her apartment door and rang the doorbell, no one answered. I rang it another time. Still, no answer. I purposely didn’t text her for I wanted to say the good news to her personally. But, she’s not at home.

Where could she be?

I fished out my phone from my pocket, I was about to dial her number when it buzzed and musical notes appeared on the screen.

“Hyuuuuunshiiiik… he he he” she said on the other line when I answered.

“Melody, where are you? Are you drunk?” I quickly noticed the way she spoke.

She stifled a laugh “Nooooo…. We came heeeere… last time…. Changsub’s birthdaaay… lights are really pretty here.. you know?” she giggled in between her words

“Stay there okay? I’m going to you.” I hurriedly drove to the bar where our friend Changsub had his birthday party last week. I hope she’s not too drunk, people might take advantage of her.

My worries subsided a little when I saw her sitting on the gutter just outside the bar. Melody was clutching her bag and she rested her left cheek on top of it. I can’t help but admire her peaceful face. I crouched down and woke her up “Melody” I slightly shook her arm “Come, on I’ll take you home.”

She lifted her head. She smiled widely as soon as she recognized me. “sikkieeee” her limbs encircled my arm and pulled it close to her “you smell niiiice… he he” I chuckled at her actions. Whenever she’s drunk, she’s clingy and tends to say a lot of cringey things.

She let go of my arm and looked at me again “You” she pointed at my face “cutieeee… you look so cute todaaay” I stifled a laugh “You think so?”

She nodded “Uh-huh… you’re Mr. Im Cutesik todaaay.. cutesik… cutesikkieee... cutiesikkie” she sing sang and I swear my heart fluttered.

I made her stand up and supported her body as I walk her to the car. She was still chanting the nickname until we reached her place.

I sat her on the sofa and she leaned sideways, her hair covering her face and within seconds, I heard small sobs. I sat next to her and reached for her hand “Hey, what’s the matter?”

She didn’t say anything and cried louder. I wrapped her in my arms, it was the first time I saw her cry like that. She usually cry over sad songs and movies but not like this. This was different. She was crying her heart out.

I wanted to punch whatever or whoever hurt her.

When she calmed down she leaned back on the sofa “We’re over-” she sniffed “We fight every time we talk… I’m so tired of it.” the sadness in her voice made my heart ache “Peniel... he- he’s going to stay there for good.” She cried again after that.

I brought her to bed when she stopped crying and tucked her in “You’re tired, sleep now.”

She clutched the hem of my shirt “Don’t leave me.” She said in a weak voice

I nodded and smiled to assure her “I won’t.”

I lied down beside her. Her eyes slowly closed when I ran my fingers through her hair and started to hum a lullaby.

I watched her sleep that night. She tossed and turned, her legs and arms were going everywhere, and her mouth was slightly opened. It was a funny scene to look at and she must’ve been really tired and sad.

But even with those things, she still looks beautiful to me.

So you can be happy, you can always laugh

I will always be there

Every moments of moments

I promise to protect you

The day after she got drunk, I took care of her. I learned that Peniel’s contract was extended and he decided to stay there for good. The relationship didn’t work out anymore and they didn’t end on a good note.

Since then I told myself that I wouldn’t let anything or anyone make her cry like she did that night again. I wanted to help her move on and so I did.

But, it was not easy. She still cried for more than a week or two so I encouraged her to do new hobbies and focus on other things like playing sports, or video games, tuning in to k-pop and stuffs, travelling to different countries and I slowly observed her improvement because I am with her in every step of the way.

She was getting better everyday and when I saw her beautiful smile more often, I know that the Melody I knew is back. She may not have totally gotten over him but at least she’s not crying anymore.

I started writing a song and this time I want to sing it to her personally, conveying all my feelings for her. Nothing is holding me back this time.

In more or less 2 days, I have finished the song and I called her to meet up with me later that day. I brought my guitar with me and also bought her favorite peonies.

I put in my whole heart to the song. It portrays the things I want to say to her and to remind her over and over how she is important to me and that I’ll never leave her side.

This time, I’ll confess with no hesitation. I’ll tell her that I love her and that from the start it has always been her.

I’ll never forget that day.

Because that day, was the turning point of my life.

Thank you that you are there for me

you are here

I promise that I will love you forever

Baby, baby you are the one

When I wrote this song, I thought of marrying her. I promised to myself that one day, in God’s will, I’ll sing it to her as her groom.

Now that I am here in front of Melody, singing the song I wrote for her and she was wearing a wedding dress, it was like a dream come true.

So you can be happy, you can always laugh

I will always be there

Every moments of moments

I promise to protect you

I sang my whole heart out looking at her, I saw how her two orbs shined, how her smile reached her eyes, how stunning she is.

The entire song I was looking at her.

Even though she looked at someone else.

Her happy eyes and wide smile were for the man beside her.

She is the bride.

But the groom is not me.

That day when I decided to confess for real, she didn’t show up. It turned out that the man she had always loved came back to her that same day.

Peniel left everything to be with Melody and they got back together and a year after, they decided to get married.

I never really got the chance to say to her how I feel. But at least as a singer for their wedding, I was lucky that I can sing it to her.

When you’re tired, when the tears fall out

Just remember this one

You are more precious than me

I will hold your two hands, I’ll be here

I will never forget the first time we met. I’ll always keep in my heart the memories I had with her, and the things she does and likes to do.

I will never leave her side whenever things get tough and I’ll always be the bestfriend whenever she needs one.

I will always remember her beautiful eyes that twinkled, her beautiful laugh that resonated, her beautiful mind that thinks, her beautiful heart that loves and always cares and all the beautiful things about her.

And I’ll always be here for her.

My Beautiful Melody

#btob imagines #hyunsik #btob #hyunsik imagines #hyunsik fluff #kpop fluff #kpop imagines #im hyunsik #im hyunsik imagines #btob hyunsik imagines

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monsterheartshq · 4 years ago

Photo

THE GHOUL.

“ cold, unwavering, hungry. the ghoul died, and came back with dulled emotions and a hunger for human flesh. ”

biography.

name. mika park age. twenty four occupation. college drop out, clerk at What the Dickens sexuality. pansexual, demiromantic gender. nonbinary faceclaim. kim taehyung monster. undead

origin.

BEFORE DEATH

mika hoon park is the first born of his family. a second generation korean american. his father, a professor of ethics and his mother a piano teacher, never left him wanting. it would be nearly six years later that his little sister was born and he loves her to pieces.

he grew up pretty free with the things that his family would allow him to do. his interests always seemed to flutter like the wind but as long as he kept his grades up his parents never really saw a reason to stop him from going after every dream or fancy he had.

while his parents always wanted him to choose an illustrious career, when they realized how much he really connected with the arts, it was hard for them to try and force him into something else. mika has always been a smart kid but the thing that made his parents the most proud of him was how large his heart always was.

mika has always been known as the kid in cinderbrush that could make anyone his friend with a smile. empathetic and kind, he was friends with nearly everyone in the town around his age and even a few younger or old. that being said he tended to keep his true friends closer. only a select few really got to see everything in his heart and he cherished them beyond words.

he has never been afraid to simply be who he is. wearing lace shirts? yep does it. crop tops? totally game. has a habit of putting just the smallest amount of brown eye shadow on the corner of his eyes because it makes them ‘pop’, he is there for it.

despite his soft nature and nearly genius brain it came to certain things, he was also known to be a bit flighty when it came to remembering things in life. the only thing he is guaranteed not to forget is a birthday.

when college came around he decided to stay in his hometown of cinderbrush. going to byrne university seemed like a good enough idea and the art program was actually one of the best ones one the east coast.

for his years in college, mika was known for his paintings. his art was something that had life breathed into it. most of the time he just jokes that he pours his soul into it all.

the last thing mika ever did was go to a part near black wood forest. a string of parties over the weekend he attended with some friends as he went about making new ones if he hadn’t already met them….

AFTER DEATH

everything changed when mika came back. pieces of him were missing and replaced with pieces of someone else. things that he previously enjoyed, don’t really mean anything anymore.

it took exactly a month of being back to life before mika chose to drop out of college. he couldn’t exactly create art when he had no feelings towards it. looking at old paintings left him with absolutely nothing. just like everything else.

despite remembering his life, mika doesn’t truly feel it. he refers to them as echoes. he can feel the echo of what he is meant to feel. it’s almost like watching a movie and feeling no connection to it but something that barely ghosts over the heart and mind.

the infernal told him that they had to replace pieces of him. internal organs. the damage was too great to them to be salvaged. mika thinks that those pieces have echoes in them as well. there are memories in his mind that aren’t always his. echoes of feelings that he would have never had in his own soul and yet, they are his now.

for the last few months, mika has been trying to be human. be alive. he doesn’t understand the purpose of it all anymore. he spends most of the beginning of his day looking at old photos of himself to mimic the facial expressions he had on him at all times. now, smiling makes his facial muscles shake.

something keeps him up at night. it isn’t the echoes of terror and pain. there is something lurking underneath the cold and numbness. an emptiness that wants something. mika can only describe it as a hunger but something tells them that if they feed it, they will never be able to stop.

for the longest time mika has been trying to give their hunger something other than what it may want but it has had disastrous results. normal food either tastes like nothing or spoiled meat. if they’re lucky he can eat a really rare steak without hating it or losing his lunch. still, it is never enough.

look.

the sound of distant thunder. the smell of graveyard dirt. the taste of copper on your tongue. torn skin. broken bones. fog between the trees. the sound of pages turning. empty gazes. the smell after a rainstorm. hunger. the distorted sound of jazz playing on the record player. hunger. the feel of ice in your bones. hunger. mind numbing emptiness. hunger. echos of memories on repeat. hunger. things dimly understood. hunger.

moves.

the hunger. you have a Hunger for one of the following:

flesh

chaos

power

fear

short rest for the wicked. when you die, wait it out. some hours later, you wake up fully healed.

what the right hand wants. your body was stitched together in parts and pieces. and those parts and pieces echo different histories, want different things.

social circle.

the cerberus: let it be known, the cerberus is a guard dog. the keeper of the peace. the one that controls souls that pass between the two realms. and recently they’ve felt as if someone has slipped past. someone that was not supposed to. all the cerberus has to go on is a feeling. call it intuition, but when you know, you know. the cerberus is not sure how the ghoul got back to the land of the living, but they know they don’t belong and they’re not going to sleep until the ghoul is back where they belong. and they belong on a boat in the river styx headed to the underworld. but first the cerberus has to realize its the ghoul they’re looking for. yeah, that would be a good start.

the ghost: being a ghost is... strange. time doesn’t move the same way as it did when you’re alive. it happens all at once, and you’re just... stuck. witnessing it all move around you. and sometimes you can control where you go, sometimes you can’t. but moments of intense emotion, you get pulled there. that’s what happened when the ghoul died. the ghost was taken there, and witnessed the entire thing. they also witness the ghoul being resurrected. the ghost is unsure how to approach the situation. they’re not sure how memory works for the ghoul, and if they have any memories of before now. but the ghost feels compelled to share what they know about the ghoul. about how they died. they just aren’t sure how the ghoul will take it, which is what has stopped them from saying anything thus far.

the infernal: there was not a closer friendship than that of the ghoul and the infernal. they two hit it off after meeting at freshman orientation and were two peas in a pod ever since. you couldn’t see one without the other. even if you only invited one part of the duo out to a party, they’d show up together. so when the ghoul died, something within the infernal snapped. they sought out their dark power and bargained something dear to them in order to bring the ghoul back to life. and their dark power did as they were asked, of course. except… the ghoul didn’t return the same way they left. something was different. wrong. and each day that passes without light returning to their eyes, the infernal feels deeper guilt and shame.

this character skin is TAKEN

#the ghoul #taken

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yasbxxgie · 8 years ago

Photo

What Geology Has to Say About Building a 1,000-Mile Border Wall

Last month, President Donald Trump took steps to make good on a campaign promise to turn the United States’ existing border fence into a "big, beautiful" wall. On January 25, the White House issued an Executive Order announcing the creation of a “secure, contiguous, and impassable physical barrier … to prevent illegal immigration, drug and human trafficking, and acts of terrorism.” Now the U.S. Customs and Border Protection—the office tasked with enforcing border regulations—is scrambling to make that order a concrete reality.

Today’s fence consists of roughly 650 miles of disparate segments, made out of a combination of steel posts and rails, metal sheeting, chain link, concrete vehicle barriers and wire mesh. To replace that fence with what has been described as a 20- to 50-foot concrete structure that will traverse 1,000 of the some 2,000 miles of the U.S.’s border with Mexico will be no easy feat. Besides dealing with a proposed Mexican lawsuit and navigating the private ownership of much of Texas’ lands, there is another concern few have addressed in detail: geology.

Compared to building a marble palace or high-steepled church, erecting a wall may seem relatively straightforward. It isn’t. (Just ask the Chinese, whose Great Wall took 2,000 years to build and failed to keep out invaders.) Though most wall designs are fairly simple, builders must adapt to a wide range of terrains, explains Gary Clendenin, a senior hydrogeologist at ICF. The southern U.S. border alone contains desert, wetlands, grasslands, rivers, mountains and forests—all of which create vastly different problems for builders.

“The length of this thing presents challenges that just aren’t typically undertaken in a construction project,” says Clendenin.

Can these hurdles be overcome? Smithsonian.com asked two scientists, a geophysicist and a hydrogeologist, which geologic factors the wall’s builders should take into account first if they are to execute this ambitious project.

Surveying the Situation

The Tower of Pisa was never meant to lean. Built between 1173 and 1370, the off-kilter structure was positioned atop roughly 30 feet of fine river sediments underlain by a layer of ancient marine clay. But as builders assembled the tons of marble, the river sediments didn’t compact evenly. So by 1178, when they had finished work on the third story, the tower had already acquired its characteristic tilt.

The Italian government has since spent millions of dollars to make sure this beloved landmark doesn't topple over. Such structural failures serve as a reminder that, while our ancestors did manage to successfully erect many impressive feats, “they don’t necessarily stay upright,” in the words of field geophysicist Mika McKinnon. To circumvent such problems today, modern builders have added a crucial step to the construction process: surveying. Though time-consuming, this step is critical to ensure that the resulting structure can remain standing on terra firma for years to come.

Before a single brick is laid, teams of scientists assemble on scene to investigate a litany of details, from bedrock depth to soil chemistry. In the case of the border wall, they would have to traverse the entire length of the proposed path, working in segments to evaluate the region, collect data, develop plans. (This necessity makes the process of erecting walls—especially ones spanning thousands of miles—more challenging than building, say, a 95-story skyscraper.)

“Quite frankly, that would take years to do,” says Clendenin, who specializes in linear projects like railways and roads. McKinnon agrees. One project she worked on, a three-mile stretch of pipeline, is now on year five of field surveys.

Yet Trump’s order appears to allow a mere six months for all surveying and planning efforts. Within its long list of required steps, his executive order states:

“Produce a comprehensive study of the security of the southern border, to be completed within 180 days of this order, that shall include the current state of southern border security, all geophysical and topographical aspects of the southern border, the availability of Federal and State resources necessary to achieve complete operational control of the southern border, and a strategy to obtain and maintain complete operational control of the southern border.”

When contacted by Smithsonian.com, the Customs and Border Protection agency declined to comment on the current timeline for the wall, saying in an email that "it would be speculative to address the questions that you're asking at this point.” But according to scientists Smithsonian.com spoke to, it isn’t going up anytime soon.

…

Getting to Bedrock

The prehistoric city of Petra stands as a prime example of ancient geologic foresight. Around the 4th century BC, Petra’s inhabitants carved the basis for this once-bustling trading city directly into the rugged pink and tan sandstone cliffs between the Red Sea and the Dead sea. Though winds and rain threatened to erode the structure top down, its firm rooting in bedrock—the solid rock that lies beneath the earth’s loose layers—has kept this structure standing tall for thousands of years.

Such grounding in bedrock is a key feature when building a megastructure, says McKinnon. For something as extensive as a 1,000-mile wall that stands upwards of 20 feet tall, builders will need to anchor the whole thing beneath the surface to the underlying rock if they want it to stay upright.

The problem is, getting to bedrock can be a doozy. Great swaths of the border feature a hefty layer of loose sediments—dirt, soils, sand—laying atop the bedrock. In some regions the bedrock is hundreds if not thousands of feet down. “Some places the bedrock will be too deep—you'll never be able to reach the bedrock in an affordable fashion,” says McKinnon.

“That's okay if you want to [build] a tiny house because you just have it floating on its foundation,” she adds.

But if you’re building a megastructure, “you have a problem,” she says.

That’s not to say that building on sand is impossible. But to safely erect such structures, geophysicists today conduct extensive seismic surveys to image what lies beneath. To create these pictures, they install rows of spike-like geophones, which are 3D microphones that detect minute vibrations of the ground, converting them into an electric signal. Then they make a large noise, often by triggering an explosion or using a heavy weight to thump the ground. The geophones record the scattering and reflection of vibrations to image underground structures, and tease out problems that may lay under the surface.

McKinnon experienced one of these problems firsthand, during the construction of a hydroelectric dam that was meant to be built across a valley that spanned about a mile. The team did all the proper surveys of the region, and discovered that beneath their riverbed lay a second channel buried in dirt. “If we hadn't found it and we tried to build our dam across, then the water would have just eroded that old channel underneath and we would have had a river under our dam,” she says.

There are two options for overcoming such problems with sediment: compact the sediment and add a deeper foundation. For a wall roughly 20 feet tall, the foundation should extend six to eight feet beneath the surface, Clendenin says. All of these steps are expensive and time-consuming. But skimp on any of them, and "you get your Leaning-Tower-of-Pisa situation," says McKinnon.

Of course, many modern regions don’t have the economic resources to do such surveys and construction of deep foundations. The cities of Campania, Italy, are built atop loose sediments that are prone to sliding—a situation worsened by local clearcutting of the vegetation and unregulated construction that commonly lacks adequate foundations. These factors leave them vulnerable to the whims of their region’s geology: In 1998, when a mudslide rippled through the city, the houses crumpled under the weight and movement of the sludge, leaving at least 95 dead.

...

Dirt Drama

“Something there is that doesn't love a wall / That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,” begins Robert Frost’s poem "Mending Wall." Frost may not have been a geological surveyor, but he got one thing right: When it comes to building walls, soil swelling is a major headache. That’s why, after surveyors finish assessing the kind of rock and earth they’ll be building over, they start studying the dirt.

Sediments, particularly in clay-rich materials, can take on water, swelling like a sponge in a bowl of water. The resulting cycles of swelling and shrinking during wet and dry periods can crack the very foundation of structures. And these types of soils are common in many states where the border wall will be built, including Texas and parts of New Mexico. In fact, about half of American homes are built on soils that expand significantly, and nearly half of those suffer damage yearly because of the soil, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Dirt can also eat up the wall’s support system. Soils that are naturally acidic or have high chloride levels can rapidly degrade iron-rich metals, says McKinnon. These soils could “corrode any, say, nice big metal rebar that you're putting in there to stabilize your foundation,” she says. Other soils have a high amount of sulfates, a compound found in the common mineral gypsum that breaks down both metals and concrete. Sulfate-rich soils are common in what’s known as the Trans-Pecos soils along the border in the southwestern arm of Texas.

“You're going to encounter hundreds, if not thousands, of different types of soils along [such a lengthy] linear pathway,” says Clendenin. (In fact, there are over 1,300 kinds of soil in Texas alone.) And many of those soils aren’t going to be the right type to build on top of. At that point, would-be wall-builders have two options: Spend more time and money excavating the existing soils and replacing them with better dirt—or avoid the region altogether.

One thing they can’t always avoid, though, are regions at risk of earthquakes and floods. Rivers run along a sizeable portion of the U.S.-Mexico border, which can create a very real danger of flood. Building adjacent to rivers can also present unexpected legal issues: A 1970 treaty necessitates that the fence be set back from the Rio Grande river, which delineates the Texas-Mexico border. Because of this, the current fence crosscuts Texas landowner’s property and has gaps to allow landowners to pass.

Earthquakes are also relatively common in the western U.S. Depending on the build, some of these tremblors could cause cracks or breaks in the wall, says McKinnon. One example is the magnitude 7.2 quake that struck in 2010 near the California-Mexico Border, according to Austin Elliott, a postdoctoral student at the University of Oxford whose research is focused on the history of earthquakes. “If there had been a wall at El Centinela [a mountain in northern Mexico] it would have been offset,” Elliott writes on Twitter.

…

Even if all the proper surveys are completed and the boxes checked, success isn’t guaranteed. “There are just so many things that have to be done before you even shovel out the first scoop of dirt,” says Clendenin.

Despite all of our modern surveying tools and careful planning, the earth will still surprise you, adds McKinnon. “This part that you thought was boring and simple and easy to predict is actually totally complicated,” she says. “Look at any major excavation for a subway system, any major bridge construction, any large tower complex; all of them had intense surveys beforehand, extensive design phases, and still had to modify while building.”

After the announcement of Trump’s Executive Order, McKinnon took to Twitter to leave a foreboding reminder of the consequences of underestimating the Earth. “Earth doesn’t forgive sloppy,” she wrote. She added in an interview: “Ignore geology at your peril.” [h/t]

Photographs

Some 650 miles of disparate segments of fence stand along the almost 2,000-mile border between the U.S. and Mexico. Many segments, like the one pictured above, still allow some communication across the border.

The border fence that runs through the Algodones Sand Dunes in California is of special construction to accommodate the ever-changing dune environment. The narrow, 15-foot-tall posts "float" above the sand and can be moved vertically as the dunes shift. (United States Border Patrol, Department of Homeland Security)

Upkeep of such a lengthy structure is challenging. And even if such a wall can be erected, the size of budget necessary to keep it standing remains unclear.

#american history #architecture #economics #geography #geology #immigrants #politics #us government #donald trump #mexico #smithsonian

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