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The Expatriate Local - Portion VI
The Expatriate Local - Portion VI
Cristian Martinez | November 23, 2021 | Culture
A receptionist redirected a group dressed in revealing clothes to a stairwell leading downwards to somewhere out of your view. He gave you a key to a free room, courtesy of Monsieur Manche, and you ascended the public staircase to the top floor.
The room, furnished in a quaint and modern take on the Empire style, was well-appointed with mahogany drawers and, surprisingly, an alabaster vanity. Enough gold trimming to make you think King Midas threw a bachelor party in there, and elegant Rococo curtains befitting a Madame Deficit - enormous wigs and all. In other words, haphazard but flashy — a bit like you.
You unpacked and made yourself at home, only for a knock on the door to grab your attention. You opened the door rather hesitantly, as if a bloodhound were waiting for you on the other side.
Olympe violently pushed the door open and waltzed in à-la-Zehrunisa as if she were about to start cursing at a belligerent customer in her shop, nearly knocking you to the ground from how quickly the door was flung. Outside the window, on the street below, the Count of Vosges was publicly disowning his daughter, Madeleine, for “losing her value” at the hands of a handsome stable boy, Modesto.
“You asked about getting into court, did you not?” she calmly asked.
“A little ‘hello’ would’ve been nice,” you jabbed, rather annoyed at the spectacle.
“Do you want to get in or not?”
“I have nothing better to do. Let’s go.”
“I’m so excited; I haven’t done this in such a long time!” Olympe said excitedly, barely keeping herself from screeching. Olympe rampaged through your neatly unpacked items, throwing clothing all over the floor, bed, and drawers in true bridezilla fashion. Within a half-hour, you walked out of the closet under many layers of clothing, worsened by the stifling temperature of the top floor. You opened the windows to let in fresh air, and you turned to Olympe to gauge her approval.
“That will do,” she said coolly. Somewhere outside, a young lady cried loudly about something being against her will. Then it turned into blood-curdling screaming.
The Expatriate Local - Portion V
The Expatriate Local - Portion V
Cristian Martinez | November 10, 2021 | Culture
It was truly an unfortunate sight. Covered in red now, Olympe’s poor little white cat, fat from years of pampering, lay lifeless on its perch next to the window.
“Madame, we can explain-”
“Give me 1 livre and I won’t give you any trouble about this,” Olympe coolly said as a musketeer checked the cat’s pulse to confirm its death. Hugues, the offending musketeer, was stunned at Olympe’s disregard for the feline corpse, now twitching slightly, but he was eager not to go to a military court. With the blackmail money having been paid, the musketeers eagerly made their way out, with Olympe giving them a few loaves of bread to get rid of the cat.
“I would’ve thought your cat’s death would be more tragic for you,” you told Olympe.
“Why would it? The things are just there to be plump, soft, and pretty,” she said as she wiped some blood stains off of the floor, “Carry on now. I am very busy now.”
You exited the general store and walked to Rue Larousse, where you navigated the unusually narrow cobblestone street until you happened upon Monsieur Manche’s hotel. It seemed like an illustration from the Harry Potter books your dad gave you when you turned eleven. You remember him saying that your mother liked the books. Within one of the books was a prayer card, still wedged between pages 28 and 29 even after three decades. On the reverse of the card, a faded image of Saint Edith Stein.
****
“Martin?” she asked.
“Yes?” he replied as he tried to keep up pace with the bed.
“If I don’t make it…”
“Don’t be ridiculous. It will be fine.”
“Listen. If I don’t make it, give the baby everything when the time is right.”
“Alright, that’s enough, Edith. And relax, you should be happy! We’ll be home in a few days for the beginning of Hanukkah!”
****
You entered Monsieur Manche’s hotel, walking into a lobby with dark green wallpapers that were falling apart onto potted plants that had black stains. It took you a bit to realize what else you had walked into.
Thriving Anime Club Provides Safe Space and Entertainment
Thriving Anime Club Provides Safe Space and Entertainment
Sophia Sosa | November 23, 2021 | Culture
East Asian media has become increasingly popular in the West over the years. With Korean dramas like Squid Game becoming smash hits on Netflix overnight and bands like BTS and BlackPink becoming household names, many people are opening up to watching shows and listening to music from other countries.
But one of the biggest examples of this, which is decades older than the ones previously mentioned, is Japanese animation, also known as anime. Famous for its very distinct style, series like My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, Beastars, and many more have huge fan bases and conventions in the states after anime’s boom in popularity in the 90s, with many people posting fanart, fan fiction, and cosplays online to show their love. Let's take a look at BOYCP’s own anime club!
Hosted by Mrs. Smith for the last five years, the Anime Club has streamed many popular series on Funimation and Hulu. “We usually hangout in general if we aren't watching anime, or we play games that I plan beforehand so that we can have a group activity to do, and we really do enjoy the goofy moments that the games brings and how chaotic it is.” said Jocelyn Cortez, the club’s president.
The club is one of the most popular at BOYCP, boasting 83 members this year alone. When asked what they think made their group so successful, here's what Jocelyn had to say: “I'm honestly not sure; I guess it's just the fact that it's a hangout spot for everyone in general — for new anime fans or old anime fans. I'm also guessing people just want a fun, chill, and chaotic place to hangout is all. So, no real reason for the success, it's more so people's interest in anime as a whole.”
If this sounds interesting to you, the Anime Club meets on Wednesdays from 3:20 pm to 4:20 pm in room 223. They are also planning another festival in the cafeteria this year with lots of ramen, snacks, and games with prizes, so you can learn more about them there too.
Osbeida Alvarez | November 10, 2021 | Culture
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