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lorirwritesfanfic · 1 year

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Niceness Test

Book: Desire & Decorum Pairing: Prince Hamid x MC (Daphne) Rating: T Word count: 9481 Reading time: ~38min (… 🫣) Summary: After receiving a box of childhood treasures, Daphne is challenged to prove she still would make it to Santa's nice list. Author’s notes:

Daphne Wang, Kyle and Stacy Evigan are creations of this author. The others characters are owned by Pixelberry Studios;

Yes, it's a Christmas fic. In May. I started writing this in December to answer @missameliep's ask and it became this monster of a fic with mini stories in it. Sorry not sorry;

No fictional kids nor fishes were harmed in this piece. Daphne and Briar just have a very "peculiar" sense of humor 😅

Warning: This piece contains brief mentions of adult material (alcohol abuse, solvent intoxication). Reader discretion is advised.

Ithaca (NY), first week of December 2022

Loud barks echoed from the lounge whilst Daphne set up the dining table for dinner. As she caught the sight of Maya running through the hallway, the front door opened. Once Hamid's laughter reverberated through the walls, it wasn't hard for her to guess what happened. Maya probably rushed to climb on him whilst Drake threw himself at Hamid's feet and his entire chubby body shook in excitement. Their pets were always happier when Hamid was home. A sentiment she wholeheartedly shared with them.

"Aşkım?"

"Just a second!" She answered and continued to fold the napkins.

But before she could finish it, she yelped as warm lips brushed against her neck.

"How dare you deny me my welcome home kiss, Miss Wang?" Hamid murmured against her skin.

"I wasn't denying you a kiss..." She spun around to give him a peck. "I was postponing it."

"And I hope you have a plausable reason for this."

"I do."

The lady pointed to the green napkins on the plates.

"You and the napkin foldings again..." He tsked.

"Hamidciğim, we're hosting our first Christmas Eve supper in three weeks! I have to prepare myself for it."

"By folding napkins into layered triangles?" He asked as he walked into the kitchen to wash his hands.

"It's a Christmas tree!" She protested.

"Is it?"

When Hamid returned to the dining room, she placed a small shiny star on top of every napkin folded into Christmas trees.

"Oh..." He nodded, admiring her handiwork. "I see it now. Nice touch."

"Thank you."

"But are we expecting guests or can we eat now? I smelled spicy chicken pad thai the minute I walked in." He pouted.

"You can eat, silly... I was just practicing folding the napkins while waiting for you."

"Thank you, my dove." He placed a kiss on her cheek and took a seat on the table. "You got a package from Mrs. Daly," he prompted.

"Finally!" She grinned and rushed to the lounge to search for the package. Daphne rarely could contain her curiosity about any mail they received, even if she didn't know the content. Once she found the package, the lady then opened a drawer to find anything sharp to cut the packaging open.

"Aşkım, can't you open it after dinner?"

"You know I can't wait," she replied as the letter opener cut through the brown sealing tape.

"But I'm starving!"

She giggled. Hamid never hid from her how much he disliked having meals by himself and she found it adorable that even their pets obliged to his request. Grabbing the package, she returned to the dining room, where Hamid and their pets had already started their meals.

"You didn't need me here." She pursed her lips.

"I beg to differ," he said with a wink. "What's in there?"

"I don't know. I just cut the tape. Give me a second."

Her lips curled upwards as she looked through the content of the package.

"Oh, man..." Her eyes gleamed as she picked up a rag doll wearing a traditional hanfu dress and hugged it. After unfolding a letter that was on top of the doll, she began to read it.

Edgewater, November 22, 2022.

Dear Daphne,

I hope all is well with you and Hamid. Do you remember that when we moved here, you accidentally ended up with my box of kitchen utensils and losing one of your boxes? Well, whilst cleaning the attic last week, I found this box among a few untouched ones that I believed it was Briar's old clothes and decided to send it to you. I'm happy to have found your missing box and, hopefully, its content will bring you as much joy as it used to when you were a kid.

Love, Pavarti Daly.

His brows shot up in surprise. "Is it the box you thought was lost for good when you moved to the UK?"

"Yeah..." Daphne croaked whilst she produced dusty sketchbooks and old opera playbills from inside of a pocket worn out Pucca backpack.

Hamid then sauntered over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Are you okay?"

"Mmhmm..." She sighed, returning the hug. "I thought you were starving."

"I am, but I can wait."

"Thank you… I needed this," she murmured, pressing her head against his chest.

"I had a feeling you did," he said, kissing her temple before looking down at the box. "Is that a Hello Kitty cellphone?"

"Yeah..." She then reached for the mobile and opened one side of the cat shaped device to inspect it. "How did you know?"

"Malak had one of these. This thing has the most annoying ringtones..." He made a face.

"They weren't annoying."

"If you were raised with Edmund and Harry, they certainly would've sided with me."

She playfully elbowed him, making him chuckle.

"Just so you know, I'm very attached to it."

"Why?"

Her thumb brushed against the mobile buttons. "This was my first phone. It was the first Christmas gift dad gave me. Mum didn't approve of it in the beginning. 'What would a twelve year old do with a cellphone?'" Her nostrils flared and lips twisted in scowl as she mimicked Mary's voice. "But dad said he needed a special line so he could talk to his favourite girl in the world. I was over the moon when he said that. And though mum set a bunch of rules for me to use it, she let me keep it."

"Vay, vay, vay...¹" Hamid marvelled. "Convincing your mother into accepting the phone is one thing. But winning his daughter's and former wife's hearts with one single line? Lord Vincent never ceases to amaze me."

"I know, right?" Daphne beamed. "I used that phone for years until dad bought me the Sailor Moon smartphone."

"The one that came with a selfie stick as shaped as Princess Serenity's wand you still have."

"The very same. But when I inherited my father's title, Lady Grandmother gave me an iPhone and said an accomplished lady should leave these childish things behind." Daphne looked down at the box and fiddled with the glittery wings of a fairy Barbie.

"I wonder how Lady Dominique would feel about the fact that I often make video conferences in an office cramped with action figures we use as bookshelf holders."

She giggled.

"What else did you get in there?"

"Curious, aren't we?"

"How can I not be? Look at this!" He picked up a photograph of two year old Daphne beaming as she wore a traditional qipao dress for lunar new year.

"Oh, I remember this! I still lived in Shanghai when mum took it. I think we were at a temple fair…” She said, analyzing the picture more thoroughly. “I haven't seen this picture in years!"

"One more reason we should keep looking. By the way, this is mine now," he declared, taking the photo frame back.

"Hamid!"

"Consider it my Christmas gift this year."

"But I already bought you a gift!"

“My dove, you have to stop spoiling me on Christmas…” He joked.

“I don’t! You keep confiscating things from me and then saying it’s your Christmas gift!”

“Lies…”

Daphne shook her head and continued to rummage through the box.

"Anything interesting?"

"Not exactly..." she answered, glancing at worn out Coney Island souvenirs, old movie tickets and dusty sketchbooks. "I'll probably throw some of these out though."

"Why?"

"Because they're old and dirty."

"You never throw away sketchbooks."

"But I have to see if they're in good condition or not. "

She grabbed a dirty teddy bear with a paw and an ear missing.

Hamid immediately sneezed.

"I guess some of these aren't worth keeping. Gesundheit," she said, offering him a spare napkin.

"Thank you. Aşkım, you don't have to throw it out. We can get it cleaned."

"It has parts missing. If we throw it in the washing machine or send it somewhere to clean up, the remaining parts might fall off."

Hamid looked at the worn out and dirty teddy bear. "Are you sure? You've been missing the content of this box for so long."

"It's just an old toy. I'll survive without it."

As Daphne continued to see the content of the box, Hamid's eyes landed a small bundle of notes tied by a red string.

"What are those?"

Daphne reached for the small pile of notes when it suddenly hit her. "Old Christmas wish lists."

"Christmas wish lists?" Hamid's brows knitted together. "I thought kids could only ask for one gift."

"No, you can make a list with everything you want and put it in the letter. But mum never let me ask for more than three gifts. She used to say Santa can't carry a full bag just with gifts for me. Most grownups, including both of my grandmothers, praised mum for it. They used to say it was a smart way to teach me about thinking of others and not becoming selfish."

"I wouldn't have expected anything less from Mrs. Wang." Hamid smiled fondly. "So are these?"

"Draft lists. I made one every year and mum helped me choose three gifts and write the letters."

His brows shot up in surprise. "How old were you when you started doing wishlists?"

"Hm..." She squinted her eyes in deep thought. "Five or six, I think... I used to see mum making lists for everything we bought."

"Everything?"

"Yeah… She made these huge lists when we went shopping for clothes, or to buy the stuff she needed to customise any of her costumes or our clothes to make them cooler. It looked fun."

“Has anyone told you you’re adorable?”

"You do every time I do something you find funny or weird."

The couple shared a knowing smile.

"May I?" Hamid pointed to the bundles of notes.

“Sure.”

He then unfolded the paper and cleared his throat. "2003 list — Great year to start, by the way — Staedtler colour pastel pencils, Strathmore 400 Series watercolor pad, Powerpuff Girls dolls, Totally Spies board game... You were very thorough about this."

"Of course. I couldn’t learn how to use watercolour paint or markers if Santa got me the wrong kind of paper."

"Fair point." Hamid grinned and looked at another list. "Ohuhu Fine Line drawing pen, Barbie Fairytopia, Polaroid camera, Pucca backpack... It seems like you got a lot of those gifts," he commented, glancing at the box.

"Good kids usually do," she answered with a complacent grin.

"Oh, look who's being a smug..." He teased, nudging her playfully. "I doubt Santa would see it as a quality good kids must have."

"First of all, smugness won't make anyone end up on Santa's naughty list. And secondly, Santa isn't real, so—"

"What?!" Hamid mockingly gasped. "Santa isn't real?!"

She pursed her lips, trying to hide a smile.

"How could you let me believe in this nice old man that comes to our house all these years to bring gifts? Why do you insist on celebrating Christmas then?" He gesticulated profusely as he spoke, pretending to be offended.

The lady folded her arms. "Are you done?"

"Oh, the betrayal! The lies! You..." He made a dramatic pause, pointing his index finger to her, then placing a hand on his chest. "You lied to me, aşkım."

She slapped his arm playfully. "Get over yourself and go eat your chicken before Maya does."

Hamid then turned to the table, where their cat calmly approached his plate.

"Maya, no!"

He grabbed the cat as she yowled in protest.

"Allah, Allah… What's with you and spicy food, huh?"

Whilst Hamid and Maya seemed to be in a heated argument, Daphne giggled, petted her pug (who ate his food oblivious to everything else), and took a place on the table to make herself a plate.

Once the cat was back on the floor Hamid spoke again. "You didn't tell me how you found out Santa wasn't real."

"The flat we lived in when I was ten had central heating and no chimney. I got curious about how Santa would get in."

"Of course you did." He grinned. "What did Mrs. Wang say?"

"Mum said he'd just get in through the window. So I decided to hide behind the sofa and wait for Santa to open the window for him. Later that night, I saw mum placing the gifts under the tree and putting the cookies we left for Santa earlier back in the cookie jar."

"Aw... How upset were you?"

"On a scale of one to ten? I'd say nine."

"Yikes!"

"Once mum explained the history of Saint Nicholas, I was okay with it. And it started to make sense why she never let me ask for a unicorn."

Hamid cackled. "Well, it also explains why you were always on the nice list."

"Hey!" She frowned. "I deserved to be on the nice list. I was a good girl back then! I still am!"

"Is that so?" A corner of his mouth lifted. "Do you mind if I put your level of niceness to a test?"

"How do you plan to do that?"

"Oh, that's easy." Hamid reached for his phone on the side table, typed something then showed the screen to her.

"How to be on Santa's nice list?"

"There's no better way to figure out than using Santa's parameters of niceness."

"Very well." She squared her shoulders and lifted up her chin. "I'm positively sure I'll crush it, but if you insist."

Hamid arched an eyebrow and chuckled before turning his attention back to the list on the phone. "Number one: leave milk and cookies for Santa."

"That's the first one?"

"And you're already failing it since you don't do it anymore."

"Are you kidding me?!"

"I don't make the rules." He raised his hands in defence. "It's a tradition of your culture. And you're not starting off so well, aşkım."

She folded her arms. "That's just one item. Go on."

"Number two: give your friends and family presents — yes; number three: do your homework — always; number four: be a good friend — absolutely, you're the best."

"Aw... thank you!"

"Of course." He winked and continued. "number five: do good deeds for your neighbours and community — Hm..." He scratched his stubble pretending to be in deep thought.

"What? I am a good neighbor!"

"Do you think our building manager would agree with that?"

August 2022

"You've got to be kidding me..." Daphne's nostrils flared as she approached the refreshments tables.

"My dove, settle down..." Hamid wrapped an arm around her as he tried to reason. "Nothing is going to happen. It doesn't matter if the majority of the residents and tenants don't have or want pets. Our building was already pet friendly before Mrs. Evigan moved in and it's illegal to forbid any of us to have pets."

"Then what's the purpose of this poll anyway?"

"She wants to reduce the noise in the building at night to a minimum and wants to know how many residents have pets," the building concierge, Mr. Carson, said whilst he poured himself some coffee.

"But all pets here are neutered and most of them are well behaved," Briar mentioned.

"That little spawn of Satan she gave birth to is much louder and causes way more trouble in here than all the pets of the building combined." Daphne fumed.

Whilst the concierge, Briar and a few neighbors close to them chuckled, Hamid gave his partner a look.

"It's true and you know it," Daphne affirmed.

"I think it's because of Mrs. Tilbury's dog howling," their next neighbor Kyle mentioned.

"But it's so unfair. Mrs. Tilbury passed away a week ago. The poor dog missed his owner." Briar frowned.

"The dog is not even here anymore. Her relatives took him away when they came by to gather her things this morning," Mr. Carson, added between small sips of coffee. "Oh, this is good stuff! Is it Turkish coffee?"

"Yes, it is." Hamid smiled proudly.

"Oh, I've been craving a good dose of caffeine all afternoon! Thank you, Mr. Osmanoğlu." The man took another sip in delight.

"It's my pleasure, Mr. Carson. Please take one cup to yourself before you go back to the hall." Hamid grabbed the carafe to offer more coffee to the concierge.

"Okay, so what now?" Briar asked.

"Once we inform if and how many pets we have, we can come up with a counter offer to find solutions for the noise," Kyle, the neighbor, suggested.

"Our apartment has soundproof windows and thick drapes ever since Hamid moved in, but I don't know if everyone can afford it," Daphne acknowledged.

"Yeah, those aren't cheap. But it was very clever of the two of you to do it."

"I know my cat. If we didn't take care of it right away, lockdown would've been more chaotic than it already was," Hamid explained.

"How about calling a vet and pet trainer to help? Maybe a professional to give us tips on how to reduce stressful situations for pets, how to keep them distracted..." Briar suggested.

"That's a great idea, Briar! Maybe Luke can help or recommend someone who can," Daphne mentioned.

"Or we just buy duct tape and give it to Stacy. Maybe she'll take the hint and manage to control that little brat," Briar joked.

As the group chuckled, the new building manager approached the table.

"The ninth floor residents are always laughing, huh... I feel inclined to join you almost every time," The tall and ash blond haired woman scrutinized each resident and stood next to Hamid.

"You don't say... How sweet of you!" Kyle replied, pretending to be pleasantly surprised.

"Of course! You are all so cheerful. It's a true pleasure to have residents like you," The building manager said, grinning widely at Hamid.

"We know," Briar answered, then mumbled to herself. "You almost make me hate my bff's partner for being nice even to people who don't deserve it..."

"What?" Stacy asked.

"Oh, it's nothing! Just an inside joke." Hamid promptly answered.

"About what?" The building manager asked.

"Cat memes!" Kyle declared.

"Turkish cat memes," Daphne added.

"Yeah, we have a lot of those." Hamid commented.

"I'm not very fond of cats. Or dogs. Or any animals for that matter..." The woman said.

"Yeah, you've made that pretty clear, Stacy," Daphne commented, giving the woman a subtle glare.

"My dove, please. We can handle this situation without confrontation." Hamid murmured.

"Maybe you can..." Daphne folded her arms.

"I don't hate all animals, of course..." Stacy continued to babble.

"We know." Kyle answered, forcing a smile.

"Your son, for example..." Briar mumbled, making the neighbor almost spit out his coffee.

"My Trevor got some gold fishes from his grandmother last week..."

"Oh, those poor fishes..." Daphne muttered.

"I know... It's like the fish killer girl from Finding Nemo..." Briar added.

"...They're very soothing, you know." Stacy affirmed as she tried to touch Hamid's shoulder.

"So I've heard. But I prefer pets with more capability to interact with me," Hamid commented, moving away from the woman to pour himself coffee.

"Oh, you brought Turkish coffee! How nice!" Stacy marvelled.

"I did. Your tea, my love." Hamid offered his partner a cup of tea.

"I see you two have different tastes... That's too bad..." Stacy said with a suggestive smile.

"That's called having your own personality," Daphne taunted, sipping her tea.

As Briar and Kyle suppressed giggles, Hamid wrapped an arm around his partner and smiled.

"I believe what Daph meant to say is that after over three years of relationship and almost two years living together, we learned to compromise."

Daphne gave him a side eye, but didn't argue.

"Words to live by," Kyle agreed.

"I see..." The building manager scrutinized the couple for a second then continued. "Anyway, before we continue the resident council meeting, can you pour some of your delicious Turkish coffee?"

"We're almost out of coffee, but I can—" Before he could answer, his phone began to buzz. "Sorry. I have to take this. My dove?" He gestured to the nearly empty carafe.

"You know what? Nevermind..." Stacy waved dismissively with her hand.

"Oh, don't worry. Daphne can make a killer cup of coffee." Hamid smiled at his partner and walked away to answer the call.

And to everyone's surprise, the lady didn't oppose it. "I'll be happy to make you a cup right now."

"But I—"

"Go back to your seat, Stacy." She gently pushed the building manager away from the table. "I'll take a cup to you."

As the woman walked towards the desk in front of the conference room, Daphne waved to her and turned back to the table to prepare more coffee.

Briar eyed her friend suspiciously. "Daph?"

"Yes?"

"Are you really making that tyrant coffee?"

After a few extra spoons of coffee, Daphne grabbed salt and pepper shakers and added them to the mug. "I sure am."

First week of December 2022

"She had it coming," Daphne said before taking a bite of the chicken.

"Aşkım..."

"She wanted to ban pets from our building!"

"She has no power to do that and you know it."

"She was hitting on you!"

"Was she?" He feigned shock.

The lady pursed her lips.

"She's not my type."

"Because she's blond, petty, and hates pets?"

"Yes. And more importantly, I only have eyes for British ladies from Edgewater." Hamid said, reaching for her hand across the table.

"Is that so?"

"They must be the daughter of the earl, of course."

"That's a very specific type of woman, Mr. Osmanoğlu." Daphne lifted a glass of water to her lips, hiding a smile.

"The heart wants what the heart wants," he replied, plastering his best smile. "Anyway..." Hamid then looked back at his phone. "I guess being a good neighbour is one more requirement you failed to accomplish."

"Whatever... Two items isn't a big deal. Proceed with the list."

"Okay." He continued to read the list. "Number six: donate to charity."

"Done."

"True. Number seven: be on your best behaviour all year."

"Done."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. What are you talking about?"

His grin widened.

January, 2022

Daphne winced as she walked out of the bedroom to join Hamid for lunch. Following her gynecologist orders, the lady decided to seek healthier choices to handle PMS. Yet, given how sore her legs were, she questioned herself how this could possibly be the healthier option.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" She cried out. "Ugh! Why even sitting down is so goddamn hard?"

Taking pity on his partner, Hamid helped Daphne sit on one of the kitchen stools. "It'll get better with time, aşkım. Have you stretched a bit today?"

"I did. It still hurts! And I'm not putting ice packs on my legs. It's too fucking cold today."

He arched an eyebrow in amusement.

"What?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Nothing. How about an Advil and a glass of water before lunch?"

"Don't we have anything stronger?"

"Ibuprofen will do just fine until the pharmacy sends the OTC cream I asked for. Here you go." Calmly, he handed her a packet of the medication and a glass of water.

"Thank you."

Once she took the meds, Hamid placed the dishes on the kitchen island and whistled as he put down two bowls with cat and dog food for their pets.

Her mouth watered at the sight of grilled salmon with mustard yogurt sauce, brown rice with cauliflower and lentils salad.

"This looks nice! I'm a bit surprised you added cauliflower though."

"I can make an effort sometimes..." He gave his shoulders as he sat across from her.

"You don't have to eat it if you don't want to."

"I can survive a meal with stinky vegetables. Let's dig in."

Whilst the couple chatted between bites and small interactions with their pets, Daphne hummed savouring pieces of salmon with the sauce.

"Hamidciğim, this sauce is marvelous!"

"Really? Do you see yourself having another meal like this again?"

"Maybe..."

"Maybe?" He grinned.

"Hold your horses, mate. I'm not becoming a gym rat like you. I barely survived jogging with Annabelle."

"Healthy meals are always a good start to a healthier lifestyle. By the way, I have to ask... Why jogging?"

"You know I'm not a sports enthusiast. What else could I do? And jogging seemed easy enough... Ann said 'just put on some gym shoes, training clothes and bring a water bottle'."

"Just because something looks easy it doesn't mean it actually is."

She made a face.

"Aşkım, perhaps you could've chosen something you like to do. It'll be easier to stick to it in the long run."

"Like what?"

"You love dancing. Why didn't you take a dance class? Plus, there are other exercises you might like to try like pilates, yoga..."

Pilates? Yoga? What was he insinuating with that?

The lady narrowed her eyes. "Why? Because it's what girls usually do?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"You think I'm weak, don't you?"

"What?" His brows furrowed in confusion.

"You do. That's why you're telling me to start yoga and pilates instead of jogging."

"Daphne, it was just a suggestion. Why would you assume I think you're weak?"

"Because you just did!" She snapped.

"I don't know how you came to that conclusion, but if you keep assuming the worst from me, I'm not sure if I want to. Now, if you excuse me..."

Hamid stood up carrying his plate, threw the remaining food in the trashcan and disappeared into the hallway.

"Where are you going?!" She yelled.

Already wearing a black leather jacket and holding his car keys, Hamid returned to the kitchen.

"Out."

"Out?"

"I have plans for later."

Daphne closed her eyes as she inhaled sharply. It was infuriating how often he simply stood up and left in the middle of an argument, even though he wasn't the kind of person who walked out of a fight just like that. Did he do that to piss her off?

"Have a good meal, Daphne."

Once the front door was slammed shut, Daphne screamed in frustration, knowing no one could hear her. Yet, in response, Maya hissed at her whilst Drake barked in clear distress.

"Shut up!" She yelled once more, making her dog hide in a small corner in the kitchen and the cat hiss once more.

The lady frowned. She didn't yell at her pets. Why was she so explosive all of a sudden?

As she finally understood the reason behind her outburst, Daphne closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Now certainly was a good time to seek some more effective ways to handle her mood swings.

...

Daphne's fingers pressed against the clay as she tried to shape the lump with her hands. Sculpture was a form of art the viscountess rarely tried. Molding things wasn't her forte. It was too messy to her liking. But while looking for ways of managing her mood swings, she recalled the day one of her professors mentioned the benefits of sculpting clay to reduce stress and anxiety and decided to give it a shot. After what happened earlier, she was willing to try anything.

Just then, the faint sound of the door closing followed by Drake's barks reached her ears. She furrowed her brows and glanced at the clock on the wall. Hamid was supposed to be watching a football game with his friends. He wouldn't be back anytime soon. Maybe she was mistaken. But once she heard his voice talking to their pets, she knew. It wasn't just her imagination.

Joy and guilt grew within her as she stood quiet, waiting for any sound he'd make as he walked around the flat. Was he mad at her? No, anger wasn't an emotion he nurtured for long. But he could be upset. Or disappointed. She honestly didn't know which one was worse.

As the sound of the TV reached her ears, she went to the bathroom to wash her hands. Perhaps it wasn't the right time to walk out of the studio. But she couldn't wait. She needed to see him.

In the lounge, Hamid sat on the sofa, grumbling in Turkish at the players on the TV and taking a few swings of beer.

Hiding in a corner, Daphne gazed at him for a few seconds, chewing on a nail. She should say something. Preferably an apology. But what if she messed it up again? What if he didn't want to talk? He was watching the game after all. Ah, the guilt...

"I thought you said you'd stop chewing on your nails."

Her eyes went round in surprise. Wasn't he supposed to be watching TV?

"Are you lurking in the corner?"

"No! I— Um..." She looked down at her hands. "I thought you were going to watch the game with Yusuf, Bart and Vee."

"Annabelle had food poisoning, so Vee stayed with her."

"Oh... What about Yusuf and Bart?"

"Bart said I was too cranky today and Yusuf told me to go try to fix whatever was bothering me."

"Are you going to fix it?"

"I have to. I won't be able to sleep at night not knowing if you feel cramps and might need tea, a hot bag or a hug tonight. And I know you won't ask for help if we're still fighting."

The lady fiddled with the hem of her blouse as her eyes began to water. It was so annoying to realise how well he knew her.

"Can you come here and help me fix it?"

Daphne slowly walked to the sofa and took a seat beside him.

"I'm sorry for lashing out at you. I misunderstood what you said for something silly Ann used to say about Felicity Holloway back in A-Level years."

"What did she say?"

"Yoga and pilates are for people who can't handle a real sport."

"I don't know if I agree with that... Have you seen Alisha's and Sevim's videos doing yoga on Pictagram?"

"But I'm not going to be upside down in the first week of classes."

"Just like you're not going to be running one kilometre by the end of this week if you choose to jog again. You'll start slow with everything."

"Except dancing..."

"Well, isn't it a coincidence that dancing was the first exercise I suggested?" He gave a knowing look.

"Ugh, fine... I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. I'll go with you to the gym and ask the receptionist about the dance classes."

"You're forgiven, my dove."

As he leaned in for a kiss, Hamid pulled back and brushed a thumb on her chin. "Is it mud mask day again?"

"No... Why?"

"You have clay on your face."

"Oh!" The lady stood up and rushed to the nearest bathroom. "I was trying to make a clay sculpture. Touching clay keeps the person grounded and reduces mood swings. It's very soothing," she shouted whilst cleaning her chin and left cheek.

"Really? How's it going?"

"I couldn't do more than a weird ball and a lot of mess in the studio. But it's better than jogging."

He chortled. "Would you do it again?"

"Not without a few sculpting classes."

"No problem then." Hamid reached for his mobile on the coffee table and began to search for sculpture art classes.

...

Late May, 2022

"Yes. Absolutely! Yes, I can!"

Daphne's whole face lit up as the art curator who interviewed her for the internship spot in a famous art gallery in Ithaca gave her a few instructions before finishing the call. Getting any job at any art gallery was something the lady dreamed about for years. But working for one of her favourite contemporary artists was so much more than she could've asked for.

"Thank you! See you on Monday!"

Once she hung up the phone, Hamid abruptly stopped the car and turned to her.

"Monday? What happens on Monday?"

"Not much..." She answered, pretending to be calm. "Just my first day as a hostess/tour guide at State Of The Art Gallery."

"I knew it!" Hamid immediately unbuckled his seat belt and cupped Daphne's face with both hands to give her a tender kiss. "Congratulations, aşkım! I told you that spot belonged to you."

"Thank you," she answered with a timid smile.

"We have to celebrate it. How about lunch at that Italian restaurant you like?"

"But you just said we should eat something lighter because of all the junk food we had last night."

"Aşkım, you just got your first job at the most prestigious art gallery in Ithaca. We need pasta, good cheese and the best vintage we can find to celebrate!"

Daphne giggled in response. Over the years, Hamid became the first person she shared dreams and goals with. His enthusiasm and support for her accomplishments, no matter how big or small they were, were infectious.

As he started the car again and drove off, using a few voice commands, he continued. "You have to tell Lord Vincent about it. He'll be so proud of you."

Daphne smiled shyly. "I'll call him when we get home."

"Call the guys too. We have to go out for drinks later."

"I don't know... Maybe they already have plans."

"That they will cancel as soon as you tell them," he insisted. "Aşkım, this is your first job. The one that will help start your career! We have to celebrate now and the day you get your first payment. And you know the rules. All drinks will be on you that day."

"What?!" She glanced at her partner in horror. "No! Have you seen how much Ann, Vee and Bartie drink? I can't spend my entire first salary just on booze and snacks! Plus Edmund might come too! He's the worst!"

He chuckled. "It's fine. I can afford our monthly bills by myself. Besides, I doubt Lord Vincent will cut off your allowance until you get a higher paying job."

Daphne didn't say a word as she shifted uneasily in her seat. She knew the money wouldn't be an issue for them. She simply couldn't help wondering if she would manage to keep that job.

As soon as the couple arrived at the restaurant and took their seats, the lady grew quieter. She wanted to be happy. She got an amazing job opportunity. She'd be working with something she loves just a year before graduation. However...

"Daphne?"

"Huh?"

Whilst the waiter expectantly waited for her to drink some of the wine and give her opinion, Daphne noticed Hamid's gaze, studying her face intently. Why was it so easy for him to know something wasn't right? This was one of those moments when she wished Hamid wasn't so perceptive.

Once the waiter poured more wine and left, Hamid placed his glass on the table and gauged her expression one more time before speaking. "For someone who just achieved their first professional accomplishment, you don't seem happy."

"I am." She lifted her glass of Chardonnay to her lips, so glad they were big enough to hide most of her face. "I just think it's a bit soon to celebrate."

"Soon?! The job is yours! You start in three days and it's Friday. It's the perfect time!"

"Yeah, but what if I don't go that well there? What if they fire me in less than a month?"

His brows furrowed in confusion. "Why would they do that?"

Color drained from her face as she held her glass mid air. How could her tongue slip like that? She barely started drinking!

"Aşkım, is something wrong?"

As Hamid reached for her hand, his brows furrowed in worry. Perhaps, it was time to tell him the truth. If things turned as bad as she expected, he would find out anyway.

"I did something..."

"Okay..."

"Something that can compromise my job at SOTA Gallery."

So many emotions seemed to cloud Hamid's handsome features it was hard to tell what he was thinking.

"Isn't there a way to undo or fix what you did?"

"Maybe... But it's more complicated than I thought it would be."

Hamid moved closer to the table, looking more confused than before, lowering his voice. "Daphne, what did you do?"

"I..." She looked down at her hands. It was too embarrassing to admit it. "I fluffed up my resume and lied to the art curator who interviewed me."

"And...?"

"And?!" Daphne stared back at him in horror. "There's no 'and'! Things are bad enough as it is."

The diplomat let out a chuckle in relief. "Aşkım, tons of people fluff up their resumes and lie a little during the interview. I told you I only got the job at UK Parliament because they needed someone who could speak Korean fluently and I lied saying I could."

"But you learned enough to keep up a conversation with the ambassador of South Korea."

"No, I didn't. I was lucky Mr. Park has a good sense of humor and found my knowledge on K-dramas amusing," he corrected. "But back to you, what did you lie about?"

"Oil painting."

Hamid pressed his lips together, but the corners of his mouth were still lifted up.

"You're laughing."

"No," he said, doing his best to look serious.

"You are! I can see it. You're laughing at me." Daphne scowled.

"I can't help it... It brings back some interesting memories..." He smirked.

"Will you ever stop mocking me because of that night?" She grumbled and then forced a smile as the waiter returned with their entrees.

"My dove, it's okay," he said, pausing to take a bit of his entree. "You thought the studio had the proper ventilation for you to try oil painting. It was an honest mistake. Did I expect to find you dancing to Jefferson Airplane half naked in the lounge and saying you finally understood Sharknado? No. But it was—"

"Absolutely ridiculous? Embarrassing?" Something ludicrous that only an intoxicated person would do?"

"Perhaps for you. I'm still bummed my phone battery died before I recorded your speech about vampires being real," he teased.

"Hamid!" She hissed.

"I'd just record the audio. Your theory was too good to be forgotten."

Daphne heaved a tired sigh. She might lose the biggest opportunity of her career so far and her partner was mocking her for the night she accidentally got high on oil painting and Port wine.

"Why did you lie about that anyway? You have enough artistic skills and experience to boast about for days."

"The art curator, Ms. Giordano, has specialized studies in oil painting. I thought about impressing her with what I know about it."

"And you succeeded. You may not be an expert, but it isn't a subject you're completely illiterate about. You can keep up appearances whilst you learn more about it."

"But I told her I have a painting and she said she'd like to see it."

"That's not a lie. You have a painting."

"That thing I painted that night is rubbish! I shouldn't have let you keep it."

"But The Attack of Vampire Sirens is one of my favourite paintings nowadays! Annabelle liked it too. And it gives you something to show to one of your bosses."

"I'm not showing that thing to her!"

"You have to," he warned. "You have no other work in oil painting. And you have to keep up the lie. You shall never admit you lied just to get the job. Never!"

"I know! Everyone says Laura Giordano is mean, but she was kinda nice to me during the interview. If I say I lied, she might never look in the face again..." Daphne whined.

"Well, let's hope she didn't mean what she said or you'll have to paint again."

"No! Oil painting is evil!"

"It's summer... You can paint outdoors. Preferably in the balcony. Or anywhere windy. With no alcoholic beverages near you..." He suggested as his lips curled upwards again.

Her shoulders slumped.

"Aşkım, there's nothing to worry about. It was just a little lie you said so your mean boss would like you. If she's really that mean, she won't even remember what she said."

"Really?"

"No. But now you can finally share The Attack of Vampire Sirens on your social media." Hamid wiggled his brows.

"Ugh..." Daphne hid her eyes with one hand in frustration.

...

September, 2022

Daphne rubbed a few drops of oil between her hands and smoothened the length of her hair before pulling it into a ponytail. As she checked herself in the mirror, her nose twisted in annoyance as the dark tresses covered her sports bra. Has her hair ever been that long before?

She looked down at the long locks and moved her face from one side to another. Perhaps the issue wasn't the length. During her teenhood, she had time to change haircut and colours whenever she saw fit. Lately, however, she barely had enough time to braid her hair on her way to work or uni.

Staring at herself in the mirror again, her brows furrowed in concentration.

Do I really want to make any changes now?

She then walked back to her vanity dresser and grabbed her phone. Maybe Pinterest could help.

Among the many pictures on the search, a selfie in particular caught her attention. Sitting on a salon chair, Felicity Holloway smiled as the most popular hairstylist of Edgewater pressed his face next to hers. One could almost mistake them for being close friends. But Daphne knew better than that.

Initially recommended by Lady Dominique, Théo Cellier was a pleasant surprise to the viscountess when she moved to Edgewater. With his impressive skills on cutting and colouring hair, his knowledge about the latest trends in fashion and art and sharp sense of humor, Daphne grew fond of Mr. Cellier for a while.

Yet, their friendship didn't last long. Unfortunately, Mr. Cellier's beauty spa was popular among gentry folk for more reasons other than just a nice hair change due to his terrible habit of gossiping. Even this most innocent conversation a client of his had over the phone could be spread across the country within minutes. And much to her disappointment, the Foredales often were a common topic of the hairstylist's and his clients' malicious comments.

As she accidentally tapped on the picture instead of scrolling past it, it redirected to the hairstylist's Pictagram profile. Felicity's selfie was new, but with relatively low engagement, given the number of followers in the hairstylist's profile and the complexity of work done. She did look pretty with a cut that framed her face and a few light ash locks that brought more light to her sandy blond hair.

She snickered as her thumbs typed a message to DM Briar. But before she could hit send, she felt something gently falling over her feet. As she looked down, her dog whined, staring at her with pleading eyes whilst his walking harness and leash rested on her feet.

The lady smacked her forehead with one hand as she remembered why she was getting ready to leave in the first place.

"I'm sorry, sweetie! I got a little sidetracked here..."

She scratched his fur and put the harness on Drake.

"I'll put on a shirt and training shoes and we'll be out in a minute, okay?"

As the lady walked into the closet to finish getting dressed, the dog barked in excitement, she didn't mind to look. Drake was one of those extra friendly dogs who got easily excited about almost anything. He certainly found something in the room to play with. As long as he wasn't trying to eat her moisturizer again, it'd be fine.

"Ready to go? Oh hey, girl!" She smiled at Maya coming out from under the bed to rub her body against Daphne's legs. "I thought you'd sleep in the balcony all morning. You don't mind staying alone for a few minutes, right? Hamid will be back from the gym soon."

Whilst Maya stretched herself, one of her paws touched the screen of Daphne's phone and the cat laid on top of the device, the lady scanned the room, searching for it.

"Odd... I left it right here..." She said, approaching her vanity dresser.

Before she could search a bit more, the dog began to whine again.

"Oh well... I guess we'll enjoy the scenery together today, Drake," she said, bending down to scratch the cat's fur and picking up the leash to take the dog for a walk. A few minutes without her phone wouldn't do her any harm, right?

...

About one hour later

Daphne closed the door behind her to help Drake out the harness. Usually, the dog arrived home a bit calmer. But whenever he sensed the fragrance of Hamid's cologne in the air, it was harder to get him to settle down.

"I know what you want, but wait a minute! I can't take it off if you don't stay quiet."

"Stop torturing my dog and just let him come to me already," Hamid joked as he approached the entryway.

The dog began to shake his entire body, waggling his tail in joy.

"Great. Now it'll be impossible to get him out of the harness."

"I'll take it off when he's calmer." The diplomat then crouched down and beamed at the dog. "Gel, oğlum! Gel!²"

Daphne pursed her lips, but set Drake free to rush to his other pet parent.

"How was the walk?"

"Good. The weather was nice, Drake is getting stronger. We walked for twenty minutes today."

"Excellent! Well done, oğlum!" He then gazed at her with a curious look whilst still petting the dog. "Is everything okay, aşkım?"

"Yeah."

"You didn't bump into any unpleasant acquaintances today, did you?"

"Huh?"

"You know... People you dislike or who can easily make your blood boil such as your boss, Theresa Sutton... Felicity Holloway..."

Daphne made a face. "Good God, no! Mrs. Giordano is still in Italy being cruel in Italian to other Italians. Theresa and Felicity haven't returned to classes yet... Why?"

"Bartie and Briar just sent me a Pictagram post that made me wonder what could've happened so early in the morning for you to make such a nasty comment about anyone online."

"I did what?"

"Well, you are half British and you do have your grandmother's passive-aggressive sense of humor..." He rambled on, scratching his stubble in thought.

"Passive-aggressive?! But you always say I'm adorable!"

"Of course, you are, my dove." Hamid then stood up, pulled her into a hug and kissed her temple before he mumbled. "Most of the time..."

"Excuse me?!" She pulled away with a scowl. "Hamid, what on earth are you talking about?"

The diplomat fished his phone out of his trousers pocket to show it to Daphne.

Her eyes went round and jaw fell slack in horror. Among the comments on Felicity's selfie on Mr. Cellier's profile, the top comment was Daphne's.

"Too bad no amount of bleach and purple shampoo can make her soul as bright and shiny as her hair..."

"But I didn't post that!" She blurted.

"Are you sure? I've seen you say worse to her face..."

"I always try to be polite, even if she doesn’t deserve it. She is the one who starts with the insults. I wrote that to DM Briar!"

"Did you mistake the DM button for the enter a comment button again?"

"No! I didn't send it! I don't even know where my phone is!"

Hamid arched an eyebrow. "You don't know?"

"It's somewhere in the bedroom... I didn't have time to check properly. Drake started whining again, I didn't want to frustrate him now that he has more energy to walk."

"I'm not sure what happened, but we have to find your phone and a way out of this scandal because you're trending."

"What?!"

"Well, not you... #bleachgate is trending on Twitter NY and UK."

"Bleach gate?"

"Her classmates began to tweet about it, then our friends joined in telling how Felicity bullies anyone she might see as beneath her and the story spread. Gossip blogs here and UK tabloids are delighted with all the freely given content."

Daphne quickly read the tweets in horror. "Oh my god..."

"I gotta say that's quite an accomplishment to be trending right now. It's already noon in the UK and there's a Premier League match being aired right now."

Her shoulders slumped. "Hamidciğim, I don't want to be trending on anything. It was supposed to be just another dumb joke shared in a private chat with a friend."

"It's alright. We can fix this. Go look for your phone. I'll reach out to my contacts at The Sun and The Daily Mirror to see what can be done about this."

"Thank you."

After a quick search in the master bedroom, Daphne found the phone on the floor, under a very sleepy and grumpy Maya, who was clearly displeased to be woken up. Now in possession of her phone again, the lady read the news, tweets mentioning her and the tag and DMs from several people from her secondary school years, Felicity's classmates at Cornell, whilst Hamid worked from his phone and laptop.

"Oh... This is bad..." She commented, whilst scrolling through the tag search.

"It sure is..." Hamid added as he sat back on the sofa. "Three former members of Lochdale staff came forward to sue Felicity for racial profiling and harassment.

Daphne's head snapped to the side in shock. "Seriously?!"

"What? Didn't you expect the girl who bullied you and all of our closest friends for years to not be racist or not harass her parents' staff?" He gave her a knowing look.

"That's not what I meant... I just didn't know that accidentally commenting on Pictagram instead of DMing Briar could've caused this."

"I guess no one did..."

"What do I do now?"

"Not much. Mr. Cellier deleted the picture, but screen captures of the selfie and your comment are everywhere. You can come forward in your own profile and say your phone was hacked and apologise or you can leave it be?"

"Lying doesn't seem like a good idea..."

"I agree. Anyone who digs a bit on these British gossip blogs will figure out you two have a history and might see the 'hacked account' or the apology as a lie."

"But can I really leave it be?"

"Yes. You have no obligation to comment any further about it and your opinion about Felicity is the least of her problems right now. She can try to sue you for defamation, of course. But given that you won two lawsuits against her not so long ago and with all these new allegations against her, her lawyers will most likely advise her not to go through with it."

"Okay. I'm not going to say a word about it."

"Good choice." He nodded. "You owe me a kiss, by the way."

Daphne moved closer and wrapped her arms around his neck as she kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you again for doing this."

"No problem, aşkım."

Sighing in relief, she reached for her tea and continued to scroll through social media.

"You do know that not saying anything further also means not hitting likes on memes and other shitposts about it, don't you?"

"I'm not doing anything..."

"You just hit like on Annabelle's tweet of Bugs Bunny wishing you all a pleasant evening meme about the bleach gate."

"But—"

He stared at her and shook his head.

"Ugh... Fine..." she grumbled.

First week of December 2022

"That's so unfair! I was PMSing! I can't control my hormones," Daphne whined.

"Yes, you can. You have improved significantly since you chose to have healthier habits. But okay. Let's say Santa could excuse you for snapping at your loving life partner for no reason. Yelling at our fur babies though?" He tutted.

"But I apologised!" The lady pouted.

He chuckled.

"Okay, but you can't blame me for lying about my oil painting skills. You said it yourself it wasn't all a lie."

"You actually told your boss your favourite technique was impasto."

"But it's the truth!"

"You hadn't tried impasto until then. You just said it because you knew Mrs. Giordano is a Van Gogh fan. And don't even get me started on the bleach gate," he pointed out.

"It was an accident!"

"Posting as a comment was an accident. But what you said...."

"The woman made my life hell for years! What's a little dissing compared to what she did to me?" She insisted.

"I know. And I'm not judging you." He raised his hands in defence.

"Thank you."

"However..."

"Ugh..." She rolled her eyes.

"Aşkım, you are Christian. There are several Bible verses about loving and doing good for your enemies. I don't think a Christian entity known for doing good deeds to everybody would overlook that."

She folded her arms.

"You'll have to face that fact you'd be on the naughty list this year."

"All right!" Daphne scowled. "I don't mind if I only get coal for Christmas."

"Don't you?" Hamid raised an eyebrow.

"I'm an artist. I'd see it as an encouragement to make more coal sketches," she replied, doing her best not to look annoyed. It was just a silly test anyway. Besides, if she didn't want to be mocked for the rest of the month, admitting he was right would be for the best.

But before the subject died down, a sly grin played on his lips as he mumbled. "Hmm... Interesting..."

Something told her he wouldn't let go so easily.

County of Edgewater, December 25th 2022

Laughter echoed along Edgewater manor as The Foredales and closest friends ambled toward the lounge. Christmas mornings usually were the best part of the day for Daphne. Though they considered it an event, the family now was more inclined to skip formalities. Aside from everyone helping with the vast and delightful breakfast, they exchanged gifts and chatted until it was time to prepare for luncheon. She was more than happy to go back home and partake in this new family tradition.

As Lord Vincent, Lady Dominique, the Dalys and Veronica's mother chatted by the fire, the young ones gathered around the Christmas tree to exchange gifts.

"Darling, this is beautiful!" Bartholomew gushed over the glass bird house.

"Now the birds will always keep you company when I'm not around," Yusuf said, smiling fondly at his partner.

A unison "aww..." erupted among the women whilst Edmund looked somewhat confused.

"How will that attract birds?" Edmund mumbled in confusion.

"Put bird food and water on the little space in there and hang the house on a window or balcony for the birds to come," Daphne explained.

"Oh... that's cool." Edmund nodded.

"And really cute," Veronica added.

"And so romantic..." Briar swooned at the smiles Yusuf and Bart shared.

"I guess Bart got all his gifts. You can choose who's next now, my friend," Hamid suggested, sharing a secretive look with Bartholomew.

"Hm..." Bartholomew looked around the group and declared. "I say it's Daph's turn now."

"I'm cool with that," Daphne said with a grin.

"In this case, I'll go first." Hamid then reached for a large box under the tree and handed it to his partner.

The lady beamed at the sight of the pretty gift box and carefully undid the ribbon tying it. But as soon as she removed a few paper tissues, Daphne pursed her lips.

"That doesn't look like a 'aw... thank you, love' face," Veronica commented.

"I agree," Yusuf nodded.

"What is it?" Briar then grabbed the gift and glanced at the couple in confusion. "You gave her coal?"

"Me? Noooo..." He shook his head, pretending not to know about it. "Krampus dropped by last night and left this gift for her."

"So I guess Krampus also left a note saying 'Welcome to the naughty list, Daphne!'," Annabelle added, showing off the note that was inside the box.

"I bet he meant every word," Hamid said with a mischievous smile whilst his partner glared daggers at him.

"Is it me or does it look like a sex joke?" Veronica asked.

"What?!" Edmund blurted in horror.

"I thought so too," Bartholomew joked.

"If there wasn't a note allegedly from Krampus, I swear it'd be a sex joke," Yusuf teased.

"Maybe this is some sort of fetish related to the holidays," Annabelle surmised.

"Oh, for the love of God..." Edmund grimaced in discomfort.

"I don't know. I've seen fetish related to Santa, string lights, gifts. But Krampus?" Briar made a face.

"Oh, girl... If I got a nickel for every weird fetish and turn-on I've heard about..." Veronica taunted.

"And coming from these two, you never know..." Bart continued.

"Are my ears bleeding? I can feel them bleeding..." Edmund whinged as he shifted uneasily in his seat whilst the others (minus Daphne) laughed.

"All right, that's enough! Can we move on now?" Daphne cut off, still struggling to hide her annoyance.

"I know that face. You're in big trouble, Osmanoğlu," Annabelle whispered to Hamid, who simply chuckled.

"I think that's kind of the point." Yusuf tittered.

"Okay, let's move along. Here you go, Daph," Bartholomew then handed the lady a medium size box.

"Thank you, Bartie." The lady smiled in gratitude. But as she opened her gift, Daphne arched an eyebrow at her friend. "Bart?"

Bartholomew shared a glance with Hamid then pressed his lips together to stifle a laugh as his eyes met Daphne's.

"Ugh..." The lady rolled her eyes.

"What?" Briar asked as she peaked at the gift. "I don't get it... You like getting art supplies."

"This is different and both of them know why."

Bartholomew and Hamid chuckled.

The others then glanced at the gift box and found an art supplies kit for charcoal drawings.

"Well, at least now we know it's not a sex joke," Yusuf commented.

"Are you sure?" Veronica teased.

"Hey!" Yusuf whined.

The others doubled over.

"Can somebody go next? I don't feel like getting coal anymore," Daphne grumbled.

"My dove, you're not getting coal from everyone."

"Do you expect to believe you didn't tell everybody?"

"I didn't know." Annabelle raised her hands in defence.

"Me neither," Briar answered. "I would've joined the prank though..."

"Me too. You should've told us, mate..." Edmund joked.

"Sorry, eniştem³... Next time, I'll give you two a call," Hamid said with a playful grin.

"Excuse me?!" Daphne snapped.

"I'm joking... You're not mad at me, are you?" Hamid asked.

"Of course I am! You're mocking me, you got Bartie on board for this and I didn't get a single real gift until now."

"Hey, mine is a real gift!" Bartholomew protested.

"You're on thin ice, Bart. Very thin ice." Daphne hissed.

Hamid then wrapped his arms around Daphne, who didn't hug him back, but didn't pull away either.

"My dove, you are getting real gifts. Great ones, as far as I know. But when you said you wouldn't mind getting coal, I couldn't resist it. It's too much fun to tease you."

The others laughed.

"Will you forgive, aşkım?" Hamid murmured, kissing Daphne's shoulder to make his request more compelling.

"I don't know..." She said, pretending not to be affected by him. "Do I get a real gift from you?"

"Yes."

"How good is it?"

"It's very shiny, expensive, it has a colourless gemstone usually weighed in carats."

"Fine..." Daphne replied, doing her best not to smile. "I'll think about it..."

As Hamid kissed Daphne's cheek several times, Bartholomew prompted. "You know, diamonds chemical composition are quite similar to coal, so if you think about it—"

"Your thin ice is melting, Bart!" Daphne glared.

Laughter erupted in the group before they continued to share Christmas gifts.

______

¹ Vay, vay, vay: Turkish expression of surprise

² "Gel, oğlum! Gel!" : "Come to me, son!"

³ Eniştem: my brother-in-law

#choices fanfic #desire and decorum #hamid x mc #desire & decorum modern day au #lorirwritesfanfic #lorircreates #ocs ask

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adamwatchesmovies · 1 year

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The Darkest Minds (2018)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

Released in 2018, The Darkest Minds was way too late arriving at the party. This film doesn’t even remind you of The Hunger Games so much as it does The Fifth Wave. It's the clone of a clone of a clone and boy, the DNA degenerated sharply with each copy. Even if this picture could somehow get sent back to 2009 when it would’ve been fresh, it would've still been rejected. You can foresee every plot point way ahead of time, the characters are shallow and everything you could consider good has been done before.

After a crippling disease kills 90% of all children and leaves the survivors with superhuman abilities, the world falls to pieces. Placed in an internment camp with the other remaining teens, Ruby Daly (Amandla Stenberg) has used her powers to alter people’s thoughts/memories and avoid the fate of all level “Orange” children: execution. Escaping one night and joining forces with Zu (Miya Cech), who can manipulate electricity, brainiac Chubs (Skylan Brooks) and their leader, a hunk who can move objects with his mind named Liam (Harris Dickinson), they search for sanctuary in a world that hates and fears them.

The first time I saw trailers for The Darkest Minds, I thought it was a sneak peak at The New Mutants (2020) because… yeah, this is just The X-Men run through the YA dystopian novel adaptation process. You know what that means? Teenage angst in the middle of much bigger things first and foremost. The instant Ruby and Liam see each other, you know they’ll end up romantically involved. The dude’s handsome and he’s the leader - despite not being the smartest in the van - so of course while the fate of the world is at stake… these teens are busy making googly eyes at each other.

This is one poorly-written story. Ruby is in constant fear of being discovered. Both by country-roaming bounty hunters and her fellow teens. You think being able to throw bricks and logs with a thought is powerful? Ruby can alter minds with a touch and force anyone to do anything with a look. She’s so powerful… it makes the movie lame. Once she’s out of the camp, you never really feel as though anything or anyone should pose a threat to her. When she is in danger it’s because she’s not smart enough to use her abilities to their full potential.

The rule of thumb here is that your first impression is always correct. The antagonists are so flat and uninteresting the lame prom-like dance, the drama as Liam reflects on the way he was “forced to be turned into a weapon” by freedom fighters and the huge lapses in logic feel like a breath of fresh air. Before escaping the camp, Ruby was being forced polish boots. That seems like a bit of a waste. If I heard my son or daughter was sent to a rehabilitation camp for juvenile would-be superheroes and they were responsible for menial tasks, I’d be mad as hell. In fact, where are the parents? I know the kids are dangerous but you can’t tell me some of the couples aren’t thrilled to have a kid whose IQ skyrocketed overnight.

While we're asking questions, I have a few more. I know the world’s fallen to pieces, but why? I know children are the future but it’s not like adults stopped existing and now that I think about it, the film begins SIX YEARS after the plague began. Has no one been born since then? There’d be less people, sure, but the people left would still be there to make more? I know we’re not supposed to think too much about the backend of this story but you can’t help it. What’s in front is so dumb, so flat and predictable you’ve got to asks questions to keep yourself from completely losing interest in what’s on-screen.

Director Jennifer Yuh Nelson steals entire scenes from the X-Men films - notably one of the final moments from X-Men Origins: Wolverine (bad call). Everything about The Darkest Minds screams "forgettable" and its “see you next time” ending will make you laugh out loud. I suppose miracles do happen but I think everyone watching will know this is the first and last time we see this world. (On Blu-ray, May 3, 2019)

#The Darkest Minds #movies #films #movie reviews #film reviews #Jennifer Yuh Nelson #Chad Hodge #Amandla Stenberg #Harris Dickinson #mandy moore #Patrick Gibson #Skylan Brooks #Miya Cech #Bradley Whitford #Gwendoline Christie #2018 movies #2018 films

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choicesficwriterscreations · 3 years

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FoTW August 15-21

Desire and Decorum

A Lovely Feeling - Luke Harper x MC - @ethanramseysrookiexox

Unspoken Desires series - @princess-geek

Cellar Confessions - MC|OC, Briar Daly, Annabelle Parsons

Heaven-sent - Mr. Chambers, F!OC(1), F!OC(2), Ernest Sinclaire - @noesapphic

Your Most Ardent Admirer series | Ernest Sinclaire, F!OC(1), F!OC(2) - @noesapphic - [adult content]

Chapter 4

Laws of Attraction

Chase You, Chase Me - Gabe Ricci x F!MC - @curiousconch

Part 4 - The Truth Will Never Lie to Me

Colleague of Perfection - Gabe Ricci x F!MC - @adiehardfan

First Dance - Gabe Ricci x F!MC - @adiehardfan

Tear Drops - Gabe Ricci x F!MC - @adiehardfan

Love and War - Gabe Ricci x F!MC - @adiehardfan

Part 5

Open Heart

The Nanny Affair

I Wanna Love You (But I Don’t) | M!Sam Dalton x MC - @issabees

The Royal Romance / The Royal Heir

Agent Phoenix: Forged In Fire series | Liam Rys x MC - @phoenixrising308 [adult content]

Living With Loss

Coming Home series - Drake x MC - @thegreentwin

Fishing (Again)

Sunday - [adult content]

School Days series - @bebepac

Field Trip | Liam Rhys x MC

The City of Oaks | Liam Rhys x MC - @bebepac

The Promise - @phoenixrising308

Broken Promises - Liam Rhys x MC [adult content]

#choices fanfic #playchoices fanfic #choices fic writers creations #fics of the week #choices fanfiction #playchoices fanfiction

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artleaguemdcnorth · 3 years

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Painting Class First Day of Class 9/27/2021

Hello students, Welcome to the 2021-1 Fall Semester

Students where sent an email over the weekend with instructions for the following course:

ART2500C or ART2502C (Painting 1 and Advanced Painting Class ) Mon/Weds 12:20 - 3:40 pm Blended Format

You also received a class syllabus and a link to meet virtually via TEAMS. The virtually first class meet is scheduled for Monday 9/27/2021 at 12:30pm.

This link was sent to your school ID (mymdc account).

Make sure you rsvp as soon as you receive it.

You are responsible for reading this entire email.

I understand that some of you might be first year students, so I have also included a document on proper ways of interacting with your professor. I am cordially asking all students to please adhere to those instructions regarding sending all communication to me.

https://www.bestcolleges.com/blog/email-etiquette-in-college/

Please read below the format for these classes as we will begin a blended format this semester.

Note that most of the semester will continue in a remote format.

Next week I will send information on the dates for in person meetings. This will be done with space limitations, meaning only a specific number of students will attend in person at any given time. I will advise on those issues during our first meeting on Monday via Teams.

I will be your instructor.

I am Professor Alena Fresquet , I teach the foundations courses at MDC North.

I am also a Mix Media and Installation artist. I received my MFA degree on 8/2000 and I have been teaching at MDC since 2001.

I use the following platforms for teaching, TEAMS, Twitter and Tumblr.

I will not be using Blackboard at all during the semester. I will discuss further on Monday, the reasons why I use the above platforms instead of Bb. For now, just know that this has been a staple of my teaching since before the pandemic and I have used it successfully since 2009.

I encourage you to go through the class blog here to see how other students have engaged in learning during the Spring ,Summer and Fall semesters using these platforms.

Also review my twitter handle @Prof_AFresquet so you can see how I interact during class time with students. When classes begin, I will be posting information regarding class assignments and lecture on this blog:

https://artleaguemdcnorth.tumblr.com/

I monitor your work and attendance during class in the following ways:

1) TEAMS , when we have virtual meets 2) https://twitter.com/prof_afresquet?lang=en (Twitter ) 3) Your personal Tumblr blog when you submit work for review.

You will follow me on twitter using my class handle shown here:

@Prof_AFresquet .

And you will follow the class blog when class assignments are posted.

On the first day of class, you will use the class time after our TEAMS meeting to create both a Twitter account and a Tumblr account.

1) In both the Tumblr and Twitter handle, use your name and include your class (ART2500C or ART2502C ) in the bio. You will read additional instructions regarding your first Tumblr post and first tweet on the class blog on Monday after our virtual meet .

For the TEAMS meeting today, make sure you accept the invite to enter the room on Monday at the start of class.

Try to be in the waiting room 10 minutes before the meeting. Once I start it is impossible for me to break out to let people into the chat.

Try to review the class materials and write any questions you have regarding them to ask during the meeting.

As of this writing a return to in person learning in the Fall has been postponed. MDC continues to function in phase 2. This class is a blended course so we will meet remotely for the start of the semester and as the semester progresses, we will meet in person several times.

I will create a list of the days we will be in person in the next few weeks.

Most likely, I will leave in person interaction for critiques and project presentations.

For now, know that I am here to help you navigate this semester.

Please let me know if there are special needs you require to succeed before classes begin so we can work towards helping you learn as seamless as possible.

Tips for navigating the semester start by having good study skills and proper school conduct.

That means that even though we are having a virtual interaction, you should still do the following:

1) Turn your computer on ten minutes before class to make sure everything is working properly when we have virtual meets. That means video, mic and sound. 2) I encourage you to dress up for class accordingly and be ready to learn in an adult and proper manner. 3) Work on developing good study skills, discipline and on task qualities to fulfill the class assignments. 4) Aim to maintain excellent time management skills and self-discipline. I recommend that students use the allotted class time to complete class assignments.

I follow attendance guidelines, if you are not on the TEAMS meeting or assignments are have not posted work to your Tumblr portfolio by the due dates it means you are not doing the class work.

Keep yourself on task, on time and ready to learn. I encourage you to work on those skills so that you can have a successful semester. If at any time during the semester you become sick or encounter any personal difficulties that inhibit your ability to comply with your studies, please reach out to me accordingly.

The sooner we deal with a situation the quicker we can resolve it. I look forward to working with you and helping you achieve these goals. We will talk more on Monday , the first day of class…

Material list information:

Canvassette or Canvas Paper 9 x12 or 12 x 16

Canvas pad or Canvas ( 12 x 16 or 16 x 20 )

Acrylic Set Beginners - Golden , Liquitex, Winstor Newton

Selection of Acrylic brushes

RECAP FOR TODAY -

FIRST DAY OF CLASS PAINTING ALL STUDENTS

1) CREATE A TWITTER ACCOUNT 2) FOLLOW ME AT MY HANDLE @Prof_AFresquet 3) CREATE A TUMBLR ACCOUNT 4) FIND A BOOK that depicts the life and work of a Painter see list below.

BUY CLASS MATERIALS

HOMEWORK

A) Send me a tweet include a picture of your chosen artist.

B) First post for tumblr , review through first chapter of your book then write a brief summary. ( One paragraph ) Publish.

C) IN YOUR SKETCHBOOK, BEGINNING TODAY-

1) Choose an artist from the list below. 2) You will choose one of the artist’s work (still life only) and you will create in your own style a rendition of their work.

NOTE: Choose only a painting from the artists list below that depicts a ‘still Life’ scene.

If you are not familiar with the term ‘still life’ please look it up in an artist’s dictionary or art book.

Here are some suggestions of artists :

Cezanne, Van Gogh, Monet, Matisse, Suzanne Valadon, Jacob Lawrence Alice Neel, Marie Cassatt, Audrey Flack, Berthe Morisot, Remedios Varo Pierre Bonnard, Picasso, Degas, John Singer Sargent, Dali , Georges Seurat .

Final thought, the first assignment will give you an idea of how to paint a still life and how to create interesting compositions for painted narratives.

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camiddletonxox · 4 years

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Eagarness & Gentility - Chapter 2 - Beautiful

Pairing - Ernest Sinclaire x Countess Charity Mills (Desire and Decorum)

Warning - None, this is suitable for all to read

Note - just reuploading this as I accidentally deleted it

Series Masterlist here - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 YOU ARE HERE - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4

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Summary - It’s the night of the dinner, and Charity is keen to dress to impress....

Word Count - 1751

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It was the night of the dinner where the Edgewater family would host the Holloways, The Parsons, The Sinclaires and The Anderson’s, this was a fort nightly event, mixing with other families. The Earl and Countess were waiting for their daughter to come down.

“Mother, have you seen Charity?” The Earl asked, concerned.

“Isn’t she getting ready?” The Dowager Countess frowned, as sh walked down the stairs.

“I’ll go check on her” The Countess commented and she went upstairs.

In her room, Charity was looking at 3 beautiful gowns, whilst she paced back and forth, she was nervous to see Ernest, she wanted to impress him, take his breath away even, it was a craving of hers. Oh god was she in love with Ernest?

“Charity, my darling, are you ok?” Her mother asks, knocking softly on the floor.

“I’m ok Mama” She says, no matter how close she was to her father, her mother was the one person who understood her the most, they were incredibly close.

“Are you sure?” Her mothers concerned and devoting voice always made her feel like she could open up to her.

“I can’t decide what to wear” She admits and Maria chuckled, from the conversation she had with her husband she knew the young girl wanted to impress Ernest.

“How about I come and help you decide?” Her mother offered and it felt like a weight had been lifted off the young Viscountess’ shoulders.

“Thank you mama and I am still in my day clothes” She says and the door opened and her beautiful mother stepped into her room, and she smiled at her daughter, her hair was in its beautiful curls with a few pins in.

“Your hair looks stunning my darling, what dresses are you considering?” The mother asks and the young heiress showed her the dresses.

“I like the simplicity and the elegance of the dusky pink one but I love the light blue one” Charity pondered and her mother looked at the blue one, it had a beautiful silhouette, and was long sleeved, with a faint intricate blue lace pattern on the bodice and the skirt flowed beautifully with blue bits of lace dotted all over the dress, and it would be the perfect dress to show their guests the true elegance of the future Countess of Edgewater.

“The blue one is stunning, how about you wear it” Her mother suggested and she nodded and the other helped her daughter change into the dress, tying the corset before offering her a pair of white arm length gloves and she put them on.

“Come on, my beautiful girl, lets show off to your father” Maria chuckled as Charity stared at herself in the dress, she felt so elegant and like she could fly in, together the mother and daughter walked down the stairs to where The Earl was waiting with his mother.

“You look beautiful, my dear” The Earl couldn’t believe his eyes, his daughter really was breath-taking, she was a credit to her mother and she would sure impress Mr Sinclaire in her dress.

“Doesn’t she just?” Her grandmother agrees ad Charity beamed.

“I have a gift for you, my darling girl” Her father speaks and she frowns until he pulls out a beautiful gold, silver and sapphire tiara with beautiful pearls, he showed his daughter it, it glittered under the light of the chandelier, it truly was a breathtaking tiara, and her father was giving it to her.

“I felt since you are the Viscountess of Edgewater and well, your becoming more of a proper Viscountess each and every day, it was only right for you to have a tiara to symbolise your title, and if I my be ever the adoring father, I think this will just make you look even more beautiful than you already do, my darling girl” Her fathers words were nothing short of affectionate and the young Viscountess felt so lucky to be loved and cherished by her father.

“Thank you, father” She says, and he gently places it onto her head, completing the beautiful look.

“We should get ready for our guests arrival” The dowager countess declared and nodded to Maria and young Harry who was hanging around on the stairs and he followed. The Earl and Viscountess looked at one another.

“I spoke to your mother and grandmother, and they have said they will keep an eye on Miss Holloway, they agree with me that she behaves despicably towards you” The Earl assured his daughter as he stroked her cheek, he didn’t want her to feel uneasy at her own home.

“Thank you, father” She smiled and nodded politely, she felt so content having the love and affection of her family as deep as it was.

“And you’ll dazzle Ernest Sinclaire away with your attire, that I have not the slightest doubt about my darling” Her father complimented.

“Vincent, Charity, Harry, the Andersons have arrived” Dominique called to her son, and grandchildren and the three follow her to do door as the Anderson parents, Raymond Anderson and Beatrice Anderson step out, and the Earl nudges his daughter forward.

“Good evening Mr and Mrs Anderson, its a pleasure to have you join us tonight” The Viscountess beamed and curtsied, making her grandmother and father beam with pride.

“Good evening, my lady. What a polite welcome and may I add, you look very becoming tonight” Raymond complimented as the four children, 9 year old twins Mary and Joseph, 12 year boy Leon and 15 year old Janie step out. The Earl and Countess greet the adults and Harry goes to Leon, who he was becoming a friend to as the Parsons carriage pulled out and Charity beamed. Thaddeus and Alma Parsons step out followed by Annabelle, Cordelia and Constance.

“Good evening Mr and Mrs Parsons, I hope you had a good journey” The young Viscountess beams, curtsying.

“We did, thank you, Viscountess Charity” Alma smiled.

“Please go inside and warm up, dinner shall be served soon” The Viscountess replies politely and the parents and twins go inside.

“Who are you trying to impress?” Annabelle chuckled to her best friend.

“I have no idea to what you are on about” Charity replies, and smiles, “my father gave me this tiara, said it’s only right I have one” She added.

“Are you sure your not trying to look good for a certain Ernest?” Annabelle quizzed and Charity blushed crimson.

“It’s not intentional” The young Viscountess defended herself.

“You look amazing” Annabelle grinned to her, “Where is Miss Daly tonight?” She asked, the three girls had a little pact for having a drinking game since Charity and her governesses daughter and bestest friend Briar had come of age to have a drink.

“Ahh, her father and mother and her are spending time together for the evening so she will not present” Charity smiled and Annabelle grinned.

“Looks like the Sinclaire’s are here” Annabelle sniggered and Charity turned around as Mr Edward Sinclaire and Mrs Lydia Sinclaire stepped out their carriage followed by Ernest.

“Good evening Mr and Mrs Sinclaire, its lovely to see you” The Earl greeted and shaked his friends hand and Ernest bowed his head politely, and turned to see Charity in her beautiful dress, that complimented her beautiful eyes and her skin tone perfectly, she had a glittering tiara over her head that shimmered in the moonlight.

“This is my cue to leave you” Annabelle spoke as she rushed inside, damn you Annabelle, Charity thought and turned to Ernest.

“Good evening, sir” she beamed.

“Good evening my lady, may I just say you look absolutely stunning” Ernest gaped, as he fiddled with his fingers, a tingle inside him.

“Thank you, sir, I did promise to dress to impress” Charity commented, and smiled, there was just something about Ernest Sinclaire that turned her weak.

“Well, you succeeded” He smiles, and their parents watch them, Ernest’s father and Charity’s mother were very much on the side of letting any romance between their children happen naturally and if it didn’t happen, they that was ok, where as the Earl and Lydia were sure their children were just meant to be, they had the most amazing friendship growing up together, and Ernest adored being around Charity, looking after her and Charity felt safe around Ernest.

“My dear, come inside now, you don’t have a shawl on and I don’t want you to freeze to death” Vincent called after a couple more minutes.

“But then Holloways” Charity asked politely.

“It’s ok, myself and your mother can greet them, now go and warm up, you too Ernest” The Earl says and they walk into the manor.

“I thought you didn’t like the Holloway’s” Ernest commented, gently nudging Charity, and she rolled her eyes.

“You know I don’t but I thought my father would want me to play the role of hostess and greet them” Charity explained and nudged him back, “and it’s Felicity we don’t like, remember” she comments.

A short while later, when the Holloway’s had arrived after the families all had conversed, Charity was sat with Annabelle, the two girls had a little gossip and Charity looked up to see Ernest watching her adoringly.

“He is rather fond of you” Annabelle commented as she sipped sherry, and Charity smiled knowingly, she was rather fond of Ernest as well.

“I am rather fond of him too” The Viscountess says and Felicity Holloway marched up to Ernest.

“Oh here Felicity goes” The Viscountess murmured but Ernest never broke eye contact as Miss Holloway tried to flirt with him, and he was very clearly trying to ignore her/

“I apologise, Mis Holloway, please excuse me” Ernest excused him and walked over to Charity but before he could say anything, the head butler spoke.

“Please follow me through to the dining room” The butler spoke and the 5 families followed through and Ernest’s mother stopped him.

“You’ll be sitting with the Viscountess” His mother commented and pointed Dominique’s usual chair as Dominique smiled as she sat down

“I apologise, my lady” Ernest apologised to the dowager countess.

Charity sat down, she was at her fathers side at the head of the table, she smoothed her skirt down as she sat before turning to her left where Ernest was sheepishly sitting down.

“That’s Lady Grandmother’s seat” She speaks.

“Actually we thought it would be nice for you to sit with Ernest” Maria smiles to her daughter. Charity’s heart was thumping inside her chest.

#choices stories you play #pixelberry #choices #fanfiction #choices fanfiction #choices fanfic #choices desire and decorum #ernest desire and decorum #desire and decorum mr sinclaire #desire and decorum #mr ernest sinclaire x mc #mr ernest sinclaire #choices ernest #mc x ernest #ernest x charity #ernest sinclaire x charity mills

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abitterlifethroughcinema · 5 years

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#ABitterLifeThroughCinema’s WOKE! Film Reviews

The Top Ten (+1) Best Movies of 2018 and where to find them!

Lucas Avram Cavazos

+1…11. Overlord Having its premiere at this year’s Sitges Int’l Film Fest, Overlord not only happened to be one of the fave films screened there this past festival, but this cinematic fantasy is an all-too-real and stark portrayal of a horror that actually occurred, and it deserves a nod from the Barcelona film critic family, so here it goes. Duly noted, I’d say. It starts with an insane aerial combat mission on the night of D-Day, one which goes awry and sees only a handful of paratroopers surviving the drop when enemy fire rains hell. They land in provincial France and the plot sets out to detail some of the inner workings of the Third Reich in reference to the insane, gruesome experiments done on captured Europeans and Jews. Those stories you’ve heard about turning these poor people into guinea pigs for super soldier intent using potent, injected serums…yeah, those? They’re true, if you believe the words of JJ Abrams. Are they as utterly brutal and horror/zombie film-like as displayed here? I sure as hell hope not. (now available On Demand and DVD)

10. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs There once was a film called O Brother Where Art Thou? While this is not its sequel, there is a sharp-witted vein to this film that could only be crafted and gifted to us by the Coen Brothers. What a hoot it is, even if it is a rather darkly-tinted hue of that hoot and humour. It is also one of their finest in years. Revolving around the singing cowpoke Buster Scruggs (Tim Blake Nelson) and five other tales brought to us with the commonly-threaded theme of death in often brutally funny ways, this film is a fine return to oddball form from two of the finest sibling directors of all time. Starring Liam Neeson, James Franco, Zoe Kazan, even Tyne Daly and so many in its vignettes, and that acting star power fuses this Western comedy into new territory for the brothers. Their previous works set in the west always seemed to be re-hashing works of years gone by but here, with their usage of almost comic-book-like details and witty banter make this much more enjoyable than their other historical works like O Bother and their remake of True Grit. Best western in absolute years! (available on Netflix or VOD)

9. Eighth Grade This poignant little film, which should have been wide-released everywhere the world over, is given fierce and bittersweet star power by Elsie Fisher, protagonist and student at the heart of this film. Comedian Bo Turnham has brought us the quintessential coming-of-tweenage story and along with Fisher, everyone in this film is so perfectly placed in their roles, especially Josh Hamilton as her dad, who deserves some nominations for this film but is unlikely to get any. Telling the story of 13-year old Kayla, we the audience get a sneak-peek into the minds and lives of today’s young adults. From her simple YouTube videos made to encourage other young kids to her obvious desire to fit in with older kids to her insecurity with boys, this film paints a stark reality that too many have lived through and this little indie film deserves aplomb from anywhere it can get it! (now available On Demand and DVD)

8. A Star is Born I skipped the critics’ screening of this film for the mere fact that I couldn’t bear to see if the acting and plot lines were another torrid take on a much-redone film. Even into the holiday season, I had not yet seen it and then when I did, I certainly took back any reservations. Bradley Cooper’s update of the film starring himself and Lady Gaga is just about as good as everyone said it was, and that was beyond refreshing to note post-viewing. In many ways, I feel that Cooper is likely revealing a few things about himself with the guise of “it’s a movie” being a nice cover; in some ways, he gives us what I believe are hints of his covert life, and it’s with Gaga’s turn as Ally that we really see him shine beyond the shtick of his character, country-rocker Jackson Maine. In a tad corny-tad, gripping way that takes hold the moment you see Gaga, let’s be frank and real, this film goes on to detail a Diet Coke version of the grim realities that often detail too many a tale of celebrity in Hollywood. Without revealing too many details of the film’s plot and denouement, we are looking at a necessary conversation about alcoholism, drug addiction and fame (plus a lack of ’NO’ men/women in many relationships) that needs to addressed for all ages. Well done, Mr. Cooper Goes to the Oscars. (At select screens, On Demand & DVD)

7. El Angel Incidentally, this may be the first time in a rather long time that I say something good about Argentinian men, so do take note. Telling the true story of fresh-faced boy killer Carlos Robledo Puch, played to Oscar-worthy perfection by newcomer Lorenzo Ferro, the masterful detail to which director Luis Ortega has crafted this arthouse meets dramedy-thriller is astounding and easily touches heights set by dePalma and even, dare I say it, Scorcese. We follow young Carlitos Puch, who is just nearing the edge of seventeen, as takes up with a rough and tough family of his devilishly attractive school chum Ramon, played by the spirited Chino Darin, son of Ricardo Darin. But as Carlitos comes to find out, his street crimes can easily be paved to real ones and his sadistic tendencies suddenly yet gradually paint a picture of someone who is in part desperate for attention and tacceptance and in part a fairly smart, well-to-do young adult. He parlays his sociopathy at pubescence into psychopathy with time, and this film will likely be, but should definitely not be, forgotten come awards and Best Of lists time.(available On Demand and DVD)

6. Black Panther As Oscar season comes to a head, it is worth talking about one of the most striking films that you’ll see for a while. Black Panther is that good, not only because of its genre but also because of its message: that seeking freedom through recreating systems of oppression will only extend the ill-treatment and broken nature we find ourselves in nowadays. Set in the fictional African nation of Wakanda, protagonist King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) brings us the first real black superhero from the Marvel universe. With a cast including Lupita Nyong’o, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker and Michael B Jordan, the acting is beyond impressive. What is even more amazing, however, is how the plot power-plays many elements of our world’s current political climate. (now available On Demand and DVD)

5. Chappaquiddick Another film which is nothing short of striking in its relevance to the current political situation in the USA. Senator Ted Kennedy was the only remaining Kennedy that I was familiar with throughout my adolescence and early adulthood. Jason Clarke as the Massachusetts senator is astounding, as is the cut of his jib and chin, although the accent was a tad weak, to be ever sincere. This is a complete revelation on the many details that were only gingerly touched upon during the course of the week following the death which this movie is detailing . As the facts are laid out in the film, it astounds me that the American people continued to vote and elect Kennedy for decades after. This is a study on arrogance, class and governmental ambiguity. And if that was the case with liberals in the Sixties, how much more so with conservatives in this digital age? My favourite film of last year’s BCN Film Festival. (now available On Demand and DVD)

4. Private Life Good Lawd this is such a heartwarming/breaking story with the finest elements of believable comedy and situational realism that define the art of the classic Gen X film from the 90s to now. May we never forget that it was Gen, and even those a few years before them, who gave us the digiverse-Netflix-instant oatmeal www.orld in which we live today and when I see a very NYC film like this one, it makes it a true reality check. Being the age that one should be married with kids, I watched Kathryn Hahn as Rachel absolutely slay the silver screen and am eager to see if she picks up any more accolades throughout the current awards season. Simple plot…she’s in her early 40s and her hubby Rich (played by Paul Giamatti) is entering his late 40s and they are fully entrenched within the confines of every single way to conceive a baby. Following the couple through their trials and tribulations really get pushed up an ante when sort-of relative Sadie (the lovely Kayli Carter) decides she will be the surrogate mum for them as things get a tad pear-shaped. This could easily be dubbed a dreamed, for in effect, it is; what needs to be known is that this is also a morality tale for a new age. The old-fashioned ethics of yesteryear just do not apply anymore, at least not in big cities, and the less is more factor easily makes this one of the finest films released within the last year. (available on Netflix)

3. BlacKKKlansman Without a doubt, this is the finest work in all too many years by Spike Lee, and he takes no prisoners in letting you know that the spilled essence of blaxploitation all over this celluloid is to egg you into knowing that this story is 100% true…and crazy. The mere fact that David Duke is literally cheerleading for the current President of the United States should scare us all and wake those who are not. Watching actor John David Washington portray Ron Stallworth, the real-life cop who slyly infiltrated the inner workings of the Klu Klux Klan 40 years ago. After signing up for the Colorado Spring PD, he realises the lack of trust in the 98% Anglo-Saxon workforce, as he’s thrown into monitoring the goings-on of any Black Panther student situations. Eventually, he takes up with a guy on the force that he can dig called Flip and played to skilled excellence by the oddest of lookers Adam Driver. Basically, the plot follows the twosome, as they tag team the aforementioned white supremacist movement, Ron being the voice and Flip being the wingman as they start an investigation on grand wizard bastard himself David Duke, played to troubling perfection by Topher Grace, evoking all of the calmness and utter sociopathic tendencies of a man reviled by most yet revered by still too many. And watching this taut film and how it rolls through such a daunting story with comedic aplomb and vicious realness gives you goosebumps. That said, as the film gets toward its ending, is when Lee gives you the goods when he flashes to scenes from the crazy Charlottesville, Virginia, riots, AntiFa protesting and subsequent death of Heather Heyer, may she rest in peace. God Save the World…and Amerikkka.

2. Fahrenheit 11/9 Premiering a few weeks ago here in Spain at very select cinema screens across the country, this is the first documentary in some time by Michael Moore that could play across an international landscape and should be required viewing on any critic’s or person’s list. The titular oddity refers to the day after we all woke up across the world in shock and awe that Donald J Trump had won the Presidency of the USA. Even if this is not Morre’s best film to date, it is undoubtedly the one that holds the viewers’ feet to the fire and calls for them to fight the nasty funk of this administration. But, it’s when he takes it back to his roots, to Flint, Michigan, and ends up involving all local and state politics, that we start to see the more sinister undertakings happening amongst conservative parties, ideals and societies. When you add in the fact of the Parkland High School shooting and the way Moore later fuses footage of Hitler and his minions and followers with a rally speech made by the current occupant of the White House, it becomes all too obvious that things are exactly as we think they are (A HOT MESS!) and we have very little recourse rather than claiming truth. (now available On Demand and DVD)

1. ROMA There are tender moments of realism that are permitted to happen with the rise of instant cinema on VOD and direct-to-home films, and it has been a pleasure to see that sites like Netflix and Amazon and Canal+ have truly added to the foray in which great celluloid can be brought to the masses. Case in point comes the finest piece of dramatic celluloid that graced the silver screen in the last year. Being a Mexican whose father is a naturalised citizen of the US and a mother who is Chicana from the US, like myself and my siblings, the sentimentality ran deep with this film. One of the differences I experienced was the fact that we were the only Mexican-American family in a stately US country club…and we had an entire childhood spent with loving housekeepers, which is what this film inherently is honouring and depicting, using the backdrop of Alfonso Cuarón’s take on growing up in 70s-upper middle class Mexico City in the neighbourhood of Roma. Depicting the life of the house assistant Cleo (first-time performer Yalitza Aparicio in a J.Hud moment, frankly) and the family of Sr. Antonio (Fernando Grediaga), a doctor in the Mexican capital, what Cuarón has called his most personal film to date, is also a B&W modern tale in the vein of Gone with the Wind, and the fact that he centres around a privileged Mexican family is poignant for several reasons: it not only takes a focus away from how Donald bloody Trump has painted Mexicans, in general, to the world, but it also highlights a very human element to how many classes of society function and live there in the frontier regions of North America and, more importantly, EVERYWHERE…easily put, this is a sweet, oft-times simple, oft-times brutal story on humanity. What binds so many critics together on this film’s merits is that fact that Alfonso Cuarón has crafted the past year’s most enigmatic movie, leaving us to make our own answers to what happens to Lady Cleo, her best mate Teresa, and this beautiful family. Absolutely and quietly stunning! (available on Netflix and selects screens across the country)

#abitterlifethroughcinema #BCNinEnglish #englishradiobcn #overlord #theballadofbusterscruggs #eighth grade #elangel #a star is born #blackpanther #chappaquiddick #privatelife #Blackkklansman #fahrenheit119 #roma film #LucasAvramCavazos

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ahouseoflies · 5 years

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The Best Films of 2018, Part I

I’ll associate my moviegoing this year with two things: subscription models and superhero films. Realizing that I was the target audience, I signed up for Moviepass in March, then canceled just before they started extorting people in July. (I’ll remember you all semi-fondly, conniving alarmists in the Moviepass Reddit thread.) Thanks to Moviepass, I took full advantage of my free time over the summer, and I found some nice surprises that I wouldn’t have checked out otherwise. From there I joined AMC A-List, which is the rare corporate service that I cannot complain about in any way. Moviepass always felt like some kind of drug deal, whereas A-List is as easy and inviting an experience as possible. I get to seek out Dolby, IMAX, or 3-D showings instead of getting locked out of them, and the electronic ticketing helps with my last-minute availability. (I’ve mastered the art of lovingly putting my daughter to bed, only to desert her and my wife five minutes later. “You know, there’s an 8:10 showing of The Predator, which means 8:30 after previews...”) My overall viewing was up 11% this year, which I have to attribute to these subscriptions. Perhaps I saw too much though. After a self-righteous five-year ban on superhero movies, I caught up in 2019 like the madman completist that I am. On the plus side, I enjoyed Wonder Woman and Guardians of the Galaxy, and I vaguely feel more connected with the culture-at-large. But I could have been more selective. The diligence required to watch X-Men: Apocalypse late on a Thursday night took away from, say, my Orson Welles project or...reading books. To get some of the business out of the way, I haven’t seen Burning, Shoplifters, Destroyer, Cold War, The Sisters Brothers, Tomb Raider, The Wife, or The House That Jack Built. Not all of us get screeners or care about seeing The Wife. Mostly for argument purposes, I list everything I saw and divide the movies into the categories of Garbage, Admirable Failures, Endearing Curiosities with Big Flaws, Pretty Good Movies, Good Movies, Great Movies, and Instant Classics. Hey, speaking of superheroes: GARBAGE

123. Venom (Ruben Fleischer)- Venom was first announced as an R-rated film until it was neutered into PG-13 at some point in the development road. That was the right choice because this is a movie, in all of its broad, careless storytelling, for children. "So he's going to get married to her but then he looks at her email and then he interviews the guy and he gets fired so then she leaves him and he drinks now?" This is a dummy's version of what a journalist is or what a scientist is, and it never shades into more subtlety than exactly what is on the expected surface. I guess that Tom Hardy gets to jump into a lobster tank if that floats your boat, but the story is stuck on fast-forward for the whole movie, never relenting to develop character or do anything other than communicate information that we don't really need.

Venom is almost--almost--interesting as a new branch in the superhero economy. Why shouldn't Tom Hardy and National Treasure Michelle Williams trade the equity they've built for caring about their work into this trash? I don't begrudge them that for a second. I hope they make more money for the sloppy sequels. 122. The Equalizer 2 (Antoine Fuqua)- The first Equalizer was flat and pointlessly long with pedantic dialogue too, but at least it had the Home Depot sequence. This one makes very basic stuff incoherent and dawdles all the way to the end. Your boy is now an expert hacker too? I guess it's too late for Fuqua to start caring about scripts.

121. Mandy (Panos Cosmatos)- I need somebody to explain to me why, dramatically, this is good without something like, "It's so metal! What a midnight movie! Chainsaw fight lol!" If you want to talk about the visuals that are stylized within an inch of reality, then I'll listen. But there's nothing to hold onto dramatically. I think I've developed an overall irritation with revenge films, but this filthy dirge of a movie felt empty and endless by any standard. 120. Fifty Shades Freed (James Foley)- Its intentions are too guileless to upset me, but Fifty Shades Freed uses up the goodwill I sort of had for the first two by tugging the viewer relentlessly through conflict that always seems temporary. Part of the fun has always been how bizarre basic human interactions seem in this universe. (Has anyone ever returned from a vacation to be surprise-promoted?) But this entry expects way too much from its viewer's loyalty. 119. On Chesil Beach (Dominic Cooke)- There's supposed to be a disconnect to the behavior of the couple in On Chesil Beach, a movie that asks us to harken back to a time when newlyweds were so sexually innocent that they had trouble figuring out how to consummate a marriage. Their fumbling seems foreign to us, which is the point. But what's the excuse for none of the behavior in the movie ringing true to any human experience?

I'm talking about Florence refusing to tell her string quartet that she's engaged because she thinks they'll assume that her marriage will break up the group even though she's sure that it won't. I'm talking about her father, who feels the need to humiliate his son-in-law in tennis because that would prove that he's dominant over the boy in some way that being his employer does not already prove. I'm talking about a plot that literally would not exist if the characters had just engaged in one conversation that it seems like they would have had in the flashbacks, which frame them as a kind of open, reasonably affectionate, easy-going couple. But by all means, McEwan, change that whenever it suits you. 118. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (J.A. Bayona)- I reject the whole premise of this deliberate lowering of stakes that never rises above obligation. To paraphrase a Griffin Newman joke, it makes Jurassic Park 4 look like Jurassic Park 1.

While we're here though: Can I have a movie about the guy who compiled the guest list for the dino auction? I want to see a guy looking at a spreadsheet--or is it an Access file?--and getting to, like, Mark Cuban and weighing the options: "He probably has the $27 million to spare on weaponized recombinant DNA. He would definitely appreciate the wow factor of having his own Indoraptor. But is he more of a neutral evil or a chaotic evil? I guess I'll reserve a seat for him and send the invitation. If he says no, then he says no. Okay, we're still in the C's..."

117. Tag (Jeff Tomsic)- Tag is going to show up on a lot of "worst movies to ever win an Oscar" lists when Jeremy Renner wins an Oscar for it. 116. A-X-L (Oliver Daly)- This is a melodramatic movie about a weaponized robotic dog and the dirtbike kid who befriends it. Nothing wrong with that; a ten-year-old boy might like it, and there aren't enough movies specifically for that audience. But what's weird is how nonchalant the main character is about the whole thing. He immediately starts training this one-of-a-kind "war dog" android and imprints it with his DNA like this is a regular Tuesday. It's one of many things that is just kind of off in this picture.

This being a cheap genre film, you do get treated to those L.A. locations that have been around the block. I think the nondescript complex that houses Craine Industries is also the one from Sneakers and The Lawnmower Man. You know, Craine Industries, the company that is working on a $70 million prototype for the military but, because this is a cheap genre film, seems to have two employees.

I do think there's an interesting movie to be made about motocross. The movie kind of works when it's just about an underdog father and son fixing bikes, before it gets into all of the robot stuff. ADMIRABLE FAILURES

115. The Little Stranger (Lenny Abrahamson)- Dr. Faraday: "Wanna marry me?" Caroline: "Maybe. Do you actually love me?" Dr. Faraday: "Probably not." Caroline: "Hmm, I think I would marry you only as an excuse to go to London to get away from my dying mother and this crumbling house that probably has a ghost." Dr. Faraday: "Oh. Well, glad we're discussing it now because I want to marry you specifically to give me a reason to stay in this crumbling house that probably has a ghost. I'm drawn to it for some reason." Caroline: "Is it because you grew up poor?" Dr. Faraday: "Yes. All dry, cold British stuff ultimately comes down to that.

114. Damsel (David Zellner and Nathan Zellner)- Had I done my research, I wouldn't have watched this Zellner Brothers follow-up to Kumiko the Treasure Hunter, one of my least favorite films of that year. Like that movie, Damsel is a story of two halves, punctuated by a shocking moment that happens halfway through. Unfortunately nothing interesting happens before, and nothing interesting happens after. 113. Suspiria (Luca Guadignino)- This is a movie about duality that gets extended. English, German, and just a sprinkle of French. Six parts and an epilogue. A dual role (and a bit part). Personalities that clash until one pulls ahead. There are ideas here. But, especially considering I don't like the original Suspiria, I didn't find much to hold onto as a visceral experience. It's a long, foreboding sit. Guadagnino knows how to end his movies, but he still doesn't have much to say for the long middle parts. Shout-out to Amazon; I hope that, in some circuitous way, betting on maximalist Italians helps them to sell paper towels or whatever.

112. Early Man (Nick Park)- I still love the Aardman aesthetic, but this material was thin. It's too juvenile for adults and too adult for juveniles. 111. Beirut (Brad Anderson)- The screenplay takes an hour to set up what should have taken twenty minutes. Some of that time is dedicated to developing Hamm's burnt-out alcoholic wheeler-dealer, but he's a character we've seen a hundred times before anyway. Some shorthand would have done some good. Once the plot gets going, it's serviceable, but I was bored by that point. Pike and Hamm need to fire their managers. 110. Upgrade (Leigh Whannell)- I'll admit that I owed the film more attention than I gave it since I was nodding off the whole time, but nothing in the gloomy programmer interested me enough to want to go back.

109. Red Sparrow (Francis Lawrence)- Good as a steamy blank check provocation from the director and star--not much else. I'm sure people will take down the easy target of Jen Larry's Russian accent, but they're ignoring just how much she tries in something like this. She is a gargantuan Movie Star who commands the screen, and a lot of that presence comes from the commitment of, say, learning how to ballet dance for what must have been months. She hasn't slept through a performance yet.

I didn't think this endless movie made much sense, especially near its conclusion. Perhaps it's my personal distaste for the way that spy movies introduce major plot points without so much as a music sting to guide you. As soon as anyone says the term "double agent," my brain turns off.

108. Hot Summer Nights (Elijah Bynum)- If you want to direct a music video, just direct a music video. I like all of the actors in this, but the filmmaker has nothing to say. 107. The First Purge (Gerard McMurray)- Even James DeMonaco seems to be admitting that the bloom is off the rose a bit, since he only wrote this entry in the franchise--and his direction is missed in the action scenes. Just enough of the political subtext remains, (The New Founding Fathers get funding from the NRA, and a character uses "pussy-grabbing" as an insult. Thankfully, a Black church getting shot up by men with Iron Cross flags happens off-screen.)

But there are more characters I didn't care about than characters I did care about. Since its prequel setting doesn't reveal much about the world that we didn't already know, the film needed to do a bit more with the survive-the-night scenario that we already saw in the second film.

106. Vox Lux (Brady Corbet)- A movie that, up to and including the last minute, keeps promising something better than it actually is. Everyone here is making...choices… 105. Madeline’s Madeline (Josephine Decker)- I'm glad David Ehrlich liked this as much as he did. There are some intriguing ideas, most notably the suggestion that a mentally unstable person would be better suited for acting than a healthy person. What a debut for Helena Howard as well. But for it to add up to something by the end, I think I needed it to have more dramatic structure--the sort of fall of the Molly Parker character feels invented and insincere--or go all the way into experiment. 104. Shirkers (Sandi Tan)- One of those "you won't believe what happens next" documentaries that positions itself as an example of truth being stranger than fiction. But removed from a festival context, does it ever rise above its logline? Is it really even that odd?

#film #lists #movie reviews

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iishipallthethings · 6 years

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The Wager Chapter 1

Story Summary: Another Day of the Dead is finally here. La Muerte goes to the land of the living and is shocked to see Maria, the jewel of the town, unsatisfied with her marriage with Manolo. Another wager is struck and La Muerte finds herself falling hard for a human. 1 year after movie! Main ship: Maria X La Muerte (kind of slow burn) but there is another :)

It was a clear night that was brightened by thousands of candles. Families gathered around various tombstones as they placed plates overflowing with food for their ancestors. Small children ran and screamed in delight as they chased one another in a game of tag. Adults bowed their heads and prayed, feeling their deceased family come up from the Land of the Remembered to visit them for that one night out of the year. All around were smiles and celebrating. Everything was so colorful and lively in a field filled with death.

La Muerte smiled from her spot on the roof of the church as she watched a dog join in the game of tag with the children. She laughed behind a raised hand as one of the children had tried to tag the dog, succeeding only when he baited the creature with a churro. The poor thing was confused as the children ran away from it, but after a moment it barked in joy as it chased the one who had tagged him. La Muerte suspected that it was more out of the desire to get more churros than the joy of playing the game.

A scoff was heard from behind her. "Really my dear. Why do you find such squealing creatures amusing?"

The smile only grew but she kept her eyes on the game of tag as she answered the presence behind her. "Come now Xibalba, it is the Day of the Dead. The children are only celebrating the only way they know. They're living."

A humph was her only reply and La Muerte turned her head to look at her husband. Xibalba leaned against his two headed snake staff, his eyes watching the children with a look akin to puzzlement. La Muerte giggled at the expression and got up from her sitting position. She more floated than walked to his side and entwined their arms. She felt Xibalba tense for a moment before leaning into her touch with a barely audible sigh of content.

"I simply do not understand the appeal to children. They screech like a banshee if they get a scraped knee, they need to be constantly looked after, and they know nothing of manners." Xibalba shook his head in distaste as his black wings ruffled behind him.

"They also smile at even the most simplest of gestures, they are so filled with potential, and they do not know of the hardships of this world," La Muerte replied. When Xibalba grunted in disagreement, she reached up with her free hand and stroked his face in a way that would make him agree with anything she said. She smirked at the way he followed her hand when she began to pull it away.

"See mi amor, children aren't so bad." She nodded towards the group who were now sharing food with one another. They gave the dog most of the food and the creature's tail would not stop wagging. La Muerte smiled at the scene and with a discreet wave of her hand, a bone appeared in front of the dog. It yipped in shock at the sudden appearance of magic but quickly dove for the treat. The children were thankfully too busy talking to one another to notice the bone manifesting.

"Hmm," Xibalba hummed noncommittally, still dazed by La Muerte's display of affection. He smiled at his wife, completely unaware of his surroundings.

La Muerte laughed as she rolled her eyes. He is simply too easy, she said in her head. Her eyes wandered back over the festivities. After a second, she focused on a statue of a man a little ways away from the main part of the cemetery. She knew that the statue was not there a year prior and wondered for a moment who it could possibly be. The statue was very short and had some sort of round body that indicated the man had a hunchback when he was alive. She tilted her head to the side as she saw a figure dressed in black bow its head and bend over to rest a bouquet in front of the statue's feet. The figure was very much unlike the other people, this one preferring silence and gloom rather than celebration.

"Maria?" La Muerte knew that the young woman's father had passed recently and that the town and had made him a statue as a tribute to his dedication to the safety of San Angel. She glanced at Xibalba who finally realized where he was and was now watching the woman as well.

Together, they materialized into a cloud of magic to get a better spot: La Muerte a breeze of marigold pedals; Xibalba an inky shadow.

They stopped on top of a dome of some mausoleum. They paid their respect to the ancestors by making flowers spring out of the ground around the stone building, or rather La Muerte did. Xibalba only scoffed at the irritated ancestors. With one glare, he forced the dead to back away without any more complaints.

La Muerte frowned at her husband and turned her attention back to Maria.

Maria smiled sadly at the statue. "Hola Papa. It's me, Maria. I'm sorry that I haven't come to see you as often as I probably should but-" she paused as she wiped some tears from her eyes. "Oh papa," she cried, "I-I think I made a mistake in marrying Manolo."

La Muerte and Xibalba shared a shocked glance before looking back at the grieving woman. Neither of them were expecting this.

"I j-just don't l-love him and I know he d-doesn't love me," Maria sobbed. She angrily wiped away the tears before she continued. "I just - oh papa I'm so al-alone!"

La Muerte felt sympathy for the young woman; from the sound of her voice, she guessed that Maria was holding this in for a long time. She glanced at her husband. Xibalba looked uncomfortable as he witnessed the woman's break down. Strangely, he was the first to say anything.

"Come mi amor, let her have her peace." He turned away and morphed into a cloud of inky shadow, zooming his way back to the church roof.

La Muerte prepared to follow his lead but someone coughed to get her attention. She looked down to see the ghost of General Posada looking pleadingly up at her. "Please my lady, can I tell mi hija that I am with her?"

La Muerte smiled sadly and shook her head. "We do not belong in this world, Dali Posada. We can allow them to feel our presence for this day but they cannot see us. I'm sorry." And she meant it. She knew that Maria only wanted some company but she could not bend the laws again. Not so soon after last year.

Posada gazed at his weeping daughter and sniffed. "If I ever get my hands on that boy, I'll-" He stopped talking and walked over to Maria, placing a hand on a shuddering shoulder that will not be felt. He looked back at La Muerte. "Surely you can do something? My child does not deserve such pain."

La Muerte thought for a moment and sighed. "Life can be really hard for the living. I swear that I will see if I can do anything to ease her burden." She bowed her head. "Goodbye General Posada."

She did not wait to hear the dead man's words. She left in a cloud of marigold flowers and materialized next to Xibalba. She noticed that the god was looking anywhere but the direction of Maria. She placed a hand on his arm. "Are you okay, Xibalba?" she asked.

"You seem saddened by the girl's predicament," he said carefully. He still did not look at her.

La Muerte furrowed her brow. "And you are not?" She looked down at the celebrating people. "It is our fault that she is feeling the pain she is now."

It was Xibalba's turn to look confused. "How so?"

"That wager we made long ago, about who will take Maria's hand in marriage. Perhaps we shouldn't have." La Muerte sighed, her shoulders sagging under the sudden weight of her actions.

Xibalba raised his eyebrows in shock. "Even if we hadn't, Manolo would have married the girl. It was inevitable," he reasoned.

La Muerte shook her head after considering the god's words. "We can never know for sure though. We interfered with their lives, used them as pawns for some stupid bet! Xibalba, what if Maria was never meant to marry either of those two boys?" She looked at Maria's silhouette in shame and panic. "We could have very well robbed her of her chance at True Love."

Xibalba did not look convinced. "Who could she possibly have married if it wasn't Manolo or Joaquin? Face it dear, you are simply too excitable these days."

La Muerte frowned at the lack of sympathy from the lord of the Land of the Forgotten. She knew that the time he spent ruling such a wasteland had hardened his heart but she could not believe he was acting so callous.

He seemed to notice the change of mood with his wife as Xibalba cleared his throat a moment later. "What I meant to say is, the girl would most likely have wound up with one of the boys. I bet you that if we were to take a look at the Book of Life then it would have clearly shown Manolo and Maria getting married!"

La Muerte looked appalled and Xibalba retreated a step, ashamed of himself as if he brought up a taboo subject. After a moment La Muerte shrugged her shoulders as she looked over at Maria, the burst of anger giving way to sadness. "We will never know now," she said. "Manolo erased his predestined story and wrote his own. Because of us."

Xibalba's eyes darted from one family to another down below as he thought of a way to cheer up his wife. A fleeting thought entered his mind of telling La Muerte that some people do not have stories set in stone for them but threw it out a moment later. This will only serve to make her more upset. He smiled suddenly when an idea came to his mind. "Are you so sure about that?" he said, his voice becoming as smooth as honey.

La Muerte glanced at him, her face warning him to think his words very carefully. She knew that tone of voice and when he spoke like that, he wanted to-

"How about we have another little wager?"

- have a bet of some sort. She scowled at the smiling god, the candles that adorned her dress and sombrero flaring up and her eyes glowing with the force of a small sun. "I just told you that we should have never made that wager and you ask me for another one." Her words were calm but her eyes did not lose their luminescence.

Xibalba smiled, apparently unaffected by his wife's display of displeasure. "Yes. I wager that you cannot make that girl happy again."

La Muerte narrowed her eyes, not believing what she had just heard. She barely noticed that the flames of her candles receded to their natural height and her eyes dimmed to their normal luminescence. "What did you just say?"

Xibalba's smile grew. "I said I bet that you cannot make that Maria girl happy again."

She thought over the words, wary to the fact that she was starting to like this idea of Xibalba's. "And if I do?"

His smile turned triumphant. "If you win then," he trailed off, thinking of something not that important for him to lose but something that would keep his wife interested. He frowned when he found the perfect gamble. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he decided.

This is to make her happy, he thought.

"If you win then I will not interfere with the lives of men. For only one century mind you!" he added hastily.

La Muerte blinked slowly as Xibalba told her of her possible winnings. "You swear? No meddling with the affairs of men for an entire century?"

The god nodded, making sure that his wife knew just how reluctant he was.

"And if I lose?"

Xibalba's smile returned however it turned much darker. "Then I get the Land of the Remembered!" La Muerte's eyes narrowed as the flames rose up warningly. "I'm only kidding mi amor! If I win then you must allow me to at least go to one of your Day of the Dead fiestas."

La Muerte smiled as she held out a hand. "I will do you one even better. If I lose, then you can visit me every Day of the Dead and we can enjoy the endless fiestas together."

Xibalba chuckled and shook hands with his wife. "That my dear, sounds most wonderful. Good luck." He vanished away without another word, leaving La Muerte alone on the church's roof.

She shook her head in amusement before calming down. She stepped off of the roof, a cloud of marigolds making steps for her. She reached the ground and began to walk towards Maria and her father's grave. None of the people even glanced at her, she was invisible to them. When she passed a fountain, she glanced at the wall of water flowing down to meet the pool below.

No longer was she La Muerte. She was now Mary Beth. Her glowing eyes became baby blue and her long, curvy black hair turned into straight red hair that ended at her waist. Her traditional dress and hat also changed. Instead of a red dress, she wore a white shirt hidden under a blue jacket that highlighted her eyes and a white skirt that showed off her legs and black heels.

Mary made her way over to Maria and hesitated at the mausoleum. She took a deep breath before resuming her march.

Maria sniffed and did not look at the figure that was approaching her. "Manolo please, I just want to be left alone," she said with another sniff.

"I'm sorry but who is Manolo?"

Maria stiffened and looked at the woman who was watching her curiously. She rubbed the tears from her eyes and stood up. "I'm sorry, I thought you were my husband." Her breath caught on the word 'husband' and she turned her head so the stranger did not see her watery eyes.

Mary looked at the statue Maria was staring at. "He looks like a hero," she commented.

Maria smiled weakly at the other woman. "He was," she whispered. Tears pricked at her eyes but she would not allow them to fall in front of someone she did not know.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Mary said softly. She took a step closer and glanced to the left of Maria where her father stood watching them. The man looked like he did not like this turn of events but did not voice his opinion. "Can you feel him?"

Maria hesitated before shaking her head. "No. I think he might not have shown up today. He's probably disappointed in me." She blushed as she realized that she had told a complete stranger something extremely personal.

"How are you so sure?"

Maria glanced at the strange woman who had turned her head to stare at the statue. "That's none of your business." She was shocked at how cold her voice sounded.

Mary was surprised as well. She turned her head to stare at the younger woman, as if she could not believe that Maria would have the audacity to talk to her like that. Maria saw a glimmer of something that looked like admiration but she could not tell for sure. Mary nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry for prying. It's just that I just arrived here and I have no idea where anything is or who anyone is. If you like, I can leave you to grieve in peace. Although, if I may, I believe that your father would prefer if you celebrate who he was in life."

Mary turned to walk away from Maria but felt a soft hand touch her shoulder.

"No wait. I'm sorry that I snapped at you." Maria looked ashamed as she looked at the ground. "Today is the first Day of the Dead without my papa."

Mary turned around and offered a sad smile. "It gets better." She nodded towards the statue. "He doesn't seem like the kind of man who would be ashamed of his daughter."

Maria smiled but it did not reach her eyes. "I hope so. I really do." She ran her hands across her dress to buy herself some time to think of something to say. "You mentioned that you were new right?" Mary nodded with a smile. "Well, how about I show you around tomorrow as an apology?"

Mary looked confused for a moment. "You already apologized and besides, it was my fault. I shouldn't have intruded on your private moment."

Maria shook her head. "Don't worry about it. It would be my pleasure to show you around San Angel." The little light in her eyes dimmed as she added. "It would get my mind off of some things too."

Mary nodded and felt a little concerned at Maria's attitude. "Okay, where do you want to meet?"

Maria asked, "Do you know where the town's fountain is?" Mary nodded. "Great! We'll meet up there at noon."

Mary smiled a small smile. "Until then," she said. She turned around and began to walk away. After leaving Maria's eyesight, she turned back into La Muerte. She dashed to the church's roof top before anyone could see that she was there. She looked at the direction of Maria and felt relieved when the young woman did not seem to start crying again. She felt excitement bubble up inside her and she found that she could not wait until tomorrow.

The bet was on.

#thewager #book of life #maria posada #la muerte

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