#{ i love her and i think these two just aesthetically look really nice with crepes LOL

[hosannan]

[ Street Crepe ]

The woman matches the description she had been given, right down to the feathers. Mitama can only assume this was the woman Leif had pointed her in the direction of. Well, all of his worry and nerves made a lot more sense now. She definitely was pretty.

"Excuse me?" Mitama bows politely, though she imagines it looks silly with her hands filled. "You are Nanna, correct? It is nice to have a face to finally put to the name." Even if she only got the name a short few moments ago. "Leif has sung nothing but your praises whenever you have come up."

Mitama holds one of the two crepes out to her. The other one already has some bites taken out of it. "Would you like one? I am afraid my eyes are bigger than my stomach."

"I am! And you are...?"

The girl had her hands full, with colorful specklings of red and yellow fruit, wrapped lightly in a cake-like blanket. A dollop of cream was the fixture that held her sweets together. Her eyes glowed happily, finding bold strokes in introductions an easy way to familiarize herself with the strangers around here. "Oh! One of Lord Leif's friends, hehe. So excited to meet you!" She clasped her hands together, pillowing it to the side of her cheek in soft delight. "Thank you so much for taking your time to meet me. I--"

"...Oh!" Pink fluttered over her features, lightly brushing over her cheeks and ears. "Goodness... Well, he's very skilled at getting to the point. I'm flattered to have reached your ears at all, miss."

Flattered was underplaying it. By the way her eyes softened exponentially, laughter chiming at the end of every lilt of her voice, she was honored to be deigned worthy of Lord Leif's praise. Especially when she wasn't at all on the grounds to hear it. Lately, it felt like many people were headed in her direction explicitly because he mentioned her and swore on her character. But-- As she blinked away her own stardust, the stars in the girl's eyes made her wonder...

"I very much hope to get to know you."

Word of mouth was a fanciful manner of acquaintance. But Nanna knew that behind every conversation was a flutter of personality she couldn't quantify with just words. The girl's hair curtained prettily, pink like a blush or the petals off a flowering tree. And as a tree stands tall and bears fruit, she held out a sweet crepe to close the space between them.

"...Oh! Thank you...! Hahaha, I certainly have been beside myself tonight, I almost forgot they made these fresh from the kitchen." She clasped the welcoming gift, gladly, raising it up like a wine glass. There was a touch of laughter in her eyes. "To new friendship."

[etherbonded]

Hotaka Ryo... what a lovely name. It's always nice to match the face to a name, she'll be certain to remember it. Of course she happily follows his lead as he guide the two of them to the place he'd mentioned. Cafés' were always such a nice places from her experiences, so she's always content to be taken to one.

...

She takes in the western style of the café and appreciates it's aesthetics as well and it's atmosphere... it's truly no wonder why he liked this place. And he's right, she does like the looks of this place and the feel it gives." I think I so too Hotaka-San... this place has a wonderful atmosphere. "

She of course, orders a crepe to indulge herself for once... it's been awhile since she's treated herself to something she really liked. Afterall, she's more concerned about her son and every day life rather than herself. Upon his question she rubs the back of her neck. " Ah... just, first free day in awhile. Normally my husband is dragging me to do something for his political campaign or some events. And I'm often the one taking care of my child due to the fact my husband is... just too busy for us. He's not home often. So honestly? I'm just relaxing today because someone I trust is taking over looking my baby boy for today which is nice and I have nothing in my schedule from him today. "

She can admits honestly, only the bit about her husband being too busy being a lie. Her husband has plenty of time for them, it's just that he doesn't even attempt to be in the kid's life. He hasn't been involved in her son's life besides when she'd had the child. " I... I guess it wears on me a little more than I realize sometimes, considering you noticed it heh... "

"Hotaka Ryo, and the pleasure's all mine. Now come, I'll lead the way there." And with a kind smile, the inspector begins to lead Himari to this one particular café. It was western style as they usually were, but it was a nice source of comfort for him since he came here to Shibuya. Though, as investigating the Phantom Thieves became more pressing alongside the other issue of those shutdowns, he'd seemed to have less time to go there. ... "And here we are, Akechi-san. I think you'll like this place as much as I do." The crepes here were particularly delicious, but Ryo had to hold himself back from always getting them. This time, he settled for a simple coffee...he'd had better before at some cafe in a little town area he'd accidentally stopped by when on the train for too long, but he couldn't remember the name of it. "So...as long as you're fine with it, do tell me what ails you right now."

[fizzingwizard]

So I played Snowy Escape this week! It’s my cup of tea! I watched LGR’s review (and Plumbella’s too) and yeah, as usual, I agree with both of them. The pack doesn’t give us a lot that’s really new, especially in terms of gameplay, and I really wish there had been even small interactive moments aboard trains and ski lifts. However, I also agree that it’s a really aesthetically beautiful pack. The way tourists who haven’t gone to Japan yet think of Japan might be like Tokyo Shibuya area, or Osaka shopping streets... but uh, Tokyo and Osaka are only two cities in all of Japan, and pretty much the entire rest of the country isn’t like that. The majority of Japan’s tourist attractions are nature- and history-based, after all.

The big question for me was just how touristy “Mt Komorebi” was going to come across. Sims is pretty noticeably America-centric, and Western culture is the norm. They put out Jungle Adventure and it’s like stepping into a 90s action movie. The most progressive thing you can say about the locals in that pack is that, due to being governed by the same rules that apply to all Sims, they don’t come across “different” enough to be straight up othered. The area they live in, of course, is underdeveloped in spite of the “culture” skill, and very much is meant to be an exotic adventure for Indiana Jones.

Komorebi’s not that bad though. I was impressed at first by the amount of detail there seemed to be. I never expected we’d get space heaters and kotatsu and nabe in-game without downloading CC. Taking off your shoes to go inside, using chopsticks, sliding doors (which I’ve wanted more of for SO LONG), are all true to life as well as modern and also just nice to have. There’s some weird bits, like how when sims sit at the kotatsu they don’t sit on their knees, their legs just disappear into the floor... I guess we can assume there’s a hole underneath (which is the case with some kotatsu just not usually the at-home kind). I also would have liked more every day interactions, like doing homework at the kotatsu or watching TV or even taking a nap.

The patterns for yukata/kimono are pretty awful though. The more understated ones I can live with, but anything with a splash of color is a fashion disaster.

The look of the houses in the towns are really nice. The interiors, not so much, but that’s easier to fix than the facade and landscaping for most of us. The non-interactive backgrounds areas really do look like Japan. It’s a pity we can’t explore it at all. (I would have LOVED just one interactive conbini. That’s one Japan staple that it’s simply weird to leave out. They probably figured conbini wouldn’t have anything the vending machines don’t have, but personally I’d rather have conbini than vending machines. Unless they made it rabbit hole, in which case fuck it)

Also liked the snow festival and the lights festival. It’s true there’s not a lot to do at them, other than take pictures, and it was really hard to get good pictures with my sims in them... When I went to snow festivals, you could do things like light candles in little snow cubbies, or have a meal in a kamakura, etc. That would have been nice. Otherwise it’s just look at the pretty sights and make normal snowmen. Same with the lights festival - it’s gorgeous, but... They do have food stalls but the variety is limited. You can get four different kinds of yakisoba and ramen but no okonomiyaki, no ikayaki. There’s no festival games. I’m currently festival-starved due to covid-19 so my hopes were a bit higher. Still... like I said, I enjoyed them. I guess I just like pretty things. And I do spend an inordinate amount of time just taking pictures of my Sims doing things anyway xP

The Youth festival is pretty dull. It seems more like a not!Pokemon festival than anything else. The crepes, however, are great. Also it’s really WEIRD that the koinobori (the carp flags) are out all the time, like a normal decoration, in the city. That’s one culture thing that I think got confused.

So as far as it goes... it’s not as touristy as I expected it to be. I give it props for that. It’s definitely still got a vibe of “non-Japanese foreigner goes for a visit,” as in, I think if a Japanese company made a Sims game with Japanese players in mind, they’d have done a ton things differently. But we got a more robust cultural depiction than we ever have before, so, nice.

The winter sports are fun! I weirdly didn’t get bored even though like LGR says, it is just watching the Sims do the same thing over and over again without any player interaction. That does suck but is also par for the course with Sims 4. Since I play multiple Sims at a time, it’s easy for me to stick one on the bunny slope and just let them ski until they level up while I do something else with another Sim :P (Sims is more fun when you cheat!)

The onsen is a let down. It’s nice, sure. It’s just a spa though. And it’s WEIRD that you can have sex in the onsen while other people are in it, even children, and they are not freaked out, but you can’t skinny dip in front of children. All they get is an uncomfortable moodlet afterwards because now the onsen water is dirty x’D I wonder if that’s an oversight that will get tweaked in the future...

However, onsen is very pretty too. I would have liked a smaller building and better landscaping with two or three hot springs to pick from. Also, there are gendered entrance curtains, but they don’t actually divide Sims by gender and all lead to the same place... I guess it’s good to have for pictures at least. If you want to put in the ladies room and mens room doors you could easily make his and hers as well as a mixed hot spring baths. I think this is one we just have to let the Sim builder greats take on.

So HIKING is awesome! I loved it! It’s relaxing for me. Some might find it dull, but it’s really just so pretty, and for me brings back a lot of memories. Hiking in Japan is pretty much like that (although a lot more mountainous of course). It’s somewhat dependent on your graphics settings - mine aren’t that high so like the bamboo forest vanishes as I cam through it.. can’t get that sense of really being inside it. Also when I came across the cemetery I had my spellcaster try to Necrocall the one grave that has interactions, but it didn’t work, even though the option came up. ?? I was expecting some sort of cool ghost. Oh well.

I’m interested in climbing. I don’t have Fitness Stuff so I never did it before. It’s way more boring than leveling the winter sports though. But I think the mountain climb will be worth it.

There are little kodama and sprites you can come across and interact vaguely with. I’ll accept that as a Ghibli nod. It’s more cute than cultural but it’s also a bit of fun surprise, though I haven’t noticed any real effect beyond a moodlet. (Was told one gave me a present but I couldn’t find it in my inventory so I think it was just the moodlet.)

Also the bugs!! That’s very Japan! And you can buy insect repellent hahaha that’s a level of realism I didn’t ask for but will take

I’ll talk about lifestyles and sentiments too. I don’t need them personally. The sentiments are kind of nice to see, but they’re predictable. You get the same ones if you do certain things. They give you a moodlet when the Sim shows up, which I guess I do like, but... tbh it’s damn inconvenient sometimes. For ex, I played by Tsubasa family to explore Mt Komorebi, and I noticed many conversations were inexplicably becoming “awkward.” The reason was - even though no one was saying or doing anything flirty - Kurogane and Fai were getting in the mood by just looking at each other thanks to sentiments, and Sakura and Syaoran were like -___-; I mean, it’s hilarious, but also annoying!

Lifestyles... eh. So far all my Sims just get the same ones. They all seem to get Adrenaline Seeker just for playing winter sports. Also I find the pop-ups warning me when a Sim’s going to lose their lifestyle annoying, and if a Sim gets a lifestyle I don’t want for them, it’s annoying to watch their mood change for dumb reasons like “didn’t spend enough time outdoors today.” It’s the same concept as traits. It’s kind of nice that you can change them around by doing different things, and since we’re limited to three traits I won’t say no to more (for example, instead of giving a Sim the “Loves the Outdoors” trait, you can try to get the Outdoorsy lifestyle and use the trait slot for something that influences their personality more). But all in all I find my Sims still just act the same as usual and the gameplay is all in pop-ups, so it’s just not exciting for me.

Also had a glitch where Sakura would take off her shoes to go inside but when she went out, she put on a pair of snowboots that I never even equipped her with, and she wore them with every outfit. Editing in CAS didn’t help. A reboot did though.

So pretty much, I definitely think they could have done more with this pack, BUT that’s been the case with literally every pack since the base game. There are no expectations for me anymore, that’s why I really just genuinely like this one. I’m happy they picked North Japan rather than Tokyo or Osaka, I think we got a lot more detail because of that.

[liquormixintellect-blog]

Your Embrace

chapter twooooo, i hope anyone who reads this enjoys it <3

a soft knock at her bedroom door tore her from her slumber. hands in a panic state rummage through her sheets to search for a cellphone that will give her an idea of what time it is.

8:00 am.

who could possibly need something at this hour on a sunday morning? she swings her feet over her bed into her comfy new lavender slippers. otherwise the coldness of her industrial concrete floor will send a shock of alertness through her body. she wanted to stay as cozy as possible. making her way to the front door, she peers through the peephole to meet a pair of very nervous emerald eyes. she chuckled to herself while unlatching her locks to finally meet his face.

“‘mornin, i know it’s a bit early but i thought i’d bring you some welcome muffins. i used to work in a bakery as a teenager.” his hands were beginning to sweat profusely. she looked so effortlessly beautiful, frizzy hair and all.

“oh, you shouldn’t have.” she grabs onto the basket bringing it closer to her face to take in every ingredient. blueberry.

“oh, it’s not a problem. i don’t think i caught your name yesterday amidst the moving chaos.” he takes his index finger and his thumb to pinch his bottom lip. she’s sure he didn’t meant to send such a wave of sexual tension but she felt every bit of it and the more they stood there, the more she was drawn to him.

“y/n.” for a moment they’re staring into each others eyes trying to decide who should break the silence first.

“listen, i-uh. i would love to make up for that drink. would you maybe want to go out for brunch today?” he’s grateful for her confidence. he doesn’t want to leave her presence.

“i’d love that.” he takes in her current state. “what time shall i come back?” she follows his eyes and takes a quick check at her appearance. “give me about two hours so i can organize and have a nice shower.” she giggles and it’s nothing but music to his ears.

“i’ll see you then, y/n.” and with that he disappears to the lift and up to his loft. for a moment, she lingers, wondering if her lucky stars blessed her this quickly.

she closes her door just as she receives an alert on her cellphone signaling a new text.

she peers down at her iphone.

Maybe: Derrick

for a moment, she feels nauseous. why is he still trying to contact her!? she thinks for a second contemplating opening the text and caves in anyway.

baby, it’s Derrick. i’m so sorry. i gave you space, did you have to block my number and move out!? give me a chance to make things right. you’re overreacting. why are you doing this!?

“because you cheated on me dipshit.” a weak mutter is all she can manager before the water works begin. she deletes the text message and tosses her phone on the bed. she needed to distract herself which is what started her hour long cleaning spree before showering.

*******

applying the softest makeup and leaving her hair in its natural state she settles on a white mini summer dress and white trainers. she adorns her fingers in her favorite gold rings before she’s interrupted by that same soft knock from earlier in the morning.

“hey harry.” she opens the door and her new appearance makes his head spin. he’s never seen someone so natural yet so appealing. she looks so soft and so kissable but he refrains. he hardly knows her but there’s something about her that’s comforting and makes him feel like he’s known her his entire life.

he’s never been the type to be so drawn to someone. he’s had casual flings and maybe there was a few times he was let down by somebody else. but the aura of the woman in front of him makes him want to keep trying to find love. and he wants to find love with her.

“ready to go?” he smiles down at her and they make their way down the lift into the lobby of their loft building.

“there’s a place right around the corner if y’ don’t mind? they make the best crepes and have some of the best coffee i’ve ever tasted.” his smile is curved to one side revealing a dimple and she feels her stomach flutter with excitement. he was so gentle and inviting. she was mesmerized.

“of course. i’d love that!”

after arriving to the brunch spot, they’re seated on the patio surrounded by flowers in full bloom.

he can’t help but note how easily she fit into the scenery.

“where are you from?” harry breaks the silence between them.

she begins to tell him about her home town and how much she adored it but needed a new life in a more exciting place. which is how she ended up in London. she loved the vibe and aesthetic of the city since she was a young girl so it was only fitting that she moved there as a young adult to pursue whatever life allowed her to.

harry is so into her and the way her lips move that he doesn’t even realize the waitress has walked up to the table to take their drink order.

she’s chuckling at this point as she settles on a coffee with almond milk and he does the same.

“i’ve never seen you or your friend in our building prior to yesterday.” harry takes a sip of his coffee awaiting her response.

“that’s actually where vera lives but she’s with her boyfriend ninety percent of the time so..yeah. i just moved in yesterday as you know.”

“i figured. i would remember a pretty face like yours.” she blushes at his forward compliment.

the rest of the brunch is spent exchanging glances and learning more and more about one another. like how much harry enjoys the music of the seventies and how educated he is on music history, or how much he enjoys writing, or how he’s probably the first man she’s ever met who thoroughly enjoys the presence of a cat. whatever spell he’s cast on her that has her longing for more, she never wants to go away.

they’re gathering their belongings to start their walk back home. she doesn’t recall it occurring but she notices how her hand has made a home in his. she doesn’t pull away though, she feels secure and happy. and although this feels like it’s happening so quickly she can’t help but start to picture a small life with harry.

“...i’ve probably been talking your ear off, i apologize.” harry’s shaking his head with a chuckle hoping his recent ramble hasn’t turned her off.

“no. i enjoyed it, your voice is so comforting.” she’s gazing at him now. harry can feel his stomach doing backflips. he can’t remember the last time he’s felt so nervous around a woman.

“well, here we are. i’ve really enjoyed brunch with you! thanks for paying by the way, i could’ve covered us.”

“no worries h.” he loves the way that rolls off of her tongue.

she’s quickly making her way inside leaving him to smile to hisself at the events of the last couple of days. he’s slowly walking to lift not exactly wanting to leave her but he knows he has to allow time and life to work itself out, hoping this won’t be the last of her. his thoughts are interrupted by a ding from the lift, this reminds him that he has his own loft to get back to.

out staggers a brunette gentleman with bloodshot eyes, harry can tell he’s drunk off of his ass and it’s only 1pm. before he can further evaluate this young man he notices him walking towards y/n’s front door. that’s when he can feel his chest sinking. did she have a boyfriend this entire time? was he getting played?

“Y/N! OPEN THE DOOR NOW! I know you’re in there, baby please, i’ll do anything to have you back.”

have her back? so he lost her.

[abyss-mal-blog1]

current mind-space//word vomit

it’s amazing how much can change in a few days, but it hasn’t been a week since my finals ended and i already felt so different. i have been doing f45 everyday this week (if not then some kind of workout, but i’ve really been into that recently). i am feeling so much better now without deadlines, sometimes i don’t know if i function better under pressure or not. i guess not, but then it’s amazing how much i can do and achieve under pressure. i need the right amount of pressure, and this semester it has been a little difficult for me to get around that. 

last friday was kinda my last day of finals, i just had an essay to submit, and i am disappointed in myself and my work ethic because i submitted it at 9pm, went to my cousin’s (disappointing) party, and then professor emailed me to say that she cannot read Pages format (seriously smh @ my tardiness!!!), only got back at 1am that night and sent my mediocre essay. i am a little sad about it because i know that is not my 100%. idk why but college so far has just been a series of 80% effort. this paper was an interesting one, on airbnb, on the sharing economy, it’s a performance studies paper where i analyze the hospitality platform in terms of host-user relationship, parasitism and (attempted) to talk about free online labor. it is a little too late now but i kinda want to work on it again and like, submit for feedback. maybe ill ask taylor. 

last saturday was kinda meh, i agreed to go to a *social* kinda event at a bar/club at chelsea, held for Asian-ivy-alumni-people that yanlin invited me too. it was at up&up and honestly a little...i didn’t enjoy it at all. the music sucked, the people were either too dorky or gross or old or weird, and the whole time i just kept saying to myself, “never again”. they said it was open bar but they only served absolut, which was shit. and then my friend’s two friends were...i feel sorry that this was their first clubbing experience. at the beginning my reaction was look at all these ivy alumni! get hitched with one of them for ~da connectsx~ (and nothing else) but no kidding i was actually interested in talking to them just to get to know what people who graduated from ivies are up to, and what are they doing at such events...and are they actually enjoying themselves because it was really kinda gross. met my friend’s friend who seemed like a really smart engineer (he asked for my number the next day lol), and a german dude at the bar who didn’t want to get me a drink. all i needed that night was a drink.....(i’m glad i didn’t drink tho because recently drinking has made me feel all kinds of bad)  we had ramen after at ramen-ya (most probably the worst ramen and charsiew i’ve had but what can we do at 3am and my friend wanted noodle and soup...)

on sunday i KNow i should have left my house earlier to workout but i didn’t. i was angry at myself that i didn’t. instead, i stayed at home and emotion-ate. i must have eaten more green bean soup than my stomach would have liked. what else...avocado? i remember..two bananas? god. this was the day i felt like i was n’s boyfriend because i had to do what she wanted to do. i know i had agreed on going, but at that point i really wanted to go thrifting or something. i mean when i got to central park it was fine and things were good but the whole day just felt like i was kinda pulled into doing something that wasn’t my first choice of plans, not that i didn’t enjoy myself lying under the sun at the park. it just felt like i was accompanying someone. i was half an hour late to meet her as well, and half heartedly got a burrito-wrap at newsbar. if you think about it it is really kinda funny, we’re just buying food and taking the subway to this grass patch 50 blocks away. we didn’t walk much, we literally only stayed at a little grassy slope overlooking the baseball pitch. anyway we went to a dance class after (the class was an hour long but i felt like n had asked me about when and what time we should book the classes for more than an hour by text so i just got really sick of it) i rushed home and got dinner with my uncle who’s in town for my cousin’s graduation. i was surprised that he chose the same japanese restaurant again, after dissing it half a year ago we ate here. the omakase was crazy and it cost 230 per person. (for the most expensive set) it was also kinda dumb because you aren’t allowed to order a different omakase set from anyone else - everyone on the table has to order the same - because of “timing”. i wonder if this is how it is in japanese omakase etiquette, but in any case it really earned them a hefty amount because my uncle decided to get 230 for all of us. qiyang didn’t like and said qiqi had bad taste, hahaha. the food wasn’t bad, i mean it’s japanese fusion, but the prices were way too steep for the taste. anyway enough about the food, during the dinner i think we talked about many things though. i kinda wanted to talk to my uncle individually because i think he is the only one who knows about ah gong, but he was sick, and i could tell he was exhausted. my aunt got a little impatient because i didn’t arrange plans to take their furniture and they were going to throw all of them away and it was actually the first time i’ve seen her get so worked up - but at the same time trying to control her emotions - because she was talking to me. i could tell she was annoyed though but i tried not to take it personally, and arranged it tomorrow. 

arranging the moving stuff was kinda last minute, i was walking to the library for work one day and i saw a truck that said MakeSpace. i assumed it was a kind of moving company and so i looked them up. they seemed to be pretty okay in terms of their services and so i decided to try them out. confirmation and setting up an appointment went pretty smoothly, except for the part where the guy i think his name was joseph, asked me to give my credit card details over the phone. idk why i did that! i stopped though, and asked him why, to which he replied he wanted to key in with the coupon code. this service has so much gimmicks within the first 2-3 minutes on the phone he was already telling me about how the first pick up is free, and that he will deduct 100$ off the first month...when people give you discounts too easily it just feels like a ploy and a thing they give to everyone, it’s not anything special and it’s probably calculated inside whatever we have to pay. anyway, i was just thinking it would be cheaper (assuming the maximum that i would have to pay is ~$500, as i confirmed with them on the phone yesterday), it’d still be cheaper than starting an apartment lease now and going through the trouble of finding two subletters. 

well. idk, it’s also easy to have things all moved in, i have to find a place to store my perishables!

moving is so much work, and storing things. this reminds me of my paper on airbnb and about the digital nomad lifestyle. it is interesting though, that this is what it has become. but the homogenized aesthetic is something i really cannot stand, in airbnb, in coffeeshops around the world..i am sure you know what i’m talking about. a new york times writer did something about this - he termed it “Airspace” - and apparently it originated from Brooklyn. I guess that’s where the art/avant-garde stuff started. well. keep a look out im gonna write a blogpost about that 

moving on 

nat came to sleepover on sunday night and a few days after because the school kicks you out of the dorms you pay so much for right after your final ends. i forgot if we did something fun but i probably just fell asleep. 

on monday i think i went to f45 and did cardio at Dumbo with Gi. he seems like a pretty nice trainer, the first time i went it was him and another girl Bertha (i think my first f45 was last tuesday) and i felt like i had two personal trainers with me - Gi was cheering me on and Bertha was doing it with me. it felt like such a good workout, one of the best ive had in a while. then work, where i arranged the movers stuff. i also realized i bought the wrong date for my flight ticket as my friends and had to buy one more...............

tuesday was the same f45 in the morning, and the bobst after. didn’t really get much work done at bobst. oh i also viewed a 3BR flex at 160. hella expensive and small, and dates didn’t work out anyway. also the broker who brought us to view the apartment was a very nice tall french man and his name was jean-francois which i couldn’t pronounce and asked nat but still called him jean as in jeen instead of john. this is why i have to learn french. you’re embarrassing. i also went to the itp/ima spring show with shubham which was super cool. there were many cool ideas, and i just wonder if i could create something like that. i didn’t get to see all of the exhibits which i regret, but i remember a few notable projects. one was an installation made with keyboards that randomly clicks, but when you hold your phone up it’ll stop. it’s made using 3d gestures. there’s also one at a gallery for surveillance, this team had a thing they call facebox, and it’s literally a box, that when you open it has a webcam that would capture your face, find you on facebook, and print out an invoice/receipt on how much you have earned for this giant tech company.  what else...an AR project that when you scan a food,  it shows you where the food comes from. nat said that she would love it if menus have something they could scan and then have pictures appear in ~holographic~ format, or maybe in the nearer future something on your phone that shows you a picture of the picture of the food. but isn’t it a surprise tho? sometimes the fun’s in the surprise, you read the description, you know what are the foods you’ll eat, leaving room to imagine or be surprised by how the chef puts it together! anyway, went for dinner with nat and jenny - got vegan shwarma (definitely wasn’t worth $14) and went to get crepes with will after. 

wednesday we were gonna go to the dmv but we weren’t prepared. nat also needed to get her passport and she was lazy. wow the number of times i mentioned her, it feels like she’s my boyfriend at this point. talked to famz, sister, and beatrix. am currently considering if i should even go to beijing or just go straight home. fuck. went to bobst for work but no one was there i was just really sleepy. viewed an apartment at 55 morton (it’s a nice quiet residential street that seems to be tucked away from the loud cars and bars and people) then i went to f45 again-varsity!!! cardio!!!, walked across brooklyn bridge (a little regret although i wanted to walk, but my bag was heavy and there were too many tourists to brisk walk) 

also the reason for this is that after my soba/miso/salad/shrimp dinner last night i was just watching a bunch of netflix shows and it was probably the caffeine from puerto rican roasting company - the barista made me a chai cappuccino with almond milk (3 SHOTS!!!)

me and nat couldn’t sleep, i really think i slept for an hour. i watched so many different shows, yoko and john’s documentary, while we were young, anthony bourdain, i was seriously flipping through all the shows and alternating between amazonprme and youtube and netflix and i even tried watching peaceful cuisine and making the brightness lower and had the sleep mode on and wow i just couldn’t sleep

so yeah the birth of this word vomit 

i am going to create more things

[kujo1597]

Actually, That Was a Good Thing

Peridot’s first real world interaction with Amethyst after talking at a club was a success! Amethyst’s funny and beautiful, and really nice and- wow, Peridot has it bad for her.

Problem is, Peridot’s never dated before and she’s not really sure how to start. Dealing with people has never been her strong suit...

Chapter 2

Peridot: WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO ON A DATE WITH ME I REALLY LIKE YOU

Peridot’s thumb hovered over the send button.

Thoughts stirred in her mind.

What if she doesn’t like me how I like her?

Was that hug a friendly one? Or did it means she really likes me?

She said I’m cute but is it cute like a puppy or like a girl she’d date?

Lapis says I have a chance with Amethyst.

We did have fun when we spent time together.

No, I can’t.

Peridot sighed and deleted the message.

Maybe some other time...

“Have you talked to Amethyst lately?”

Lapis’ question came during breakfast.

Peridot hesitated before answering. “We have, not as much as before but we are talking.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Huh?”

“Something is clearly bugging you,” Lapis was as good at reading Peridot as ever.

As usual it took a bit for Peridot to respond. “I want to date Amethyst but I can’t work up the courage to ask her out. I type the message and then I get really anxious and delete it.

I’m pathetic.”

“Only a little.” Peridot gave Lapis a dirty look. “Okay okay, serious time. Look, we’ve been over this, Amethyst will go out with you. Just do it.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“Maybe you’d have better luck if you asked her out her face.”

Peridot looked at Lapis incredulously. “I’d get terribly tongue-tied if I tried that.”

Lapis smirked. “That’s probably especially easy ‘cause you’ve got two.”

“Lapis, serious time. And I only have one, it’s just cut down the middle.”

“I don’t know what to tell you. You did fine at the restaurant, why would this be any different?”

“Because we hugged and held hands and she’s been on my mind ever since,” Peridot groaned and buried her head in her hands. “This is why I’ve never dated. I suck at dealing with people.”

“Won’t lie to you, it can be hard. But isn’t constantly stressing out about it also really hard?”

“That’s true,” Peridot lifted her head. “I’ll try calling her tonight.”

Peridot had her thumb over Amethyst’s name in her address book.

Calling Amethyst is as simple as lowering a thumb.

But Peridot couldn’t.

Thoughts similar to the ones from the previous night swam in her mind.

“Well, I did tell Lapis that I’d try, not that I’d succeed.”

Sensing Peridot’s anxieties, Max nudged her with his nose then wriggled onto her lap.

"You know, I've never been good at reaching out to people," Peridot spoke as she pet her companion. "Sure, I get frustrated and rant at people and I'm a good listener but that's different from trying to connect with them or ask for help."

Max looked up at Peridot as she continued.

"It's a real problem and it hasn't been getting much better with time. This would be so much easier if Amethyst just called me."

A thought crossed Peridot's mind.

"Do you think Amethyst is having a similar struggle right now?"

Of course Max didn't answer, he's a dog. But talking to him helps sometimes.

"She's a lot more of an extrovert than I am but I think Amethyst has anxieties and insecurities too."

The moment when Peridot called Amethyst gorgeous immediately brought itself back into Peridot's mind.

"Yeah, she definitely does."

Courage swelled up in Peridot's chest.

She grabbed her phone, pulled up Amethyst's name again and

hesitated.

Peridot sighed. "'Just do it' huh? Easy for Lapis to say."

"But she was right about one thing, the constant stressing over this is really hard on me."

Peridot's thumb shook as it was lowered.

She lifted the phone up to her ear and listened to the dial tone.

Her gut twisted in knots.

This was a bad idea.

But Amethyst would see the missed call.

It's too late to back out now.

"Hello?"

Amethyst sounded tired.

"Hey Amethyst, it's Peridot," she spoke with the flat even tone of voice she uses when speaking to important professionals, a nervous habit.

"You feeling alright? You don't really sound like yourself."

Uh-oh.

"I'm fine," Peridot's voice cracked, she cleared her throat then continued using her professional voice. "There is just something I want to ask you."

"Shoot."

Peridot screamed internally to abort  the mission, to ask about games, or movies, anything but asking for a date!

But instead she took a deep breath to steel her nerves.

"Would you like to go on a date with me?"

"Another one so soon?"

Another one?

"Yeah, of course! I thought you'd wanna wait a bit before our next date." Peridot could hear Amethyst's smile.

But something needed to be said first.

"Sorry, Amethyst. I'm a bit confused. We've been on a date before?"

"I thought it was a date," Amethyst's voice was oddly quiet.

"To be honest, I have no idea if it was or not. I don't know how dating even works. I've never done it before."

"You've never dated before?"

Peridot blushed. "No, I haven't."

"That's cool, good to know," Amethyst softly laughed. "We won't count last time then, one of us was clueless."

"Oh good. Sooooo... when are you free?"

"Is Saturday cool with you? I have the whole day off."

"Yeah, Saturday's great," Peridot replied too loudly, volume control has never been her her forte. "Would you like to meet up for lunch around noon? But I have no idea what we could do afterwards."

"Well, it doesn't have to be a date date. We could just hang out at my place or yours. Whichever."

Oh that's much simpler.

Amethyst’s snicker told Peridot that she said that last thought out loud.

“Like I said, I’m very new to this,” Peridot giggled as she spoke. “Why don’t you come over here? I can make us a delicious lunch then we can play games or watch movie or TV.”

“You know, I never pegged you as a chef.”

Peridot shrugged. “I grew up cooking, my dad taught me when I was little. I enjoy it.”

“I can’t wait for you to wow me with your cooking skills.”

“Heh,” Peridot started to blush. “So, do you have any food allergies?”

“Nope, I can and will eat anything.”

“Good to know, so then, see you on Saturday.”

“Yep, see ya Saturday.”

As soon as Peridot hung up she realized that she completely forgot to ask if if she needs to dress up. It’d be terribly embarrassing if Amethyst dressed up and she didn’t, or vise-versa.

So Peridot sent a text and quickly got a reply.

That wasn’t so hard after all...

Oh who was she kidding?

That was really freaking hard!

But it should be easier next time.

...Should.

The next day Peridot heard a knock at the door. She quickly made sure that her clothes weren’t riding up anywhere, then she briefly wondered if she should’ve worn something nicer than an open bright green hoodie, geeky t-shirt, and dark blue jeans. But it was too late to change.

Peridot opened the door and saw Amethyst wearing a very pale pink tanktop with tears on the bottom and on her love handles.

Who would’ve thought that excess fat just above the hips could be so aesthetically pleasing? 

Peridot’s eyes drifted farther down to Amethyst’s low-rise jeans. Some suppressed chuckles alerted Peridot to the fact that her eyes lingered too long and of her blush.

“Oh sorry I-uh-I ummmm,” words failed Peridot for an awkward moment. “Oh darn, uh, come in.”

Amethyst noticed Peridot’s one sock-foot and its prosthetic counterpart, she bent down to take her shoes off.

“Oh,” Peridot was quick to speak. “You can leave your shoes on if you want. I just take mine off out of habit.”

“I don’t mind,” Amethyst finished removing her shoes then Peridot led her to the living room where Max was on the couch warily looking at Amethyst.

Periot walked over to Max and picked him up. “It’s alright, that’s Amethyst.”

After being put on the floor Max ran up to Amethyst wagging his tail.

Amethyst chuckled. “Aw, he’s so cute! He barely even looks like a real dog; he looks like a toy.”

“Yeah, it’s one of the reasons why I wanted a havanese,” Peridot said with a grin. “I should show you the rest of the house.

So Peridot took Amethyst on a tour with Max happily trotting next to her.

The two ended with the kitchen. Amethyst sat down at the table as Peridot gathered up the ingredients for crépes which she prepared earlier. Mise en place is important.

And it’s a good way to keep nervous hands busy while waiting for your gorgeous crush to show up.

“So what are you making?” Amethyst gave up on trying to guess based off of the ingredients. 

“Crépes,” Peridot replied. “My mother’s French and a Quebecois so they were a big part of growing up.”

“A kay-what?”

Peridot stifled a giggle. “A Quebecois, somebody from Quebec. The way I pronounced it is the way francophones do. My mother’s very picky about that. I remember it driving her nuts that nobody pronounces my name with a silent ‘t.’ But I’m used to it and actually kind of prefer the other pronunciation.”

“So I’m dating a French girl?” Amethyst wiggled her eyebrows. “You gonna seduce me in French?”

Peridot snorted. “I grew up in Alberta and I’m only French on my mother’s side. Besides, I’m sure the only reason people find French romantic is because they don’t speak it. I mean, I do, but-”

“Aw, boo,” Amethyst playfully said with a pout

“Alright, I like big butts and I cannot lie.”

“So what’d you say?”

Peridot burst out laughing. “You’ll have to figure that out on your own. I just blurted out the first dumb thing I thought of.”

“Not even a little hint?”

“Nope,” Peridot stuck her tongue out.

“You butt.”

The pair giggled as Peridot turned around to tend to lunch. “Hey, you should pick out what you want in your crépe.”

Amethyst looked in the fridge. "So what all can you put in a crepe? They're like, really thin pancakes, right?"

"You can put pretty much anything in them. I'd stick to light foods. We should have some ham if you need meat in your lunch."

"Ham's great," Amethyst dug in the fridge some more. "Hey, can I have cheese and mushrooms?"

"Sure," Peridot replied as she slid crépe out of the pan. She started another.

Amethyst slid next to Peridot. "Can I try making one?"

"Alright," Peridot finished the one she had on the go then stepped aside.

Peridot watched as Amethyst ladled batter into the pan as if she was making pancakes. "That might be a bit too much. It's best if you put a small amount in the pan then slowly move it around to spread it evenly and thinly."

"Like this?" Amethyst asked as she tried a second time.

"Yeah, perfect. While you do that I'm gonna give Max his lunch."

Peridot grabbed Max’s bowl and scooped some of his kibble into it. The pooch excitedly licked his lips and stood on his hind legs. Peridot gave him a pat on the head then checked on Amethyst.

“That looks good,” Peridot said as she peaked over Amethyst’s shoulder. She then pulled some dark jam out of the fridge.

Amethyst noticed the jar. “What kinda jam is that?”

“Blueberry,” Peridot replied.

“Can I put some in my crepe too?”

This really puzzled Peridot. “You can, I wouldn’t recommend it, but you could.”

“Peri, half the fun of cooking’s trying weird shit,” Amethyst said with a smirk.

“Yeah, I’ll take your word for it.”

Under Peridot’s guidance Amethyst made another couple crépes for herself. They turned out fairly well. Before sitting down Peridot made a couple plain ones and put them to the side saying that they’re for Lapis to have as a snack.

“Is Max allowed table scraps?” Amethyst asked, looking into his pleading brown eyes. “I’d feel kinda bad if he could have some and I ate it all right in front of him.”

“Generally no,” Peridot replied. “But I will give him some meat or carrots on occasion. But no ham, pork makes him sick,” Peridot added the pork comment as soon as she saw Amethyst about to give ham to Max. “It’s really hard to resist those eyes of his.”

Amethyst took a bite of her lunch. “ This is really good,” she then cut off another piece, “you try it.”

Peridot was not sold on eating a ham, cheese, mushroom, blueberry jam, and stars knows what else crépe. And it showed.

“Aw, c’mon Peri, you won’t know you don’t like it until you try it,” Amethyst put on her sweetest smile.

With some hesitation Peridot gave in. Amethyst held a piece out on her fork and leaned over the table.

“You’re feeding it to me?” Peridot felt a bit silly.

“Of course,” Amethyst replied suppressing laughter.

Peridot shook her head and opened her mouth allowing Amethyst to put the creation into it. She chewed and tried her best to not show that she really did not like the flavour combination.

Unfortunately Peridot’s poker face needed some work. Amethyst finally burst out laughing. “Your face! That’s priceless! I take it you didn’t like my crepe.”

"No! It was awful!" Peridot made a decision, she cut a piece off of her crépe and held it out to Amethyst. "I want you to try mine."

Amethyst bit down on Peridot's fork with a sly look and no hesitation. She happily chewed it. "That is pretty good."

Peridot's pride swelled.

"You know what it needs though?" Amethyst's playful expression was back.

"Don't."

"Ham."

"Gyah," Peridot groaned.

After a shared laugh they ate the rest of their lunch while talking about what they should do with the rest of the day.

They decided to watch movies together. Amethyst plopped down on the couch as Peridot knelt in front of her DVD collection. A particular partially melted case caught her eye. With a small grunt she opened it and popped the DVD into her PS3.

Peridot sat on the opposite side of the couch a bit miffed that Amethyst chose the side she did. Sitting on Lapis' side was weird. And on top of that, the position Amethyst was in was so inviting. Peridot briefly thought that she would fit so perfectly on Amethyst's lap.

She suppressed the rising urge and snuggled Max instead.

It was way too early in the relationship to curl up together.

Wasn't it?

While the pre-movie previews played Peridot found herself staring at Amethyst and her inviting arms again.

"Wanna cuddle?" Amethyst asked as if she could read Peridot's mind.

Or maybe she just felt Peridot's gaze.

Peridot automatically nodded but didn't budge. "Are you sure it's not too early in our relationship for something so... intimate?"

"Dude, it's cuddling, it's not super intimate, it's actually a nice way to bond," Amethyst sprawled out even more to make room for Peridot. "Besides, relationships don't have a schedule, there is no 'too early' or 'too late' when it comes to this. You gotta go with the flow."

"Okay, I'll do my best to 'flow' with you," Peridot said then crawled onto Amethyst's lap.

Amethyst wrapped her arms around Peridot after she got settled in.

Peridot let out a contented sigh.

She's never felt safer or more at ease.

"Comfy?" Amethyst asked and Peridot nodded. "Good."

Halfway through the movie Max perked up. When Peridot glanced at the hallway she saw Lapis.

"Hey," Lapis greeted the pair.

"Hi Lapis," Peridot returned the greeting while Amethyst waved. "We had crépes for lunch. I put a couple in the fridge for you."

"Okay, thanks," Lapis called while walking to her room.

Peridot redirected her attention to Amethyst. "So what do you think of the movie so far?"

"It's really good."

"I know," Peridot's face lit up. "It's always been a favourite of mine! I'm so glad it survived."

"Survived?"

"Yeah, the fire. Who would have thought a cheap glass case would be so good at keeping flames at bay?"

"They wouldn't make cookwear out of glass if it caught on fire easily," Amethyst pointed out trying to figure out how to keep things from getting awkward like last time.

"You know, that never even crossed my mind."

Amethyst was successful.

"Oh!" Peridot exclaimed. "This is the best part!"

They started to pay attention to the movie again and finished it while cuddling.

The time came for Amethyst to leave. She wanted to stay for longer but Pearl needed her at home.

"Thanks for coming over, I really enjoyed myself today," Peridot said as she held out her arms for a hug.

"Thanks for having me," Amethyst gave Peridot a strong hug, then gave Max a pat on the head. "Bye little buddy."

Max wiggled his whole body.

Peridot giggled. "He really likes you." She wrapped her arm around Amethyst's waist and gave her a peck on the cheek. "And so do I."

She felt soooo smooth in that moment, especially when Amethyst started to blush.

"Nerd," Amethyst kissed Peridot's left cheek.

The two separated and waved as Amethyst walked out the door.

Peridot touched where Amethyst had kissed her and felt the uneven texture.

Amethyst chose that cheek.

That small detail meant a lot to Peridot.

What a wonderful end to a great day.

[vivitalks]

I dare you to find one of the long-ass ask games, and answer e v e r y question. I dared you so you have to, hah!

i can’t find a SUPER long ass one because i only have 13 minutes til my wifi shuts off but here we go (the aesthetic asks thing)

raindrops: what’s your favourite song to unwind? oh boy i don’t know. i mean, probably the dear evan hansen soundtrack. it’s sad, but also, not crazy, which is nice.

scented candles: do you enjoy reading? if so what’s your favourite book? i LOVE reading and my two favorite books ever in the world are A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett and The Paradox of Vertical Flight by Emi Ostrovski. if you have followed me for awhile you should probably know this

chai latte: your starbucks/coffee order? iced decaf caramel macchiato, and i never thought i’d have an actual answer to this 

fairy lights: do you sleep with the lights on or off? off?? what kind of money-spending, energy-guzzling maniac sleeps with them on??

peaches: do you enjoy photography? i enjoy looking at it, and i like taking pictures but most of them are just average haha

summer nights: summer or winter? or perhaps something else? between the two, summer, because no school

neon lights: describe what you’d do at 2am with your best friends. oh my god we’d do each other’s makeup and talk about deep topics like do we want a relationship and are we gay and are we Okay

winged eyeliner: do you wear makeup? no but i have mascara which i occasionally wear

bath bombs: what’s your favourite lush product? i don’t.,.........use lush products SORRY

soft kisses: ever kissed someone of the same sex? yeah but just as friends. i know that sounds like “no homo” but it really was

fire crackles: describe your ideal winters evening. curled up in front of the fire with hot chocolate and like crepes and my best friend, and we’re discussing musicals we like and it’s great. my dad isn’t there

spring flowers: what’s your favourite flower/plant? i like hibiscus flowers (you should know this also) and forget-me-nots are pretty

messy buns: if you could dye your hair any colour what would it be? ooh i was thinking about this the other day. maybe dark blue. i think like midnight blue would be a really cool and like...grounding color. actually, i might just do that. i asked my mom if i could dye my hair when i got it cut. she skillfully did not answer but i could totally convince her

warm tea: what’s your favourite tea? if you don’t like tea, what’s your favourite drink? i love tea, and my favorite tea is english breakfast with milk and sugar, the british way

full moon: do you prefer the stars or the moon? tracing constellations with your eyes or picking the petals off of flowers? stars!!!! so pretty!!! and i think petals because it’s a physical thing and you can’t really see enough stars where i live to be able to see constellations

constellations: do you have freckles? any that resemble anything celestial? yeah i have a ton of freckles and i mean....odds are they do, but i haven’t checked

young love: have you ever fallen in love? if so describe how you felt. i think so, and it was kinda scary? that’s lame maybe i wasn’t in love after all but it was kind of a mix of scary and nervous and total relief. i mean it was very possibly all in my head because i’m pretty positive he wasn’t in love with me back but

holding hands: kisses or cuddles? stay-at-home dates or out-and-about ones? having never been kissed, i’ll say cuddles. and i’m a big fan of staying at home, but i would really like to go out more, so out-and-about for dates i think

cold mornings: what time do you wake up? are you an early bird or a night owl? i am forced by the hell men to wake up at 6am but realistically i get up at 6:20. on non-school mornings it’s between 9 and 11. and i am DEFINITELY a night owl

sleepy cuddles: lace or silk? nights in sheets with the one you love or afternoons hand-in-hand? silk, wtf lace is like....scratchy because of the holes. and afternoons hand-in-hand, obviously, lmao

side note: i fucking love marina and also mekayla bless your souls i love you so much. also: finished with three minutes to spare!! nice @ myself

[harryandmeghan0-blog]

Inside Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's glitzy royal wedding reception party

New Post has been published on https://harryandmeghan.xyz/inside-meghan-markle-and-prince-harrys-glitzy-royal-wedding-reception-party/

Inside Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's glitzy royal wedding reception party

NEWLYWEDS Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had a right royal knees-up at their lavish afterparty, complete with “naughty” speeches, and James Corden playing the court jester.

The bride and groom danced the night away with Harry’s favourite house tracks and Elton John on the piano while guests tucked into “dirty burgers” and candyfloss, The Sun reports.

These were washed down with a cocktail featuring ginger and rum named When Harry Met Meghan in an apparent nod to Harry’s red hair at the bash at Frogmore House.

Prince Charles had royal wedding guests in stitches with a speech about changing Prince Harry’s nappy before a firework display ensured the night went off with a bang.

Harry — introduced by best man William — also delighted guests with an emotional “off the cuff” speech, and drew a rapturous reception when he referred to Meghan as his wife for the first time.

And Wills also didn’t disappoint — reportedly making a “naughty” speech before Meghan broke tradition and stood up to thank the Royal family for “welcoming” her.

A guest at the wedding told the Daily Mail: “Charles spoke about feeding Harry a bottle and changing his nappy, and then said, ‘look how well he turned out.’

“That’s about as embarrassing as it got.

“He ended it calling him, ‘My darling old Harry, I’m so happy for you,’ which was very sweet,” the guest said.

“He said he was very pleased to be asked (to walk Meghan down the aisle) and happy to help out.”

Charity boss Suhani Jalota told The Sun guests were left wiping their eyes during the emotional speeches. “Some people were even crying. I think it was just a very, really nice atmosphere to be in where everybody felt really loved,” Ms Jalota said.

In a particularly touching moment, Prince Charles reportedly paid tribute to Meghan and detailed Harry’s childhood, before complimenting the couple on how “beautiful” they looked.

James Corden also played a surprise role as compere on the night, hosted by Prince Charles in a $538,000 glass marquee in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

Meghan and Harry were earlier seen heading to the more intimate reception, attended by 250 guests, in an E-type Jaguar with the licence plate bearing the date of their wedding.

The bride looked stunning in her second dress — a lily-white Stella McCartney halter neck silk crepe gown, and shoes from Aquazurra.

She also had on an emerald-cut aquamarine ring which Princess Diana wore just weeks before her death in August 1997.

Harry looked dapper in a tuxedo as he helped his wife into the eco-friendly electric version of a 1968 Jaguar E-Type and drove them the 800m from a private apartment in Windsor Castle to the black tie evening reception.

FULL ROYAL WEDDING COVERAGE HERE

Meghan’s girl squad saves the day

‘Who invited him?’: James Blunt’s hilarious retort

Gross reason for Suits star’s ‘bored’ face

Meghan’s post-wedding shock

What people missed about this empty chair

The newlyweds’ arrival was only the latest break in royal tradition for the couple, who were praised for a modern ceremony.

The smitten couple earlier delighted more than 100,000 well-wishers with a romantic kiss on the steps of St George’s Chapel.

The after-party followed a more formal lunchtime reception hosted by the Queen at Windsor Castle, where guests nibbled on luxury canapes.

These included Scottish langoustine wrapped in smoked salmon with citrus crème fraiche as well as warm asparagus spears wrapped in Cumbrian ham with mozzarella and sunblush tomatoes.

They also dined on poached free range chicken in a lightly-spiced yoghurt with roasted apricot and croquette of confit Windsor lamb, roasted vegetables and shallot jam.

They were treated to bitesize slices of the stunning $90,000 lemon and elderflower wedding cake designed by East London baker Claire Ptak.

But the evening was more informal with guests dancing the night away to house music curated by Sam Totolee, who performed at Pippa Middleton’s wedding.

Their first dance was said to have been Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody, according to The Mail.

A guest told People: “Harry promised that all the Americans wouldn’t steal the swords and said, ‘Please, when you leave, be quiet as you don’t want to wake the neighbours,’ which was quite fun.

“It was more than you would ever imagine it to be. It did feel like we were really part of their very special occasion. It just felt about the two of them, which was great.”

The beaming Royal paid tribute to his bride, and joked that guests should leave quietly to avoid waking the neighbours.

Elton John later brought the house down with a barnstorming set — after Prince Harry quipped: “Can any one here play the piano?”

The superstar played a set including Lion King classic Circle of Life, Tiny Dancer and I’m Still Standing.

FULL ROYAL WEDDING COVERAGE HERE

Diana’s lookalike steals spotlight

Truth about ‘missed�� curtsy

Celebs dazzle at royal after-party

Royals’ touching tributes to Diana

Fergie is back in Royal blue

Meghan stuns in second dress

Charity boss Suhani Jalota told how the speeches left guests wiping their eyes, and said a raucous cheer went up when Harry finally referred to Meghan as his wife.

She said: “Some people were even crying. I think it was just a very, really nice atmosphere to be in, where everybody felt really loved.

“Essentially, it was just about how Harry was as a child and growing up. And now just about the couple and how beautiful they are together.

“So I think it was just about their personalities and how they gel really well together.

“He [Harry] was talking about his wife and you know everybody was clapping because it was the first time he was using that term for Meghan so it was really nice.”

Jalota, who founded the India-based Myna Mahila charity, told how Elton John then wowed guests with a small concert.

She said: “He was incredible. It became like a mini-concert in the reception area. It was great.”

But the party was lacking a father-of-the bride speech after Meghan’s dad Thomas Markle Senior pulled out of attending over health fears.

While both princes reportedly impressed attendees at the evening function, some guests may have been left disappointed by the omission of the groom’s late mother in speeches.

According to the Daily Mail, a guest at the reception said there was “no mention of Diana in the speeches”.

After the reception ended, boozed-up guests reportedly travelled to the trendy Chiltern Firehouse in London to carry on the night.

Some of the A-listers who attended the wedding held an “after-afterparty” at the bar in Marylebone at around 1am.

The nuptials at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle featured a showstopping sermon from an American preacher and a moving rendition of Stand By Me by a black gospel choir.

Bishop Michael Curry’s lively speech had viewers talking — it was either a much-needed injection of power and passion or a rambling, “WTF” moment.

At various points in his rather lengthy speech, those inside the chapel could be seen smirking and stifling giggles — and that includes several members of the extended royal family.

Meghan’s wedding dress was designed by British designer, Clare Waight Keller of Givenchy and contained an incredible hidden tribute to Commonwealth nations in the veil.

Kensington Palace said Meghan chose the designer for her “timeless and elegant aesthetic, impeccable tailoring, and relaxed demeanour.”

This story first appeared in The Sun and is reproduced here with permission.

– with Hannah Paine, news.com.au