#look this was going to be a photoset of his outfit and it's details but I need to find a better spot for pics

[non-sims]

[accio-victuuri]

CANDIES Round-Up: Weibo TV & Internet Awards

so glad to see the 31-year old xiao zhan walk his first red carpet, the first of many, i hope. despite the stress this event brought us upto the last minute— i’m sure we are all happy to get a glimpse of our dearest xiao laoshi.

now let’s look at all the clowning potential brought to us by this event. all of this is CPN. I may miss some things but if it’s interesting enough I will make a separate post about it.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

The “day” started off with XZS sharing photos of ZZ and what most of us noticed is the brooch/pin he is wearing. It is GUCCI, which is on brand for him but what’s special is that it is a 🐝 , similar to the one he wore during 2020 Weibo Night. Guess who he was with that time? As per the wardrobe accounts, it’s not a pin but is something embroidered on his tie. But it really says alot that BXGs have one braincell and we collectively thought of the same event.

Also look at the time on his watch. Is he doing some Kadian again? I see 8:50? Or maybe i’m hallucinating and that’s the lack of sleep talking. 😂

• We had some ChenWei potential aesthetic going on because of this. HAHAHAHAHA! WeiWei borrowing his husband’s clothes to wear at an event. There is a galaxy CPN to this cause that blue top is not tagged by any wardrobe account. So it might be his own — which is usual for inner wear like this. But gives us hope that it’s a shoutout to Chen Yu. LOL.

• Plus we had the same stage, or should i say their works were show next to each other in one of the videos shown @ the event. Awwww. 🤍

• If you add all the photos that XZS posted tonight, it is 28. Love Bo ( Yibo ) in kadian. His first photoset also had the 3rd and 8th photo with a “reflection” effect to it. 3 for Zan and 8 for Bo.

Same energy :

• My favorite clowning tho involves ZZ’s necklace. You know i’m obsessed ( derogatory ) with the accessories they wear and what could it possibly mean. especially if there are similarities. Now this one appears to have the same details as WYB’s in last year’s Weibo Night which they both attended. It’s not the same, GG’s is a Gucci Heart Necklace. but that tiny detail and similarity makes me happy ☺️

The theme in ZZ’s GUCCI jewelry is filled with hearts, and it’s a coincidence that when you look at the logo, it can be the number 8. Bo. Yibo. Let me repeat, the heart shape. That’s Yibo’s favorite. Heart with a mole. Snow Heart. GG’s heart drawing last 2020. I can go on and on, it’s a recurring symbol that we CPN.

• If you wanna clown some more, if you look at his Alexander McQueen outfit, it spells out W. Is it for Mister Wang? 🤡🤡🤡

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

The second part of this post is about what you probably have been seeing bxgs share on weibo— GG who was sat next to Chen Feiyu / Arthur Chen. I won’t go into detail about all the rumors from a long time ago, but there were talk of CFY dissing WYB. If this is true and to what extent, we don’t know. What was documented tho is for a time WYB’s solo fans were mad at CFY, but the older fans stopped the online attacks because CFY has strong connections ( his parents ) in the industry. At the time, WYB was not as prominent as he is now so he can’t really protect himself. The CPN is ZZ is knows this and does not like CFY because of what he did to WYB. Or maybe he just doesn’t like nepotism babies like I do. LOL.

Now look at XZ’s face when CFY sits next to him and judge for yourself:

XZ is usually mister polite but this is not his usual reaction at awards ( or any event ) like this. Even if we don’t know about the whole WYB and CFY incident before, I will be wondering what’s going on. I mean, he didn’t even acknowledge him. XZ will usually give a bow/ nod to people even if he doesn’t know them. I saw fan cams of him greeting other people in this area so I know that the gracious XZ is still there. This is pretty sus and I understand why BXGs picked up on it. When we got photos of the seating arrangement, people were already talking about him being next to CFY and the implications of it. We all didn’t expect for an interaction like this to happen. The Chongqing Pepper really came out. If you watched his dramas, you will recognize this face that he is making and when he uses it.

On the flipside, I also don’t advise any talk about XZ having a grudge on CFY. As I said, this person has strong connections. I don’t want to imply that XZ has beef with a person with just this video alone. If anything, just take it as a double standard. Lol. with WYB, he is all smiley and scooting closer. With others, he has his bitch face on and he is moving away. 😂😂😂

A deja vu moment we also had was this one. ZZ with his award and all alone. I truly hope one day he can be at an event with WYB and he can laugh freely. I know that both their fame now forces them to be extra cautious of what they do. Be careful of who they interact with and all that. I think I’m not the only one who wants to see him laughing and genuinely enjoying an event. The nice thing tho is GG was spotted outside the venue with his team, he was chilling and texting. Who are you texting? The love of your life? Awwwww. This is a nice change from his 2020 stolen photo where he was texting and looked super stressed.

-END.

[sweetdevil-sims]

The Ultimate CAS Catalog Overhaul - for real this time!

@lorasandolasbycz asked:

Hi! I love that you made ridiculous sims 3 outfit hiders. Is the procedure with putting them in and getting them to work just the standard? Put the package in sims 3>mods>packages ? For some reason the ridiculous outfits are still in my game. Thanks a bunch! 

Well this turned out significantly longer than I anticipated 😂 I did notice that those hiders weren’t working anymore for some reason, but figured it was just my game being pissy, so I left them up and went through ALL sim CAS items again to reorganize them (it was long overdue anyway). This is what I’ll be posting here. It’s a long-ass post, so check under the cut for details.

This applies for all EPs minus ITF, and for HELS. Also I did not initially mean to share these, so only the hairs have previews (because I gave them custom thumbnails). All of them are default replacements, meaning you need to have the EPs/SP for them to do anything. You can put them in any folder you want, as long as it’s under Mods\Packages.

Folder link (hair retextures + CASP recategorizers)

Read under the cut before downloading!

Hair retextures

The hair retextures are only for the hairstyles I decided to keep! Not all hairstyles are retextured! No, I won’t be doing more. Yes, you can use my textures to retexture your own. Yes, I kept the mullet hair from the Basegame. Who do you take me for? [ click for HQ version of the collage above ]

IMG edits

I use these alongside other IMG and mesh edits: [x], no UL stencils, [x], [x], [x], [x], [x], [x], [x]. Basegame: a merged version of all my texture edits: 1, 2, 3, 4. Ambitions: this edit for the low-level stylist outfit: 1. Island Paradise: stencil-less version of the male vest, plus this: 1.   Late Night: a few specular edits, a stencil-less version of the muscle shirt, plus this specular edit: 1. Showtime: specular edits of two dresses. University Life: stencil-less version of the male hoodie, plus this: 1.

CASP edits

Recategorizers and hiders for sim CAS content - tops, bottoms, outfits, shoes,  accessories -, all ages. Open each package in S3PE and use S3OC to see which item is which; there are over 1.5k entries so I have no time to go through every one of them again. At most I can show you how part of my catalog looks (see photoset above). Note that I also use Nraas Master Controller to compress the catalog so that only one preset is displayed.

Pets Riding Leggings Edit (BottomEP5RidingPants)

This is an edit that gives all the channels the same color (the mask is intact so they can still be recolored as usual) and rearranges the presets so that the all-black one is first. It comes with EA-match thumbnails to reflect the color changes. It applies to both genders, teen-elder.

[amphtaminedreams]

Cannes Film Festival 2019: Best Dressed

Forget the Met Gala everyone, real ones know that the Cannes Film Festival is the fashion event of the year! In part because it lasts for 12 whole days so there’s more content to sit there in my pyjamas analysing but also because it’s way less hyped up and thus less likely to leave you disappointed, a fate I’ve now resigned myself to with the Met. For almost 2 weeks, the richest, most out of touch people in the world spend their days looking pretty on a red carpet and judging films; I should be grossed out, but it’s more a case of just wishing I was there. So I present to you a collection of my favourite looks! 

Winnie Harlow (left), in Jean Paul Gaultier here, was one of my stand outs this year. Yes, I remember her from America’s Next Top Model and yes, I’m going to blame the edit, because LOOK AT THAT FUCKING STANCE. I’m in awe. This is my favourite look of hers this year (mostly because of this particular moment) but it’s the first of a few I’m going to bang on about. On the right is Priyanka Chopra in Georges Hobeika, complemented by the walking accessory that is Nick Jonas.

Priyanka and Nick’s daytime looks were beautiful too (left), and if you’re not paying attention to the Cannes daytime looks YOU SHOULD. Stefanie Giesinger (right)’s outfit is sleek and crisp and effortless and everything I want to emulate but also a lot more accessible than the average red carpet look.

Similarly, here we have Izabel Goulart (left), Caroline Daur (both of the middle looks), and Chloe Sevigny (right), out and about in Cannes all looking elegant (I mentally pronounced that RuPaul saying eloquent) as fuck. I imagine a lot of these pieces cost more individually than I will ever have collectively in my bank account at one time, but there you go. I imagine they could be replicated for a lot less.

But, let’s go back to the red carpet so we can talk about Winnie Harlow again, lmao. I desperately want to know who her stylist is because her Richard Quinn dress (far left) complements her skin tone perfectly AND the accessories are PERFECT, which I’m impressed by because I feel celebrity stylists often tend to go over the top in that regard. Winnie’s Ralph and Russo look (far right) also flawed me; @ mystery stylist, I bow down. Elsa Hosk reminded us all that gloves can be subtle and looked as ethereal as ever in a white, puff sleeved Redemption dress (second to right) and the things I would do for Maya Henry’s Ralph and Russo dress (second to left) are unholy.

Of course Georges Hobeika, Zuhair Murad and Gimabattista Valli (invented the phrase Holy Trinity) dresses made an appearance, and I internally weeped as saving photos of them to my phone is the closest I’ll probably ever get to owning one. Left to right here we have Ana Beatriz Barros in Hobeika, Valery Kaufman in Zuhair Murad, Bianca Brandolini d’Adda in Giambattista Valli x H&M (more on that in a minute), and Shanina Shaik in Georges Hobeika too.

See, it was a good day for the Giambattista Valli x H&M collaboration because Kendall Jenner (far left) wore one of the dresses too, and it was probably her most iconic Cannes moment, not counting those photos of her and Bella Hadid laughing in rich on that yacht. Ultimate Victoria’s Secret model (trash company but it has given us some goddesses, let’s be real) Adriana Lima also looked phenomenal in Ester Abner, and Natasha Poly (second to left) and Josephine Skriver (far right) were born to wear Atelier Versace and Alberta Ferretti, clearly. The shade of Josephine’s lipstick is a beautiful touch.

Honestly, these were my initial 3 favourite looks of the whole festival. I’m a simple girl, I’ll pretty much lay down my life for anything blue or tulle, so obviously, Alina Baikova in Zuhair Murad (left) is one of my favourites. For the same reason, minus the blue part, I adore Araya Hargate’s Ralph and Russo dress, and CAN WE TALK ABOUT ELLE FANNING (right)!? The poor girl feinted after one of her red carpets and we could have a whole conversation about how fucked up it is that a sample size was so tight on a very slim woman that it caused her to lose consciousness, but for now, I’m just going to commend her for her services to fashion because it’s almost 1am and I need to get some bloody sleep. Regardless, the finishing touch of the flowers in the hair make this my favourite of Elle’s Cannes looks, and the dress is by Valentino.

More red carpet stand outs were, from left to right, Pixie Lott (yes, I didn’t know she was still doing her thing either but power to her, despite the fact Mama Do plays approximately 73 times a day at my work) in Yanina Couture, Madison Headrick in Ashi Studio Spring 2019 Haute Couture, and Michelle Rodriguez in Rami Kadi.

Farhana Bodi’s (far left) was stunning in a cobalt Atelier Zuhra gown, as were Hina Khan in Ziad Nakad (second to left) and Chris Lee in Gucci (far right). I kind of live for witnessing a lavender pixie cut a la vegan, marxist twitter on a stuffy red carpet, and I will also take a reprieve from this breakneck speed to congratulate DJ Kiddy Smile (second from right) for doing what Harry Styles should’ve at the Met. This is spitting in the face of toxic masculinity, men, not wearing a sheer blouse; your endless supply of pink suits can’t save you from our criticisms forever (I like Harry Styles, this is a joke, please no one hurt me).

Next we have, from left to right, Diana Penty in Nedo by Nedret Taciroglu, Elle Fanning again stepping on all our necks in Dior, and on the far right, Eva Longoria in Alberta Ferretti. Now, 3 things: firstly, I stupidly saved the 3rd photo without including a note of who she is or who her dress is by and so if anybody happens to read this and knows, HELP A GIRL OUT. Secondly, I still stan Eva Longoria for playing Gabby Solis in Desperate Housewives which is the most slept on show amongst millennials and I wanted to use this opportunity to make a passionate PSA and say EVERYONE WATCH IT so references from it (”Rex cries when he ejaculates” anyone?) can become part of our cultural zeitgeist again. Finally, Elle fucking Fanning, can you let us breathe, please? This old Hollywood inspired Dior look is so simple but probably one of my favourite looks from the whole festival because who knew it was possible to simultaneously look so glamorous and yet also so soft? It’s timeless.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Taylor Hill makes the best dressed list twice. Obviously, she could wear a bin bag and look beautiful, but her stylist knows just how to elevate the whole angelic, other worldly being thing she has going on, and she was stunning in Ines Di Santo (left) and Fendi (middle) at the Rocketman premiere. Bella Hadid brought the same divine energy in a white, tulle Dior dress (far right).

Another one of Elle Fanning’s flawless Cannes moments was courtesy of Gucci (far left). On its own, I don’t think this dress would catch my attention as much as it did BUT the cape detailing with the red lipstick and the hair pulled back makes this outfit a stand out for me. To Elle’s right are Natalia Vodianova in Atelier Versace (second from the left), and Lea Seydoux (second from right) and Stacy Martin (far right) both in Louis Vuitton.

I’m gonna take a small break from Elle Fanning to fangirl over Guan Xiao Tong in Atelier Versace (far left). The quality of the photo I saved wouldn’t be out of place on 13 year old me’s HTC phone but I also think nothing captures how beautiful the structure of Guan Xiao’s dress was better than a semi aerial shot, and the same goes for Sririta Jensen in Michael Cinco (far right). Now back to admiring Elle Fanning, in Ryan Lo (second from left) and Vivienne Westwood (second from right).

Her daytime looks are just as good. Elle wears Marc Jacobs on the left, Miu Miu on the far right, and I have no bloody idea on the middle. If you’re reading this and you know, HMU. I promise, it’s not me being lazy; Elle.com doesn’t know either.

To go back to red carpet looks, I loved Izabel Goulart in Valentino Couture (left) looking like she just killed her husband, Dracula, after a domestic that resulted from her draining the blood of his afternoon snacks (I’m coming for your gig, Stephenie Meyer). Coco Rocha looked incredible in Elie Saab (middle); I’m surprised this was the only one of her dresses that stood out to me this year because I really like her designs. God knows I have spent far too long imagining myself in one. Lastly in this photoset, there’s Leomie Anderson in Rami Kadi (right) and, like, WOW.

Now, I’m going to whizz through these last few photosets. First is Sara Sampaio in Armani, then Alina Baikova in Zuhair Murad, Charlotte Gainsbourg in Christian Dior Haute Couture, and finally Sui He on the far right. I’m not sure who she’s wearing and Harper’s Bazaar and reverse image search is giving me dust so as always, if you’re reading and you know, hmu.

From left to right here: Stella Maxwell in Atelier Versace, Martha Hunt in Monique L’Huillier, Gayle Rankin in Delpozo and Dua Lipa in Valentino.

L-R: Madison Beer in Georges Hobeika (STUNNING, and I just read on Twitter that there was a gun pulled out at one of her concerts which is insane, and how has it become so commonplace in the states that something like that doesn’t make headline news?), Chloe Sevigny (again, I stan) in Miu Miu, and Hailey Clauson in Ralph and Russo.

L-R: Elle Fanning in Reem Acra (another fucking beautiful cape!), Elsa Hosk in Alberta Ferretti (Cannes 2019 has been GREAT advertisement for Alberta and power to her, am I right?), Jasmine Tookes in Zuhair Murad (I have LOVED this dress ever since its runway debut and there are few human beings out there who would do it more justice than Jasmine), and finally Araya Hargate again in Atelier Versace.

To finish, Eva Longoria’s sleek all camel day look is more of Alberta Ferretti doing what she does best, high fashion Twitter darling Sasha Luss’s dress is couture Chanel, and so is Margot Robbie’s. It’s the delicate touch of the plaits that I love with Margot’s look and Eva looks radiant, and both are a final reminder NOT TO SLEEP ON CANNES’ DAYTIME FASHION.

All in all, Cannes produced just as many extortionately expensive fairy princess looks as ever and, as always, I lived for it. I love dark, grungy fashion but still, the little girl in me can’t beat feathers, satin and sequins; there’s no event better suited for vicariously living out my French vanilla fantasy. 

It also brings together two of my favourite things in life: films and fashion. Call me a basic bitch, but I’m very excited for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (though I am conflicted about whether to see it in cinemas considering I just found out Leonard DiCaprio has known his current girlfriend since SHE WAS 11, like, what the fuck?), Portrait of a Lady on Fire sounds incredible, and I plan on seeing Rocketman this week.

If you read all this post all the way to the end, I hope you enjoyed it!

Lauren x

[writingutensilthief]

Picture Day

Its yearly school-picture time, and as expected, the Newton family opts to take them at home instead. A short story based on the prompt “Family”.

(Prologue can be read here.)

Word count: 4,421

There were plenty of other, more technologically efficient ways for Mendel to take pictures, and usually he used those. But for the school pictures, he liked take out the old tripod and camera. 

He enjoyed scrolling through the pictures before uploading the best one to his computer, Likewise, he felt that letting his kids do the same gave them more control of the situation than just looking at the options on a computer monitor. He thought it was useful to mimic the atmosphere of school picture days - having his kids sit on stools in front of a tripod camera against a white background - so they had an idea of what it was like while still being in a comfortable environment at home. It always made him happy when they chose this option as opposed to taking pictures at school. 

The living room had been turned into a make-shift photo studio; the TV had been moved out of the way so the wall behind it could be used as a background, and the couch was pushed back to make room for Mendel, his stool, and the tripod. Sure, he could have just sat on the couch itself, but he thought it was more genuine to use a stool.

“Make sure to mark your names off the list when you get down here!” Mendel yelled out to whichever kids happened to be listening. “We’ll base the order on who gets here first!” He preferred to go in descending order by age, but he didn’t think that was going to happen.

And it didn’t. Kylie was indeed the only one who already knew what she wanted to wear, and strolled into the living room proudly. Her hair was pinned into a bun on top of her head and she had borrowed a button-down shirt, though it looked like a dress on her. 

“That’s a lovely scarf you have on Kylie, it goes well with your shirt.” Mendel complimented as he properly positioned the camera. “Alex let you borrow it?” 

“It’s an ascot,” Kylie corrected as she positioned herself on the stool, pointing to how she had folded the scarf over to mimic one. “She let me look through her side of the closest and I picked the shirt myself, but she did help me with my hair.”

“That was very nice of her, wasn’t it?”

“Mmhmm, it was.” 

Mendel tried to remember which camera setting worked best for school pictures - something he assumed would be on the school rule list but wasn’t - and ended up taking a multitude of pictures of Kylie just trying to figure it out. He apologized each time the flash was up a bit too high, which ended up being most of them.

“At least we know which pictures we can delete right away,” he joked once he got a sufficient amount of pictures on the proper setting. 

“Delete all of the ones where I blinked,” Kylie requested as she rubbed the light spots out of her eyes. “I don’t want to send those in.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Mendel agreed, already deleting them. He paused and lingered on one particular picture. “Can I keep this picture of you blinking for the family computer? You look cute in this one.” He offered the camera to Kylie so she could look for herself.

But she didn't even entertain the idea. “No. Good pictures only.”

“All right then.” Mendel hoped he didn’t sound too disappointed as he deleted the picture. “You still need to look through the remaining pictures and pick which one you want to take to school with you, though. Do that while I get ready for the next set of pictures.”

Kylie accepted the camera that time. There were only a handful of pictures left for her to look through, so she made quick work out of it. She also made sure to delete the extra pictures so her dad knew exactly which picture she wanted. And in case he still couldn’t tell-

“I left the best picture on the camera, Dad,” she announced as she attempted to hand the camera to him. It ended up falling into his coat pocket instead.

Mendel finished moving his stool next to the other and fished the camera out of his pocket. Before he could say anything, he noticed that she had already wiped her name off the whiteboard list and was leaving the room.

“Great choice, thank you Kylie - and make sure to call in Marian and Mary!” he hoped she heard. “It’s their turn next!” Just because the order didn’t start the way Mendel wanted it didn’t mean he couldn’t try to continue it that way.

Because of that desire Mendel had already changed the layout of the living room photoset. It would be counterproductive, and perhaps a bit mean, to make the twins chose who got their picture first. It made much more sense to take their pictures together and just crop them for each twin.

Giggling came from the other room, indicating that Kylie had indeed heard Mendel’s request. 

Marian came in first, his eyes constantly jumping from his dad to his sister behind him. His sister followed followed suit, more composed than he was but just as excited. The two stood there eagerly, waiting for their dad to comment on their clothes.

Mendel already knew what the two of them were wearing for the pictures - he had heavily suggested to them what to wear so he could make sure they would match - but did notice that Marian was wearing Mary’s hair ribbon. He very briefly wondered who initiated the swap, but didn’t let it concern him.

“Looks like I put the ribbon on the wrong person,” he cooed. “I’m glad you two got that fixed!”

The twins appreciated the approval and continued their laughter as they made their way to the stools. They were old enough to pull themselves onto them without help, though Mary was more graceful about it than her brother. And besides Marian being told to face in the other direction, the two of them easily positioned themselves in the poses they saw their older siblings using for their pictures in the past.

The good mood was infectious, as Mendel had a goofy grin on his face as he took their pictures, even ignoring the slight pain in his back from having to hunch over to use the camera. And, since knew what settings to have his camera on, he hoped that would make it easier for the twins to endure flash photography for the first time.

Marian was able to power through it pretty well, but the bright light caught Mary off guard. A few pictures had Mary looking confused, and before Mendel could stop him, Marian had swirled back around to his original position and hugged onto his sister, smushing his face against hers. 

Mendel thought it was adorable and just had to take some more pictures of the moment, especially when Mary realized what was going on and hugged her brother back. He already knew he was going to save those to the computer, but showed them to the twins anyway so they would be aware of it. He kept his grip on the camera as he scrolled through the pictures, knowing that the two grabbed things to show their liking of it. 

As predicted, the two of them did fling their hands in front of the camera when they liked one of the pictures. Based on how many fingerprints were added to the screen, Mendel got approval to keep all of them. 

“Thank you, you two did a lovely job today!” Mendel again cooed at his youngest children, “All your pictures were wonderful!” He sent them off to call down Juliette, as the list had already circled back to the beginning. Since they couldn’t reach the whiteboard, he took their names off of it himself. 

He then tried to calm himself down from the excitement as he repositioned the photoset yet again to its original location. He knew very well Juliette didn’t respond as well to overt affection as her younger siblings did - but that wasn’t going to stop him from engaging with her entirely.

“Did you find something more comfortable to wear for the picture?” Mendel asked as she made it into the room.

Juliette, still trying to defy the school’s requests, had put on the most generic clothing she could find in her closest. The shorts and tank top sleeves were just long enough that they didn’t break any school rules, though, as she didn’t want her dad to mention it. 

“Yeah.”

“That’s good.” Mendel recognized the outfit as what she wore when it was her day to do laundry. “Did you find a use for that shawl?”

“I gave it to Eli so he has something wear when he colors his hair.”

“That’s sweet of you, Juliette.”

“Mmhm.”

Once Juliette had gotten on the stool she was ready to get her picture taken, aside from one tiny detail. Her annoyed expression remained on her face. Both she and her dad knew the final rule on the school’s list: AND MAKE SURE TO SMILE! You want to put your BEST face forward!

Mendel had a need to follow the rules but didn’t want to antagonize his daughter over something so, in the grand scheme of things, trivial. Juliette wanted to push against the system as it were, but didn’t want to be in situations longer than she had to. So it became a staring contest between Juliette and Mendel, to see who would break first.

It took about a minute of awkward silence for Mendel to suppress a sigh and finally start taking pictures. If the school really wanted her to smile they’ll make her take a photo there, though Mendel doubted that would happen. And if it actually did, he would probably help her fight it if she really didn’t want to be smiling. But he didn’t bring any of that up. Instead, once he had gotten a suitable amount of pictures, he automatically handed the camera over to Juliette. “Pick your favorite and I’ll send in that one.”

Juliette quickly yet half-heartedly flipped through the pictures. She looked the same in all of them aside from a slight difference in eye openness. She considered asking to send in the one where her eyes where half-closed, but figured her dad would object and bring up the rules again. So instead she just handed the camera back to him. “They all look fine, you can pick one.” All of them would show that she didn't want to participate.

“Would I be able to save any of these images to the family computer if I wanted to?” Mendel asked as he accepted the camera.

She shrugged. “Sure.” She stepped off the stool and started towards the name list.

“Thank you, Juliette.” He flipped through the pictures at a more reasonable pace. “I think I’ll send in this fourth picture,” he soon stated just to let her know. “Your eyes are the most open in this one.”

She knew he would pick up on that. “Okay.”

“Tell Eli it’s his turn when you go upstairs.”

“He’s already down here.”

Mendel looked up from the camera in confusion. He was just in time to watch Juliette disappear upstairs and Eli take her place. 

Eli was the only kid who genuinely enjoyed school picture day, so he had followed his sister down when it was her turn. There was no reason to make the wait longer by having to be called down. Besides, the sooner he got his picture taken the brighter his new green tips would look on the photos - and he wanted all the attention on those as opposed to the bits of his natural brown hair that was starting to peek through the blonde dye.

“Do you like my hair, Dad?” he asked, though he already had a feeling of the answer he was going to get. “Alex and I spent all morning on it.”

Mendel thought the mix of colors made him look like a pineapple, but of course he wasn’t going to say that out loud. “You didn’t go for the same green as your old man?” Eli was the only kid he felt he could - very very lightly - joke around with. 

That wasn’t the answer he was expected, but Eli laughed anyway. Mostly because he was remembering Juliette’s comment from earlier. “Nah, I went with a pastel color so I could match with Alex.”

Mendel chuckled. “That was considerate of you. And your hair does look nice.”

“I know.” Eli strided over to the stool and took his time getting into his pose, giving his dad time to finish looking through and setting up the camera again.

Once Mendel was ready for the next round of photos, he looked at Eli’s chosen pose and immediately snorted. “I don’t think that’s the school-required pose, Eli.”

He was leaned off the stool with one leg thrown over the other, one hand holding onto the seat for balance and the other up in a peace sign. Just because he enjoyed getting his picture taken more than his siblings didn’t mean he took it more seriously. “The school will just have to use the picture I take there then. Or both of them again.” Eli kept a copy of that particular yearbook in his room.

Mendel knew he was right. “At least keep your tongue in your mouth. Try to look semi-professional here.” But he knew that wasn’t likely to happen and just accepted the situation, not wanting another stand off.

The request was indeed ignored, as each time the camera flashed Eli would try to swing himself into another ridiculous pose, resulting in most of the pictures taken being blurry shots. Those then ended up being deleted, much to his shock.

“You should be keeping all those. I look great in them!”

“You can barely be seen in them,” Mendel countered. “I’m keeping all the non-blurry ones for you. Speaking of which-” he handed the camera over to his son “- pick which one you want to send to school.” Knowing that he wouldn’t pick right away, Mendel took the liberty of going ahead and erasing Eli’s - and Juliette’s - name off the list to save time.

Eli took the time provided to him to pick the best photo, carefully scrolling through each one. He realized he should have stayed in his first pose, as in the later pictures his limbs are blocking his tips. At least in made choosing a picture easy. 

“Send in the first one.” Eli requested, tossing the camera back at his dad. “But make sure to still keep the others.”

“Thank you, Eli.” The camera slipped out of Mendel’s hands initially but he caught it the second time. “Tell Ivy it’s her turn.” 

He assumed the the footsteps he heard going up the stairs meant that Eli heard him. What he didn’t expect was to hear the same footsteps again before he finished putting the camera back on the tripod.

“Ivy is still working on her hair,” Eli reported.

“Then tell Rita it’s her turn.” 

“Rita’s helping her.”

“Then tell Alex it’s her turn.”

Mendel watched Eli dart upstairs again. He didn’t have much time away from photo taking however, as soon enough he spotted Alex walking downstairs.

Alex walked right past her dad and to the stool. Unlike her siblings, she had no strong opinions about picture day, and saw it merely as a requirement for school. She sat on the stool with little fanfare, shifting around the teddy bear she carried to match the direction she was facing.

According to the school’s rules objects were not allowed to be in the school photo, but Mendel didn’t bother bringing that up. He knew that Alex wouldn’t set down the bear unless she was forced to, and he had no desire to make her. That, and it would have been hypocritical of him to let Juliette and Eli get away with breaking rules and not her.

As the camera started flashing, Alex forced the corners of her mouth upward to form a kind of smile. She felt a slight pain in her face, but kept it up until the pictures were finished. She was supposed to smile in pictures, even if it meant that she had to rub her cheeks to ease the pain afterwards.

Mendel wished he had mentioned not needing to smile beforehand, but instead had to settle for just taking less pictures of her. He looked through them by himself first, to give her time to relax. He wanted to delete all of them expect for the first one where she hadn’t started smiling yet, since it was obvious to him that she was in pain in the later ones. But he also knew that she would probably want to send in one where she was smiling since she forced herself to do so. So he silently sighed and handed the camera back to his daughter for her to choose, starting a conversation along the way. 

“I like your new hair color, Alex. It showed up well in the pictures.”

Alex paused to run her fingers through her hair, as if she needed to see the excess chalk on her hand to remember that she had colored it light purple. “I guess. I wanted it to be blonde like Eli’s.” She didn’t like her dark brown hair - she felt it clashed too much with her naturally pale skin.

“Maybe if you really like having a different hair color, you can get it dyed for real in the future,” Mendel encouraged. “I’m sure Eli will help you then, too. It’s nice you two are sharing interests like this.”

“I guess,” she repeated. Since there were so few pictures to chose from, it didn’t take her too much longer for her to pick one of them and hand the camera back. “The second one.”

“Thank you, Alex.” He used the bottom of his coat to wipe the chalk dust off the camera buttons, purposefully pushing down the delete button on the pictures after the first two. “Tell Ivy it’s her turn again when you’re done with the list.”

“Okay.”

She ended up not needing to, as the moment Alex left the room she bumped into Ivy, who in turn fell into Rita. Alex was momentarily startled to see the two of them already downstairs, but quickly regained her composure and left her sisters to their own business. 

It didn’t take long for Ivy to recover either, and after looking behind her to make sure her sister wasn’t in immediate pain, she scanned over her clothes to make sure no chalk dust got on them. Satisfied with the lack of purple, she continued into the room.

“Does my hair look good?” She asked her dad. She ultimately decided on rolling her coils into a low-hanging bun - originally on top of her head until she saw Kylie sporting the same look - hoping that simplicity was key. “I want to look professional.”

Mendel was more prepared for the sudden entrance of another child this time. “It looks very professional,” he agreed. “I have a colleague who wears her hair very similarly.” Well, the last time he saw her anyway, but that was close enough for reassurance sake.

“Good.” Ivy looked visibly relived, ready to stop thinking so much about it. “Rita is down here too, when we’re done.”

“That’ll make finishing these last two photo shoots a lot easier then. Come have a seat on the stool, it shouldn’t take too long.” He knew she would have done so even without his request, but he was trying to keep the mood relaxed.

Ivy complied, making sure to look directly at the camera when she sat down. She didn’t want to risk blinking in any of the pictures this year.

Learning from his previous mistake, Mendel reminded Ivy that, “You don’t need to force your eyes open, they’ll be multiple pictures to chose from,” before taking the first picture.

But like her sister before her, Ivy still strained her face, occasionally moving it in an attempt to make it less obvious. She blinked away the pain once shoot was over and briefly considered responding to her dad’s comment by saying that she was only doing so because of the flash, since that was partially true. But she decided it wouldn’t be worth partially lying to him.

Mendel let his comment be ignored as well, again looking through the photos himself first to give his daughter a moment of relaxation. He noted that Ivy was better at hiding the pain in her face than Alex was, and figured that to the untrained eye the pictures would look completely normal. He hoped this would make her happy. 

“Did I blink in any of them?” Ivy asked, leaning over her dad’s shoulder. “You can delete any I blinked in.”

“All of the pictures look great, Ivy, you didn’t blink in any of them.” He pulled the camera away from his body so she could see and reach it easier. “Pick your favorite to send in and I’ll save it to the family computer as well.” He didn’t feel to need to save the others.

Ivy clicked through the pictures. She scrunched up her nose at most of them, displeased that either her pose hid her hair bun or made it clear she was forcing her eyes open. She just wasn’t photogenic. But she was still able to find one that wasn’t too bad. “This one.”

“Thank you. That’s a good choice.” Mendel went to work deleting the other pictures.

“I’m going to go take my name off the list,” Ivy announced, making her way towards it. “Can I go ahead and take Rita’s name off the list too, since she’s already down here and the last to go?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

Ivy wiped the last two names off the list, momentarily pausing to finish cleaning off the extra bits of marker still on the whiteboard. As she left the room she nodded to Rita to indicate it was her turn, but instead of heading back upstairs, she simply took her sister’s place to wait for her to be finished.

Rita tried to walk into the room quietly, not wanting to disturb her dad while he set the camera back up. 

"You can go ahead and sit down, Rita,” Mendel called out, not looking up but already knowing that she was in the room. He could hear her buckled shoes against the ground.

She insisted on wearing those shoes in every picture. They were her nicest pair, and the fact that she could still wear them after multiple years was her only condolence for still not hitting a proper growth spurt. She was not looking forward to the camera being tilted down to get her centered properly. 

Mendel tried to alleviate that concern by having the camera already positioned in that manner by the time she had taken her seat. He was always trying to fight against her overwhelming self-consciousness. 

“That’s a lovely jacket you picked, Rita, it matches your skirt perfectly. I think if you move your braid in front of your body, your hair tie would too.” The shoes did as well, but the pictures were only taken from the waist-up, and he wasn’t going to encourage her to disregard the required pose if she didn’t initiate it first.

Rita didn't, not even bothering to move her braid as suggested. Instead she straightened out her back and put on a small, polite smile, no teeth showing. Just because she didn’t mind getting her picture taken didn’t mean she wouldn’t get to the point with it.

Mendel bit his lip to avoid frowning and resigned himself to taking fewer, quicker pictures, to match the limited excitement in the room. Perhaps it was a good thing that Rita wasn’t in the mindset to trying to develop her outward confidence, though - at least he wasn’t having to debate with himself about rules with this photoshoot.

“Choose your favorite picture, Rita,” he requested the moment he was done, offering her the camera before even glancing at the photos. He made sure to smile, so Rita knew he wasn’t upset with her.

She still furrowed her brow. “But you haven’t looked at them yet.”

“I took the pictures, I already know they all look good. You should choose the one to send in to school.”

“It would be easier if you pick it,” she countered, hesitantly accepting the camera. She didn’t want to pick one her dad wouldn’t like.

“But it’s your picture. It would make more sense if you’re the one to do so.” If he couldn’t develop her outward confidence, he could at least encourage her inner confidence by having her making her own decision. 

Rita browsed through the pictures. She was comforted by the fact that there were so few of them that she couldn’t really make a bad choice. It also helped that she couldn’t really spot any differences between them, and all looked nice enough. She did think that she had a nice smile in them, though.

“The final picture,” she eventually decided, handing back the camera. She paused for a second, then added on, “I like my smile in that one.” She hoped that would satisfy whatever answer he dad was hoping for.

Mendel grinned. “Excellent choice, thank you Rita. Do you want me to keep the other pictures as well?”

“If you want to that’s fine.” 

“I will then, thank you.” Mendel slipped the camera into his pocket and began to disassemble the tripod. “I’ll clean up in here. You and your sibling get into more causal clothes, and we’ll all reconvene in the kitchen to discuss dinner. All right?”

“All right,” Rita agreed. She slipped off the stool and quietly left the room, knowing that Ivy had already wiped her name off the whiteboard. 

Mendel listened as Ivy and Rita’s footsteps disappeared upstairs. Once the room was entirely quiet, he continued cleaning up, now faster than before. He wanted time to upload the photos onto his computer and organize them without much noise - it was better for reflection that way. But he couldn’t just leave an unkempt living room behind to do so. That would set a bad example.

[brattywriters-anonymous]

A Rose In Harlem

OC x Erik Story

Based on Teyana Taylor’s VII & KTSE

Warnings: Language

@chaneajoyyy

Chapter IX: Rize

February 6, 2014

22 HOURS BEFORE SHOWTIME.REHEARSAL, NINE PM.

"Ladies, Gents! Find Seats! Sit in them!" All twenty-four models followed Yani's request. We just wrapped our rehearsal, everyone did phenomenal. I can only pray that we get it like this at 583 Park Ave. Yani and I have been thee dynamic duo for the past seventy-two hours. I've been steaming outfits, she's been bagging accessories. I've been designing roll-away walls, she's been contacting every contractor in her contacts to design the black and gold glitter floors.

Honestly, in the past month, Yani and I have been on our hustle. I finished my last shoot and have been on go since. Erik and I have basically been like two ships passing in the night. I usually would leave before him, and come home after he arrived. We never talked about my father's birthday, our kiss..well..kisses. None of it. I've been too busy. Yasin and I have been texting here and there, but I haven't seen him either. He's been understanding about it though. The only person I've been spending my time with is Yani.

We've collectively gotten maybe eight hours of sleep in three days. So now, we're just exhausted and over it. We're trying to get this rehearsal over and done with. The theater's silence is my queue to step on the stage, I do so, scanning my models faces. They're looking like kids on Christmas Eve. So excited for what the next day has to bring. Their faces make me grateful, my smile spreads and everyone breaks out in applause. I decipher a few, "Yeah Syd!" "You did it girl!" and "Woos" in the crowd, I yield my hands up and down, they lower their yells. "Hey everybody, We're down to the wire here. We're less than a day away. We've been working our asses off for a month and a half. I couldn't have ever gotten this done without any of you. I'm excited for everyone to see our hard work. I'm even more excited for you to see your hard work pay off."

I point to Iyo in the control center, He dims the lights and lower the projector screen. "I now present to you.. UPTXWN." Applause rings out as the projector displays a drone clip of High Bridge among the sunrise and Syd's voiceover, "Uptown, Home of the greats. From The Bronx, to Harlem. The place I know, the place I love." The six models she started with appear on the screen, daringly sitting on the railing, laughing with one another in their high end garments. "Our hustles.. It always had this special..thing about it. We always went a little harder. Thought a little smarter. Emerged to the top a bit faster." Photos of me and all of Uptown's finest begins scrolling through from right to left. From a photo of me and Dapper Dan when I was fresh out of college. Diddy and I when I was an intern at Chanel. With Kerry Washington a bit after Save the Last Dance came out when I was twelve. Sistah Souljah, Kid Capri, Bianca (aka Young B), Cam'ron, Juelz, and Jim Jones back when Rock-a-fella were still together, Kalis, and finally, A$AP Mob & me when they were fresh in the game back in 2011.

"And when we're on top, we set trends. We define eras. Their stamps will forever be evident in our culture. Here's mine. Here's UPTXWN." All of the photos scroll backwards and the screen goes black for a few seconds. Images of the Big L tribute wall outside of the Harlem Up Deli Market, in black and white appear, then the same original six models; Sam, Levi, Von, Jade, Deanna, and Cass kneeling at different levels, crowded around the wall. Making sure not to block his face or name. Then Pretty Flako instrumental bangs through the theater's speakers. The TV flake transition changes to the Bailey house shoot. The drone shot pans around the corner of the property, all twenty four models posing looking like royalty draped in over $80,000 worth of clothes collectively.  The visual pans over to a slowed down visual of Nina flashing her bottom grill, her thick frame vibing out to the up tempo beat. Then to Xierra kneeling beside her, giving face in her side profile. The screen shortly displays a wide pan of the property and models again, then switches to Levi. Iyo's suggested scene of displaying the details of his tattoos on his shirtless body-- while simultaneously showing the VVS necklace, the embroidery on the custom one of a kind jean jacket; came out perfectly.

The photos of each model in each of their looks scroll through at the right speed so each detail is fully displayed. Every model stands up, showing off as their photos went across the screen. As Gina's photoset emerges, I turn to the screen so I can roll my eyes. I instantly become reminded of how flirty she was with Erik before Yani had to snatch her up to take these.  Yani stands beside me, peeping the entire scene, "Girl, suck it up. She in it now. Let's get it over with." I shake it off, turning back to the models.  

The park Marcus Garvey Amphitheater scene pops up, it was a gloomy overcast. Which was perfect for the theme. As the looping instrumental repeats, each model was either sitting at the top of the folding seats, or crouched on the seat of the folding seats. The collective total of every look? $110,878. I'm lucky I got such great relationships with these clients and these models didn't fuck up any of they shit. The first visual was Von, on the center stage. His long hair hanging over his entire face. He rocked this black long open hooded jacket, shirtless. Displaying his massive musical themed chest piece. It gave me a grim reaper vibe that I was definitely looking for. The jacket was a piece I asked Chris Brown's people to create for their Black Pyramid line. They fucked with the vision and agreed to do it. Von flipped the bottom of the jacket back with force, the rest of the models appeared on stage, smoke filled the stage floor as the all black visual came to life. Gina and Cass rocked matching contrast dresses, Cass was the only model not in black that day. I put her in a white intricate lace Erdem Dress. Gina wore the matching Black dress.

Jade and Deanna were back to back. Jade was wearing a black deep v neck, with a leather ribbed comme des garcons jacket. With a cascading gold necklace reaching her stomach. Accompanied with black and gold aviator Louis Vuitton shades,  Black ripped Levis I thrifted on the East side, and Jefferey Campbell's Legion booties. Deanna was wearing my favorite outfit of that day. A black long sleeved Oscar De La Renta ruffled shirt with cut out shoulders, a Burberry black ruffled skirt, and black Averil Doc Martin boots. Her bamboos and three finger ring spelling out her name put a street edge on her look that was near and dear to my Harlem bred heart. GG beat every woman's face and gave them the same cohesive smokey eye with the black, In The Spirit MAC lipstick. The only difference makeup wise was Cass' white undereye liner.

Once again the photos of every model starts cascading slideshow style. Johan was my second favorite look for that shoot, He rocked a black high low long sleeved Alexander Wang shirt, black distressed Givenchy jeans, and his personal black on black Ralph Lauren Hi Boots. I was going to put him in some other shoes, but I saw the ones he had on and they looked way better with the fit. We accompanied that look with a black Cuban link necklace, the matching bracelet, and Dolce & Gabana retro flip up  round glasses.

Everyone's rave reactions trigger my tears of joy, it's all of our first times seeing the visual's final product and I couldn't be any more proud. This has really been my baby. I've nurtured it, I've put in the work for it. This moment was like its graduation. Everyone looks at me, "Awwwwww!" Yani gives me a big hug, "I'm proud of you, kid." I squeeze her, "I'm proud of us, kid." I push out a laugh.

The final shoot displayed the brownstones on Mount Morris Park, the street right outside of Marcus Garvey Park. Where my parents' old brownstone was. I only needed my original six for this one, since all twenty-four wouldn't fit on the stoop. That day, it was sunny. Not one cloud in sight. Perfect lighting for the intimate shoot. The theme was spring, specifically, pastel colors.

I dressed Jade in a pastel yellow Ted Baker maxi dress, I accessorized her outfit with vintage canary yellow teardrop earrings with a matching tennis bracelet. She wore some nude Christian Louboutin spiked peep toed heels. She stands up when she finds her face and yells while twerking, "Long Hair! Red Bottoms! Long Hair! Red Bottoms!" Everyone, including me burst out in laughter. She kept saying it so much during the shoot, I let her keep them. Paid the $1,500 tab too. Deanna was draped in a Monroe and Main white two piece suit with black accents on the collar and cuffs. We accompanied that with my personal pearls I got from my mom before she passed, some white Manolo Blahnic pumps, and some VVS diamond earrings while her hair popped in the sunlight. She wore her low cut with a rose gold tint. I put Cass in a pair of nude Emilio Pucci wide legged trousers, a White Alexander McQueen peplum top, and a matching nude blazer was draping over her shoulders. Her accessories was a silver double C Chanel choker, charm rings from Tiffany Co., and a vintage Chanel crossbody, gifted from Karl Lagerfeld himself. He said I needed something old for my collection.

The guys were matching my girls' fly. Von parallels Deanna with a Tom Ford cotton two piece suit,  I laced him with some white Versace loafers with the gold Medusa emblem on the center, with the Cuban link chain Johan wore at the Marcus Garvey shoot, and golden Panthere De Cartier  rounded sunglasses. Levi's parallel was for Jade's look. He wore a pastel yellow Calvin Klein. Accompanied with a large size canary ring on his index finger, and the Burberry vintage loafers. Sam paralleled Cass, in a nude ASOS suit with the matching vest. I kept it simple and just accessorized it with my dad's gold pocket watch and black Stacy Adams dress shoes.

I thought the presentation was over, but then the screen transitioned to me working behind the scenes. Me pointing and directing at the Bailey house, with the wind blowing like crazy, me filming on Highbridge at the crack of dawn, Iyo even snuck some footage of the meeting we had in Morningside Park. It looks like Yani snuck some footage of me putting the image board for the fashion show stage together as well. I'm just admiring the scene of watching the hard nights and amazing days I shared with an incredible team. The last shot was me sitting on my old stoop. I was just reminiscing, thinking of how my mom, dad, and I would eat ice cream in the spring in the same spot. I looked up, as I normally do when thinking of them, put my hands together and mumbled, 'allah , shkraan lak.' The camera was too far to catch my phrase. Afterward I bowed between my legs so I could have my emotional moment to myself.

Everyone hops on the stage to crowd around me and initiated a group hug. Once everyone slightly disbursed, I see Gina still sitting in the audience with Erik, I guess he just got here. I hear the doors open again and see Yasin, smiling at me.

--

By half past 10, everyone had gone home except for Yani, Nina, Gina, Erik, and Yasin. Nina is waiting on Rashad to pick her up, and I guess Gina is looking to Erik to take her home. She's literally been all up under him since his arrival.

"Tomorrow's gonna go great, babe. You got a great team behind you, you've been super focused. It can't go any other way." Yasin lands a kiss on my temple as I blush at his encouragement. I blink in Erik's direction, he's giving the same look he gave us at Rashad's party. He then grips Gina, pulling her closer to him, "Yeah. You got it Syd. We gon head out. See ya later." with that, Erik and Gina strut to the exit. Nina's phone dings, "Oh, bae is here! See ya tomorrow Syd! We gon kill it, boo!" She hugs me and Yani then jogs out the double doors, "Nice seeing you again Yasin!" he nods, "You too!"

--

"So tell me something about you, Sin! I've only talked about me when I see you. What was lil Yasin like?" We are strolling down Saint Nick Avenue after getting grilled jerk chicken from King Barka. We decide to sit on a park bench right outside Saint Nick Park to chat since I wasn't quite ready to go home. "Well, I was born and raised in Brooklyn. Flatbush. My moms is from Brooklyn as well. My dad's side of the family is from Harlem, the eastside, but they love uptown just as much." I grin as he continues, "I was a bad ass kid growing up. Always fighting, getting into trouble at school, I even got expelled in middle school." "Well damn! How did you go from that to--" I wave my hands around his silhouette, "This?" He takes a bite out of his chicken and flashes a sexy smile, "My mom sent me to live with my Uncle. The one that retired and gave me the maintenance business."

"Ahhhh, I see. He whipped you into shape?" He snorts, "Oh, he whipped me alright. A lot. He taught me what it is to be a man." "Where was your father?" He continues eating, pausing his story for a spell, "Uh.. He was in prison. He pushed weight for about ten years, he got caught up. He didn't snitch, so he got twenty. He got out after eight years for good behavior." "How's your relationship with him now?" He shugs, "We're cool. We had a little spat when he first got out. I had to be the man of the house for a while for my moms and sisters. I resented him for it." I take a hold of his free hand, "We patched things up recently." "So him and your mom still married?" He nods, "Yeah. Moms held him down. That lady.. She deserves the world." He finishes his dish as he glows at the mention of his mother.

"She had to get two jobs before I turned sixteen and worked with my Uncle. She held down our household for three years, alone, before I was able to step in and help her. After that, she went back to school. She finished the year before my pops got out, now she's a nurse. Doing what she loves to do." "That's great. That's what life is about, doing what you love." "Definitely." He throws away our empty plates and we keep walking down the avenue, "So what do you love to do Yasin?" "I love music." I stop in my tracks.

"Let me guess, you rap?" he sucks his teeth, "Nah, girl. I play instruments. Three; Acoustic guitar, piano, and snare drum." "Ah, okay! When did you discover your talent?" "I was... ten, I think?" "You make songs?" He pulls a slick move behind me, grabbing me by my waist. I roll my eyes as we continue to walk, "I haven't made a song in five years." "Why not?" I feel him shrug behind me, "I've been busy." I turn around to grab his hands, "You're never too busy to do what you love." He smiles at me, I sense the same glow about him that he had when he spoke of his mom. "Especially when it makes you this happy...just talking about it." Yasin closes the gap between us, "Maybe, you're right. Look at you. Doing what you love. You're inspiring Syeda. Beautiful, too." He strokes my left cheek with his palm. I freeze, much like I did a couple weeks back in my apartment with Erik.

Speaking of Erik, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do about what happened since my dad's birthday. I guess Erik knows what he wants, and that's Gina. So why am I freezing? What's stopping me? All of a sudden my inner thoughts are silenced when Yasin seals our distance, gently kissing me. My knees buckle and he hoists me up by my butt, cuffing the bottom of my cheeks. That makes me even weaker, he breaks off from me, "Damn girl. You good?" My eyes flutter as I respond, "Yeah. Yeah. I'm good." I pull him by his shirt to kiss him again.

--

[seigaku9th-blog]

japan week three ➜ ryosei’s summer thanks event

on july 16th, i had the chance to attend ryosei (8th inui)'s summer event & meet him!!

this was more of a just for fun ~i want to give back to my fans~ kind of event rather than one commemorating the release of a DVD or photobook or the like. i had no idea what to expect, but it ended up being sooo much fun!! this is my favorite event i attended.

i was sitting in the middle of the very first row of the venue, which was both nervewracking and wonderful. the venue wasn't full, but there were still a lot of us, and everyone had so much energy and was so nice!! it felt really cozy and fun.

the event kicked off with a talk section between ryosei & the MC, as well as a Q&A from the fans. they mostly went over ryosei's work within the past few months... when his hatsukoi monster character was brought up, the MC said ryosei kinda was like his character (a crazy fanboy of a young boy who dresses like a cute girl) and called him a pervert... ryosei didn't deny anything and even said "yes i'm pervert-san i look forward to working with you"... i... don't even... know...

when talking with the MC, ryosei was so loud and chatty, but when answering fans' questions he does this ADORABLE thing where he gives these really long detailed answers, and his voice gradually gets lower as he talks more & more... he would ramble a little and it was ADORABLE. i really appreciated him putting so much thought into his answers to fans' questions.

my favorite question was when a fan asked him about makeup.

Fan: "having been in tenimyu, you had to do your own makeup for 2 years. how is it to leave that work to makeup artists now?"

Ryosei: "you know, makeup artists do a great job, but there's moments where i have to tell them things like, that's not my foundation color, you made my face darker than my neck!! or things like that."

i thought that was really interesting bcuz i always had been curious about that; some tenimyu boys are so skilled at doing their makeup, and then you see how they look when other people do it for them, and... well.

being in the first row and sitting near where ryosei was, i felt like he was looking in my direction so often and it was so intimidating!! he's such a chill guy but he's also so beautiful and tall... he is. SO beautiful. i was especially happy because most of his freckles & beauty marks were visible thanks to how light his makeup was hehehe... also he has the most amazing cheekbones and these GIGANTIC hands actually that might be scary more than anything

he then brought his guests in: kodai (8th taka), tsuji (3rd higashikata) & . the guests were announced way after we got the lottery results & our tickets, so i was so amazingly happy that i'd get the chance to see kodai & tsuji.

the first thing they did together was this adlib skit competition. the MC would give them a specific prompt and then they each had to come up with a skit about it. the crowd would then vote for our favorite one.

the themes were: - you're the teacher and your student just graduated; - confessing to your childhood friend; - you confess but the person is already taken.

ryosei won the first one, but kodai won the other two!! he was just so pure and good it's no wonder... ryosei was like THIS IS MY EVENT WHY ARE YOU ALL VOTING FOR HIM ughhffjcsg

tsuji would get embarrassed & laugh in the middle of each of his skits, it was so cute!!

i really liked their skits for the third one. kodai's was like, "ah, really? well, that's fine!! i wish you all the best!!" while ryosei's was, "oh, okay then. bye. *turns & walks away*". i laughed SO hard. i feel like there was truly this dating game pattern of kodai being the sweet harmless guy, tsuji being the awkward goof & ryosei being the flirty, crazy and rude one. XD

then it was time for the performance numbers. okay, i really had NO idea any of this would happen AT ALL. it was kinda shocking...

so, ryosei & tsuji start talking about how they both love kpop... (a thousand red alarms go off in my head)... and how they... learned a choreography... (by then i'm already ready to die of embarrassment)... and so...

ryosei & tsuji did this entire dance cover complete with lipsynching of BTS' i need u? live on that stage? while i was in the first row? i'm still mentally scarred honestly?

but the worse is that. i actually. really enjoyed it. they're both really good dancers and were seriously going hard on that stage and they're both very tall you know... so when they did those sexy body rolling & neck touching & etc moves i was like OHHH. NOOOOOOOO

i honestly wish they had recorded it because despite how scarred i am i would definitely have rewatched that 488558 times. ryosei's legs...

afterwards all four of them sang kiseki by green boys? it was really pretty. ryosei did the rap part and it was so funny he is such a goof... however tsuji definitely stole the show with his wonderful singing~ poor ryosei keeps getting outshined at his own event...

afterwards, ryosei introduced his college friend, one of the first people he met after moving to tokyo. i thought it was really cool and sweet of ryosei to have invited this totally normal guy to his event! his friend was so quiet and shy, it was so cute to watch them.

the reason why ryosei had invited his friend was so he could play the guitar as ryosei sang his own songs. yes!! ryosei is apparently an amateur singer-songwriter now!!

it was a very heartfelt and sincere and lovely moment. ryosei isn't the best singer out here, but he still sounded so sweet, and the songs were really emotional. the second one was about going back to your hometown, coming home. when ryosei described his feelings behind the song, a lot of people in the crowd teared up, ryosei made fun of us!! (and then teared up himself while singing it.)

afterwards, it was time for us to meet ryosei. we could take a cheki, talk to him & personally hand him our letters.

what i thought was really cool about this event is that the cheki was included in the base price ticket. a lot of events require you to do crazy things or spend a ridiculous amount of money to get a cheki. (i bought 3 photobooks to get my cheki with zaiki LOL)

as expected, ryosei was so incredibly calm and casual. he greeted me and we took the cheki, please take note of how huge his hands are next to mine when i already have rather large hands... it was almost scary to watch girls and their small hands doing heart shapes with him i'm terrified

i told him how much i loved all of his roles especially jek and jouetsu and orion and INUI!! and how i've been supporting him from canada since he debuted in tenimyu and how i love his ""energy"" on stage (idk how to compliment extra-ness in jp).

he held my hand very firmly and warmly and he's sooo quiet and calm, idk why he does this thing where he's constantly yelling at his friends but basically whispers to his fans but it's so sweet... he is so beautiful and his soft face looks like cookies & cream what with his freckles... and his big smile is so cute!! he looked really surprised when i gave him my letter, maybe he didn't expect me to be able to write XD

i then went out to the goods area. honestly, i regret not buying more things. his photosets were GORGEOUS, the concepts, poses, expressions, outfits, image quality, everything were so much better than the bromides i got from everything & everyone else this month. no offense, but...

the cutest thing was the collection of cheki on sale. there were hundreds of unique shots: all hand signed & captionned by ryosei. i regret only getting one of them... i'll share higher quality pictures of the goods i got at this event at a later date.

as i mentioned, this was the objectively best event i attended this month. ryosei isn't even one of my top 10 actors or anything, but he's such a charming & entertaining guy. i'm really thankful to have met him & glad he treated me so kindly. i hope i can see him again!!!

thank you for reading this report!!

[didilysims]

Replies, replies, get your replies! Hot off the presses and under the cut for @eulaliasims​ @dramallamadingdang​​ @penig​ @lilibethsonar​ @aondaneedles​ @simhow​ @mooseabides​ @holleyberry​ aaand @nimitwinklesims​. Yikes, so much for staying on top of these, Didily! D: 

eulaliasims replied to your photo “Translation: Sam saw nobody at work was using this thing so he swiped...”

I had no idea this was a thing sims could do! :O And now I've got this amazing mental image of Sam just casually dragging a dishwasher out of the building.

It’s only something that happens with Bigfoot. I’ve never seen that wording on the pop-up, though. Usually it’s something like “Bigfoot’s coworkers were so impressed with his work they got him a present!” Maybe it’s different because he’s working for an owned business? I don’t know, but the thought of bringing home the company dishwasher is pretty hilarious.

dramallamadingdang replied to your photoset “Everyone swarms to meet the new kitty! Poor Frances is the one...”

I dunno....He could be mistaken for a mime, which would keep everyone away quite effectively. (Mimes are creepy, man. Almost as creepy as clowns...)

No silly, mimes wear berets, not toques. *Very* distinct difference. I personally think mimes are cool, and both they and clowns get a pretty bad rap. But I’m in the minority, I know. :P 

dramallamadingdang replied to your photoset “Zelda takes her new pooch to the park, hoping to make some new furry...”

Such floof! :) Much floof! Love the floof!

I just want to adopt all the floof! 

eulaliasims replied to your photoset “Everyone swarms to meet the new kitty! Poor Frances is the one...”

The striped shirt, hat, and gloves are a bit of a giveaway. You'd think these burglars would get arrested more often, just walking around like that. ;P

I would question the bylaws if police were allowed to arrest people just for wearing funny clothes! But it’s definitely an odd get-up to rob someone’s house. I know there are defaults to make it more believable, but I’ve always liked the cartoon villain look of that outfit. (Now gimmie a default with the same colours but updated textures and less weird shoes and I’d be all over that like ketchup on fries!) 

penig replied to your photoset “Zelda takes her new pooch to the park, hoping to make some new furry...”

They're hungry, poor things, and all they find to eat is flowers. If you put a dog bowl out they'll eat from it.

That looks to me like the destroy/scratch/chew animation, not the much calmer munching one eating flowers. But maybe they do the former before the hunger bar gets too low? This would be a good lot for a few pet items, actually. Next time I edit it I’ll add a little stray pet corner. 

lilibethsonar replied to your photoset “Zelda takes her new pooch to the park, hoping to make some new furry...”

Aah, too many cuties! :D

I know my playable pet population is definitely going to go up with all these cute little strays running around now! 

penig replied to your photoset “Cobweb is not impressed with this new hairy mutt stealing her food!...”

They'll be okay as soon as Faucet realizes Cobweb is Boss.

Unfortunately Faucet is a bit of a doofus, so it’ll take a while for that to sink in. 

aondaneedles replied to your photo “I’ve finally figured out why Ashley is always calling Sims to go...”

It certainly adds... something to his character arc. XD

Ha, I’ve always found Ashley pretty bland, so yeah, I’ll take anything to spice him up a bit! 

eulaliasims replied to your post “List 5 facts about your most favorite sim of yours and send this to 10...”

Yay, Ferdy! I love how much detail you put into your sims' characters; they're so lively. That first fact, ow, my heart. And part of me kiiiiiinda wishes I could lock him, Kiera, and Ethan in a room together for half an hour just to see what happens. ;P

First, thanks. :) Second, I can guarantee those three in a room together would result in one big slapfest. Until it turned into a big fight cloud with one of them invariably booing the other two. 

simhow replied to your photo “I’ve finally figured out why Ashley is always calling Sims to go...”

:D that's a great shot! Making phone calls in the rain - because why not?

Thank you! Why not indeed! Although now I kind of wish it would make Sims more susceptible to lightning strikes if they had an electronic in hand... 

aondaneedles replied to your photoset “The best way to teach Faucet some good manners is to adopt her, right?...”

Yay! The big goof has found a fitting family!

A whole clan of goofs! :D 

mooseabides replied to your photoset “The best way to teach Faucet some good manners is to adopt her, right?...”

I think I'm in love with this dog <3

She’s such a ridiculous cutie. You can download that breed and some other fun dogs over here, if you’re interested. :) 

penig replied to your photoset “Guy, discussing bugs with Sam is no excuse to abandon your post at the...”

Dirty jokes are contagious, I find.

I’d never noticed that before, but it definitely seems true for this house. Only Zelda is immune. (Sensible girl.) 

holleyberry replied to your photo “I really lucked out with the university profs in this ‘hood! :D ”

I would totally take his class. I don't care what it is.

Ha ha, I should have taken that attitude when I was in university. I would have enjoyed it a lot more. :P 

holleyberry replied to your post “List 5 facts about your most favorite sim of yours and send this to 10...”

I know everybody loves him, hell I love him, but here's this little part of me that is still pretty pissed at him about number 5 and all that is related to it.

Interesting, I was picking up more vibes toward Ethan as the popular favourite, and Ferdy losing a few points due to his history with his brother, though my vibes may be a little outdated. With number 5, he *could* refuse to talk about him because he misses him so much it hurts to mention him. No? ;) 

nimitwinklesims replied to your post “Reply time! Under the cut, because of a gif. [[MOR] @eulaliasims...”

Yes and that's the cool thing, with your Sims I always feel like they are really that way (because it's based on what they do in game), instead of a made-up head story tacked onto a pretty face. Your Sims feel real. :D

That’s probably the sweetest compliment I could receive, simming-wise. Thank you. :) 

[honestgrins]

Have Mercy || Klaroline

There's a wedding to plan, and Caroline's a little too preoccupied to enjoy her wifely duties - and Klaus is not impressed. This is a gift for Angie (@thetourguidebarbie) and inspired in part by this popular photoset and by @paigemarie007. Smut warning for the Klaroline Arbor Day Smutfest event!

Snuggling deeper into Enzo's shoulder, Caroline had to fight hard to keep her concentration on the television.

"You're thinking too loud, gorgeous," he teased, pinching her elbow. "I'm surprised they don't hear you from the Chopped kitchen - don't distract them lest they forget to add the jalapeno candy."

She nudged him hard. "Shut up, it's your fault," she accused.

Enzo sighed and pulled her closer. "I said I was sorry for springing it on you, but you would have been angrier if I waited even a day after receiving the assignment." Hardly his first deployment with the Air Force, he knew it spiked his best friend's stress level every time. At least this one would only be for a year. "We still have a week before I have to be on base."

"Pretty sure Kol has dibs once he gets back," she muttered. Thinking of how hard Kol took his last deployment, though, Caroline softened. "How'd he take the news?"

"The same as he always does." Enzo gave a sad smile. "He promised to bring home plenty of work samples to get his year's worth now."

Considering Kol was a pharmaceutical rep with a certain blue pill as his top seller, Caroline could fill in the blanks. Allergic to feelings, Kol was one to drown actual emotion with more superficial fun and sex. Hell, it was how he and Enzo started their torrid love affair back in college; the whole 'friends with benefits' concept was super convenient for their freshman year as roommates.

After almost ten years together, though, Caroline knew Kol loved Enzo more than anything. His nonchalant attitude would dissipate as soon as Enzo left. "Well," she sighed heavily, "have fun, then. But I'm planning your going away party, and nudity will not be allowed."

"About that, gorgeous-"

"Nope!" Caroline threw up a stern finger. "Kol is still on probation for those assless chaps at your birthday."

"That was three years ago."

"Exactly."

Chuckling, Enzo reached for her hands before they could get to her phone and her lists. "Aside from that totally unfair position on clothing policies," he joked, "Kol and I actually had a different party in mind."

Caroline blinked as Enzo patiently waited for the realization to set in. "Oh my god," she gasped. "Oh my god!" Wrapping him in a hug, she gave an excited squeal until a horrifying thought struck.

"Kol can NOT wear assless chaps at your wedding."

With the grooms-to-be placing their complete trust in her party planning expertise, Caroline was left to organize the perfect Vegas wedding while Kol and Enzo enjoyed their own private bachelor party.

Having watched Caroline plan their own wedding five years earlier, Klaus thought he knew every variation of his whirlwind bride agonizing over the smallest details. Apparently, the stress of their year-long engagement held nothing on coordinating a blowout from across the country in mere days.

She was pacing the length of their living room while on the phone with the hotel; Klaus tried to focus on the football match, but he kept one eye on the blonde wildly gesticulating her anger.

"I understand that the suite from the Hangover movie is in high demand," she seethed as politely as she could. "My clients are more than willing to pay a fair fee for bumping your previous reservation, and I would hate to have to move their wedding festivities to another hotel altogether because of your reluctance. That would mean canceling their luxury poolside cabana, their spa packages, and their plans to gamble away thousands in your casino. I suppose I could move onto the Palms inste- Oh, really? That would be wonderful, thank you."

With a triumphant smile, Caroline leaned down to plant a kiss on his cheek. "They're transferring me to the booking sales manager."

Pulling her down into his lap, he idly stroked her legs as she haggled out a deal with the poor chap on the other end of the line. Caroline gave a cheerful sigh, hanging up and throwing her phone on the coffee table. "And that's how you plan a wedding."

"Starting a war with half the service industry?" Klaus teased. "You're a hellion."

"You love me," she shrugged, unconcerned.

He kissed her gently, urging her to lean into him. "I do." His hands wandered up her back and grew more insistent as the kiss deepened. "Now that you've conquered the hotel," he muttered against her lips, "I suppose you're done for the night."

Smiling, Caroline dragged her lips to nibble at his earlobe. "Why?" she asked innocently. "Did you have something better in mind?"

Klaus took the invitation for what it was, and his mouth latched onto the sensitive skin where her neck curved into her shoulder. Slipping down the strap of her tank top, he smirked at the small shudder Caroline didn't bother to hide. "There's nothing better than this," he murmured against her. "I could spend years just worshipping your body."

Whimpering at his declaration, Caroline squirmed in his lap; but like a light had been switched on, she gasped and pulled away to frantically reach for her phone. "The chapel is still open, and I'm waiting for them to email me concept pages for the ceremony," she remembered, already tapping away at her to-do list.

"Sweetheart," he groaned.

She shook her head at his unsubtle pout. "Sorry, not sorry, babe. I have been waiting for Enzo to put a ring on it for years, and I'll be damned if the day isn't perfect."

"And it will be," Klaus assured her. He knew that Enzo's deployments were harder on Caroline than she dared to admit, and she was likely using the wedding planner excuse to distract herself. Still, he would have liked an opportunity to distract her himself. "But you've been on the phone all day, and I was hoping for some quality time with my wife."

Her eyes raked longingly down the length of his necklaces, teasingly tucked into the collar of his shirt. "I know," she sighed. "My brain is on fire, though. Lists are adding up, and there are things I could be checking off right now if I just…"

Sliding off his lap, she dialed the chapel and brought the phone to her ear. "Yes, hello, this is Caroline Forbes again," she chirped in that falsely happily voice that Klaus knew spelled utter ruin for those who disappointed her. "I have yet to receive the package options, let alone the pricing for the plans we've already discussed. Is that a mistake, or are you still compiling the information for me?"

Klaus just watched her pace again, his eyes drifting to the match playing behind her. It appeared the quality time he had been hoping for would be off the table until after the plans were finished.

"I'm forgetting something." Caroline chewed on her lip, glancing around their bedroom with a furrowed brow. The open suitcase in front of her was neatly filled with labeled packing cubes. "Shoes, underwear, travel back clothes, garment bag with my bridesmaid dress is hanging on the door…"

"Emergency outfit, extra purse, any number of phallic accoutrements you've packed away for the dinner you've claimed as last-minute bachelor party," Klaus added. "Though, I do believe those are in my suitcase for some reason."

She glared at him, carefully noting his amused smirk as he tied his running shoes. "They're in your suitcase because I knew there wouldn't be room in mine, hence my problem." Frowning, she gestured to the empty slot still left in her suitcase. "There's obviously something I'm missing."

Sliding his hand under the lid, Klaus pulled out the final packing cube she was looking for. He stood, leaning into her space to kiss her hair. "Jewelry," he murmured.

With a grateful smile, Caroline shimmied in her excitement. "I love you," she crowed as she dropped the cube into its proper place. "I was so smart to marry you."

"Yes," he answered sardonically. "I remember the checklist that clinched the decision: well-groomed, impeccable manners whilst dining, and willingness to give up valuable luggage space." He cracked a smile at her giggle, though, and squeezed her hip affectionately. "Now, there's nothing else for you to do until our flight tonight. Rather than leaving you here to panic about the next crisis, how about you join me for a run?"

"Feeling the tension, are you?" Caroline teased, only to soften. "I know it's been a little crazy this week, and it feels like forever since we've had sex."

Klaus shrugged easily. "Just a few days."

Eyes wide, Caroline stared at him. "Forever," she announced. "You've gone running every day, which isn't like you. Yesterday, you ran twice!"

"A stress release, more than anything," he explained, pressing another kiss to her forehead to make the wrinkling frown disappear. "And it seems you're similarly stressed today, so come with me, love."

"Come with you," she said with her head cocked and a naughty smile, "or come with you?"

Dropping his lips to hers for a far less chaste kiss, Klaus barely pulled back with a smirk of his own. "I'm open to suggestions."

His hand landed with a smack against her ass when she turned to the dresser for her running shorts. "I'll meet you downstairs, love. You may want to stretch first."

Not twenty minutes later, he had her pressed against a tree just off the path they used to cut through the dense woods surrounding their house. A hand slid inside her sports bra, and Caroline gasped as he tweaked a nipple. "I figured you were promising shower sex afterward," she admitted, arching into his touch.

Klaus shook his head, his lips tasting the sweat-soaked skin of her neck. "Fresh air makes everything better," he moaned. Bracing his other hand on the tree, he lifted one of her legs around his hip. "Tell me, love, does it turn you on knowing someone might find us out here?"

"You turn me on." She pulled his mouth up to hers again, her hips grinding up into his as best she was able. "Take off your pants."

Setting her back on both feet, Klaus turned her to face the tree. His hands purposefully placed her hands on the bark, making sure she had a firm hold. "Be careful, I'd hate for you to hurt yourself," he warned as he pulled the lycra shorts down her thighs. "Kol and Enzo would never let us live down any obvious marks in their wedding photos."

Though he said it with a teasing smirk, her very unhelpful brain automatically fled from their romp in the woods to the vague photography package the hotel promised her. Even as Klaus's talented fingers traced along her slit, she tried to remember the other photographers she found and organize her impressions of their varied portfolios. By the time he had eased himself inside her, Caroline was debating - yet again - whether or not she should double-book photographers just in case.

"Sweetheart," Klaus whispered, clenching his hands around her hips as he thrust, "you seem distracted."

She hummed without really hearing him, only letting out a quiet moan when he hit a particularly sensitive spot. She tried to focus, really; it felt good, just not as satisfying as when she could feel her impending release. Pushing back against him, Caroline bit her lip, searching for that extra ounce of sensation that would usually throw her over the edge.

Klaus reached around to rub at her clit, and she gave a grateful sigh - it just wasn't enough with her brain buzzing for attention on other matters. With his tense motions, though, she could tell he was close. She arched her back, moaning more than necessary. "Yes," she gasped. "Right there, babe!"

He felt her walls clamp down on him, triggering his own climax. It was only when he pressed his forehead against her shoulder, catching his breath, that he realized the contraction was more mechanical than sensual. "Did you-"

"Hmmm," she murmured, her face turning to kiss him slowly. "That was fun."

Frowning, Klaus pulled out and tucked himself back into his shorts; his head cocked as he watched her wiggle back into hers. "You didn't come."

Unsure what to say - and not wanting to risk throwing Klaus an orgasm challenge he couldn't refuse - Caroline forced a lighthearted giggle. "Race you back to the house," she goaded, already jogging toward the path. If she hurried, she could probably get quotes on a second photographer within the hour.

Dressed and ready for the ceremony, Klaus idly flipped through the TV channels as he waited for Caroline to even finish her shower. Their little wedding party, just his siblings plus Enzo and Caroline, had spent the morning by the pool; Kol still proudly sported the glitter tattoo in the shape of a penis on his lower back from Caroline's bachelor dinner the night before. She had ushered them all to their rooms at noon, though, unwilling to let anyone delay the vows with the excessive primping Mikaelsons were prone to demand.

Married into the family or not, Caroline fell right into the stereotype as she walked out of the bathroom wearing only her underwear and an elaborate hairdo. Still grumpy, he tried not to ogle her ass as she bent over the desk to examine her eyebrows in the mirror above. "You're not dressed yet?" he asked in a mild voice, stubbornly focused on the television.

Glancing over her shoulder, she winked. "The better to seduce you, my dear." When he refused to look at her, though, she pouted. "What?"

"Nothing," he muttered - too quickly, if the arch of her perfected eyebrow told him anything. Before he could shrug it off, however, Caroline suddenly walked toward him and dropped to her knees. "What are you- Sweetheart!"

She pawed at his belt, carefully untucking his shirt from the suit pants that fit him perfectly. "This passive aggressive, dutiful husband thing so does not work for you," she said while unzipping his pants. "I know I've been preoccupied with plans, and you're crazy if you don't think I've missed our incredibly hot sex, too." Pulling his boxer briefs down over his cock, she dragged her lips down the length of him. "I want this. Can I?"

Choking back a groan as her lips gave sucking nips along the vein, Klaus's hand moved to her head - only for Caroline to pull back sharply. "Don't touch the hair," she warned, though the bite of her voice was softened as she gave a long stroke of his cock with a tight fist. "You can help me take it down later. After the wedding."

She waited for him to nod in agreement, then dipped her head to suck him fully into her mouth. Humming in delight, she bobbed up and down a few times, her hand quickly pumping what her lips couldn't reach. Her tongue swirled viciously with each motion, her teeth scraping the sensitive skin just enough to make him shudder.

Eyes raising to the tiled ceiling, Klaus could feel his muscles tightening in his impending release. "Love," he gritted out.

Caroline hollowed her cheeks as she sucked harder; her other hand slid from his thigh to massage his balls, a finger gently teasing the skin just behind as his whole body tensed. She smiled around him as the first spurt of his orgasm hit her tongue, eagerly swallowing every drop to prevent any landing in her hair.

Enzo and Kol would never let her live that down.

With a few lingering pulls, Caroline carefully tucked his cock back into his briefs and kissed the skin above the waistband. "Think that will tide you over?" she asked coyly, standing just enough to kiss his cheek before heading back to the mirror.

Klaus's mouth fell open as she proceeded to apply her makeup flawlessly, lining her lips like they hadn't just been wrapped around him. "It wasn't my satisfaction I've been missing," he pointed out, his hands moving to refasten his pants and belt. "I want yours."

"And you'll get it," Caroline shrugged, running the mascara wand over her eyelashes. "Tonight. Just a little more patience, babe. I still have to run down the Elvis doing the ceremony, make sure everything is exactly the way I want it. Sex can wait."

He stood, walking toward her slowly, his eyes burning as he stopped right against her back. "I would have you right here on this desk until you begged for mercy twice."

Caroline scoffed, swiping her finger over her lipstick. "I've never begged for mercy in my life."

Leaning in dangerously, Klaus bit at the nape of her neck. "Twice," he hissed as his hand slid around her front to cover her core. She glanced up to meet his eyes in the mirror. Her lips parted unconsciously at the heat in his gaze, and all of her lower muscles clenched with need. She gasped as his fingers rubbed her clit once, twice, then -

Klaus laid a final kiss on her bare shoulder, smirking as he brought those fingers to his mouth. He licked them clean from her damp panties before straightening his tie. "I'll go check on the chapel, make sure Elvis is ready to preside," he promised, gliding out of the suite without another word.

Glaring, Caroline watched him leave, her chest heaving with frustrated arousal. He had made damn well sure of one thing - she wasn't going to be the one begging for mercy that night.