Retreating from Reality

(Tentative) 2013 TBR Book Pile

aorin — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 15:25:19 GMT

It's a little bit too early to prepare this but since I'm obviously looking for an excuse to procrastinate (and tumblr was down earlier), so why not. I'll be taking one of those online reading challenges next year, mostly because I just want to cut down the To-Be-Read book pile in my room (which will expand massively in December after I return from the year-end book sale). Hopefully this will serve as a good enough incentive for me to finally clear my bookshelf up. At any rate, I own the following books and they are going to be stacked up in a nice spot next to my bed (because if I leave them in the bookshelf, they are never going to be read). Let's hope they'll be gone by the end of next year.

For now, I'm targeting minimally 30 books next year. Naturally, I'll be doing more reading than what's listed here and re-reads don't count. This list also excludes any potential university readings and whatever further materials that will come flying my way. Most of them are fiction, with a few non-fiction slot in and the list might be amended slightly in the future.

And yes, I know I have some horrible taste in books. Never mind the fact that I ought to have read some of these classics ages ago. ORZ

Alexandre Dumas: The Count of Monte Cristo (1243)*
Aravind Adiga: The White Tiger (321)
Connie Willis: To Say Nothing of the Dog (493)
Daniel Keyes: Flowers for Algernon (311)
Dante Alighieri: Inferno (288)
E.L. Doctorow: Ragtime (236)
Erich Maria Remarque: All Quiet on the Western Front (215)
F. Spencer Chapman: The Jungle is Neutral (341)
Frank McCourt: Angela's Ashes (460)
Gao Xingjian: Buying a Fishing Rod for My Grandfather (158)
Ha Jin: War Trash (345)
Ian Mortimer: The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England (292)
Isabella Bird: The Golden Chersonese (352)
Jason Roberts: A Sense of the World: How a Blind Man Became History's Greatest Traveler (355)
Joseph Heller: Catch-22 (570)
Jostein Gaarder: Sophie's World (427)
Kazuo Ishiguro: An Artist of the Floating World (206)
Lin Yutang: The Importance of Living (455)
Maxime Hong Kingston: The Woman Warrior (209)
Michael Ende: The Neverending Story (455)
Murakami Haruki: Kafka on the Shore (467)
Naomi Novik: Her Majesty's Dragon (356)
Roddy Doyle: Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha (282)
Salman Rushdie: Midnight's Children (647)
Su Tong: Rice (266)
T.H.White: The Once and Future King (639)
Tash Aw: The Harmony Silk Factory (404)
Ursula Le Guin: The Left Hand of Darkness (304)
Xinran: Sky Burial (158)
Yu Hua: China in Ten Words (225)

*So help me God, I will FINISH you in 2013.

Leavin' on a Jetplane

aorin — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 04:01:25 GMT

I've just touched down in Korea a couple of hours ago and will be staying here for two weeks, so don't mind me if I'm a little absent from all aspects of the Internet in the upcoming weeks. With that said, this is South Korea we're talking about, the country that is known for having the fastest internet speed in the world along with high bandwidth usage, so the chances of me not using/finding the Internet is almost... laughable. The question here is that will I still have the energy to log on the internet after a day full of adventure. :D

Things I'm looking forward to:
- Jekyll and Hyde musical
- Teddy Bear Museum
- Hanji Paper Workshop at Bukchon Hanok Village
- Kyobo Book Centre at Gwanghwamun-jum
- Yeongneung UNESCO Heritage
- Namiseon Island
- The good-looking cashier at Namsan Guesthouse 2 (If he's really as good-looking as the rumours say, I'm going to have to wander over to this Guesthouse every other night and ask for directions :P)
~~- A young, hot Korean husband XP~~

P.S.: If anyone wants a postcard, just drop me a PM with your address.

Naruto Fic: Peachy Keen

aorin — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 16:22:30 GMT

Title: Peachy Keen
Fandom: Naruto
Character(s): Kakashi/Sakura
Rating: T. Mildly suggestive themes that are just as harmless as, well, peaches ;)
Summary: The one where late night visits to the nearby convenience store with your lover was a bad idea.
A/N: Prompt: Peaches. Challenge entry for the Basic Level of the KakaSaku April Challenge: Make It Work. Also, I'm going to a special kind of hell :3

oo0oo

Peachy Keen

oo0oo

“What would you like to have tonight?” he asked her, as casually as one might ask about dinner.

They were standing at the cashier counter of a 24-hour convenience store, the candy counter to their right and the cigarette rack to their left. There was nothing remotely obscene about their situation, apart from the fact that Kakashi was studying the rows and rows of colourful boxes on display—boxes that were neither candy nor cigarette or even ingestible food to begin with—in full concentration.

In fact, Sakura would have fled the scene if it wasn’t for the fact that Kakashi had a solid grip on her hand and was rubbing surreptitious but sensuous circles over it with his thumb.

There was a very good reason why Sakura had constantly refused to accompany him on these shopping trips. As far as she was concerned, this was his department—his one idea of shopping. While Sakura was hardly a virginal bride or even one to shy away from displays of affection, she wasn’t the sort who would flaunt her nocturnal tastes to the public, much unlike her shameless lover here.

“You decide,” she shrugged, determined to maintain her prim and proper image.

He turned to her, his face serious.

“Sakura, I’m not the one putting it in my mouth.”

A couple of heads turned and Sakura was blushing so hard that she believed her head could have exploded from embarrassment. He just had to say that out loud, didn’t he? Why not just broadcast their love affair and all their steamy stories beneath the sheets, on the table and in the shower to the world? The jerk.

“I don’t care, just pick one.”

“I rather not. The last time I bought peppermint, you said you didn’t like it.”

“Kakashi,” she said in a warning tone.

“You refused to put it in your mouth. It hurt my feelings,” he pouted shamelessly.

Yes, and she would hurt more than his feelings if he didn’t shut up. The lady behind the counter was trying desperately to hide a snicker, probably out of respect for her potential customers. It was sad that she was failing terribly. It was most likely the only highlight of her day in the dreary convenience store.

“Shut up, you knew I was allergic to peppermint.”

“Of course I’m aware,” he said patiently as he brushed a gentle buss on her forehead. “What kind of lover I’d be if I didn’t realise that.”

At that, a tiny smile drifted over her lips and she was almost ready to forgive him. It was times like these that she was reminded why she had fallen in love with him and was willing to go the distance with him (especially in regards to their nightly activities which did not involve sleeping). In all honesty, Kakashi was quite the considerate lover where it truly mattered and he could be just so charming and caring and…

“Though I didn’t think artificial flavouring would do you harm either.”

... and there were times when he was just an arse.

“Look, let’s just grab one and get out of here.”

“Mhmm, impatient, aren’t we?”

"You wish!" she growled.

To her indignation, her lover flashed her a smile that was more suggestive than suave and he revert his attention back to the task in hand. He selected a shocking pink box from among the bunch and presented it to her.

“How about strawberries? I recall you couldn’t get enough of it,” he suggested, his tone implying that ‘strawberries’ weren’t the only thing that she couldn’t get enough of.

“No strawberries. I’m kind of sick of it,” she said, crossing her arms and looking away, trying to maintain her dignity.

He suddenly moved in closer, invading her personal space as he dropped his chin on her shoulder and spoke huskily into her ear, a devil’s whisper. “After three boxes, I’d say the same too.”

There might or might not be a reason why he suddenly angled his body in a way that she had a direct view to the front of his pants. And the way he cocked his hip, it was probably an innocuous gesture too—that is if you didn’t know what kind of man Kakashi actually was. Though, she couldn’t quite help it if her treacherous eyes chose to wander over to him—and his pants. She shifted her gaze away quickly, feigning disinterest.

“Well, back to business, would you care for some cherries instead?”

“No. No cherries.” Sakura was fond of cherries and would rather not associate those pink sweet succulent fruit with... well, this. Not if she could help it. He had already corrupted her relationship with strawberries, she wouldn’t let him deny her cherries too.

“Watermelon?”

“Look, it doesn’t matter. Just pick one before I decide to buy the whole fruit basket and shove it down your throat!”

“Someone’s greedy tonight,” he smirked, in that infuriating but devilishly handsome way of his. “Fortunately, it is not my throat I’m worried about.”

Right then, Sakura would have liked nothing more than to knee him where he would end up screaming in agony. However, deciding that nothing good would ever come out of that, and that she would rather not spend the next few nights alone in bed with only the fruity boxes to mock her in place of her lover, she settled with an impatient huff.

“Or maybe bananas? I heard the ladies were all for bananas these days.”

“I wonder why. It tastes horrible if you ask me and so does every flavour here,” she said, and then promptly slapped a hand over her mouth in horror. Shit, she couldn’t believe she actually said that out loud in public.

Well, she could, especially from the way Kakashi had that shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

“Actually, we do have a new flavour,” the cashier lady interrupted. “It’s not on the shelf yet but I could, you know, get it for you,” she offered kindly, obviously trying to relieve Sakura from her distress. Or maybe they were just holding up the line.

“We’ll take it,” Sakura cut in before her obnoxious lover could slide in another word to further embarrass her.

“You sure? It could be curry for all we know,” he said simply.

And because some higher being—or maybe Kakashi, who was actually secretly God—was out to make Sakura the butt of his jokes tonight, the box did end up being curry-flavoured. Sakura glared sharply at the flashy orange box—which somehow reminded her of the cover of Icha Icha—as though the mere action would lead it to combust in flames. And when it did not go up in a puff of smoke like she wished it would, her hand made for the box while slamming a few ryo on the counter, hoping to end the transaction and just get the hell out of there.

She was ready leave, inwardly swearing she would never return to this particular outlet when she suddenly felt Kakashi’s hand drawing her back. For the first time in the entire evening, she noticed that Kakashi was actually blushing as he fished the box right out of Sakura’s fingers and returned it to the cashier.

“Uhm, you won’t happen to have something larger, would you?”

Once again, Sakura’s eyes fell to the center of his pants. And so did the cashier lady.

“Pl... Please give me a moment, I’ll see if I can find anything,” she floundered and practically ran to the back of the shop. After a couple of minutes, she returned with one single box in her hand. Carefully, she slid it across the counter to them. They peered down at it, reading the inscriptions.

“Peaches?” they chorused.

The lady nodded, explaining that the average convenience stores did not carry a large assortment of flavours, let alone selection in sizes. Partly because Sakura was embarrassed and partly because she didn’t want to live through the whole process again, she quickly fetched her purse from her pocket. She was about to pay the woman when Kakashi’s hand stilled her again. She glanced up at him, wondering what was his problem when she noted the expression on his face.

He looked as though his birthday came early.

“You wouldn’t happen to be up for some whipped cream too, would you?”

Naruto Fic: Home is Where the Heart is (Prologue)

aorin — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 22:39:05 GMT

Title: Prologue
Fandom: Naruto
Series: Home is Where the Heart is
Character(s): Sakura, Ino, Kakashi
Rating: G
Summary: Life sucks when you wake up one day to find yourself 27 years old, married to your teacher, with three precocious children and you have absolutely no idea how or when it happened.
A/N: Tagged under [s: home and heart]. Mostly unbetaed, so all mistakes are mine. Pocky, where are you? :3

oo0oo

Home is Where the Heart is

- Prologue -

oo0oo

It was a match made in heaven.

It was unbecoming for a traditional bride to smile on her wedding but try as she might she could not conceal the little demure smile gracing the corner of her lips. Her shyness was understandable especially from the way the groom was gazing at her, filled with unbidden love and tenderness, like she was only thing in the world that mattered to him, like all he wanted to do was to just bend down and capture her soft lips.

Sakura could not help but sigh at the sight.

“Forehead, stop drooling. It’s not going to happen,” Ino said, her loud voice knocking Sakura rudely out of her reverie. She turned and glared balefully at the blonde. Trust her best friend to be there to shatter her perfect illusion of a dream wedding.

She had been leaving the Yamanaka Flower Shop with a bouquet of fresh flowers for her room when she stumbled into the wedding procession and could not help but be fascinated by it. Like most girls of her age, Sakura loved weddings and part of the fun was fantasizing and planning her own while she was at it. Too bad missions got in the way these days. The only saving grace was that she was teamed up with the man of her dreams, the groom of her wedding, the father of her future children.

“Oh yes it will,” Sakura promised, clutching the flowers to her chest and making a little spin on her toes. “I can even picture my big white wedding now. With me, gorgeous in my white kimono and my groom handsome in his dark haori. We’ll be the envy of all!”

Ino made a face and gagged, and Sakura suddenly had the urge to strangle her best friend. Sometimes, Sakura wondered how did their friendship managed to survive all these years, or more like how did Ino managed to survive at all in the first place.

“Cut with the old story. I know who you want to marry—everybody and their grandmother know. But riddle me this, who is that one person you’ll never marry,” Ino asked slyly, wiggling her brows.

“You.”

Ino slapped her playfully on her upper arm. “I meant boys, dummy.”

Sakura stood back and studied her friend warily, assessing the motive behind her question. Was it a trick question? Perhaps. Ino’s secret method of amassing intelligence—gossip arsenal in preparation for Sakura’s future downfall? Probably. Or maybe she was just being paranoid? Very likely. It was wrong of her to think so badly of her best friend. For all she knew, it could be just Ino being Ino, posing a harmless silly question.

But better to be safe than sorry. One cannot be too sure around Konoha’s greatest gossip.

“None, Pig. My heart and soul belongs only to one person and his name is—”

“Humour me,” Ino cut her off, completely ignoring Sakura’s undying love proclamation. “And don’t even try to weasel out of this by giving me stupid, improbable names. What I’m saying are boys of your acquaintance, preferably those that I know.”

“I said none. I don’t care for any guy except—”

“Fine, let me give me you a head start. Is it Shikamaru? I know he’s a genius and all but I doubt you’ll ever put up with a slacker who doesn’t give a fly about time, right? Or what about Kiba? You can’t stand a guy who treats his dog better than his girl, yes? Or maybe Neji, since you can never tell what the guy is thinking. Or perhaps Shino, you won’t want to marry a guy who likes to hide the lower half of his face all the time, would you?”

“Ino, I don’t care. I love—”

“Maybe Chouji? Rock Lee? Naruto?”

“Sasuke!”

“Oh, so Sasuke’s the one guy you’ll never marry? Perfect, I’ll let him know!” Ino said, clapping her hands, ready to skip away.

“That’s not what I meant!” Sakura exclaimed in horror. “You take one step in that direction and I’ll roast you, Pig!”

“Violence does not a good wife make, Sakura.”

“Neither does gossip!”

They both looked away, gritting their teeth in anger and refusing to give in. Sakura was gripping the flowers in her hand, relishing in the thought of it being Ino’s neck. Here she was trying to be more attuned with her feminine side by buying flowers and admiring the union of two souls in a sacred marital ceremony and her obnoxious friend had to just jump in and ruin everything with a stupid question. Now she was stuck huffing like an ill-tempered matron while Ino hustled her for an answer.

“So are you going to tell me or do I have to force you to?” Ino finally said again, snatching the mangled flowers out of her hand and proceeded to smooth them with care.

“You are still going on about that?” Sakura said, exasperated.

“Yes, and you are not getting away until you answer my question, Forehead!”

At times like this, Ino was like a dog—bulldog with a bone. Sakura realised that the conversation was not going anywhere until she provided her with an acceptable answer and honestly, there was just no acceptable answer which would not lead to Sakura humiliating herself. Knowing Ino all too well, regardless of who she chose to name as ‘ineligible’, Ino would delightfully broadcast the information to the world and make a fool out of her. Yes, her best friend had the strangest notions about friendship.

The option of forcing Ino to swear an oath of silence at knifepoint was almost too tempting to be passed off but Sakura also realised that nothing short of death would actually shut the blonde up for good. If anything, she did not want to be arrested and jailed for the murder of Konoha’s residential loudmouth over something so trivial and silly.

It was still tempting though.

But no, Sakura was smarter than that.

One way or another, Sakura would have to name a victim but the question was who? Naming their usual circle of friends was out of the question as it would only be seconds before Ino tattled on her, claiming that her denial was actually a roundabout confession and the key to her true feelings. Most boys of her age are very sensitive and hated being dragged into a ‘girly’ squabble.

No, she had to name an adult, someone of higher authority that Ino would never approach. But who? Sakura had very little grown up acquaintances and she was positive that Ino was more or less the same. Well, there was Iruka-sensei but if he ever found out that she threw his name into the gossip mud, it would destroy his opinion of her being the sweet, smart, know-it-all little girl from the Ninja Academy and Sakura would hardly want to tarnish her hard-earned reputation.

There was also Asuma-sensei but Sakura did not know him well enough to comment. Besides, the man was Ino’s teacher and her friend was bound to be defensive over him.

Then, there was Gai-sensei. But no. Hell to the no!

At that point, Sakura realised she was running low of names on her list. Sandaime? Too old. Konohamaru. Too young. The ice-cream man? She must be getting desperate. She heard Ino tapping her foot impatiently with arms crossed over her chest while she worked through her head for a solution—a name that didn’t seem to come to her. Anxious, she bit her lip and looked up in desperation.

And suddenly there he was.

He was standing on the opposite side of the road, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a flashy orange book—the only book he ever seemed to possess—but for once, he was not reading it. His eyes followed the wedding procession until the last of them had passed him by. He then gave a nonchalant shrug and turned his attention away, staring ahead.

He must have noticed her because he gave her a smile and raised his hand up in a casual wave. She was about to return the gesture but he had already returned to his book and started walking away, probably making his way to a meeting that was scheduled hours ago. Honestly, when was this man ever going to stop slacking and abide to time? Sakura could never figure what was going in that head of his—not that she wanted to, considering his choice of reading—and it was impossible to read his expressions with that mask glued to his face permanently.

But never mind all that. The man was obviously the solution to her problems, the answer to her prayers, the man of the moment. He fitted the bill in her mind perfectly. First, Sakura had little qualms about hurting his feelings—if she actually could—because honestly the man just didn’t care about how others viewed him. Secondly, he somehow managed to possess all the negative qualities that Ino had pointed out earlier in other boys so Sakura wouldn’t be lying if she said that she didn’t find him attractive at all.

There was also the additional advantage of him being her teacher and that he would take her side over Ino’s as any good mentor would. What more, she wouldn’t have to worry about her reputation being compromised as any student-teacher relationship beyond platonic was deeply frowned upon in their village.

Not that she ever thought of him that way, the idea was icky and the man was ancient.

But most importantly, for all of Ino’s claims to bravado, Sakura knew that her best friend would never ever dare stride up to a grown man with pornographic material between his fingers. And if she did, it would be worth watching her being publicly humiliated. Knowing the man in question, the biggest reaction that Ino would most likely receive was a quirked brow and a passive look. He would probably brush her off as being silly and childish—oh, what a glorious sight that would be—and continue on his way, nose in book.

Honestly, for a man who ran on a different time zone than the rest of the world, this was the one time he had impeccable timing.

It must be fate.

With an evil smirk that no twelve year old ought to possess, Sakura lifted a finger to point at her teacher on the other side of the road as she declared loudly.

“That is the man I will never marry.”

A/N: “Open Mouth, Eat Foot, Sakura.”

DGM Scans: Volume 20, Extra Materials

aorin — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:29:48 GMT

Second post in a day because I don't want to cram too many things in one post. Here are the extra materials and images that are released in DGM Volume 20. I must confess I haven't been this excited since the release of the DGM fanbook and Noche, and the information here are absolutely precious. I mean, what can I say, I adore the Asian Branch if you haven't notice ;D

Also, it is revealed that Volume 21 will be released in November.

Inner Cover of Volume 20

Title: Volume 20 Behind the Scenes
Here, the Earl is taking a 30-minute break from his work as a stuntman.
His next scene is the 'Allen and Tyki crashing onto the Earl' scene.
And he's happy that he's able to work on such action scenes even at this age.
Lavi, on the other hand, is another stuntman because he's just too free.
Same for Timcanpy, who's working part-time as the road doll.

And Tyki asked Allen (calling him shounen) if he wants to add nails to the soles of their shoes before they make this scene XD

Edgar, Touyi and Zuu's Profiles

Asian Branch Chief Assistant: Edgar Chang Martin (43)
Bak’s father. Born in Germany.
He’s from the Chang clan branch family that possesses the blood of the German magician who was one of the founders of the Black Order.
His marriage to Touyi had been decided before their birth.
He’s a good-looking man, but he can't pull off (or 'is bad at being fashionable with') messy long hair.
Loves Touyi very much. A bit of a crybaby. Died during Alma’s rampage.
Birthday: 10th April. Aries. Bloodtype: O

Asian Branch Chief Touyi Chang (39)
Bak’s mother. Inherited ancient magic and is the Head of the Chang clan.
She’s in charge of the technical side of the ‘Second Apostle Project’
The regeneration ability that Yu and Alma possess is a secret skill created by the Chang clan.
Zuu is Touyi’s uncle and the older brother of the previous Branch Chief who is Touyi’s father.
In hopes that her heir, Bak would one day succeed as the Supervisor and change the negative aspects of the Order, he was given strict education.
When Alma went on a rampage, Renee managed to escape from the lab but she herself was killed by Alma.
Birthday: 29th September. Libra. Bloodtype: A

Manufacturer of Anti-Akuma Weapons (Also the Head Chef of the Asian Branch) Swordsmith Zuu Mei Chang (Age unknown)
Formerly a great magician of the Chang clan who held a high position and wields a substantial power in the Central.
He was the teacher of a younger Leverrier and one of the few people that addresses him as ‘Malcolm’.
He’s also a master in culinary, and happens to be the master of Jeryy, the current Head Chef of the Headquarters.
Even though he wasn’t directly involved in the ‘Second Apostle Project’, he couldn’t ignore his own guilt.
He usually showed up in the research lab's kitchen to watch over the state of affairs.
He seems to be carrying some kind of great sin and after many years, those feelings of guilt still torment him.

Additional Images: Link & Timcanpy; Alma & Kanda

Special Thanks Page (or as I call it, THE COVER THAT NEVER MADE IT)

Go on, compare this with the Volume 20 cover and tell me you can't see the resemblance in their poses XD
Make what you will of it ;D
In the place of Timcanpy, we have Yoshi, the diabolical bunny.

Panels that has been touched-up

Most of the background of Bak's panels were fixed, so that it actually looks like they are still underground.
The rest were more or less the same since the drawing was top notch over the last couple of chapters.

Though, I just couldn't figure out why Hoshino chose to fix the bubble in Allen's panel.
Obviously the symbols were funnier :/

DGM Scans: Volume 20, Chapter 193.5

aorin — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:28:54 GMT

So, I have D.Gray-man Volume 20 with me :D I've scanned Chapter 193.5 and the additional materials and I'll be sharing it here. With the help of K and L, I have the translation for Chapter 193.5 which I'll include below each image. It'll be nice if someone can offer to clean and typeset this :D Also, I hope that some kind talented fan out there is willing to colour the final panel of this chapter. It's absolutely gorgeous and heart-rending.

Edit: My prayers have been answered! darkwater657 has cleaned and typeset the images and is sharing it with us here. And ningi provided us with a beautiful colouring of the heartbreaking last panel here. Thank you, you two are just wonderful!

Photobucket has resized the images, I will reupload a bigger one later. In the mean time, discuss away!

Oh, and be prepared to have your heart gutted out T_T

Chapter 193.5 Friend

"It was long -
And painful, too.
But hey, it's finally over."

"Guess this means they'll finally put an end to the Second Apostle Project."

"Please...Fou.
Promise you won't protect us, no matter what it leads to.
It's what all of us in the research facility want."

"Geez...
What the hell were you saying, telling a guardian deity not to protect you.

You freakin' idiots..."

High Quality Images

I've included the larger images for Chapter 193.5 here.
Trust me, it looks much better here than the auto-resized image.

DGM Vid: Money, Money, Money

aorin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:36:19 GMT

Okay, first things first, it might be a little late but I'd still like to dedicate this video to harmony283. Happy belated birthday! ;D

Secondly, I have no regrets in creating this video! It was an enjoyable experience even though I had to sacrifice one night of sleep just to complete it, something that I haven't done in two years. Incidentally, the last video that I managed to complete was from two years ago. Gosh, has is it been so long? In short, I'm so pleased with myself at the moment that I don't really care if this video was good or bad, just happy that it's finally uploaded and I can update my LJ :D

Third, folks of the black_order_hq, our overworked Section Chief is looking forward to your response on this, whether they are tears, complaints or threats (not like he realised what he has done anyway, it was an accident! Exhaustion got the better of him, as always...) ;D

Title: Money, Money, Money
Fandom: D.Gray-man
Character(s): Allen, Cross, Timcanpy
Song: "Money, Money, Money" from Mamma Mia! The Movie
Rating: G
Summary: Exorcist Allen Walker has led an extraordinary childhood.

Disney Album Collection

aorin — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 02:18:20 GMT

Dear beloved f-list, feel free to ignore the following post. In fact, after almost a year of disappearance, I truly think this is a very poor returning entry to this journal. But I really need to place this soundtrack trading list somewhere until I can find a better location to keep it. So erm, please bear with it till it disappears from your f-list entries.

But hey, if you do see anything you like in there, just ask, okay? 83

EDITED: JUNE 27, 2011

Initially, I wanted to open up trades again on New Year's day but all my newly acquired files were so messy that it took me a while to rename everything and list out some missing songs. All that aside, I just want to say that I'm open for trades and that I've updated my list.

Before we start, just a few things to note:

+ As with most traders, I trade on a 1:1 basis. Song for song, album for album.
+ That said, I would much prefer to trade full soundtracks instead of individual songs unless they are the songs that my albums are missing. Under most circumstances, you don't need to provide the scores but I would like to have all the vocal tracks. Also, I would like to have the original albums and not movie rips.
+ You may request of course, but do note that I'm not obligated to fulfil them (mostly because of my poor connection). If it's just a few songs, I can probably work it out but please don't make heavy demands as my priority lies with the traders.
+ Be nice and I'm sure we'll get along fine ;)

Aorin's List

New albums will be highlighted in green.
Incomplete albums will be highlighted in red. (Incomplete albums means that I have at least 60% of the songs. Refer to my wants list for the missing songs)

A Goofy Movie 1995 French Soundtrack
A Goofy Movie 1995 Original Soundtrack
A Goofy Movie 1995 Spanish Soundtrack

Aladdin 1992 Brazilian Portuguese Soundtrack
Aladdin 1992 Latin American Spanish Soundtrack
Aladdin 1993 German Soundtrack
Aladdin 1993 Italian Soundtrack
Aladdin 1993 French Soundtrack
Aladdin 1992 Original Soundtrack
Aladdin 1993 Japanese Soundtrack
Aladdin 1993 Finnish Soundtrack
Aladdin 1993 French Canadian Soundtrack
Aladdin 1993 Cantonese Soundtrack
Aladdin 1993 Danish Soundtrack
Aladdin 1993 Hebrew Soundtrack
Aladdin 1993 Hungarian Soundtrack
Aladdin 1993 Korean Soundtrack
Aladdin 1993 Mandarin Soundtrack
Aladdin 1993 Spanish Soundtrack

Alice in Wonderland 1951 Original Soundtrack

Beauty and the Beast 1991 Original Soundtrack
Beauty and the Beast 1992 Brazilian Portuguese Soundtrack
Beauty and the Beast 1992 French Soundtrack
Beauty and the Beast 1992 German Soundtrack
Beauty and the Beast 1991 Danish Soundtrack
Beauty and the Beast 1991 Dutch Soundtrack
Beauty and the Beast 1991 Japanese Soundtrack
Beauty and the Beast 1991 Spanish Soundtrack
Beauty and the Beast 1991 Swedish Soundtrack
Beauty and the Beast 1992 Italian Soundtrack
Beauty and the Beast 1992 Mandarin Soundtrack
Beauty and the Beast 1992 Norwegian Soundtrack
Beauty and the Beast 1992 Latin America Spanish Soundtrack
Beauty and the Beast 1992 Spanish Soundtrack

Beauty and the Beast 1994 Original Broadway Cast
Beauty and the Beast 1994 Australian Cast
Beauty and the Beast 1996 Japanese Cast
Beauty and the Beast 1996 Vienna Cast
Beauty and the Beast 1997 Original London Cast
Beauty and the Beast 1998 Stuttgart Cast
Beauty and the Beast 2000 Original Madrid Cast
Beauty and the Beast 2005 Dutch Cast
Beauty and the Beast 2005 Manila Cast
Beauty and the Beast 2007 Original Belgian Cast
Beauty and the Beast 2008 Madrid Cast
Beauty and the Beast 2009 Original Russian Cast (2 Versions)
Beauty and the Beast 2010 Italian Cast

Cinderella 1949 Original Soundtrack
Cinderella 1949 French Soundtrack
Cinderella 1949 Spanish Soundtrack

Enchanted 2007 Spanish Soundtrack
Enchanted 2007 Latin American Spanish Soundtrack
Enchanted 2007 Original Soundtrack
Enchanted 2007 French Soundtrack
Enchanted 2008 Japanese Soundtrack
Enchanted 2008 German Soundtrack

Home on the Range 2004 Original Soundtrack

Hercules 1997 French Soundtrack
Hercules 1997 Spanish Soundtrack
Hercules 1997 German Soundtrack
Hercules 1997 Original Soundtrack
Hercules 1997 Japanese Soundtrack
Hercules 1997 Finnish Soundtrack
Hercules 1997 Dutch Soundtrack
Hercules - Brazilian Portuguese Soundtrack
Hercules 1997 French Canadian Soundtrack
Hercules 1997 Greek Soundtrack
Hercules 1997 Hungarian Soundtrack
Hercules 1997 Italian Soundtrack
Hercules 1997 Korean Soundtrack
Hercules 1997 Latin America Spanish Soundtrack
Hercules 1997 Polish Soundtrack
Hercules 1997 Turkish Soundtrack
Hercules 1997 Danish Soundtrack
Hercules 1997 Swedish Soundtrack

High School Musical 2006 Soundtrack
High School Musical 2 2007 Soundtrack
High School Musical 3: Senior Year 2008 Soundtrack

High School Musical in Concert 2007 Concert Cast
High School Musical 2008 Original Dutch Cast
High School Musical on Stage 2007 Original Peruvian Cast
High School Musical 2008 Spanish Cast

Lady and the Tramp 1955 Soundtrack

Mary Poppins 1964 Film Soundtrack (Both 1CD and 2CD versions)
Mary Poppins 1964 Spanish Soundtrack

Mary Poppins 2005 Original London Cast

Mickey, Donald, Goofy - The Three Musketeers

Mulan 1998 Original Soundtrack (Film and Expanded Score)
Mulan 1998 Spanish Soundtrack
Mulan 1998 Latin American Spanish Soundtrack
Mulan 1998 German Soundtrack
Mulan 1998 Dutch Soundtrack
Mulan 1998 Italian Soundtrack
Mulan 1998 Brazilian Portuguese Soundtrack
Mulan 1998 Danish Soundtrack
Mulan 1998 French Soundtrack
Mulan 1998 Japanese Soundtrack
Mulan 1998 Korean Soundtrack
Mulan 1998 Polish Soundtrack
Mulan 1998 Swedish Soundtrack

Newsies 1992 Original Soundtrack

Oliver and Company 1988 Original Soundtrack
Oliver and Company 1988 Mexican Soundtrack

Pete's Dragon 1976 Original Soundtrack

Peter Pan 1952 Original Soundtrack
Peter Pan 1952 Spanish Soundtrack

Pinocchio - Original Soundtrack

Pocahontas 1995 Original Soundtrack
Pocahontas 1995 Brazilian Portuguese Soundtrack
Pocahontas 1995 Dutch Soundtrack
Pocahontas 1995 French Soundtrack
Pocahontas 1995 French Canadian Soundtrack
Pocahontas 1995 German Soundtrack
Pocahontas 1995 Italian Soundtrack
Pocahontas 1995 Latin America Spanish Soundtrack
Pocahontas 1995 Norwegian Soundtrack
Pocahontas 1995 Spanish Soundtrack
Pocahontas 1995 Cantonese Soundtrack
Pocahontas 1995 Danish Soundtrack
Pocahontas 1995 Finnish Soundtrack
Pocahontas 1995 Greek Soundtrack
Pocahontas 1995 Hebrew Soundtrack
Pocahontas 1995 Hungarian Soundtrack
Pocahontas 1995 Japanese Soundtrack
Pocahontas 1995 Korean Soundtrack
Pocahontas 1995 Mandarin Soundtrack
Pocahontas 1995 Polish Soundtrack
Pocahontas 1995 Portuguese Soundtrack
Pocahontas 1995 Swedish Soundtrack
Pocahontas 1995 Italian Soundtrack

Rapunzel 2010 French Soundtrack
Rapunzel 2010 German Soundtrack
Rapunzel 2010 Italian Soundtrack
Rapunzel 2010 Latin America Spanish Soundtrack
Rapunzel 2010 Original Soundtrack
Rapunzel 2010 Portuguese Soundtrack
Rapunzel 2010 Spanish Soundtrack

The Aristocats 1970 Original Soundtrack
The Aristocats 1970 Spanish Soundtrack

The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1996 Brazilian Portuguese Soundtrack
The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1996 Cantonese Soundtrack
The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1996 Dutch Soundtrack
The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1996 Finnish Soundtrack
The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1996 French Canadian Soundtrack
The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1996 French Soundtrack
The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1996 German Soundtrack
The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1996 Italian Soundtrack
The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1996 Japanese Soundtrack
The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1996 Original Soundtrack
The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1996 Polish Soundtrack
The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1996 Korean Soundtrack
The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1996 Spanish Soundtrack
The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1996 Swedish Soundtrack
The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1996 Danish Soundtrack
The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1996 Flemish Soundtrack
The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1996 Greek Soundtrack
The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1996 Hungarian Soundtrack

The Hunchback Of Notre Dame 1999 Original Berlin Cast

The Jungle Book 1967 Original Soundtrack
The Jungle Book 1967 German Soundtrack

The Little Mermaid 1989 Original Soundtrack
The Little Mermaid 1989 German Soundtrack
The Little Mermaid 1998 French Soundtrack
The Little Mermaid 1998 Brazilian Portuguese Soundtrack
The Little Mermaid 1998 Finnish Soundtrack
The Little Mermaid 1998 Italian Soundtrack
The Little Mermaid 1998 Spanish Soundtrack
The Little Mermaid 1989 Japanese Soundtrack
The Little Mermaid 1988 French Soundtrack
The Little Mermaid 1990 Dutch Soundtrack
The Little Mermaid 1990 Norwegian Soundtrack
The Little Mermaid 1998 German Soundtrack

The Little Mermaid 2007 Original Broadway Cast
The Little Mermaid 2006 Concept Album

The Lion King 1994 Original Soundtrack
The Lion King 1994 Brazilian Portuguese Soundtrack
The Lion King 1994 Czech Soundtrack
The Lion King 1994 Danish Soundtrack
The Lion King 1994 Dutch Soundtrack
The Lion King 1994 Finnish Soundtrack
The Lion King 1994 French Soundtrack
The Lion King 1994 Greek Soundtrack<
The Lion King 1994 Hebrew Soundtrack
The Lion King 1994 Italian Soundtrack
The Lion King 1994 Latin American Spanish Soundtrack
The Lion King 1994 Spanish Soundtrack
The Lion King 1994 Swedish Soundtrack
The Lion King 1994 Japanese Soundtrack
The Lion King 1994 German Soundtrack
The Lion King 1994 Hungarian Soundtrack
The Lion King 1994 Mandarin Soundtrack
The Lion King 1994 Norwegian Soundtrack
The Lion King 1994 Polish Soundtrack

The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride 1998 Original Soundtrack
The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride 1998 Spanish Soundtrack
The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride 1998 French Soundtrack
The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride 1998 French Canadian Soundtrack
The Lion King 1.5 2004 Original Soundtrack
The Lion King - Rhythm of the Pridelands

The Lion King 1997 Original Broadway Cast
The Lion King 1999 Tokyo Cast
The Lion King 2000 Studio Cast
The Lion King 2002 Hamburg Cast
The Lion King 2004 Netherlands Cast
The Lion King 2007 South African Cast
The Lion King 2007 Paris Cast

The Princess and the Frog 2009 Original Soundtrack
The Princess and the Frog 2009 German Soundtrack
The Princess and the Frog 2009 Italian Soundtrack
The Princess and the Frog 2009 French Soundtrack
The Princess and the Frog 2009 Latin America Spanish Soundtrack
The Princess and the Frog 2009 Polish Soundtrack
The Princess and the Frog 2009 Spanish Soundtrack

The Princess Diaries Original Soundtrack
The Princess Diaries 2 Original Soundtrack

Sleeping Beauty 1959 Original Soundtrack
Sleeping Beauty 1959 Spanish Soundtrack
Sleeping Beauty 1959 French Soundtrack

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937 Original Soundtrack
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937 Original Soundtrack [Vinyl]
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937 Spanish Soundtrack

Tarzan 1999 Dutch Soundtrack
Tarzan 1999 Finnish Soundtrack
Tarzan 1999 French Soundtrack
Tarzan 1999 German Soundtrack
Tarzan 1999 Korean Soundtrack
Tarzan 1999 Original Soundtrack
Tarzan 1999 Portuguese Soundtrack
Tarzan 1999 Cantonese Soundtrack
Tarzan 1999 Danish Soundtrack
Tarzan 1999 Flemish Soundtrack
Tarzan 1999 Hungarian Soundtrack
Tarzan 1999 Italian Soundtrack
Tarzan 1999 Japanese Soundtrack
Tarzan 1999 Latin America Spanish Soundtrack
Tarzan 1999 Mandarin Soundtrack
Tarzan 1999 Norwegian Soundtrack
Tarzan 1999 Spanish Soundtrack
Tarzan 1999 Swedish Soundtrack
Tarzan 1999 Thai Soundtrack
Tarzan 1999 Malay Soundtrack

Tarzan 2006 Original Broadway Cast
Tarzan 2007 Original Dutch Cast
Tarzan 2008 Original Hamburg Cast

Non-Disney
An American Tail - Original Soundtrack
All Dogs Go to Heaven - Original Soundtrack
Anastasia - Original Soundtrack
Anastasia - German Soundtrack
Anastasia - French Soundtrack
Anastasia - Italian Soundtrack
Anastasia - Spanish Soundtrack
Ferngully - Original Soundtrack
Prince of Egypt - Original Soundtrack
Prince of Egypt - French Soundtrack
Prince of Egypt - German Soundtrack
Prince of Egypt - Latin America Spanish Soundtrack
Prince of Egypt - Spanish Soundtrack
Tom and Jerry the Movie - Original Soundtrack
The Care Bear Movie - Original Soundtrack
The Chipmunk Adventure - Original Soundtrack
The Land Before Time - Original Soundtrack
The Swan Princess - Original Soundtrack
The Penguin and the Pebble - Original Soundtrack
The Magic Sword: Quest of Camelot - Original Soundtrack
Thumbelina - Original Soundtrack

Aorin's Wants

1. Any full albums that I don't have.
2. The missing songs listed below:

Missing Disney Songs

Hercules 1997 Danish Soundtrack
27 - En rigtig helt, Herkules

Hercules 1997 Swedish Soundtrack
30 - En sann hjälte, En stjärna född

Pocahontas 1991 Italian Soundtrack
12 - Barbari I

The Little Mermaid 1998 German Soundtrack
06 - Under the Sea
07 - Part of Your World (Reprise)

The Lion King - German Soundtrack
10 - King of the Pride Rock

The Lion King 1994 Hungarian Soundtrack
10 - King of the Pride Rock

The Lion King 1994 Mandarin Soundtrack
10 - King of the Pride Rock

The Lion King 1994 Norwegian Soundtrack
10 - King of the Pride Rock

The Lion King 1994 Polish Soundtrack
10 - King of the Pride Rock

Tarzan 1999 Malay Soundtrack
09 - Dua Dunia (Alternative Version)

Belated Birthday Post

aorin — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 09:48:56 GMT

So, let's get this straight, today is not my birthday, nor was it last week or even last month. In fact, my birthday was over months ago, like way back in early July :P Back then, I didn't manage to make that obligatory birthday post due to some issues with LJ itself and I was really busy (I've got a job if it explains a lot and there goes my freedom T__T). Between then and now, I actually wanted to update several stuff for fandom but never got around it because I feel must make this particular post before I ever consider updating my LJ.

Days turn into weeks, weeks into months and I'd be damn if I don't complete this post by the end of this year :3

This post is important because I would like to acknowledge some of the amazingly nice and sweet people on my f-list (and elsewhere) whom actually remembered my birthday and made me some lovely gifts for me. Bless you for being such sweet angels and million apologies for not getting back to you about it earlier.

Also, I've included some commission pictures which I've compiled over the last couple of months at various conventions, over at deviantart and er... some older artworks other people drew and coloured for me. Basically, I've divided this post into Birthday, Gifts and Commissions ;)

Without further ado, pic spam alert!!

PART I: BIRTHDAY

BY GALATEA23: This lovely lady was one of the first few people to greet me on my birthday, and she even sent me a gift card with my OTP for FFXII, and this kind gesture really means a lot to me :D Even though it super late to do it now, I'd really like to thank her for the gift and the kind thoughts :) Miss you galatea and I do hope that we can catch up with each other soon, I always like your posts about random things and I do miss it a lot (along with those long chats) :)

BY MAUDIE: Yes, Maudie, I know you've heard this a hundred times (and probably more... ) but I must thank you again for this beautiful surprise gift (of semi-naked Ronsentwins). I never get tired of looking at it (and yeah, it's still my wallpaper) XD If anyone is curious, this pic is actually a depiction of a scene in one of my fics, Boys Will Be Boys, which is dedicated to sarasa_cat

BY RAINE AKA MY LITTLE SISTER: Crazy little twerp shocked me out of my skin by sending me this... this... thing on my birthday!!! What was she thinking? For those who don't know, this is the villain of D.Gray-Man, a new fandom which I've recently forayed into and one of my new babies. BUT, of all the things she could have done, she drew me a pic of a character who gives me the creeps (I mean, look at the jaw, he could give JAWS a run of its money). Still... yeah, thanks brat... *bear chokes* >D</lj>

PART II: GIFT

COLOURED BY CRAZY18GURL: Er... basically, I got this commission last year from DKartoon at Comic Fiesta 2007. When I got back, I rant and rail for a coloured version of it and poor crazy18gurl have to put up with my antics XD In the end, she offered to colour this for me, which I received shortly, and I was extremely delighted with this coloured piece... even though she isn't... the perfectionist she is :3 Still, thank you for granting my wish and all the best to you on your university entry ;)

BY SERPENT DONESS: GOD HELP US ALL WHEN BASCH DOES THAT!! XD Hehe... to be short, I was ill sometime ago... (actually, I've been ill quite frequently these days), so in order to cheer me, some ~~yaoi-loving goofball~~ nice, caring soul, Donesschen ~~beware people~~ drew me this fanart to cheer me up ;) Recovered from the cold and cough, but had a stomachache instead for laughing too hard XD</lj>

PART III: COMMISSIONS

AT GACC 2008: Earlier this year, I went to another convention out of the state, of course this was before I had a job so things were different then. While I was there, I commissioned for a few artworks but apart from the one drew by Toonikun... I forgot to ask their names!!! ARGH!!! Btw, completely unrelated, but the voice actor of Tidus and Ichigo of Bleach was there too XP

AT GACC 2008: Another commission which I forgot to request for the artist name... T__T *sigh* That comes from a person who was too busy admiring the commissions she gets and did nothing else instead. If it's possible, I'd like to attend next year's GACC convention, even though it's troublesome to drive all the way out of the state.

BY TOONIKUN: This is one of the commissions that he drew for me at GACC :) Of course, there are others, but I mostly commission him over at his DA, if he have any free slots (and if I have the money to do so) :P Either way, I still think he's a good artist, even if he had to work in a short period of time :D I requested for other stuff from different fandoms, but I'll upload it some other time.

BY CLOWX: I really like Clowx's chibi-fied characters :) I forgot how I found out about her but she was offering commissions on her DA, so I just took the oppurtunity to request for something for a change. It took her a while due to her classes but I'm pleased with the final outcome of the fanart, not to mention, she always update me on her progress even though she's busy :D Besides, I just think Chibi Basch and Ashe is just so cuddly and adorable ;D

BY RAINE: This fanart is really old, and it was suppose to be the reference for the Basch/Ashe plushie that I was going to make last year. Unfortunately, Ashe combusted at some point and I kinda lost my patience for it, so I jsut left both of them aside for a while. Ashe was about 50% done when I left her alone while I haven't even started on Basch and would unlikely do so, since I left my sewing kit in one of the boxes at home. Nontheless, they are cute aren't they? XD

And I do miss you guys and the nice times on LJ :(

PS: Updated 23 images on the Basch/Ashe fanart post :D

FFXII Fic: Boys Will Be Boys

aorin — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:34:44 GMT

Housekeeping on Livejournal and shoving an old fic out of the way to pave road for new (possible) ones. I haven't updated my LJ for so long that it feels somewhat foreign to do so now. Well, it's not that I've been neglecting fandom actually, in fact, I have been producing and writing on an almost daily basis. It's just that, all the fics and vids projects that I've undertaken are god-awful long and complicated and I couldn't find time to actually complete it. Which leads to no fic, no vids (someone on youtube thought I've fallen off the face of the planet), no icons... T__T

That, and I'm wading into a new fandom recently. Nothing new or special about it, just that it is a far cry from FFXII and its fandom. Why halo thar D.Gray-Man, welcome aboard! XD

Title: Boys Will Be Boys
Fandom: Final Fantasy XII
Character(s): Basch, Noah
Rating: G
Summary: Ronsenburg twins have peculiar ways in spending summer
A/N: A fairly old, musty, dusty piece written for sarasa_catat the wet!naked!Basch challenge sometime ago, the original prompt being: childhood, summertime. Just one of those atypical hot Landis summers with some semi nude Ronsenburg frolicking in blue, clear, transparent waters. Well, sort of?

“It’s all your bloody fault,” muttered Noah accusingly, as he snatched the infuriatingly wet bundle from Basch’s outstretched hand, holding the wet garment as far away as he could from himself, his face contorting in disgust, before forcefully wringing out the water. Then, he picked up the cudgel lying beside him and started pounding the piece of tattered, moth-eaten (and suspiciously stained) chemise with the same ferocity he used to slay monsters.

“My fault?” breathed Basch testily upon hearing the unjustified accusation thrown at him. His hand reached for another dirty garment, and quickly, he doused it into the quick-flowing stream, before his nose could take in the smell, or before his eyes could notice the strange stains. Holding his breath, he began scrubbing, trying his best to ignore the change of colour pervading the surface of the water around him. “You were the one who came up with the brilliantly foolish idea of stealing roses from an old lady’s garden.”

-- It all began when Noah was in one of his skirt-chasing moods again. Basch didn’t know where did the fault lie: whether if it was the summer heat that had, unfortunately, fried the better part of Noah’s brains; or was it the battering eyelashes that had, predictably, weakened the better of his twin’s senses; or perhaps, it was that ridiculous childish pride that had, sadly, won over his idiotic brother’s better judgments.

Basch deduced it was a mad combination of all three.

But, whatever it was, Basch was certainly assured that his twin had finally lost his marbles when he proposed to maraud the town-witch’s garden for a bouquet of fresh flowers for his latest pursuit. Admittedly, the old woman might have the ugliest face ever known to hume-kind, but she was also famous for cultivating the most beautiful and sweet-smelling flowers within the hundred miles radius. Not to mention, she was further renowned for keeping those treasures for no one save herself.

Every girl in town would give anything to own a blossom to her name, and every boy in town would do anything to present one as a token of his heart. Many of the young, brave and folly had taken their chances, but there had never been a tale of success, only a long series of ill-fated endings with shameful heads hung low.

At the age of fourteen – a time when most boys had prized brawn over brains – Noah decided that he would make history, but he wasn’t about to do it alone.

Now, Noah might not be the brightest bulb in the box in many things, but whenever it comes to persuading Basch to do his bidding – however unreasonable, preposterous and life-threatening it was – he was an exceptional expert. For three days, the younger Ronsenburg twin had whined, dogged his brother’s footsteps, and whined, shed an inappropriate amount of kicked-puppy eyes, and whined some more, sang (or croaked like a dying dog, in Basch’s opinion) cheesy love songs all through the night, and possibly, whined even more, until Basch finally consented to his demands, and prepared for the worst.

Surprisingly, Noah’s plan was relatively simple: You watch for knives, I seize the prize, and we run for our lives.

Of course, if only things were so simple --

“And you were suppose to keep a lookout for me while I’m risking my life,” snarled Noah, as he continued to pummel the clothes with a vicious might, not knowing where else to channel his frustration. He only stopped short when Basch interjected his actions by tossing another wet pile into his arms; Noah could only cringe at the sight.

“I did!” Basch cried in defense, an unexplainable chill skidded over his body which had nothing to do with their damp shirts and wet hands. “But how was I to know that she could appear out of thin air and outrun the both of us.”

-- The owner of the fair garden, the infamous witch-woman, who looked ten times older than their own parents, apparently did materialise from no where. Basch swore that the house was empty when he last checked. Though, when he saw fit to glance again, he found the old woman speeding towards them (at an incredible pace which didn’t match her age), waving a menacing walking stick in her hand.

As of norm, the twins would sprint to different directions when they were cornered, in an attempt to confuse the enemy. But, thinking they could outlast an old lady, both boys took off to the same course, only to be caught subsequently, to their horror, by the scruff of their necks.

What came afterwards was a chain of choked apologies, enthusiastic agreement of free labour, four buckets of filthy, foul-smelling clothes shoved to their chests, and a commanding finger pointed first to their noses, and then, to the river.

And they had nobody to blame but each other --

“You could have been more alert of the surroundings. She’s a witch, of course, she comes and goes as she pleases,” grumbled Noah, not feeling a bit remorseful for trespassing and thieving from other people’s private property. Truthfully, Basch didn’t think it was a very nice thing to say about a lonely old woman, but then again, neither of them has any other explanation for the peculiar nauseating stench that rose from the few buckets of clothes they were forced to wash. So, he did what he always did in such situations, he shrugged.

And as usual, Noah didn’t seem to notice his lack of response and took his brother’s silence for agreement. “I just hope that one of the girls doesn’t walk into us – me – right now, washing the old hag’s undergarments. My reputation will be soiled beyond reparation,” he continued, peering nervously behind his shoulder to ensure that they were alone, as the thought struck him.

“If it hasn’t already,” Basch snorted, thinly amused, his mind concluding the reason why most young men couldn’t lift their chin and refused to share their daring experience of raiding the old woman’s garden.

Noah turned his head and shot a dirty glare at his twin, his temper flared at the sight of the mocking half-grin plastered across that identical face. Nothing could incense Noah more than seeing his own face laughing at him and even worse, when he saw a third smug image reflected upon the water’s surface.

In retaliation, he grabbed the nearest rag to him and aimed it deliberately at Basch’s face. Shocked at the unexpected attack, but swift enough to react, Basch dodged sideways, only to lose his balance and fell into the river.

Noah bolted up, wide-eyed and stunned, then, burst into loud unrepressed laughter that sent the surrounding birds to take flight to the skies. His mirth ceased, when he felt two hands latched onto his feet and pulled him underwater.

There was a moment of tranquil peace reigning over the river, disrupted first by some small ripples, followed by some bubbling, which eventually erupted into a splash. Both boys resurfaced with their face red, spluttering, coughing, and inhaling much needed air.

Basch recuperated faster; he stood up and pulled his damp shirt over his head, tossing it onto the banks. A couple of seconds later, Noah did the same. The twins glowered at each other, identical in countenance and expression, both stripped to the waist, their pants clinging to their skin, revealing the contours of firm muscles.

Then, Basch shook his head, and dragged a hand through his hair to push back the streaks covering his eyes. Noah read it as his cue to move, he lunged forward and tackled his brother, caught him by the waist, knocked him down, and both boys tumbled back into the river depths.

The summer noon had lingered on with the boys thrashing about the river, getting themselves drowned; their washing duties long forgotten.

------

“It’s all your bloody fault,” groaned Noah from the lower bunk the next morning, his voice assertive but soft from fever. To emphasize his point, he gave a sharp kick to the bed above him.

In return, Basch replied by hurling a deserving hard pillow down at Noah’s face.

</div>

FFXII Graphics: Doctor of Philosophy in Final Fantasy XII

aorin — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 21:57:28 GMT

Long story short, I've attended my university convocation yesterday, and to commemorate this event, I made a series of icons, animation banners, friends only banners and oversize-bandwidth-consuming group banners XD With the theme, "Doctor of Philosophy in Final Fantasy XII" ;D

Honestly, I wasn't too keen on my own graduation ceremony. While the pomp and circumstance was a treat, it was dreadfully boring in the robbing room earlier that afternoon. I mean, I seriously felt like a canned sardin, and it's not because I was crammed into a room where I have to bump shoulders to move, or the fact that I'm wearing four layers of thick clothing inside the sauna-like room (not to mention, I kept on tripping over the hem of my gown, arms flailing and all, and I probably took out someone's eye with the mortar board X3), or even the fact that the graduands, boys and girls alike, despite being well-educated and smartly dressed, were gabbling like fish-mongers in a fish market :3

Now, what ultimately drove me nuts in the end was not all that (though, a large part of it), but rather it was the silly rule: No drinks allowed until the end of the ceremony 8O In the situation where I'm in a blazing warm room, filled with hundreds of noisy students from my faculty, with a Harry Potter gown sitting on my shoulders, and the last morsel of food that I had was three hours ago; the committee saw fit to impose this rule then =.=|||

I nearly dehydrated along the way TT^TT

Anyhow, while I'm not all cheers and celebration for my graduation, I'd probably go mad with joy if I receive a Ph.D in Final Fantasy XII XD

And btw, strangely, for the last two weeks, half of the post by my f-list were either graduation-related or hospital-related :P Well, congrats to the earlier and well-wishes to the latter :)

[20] Icons
[12] Characters Banners
[04] Friends Only Banners
[04] Group Banners {Small, 810 x 135}
[04] Group Banners {Medium, 1200 x 200}
[02] Group Banners {Large, 1800 x 300}

[+] Comments are nice :)
[+] Credit is even better :D
[+] No Hotlinking :3
[+] Do not modify without permission X3

ICONS

Group	Group

Ashe	Basch	Vaan	Penelo	Fran	Balthier

Ashe	Basch	Vaan	Penelo	Fran	Balthier

Ashe	Basch	Vaan	Penelo	Fran	Balthier

CHARACTERS BANNER

Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca
Quote: A New Day Has Dawned. Spoken in the ending on the Strahl, announcing Dalmasca's liberation.
Flower: Lily of the Valley. Well, originally, I wanted to let Ashe hold a single rose, but since two other guys were already posing with a huge bouquet of roses, I had to consider other choices :3 Ok, I know no one receives LofV during their graduation ceremony, but, I really liked this little bell-shaped flower XD Besides, this is one of the flowers that doesn't look dangerous in Ashe's hands XP

Basch Fon Ronsenburg
Quote: We Are The Arbiters of our Destiny. Spoken in Giruvegan, after Ashe receives the Treaty Blade.
Flower: White Roses. Ehehehe... XD This flower choice is rather personal. I admit, I love white roses and insist on receiving it on any occassions (Iris and Lotus is a close second, but...), so, of course, I'll chuck a bouquet of roses into Basch's hands. Though, I honestly think Basch had more of the "approach-me-and-I'll-smack-you-across-the-face-with-the-most-convenient-thing-in-my-hand" look XD Well, who can blame him, since I've replaced his favourite sword ;D

Vaan
Quote: I'm Ready to Find a Purpose... To Find Real Answers. Spoken in the Garif Village to Ashe.
Flower: Sunflower. Brighy, sunny, cheery, attention-seeking and always staring at sun, sounds like a flower that would fit Vaan very well ;) Though, my question is that, I just wonder how did Vaan manage to graduate in the first place and what university would actually confer him a doctorate... He looks suprising adorable, and a bit cocky, even though it was hard to fit the square academic cap on him XD

Penelo
Quote: Keep Our Eyes on the Road Ahead. Spoken in the Epilogue.
Flower: Tulips. I'm not a big fan of Tulips generally, compared to other types of flowers, but I do think it looks really lovely. And Penelo looks so cuddly and cute holding two stalks of violet tulips XD It was easy to let her hold flowers and still look comfortable in it. I don't know, but I find Penelo to be quite endearing here, and even her line sounds very inspiring ;) She just looks so... GENKI here XD

Balthier
Quote: Quite A Performance. Spoken in the Rabanastre Treasure Room, when he first appeared.
Flower: Red Roses. Of all the characters, I worked on Balthier's first, as I actually intended to make a congratulatory banner for a friend. And, it wasn't easy to get rid of his gun, and replace it with a bunch of roses. Honestly, I couldn't find a nice picture of a bunch of roses, so I ended up cropping a picture of a "vase" of roses instead. Oh well, as long as Balthier looks comfortable holding... XP Also, it was hard to settle the mortar board on his head, as the back of his hair was porcupine-ish... X3

Fran
Quote: I Won My Freedom. Spoken in Eruyt Village to Jote and Mjrn.
Flower: White Lilies. She was the hardest to work with. First, I couldn't find a nice, inspiring, uplifting quote from her. Then, her original pose made it quite hard to add a flower to it, and somehow, I got a bit ambitious and wanted to remove her weapon as well. With a picture of only three stalks of White Lilies, I had to duplicate them and resize them until it covers all the spaces of where her bow used to be X3 Surprisingly, I had so much fun working on her cap though, with her long ears, it has to be custom-made XD

FRIENDS ONLY BANNER

GROUP BANNER (SMALL)

GROUP BANNER (MEDIUM)

GROUP BANNER (LARGE)

FFXII Fic: Sting Bite

aorin — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:59:33 GMT

While I might be horribly unproductive and a sloth, other people in the fandom surely isn't. Three of my four prompts have been answered by four fics and all of them are so wonderfully written XD What can I say, my lucky stars must have been shinning brightly over my head that week. My hidden cravings for Noah/Penelo had somehow been answered and satiated :D

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astrangerenters wrote Fran giving a smooch to the cry-baby sky pirate wannabe Ffamran. The things that she's willing to do just to have some peace and quiet.

delylah wrote a brutal piece of Noah and Penelo sharing a savage, painful lip-lock in a disreputable tavern. Domineering Judge Magisters and hard-headed dancing girls just don't see eye-to-eye.

manic_intent wrote a hilarious exchange between Basch and Noah in Brotherly Affection, a kiss that was immortalized in a famous magazine. Photoshoot AU.

Wonderfully generous sarasa_cat wrote an incredibly long and touching piece with Penelo giving Noah a gentle kiss that he doesn't want in Another War Orphan.

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As for the part that I played in this year's FF Valentine kissing challenge: I actually eyed a few prompts but in the end, I only succeed in completing one of it. T__T Currently, the ideas are still swimming around my head and I might eventually write it someday, though it's no longer for that kissing challenge anymore. Perhaps, maybe, unlikely... :3

Title: Sting Bite
Fandom: Final Fantasy XII
Character(s): Basch, Penelo, and a dead Cactuar.
Rating: G
Summary: There is no medicine better than a captain's kiss.

“Ouch!” Penelo hissed as she drew her hand away from the Cactuar, the party’s recent catch, and their supposing dinner. Every day, the party drew lots to decide upon the chores which were to be assigned to each party member, and that evening, Basch was to cook dinner while Penelo was to help him prepare. The sun was bearing down perfunctorily; drawing elongated shadows behind her, and that gave Penelo a sense of urgency to finish preparing the meal as quickly as possible, not wanting Basch to think her an incompetent and bothersome brat. But, in her hurry to remove the needles, she had speared herself.

“What’s wrong?” Basch turned his head towards her, and his eyes traveled to her hand.

“Oh no, nothing, it’s just me being clumsy,” said Penelo, mustering a nervous smile, as she quickly hid her injured finger behind her, shaking it softly to ease the sting. Damn Cactuar, she thought to herself, heatedly.

Basch eyed her curiously for a while, and then, turned around to face her completely. His face was stern but not menacing; he held out his hand and said in voice that left no room for argument, “Let me see your hand.”

Reluctantly, and with much embarrassment, she showed him her palm, like a child who had been asked to reveal her dirty hands after stealing from a jar of cookies. Taking her small hand into his own, he hunched down and examined her slightly swollen index finger with care. A line of blood was streaming from the tiny dot on her fingertip; while she wasn’t bleeding profusely, it didn’t show signs of stopping soon.

Then, without notice, Basch lowered his head, and put her finger into his mouth and began to suck it gently. After what felt like forever (which was actually only a couple of seconds), he finally lifted his head and spat the blood to the ground. Turning back to her again, he blew softly against her puncture wound, and was pleased to see the bleeding had finally stopped.

“That should do it,” he said, not releasing her hand and making sure to keep it leveled with her heart. With one hand, he unclasped the cap of the water pouch and he took a mouthful of water and gargled. “Some of the Cactuar needles may be poisonous,” he added, somewhat incoherently.

At that moment, the only thing that Penelo was capable of was to nod at his every word, and stare at him blankly while he washed the cut. The shade of her cheeks rivaled the puddle of blood, causing her to look slightly feverish. After a few moments, she steered her gaze away from him bashfully, and chewed her lower lip in an anxious manner.

Basch looked at her worriedly when he felt her trembled, and he thought that perhaps the injury was worse than he expected. Releasing the grasp on her hand, he stood up and dusted the sand from his pants, “Keep your hand above heart level and stay right here. I’ll get some disinfectant.” And he left her, racing off to where he presumed the party was seated.

Alone, Penelo turned to stare at the stupid lifeless Cactuar beside her, and she muttered shyly under her breathe, “Damn Cactuar.”

FFXII Icons: All Hail Baschilles!!

aorin — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 01:22:24 GMT

So... instead of writing fics. I've joined the ff_eye_candy icontest instead. Because I could hardly resist when I saw the theme that week. Well, that, and I was on a icon making spree at the moment. I mean, seriously, first, I made a claim for Basch/Ashe at iconfiend100, then I went on to ffxii_arcana, and claimed XII: The Hanged Man Vossler for icon. A bit crazy on my part, don't you think?

At any rate, the icontest was quite fun as I won third place for my Basch-Beowulf icon (Go on, drool all you want, it's not everyday we get to see a naked Basch, you know!) :D And this Baschilles icon was requested for tutorial. I'm quite gleeful to be honest, as I haven't join any kind of contest for as long as I can remember (I'm not competitive by nature... Honest!! XD), let alone win something.

For now, I just want to share the three icons that I've made for the contest. Once I've made enough icons, I'm probably going to repost all the random icons that I've made along the way. Yeah, I even had Basch dressed up as a pharaoh, and Rasler as Medusa X3

Ashe as Isis? Mesopotamian	Basch as Achilles Greek	Basch as Beowulf Anglo-Saxon	Basch as Beowulf Anglo-Saxon

Also, combine this and this into

Step 1: Stare at both pictures for 30 minutes to 1 hour, and drool all over it :D ..... What?!! I needed the inspiration and so do the rest of you. Besides, there's no harm in gawking at two drop dead gorgeous looking men X3

Right! Forgive me for my insane fangirl moment and on to the actual tutorial :)

Real!Step 1: Start with this picture and remove Brat Pitt's Archilles face with an eraser. Once you are done, drag this layer over to your premade 100x100 px document and leave it there first.

(Tip: For other types of photo manip, I'll normally cut the head of the other character and paste it over the body, but since this one involves a helmet, it's better to do it the other way round. Also, erasing the face would be sufficient enough, don't ever get rid of the neck)

You should see something like this:

Step 2: Open this picture of Basch and flip the canvas horizontally (Image >> Rotate Canvas >> Flip Canvas Horizontal). As good-looking as he is, it's much too dark. To fix that, I duplicate four layers: Put the first three to Screen to lighten the image and it'll end up like this. To brighten the colours and make it less burry, I threw in another layer of Overlay, setting it at 50% opacity and 50% fill.

You should see something like this:

Step 3: Time to combine. Take Archilles helmet, and plunk it over Basch's head in the 100x100px document. Make some adjustments to both so that it fits perfectly together. And thus, Baschilles is born! XD

You should see something like this:

Step 4: Basch's face is too ghostly looking. To fix that, I used one Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer and a couple of Colour Filling and put them all in between the Basch (bottom) and the helmet (top) layers. This part involves a lot of test, trial and error, but this is how I did it X3 First, I put a Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer to darken the face, putting Brightness to -15.

You should see something like this:

(Note: It doesn't seem any different here after I saved it, but it looked sharper when I worked on PS :3)

Step 5: Next, the Colour Filling galore (5 layers). To give Basch's face a reddish hue to suit Archilles' skin, I made two new layers and filled it with dark red (#790000), and set it to Screen, 50% opacity, 50% fill, and this turned up. Then, I needed some brown (#603913) to make it skin-like. The first two brown layers are Colour Dodge, 50% opacity, 50% fill. And because it seemed a little too bright for someone wearing a helm, I threw in Multiply, 50% opacity, 50% fill too.

You should see something like this:

At this point, I'm done with fixing the Baschilles base, and merge all the layers to one (Ctrl-E). Next, I move on to texturing. I need some help in this section because I forgot one of the most important steps T___T

Step 6 (?): To make something grungy, I took a sunset layer by Diabolica Robotica, and darken it with curves (Ctrl-M). After that, I merged that layer with another texture. I don't remember which texture or what I did along the way (as I merge everything here). But the final outcome was a grungy orange texture. Well, there are similar ones out there that can be used for a replacement for this step.

>>>>>

Step 7: You can choose to remove or keep the white background behind Basch, but I choose to remove it as I wanted to add text later. Then, I slap that modified grungy sunset layer over him, and erase the parts that covers Basch.

You should see something like this:

Step 8: Not quite happy yet, I threw the original sunset layer over him once again to even out everything. Again I erase everything that covers Basch and set it to Multiply.

You should see something like this:

Step 9: Hmm... I wanted the armour to shine, so went back and I duplicate the layer with Basch only, and set it to Overlay, 50% opacity. Heee...! Shiny Baschilles XD

You should see something like this:

Step 10: Next, add text. Since I can't read nor write Greek. I went over to wikipedia and copied Achilles in old Greek and made it into a brush preset in a separate 100x100px document (Edit >> Define Brush Preset). I created a new layer below Basch's layer and added the text to it.

(Note: You can also just paste the name in a text layer, and put it below Basch's layer. I didn't think about it until I've done everything X3)

You should see something like this:

Step 11: Optional, really, but I duplicated the same text layer again. In the blending options, I set it to Stroke, 2px, and after that, I turn the opacity of the layer to 80%.

(Note: I don't why, but I like the effect better like this, instead of just doing the same for the original text layer X3)

You should see something like this:

Step 12: Almost done! But in the end, I thought it was too... orange for my taste, and I wanted to give some kind of bluish, blurry effect to conform the theme better. Well, mythology being the theme, I feel that it ought to be a bit dreamy-like and less sharp. So, I create a new layer above all the layers, and filled it with dark blue (#0D004C), and set it to Lighten.

You should see something like this:

(Tip: When it comes to photo manip, I'll normally end everything by adding an extra colour fill layer to even out everything. It also solves most of my problems when I fail to match the colour of the head and body. That's what I did with the Baschwulf icon as well :D)

Step 13: And well, since I've nothing better to do. I added a border to it. Made a new layer and filled it with white, then, I set it to Multiply. In the blending options, I added Stroke, set it to black, 1px, change it to inside.

You should see something like this:

And concludes the tutorial! :D When I recheck my PSD, I realised that the one that I submitted was a little different from the one shown here. As this one seemed to have more noises and looks grungier :3 I suppose I ended up tweaking one of the layers with curve (Ctrl-M) to lessen it (most likely during Step 6). Still, I hope this tutorial is helpful to those that read it :) And for comparison sake:

Submitted icon: PSD icon:

Well, something like that XD Not perfect but somewhat similar, and I did have fun doing this :P This is my first attempt at writing an icon tutorial, so I hope I didn't make too many glaring mistakes :3

FFXII Icons: 20/100 Basch/Ashe Icons

aorin — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:00:51 GMT

So this is me partaking another challenge again! Most likely this will end up as one of those suicidal missions (kamikaze...! XD), as I'm not really well-versed in icon making. I'd probably only upload everytime I complete 10 icons, so this might be a long project.

To be honest, iconfiend100 have yet to approve of my claim, but being the despicably impatient person I am, I've decided to post it up here first XP I do hope I didn't break any rules by doing so =.=|||

Also, if anyone have some ideas or a particular Basch/Ashe scene that they wish to see made into an icon. Please tell me, and I'll have a go at it :) Wish me luck and hopefully, I'll complete this challenge as soon as possible. And... until I finally update a new fic, I'm NOT going to post up anymore videos that I make. I'm sort of boycotting myself here X3

Fandom: Final Fantasy XII
Pairing: Basch fon Ronsenburg & Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca
Theme Set: Beta @ iconfiend100
# of icons completed: 20/100
Rating: PG (I just realised how perverse I am 83)
Resources: Here!

Batch I: [11 icons] 0. No Icon (To Be Unveiled), 03. Journey, 09. The Little Things, 12. Goofing Off, 15. Destiny, 16. Home, 21. Love Letter, 24. Catch Me, 30. Old-Fashioned, 45. Whisper, 49. The One

Batch II: [10 icons] 04. Two's Company, 06. Secret Admirer, 17. Heartache, 18. Seasons, 38. Colors, 48. Tomorrow's Another Day, 51. Her Reflection (AC), 52. His Reflection (AC), 53. Two Hearts (AC), 54. As One (AC)

01 Candlelit	02 Dress Up	03 Journey	04 Two's Company	05 Take my Chances

06 Secret Admirer	07 Jealousy	08 Fairytale	09 The Little Things	10 Awkward

11 Safe	12 Goofing Off	13 Wings	14 Trust	15 Destiny

16 Home	17 Heartache	18 Obstacle	19 Seasons	20 Artwork

21 Love Letter	22 Bloom	23 Opposites	24 Catch Me	25 Lazy

26 Unexpected	27 Quarrel	28 Gift	29 Flirt	30 Old-Fashioned

31 Freefall	32 Caress	33 Games	34 Entwined	35 Spellbinding

36 Tangled	37 Here and Now	38 Colors	39 Don't Cry	40 Selfless

41 Change of Heart	42 Sanctity	43 Carry	44 Hereafter	45 Whisper

46 Patience	47 I'll Be There	48 Tomorrow's Another Day	49 The One	50 Yin Yang

51 Her Reflection	52 His Reflection	53 Two Hearts	54 As One	55 AC

56 AC	57 AC	58 AC	59 AC	60 AC

61 AC	62 AC	63 AC	64 AC	65 AC

66 AC	67 AC	68 AC	69 AC	70 AC

71 AC	72 AC	73 AC	74 AC	75 AC

76 AC	77 AC	78 AC	79 AC	80 AC

81 AC	82 AC	83 AC	84 AC	85 AC

86 AC	87 AC	88 AC	89 AC	90 AC

91 AC	92 AC	93 AC	94 AC	95 AC

96 AC	97 AC	98 AC	99 AC	100 AC

VARIATIONS

06 Secret Admirer	09 The Little Things	12 Goofing Off	17 Heartache	17 Heartache

19 Seasons	24 Catch Me	38 Colours	38 Colours	49 The One

49 The One

[+] Comments are nice :)
[+] Credit is even better :D
[+] No Hotlinking :3
[+] Do not modify without permission X3

Icon Resources and Credits

aorin — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:53:27 GMT

An obligatory resources and credits post that must be written.

This list is not complete at the moment as I did not keep record of my resources previously, and I've lost some of the names, and thus, cannot credit appropriately. If you recognise anything that belongs to you, and I didn't manage to credit, please notify me, and I'll add you to the list immediately :)

Brushes // Textures // Gradients // Patterns // Tutorials

myrasis , ianthinae , colorfilter , lookslikerain , ewanism , bittenicons , arisubox , damnicons , daughterofsnape [dA], diabolica robotica [dA], immoral , pink_cosmos , awmpdotnet , 9thaquilo , 77words , ohfreckle , luthien_black , masterjiin [dA], sweartoshakeitup [dA], kixtwix [dA], padabee , ewidentnie , icon_bacchanal , moffit , half_by_sea , ntpp_zoo , icon_tutorial , 100x100_brushes , inkblotangel , ffec_tactics , mmrobitussin , creamuts @ mutsie_brushes, noelit @ fakerainbow

Screencaps // Images

* This list excludes fanarts taken from various japanese sites as I no longer keep track of them, and neither do I have the links.

Carpe Diem
Ambrosia
Minitokyo

FFXII Vid: Forget About Love

aorin — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 02:50:20 GMT

Rabid rats and fats cats in a bag!! I've never encountered so many errors and horrors from youtube before. Seriously, youtube have something against me today, and it took me practically forever (or at least, it feels that long) to post this video. I actually wanted to broadcast this video on Christmas day itself, but well, didn't manage to make it X3

That, and originally, I wanted to create a Basch/Ashe Christmas Special Video (well, something along those lines), but sadly, I couldn't complete it in time, and now, I'm not sure if I should continue with the project, erm, unless someone is interested... XP And the fics, well, I'll have something up by New Year... hopefully :D

Also, though, this might be a little late, I'd still like to wish everyone Merry Christmas ;)

Title: Forget About Love
Fandom: Final Fantasy XII
Character(s): Balthier, Basch/Ashe
Song: "Forget About Love" from Aladdin: The Return of Jafar
Rating: G
Summary: Sneaky Balthier is up to one of his mischieves (again!). As he tries to 'convince and advise' Ashe to forget about her love for Basch, by singing about his distaste for love and romance. His plans in separating (or uniting?) Ashe and Basch obviously backfired (or worked?) when the couple finally realises the feelings they share deep down and that they just can't 'Forget About Love' ♥

FFXII: Basch/Ashe Fanart Commission

aorin — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 20:37:16 GMT

Hehe!! Look~~!! I've finally customized my LJ layout, and I adore the new look XD

I still need to tweak some of the sidebars (fix the page summary and tags), but all in all, I absolutely love this new layout. The original layout base was made by janaluna, the original fanart was drawn by Toounit, and my younger sister helped me change the colour scheme and the header. But I do have to apologize for the smaller font size, and it'll be harder to read the fics... m(_ _)m

That aside, I couldn't decide which fanart should be made into a header (cause all of them were just absolutely stunning!!). In the end, I let my sister choose on my behalf, but I'm probably going to rotate and change the header every now and then ;D

Last weekend was a gift from heaven ^__^ I think I've mentioned to some of you here that I'll be attending Comic Fiesta 2007 (A Malaysian Fan-based ACG Convention), and that my first and foremost purpose is to commission some of my favourite local artists to draw me some fanarts for Final Fantasy XII. Mostly Basch/Ashe related, of course X3

Also, I think I might have built up a weird reputation while I'm there, as most of them practically recognized me as 'the weirdo who runs around asking for Basch/Ashe fanarts.' It's bound to happen sooner or later, but I have no regrets. -.-|||

Nevermind all that as it is the time to unravel the treasures that I've gotten from this year's Comic Fiesta.

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BY TOOUNIT. (I will not be surprised if he ever decides to ban me from his booth, considering the amount of fanart that I request from him XP I swear I didn't harass him in any manner, but I did drop quite a workload on him. But I guess I was lucky in a sense that he's willing to take more than one commission from the same person. Also, for the record, I did commission him twice last year, for a fanart of Lightning (FFXIII) and the main character from FFVSXIII)

Basch/Ashe (Copic) : This is the second commission that I asked from him, and I requested for a sweet, subtle and romantic theme (you'll understand why after you see the other couple fanart). Look carefully, and you'll notice that this picture is actually a combination of two fanarts. For some unexplainable reason, I love both their expressions, and that sweet little smile they have there. It's as though they are just contented with being in each others presence, and that they both share a secret close bond. XD

Basch/Ashe (Copic) : Now, this was actually the first commission that I requested this year. I was somewhat nervous upon my first request, and since he was really busy at that moment, I kind of just quickly rush through with the explanation, and said that I wanted a Basch/Ashe couple picture, and nothing more. All's well, and I really think he did a great job in this pic. Basch looks fine enough but I think Ashe looks absolutely gorgeous, and both their expression really compliment each other. On the other hand, I couldn't quite understand the 'halloween-looking castle' behind them, but I didn't mind it either XP Oh btw, here's a photo showing the artist in action while working on my commission, and I laughed out loud when I found it by chance.

Ashe (Copic): I'll be sorely disappointed if Toounit didn't excel in this request, since drawing ravishing-looking girls is his forte (check out his dA if you don't believe me!!). Basically, this is a fanart of Ashe performing Raq Sharqi, it seems that the Dalmascan princess has picked up a few dancing techniques from Penelo. Seriously, I wonder how does Basch feel if he ever sees Ashe in this revealing attire XD Also, diorelli, are you inspired now? XD

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BY ECHTHELIAN (*sigh* Somehow, I wish she stayed another day as I would love to request another copic commission, or even lineart from her. But sadly, she said that she's only there for one day, though she did mention that I can still commission her on dA, but it'll be more pricey than a quick sketch - I'm still thinking about it and weighing my purse DX)

Basch/Ashe (Copic): How do I feel when I receive this fanart? Speechless!! Yes, I could barely utter anything coherent apart from 'Thank You, I Love It! Thank You, I Love It!!' Ok, maybe I didn't say that out loud, but the thought was definitely running through my head.

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BY KIDCHAN (I admire this girl!! I really do. I've been plotting to get a commission from her ever since I failed to do so at last year's CF. She's a really busy and popular lady, so it's almost a miracle when I actually do succeed in receiving an artwork from her. Also, I was very much confounded when she actually asked me if I'm satisfied with the fanart... and my face must have resembled a gapping codfish out of water at the question O___o)

Basch/Ashe (Sketch): I gave her the picture references, and all I said was, "A picture of this couple. Romantic theme." And voila, she works miracles!! Basch's hands, their loving gaze... phew... simply astounding! Somehow, I knew she would create a fanart that would do me proud, and of course, she did! No surprise there, this is such a lovely sketch, and they look so good together. *sigh*

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BY JACKEE (Her enthusiasm at drawing Ashe really surprised me when I actually decided to commission her. She was mentioning about how complicated was Ashe's outfit, and soon, I found out that she was the girl who cosplayed as Ashe (default outfit) at last year's CF. I remembered her clearly, because she was the one and only Ashe last year, or more like the only FFXII cosplayer then. I think I was stupefied for a couple of seconds, while my mind derailed off-track when she admitted that she was Ashe. Apart from that, she's really friendly, and it's nice to talk to her. I wish I had a chance to get to know her better though... X3)

Basch/Ashe (Sketch): I did something quite stupid when I requested for this fanart. If I recall correctly, she was mildly surprised when she found out that I like Basch/Ashe, and she curiously asked me why did I like this couple. In which, I gave a truly pathetic answer off the top of my head, I don't even remember what I said, but it's definitely not something good as my younger sister actually told me that I was being rather sarcastic. Ah~~ the shame, I do hope she didn't mind my rudeness though, I can't quite curb my tongue at times T__T *bangs head* Otherwise, I was beaming brightly when I saw the lovely romantic artwork, and I was squealing when I saw 'Ashelia + Basch in Hearts' on the top left corner XD She sure knows what a fangirl wants!!

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BY DKARTOON (I think I might have given her a heart attack when I actually requested for FFXII full cast in chibi form. But in the end, I just chose Basch and Ashe first. Though she did tell me that I can still request for more chibi-fied artwork from her after CF. Something that I'll most certainly do!! Seriously, I kept on pondering on why did I miss her booth on the first day, and didn't notice her work earlier. It was by pure chacne that I happen to stop by her booth on the second day, but I thank my lucky stars I didn't miss the chance.)

Basch/Ashe (Chibi Lineart): Adorable!! Simply adorable!! I mean, c'mon, how can you resist those adorable, cuddly face XD I mean, look at Basch's cute little frown, and Ashe's pose! Anyone here can help me colour this fanart? I really don't want to mutilate such a beautiful fanart with my horrendous non-existant colouring ability, but I'd like to see them coloured :3

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So yeah, I did enjoy myself the past two two days, and Comic Fiesta was definitely a fantastic experience!! Any regrets? Of course! My regret is that I didn't commission for more artwork from other artist, partly because I only brought a few reference pictures the first day, and on the second day, I was too busy cosplaying, and didn't get a chance to hang around the artist booths. *sigh* There's always next year, but still!

Well, on the sunny side, I still have three Basch/Ashe commission to collect from a girl named Terra, and I'm really anticipating her fanarts :D Also, I decided to help a fellow Malaysian artist by subscribing dA for him, and in return, he offered to draw me something XD And then, there's clowx and DKartoon too, whom I still have to contact about some artwork which I requested before and during CF :) </div></div>
EDIT: Uploaded larger images of the fanarts (30 December 2007)

PS: I'm not going to f-lock this post, because I'd like to share these gorgeous fanarts with some of my friends who does not have a LJ, and also to those who happen to stumble upon this page by accident. I might be the owner of these artworks but all the rights still belongs to the original artist. Therefore, if I catch any form of art theft with these fanarts... heads will roll, to put it simply!

FFXII Vid: Learn To Do It

aorin — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 14:09:20 GMT

I had a hard time choosing the suitable icon for this post. The Basch/Vossler icon shows both characters, but it's rather ill-suited for this video. Oh well, it's not that important anyway :3

I dedicated this video to two amazing girls on youtube.com, namely Tanjavasi and Ananda81 (who happens to be twins in real life, btw XD). This wasn't on my to-do list or any list, but inspiration struck hard and I made this with the thought of dedicating the video to these girls, whom to my knowledge, considers Basch and Vossler to be their favourite characters in the game respectively, and share the same fondness in musicals.

Also, Tanja happens to be one of my first few friends within this fandom through forums and later youtube. An incredible fanvid creator whom created the famous Basch video "I'll Make A Man Out of You" and also, the popular and romantic Basch/Ashe video "It Is You (I Have Loved)". While, Ananda, who I end up knowing later, created two lovely Basch/Ashe videos as well (Dear Basch and If You Only Knew)

Otherwise, personally, I always wanted to create a fanvid with Vossler taking the center stage, and I'm glad I have a chance to do so in this video (Next target is Noah, once I find a suitable song for him). But I've currently lost the motivation to do anything, so it might take a while before I upload anything else, whether it is fanfic or fanvid. T___T

Also, a word of thanks to crazy18gurl, astrangerenters, and merry_rogue for your comments on youtube. As for the 'At The Beginning', I'm afraid two people have beaten me to it. Neither of them are focused on Basch/Ashe, but still, I'm not sure if I should attempt a third FFXII video with the same song X3

Title: Learn To Do It
Fandom: Final Fantasy XII
Character(s): Vossler, Basch, Ashe
Song: "Learn To Do It" from Anastasia
Rating: G
Summary: Ashe was certainly not famous for being demure, and more of a warrior princess than a meek maiden. If you ever wonder who taught the desert princess proper social graces, chances would be that we might catch a glimpse of two hardworking Dalmascan captains. It's tough being a Captain!

FFXII Fic-Bit: Ticking Time Bomb

aorin — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 02:38:43 GMT

Your wish is my command, mariagoner , and here's the drabble as promised ;D I'm immensely glad that you've enjoyed it and even more flattered that you would consider including this into your Uses of Enchantment series. For some reason, I'm unable to come up with a better title, therefore, if something else in mind, just tell me and I'll replace it. :)

Apart from that, do expect a FFXII pic-spam within the next few days ;)

Title: Ticking Time Bomb
Fandom: Final Fantasy XII
Character(s): Larsa, Penelo
Rating: G
Summary: Five Times Larsa Had Been Tempted To Do Upon Hearing of Men Pawing at his Sky-Pirating Lady

For 15 seconds of his life, Larsa had toyed with the idea of officially declaring sexual harassment as a noose-hanging offence in the lands of his judicious administration, if these men were incapable of keeping their dirty paws to themselves breathing, they might learn from their mistakes better choking on a scaffold. His thoughts were made known to Gabranth, and the next day, he had found a conveniently placed half-written resignation letter on his guardian's desk)

For 20 seconds of his life, Larsa had considered dissolving the alliance with Rozarria when he realized that Al-Cid had stolen the first dance with the beautiful lady of his affections at the Southern Annual Ball. (It was that Casanova’s birthday bash, and he had to pick his dance partner, whom the young love-sick emperor had at length, painstakingly persuaded to accompany him for this one festivity)

For 30 seconds of his life, Larsa had stared unblinkingly at the name list of immigrants from the deserts, wondering if he should permit one particular man to take up residence in his lands (by heart and acute memory, he could distinguish the name and face of all the lewd men that had catcalled, wolf-whistled, or shamelessly flirted with the booty-shaking beauty, and this ill-fated man had all but did the three forbidden before his eyes). In the end, he had the man under 72 hours’ heavy surveillance and interrogation, led by none other than Judge Gabranth himself.

For 45 seconds of his life, Larsa had been outrageously tempted to remove Balfonheim from the realm by accidentally brushing the power switch of the massive juggernaut aimed towards that forsaken direction. (Inviting Vaan to test-drive the latest fighter ship proves to be a blunder, when his rather dim-witted friend had mentioned as a passing that his lady navigator has been nicknamed “Sexy Sugar Thighs” by the mass male population of that outlandish buccaneer port)

For 60 seconds of his life, Larsa had plucked off his gloves, rolled up his puffy sleeves, cracked his knuckles, visible twitch rising on his left temple and raced for the nearest battleship (with a dearly overworked Gabranth hot on his heels), when he finally found out that apparently Vaan’s airship had but one single bedroom.

(For countless seconds in his life, Larsa had been simply tempted to unmasked his true feelings, and let it be known to Ivalice that the one true love of His Imperial Majesty was the very same lady that these perverted scums of earth was trying to butter up. That ought to keep them away from the Future Sassy Empress for good!)

FFXII Vid: The New Girl in Town

aorin — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 18:58:21 GMT

I really didn't want to post four videos in a row. I wanted to post 'Love is Blind' prologue (or any fics as a matter of fact), but Basch and Larsa wouldn't cooperate with me (sorry, had to get that off my chest, and the fic isn't even about them). But things kind of change, after I wrote 5 really crappy sentence for mariagoner, and I felt obligated to give her something as a compensation. And this is it!

Penelo and Fran is truly spectacular btw ;D Also, if you think this video is crack-filled, wait till you see the next one in maybe two weeks time.

But anyway, what do you all feel about a pic-spam post? I've got a couple of FFXII fanarts from japanese sites, and I was wondering if you would prefer that I upload the Group pics, Basch/Ashe pics, Individual pics, or other pairings (mostly Basch/anyone pics)? No, icor, I do not have as much Balthier/Fran pics as you did, and I'm still amazed that you found that much.

Off topic: I normally don't talk about my RL issues, but my neck feels like snapping into two after bunking on the hospital... couch every afternoon, since Monday. My younger sister is going through some auto-immune deficiency illness (rashes and abdominal pain), and though it is not serious, she's expected to remain in the hospital for further inspections in case it gets worse. And I've been keeping her company in the afternoons, 15 hours shift until one of my parents comes and take over the watch. My back feels sore T__T

Title: The New Girl in Town
Fandom: Final Fantasy XII
Character(s): Penelo, Fran, Ashe and the boys
Song: 'The New Girl in Town' from Hairspray
Rating: G
Summary: Penelo and Fran have been living a peaceful life in FFXII. Penelo bailing Vaan out of trouble while Fran saving Balthier from fires, the usual daily drill. Until Ashe (or Amalia?) makes her entrance and turns everything topsy-turvy.

FFXII Vid: The Mob Song

aorin — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 19:36:12 GMT

Three videos in a row?

Yes, and there's probably more to come later. I'm on a verge of creating at least one video for every single Disney title... Probably not! X3 To be honest, I'm quite happy with this video, because, for once, it actually contains the full cast, and almost all the characters got a chance to shine. I swear, if Chip had a line, it would definitely belong to Larsa and no one else. On the other hand, Basch, Ashe and Ondore performance is phenomenal, and they deserve an Oscar! (or anything?) XD

Off topic: I do like my new shiny icon XD I love the pose, and I'm going to blackmail my sister into making a better one!

Title: The Mob Song
Fandom: Final Fantasy XII
Character(s): Basch, Ashe, Vayne, Ondore, Vaan, Penelo, Balthier, Fran and Cast
Song: "The Mob Song" from Beauty and the Beast
Rating: G
Summary: Vayne believes that he can get everything he wants, but, his perfect illusion was shattered when Ashe chose Basch instead. Displeased and filled with fury, he rallied his army of Judges and march forth to destroy the man who claimed her heart. Basch, who was grief-stricken over the departure of Ashe, made no attempt to defend himself from the onslaught, but lucky for him, his loyal friends - Vaan, Penelo, Balthier and Fran - stood by his side, and valiantly held back Vayne and his henchmen. And thus, the Mob!

Below is the name of the cast of characters from Final Fantasy XII incorporated into one of the songs from Beauty and the Beast, The Mob Song. Though I'd truly suggest you watch the video and have the fun of finding about them youself :3

The Cast:
Basch: Beast
Ashe: Belle
Ondore: Maurice
Cogsworth: Vaan
Lumiere: Balthier
Mrs Potts: Penelo
Fifi: Fran
Villager #1 (Male): Zargabaath
Villager #2 (Male): Gabranth
Villager #3 (Female): Drace
Villager #4 (Male): Bergan

+ Guest Appearance +
Vayne: Gaston

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FFXII Vid: I Won't Say (I'm In Love)

aorin — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 21:11:14 GMT

I obviously deserve to be shot for neglecting all those who commented on my previous video (with a bazooka or flamethrower for galatea23 's case, take your pick and I won't run away!).

But in any case, yes, astrangerenters , I'm probably the most predictable creature you've ever seen XD Which is why part II of the Hercules/Final Fantasy XII series appeared. I do share a love-hate relationship with this video, because, at certain segments, it was a breeze, other times, I feel like breaking fingers, and pulling Ashe out of the screen, just so I can throttle her. Though, somehow, I do pity little Larsa at 1.10, who not only had to put up with Ivalice politics, but had to listen to Ashe's love life problem as well. Poor little guy!

Well, Ashe definitely have my full attention when she rants on about her love life! God knows what she'll do (or what she can do) if I ignore her! XD

Title: I Won't Say (I'm In Love)
Fandom: Final Fantasy XII
Character(s): Ashe/Basch
Song: 'I Won't Say (I'm In Love)' from Hercules
Rating: G
Summary: After Basch's journey from Zero to Hero, the spotlight then turns to Ashe, who finds herself, well, romantically attracted to Basch, but stubbornly denies her heart. And how does she deny these growing amorous feelings? By singing, of course!! XD

FFXII Vid: Zero To Hero

aorin — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 06:09:25 GMT

^_____________________________^

SING WITH ME!!

::mumbles incoherently::

Title: Zero To Hero
Fandom: Final Fantasy XII
Character(s): Basch, Ashe and Cast
Song: "Zero To Hero" from Hercules
Rating: G
Summary: The road to the top is never easy. Let's all see how ~~Hercules~~ Captain Basch does it all! XD

FFXII Fic: Marks and Memories

aorin — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 15:56:41 GMT

Never am I ever writing for any other challenge with deadlines X3 I'm just not capable in meeting the deadlines, and I will feel extremely bad for dropping the claims, or posting up late because time and brains doesn't permit me otherwise. That's it! After the next bout of springkink, I swearing off them for good. And to think I've already given up hope after my first ridiculously-terrible attempt at online challenges. This is the first time I'm writing sexual situations in fics, and I dare not go below the waist... ok fine, I almost put a permanent pause below the neck, but still, I figure this would be good practice before writing similar situations for my multi-chapter fics. As for how I feel at the moment, the same as I told gwynhafra, I felt as though an elephant just sat on my brain and farted.

And I would like to apologize to galatea23and mariagonerbeforehand. I'll be out of town for the next three days, and would only return on Sunday (which I'll most likely be sleeping the day off as well), so... I'll only be able to reply your posts later. I'm really sorry for delaying again m(_ _)m

Title: Marks and Memories
Fandom: Final Fantasy XII
Characters: Basch/Ashe, Rasler
Rating: R
Warnings: Light sexual situations
Prompt: Washing away memory with sensations - "you're not really seeing me"
A/N: Written for IJ Kinkfest

“Neck,” she breathed.

He carefully nipped the side of her neck, feeling her rapid heartbeat pulsing against his dried lips, licking, moisturizing, he repeated, and harder this time, leaving a faint red mark upon her slender ivory neck. Gently, he made a diffident attempt to kiss her again, apologetic for marring her skin, she had no need for another blemish.

She was alert of what he was doing to her, his cracked lips applying sensual pressure over her damp skin, highly conscious of each kiss which sent spasms of pleasure to every inch of her tensed nubile body. She made no move to stop him, neither did she make any move to encourage him. When he lapped his warm tongue over her throat, her mind briefly wandered and indulged itself in a distant memory. Where Basch had marked her, she remembered placing two fingers on Rasler’s neck as she felt the tempo of his heart slowing, his body heat gradually fading away. Of him leaving her.

“Hand,” she said, her voice quivering.

Taking her sword hand, he kissed the tips of her fingers lightly, his tongue worshiping each slender joint, his teeth faintly nibbling each knuckle. He turned her palms skywards and frowned when he noticed the calluses splaying across the rim of her palm. His throat tightened, no amount of cure could remove the evidence of harsh arms training, and only time might allow its appearance to recede. He covered the back of her hand with his own, his lips brushing over the dried coarse skin, sketching tender words, whispering spells which wouldn’t heal.

Her left hand lay loosely on the ground, absently, she twirled the ring on her ring finger, aware of the cold metal against her thumb, contrast to her hot, slick palm against Basch’s chapped lips. Her mind briefly registered the absence of Rasler’s ring, probably tucked safely in Balthier’s pocket, or pawned away for money, lost forever. Her marriage to Rasler seemed surreal compared to the sensations she was experiencing now, here, Basch chaffing the surface of her palm, her fingers curling to cradle his cheek, and then tracing his jaw as she felt his bristly stubbles tickling her.

“Chest,” she rasped, her breath coming in short and uneven.

At her command, he released her hand, his arms at each of her side, perching his body atop her, as he dipped his head towards the cleft between her breasts. She bit her hand – her sword hand - to stifle a moan which escaped her throat. Languidly, his lips skimmed over the sensitive skin, imprinting delicate kisses and travelling slowly to the curve of her left breast, where once again, he felt the rigorous thumping of her heart at an erratic pace equal to his own.

In the back of her mind, she recalled tracing the arrow wound on Rasler’s chest, the deadly shot which took his life. She sighed softly as he ran his tongue over her nipple, peaked and painfully sensitive to the rough texture of his tongue. He turned his attention away to nip her right breast, his free hand slithering the side of her, moving swiftly over the expanse of her shoulder, and finally assiduously downwards towards her breast. She felt his fingers lining the borders, dragging to the tips of the bud, his strong muscled hand spreading and covering her bare breast.

“Lips,” she moaned, inwardly berating herself for doing so.

He stopped – his body suddenly motionless and taut, after a few moments, he exhaled an involuntary sigh, and made a motion to push himself away from her. Her hands snaked into his hair, pulling him up against her until their face leveled, their noses almost touching, and she could feel his shaky breath upon her. She held his eyes – still unfocused, hazy with desire, but also clouded with a layer of resolute reluctance – until he broke the gaze first by looking away.

“Kiss me,” she murmured to his ear, with a slight tinge of plea, while fighting the urge to nip the outer ridge of his scarred ear.

“No,” he replied, barely audible, and he shook his head, the ends of his hair prickling her cheeks.

“Basch,” her voice stern, coloured with intense displeasure at his unwillingness to comply with her demand. At that, he turned to look at her, his blue-grey eyes filled with uncertainty, and she locked gaze with him, her own eyes determined and suggestive. Moments passed, finally, she saw him lowering his head towards her and instinctively, she closed her eyes.

But instead of the anticipated coarse lips devouring her own, she felt a tender brush on her temple.

“You are not really seeing me,” he stated, his voice endearing with wisp of sadness. “You won’t see me.”

And then, he pushed himself up into a sitting position, and her eyes fluttered open. Panic welled up in her when she saw him reaching for their clothes, hers first, then his. Without thinking, she lunged at him, pushing him to the ground, with an urgency that was almost savage, she pinned him by straddling his thighs, and caught his head between her hands, their faces a mere hands-breathe away.

Neither of them knew who initiated the first move, but they were soon engrossed in a passionate kiss. Heated, needy and unrestricted, emotions escalating, their hands eager to touch and please, not so much to pleasure themselves, but rather to fulfill their partner’s raw need. And only to break apart when their lungs demand the intake of much–needed air, breathing laboriously, she lifted her head to meet his gaze, his lips bruised, eyes heavy, skin flushed, and she had no doubt to find herself in the same condition, or perhaps, even worst. To her utter delight, his lips curved into a smile, a sincere smile, and one that she had often seen when she was a child, but lessen as they drifted apart, and realization dawned upon her that she had missed it badly.

In ragged breath, she leaned in, kissed him and whispered, “I do see you.”

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FFXII Pic: FFXII Ipod Wallpapers

aorin — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:43:05 GMT

Made this series of wallpapers quite a while ago along with the icons, but I was too lazy to upload them, and I still couldn't figure out how to shrink the size of the wallpapers. The cast looks perfectly comfortable with earphones and iPods. After spending two days in completing this series, my sister insist on demanding advertising and promotional fees from Square Enix and Apple. Weird kid, I'll be surprise if both of us weren't sued for copyright infridgement before that. For the record, my favourite wallpaper is the first (iBashe) and the last one (iGabby)!! ♥

iBashe, Version I: It started from this wallpaper, my younger sister made it for me while I was taking a nap. I LOVE IT. But she clearly didn't know what my favourite colour was D:

iBashe, Version II: Now, this is much better. And so comfortable to look at XD

After this, I got cocky and demanded for a series, FFXII Ipod Wallpaper. Resorted to bribery, blackmail, and threats. It's weird but works well within my family if you want to get things done quickly XD

iAshe, Version I

iAshe, Version II

iBasch, Version I: I love this pose!

iBasch, Version II

iVaan, Version I

iVaan, Version II

iPenelo, Version I

iPenelo, Version II

iFran: We both stared at the original pic, and scratch our ears, our face plastered with this expression O_o

iBalthier

iLarsa

iReks

iVossler

iAl-Cid: No questions about the iPod, it won't be Al-Cid if he didn't place it somewhere obvious.

iVayne

iDoc-Cid

iGramis: My sister couldn't explain why, but she love this wallpaper. *shrugs*

iOndore

iKnights: ♥♥♥!!

iPirates

iSolidor

iGabby XD: Our personal favourite, and my current wallpaper. Poor Gabby, how can he listen to his iPod with the helm on his head! ♥ And he looks so cute with that twitch XD

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