Playlist Previews + Future Plans

Good evening, readers!

This post is here because I'd like to "spoil" you guys on what I'm currently working on, aside from my writings and such. To cut it short, the following graphics might help you out!

Yes, you've got that right - I'm working on playlists!

• Black and white cover: OTP fanmix featuring two parallels. 
• Girl in a green dress: Fanmix dedicated to this lovely character.
• Peters' Fanmix: Version 002 of the fanmix for Peters. 
• "He loved you.": Fanmix dedicated to one parallel.

There are the clues! To avoid more spoilers, I decided to remove the text from the first and second covers, since they already have a title. For the fourth, I was lazy and decided not to remove it. Whoops.

Hopefully, I can get these done before school starts. For the Peters fanmix, I might post it on his birthday. (June 28! Mark your calendars!) For the fourth...well. We'll see when I can post this. ;) 

Other Plans:

• Maintain the weekly "Vices: A Race" post schedule. 
• Continue the "Mad Queen" short series. The first one has been posted, and features Cassidy!
• Plan an upcoming appreciation week for the month of June...
• ...and start working on the blogsary preparations! 

Blogsary is three months away, starting tomorrow! Wow. To think I've been posting all my nonsense here for nearly two years. It's quite amazing, come to think of it. :3 

That's all for tonight. The weekend's coming up, so expect something by then~

Here, have a picture of the gorgeous Ed Westwick.

Gold and Blood: A Mad Queen Short

Regal dresses, dazzling jewels, and goblets of wine graced the new life of Cassidy.

Jacques took a sip from his brilliant cup and smiled at Cassidy, his orange eyes boring into her own. “Do you like the wine, my love? I can always fetch for a fresher bottle,” he offered, watching as she took a drink herself. Cassidy soon looked at him, her eyes cool, lips curved up in a small smirk of her own.

“I’m content with this.”

“Delightful.” He snapped his fingers and a servant came forward, “Bring my Queen the food she deserves. Tonight, she’d like fish and steaming vegetables. Any other request, my love?” Cassidy shook her head. 

“Make it quick.”

“Yes, your Majesty,” the servant mumbled, bowing in respect before ducking back to the kitchens. Golden plates of fruit and bread separated the two, he sitting across her and watching as she delicately picked a grape from the bowl.

“Jacques,” she began slowly. Jacques blinked.

“Yes?”

“Have the rebels been found?”

Jacques gave a heavy sigh and shook his head. “I’m afraid not, my love. The rebels are sneaky – too sneaky. They were said to have left after the coronation. Xian and Len are looking for them with their respective men.” Cassidy’s grip on the goblet tightened, but Jacques failed to notice.

“No matter,” she muttered, taking another drink. “We’ll catch them soon.”

“Maybelline would appreciate your help with the tactics tomorrow.”

“I’ll help her.”

Silence met them. The servant earlier came back, bowing in greeting and serving Cassidy her meal. As she began to eat, the servant waited on Jacques, eventually being told to leave, as Jacques wasn’t hungry at all.

“Aren’t you hungry, Jacques?”

“Not quite.” He took a nibble from a piece of bread covered in butter and fruit jam, “I’ve had my fair share this afternoon. Bread will do for me.” Cassidy forked fish into her mouth, “Forget them,” Jacques said softly. “They are nothing but traitors to be executed when I have them found.”

Vices: A Race **Chapter 006**

“Can’t believe that I didn’t recognize it sooner,” Mack grumbled, ruffling his brown curls, “All I needed was to find something similar in this damned apartment and compare it! Now I’ve got a fucking mess on the floor,” he looked down at the glass bottle he had shattered fifteen minutes prior, “But I’ve got a lead. Amazing job.”

He blinked the sleepiness out of his tired eyes and reached for his phone, quickly dialling a familiar number and waiting. It rang for a few seconds until a lady picked up, Mack hearing her stepping on the gas and twisting the wheel a little bit.

“Damn it all – why are you answering while driving?”

“Technically, you called. Plus, I’ve got the thing that secures the phone while you drive – forgot what it’s called – so technically, I’m not exactly holding the phone while driving.” He snickered slightly at her answer. “What is it? I’ve got a casino to go to.”

“Don’t tell me you’re gambling, Little Miss Brit.”

“Of course not, it’s for investigative purposes,” she huffed.

“Touchy. Alright. Remember that glass shit Touta sent over for me to study?”

“Yeah, of course. What about it?”

“I figured out what it is. It’s the little glass bottles that hold medicines,” Mack snorted. “I just realized it after seeing one myself in my place. Decided to smash it up, pieces definitely looked similar. Although the cover was missing.”

“A medicine container…”

“The ones that hold vitamin C and whatever.”

“Alright, so that’s one lead we’ve got.”

“Yup – and here’s another thing. I did some studying on the given shards. There’s no trace of liquid, no shit on it. I don’t think the thing contained poison.”

“So if it wasn’t used for holding poison…”

“It held pills,” he finished. “And what could have killed them?”

“The pills.”

“Exactly.”

"As Human as You Are."

Inspiration: thewintersoldier @ tumblr

Desires of the Heart: A Mad Queen Playlist

for the Queens who ingest poison and survive || download || 8tracks

Vices: A Race **Chapter 005**

“When was the last time you slept properly?”

She gave a shrug while eating a mouthful of egg. Matt sent her a look and she swallowed, frowning herself. The bags under her eyes were a bit more prominent than they were last week, hair slightly curled due to it being in a bun for many, uninterrupted hours.

“I don’t know. I slept around…” she struggled to remember, “two AM last night, I think. Woke up around seven. So I got five hours of sleep. Had to look through pictures and wonder what the fuck the connection among the three are, irritates me a lot to find none. Skype with Touta and Peters last night wasn’t productive, too. Touta’s managing other cases and Peters was just tired. Don’t blame him at all,” she replied.

“You really should try to rest more,” Matt tried. “This always happens. You get a case, investigate, and then you leave your health to the dogs. I get it,” he added upon seeing her open her mouth to protest, “It’s your work. Your driving force. I’ve got my own. But you have to take it easy every once in a while.”

“I can’t afford to make mistakes.”

“I know you can’t.” he watched as she ate. “And that you shouldn’t.”

“After the Winchester case…I don’t want any more wrongs.”

“But that was two years ago–”

“I could have screwed it up. The poor boy wouldn’t have been brought to justice.” She let out a long breath, “Sometimes I wonder if I even solved it or if it was pure luck.”

“Babe…”

“I’m done.” She finished the rest of her juice, her plate cleared, “I’ll wash. You…you have to get to work soon.” Not listening to his complaints, she swept the kitchenware into her hands and walked to the sink, setting them down and starting to wash. Matt merely sat there, drinking from his mug of tea.

A remained quiet as she scrubbed the forks and spoons, washing them twice just to make sure. A million thoughts raced through her mind, memories of the Winchester trip and the past cases she was assigned to. Bloody fucking luck it is. Pete can bust drug cartels and Touta survived the goddamn Kira case. So much for the Wammy alumna.

Welcome to Pixel City: A TSP/Minecraft Crossover

“Are we all here?” Mathias asked, readjusting his headphones and mic. Arzen grinned from beside him, her own shiny green headphones in place. “Vens is right next to me. How about you guys?”

“I’m here,” Daniel replied smoothly. He glanced at the screen, “I see a Queen Elsa skin. Is that Arzen?”

“Right here!”

“Alright, so it is. Prat, which one are you?”

“Goddamn Link, Watchman.”

“You had to install a ton of things just for that skin,” Arzen noted. Mathias chuckled. “You should have seen him. He was cursing and let out a big cheer when the game let him turn into Link.”

“Legend of Zelda, right?”

“Yeah. Hold on, where’s Elaine and Liam?”

“Liam’s getting online. I think Elaine’s internet connection sucks at the moment,” Daniel grumbled, checking his phone. The three of them were all connected through Skype, video chatting as a group while playing Minecraft. Mathias had been able to set up the layout so that he could see the faces of the others while keeping the Minecraft screen at large. “There he is.”

A Blue Knight appeared, running next to the Watchman. Almost immediately, Liam’s face popped up on the screen as well.

“Yo there!” he greeted, fiddling with his mic. They noted the completely silver headphones and the little-Liam figure stopped moving. “Who else are we waiting for?”

“Elaine,” Arzen replied. “She’ll be here soon.”

As soon as she said that, Elaine’s character (a Queen) appeared. “I’m here,” Elaine’s voice came, her face appearing on the screen. “Will we start?”

“Let’s go ahead,” Liam agreed.

“Alright. Let’s begin.”

 ~ >w< ~

Ari Rants: 'Chicks'

Hello there!

Before you read this, please take note that this is all based on my personal opinion.

If you ever get offended by any of the following, please know that I apologize for that.

However, since this is all opinion, I have a right to share it.

Read with caution if you think that you'll get offended. 

If not, keep reading!

So I was scrolling my timeline when I saw this very thing that a batch mate of mine tweeted. To cut it short, she was amazed (and rather appalled) at the fact that there was a "Chicks Spotted" account that focused on students (and even graduates) from my school. Being curious, I decided to check it out.

Before you ask 'what the hell is Chicks Spotted', it's basically an account where people can submit pictures and names of those they find, well, chicks. 

Sadly, not this kind.

From what I understand, being chicks/chix/chics/however the hell it's spelled, means that:

1. You're majorly attractive.
2. You have 'lots of guys' or 'lots of girls' (this is actually pretty confusing)
3. The adorable, fluffy animals you see in the picture above
4. Other reasons that differ from person to person.

Back to the 'Chicks Spotted' account, yes?

One of my friend's pictures was posted there last night. At first, the reaction was full of teasing and laughter, but that friend of mine was just confused and maybe a little more than freaked out. That blew over, and I thought that alright, it's probably an issue that's done. Moving on. 

The Coldest Memory

"The strength of a Knight is not dependent on his or her physical capabilities."

"Fear will always be there to haunt you.
You would be incredibly stupid to believe that it would leave you alone."

Write Complex Women.

"I don't need guns and daggers to prove my strength."

Quote Source: http://madlori.tumblr.com/post/51723411550/rebloggable-by-request-well-first-of-all

BTS: Ailurophile

Hello, dear readers! ...I really need to call you guys something creative soon.

So. You may be wondering what the hell I had just posted, and why I got the sudden urge to post an OTP short wherein a certain person turns into a cat. 

It all started with this--

if you think I drew this, you're pretty damn wrong. #russiecantdraw
credits to River Roth!

So River Roth/Alpha!Elaine is currently doing her OC Art Challenge over at her blog! I remember (while we still had school) asking if I could fill in the eleventh prompt since there were pretty much no characters there to fill it in. So, I asked if she could draw Mathias holding/hugging a cat.

She eventually did and posted it this morning, which resulted to me fangirling obsessively in the bathroom. 

Fast forward to me a few hours ago, asking her for a few prompts. She then gave me three, and this was the first on the list - to write about what exactly was going on in the picture. I was given the choice to use either Arzen Venura or Eri Blitzschnell, and come to think of it, I make make another version just for Eri~

So here's the obvious question: how did Arzen become a cat and why was she not as surprised as Mathias?

Well. It's mostly up to the reader's imagination, really. *shrugs* 

Initially, I thought of some kind of /thing/ turning Arzen into a cat because quite simply, she wanted to be a cat. Cats are freaking chill-ass animals, I think. Plus, they're too adorable for your own good. So why not be a cat? *author logic*

And then again, the whole thing can be a dream scenario. For who, I'm not exactly sure. That's up to you guys. So Arzen turns into a cat, Mathias is shocked and then spends a bit of time rubbing its back, scratching behind the feline's ears, etc. It's pretty freaking cute for me. 

That's pretty much I just wanted to say for this BTS! Watch out for a possible alternate focused on Eri and Mathias this time, and the second prompt which isn't quite as lighthearted as this was.

That's all for tonight - see you guys soon!

As a bonus, have Mathias' face claim (Chace Crawford) with whiskers.

Ailurophile: A Shoujo Parallels OTP Short

A familiar knock resounded on the glass window.

“Arzen? Arzen, are you here?”

The man peeked inside and blinked, seeing an empty bed with wrinkled sheets and strewn pillows. Perhaps she had just gone to the bathroom to wash up for sleep. Shaking his head lightly, Mathias opened the window and slid in, tsking at how she always forgot to lock the damned thing.

The bathroom door was closed. He sat on the corner of the bed, stretching out and setting his pistol down on the soft mattress, taking the time to lay back himself. It had been rough in Technika – morning until afternoon had his usual shift, and his evening was cleared – Eri was busy working in Barrier, so he decided to pay his favorite Mortal Monika Arzen another visit.

“The hell?” he muttered, rolling around. There was something under the covers –

Something undeniably soft.

And squishy.

And there was something long extending to the end.

Bewildered, Mathias hesitantly stretched out his hand to the long, slim shape which made an obvious form from under the sheets. Unwillingly, he grabbed it.

At that came the most unhuman screech from under her oversized TARDIS blanket. Mathias jerked for his pistol and stumbled back, nearly falling as he jolted away from the bed. He had already lifted the silver weapon, raising it slightly and using his other hand to harshly yank the blanket off, expecting a rogue Setomion that had made its way into her room for some reason –

“Mee-uf-oww!”

Interlude: New Beginnings

Years ago, the world had suffered.

She remembered watching it on the telly and reading updates on the newspaper. She remembered sneaking around during night just to eavesdrop on Roger’s office, listening for updates about it. She was nearly caught, hiding away to avoid his prying eyes, settling back in her room as she relayed the information in her head. Roger never revealed anything, and she hated it.

A – formerly known as Heather in the Wammy’s – attempted to figure her own speculations. But it was difficult. The media didn’t help, details were sketchy and there was no one else willing to find out with her. This frustrated the young woman, who spent tireless nights thinking and wondering, writing the details on a paper and connecting the dots.

She wished Linda was there to investigate with her, but the blonde was working on other projects – projects involving art, and she didn’t want to trouble her friend. She spied, snooped, pried through folders and was caught one day – making her fear for her own reputation, her chances of topping the list once more, now that three students in the Wammy’s had gone away – the Top Three themselves. Their departure caused a shift in the charts, and she had nearly secured the top spot.

“Young lady,” he had scolded, “You have no right to come here without permission and look through these case-sensitive files!”

“What do you expect me to do – sit back and relax while the Kira case unfolds?” she was nearly yelling at this point, “I thought we were groomed to succeed L? If so, then why are we just cooped up inside instead of doing anything to help?”

It took Roger some time to answer this question.

“This case has cost us vital losses, Heather. We can’t afford to lose anyone from here.”

She stayed silent after that. Roger let her leave without even a single punishment, which was rather odd. He disliked the children – hatred was too strong a term – always putting punishments here and there, even for breaking the smallest rule.

For a while, she gave up on even trying to get a lead and focused on her studies. She topped the tests and came out as number one, but no one else seemed to care anymore, which satisfied and infuriated her at the same time.

Satisfied because if no one cared, she could easily win her way to the top.

Infuriated because why did they lose interest?

How could it matter so little to those who used to compete and push?

Decked in Leather

"The norm is limiting us within the box. It confines us.

You can call me whatever you wish - but at least I've got my mind open."

"Justice and mercy work hand in hand. There is no in between.
Without justice, there can be no mercy.
Without mercy, there can be no justice.
However, the fact remains that one will always be without the other."

Vices: A Race **Chapter 004**

A week, she realized.

They had a week to finish it.

If they were indeed connected and the same killer was quietly searching for his next, unfortunate victim…then they had a whole week to finish the case. And she hated the thought of it, working against the clock. 

Time pressure was never good.

“You look troubled,” Peters commented. She casted a weary look.

“We have a whole week to solve this,” she muttered. “A freaking week. With each day that comes, the bastard just looks for another person to stalk and kill…it could be one of us. Which is why we have to get a move on.” Touta was about to speak up when his phone rang, he fumbling for it and answering the call.

“Ack, sorry – hello?”

“Touta!”  Macmillan’s voice rang out in the silence of the office, “I have it. I have the studies on the third victim – it’s as silent as death over there. Are you sure you’re working?”

“Nice to hear you too, Thomas,” A grumbled.

“Is that Ice Cold – er, I mean Maxwell? Anyway, I’ve got the information right in my hands. Come over to the office and I’ll tell what I’ve got here. Can’t say it now because these assholes are too goddamned noisy and I had to sneak to the men’s room just to get a good signal.”

“Alright, alright – I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“You better. See you.”

The Four Competitors

"Wealth, glory, power, revenge."

Ari Reviews: Trese, Book of Murders

"Trese is one of those rare gems you'll appreciate that you pick it up and read, even more so if you're a Filipino. It's going to leave you sighing in content while you leave an emptied mug of coffee or glass of iced tea on the table, smiling to yourself in appreciation. 

'Thank God for this masterpiece,' you'll comment. 

How do I know? Well. Considering that I've read it myself, I can pretty much verify it for you."

Good afternoon, dear readers! Finally I've been able to get my ass on here and type my much appreciated post regarding the beauty that is Trese, created by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo. 

Alright, so one of the reasons why I really do appreciate this creations is because of the genre. I'm a large fan of the crime fiction (if you haven't noticed already), and having the parts of the story integrated with our own Philippine history is pretty freaking great, you have to admit.

For any non-Filipino reader out there (and maybe Filipinos who have yet to check Trese out), the series tells of a young woman named Alexandra Trese, a detective who the police call for cases that have taken the supernatural route. That's the most basic thing I can practically give you. 

However, when I say that the Philippine history is pretty damn rooted into this, I seriously mean it. All over the world, supernatural beings from different nations and cultures have cultivated and spread, from the Japanese Oni, the much debated Scottish Loch Ness monster, to the simple yet thrilling Bloody Mary from the United Kingdom. Hell - we humans even debate on the existence of - get this - freaking aliens!

But when it comes to the Philippine supernatural side of things, it's pretty damn unique from my own point of view. You've got the basics like the Tikbalang, Kapre, Nuno and all that, but Trese takes it to a whole new level, introducing me to different kinds of creatures that have derived from our ancestral folklore. With crime fiction heavily mixed with culture and whatnot, the series pretty much got me hooked.

Aside from that, I really do appreciate the character of Alexandra Trese. She's seriously complex and has an amazing backstory which reveals itself carefully with each story you read. Alexandra may seem stiff and cool, too cool, even, but when she cracks that rare smile (in amusement or victory, you choose), you can't help but fall in love with her character even more. She's a female detective (!!!!!!) with outstanding and limitless knowledge about the unknown. It's gotta make you admire her somehow, you know. 

The thirteen different stories in this collector's edition will make you want more. The plot twists will make your eyes widen and stare in disbelief, making you go "Did that just seriously happen?". One of my favorites in particular would have to the the Baptism of Alexandra Trese chapter, where we finally get to glimpse into her childhood and what exactly made her turn out to be that way. 

Overall, this series is a gem that really needs to be shown to everyone, whether or not they're interested in crime fiction. It's one of those little things that made me a little more hopeful for the future of Filipino contemporary fiction - hell, even Filipino culture in general. Trese is something that I think all will most likely enjoy, whether it's just one case that hooks you or the whole story in itself. 

Reduced to Nothing: A Headcanon Short

Mathias was never one to comfort people. Whenever he would stumble across someone in tears, he’d usually awkwardly back away to give them space or stay and offer a listening ear, depending on how close he was with the person. Either way, he wasn’t the type of hug it out and gently ask them what was wrong. The tears would come anyway. Even after, he would say that he would keep the small encounter a secret, just so that they wouldn’t talk about it after. To him, that was okay.

When he found Arzen crying for the first time, he backed away in a flustered kind of panic. He wasn’t sure if she heard or noticed him there, and upon peeking back inside, it turned out that she actually didn’t. That sent conflicting feelings up his spine.

She was the kind of upset where she took fistfuls of her hair and gave an angry tug. The kind of upset where she had to muffle her sobs because someone else could hear and potentially barge in. No one ever did. Mathias took the moment to consider if she was thankful for the privacy or even more tired of the never-ending pain.

It had been roughly three years since they had come across each other, two since he first came upon her crying. He recalled seeing her with her uniform and her shoulder-length, sort of boyish hair that she sprung back in Freshman year. After that, he noticed that she was growing it out. A few commented on it, but no one ever talked about it.

He noticed and felt that same pang in his chest. Her hair, which hung straightly and nicely down her back, which she bunned or tied or balled in her fists, was one of her more striking assets. He wasn’t so sure why.

She was just laying on her bed now, eyes red and swollen from crying, lips dry and her face an odd kind of pale that never really colored her features. She was fairer than the norm, sure, but never pale. Paleness reminded him of sickness and of inching towards death, of impending cold that shot icicles up one’s veins.

He was just sitting on the tree branch that sort of inched towards her bedroom, but kept back because he didn’t know if he should even come in, knock, or whatever. Mathias came closer, stopping at the glass window and took a breath.

After seconds of insane courage, he knocked.