Tuesday, August 18, 2015

[Fanfic] To Learn Something New (ch 21)

Title: To Learn Something New
Author: Vianna Orchidia / Annasthacy Chashyme
Fandom: Final Fantasy XIII Series
Character: Lightning Farron, Hope Estheim
Rating: K+
Genre: General
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy XIII is property of Square Enix. I do not own the series and the characters, and I do not gain any profit from this fanfiction
Warning: soulmate!AU

letter /let·ter/ n a direct or personal written or printed message addressed to a person or organization

Hope Estheim never fancied himself as a supernatural believer—no, quite the opposite, he's a man of logics and answers and it was his job to decode the impossible into possible—but for this time, just this one time, he knew there would be no logical answer.

It started on one rainy afternoon, his apartment offering shelter and warmth after a field day at work (he would never, ever understand the higher-ups who insisted on doing a field day under pattering rain). Everything seemed normal—he unlocked the door, turned on the air conditioner, and peeled off his wet clothes. After a nice hot shower he went to the kitchen to set up a mug of steaming tea. Then, with the mug in hands, he sat down in the living room and got his laptop started.

That was when he spotted an envelope on top of a shelf.

It was weird. He was fairly sure there was nothing there that morning, when he went to work. With questions still racking his brain, Hope took the envelope and carefully opened it. The envelope itself was plain white, the kind you can buy at convenience stores, but the letter inside was a little different. The paper was gradient pink in color, and it had a faint scent of roses. The writing was ink black, shaped like it was done with an ancient pen rather than modern-day ballpoint. But more than anything, the message was what did Hope in.

She is near.

What? Who is near? And why is it important that she is near? Baffled, Hope slouched back on the couch with heavy breaths. Who in earth could have sent this message? How did they put it inside my apartment? When? What does this all mean? His mind's gears worked in full speed trying to decode this phenomenon, but as he listened to his own breath the solitude of his apartment, he found no answer. And like any other human being when facing a weird condition with no explanation, his brain unconsciously resorted to the primitive solution: this was supernatural.

If he thought that would be the end of his supernatural experience, well, he was wrong. It was only the beginning.

When Hope got home the following day, this time a little after dusk and way more exhausted than yesterday, he was greeted by the same white envelope sitting conspicuously on his shoe rack. He immediately tore it open and pulled out another gradient pink paper with a short sentence written on it.

She is almost here.

Yeah right. Hope decided not to give too much thought into the message (mainly because he needed a hot shower and dinner and sleep very soon) and threw the letter onto the living room's table where yesterday's letter was still on. As he sank his head on the pillow later that night and drifted slowly into slumber, somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered what tomorrow's message would be.

Sure enough, an envelope sat waiting for him on the shoe rack again (perhaps the sender finally understood that the chances he found the letter would be higher if placed on that particular spot). Today he's not so tired and there was no homework, so he picked up the envelope and read it on the couch, mimicking his posture at the first day.

Tomorrow.

It was almost like a promise. Hope felt his heart beating a little faster at that. What is going to happen tomorrow? Is it about that 'she'? He should have been a little concerned—he didn't know whether this letter spoke of good things or bad things, after all—yet he felt strangely happy with the prospect of something happening tomorrow.

That night Hope fell asleep with pleasant expectations. That night he dreamed of a promise, made in the far away past and possibly different universe.

The following day was Sunday. Hope spent a good part of the morning for sleeping in and a lazy breakfast. He had no plans for today except doing some reports, maybe making some progress at that journal he started a month ago, and waiting for this 'tomorrow' the letter spoke about.

At eleven, his doorbell rang once. It was a rare sound, because as a single man with few friends he rarely had any guest. It crossed his mind for a second that this was his moment of truth, his answer for the letters. The doorbell rang once again.

Hope didn't even bother with the peephole before opening the door. There, in front of his apartment, a woman stood with a scrap of paper in her hand, the perfect figure of someone looking for an address. With a quick glance, Hope took in her appearance. Her white coat reminded him of the white envelope and her rose-colored hair was the perfect same shade of the letter.

This is the 'she'.

“Light,” he muttered, out of breath all of a sudden, as that woman smiled at him. He didn't even know where that name came from, his mouth just moved.

She shook her head, almost exasperated but still smiling widely. “What, so it's you, Hope.”

Her tone took him by surprise. She later explained, after making herself comfortable on his couch, that there had been this letter giving her an address. His address. That's why she set out to find this address, wanting answers for her own questions—about who sent it to her, and how she knew his name like they're the best of friends even though it's not even included in the letter.

Hope couldn't answer. She didn't mind.

So in the end, supernatural things had played a big role on his meeting with his future partner for life. 

A/N: I... have no answer. This was 'supernaturally' written after a session of frustration breakout this morning.
Maybe, just maybe, this is inspired by soulmate!AU prompt I saw on tumblr about a compass.

Monday, August 17, 2015

[Fanfic] Tetesan Hujan (ch 26)

Title: Tetesan Hujan
Author: Vianna Orchidia / Annasthacy Chashyme
Fandom: Umineko No Naku Koro Ni
Character: Ushiromiya Ange, Amakusa Juuza
Rating: K+
Genre: General
Disclaimer: Umineko is property of Ryukishi07. I do not own the series and the characters, and I do not gain any profit from this fanfiction
Warning: canon? future-fic?

hilang /hi·lang/ v tidak ada lagi; lenyap; tidak kelihatan

Amakusa memandang jauh ke horizon, di mana air laut tampak hampir menyatu dengan langit di mana hanya satu garis khayalan tipis untuk membedakannya.

Apa ini pemandangan yang dilihat oleh gadis bersurai merah itu, tiga tahun yang lalu tepat di titik ini? Apakah saat itu ia pun berusaha mengiris langit dari laut, membuka portal menuju dimensi yang berbeda? Ataukah saat itu ia benar-benar telah melewati batas ruang dan waktu dan akal sehat—menemukan sihir serta Dataran Emas di mana sosok anggota keluarganya telah menunggu selama tiga belas tahun?

Entahlah. Amakusa tidak akan pernah tahu. Hanya Ange yang tahu jawabannya. Dan Ange sudah tidak ada di sini. Kalaupun ia masih hidup, masih asyik berpesta minum teh di balik pintu yang memisahkan dunia manusia dengan dunia para penyihir, Amakusa tidak bisa menemuinya. Tidak bisa melihatnya. Dia bukan penyihir. Dia tidak punya sihir. Dia adalah lelaki penuh logika, lelaki yang beraksi atas dasar untung-rugi, bukan ilusi anak kecil bernama sihir.

Atas dasar itulah, tiga tahun yang lalu dia menarik pelatuk itu. Melepaskan sebutir peluru yang menembus kening Ange yang meneteskan air mata dalam diam setelah ia sendiri menembak mati Kasumi Sumadera. Serbuan emosi yang sesaat kemudian menerpa Amakusa tidak ada artinya. Darah yang mengalir dari bibir yang digigit terlalu keras saat melempar jenazah gadis itu ke dasar jurang juga tidak ada artinya. Uang dalam jumlah besar yang menunggu di rekeningnya dan kebebasan untuk bertualang ke mana pun adalah yang penting.

Meskipun demikian, Amakusa sama sekali tidak mengerti kenapa dia berdiri di titik ini, di bibir jurang ini, jika semua itu tidak penting? Ah, barangkali sihir yang diberikan gadis itu padanya masih belum hilang.

[Fanfic] To Learn Something New (ch 20)

Title: To Learn Something New
Author: Vianna Orchidia / Annasthacy Chashyme
Fandom: Final Fantasy XIII Series
Character: Lightning Farron, Hope Estheim
Rating: K+
Genre: General
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy XIII is property of Square Enix. I do not own the series and the characters, and I do not gain any profit from this fanfiction
Warning: set during LR

caramel /car·a·mel/ n a light brown candy made from butter, sugar, and milk or cream; sugar that is cooked until it is burnt and that is used to give color and flavor to food

Sunday, August 16, 2015

[Fanfic] To Learn Something New (ch 19)

Title: To Learn Something New
Author: Vianna Orchidia / Annasthacy Chashyme
Fandom: Final Fantasy XIII Series
Character: Lightning Farron, Hope Estheim, Serah Farron
Rating: K+
Genre: General
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy XIII is property of Square Enix. I do not own the series and the characters, and I do not gain any profit from this fanfiction
Warning: AU glorious AU. See more A/N below.

brother /bro·ther/ n a boy or man who has one or both of the same parents as you

[Fanfic] Delirium

Title: Delirium
Author: Vianna Orchidia / Annasthacy Chashyme
Fandom: Final Fantasy XIII
Character: Lightning (Claire Farron), Hope Estheim
Rating: T
Genre: Romance
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy XIII is property of Square Enix. I do not own the series and the characters, and I do not gain any profit from this fanfiction

Warning: reincarnation!AU, trigger warning.

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Tell Me The Old Story Please (by 60)

This is the requested translation for bunbii! Original fanwork here. A doujinshi for Jojo's Bizarre Adventure fandom, apparently. This translation is first posted in my tumblr.
I had some difficulties on page 3 and 4 but I hope it still makes sense.
Enjoy.


Sunday, August 9, 2015

[Fanfic] [RivaMika Week 5] Flowers, flowers

Title: Flowers, flowers (RivaMika Week Cycle 5)
Author: Vianna Orchidia / Annasthacy Chashyme
Fandom: Shingeki no Kyojin
Character: Levi, Mikasa Ackerman
Rating: T
Genre: Romance, Angst
Disclaimer: Shingeki no Kyojin is property of Isayama Hajime. I do not own the series and the characters, and I do not gain any profit from this fanfiction
Warning: ???? setting

Roses, jasmines… She sighed. That man was certainly not a flowers man, so picking a kind of flower for him had proved difficult. Not that he would be able to complain or anything, but she liked to be a little perfectionist. Just like how he taught her well. Even if it’s as trivial as picking flowers.

Now back to matters at hand. Roses were too obvious for him. Should she go with old way lilies? Maybe forget-me-nots? Ah, now she felt very unknowable about flowers, even though she’s a female. Maybe she should ask for references to Sasha. Or Armin, because that guy seemed to know everything on this planet, including flowers. But asking would bust her plan to go in secret. She sighed again. She needed to have faith in her own choice, then.

Ah. Another nostalgic lesson from the Captain.

Picking a bunch of lilies, Mikasa went to the cashier and paid for her purchase, then walked the familiar path to the cemetery, where his tombstone waiting to be visited.

[Fanfic] [RivaMika Week 5] Peanut Butter

Title: Peanut Butter (RivaMika Week Cycle 5)
Author: Vianna Orchidia / Annasthacy Chashyme
Fandom: Shingeki no Kyojin
Character: Levi, Mikasa Ackerman
Rating: T
Genre: Romance
Disclaimer: Shingeki no Kyojin is property of Isayama Hajime. I do not own the series and the characters, and I do not gain any profit from this fanfiction
Warning: in-canon

Levi leaned back heavily on the farthest wall from the people crowding around an apparently sleeping girl on a bed in the medical bay. He could see distress and concern on their faces, especially the two boys who sat closest to the bed. They didn’t look like leaving any time soon, but it’s getting late and Levi would have none of that.

“Oi, brats. It’s almost your curfew so you’d better get your asses outta here,” he commanded in loud, crystal clear voice. The cadets flinched at that, and though they seemed unwilling, they obeyed and left the bay. Except the two special cases. Levi sighed. He should’ve expected this.

“Look,” he said, finally pushing his body off the wall to the blond and brunette. “I know you two are worried about Mikasa, but Hanji already said she’s gonna be okay. She’s just working the toxic out of her body, which is why she needs all the rest she can have. You hanging around here won’t help her, you know.”

Armin nodded hesitantly. “Yes, but…”

“No buts. You’re leaving, or you’ll have ten more laps to run tomorrow,” Levi commanded, almost irritated, but keeping his voice low in concern of the sleeping girl. With the level of finality in his words, Armin knew there’s no way around it. He silently pulled Eren’s arm, who actually looked almost ready to faint (he had had a rough day with Hanji’s experiments so Levi couldn’t really blame him), and left.

Now alone with the female cadet, Levi pulled the chair Armin just vacated closer to the bed and sat down.

“Thanks.”

The small, feminine voice cutting through the silence did not surprise him. “Huh. I was beginning to wonder when you’ll drop the act.”

Mikasa shot him a look but conceded. “They wouldn’t leave if they knew I’m awake.”

“Right.” The captain assessed her face thoroughly. “So how are you feeling?”

“Still a little hard to breathe, but overall I’m fine. Just like you said, my body’s in middle of working out the toxic.”

Levi nodded. “That’s good.” He watched her fingers play with the covers for a little while, then added, “I didn’t know you’re allergic to nuts.”

Avoiding his gaze, Mikasa muttered to the ceiling, “I never told anyone. Not even Eren and Armin.”
Judging by her tone, that was all the answer she would provide him, but Levi understood her well enough. She did not like having a weakness. What a stubborn girl.

“So I just need to poison you with peanut butter if you annoy me, huh,” he sneered.

[Fanfic] [RivaMika Week 5] ゆうき

Title: ゆうき (RivaMika Week Cycle 5)
Author: Vianna Orchidia / Annasthacy Chashyme
Fandom: Shingeki no Kyojin
Character: Levi, Mikasa Ackerman
Rating: T
Genre: Romance, Family
Disclaimer: Shingeki no Kyojin is property of Isayama Hajime. I do not own the series and the characters, and I do not gain any profit from this fanfiction
Warning: AU... or future-fic. ゆうき means courage.

“Papa!”

Levi stopped wiping his blades as a little girl ran and practically jumped into his lap. She carefully avoided contact with the stuffs in her father’s hands though; she had found out they were dangerous and harmful, the hard way.

“Papa, Mama said you have holiday for the whole next week. Is it true?”

Levi put his blades away and patted the girl’s head affectionately. “Yeah. We can celebrate your birthday together, Yuuki.” The little girl let out a series of adorable giggle, clearly pleased that both of her parents would be there for her birthday. She squealed an ‘I love you, Papa!’, hugged him tightly, then hopped off to run elsewhere, presumably to her favorite playground where her peers were waiting.

Sighing, Levi stood up with his blades in hand. He walked to his (and his wife’s) bedroom in silent strides, stopping only a moment to store the weapons in a case near the wall. Once he entered the room, he spotted his woman combing her slightly wet hair in front of a mirror. She flicked her eyes to him over the mirror, the only sign of her acknowledgement.

“Hey,” he said, leaning against the door.

“Hey,” she replied evenly, her back still facing him.

“When the hell did our Yuuki get so energetic like that? Last time I checked, she’s a sweet silent girl.”

Mikasa laughed softly. “Lately she’s taken a liking to Sasha.”

“Huh. Figures.”

“She’s still a sweet girl though. She helps with house chores.”

This time it’s Levi’s turn to snort. “I know. I just kind of prefer the silent-but-strong types.”

Putting the comb on her dresser, Mikasa turned her body to face her husband. A glint of mischief mixed with mirth crossed her eyes. “Sounds like someone we know.”

[Fanfic] [RivaMika Week 5] Fireplace

Title: Fireplace (RivaMika Week Cycle 5)
Author: Vianna Orchidia / Annasthacy Chashyme
Fandom: Shingeki no Kyojin
Character: Levi, Mikasa Ackerman
Rating: T
Genre: Romance
Disclaimer: Shingeki no Kyojin is property of Isayama Hajime. I do not own the series and the characters, and I do not gain any profit from this fanfiction
Warning: AU, corresponds with the previous piece, though not necessarily the immediate continuation

It’s warm. She felt comfortably warm, and she clutched the blanket covering her form more tightly, not wanting to let go of this warmth. After that Mikasa blinked several times, trying to be fully awake and assess her surrounding. The room she was in was dark, save for the dancing fire in the fireplace near her. So that’s the source of this warmth. But she frowned deeply at the unfamiliar fireplace, the unfamiliar couch she was sleeping on, and the unfamiliar room altogether. Where could she be?

 “Oi. You’re awake?”

Levi, her mind screamed suddenly. And then memories came rushing in. Last night, unlike any other night after doing their ritual in the cafe, Levi took her to his apartment and they kissed and finally united right there in front of that very fireplace. She must have fallen asleep soon after and was moved to this couch by Levi. These memories was supported further by the newly found fact that she was bare under the blanket. We had sex, she marveled almost dreamingly.

But her train of thought was stopped by Levi’s finger flicking her forehead. “Still dreaming?”

“Hey!” she swatted his hand away, then sat up while keeping the blanket secure around her form. “What time is it?”

“Just before dawn. We have about an hour before we need to leave.” He sat down, passing the mug he was nursing to her. “Did you sleep good?”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

Then they let the moment melt into beautiful silence, listening to the periodic crackles of the fire and the telltale chirps of early birds outside. Mikasa sighed as she drank the warm liquid in his mug—cinnamon tea, she found out smugly. While she drank his tea slowly, Levi kept his eyes on her. Slowly he leaned in, whispering hotly into her ear, “Do you want to do it again before leaving?”

Fighting a furious blush on her cheeks, Mikasa nodded and placed the mug on the coffee table. “We need to be quick, though. I still need to stop by my place to change. I don’t want to go to work wearing clothes from yesterday,” she smirked.

“No problem.” With that, Levi pulled her closer and kissed her passionately.

[Fanfic] [RivaMika Week 5] Cinnamon

Title: Cinnamon (RivaMika Week Cycle 5)
Author: Vianna Orchidia / Annasthacy Chashyme
Fandom: Shingeki no Kyojin
Characters: Levi, Mikasa Ackerman
Rating: K+
Genre: Romance
Disclaimer: Shingeki no Kyojin and all its characters are property of Isayama Hajime. I do not own and I do not gain any profit from this work.
Warning: AU; Levi as the owner of a tea cafe, Mikasa as the administrator who actually runs it. Originally posted on tumblr.

He handed her a cup of tea along with a small plate of bite-sized rolls.

It’s almost midnight, but both of them were still wide awake, busy with their own businesses with occasional flying remarks between them, giving the air of comfortable silence. It had become some kind of ritual of them: Levi would fumble around with his teacups and kettles and measuring devices to make new tea recipes, while Mikasa would sit on one of the bar stools with documents and a calculator in hand. He would slide a cup of tea to her without a word, and she would immediately drink it slowly, then give comments about the flavor or suggestions for side dishes that go along with the tea.

Tonight was no exception to such ritual. Mikasa picked the cup carefully. “What is it this time?”

“Cinnamon.”

A thin eyebrow curved up. “Cinnamon?” It was unusual, she thought. She did not say anything else, though, knowing the talk-less-do-more attitude of her partner, and brought the rim of teacup to her lips. A sip and she was trying to contain her smile. The mild spiciness accompanied with a rush of sweet left a tingling aftertaste on her tongue. Besides, the flavor was quite strong, unlike his usual creations, which let her know he must be trudging outside his safe zone. “It’s cinnamon all right,” she simply stated.

“And I’m a clean freak,” he retorted back. She could tell the older man was getting antsy from the clipped tone he used. Levi frowned at the girl. “Seriously, how was it?”

“It was good. Young, over-energetic teenagers will like it.”

Levi actually exhaled, seemingly relieved. “And why is that?” he stepped out of the counter to sit on the bar stool next her her. Propping one of his elbow on the smooth surface, he let his body slouch a bit while facing her way.

Taking another sip from her teacup, Mikasa smiled to herself. “I just know, Owner. Or do you doubt  the foresight of this cafe manager of yours? Not that I’m trying to remind you that I practically pulled this cafe out from the mud and made it run smoothly again.” That she did, and she liked to gloat only to tip him off, because before she appeared he did not care about the administration or management shits about running a cafe.

“So you saved my ass, girl, so what?” Already getting used to the way she smiled smugly, he smirked. “But no, this cinnamon tea is not going to be on the menu.”

Mikasa let out a startled gasp. “What? Why?”

“It’s a special flavor. Only for you.”

[Fanfiction] [RivaMika Week 5] Fruity

Title: Fruity (RivaMika Week Cycle 5)
Author: Vianna Orchidia / Annasthacy Chashyme
Fandom: Shingeki no Kyojin
Characters: Levi, Mikasa Ackerman
Rating: K+
Genre: Romance
Disclaimer: Shingeki no Kyojin and all its characters are property of Isayama Hajime. I do not own and I do not gain any profit from this work.
Warning: AU.

There was a beautiful woman down the fresh fruits aisle. No, no, not that Levi was eyeing a random woman while shopping, nor was he a desperate bachelor getting impatient in search of his Juliet, but this woman just kind of stood out in the crowd. There was no way not to look at her. She was tall. Her fiery red scarf looked good on her, accentuating her midnight black hair and plain white dress. Levi knew he was practically staring, if not ogling, but he couldn’t stop. At least he managed to keep a straight face… he thought.

After a few while taking her time inspecting some oranges and limes then placing them in her cart, the woman finally moved on. And just his luck or something, she walked right at his direction, to the frozen meat section.

Levi Ackerman did not falter. No. The sausage just slipped out from his hand. That’s all. And no, no, he certainly, and absolutely, did not do it to catch the beautiful woman’s attention.

If she decided to help him pick it up, it was just another lucky strike. If he could breathe in her fresh, lemony scent from their close distance, then it was surely another lucky strike.

So don’t you dare tell him otherwise.