Russie Babbles: A Year in Review [2015]

Good morning/afternoon/evening, Darlings! Welcome to the last day of the year! If it’s still the 30th over there, then…welcome to the second to the last day of the year…?

"We're off to a great start..."

Just like what I did exactly 365 days ago, I’ll be doing a Year in Review. Basically, I’ll just be talking about what’s been going on this year blog-wise and writing-wise. I might also insert some personal stuff there if I feel like it. Finally, I’ll be closing the post with ideas and events I’ve planned out for 2016. 

It’s going to be quite the experience, so strap yourselves in and get something to eat — let's get started, yeah?

Come Together: A Coalesce Teaser

HQ

Tokyo, Japan

December 2017

2:25PM

Inhale, exhale. You can do this. You can most definitely do this, Lysette.

“It’s been too long,” she murmured before straightening her posture, clearing her throat, and then training her eyes forward before walking inside the building. Her ID was pinned neatly to her blazer, and another in her hand just in case it was needed. It felt like eons until she was finally cleared to go inside, and she gave a huff as she quickly attempted at rearranging the contents inside her bag. “The security’s so goddamn tight here,” she muttered, then resisted the urge to knock her head on a wall. 

Of course it is, moron. This is one of the biggest organizations in the world. 

“HQ,” she muttered under her breath before approaching the reception. A male in a sleek suit sat, attending to something on a computer. iMacs? Jesus, the people here are ridiculously high-tech… 

Before she was able to say anything, the male caught her eye and blinked twice before sending a quick smile. “Ms. Cross?” 

“That’s me,” she affirmed. “I’m here for one of the employees, you might know her?”

“I’ve been informed about the appointment, actually. Please hold for a moment,” and she nodded, watching as the Japanese man typed something onto the keyboard. I suppose knowing a decent amount of English is required, she thought, noting in the background how people of different nationalities passed. Majority of the crowd was Japanese, but even she could spot a number of Koreans, Chinese, and whatnot. Lysette could have sworn that she had heard an English accent flutter by. “Ah — I’m quite sorry, Ms. Cross, but it seems that she has gone out per request,” the receptionist apologized. 

“Per…request?”

Russ' Updates #065: Closing 2015

Good evening, Darlings! It's the last RussDate for 2015!

"You know what that was? Hella fast."

Like what Kyong said, 2015 was a ridiculously fast year (for me). So much happened writing-wise, blog-wise, and even in real life. But I'll save the ~nostalgia~ for my end-of-the-year post, which will definitely be coming this Thursday!

Moving on, I'm incredibly excited for 2016 and what it's going to bring. One of those things is what I'll be talking about on Thursday Friday as well, so keep an eye out for that! Additionally, expect the last teaser to be posted before the year ends. :>

As early as now, I want to thank you guys for sticking around for yet another year, whether you're a one-time-big-time visitor or someone who checks multiple times a week. I promise that 2016 is going to be big, and that all of you will get to know a character or two...or nine. *nudgenudge*

"Spoilers!"

Posts to Expect: 

[x] Russie Babbles: A Year in Review [2015]

[ ] Russ Launches: The CLS Launch 

[x] Russie Writes: A Coalesce Teaser

Before He Leaves: A Coalesce Short

Maxwell Residence

Tokyo, Japan

December 2015

8:21AM

“Coffee, Jin-ho?”

“You’re a sweetheart,” the Korean commented. He lifted his mug and Aether poured coffee into it, passing the creamer and sugar after. The male mixed a few teaspoons’ worth and smiled at her, “Contrary to due belief, Mathieu is the lucky one. He can barely take care of himself,” he laughed, and Aether laughed as well while sitting down. By the stove, Mathieu rolled his eyes.

“I can beat both of you in cooking.” Jin-ho mouthed the words he’s just bitter to Aether and the Englishwoman bit her lip to keep herself from laughing out loud.

It was Christmas morning. Aether had received some texts from her Squad mates, including a message from Peters that he had arrived safely in New York. The American had flown back to spend Christmas and New Years’ with his family, and would fly back first week of January just in time for work. The rest of them would be spending time in the country; Tadashi had arranged to meet with his sisters while Mack vowed to sleep in for the first time in weeks.

At the moment, Aether and Mathieu were entertaining Kang Jin-ho, a close friend of Mathieu’s who he worked with. “I can’t stay for long, unfortunately. I’ll be meeting with my mother in an hour and will have breakfast with her,” the male explained.

“No eggs for you.”

“I’ll take the toast,” Jin-ho answered primly, plucking a piece from the breadbasket they had set earlier. Aether herself nibbled lightly on one lathered with butter and jam. “I take it you two are celebrating together?”

“We are,” she replied. “Nothing special. We’ll just stay in today and get some rest for once.” Jin-ho nodded in understanding and hummed lightly.

“Private time with the sweetheart, eh?” he winked. Aether turned a light shade of red and Mathieu gave a short laugh before making his way to the table and placing a plate in front of the dark-haired lady.

“Have fun alone.”

Russ' Updates #064: Holiday Season

Hi guys! An advanced Merry Christmas to you all!

"Advanced happy holidays to you, R!"

I hope you enjoyed the second teaser! :) I apologize for (once again) not posting everything on last week's list; lately I've been prepping the graphics and such for the launch this January. If you notice, there's a 'teaser poster' to the left side of the blog. It's something I added pretty recently as a way to hype things up. 

The following things will be happening:

1. I'll officially start the countdown on December 23, 12AM, PHL time (GMT+8). 
2. On December 31 (time TBA), I'll be talking about January's event and the project which circulates around it. This one I'm very much excited for! 
3. On the same date, I will be posting another End of the Year kind of post. :3 
4. On January 1 (time TBA), expect the layout of the blog to change. I won't be able to due it exactly during midnight due to New Years' Eve celebrations + Media Noche, but do expect it to change within the day! 

I won't be having a Christmas event this year since I need to keep making the graphics for January, but do expect for me to make up for my lack of activity next year! :D I'm incredibly excited for you all to see what I've planned and for what I have to present. Personally, I see it as a huge step for me to take and sharing it here would be amazeballs. 

See y'all next week! <3 

"Enjoy the rest of the year, everyone."

First Impression: A Coalesce Teaser

"People usually get the wrong first impression."

Evening Out: A Transcendence Short

New York City

United States of America

December 2120

4:56PM

“Do you think we should postpone this?”

“Nah,” Ansel replied. He shifted the gear to neutral and leaned back, “We’re already on our way, Lena. And I don’t think the rain’s going to get any stronger.” At that moment, a flash of lightning hit the sky, making the twosome jump in the seats of Ansel’s car. The movement of it caused Ansel’s glasses to fall onto his lap.

“…you were saying?”

“It can’t get any worse,” Ansel repeated. “It can’t get any worse at all.” the stoplight flashed green and he shifted to drive, then continued on. 

It was Elena’s post-birthday dinner. She had invited a couple of their friends to go out, and currently, they were (still) on their way to a place Elena had personally picked. Initially, there was some trouble with reserving for the place, as Elena had experienced, but they were able to book a free slot. 

Elena’s phone rang in her hands, and she looked at her screen before answering. “Luke?” 

“Hey, we’re already here. And by we, I mean Rayne, Jae-Hwang, and I,” the blonde answered. Elena blinked. “Uh. The place looks full as shit, El. Are you sure we’ll be able to get a table for all of us?”

“I fucking hope so,” the brunette sighed. “Wait — you, Rayne, and Jae?” 

“Yeah, the three of us are just here and waiting.” 

Elena pursed her lips. “I was only able to book a slot…” she mumbled a quick ‘hold on’ and fished for the paper she had in her bag, “I was able to get the six o’clock slot for us. W31. Do you think you three can watch out just in case Ansel and I get late?”

“We’re not going to be late!” Ansel retorted, still driving. Elena gave a snort. 

Luke laughed. “Yeah, I think that’s possible. We’ll see you soon?”

“Definitely,” Elena agreed. “See you.”

Russ' Updates #063: More Teasers

Good evening, Darlings!

Christmas break is officially here (well, it's started since last Thursday for me tbh) and it feels really great to finally get some rest after one heavy semester. It's a little weird to adjust to not really doing much acad-wise, but hey - it's still a great feeling. 

Anyway, expect another Coalesce teaser for this week! Aside from that, there will also be two shorts. I'll try to make them as...festive as I can. Nothing angsty since hey, it's the season of Christmas and all so things have to be lighthearted. Maybe. >:D But yeah, expect a few more Coalesce shorts and all that stuff until the 31st of December. I decided that I'll be explaining things on that date. 

"I'm honestly excited for it."

That's all I'll let slip for now! I'm preparing for January's event, so forgive me if the posts aren't as much as initially expected... ^^;;

Posts to Expect: 

[x] Russie Writes: A Transcendence Short 

[ ] Russ Writes: A Coalesce Short / OTP Short

[x] Russie Photoshops: Coalesce Teaser #02

Inconsolable: A Coalesce Short

Tadashi’s Apartment

Tokyo, Japan

January 2016

Sato, Tadashi

It’s been…a while since Aether discovered that Mathieu had left her.

The note she had discovered only had a few words on it; barely even reaching three sentences. It seemed like it had been scrawled in a rush judging by the handwriting. I had returned with her to her own apartment and looked at it myself. 

I love you I’m sorry I had no choice

She had managed to get through the first line before crumpling the paper in her hands and breaking down in tears once again. 

“We should get back,” I managed. She could only bolt out of the apartment after hearing me say that, leaving me alone in apartment with nothing much left. Once the heaviness of the situation set in, I found myself realizing why she wanted to spend time away from what had been her ‘home’ with Mathieu. 

We were the only ones who knew. Aether couldn’t contact Kenichi due to the latter being busy in the States, and he was the only one who had close ties to Mathieu. Aside from him, there was no one else we could ask help from. I had offered her the option of perhaps tracking him down and using HQ’s contacts, but she had declined and instead told me that she wanted to move on by herself. 

Aether ‘moved’ into my apartment a few days after the Incident. 

She arrived with a packed duffel bag or two, a blotchy face, and teary eyes. As soon as I opened the door, she had quietly asked if she could stay over with me for the next week for two. Aether didn’t really explain why even though I accepted the request. Before I knew it, she was already inside and seated on my couch, curling into a ball and starting to cry. 

And I didn’t know why. Not at all. 

Teaser #01: CLS Launch

Russ' Updates #062: Merry December

Good evening, Darlings! 

"Guess who was able to survive finals?"

Exactly what Jian said...I was able to survive my first-ever college finals! I had my Literature and Math finals today. As much as I want to post the teaser for next month's event, I think it would be better if I did it tomorrow instead, really. Body needs to recover from the large amount of caffeine I've taken in today, haha. 

Anyway, speaking of events - you can go check out Rothie's Enchanted Eighteenth Celebration happening over at her blog! She's got an interesting set of characters set up for this month, including one I've been looking forward to ever since she told me about her. If you want to know who, then you might as well support her throughout the month, yeah? ;D

Also: since finals are over and my Christmas/semestral break is starting in just a day or two, I'm happy to announce that I'll (finally) start updating again! Look forward to your regular posts come tomorrow. I'll be sharing a thing or two about next month's celebration...

Happy December! <3 

Posts to Expect: 

[ ] Russie Writes: A Transcendence Short 

[x] Russ Writes: A Coalesce Short

[x] Russie Photoshops: A Coalesce Teaser

Identity: A Birthday Graphic

Happy Eighteenth Birthday, Rothie!

Russ' Updates #061: Finals Hiatus

Hello, lovelies! 

I'm going to keep this short since the main point of this week's RussDate is already in the title, but I'm going to explain anyway. I'm going to be taking a mini-hiatus from today until December 8 (which is next Tuesday). Academic-wise, I'm going to be studying a lot in preparation for two finals which would be next Monday. Aside from that, I also have two papers due next Monday, so I'll be using this week to focus on studying for finals and writing those papers. 

Please take note that any graphic/short/review which maybe be posted here from today until the eighth is queued, meaning that I planned for it in advance. :) Hopefully, blogger's queue system works so that I won't have any trouble rescheduling the post and all. 

To everyone who's going through hell or their finals this month, good luck to us! 

See you on the eighth, lovelies! I have something very special planned for the latter half of December, and I'm excited to share it with you guys next week. :D

"Best of luck to you all."

Russ' Updates #060: Before Hell Weeks

Good evening, everyone!

That was fast...we're pretty much a week from ending November. APEC week went by pretty freaking quickly, and I sort of wish there was more time to rest up and all. Huhu. 

"You need to pull yourself together, Russie."

Speaking of rest (which may or may not be totally non-existent this week), I know that I wasn't able to post during the break (except for yesterday), and I'm really sorry. I decided that acads had to be the main focus last week. Luckily though, since I finished early yesterday, I was able to post two things! Hope you guys were able to check them out. ^_^

Not much is changing for this week. As usual, I hope to post at least one or two things during the weekend, before the hell weeks which will come in...a week...

Anyway, that's all for today! Again, there's not gonna be any 'Posts to Expect' section until I'm done with the first semester. I know that it seems really far off, but trust me. That's just going to be really quick, and before we all know it, Christmas/Semestral break will (finally) be here!

That's all for this week, lovelies! Enjoy :)

MS/AM: A Coalesce Graphic

Warning Signal: A Transcendence Short

Club XX
New York City

United States of America

November 2112
12:43AM

“Oh no,” Nico Gomez moaned. “Oh no, oh no, oh no. Fucking hell. Where is Lancaster when you need her,” the black-haired boy whined. Beside him, Danica Castle gave a carefree shrug and idly played with her margarita glass. “Seriously, Dan. You need to text Lancaster before he ends up sprawled on the floor.” 

Both of them turned their gazes to Ansel, who merely sat still in his seat, staring down at a bottle of Cognac and a few cans of ginger ale. Danica quirked a brow and whispered to Nico, “But Free doesn’t even drink.”

“That’s what everyone thought,” Nico whined back. He glanced down at his phone and sent text after text to Freya, who was nowhere to be seen in the club they were taken to. Apparently, it was a good idea, according to Freya, to just get out and start drinking a few weeks before finals. 

[Nico Gomez]: hi freya where the fuck are you

[Nico Gomez]: free’s just slumped in his seat and we’re afraid

[Nico Gomez]: well danica’s not but she doesn’t give a shit

[Nico Gomez]: SOS WE NEED YOU

“Nico, what the fuck are you sending me?” a voice from behind demands. In the midst of noise and multiple bodies all over the place, Nico nearly doesn’t hear if not for Danica pointing to Ansel. 

“Free’s in danger of getting more than loopy,” she explained over the loud music. Nico saw Freya’s eyes widen and she cursed, making her way to Ansel and nearly shoving away anyone who was in her way. She managed to squeeze herself in between, eventually sitting next to the brunet boy and lightly patting his cheek. “Can you fix him?”

“Don’t fucking doubt my abilities,” Freya muttered. She gave Ansel’s cheek another pat and then the male groaned, Nico cheering in the background upon hearing Ansel’s reaction. 

Russ' Updates #059: APEC Break

Someone's very relieved because of the holiday. Well. 'Holiday'.

Anyway, hi everyone - Russie is currently reading a novel which was assigned for her Lit13 class, which is why she's not really doing much of the talking for this week's RussDate. *glances at the book* She's currently almost 60 pages in, which is a good thing. Hope she manages to get around 60-70 pages done for today, then she can start doing other matters. 

As the title mentioned, Russie will be on her APEC break from tomorrow until Friday. Yes, she'll miss nearly the whole week because of it. As much as she wants to spend the whole week relaxing, she'll first focus on whatever academic-related duties tomorrow. Hopefully, for Wednesday until Friday, she'll just relax, write, continue reading and whatnot. *nods*

"...she better finish it all by then."

We really hope you guys are doing well. *frowns* A lot have been happening worldwide lately, and while it's...saddening to see and hear of, we should still keep on the positive side. Keep the world in your thoughts...especially those who were affected the most by recent occurrences. 

Expect a couple of posts (shorts and graphics) this week. No 'To Expect' list because as much as possible, Russie just wants to post whatever she feels like posting, yes?

Enjoy the week, everyone. Stay safe.

In Development: A Coalesce Short

Apartment 112

Tokyo, JPN

November 2011

Three quick knocks followed by two of the same speed. Tadashi Sato patiently waited outside the door of 112, glancing quickly at the watch on his wrist. After a mere minute, the door opened. “Am I too early?”

“Just in time,” the other replied. She walked back inside, “Come on in. I – I need some help preparing dinner,” the woman added awkwardly. Tadashi gave a quick smile, entering and leaving his shoes where the rest of her shoes were. Closing the door, he gave a cautious glance around where she lived.

“I’m surprised you haven’t burnt the place down yet.”

“Foul,” she sighed. Tadashi cocked a brow at her and the woman made a face, “Okay, okay, back to Japanese. Er – foul. Is that right?”

“Correct,” he affirmed. “What do you need help with?”

“…making Hayashi rice in general,” she admitted. Tadashi walked to her kitchen, which was still pretty spotless. There was an array of ingredients, untouched. He looked at her and caught the hesitation in the woman’s eyes.

He decided to take pity on her this time. “Get back to your studies,” he told her. “I’ll handle dinner for today.”

“W-Wait, are you sure?”

“You seem on edge. I’ll handle it.” she mumbled a quick thank you and left the kitchen, leaving Tadashi to glance at the cookbook which had been left open on the marble counter.

Hayashi rice.

OCs x Social Media: Ansel Free

Russ' Updates #058: Focus Period

Good evening, Darlings! I hope you guys have been doing well this week ^_^

"So...where have you been, Russie?"

If you guys noticed, I haven’t really made an appearance this week. Well. Academic and IRL, I’ve been sorting out lots of things, to be honest. There were a few projects to be done academically and then some org-related tasks to prioritize, so I couldn’t exactly get to posting during the week. As much as I wanted to post even a short, I had to prioritize some other things first and all that stuff.

I’m not exactly sure how it’s going to go this week, really. I’ll still be doing academic-related duties as well as org-related ones, which means I probably won’t be able to post during the week again. Here’s what I want:

• Beat the deadline and finish the different requirements by this Thursday
• Get all the heavy work done with ASAP
• Have a hassle-free weekend and a non-stressful November 16
• Enjoy the APEC holiday!

In case you guys don’t know what I’m talking about, I won’t be having classes from November 17 – November 20 (Tuesday to Friday). The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum is going to be hosted by the Philippines this year, and to make things smoother for the event and all, it was declared that there wouldn’t be classes during the APEC period.

Again, I have no idea if acads will suddenly squeeze their way into APEC (profs giving a buttload of papers and whatnot all of a sudden), I will try to make the best out of the holiday. :)

"What does that mean for this week?"

Again, same schedule as last week. I won’t be posting anything from Monday to Friday as to give way for my acads, but I’ll do my best to get something on Saturday and/or Sunday.

That’s all for this week, lovelies! No ‘Posts to Expect’ for now.

OCs x Social Media: Elena Jones

Russ' Updates #057: (Hello) November

Good evening, Darlings!

"Hello, Russie's wonderful readers!"

I hope you're all doing alright this week, and that you guys had a great October. :) As the title says, it's already November! We're so freaking close to being done with the year (and for college students, done with the semester hell yes). And speaking of being done with the year, I'm really feeling excited for what I've got planned this December~

"What, despite December being finals month?"

Too soon, Clara.

"*winks* Don't spoil it yet, Russ. Spoilers."

Anyway, I don't exactly have any Featured Character for November and December. I'll be spending the two months focusing on fulfulling requirements (for November), and focusing on finals (for the first two weeks of December). With that in mind, it's possible that my activity might decrease starting the latter part of November, but I'll still do my best to post a graphic/short per week. :) 

"It's very much possible."

Posts to Expect:

[ ] Russie Writes: A Coalesce Short
[ ] Russ Writes: An OTP Short

No Good: A Coalesce Graphic

"It's people just like you who made me the pessimist I am."

Career Switch: A Transcendence Short

Alternate Universe

Starbucks

New York City

United States of America

November 2119

“Free, what the hell are you doing?”

“Manning the register, what does it look like I’m doing—?”

“No, get the fuck out.” Jae-Hwang gave Ansel a sharp look before pushing him aside, the former cracking his knuckles. “I’ve got this. I’ve got the mathematical capability to do this properly. Stay with the drinks.”

“You’re as bad at math as I am,” the brunette protested. “I wouldn’t trust you with the freaking register and money, Hwang.”

“Shit’s digital nowadays.”

“Which is why I can take care of the thing.”

“No, shut up. Stick to the food, drinks, and batting your lashes for your girlfriend.” Ansel punched the man’s arm and the Korean laughed before flashing a grin at a customer who had just arrived at the counter. Sighing, Ansel hung back and moved next to Luke. Luke gave a half-hearted wave.

“Hwang kick you from the register again?”

“That was one time—”

The First Step: A Coalesce Short

Headquarters
Tokyo, JPN
November 2009

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Look, I know it’s something too soon–”

“Damn right that shit’s too soon,” Tadashi snapped. He chose to ignore the fact that almost everyone on the floor was staring. “I lost three of my squad mates barely six months ago and now you want me to take in two new ones in the next three months? Do you honestly think I’m in the right condition to do that?”

“I know it’s something you’re not comfortable with,” Eri Nagakawa interrupted calmly. She gave Tadashi a firm look, “To be perfectly honest, Tadashi, I was against this as well. The board, however, thinks that you need to start taking in people again. They’ve noticed that your quality has dipped a bit ever since the accident.”

“I’m grieving.”

“I know you are,” she repeated. “Just – will you come to my office and talk to me about this?” He was nearly about to argue again when she gave him a look. “Don’t do this to yourself,” she added in a much softer voice. “Just hear me out. And try not to make a scene in front of the younger agents.”

Without another word, Tadashi went straight to Eri’s office. The other hung back to watch him with worried eyes and then realized that she too was being watched. Masking a cold look on her face, she barked at the rest of them to get back to work and they all scattered while talking nervously. She rubbed her temples, exhaling loudly.

It was never a good idea to begin with.

Better Times: A FC/UC Graphic

"I remember asking myself, 

'will it ever get better?'

I waited, waited, waited.

And guess what? It did."

Russ' Updates #056: Ending October

Good evening, Darlings!

"Happy almost-Halloween. *waves*"

October's coming to a close this weekend! I'm surprised that the whole month flew by really, really quickly, to be honest. The month's been alright; I'm still managing to keep my head up despite *~college~* and all the sudden events that's been happening.

To be honest, I haven't been feeling that great in terms of the creative muse. I haven't really been feeling myself lately, but I'm hoping that it wards off soon enough, because I really want to start liking my own writings (and graphics) again. Hopefully this week will give me the chance to get some writing done (especially the weekend).

Speaking of closing October, closing October also means closing Elena's month. ;w;

"Aww...thank you for having me though, Russ. Really."

While Elena's month may be ending soon, don't fret! The Transcendence universe will still be making its usual appearances around the blog. :) For the month of November, I won't be featuring a character, so expect more of my scheduled posts to revolve around anything that comes to mind! 

That's all for this week, lovelies. Enjoy and have a great Halloween! 

Posts to Expect:

[x] Russie Writes: A Coalesce Short
[x] Russ Writes: An OTP Short

[x] Russie Photoshops: A FC/UC Graphic