YBC Challenge: The Sixth Day -- Violet

They all had their own personal vices.

Kenichi’s was work. The young Japanese couldn’t get away from it; after being repeatedly told to focus on getting to the top as a child, the businessman was now unstoppable. Taking over the business his father had left wasn’t exactly hard, and now he was close to the very top.

Matt’s had been smoking, previously. He had been a heavy smoker in his teenage years and only resolved to stop upon finding out about A’s own unease around fire and/or smoke. Smoking helped calm his nerves; it was a nasty habit he started right before he left the Wammy Orphanage. Matt smoked before an exam, before departing the institution, before lifting his gun and sniping. He smoked after an exam, after departing Wammy’s, after seeing the body of his target slump to the ground. He smoked as a form of celebration and as a form of relieving stress.

It was an excessively unhealthy vice, he knew. So he prepared for the comments from future flings, shrugging them off with relative ease.

What he didn’t expect was for his current girlfriend to have an unhealthy vice as well.

Matt sent smoke washing through his lungs.

A drank herself to oblivion.

Almost.

He had first noticed on the fourth date. Matt’s old girlfriend usually ordered simple drinks or fancy cocktails when they went out, but A ordered shots and downed them one after another. She had realized that he was watching the third shot down, and she gave an embarrassed smile with her cheeks a little pinker than usual.

“I-I’m sorry. Rough day,” she apologized. Matt nodded quietly and kept watching her, stopping the half-German at her fifth. At that point, her face was a glowing shade of pink and she was more receptive to his actions, flashing him smiles and flirty half-smirks. A was on the way.

What shocked him was that she didn’t seem to have an intention to stop.

YBC Challenge: The Fifth Day -- Blue

His flaming red hair stood out in the middle of the sea waves.

“Don’t you want to swim, baby?” Matt called. He had resurfaced with his hair slicked back, a grin on his face as he took in A’s figure on the beach. The Englishman’s blue eyes ran over his lover’s figure, hastily looking at her face when she stirred on the blanket. “The water’s really cool. You should swim,” he insisted. A took off her sunglasses and squinted, her own green eyes meeting his. “Get yourself under the sun a bit more. Maybe even end up tanning,” he teased, and she rolled her eyes.

“I’m not letting myself out there when the lotion hasn’t dried,” she defended. Matt shook his head.

“You’ve been waiting it out for the past twenty minutes. I think you’re good,” he declared, moving towards her and A paling considerably.

“No. I’m okay, I swear,” she tried and Matt shook his head, lifting her into his arms while the woman let off a shriek. “Matt you better not do what I think you’ll do,” she started, but her threat fell on deaf ears as her boyfriend whooped and leaped into the water with her. A screamed, scrambling to get out of his arms but failing – Matt still held her tightly, laughing as they resurfaced.

A’s hair stuck to her face; the woman huffed in slight irritation and raked it back, green eyes intent on glaring at her English lover.

“You prat–”

“It was the only way for you to cool down,” Matt insisted, starting to laugh yet again as she splashed him and (playfully) smacked his chest. “Jesus Christ baby, don’t get all rough on me–”

“If I tan, you’re going to pay,” she threatened. A glared up at the sun and sighed, a visible grimace settling on her fair face. “I was planning to read,” the woman began to whine, but Matt shook his head in disbelief and swept her into his arms again. She let off a surprised squeak.

“I take you to the beach and all you’re going to do is read?” he quipped. She glowered. “Don’t take it the wrong way, sweetheart. But we’re here to relax.”

“I am relaxing,” she told him, poking his nose lightly. “I was going to relax with my book and then take pictures around the place after resting on the blanket and staying out of the sun.”

Strokes of Color: A YBC Graphic

"You waltzed into my life with a paintbrush

and everything suddenly turned a little more colorful."

YBC Challenge: The Fourth Day -- Green

He never stuck to a schedule. On most days, Matt just rolled out of bed, had a quick shower and changed into whatever he pulled out of his closet. Afterwards, he would race out of his room, video game stuffed in his pocket, and raced down the stairs, rushing to the doors that would lead outside.

Upon stepping outside, Matt would eagerly scan the area, running behind a tree, eyes searching the gardens for the large oak tree that was right in the middle of the outdoors. And when he found it, his gaze would travel down the leaves and down the trunk, to the grass where a small girl would sit would a book in her hands.

At that moment, he’d blush a heavy red and would rake his fingers through his messy hair, watching silently and hiding from another tree meters away from where she was. The girl would normally be facing elsewhere, and he would do his best to catch a glimpse of her face. This was always part of his mornings. Wake up, dress, run and watch quietly until he had to go. In truth, Matt had always wanted to talk to her. She was the girl in the white dress, the girl with long hair and bangs, the girl who always carried something in her hands.

The girl was an enigma to him. He knew her name, which classes she went to – but he wanted to know more. He wanted to know her name even though they weren’t supposed to share their true name, he wanted to accompany her to the music room just so he had an excuse to watch her play the piano. Matt wanted to be with her, simply to find out more and dwell deeper.

But he couldn’t. He was a boy with freckles on his face and wild, unruly ginger hair. The scabs on his knees wouldn’t go away unless he picked at them, and he sure as hell guessed that a geeky boy who spent all day playing video games wasn’t her type. Maybe she’d smile, but eventually, she would drift away from him.

With that, he concluded that she was out of his league.

Mutual Efforts: A YBC Graphic

"Love them at their worst,

Love them at their best.

Love them at their sweetest,

Love them at their saltiest.

Love them with all that you have,

And I swear they'll love you the same way."

YBC Challenge: The Third Day -- Yellow

The roads were too congested for any of them to come to work, Touta told her over the phone. Even he – Touta – was pushed to stay home for the day. The rains going on outside were incredibly outrageous. People were advised to stay home, classes were suspended and even Kenichi had told Matt that work would be put aside.

“You want something to eat, lovely?” Matt called from the kitchen. He poked his head out and A could smell the faintest scent of instant ramen. She held back a snort.

“You’re a right hypocrite, do you know that?” the ginger gave her a stare, “Telling me to not stuff myself with instant ramen, but here you are cooking some up,” she teased. Matt rolled his eyes affectionately and stuck his tongue out at her.

“If you don’t want some, you could have just rejected me kindly–”

“Who said I was rejecting you?” she interrupted. “You know I want some.” His eyes gave a twinkle and he popped back into the kitchen, A watching fondly before turning her attention back at the TV screen. She heard him hum to a rock song as he prepared their meals and A shifted on the couch, eyes scanning over the screen for news (even though Touta told her to use the day to relax), waiting for any news of crime.

The lights gave a flicker. She anxiously glanced to the light bulbs and shrugged it off, gluing her eyes back to the screen as continuous weather updates filled the news segment.

“Bloody lights,” she mumbled. The scent of the ramen got stronger; A wished Matt could hurry up and bring the bowls to the kitchen –

And with an alarming noise, the electricity shut down.

YBC Challenge: The Second Day -- Orange

A loved and hated the cold.

For one, it gave her the liberty to wear the extensive amount of winter wear she had in her closet; long coats and boots were usually worn when chilly Decembers came. Cold weather meant warm coffee and hot chocolate; December weather meant Christmas sales and clothes for half the price. Cold weather gave her an excuse to cuddle up to her lover when the nights got extra frosty, an excuse to drink some alcohol to send warmth throughout her system. Christmas season showcased her generous side once Christmas shopping rolled in.

On another hand, the cold was a bitch.

Fog would be so intense that she couldn’t risk driving while cold winds would sneak into the three to four layers of clothing she wore on a particularly freezing day. Cold weather meant nearly getting frostbite and/or hypothermia while she was out on a case; it meant having Matt out more often since the fog would be an excellent advantage (or so Kenichi said). Cold weather meant lazy mornings and still-dark sunrises. Christmas season brought on the inner road devil in her when everyone was speeding and honking while in traffic.

And then there was the worst part of it.

Cold weather meant having to act like a freezer.

A was cold – literally cold. Passing of files and objects was usually met with the person’s hand jerking back due to shock. Your fingers are freezing, they told her, eyes laced with disbelief. The woman would merely shrug it off. How can you survive the cold like this? She wasn’t exactly quite sure how she was able to manage either – A always felt warm until someone else commented on the fact that their co-worker was a freezer.

In fact, she was the only one in Squad A who had such quirk. Thomas maintained his regular body heat while Peters and Touta radiated. Peters gave off an energizing aura to him while Touta oozed with warmth and charisma. A always noticed that the two men in particular were very warm and hardly had problem with the cold.

Peters explained that living in New Jersey toughened him up; Touta merely remarked that he was used to Japan’s climate. So A frequently made excuses to go near either of them just to warm up when the weather was getting to her. Frustratingly enough, coffee didn’t seem to do the trick.

But Matt did.

Shades of Green: Arianne Maxwell

"Two sides of A. Two sides of me.
The 'perfect', dolled up and collected A,
And the 'stripped down', broken and frantic A.
Which side do you prefer?'

[Happy 23rd Birthday, A! <3]

YBC Challenge: The First Day -- Red

Her lipstick was lethal.

Matt had always been a fan of A’s lips since he had encountered her in that warehouse – they were the first thing that caught his attention. Contrary to due belief, it wasn’t her green eyes which caught his gaze when he saw her again. It wasn’t even the coldness of her stare or how the leather clung to her body in the middle of the freezing night.

That came second.

His eyes caught her lips when she walked into the warehouse, removing the helmet which covered her face. Black hair swung down and rolled down her shoulders. Her eyes looked tired and only highlighted her irritated features. Matt knew make up, and in seeing her, he knew that she had only begun to remove the traces of it ten or fifteen minutes before she arrived.

The only thing that had remained was her lipstick.

It wasn’t exactly nude or plum or anything like that. Not even reddest of red. The color of her lips that night reminded him of strawberries or any other berries.

(Matt wondered nights later how it felt to kiss those lips.)

Her upper lip was a bit thinner than her lower, which was definitely on the fuller side. The way they were pressed together on that night told him something –

She was tired.

People watching and studying gave Matt an advantage.

Russ' Updates #022: YBC Launch

Good evening, Darlings! <3 

So, what's going on this week, hmm? 

"I think that's obvious, given the title of the post."

*throws confetti in the air* Today marks the beginning of the You Gave Me Color Celebration - the (first) Celebration which centers around an OTP! ^_^ 

From today until February 1, I'm going to be posting shorts, graphics and whatnot in celebration of my first (legit) OTP. Yes - even though school's happening, I'm determined to make my first Celebration-slash-Challenge a successful one. *thumbs up*

For this week, sit back and relax as I pour out my heart (and feels) into this ship. *laughs* I've been looking forward to this event since I planned it last December, and I do hope you guys will like it~

"Please do enjoy this week's Celebration. Now if you'll excuse me... *lifts A*"

Russie Reviews: Battle Royale

Forty-two Junior High students wake up inside a random classroom with weird collars around their necks. As part of a merciless authoritarian program, these students are given the following: a survival pack and a random weapon of choice which could either be totally useful or completely useless.

Sent out into a 'deserted' island where parts could trigger the collar's explosion any moment, the task given to these students was simple. 

Kill or be killed. 

Be the last student standing. 

Good evening, Darlings! Yes - it's finally time for another review. And tonight, I'm going to review a novel which sparked a manga, two live action moves and (perhaps) controversy all over the globe...Battle Royale. As usual, I'll be avoiding spoilers but do take care once you click the 'read more' button down below! 

Teaser: YBC Celebration Week

"But when you stepped into my life, you brought a spectrum of color."

Russ' Updates #021: Cynicism 101

Hello, Darlings!

I apologize for another late RussDate – guess who ended up cramming her homework last night? *laughs nervously*

“Still hasn’t changed, really...”

After a really long weekend which I wish was longer, I went back to school today. And…yeah. It’s really hard to get back into the swing of things. *facepalms* I have to admit, I’ve really been slacking off and that’s definitely not good – as much as possible, I want to finish Senior year with no regrets. *nods* And I really don't want to be negative/cynical/jaded about the last two months of my stay. 

So what does that mean for us, hm?

This early on, I’m planning to lessen my activity this coming February. It won’t exactly be a hiatus (until the final Quarterly Test week huhu), but I really won’t be posting as regularly as I would want to. Once February is over, though, I can get back to full dedication coming March. *smiles*

This week’s schedule is…weird. I’ve got classes from Tuesday (today) until Thursday, then Friday’s spent for rest, and then back to school on Saturday. *shakes head* I don’t really know, man – but I’m going to spend Friday working on another weeklong challenge, so watch out for that~

“Why not give them a clue, hm?” 

“*low chuckle* Our presence is already a clue, love.”

Posts to Expect:

[ ] Russie Reviews: Battle Royale
[ ] Russie Writes: An Equilibriai Short
[x] Russie Photoshops: A Teaser Graphic

“That’s it for today. Enjoy the rest of your week. *waves*”

Lingering Protection: A Birthday Short

Lagom
Élan Region
Viridia Faction
xxxx, H.E.

“Do you have something for me?”

“Don’t be a spoiled brat,” Marguerite Russet retorted, but kept her tone warm. A smile lit the girl’s features as Skylar inspected her thoroughly, checking the other’s pockets and such for anything – a gift – only to pout when she felt nothing. “Disappointed?”

“I didn’t say anything,” the girl mumbled, but Marguerite could detect the faint discontent in the other’s eyes. “N-Not that I was expecting anything. Not really,” she rambled.

“We’re meeting Althea today, remember?” Skylar perked up slightly, “So search her for gifts.” The youngest Viridia nodded and Marguerite merely smiled, listening as her shorter friend began to talk about what they had planned for the day.

It was Skylar Viridia’s fourteenth birthday, and they were going out into the city to meet up with Althea Goldenrod in Skylar’s favorite café.

It was also the day her friend was presented with her Gear.

“–what did they call your Gear, Marg?”

Marguerite blinked and looked at Skylar. The girl was fiddling with a strand of her hair. “Oh. My Gear? If I remember right, it’s called Theiara.”

Theiara. The name felt right on her lips.

The Gear and Armor mechanism wasn’t unknown in Lagom – in fact, it was one of the technologies most known by man. Marguerite thought about this as she lightly touched the thick bracelet on her wrist, knowing that a single push of the button could fully activate the object. Her own Gear – Theiara – was in a state of ‘slumber’.

Rather, its capabilities weren’t ready to be fully opened yet. Marguerite could tell. The overwhelming urge hadn’t arrived yet.

Glances: A LeonVil Graphic

"And if putting me out means having you look away,

Then I will happily spend the rest of my days engulfed in flame."

6,205 Days of Living: A Birthday Short

Alpha Belt
Mortal Belt
Venura Residence
January 12, 2015

“Do you feel old?”

“I do, now that you reminded me,” Aria complained. Miles laughed and dodged a comb thrown at him. Aria huffed and turned back to the mirror, brushing her hair. “Seventeen…I’m a year closer to being legal. It’s so weird.”

“You’re closer to being arrested,” he offered. She made a face. “And a year closer to celebrating your debut and dancing with those eighteen roses or whatever.”

“Gross.” Aria shook her head and slid on her headband, “I don’t even know eighteen guys.”

“Your dad, two brothers and your uncle.”

“That’s four.”

“And me.”

The short-haired girl laughed and turned to Miles, a small grin on her face. “You’d really show up in front of everyone and be my eighteenth rose?”

“Why the hell not?” Miles jumped forward and took her hands, pretending to dance with her in the middle of the bedroom. “I can dance. I’m a fairly decent dancer.”

“My Watcher is my eighteenth rose. Seems nice,” Aria admitted. Miles let go of her hands and watched as she went back to spray on her cologne, smiling slightly to himself. “But really…I’m not sure if I even want a debut, you know. It’s like a lot of hassle.”

“You won’t plan it.”

“I’ll invite people.” Aria shuddered, “God. My extroverted-introverted side is rejoicing and cowering at the thought of a lot of people seeing me in a dress and make up and all. Even though it does seem nice.”

The Forest Original chuckled. “Take your time. You’re only seventeen.” He looked at her through the mirror, his eyes meeting hers, “Enjoy this day first.”

Russ' Updates #020: Surreal Seventeen

Hello, my darlings! Guess who turned seventeen today yesterday?

“Yep, this person did. Wish her a happy one.”

So yesterday, I finally turned seventeen – a year closer to legality – and I spent the day in school with my friends. ^_^ A lot of fun stuff happened, really. What’s happening this week?

Sadly, I don’t really have a celebration planned out for my birthday. *facepalms* However, since there won’t be any school starting Thursday until Monday next week, I’ll really be stepping up my game and posting as much as I can – preferably birthday shorts~

I honestly didn’t expect the previous week to be so tiring – I only posted one thing and I really want to make up for it during the long weekend we’ve been granted.

And hey – speaking of the title, ‘Surreal Seventeen’…

GUYS IT HAPPENED HUHUHUHU –

Long story short: mom called last January 10 – first thing in the morning – and then gave the good news. It’s overwhelming, really – it feels like one massive dream.R

“*small smile* I – we’re proud of you, Russ.”

Here are the posts to expect this week!

Posts to Expect:

[ ] Russie Writes: A Birthday Celebration Short [Skylar Viridia]
[x] Russie Writes: A Birthday Celebration Short [Aria Venura/Arzen Venura] 
[ ] Russie Writes: An OTP Short [Matt/A]

Recovery: A FC/UC Background Short

Lagom
Élan Region
Viridia Faction
xxxx, H.E.

“Is she doing alright?”

“She’s conscious. She can respond, at least. But that doesn’t mean that she’s willing to respond to external stimuli. Skylar can hear, can see – all her senses are intact,” the physician said slowly, wiping the lenses of his glasses. “But it’s like her other aspects went into a temporary shutdown. If her body recuperated enough to bring her back to consciousness…then let’s say that her mind and her emotional wellbeing still need time.”

Dr. Sulu, a close associate of the Viridias, had made his weekly visit to the faction. It had been his fourth visit, and he tended to have high hopes that the lone daughter would at least fare better each time he came to check on her.

The first visit was bad. Skylar had been brought to the hospital, massively injured and unconscious. The story was recounted to him a dozen or so times.

The Viridias didn’t know why or how, but she had somehow managed to get herself attacked by one of the few Void – the Vitium – which had existed within the proximity. A scream and a large blast of lightning had caught their attention, and by the time they were there, their daughter was knocked out and a few other Vitium had come to apparently feast on her Quintessence.

It took her two weeks to fully recover – at least, to wake up from the coma induced on her. By the third week, Skylar was struggling to wake. However, each time she did, data told them that her body wasn’t ready and shot her down with more medicines to keep her down under. At the same time, a copious amount of Quintessence was slowly flowing back into her system.

A few days before his fourth visit, she had been officially discharged but was ordered bed rest for an undetermined amount of time.

“How old is Skylar?”

Harlene Viridia glanced at her younger sister’s form. “Skye is fifteen.”

Dr. Sulu gave a small nod. “Fifteen. So in two, three years she’ll be eligible for the academy.”

Russ' Updates #019: Last Three Months

Good evening, Darlings! Hope you’re having a good 2015 so far. ^_^

School officially makes its comeback as of today, and I’m already feeling a tad bit swamped with all the things that we’re supposed to submit. Aside from academic woes, there’s also a bunch of fair preparations that’s going on for the school fair on Friday, and a couple of other things that I’m worrying about (like the ACET results HUHU).

I’ve good some good news and I’ve got some bad news.

"Let's hope that the good outweigh the bad."

Bad News:

• Back to school week isn’t the greatest thing ever – it’s only Monday so far, but I can practically feel the oncoming storm that is stress. That’s definitely going to decrease the chances of my posting from today until Wednesday.
•  Friday to Saturday are going to be very busy days for me! I’ll be having fun at the annual school fair until the early evening, and then I’ll be having an overnight with my friends until Saturday. The posting of chances are, again, going to be minimal. :(

But away from that, here are some pieces of good news!

• I’ll do my best to post on Sunday especially since it’s a day before my ~birthday~
• From January 15-19 (Thursday – Monday), Pope Francis will be making a visit to the PH. Because of that, it’s been declared as a national holiday (?) and school won’t be a thing. :D So from the 15th to the 19th, I’ll do my best to work on things I have yet to post~

Please do keep me in your thoughts/prayers once again! I’m really hoping that the results for the ACET would be the results I wanted. ;w;

Three months of academics and non-academics to go until I finally graduate!

Posts to Expect:

[ ] Russie Writes: Request #02
[x] Russie Writes: A FC/UC Background Short

(Princess): A Fanmix for Adri del Riano

"I deserved so much, and all of them took it away from me.
It's time to claim what's rightfully mine.
 ...and I'll destroy anyone who tries to stop me."

[listen] [download]

Bad Girls: Skylar Viridia

"Hands up, hands tied

Don’t go screaming if I blow you with a bang"

Black Skies: Skylar Viridia

“You want me to be a tragic backdrop so that you can 

appear to be illuminated, so that people can say 

‘Wow, isn’t he so terribly brave to love a girl who is so obviously sad?’ 

You think I’ll be the dark sky so you can be the star? 

I’ll swallow you whole.” [x]