Russ' Updates #030: Normality

Hello, Darlings! <3 RussDates are officially back~

"It's been a while since you've posted these, Russie."

Yes it has, Marguerite. Haha! You guys may have noticed that since the start of the TGC, RussDates took a small breather. Now that it's over, I'm happy to say that the RussDates are back and in full swing~ and that we can slowly go back to the usual blogging and all.

To be honest, I haven't really planned for anything much for the last week of April. As I mentioned in my Culmination post, my original plan was to take things easy as a way to cool down. However, that doesn't mean that I won't be posting until April 30, nah. Not really.

I'm actually really tired - one of my close friends had her birthday celebration, so my friends and I had a really intense badminton session. My arm still hurts, huhu.

But anyway, the RussDates are back and in full swing, so you guys will have something to check out every Monday. ^_^

What do I have planned for this week?

May officially starts this Friday! Since the TGC is over and things are calming down here in Apotheosis...yes, you guessed it - FC/UC is back! *throws confetti*

"*waves* Hello."

For the month of May, the Featured Character is none other than Marguerite Russet. Which explains her appearance in this week's RussDate and her appearance in the blog banner, haha. Starting Friday, expect graphics and whatnot concerning Marguerite and her character so far~

That's all for this week, loves! Until next time. <3 

Posts to Expect: 

[x] Russie Reviews: Be More Chill

[x] Russie Writes: A FC/UC Short

[x] Russie Photoshops: A FC/UC Graphic

First Name Basis: A Transcendence Short

New York City
United States of America
April 2120

It was only a few months into their relationship when Elena Jones noticed something a little off with Ansel.

Overall, her boyfriend was normal – he had no creepy tendencies nor did he have any skeletons in the closet to be worried about. The most peculiar thing about him had to be his busy work schedule on the weekdays, but that was about it. She had already come to terms with her geeky, sarcastic and sharp-tongued parter and found no other problem with him at all. Even Amelia, her sister all the way in Connecticut, thought that Ansel was an okay kind of guy.

Part of Ansel Free’s work schedule was to drop by during his lunch hours and go to the coffee shop where Elena worked. He would be there every 1:00PM, ready to order his usual coffee and his usual snack.

Almost all the baristas there had grown used to the fact that it was Elena that would be the one to serve him, as she would usually spend five minutes catching up with him until Luke Truman called her back to the front.

This didn’t stop Ansel from ordering more, though.

Even with that, Elena couldn’t help but notice one small thing that was off with him. It wasn’t obvious at first, but as time passed on, she realized it and wondered why she never bothered to correct him the first time around.

It was the way he called her.

Elena.

Russie Babbles: Evolution [Collaboration]

Good evening, Darlings!

Another Russ and Roth shenanigan post is up right ahead, but this time, we won't be dealing with books. Unlike our last Collaboration, which focused on lit, this one's going to focus a little more on how our Photoshop skills have grown over the years...particularly, our banner-making skills. 

Basically, Roth told me about how her upcoming blog banners have changed and that she's evolving in terms of style. With that came (another) challenge: what if we checked out our banners since 2012 and reacted to them? I told her this, we dug up our banners (thanks to Picasa Web Albums) and lo and behold, this post was born. 

You guys can check out Roth's post over here!

As usual, the Read More link is right below - feel free to laugh at my poor skills. :'D

Culmination: A Graduation Celebration Post

Hello, Darlings! <3

Welcome to the last day and the last post for the Graduation Celebration. It’s April 23, 2015, and it’s officially been a month since I started the whole celebration. ^_^ Take this as my closing post for TGC.

What was my goal, really?

Going back to the opener post, I explained that I came up with the TGC to celebrate the writings that have been with me since my first year of high school. Among those projects, two are currently being revamped, one has been cancelled and one is in its development stages. Throughout the years, the projects (as well as their influences) are what have helped me get through the years of high school from 2011 to 2015.

Whether they may be fanfictions or original works, finished or unfinished, all of them still have their own special place in my heart. Without those projects, I definitely wouldn’t be the writer I am now – and I wouldn’t be where I am. Those were the projects which have helped me grow, despite how cringeworthy they seemed to be.

From wrong grammar, terrible characterization and butchering of plot, I’m forever grateful that those projects came to me in the first place.

And there’s more where that came from – Eternal Flame, Royal Flush, Hysteria and Equilibriai was just the beginning. I still have a FanFiction account and LiveJournals I won’t dare look at or even access because I’m hella embarrassed of what I wrote there back in my grade school years.

That, however, is another story.

"A long, amusing and embarrassing story for another time."

Arianne Venura: A Wildcard Week Short

Alpha Belt
Mortal Realm
Venura Residence
2015

Ever since she was a child, Aria loved the sound of booming thunder and lightning striking the sky. Unlike other children, she didn’t cower at the noise and instead sat up, waiting for the next peal to happen. Her parents had told her that the sound of thunder merely came from God bowling up in the heavens, and the mental image stuck with her. Until now, she always wondered if the Big Guy was hitting strike after strike or if he missed every turn.

On another hand, she loved lightning because of how beautiful the jagged line in the sky was. She adored how it remained there for a split second – a number of frames – until it disappeared completely. She also loved how it struck without making noise, how a single burst of power could be so illuminating yet gone without a trace.

She was fascinated until her fourth year where they studied electricity in Physics. They studied currents and resistances, power and such. The entire Senior class studied the types, how it went, how it happened. They discussed so much about electricity that Aria’s notes became filled to the brim.

(She aced the topic and was proud.)

The girl didn’t realize until she was older, but that was one of the indictors which proved that she really was meant to be a Lightning Original.

Aria was a ball of energy throughout the years; even more so after having a Grande-sized cup of coffee. She was a spike of energy, something that happened so sudden and fast that no one knew how she shifted from quiet and reflective to bouncy and talkative. Aria could talk at fast speeds which left others blinking; at her best, she got idea after idea after idea which would make her scribble into her notebook with an unreadable handwriting.

That was when she was at her best.

Color Palettes: Aria Venura

Aria Venura || Source || Lightning Original

Gabriel Silvas: A Wildcard Week Short

­Alpha Belt
Mortal Realm
Venura Residence
2015

After Gabriel Silvas had lost his friends one by one, he swore to himself that he wouldn’t get attached to the first person he got to know.

Of course, Fate wanted to test him – Fate tested everyone, after all. The next thing he knew, Gabriel was delegated as a Watcher. And he had no idea how he came to be at that position. Gritting his teeth, Gabriel accepted the position without daring to say anything against the Creator.

Even with his new duties, he promised that he wouldn’t get attached to whoever his Assignment would be. Attachments were dangerous as proved by the friendships he had fostered. Gabriel told himself that he would only watch over whoever his Assignment would be purely out of mere obligation and responsibility. The last thing he wanted was to get on the Creator’s hit list.

However, upon first peeking into the thirteen-year-old’s mind, Gabriel cursed.

He immediately knew that not getting attached was something that definitely wouldn’t happen.

  

After the disaster which had caused the termination of his friendships, Gabriel Silvas was intent on creating a new identity for himself. The Forest Original wanted a new beginning, a new start, for everything to restart. After thinking long and hard, he finally decided on a new name.

Loyal as ever to his first name (and strangely attached to the nicknames he had gained over the years), he kept Gabriel as a surname. He personally found it too fitting – after all, in Christian beliefs, one of the top archangels had been named Gabriel.

When it came to his actual name, Gabriel was unable to decide on something for a number of weeks until the hit of epiphany came. A thought came to him while he was sitting on the rooftop, isolating himself from the rest of the group.

Color Palettes: Miles Gabriel

Miles Gabriel || Watcher || Forest Original

Giselle Rivers: A Wildcard Week Short

Alpha Belt
Mortal Realm
Rivers’ Residence
2015

Elle wasn’t sure if she was meant to be that way.

She wasn’t exactly sure how she ended up turning into the person she was at that moment. Whether the person she was right now was good or bad, she couldn’t exactly decide. Whether the change was good or bad, she couldn’t really decide either. With that in her head, she could already feel Amy glaring at her and Blake sighing from outside her bedroom. A mildly amused smile graced her lips.

Elle wondered if she was destined to be the person she was at that very second.

The younger and present her were very different, she thought on many occasions. The younger seemed to have it all, academically active and definitely more on the social side. She cringed (just a bit) at the thought of her younger self being chosen as the class representative more often than not. She cringed once more at the thought of her younger self liking the responsibility.

So what happened?

Life happened, she answered dryly. Problems happened. Issues happened. Transfers happened. Within a snap of a finger, the Elle she was back then became someone much more different.

With the passage of time, she unconsciously started to shift towards the person her element dictated her to be.

Elle Rivers was a Storm.

Color Palettes: Elle Rivers

Elle Rivers || The Grace || Storm Original

Amaryllis Coquelicot: A Wildcard Week Short

Alpha Belt
Mortal Realm
Rivers’ Residence
2015

Amaryllis – Amy – was fiercely protective of Elle Rivers to the point of nearly being the human representation of her element.

Storm.

It was commonly thought that those who shared the same Element shared similar personalities. More often than not, this seemed to be the case. A common trait tended to be shared; however, what seemed to go unnoticed was how the Element coincided with more than just the personality.

Motives and desires played a heavy role as well. With that in mind, one could even say that the Element of a person played a part in developing them into the person they were destined to be – as cliché as that sounded.

No matter how cliché, however, Amy found herself thinking that it was the case – when it came to her, at least.

Ever since she had been assigned to Elle Rivers, Amy found herself promising that she would do a much better job. The promise, however, became something hard to keep as the young Storm Original started to grow. As Elle grew up, Amy found herself questioning why Elle had been assigned to her, of all people, in the first place.

At first, it seemed as though she and Elle were polar opposites. As a child, Elle was difficult to connect to. She understood that Watchers were merely there to watch, to guide, to help out when the Assignment needed it. Additionally, she had thought that the less she would interfere with the Assignment’s life, the less the Assignment (and the Watcher) would have to suffer later on.

Color Palettes: Amy Coquelicot

Amy Coquelicot || Watcher || Storm Original

The Wildcard Week

Good evening, Darlings! 

As early as now, I'm welcoming you guys to the final week of the Graduation Celebration - the Wildcard Week (WW). I've mentioned it right when this thing started, and am sure that there are a few curious people who are wondering what exactly the WW is going to consist of...

For the WW, I was able to think of three potential themes and then narrow it down to the central theme or topic for this week. They were the following:

• Focus on a project which has been with you for your entire high school journey.
• Focus on a project which you wrote during your FanFiction.net era. 
• Focus on a project which has helped form you into the writer (and person?) you are today.

Finally, after considering each option, I was able to narrow it down to the final theme~ 

Focus on a project which has helped form you into the writer (and person?) you are today.

With Rothie's permission, I picked The Shoujo Parallels for this week. 

Here's my plan: the WW will go for four days; basically from Monday to Thursday. On each day, I'll post a short and a graphic revolving around that particular character. *nods* I've already decided who the four characters are - and I won't spoil. ;) 

With that, I hope you guys stick around for the last four days of TGC! <3

"Enjoy the last four days, everyone."

Equilibriai

"They sacrificed all that they had for nothing."

Russie Babbles: Equilibriai [Conceptualization]

Hello and good evening, Darlings!

This is going to be the last Conceptualization post for TGC; I personally find that the central project which will be featured next week won’t need one. ^_^ Rather, I’ll post something else. That, though, is for next week~

Tonight, I’m going to be talking about my newest project, Equilibriai. It’s been something that’s been in my head since 2013 and is 100% original. There have been a lot of influences, a lot of changes, and I’m really excited to show you guys what’s been cooking in my head so far.

As usual, the read more link is just down there if you’re interested in reading!

"We're going to be discussing a lot."

Homesick: An Equilibriai Short

Synodic
Lagom
Susurrus
Humanoid Era
xxxx, X.X.

Marguerite wasn’t a fan of waiting.

She had sent out her letter to Skylar a week ago – it wouldn’t take long for it to arrive in Elan and for her blonde friend to write back, would it? Marguerite slumped onto her bed and sighed. There was no other reason for it to be incredibly delayed, unless –

“Unless she’s mad,” Marguerite found herself whispering. The thought of it made her sit up and run a hand through her hair, a mixed expression coming to her face. It was one of irritation and upset – why would Skylar be mad? It wasn’t as if Marguerite had left her without saying anything. The tangerine-eyed girl scrunched up her face.

Then again…Skylar wasn’t as open to the idea of Marguerite leaving Elan in the first place. The Gear-user felt a small pang of guilt resonate in her chest. She didn’t want to cause Skylar any pain, whether it be physical or emotional, but she had to choose the lesser evil.

Either Marguerite keep her leave a secret and pretend that things were okay, or she come out to Skylar with the truth and relish the last days she had with her.

Eventually, Marguerite picked the latter choice.

Upon telling, she found herself wishing that she hadn’t.

Archetypes: Equilibriai

Delegation: An Equilibriai Short

Synodic
Creation Era
xxxx, X.X.

How strange.

A man opened his eyes to see a woman staring down at him. When she had noticed that he was awake, said woman clasped her hands together and made a pleased noise. “Excellent – you worked,” the woman chirped. “Are you feeling alright? A little dizzy, a little weird?”

“I…” he paused and let his hand touch his throat. Was that his voice? It sounded deep, yet horribly raspy. The male found himself clearing his throat. “I am fine.” He sat up and looked at the woman, spotting a spark of amusement in her eyes. “Who are you?”

“That doesn’t matter. What matters is who you are,” the woman replied. She extended her hand and he found himself getting up, finding himself to be taller. He marveled at what surrounded him; billions of small lights and circular objects in the distance. He reached out – one of the tiny lights made its way into his hand. Holding it, he felt the warmth.

The Creator watched, amused. “I fashioned you out of the dark. Can you see it?” she asked. He nodded. “I formed you out of the darkness. You are the night.”

“The night,” he repeated. The word felt right on his lips. Crea watched as he took it in, from the top of his head and his black hair to the tips of his toes. “I see.”

Crea hummed. “Noctis.”

“Noctis.” And she saw a light flash in his eyes. “Yes.”

Equilibriai Relationships: Noctis and Lumen

Into the Woods: An Equilibriai Short

Lagom
Elan
Elan Woods
xxxx, X.X.

Marguerite Russet peeked from behind her mother’s back. Her mother was trying to console another woman with blonde hair, attempting to get her hopes up. “Now, let’s not get too anxious. I’m sure Skylar is just as afraid as you are, you have to be brave for her,” Vera Russet urged. Sniffing, the blonde woman managed a small nod. Vera clasped a hand on Adelaide Viridia’s shoulder.

The only child shyly came forward. Vera noticed. “Marguerite, I thought I told you to stay home?” she scolded gently. Marguerite looked down, kicking at air.

“Sorry,” she murmured. Adelaide blinked and looked down, seeing the only daughter of the Russet’s. “What’s happening, mama?”

“It’s nothing you should worry about,” Vera attempted, but Marguerite frowned this time. “Marguerite, you should go back.”

The girl’s tangerine eyes didn’t falter. “Okay, mama.” She bowed to Adelaide and began to walk away, Vera sighing yet smiling a little at the form of her retreating daughter.

“Marguerite, honestly…”Adelaide gave a watery smile and opened her mouth, but her eyes widened in shock. “Adelaide?”

“V-Vera, your daughter – someone, stop her! Please!” Adelaide gasped. Vera turned at the last moment, seeing a faint flash of brown hair disappear into the bushes and possibly enter the woods. A rush of cold settled on Vera’s spine and she sped after her daughter, Adelaide quick to follow.

“Marguerite! Marguerite! Marguerite Russet, come back this instant!”

Marguerite ignored her mother’s calls, making her way deeper and deeper.

Equilibriai Friendships: Skylar and Marguerite

Creation Story: A Relationship Short

Synodic
Creation Era
xxxx, X.X.

Crea opened her eyes.

All she could see around her was the dark. A frown graced the First’s lips as she took in all that was around her, feeling disoriented at the immense darkness there was.

I wished it could be brighter.

And almost immediately, a million lights came. They were small specks in the distance, beginning to illuminate and penetrate the darkness that was. Crea blinked, amazed at what had happened, and reached out to one small source of light. It landed perfectly in her palm and she held it, feeling the warmth radiate to all over her.

And the First smiled, liking what was happening.

Within minutes, hours, days – Crea did what she did best.

What was the darkest night turned into a combust of color and light. The First found herself making and designing so much to her hearts’ content that whatever she desired instantly appeared. With a wave of her fingers, she could make anything smaller or bigger, hotter or colder.

The days passed and she created so much.

A week had finished and she was satisfied.

But Crea thought that it was lonely – a little too lonely.

Equilibriai Relationships: The Guardians

Reunion: An Equilibriai Short

Lagom
The Nexus
xxxx, H.E.

“You’ll do just fine there, Skye.”

Skylar Viridia said nothing as she kept reading. Harlene Virdia, her older sister, gave a sigh and left the other, moving towards the other students who were kept in conversation. Happier that Harlene stopped, Skylar set the book onto her lap and glanced at the others around her.

Unlike Harlene, who would be taking her nth year at the Academy, this was Skylar’s first. After much convincing, her parents relented and let her, provided that Harlene keep a watchful gaze on her throughout her stay. This was to be expected especially after an incident which nearly took away her ability to manifest her Gear.

L’accademia. A special institution which taught potential students on how they could properly manifest and wield their respective Gear or Armor. Students normally took up to four years, but those who wished to learn more were offered to stay for an additional two years. Usually, after completing the four to six years, most Gear-users became warriors. Those who had Armors usually crossed over to the medical fields, working hand-in-hand with the warriors and the different military branches present in Lagom.

After coming from a family of Gear-users, it was expected that Syklar would hone such skills. However, after what had happened to her a few years before, her family grew hesitant.

It took Harlene enough convincing until they let Skylar come.

FC Guide: Equilibriai

Hysteria

"This wasn't supposed to happen."

Russie Babbles: Hysteria [Conceptualization]

Good afternoon, Darlings!

Yup – you’ve guessed it. Welcome to this week’s Conceptualization post, where I’ll be talking about the origins and such about Hysteria. I’m a little worried that this week’s Conceptualization post won’t be as long as the past two due to the fact that Hysteria wasn’t really a lengthy project. 

Amidst that, hopefully I’ll be able to share just as much. The read more link is right there if you’d like to explore with me!

Archetypes: Hysteria

Seeing Red: A Hysteria Short

Hetar
Wasteland
VS Battle

Zelda leaped back with her scimitar in hand, looking up to see Victoria racing towards her with her own weapon. Zelda released a huff and moved to the side, managing to trip Victoria. The other would have ended up falling if not for Zelda harshly yanking the blonde’s hair. Victoria bit her lip.

“Well, well – look what we have here. TL scum,” the twin taunted. Victoria refused to say anything and Zelda tightened her grip, making the Leader of TL hiss lightly in a mix of discomfort and pain. “No pipe-wielding shits or any of your other ‘friends’?”

“They took pity on you,” Victoria sneered. Zelda’s scarlet eyes gave a flash and she shoved Victoria down, planting a heeled boot on top of the other’s chest.

“Want to say that again, scum? Oh?” She dug deeper and Victoria gasped, “What – can’t breathe? Learn how to control that mouth of yours?” she growled.

That was Zelda’s shining moment of hubris: her excessive arrogance usually led to her defeat. In her taunting, she didn’t realize that Victoria was still holding onto her rapier.

The more Zelda dug her heel, the more Victoria’s irritation grew.

Zelda didn’t see it coming. 

The lack of object holding Victoria’s arms down aided Victoria; the leader of Team L moved her arm quickly. In a flash, Zelda had stumbled and fallen, clutching the side of her face. Upon sitting up, Victoria was pleased to see blood tricking from the wound.

“You bitch–”

“Don’t let yourself get too cocky,” Victoria replied calmly, twirling the rapier in her hands. Slowly Zelda got back up with an even angrier look in her eyes.

Their eyes locked – green against red – and at once, they charged.

Russie Babbles: Stacked [Collaboration]

Hello, Darlings!

Take this as a break from the Graduation Celebration, which is halfway done with its Third Week. :D I still have around four posts to go, and then we can finally move on to the Fourth Week. That, however, is something reserved for this Monday. *laughs*

So what's this post about, you ask?

Really, it all started with a phone call with the lovely Rothie. Both of us suddenly brought up how many books we need to finish reading during the (hella long) summer. When I jokingly mentioned that we should post it, she thought that it would be a great idea. So, here we are now.

We actually did the book 'listing' and picture taking together - over a Viber call. 

This is our first collaboration, I think, in terms of non-lit thingies. If you want to check out her side of the story, check out this link. ^_^

"Procrastinating as usual, Russ?"

Shut up, Theo.

Anyway - below the read more will be the list of books I haven't read. *laughs*

Through the Gates: A Hysteria Short

Earth
Herman Residence

Verena’s Room

“You have to concentrate and stay with me, Zelda.”

Theo pushed the blonde’s hair out of her face and put his hands to the sides of her head; Verena’s eyes were shut and he kept two fingers on each side, watching her closely. “You have to concentrate and keep connected. I’m guiding you through the Gates. If you let go, I’ll have to get you back and that’s going to be a pain in the ass,” he growled.

From her position, he saw a small twitch come from her lips.

“Fine. Go laugh,” he sighed. Theo soon fell back to his usual silent routine and rubbed circles slowly on her head, letting his eyes fall shut as he navigated her through. You should be able to communicate with me soon enough, he thought. When you pass after the Gates.

Theo had images flicker in his head. He briefly saw the bright glow of the Gates before him, and a shocked gasp left his lips as the sight of a bleeding, fractured sky penetrated his thoughts. “Shit,” he cursed.

Why was he there in the first place?

In his dreams the past few nights, he heard a voice calling.

In his dreams the past few nights, he saw the same pair of scalet eyes Verena had told him about months ago.

The eyes belonged to a silver-haired lady. The first night, he couldn’t understand anything she was saying. The second, she managed to get a broken word out. The third, the next word. And finally, the fourth, she told him those two words:

Help me.

Hysteria Relationships: Theo and Verena

World Go Boom: A Hysteria Short

Hetar
 Base L
T.L.

Yin Song’s eyes flew open to the sound of bickering.

In the base, Charlotte was ruffling Lena’s feathers once more. Lena had her gun out and was aiming it at Charlotte’s head. Charlotte just smiled, weilding her own weapon in her other hand. “Do you really want to shoot me, friend?”

“Friend or foe? If I remember right, all of us were just grouped together,” Lena shot back. Her grip on the weapon tightened. “You’ve been annoying me since day one, Charlotte.”

“I’m happy that the feeling is mutual,” Charlotte agreed. Before any of them could do anything more, Yin burst into the room with her revolver. Both women turned to stare. Yin’s mouth set to a displeased frown.

“Are we really doing this now?”

“Of course not.” Charlotte yawned and tuked her weapon away. The lady then proceeded to tie her hair up, “Lena couldn’t control her temper.”

“Charlotte couldn’t control her tongue.”

“And both of you couldn’t control yourselves,” Yin snapped. “Do you really want me to report this to Victoria – that both of you have been behaving wrongly again? Remember that we’re not the only ones here. Time has passed and Amy is still apprehensive around us. She trusts only Victoria.”

“And what a fine choice the new recruit has made,” Charlotte deadpanned. Yin gave her a scolding look yet Charlotte didn’t falter. “Because we are the most trustworthy group of people that exist, yes?” With that, Lena rolled her eyes and walked out of the room, leaving only Charlotte and Yin. The blonde turned her head to the other and sighed. “Lena’s been on edge since yesterday. That’s the only way I can try to get it out of her.”

“Get it out – what, do you think she’s hiding something from us?”

“Who knows?” Charlotte ran a hand through her hair and made a face, “Given what our group has been through? I won’t be surprised if even Victoria’s hiding some things she doesn’t want us to know.”

Yin’s expression fell. “She wouldn’t–”

Charlotte’s eyes met Yin’s steadily. “Are you really sure, Song? Maybe you want to put some of that observational skills to work.”