Altered Tundra

Shuffle your music player and post the first 10 songs

R-Evolve — Thirty Seconds to Mars — A Beautiful Lie
10 Miles Wide — Escape the Fate feat. Josh Todd of Buckcherry — This War is Ours
Lion — Hollywood Undead — Notes From the Underground(Deluxe Edition)
Dying — Stone Sour — Audio Secrecy(Deluxe Edition)
Born to Lead — Falling In Reverse — Fashionably Late(Deluxe Edition)
This is Halloween — Yoko Shimomura — Kingdom Hearts II Original Soundtrack Disc II
Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow(What Can I Do) — Bullet For My Valentine — The Poison
Atrophy — The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus — Don't You Fake It(Deluxe Edition)
Afterlife — Avenged Sevenfold — Avenged Sevenfold
Into Oblivion [Reunion] — Funeral For A Friend — Tales Don't Tell Themselves

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

“After all we’ve been through together, you still don’t trust me?”

There was something about the way that Shion spoke, the way she looked at him, and overall the feeling that Jaakuna couldn’t shake off that something grim was going on in that head of hers. Sure, she had some kind of wound on her hand. Just by a brief glance, Jaakuna could tell something was up with it, but it was also her words. She seemed to be acting as if the end is nigh and she didn’t have a lot of time left.

Jaakuna looked at her face, scanning every inch of her fair skin, seeing little hints of fatigue and weakness underneath her eyes and how those amber eyes of hers seem to have less of a shine to them than they once did. This more or less cemented Jaakuna’s feeling.

“Whatever. You don’t need to ask me. I still have some unfinished business with the old bastard,” Jaakuna grinned to hide his worry for Shion’s shape. Turning around, he took a few steps, then looked back to Shion. “You better not die while I’m gone. Gonna need the almighty Shion to say that she trusts me right to my face.” Jaakuna snickered as he took off in a high-speed dash, a trail of flame magick being left behind him.

---

The fight had been up and down for both men. The power of Exodus and Gilgamesh clashed as they had fused with their summoners -their chosen ones, if you will. Astral and light clashed in brilliant orange and golden hues, flares of rock and heavenly magick struck each other. Those strong magicks that had been unleashed upon the clearing within the ruins of New ARchadia had caused vibrations to the surrounding area. Debris flew all over, building a sort of barrier of dust and smoke around them.

When the two colossal forces clashed again, they seemed to be evenly matched. Lannit and Hamut utilized the powers of the one that they combined with. Hamut was utilising the unique magicks of one of the Thirteen Espers while Lannit was utilising the battle-born warrior spirit of the Legendary Swordsman himself, Gilgamesh.

Lannit, for the time being, had the upper-hand. His speed topped Hamut’s old age and that made Hamut take several punches in a row - all of which were strong enough to floor Tiamat. The fact that several of these landed on Hamut and the seasoned general was still standing said a lot about his endurance. Granted, he had the assistance of a real esper.

The Archadian Pirate went in for a final punch that was laced with a golden light that seemed to be akin to Holaja in strength, but it seemed vastly different. This punch had made direct contact with Hamut’s chest and it sent the old warrior flying through a dozen buildings. Lannit would follow as he didn’t want to waste this perfect opportunity to finish off Hamut. As he did, he had zipped through the debris of the chunks of the stone and steel fragments from the buildings. When he spotted Hamut, his entire body unleashed an aura of golden light and he charged his entire body towards Hamut.

And Lannit made contact, forcing Hamut into the ground. That specific action created a crater several paces wide and deep.

Lannit was smiling down at Hamut as he saw a seemingly lifeless man below him. His eye was wide open. The mouth was open wide too. It was as if he had done it, which prompted Lannit to get up. Assuming the best, he powered down and reverted to his normal self.

“Thanks for the help, Gilgamesh,” Lannit would say. He heard a response inside his head.

Just as Lannit had turned around, his eyes caught the sight of a few familiar faces with their eyes widened as wide as they could, mouths dropped to the floor and a look of complete astonishment on their faces. “Oh, hey guys,” Lannit casually said, not even trying to address what they were probably thinking.

“L-Lannit, did you just.” Jaakuna stuttered.

“Yup.”

“How did you--when did you--” Dominic also stuttered.

“About twenty minutes ago.”

“I guess we didn’t need to come after all.” Shinto stated simply, smirking at Lannit as he popped a cig into his mouth and lit it with a simple fire spell from the tip of his right index finger.

“I guess not.” Lannit chuckled. He noticed Lorenzo. He seemed to be disappointed that he didn’t get a shot at Hamut either,“oh, sorry about that Prince. I guess we didn’t need your awesome skills after all.”

The other men would start to pat Lannit on the shoulder. Jaakuna had brought him in for a quick hug and Dominic did the same. Shinto would nod at him. They all laughed and cheered at the surprising end to Hamut. Lannit couldn’t help but notice that Jaakuna seemed disappointed about it.

“Sorry man, I know that was your kill, but--”

Before Lannit could finish that sentence, he coughed up blood. It was a few drops at first. Nothing to worry about, but in the moments that followed it began to increase past just a few drops. The blood started coming out of his mouth by the pints. None of them realized it until they all looked down. Lannit didn’t realise it until his eyes fell down to his heart. There was a blade laced with what looked like sap and bioaga. His entire body had a mixture of green and blue-colored, toxic bubbles forming on his skin, burning his insides as well as his flesh. Before Lannit could even do anything, he collapsed on the floor face-first in a pool of his own blood.

And as his form had done that, the rest looked up and saw Hamut standing just three paces away, smiling and his entire body covered in a golden armor and his hair just as golden. His eye that was normally hidden away by an eyepatch had the glyph of Exodus in it.

“So who’s next?” Hamut curled a sinister smile as he scanned the group. So many choices, he murmured.

---

It wasn’t as if Wesley didn’t hear her voice - he heard Nadeline loud and clear like a bell constantly ringing. It was more like he was in a frozen stasis, paralysed by the memories that wouldn’t stop appearing into his mind. They were images with the sound of tears and crying that was playing on repeat. So much blood. A lifeless body. The absence of life from his brother. And all of that was nothing compared to the torment that Wesley had gone through himself, blaming nobody else but him. When it happened, he blamed the one person that was powerless to stop it: Wesley Alexander Dalmasca. The young teen who couldn’t stop his brother from losing his own life.

And then, just as earlier proved itself, he was still that useless kid. Unable to get to Nadeline before it was too late. Unable to prevent her from being hurt in the first place. Unable to cope with the idea that his brother was alive, Wesley’s trembling didn’t cease. He, just as lifeless as his brother was that day, looked in front of him with eyes that were as close to being dead as they could ever be without Wesley himself being slain.

Shuffle your music player and post the first 10 songs

Under the Water — The Pretty Reckless — Hit Me Like A Man EP
Dragon's Child — Iced Earth — Horror Show
We Laugh Indoors — Death Cab For Cutie — The Photo Album
Through it All — From Ashes to New — Downfall
All it Takes For Your Dreams To Come True — A Skylit Drive — Wires...And the Concept of Breathing
The Hangman — Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows — D.R.U.G.S
Sweater Weather(The Neighborhood Cover) — Slaves — Punk Goes...Pop Volume 6
Roman Sky — Avenged Sevenfold — The Stage
Flagpole Sitta(Harvey Danger Cover) — Chiodos — Punk Goes...Pop Volume 2
Wolf — Highly Suspect — The Boy Who Died Wolf

Minutes to Manhattan

LOCATION — Miranda Priestly’s Party
INTERACTING WITH — Read and find out. :P

---

The night sky in Manhattan always looked so beautiful, especially when the moon was placed just perfectly alongside the skyline. Paired with that, the twinkling stars and the nearly-pitch black sky allowed just the right amount of mother nature to grace the big city. Those who longed for its beauty without having to actually go out into the wilderness to appreciate it could do so from one of the skyscrapers in this great city. All one has to do is gaze up as they ride in whatever vehicle that they happen to be driven in and see how each star — no matter how small or far away — holds its own story and its own beauty. Yet, when they look up, each one contributes the same thing that the other millions of stars do.

The mysteries of the unknown.

Brilliant stars are unknown to everyone, yet everyone looks up at them. They try to figure out what they are made of. What they are hiding. But the most important thing that people try to figure out is when they’ll show their true colors and blow up, catching everyone around them in that blast. That’s what it means to be mysterious. That’s what it means to be an outsider. And today, that’s exactly what everyone will think about Alexandros Mossos as he steps out of the limo that he, his parents, and twin sister had arrived in.

They were invited by the son of infamous fashion editor, Miranda Priestly. Her reputation was one of intrigue for most, while her aged beauty was of other interest for the rest. But it was the rumor that she commanded a room and demanded everyone look to her as she spoke that really brought them to her. And when she spoke, there was a certain magic that couldn’t be helped but get admiration from anyone who happened to be in the room.

Just as she had finished, the Mossos family had walked through, effortlessly getting glances and some whispers. Of course, they all knew what that was about. The older male in the navy blue suit that lacked a tie was Baltazar Mossos. He is head of Mossos, a company that had been making waves for some time now. Most recently, they’ve had buzz around them for taking over the mega company, HartCorp in a subtle, yet hostile, takeover. Since then, they have been making some minor transactions that have been rumoured to be leading them towards another big buyout.

The glances would go to the left, noticing his very beautiful wife, Adrianna Mossos and their two of four children, twins Alexandros and Ava-Brie(though she just goes by Ava). Both of them mirrored their parents right down to looks, stature, and even the attire they chose for the evening. Alexandros chose to emulate his father with a dark blue suit, but he seemed to be closer to midnight blue. Meanwhile, Ava has chosen to wear a slightly darker version of her mother’s dress. Both have differing shades of dark grey and black but Ava seemed to go more black than her mother. Ava did choose to go strapless while her mother didn’t.

They walked with powerful, pristine steps, making sure that everyone had their eyes on them. While Ava definitely seemed to be agitated just slightly at all of the glances, she didn’t show it. She had to make sure no one suspected a thing. However, her mother, father, and brother had smirks on their faces. They were loving the attention. It would only last a minute or so as the entire family had made their way over to Miranda Priestly.

As they would, Alexandros found something - erm, someone that caught his attention. It didn’t take him long to drift off, leaving Ava alone to have to act properly while Alexandros went off and did his own thing.

“Ah Buona sera,” Adrianna greeted Miranda with a hug and air kiss, “what a wonderful party you have here. Please do give Arthur my thanks for the invitation. This is my husband and our two--” Adrianna just noticed that Alexandros wasn’t with them, “ah, seems like my son Alexandros drifted off somewhere.” Adrianna sighed, “well, this is my only daughter, Ava Brie.”

Ava scanned Miranda's form, judging the so-called "Dragon Lady" of Manhattan, "so you're the horrific, fire-breathing Dragon-Lady, huh?" Ava didn't seem impressed, "you don't seem to be so scary to me. A bit uptight, sure, but not scary."

Roaming around the room, Alexandros scouted the field just to see exactly whom he’d had to deal with. For the most part, he saw posh individuals with their families. They were enjoying their time either with friends or family; Alexandros wasn’t sure which. Only thing he was sure of was that they seemed happy. He shrugged at that, not minding it nor caring. He simply wanted to survey the lay of the land.

Along his way, he took a drink that was offered to him by a waiter..no, a waitress. An attractive waitress. Blonde hair, or blonde hair - Alexandros couldn’t tell exactly, but he didn’t bother to ask. He just tipped her three one-hundred dollar bills, shot her a wink, and continued on his way.

“Keep it. You need it more than I do.” Alexandros would say as he walked away.

While he walked and sipped his chardonnay, he spotted a group of young adults his age. There was a guy among them, it seemed, but mostly young women. One was blonde, the other had blonde highlights it seemed and the other - well, Alexandros couldn’t help but notice her caramel skin, rounded facial features, and cocoa-colored eyes. Something about her seemed to have drawn him to her, so much so that Alexandros, without any care if she was in the middle of a conversation or not, had walked up to the group.

“Evening ladies,” Alexandros gave each of the women a wink and a smirk. He had completely ignored the guy though. “Let me get you ladies a drink.” Alexandros offered boldly as he continued to ignore the male.

⊰Manifest Anima: Planes Divided⊱

Onimar, Sinner’s Luck
Day 3 - 8:30am - 9:30am

---

After doing what he needed to do for Darius, Jaakuna had decided to take his sweet time making his way back to where his handler, Anya, had told him to go next. He received the text about a half an hour ago that gave him directions to some casino. It didn’t say what the name of it was, only that he was to make his way there. When he had received that text, Jaakuna had to admit it to himself that he was just slightly disappointed. He was hoping to get another job before having to report back. But as he would realize that things had to be kept quiet for a bit longer, Jaakuna knew that he best do the same.

And in doing that, he found himself just entering the Entertainment District where the text said the casino would be at. It also said that it wouldn’t be hard to miss since it had a sort of flashy exterior. Just one glance and it was obvious to him just exactly what kind of casino it was.

Before he would go to Sinner’s Luck, Jaakuna would stop by a tailor. It was someone he knew from a few years ago. They knew who he was and whenever Jaakuna came by their shop, all the half-prae would have to do is flash a bit of pounds and he would be able to pick out any suit that he wanted. Of course, sticking to his guns, Jaakuna chose the dark red and black suit. It had a black base with the maroon lining. He chose a lighter shade of dark red for the vest and a more magenta-red-hybrid for his jacket. He would keep the pants and shoes he had on since it went with the outfit.

As he left, Jaakuna’s form disappeared into a portal that he willed and he reappeared in front of SL in a subtle manner. He barely raised eyebrows. And when he walked in, eyes were on him. They apparently respected a guy in a suit.

Coming into the casino, Jaakuna knew the drill. Every time he was to meet with any kind of representative of Darius, he had to pretend to be like anyone else. Eventually, no matter how long it took, Jaakuna would be summoned, and he would play it off as if it were nothing. So, in doing so, he had picked a random blackjack table, though nothing about it was really random, now was it? It actuality, the person who ran the blackjack was another one of Darius’ employees. That old fox was sly, wasn’t he? Hooking up his enforcers with tables that were ran by his people. Jaakuna loved that about his furry boss.

In any case, over the course of the next hour, Jaakuna would play a few games. He would win some and, of course, lose some. After a good dozen games had passed and Jaakuna had lost just as much as he had won, the beautiful Amber would direct him to the cashier, Clancy, in which he would receive his winnings. It wasn’t a lot but it wasn’t a low amount either. It was just what Jaakuna expected with his fixed odds. It was hilarious that no one knew that he secretly was getting the more expensive chips. The subtle handiwork of his boss, no doubt.

Taking what he needed from the counter lady, Jaakuna got his money in digital form. It was easier than carrying around copious amounts of pounds in his pockets. Plus, that amount of money would no doubt weigh him down. It would add pounds to his pounds. That was something that he didn’t need.

After taking the money, Jaakuna would roam around the casino a bit more. He didn’t have a specific purpose for doing this. It was more or less him just scanning the area, maybe get a drink or two from the bar. Until such a time came when he was approached or was summoned by his boss, he would remain on the floor level, doing what he could to contribute to the flow of money that came and went from the casino. And like any good patron, he would start at the bar.

“Gin. Neat.”

Every great man has to order a great drink. For Jaakuna, that was Gin. Ah what a time it was to be alive.

Shuffle your music player and post the first 10 songs

Metropolis Part I [The Miracle and the Sleeper] — Dream Theater — Image and Words
Tell the World — Ratt — 100 Hair Metal Essentials
Oh My God — The Pretty Reckless — Who You Selling For?
NJ Legion Iced Tea — A Day to Remember — Homesick (Special Edition)
Tears Don't Fall — Bullet For My Valentine — The Poison(Deluxe Edition)
Ass Like That — Eminem — Encore(Deluxe Edition)
What You Know — Two Door Cinema Club — Tourist History
Blackened Angel (Dante's Combat I) — Tetsuya Shibata — Devil May Cry IV: Original Soundtrack
Gravesand — Stone Sour — House of Gold and Bones Part II
I Swear This Time I Mean It — Mayday Parade — Anywhere But Here(Deluxe Edition)

Minutes to Manhattan

@Dirty Pretty Lies And you call me indecisive.

Shuffle your music player and post the first 10 songs

@Corvex Because rap sucks

_{^{jkjk don't lynch me}}

The Ghost of You — My Chemical Romance — Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge
Further From Home — From Ashes to New — Day One (Deluxe Edition)
Message in a Bottle — Machine Head — The Burning Red
End of Days — Bullet For My Valentine — Scream Aim Fire (Deluxe Edition)
Prelude — Eyeshine — Sonosis
Congratulations, I Hate You — Alesana — Try This With Your Eyes Closed
Chalk Outline — Three Days Grace — Transit of Venus
Saying Sorry — Hawthorne Heights — If Only You Were Lonely
Yamato II - Awaken — Tetsuya Shibata — Devil May Cry IV Original Soundtrack
Northern Lights — Thirty Seconds to Mars — LOVE LUST FAITH + DREAMS

Minutes to Manhattan

A collab with The A Team: @Dirty Pretty Lies and @Aewin

---

Glitter, glitz and glamour — the perfect way to describe what the ballroom of The Cross Hotel Manhattan looked like during Miranda Priestly’s Annual New Year’s Eve Gala. Hanging from the centre of the white bevelled ceiling was a crystal chandelier, with a few smaller ornate lights surrounding the main piece. The large carpeted room was lit up in various hues of blue and pink, and the stage was illuminated due to spotlights stationed on each side. The centre of the ballroom - in front of the stage - left plenty of space for dancing and interaction. In the case of desiring a more quiet and private atmosphere, there was a balcony that was accessible through multiple terrace doors that led away from the large crowd indoors and offered a nice view of the Manhattan Skyline for those intimate moments.

At ten in the evening, the hotel ballroom was lit up with activity. Those of wealth and fame danced, drank and mingled throughout the ballroom, wearing only the best outfits money could buy. White-clad waiters and waitresses made rounds around the guests, carrying small golden trays with champagne glasses and hors d'oeuvres, watching with sadness or envy the lives they could only dream of having. Among the invitees to the Upper East Side's most luxurious event of the winter season were models, doctors, actors, influencers in the beauty, fashion and entertainment industry along with their families, significant others or plus ones. And, of course, Miranda’s family: the Huntsbergs and the Duclercs.

Just as everyone seemed to be getting right into the groove of the song that had been playing and the company they had, the sound of metal being tapped against the glass was heard echoing across the room. The guests turned in the direction of the sound and found themselves staring at none other than their hostess herself.

Miranda Priestly was looking as elegant as always. Her slender figure was emphasised by a black sleeveless sheath dress with a sweetheart neckline, specifically made for her by the one and only Carolina Herrera. A pair of gold chandelier earrings dangled from her ears, while two golden rings decorated her slim, delicate fingers. And in a rare occurrence, upon the centre of the stage with a slim glass of high-quality champagne in her hand, Miranda was actually smiling.

“Ladies and gentlemen, good evening.” she said in her usual soft but confident voice, glancing at her attentive guests with a half-smile. “I am honoured to be in your presence this evening, and would like to thank you all for your attendance. As you all know, we are gathered here today to celebrate the upcoming arrival of a new year. But before the current year is over, I would like to make a toast.” She raised her champagne glass in the direction of her guests, the light cast upon it making the light yellow contents sparkle. Following her lead, the guests did the same.

“To new beginnings!”

Miranda raised her glass as she would toast to the new year, watching every single one of her guests do the same. On her command, the DJ would resume to what he was doing. Everyone would eventually go back to enjoying the festivities for as long as they would last. Soon enough, guests would start pouring in - the guests that mattered, that is. Their presence, if nothing else, would have the potential to make this party be a night to remember. To those guests, she offered them all one last smile before her face returned to her usual cold, haughty expression.

Baybridge: Halcyon Days [Superpowers/Semi-Sandbox]

The Orchestra Mall; Courtbridge, Prince Ed-Field

@Dioxide@DJAtomika

---

Great. It’s the water again.

Every goddamn time Jackson used his powers, the water seemed to not be that far away. Couldn’t there just be one instance where these monsters appeared that Jackson would be able to flare up without the sprinkler system in a building acting up?

Jackson sighed, seemingly losing himself in his own thoughts, not at all hearing Kannix despite telling her the plan just a few moments ago. Due to that, he almost missed out on striking the beast when it was his turn. In an ideal world, he would blast that beast with his superpower, sending it flying and the girl — whose name he has still yet to ask — would use that rather nifty ability of hers, and they would rinse and repeat until all enemy threats were done away with. However, due to spacing out, Jackson nearly cost them both of their heads.

That, was, of course, until some older-looking lady - probably Russian or something — came in like a pro, and saved both of their asses. A woman, who had a rather unusual ability. Jackson couldn’t help but note the smoke trailing along her right arm, effectively being used to pummel the beast away. He also couldn’t help but notice how skilled she was in hand-to-hand combat. A boxer? Based off of her form, there was no question.

Quickly, as she had done away with one of the beasts, she found the time to scold the young girl. “I guess they know each other,” Jackson would say under his breath. He was thankful for this Russian chick for showing up when she did. He couldn’t say the same for Cannon Girl, though.

Unbeknownst to them, though, there were another one of the beasts approaching them. This time, the shoe was on the other foot. Jackson was aware, but they were not. So he leapt into action. Literally. Hopping on one leg, when Jackson got close enough, he dove head-first, rolling as he caught the beast in a leg sweep. As it would fall face first, Jackson rolled back, popping up on his arms, catching the beast who had approached him in a back dropkick. As the beast would stagger, he would land on his good leg, spinning into an awkwardly-placed high kick to the beast's jaw, sending it spinning twice, and landing on its back. Hard.

As Jackson had landed back on his feet, he looked to the two ladies. “Oh please, don’t mind me — just trying to save your asses while you converse amongst yourselves. Please continue,” Jackson sarcastically said, gesturing them to do what they were just doing.