Altered Tundra

Crooked Young - An Altered Lies Production

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You mean she didn’t know? Oh, this is just too perfect.

Eli tried to hide his amused laughter, but honestly, that was something Alex would do; that wasn’t how Elijah Mossos rolled, so he made it known to her that he found this entire situation, from her being rendered utterly speechless to the awkward “uh, um, so” bit. Some may call it being a dick, but hey! The Mossos men were well-endowed, so if she was expecting some prince charming like Alex, then best park it at the gate, sweetie.

But as for her question, how did he answer that? The easy route(not to mention less-complicated) would be to say he was Alexandros’ brother. It was a believable answer, especially considering how Eli arrived with them at this gathering, but that wasn’t necessarily the truth, now was it? At least, according to what Baltazar and Adrianna told Eli to say, it wasn’t. So, then what? What could he possibly say? Should Eli save face and go with what Audrey assumes or should he cause trouble once more?

Don’t embarrass the family.

Those words echoed throughout his mind. Adrianna sure didn’t want people to know the dirty little secret. She didn’t want it to be known that the great and almighty Baltazar who had pledged himself to Adrianna DiVale was, as they all thought he was, a cheating scumbag. But Eli wasn’t that vindictive, was he? Maybe not, but entertaining the thought was worth leaving poor Audrey in suspense.

He leaned back in his seat, eyes somewhat locked on Audrey, though he occasionally glanced around to see if his family was anywhere nearby. When he didn't spot them, he gave Audrey the rest of his attention. “I am what you call a distant relative.” Well, that wasn’t a lie, at the least. “Or at least that’s what they told me to say whenever asked.” Eli sneakily placed his fingers on Audrey’s lips, “so mum’s the word, got it?”

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

“Fire versus Lightning, huh?” Savayna chuckled, looking at Michel, “we may want to stand back.”

Michel nodded and both he and Savayna, through their own means, took to higher ground as the two would simply watch as Jaakuna took the lightning bolt like a man. He made no attempt to dodge or put up countermeasures to ensure less damage was taken. He just stood there. The sudden strike of lightning caused a wave of debris to surround both he and Igeyorhm in a cloud of smoke. This smoke was naturally colored the same as the exterior of Archadia.

Michel had ascended powers that allowed extrasensory abilities, so using it in unison with Shemhazai’s Void Vision, he saw what Savayna could not. And as he did, he couldn’t believe it.

“What? This can’t be possible.”

“What is it?”

“Jaakuna, he--he..”

Inside the cloud of smoke, what may have seemed like the obvious was, in fact, Jaakuna had the lightning bolt in his hand and it hadn’t struck his body at all. In fact, it seemed as though Jaakuna was not only holding it at bay, but as Igeyorhm found out in a matter of moments, he was converting the manifested plasma into the fire, and adding it to his own.

Wait, no that’s not entirely accurate. Michel saw only the base of things, but the reality was.

Jaakuna was absorbing it into his body to fuse with his fire, creating some kind of hybrid of lightning and fire. And as the entirety of the bolt was absorbed, Jaakuna’s fire aura had the additional property of crackling lightning, to which he used to enhance his speed and before Igeyorhm knew what hit him, Jaakuna did with all the fury of an exploding volcano and one-thousand lightning bolts. It would happen so fast and at such blinding speeds that Igeyorhm was flying back as soon as he saw Jaakuna disappear, but that wasn’t the end of it. Jaakuna followed suit. Whilst mid-air, Jaakuna grabbed Igeyorhm by his hair and hurled him up. As the Martyr’s body was airborn, Jaakuna followed him into the sky and proceeded to bounce him back and forth as if he was trapped in a loop of onslaughts. It would conclude with Jaakuna delivering a double-fisted ax slam, sending Igeyorhm down to the ground.

Crooked Young - An Altered Lies Production

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She said she knew what he was doing and that she had no problem with it. Either this chick was way more petty than Elijah gave her credit for, or he was missing something between the lines. It didn’t matter either way. To him, it didn’t matter if she was going along with whatever was happening just to spite his brother(much like he was doing) or if she was genuine in getting to know him. Honestly, his reasons, though similar to hers, wasn’t just to spite Alexandros. Despite what people thought about him, he wasn’t that heartless. That being said, it was a bonus to get under his brother’s skin, so why not?

“You want my name, huh?” Elijah took a sip of his drink, looking around the room. He saw Alexandros give him a subtle glare from across the room. He also saw Ava give him a not-so-subtle glare. Though he clearly saw them see how he was cozying to Audrey, they had no idea what was happening. For all they knew, he could’ve said something to her. “I’ll do you one better.”

Elijah, though he refused to give his name, would instead plant one on Audrey’s lips, not at all giving two rats ass about what it’d make her look like. After about ten seconds passed, he slowly broke the kiss, and he looked over to Alexandros, who would simply walk off in a direction with Ava not far behind.

Cocking a satisfied smirk, Eli’s cold, steel blue eyes met with Audrey’s chocolate-coated orbs. “Contrary to what everyone might tell you, my parents gave me the godawful name of Elias, but you may just call me Eli.” He informed her simply.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

When he had rushed forward, jolting into Igeyorhm with his body horizontal and fists set ablaze right into his abdomen area, Jaakuna felt confident about how this was going. He felt a surge of power flow through him. He had made a direct hit, not only that but the False Scion appeared to have a rather noticeable burn on his stomach, so for a moment, he thought it was going to be a smooth ride of him pounding this guy into the pavement, and everyone could stop worrying.

But, of course like all things, Jaakuna misread the situation. On top of him appearing to be fine, this idiot had the nerve to speak about Emiri again. This fired up Jaakuna so much, his entire body manipulated the natural mist in the air, and his entire body was surrounded by a flame-like aura of mist, he gave Igeyorhm a nasty expression. “You will not speak about her--” Jaakuna was suddenly interrupted by Emiri taking to the sky, aiming for the Emperor’s Tower. “--wait, where is she going? I’m trying to defend her!”

“It doesn’t look like she needs your protection.” Savayna noted, laughing at Jaakuna’s expense as she noticed how quick Emiri was flying off.

“She’s always full of surprises,” Michel mused aloud.

After that moment of shock, Jaakuna shook it off and turned to face Igeyorhm. No matter if she was present or not, Jaakuna still had most of his mind decided that he was going to fight on behalf of his darling Emiri. “Let’s do this!” Jaakuna let out a battle cry, stepping forward as fire trailed behind him. He extended his right arm forward and fire magick was expelled from it, covering Igeyorhm in a stream of crimson flame. If that didn’t work, Jaakuna would simply use his other arm to double the magickal output.

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Deep inside the Tomb of Raithwall where he rested, shadows within shadows gathered above and below it, cracking the walls of stone until they broke from the pressure. However, as the blocks had started to threaten to cave in, these shadows seemed to activate some kind of ancient magick that not only froze them but it reversed their destruction to set them back in place. Then, from the cracks, the shadows took a semi-solid shape that looked almost humanoid. They approached the tomb and gave each other a glance.

Their hands locked with one another, beckoning other shadows to appear. It had gotten to the point where over one-hundred shadows filled the room. They were on the ground, on the walls, on the ceiling, some where hovering - but all of them had their skinny arms locked. After a while, it seemed like nothing was happening, but that wasn’t the case. In actuality, there was something vile at work. And for those who had just entered the tomb, they were walking right into it without even being aware of what it was.

“It’s time,” one of the shadows said, stepping away from the others. Its form became slightly visible. It was a male of some sort, his face still covered in shadows, but medium-length hair was seen and the sight of distorted eyes made through the light emanating from the entrance to where the Tomb of Raithwall - the actual tomb - rested. “Our guests approach. Prepare the Reckoning.”

Iquenos: In Nomine Domini

Shit man...yeah, take as much time as you need. Do what you have to. Hope everything works out for ya, though.

How do *you* get into your characters' heads?

All of my characters are an extension of myself. For better or worse, they are me, so I have no problem drawing upon their essence, and thinking like them. Of course, some of them are easier to write for because some are direct representations of me, while others are just a small percentage of me. That being said, given I'm inspired enough to write for them and get into their minds and mannerisms and practically anything and everything that makes them who they are. They also are a compilation of tropes and various concepts I think would work for them. Sometimes it falls flat, but sometimes I get an idea that works.

I think music helps a lot as well. As Lady A had pointed out, music is inspiration. Again, for better or for worse, music can literally help define a character when they're their best or break them apart by rendering them to their worst. I may not always find the best theme for my characters right away because I struggle to find that right song for them, but once I do, I end up finding ten more just like it. This ends up with me building a small playlist for them.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Man those are great clothes. And that guy has great hair. I’m so jealous. Why can’t I have clothes like that?

Will you focus? He’s insulting Emiri. Do something, you idiot! Belias scoffed at Jaakuna, getting him to pay attention to what was going on other than what Jaakuna wanted to wear.

He shook his head, looking at Igeyorhm with a nasty expression. “Yo, don’t be dissin’ my Scion--I mean Emiri--like that, ya hear me, bozo!?” He yelled to Igeyorhm, his hands pointed at the Martyr in front of him. His fists had blazed up, making it seem like Jaakuna was ready for battle.

“What a fucking dumbass.”

“Well, at least he’s back with us.” Michel let out a laugh.

He still couldn’t believe this was the guy who was supposed to save them all. Though, in all the time he had known Jaakuna, he always did end up surprising him one way or another. He still remembered how no one thought Jaakuna would amount to much, but he ended up being the most gifted innovator of modern technology since the days of Larsa, first of his name. What he lacked in common sense and overall intelligence, he made up for in heart and pure intuition. His gut feeling often led him down the hardest path but never steered him wrong. It took a special, unique man to make it work for him. When one route failed, he went for another. Truly, foolhardiness truly was the trait of the stubborn.

And as Michel was deep in his own thoughts, he didn’t even notice how Jaakuna charged straight for Igeyorhm, moving so fast tha tnot even the Martyr would see Jaakuna coming, his fists planting themselves in the false Scion’s stomach, sending him through the building behind him.

“YAHOO!” Jaakuna let out a war cry, chasing after Igeyorhm.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

And like always, Jaakuna stuck the landing. Honestly, the more he used that form of transportation, the more Jaakuna found himself not really missing the Ifrit. First off, it was way more exciting flying via the use of his own mist and secondly, there was a rush of adrenaline that Jaakuna had when he flew through the air. Feeling the wind on his face and the slight uncertainty that he might die filled him up with such exhilaration that he was always high on energy when he landed.

Thankfully, there was someone to take his energy out on. However, as it would appear, this...Igeyorhm? That was his name, right? Jaakuna shrugged, looking at him. Aside from being evil and someone who Jaakuna had to defeat, he dressed rather stylish. He could definitely tell why everyone compared the two. They had the same, glorious fashion sense.

“Hey, cool digs man. Really stylish!” Jaakuna gave him a thumbs up, completely ignoring what Emiri was saying to him.

“You idiot,” Savayna said, appearing right beside Jaakuna.

And not long after, Meli and Michel came out of a portal next to Emiri. “Igeyorhm, I’ve finally caught you.”

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

As they all spoke, there was only one thing that Jaakuna could think about and that was the constant comparisons to him and Igeyorhm. They kept saying that Jaakuna wasn’t bright and this one wasn’t bright, and then how they were both reckless. Was he really that careless? Sure, Jaakuna tended to get carried away from time to time, but he wasn’t nowhere as rash as this Igeyorhm seemed to be. And yet, as he looked on from the balcony, it was obvious that this guy wouldn’t let up. There was already four towers of smoke but throughout the city. However, Jaakuna noticed something rather...odd.

“Is he...no, he can’t be serious?”

“What?”

“I might be mistaken, but I think he’s going further away from us with no possible direction whatsoever.”

Michel laughed, but he noticed what Jaakuna noticed. “you’re ... right, Jaakuna. He’s actually moving away from us.”

“Guess you and he aren’t so different, after all, Jaakie” Savayna patted his shoulder, to which Jaakuna flinched. He still was fresh on the memory of Savayna beating his ass.

Jaakuna pounded his fists together, flame mist sparking from them, and grabbed Emiri by the arm. “Last one there is a rotten Chocobo Egg!”

And without so much as a single warning, he jumped off the balcony with Emiri in a single arm, and he flared up, fiery mist surrounding him as Jaakuna had used it to propel him towards where the towers of smoke were going.

“What an idiot,” Savayna shook his head, “though, he has the right idea.”

Savayna snickered and she too would follow suit, doing exactly what Jaakuna did, but in her own style. As she had jumped off the balcony, ice beckoned her feet and she left a path of ice in her dust as she was right on Jaakuna’s tail. Michel would also do the same, taking Meli’s hand as they would jump from portal to portal.

Crooked Young - An Altered Lies Production

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There was quite the awkwardness as the Mossos family and Audrey of the Huntsberg family stood in the doorway. It was almost as if she was expecting anyone else but the Mossos’ to arrive, though as the matriarch and patriarchs of the respective families would start to engage in some kind of small talk, effectively taking Baltazar and Adrianna Mossos inside and away from the kids, Audrey had completely made a 180. She went from saving face to revealing her true feelings about the Mossos’ children, specifically Ava and Alexandros.

“Understood.”

“Fine.”

“But…”

However, as she landed on Eli, she had a different tune to play. She didn’t know him, so she had no real reason to say anything specific or act a specific way towards him. However, he knew her and who she was. He knew what she represented and that was everything that he hated. However, as much as he hated those types, there was someone he knew would be bothered by what he was about to do.

“Maybe we should change that,” Eli brazenly suggested, eying Audrey from head to toe, all the while ALexandros was giving him a subtle, yet scathing, glare.

And even as Audrey went back to her “saving face” mode, Eli seemed to be up to no good. Alexandros more or less confirmed this as he saw his brother watch Audrey as she led them into the house. Specifically, Eli was watching her ass sway side-to-side. Lord knew that Alexandros still felt a type of way about her. And Eli knew that, so what he was thinking was just to spite him.

As they would stop in a room where the other guests were, Audrey would leave them be.
Alexandros took Eli by the arm gently, glaring at his brother. “What are you doing?” Alexandros whispered to Eli.

“What? You two are over, right?”

“Yes..” Alexandros reluctantly admitted.

“Good, then everything’s fair game, brother.” Eli simply stated, taking a drink from a passing waiter and left Alexandros to his devices.

Despite knowing that Audrey and he were no longer involved, it still got to him and Ava seemed to notice it as she approached him. “You’re not seriously going to let him steal your woman, are you?”

“She’s not mine anymore.”

“Well still, you can’t let him do that.”

Alexandros turned around, scowling subtly. “You’re the one that made it possible for Eli to make some kind of move.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault she couldn’t handle the truth.” Ava shrugged, s she following Eli’s suit as she took a drink and would go mingle with the guests.

Meanwhile, as Audrey had been in some kind of conversation, Eli had taken the bold approach and joined her with what looked like someone she was familiar with. He more or less ignored Audrey’s friend(cousin?) and directed all of his attention on her. “Well, aren’t you quite the rude host. I was in the middle of saying something and you didn’t even bother to give me an answer.” Eli said, feigning a hurt pride, interrupting whatever conversation that Audrey and her equally-attractive friend/cousin/relative/guest were having.