#stt art

[gracklekeyer2000]

when your patient's friend knocks on your apartment window in the middle of the night (you live on the second floor)

(and also his friend is an owl) (and by the way, your patient turns into an owl sometimes) (but you don't know that yet) (why does Weird Shit keep happening to you) (send help)

If you like this, please consider reblogging it so more people can enjoy it!

[icannotgetoverbirds]

I'M ALIVE I PROMISE

Sorry I kinda fell off the face of the earth, y'all - i got moved to transitional housing and the wifi here sucks ass. Currently posting this from my mobile browser because I'm using my app account for a side project.

I love my moots and followers and followees and i promise I'll be back online asap!

Feel free to keep tagging me in bird posts - I can't wait to see what y'all have found for me!

here. a silly little concept art sketch of a scrapped scene from my fic in which harvey is lost in the sauce flour.

[omegamoo]

2022 versus 2024 art style comparison! i’d just gotten my tablet in the first one… wow. Wow. if you remember when the first one was my pfp you’ve been around a long time

[kurokrisps]

What a startling development! Will the cold duchess go back to being a marquess? ✨

[kiruamon]

Spring through the Seasons AU

Okay. I know, I know, there are already god-AUs with the DCA. AUs where they are the god of the moon or the sun and so on. But do we also have one where they represent the seasons? Cause I was playing with this thought around in my head and this is what came out of it:

The gods or deities of the seasons live on a ring-shaped island that is evenly divided into four large areas. One for each season in which the associated god lives. The island itself is surrounded by the ocean, while it itself surrounds a large lake with a round, smaller island in the middle. So it's possible to see the neighboring areas from the lake side but not the one on the opposite of the lake, because of the island in the middle blocking the view to it. (As an example: You can see from the spring area parts of the winter and summer area but not the autumn one and so on.)

Things in these areas never change by much. Creating an everlasting spring, summer, autumn and winter in each part of the island. Also the deities haven't meet each other since they usually don't go too far to the borders of their area. Well you can probably guess that this fact will change very soon and creating a bunch of different events happening.

But for now, let's get back to the cast of characters. Who represents which season?

Summer:

It's Sun! Obvious choice here. He represents the warm season. The trees and plants on his side of the island are a rich, vibrant green. Many flowers are in bloom and luring in all kind of insects like butterflies and bees. The weather is clear most of the time and the bright blue sky is rarely overcast. Temperatures during the day can get quite warm or hot in the open air, while the nights are very mild. You can cool down best in the shade of the trees and near the lake.

Sun has his daily routine. Doing stretching exercises every morning and evening. Going jogging after his morning exercises and fishing at the lake during the afternoon and so on. He likes to keep himself busy even when doing more relaxing activities.

There are two smaller flames emitting from his back. And no he isn't a walking fire hazard, because of them. The temperatur of the flames isn't nearly as hot as one would think and they don't cause harm or burns. It's closer to the warmth of the summer sun so one might actually be able to touch them. So the flames kinda represent the warmth that life needs to grow and flourish. I just advise against touching the flames when Sun is angry, cause then the heat goes up by a lot.

Sun can be pretty competitive when challenged by a certain someone. He displays an almost childlike wonder when he discovers new things and is therefore less suspicious and more curious about them. Sun is generally cheerful and usually shows his feelings quite openly. When it comes to Y/N he can be a bit of a show off.

Autumn:

It's Eclipse! He represents the autumn.

His area comes with the colorful hues of autumn. There are colorful treetops with leaves carried by the autumn breezes. The fallen leaves gather on the ground, while some trees are already bare and mushrooms sprout from the soil. The weather in the area is changing often. On some days, the sun still shines warmly through the colorful autumn leafage, while on other days violent storms tear the leaves from the trees. It is definitely the area with the most rain and it is not uncommon for fog to gather over the land and rise above the part of the lake that lies close to Eclipse's territory.

Eclipse likes crafting a lot. Taking what his area provides him with. He will make little figures out of chestnuts, acorns and other things. Or crafting a tiny raft out of some sticks, vines and a red or yellow leaf as a sail and set it onto the lake to see it float into the distance.

I also imagine that his hands are wood like and have a wood grain on them. Fun fact: Out of him, Sun and Moon he is the only one that can swim. Fun fact two: Maybe swimming is said too much. It's more like he will just float on the water like a lump of wood if you would toss him in. If you wonder now what would happen to Sun. He would sink like a stone. So please, don't push him in deeper waters.

From all the deities he is the most chill and mature one when it comes to his personality and behaviour. He is pretty modest and willing to let others talk while being very grateful when being offered the opportunity to talk about himself or his thoughts. Sometimes he holds himself back a bit too much, overthinking the situation and needs a little nudge to understand that it's okay to say or show freely what he wants. All in all Eclipse is a very nice fellow to be around and a good partner for having long and deep conversations and will take the feelings of the ones around him into account.

Winter:

Of course it had to be Moon!

A landscape covered in snow and ice. The only green in this landscape is provided by conifers defying the cold, while snow piles up on the branches of the bare broadleaf trees. Glistening icicles hang from some of the trees and sparkle together with the untouched snow on the sunnier days. But more often the sky is overcast and gray clouds hang in front of the sun as snowflakes swirl around. On some days, the drifting snow is so heavy that you can't even see your own hand in front of your eyes. Moon's area is also bitterly cold and only a few animals are wandering around, retreating to neighboring areas when the weather gets worse.

Moon's fingertips are made out of ice and he has also two curved horns fully made out of ice on his head too. I'm honestly not sure why I gave him a scepter/staff, cause I never drew it again after this image but thought it would be a cool accessory for him to have?

He spends a lot of time walking around in the snow. Surveilling his territory. Watching some animals walking through the white landscape of his part of the island. He is much of an observer, thinking a lot. And while he has taken notice of the autumn and spring area of the island and wondered about them when being at the lake side he never has tried to come near them.

Moon looks often pretty grim or will have a scowl on his face while pondering over things. He won't always share his train of thought with others and comes off as a bit more cold. He can be very snarky. Especially with one of the other season deities. Having a little rivalry going on with a certain someone. He is more considerate as he sometimes let show. But when it comes to Y/N he can't help himself as to let his softer side out more and won't hide that he feels quite comfortable with having them around.

So we had Sun, Eclipse and Moon. Now you might ask who will be spring? Well...

Spring:

It's Y/N! The fourth member of the season deities!

A landscape in which life always seems to have just awakened. The first tender sprouts, buds and young leaves are growing on the trees and have not yet developed their vibrant green of summer. Some trees, however, are in full bloom, while some petals trickle to the ground in the mild spring breeze. Spring bloomers dot the meadows with their cheerful colors. The weather is mild and balanced. The sun's rays are not yet so strong, but already warm and pleasant. Many of the animals that live on the island come here when they are expecting their young and move on to other areas when they get older.

Some little vines and flowers are blooming on Y/N's stole. If feeling certain positive emotions it can happen that more flowers are blooming on the vines. The vines will also move according to the mood they are in.

Y/N as the deity of spring is a somewhat tender and caring person. Often cheerful and optimistic about things. Loving to interact with living beings and watching them grow. They are quite curious and usually just go with the flow. They don't always have a clear sense for dangerous situations, but honestly why should they when living on this island for so long with no real dangers at all around them? Y/N is very talkative and it's fairly easy to impress them or to make them laugh.

It was also Y/N who first set foot beyond the borders of their territory and with this would soonly change the lives of the other three deities.

There are still a few little fun facts left for this au but I think I might share these at another day.

Sooooo that's it for today and for the world building explanation so far. I will tag future stuff for this au as stts au. Hope whoever read to the end of this had a good time doing so.

[un-pearable]

could you draw ummm knuckles hat. and one of his besties with a matching hat :) hat buddies

used this as an excuse to draw art for the triple threat au for the first time in…. years…. anyway heck yeah hat buddies!!!!

[yourlocaltoad]

Doodle Dump Pt 9!!!

I would die for them

[yukidragon]

I heard Jack has a family, I only know his parents' name (Rise & Shine) But i dont know his sister's name since I'm only new of this fandom, I dont know much their personality, how they looked like or his parents' backstories too or even what jack and his sister looked like or personality since they were kids. (since i heard Jambeebot taken down SDJ drawings in their twitter acc :'( )

But What if Jack's family met reader/alice or Jack introduced his parents to reader/alice?

What do you think Jack's family interactions towards alice/reader or what do they think towards to alice/reader

I would love to hear your thoughts or headcanons, also i love your SDJ Fanfics too <3

Thank you so much for saying so. It makes me happy to know that you love my stories. 💖

Welcome to the fandom! Happy to have you join us. 🎉

Jack’s extended family are part of the SunnyTime Town AU, also known as the STT AU. This isn’t to be confused with the universe for Something’s Wrong with Sunny Day Jack, where Jack is just a character Joseph/[Redacted] played. In STT AU, Jack is a real person who happens to be a clown, living in SunnyTown, as opposed to CoudyTown. It's primarily a comedy AU based off a world filled with clowny characters. Here’s a couple of images Sauce/Jambeebot did for it, including ones that explain more details about it.

Oh, before I go into the images, I will emphasize that Jambeebot/Sauce’s art is not mine, and I really hope you support them on their official Sunny Day Jack twitter, Patreon, and/or kickstarter! They work super hard to create this content for all of us to enjoy, so I wanted to emphasize the credit to them since I’m showing their publicly released artwork.

Also, while I’m on the topic, please don’t repost the private patreon-exclusive art. I’ve seen some people reposting art from the patreon in the tags, and even if it’s cropped, that’s not okay. Doing that is not supporting Sauce/Jambeebot; that’s costing them money that could be spent helping them be financially secure and allow them to make the game without worrying about their livelihood.

Oh, and I almost forgot the obligatory tags for @channydraws and @earthgirlaesthetic. If you want to get tagged when I make the next headcanon post, just let me know!

Thanks for listening, now onto Sauce’s beautiful art and lovely STT AU.

And since you were interested in seeing Jack and his big sis Daisy Chain Jane as kids, as well as getting a look at what little we’ve seen of Rise and Shine’s backstories, I shall deliver.

I’m still working on Alice’s clownsona as it were for the STT AU. I do have her name sorted out though - Aurorabori Alice.

Yes, I feel quite proud of that pun.

Alice (and MC in general) would be the newcomer to SunnyTown who Jack feels an immediate attraction to. Jack is well liked by everybody, and is always friendly, but he’s especially drawn to Alice, wanting to befriend her and spend as much time with her as possible.

Also, despite this AU being very lighthearted and comedy based... yanderes still exist here too, and Jack inherited quite a lot of traits from his dad...

The intensity of these feelings for Alice(/MC) are new and... more than a little unnerving, even to Jack. He’s never felt this way before about anyone. He aches for her in a way that is so strong, he is rather frightened of himself, and too ashamed to tell anybody that he feels this way. He didn’t realize that something was missing from his life until he met Alice, and now that he knows just how warm sunshine can be, the thought of living without her feels dark and cold, even though he’s surrounded by friends and family who love him.

Despite these new frightening desires, Jack won’t force anything on Alice. How could he do that to someone he loves so deeply? It would snuff out her light and ruin her. No, all he can do is keep these feelings hidden and love her with all his heart. Hopefully, if he does everything right, she’ll eventually love him too. There’s no one else in the world who could love her more than he does. It’s impossible, not with feelings as strong as this...

As for Alice... she just thinks Jack is very friendly. Anytime she suspects that he might be flirting with her or that his feelings might be anything but platonic, her best friend Honey Bunny is quick to remind her that Jack is just a very friendly person, which is why everyone loves him, and he probably isn’t interested in getting a partner since he’s never had one before at his age.

Though Honey doesn’t realize Jack simply never felt anything for anyone the way Alice did.

Yes, this is the same Honey Bunny puppet that’s from Alice’s concept sheet. Like Buddy can change from a belt to a person, Honey can change from a puppet into a person.

There’s a theory that when Buddy changes into a human, Jack turns into a belt, though there are also pictures of the two of them human together (including a very spicy one). Still, if Honey and Buddy’s situations with their respective pals are similar, then it means Alice would have a puppet form she can transform into. I’d probably have to design it when I finally draw her STT AU self.

Honey has good intentions about steering Alice away from Jack’s affections. Alice moved to SunnyTown to get a fresh start after she had a rough time with a former suitor who may or may not be Ian’s clownsona. (Naturally, things won’t wind up as toxic for the breakup as they did in the SDJ universe.) Honey wants to protect her best friend from heartache, but might be a bit overprotective at times.

On the other side of the coin, you have Buddy serving to encourage Jack and give him, at times kind of off the wall advice, but he means well too. Naturally, this causes Buddy and Honey to come into conflict a lot, as Buddy is trying to be Jack’s wingman, and Honey is trying to be Jack’s cockblocker.

One solid image I have is of when Alice and Jack start getting closer despite Honey’s interference, Buddy (in human form) drags off Honey by her ears or tail (also in human form) to give them alone time.

Yes, Honey still has rabbit ears and a tail in her human form. How can I resist? Plus it’s not like Buddy doesn’t have unusual anatomy too...

Oh, speaking of that part of him, in this version of the STT AU with Alice, Honey and Buddy wind up going from antagonists to, ahem, quite a bit more. They fight, and it turns into spice. Jack and Alice are going to walk in on them and get quite a shock to see them making out.

Naturally, in a general MC version of the STT AU, there wouldn’t be a Honey Bunny, so it’d be up to the respective person writing their take on the AU to decide how the relationship with Jack goes and what obstacles there are.

Jack is very likely to introduce his family to Alice right away. Jane seems like the type of nosy big sister who would insist on meeting the girl who Jack can’t stop talking about. Mama Shine and Papa Rise would obviously be curious as well.

Rise would also suspect that Jack might be taking after him in a certain way and discreetly give his son tips on how to keep from scaring away his sunshine. After all, Rise would never allow anyone to take Shine away from him, and why would he force his son to suffer without that addicting sunlight in his life?

Shine is a sweet mama type, very energetic, loud, and talkative. She would be the first to greet Alice after Jack introduces the family, likely with a big friendly hug, and would gush about how her son always speaks so highly of Alice, much to Jack’s embarrassment when she starts giving examples.

Alice, in return, would be happy to meet her new friend’s family and very happy that they like her. She wouldn’t be nervous about meeting them since she wouldn’t realize that she’s meeting her future in-laws. She would see where Jack gets his friendly and kind personality from when meeting them.

Honey might insist on coming along to the instruction if possible. She’ll be seeing right through Jack’s intentions and want to make sure things stay strictly platonic, though she will be friendly and wind up liking the family more than she thought she would.

How the family would feel about a general MC really depends on the different MCs and their personalities. From the aspect of how they feel about someone Jack is obviously in love with, they’re happy for him that he found someone who makes him feel that way. As long as they’re a good person for someone as sweet as Jack, they’ll welcome them with open arms.

Opinions on Alice specifically are as follows...

Shine thinks Alice is a very sweet girl, and is very considerate of Jack, which is ideal in a partner for her son. Alice is not terribly talkative, but that’s not a problem at all. After all, her loving husband is nonverbal. What’s important is that Alice is kind to Jack and even at this early friendship stage, she can see the hints of budding romantic feelings towards Jack forming from Alice’s end too.

Rise has a general friendly reaction to Alice initially, then is quietly surprised and pleased to learn that she knows sign language and can hold an actual nonverbal conversation with him. That certainly wins her a few points in his book. The more he learns about her, the more he can see what Jack sees in her and he approves.

Yes, Alice knows ASL in the SDJ universe too. (As well as the other AUs with her.)

Jane is a bit more of a wild card when it comes to Alice. She both likes Alice right away, but also sees an opportunity to playfully tease such an easily flustered person, as well as her little brother. She’s friendly and ultimately ships Alice and Jack, but is going to give them both a hard time with it and mercilessly tease Jack at every opportunity.

Opinions from the family about Honey Bunny are generally positive as well, as it’s easy to recognize she’s just looking out for a friend. Shine would probably try to give her advice to take it easy sometimes though. Jane would find it hilarious that Jack is getting cockblocked and use it as teasing fuel. Rise would see Honey as a potential problem, but is keeping hands off from interfering, as it’s a minor issue and Jack needs to learn how to deal with people who would keep his sunshine away.

Buddy is nebulous in that he’s a close enough friend to Jack that he’s practically family, so I’ll give his opinions as well. He likes Alice right away. She’s friendly, nice, and she greets him along with Jack even when he’s a belt at the time, which a lot of people forget to do. He is totally on board with helping Jack win her over.

As for Honey Bunny... as far as Buddy is concerned, she’s obnoxious, annoying, but cute, and fun to tease. The latter feelings develop into a more, ahem, friendly type of teasing down the road.

In the STT AU, Alice would probably be the new arts and crafts teacher at Jack’s schoolhouse, which gives them plenty of time to interact, and plenty of time for Jack to give her lovestruck looks from afar as he watches her teach the kids and play with them.

Also, in a nod to the lore I went with for Sunshine in Hell, Alice would sometimes give puppet show presentations at the library with the help of her friend Honey Bunny. Cloudy-Belle Sue just might wind up being her cousin in fact, given Alice’s hair is kind of cloud-like and fluffy, which is similar to Sue’s hairstyle. In this situation, it would be Sue introducing Alice and Jack to help her cousin get used to the town and make friends.

Naturally, Sue and the rest of the SunnyTime Crew are going to help Jack get together with Alice. They’re his friends after all, and Alice is a sweet girl, though Sue will caution Jack to take it slow since she’s had her heart broken before.

For a general MC, the crew would no doubt ship Jack with his sunshine regardless since he’s so happy with them. Whether they’re related to any of the other crew members is up to the individual MC’s backstory, of course.

Oh, wow, this really ran away from me, didn’t it? That’s about all I have for now of the STT AU. If you want to hear about the AphroDesia crossover AU’s versions of the family and their opinions of/interactions with Alice, let me know, since things are a liiittle bit different in the mafia AU.

Thanks again for sending the ask. I hope you found my thoughts entertaining and that these images from Jambeebot helped you learn a bit more about the SunnyTime Town AU!

[ike9306]

Hello Mr. Mack. I come to you to require custody of Mechanism Elias, for the motive that you made me feel bad for him, and that you are heavily mistreating him.

My lawyers will come to you soon.

Mechanism Elias belong to @therealandian from his fic Search Through The Stars ( go read pleaaaaaase I beg you it's soooooo gooooooood I've read it like five time at this point !!! It's hilarious and Jon goes to therapy )

[secret-third-thing]

Okay, since you need a moment to collect your thoughts (I get it, I have lots of thoughts on Eris), have you ever seen an Eris fanart and thought “that’s him - that’s exactly how I saw him”

Okay get ready for me to go back on my hair thoughts. Because now I'm like Fuck AM I a short haired Eris truther? (Look give me eris with any length hair and I would still let him step on me. I'm thinking maybe slightly longer than howl? idk SUE ME, SORRY)

So the piece of Eris art that had a chokehold on me for the LONGEST time was Elithien's Eris from the playing cards project. It's quite literally what made me see Eris as not just a fun character to write for but as a potential romantic interest in my writing 🤣 But yeah that was THE eris for me. He is totally on my visionboard for 2024

Ellebug also has a very pretty Eris. 🔥

And Mads Schofield's Eris 🫠❤️

This is such a difficult question cause there are many artists that have such AMAZING Eris art and I love them all. (cursebrkr, mossytrashcan, b_astoria, velide, copy, thrum, queercontrarian, and krem!!!!!!, thoughtfulshepherdmongerkid, jessicafongarts (my long haired eris QUEEN), leyles and many more than im missing UGH) 😤

My new apartment is probably going to have an Eris art wall for maximum cringe simp effect.

[bluecheems]

The real reason as to why STT doesn't like NC

Also feel free to ask them anything!! I shall respond with comics

[gracklekeyer2000]

Shenanigans at the Stardrop Saloon

Reference here! Thank you @draw-the-squad-like-this for the post! Y'all go check them out!

If you like this, please consider reblogging it so that more people can enjoy it!

[icannotgetoverbirds]

Um so. I read your fanfic, entered hyperfixation mode, and then this was in front of me.

I hope you like it <3

I FUCKING LOVE IT

[slieoslime]

Why sunny day jack parents are so hot than my parents. Ok anyway I drew them

[kurokrisps]

Beach off!! 🏖️

[kiruamon]

Spring through the Seasons - Meeting the Winter

Second story part for this AU. Includes Y/N wandering into the snow covered parts of the island and meeting another deity of the seasons. Also, I had so much fun drawing the sketches! (Like last time the art/sketches are embedded in between the text.)

_

As if you had crossed an invisible line, a landscape so otherworldly stretches out before your eyes that for a moment you start to question your plan. It's not that the sight is completely unfamiliar to you. You've often seen the strange, white landscape from a good distance when you've gone to the lake. But today is different. Today it was no longer just a distant, obscure place, but lay spread out before you in its strange grace.

It was as if someone had stripped the landscape of almost all its colors. Only the green needles of a few fir trees stood out here and there among the white, wondrous mass. The deciduous trees that used to adorn the plain in front of you had degenerated into bare skeletons, frozen by the cold air and stretching towards the sky as if begging the sun to give them a little warmth. No young shoots, no buds or tender leaves could grow on the branches in this cold.

This sight triggered a feeling of uneasiness inside you. And yet… You can't help but feel a certain fascination that makes your heart beat faster with excitement the longer you gaze out at this strange world. The sparkling of the white mass as the sunlight breaks through the clouds and falls on it takes your breath away. You feel as if someone has picked the twinkling stars from the night sky to grind them into a fine powder to spread it over this patch of earth.

You step closer to the invisible border between your home and the icy, beautiful landscape in front of you. Step by step, you get closer to it. Leaving the blooming flowers and growing bushes with their young shoots behind you. Only a few more steps lie ahead of you before the grass beneath your feet is swallowed up by the white dust - or whatever it may be.

You pause as you stand directly in front of the white substance, which spreads out untouched and motionless in front of you. Can you just walk on it? Crouching down, you inspect it with a curious look and slowly stretch out your hand towards it. You are surprised to see how easily it sinks in. But you don't have long to marvel at how easily it gives way under your touch as a slight shudder takes hold of your body and causes it to quiver. Cold. The vines on your stole tremble and curl up a little. Brrrr. You didn't think the shimmering mass would feel cold. Or… wet? Curious, you pull your hand out of it and watch as what's stuck to it slowly changes shape on your warm skin and… … turns into water. You stare in amazement at the drops of water on your hand. This white mass is water! Stunned, you absorb this information and slowly get back to your feet. Hardened water. Is that what it is? Unbelievable. What an incredible place! Your enthusiasm is now even more ignited.

You simply have to see more. Find out more about this place. You have finally found the courage to go further and put your first foot into the strangely stiff water. It sinks a little into the mass, but that doesn't stop you as long as you can feel the ground beneath your soles and slowly but steadily venture deeper into this unknown world.

The further you progress, the stranger, but also more beautiful, the landscape appears in your eyes. Odd formations hang from the branches of some trees, like small runnels of water frozen in the air. The green needles of the fir trees are often covered in a layer of white, as if they had wrapped themselves in a blanket. Even the air is different in this place. There are fewer scents than in your home. The air seems drier and the cold bites a little into your reddened nose and cheeks. It's not painful, but it's unfamiliar. You are used to warmer temperatures in the forests and meadows you are accustomed to, but your body still seems to be able to tolerate the colder weather here. On your way into the unknown, you approach a forest that looks as if it has died. The tree trunks are tall and the branches are at such dizzying heights that your neck hurts if you look up at them for too long.

In the distance, you hear the howling of wolves. The sound doesn't worry you. Quite the opposite. It teaches you that animals live even in such a cold place. You have often wondered where they came from or where they were going on their wanderings. Looks like you've learned something new.

-

Footprints. Still very fresh. The ruler of these lands eyed the peculiar tracks in the otherwise almost untouched winter landscape with suspicion. Here and there between them were strange little patches of frozen ground under the masses of snow. Had an animal - a deer perhaps - pushed the snow aside with its muzzle to look for roots to eat? But no. The snow looked as if it had melted and little green stalks were sticking out of it, trembling. Strange. Very strange. The shape of the footprints too. It didn't look like an animal. And the wolves hadn't gone hunting for it either. Whatever it was, it sparked his curiosity. In the company of the wolves, he decided to get to the bottom of this.

-

Are you still heading in the right direction? In this foreign place, you find it more and more difficult to keep your sense of direction. Perhaps you should have tried walking closer along the lake or the coastline. But your curiosity and carefree attitude had drawn you deeper into these lands. Had driven you to see what wonders awaited you here. But now the sky was already darkening. Swallowed the twinkle of the white mass around you. Dark, gray clouds hang in front of the sun, making it difficult to guess how much daylight you have left before it disappears completely. Is it going to rain? But there isn't the typical smell of rain lingering in the air. In search of shelter and a suitable place to rest, you continue to wander through the rows of petrified trees. Each of your steps is accompanied by a slight crunch as it sinks into the white mass and suddenly the sound seems strangely out of sync with your own footsteps. You pause in surprise, but you can still hear it. Blinking in confusion, you turn around and exhale in shock through your mouth as your breath rises into the air like a tiny wisp of mist. Someone is standing there between the rows of trees.

For some reason, the air seems even colder and more stinging now. As if it wants to drive you back to your warm home. Telling you that you don't belong here. But you can't run. You feel frozen and completely mesmerized by what you see in front of you. It stands upright. A pair of curved horns on its head, like nothing you've ever seen before. Translucent, like the shapes you have already spotted on the branches of the trees. Is that an animal? But it doesn't look like one and it's wearing clothes. A coat with thick fur around the edges that the cold wind can't harm, no matter how much it tears at it. In its left hand it holds an oddly shaped staff. Only at the second moment do you notice the company it is in. Three wolves walk by it's side. Their fur is much thicker than the fur they wear in your lands. And yet their fur patterns seem familiar to you. Slowly they circle you with their watchful gaze and you follow them with your eyes in wonder. It is this brief moment of distraction that the entity takes advantage of. Because suddenly you feel a cold breeze on the back of your neck as it stands directly behind you and leans down lightly towards you.

The entity's breath is as cold as if it was the wind itself that sweeps across these lands. Instinctively, your body shivers. You are not sure what it wants from you. Carefully, you turn your head to the side. Trying to catch a glimpse over your shoulder and under its hood. But you don't even get that far when, out of the corner of your eye, you notice a hand with claw-like fingers slowly moving towards the thin vines on your stole. The touch is far more careful than you would have expected it to be. A tiny nudge against the delicate flower at the end of the vine, causing it to sway slightly and recoil from the coldness of the touch. Could it be… that you weren't the only one wondering what or who you had stumbled across here? A new confidence grows in you, like a little sprout digging its way out of the warm earth to greet the gentle rays of the sun. "He… hello," you mumble rather shy as you try to turn your head a little further around and this time you actually manage to catch a glimpse of the face under the hood, which is staring at you in surprise.

A pair of multi-colored eyes blink at you in amazement. Its mouth opens slightly in shock, but closes again a few heartbeats later before it opens again and you are no less startled to hear the being's voice. "You can talk," you hear him say and somehow this brings you a huge sense of relief and makes you giggle. "So can you." He seems almost embarrassed when he hears this. He slowly straightens up and circles you, while you follow him curiously with your gaze. "True enough."

He looks at you with a thoughtful expression. Trying to take in every detail of you in an attempt to understand what or who he has in front of him. You can't blame him for this, because you feel the same way. You're still fascinated by his appearance, which is so completely different from yours. His face, which is divided into a dark and a light section, reminds you of a crescent moon in the dark night sky. And while on the light half his eye is as white as the landscape around you, his other eye glows as red as the evening sun. Beautiful. "Where are you from?" you suddenly hear him ask and are dragged back from your thoughts to reality. "Where I'm… oh! From the southern lands." "South. The green forests?" You nod and your answer only seems to make him more thoughtful. It's difficult to tell what he's thinking. Does he find it curious to hear where you're from? Or is he angry with you for some reason? "But why shou- ", for some reason he breaks off his words in mid-sentence. Blinks in confusion and stares down at your feet. You follow his gaze and… are no less startled than he is to see what you find there. The strange white water has disappeared right around your feet. Grass and snowdrops sprout from the thawing ground, their white blossoms swaying in the wind.

"How did you do that?" he sounds genuinely astonished. "I-I… just stood here…", is that so unusual? It happened all the time in your homelands. No matter where you settled, life followed you everywhere. Shoots that crawled out of the ground. Vines and grasses that stretched towards the sky and spring flowers that began to bloom. To be honest, you didn't expect it to happen even here, so far from your home. You can see how his eyes seem to shine as he looks down at the delicate flowers. "What's that?" "You mean… the flowers?" "Flowers… those are flowers?" You nod gently. "Yes. Snowdrops." Before you had traveled to the western border of your realm, you had rarely seen them either. But the further you had progressed, the more of them had appeared. Apparently… they seemed to cherish the cooler temperatures more than other flowers you knew. "Snow… drops," he repeats slowly. And then… then you hear him let out a soft laugh. "How fitting."

You blink at him in amazement. "Is it?" "Yes, very much in fact. After all, this is the land of winter. Shrouded in snow and ice." The land of winter… Snow and ice. You look around and slowly start to understand. "So this… is snow?" He laughs again, it sounds… friendly. "Yes. What you see here is snow. And over there, do you see what's hanging from the branches? Those are icicles," he explains to you, almost amused, while you can hardly contain your excitement and slowly realize why he found the name of the flowers so funny. Now you can't help but smile. "Right, that is fitting." He nods at you with a satisfied look in his eyes. "Say, what's your name?" Your name? You blink. No one's ever asked you that before - how could they, when there's never been anyone to talk to - and honestly… you've never thought about giving yourself one. "I… um… I'm afraid I don't have one," you say with an embarrassed smile. "But if you want, you can think of one for me?" You wouldn't mind, at least. But admittedly, the question he just asked makes you curious. "Do you have a name?" Now he looks no less embarrassed than you were a moment ago. "I'm afraid I don't have anything to offer in that respect either," he mumbles to himself a little absent minded. If that was the case… "Can I call you Moon, then?" He looks at you in surprise, remains silent and you already fear that your suggestion was perhaps a little silly after all. But then the corners of his mouth twitch upwards and he says with a genuinely gentle expression in his eyes: "I… would quite like that."

"What brought you little snowflake here in the first place?" asks Moon as he accompanies you through the snow-covered landscape together with the three wolves. Oh, that's right! You hadn't even told him about that yet. You clasp your hands together and look up at him. "I'm looking for the place where the red leaf came from." He furrows his brow when he hears about it and his gaze wanders from you out over the untouched snow filled plain. "A red leaf…" his voice sounds calm, but you can tell that something is on his mind again. "Do you know where it came from? I thought it might have come from here, but… " but so far you haven't seen one deciduous tree with the tiniest of leaves on it. "You won't find it here." How odd, is it just you or does Moon's voice sound strained? Is he perhaps angry with you? Did you say something that might have offended him? "O-oh, that's really too bad…" you say and start to stare at your hands, rubbing them together a little. Is it just you or has it suddenly gotten colder? You look up into the dark clouded sky and… you are completely dumbfounded to see little white dots floating down from the gray clouds as if they were flower petals.

"What's that?" you ask, unable to take your eyes off it. Next to you, you can hear Moon laughing. "Snowflakes. It's snowing." Snowflakes. It looked beautiful. You see them stick to your clothes, but as soon as they fall on your skin, they melt and turn to water. So this is what the snow looks like before it huddles together so tightly on the ground. "It's beautiful." You miss the gentle smile that your words bring to Moon's face and when you finally manage to tear your gaze away, he is already a few steps ahead of you, so you hastily follow him through the snow. "We should hurry though. A snowstorm is coming. And then our vision will be so poor that we won't be able to see a thing. Not to mention that night is about to fall." Oh dear, that didn't sound so good. "Follow me. I know a place where we'll be safe."

As Moon had predicted, the snowfall was getting heavier. While at the beginning, scattered snowflakes had been dancing playfully across the sky, the wind and snowfall was steadily increasing. The air was cold. Much, much colder than before and the daylight is becoming more and more sparse. Although the cold temperatures didn't bother you that much before, they are now becoming increasingly uncomfortable and slowing your progress. Moon seems to notice that you are struggling more with the unfamiliar conditions. That your strength is dwindling. Something heavy slides over your shoulders and Moon's hands reach around you from behind to put the fur-lined cape over your shoulders before he gently pulls the oversized hood over your head. "Can you handle it for a bit longer? It's not that far anymore." He pushes past you and his face appears right in front of yours as he peers under the hood, which now protects your cold-reddened face from the icy winds. "Y-yes. It's all good. I can do it." He nods at you, gently placing his hand on your back and leading you forward with steady steps that are matching yours.

It is dry and dark in the cave. The snow and wind can't get you here. Nevertheless, you feel completely exhausted after this long walk through the snowstorm and when you think about how long you've been on your feet. You're truly thankful that you have Moon by your side. Otherwise you might have collapsed somewhere from sheer exhaustion while looking for shelter and have been ended up buried under the snow. Instead, you are now safe. Tired, but unharmed. As soon as you have settled down on the rocky ground, two of the wolves join you. Their warm bodies nestled close against you. With a small smile, you brush your hand through their still slightly damp but thick winter fur. You are still wearing the cape that Moon lent you and even when you offered to give it back to him, he refused, saying that you needed it far more than he did at the moment. You are grateful for his kind offer, because you still feel a little cold. And tired… You rub a hand over your eyes as you slowly lie down, resting your head gently on the back of one of the wolves that you now remember why they seemed so familiar. They are the same ones you saw back home. Once last year and two years before when they were still just small pups. It's like seeing old friends again. And they obviously recognize you too.

Your gaze wanders over to Moon, who is sitting on a rock that rises from the ground, watching you in silence. At his feet lies the third member of the small wolf pack. "Moon?" you ask quietly into the darkness. "Yes?" His voice sounds calm. Soothing. "Even if I couldn't find what I was looking for here… I'm glad I came to this land. After all, thanks to it, I met you." You may not have achieved your goal, but… you have found something else that seems so endlessly precious to you.

For a while there is only silence in the cave until you hear his voice calling softly for you. "… Snowflake?" You smile a little at the thought that you've somehow already gotten used to the nickname he's given you. "Yes, Moon?" "I know the place you're looking for." What? How? Suddenly you feel wide awake again, despite your earlier drowsiness. "Really?" A faint nod of his head, which you can barely make out in the darkness, confirms that you haven't misheard him. "Yes. But you'll hardly be able to reach it from here." "What do you mean?" you ask, a little confused and your heart pounding with anticipation. "The land of the colorful leaves and mist borders my land. But the cliff that lies between them is steep and higher than you can imagine. I can lead you to it, but it would be utter madness to try to climb down there. I'm not sure how the animals manage to get past it… maybe there's a passage somewhere, but I don't know where. Also, the weather near the border is unpredictable. It's simply too dangerous." There is a certain urgency in his words. You can tell he's serious with his warning. "Your chances might be better if you try to take a different path." That sounds really discouraging. Being so close to your goal and yet so far away from it. A different path. Dark, green leaves come to mind. Treetops so lush and full that the forests swallow up the sunlight. The realm that lies to the east of yours. Could there be a way from there? "I see… thank you, Moon. For telling me about it," you whisper softly into the darkness, hoping he can hear you. As you continue to think about his words, your eyes become heavier by the second. The warm, cozy fur of the wolves who have snuggled up close to you lulls you more and more to sleep. You simply can't stay awake any longer. So you nestle yourself tightly into Moon's cape and allow the long-awaited sleep to finally catch up with you.

_

Hope you had a fun ride with this entry. I surely did with finally showing some of the character interactions for this au.

TBC