#tundra sparkle

[n-o-nv2]

Day shift QT

[fairytaleprincessart]

[fantastic-fr-scries]

Tundra Male

Ice / Peach / Cantaloupe , Pinstripe / Flair / Sparkle

Arcane Rare

[tigermark]

borealis ·˚ ༘ *

jisung is such a nerd. such a sentiment would normally come off as an insult, but with him it was the cold hard truth. either way you loved him to death. and that's why you supported his idea to fly to iceland to see the aurora boreialis, also known as the northern lights, one of his biggest dreams.

"y/n, its our last day here... do you think we'll be able to see them? like at all?" he said, expression all pouty with the idea that he spent thousands of dollars with no avail.

you shruged at his words, looking out the window of the cozy cafe you were sat in. "i think there's a pretty good chance... we've been here for a week afterall."

jisung nods somewhat hesitantly, still worried. he takes another sip of his coffee and rests his head on his hand, looking into your eyes. "exactly, we've been here a week and nothing. not even a flash of color."

"jisung at least pretend to be optimistic..."

nevertheless , you leave the cafe and head back to your hotel where jisung swears to pull an all nighter sitting infront of the window so he can get at least a glimpse of the vibrant strands of light illuminating the night sky.

it was around 2am, at least it was the last timr jisung checked. he was cuddled up next to the window, playing games on his phone, eagerly looking up at the sky every 30 seconds like a little kid waiting for santa on christmas eve.

suddenly, you hear a scream from jisung. you immediately jump awake, rubbing the sleepiness from your eyes.

"jisung what happened? are you alright baby?" you say, rushing to get out of bed and check on him. that's when you see it.

the sky is full of beautiful beams of green, bringing light to the tundra surrounding the hotel. jisung is stuck in a state of stun, hand on his mouth, eyes sparkling as he looks out the window.

"wow..." is all he can muster to say. "can we go out there, please? i want to see it closer."

you nod and go with jisung to put your jackets and scarves on, rushing to the elevator and then outside.

and wow, was it gorgeous.

"i'm so glad we got to experience this together, my love," jisung says after a few moments of silence. "there's no one else i would've wanted by my side while i look at this. you're the only one who matches it's beauty."

[broncoburro]

They do a bit - the biggest difference is between the "wild type" hares still used by nomads, and the "standard" stockier varieties you'll find in cities and towns. Standards have over time gotten shorter and more compact to work better as cart animals.

They are entirely black with red eyes. But try to tell someone haretouched this, and they'll insist they range an infinite number of colors, and that their eyes run a gamut from sparkling ruby red to deep scarlet. It's true that different pelts will shine different greens and blues in the light, but... the color naming can get almost fanatical.

Hares also can have some general individual differences like ear length, tail shape, snout length. To the layman though, they're hard to tell apart.

They're not bred for color. In fact, they're rarely bred for... many reasons. Hares have a long lifespan (longer than humans, sometimes...) and a haretouched human will usually only bond to one hare in their lifetime. They are difficult to breed too-- they get aggressive.

Hares are not purposefully bred in nomadic society. (You just go find one on the tundra, or sometimes a doe comes back pregnant.) In the settled north, they're bred only when too many cart hares have died in mining accidents or the like.

Still, if they were capable of coming in colors other than black, it seems like it would have happened by now.

...There are some old nothern legends about a snow white hare who only appears to those the "most cursed", but they're half-forgotten oral traditions at this point.

[acphengene]

Chapter 1 - It’s her

₊ ⁺ pairing: Jay x reader

₊ ⁺ genre: fantasy, fluff, angst, found family, brotherly love, death of family, loss, heartbreak, swearing, smut

₊ ⁺ word count: 7.6k

₊ ⁺ note: this is my baby… the amount of brainstorming - rewrites and hours I’ve put into this chapter over the last few months is something else. I really hope you love it as much as I do

₊ ⁺ Introductions ₊ ⁺ Chapter one ₊ ⁺ Chapter two ₊ ⁺ Chapter three ₊ ⁺

You had always loved to travel. Today was no different. You slid down the soft material your seat was covered in and closed the window cover to block out the blazing sun from scolding your skin.

The usual travels you embarked on were for relaxation or fun, this, as fun as it might end up being, was for the better of your kingdom.

When your older brother had left The Kingdom of Night, he had not only left you and your father behind. He had left your people, and because of that he had also left you the crown.

You couldn’t help the sigh that escaped your lungs, you had always been ‘just’ a princess, but now it said crown in front of it, and that single word came with a shit load of responsibilities.

Which meant training of your powers, and learning of foreign policies and the history of all kingdoms. Because of that you were on board a plane, soon to enroll in the ‘University of Heirs’.

Despite the name it wasn’t only the heirs of each kingdom that attended, which was your luck. Two of your three best friends were currently enrolled in the prestigious school that was located in The Kingdom of Day.

Sunoo was a siren from The Water Kingdom, with beauty, brains and a voice who could make even the stone giants from Fire cry. He studied medicine and marine biology and hoped that the plants only his people could get beneath the waves, would change the face of the medicine most used on land.

Jungwon was a Night fae studying gastronomy. Always passionate, always kind, and with a serious addiction and fascination of mixing everything with chocolate. However, his experiments didn’t always end well. The two of you had grown up side by side, as his father had been a chef in the royal castle since before you were even born.

The last one was Niki, even though he did not attend the school he still called Day home, at least until his profession would whisk him off to the next far away land. He was a dancer, with charisma and an almost dangerous appearance very similar to the black panther he could shape shift into. You and Jungwon had met him in the forest behind the castle when you were little and the three of you had been together ever since.

You smiled a little by the thought of your friends, before shooting them all a text telling them you were officially on your way. They had all been ecstatic when you’d informed them of your official acceptance to ‘UoH’.

In front of you stood a glass of sparkling light wine, one you quickly drowned before finally calling your brother. As per usual he didn’t pick up.

“Hey I just wanted to let you know we’ll be taking off soon. Can’t wait to see you” you said before hanging up.

Despite your brother having earned the title; ‘the lost prince of Night’, he wasn't really lost. No, Jake had left to go do… Well if you were being honest you didnt really know. But he would get to live a normal existence as of now.

The two of you had always been close, two halves of one whole, born no more than a few minutes apart. So it had felt a little like a betrayal when he had left to live in the cold and white tundras of The Winter Kingdom.

He was, just like your friends, now enrolled in UoH, with three best friends of his own, or brothers as he liked to call them. You had no idea exactly what he was studying, he had always been vague about that, but you guessed it didn’t really matter in the end, as long as he was happy.

The plane started its motors and off you were, all you could do now was hope that everything would work out in the end.

As you’d touched down you were quick to find your bags, you had decided to travel without any kind of security, hopeful you wouldn’t draw too much attention to yourself. It was possible most of the time, as long as you hid your eyes behind sunglasses.

They looked much like the night sky, dark black with small specks of grey, they were a physical manifestation of your bloodline, of where you belonged. Despite having tried every colored contact out there, it was impossible to mask them. It seemed that ordinary fae magic couldn’t keep the magic of a royal at bay. But that wasn’t really a surprise.

Jake had sent you a message somewhere along your journey, telling you that he would be there to pick you up and take you to the apartment your father had secured for you off campus. As far as you knew it wasn’t one of the complexes that hosted most of the heirs, which made it a lot more bearable.

Your hidden eyes searched for his dark messy hair, but instead all they found was what looked like a thousand black and silver balloons, and a few bouquets of flowers. In the midst of it stood your brother, surrounded by your best friends.

Sunoo threw his bouquet into Jake's arms, startling him, and sprinted towards you. You let out a high-pitched scream and ran to his arms. A second later Jungwon was there as well. And as you looked towards your last bestie, you saw him hand what you assumed to be sparkling wine to your brother who now had all your presents in his arms.

Niki’s walk was slow and elegant, and he had a feline smirk painted on his lips. The last few steps he lept as the cat he was, just before wrapping his long arms around the three of you. Kissing the top of your head. “We’ve missed you” he whispered.

The little heart in your chest was beating so fast it felt like it would beat out of your chest by the pure joy you felt of finally having them all so close. It had been so long since you were all together, too long.

Sunoo was the first to look at you, his tears had already spilled from the prison that was his dark blue eyes. “You’re a bitch for leaving us for that long” He said as he willed his voice to not break.

Jungwon chuckled at the statement. You laid your hand on the siren's cheek. “I know, but I’m here now” you whispered. He nodded as a response, just before Niki pulled him closer to his chest.

“He’s right you know, you literally have the ability to shadow jump, yet you still choose to stay away from us most of the time. It’s not fair” Niki had a twinkle in his eye as he spoke and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes.

“I hope you don’t mind that I brought them,” Jake said with a smile before he bit his lip. Niki was by his side quickly, helping him get rid of everything they had thrown at him, so that he too could welcome you.

Jake grabbed your wrist and pulled you into a bone crushing hug, and for the first time in a long time, you felt whole. You smiled into his chest. “I’ve missed you” you whispered into his shirt. He hummed in response.

After a little while you pulled away and grabbed his face. He laughed a little with his eyes closed. You took him in, he looked older.

“Look at me Jake” you said with a little laugh.

His smile disappeared with an instant, and you felt your blood go cold. You removed your hands from his cheeks and lifted the sunglasses that until now had hid your eyes. In a much harsher tone you repeated; “Look. At. Me”.

You punctuated each word, and it was said with a dominance that was well known between royals and their subject. You saw how both Jungwon and Niki squirmed by the command beside you. Saw how there was a hint of gratefulness that the words weren’t directed at them.

And as he opened his eyes your previously beating and happy heart stopped. Where his eyes had previously mirrored your own, were now only filled by the dull grey that were typically known in Winter.

Jake sighed. “It’s just contacts Y/N, don’t make such a big deal out of it”

In an instant you grabbed his chin with your thumb and index finger as you crept closer to him, turning his head from side to side as you inspected them.

“That’s not contacts” you whispered.

The two of you weren’t identical in any way, but the one thing you had always shared had been your eyes. It seemed however that Jake didn’t share the sentiment, and had chosen to replace them. His nickname suddenly made sense however, the one thing that identified him as a prince had been erased.

You let out a huff of air as you finally let go of him. “I’m not done discussing this with you”. He chuckled nervously, as he turned towards Niki, most likely to gain some kind of sympathy from him. The two had always shared a brotherly like bond. Niki being the younger brother none of you had ever gotten.

“You brought this upon yourself my guy, don’t look to me for help” he crossed his arms over his chest, one of which you quickly hit with a flat hand. He only sent you an annoyed look, as to say; seriously?

“This is getting a little boring, so let’s instead discuss what we should be drinking tonight” Jungwon said, as he snaked his arm around yours, suddenly dragging you along, not giving two shits if any of the other ones came along.

When you were out of earshot he whispered: “I know I should’ve warned you, but Niki swore us to secrecy”

“That’s just because he wants to be present whenever I kick Jake’s ass,” you whispered back to your best friend, just before you turned your head to look towards the three other men. “It’s creepy, it’s almost like he’s no longer my brother…”

Jungwon squeezed your hand in a reassuring manner. “Let’s just get you home, and we’ll fill you in on everything”

“Hey, where the hell is Jake?” Heeseung yelled from the bathroom. The cracked door had resulted in the smell of his perfume traveling out of the room as an insane amount of steam escaped with it.

The heir to The Winter Kingdom liked the feel of the scalding water on his skin despite the fact that he could survive days if not weeks in the snow. One of the many perks that came with his title.

His younger brother was currently laying on the large couch in the living room. His arms and legs were spread out, and at this moment he looked more similar to a sea star than the ‘Ice Prince’ he was.

“He said something about picking up his sister” He yelled back. The sudden start of the conversation kicked him out of the hangover he had been nursing all day, and for the first time in hours he actually sat up.

In the kitchen not far from him stood yet another young man, Jongseong, or as his friends called him; Jay. He was currently occupied with cutting up different kinds of vegetables all the while he laughed at his best friend. Sunghoon held up a finger, as to say; hold that thought. As he fought his body's need to throw up.

Jay shook his head. “I can’t believe you’re still hungover,” he said laughing. Sunghoon sent him a glare in response.

“It’s not my fault, blame the star shots my love” he said as he once again fell back onto the couch.

By the mere mention of the beverage, Jay shuddered. “Gods, why would you drink that shit? You always get so miserable, plus it taste like unicorn piss”

“It’s because he thinks they give him the ability to dance whenever he drinks them,” Heeseung said as he appeared in the room, wearing nothing more than a towel, as he tried to dry his white hair with another. “And that being said I’ve actually been told unicorn piss isn’t that bad”

He sent a pointed look towards the suffering man just as a groan escaped him. The two older men responded by laughing.

“Don’t worry baby, you always have an incredible talent for shaking ass” Jay commented.

“Have anyone ever told you two, you’re disgusting?” Heesung said as he threw himself on the other end of the couch.

“I think you might've told us once or twice”. Jay said as he sent a wink his way.

“Always defending my honor” Sunghoon said before he crawled towards his brother, dropping his head in his lap.

“Gods you need a shower, brother” the look on Heeseungs face was nothing short of disgust.

The three of them shared an apartment with Jake, and the connection they all shared was nothing short of brotherly love.

Jay walked over with a bottle of wine in hand. “I’m guessing you don’t want any of this?” he said as he poured the red liquid into two glasses. Heeseung took one with a sigh and a thanks. Jay had always had a talent of foreseeing whatever those closest to him needed, and when Heeseung was tired he typically craved red wine.

Sunghoon lifted his head from the couch and narrowed his eyes to look at what bottle he held in his hands. “Please give it to me”

“Cheers to yet another night guys” Jay said as he gave him one of the glasses. Sunghoon drowned it quickly, hopeful that it would cure him in an instant. “Fuck that’s good”

Heeseung sipped to his glass, as Jay turned to fetch one for both him and Jake, he couldn’t be far behind.

Jay had been raised like the prince he was, always polite, always well dressed, rarely caught unguarded. He had always had a signature smirk painted on his lips whenever he was out in public, and his eyes bore the darkness and secrets from his kingdom; The Afterlife.

He grew up without many friends and the spirits didn’t always feel like keeping him company, so instead he had spent time with his parents. He had travelled with the pair whenever their duties had taken them beyond the grey mist that surrounded what would end up being the resting place for all souls.

Despite what most people thought, he was capable of love, of laughter and of heartbreak.

When he was no older than 8, he and his parents had travelled to Winter, to collect the soul of the late king of the Kingdom. During the festivities of saying goodbye to both a father and grandfather, Jay had run into the two princes.

They were burdened by grief, but instead of teasing them for their tears, he had instead explained the orb or pure blue light his father had collected to bring within their borders. He had asked them if they had a message for the man they had lost, because if they did he would be happy to deliver it once he stood on solid ground again.

The three had been inseparable ever since, always so connected to one another that their parents teased that they could speak into each other's minds. They had sworn nothing would ever come between them.

Jay and Sunghoon were however kindering spirits, they liked to joke that they had probably been lovers in another life, hence the disgustingly sweet pet names they always had called each other. They were a unit, and one was rarely without the other.

Shortly after Heeseung had accepted his position at ‘UoH’ he had run into Jake at a coffee shop. The sunglasses indoors in the middle of a snowstorm called out to him, and after Jake stared into the beaming grey and blue orbs of the prince, he had felt comfortable enough to share the secret of what had happened to ‘The Lost Prince of Night’.

No longer than 3 weeks after Heeseung had left them to travel to Day, they had followed him. Not to enroll, no it hadn’t been their time yet, but to be near one another, and together they had all found an apartment.

Now they shared a home, and for some reason it worked perfectly despite them having four somewhat contradicting personalities.

As Jay returned to the living room the magic of their front door clicked open, and through it walked their dark haired friend. He gave them an almost sad smile.

“You owe me 30 gold leafs,” Jay said as he held out his hand to Heeseung.

“Fuck she clocked it that fast?” He asked as he got up to fetch Jay his well earned money. Heeseung was back in the living room, changed into the clothes of the night, gold leafs in hand, before the guys had even blinked.

Jake just nodded before receiving the glass Jay had just poured for him. “Yeah, I don’t even think it took her a full minute” He didn’t drink, he just swirled the liquid around, almost hypnotized by it.

After about a minute he looked up and saw his friends who all stared back at him. “Look, can we talk about something else?”

Heeseung slapped his brothers naked thigh, and said as he screamed out: “You can tell this dickhead that politics is an important subject to have, even though you’re not crown prince”

Sunghoon stuck his tongue out. “Don’t see why I would need to, it’s not like I’m ever gonna use it”

Jay got up once again and went to get a different bottle of wine, since Sunghoon had drowned his second glass efter Heeseungs comment. “Well if you think about it you could use it to get to The Summer Kingdom and seduce Beomgyu’s sister?”

He pointed towards him in response. “I like that!” Sunghoon said as he took the bottle of light wine out of his twin flames hand and cooled it down instantly.

“Look, if you want I can remove the veil from your eyes whenever you’re around her, that way she might not be as triggered by it” Jay said as he laid a hand on his friend's shoulder.

Jake just shook his head. “No, she’s already seen it, and I don’t really want people finding out.”

Heeseung shrugged. “Maybe she’s not really mad at you veiling your eyes, but more the fact that she has to step up as crown princess?”

Both Sunghoon and Jay sent him somewhat panicked looks, it had never really been something they all talked about. None of them had ever wanted Jake to explain his actions unless that was what he wanted. He himself had never brought it up.

“No way I’d ever take over for your brother, so don’t even think about stepping down” Sunghoon said in an effort to make light of the situation.

“If Hee didn’t want the throne, no one would ask you babes” Jay said before ruffling his hair.

“I get why that would make her mad, but she’s just always been more headstrong than me, so honestly I didn’t even think she’d mind. I mean she has her powers, and she’s so much like our father, whereas I… I just run when things get hard.”

His head was hanging low, as if finally admitting what he had always felt would somehow make him less of a male, less of a prince in his friends eyes.

Instead of judging, Jake's three brothers pulled him into an embrace.

In an apartment not far from the four princes, you too opened a bottle of wine, only to plop down on a pillow in the empty living space.

You sighed. “I’m never lifting a box ever again” Sunoo said as he threw himself next to you.

“I’m pretty sure it was my shadows that did most of the work” you said as you grinned and a shadow stroked your cheek lovingly.

“Plus we gave you all the light ones, so I don’t really think you have anything to complain about” Jungwon said as he put down the final box.

Instead of answering, Sunoo just rolled his eyes, as he held out his hand, just as Niki brought over one of the bottles of sparkling wine.

“So, how long have you known about Jake’s eyes and not told me?” You said after taking a few sips directly from the bottle.

The three men looked at each other, all with a similar expression; like the last thing they wanted was to speak. Instead of forcing them, you just waited patiently.

Niki was the first to respond, as he shrugged. “It’s been a few months, for a while I thought it was just the light, or that maybe the sparks of the grey and silver had taken over… that was until I actually talked to him for more than 2 second, and then he was forced to maintain eye contact with me”

Jungwon took over as Niki seemed to look for the right words. “We sought him out when it was made public that you were taking over as heir, I mean we’re at the same school after all, his disappearing act won't really work on us”

They both sipped at their bottle before looking at one another. “I wasn't exactly nice to him,” Jungwon finally said.

You couldn’t help but raise a brow at your best friend. He was known for being level headed, keeping cool even as things were tough, so him losing it, even if just a little, was everything but normal.

“Yeah, he said some stern words that’s for sure” Sunoo said as he picked at the dust stuck to his trousers.

You couldn’t help but chuckle. “I would’ve liked to see that”

Jungwon smiled a little. “Sorry we didn’t tape it for ya”

You sighed as your fingers found the label on the bottle, as much as you wanted some type of explanation as to why you found yourself in this mess, you knew they couldn’t give you one.

“Now” you said as you stood up and opened one of the boxes. “How about we get some of all my junk put in these cabinets, while you give me all the tea on those spoiled heirs I’m gonna spend most of my days with”

“Now you’re talking!” Sunoo said as he got a sudden rush of energy. He was by your side in a heartbeat.

“Okay, Jake’s powers have for obvious reasons not manifested yet” Sunoo said and the two of you did a dramatic eye roll together.

“Obviously not” you echoed as you pulled out a few wine glasses from the bubble plastic they’d been hidden away in.

“I’m pretty sure Sekura is currently in the top of the class” Jungwon said, as he inspected a vase for cracks.

“Yeah she’s incredible, someone pissed her off the other day and she started a full blown storm” Sunoo commented as he started pouring the wine into the glasses.

“Okay, so powerful but not in control then” You made a mental note of that.

“Heeseung and Yeonjun is currently on a shared second place” Sunoo tried not to look at you but couldn’t help it. It wasn’t that you hated Yeonjun, you just didn’t like how he had almost laid a claim on you since you were kids.

Your father of course loved the idea of a marriage between the two of you, especially now that you were heir, him not being crown prince only made the match between the two of you more perfect. He himself had used that pun once or twice.

Instead of commenting on it you just hummed and tried to seem like his rise in power didn’t piss you off immensly.

“Heeseung has as far as I’ve understood only shown his speed, but we’ve all figured there's something else lurking under the surface” He shrugged.

“Jay is third” Jungwon said, desperate to change the subject. "Although I’m pretty sure he has as much if not more power than his father”

“Jay is from The Afterlife, right?” You felt how the shadows almost reached out by the mention of his name.

They had always done that whenever the kingdom was mentioned. It had frightened most you grew up with. They saw it as a bad ownement, but they had always refused to explain why.

Sunoo nodded. “And he’s hot”

“Heeseung and Sunghoon too” Jungwon added.

You couldn’t help the laugh. It was something they had always been masters at, taking your mind off whatever might cloud it with negative thoughts or energy.

“Jay is kind, kinder than people give him credit for. But then again I don't think he lets anyone in. Sunghoon is… an acquired taste” Niki had decided to chime in. He didn’t know a lot about what happened at school, but he knew the elites.

You sent him an interested look, urging him to explain further.

He shrugged. “The two are rarely without the other, pretty sure Sunghoon only leaves Jay’s side if he’s hooking up with someone - plus they call each other every pet name under the sun. Not gonna lie it’s pretty fun to be around them”

Niki smiled, clearly thinking back on one or two interactions he had with the pair in the past.

“I could set you up with one of them if you’d like. Sunghoon owe me one after I let him see my answers for a test a few weeks ago”

“Fuck no!” Niki was quick to say.

You all laughed at his reaction. He was not alone in being protective over you. Jake and Jungwon was just like him, Sunoo on the other hand was like a demon on your shoulder, always urging you to do whatever might cause the most trouble.

“Sunghoon might not be an official heir, but he is powerful” Jungwon said as the laughter died down.

“Yeah, he’s like the talk of the grounds. People say his mate has to be someone extraordinary for him to be this in control of his powers. He didn’t only get his nickname ‘ice prince’ because of his cold heart ” Sunoo said with a shrug.

You couldn’t help the roll of your eyes. You had heard people speak of that so-called theory your whole adult life. When your powers had manifested everyone had been in awe. It had been generations since Night had a shadow jumper, even longer since one had the ability to talk to them, to see them as sentient beings.

It had been everyone's theory that it had to mean you were mated to someone powerful. Whoever that being was, they too would also gain an immense power almost overnight if you decided to join them by their side.

Every royal on the continent had dropped by or invited you to their galas whenever one was held. And every single one of them had made sure to introduce you to every nobel-being from their court, hopeful that a bond would snap between the two.

Nothing had come of it, all you remember from those days was a voice in your head, one that had seemed to follow you at every dinner og party since, you had never quiet figured out who it belonged to though. You did however have your theories.

“So people are throwing themselves at him and he’s entertaining it? Can’t say I don’t understand then”

Niki shrugged. “I’m pretty sure that’s not the reason. Apparently he had been the perfect prince up until a few decades ago, and then a switch flipped”

“Nothing breaks a being as bad as heartbreak” Sunoo sang, the sound of his voice was instantly calming the somewhat tense in your brow.

He smiled. “Sorry” he said as he started fidgeting with some paper.

“Never apologize for who you are” you said right before kissing his cheek.

The next morning Jake came knocking. After a long talk with the guys the night before he had decided he owed you a bit of an explanation as to why and how he had lost his eyes.

You opened the door for him, letting him in, and this time around his eyes were back to their normal glory of darkness and light.

“Hey” he said. His shoulders were drooping, and his usual confidence seemed to have disappeared as soon as he stepped through the threshold.

“What can I do for you?” You asked, the question seemed colder than you had intended it to.

“I actually wanted to talk, you know, explain myself” he said as he bit his bottom lip, he had always done that. And when he did he was either excited or nervous. This time it had to have been the latter.

You raised a brow in response before you moved into the room and threw yourself on the lounge chair the guys had help you build last night.

“I’ve never really apologized for leaving, for putting this burden on you. I know I should have discussed it with you beforehand, but it just seemed easier for me to just disappear” He had sat down on the couch across from you. His elbows were resting on his knees and his whole body seemed to reach out for you.

A small smile painted your lips, but it was easy to see the hurt displayed in your eyes. “You never left me any choice. I had to take over, I had to step up. If you would’ve just talked to me, we could’ve figured it out, we could’ve talked to father together”

You reached over the gap between you and took his hands in yours. The two twins of night, the moon and the stars as they had called you. He had managed to break decades worth of trust between the two of you with just one decision.

Jake shrugged, and squeezed your fingers. “My powers never came, and it felt like the land itself rejected me as heir, as if I wasn’t worthy to bare the title nor the crown after father. And then you got yours… And they were stronger than anyone had seen for generations. I know it wasn’t your fault, that you couldn’t help it, but it was the last straw, the final thing that broke my belief in myself. Why would the people rally behind me, when you were right there for the taking?”

“This is gonna sound harsh, but the land did reject you Jake, you were always running off to other kingdoms, always leaving especially after mom... The magic had nothing to stick to, no vessel to blossom in. It wasn’t because you weren’t worthy, it was just because you weren’t there. The crown is yours if you want it Jake, all you would need is just to spend some time back home”

He let go of you then as he leaned back into the cushions of the black couch. He smiled, and he somehow seemed lighter than just a moment ago.

“No, that would do more harm than good. And if I’m being completely honest, I kind of like living like this. Everything is so slowpaced and not really that serious, and I like Jake Sim, much more than I liked crownprince Jaehyun” he smiled, and this time it seemed genuin, so you returned it.

“Good, I’m glad. But just promise me that in the future, you’ll come talk to me, okay? No more secrets”

He reached out with his pinkie and grabbed a hold of yours, as the two of you had always done. And then you laughed, and for the first time in a long time, you felt like a part of you had healed.

“By the way” you said with a smirk. “What contacts are you using? I’ve never gotten any of them to actually work”

He poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue. “Oh wouldn’t you like to know”

You raised a brow at him and he chuckled in response. “It’s one of my friends… Jay, he can veil anything. It doesn’t really matter where you are, when it’s up it’s up”

Jake saw how your eyes widened as he spoke “yeah, he’s pretty darn strong”

“We’ll see who’s the strongest in a few days” You winked at your brother.

One bad thing about emptying all boxes while drunk on sparkling wine, is that nothing ends up where you intended it to.

You had rushed most of the morning trying desperately to find the little bottles of cream and serums you had gotten from a prince when you’d turned 200 a few years back.

It was your first day and you felt almost sick by the thought of all those princes and princesses under the same roof.

Of course you had all run into each other at every other gala held to celebrate whatever your parents had deemed to be important, but you had avoided most of them after the whole mate-ordeal.

But this, this was now your time to get to know people, to socialize and build alliances, not just for you, but for your people. It had previously been Jake’s job, so instead of getting to know these people you had just had fun with what some would call “the help”.

The school was grand, with cathedrals and corridors almost longer than the wings of the castle you had grown up in.

Every door opening were covers in gold emblems that represented each kingdom. There was nowhere, where the ceilings didn’t seem to stretch into the sky. Didn’t matter if you were on the ground or the first floor.

The beings of every kingdom scattered the halls and it seemed like the trend was that people stayed in the colors that represented their home.

You saw snow fox shifters in all white, summer fairies in light green, angels in light blue and the mermaids seemed like they had been dipped in liquid pearl.

Jungwon spotted you before your eyes found him and Sunoo in one of the many halls. He had you in a tight hug even before you were able to greet your two friends.

A genuine smile broke out on your lips as you returned it. “Thank you” you whispered before kissing his cheek.

Sunoo was like both you and Jungwon in all black, something that made almost everyone stop and stare, he however didn’t seem to mind. Instead he quickly returned every disgusted look people would send his way.

“Gotta let people know that I have a future queen in my life” had been his response when you had asked.

The pair had followed you to your first class, and you looked over the people in the room. The winter princes were the first to spot you. Both beautiful with their white hair and blue and grey eyes. Sunghoon sent you a smile, reassuring but still somehow curious.

Heeseung on the other hand gave you a nod. Respectful and royal, like the heir he was raised to be.

Yeonjun noticed you almost instantly and he left whatever conversation he was having with a dark angel, and walked straight towards you.

“It’s good to see you Y/N” a voice said behind you, and you quickly tore your attention from Yeonjun to greet whoever had sneaked up on you.

You met the tall figure of none other than prince Soobin. He smiled at you, dimples on full display. “Soobin” you said before embracing the royal.

Soobin was the youngest brother of King Jimin of The Water Kingdom. Jimin had always had a soft spot for you, both because of your love for Sunoo, but also because of the way people had fought over you. He too had been in a similar situation, not because of his powers, well that too, but mainly because of his beauty.

“Incoming” Soobin said before he let go of you.

“Y/N, hi… It’s good to see you” the red haired male bounced on the balls of his feet as he greeted you. The action seemed almost child-like.

Soobin rolled his eyes right before he put a hand on the small of your back. Startling you. Somewhere in the room you heard a growl.

“Let’s get you out of here before the fire spirit set’s fire to your hair, shall we?” Soobin sent you a sweet smile, completely ignoring the red prince before him.

He guided you past Yeonjun and you sent him a somewhat apologetic smile as he said: “Oh come on ‘Bin, you can’t still be mad at me because of that!” He laughed and it only grew louder when Soobin glared at him.

You sat down next to the siren prince. And somewhere in the back of your mind you heard that small voice repeat one word over and over again: “fuck”.

“So how did the training go?” Jake asked as he stuffed his mouth full of rice.

He looked between his three friends. Friends that were all uncharacteristically silent.

Sunghoon coughed as Heeseung hid his head in his hands.

Jay swallowed and said with a low voice: “your sister just shot to the first in the class” he send your brother a serious look, he tried to smile but failed.

Jake dropped his spoon into the bowl. “What, how?”

“Oh god Jakey, you could’ve told us she’s absolutely insane!” Sunghoon said before leaning back into his chair.

“Insanely powerful is what he means…” Heeseung said as he rubbed his temple. “If you thought it would be hard to keep the royals away from her before, god just you wait until they phone home and tell them what happened”

Jake sighed as he started stress eating. “Just tell me already”

“She’s new, so our teacher likes for people to demonstrate their talents, and you know she just stayed seated - everyone was so quiet, like so so quiet” Sunghoon said dramatically.

“And then some idiot decided to say, out loud I might add: that she clearly had no powers, that she was nothing more than a scammer” Heeseung said as the color drained from his face.

“Gods” Jake said as he shook his head.

“Yeah, and then the ground swallowed him. He literally got eaten by his own shadow, and a few seconds later he was catapulted out of the shadow the chandelier made on one of the walls” Jay said.

It was now Jake’s turn to hide his face in his hands. “Did she make them sentient?” He asked but his voice were muffled by his hands.

The spoons the three princes held in their hands dropped then, making a loud sound that made him remove his hand quickly. His friends all stared at him while they gaped.

“What. Do. You. MEAN?!” Sunghoon almost yelled in what sounded like dispair.

Jake rubbed the nape of his neck nervously. And as if on cue, a small shadow crept over his shoulder and looked between them all, right before bit slithered back to your outstretched hand.

You send them all a wicked smile. Heeseung stood up with a small ‘nope’ and left his lunch behind. Sunghoon stared into the thin air as if he would turn to stone if he met your eyes, and Jay sent you a look that was almost impossible to desipher. Gods he was beautiful.

Jungwon and Sunoo laughed at their reaction. You turned toward your friends and dropped the mischievous mask. The smile on your lips turned genuine and soft.

“That was mean” Sunoo said as he tried his best to hold in his laugh.

“Mean? That was absolute perfection” Jungwon’s laugh was contagious, and soon the three of you were almost rolling on the floor unable to take a normal breath.

When you finally got it back to normal Sunoo looked a little more serious. “Since Niki isn’t here I’ll be the bummer and ask; are you sure you didn’t do too much in there?”

You grabbed his hand. “I chose not to downplay my powers. And it might work for Jay, and I’m sure there’s other people in there that doesn’t show their full potential” you shrugged. “But I don’t wanna hold back, I’m already a little behind compared to the rest, and I don’t need them to think I’m completely useless”

Jungwon sent you a dimpled smile. “And what about your dear little friend, did you hear them again?”

Since you were very young, you’d heard a voice inside your head. It wasn’t your own monologue, it was more like a presence of someone else. Someone who would offer comfort and sweet words of encouragement when you needed it the most.

It had showed up shortly after your mother died, and you liked to think it was her looking out for you, as if not even death could keep her from being there for her daughter.

When you woke up this morning you had hoped to get words of encouragement maybe even a phantom hand to brush your cheek. “Yeah but all I got was ‘fuck’”

Sunoo raised a brow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well how the hell would I know, it at least sounded like it. Literally repeated over and over for at least five minutes”

“Maybe dear old mom doesn’t think you taking over is the best idea?” Jungwon said teasingly.

“Oh she definitely would’ve hated every second of this” you said with a smirk as you picked the skin off a grape.

“Maybe she said something else?” Sunoo said, trying to sound reassuring. “I mean after all it is kind of muffled, the sound of her voice I mean”

You shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter, I mean maybe they just dropped something on their feet”

“So what are we doing to night?” You quickly asked to avoid sticking to the topic.

“I’ll see you at home guys” Jake said to both Sunghoon and Jay, he had afternoon classes, where as these two twin flames were lucky enough to have an early day.

When Sunghoon had asked Heeseung if he wanted to go home with them, he had mumbled something about putting out a fire in the library. Not that that made any kind of sense.

Sunghoon looked at Jay as they walked across campus, he had been quiet today. And usually a quiet Jay meant a hurting Jay.

He had learned it the hard way through the decades, but after almost two centuries he now knew if something was going on by the mere way he took a breath.

There was no need to bring it up, least at all when they were out in public, so instead he let his friend be as the two walked home in silence.

Jay had been there for him all the times he had cried and yelled, even when he wanted to claw his heart out of his chest with his bare hands. He owed him to be there for him, he wanted to be there for him.

“Jay…” Sunghoon said cautiously when they were outside the door of their apartment.

“Just open the damn door Hoon” he said with gritted teeth.

He obliged, and as soon as the lock had clicked open, Jay threw himself at the door and the second he was inside he released a nightmare of pictures.

What had a second ago been their entry way was now a cascade of flashing locations. Grey mist, was replaced with complete darkness, the darkness with the night sky, to be surrounded of a thousand bushes of moon light lillies.

Sunghoon tried to remember where the furniture was as they had disappeared when Jay had veiled what seemed like the entire world.

The Afterlife heir had thrown himself up a wall and was now clawing at his mind, his neck and his chest as he hyperventilated. Sunghoon could hear the frantic beating of his heart, and tried his best to get him to calm down.

“It’s okay, we’re home Jay, just breathe” he laid a hand on his friend's shoulder.

His face shot up to meet his best friends worried eyes. But instead of eyes all he saw was stars, thousand of thousand of stars. The world around them stilled to that exact picture as well. And the pair stood somewhere in the sky.

“Breathe” Sunghoon repeated as he himself took a deep breath. Jay mirrored him, and a few minutes later the stars disappeared, and they were once again back in their entry way, and the darkness of the heirs eyes were back once again.

“What’s going on?” He asked as he sat next to him on the floor.

Jay rubbed his face with his hands, as he took a shaking breath. “I’m so fucked Hoon, so fucking fucked”

He shot up, as if finally opening up made it impossible for him to sit still. “Fuck, fuck, fuck! Gods I’m so fucked!” He kicked the chair that stood closest by.

Sunghoon laughed a little, trying his best to ease the tension.

“It’s her…”

For a split second Jay thought Sunghoon moved as fast as his brother. Because before he knew it he stood up and were walking towards him.

“Who’s her…?” He was suddenly more serious than Jay had seen him in a long time.

“She’s … Y/N. It’s her…” he said.

For a second Sunghoon was certain the world had stopped spinning.

“WHAT?!” Sunghoon yelled so loud, that Jay was certain even the dead back home could hear him.

₊ ⁺ please comment, like and reblog if you like the story - it helps me so so much ₊ ⁺ please let me know what you think, if you have theories of both Jay and our sweet reader but also about the rest of the guys ₊ ⁺

₊ ⁺ let me know if you wanna be added to the tag list

⁺ taglist: @1-itsneverthatserious-1 @flawlessapollo6 @ijustwannareadstuff20 @azzy02 @zaycie

[colorfuldragons]

dungeon meshi characters, but as flight rising dragons

𝟣. laios touden: beige/antique/antique

2. marcille donato: caribbean/flaxen/ruby

3. chilchuck tims: auburn/camo/beige

4. senshi of izganda: coal/oilslick/latte

5. izutsumi: obsidian/obsidian/white

6. falin touden: iris/antique/antique

spoiler scry + design notes under the read-more:

7. falin (chimera): vermillion/antique/antique

———————

i had been meaning to scry/post the dungeon meshi main cast for a while. i figured in honor of the manga's final chapter would be a good occasion

design notes:

𝟣. laios touden:

outfit inspired by fr user Rafale's laios fandragon

ravenskull broadsword bc it has wings like his sword

tundra + antique secondary/tert, like falin (siblings)

2. marcille donato:

ruby runes to represent: her magic, her red hair bow, bloody hands when she was resurrecting falin

will o' the ember for her explosion spells

iridescent primary for her elven heritage + penchant of fancy things

3. chilchuck tims:

veined tert to represent his greying hairs

i debated between the gambeson (closer texture) VS tanned rogue vest (overall closer colors) for him, but ended up going for the gambeson as it feels more distinct

camo secondary for a "camo = stealthy" joke

[edit: 1 feb 2024] i think my screen had the Flux settings too high before and i thought his shirt was beige. its actually white, so i changed his shirt from a shabby to classy dress shirt.

4. senshi of izganda:

bamboo dried tea to represent his cooking supplies

unfortunately none of the helm apparel had the right colors for his helmet, so i opted for tan okapi to represent his helm's horn colors

i wanted to include the iron shield apparel for his adamantine shield/pot, but it wouldve covered up his kilt, so i left it out

[edit: 1 feb 2024] changed primary from ribbon to chrysocolla, an earthy gene to match his past as a miner. changed tert color slightly to match better. also gave him carrots

5. izutsumi:

initially i tried nocturne and spiral, but the armour pieces looked too short on them, so i ended up going for mirror instead

i also tried the tanned rogue apparels, but they covered up too much of the torso

wooly antennae for her ears

6. falin touden:

marshlurker's drape to represent her coat, bc there wasnt a lot of suitable coats, and the more purple-y hue (and hat) also references her debut outfit

sparkle tert to represent her magic

tundra + antique secondary/tert, like laios (siblings)

[edit: 1 feb 2024] edited her primary to be more purplish, since the animes confirmed her coat is supposed to be more indigo colored, and gave her browner boots. also edited her reference photo coat color to match it too

7. falin (chimera):

i chose to make the touden siblings both tundras, so that chimera falin could be a gaoler (based on the joke gaolers are just tundra 2.0)

spirit secondary bc she haunts the narrative

if youve made it to here, feel free to comment which fandragon scry is your fav! :)

[killa-cookie]

ONE WHO SWIMS IN THE DEEP ABYSS

: Mermaid Gn!Cookie reader who can change into a human when met at land.

Black Pearl x Gn! Reader

Since some may be confused about how gn! Reader still has legs but not a mermaid tail, since They are a hybrid but a cookie dominating side. The mermaid tail is a literal tail as the legs just develop scaly texture.

Heat wave cookie mention (oc)

have you ever heard of mer-cookies, my dear?

"Of course! Everyone knows about them! "

Have you heard of the tale that there is one mer-cookie, who can blend in with other land cookies?

" whaaattt! No way!! "

I'll tell you a story, sweetie.

-

You had been scavenging in multiple seas for treasures and gold, you couldn't help that they were so alluring...

The shiniest of treasures are most precious of them all, don't you think?

At this point, you had travelled all the seas, and all the shores. But there is this one sea you did not dare to pass through..

The Duskgloom sea.

...

You had been travelling on land for a while, taking a break from the sea. Exploring markets, villages, and tundras.

"Hey, ________ cookie! "

"Hello Heat wave cookie.... "

"Ya going to the beach again? Cmon whenever you go to shore, you always disappear for like... Months!"

"It's only weeks, heat wave. "

"Tch, whateverr... Anyways safe travels! "

Heat wave ran off to whatever shenanigans she had planned, but you were worried though... Since this is the day you would finally visit the Dusk gloom sea. Even the name itself gave you shivers!

You neared the shore as the water met your feet, slowly and steadily you went deeper into the sea. You feet gaining a scaly texture as a big tail began to form behind you.

You fully succumbed to the sea and began wandering off. Your gills allow you to breathe in the water and your big tail allows you to swim quite fast.

You had been swimming for a hot 30 minutes before the water around you had started to change, the cool-icy color fading into a dark one.

Slowing your pace down, you began to see wrecked ships, cookie crumbs, and mostly... Wrecked ships. And more wrecked ships.

Normally anyone would be scared, but you? You were excited. Most of the ships here are pirate ships, you know what pirate ships have? Treasures, and there were a hell lot of ships.

But you couldn't shake off the feeling that someone was watching you closely...

"....eh who cares!"

You began diving near the ships, and just as you expected there were a lot of treasures. Mostly cookie remains but there were still treasures.

......

While scavenging the final ship before going back to shore, you noticed a glint... No, sparkles in the distance. Sparkles from TREASURES.

You began swimming quickly to the glinting of gold, not having any other care in the world. And there it was... The beautiful pile of gold!

"Haha! YES." you celebrated for a bit before diving into the mountain of gold, until...

"You're a greedy one, aren't you?"

An alluringly dark voice echoed around, you quickly exited the pile of gold to look around. You were in a panic.

You saw a dark looking mermaid, her tail gently Sparkling. She looked gorgeous, but also deadly... Wait a minute—!?

Is this the Black Pearl Cookie every one in the sea and on land fears!?

You slowly backed away from her, but she just kept getting closer. She then took a quick look at your body, before pausing at your legs.

"You have a mermaid tail, yet you have legs."

Her glare turned sharper, black Pearl was thinking of you as a cookie, or a mermaid. But she just couldn't choose. You were a mermaid, but a cookie nonetheless.

"....What are you?"

"I am a mermaid... But also a cookie....... Mostly cookie.... " you squeaked out, hiding in the nearest dead coral you could find.

Black Pearl let out a hum, she had never seen someone like you before.

"Follow me, I demand an explanation."

She had swam past you, and you followed.

You wanted to explain to her knowing she wants some information, but all you could do was quiver in fear. The swim to her throne was awkward, as none of you dared to speak.

"You're a shy one, no?" She looked at you with a... Curious gaze.

"Well not usually since you are THE Black Pearl coo—" you had quickly slapped your hand on your mouth, realizing what you had just said.

"I-im sosososooo sorry I didn't mean it like that—!! Please forgive me—"

You were cut off by an amused giggle, she looked... Happy.

But most important of all, she laughed at YOU. Was she laughing in joy, or did she cringe so bad to the point she let out a chuckle?

"I find you amusing, little treasure."

You thought..

"She was... Enjoying my company!?— wait a minute what did she just call me"

Awkward seconds had passed before your face flushed red and your body started to slowly sink to the ocean floor.

Black Pearl cookie hoisted you up and proceeded to travel to her throne, she looked down at you for a second before caressing your cheek.

"Don't worry treasure... You'll stay safe with me— forever."

-

Woah, so black Pearl took the half cookie-mermaid all to her self? How greedy... Hmph!

Would you blame her, I mean a miracle just so happened to pass by your sea. Don't tell me you wouldn't get possessive over them, right?

I guess so... Anyways how do you know all this ______ cookie?

Let's just say.... I was very close to the mer-cookie. . .

You stared out into the sea knowing that she, Black Pearl Cookie... Is waiting for you to return to her embrace.

[redbleedingrose]

Heavens Above ~ Rhysand x Reader

A/N: a mini fic if you will. ig could be a drabble, but it felt like longer than a drabble. love yall sm and I hope you enjoy!

Imagine FWB!Rhys who is secretly madly in love with you who whisks you away to the cabin after the ginormous party he insisted on throwing for your birthday.

And basically, he makes you some hot tea and stokes a fire in the living room bc its freezing, regardless of the time of year, the Illyrian territory is half tundra. The snow is falling heavily enough that the ground is completely coated in sparkling white fluff.

And Rhysie whips out a slice of cake from thin air, your favorite kind mind you, and insists on feeding you and him from the same fork while you snuggle under a warm blanket.

Once you're done with your cake and tea, he thumbs away some stray frosting off the side of your lip, poor male can never keep his hands to himself. His eyes of amethyst sparkling with something you cant place flickering back and forth between your own before leaning in and pressing soft kisses to your lips that quickly become more and more heated.

Soon enough, he is plucking you off the couch, not even having to stop from sucking marks into your neck while you bury your face into his shoulder, shuddering at his strokes to your thighs as he carries you to the bedroom.

He tosses you onto the bed, exposing his wings to you, a rare but welcome sight, they flare against the cold, the delicate membrane quivering as the dark of night rolls off his broad tattooed shoulders. You eye the way his hands ease their way up your legs, his veins bulging as he grips your thighs apart.

And usually, your nights together are spent with rough, hot intimacy. But tonight? Tonight, he takes his sweet time with you. Peppering soft kisses over every exposed inch to your skin, gripping every soft curve of yours like he can't get enough of you, his hips rocking against yours in a slow symphony that only you two can hear. The way he takes you over and over, he takes you apart in every way and puts you back together. He watches the way you quake against him, your legs around his waist pulling him closer while your arms cling to his shoulder and he can't remember seeing anything so beautiful. He finds the entire universe in you and lets himself fall apart so you can piece him back together.

And well...

When he wakes you at 3am with his arm rubbing at your bare shoulder and face nuzzling into your hair as you cling to his bare chest, you're quite grumpy to say the least.

Nonetheless you pout as he insists you wake and get dressed, even helps you put on your gigantic coat and tucking the scarf his mother knitted for him once around your hickey littered neck before pulling your fists away from the rubbing at your eye to kiss them. He turns around and kneels down, chuckling at your quiet grumbles and mumbles, tugging you onto his back so he can carry you outside. His heart warms as you hush up to stuff your face into his back and stroke your warm mittens against his chest.

After a couple minutes of him trekking you both through the snowy forest, the moon and stars illuminating your path, he stops at the mountain edge. You're nearly passed out once he comes to a stop, his furnace of a body, the beat of his heart against your palms and the soft crunching of the snow under his feet lulling you into a quiet slumber. You only rouse when he whispers your name into the night, "Look up darling," settling you down before tucking your back into his chest.

And there you see it.

The Auroras of Illyria.

A rare phenomena. One witnessed only every couple of centuries.

The first time he was able to catch a glimpse of them, he witnessed it alongside his sister and mum.

And now, he witnesses it with the you. He smiles to himself as you gape up at the sky and lays kisses to the top of your hair, the purple and green solar rays a sight shared with the only most important and beloved females in his life. Once, his sister and mother. And now you.

And its that same night where he tugs off your left mitten while you focus on the heavens above you, and slides his mothers ring onto your fourth finger, the souls twirling through the aurora a witness to the promise of his love and devotion for you.

Anyway, heheheh. This was in honor of the auroras. I wasn't able to see them with my own eyes, but I was able to capture some pictures of them. It was beautiful.

Check out more of my stuff: Rhysand Masterlist, Main Masterlist

[headmateelevator]

hello! could we please request a level two ranboo (dsmp)? including typing example and excluding front triggers and roles!

with a space and winter/snow theme! a fem gender. and a few non-noun neopronouns please! also. idk if we are allowed to ask for things not on the template. but a few 1st person neopronouns too?

thank you! this blog is great btw! :D!!! -green anon

order up!

name(s) - Lumi , Boreas , Khione , Chióni , Eira , North , Frostine , Frost , Blizzard , Alba , Boo , Altitude , Apricity , Aquilo , Arctic , Blanca , Blizzard , Boreas , Chione , Crystal , Demetria , Freeze , Frost , Frostbite , Miyuki , Neve , Nevis , Andromeda , Apollo , Artemis , Aster , Asteroid , Astraios , Astro , Celeste , Celestia , Comet , Cos , Cosmos , Esther , Exo , Kulpar , Beloved , Luna , Matter , Moon , Nebula , Nova , Oranos , Orion , Sol , Soliel , Star , Starshine , Stella , Sun , Void , Nueve , Pan , Permafrost , Snow , Uncia , Viola , Winter , Xuĕ , Yukina , Snow , Andri , Bylur , Snowstorm , Permafrost , Aneira , Nevada , Alaska , Aquilo.

pronouns - they / them / she / her / ey / em / er / ers / hy / hyr / hy / hymn / ae / aer / it / that / thing / thon / thons / vae / vaer / se / sim / ny / nym / th-y / th-m / shy / shyr / thy / thym / x / xs / sh* / h*r / shx / hxr / hx / hxm / thxy / thxm / snow / snows / winter / winters / snow / flake / cold / colds / fre / freeze / bliz / blizzard / frost / frosts / chill / chills / frostbite / frostbites / tundra / tundras / arctic / arctics / shiver / shivers / ❄️ / ❄️s / 🌨️ / 🌨️s / 🧊 / 🧊s / spa / space / spaces / sta / star / stars / co / comet / comets / pla / planet / planets / gal / galaxy / galaxys / li / light / lights / mo / moon / moons / shi / shine / shines / tu / turn / turns / spi / spin / spins / su / sun / suns / bri / bright / brights / cro / crown / crowns / 🌌 / 🌌s / ✨/✨s / 🎇 / 🎇s / 🪐 / 🪐s / ⭐ / ⭐s / 🌟 / 🌟s / 🌀 / 🌀s / ☄ / ☄s / 🌠 / 🌠s / 🌙 / 🌙s / 👽 / 👽s / 👾 / 👾s / 👑 / 👑s / 💎 / 💎s / 🔭 / 🔭s / 🚀 / 🚀s / 🛰 / 🛰s.

1st person pronouns - i / me / my / mine / myself / ar / ar / arc / tic / arcself / mrri / mrre / mrry / mrrine / mrryself / i / ce / ice / icine / iceself / dai / dae / dy / daine / daiself / spi / spa / space / spacine / spaceself / sti / sta / star / starine / starself / X / X / Xy / Xine / Xself / li / love / lovely / lovine / loveself / ei / e / en / end / endself / dar / dare / darly / darling / darlingself / eye / meye / meye / meyene / meyeself.

gender(s) - girlish , genderflir , etheria , neogirl , nymgirl , luveratix , neigean , kalanagender , snowgirl , snowfallgender , lumilexic , noxventic , pleiadessidrea , spacegender , stargender , fargalaxian , astroscenic , galaxyflower , cosmiclatteic , galain , sueaumoc , noctichrine , canistellation , heavoid , beltzelestial , spacecoric , moongender , galasterios , staric , stargalactic , destria.

orientations - bisexual , masc leaning attraction.

species - half-enderman.

source(s) - c!ranboo , dsmp.

emoji(s) - ⬛ , ⬜ , 🌻 , ❄️ , 🌨️ , 🧤 , 🌌 , 🌠 , ✨ , 🌙 , ☄️

likes - cold weather , flowers , sweaters , comfortable clothes , friends , peaceful music , minecraft and other games , reading , watching youtube videos , meeting new people , stargazing , learning about space , aliens , cats , any animals or pets , going on walks , coffee , repeating things said by others (echolalia) , watching cartoons , cooking.

dislikes - sudden or loud noises , overheating , pain , loneliness , rude people , tags in shirts , cheap jumpscares (they always get hyr and shy hates it.) , sparkling water , feeling grimy or gross , picking sides.

personality description - a friendly and polite alter, they enjoy speaking to friends and people in the systems life any time they front, and love to meet new people when given the chance, once shy makes a friend, shy will remain loyal to them and stick with them in whatever situation they may need help with. while x loves meeting new people, ny often enjoys staying in and watching things on tv, or cooking something nice when given the time. she can often be a bit forgetful, but tries vaer hardest to keep up with things and people in their life, often writing things down in a notebook or notes app to keep track.

typing example / small message - hello, hello! I'm Boo, and it's nice to meet you!! li just thought mrri should write a little message to.. say hello and everything! dai'm honesty very excited to meet everyone in person!! this message probably isn't really enough to say hello properly.. or really say anthing about iceself.. but sti'm sure dai can give a better hello when I finally actually get there!! x'll hopefully see you later?

faceclaims -

( 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 )

[fairytaleprincessart]

[inviiberu]

{The Moonlight Staining His Cheeks Vermillion} Murr SSR Card Story Translation

‧͙⁺˚･༓☾ Murr's 2025 June Bride SSR ☽༓･⁺˚‧͙

Ft. Faust, Akira and a bouquet of...?

Thank you so much @amorest-viesse for proof-reading <3

A Thrilling Bouquet Toss Chapter 1

Outside the window the snow rages over the vast tundra. And in a certain mansion in the Northern Country…

The wizards and I were helping Sir Heine — a Northern Wizard — and his bride with their wedding preparations.

Faust: Once we’re done setting the table, all that’s left to do is to bring the food out.

Akira: Yes! Thanks to everyone's help, we finished in no time at all!

Murr: Look, look! The cutlery shines so pretty in the candlelight~

Faust: Murr! Don’t spin the forks around like that, it’s dangerous!

Murr: That’s the seventh time you’ve said that, Faust~!

Faust: Because you’ve done it seven times.

The sound of Faust’s sigh and Murr’s laughter echoed through the mansion.

In the desolate room, I suddenly turned my gaze to the bride, who sat quietly in her chair.

The bride — clad in her snow-white dress, was now nothing more than bones. There was something about her hands that struck me as unbearably lonely.

Murr: What’s wrong, Master Sage? You keep staring at the bride.

Akira: Ah…

Akira: It’s just that… Even though we’ve done so much for. I can’t help but feel she’s missing something.

Faust: That’s true. She's only wearing a dress and a veil, very simple attire for such a grand celebration.

Akira: I was thinking… Maybe if she had a bouquet, it might feel more like a real wedding celebration.

Akira: Still, it wouldn’t be appropriate to get something for the bride without asking Sir Heine first.

Faust: You’ve always been great at noticing the details…

Faust: Well, I don't think he'd be particularly offended if we prepared a bouquet.

Murr: Let’s make one before we think too much about it~!

Murr: I know a bouquet we can make even in the cold harsh climate of the North~!

Akira: …! Really? What sort of bouquet…?

Murr: Eanul Rambul!

As Murr uttered his  spell, several forks abruptly rose up from the table.

Then, a napkin flew over and tied them together like a ribbon.

Akira: This is…

Faust: A fork bouquet?

Murr: Yup! It’s all the rage at weddings in the West right now!

Murr: By the way, after the bride gets the bouquet. She does this—

Murr: Heave-ho!

Akira: !?

Faust: … Huh?

With a great force, Murr launches the bouquet straight at Faust.

—

Chapter 2

Faust: Satillquinart Mullcreed.

Faust calmly recited his spell.

In an instant, a sparkling wall of light appeared in front of him.

As the bouquet bounced off it like a ball, Murr twirled through the air and caught it.

Murr: Aaw, I got rejected.

Faust: Murr, what were you thinking? That’s dangerous.

Murr: The danger is what makes it popular in the West!

Murr: It’s a “test of eternal love”!

Akira: What do you mean?

Murr: The bride throws the bouquet of forks towards the person she vows to love eternally. In other words, the groom.

Murr: Will he be able to catch it without flinching at its sharp points?

Murr: If he does catch it without hurting himself, their future together will be prosperous!

Faust: And if he can’t?

Murr: It means “Even if there are hardships, I’ll stay by your side.”

Akira: Ooh... Dramatic, but romantic!

Faust: …I’ll never understand Westerners.

Akira: In my world, we also have a custom of throwing bouquets, but it’s quite different from how they do it in the West.

Murr: Ooh! What kind of bouquets do they throw in your world?

Akira: Ah, it’s just a regular bouquet of flowers. But the bride doesn’t throw the bouquet at the groom, but rather the guests at the ceremony!

Akira: It is said that happiness will come to the person who catches the bouquet.

Faust: A peaceful custom, befitting a day of celebration.

Faust: If you want to throw a bouquet, maybe the Westerners should take a page from the Master Sage’s world?

Murr: Great idea! If you say it’s a powerful charm from another world, they’ll jump right on it!

Murr: I’ll mention it at the salon later to see if it really takes off!

Akira: (Throwing a bouquet of forks… I was quite surprised. But it is a trend befitting the West.)

In the end, Faust rejected Murr’s idea, saying it was too dangerous.

I wiped the forks that Murr had bundled up and put them back in their right places.

Akira: Alright. That should be the last one.

Faust had gone to clean in another room, and Murr had disappeared at some point.

As I finished up, I heard a voice call out to me.

Murr: Master Sage—

Akira: Hm? What is it?

When I turned towards the direction of the voice, I saw…

—

Chapter 3

Murr: Here it goes~!

As before, Murr raised something above his head, about to throw it.

In his hands, sparkling in the light, was the bouquet of forks.

Akira: (Huh? Wha-!? I thought I had put them all away!?)

Murr: Whoosh~

Before I could even say anything, the bouquet was already heading straight towards me.

Akira: !?!?!?!!?

Akira: Aah!

Boldly, I reach out for the bouquet.

Just before I was able to catch it, I heard a POP! and the bouquet changed its form.

Suddenly, a bouquet of crimson roses fell into my hands. The fragrance of fresh flowers tickled my nose.

Akira: …Huh?

Murr: Ooh~ Nice catch~!

Murr: Nice job, Master Sage!

Akira: M-Murr…? W-what is all this about?

Murr: Ahaha! I was curious to see how you’d react!

Murr: Hey, why’d you try to catch it? Weren’t you afraid you’d get hurt?

Murr: You could’ve dodged it. Or were you expecting it to turn into a bouquet of flowers?

Akira: P-please wait a minute. I haven’t even processed what happened yet…

Murr: Then take a deep breath with me! Fuu… Haah…

Akira: Fuu… Haah…

Murr: So? What’s the verdict? Why’d you try to catch the bouquet?

Akira: Well… Uhm…

Akira: You told me about the fork bouquet tossing earlier, right?

Murr: Mhmm. Could you elaborate~?

Akira: Catching it safely would bring me prosperity, right? But even if I failed, it'd still mean I'd stay here despite the hardships that come my way.

Akira: I thought it sounded romantic—and besides…

Akira: That’s how I feel about all of you.

Murr: …

Akira: I hope I can continue living happily with all of you. Even if we face some hardships, I still want to be with everyone… Something like that?

Akira: So it just felt wrong to not catch the bouquet.

Akira: Uhm… I guess that’s my answer?

Murr: Ahaha, Master Sage you really are the best!

Murr: Not only did I get the answer to my question. But I even got a passionate confession!

Murr laughs and spins around.

He drifted slowly towards me, like a fickle cat, and leaned in to smell the roses.

Murr: I knew I was right to throw you a bouquet of flowers instead of forks.

Akira: Huh…? What do you mean?

Murr chuckled softly and leaned forward. His shimmering purple hair swayed gently.

Murr: I wish you all the happiness.

My gaze meets Murr’s, who smiles at me through the flowers.

Murr: We feel the same, Master Sage.

Card Episode — Perfect for a formal occasion

Akira: Thank you for telling me about weddings in the Western Country the other day, Murr.

Akira: I was surprised to hear that such bouquet tosses were popular!

Murr: Well then, how ‘bout I do you one better?

Murr: There’s another wedding tradition popular amongst the rich in the West. Want to hear about it?

Akira: Yes! What is it?

Murr: First you cut up the wedding cake and serve it to the guests.

Murr: Then… Surprise!

Murr: One piece of the cake has a chocolate coin hidden in it!

Akira: Woah, what an exciting surprise! What happens to the one who gets the chocolate coin?

Murr: They have to pay for everything! The entire wedding cost!

Akira: Huh?! The entire wedding…?!

Akira: The cost of a rich person’s wedding in the Western Country must be ridiculous…? I can imagine all kinds of luxuries…

Murr: Yup, it totally is! It’s probably a hundred times more expensive than you’re currently imagining.

Akira: Eep! A hundred times…

Murr: Perfect for a formal occasion, isn’t it? A thrill you don’t get to experience often!

Akira: (P-perfect for a formal occasion…? But then again, this is the Western Country we’re talking about…)

Homescreen Line

“I’ll give this ring to you. It is said that the stone shining in this ring brings a lifetime together with someone you love. …Why am I giving it to you? It’s just the whim of a silly Western Wizard. When I saw you smile, strangely enough, I felt like giving it to you.”

[making-your-fave-in-fr]

Could you make my OC a dragon please?

I made Puzzleman from cloverthespacealien's imagination in Flight Rising!

M & F Tundra (Dark Sclera Ice eyes) White/Basic | White/Bee | Mint/Sparkle

Lavish Top Hat, Darkened Eye Scar, Pretty Magenta Neck Bow, Genteel Azure Bustle, Genteel Azure Bodice, Gold Renaissance Shirt, Pretty Purple Wing Bow, Respectable Alabaster Gloves, Respectable Alabaster Spats

Bonus: Don't think I missed that alt outfit!

M & F Tundra (Dark Sclera Ice eyes) White/Basic | White/Bee | Mint/Sparkle

Blue Wooly Antennae, Eastsong Face Mask, Navy Chest Wrap, Polychromatic Bustle, Polychromatic Bodice, Respectable Alabaster Gloves, Respectable Alabaster Spats

[sircarrieart]

I finally made a family tree for the “cosmic/crystal” royal family.

Btw this is gonna be really long lol

So starting off at the top we have Starswirl, the founder and first king of the Crystal Empire. He settled in the Crystal Tundra along with a handful of other ponies and was made king after fighting off a horde of Windegos and creating a magical barrier to protect them from the weather and the Windegos. Aside from being the founder of the Crystal Empire, Starswirl was known for his powerful magical abilities and having two horns. He also established the first magic university where other unicorns could hope to train to become as strong as him.

Next is Sombra. Sombra was a student at the magic university and eventually became a professor. He was known for challenging traditional and made great strides in improving spells and creating new ones. He was able to make such advances because he was also studying dark magic. At one point he discovered Shades, a race of ponies similar to Windegos but moved within shadows instead of in the wind. Sombra made a Pact with one, fusing them together so he could become more powerful. When the Crystal Empire found out what he had done he was banished. Sombra roamed aimlessly until he found a run down town in what would become Canterlot. The town was struggling to survive due to the presence of dragons and the Everfree Forest. Using his stronger magic Sombra was able to fight off the dragons and make a similar barrier to the one in the Crystal Empire to protect the town, in exchange they made him King and the Equestrian Empire was created.

Onto the second row:

Crystal Shore was the heir to the Crystal Empire. She was well liked in the kingdom and was rumored to be as strong as Starswirl, taking up the duty of maintaining the barrier. However she died of mysterious circumstances before she could take up the throne and the duty was passed to her brother Night Light

Nightlight wasn't as strong as Crystal Shore and eventually married the eldest daughter of the Equestrian Empire, Falling Dusk, so she could help him maintain the barrier.

Falling Dusk was essentially the perfect Princess. She was empathetic, ambitious, and strong. She also had a knack for bringing people together and created an ambassador program way before she married into the Crystal Empire to encourage peace through the land.

Her younger sister Celestial Morning wasn’t as… nice as her older sister. She was always more focused on the safety of the kingdom, contributing a lot to the military as an advisor. She was never too keen on the ambassador program, even less so when her sister married into a foreign kingdom instead of staying to rule their’s. Ceslestia eventually came around when she realized they would be given access to the Magical University since she also has an interest in magical studies.

Their youngest sister, Lunar Eclipse, was always a very sickly pony having been down with a disease that stunted her magic and kept her weak. Not much is known about Luna since she was barely seen outside of the palace and died at a young age.

Now into the 3rd and final row!

Shining Armor was born not long after Night Light and Dusk got married. He was always interested in the protection of their kingdom ans decided on joining the military before taking up the throne. While in the military he met Cadance, a Pegasus General, and after butting heads for a while they eventually fell in love. Night and Dusk weren’t too happy that Shining wanted to marry Cadance instead of another noble but Shining was stubborn and they eventually allowed it.

And lastly we have Twilight Sparkle! Twilight has always been super into learning about magic and with her naturally strong magic she sensed up getting into the University at a young age. She doesn’t really care about potentially taking up the throne but since she’s Dusk’s direct heir and Shining is already expected to rule the Crystal Empire she’s first in line for the Equestrian throne.

[gaijin-fujin-resonance]

黄昏のハウリング / Tasogare no Howling

It starts, fittingly, with the slam of a door. A cold, hollow, echoing sound of utter finality. Something has ended. A portal closed for the very last time. And then nearly 10 seconds of silence, as the echoes fade away. It strikes me again: the use of silence on this album is masterful. And yet it’s not total silence. Out of the echoes arises a faint hum, maybe an orchestral pad, with the hint of angelic sighs - a thousand breaths being held at once.

When the first echoey guitar chimes at 0:10, it is the weariest exhale, caught and strung out with an endless delay. Bass and drums kick in at the same time, a stately funeral pace, minimal to the point almost of bleakness. By comparison, even the funereal arrangement of Ai no Soretsu sounds like a costume-party carnival. Tasogare no Howling opens on a barren, windswept tundra. The gleaming guitars are as corruscating as the ice of freezing rain. In the background, a staccato synth-bass drives the procession forward, while all about, tiny squalls of static and electronic noise nip at the ears like gusts of drifting snow.

In an odd way, the orchestration mimics the opening track, Hyakumannayuta no Chiri SCUM, but instead of warmth and welcome, the impeccable sound design creates a cold, cavernous space of loss and emptiness. The only relief from the arctic wind are the tiny, echoing notes of piano off in the distance - I think Yokoyama-san added them simply to provide some warmth and humanity, like a sparkle of sunlight glinting off all the forbidding icy grandeur.

But as on the opening track, the surprise is the deep, tender humanity of Imai’s voice. His lower register, when he sings from his chest tone, is so beautiful, so expressive - you can feel the weary weight of loss, his voice as raw as if he has been up all night crying. Imai has never been a particularly emotionally expressive man; he keeps his cards close to his chest. But as his voice creaks and frays, it’s apparent that still waters run deep. (This is probably projection, but I’ve always detected a touch of alexithymia in Imai. It’s not that he doesn’t have deep emotions, but he seems to struggle to even process the shape of them, let alone express them.)

The arrangement builds slowly. The details are so exquisite: sighed scraps of backwards-masked vocals (0:37); the repeated clang of a metal icepick in the background (0:43); a weird rubber-band distortion (0:55). Shards of jangly guitars drift in about 1:12, wrapping Imai’s voice in angel wings, then around 1:40, haunting electronic sighs like a rising wind seem to lift the song up into the chorus. Chugging rhythm guitars build up the tone in the mid-range, while a charming clinking sound like a marimba made of bones dances in the treble.

Imai’s voice wavers tremulously on the chorus, an unforced vibrato. The contrast between the icy grandeur of the arrangement and the bewildered humanity of the singer gives the song its great power - like an explorer cresting icy snowdrifts, this is a man struggling through an emotional landscape that seems wholly unfamiliar to him. I don’t know why it’s so unexpected - after all, Imai wrote the music for all those dark, tortured gothic anthems, from Taiyou ni Korosareta to Romance. It’s easy to think of Imai as the upbeat, cyberpunk dance-lover, and forget that he sculpted the epic underground caverns where Acchan, Prince of Darkness played.

After the chorus, a piano solo - again, I think this is Yokoyama-san’s work? But the lovely fluid melody creates such a sweet respite of hope, echoing the echoey strums of the guitars, lifting the listener up like the beating wings of some giant beast. The second verse has lush vocal harmonies adding warmth and humanity. The backing vocals are oddly sweet: Imai’s deep spoken intonation of ‘Howling’ mixes with gasps and little exhalations of ‘hoo!’ as if he’s reached the top of a long, exhausting flight of steps. But these extra vocals convey the odd sense that Imai is no longer alone on his journey through the wastelands. The beasts have gathered; the angels are flocking. By the second chorus, Imai’s voice has changed - he has gathered strength from his ghostly companions, as if he is persevering, rather than simply resigned.

And at 4:46, the whole song cracks and breaks open. Do you see what I mean about the use of silence? The guitar feedback rings out at the end of the chorus, then abruptly everything totally cuts out for a split second - like the whole world holding its breath! The calm before the storm, The eye of the hurricane. Christ, he makes us wait for the best bit. Then oh my god, what a guitar solo! A rising squall of feedback, then the pummel of Toll’s drums - and the heavens break open and the storm lets loose.

For two whole chord progressions, Imai just hangs there, on one single note, like a bird of prey on a thermal (I counted it, it’s 20 full beats!) before the note frays, breaks up, that distinctive electronic shriek that means he’s using the sustainer on the Stabilizer Guitar. The tone swoops, shudders, warps and bends - honestly the first time I heard this solo, I actually thought it was theremin, it’s so liquid and quicksilver - before dropping out of the sky. Wait, no, it soars back up, it cries, it wails, a storm of fury and loss and devastation and triumph, a single man howling against nature, howling at god about the unfairness of fate. 

Imai is not a particularly technical guitar player (though he has certainly demonstrated over the years, that he can play elaborate riffs and solos, he just chooses not to) - but the intense emotion of his squalling atonal noise solos leaves me gasping at his sheer expressiveness. The chaotic simplicity of it is devastating. There’s a whole cathartic emotional journey expressed through guitar noise - he falls down, drags himself back up, claws at his hair, spins around, turns himself inside out, then finally, as the drums come to their cataclysmic conclusion, he lets the mood waver and echo away. Still hanging on to the last drops of sound, he swings back and forth over the brink a few times, sawing away at the tremolo arm until the actual note is gone, there’s only echo, delay, reverb, a stretched-out ghost of a guitar sound drifting off into eternity in the silence of the tomb.

It is not a light or easy listen - it’s not a tune you can just have on in the background. It grabs your emotions by the neck and takes them on a terrifying ride through the rawness and bleakness of loss before coming to the peace of acceptance. But the more extreme the human experience, the more extreme the music. This band’s members went through an inexpressibly extreme experience in losing Sakurai; as did the band’s fans. There is no greater gift from a musician to a listener than to express the inexpressible with the rawness of sound. It somehow feels right to listen to sad music when you’re sad, angry music when you’re angry, grieving music when you’re sad and devastated and reeling and grieving.

Music is healing.

Exorcism.

Catharsis.

The whole album of SUBROSA, but in particular this song, is such a gift to the fans - giving us a place to experience, and work through our grief. Thank you, B-T.

[milf-murdock]

Soft Simon Moments (Christmas Edition) 

Simon Riley x Reader.

Angsty fluff. The holidays are a complicated time. It's okay if your holiday isn't all sparkle and joy all the time–it's allowed to be a mix. Sending all my love to those of us struggling a bit this time of year.

Christmas is not an easy time of year for Simon. He would much prefer to be out on a mission, staking out a target in the icy tundra, thousands of miles away from his thoughts and feelings, and even further removed from any hint of the upcoming holiday. 

But this year, for the first time in a long time, he’s trying. For you. 

He’s trying his best to ignore the dull pain in his chest, the way it feels like his lungs are constricting unbearably tight, and the next breath feels impossible. When the tidal wave of loss and grief threatens to overtake him, it’s your arms wrapping around him from behind, the gentle press of your lips against his shoulder, the sweet scent of your perfume that brings him back to reality, to this moment: you two standing in your shared kitchen, countertops covered in flour and sugar. One sheet of cookies rests on the table behind, waiting for their turn in the oven. 

“You okay, Si?” Your voice is a gentle anchor, grounding him in the present. He turns around and presses a kiss to your forehead. 

“Yeah, love,” he murmurs against your warm skin. 

The chime of the kitchen timer steals the followup question from the tip of your tongue. 

“Oh! They’re done!” You can’t contain your excitement as you grab the oven mitt and fetch your latest batch of sweets. “Oh these smell delicious.” You inhale deeply, mouth watering as the sweet scent overtakes your senses. 

Placing the baking sheet atop the stove to cool, you impatiently start to pick at the edge of one of the cookies. “Gotta give one a taste test of course,” you murmur before a hiss of pain escapes your lips as your fingertip brushes the edge of the hot metal. 

“Careful, love,” Simon admonishes, coming up behind you and grabbing your wrist with a gentle touch. He inspects the damage and is clearly relieved to not see anything too serious. He brings the wounded digit to his lips anyways, the motion nearly making you melt on the spot. These tender moments were yours and yours alone. No one else got to see this side of Simon–your Simon. 

“Let’s give these a moment to rest,” Simon comments, nodding towards the living room. “C’mon, wasn’t there a film you wanted to watch?” 

Your eyes light up at the mention of the holiday movie marathon you had planned out. 

“Oh yes! You make the popcorn, and I’ll get it pulled up.” You’re on the move before Simon can say another word, and he just laughs. ‘

It was clear how much you loved the holidays. Your shared flat is decorated from floor to ceilings with holiday decorations. Mistletoe hangs from open doorways, garland is strung up on any available surface, and a shining tree lights up the cozy space. 

It wasn’t an easy adjustment, but Simon is trying. He’s slowly learning how to hold his grief in one hand whilst also making room for this new joy that is building a life with you. 

He thinks about his mum, about how happy she’d be if she could see this. You lean against him on the sofa, all bundled up in his large fleece pullover. He puts his arm around you to pull you even closer as the opening credits roll. You nestle deeper into him, trying to get comfortable, and Simon feels his chest ache–not a bad ache though. No, it’s a pleasant,  unfamiliar ache, like he’s so happy it nearly hurts. Simon didn’t think he was meant for this type of life, this type of happiness; it wasn’t for men like him. But as he sits on that sofa, his whole world in his arms, the soft glow of the tree filling the space, he thinks maybe, just maybe, this kind of happiness could be for him.