#zephy thoughts

[zephrunsimperium]

I’ve never liked the idea that pain makes you stronger.

Because if you follow that to its logical conclusion, then inflicting pain upon yourself is beneficial and that is a disgusting idea.

Edit: wrong blog

[zephys-world]

Do you ever just forget to eat food? Cause I do, and then my hypoglycemia is like, "just making you feel awful to let you know you haven't eaten in a while. :) <3"

[vellichorom]

i gotta ask. is there anything specific that inspired your art style?

i really like it, and i just kinda wanna know.

hi don't mind the fact that i respond 6 months after you asked please please please

i guess it'd be kind of lame just to answer with " my style is virtually a culmination of everything i have ever seen before & liked in art " huh;

it's kind of hard to say for certain?

this is going to sound. so silly. but off the top of my head, i want to say that my biggest, prominent influences was the mlpfim artstyle & fucking. danganronpa

the thicker lines & the more vector-like, toony aspects i'd attribute to my little pony ( particularly the denser top eyelashes i draw on characters, if you've noticed; ), & danganronpa really encouraged me to practice a more " realistic " style with more wrinkles on clothes, details to the skin, & balanced proportions ( not that that style has that with everyone's long as stupid fuck legs, among other things ), & having practiced drawing in those styles before, if not having outright tried to mimic them, has pushed me forward to a massive degree i believe.

YOU SEE, if you haven't noticed by this point, i'm a bit of a style-mimicker / copier. when drawing a character from their respective cartoon or media, more often than not, i'm drawing in that show's style or something similarly adjacent. & having DONE that for so long, learning how to get my hands around the style & all of it's ins & outs, THEN allows me to sample elements & techniques that i can put into MY OWN artstyle.

& i'm not saying that works for everyone or that you ought to do it too ( though i might recommend it! ), but it worked for me! & now my artstyle is a melting pot of everything mine eyes have ever seen.

BUT I WILL SAY! when it comes to coloring, which i've had / i have a bit of a harder time with i will admit, i've recently been taking inspiration from SPECIFICALLY @/kanrix & my sibling @/tomiechu! or at least they're the ones i can name off the top of my head beyond random images i find online or All of My Friends. they have good heads around pleasing, interesting, & befitting palettes for the drawings they create & you best BELIEVE my eyestrain or die loving ass is taking tips.

THANKS FOR ASKING! hopefully this sated your curiosity some!

[dhoklaaminoacid]

i wonder how my life had been if i had never made that decision of downloading tumblr

[lil-zephy]

zephy hasn't been sleeping so well these days need to be read a bedtime story and put to bed at a reasonable time sighhh

[multishipper-baby]

Also, random thought, but: Zephyr helping Luna move around when a place is too crowded to use her white cane like the good older brother he is <3

[hockybish]

Scary Uncle Luke

l West Winds au l dad!trevor au l masterlist l

September 2022

Zephyr tends to run into people's legs, he thinks its funny. He'll do it anyone. There have been a couple of times where he's gone up to strangers and Bean and Trevor have to do some apologizing. But if it's one of the guys, they'll pick him up and give him the attention he wants.

One time Zeph was looking for Trevor and he was already slightly upset and tired. All he wants is his daddy. He walks up to the first person he sees that could possibly be his dad (because the person looked really tall like Trevor) but lo and behold it wasn't Trevor it was Luke.

Luke felt something collide with the side of his leg, immediately he knew it was the little boy who had been staying with them at the lake house. This was a common occurrence, so Luke just bent over and placed the child on his hip and continued his conversation with Quinn. Moments later a wail pierced through all conversations being had amongst the guest currently there.

"Zeph buddy, what's wrong?" he questioned Zephyr as giant crocodile slipped from his green eyes. The toddler hid his face in the tall hockey player's shoulder.

"Daddy" the two year old mumbled, barely audible. Zephyr gave Luke the side eye before crying into his shoulder again. This action was repeated a few more times sending Luke into a slight panic, whipping his head around looking for either of the child's parent.

"Dude what did you do?" Quinn questioned his youngest brother.

"I didn't do anything Q, literally just picked him up and he started crying." Luke told his brother what had taken place. The little boy looked at Luke and whimpered again, "and he keeps doing this and saying something I can't understand. Where's Bean?"

"hey Zephy want uncle Quinny to hold you?" he offered, rubbing the up and down the child's back in a soothing manner.

Zephyr shook his head no, leaning closer into luke in an attempt to get away from Quinn's hand, mumbling something unintelligible again. "hmm, what was that?"

"Daddy." he turned his face to the side away from Luke. if he had looked at Luke there would have been more tears.

the oldest Hughes nodded, reassuring the kid that he would go retrieve the person he was asking for. shortly he returned with trevor, and zeph practically left into his arms. he sobbed again curling into the comfort of his father.

"Don't sweat it moose. It's nap time, he's cranky and tired. and he probably thought you were me but when he realized it was you he got scared." trevor shrugged.

From here on out Luke was known as Scary Uncle Luke.

[kabukiaku]

For the ship bingo, thoughts on Zephyr x Ifrit ?

(Idk if you saw my last one so I’m trying again)

i did! i was gonna answer that one lol. anyways, bingo time:

i feel bad for neglecting the other meliora ghouls. then again, they just dont crawl into my headspace so often. i can't blame them. i am just infatuated by terzomega. but i would love to draw my own take on Zephy. esp since I've drawn most of the era 3 ghouls by now.

anyways, despite having no real thoughts about this ship/or the ghouls themselves, i can see vision. they got my approval.👍

[spaghettificationandpretzels]

The Glass Merchant Part Four

Masterlist

Part Three

Contains: Fluff, mild angst.

4.2K words

The truth comes to light

Despite his rushing thoughts, Kai slept like a baby encased in the warmth of the comfortable guest bed with the sounds of the wind blowing up outside. It was considerably colder when he stumbled out of bed, and the sky that shone through the ceiling in the main room was somehow both dull and foreboding.

Minna was there in a long, silky green robe, feeding Zephy a plate of fish with a soft smile on her face. She turned to him and pointed towards the hallway. "I was about to get breakfast, do you want to join me?"

He nodded. "Sure, Love." The silence that followed them through the hallway wasn't awkward, but he'd be happy when it left. She stood in front of the open fridge, looking at her supplies as he took a seat. "About last night?"

She nodded. "I'll answer any questions you have, you deserve that much."

He shrugged. "Ay, but I don't have any." He sighed and rubbed his face. "Look, there's no love loss between Kora and me, she's a little too self-righteous for my taste, I'm just surprised she didn't want to make sure you got your glory, she was all about thanking everyone who helped."

Minna shook her head. "The government kept my involvement out of it; all she knew is that it was a state-run lab that created it." She rubbed her face and took an armful of items from the fridge. "When the Motherworld realised their Dreadnoughts were useless, they just sent wave after wave of soldiers in hopes of winning a war of attrition. The fighting in the streets was bloody and close up, and by the end of it, we just wanted to rebuild; there was no interest in metals and parades."

He chuckled. "So no putting her statue in the town's square?"

She let out a single harsh laugh. "That's not our style."

With the soft tapping of a knife and click-clack of pans, breakfast was slid in front of him with a smile from her. "Omelette with vegetables. Eat fast, the weather report says we've got about five hours until the storm hits so we've got work to do."

****

Kai was shocked at the rush that greeted him when they walked outside; soldiers were everywhere, working with Minna's neighbours to tie down the enormous trees were dotted throughout the block. Eventually, as the skies grew darker, the same glass and metal frames that protected the stalls at night came out of the ground to encase everyone's front garden and all the berry-covered green hedges around the neighbourhood. A soldier handed him a long coil of thick, rough rope and directed him to help with a gruff point as another handed Minna a box of goods. "I need to pack these away and hand some stuff off, just do what you're told and you'll be fine."

He didn't have the time to argue, not with the disaster growing above everyone's heads. It was hard work, throwing the ropes over the tall trees and lashing them to the ground, but everyone was doing their bit, it was an effort he hadn't seen in a very long time.

There was an anxiety in the air, the same that comes when a ship starts to list in the middle of deep space. An elderly man, cane in hand, hobbled over to where Kai was helping another man tie down his boat as he shook his head while looking skyward. "The name's Earl, I live next to Minna, you're new here."

Kai nodded. "Yeah, she's letting me stay with her until the storm passes."

Earl chuckled. "Well you're going to be here a while, it hasn't been like this since I was a boy." It made sense as to why everyone was so hurried.

The man Kai was helping tutted. "Don't scare him Earl, the weather division won't know anything until it hits."

Earl smiled, old and seasoned, like he had told a joke that went over a child's head. "You'll see, this is going to be a once in a lifetime tempest." He reached out and placed his hand on Kai's shoulder. "I have to give your host some extra fish for the blankets she gave me. Don't hesitate to stop by if you want a cup of tea, my doors always open."

Kai smiled. "Thank you."

Earl limped away, and as the last boat finally settled, Kai stretched his aching arms above his head. The man he was helping stretched his hand out, and Kai accepted the firm shake. "I'm James; we're three doors down from you. Is this your first time on planet?"

Kai shook his head. "I was here before to buy something from Minna, it's lovely here."

James nodded. "The best place in the universe." He jutted his head towards the slowing building swell and sighed. "Some of us are taking one of the storm boats out to check for people needing a hand, you wanna come?" His expression was appraising, there was absolutely a wrong answer here.

Kai nodded. "Sure, just let me let Minna know."

James smiled. "Go ahead, follow the pink flower signs, she'll be making sure the med bay is all stocked up."

Even with the building storm, the walk finally allowed him to take in the area past Minna's house. There was a central pathway in the middle of the island linking everyone's homes together, every so often shooting off into a park or public building. Everything was well signposted; some he understood, like a book for a small library and a lightning rod for what must have been the island's power bank, but others, like the pink flower, made little sense. Nevertheless, he took the path all the way along until he arrived at the bustle of the med bay.

He wove past all the people, knocked on the door frame, and waited for Minna to turn around. She did so with a smile and a sigh. "Thank the Goddess, can you go over to the wall and turn on the water pump please?"

He did as she asked, using all his strength to move the valve until it loosened and he heard the rush of water. "You a nurse too?"

Minna shook her head. "Almost, it's a long story." She sighed. "There are three of us trained to work the med bay but we've never been all that busy since the war ended."

He took a second to look around; for a mini hospital, it was a very inviting place. There were five beds along the walls, the far wall lined with frosted glass cabinets and a sink, while the ones on either side contained desks and equipment. "Earl said the storm's going to be here a while."

A flash of worry came over her face before she shook her head. "There's no point in worrying until we get the full report, regardless the military have special ships to travel in the storms so we don't have to worry about running out of supplies."

He nodded. "How long until it hits?"

She shrugged. "Maybe a few more hours." She closed the cabinet and rubbed her face. "I'm done here, we better head back home and lash down the boat."

He smiled and stretched out his hand. "Lead the way Love." She rolled her eyes but looped her arm in his as she began to walk. "Can I ask you a question?" She nodded. "Why a pink flower, wouldn't a medpack make more sense?"

She smiled. "There's a flower called Floscura that grows in our forests, is what most of our very effective and advanced medicine comes from."

He blinked. "Shite, you really do have it made here."

She nodded. "That we do."

They paused as two little children rushed in front of them, Minna smiling as they exchanged words in their mother's tongue before running off again. "Sorry, they don't start learning the universal dialect until they're a little older."

He smiled. "Don't fret about it, it's a very pretty languge."

There was that sad look again in her eyes, and she took a deep breath. "It's called Menian, after a Goddess. My mother…" Her eyes fell to the ground, and her chest shuddered as she turned her head away. "We really need to get back."

He didn't press; he understood the choke of emotions that came with some memories. "I told James I'd head out of a patrol boat with him, what am I in for?"

She chuckled. "I'll give you something so you don't get sea sick, other than that, good luck, I hate drowner duty."

Kai looked at the bright orange swim trunks with a raised eyebrow. "Is this it?"

James nodded. "You won't get lost, what more do you want." He sighed and smiled softly. "You'll be fine, you can stay in the boat."

The iciness coming off the water was enough to make Kai shiver even fully clothed, but he wasn't going to let anything stop him, not with Minna watching from her doorway. "I'll be fine, I used to fish in the rain for my Ma all the time."

James gave him a hearty back slap as his face broke into a grin. "Glad to hear it."

They walked to the dock and Kai stepped behind a curtain to change, he could see Minna walking over above the metal rob and flashed her a smile. "You coming over to wish me luck?"

She shook her head. "I'm coming over to tell you to be careful. The net slashers come out in this weather and they're mean." He gave her a wide-eyed look, and she smiled. "They like the taste of offworlders too." He could tell she was bullshitting him, or at least he hoped she was. He stepped out from behind the curtain with a smile, and she handed him a cup of steaming blue tea. "For your sea sickness."

He didn't miss how her eyes stayed locked on his face, her back stiff straight as she made a point of not looking at his naked torso as he reached out a muscled arm and took the cup from her. "Cheers, Love." He downed it in one, it was somehow hot and cold simultaneously, sliding down his throat like warm honey as it settled in his gut. "That was delicious."

She nodded and took the cup from him. "Good, off you go, you've got boats to rescue."

He grinned. "How about a kiss for good luck?"

She rolled her eyes and stepped closer, placing her hand flat on his chest as she craned her mouth towards his. He should have known by her grin that she wouldn't give in easily, and the soft brush of her lips on his cheek severed to make his blood rush. "Good luck Kai." She stepped back and finally allowed herself to look at him, her eyes raking over his body with a slight tilt of her head. "Don't drown, it would be a shame if you missed dinner."

With that, she turned on her heel and headed back towards the business of preparation, leaving him alone while James laughed behind him. "She's not kidding about the net slasher, they're a real problem." He pointed behind him to the large boat pulling into the dock. "We gotta head out, you ready?"

Kai nodded. "Ay."

Not even the worst storm on Saaldorun matched this, and it hadn't even started raining. Still, Kai watched as the few men and women with him jumped off the boat and into the water to tow other boats to safety and drag half-conscious people out of the water so the medic ships could take them to hospital.

They came up to another row boat in trouble, the people on board working hard to keep the boat upright as the water moved in the wake of their ship. "You guys need a hand?" James's voice was steady despite how worrying their situation looked; one more big wave and the rowboat would be upside down in the water.

"Please, we thought we'd have time to go to the market." The man sounded scared, his body coiled tight, ready to swim if his boat went over.

James slapped Kai on the back and smiled. "In you go."

He took a deep breath and moved to the edge, squaring his shoulders as someone handed him the rope. The water was so cold it felt sharp when it splashed on his skin, and a zip of fear raced up his spine at the look of the broiling sea. But he was no coward, and with another deep breath, he jumped in. The frigid water stole the breath from his lungs, but he still managed to kick his way to the rowboat and tie it up, and with a finally tightening tug, it snapped tight, and he hauled himself back onto the ship.

James was smiling from ear to ear. "Good job, you can do the next one too."

Between the adrenalin and the warmth coming from the vent at the bottom of the ship, Kai no longer felt the cold. "Ay, you just tell me when."

It went on like that until the first cracks of thunder and lightning went off in the distance, and the skies finally opened as rain began to pour from above. A harsh siren went off, and the ship kicked into high gear as it pulled the rowboat back to the Minna's island. "We're not collecting more people?"

James shook his head. "No, now that the rains have started it's not safe, the military will get them home."

Everyone was lining the shore when they arrived, standing in the rain waiting for them to return. Kai hopped off the ship and walked straight to Minna grinning like a fool as she wrapped a dry, warm blanket around him and handed him a cup of tea. "Fire mushroom tea, it will help you warm up. Did you have fun?"

He nodded. "Ay, a boat load."

She shook her head and sighed. "Go inside and have a hot shower. They'll be locking everything down soon, and we need to put the finishing touches on all the prep."

He finished his tea and flashed her a smile. "You're a doll."

She rolled her eyes. "Go, before I make you work in your swim trunks."

He chulked. "You'd like that wouldn't you?"

He couldn't find words to describe how much he loved her look in incredulity. "Go, I've left some clean clothes under the heated blanket on your bed."

Kai needed the hot shower, but nothing beat being greeted by warm clothes when he stepped out of the bathroom to get dressed. It reminded him of when his mother would leave his clothes by the fire so they'd be warm when he returned from working on the farm, and he pushed down the rush of homesickness as he slid the loose linen shirt over his head.

When he walked into the main room, Minna was there, soaking wet and sipping on the same rich smelling mushroom tea. "You look like a drowned cat."

She laughed. "And you look warm. I just wanted to rest for a second before I take a shower myself." She moved closer, reaching out her hand to place it on his shoulder. "Thank you for helping today, James told me how many people you saved."

He grinned. "All in a hard days work." Before she could reply, another siren rang out, much louder and harsher this time, and there was the sound of mechanical creaking as the pathways were enclosed in metal and glass. "I thought the first one was loud."

She sighed. "The first one was the warning, that one was to make sure people are inside." She rubbed her face and pointed behind her towards the kitchen. "We're having dinner at the community hall tonight, you wanna help me cook something once I'm clean?"

He nodded. "Sure love."

She blinked slowly with the exhaustion of someone who clearly wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed, but she smiled softly. "Great." Without another word, she spun on her heel and walked upstairs, leaving him to stew in his swirling emotions as the storm above truly made itself known.

This felt familiar to Kai, peeler in hand skinning root vegetables for a stew bubbling away on the stove with the warmth of the flame making the kitchen feel like a cocoon. The weather was raging above their heads, the rain coming in so heavy that it formed falling sheets on the glass roof while the thunder splintered the air with the rhythm of a machine gun, and the lightning flashed like their muzzles.

"It's really coming down now." Despite the similarity to the hail of war, the fury of the deluge was nothing but pleasant, and he found himself waiting for the warmth of dinner like a balm from a long forgetten childhood.

Minna sighed. "Yeah, this is about as bad as it will get. I'm sorry you've ended up stuck here, I know this must be cutting into your income."

He was taken aback, the last thing he felt was stuck here. "Nah. I got a warm bed, good food and wonderful company, I ain't stuck here."

She smiled and shook her head. "You never turn off the charm, do you?"

He smirked. "Is it working?"

She shook her head, but the smile on her face gave her away. "No. Now, if you're finished peeling the vegetables, you need to cut them so they can go in the stew."

He tossed the peeler into the sink and reached across her to grab a knife, making sure to lean into her space as his fingers curled around the handle. "You sure about that?"

Her eyes fell to the bench as she did her best to hide her expression. "Yep." She lifted her head and their faces were close enough that their noses almost touched. "Can you hurry up with the vegetables please, we don't want to be late."

He fought the urge to kiss her. "Alright Love, your wish is my command."

As night fell, the sky went from dark grey to pitch black while the storm roared overhead, flashing light through the darkness with an unpredictable burst of sound and glow. Kai watched from the couch as Minna fed Zephy, his little grabby hands picking up the bits of cut fish and inspecting them before using his razor sharp teeth to tear off little bites. "He loves his tucker."

Minna chuckled. "He will do anything for food." She had just finished packing all the food they had cooked, there was the meat and vegetable stew, savoury pancakes and bread and whipped dessert that smelt like cream and honey.

"How did you come by him?" Besides fish and birds, he hadn't seen much wildlife, although she had explained before that there was plenty if he would just pay attention.

He was getting used to brief flashes of emotions on her face, anger then sadness this time. "Poachers killed his mother and tried to smuggle him off planet. There's a roster for caring for injured wildlife, and my number came." She walked over to Zephy and scratched his soft head. "He was only a few days old and sick when he came to me, in the end, he couldn't go back to the wild."

Kai had run into his fair share of professional poachers, they were just as bad as Motherworlders. "What happened to the bastard that took him?"

She smiled, it was almost sadistically cold. "You didn't read the pamphlet and all the signs when you came in? We killed poachers here." He understood the fondness she had for the furry purple creature, especially as he raced over to Kai to hand him a half chewed bit of fish. "He likes you."

He chuckled and made a show of pretending to eat it as Zephy chattered happily at the sight, running back to his dinner once he was sure he thought Kai had eaten it. Minna walked over and palmed the piece, tucking it into a tissue and hiding it on the tray of food containers. "We gotta go."

The outside world was something to see, even with the pitched shells that protected all the footpaths from the storm. The walk to the community hall didn't take long, even accounting for how they had to stop to make room for everyone coming out of the homes with trays of food. Minna paused to toss Zephy's gift in one of the many rubbish bins and by the time they were close enough to hear people talking, he could smell the food wafting from the door.

They were greeted with warm waves as they entered, and someone pulled out a chair for them both while someone else took the tray from her. Everyone was seated at a massive oval table, children on their parent's laps as the man standing at the door waved the last person inside.

With the table full of people and food, dinner began. Kai noticed that some people were praying over their food, their palms folded in front of them as they muttered under their breaths. He waited until they were done, turning to Minna for an explanation, and she smiled softly at him as she clarified. "Most of us still believe in the Old Gods, it's just a thank you for the food and the company."

He nodded. "Ay, my Ma was the same."

Before he could say more, the elderly woman sitting next to him took one of the many small bowls from the table and placed it in front of him. "That's one of the best dishes here, I wouldn't want a guest to miss out."

He smiled. "Thank you Ma'am."

She brushed him off and introduced herself as Lilly, and before long, everyone joined in. Between the food and being welcomed like a friend returning from long travels, he felt something settle in his chest, something which, while he knew what it was, he wouldn't dare name.

It felt like his plate was never empty as time went on and conversation filled the air. There were dishes upon dishes, and by the time dessert came, he felt like he couldn't eat another bite. Nevertheless, the table eventually cleared, and as it grew later, the people with young children left for their warm beds. They went with the last group, Kai lingering to chat with a new friend as Minna helped clean up.

By the time they returned to her house, he was ready to sleep himself but she dragged him over to the couch and waved at him to sit down. "We should know how long the storm will be here by now, they'll be playing the weather report on the Hologlow on repeat."

Before he could ask what the Hologlow was, a transparent screen slid out from the wall, and a picture slowly came into focus. He grinned and shook his head, once again marvelling at how normal everything felt. "You have a telly."

She nodded. "If that's what you call it. We've got millions of channels and things to watch, too." She huffed. "We're just like everyone else, I promise."

She made herself comfortable, shoving Zephy towards the middle as she sat on the opposite end. They turned their attention towards the screen, and she clicked a button as the video began to play. As if the technology knew they had just arrived, the newscast started from the very beginning. He could see the uneasy look on her face as they showed a moving map of the planet, her mouth slightly open while she barely blinked like she was scared she'd miss something. She clicked the small controller in her hand more, and the dialogue switched to her native Menian while universal subtitles appeared on screen.

"Once in a century storm, currents reports have its duration at one month. You are advised to prepare to have the forest festival indoors this year."  

She clicked the dialogue back to universal and turned to him. "I'm sorry, sometimes it's just easier to understand in Menian."

He smiled. "Ay, I understand." He hated how concerned she looked, like she was worried he was upset, so he leaned in as close as he could with Zephy between them. "We got a whole month together, I guess we better think of things to do."

She grinned and met him in the middle, once again close enough that they were almost touching. "I'm sure we'll think of something." A yawn from here cut off his plans to steal a kiss, and she leaned back to stretch. "But right now, I'm going to bed."

She stood up, and Kai joined her, not yet moving to his guest room. "You need company?"

She shook her head. "Nope, I want sleep, not whatever you've got planned."

He chuckled. "Alright, you know where to find me if you change your mind."

She huffed and turned on her heel. "I won't. Goodnight Kai, sleep well."

He was never going to get tired of riling her up. "Goodnight, Minna, have pleasant dreams."

She was already halfway up the stairs with Zephy following behind her, and he made his way into his room. As he settled into his warm bed with the rain and storm overhead, all he could think about was how happy he was to be able to stay here with her for a whole month, coin be dammed, this was the most joy he had been in years.

Part 5

@red-orchid @rayslittlekitten @laurfilijames

[zkfae]

Three Little Images and a Fun Little Tale

So I came up with my two key OCs a little over a year ago while playing with a picrew

Zephyr K. Fae (They/She/He)

And Meryl E. Dansen (She/They)

I wound up loving these two so much I decided it would be fun to imagine them as roommates. Then I started getting some art of them done via commissions. Once I had a few all together, I realized I could work a mini story around them and posted that to my twitter. Figured now that I have this tumblr, I may as well post it here as well.

So, check it out (and the arts that inspired it) below the cut (and let me know what you think if you read it):

___________________________________

After a long day at work, Zephyr could only think of one thing they wanted to do as soon as they got home. Rushing to strip off their work clothes and taking out their supplies; diapers, wipes, and powder.

After laying everything out, they got to work, unable to stop smiling through the entire process.

Next up was putting the rest of their outfit for the evening together.

First up was a pair of black thigh highs, then their favorite top (mainly because it gave her wings room to breath that her work shirts didn't.)

One final touch was the collar their mommy had given them last time they'd seen each other (Zeph needed to remember to take pictures of themself wearing it for her later.)

Zeph went up to their full length mirror to appreciate how they looked. Wanting to take in every angle of a sight that had become less common recently.

Time management was never their strong suit and it's only gotten worse in the past year. Barely holding head above water on the stuff that needs to get done left no space for what they wanted.

But tonight, they were pushing that out of their mind and appreciated the sight of their own padded bottom with a simple thought.

"It's been too long!"

(art by floofnfluff)

Zeph stepped out into the living room to settle in for the night. Stretched across the couch was their favorite punky pink catgirl and roommate, Meryl.

Her ears twitched hearing Zeph step out of their room. She sat up, looked them up and down as they walked by, and rolled her eyes.

"Ugh… My roommate is such a baby…"

(art by Princess Molly)

Zeph sticks their tongue out back at her

"You're wearing a diaper too!"

"Mines covered up, though."

"By fishnet tights?"

"It's called 'fashion'.", Meryl affirmed with a smirk.

(art by toddlercasper)

Zeph kept walking away from the cat with a smirk of their own and said, "Well, if I'm such a baby then I guess I'm too little to make dinner tonight."

Meryl stood right up at that, "That's not fair! You promised breakfast for dinner tonight!"

Zeph stuck their thumb in their mouth in performative defiance, "Sowwy, babies not twusted in the kitchen."

As they kept stepping away, Meryl snuck up behind Zeph and lifted and swiftly lifted them off the ground.

Zeph yelped, "HEY!"

"If you're going to be a baby tonight, then I'm putting you down for a nap.", Meryl insisted.

"NO FAIR!", Zephy shouted while kicking their legs.

"If little Zephy Fae doesn't feel like being big tonight, they can live with a little naptime."

"Come oooon! Put me down!", Zephy whined

"You know the magic words to make me stop."

"I'm sorry and I'll make dinner." Zephy pouted

"Not those ones."

With a sigh, Zephy let out exactly what her Roommate wanted to hear, "Meryl is always bigger than me…"

"Very good.", Meryl said as she set her roommate down. Her purple tail was waving back and forth with pride at this victory.

She gave Zeph a playful pat on her diapered butt and watched as they walked into the kitchen

Zeph was barely able to hold back their own giggles as they went along. Being able to play out moments like that with her was exactly why Meryl was the best friend they ever had!

~Fin.

[jazz-bazz]

Zeezee

remember the victorian vampires headcanon that @webbyghoul and i posted in september? and that Webby made into a series of fics including a couple that i wrote?

well we just had a new thought, so if baby Phantom (i think he should be around 5-8 years old here?) calls everyone else as Aunt or Uncle (except for Omega who’s Dad), but there’s no gender neutral form for Rain and Zephyr, what does he call the two then?

Rainy and Zephy would be weird, as it‘s also their nickname from the others sometimes, so I had Phantom call Rain “Rainrain” bcs i thought it’s cute, but it won’t work for Zephyr because Zephzeph is just too much of a mouthful 😂

after some more thinking i came up with “Zeezee“. and then Webby said to me “It's so cute just imagining little Buggy running up to them for the first time saying that and they have no idea who he's talking to until he gets to them.“

zero editing so if you see any mistakes no you dont 😬

Most of the family were gathered in the mostly unused dining room planning a surprise for little Phantom, whose birthday was coming up soon. They had decided on a party, which the little one was excited about, he wanted a bat themed cake with little puppies and for everyone to be wearing a costume. But in addition to that, they also wanted to gift him something special, something meaningful, something that says he’s a part of the family even thought they were still of different species for now, but nobody had any idea yet, not even Dewdrop.

Omega was tasked with distracting the little bug while everyone else brainstormed his present. But he must’ve been having difficulties reigning in the little energy monster, as they heard the sounds of little feet running in the hall shouting, “Zeezee! Zeezee where are you? Dad said you’re somewhere in the house!“

Everyone in the dining room looked at each other with confused faces, “Did Omega get another puppy for Phantom?“ Swiss wondered out loud.

“Not that I know of,” Cumulus replied.

“So who’s Zeezee then?”

Cumulus just shrugged, having no idea herself.

“Maybe a new haunted plushie?” Rain questioned, making Zephyr shiver, the Terzo plushie scared them so much, with its creepy eyes and unmoving mouth, yet it can still communicate somehow.

“But there’s no spirits left here as far as I know,” Mountain as the oldest of the vampires there, and the owner of the mansion, answered.

Meanwhile Phantom kept running around the mansion shouting for the mysterious Zeezee, apparently with Omega chasing after him telling him to slow down and stop.

They all heard the little bug running past the dining room a few seconds before Omega entered, “Kids these days, I’m sorry everyone, I tried my best but he just has to do it now.”

“Do what Megs?” Ifrit asked him the question everyone was wondering about.

“We decided to talk about the party some more, and he had this great idea about his-“

Just then the subject in question opened the door quite loudly, “Zeezee! There you are!” He said walking towards the vampires gathered around one end of the long table.

“Who’s Zeezee, little one?” Cirrus asked him.

“Zeezee! I had an idea for my costume,” Phantom said to Zephyr after he got in front of them, “May I get a suit with a cape like Uncle Swiss has, but pretty like the dress Rainrain wore last week to the ball, but not blue like theirs, can I get them purple like Uncle Aefer‘s eyes, and maybe decorated like Uncle Mounty‘s glasses, and then may-“

“Whoa slow down Buggy, first things first, I’m Zeezee?” Zephyr asked him.

“Well yeah! Dad said you’re like Rainrain, not my uncle not my aunt but something else, but I don’t want to call you just your name because that’s weird because you’re old, so Zeezee! Get it? What do you think?”

“Excuse me I am not old, little one. You’re just really young, that’s all. But I love it! And yes I will make your suit for the party, would you like to come with me to shop for fabrics tomorrow?”

“Yes please!” Phantom said with a big grin, and then he turned to his father, “Can I, Dad? Please?”

“Of course, sweetheart.”

~~~

anw i just love the little bug so much 🖤

[zephrunsimperium]

FIDDLEFORD'S NOSE WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME IT DOESN'T TRANSLATE TO MY STYLE AND I HATE IT-

Thank you for coming to my TED talk

[zephys-world]

I was watching a movie the other day and there was some scene where past abuse was brought up. And I thought, “wow I’m surprised they didn’t tag that as a content warning.”

And then I remembered that I was watching a movie and movies do not come with tags.

This is what fan fiction has done to me.

[phyrofwild]

Location: The Lostlands.

Time: Late Afternoon.

Closed: @alrikhart.

Phyr had already felt the other's presence long before he'd made himself known to him, and it couldn't be any other way since everything that surrounded them was part of the Wild which lived in all creatures and that he could touch into as a Genasi. "Isn't it beautiful?" He looked over at the wastelands, mostly untouched by mortal hands due to their essence, empty of what some would call society, and at the same time full of life. The ever-expanding green had not left this place since the moment it'd been created, so he still could feel its will even if people couldn't.

Although the barrier could be seen in the horizon, Zephy could not be bothered. "I might have a job for you... If you're willing risk, that is..." A short smile established itself on the Dúnedain's lips, playful in nature but innocent at the same time. "I want to know if you hear of any news in regards to this group's leadership going forward... Who is in command and who is playing the fool who thinks they are in command. I heard the Princess made quite a good impression in her little adventure..." It was almost too funny when he thought about how one's power rising within the group could affect the others so much.

[seradae]

Hostile Takeover: Chapter 1

As she sat on the train, 150km above Tibet, Zephy racked her brain for the last time she had been to Lagos. It had to have been close to 10 years prior, when it was still the epicenter of the cyberware world; getting her neurotransmitter moderator, maybe? As she thought about it, she idly pulled up her level monitor on her HUD and brought her oxytocin down; this level of stress wasn't going to do her any favors for this negotiation.

She felt her center of gravity shift as the train car veered off the express track and gradually slowed, arriving at the Lagos station. A short ride down to the surface later, she stepped out onto the street. For May, it was unseasonably hot -- and seasonably humid -- but the sea breeze felt wonderful on her skin. Deciding to walk the kilometer or so, her HUD navigated her to the restaurant listed in the invitation. As she passed a bakery, the smell nearly diverted her, but this wasn't a pleasure trip; she'd still be the first to arrive, as planned, but it wasn't worth taking the chance. Not on this job.

The sign on the restaurant read "Élan Eko" and as she approached the door, two smiling hosts opened the heavy black and gold doors from the inside. "Welcome, Ms. Hawke," one said as she stepped inside, leading her to the beautifully-appointed, private dining room. "May I get you a drink while you wait for the rest of your party?"

"Grey Goose and tonic with lemon, please," she said, setting her bag on the chair next to her. He gave a curt nod and in the few minutes he was gone, she had already pulled out her laptop, pairing it to her network of implants. It'd been years since she actually used the screen for any serious work, but it was useful to show clients her designs as she fleshed them out in her mind. She closed her eyes, quickly sketched out a blueprint, then opened them to see it rotating in 3d on the screen, her drink sitting next to the near-archaic device.

She sipped at her drink as she watched the meeting time grow closer, wondering how many others would be showing up for the briefing. The only one she knew for sure was "Mr. Nexus," who was getting the crew together. As she idly thought about it, the first arrived: they were stocky, wearing polished combats and a well-tailored black suit, standing 165cm tall at best. Their hair was short and neon green, with one side shaved. Despite exuding an air of "don't fuck with me," they came up and offered a handshake. "Hi! I'm Crush, she/they. I don't think we've worked together before."

Zephy stood and sheepishly said, "sorry, I don't shake hands, but it's good to meet you! I'm Bitmancer. Don't think I've had the pleasure yet; been working for Mr. Nexus for long?"

"Bitmancer? You hackers always have the best codenames," she said with a grin. "Only a few small jobs so far, but we've all made it out alive. Can't complain about that." She chuckled, taking a seat and offering Zephy to do the same.

"'Any one you walk away from', my old partner always said. Well, until he didn't, but that's the life," she said with a wry smile and a shrug. The server came by to take their drink order and arrived with it as Mr. Nexus entered the room.

They both stood and gave their greetings. "Good, the whole crew's here! Have you had a moment to introduce yourselves?"

"Just chatting about the life we've chosen for ourselves," Crush said with a smile.

He gave a good laugh at that and then took a sip of his Old Fashioned. "So, how do you two feel about murder?"

[lil-zephy]

zephy no sleepy!!