#the zeniths...

[moe-broey]

The Zeniths........... (or as they're formally known: Zenith Guild)

I have some fun lore (very loose) about them too!

> Lio and Nia are childhood friends who both transed their genders and ended up having matching cat names (did they do that intentionally...?)

> Lio is driven by the pursuit of knowledge, his greatest desire and passion being uncovering mysteries. Above all, he seeks the truth. He does have a one-track mind about it, willing to go to dubious lengths to achieve this.

> Nia's passions include pretty much anything outdoorsy. She has a great love of adventure and everything that goes into it -- managing resources, foraging, hunting, camping. They'll follow Lio wherever he goes.

> Xane and Alex are siblings who travel together -- one, a humble street performer, the other, a traveling doctor. Alex was highly ambitious, but is currently in their burnout era. Xane has always been a nonchalant ne'er-do-well who seemingly does fuck all. Upon closer inspection, it seems he puts away a lot of his money from performing and uses it to support Alex's pursuits.

> Xane and Alex have a bit of an odd dynamic. Alex, the younger one, seems to be the authority and decision maker of the two. Xane, on the other hand, is far more wishy-washy and carefree, to the point of coming off careless. They look after Alex way more than they let on, though.

> Lilith looks to be the odd one out. She traveled alone for a while, long enough to have a sense of independence, but not so long that she didn't feel the sting. She's extremely ambitious and is very much an overachiever -- no, it has nothing to do with her small stature! And how (infuriatingly!) people underestimate her or even worse, treat her like a kid! (She is around the same age as her peers -- just small.) She has NOTHING to prove. Often, she'll take on double the workload, adventuring with two separate parties.

> Another tidbit about Lilith: The alchemist machinery on her arms doubles as weapons to wield magic and as prosthetics. Her being disabled adds to her deep need to "prove" herself and outperform everyone.

> And one tidbit about Lio: While everyone's classes are reflective of who they are, what they strive to be, what they're passionate about and how that reflects in the expression of self -- Lio is a Dark Hunter simply because of aesthetics. He's just like that. His egg cracked, he got top surgery, and decided he's never wearing a proper shirt ever again and also he needs to be 90% sexier (trans vanity stage). Though could it be a premonition as well...?

A lot of how they ended up as one team was luck and chance encounters. Lio and Nia are forced to seek more party members as they struggle to keep up and stay alive, just the two of them. Very occasionally, Alex will wander around the outskirts of the labyrinth to heal anyone who was lucky enough to get out, but not so lucky to do so unscathed. At the bar, or in the street, Xane will wander and perform. He becomes a fairly reliable source of information, rumors, and connections. Lilith has been simultaneously guild hopping and traveling alone, trying to find her place. I think, they all end up connected somehow through strings and domino effects before they officially all band together!

Additional thoughts that get somewhat spoilery (EO1 plot-wise) --

I HATE. THE FOREST FOLK ARC AND HOW IT PLAYS OUT SO BAD. But for Zenith, I think it lends itself to some interesting characterization:

> Lio is fully ready to disband Zenith and carry out the mission himself. To completely uncover the mystery of the labyrinth, he's convinced himself he can play both sides while under the finger of Radha Hall. A few things are going on in his mind: The ends justify the means (it really doesn't.), him disbanding Zenith is altruistic (sparing his allies and taking all the responsibility himself), him thinking if he can minimize the damage done (avoiding all the fights he can, only fighting when there's no other option) then it's okay actually (now, I don't think that it is LMFAO). Still, all of this shows how far he's willing to go, how he thinks he can outsmart it, and how he justifies it.

Zenith, however, does not disband. Because:

> As said earlier, wherever Lio goes, Nia follows. Which shows just how far NIA is willing to go, and just how unflinchingly loyal they are to Lio.

> Lilith had been fighting to find her place for so long, probably has some abandonment issues to boot. She has finally found a group of people who see her as an equal, value her contributions while never undermining them, and even look after her and care for her -- valuing her as a person. She is not letting go of that.

> Alex develops a kinship with Lilith, as an ex-overachiever now burnout. And, of course, Alex has formed strong bonds with Nia and Lio, too. While Alex is the hardest to convince, I think Alex's deciding factor is Lilith, whether they admit it or not ("You guys are gonna die out there. Like. Super dead.") Were it not for Lilith, they would have dipped and cut their losses.

> Xane's deciding factor is always Alex. Wherever Alex goes, Xane follows.

[miyoriia]

tgirls sharing a black crayon

[feniksido]

Any banite born after 1440 DR can't kiss... all they know is torture gnomes , charge they robots, set traps, be bisexual , eat hot chip & lie

[mamafidjar]

march 2022, shot by me

[starheavenly]

Roddy is one of the hardest characters for me to draw but I love him still!! I wanted to draw the Zenith design with more MTMTE proportions!

[lynxgriffin]

I FINALLY got to doing some more Undertale Yellow fanart, since I know folks have been asking for it! There were so many cute characters, it was hard to pick out some things...

Ed always ends up carrying the whole Feisty Team!

Wanda is fine, don't worry

I like how a running theme with Undertale robots is one wheel and Mickey Mouse gloves

Young Dalv with Kanako have a scary encounter!

A couple Cerobas Going Through It

Micro Froggit!!!

I haven't played the no mercy route, but I had to draw Zenith Martlet because that design was just so kickass

[lovepokemontcg]

illus. sowsow "Lunatone" from Crown Zenith

[littlehappyrabbit]

batch of pixel art done on roblox be upon ye!

[chalkrub]

do you think it’s a friendly wolf

[anthonysperkins]

Frank Hlivjka and Bob Treichia The Captives (1953) dir. Richard Fontaine

[kabukiaku]

happy official zenith release dayyy. inspired by the secondo artwork used 🖤

yes i once again dropped everything to draw him. as i should.

[here1snyan]

I made some designs for Zenith!Starlo, or as I prefer to call him, Sirius

🌟 I'll try and post more art of him here as well, but you can find more on my Twitter/Insta!

[miyoriia]

actually being transgender is fucking awesome i get to look like this in real life

[feniksido]

"We are brilliant." "..."

[mamafidjar]

April 2024, shot by me

[starheavenly]

Some Zenith dratchet doodles!