#zepperaith the dreamer

[sonicexelle-junkary]

Curiosity

Don’t worry, Monolith is fine, he’s dreaming after all. Zepperaith… I’m not so sure.

[moderator-monnie]

Some shitposts created by @an-artist-place-for-extra-art for the COTH au, me and my friend rose love our doomed yaoi lol and just shitposting is so much fun.

Bonus

[thefakehedgehogaroundhere]

i mean.... it worked

(au belongs to @moderator-monnie and @sonicexelle-junkary)

sketch under the cut

[sonicexelle-junkary]

I like them so much, dear lord.

[sonicexelle-junkary]

Help me, I love these two way too much.

[sonicexelle-junkary]

I can’t stop thinking about them dear lord.

[sonicexelle-junkary]

Realized I haven’t drawn anything in like a week, so have this to make up for that

[sonicexelle-junkary]

Comic practice with Zepp again. I miss drawing this fella. Based on a part from part of a fanfic me and @moderator-monnie did a bit ago.

[sonicexelle-junkary]

Little fully coloured PMV/animatic of sorts with Zepperaith and my oc Bedlam! (He is not strictly a horror character, nor a Sonic character. I just think this was fun.) This audio was too good to pass up.

(If you wanna read the fanfic this version of Bedlam is in, go here.)

[sonicexelle-junkary]

And to compliment his unofficial “boyfriend”, here is an updated/official reference of Zepperaith cause the old one wasn’t really one anyways.

[moderator-monnie]

The Dreamer's Confusion and A Warriors Anger.

Zepperaith stood in the middle of a city, stepping very quietly through the streets during the middle of the night. The street was crowded with sleeping people, all blocking building entrances.

Zepperaith could feel someone on the verge of sleepiness and smashed his hand through the window, grabbing onto the person, which turned out to be none other than Plutonium, panting heavily and looking up at him with fear and shock.

"N-NO, NO NOT AGAIN!!! I DON'T WANT TO SLEEP; I'M NOT TIRED! PLEASE STOP !!! JUST GIVE ME BACK MY HUSBAND!"

Zepperaith held her very gently before going, "Silly little goose, it's okay... Just slee-"

But he paused mid-sentence, hearing some angry shouting, and Zepperaith put her down, the eye disappearing as he looked around in the middle of the street, trying to find the source.

In that time, she managed to run off and hide somewhere else, but Zepperaith's attention was turned elsewhere, and thankfully, he soon looked down before seeing Knuckles looking up at him with a mixture of fear and anger, the sleeping ones all staring at him. 

Zepperaith was still as a statue, seeing Knuckles in that exact moment; he swears he could see Monolith staring up at him.

that cute, gentle smile on his face, then, in a flash, he saw the spear go through him, and the illusion he saw disappeared. 

Just revealing who was actually standing there, this wasn't Monolith, but Zepperaith still swears he could feel him in there, not to mention the hosts body... Sonic's body had its heartbeat intensify at the sight of Knuckles, like they were close.

Knuckles growled before shouting and raising his fists into the air. "LET SONIC AND THE OTHERS GO, YOU OVERGROWN TROPHY CASE!"

Zepperaith just listened for a few moments. It wasn't a familiar voice. Zepperaith knew this wasn't Monolith, but yet the sight of him brought him great pain and confusion before he sighed, his eye slowly began to open, and he looked properly at Knuckles.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"I can't do this... I can't face you."

Knuckles was about to make a snarky retort to that, but he weirdly stopped himself, feeling a pit in his chest at hearing the strained voice of Zepperaith sounding saddened. It felt oddly familiar, but among all else, he still had Sonic's body, and although he knew it wasn't Sonic, he did struggle with wanting to hurt him. 

Knuckles soon shook off his feelings and continued to shout.

"WELL, YOU DON'T GET A CHOICE, UNTIL EVERYTHING IS BACK TO NORMAL, I'MA KICK YOUR BUTT FOR SONIC'S SAKE!" 

Knuckles began to run towards Zepperaith, sprinting down the street and jumping onto cars, and street lamps trying to climb onto a building, but before he got to the god of dreams, 

Zepperaith disappeared; he couldn't do this, not right now; he was not ready to confront knuckles, not while his mind still felt like this.

Knuckles groaned loudly and shouted very annoyed, "YEAH, YOU WOULD RUN! YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE KNUX!" 

Knuckles then heard a gentle sobbing coming from the building next to him from the window close by. He took a deep huff before calming himself down. He wasn't the 'best' at comforting others, but he had to try, not like there was anyone else to do it right now. 

Both Zepperaith and Knuckles left that encounter with confused feelings in their chests and minds. Who knew how their next encounter would go?

@sonicexelle-junkary

[moderator-monnie]

Aftermath And Familiarity. (part 1)

Curse Of The Hedgehog/Coth Au Co Owned With @sonicexelle-junkary

Knuckles was on Angel Island currently just leaning against one of the pillers, relaxing after everything that has happened recently, but his relaxation wouldn't be able to last for long because soon his sunlight was blocked by a looming shadow covering him and a large area around him.

Knuckles sighed heavily before slowly opening his eyes to see Zepperaith's head above him staring down. The echidna warrior felt a little tense, considering this 'god' was the reason for all recent events, but even Knuckles could tell by now when someone was remorseful about their actions and he knew the god was in fact genuinely sorry, so he begrudgingly decided to give the dreamer a chance.

"What do you want, Dreamer?"

Zepperaith continued to stare for a few moments, getting lost in his thoughts and knuckles genuine beauty; it made him a tad flustered before he decided to sit down next to the emerald and slowly rubbed at his own cheek. He took a deep breath and then proceeded to reply to the Echidna and start speaking.

"My apology, my fair warrior. I simply lost myself for a few seconds looking at you once more; your so much like someone I once knew... In more ways than you might know, but even despite that, I know you aren't him. He's gone, and I've fully accepted that finally, honestly, I think I can appreciate you for just being you. Because if I am being honest, you are a fine man yourself."

Knuckles blushed a little and grumbled, crossing his arms as he sat up and looked away from the god. He was not used to anyone talking to him like this, besides Sonic, but that was just Sonic being annoying; it didn't mean anything; it couldn't, right? Knuckles was always confused about his feelings towards Sonic, but right now that didn't matter.

He looked thoughtful for a moment to soak in the Dreamers words, and soon it reminded him of something he wanted to ask, so he took a deep breath and sighed.

"I am aware of some new things from my tribe thanks to you, which I'm thankful for. But I don't know much about Monolith; I think you said his name was; apparently we're related according to you? like a descendent so like. Can you maybe tell me about him?"

Zepperaith took a deep pause before slowly staring up at the sky and watching the sun's careful movements. He could never stay for too long in the waking world without a host but the warrior; no Knuckles deserved to know all about Monolith and so much more, so he shrank down his physical form to still being taller than Knuckles but at a more manageable size, soon leaning against the nearby pillar close to Knuckles one. 

"Okay, where do you want me to start?"

Knuckles looked a tad surprised to see him suddenly change size like that, but honestly, it did make talking to the god far easier; he took just a moment to think before staring at Angel Island and around its beauty, a sight he never got sick of.

"I want you to start at the beginning, please."

Zepperaith took a moment to look at his knuckles before simply nodding his head, and he took a deep breath. 

"Okay, I can do that; I'll get through as much as I can."

The Dreamer then began to start right at the beginning of how he met Monolith and his tribe.

[moderator-monnie]

Restored Document

This is a restored historical document detailing the captured thoughts of one of the ancient echidna's and The Echidna Empire.

This is a story originally written by me, but rewritten to be less wordy by the one and only amazing @sonicexelle-junkary and I thank him highly for helping me.

For the past few weeks both me and my tribe have been dealing with a recently discovered being. Well, more like it had discovered us. At first, we all thought it was an odd coincidence that we all dreamt of the same deity, but our initial thoughts were proven wrong when it had decided to show its face in the waking world.

It had presented itself as "Zepperaith the Dreamer". A deity that watched over the unconscious and promised to give those a pleasant sleep. Despite the tribes fear and skepticism of it, they have taken upon to appease this being for now, as angering it would give unnecessary conflict.

The deity often stays near the shrine we had built just on the outskirts of the village when it visits outside of the dreaming world. Perhaps it knows how his presence unnerves the people here. Though, how I have observed it, I am surprised it cares at all.

It seems to be a peaceful entity with its promises of an incredibly great rest, giving everything we need to continue to do our work, and it has delivered on that promise. But as well, it seems rather … childish?

It doesn't seem to take things seriously, often telling jokes or making comments that the others find distasteful. I often find myself chuckling at its way of speech, despite the stares I receive because of it. I do not know why, but it's presence gives me a slight form of comfort. Perhaps this is why I was chosen to be head priest of its shrine, and why it seems the god has grown a bit fond of me. It had given me the nickname

"Monty" after I had told it that my name was "Monolith." I find it rather intriguing as to how casual it seems to be.

All of this has made me a bit of an outcast to the other members of the tribe. But I know that they are all just afraid of this being that is about as big as our own temples. Admittedly, I too fear of the one who awaits in our sleep. Thankfully, it doesn't appear that often, nor does it stay around for too long as it has stated it needs a host in order to stay in the waking world for longer than it has.

I am still skeptical, but truthfully, the thought of being the God's host excites me. I still fear for what would happen once it has taken over my body. If it would still be good like it has promised, or if it would suddenly turn on my kind. But, I still can't deny how I feel my chest tighten at the thought of it.

It has only been a few weeks since Zepperaith has let himself be known, but I plan to write down any information I gather about this deity. Something tells me that it likes to talk about itself.

~ Monolith.

[moderator-monnie]

I am super curious abt what happened to monolith after he became the host

So uruhhhmn what happened there

Monolith likely took a lot of convincing from Zepperaith's words; in a sense, he would be giving up his own body so his god could stay in the waking world, and his tribe would likely be mostly against this.

But Monolith had become devoted; he could see the good in Zepperaith even if others could not.

What did become of Monolith, though?

Well, it happens to all hosts of the one true god of dreams; they enter the world of Zepperaith, the dream realm, no longer able to see, hear, or witness anything through his own eyes with his own body.

But within the dream realm, his every whim would be catered to too, and of course Zepperaith could talk to Monolith anytime he wanted. Being very good at multitasking, it's very likely Zepperaith gave him a window into reality, allowing him to see everything Zepperaith now sees.

Zepperaith, with his first host, would likely take a few suggestions from him but ultimately do his own will. They likely saw the entire world together at each other's sides in a sense, always returning to the tribe at night.

But Zepperaith being a lot more immature and rude as he was, well, he made a lot of mistakes, and that would make the tribe unhappy, and that would pile up, and up until …

That faithful day.

While Sonic had a similar experience ending up in the dream realm, since he was an unwilling host, he was never given a window into the waking world, and Zepperaith never paid him any visits, seeing him as nothing more than a vessel to complete his will and to bring the world to what The Dreamer thought was 'complete peace and harmony' 

Their relationship as god and host was nothing like Zepperaith and Monoliths. All I can really expand upon is that the dreamer didn't want to get close to Sonic because, deep down, he knew he'd lose him too, and Sonic reminded him too much of himself; that's why he was chosen as the host after all.

It was the first and most obvious choice.

And due to his treatment of Sonic, well, that might be why he would willingly choose to sleep if he did realize what he was doing was wrong, but is the good ending canon? or is it just one of many outcomes? I simply do not have the answer alone.

[moderator-monnie]

I'm so interested in Zepperaith and Monolith.

What did he do as Zepperaith's host? Or should I ask "what did Zepperaith do with Monolith as a host"?

Not having much time with Monolith as his host, Zepperaith likely didn't get todo much but what he did do his explore as much of ancient Mobius/Earth and show his host the world.

While also spreading good dreams to everyone they came across, however being alot more cocky and reckless then when in the future sonic becomes his host.

One of the biggest reasons leading to the clan forcing them to separate and Monolith's death was because Zepperaith's first attempts at the 'sleeping ones' the leaders of the tribes feared not having control of their bodies and took actions to prevent it.

Monolith didn't do all too much, but he did give advice to Zep thru the mind scape and they would talk to eachother as much as possible slowly growing their bound, but even Monolith was terrified by the sleeping ones, and tried to talk Zepperaith out of it, hence why they were willing to split apart with the dreamer not using Monolith as his host.

[moderator-monnie]

Aftermath And Familiarity.

(part 2) Out of (4 parts)

Curse Of The Hedgehog/Coth Au Co Owned With @sonicexelle-junkary

"I'd honestly start the story with a once upon a time, but come on, this is a real story, not a fairy tale, but let me tell you, young guardian... My time spent with Monolith did sure feel like a fairy tale. That man... He made me feel so many wonderful things."

Knuckles cleared his throat and looked over at Zepperaith to help him get back focused.

Zepperaith let out a sheepish laugh before he nodded.

"Mmm... Right, you are Knuckles. Sorry,  sometimes I get lost in thought. I just sometimes I realise, I can't stop time, and there's no chance for me to admit to him; I want to call him mine."

Zepperaith took a deep breath.

"Sorry, the story let me start properly."

Zepperaith stared off into the sunset as he began to recount his story properly. 

"I technically had always existed; I mean, I'm a god; even if dreams didn't properly exist within mortal beings, other gods still had them, so surely I was needed, though my real purpose wasn't really set in stone until the first mortal's arrived."

"For years, I just remained as a figure that would watch and rarely interacted, but as time went on, I began to get more bold, learning how my powers could effect mortals, learning more on the scope of what I can do."

"And as I discovered more, I gained more... adventurous, more chaotic, as some might say."

"Though as a god I didn't have many interactions with mortals, so I didn't exactly know how to behave."

Knuckles scoffed and crossed his arms.

"Oh, like you know how to behave now, huh, Zippy?"

Zepperaith laughed along at first as he answered, "I'll have you know, I am getting bett-" Though he stopped as he heard 'Zippy' it made his heart sink and he cleared his throat. Knuckles could see the sudden distraught impression, so he decided not to push it. 

"Continue," he said.

The Dreamer nodded slowly, deciding to start to get to the point.

"Right... Right.... Anyway, I had encountered many mortals; of course I did my job for anyone I came across; it was fulfilling, but I slowly learnt my limitations in the waking world; I couldn't exist long without a host."

"The several clans and tribes I came across, they all had people lining up by the dozen offering to be my hosts, but none of them interested me; I just didn't feel that... Spark, you know? The needed connection."

"So many different early Mobians had tribes, each with their own gods and beliefs; plenty loved me, plenty hated me for how strange and chaotic I could be."

"I kept searching for what felt like decades, and that's when I felt a powerful aura on top of a temple in a giant area and saw the master emerald for the first time."

"But I didn't just discover that; I discovered what turned out to be it's 'owners' or rather, those who claimed to own it."

"The Echidna Tribe."