Name: Zephyrus Lagana
Nicknames: Zeph, Lasagna
Age [appearance]: Late teens (nothing supernatural about it, he just looks a little younger than he is)
Age [actual]: 21
Gender: Male
Species: Nymph (Air)
Hair: Zeph’s hair is naturally the same ash-gray/blond that has come into vogue in recent months. He keeps it long on the top and short on the sides, usually in a messy, wind-blown style.
Eyes: His eyes are the same clear blue of a sunny spring day, often sparking with amusement and curiosity.
Frame: At 5’9” and 140 lbs., Zeph is thin but deceptively well-muscled. Dance and circus keep him in incredible shape.
Tattoos/Distinguishing Marks: Zeph usually wears a nose-ring, and has a small tattoo of a compass legend with the a stylized letter “W” on the western spoke on his right wrist.
Personality: Zeph is best described as a “spaz”. He has virtually no attention span at all and even when thoroughly stoned, his brain moves so quickly that he and everyone around him are hard-pressed to keep up. He speaks rapidly and has a tendency to “get lost” in the middle of sentences. His mannerisms can lead to others underestimating his intelligence, as he is actually quite bright, if unconventionally so. He self-identifies as “a total airhead, haha!”
Like the Spring wind he was named for, Zeph is a warm, gentle soul. He seems to genuinely care about everything and everyone. He’s fairly naive and extremely trusting, making it a little too easy to take advantage of him. He’s self-aware enough to recognize his shortcomings, though, and tends to have a good sense of humor about them. He doesn’t really take anything
too seriously.
He’s stoned basically 24/7 and embodies most of the traits typically associated with marijuana use. His memory is terrible. Even as energetic and animated as he is, he still comes across as fairly “chill” - he is devoid of prejudice and often tries to look at situations from multiple angles. He’s almost always smiling, often at nothing at all. He makes himself laugh constantly. Almost everyone is “dude” or “man” to him, unless they remind him thoroughly of their preferred pronouns (see “His memory is terrible”). Philosophical conversations intrigue him. He’s creative, but lacks follow-through. And he is hungry
constantly.
Isolated from any kind of society for most of his life, he’s constructed a lot of what he knows from pop culture. He tends to try to relate to situations through that lens, with varying results.
History: Like many nymphs, Zeph grew up in a small enclave of his own people. His mother and her family had travelled to the United States from Greece well before he was born and settled in the Rocky Mountains. They claimed direct descent from the god for whom Zeph was named, and thus, Aeolus himself. The Lagana clan were all performers, relying on their preternatural grace to dazzle audiences in the area and support their isolated, remote lifestyle.
His mother, Agathe, was exceptionally beautiful and talented. Were it not for her commitment to her family, she could have had her pick of the dance companies the world over. She was content with performing on small stages and at fairs, though, and she still earned plenty of attention. One admirer in particular left a lasting impact on her life.
His name was Martin Gorham. A real estate mogul based out of Denver, he happened to catch one of the family’s shows while taking his son to the state fair. He bribed his way backstage and all but begged her to dine with him, but after their night of passion, she was gone without a trace.
Nine months later, Zeph was born. He was the only child in the clan at that point; he had teenage cousins, but the age gap was too great for them to really be considered peers. His whole family had a hand in raising him, and he grew up in a setting of warmth, love, and dance.
His education was handled by his grandfather and aunt. While they did cover many mundane topics as best they were able, much of their coursework was derived from folklore and legend. They were much more interested in teaching him
their history than human history, and they instilled a great deal more about their craft than they did trifling matters like math and science. They were forces of nature, after all.
He had a happy, magical childhood. Once he was six, he began taking part in the performances. He particularly loved to tumble, and he developed an interest in circus arts early on from interacting with other acts. Other performers and audiences were his only real exposure to the real world for years, but he loved every minute of it. He made friends easily with everyone and anyone, particularly other children of performers.
One evening when he was ten, he spent a few hours after a performance playing with such friends. When he returned to their motel, he heard the sound of arguing around the back, near the pool. His mother was there with a man he’d never seen before.
“C’mon, Agathe. I have a right to see him.” The man sounded angry and sad. He reached for Zephyrus’s mother’s hand, but she pulled away.
“He’s grown up without you. He doesn’t even know you. And we don’t need your money. You already
have a family.” His mother was using the same voice she used when Zeph was in trouble.
“He’s my son, damnit!” The man took a step toward her, and Zeph couldn’t help himself. A sudden gale developed, forceful enough to send him stumbling over the edge and into the water. His mother spotted him, her eyes wide… and then she began to laugh. The man thrashed and shouted until she helped him out.
The three of them sat down, and Agathe explained that Martin was indeed his father (and reminded him that he should never use his command of the wind in the presence of mortals). She also explained to Martin what they were, in the hopes that he would understand why she had never told him about Zeph.
To his credit, Martin handled it well. He and his wife had divorced years ago, after she had uncovered another of his affairs, and she had taken full custody of their son. When he’d seen Zeph performing he’d put two and two together and realized the truth.
“I can’t be in his life, but I wish I could. And I’d like to be in yours, too.” That was to Zeph, but then he smiled to Agathe. “Both of yours.”
From then on, Martin turned up at most of their shows, and Zeph and his mother would often go to the city with him for a day or two afterward. Zeph never stopped being amazed by Denver, particularly the downtown area, with its buildings so tall and so fragile looking all at once. For all his failings, Martin proved a loving father-figure, and they were happy.
The rest of the clan tolerated it for a time, but eventually they began to question all the time that Agathe was spending away. They worried that Zeph was going to lose his sense of who he really was, and they had good reason to. He was developing a profound fascination with human culture, returning from his trips with new comic books and eventually even a cell phone, which he watches videos on constantly. Agathe ignored them for a while, but the tensions only grew.
One day, she told Zeph to pack his things even though there wasn’t a show. She was very upset, but refused to say anything more. Zeph did as he was told, and then the two of them hiked down to the base of the mountain where Martin was waiting with his car.
He was fifteen when they moved in with his father. Heavily influenced by the shows and movies he had been watching, he demanded to go to a normal school with normal kids. Both of his parents were hesitant. He was a sweet, bright child, but he would stick out horribly among other teens. They reached a compromise: Martin hired a tutor, and Zeph would be allowed to go to a local youth center provided that he kept up with his work. If he could get his GED, he could go to college as well.
He struggled with the coursework, but thrived at the youth center. He had his first boyfriend within a matter of weeks (“How Greek,” Martin had drolly remarked), and soon had a circle of friends- mostly queer teenagers, many of them creatives with an activist bent. He solemnly came out as a vegetarian, and begged Martin to let him enroll in circus classes.
He went through a string of boyfriends by the time he was eighteen, when he decided polyamory sounded better for him. By then he had been introduced to pot, and his parents were both stunned at the improvement in his schoolwork after he started smoking. They had actually tried using ADHD medication for a while to no effect, but marijuana seemed to help him slow his mind down, so they decided not to worry about it.
He managed to scrape by his GED by the age of nineteen. Martin began briefing him on a variety of local colleges with programs he might like, but Zeph had already decided that he wanted to see more of the world. He stubbornly insisted on being allowed to apply to schools all over the country. He wanted to experience the dorm life he had seen in countless teen comedies, and he wanted a chance to live on his own. He loved his parents, but he knew he needed some room to grow on his own, without their protection.
Martin was reluctant, but Agathe talked him into it. His unusual situation made it difficult, but he was eventually accepted at the Watson University of the Arts. Everything with his father was a negotiation, so there were terms: he had to get a part-time job, he had to keep a C+ average, and he had to come home at least twice a semester. Martin also reserved the right to visit whenever he wanted, unannounced, since he’d be footing all the bills. Zeph, elated, agreed to all of it.
He has been in the city for about a year and is studying Dance. He got his fill of dorm life quickly and ended up moving into a studio, financed by his father. He works at a New Age head shop in the artsy part of the city, and is excited to be starting his fourth semester.
Awareness of Supernaturals: Zephyrus is really only aware of nymphs, but he does have a wealth of knowledge about other supernatural creatures fueled by pop culture. He’s also fairly well-versed in Greek mythology.
Occupation/Job: Zeph is a cashier and salesperson at a New Age head shop called “Vibrations” in the city. They sell a variety of crystals, incense, etc., along with various smoking paraphernalia.
Domicile: Zeph has a small studio apartment not far from the university in a building that caters largely to students.
Interesting Facts / Quirks: Zeph is completely ambidextrous. He’s also somewhat dyslexic and prefers television and movies to books. He is a “garbage-tarian”, meaning that he is vegetarian but mostly eats junk food like french fries and pizza. He prefers vaping to actual smoking, and also vapes with fruity- and other sweet-flavored juices. He also prefers to be barefoot whenever possible, and will wear as little clothing as is feasibly possible in any situation.
Hobby/Hobbies: Dancing, Clubbing, Netflix binging, Circus, Activism, Climbing/Hiking
Likes: Heights, all kinds of boys, junk food, coffee, sci-fi and fantasy series, live comedy and music, dancing, circus, massages (giving and getting), getting high, “deep” conversations, queer people, stoners.
Dislikes: Republicans, clothes, meat, sad/intense shows and movies, sitting still, mean people, people who try to define him, cigarette smoke.
Strength: Zeph is an unfailing optimist. He can always find the bright side of any situation, and he seldom is down for very long. He is also quite charismatic in his own way, and tends to end up spreading his cheerfulness wherever he goes.
Weakness/Flaw: Zeph is hopelessly naive- he will always believe the best in others until he is left with no other choice. It isn’t too hard to trick or take advantage of him.
Powers: There really does seem to be some kind of connection between Zeph and his namesake, the Greek God of the West Wind. Associated with the warm, gentle breezes of the Spring, most of the manifestations of his connection to his element are as pleasant and enjoyable as he is.
He is actually quite powerful, in a raw, untrained way, but he doesn’t use his abilities often these days. His parents instilled the need to keep them secret in him. He does occasionally use them to embellish smoke tricks, though.
On the rare occasions that he is stirred to anger or extreme emotion, the air around Zeph will begin to stir, and he is capable of commanding blasts of wind up to 74 m.p.h.
Story Hooks:School Daze: Zeph is studying Dance (with a focus on Ballet and Modern Dance) at the Watson University of the Arts. He’s usually around campus during the day for classes and often has various rehearsals and performances in the evenings.
Step right up, step right up!: In addition to taking boutique circus classes in the city, Zeph can sometimes be found at The Carnival and Caravan Park. He has friends among the performers, and though he isn’t officially part of the show, he will sometimes practice with them at the big top. He has a keen interest in learning trapeze.
Zeph vs. the Homosapian Agenda: On many Fridays and Saturdays and some weekdays, Zeph can be found taking part in the thriving gay scene of the city. He prefers clubs with dancing and upbeat music, but sometimes appears in other types of establishments.
Hit or Myth: Zeph has an interest in mythology that he occasionally indulges despite his academic difficulties. While Greco-Roman myths are the nearest to his heart, he is fascinated by similar stories from other cultures as well.
There’s a crystal for that: Zach is still learning, but he has been exposed to many New Age principles while working at Vibrations. As a result, he had developed interest in a variety of subjects, from wholistic medicine to modern occultism.
