#zhel

[kermakatti]

Some recent yiffage sketches featuring me, @hiirenkolo and @icedragondee's Zhel

[zhel-rathan]

The future site of the Graveyard Company Free Company Headquarters - The Mausoleum.

[elissaria-ffxiv]

(@zhel-rathan​  looking good as a bun boy finally)

[zhel-rathan]

[zhel-rathan]

Foster

The Males had returned.

It was a normal occurrence, male Viera coming into the village for mating, and to take the jacks under their wing when they left. It had happened a couple of times in Zheyur’s lifetime, he’d watched them come and go, and take some few others with them.

This time, however, was the first time that he was among those who would be leaving with the males when the time came. It was the first time they’d returned since he came of age enough to be known to be male himself. There was some anticipation, some nervousness - he’d lived in the village his whole life, and now he was to leave.

He had friends he would be parting with, familiarity would be traded for the unknown. The training, he had heard, would be hard... Grueling, intense, all the better to make Wood Warders capable of defending the jungle from invaders. It all felt strange, and a part of him almost wanted to run and hide. But that would be wrong, wouldn’t it? To run from responsibility.

His eyes found the wood beneath his feet, toe tracing along a line in the plank as he waited. Finally, he heard footsteps approaching, and he looked up. A male Viera stood before him, wearing a half-helm over his grey hair, which extended down his jaw, a light dusting until it grew thick around his mouth and chin. “Why so down, child? A new life awaits you passed the village boundaries. Who wants to see the same sights, all directions they look, anyway, hm?”

Zheyur blinked up at the man, confused a bit, unsure how to react to his words at first... But then, the man put a hand on his shoulder, and smiled at him. For some reason, that alone felt... Reassuring. A simple reminder that he wouldn’t be alone, even if one stage of his life was ending.

The male beamed down at him, nodding before letting his hand drop off the shoulder it had landed on. Then, he dropped to a knee, looking Zheyur in the eye. “I am called Valtair. You?”

The younger male blinked again, before straightening somewhat, nodding in return to the elder’s offered name. “Zheyur.”

Valtair grinned now, tilting his head and arching a brow. “Zheyur - sounds strong. But, it flows, as well, doesn’t it? Yes, I think you’re just the jack to learn what I have to teach, Zheyur. We will make a Wood Warder of you, child - and a fine one at that. Now, no sense lingering - there’s work to be done. You ready?”

The elder male stood, hands resting on his hips in a stance that radiated confidence, but a relaxed sort. Zheyur stared for a moment, not quite in awe, but feeling vastly better than he had just a moment ago.

There was a moment of pause, still, a last glance around the village. The familiar buildings, familiar faces... But, a newfound resolve flickered in his chest - he could feel it, like the spark before a flame. His eyes moved back to Valtair, now steeled with determination. “Ready.”

Valtair grinned the widest he had yet, and simply nodded his head for Zheyur to follow before setting off. Zheyur’s own feet were quick to follow, and what once felt so intimidating now made his heart race with eagerness. It was like the elder male had said - there was a new life waiting for him passed the village boundaries - and a whole new world, besides.

Prompt Source | Challenge Carrd | Master Post 

[penumbrasketchbook]

12-23-2025

amazing how spite can motivate me to finish something

[samsaraandbeyond]

OC Introduction: Zhel

Art drawn by Teh-Ray

Azel was the first OC of mine I ever had and he wasn’t even mine starting out. (Which makes Azel the first of the Original Eight of my childhood.)

During my childhood, my brother and I were super into this Doom engine named SkullTag. SkullTag had bots that would randomly send chat messages depending on certain situations and my brother had learned how to create his own. Among one of bots he created was Azel, a trash-talky character that would complain about most of his deaths, talked shit about his kills, and would back any possible compliment towards his opponents with sarcasm.

He was my favorite bot to spawn in whenever I played. This is eventually why I took the name for myself to use online.

Design

Azel went through a lot of iterations throughout the years. From a human super soldier that would always resurrect from a single cell, to a regular human that had energy blast attacks, to a werewolf (a design I kept around!), to the cat they are now. I never had a static design for them in my head until around 2021. Before that, I always imagined them with the appearance of Strifeguy from Strife (the skin he used in SkullTag) and Rock Howard from King of Fighters.

The design I eventually settled on was a cat. I don’t know why. It just seemed fitting. I did have a slight obsession with Jubei from Blazblue for a bit which might explain it. The name was eventually changed to Zhel and his gender was altered for reasons explained under Backstory.

Zhel is also neurodivergent and written with OCD in mind!

Abilities / Traits

A Cat and Their Umbrella

Setsuka (Soul Calibur)

An unorthodox weapon but a weapon nonetheless. Zhel’s umbrella can defend against a surprising variety of attacks.

It was originally given to Zhel for aesthetic purposes but the idea of a cat carrying an umbrella around because the catty stereotype of hating being wet stuck with me. (Zhel is very okay with being wet.)

“I just think umbrellas are neat!” - Zhel

SO MUCH FUN, AND EASY TO DO, ROUND IT GOES-

Bridget (Guilty Gear)

At first the yo-yo was simply a way to ease their nerves, then one day bandits attacked and Zhel improvised.

“...I can’t believe that worked.” - Zhel

“Samsara guide me!” And Then It Does

Shun’ei (King of Fighters)

Zhel had become so attuned with Samsara that they manifested a tulpa from its otherworldly energy for assistance in combat. Expect to be assaulted by the limbs of an unseen being.

“I’m never alone.” - Zhel

Expert Support Magic Mastery

Disgaea 7

The little kitty always wants to be useful to someone.

Zhel is experienced in the magic arts of healing allies and enhancing their abilities. These techniques can also be used on Zhel themselves and can make them a threat in combat even when confronted alone.

“With my blessings, you’ll become the best version of yourself.” - Zhel

First Aid Specialist

Healing magic off the table? They can work with what they have.

Zhel is educated in the ways of the organic body. They have knowledge of various diseases, poisons, their symptoms, knows the proper procedures for tending to a variety of injuries and conditions, and can improvise solutions should proper tools not be available.

"I have a lot of practice with this sort of thing, hehe.” - Zhel

Personality

Zhel is an energetic one, always wanting to impress or help those they consider close to them. They have a tendency to become overly-attached to people easily. On top of all of this, their social skills could use some work.

“I can assist you if you’d like!” - Zhel

Backstory

[Content Warnings: Bullying, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts]

Context

What I experienced through those days began showing its effects on Azel. He went from a goofy character with no real backstory to the embodiment of my frustrations. I used him as an outlet for my emotions. My writing for Azel began to revolve around a world where I had committed suicide and became him. Suicide and self-harm was a prevalent part of his backstory. A power fantasy without the power.

That was Azel’s final development for the longest time. I held onto that mindset for years. Once I got out of that mental pit, I wanted to go back to revisit him; he was my first OC after all.

I changed Azel’s name to Zhel. I felt like I had done more with Azel’s name than Azel himself had and I didn’t want him to represent me more than he already had before. I wanted Azel to be his own person without my baggage. To distance him further from me and because I like characters like this, Azel became androgynous in gender presentation along with the new cat form.

I’ll be referring to Azel as their new name from here on.

I kept the suicide backstory for them. It’d probably be wiser to alter it considering I’ve moved on from that, but just because I’ve moved on doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten the experience. I don’t think I’ll ever forget what I went through and pretending it didn’t happen seems pointless in the long run.

After Zhel had taken their own life, their soul was left in an empty void with no memory of who they used to be. After spending an unknown amount of time there, Samsara had found them and transported Zhel into their world. Thankful for this, Zhel swore loyalty to Samsara as it was the (literal) first being to show them a gesture of kindness.

Wanting to oblige the cat’s request, they were sent to a special pocket dimension where several “stories” would unfold with Zhel being thrown into the leading role. How Zhel overcame these trials would be closely observed.

Zhel would eventually pass the tests they had asked for. In honor of their success, Samsara had given Zhel the title and job of “Overseer of Samsara”.

I’d say they’re a good representation of my mindset back then. Even a bit of representation regarding my mindset now.

All in all, I’d say Zhel is happy with their situation now. They have more than enough characters alongside them to be acquainted with.

“Let’s see what stories we can tell, hm?” - Zhel

See also:

Orea: Zhel’s Nomurian Counterpart

[fantasy-so-far]

Secret Saint of Nymeia: For Zhel

Alice had struggled just a bit with what to get for Zhel, but only because she wanted this first gift exchange to be perfect. It was self-imposed pressure, since she knew enough about Zhel to know that he’d be genuinely grateful for any gift that was either comforting or practical.

And in the end, that was precisely what she settled on.

The box was small, only about as big as his palm, but she wrapped it in bright paper and ribbon and had his name neatly scrawled on the tag. Alice left it by his door, uncertain as to who long she was to remain a secret gift giver. She risked breaking the rules to leave a short note inside, wrapped around the gift.

Blessed Starlight, Zhel!

This is my first year participating in such an event and I wanted to let you know that I was thrilled when I got your name. Someone told me that this sort of gift is frowned upon and seen as lazy, so I hope you like it. If not, I will make it up to you.

She didn’t sign it, but she was certain he’d puzzle out who she was by the words she used. Or, perhaps, the fact that his gift was a certificate of store credit to the Sew Seamly Boutique, owned by Olivier A’court, would give her away, as she spoke of the store frequently. Either way, she was confident that she followed the letter of the law when it came to the company’s game and was satisfied with her attempt.

@zhel-rathan​