Kazai (oc) - Tumblr Posts

Drew Kazai to wind down a little bit after mock exams! (Fucking finals still coming up I hate it so much) since I wasn't very satisfied with the previous sketch I did of him (that was never uploaded, I think. I liked how I drew his face back then but alas from the hair to the body to the incomplete clothes I just... couldn't like it)

He looks like his older sister, who is the mother of AU!Arslan! Also he's Shapur's hubby. Go figure.

I still need to add his tats but that will come with the colouring stage (I haven't even decided what they should look like 😭 Does anyone got suggestions? 😭) I need to add his bracelet too, almost forgot.

I read your posts, they are very interesting! Thank you for them! I would like to ask who is Kazai? Is this a canon character or not?

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy my posts!

Kazai is @tired-reader-writer's OC (original character). If you want to read more about him, you can check the tag for him on their blog!

This is so wonderful

❤️❤️❤️

I love the emotions that comes through it

Have to read it twice 😊

Shapur didn't think today could've gotten any stranger, truth be told.

One moment he'd just found out Isfan and his mother had been cast out into the mountain, the next he rode out alone to go fetch them, only to find them both surrounded by wolves and Isfan held in a young man's arms.

The man's face, indulgent and gentle towards the toddler, hardened the moment he laid his eyes on Shapur, then drew a blade and pointed it at him.

“Have you come to finish them off?” he asked, wolves growling behind him.

Shapur looks at him now, digging a grave under a large, dark tree adorned in bone-white snow. The same shade of white as his hair, he notes somewhat absently, a warm bowl in his hand. The soup poured from the waterskin is still somehow warm even in this cold weather— how strange. It couldn't have been a short trip, or else he would've made it in time to save Golnar as well.

And the wolves...

Isfan is cooing at one, reaching out a small hand to touch the nose. The wolf moves closer, allowing the boy to touch it. It licks Isfan with a rough tongue, making the boy laugh.

The man turns to meet his eyes, face much kinder than it was mere moments before. “Did you know her name?”

“Golnar,” he answers readily, and his heart does a little leap at how the man's eyes lit with approval.

“Golnar,” he echoes. “Thank you.”

Shapur looks at her, wrapped in a pale shroud. The man's cloak, that he gave up without complaint.

His heart aches for Isfan, for both of them. She didn't deserve to die like this, and Isfan doesn't deserve to lose his mother at such a young age.

If only he'd done more for them, if only he could've protected them, if only, if only...

He is brought out of his thoughts when the man sings, a voice soft yet strong, resonating in cold crisp air as if he sings to the mountains themselves and the mountains sing back, soft-packed earth and sunlit snow and naked branches. As if there's a thousand singers, thousand and one, overlapping and saturating the air like ocean waves, but there is only one singer and none other.

With deep-dark soil and half-melted snow still on his hands the man has the heel of his palms pressed together, one up and one down... It's a gesture Shapur has never seen before, just like he's never heard the song either. He knows none of the words too— a foreign language, he realizes. But they're still in Pars, in the Elburz mountains of the north. This should feel wrong, this should feel out of place, nothing is familiar.

And yet, and yet...

And yet Shapur feels at ease. It's comforting, even, though he doesn't know why. The song has made a home in his bones and warmed him from within, the wintry winds won't reach them here.

He listens, in silence, closing his eyes and adding a Parsian prayer in his thoughts. He may not be able to follow along a foreign song, but this he can do.

The man's prayers blend with his, and the wolves start to sing too. A mournful, restless howl— their voices join the chorus and his own thoughts, together making the song full and complete.

After they'd lowered her into the grave, he belatedly realizes that he hadn't asked the man his name. He takes a deep breath, uttering the question though his voice comes out shakier than he'd have liked.

“What is your name, kind stranger?”

The man looks up from where he kneels, smoothing the earth with his hands, as if startled. A heartbeat passes, and he answers, softly, “Ayunnen.”

“Ayunnen...” He tastes the name on his lips. What an unusual name. “I am named Shapur. And this boy... Isfan. My half-brother.”

“Yes, so you told me.” He smiles.

Daylight dwindles above them, the sun's rays fading behind soft grey clouds, taking with them what little warmth they had before this point.

“You best head back now, if you hope to make it home by night. Dusk is coming, and soon it will be nightfall.”

“Come with me,” Shapur says suddenly, clutching the now asleep child in his arms. “Come work for me. You will be rewarded, and provided for. Gorgan could use someone like you.”

“I cannot,” the young man replies, fondness in his eyes. “I will not.”

“Why?”

“Things I must do, people I must protect.” Ayunnen turns to stare deep into the woods. Does his home lie there? What does he see that I don't? “People like Isfan,” he says, and then looks at the fresh grave before them. “People like her.”

He stares at the grave, a sharp pang of pain stabbing through his chest. Like her, like them. Has he had experience with this? Is that why he was so ready to cross blades with Shapur, so sure that he was a hunter sent to finish them off? Tears cloud his vision, unbidden, and there's something lodged in his chest.

He almost jolts out of his skin when a gentle hand cups his cheek. “I can't come with you,” Ayunnen says. “This is for the both of us. Please understand.”

He cannot answer.

Neither of them acknowledge the tears shed silently.

That was their first meeting.

It was not the last.

---

The next time he sees Ayunnen, it's a year later, almost two— when the leaves turn gold and trees have begun to shed them for the coming winter.

He would oft ride up the mountains all alone, in search of the kind stranger that would not leave his mind—

I've finally found you again. I've been searching all this time.

There he is, seated underneath a hornbeam tree, birds nesting in its foliage and singing alongside his own song. The song has a light, airy sort of quality to it, the sound of strings filling the air with sweetness.

The wolves were nowhere to be seen, though, which he finds odd.

Ayunnen's face blooms into a gentle smile when he sees Shapur. “It's you,” he says. “Where is your little one?”

“Home,” he says, “My parents aren't there, and my men will keep him safe.”

Ayunnen pats the spot next to him. “Come sit.”

They talk.

They talk about Isfan, about their days, about mundane things, anything and everything at all. He wed a girl he's loved since childhood. Isfan's growing healthy and strong. There's a small group of bandits seeking to cause trouble. Did you know that the wolves belonged to my wife, actually?

Their conversation is more than words. It's the smiles, the gentle shrugs and the light in their eyes. The content of the conversation itself ceases to matter anymore, only that they're here, next to each other.

They fall silent afterwards, as silent as they can be with birdsong and music in the air, as silent as can be with the rustling of leaves and the whisper of the wind... Even without words this feels comfortable.

He stares at Ayunnen, his gentle hands and gentler voice, humming softly as he idly played his oud.

“Come with me,” Shapur asks again. “Come with me to Gorgan.”

Ayunnen looks at him, fingers halting on the strings. He shakes his head. “You know I cannot, Shapur.”

“They will be protected too,” he pleads. “Gorgan will care for them.”

He will make certain that it shall be the case. Ayunnen, his wife, and whoever's up there that he's sheltered and provided for. He swears it, in the deeps of his mind. They will be safe. They will be.

“You know it can never be. You can't put Gorgan in conflict with the entirety of Pars, can you?”

“That's—”

“It's more than just sheltering a handful of people, Shapur. These are escaped slaves, victims of cruelty and abuse— and Pars was the one who wounded them. Taking us in will put you at odds with the country itself.”

Shapur's words die in his throat. There it is, the truth he hadn't been able to face. His father's lack of care and his mother's cruelty, they were not things unique to only them, or one-off events— no, the problem runs deeper and deeper still, the country he loves from his core hurting its own people.

People like Isfan. People like her, Ayunnen had said back then. People I must protect.

How many more? How many people like them are out there? How many had been saved, and how many had not been? He feels a hand in his hair, tucking away the frayed edges of his mind, grounding him in a way he's never been before.

“Ayunnen, who's that?”

Shapur's head snaps up. It's a boy, younger than them— fifteen at most, cat-like eyes squinting warily at Shapur. When did he get here? He didn't hear anything— The boy's arms bear winding patterns of bright bold colours, not unlike the fallen leaves of this season. He spots the design of a leaping cat. Painted on? Tattoos, perhaps?

“Where's your sister, Kazai?” he says, smiling. “And he's my friend. I met him two winters ago.”

“The one with the little brother?”

“The one with the little brother. Kaz—”

“Oh!” the boy— Kazai— brightens. “So it's you! How's your little one? I was so surprised to hear Ayunnen didn't bring him home, y'know? That's never happened before.”

“Uh... He is well—”

“Why are you up here, by the way? Chasing another brother up these slopes? What about your brother? Will he be alright?”

“I came here to look for Ayunnen, actually,” he says, barely processing the sudden onslaught of conversation. “I wanted to thank him.”

“Ah, Ayu shoulda told you there's no need. It's our job and all that.”

“Your job?”

“You didn't know? We look after these parts. Somebody always winds up—”

“Kazai, where is Kashi?” Ayunnen interjects, with the practiced patience of someone who's used to dealing with him a hundred times or more.

“Hm? Oh yeah. She was moping around, like usual, y'know? Then she suddenly got up and hopped into the woods. She said she wanted honey.”

“Oh dear.” He doesn't even look the slightest bit surprised.

“You know how she is, Ayu. She probably had the epiphany of her life or something.”

Kashi. Ayunnen mentioned her. His wife, and the master of the wolves. Whenever Ayunnen mentioned her his voice was full of warmth. She has blue eyes, he said, deep and dark as the midnight sky. Her head is always full of thoughts, and her hands are strong. This boy must be her brother. Ayunnen said he was bit like a whirlwind, that one, and Shapur can't say he disagrees.

He watches them talk, not sure when he should say anything but also not wanting to anyways. It's a warm sight, and soft. He'd like to watch this forever if he could. Which...

“Oh Araya's boots— I'm gonna be a man next year, y'know?”

“No, Kazai.” Ayunnen flicks his forehead, evidently stifling a laugh. “You'll always be our precious boy.”

“Why must you be like thi—”

Shapur takes a deep breath. “Will you not consider my offer?” He sends Ayunnen a look, hoping it conveys his sincerity enough.

“My answer will not change, Shapur,” Ayunnen says, sadness in his brown eyes. “Why don't we head back now? You too, Shapur. Surely your little one must miss you.”

“Is there really nothing you will accept from me?”

“I wouldn't say so, no.”

“Then what can I give you that you won't refuse?” What will he ask for? They don't seem like people who'd ask for riches and rewards, and he awaits the answer with bated breath.

“The promise to nurture your brother, safe and sound.”

He can't help but wilt. “Is that all?”

“And I'd like to be your friend.” Ayunnen gives him a warm smile. “You are a good fellow.”

Shapur blinks. “Will we meet again?” To become friends... surely they will, right? And maybe finally he'd be able to do something for them when they are friends.

“If you wish. Only, don't wander in blindly, it's easy to lose your way in these woods.”

He feels his cheeks warm a little. “You knew?”

“I had a feeling. Oh, and try not to come too often. We'd like to avoid... prying eyes, so to speak.”

And his heart's back to being heavy again. Anger roils, deep beneath the surface— oh, not at him, never at them, but at the whole situation itself, and his own helplessness.

If only I can do more...

“I understand,” he makes himself say. They'll be safe if they're by his side, he is sure of it. He just needs to make them see it. “Then... I shall see you again.”

---

They continue meeting like this.

Their meetings aren't planned, and they often miss each other, but that just makes the times they actually run into each other all the more precious. The hornbeam tree becomes the first place he goes to find them, and often he does find them there— though sometimes they'd run into each other elsewhere.

Like today, for instance.

“Hah, when will those guys learn?”

“They need ta stop tryna invade our turf. That's just rude.”

“Well at least the fight's done and over with today. Ahhh, the noise probably chased our game away, damn the jerks.”

“Oy, Kashi, ya ain't coming?”

“You lot go on ahead. I'll catch up later.”

The blood-red blooms of poppies and tulips have begun to wane, as spring goes by and summer approaches. Under the dappled sunlight among the boughs and bright green leaves, he rode up in hopes of finding them today, only to run into a skirmish between Kashi's people and a group of bandits— a cacophony of battle-cries and metal-on-metal and the cries of crows.

“Well, if yer sure.” The man gives Shapur an uncertain glance before walking away, his friends in tow.

He stepped in to help, but really they didn't need it. Under Kashi's lead the group fought bravely, and the bandits had been soundly defeated, even as the bandits outnumbered the hunters and they were fighting on difficult terrain.

The crows certainly helped, in any case, swooping down and taking eyes.

Kashi's strength was nothing to scoff at, either. If only she were born a man, outside these mountains and in a good enough household, she might've become a marzban.

They're both seated on a log, Kashi pouring something into a small wooden bowl, intricately carved. She's in her armor, as she always is, worn over dark long-sleeves.

“Here.” She hands the bowl to him. The scent of tea hits his nose.

“Thank you.”

They fall into a comfortable silence. The crows are probably up in the canopy above— He may not see them but he hears them. Ayunnen's crows, as the wolves are Kashi's. Summer light dances on them, on the earth under their feet. Kashi's chewing on some nuts, eyes staring somewhere faraway. No doubt her mind is wandering elsewhere.

“Is this a regular occurrence?”

“Hm?” She blinks and turns to him. “Want some nuts?”

“No, thank you,” he says. “The bandits, I meant. Do they come often?” He will have to dispatch some men to help deal with it, if that's the case.

“Sometimes. They were quieter before but I think they're getting restless. They want control over these parts.”

“I see...” He supposes it makes sense— In the southern parts of Pars the Zott clan reigns stronger than the rest, but one would be hard-pressed to find a clan like that here up north. The clans are smaller, more scattered— it's no surprise that one of them may try to claim supremacy. He ought to do something about it.

“It's a mess. The other night we found a wreck of a caravan. Only a kid lived.”

“Only the child?” His stomach churns at the thought. “How are they now?”

“Only one. We were looking for other survivors, if there are any— No such luck yet, sadly,” she says, gulping down a mouthful of tea. “In shock, that poor soul. Ayunnen has him, he'll settle down soon enough. Oh, that kid. He's about the same age as your boy, actually.”

Shapur blinks. “He is?”

“Probably. Looks like five or six at most. He was shaking and hiding, and he thought me a bandit too.”

He imagines Isfan in that boy's position, alone and scared in the dark of the night, and feels bile rising up. No. He will not allow it to happen. Never. He doesn't even want to entertain the mere idea of it.

He decides to divert his mind instead. “How are they?”

“Kazai and Ayunnen?”

“Who else?”

Kashi snorts. “Well, that's my bad,” she says, “Ayunnen's working on new weaves. Sehara and Tulnokhi started moulting, you see.” She pops more nuts in her mouth. “Kazai's back home too. I left him there to take care of Ayunnen and Gieve— that's the boy we found the other night, by the way— and well, the usual. Climbing everything that can be climbed, making mischief.”

“The boy is in good hands.”

“He is.” Kashi smiles fondly. “How are things on your end? You look tired.”

“That's...” He sighs, looking ahead, into the deep green woods. “I am the lord of the castle now.”

He can't see her, but he can imagine her eyebrows going up. “Truly?”

“Yes. My father passed.”

Kashi sucks in a sharp breath. He looks at her. She isn't looking at him, only ahead, somewhere beyond these woods.

After a long silence, she says, “I'm sorry for your loss.”

She says no more.

His father... When Shapur was a boy, he looked up to his father like any little boy would. He thought his father strong and just, the pinnacle of what he should strive to be, but... it turned out to be untrue. The older he grew the further the gap between them became... Until his father sired Isfan and refused to do anything for his little brother.

Things were irreparable by that point.

He still doesn't know what he should feel, truth be told. The man was callous and uncaring, but his father all the same.

“Won't you come with me?” He is the lord of Gorgan now, with more authority than he had before as the heir. They've always steadily rejected his offers, but maybe now...

“Have you gone mad? You'll only earn enemies if we do.”

“That is untrue,” he insists. “My name shall protect you. You shall be safe, as well as your people. You will have resources and safety more than ever. Why do you not see it?”

“Listen here, Shapur. You can't lift an entire village and drop it in your castle. You're a young lord, new to the scene. This will just cause unnecessary conflict and headaches for you.”

“You can leave the village. I will make sure it is looked after, I swear it. Surely the three— no, four of you can come to Gorgan?”

The gaze she gives him is stern and harsh. “We're watchers of the mountains, the mountains sheltered us in our time of need and we serve it in turn, and take in people like us too. We swore it, an oath before the Heart Tree.”

He bristles. “I am saying you need not confine yourself to this remote place— your oath can still be fulfilled from within the castle too. You will have easier access to resources, even!”

“At what cost? A target will be placed on your back, larger and bolder than any other. You're already shouldering many a responsibility, ruling a castle and protecting your brother. Adding more would only make you trip and fall.”

“I can handle it.”

“Can you? What will you do when some lord or slaver inevitably kicks up a fuss about the escaped slaves, branded or otherwise, under your protection? They will be in no less danger than before, and you and your brother will be placed in more trials to boot. Protecting one person is different from... from this, you ought to know.”

He cannot say anything. What would he do? He racks his brain for a solution, anything that might convince her, but there is only darkness and silence.

“Shapur.”

He has nothing to say. How can he meet her eyes?

“Hey.” He voice quiets. Softens. “I know you're just trying to help. All three of us do.”

“But Shapur.” She lays her hand on his thigh. “You ought to know that some things... they're out of our reach. Trust me, I've thought of saving everyone. Dreamt of it. Wept for it.”

“You have?” His voice is hoarse.

“I have. I learnt it, the hard way. That sometimes there's truly nothing you can do. You don't go out and wave your sword at a storm.”

“...What happened?”

She looks up at the sky, an indescribable look in her eyes. Haunted, gaze even farther and more faraway than usual. “I don't want to talk about it,” she whispers. “Not now. Not today. Maybe someday, I'll tell you, but...” She shakes her head. “Those guys must be wondering where I am.” She stands up. “What I was saying is, don't beat yourself up for not being able to do more for us. The situation is well out of your hand, well out of our hands. Being friends, like this... That's enough. So don't ask again. We want you safe too.”

He stands up too. What does he say to this? The heaviness in his heart, the feeling of helplessness, the clawing edge of wanting to do more, none of that has gone away. They still churn, they still burn, bright and hot and sharp.

“...I understand,” he says instead. The words taste like ash on his tongue.

“I'll get going. You should too.”

“Alright.”

He watches her retreating back with a heavy heart.

It is his duty to protect his people— the people of Pars— and they're counted among them too. Or they should be, they should. And yet there's not a thing he can do...

He stands there, for a long time, even after she's nowhere in sight anymore.

What can I do? a small voice inside him cries. Why won't you let me help?

But Shapur, Kashi's voice resounds in his head.

You ought to know

That some things...

They're out of our reach.

The skies darken and the world turns grey— rain is coming, and he needs to head home.

He sighs, turning around to where his horse stands in wait.

“I'm sorry for making you wait,” he murmurs softly. “Let's go home.”

I would died to see the screaming contest between Hilmes and Shapur

Sitting in the background and eating some popcorn cheering for Shapur

Also Shapur and Daryun dragging Narsus with them would be so funny.

Two Marzbans, determined to to fight and get rid of the enemy and. Narsus complaints all the way to Peshawar that he is not able to draw his masterpieces.

Some more random AU thoughts:

After Arslan first wakes back up and recovers, Isfan can't stop fretting over him. He'd give Arslan a checkup every few minutes, to the point Farangis was like, “Bro, you're hovering.” “I am not.” “You are.”

Since Shapur and Kazai's relationship has a little leeway to be less secretive (albeit they'd pass off as lovers not husbands), I wonder if Kazai would sometimes accompany Shapur to Ecbatana. Or if the marzbans would know of him, even if just in passing.

Ecbatana shenanigans: Kharlan and Shapur unexpectedly bonding? Over being fathers? Especially after the jealous Crown Prince debacle? Maybe?

Also Shapur's loyalty in Andragoras is... dwindling. Or rather, his faith in the entire system, but since Andragoras stands at the top of it... Y'know, living with a clan that has a cultural history and identity of being wronged and persecuted by the system and those in power, it's gotta radicalize you at least a little bit. I wonder if Kharlan would notice that.

A lord, his half-brother born from a slave and is his heir, and an orphan boy he picked up from who-knows-where, one would think that's a perfect recipe for disaster but then in terms of conflict our wolf family is just... *crickets*. It'd be fun to see the shock of certain characters, haha 🤣

Eihon telling a young Isfan to recite a long list of medicinal plants and their properties in his mind whenever he feels his anger rising and doesn't want to lose control.

Shapur getting angry at something while far from home but being in a situation that doesn't allow him to express it, so he tries to distract himself by thinking about home but some stupid song baby Gieve made up is now stuck in his head. He can't get it out of his mind anymore. Poor sod.

Shapur and Hilmes having a screaming match. I have no clue what they're arguing about and at this point I'm too afraid to ask.

Isfan having to be held back from straight up murdering someone. Probably Gurgin. I don't have the context for this either.

Going back to Ecbatana (excuse my scattered brain), I wonder if Kharlan would notice the reason why Arslan noped out of the palace. Surely he must, right? And Shapur looked so... tired, the morning Arslan went to work outside the palace instead. What would he think of it? Would he even consider approaching Shapur with... information about Hilmes? I guess not, not very likely, but the seeds might already be planted.

Slings as weapons. Apparently they were widely utilized historically, and work great so long as the target has no armor or is lightly armored. Leaning towards Kashi being a slinger. Wouldn't that be cool?

Wondering how I should make Alfarīd and Ranna meet. Also Merlaine and Arslan. Hmmmm...

An argument between an exhausted Shapur and a very determined Narsus. Probably about putting forth Arslan as the hidden heir.

Isfan leaving his wolves to watch Arslan when the boy was comatose, but also after he wakes up but shouldn't exert himself, when he's not available to be by Arslan's bedside.

Farangis probably had to sedate Isfan at least once to get him to leave a comatose Arslan's bedside.

I haven't thought much about Gieve, huh... I should think about him more.

Gieve and Ranna put together would probably be called something like “Demon Duo”. Pranksters extraordinaire. Unhinged. All the good stuff, according to Kazai.

The Sindhuran debacle is still probably gonna happen. Except there's no Arslan to lead a campaign to Sindhura. Shapur and Daryun going to Peshawar to aid their fellow marzbans, probably dragging Narsus along for strategy purposes too? Haven't checked the timeline so not sure Arslan would be in a good enough shape to leave Gorgan. Most likely not. But what if Narsus remains behind, to observe Arslan? Questions, questions, so many questions...

Speaking of questions, what the everloving fuck is gonna happen to the political sphere after Tahamenay fucking offs Andragoras?! There's gonna be Team Hilmes, which Bahman would become part of, and then there's Team Gorgan, which would ally with Team Hilmes— What would Kishward do?! Actually I haven't been keeping track of where Kubard is either HELP T_T Daryun and Narsus are probably with Team Gorgan. What's gonna happen next?! Hilmes is probably finally in a position to reveal his lineage and identity, though. That's a good thing.

Love this ❤️

Wish he would be canon

FLAT COLOURS!!! :D Except I haven't coloured his necklace thing and also I forgot to put in his bracelet again— I'll do it in the next session, I swear T_T

I'm pretty satisfied with the tattoo designs and colours! They were such a pain to draw but I feel like it was worth it 😭

The stuff I'm actually not sure about are his clothes. I'm never sure what colour each part should be. Do y'all got any suggestions? Oh and the bells too, definitely. I feel like the clothing part is just a placeholder for now. What do you guys think?

He's supposed to actually have hazel eyes. I don't know how I'll get to colouring hazel eyes but uh... we'll see, I suppose? 😭

Progress!! I'm happy with how the shading is turning out, can't wait to get to the rest. I'm a bit nervous about fucking up the arms— I hope I don't! ><

Here are some close-ups!

❤️❤️❤️

Med school has been kicking my ass and I spent my energy giving into the whims of beginning to work on the character design sheets stuff 😅

I probably should've started with Arslan “easiest to draw” Areyan to make it easier for me but... guess who I started with...

Have a preview of the body base!!

👀👀👀

I can totally understand giving in to the temptation to start with Kazai! This is looking great!

This is so cool

I love his tattoos and the design

The colors of the clothes matched him very well

A sneak peek on the progress I've made on his first outfit! :D I still need to add details (not shading, not gonna shade anything) but yeah! I made more progress than I thought I would despite the time constraint (I anticipated I'd get to draw all day— but no, Momther™ came in and wrecked my plans).

Bonus: the full view of his tattoos—

This is so beautiful and cool

You nailed it. I like his clothes and that you have small and big symbols for the clan and Shapur and on the other side the outfits are fitting perfectly to his character and Kazai

I can’t wait to see more of your art

And finally, he is done!! My brain is fuzzy, help.

The first is his just... day-to-day clothes before he came to live with Shapur, I suppose! I thought I'd have a lot more to say about this. I tried to give him autumnal, warm colours as usual, though fun fact prototype!Kazai's main colour was green.

The next up is what he usually wears after coming to live with Shapur, the sketch next to it is my rough design of what his household staff/attendants would wear, and I... tried? to at least echo the wrapping and styling to theirs even if obviously Kazai's clothes aren't cut like theirs. Funnily enough he sheds a layer here hahaha.

Then comes his wedding attire! SO ORNATE. MUCH GREEN. I had so much fun designing this one even if it gave me a massive headache. The green robe part was shorter at first but that didn't really convey the ceremonial vibes I was gunning for in my eyes, so I elongated it. The white tree was... supposed to be a pine tree but I quickly realized all my attempts of drawing one looked like shit. So I gave up and drew a (hopefully decent) normal tree— which... I'm just gonna retcon and say it was supposed to represent whatever species of tree they planted at their wedding. At first instead of a tree I wanted to have a cat and a wolf, one on each side, but... it looked weird and it didn't work so tree it was. About the thing on his sleeves, the outer blue ring with waves represents the ocean, the triangles the mountains, and then I fucking forgot what the thing in the middle was, I probably had no clue what to put in there but not liking the empty look I just chucked smth random in. Forgive me! (Also I tried to incorporate purple into this!)

Also this is how his marriage bracelet looks (Shapur has a matching one):

All the colours represent the two of them, save for maybe the outermost layer I forgot why I chose that colour there. Reddish pink (Kazai) and teal (Shapur) intertwined, enveloped by purple (Shapur) which is in turn enveloped by yellow (Kazai). Maybe the purple and yellow part would be reversed in Shapur's bracelet.

And then his ceremonial dance attire! Despite looking simpler than the wedding attire this might've given me even more of a headache because... ALL THE TASSELS. THE BORDERS ON THE SLEEVES. THE STAR/SNOWFLAKES. In terms of sheer tediousness this one would win by a landslide 😂😂

The borders on the bodice part were just... I just thought they looked cool, moving onto the sleeves I tried to have little stars in them but I don't know if you can even see them. The dark indigo part is supposed to be the night sky, and the white little things simultaneously stars and snowflakes. The tassels attached to that part, the colours are supposed to represent Northern Lights, because you could see them from the ancient island, it had Polar Days and Polar Nights as well— months where the sun did not set at all or would not rise. The same theme is repeated on the necklace. The symbol on the pendants... Let's just say it's a feeble attempt on drawing a stylized pine tree. If it failed well at least it looks vaguely like a tree? Also tiny little chimes hang from those pendants.

As for the bottom skirt portion of the robe... At first I was just gonna repeat the Northern Lights colours, or maybe just silver, but... I got bored. So I went buckwild with that one, I don't know what it's supposed to represent anymore.

Also that kind of gathered sort of shirt with puffy collars, they're only for ceremonial occasions.

I wanted headwear too, esp for the ceremonial outfits, but by that point my brain was pretty much dead so they don't look... very good... Here they are anyways:

(FUCK I FORGOT TO SHORTEN THE DARK BLUE ONE AAAAAA)

And this is how his tats look:

This was uh, a Rant™! I hope you enjoyed this mess as much as I did.

A quick little sketch fest to force myself to not obsess over how polished a piece will look as a final product, just getting ideas out and getting myself to draw more. I did this instead of starting on Isfan's design sheet, lol. I'll get to it.

It's Kazai and one (1) Kashi! There was supposed to be one more, but I ran out of fuel. I'll draw that one later.

Some close-ups!

I am glad that I could help you (didn’t even know what I did but yeah good 🤣)

And I am glad you finished this and shared it with us

I love it really. This is so soft and I can totally imagen Kazais soft smile when he looks down on a sleeping Shapur. Why didn’t we get a sleeping Shapur in the manga/anime, I feel betrayed

You can definitely sense the love Kazai had for Shapur through out those lines and I like the little tradition/ habit they both have. Makes their relationship somehow more sweet and the bond deeper that they both share.

And i would have loved to see their faces when they wake up the first time side by side. This must have been very hilarious 😆

The eastern sky turns a pale rose as dawn breaks over the horizon— quite the lovely shade if he says so himself.

Kazai has been awake for a while, ways before the world turned from black to indigo to pink with the rising sun and receding night. He's an early riser, always has been— even with the activities that he and Shapur were up to through the night, his body would not allow him sleep beyond dawn.

Well, it's not like he minds, anyhow.

Soft golden light streams through the high windows, all the while his beloved lays asleep and Kazai watches in gentle silence. He looks innocent, Kazai notes somewhat absently. Gone are any traces of harshness or strain on his face, as if they never were. Like he was some physical manifestation of peace, tranquility given mortal body.

If only he could extend the dawn, halt the time, for day to never come and for this contentedness to never flee Shapur's face, he would.

Oh, he would.

His beloved glows in the gentle light, and Kazai's heart leaps in this breathless sort of wonder— one that feels like it might break if he moved a single muscle... And he wonders if Shapur would look this lovely on the morn of their wedding, clothed in green and bathed in dawnlight as they both kneel before a great old tree to speak their vows.

He would look even better, he decides. The snow will have melted away, making way for them to be surrounded by the bright young blooms of early spring. Sweetness would fill the air, not only from the flowers but from their hearts as well. They'd be smiling, and oh wouldn't that be a sight to behold?

Kazai has dreamt and fantasized about getting married one day, even though in his dreams his husband-to-be was ever faceless...

But it changed one day— after they saw each other again, after... after everything, after the first time they ever slept together, after they became lovers.

And then Shapur himself proposed that they wed.

He swears he felt like he could've soared into the endless sky then.

Logically, his body ought to be too heavy to fly, he knows, but it feels too light to stay aground regardless— to have it be concrete, be tangible. To know that it's only an autumn and a winter away. To know that it will be real, though to the rest of the world he is merely Shapur's paramour. His steward and subordinate.

It doesn't matter, never will. Their children know. The Marda know. The woods and the spirits know.

And that?

That's more than enough.

Their love is strong. It will prevail.

He leans forward to press his lips on Shapur's temple, and the love of his life stirs beneath him with a soft noise.

Laughter blooms in his chest like unfurling petals, warms him from within. This is what bliss is, he thinks. And he'd like it to never end.

He still remembers the first time he stayed until Shapur woke, the restless stir of anxiety in his gut, his heart a fluttering frantic bird trapped in his ribcage.

He remembers the surprise that came from his lover, so much surprise that it knocked the sleep right out of his head in an instant.

He also remembers the first time he himself had fallen asleep in Shapur's bed in the first place, he teased Shapur for his shocked face but it wasn't like his own was any better when he woke up that morning.

It feels like something from forever ago.

Shapur has fallen back into tranquility, his breaths even and soft again. Good. It's not like Kazai wants him up at the ass-crack of dawn— he knows he can be... unusual, in this regard. Besides which, Shapur stayed up late last night. They both did. He'd much rather Shapur get some good sleep.

Kazai plants another kiss on Shapur's face before placing his ribbon and bells down on the pillow where his head previously rested. A little token, a small tradition of theirs. It too started out as an accident, but well...

Doesn't matter.

He knows Shapur will come find him later.

He always does.

---

Special thanks to @marchdancer for giving me the motivation to finally finish this.

I like this scene so freaking much…I can’t say how glad I am you designed this idea. I need it to be canon

From my back-and-forth w @innerchorus in the comments of a post of theirs, I can't stop rotating the scene in my head of Shapur pulling Kazai into an embrace after the Sindhuran duel before the gods thing (yup, it's now concrete that Kazai would be chosen by Rajendra instead of Daryun for a reason: said reason being Kazai's magic was perceived as him being favored by gods) uncaring of the gore and grime on his husband's face (I mean, man did rip out Bahadur's throat with his teeth) and it's a Sight™ to everyone else bc 1) he's being affectionate/intimate with someone?? (they kept their relationship pretty private in terms of affection) and 2) dude why are you letting his face and those biting teeth near your neck, didn't you see what he did to the other guy???

Shapur just doesn't care. He was afraid Kazai was gonna die, and he's just too relieved to care about any of that nor the gore getting on his cloak. It was meant to get dirty anyways, it's fine.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/48496429/chapters/122328199

Chapters: 1/?

Rating:

Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warnings:

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Fandom:

Arslan Senki | Heroic Legend of Arslan

Relationships:

Shapur (Heroic Legend of Arslan)/Original Character(s), Esfan & Shapur (Heroic Legend of Arslan), Arslan & Shapur (Heroic Legend of Arslan), Esfan (Heroic Legend of Arslan) & Original Character(s), Arslan (Heroic Legend of Arslan) & Original Character(s), Shapur & Gieve (Heroic Legend of Arslan), Gieve (Heroic Legend of Arslan) & Original Character(s), Gieve & Arslan (Heroic Legend of Arslan), Esfan & Arslan (Heroic Legend of Arslan), More tags to be added - Relationship

Characters:

Shapur (Heroic Legend of Arslan), Esfan (Heroic Legend of Arslan), Arslan (Heroic Legend of Arslan), Original Characters, Gieve (Heroic Legend of Arslan), more tags to be added - Character

Additional Tags:

Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Worldbuilding, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, non-canonical parentage for Arslan, Shapur raises Arslan, Protective Esfan, Shapur is a good parent, eventual redemption for Hilmes

Summary:

“When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives.” When Shapur rides up the mountains on a wintry day to rescue his little brother, he meets someone he was not expecting to— And it changes the trajectory of his fate. Shapur, a young lord still green to the world, raises two boys as his own.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAND IT IS UP, FELLAS! HOO! Sure took an ordeal and a half to upload.

Everytime I read more facts about Kazai I like him a little bit more and more and more.

I can’t wait till we get the chapter were he fights against Bahadur and the scene after the fight with Shapur.

I love this crazy ship

OC alphabet soup game for K?

KAZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAI

He's the lady of the castle in all but gender. The household servants defer to him as they would the lord's wife and he is their lord's spouse, and he's very well beloved by them which is a feat considering the fact that he barged into the castle and tried to strangle Shapur all those years ago.

Hey, grief makes you do unwise things. He thought Shapur was involved w the attack that killed his sister and brother-in-law.

He was the one chosen by Rajendra for the Adikalania, the duel before the gods, because Rajendra perceived Kazai's magical abilities as being blessed by some gods and hey, better to pick someone who is favored by the gods for this duel before the gods thing, even if it's not your own gods, right? And since Kazai had already grown infamous for being favored by the divine and a monster on the battlefield (to the point someone who knew about clan history would say “No wonder they were called divine weapons of the gods.”) Gadhevi freaked out as in canon and picked Bahadur in response.

Kazai won.

By ripping out Bahadur's throat with his teeth.

Shapur, who thought he was going to lose Kazai to this duel (because Kazai was being a tad too cautious w his magic lest he be accused of cheating and didn't know Bahadur couldn't feel pain he got quite injured), embraced him as soon as he could, not caring about the stares or the blood on Kazai's body— and let Kazai nestle his face in his neck to which people were like “????? dude did you not see what he did to that other guy's throat??? why tf are you letting him put his face near your neck????”

Back when Shapur was still trying to get Ayunnen and Kashi and Kazai to come with him to his castle Kazai was the only one who was just a little bit interested instead of scared like the other two were. Also, I don't know if I've talked about this before but he was born to a concubine of Some Rich Dude which the main wife Did Not Like and tried to kill him and his mom was trying to protect him and things went to shit and ended up w the main wife dead. Charged w murder, some huge punishment was waiting ahead for both the mom and her two little kids (3yo Kashi and infant Kazai), maybe enslavement, maybe imprisonment, I don't know, but things were grim until a sympathetic guard slipped them out and so they were on the run— and at some unspecified point the mother dies and Kashi has to contend w protecting Kazai all alone at like, toddler age. Also they got picked up and raised by wolves so... yeah. Feral little babies! Until somebody from the clan found them and took them in. Kashi chilled out somewhat (still terrifying in battle though, more like concentrated and stockpiled until she sees fit to release it) but Kazai's Wildness™ is less contained. Though many in the castle kinda perceived him as some sort of wildcat, the full potential of his feralness came out after Arslan got horribly maimed. He's angry and it shows.

His original birth name was not Kazai as Kashi's wasn't Kashi, they were something else entirely, Parsian names, but they both discarded it as society discarded them. Kazai wishes he remembered their mother.

They both inherited their mother's black hair. Everything else is up in the air but that much I am certain.

In the first ever ArSen AU I wrote (RHoG) I made Elam go all starry-eyed at Kazai because of how he makes so many things more convenient in the domestic setting. I wonder if I should retain that.

Oh my god it’s them

It’s them *inner screaming*

my inner teenage fangirl is freaking out right now

And Kashi, go get there ass girl!!!!!!! (I can hear the door flew open from here) it’s time to kick some asses!!

@innerchorus They!! Very nervous about sharing this but ehhhh they are taking over my brain so here ya go.

And a Kashi based on the Aragon opening a door gif.

A relaxing and singing Kazai 👀👀

I didn’t know I need this till I saw it. He looks like as if he is thinking about something ery important.

More in-class doodle Kazai

Starting to shade! I'm not sure I'm happy with how it looks so far but it's half past midnight and my neck hurts 😭

I love this man and his charming smile. The hair looks wonderful, it looks so silky. Absolutely in love with the artwork.

Kazai is finally done! This was a fun one to work on, especially with the pose and the flowy clothes. They're based on the first design on his design sheet but uh, I modified it a bit to be more flowy and I forgot to add the embroidery detailing only to realize the fact after I finished everything else. Oops? So I tried to compensate via giving him a neat earring. Oops?

His entry in the Trilogy™ I'm planning (Kashi, Kazai, Ayunnen) is supposed to contrast against his sister's in that she's dark and settled and solid while he's a flowy free whirlwind in motion— while still bearing some resemblance with her (familial resemblance because they're siblings, they wear their boots in a similar way).

Okay so, I planned this, right? I drew Kashi facing left because whenever I tried drawing her from that side it tended to look really bad and I was determined to make at least one attempt turn out nice, trying to draw her from her “bad” angle. And I did! And I'm super proud of that. But I planned, to have the black-haired siblings facing away from each other, flanking Ayunnen who is facing the screen. And since I drew Kashi facing left, it's only natural to draw Kazai facing right.

The problem.

The problem is that.

Kazai's very recognizable tattoos that I specifically placed to make him look feral, they're on the side of his face that'd be obscured.

Ah, yes, the consequences of my own stubborn hubris.

Also the braid killed me.

Anyways enjoy this one, and please look forward to the upcoming Ayunnen!

Bonus closeup:

The trio put together! I'm not stoked with how the background turned out— FireAlpaca starts acting weird and laggy whenever I use a brush size larger than 100— and blending and blurring these three backgrounds together took a brush size around 300 to see any significant effect sooooo. Yeah.

They're three of the so far six OCs introduced in my fic Winds of Wolfsong (soon to be seven to be eight to be— damn why does the cast keep expanding?!) (oh wait I know why, because Tanaka didn't provide me with enough characters from certain social classes to fill the gaps for the kind of story I want to tell, which isn't necessarily his fault, he wanted to tell a war epic, I wanted to tell a character and emotion driven story with themes of cooperation coexistence and community, how creation is sacred and way harder than destruction, which necessitates the appreciation of those outside of the nobility and warrior classes to shine light on the crafters and the servants, also magic plays a much bigger role both in the present and in the defeat of Zahhak which led me to fill in the gaps with even MORE OCs... damn), these three in particular debuted in the first chapter. From left to right are: Kashi (AU!Arslan's biological mother), Ayunnen (AU!Arslan's biological father, married to Kashi), and Kazai (Kashi's younger brother, AU!Arslan's biological uncle who makes a return in chapter 2).