Description
EDIT 9/13/19: If you're curious as to why some of the cahracter backstories don't match The Lion Guard, please check out my Lion Guard Fan Theory .
Zahra
Name Meaning: Flowering
Sex: Female
Mother: Tiifu
Father: Babu
Sibling: Haben
Aunt (maternal): Zuri
Aunt (paternal): Boga
Cousin: Kivuli
Grandparents (maternal): Kula and Mheetu
Grandparents (paternal): Sabini and Mega
Personality: Spoiled by her parents from birth, Zahra is stuck-up, arrogant, unkind, and together she and her brother serve as a nasty pair of bullies to the other cubs their age. Zahra is usually the one leading the charge, with her brother following along, and is the more skilled at manipulating and lying to the adults when the two find themselves in trouble. Zahra is not so secretly jealous of Uzima, the future queen, and so Uzima is often the target of her abuse. She is the one who first starts to tease Uzima for looking like a male when she grows bits of mane, and is the one to “let it slip” that Uzima only became future queen because Amani, the real eldest sibling, couldn’t speak. Her parents raising her to think that she’s better than everyone else has made her feel entitled to the world, and her bitterness over Uzima having the throne instead of her often makes her a cruel, calculating, and spiteful lioness.
Random Facts
Zahra and Haben are monozygotic (identical) twins, and so the only physical differences between them have to do with them being different sexes. Yes, it is possible for monozygotic twins to be different sexes, but it’s extremely rare.
One of only two female cubs of her generation born at Pride Rock (all the other cubs were male), and the only one who looks like a normal lioness.
Haben
Name Meaning: Pride
Sex: Male
Mother: Tiifu
Father: Babu
Sibling: Zahra
Aunt (maternal): Zuri
Aunt (paternal): Boga
Cousin: Kivuli
Grandparents (maternal): Kula and Mheetu
Grandparents (paternal): Sabini and Mega
Personality: Like his sister, Haben is stuck-up, arrogant, and can at times be very cruel. However, he doesn’t have to the same personal vendetta against anyone that Zahra does, so all of his actions are typically urged on by his sister. Without her he is much more cowardly and timid, and wouldn’t really know what to do with himself. Despite the two being twins, Haben looks up to Zahra as if she were his older sister, and always looks to her for direction.
Random Facts
Zahra and Haben are monozygotic (identical) twins, and so the only physical differences between them have to do with them being different sexes. Yes, it is possible for monozygotic twins to be different sexes, but it’s extremely rare.
Kivuli
Name Meaning: Shadow
Sex: Male
Mother: Zuri
Father: Afua
Aunt (maternal): Tiifu
Cousins: Zahra and Haben
Grandparents (maternal): Kula and Mheetu
Grandparents (paternal): Malka (deceased) and Chuki
Personality: Zuri’s resentful behavior towards him has made Kivuli a quiet and insecure lion who struggles with feelings of inadequacy and often spends his time alone. He adopts a dismissive, careless attitude, but underneath he is wrought with turmoil, wondering why his mother hates him, why he’s so ragged and dull and ugly, and why he can’t just forget all of this and be happy. He wants so much to be happy, but every step of the way he feels undeserving and ugly and worthless, and just wants so much for his mother, the lion whose approval he longs for the most, to tell him that isn’t true. But the few interactions he has with Zuri only ever serve to solidify his insecurities, as Zuri is still resentful of her unwanted cub and is often unkind to him. Kivuli’s father - Afua - and his grandparents - Kula and Mheetu - love him dearly, but don’t really have a full grasp on this or how to deal with it. The only lion who ever seems to get through to Kivuli is Iniko, a pesky cub who Kivuli often treats as a nuisance, but secretly is very fond of. Iniko, unlike many lions, can tell Kivuli is lonely, and goes out of his way to invite him to play or explore, even when he’s met with hostility. Kivuli secretly thinks of Iniko like a little brother, and will stealthily watch out for the energetic cub when he feels that he might be in a risky situation.
History: Zuri was barely more than a cub herself when she gave birth to Kivuli. His father, Afua, was older than her, and his darkly handsome appearance and quiet, brooding nature attracted her to him. However, Afua was so damaged by the loss of his best friend in cubhood that there was no chance for the two to have a healthy relationship. But then again, that wasn’t exactly a requirement. Afua was one of many lions Zuri had been infatuated with, and she would be ready to move on the second the novelty wore off. However, the young lioness hadn’t counted on winding up pregnant. Afua wasn’t up to the task of raising a cub, and rarely spent time with Zuri after hearing the news. It was Zuri’s parents, Kula and Mheetu, who took care of her and were there the night she gave birth to her son. Zuri’s bitterness at being saddled with a cub at such a young age increased the minute she laid eyes upon the newborn. The Outlander blood carried by Afua made itself clearly known in the dull, grayish cub, and Zuri thought he must be the ugliest lion she’d ever seen. She would go on to name him Kivuli, meaning "shadow", not for his shadowy pelt, but because she viewed him as a shadow upon her perfect life. Afua visited his son briefly, but quickly became uncomfortable and left. He would have little to do with the cub in his early life, but this changed when he found out just how badly Zuri was treating him. Zuri nursed Kivuli, but was clearly not bonding with him the way she should. Her resentment came through in every look she threw and every word she spoke to her young son. Realizing how much damage this was doing, Afua stepped up and took custody of his son, raising him from then on. As a teen and young adult, Kivuli sees very little of his mother, and the few interactions they have are usually brief and unpleasant.
Random Facts
Kivuli was born before Zahra, Haben, Amani, Uzima, and Iniko, and is a teen while the other five are cubs.
Kivuli’s mane style and eyes circles are meant to resemble someone in a goth-esque metal band (don’t look at me like that), but I knew inevitably he just was going to look emo. Eh, I think the metal thing still comes through despite that. Rock on, my poor burnt cinnamon bun.
And here's the other half of the next generation. I tried to have Tiifu and Zuri's vain and self-absorbed natures create two distinctly different problems in their children. We have two cubs spoiled so much that they think they're entitled to anything and everything, and another who is so neglected that he's developed a massive inferiority complex. The idea of Zuri, who is so concerned with appearances, having a cub that she perceives as ugly was really interesting to me, and made designing Kivuli a bit difficult. I wanted a character who Zuri, a Pridelander, would see as ugly, even if other lions wouldn't. So giving him a dull gray color scheme, shaggy mane, and other Outlander-esque features was my way of accomplishing that. And of course Zahra and Haben were just supposed to look like snotty rich kids, which was fun to design.
No critique desired. Please respect that.
The Lion King belongs to Disney
The art and characters belong to me, and you are not permitted to steal, trace, copy, reference, or otherwise redistribute it in any way. I also do not want to see this posted on RP sites, Facebook, YouTube, etc. without my permission. That's still art theft.
xVexVamp — Character Sheets -TLK Fan Characters 2-
