Natanel lives in Metula Israel’s northern border. The reality for people living there is far from quiet. Hezbollah, backed by Iran, continues its attacks and daily terror just across the fence from Lebanon. Although there is officially a ceasefire, life under the threat of ongoing shelling is difficult for anyone. Living this reality while using a wheelchair is an entirely different story.
This is Natanel’s life story. Natanel lives with CP and uses a wheelchair, facing not only the challenges of disability but also the complex reality of life on the border.
Natanel contributes his writing to the Lavo B’tov website, and recently, he also began illustrating. In this column, he shares the story behind his illustrations.
✦
Nice to meet you. This is Elyla.
A character stitched together from sleepless nights, skies flashing with interceptions, and one stubborn moment of decision.
Up here, near the northern border, the war is still very much ongoing. We didn’t exactly “win” a ceasefire. It’s more like a bubble of constant tension. No real pauses – just fragments of uncertainty, like shrapnel scattered around my home.
I even took pictures. You know… souvenirs. Not the kind you bring back from vacation.
They still haven’t managed to get me. Guess my role here is not done.
But I got bored of being resilient. Of just surviving.
At some point, you need to do something.
I wish I could draw.
I can’t. I’m not an illustrator.
But I am a professional writer.
So I asked myself: can GPT draw?
YUP.
I started testing it. Pushing its limits. Trying different styles. I didn’t like the realistic ones. Not the Western cartoon style either. Even the American look didn’t land for me.
Japanese anime, though – that always spoke to me.
The first results were pretty generic.
But slowly, through a process that felt somewhere between patience and mild obsession, I started “locking things in.”
Face structure. Hair color. Eye styles. Outfits. Accessories. A pendant. A background.
Each small decision made her more recognizable. More her, less derivative.
And during the nights when the fighting intensified and sleep became a distant dream, I gave her colors.
🔹 Blue –
soft, protective – the kind of presence that reminds you how to breathe when everything tightens.
🔴 Red –
determined, a little worried, but holding it together.
🟣 Purple –
detached from the noise, deeply connected inward.
🟠 Orange –
because sometimes you need an ego boost… and Batumi’s dance floor is very far away right now.
🟢 Green –
chill, amused… let’s just say it’s a lifestyle. Hers. And her creator’s.
✦
Astronauts.
The Astro crew.
They became this strange, entertaining audience – reacting to the absurdity of the world with captions on their helmets instead of speech bubbles. A gimmick at first… that turned into personality.
They got colors too:
🔹 Blue – calm, a quiet rescuer.
🔴 Red – determined, protective.
🟣 Purple – dreamy, a little mysterious.
🟠 Orange – chaotic, funny.
🟢 Green – floating somewhere between here and… not here.
The universe became oddly joyful.
And I wanted in.
My nephew drew me. I scanned it. Then I taught GPT to draw me.
Disabled. Chill. A bit ridiculous.
Not the center of the universe – just another person trying to find his place in it.
A comedy of errors with my wheelchair.
Attempts to promote my music.
Trying, somehow, to make a living from something that feels like it matters.
Because even in an imaginary world, that need shows up –
to leave some kind of mark. Even a small, slightly crooked one.
To build something.
To live from it.
Is Elyla based on someone real?
Yes.
Does she know?
Also yes.
Even her name was chosen carefully.
“E” – for electronic, the kind of music I produce.
“Lila” (night) – because night is my favorite time to create… especially these past months, when sleep isn’t really an option anyway.
Together: Elyla.
No night. Just creation.
A few words turning – almost like magic – into images.