ulfhrafnx

[ulfhrafnx]

lira blasting dad rock and 80’s metal as she’s speeding through hope county. you’ll hear her coming miles away only when she wants you to. 😎🤘🏻

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me , offering lira’s tattooed thigh for more viking era / norse myth muses. 💋

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a low rumble vibrates deep within chest as feathered tail flicked too and fro. out of agitation? it was yet to be decided as for now it was mostly curiosity.

“you smell strange. dog? hm.” no effort was made to remove himself from the overhanging rock and wings remained outstretched; glints of gold flashing with each rising breath as feathers caught the sunlight. clearly not human, not fully. some kind of werebeast? thankfully not undead, yuvon mused to himself. an ear flicked away a fly buzzing near. “ alright, i’ll bite — werewolf? doesn’t smell right to be a werebear.”

“ wolf - yes , werebeast - no. werebeasts are all human , i am not,” though in this form she appears convincingly so , “ i am something closer to you in origin, one of the few of my kind.” she studies the creature with an understanding so few possessed , admiring the many colors present in it's feather pattern -- made all the more prominent by the morning sun. what a magnificent specimen it was. she hasn’t seen a gryphon in quite some time. thought them all extinct. a travesty all on it’s own , in honesty. she longs for the days monsters were not so few and far between.

flowers bloom where bare feet tread as she moves out of shadow ( in a show of good nature ) so he might see her better, though she maintains a respectful distance , understanding the nature of beast's and their territory.

“ this form is merely camouflage, ” a way for her to walk the earth in silence without drawing unwanted attention. 

“ it isn’t my true home. i can show you , if you like.”

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*me, literally sick with want* whatever

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vargr in my lore are a species and few and far between , specifically wolves directly descended from fenrir’s bloodline. currently there are only four *known vargr : fenrir , hati , sköll and lira.

in my research all definitions of the word have primarily included references to fenrir and co. ( even though there are many other formidable wolves in norse myth , many of whom were used as mounts / pets. we'll get into that ted talk another time. none ever rivaled fenrir , that's the main reason why he's so feared. ) it also holds negative connotation ( evildoer , destroyer ) which is fitting — if you know , you know. it's more retribution than it is true evil in my opinion but i digress. that definition is specifically why i chose to commandeer the term for my own backstory.

although there are other species of ** wolf adjacent creatures in jarnvidr , likely more nightmarish in appearance given the járnviðjur ( giantesses / troll wives ) who birth them — i don't see that number being all that high. wolf packs with the resources to exist in large number are usually made up of around 12- 15, i see it realistically being closer to ten or so, and that’s me lumping all the sub species together including their offspring. there may have been a time where that number was greater , but because of odin's increased paranoia regarding wolves , those from the same place of origin as fenrir especially , that number greatly dwindled.

fenrir was the first wolf born in jarnvidr , and because of this remains the largest and most powerful of them all. his brood naturally following suit. there’s something in angrboda’s blood that needs to be acknowledged. she’s not only the chieftain of jarnvidr , but the original mother of monsters. it’s not all loki , although he’s definitely present and accounted for.

* there could be other children out in the realms protected the very same way lira was. i like the idea of sköll having children of his own someday and lira possibly having an older sibling or two that she's never met , more than likely because they were a casualty of the war against the jotunn. she's the baby so there could have been others before her , but as far as lira knows there are only four in existence.

** i really need to emphasize that no two creatures who inhabit these woods are alike. when i say wolf adjacent i mean something that might resemble a wolf in some aspects , but is still different than any other wolf encountered in any realm. the ironwood is made up of entirely unique monsters --- if two creatures happen to be compatible enough to procreate there's no way to know what sort of offspring will come of their union. further continuing the cycle of one of a kind entities populating the forest.

moder , pictured above , in the movie the ritual ( which i highly recommend everyone watch ) is the perfect example of this. she's the jotunn daughter of loki and * insert someone here , more than likely angrboda given her track record of birthing nightmare fuel * she isn't what one would expect to come from two seemingly normal humanoid beings. i'm married to the idea of everything born in the ironwood existing in a category all their own , even if ( as mentioned above ) they appear to have qualities that closely resemble an animal , like a wolf or an elk. this rarity makes it difficult to label other creatures , but it's on brand with the peculiarity of these woods as a whole. it's actually kind of funny because of all the abominations birthed in this place , fenrir and his family are seemingly the most normal in appearance.

[ulfhrafnx]

𝙷𝙰𝚃𝙸 & 𝚂𝙺𝙾𝙻𝙻: 𝙸𝙼𝙰𝙶𝙴 𝚁𝙴𝙵𝙴𝚁𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴

i’ll be using this god of war : ragnarok artwork as a visual guide because the design aligns perfectly with the mental image i already had but i claim no ownership of any of this art. the photos by azillot are fan art concepts , the last two photos in the series are from the games official art book , that i own , and the artist's are mark castanon and luke berliner.

although they're the same size and equally matched in strength , their tactics in battle differ greatly , as to be expected. hati is the more calculated of the two , a trait that lira also shares , because of sköll's damaged vision --- a direct result of existing so close to the sun so consistently --- he's much quicker to lash out than his brother , so as not to ever appear weak.

to give a better idea of scale ( and this applies to lira as well ) , the first image in the top row is a common wolf , who although much larger than many people realize ( 6 feet in length, including tail , and about 30 inches in height at the shoulder ) barely reaches either of their knee. kratos , the man standing underneath their chin, second image , top row below , is canonically 6’4.

the photos on the top row are how they appear by default , the bottom row where they appear more cosmic is what they become after they've devoured the sun and the moon , kicking off the events of ragnarok.

the choice to give hati's fur hints of purple and blue makes me ecstatic because lira's hair / fur has always been described as resembling the wings of a raven in the sunlight , now we know who she gets that from.

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lira subscribes to the “ bite the vampire first to assert dominance ” mentality , unfortunately. she doesn’t need blood to sustain herself but she’ll be the first to draw it.

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“ you have to eat something,” it’s said in a manner that doesn’t leave any room for argument , as she places a wooden plate within arm’s reach. “ the road ahead is long and you need the energy. ”

—- OPEN.

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saw a reel with audio that said “ i don’t have rizz , i have big green eyes and many unsettling things to say, ” and unfortunately , it’s true. 😔

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sinners starter for @incubabe

“ There's some weird shit goin' on out here ,” and she’s every bit the nosey neighbor , standing on the porch to get a better look with a drinking horn filled with lemonade in hand. “ that guy is going to poke his eye out with that knife before the night is through. i guarantee it. ”

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I'm sanctified in my lover's eyes.

CHELSEA WOLFE — Tunnel Lights

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Chelsea Wolfe, from Pain Is Beauty; “Ancestors, The Ancients,” rel. c. 2013

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the fact that lira, as the security captain, in my first play through of far cry: new dawn chose to let joseph live when he’s begging her to put him out of his misery has me rabid. she didn’t do it out of some moral high ground but as punishment for all the pain he’d inflicted, whether directly or by influence. death was too easy an escape so she sentenced him to live out the rest of his days with no other company but his anguish. it’s only fair all things considered.

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lira in any situation where someone devotes themself to her, in a lord of the rings “ you have my blade ” sort of way , would not know what to do with that person at all. she doesn’t need anyone’s protection, she has her own , and depending on the person she might end up having to be the one protecting them ( that’s too much of a headache and not worth the extra hassle ) but anyone caring enough to want to look out for her is both sweet and very foreign a concept.

i feel like she would fight it every step of the way — whether it was someone whom she considered an equal or not — try to scare them away so they don’t get themselves killed unnecessarily on her behalf.

she really is just so anti social by default. she tolerates company occasionally , enjoys sitting in silence with a select few , but rarely seeks it out.

[ulfhrafnx]

𝓵𝓲𝓻𝓪 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓷𝓼𝓮 𝓮𝔂𝓮𝓼.

[ulfhrafnx]

💬 😘

how my muse feels about yours. accepting.

how long do you have?

frustration / intimidation:  starting from the top because i think it's funny.  from almost the moment they meet,  lira frustrates the hell out of mae.  and vice versa lmao.  i was rereading some of their old old threads as i always do and it's funny how harsh and blunt lira was with her from the start.  she pushed her very hard and showed her little mercy because she couldn't,  because she wanted her to succeed.  but mae didn't see it that way.  it was frustrating for her,  made her angry,  hurt her feelings,  and she didn't see the bigger picture. nobody in her life had ever been like that so it just felt mean to someone so soft.

on top of that lira was/is extremely intimidating.  not only because of her  (  physical  )  strength but because she seems so confident and certain to mae,  always seems to know what to do.  she's level-headed and intelligent and she keeps her cool in situations where mae would be frantic and crying.  also the way that she looks at people is…  intense.  obviously fear fades with time but she never loses the knowledge of how one should not fuck with lira. eventually instead of fearing what lira will do to her,  she begins to fear what lira will do to anyone who hurts mae lmao.

the frustration also fades but she will still get embarrassed and 'annoyed' when lira teases her.

love / admiration / worry:  mae loves lira.  water is wet.  the sun is hot.  it's a fact of life and will remain a fact for the rest of her days and beyond,  in any universe they exist in.  she's her mother but before that she was like a sister,  and in general she is just simply family.  even if it hadn't evolved into this wolf mother / daughter relationship she would love lira the same. 

and lira may not agree but mae considers her someone to really look up to and wants to be like her in most ways.  not all ways,  but many.  i say not in all ways because mae sees how she sacrifices overextends herself and hates that she does it.  hates how she seems to value herself as less than the people she loves and sacrifices comforts and care for herself constantly. she knows better than to think it's the way she should be ( even if that's how she ends up regardless ) but it doesn't make her think less of lira, just worries her.

even if that's silly on paper.  immortal wolf woman who could break mae over her knee doesn't really need her worry in that regard,  but still she does.  the worry comes through in  (  like you said in my askbox thanks for that by the way 👁️ )  caring for her with small acts of service.  feeding her,  helping her wash and brush and braid her hair,  holding her at night  (  even if they're both going to just lie awake  ),  laying her head on her shoulder to remind her that she has mae when those words don't seem like enough.  she is silly with her and naturally assumes the role of being cared for but mae also strives to be as steady a support as lira is for her,  and a soft cushion where she can find love and reassurance whenever she needs it.

protectiveness / comfortable:  protectiveness is self-explanatory and mostly goes in hand with her care,  just expanding on the fact that she would do literally anything for lira and that includes things that might go against her 'heroic' nature.  lira would never ask her to obviously but the fact is that she would if she did,  or if she felt it was necessary to protect her.  it is what it is.

i'm also grouping comfort here because it's a thread through what i've been saying, she's comfortable enough to be very silly and playful and annoying and that's because lira never makes her feel bad for being too much. she feels like she can be her truest self and it's a relief from all the world-saving business when she can just be the annoying, clingy daughter she was born to be.

guilt:  a small thing she'll never express to her,  just an irrational feeling that chews at her sometimes.  she feels guilty that she'll leave lira alone one day.  it's the nature of life and obviously mae believes that she will live on in some sense through the love they have,  but it's different when she thinks of the reality of someone dying and the hole it leaves in your life.  especially if she thinks about the reverse.  if lira died,  she would remain in mae's heart and spirit but it wouldn't supplement the physical comfort of having her there.  the devastation would still exist in the smell left behind on her clothes ( and again when that fades ),  the absence of her warmth,  the silence where her voice should be. 

so she feels bad sometimes that she'll inevitably put her through the same devastation,  even if lira is strong enough to handle it and knows it's coming.

tldr: that's her mother and her role model and her favorite person in the world but especially to annoy. she loves her so much she could drown them both in it ( and might )

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if you happen to have an animal companion of any sort , big or small , be prepared to lose it to lira anytime she’s around. find her spoiling * insert animal here * in the depths of the woods as happy as can be. wildlife is naturally drawn to her and you’ll find that it’s impossible to pry creatures away from her because they feel most at home in her presence. if they don’t want to return to sender she’s not forcing them to. tough luck.

imagine you’re in the middle of nowhere , fighting for your life and in the distance hear her call and your horse kicks you off and bolts in lira’s direction.