#Muse Status ( Gnawing at the Roots of the World);

[heliinx]

“ Only pretty lady skaven is me-me. Rest of them are semi-sentient flesh sacks covered in nipple-teats and constantly pregnant.”

[ichorruns]

( golshifteh farahani, cisgender female, she / her ) the city of gods is proud to welcome hel. she appears to be thirty eight years old and is the goddess of death from norse mythology. hel can be found working as the proprietor at a hole in the wall vintage shop and is amused by the death of zeus. (written by saint, twenty, they / them, cst.)

GENERAL INFORMATION . . .

name : hel

alias(es) : helena

title : norse goddess of death

apparent age : thirty-eight

pronouns : she/her

sexuality : bisexual

relationship status : single 

occupation : owner of lost & found, a hole in the wall vintage store

traits : aloof, sarcastic, cynical, genuine, good-hearted, introverted, well-spoken, clever.

BEFORE . . .

downward and northward. hel, for all her stubborn determination, cannot recall exactly what came before niflheim. logically — that is, in her logic —there must have been something! some sort of before bit prior to her responsibility over the dead of the nine worlds. she simply couldn’t fathom a reality in which there was nothing and then there was niflheim. 

and yet . . . niflheim is all she can remember. she can remember — if she focuses ever so carefully — the orders given to her. board and lodging. board and lodging to the old and the sick and the unremarkable sent to her dominion. the orders were the first of her many, many memories, and so she took them to heart. 

hel tried to taking special care of those sent to her; offered them board and lodging and, at first, care and compassion. however, the souls sent to her did not take so kindly to the death which she embodied, mournful and eternally regretting valhalla, which they had not earned. 

hel one day found herself grown cold and detached from the souls which she ruled over — for loving those who could scarcely spare her a passing thought wore down on her spirits. there was one, however, amidst the many, who offered her a bit of solace. baldr — beauty incarnate in the weary eyes of hel. he offered her kindness, a treatment the other souls of niflheim had refused her. she could understand why the living loved him so, and almost — just almost — considered releasing him from the underworld at frigg’s pleas. it was not right to keep someone so beloved from those who loved him! . . . but hel had grown selfish and fond of the man, and would only release him if every single being — alive and dead — wept for the man’s death. when they did not, and baldr was to remain at her side for eternity, she did not feel her deserved happiness . . . she only felt . . . guilt: gnawing and numbing and all encompassing.

 AFTER . . .

hel was less than impressed when knowledge of the city of gods reached her. what was a city compared to nine worlds? she had grown proud in her cynicism, and yet, with each passing day, she found that city — new crete, was it? — making it’s way into her thoughts more and more often.

she cannot remember what spurred the move, only that: one day there was niflheim, and the next there was new crete. in new crete she could start anew. 

lost & found began as merely a way to pass time, a side gig while she discovered what wonders new crete could offer. but her side gig became her main gig, and lost & found has stood proud as a local favorite “hole in the wall” vintage shop. 

still, hel kept to herself as she navigated the ever-growing city. when news of zeus’s death reached her doorstep, the goddess had a hard time hiding her amusement. the pompous bastard deserved it. perhaps, one day, the implications of the god’s death would dawn on the goddess, but for now . . .

POWERS . . . 

hel, despite the rather large domain under her command, is not as powerful as many of the other god’s inhabiting new crete. 

I . her most notable power is that of necromancy. as goddess of the underworld, she has complete control of the souls within her domain. should she will it, she can release a soul from niflheim to return and walk amongst the living once more. this process does, however, take a great toll on hel’s human form — both mentally, and physically. it is not something done often — or for free.

II . it is a grim gift — if one could even call it that — but hel can sense when death is near. she cannot determine the cause or exact time, but she can feel it’s proximity in her bones and who it comes for. furthermore, her touch can ease the pain of passing. since coming to crete, she has made it a point to assist any passing she may come across.

III . hel can also, as her domain resides over the nine worlds, understand and speak any spoken, written, or otherwise communicated language. if utilized for prolonged periods of time, it can leave hel with a nasty, thrumming migraine that only rest ( and laying off the powers ) can solve. 

IV . in a more general sense, hel is not as powerful in new crete as she is in niflheim. many of her powers do not extend to this realm, left behind in the halls of her many mansions. the price of her staying in new crete is that, more often than deemed “normal”, she finds her human form falling victim to illness or fatigue. any extraneous use of her powers only aggravates this.

MISCELLANEOUS FACTS & TID - BITS . . . 

I . my portrayal of hel is not an evil one ! instead of playing into any true evil archetypes, i’d say she’s more of a morally grey character — withdrawn, cold, and sometimes’s self serving, but fiercely loyal to those who have proven themself a friend. once you break through her icy exterior, she’s good company to have around — honest.

II . hel does not remember her family, nor does she remember the brief part of her childhood spent in jötunheimer. she does, however, remember what brief glimpse of odin she got before being exiled beneath the roots of yggdrasil to niflheim. she does not assume him family, but does feel a strange kinship for him. this fact shames her, considering it was his command that banished her to niflheim.

III . hel has an alias — a secret identity, if you will — for when she she interacts with mortals, or simply doesn’t want to be perceived as hel. the name helena struck her fancy — similar enough that it was still her, yet different enough that, when she so desired a break from hel, she could take one. she mainly uses it when interacting with mortals ignorant of the goings-on of new crete, or those outside new crete entirely.

ADMIN NOTE . . . 

as of now, i don’t have anything else to say beyond the contents of this post are subject to change as i portray and get to know hel through interactions! . . . that being said, feel free to hit me up if you want to plot or develop connections! i’m so excited to start getting to know her, and getting to know y’all and you’re lovely muses! 

[merryminstrel]

Lightbringer

Rating: E Relationships: Loki x Original Female Character Status: Updates Weekly AO3 Link: Click here

“The Midgardians believed that a giant dragon lived below Yggdrasil, the tree which encompasses all worlds. Nidhogg, they called him, the Malice Striker. He gnawed on Yggdrasil’s roots, feeding on its life-force. Another wonderful example how humans just catastrophize and butcher the truth at their whim. If they had ever set eyes on a true dragon, held council with them, shared a tiny bit of their wondrous magic, such childish legends would never have come to be. Then again, dragons can be quite petrifying.” – Odin

Summary:

In his youth, not yet consumed by jealousy and anger against his brother, Loki had a strange meeting with a seemingly reckless woman. Many years later, she returns and is introduced to him as a dragon - one of the ancient guardians of Yggdrasil - with the task of evaluating his former crimes, and Loki finds himself facing a whole different conflict. Can he overcome the poisonous inner demon that had driven him for so long? Or will he choose to walk in shadow once more, pulling the single light that remains with him into the darkness?

Excerpt (Chapter IV. Skirmish)

“Why do I even get an advocate? Lightbringers see truth in all things. Can you not easily see if I am guilty by looking at me? Not that it’s much of a question, anyway…”, Loki mused. Ljosira couldn’t help the twitch of her lips.

“If it isn’t a question, then why do you ask?”, she retorted. At her words, a look of surprise fleeted across his face, followed by something that looked like curiosity. She was bright, this one. Why are you even surprised?, an inner voice mocked. Torchbearer, living sun, the people called them. It had been a long time since he had talked to anyone remotely interesting. Had the chance to spar with words, engage in a duel of wits. And she would likely be a formidable opponent.

“No reason.”, he lied. This made her chime a laugh. A strange sensation fluttered and swooped in his chest at the sound, as though a little bird zoomed around there without rest.  He dismissed it as part of the entertaining banter they were having. But he could not quite ignore the way her face lit up when she smiled, how her hair looked a little ruffled from sleep, how she had failed to put on her robe properly and it had slipped just a bit, revealing a perfect patch of snowy white skin on her shoulder.

“You get an advocate because the circumstances of your case are… unclear.”, she answered calmly, prowling the length of the barrier.

“There is nothing unclear about it. I joined forces with an army of aliens to rule Midgard as a benevolent god!”, he exclaimed, his temper close to the surface as so often these days. Ljosira kept something from him. She eluded, holding a crucial part of information out of his reach. Suddenly the playful air from before vanished and she spun around to glare at him with a ferocity that would have silenced braver men than him.

“Do not lie to me, trickster!”, her voice had dropped low. Deep and menacing now, almost a growl. A dragon’s voice. The aura in his cell changed within an instant. Lights started to flicker, the ground rumbled. Unrestrained magic pressed down on his lungs, making it hard to breathe.  

“Why did you make the deal with the Chitauri?”, she snarled at him. Loki had taken it a step too far with the dragon’s patience, and he knew. The next thing he’d say could very well be the last words of his life.

“Why do you keep avoiding every question I ask?!”, some foolhardy impulse drove him to counter nevertheless.

Now I am going to die, he thought. Pile of ash scattered to the wind. Loki saw a flash of unspeakable anger flicker in her eyes, and he recoiled, expecting the death-blow that was sure to come. Only it never did. Instead, her shoulders sagged and her divine fury vanished, replaced by something he couldn’t grasp: It looked like a sad kind of regret.

“Because you are not asking them right.”, Ljosira said quietly. This staggered him. She had just turned away and was about to leave, when Loki’s voice, bereft of its usual velvet arrogance, made her stop.

“Wait.” Not more than a whisper. She paused, but didn’t move otherwise, just kept standing there, looking sternly into the opposite direction. “I am still alive.”, he added, sounding incredulous.

“It would seem so.”, she sighed, a thread of defeat in her voice. Loki leaned against the wall above the barrier, trying hard to puzzle out what she might be thinking. Her demeanour did not lack for emotion, yet he was even further away from understanding her intentions than before.  

“Do you wish that I was not?”, he asked in earnest, almost gently. Ljosira lifted her head as if the prison’s ceiling held the answer and gave it a slight shake, before her perceptive grey eyes found his.

“I wish you would stop looking at me like I’m your enemy.” The sincerity ringing in her words left him speechless.

And then she was gone before Loki could gather his wits. In the silence that followed, he sank back onto his cot, dropping his hands to his knees limply. Confusion and reason fought each other on the eternal battlefield of his mind.

[heliinx]

Loudly crunching warp-beetles.

[heliinx]

" Hate tall-things! Think you all are better than everyone else-else just because you are bigger!"

"Bigger means dumber! Fall-harder, hit-easier!"

[heliinx]

" What-what in the Horned Rat's name--?!"

[heliinx]

“ Actually, Betty-thing is the most wretched and misbegotten creature I have ever-ever had to mispleasure of meeting.”

[heliinx]

Sitting in a warm pool of soapy water getting her pelt messaged by big a Slaanbull. Refreshed, moisturized, unbothered~

[heliinx]

“ Thinking machines bad-bad idea. Any mouse-brain knows that, unless they’re Skryre-scum.”

[heliinx]

“ I’ve never-ever done anything wrong in my whole life. Why do the gods torment me-me?”

[heliinx]

[heliinx]

" This land a hellscape. Too-too hot. Too many-many predators. Cat-things big here!"

And, it wasn't far from where that red daemon from before had snatched her up...

[heliinx]

FINALLY skitters through the correct Slaaneshi mirror and escapes the Palace of Pleasure at LAST. She still has that Elixir in her paws...maybe she can sell it?

Wait, where is she?

[heliinx]

Covered in blood and saliva and frozen in shock and fear--

[heliinx]

"Chase-followed by Khornate daemons? Ha! Done-did that! Typical-normal tuesday for me-me, brave rat-rat that I am~"

[heliinx]

Sends a rat thrall to burgle something of off your muse~