#ijiraat

[willowishstudios]

ok so, how do Ijiraat learn how to turn into animals.... like, do they have to have seen the animal in real life, or just heard about it? are animals hereditary or can they just Do It instinctively? can they turn into animals that don't really exist? Can they only do Full transformations???? Sorry lots of questions, answer whatever you can u3u xoxoxoxo

Good questions!

 Considering that their shapeshifting is already somewhat unorthodox (in that they are always carnivorous, regardless of shape, and their teeth will reflect this), scholars have had a very hard time coming to a definitive conclusion on the subject. 

As it stands, it is assumed that shapes are learned based on some combination of instinct and visual learning. If you asked the average Ijiraat hunter how they learned how to shift, they’d likely just shrug their shoulders and say they’d always known how. Like learning to walk. (Shapes may be considered hereditary in that most individuals have a preferred form, and their children would have many opportunities to observe and mimic it).

All of that said, there are tales of Ijiraat with an unusual understanding of the art who can control the shift on a much deeper, more conscious level, mixing and matching parts, mimicking animals based on word of mouth, and so on. But such individuals are rare to the point of nearly being legend. 

[willowishstudios]

So Ijiraat still have pointy teeth when they shape shift ... even if they're adorable little birbs? :0

unfortunately... yes.

even if the animal they’re shifting into really shouldn’t have teeth at all, they’ll be there. if you see a woodpecker with red eyes that’s giving you a really strong ‘velociraptor’ vibe, it’s safe to assume that it’s a shifted Ijiraat.

[willowishstudios]

Pls tell me what happens to their clothes if they shift...

well, you see, my friend, the Ijiraat have a few creative solutions for that, but here’s Taqtu’s:

The black turtleneck and leggings that Taqtu wears under his clothes are made of a thin, easily-produced and recycled fabric, so if he plans on shifting around non-Ijiraat folks he just needs to strip down to that and rip right on through ‘em.

(As for shifting back, Ijiraat culture doesn’t really stigmatize or sensationalize nudity, so the brief period between returning to human form and putting his outerwear back on isn’t uncomfortable for him, but if it made other people uncomfortable he would wait to have a room or area to himself.)

There are fabrics in his wardrobe that stretch to accommodate less-human forms, but he thinks it’s pretty silly to be walking around as a bear wearing pants, or splash around as a seal with one empty pants leg, so he saves those for days he knows he’s going to be around people less accustomed to nudity, or shifting multiple times around those people. 

TL;DR: It depends on the company. If there are only other Ijiraat around, it’s not uncommon to just strip entirely to shift, but thin bodysuits are worn under outerwear when shifting around outsiders.

[willowishstudios]

I might be missing the obvious but what does being a hunt leader mean? What are the roles they preform? Also 10/10 game 👌👌

A Hunt Leader is essentially the Ijiraat answer to leadership! There’s no formal, elected or inherited leader, and the holder of the title usually falls into the role naturally, be it by merit or general social standing in the tribe.

Taqtu, specifically, became his tribe’s Hunt Leader based on a strong combination of the two. He’s physically strong, a talented hunter and leader of men, and well-loved in his community, so it was a natural progression from ‘the hunt leader’s son’ to the Hunt Leader. 

Roles include, of course, leading hunts, organizing events, mediating disputes, dispensing advice and aide to those in need, the list honestly goes on and on! 

When you’re highly respected by and are easily accessible to your people, you have a pretty tight schedule.

[willowishstudios]

This is a Ijiraat two part question: for hunts(besides shapeshifting), do they use weapons? If they do, what kind? and do they have a specific form of combat/martial art thing(for sparring, etc)

1) It depends on the individual and their place in the hunting party.  At least two members usually stay shifted into their predatory form of choice, but the others will usually carry spears or bows, and a dagger. Some have been known to hunt barehanded, but this is pretty frowned upon, as if you aren’t extremely efficient you’ll be prolonging the animal’s pain.

2) Ijiraat hand-to-hand fighting is pretty unique, and relies primarily on redirecting your foe’s energy or entirely disarming them. If that fails, grappling and throws are a must. If we had to compare it to real-world martial arts, it’d be like Systema and Judo thrown in a blender. 

[meurdok]

my piece for the yearbook 2016. Every year the 3rd year illustration students at Falmouth produce a sort of yearbook that will also be used as promotional material when we travel around (in New York for instance) or once we are graduated. The theme this year was Wunderkammer, or cabinet of curiosities, so it had to be intriguing, have a curious object as well as showing our skills.

I choose to make something about Ijiraat, Inuit spirits-shape-shifters, which are said to be sometimes pure evil, sometimes misunderstood or even just lost spirits. They kidnaps children and leave them to die in the blizzard and get the hunters lost. They can take ANY FORM but the one thing they can’t hide are their bright red eyes...

mixed media: gouache, watercolours and colouring pencil.