#gw2 all or nothing

[muzarry]

Branded commander?

Branded commander.

(Happens at the end of All or Nothing)

[gristlegrinder]

part of what makes IBS so fascinating to me is its position both within the world of Tyria and the story it was trying to tell, and the larger metatextual circumstances surrounding its development. because, like, The Icebrood Saga is a story that's, IMO, largely about placing individual actions in complex systems of power, and what happens when those systems begin to unravel.

-> Can you help us deal with Bangar? Aurene: He's a part of a larger web. Strands connecting to strands. Cut one out and nothing changes, not really. Aurene: It's hard to explain. But seeing how those strands connect... Taking one life won't solve your problems. (x)

so, like, you have Ryland, who talks about "playing his cards right" but has really been dealt a bad hand from the start and can only keep playing bad cards - the one decent play he gets in Turnabout to try and get out of the game gets interrupted by an arrogant bastard killing Cinder, and it's downhill from there. it's not necessarily that it was always going to end the way it did with him, but you're fighting an uphill battle against his upbringing, against his relationship with Bangar, against all cultural context. he insists that Jormag didn't coerce him into anything, and that's true; he ends up as Jormag's champion because, at least from Ryland's perspective, there's really no other option by the time he has the bow in his paws.

likewise, you have Braham, wrestling with being the norn of prophecy, slowly (slower if Champions didn't have to be rushed out of the door, I imagine) coming to terms with what exactly that means. he knows from the beginning that either Jormag dies, or he dies. he knows this, and knows that it's always going to end one way or the other. the prophecy unfurls, and Jormag awakens, and it becomes more and more obvious how it's supposed to go. He bonds with Primordus, because there's really no other option by the time Jormag is threatening to freeze the world ten times over to ice their brother out of existence. and sure, it might still destroy him even if Jormag doesn't kill him, but he doesn't get the luxury of thinking about that.

and then you have the Commander, who should be in control of the narrative, because in-universe they're the Commander and out-of-universe they're the player character, but there are multiple points where that agency is taken away from you - Smodur bombs the bunker and interrupts your negotiation, Ryland puts a bullet through Smodur's skull. you're always going to try and save the farm, but not every problem has an easy solution. the Legions are built on centuries of war and violence and hypervigilance against external threats; Bangar is not an isolated bad actor but a product of that system, and the gears of the war machine churn on both sides of Drizzlewood. you (and Aurene) are largely an audience to the family tragedy - tragedies, plural, both the relationships between Rytlock/Crecia/Ryland and Jormag/Primordus - as they break down.

"The Balance" isn't sustainable in its current state, but there isn't really a good alternative at this point. you can't back down when you're three dragons in (we tried that after Mordremoth, and Balthazar wouldn't have it and Kralkatorrik couldn't stomach it), and Jormag and Primordus (mostly Jormag) are threatening to escalate as the encroaching void eats away at them both. there's this real sense that they just have to make the best of a bad situation, and hope that the damage is minimal. the universe itself is on a cresting wave and it's about to crash, heading into End of Dragons.

so you have all of that, and it's also the chapter of GW2 where the developers are hit with major studio-disrupting internal problems and a fucking global lockdown. your story gets interrupted, there's not much you can do about it, but you have to keep going and make the best of it, even when the fate of arenanet itself seems uncertain.

what happens in the aftermath, after the dragonstorm clears?

[manasurge]

Just a bit of lore relevant vent art (with terrible proportions bc apparently I mess that up horribly when I'm tired ugh. Watch me regret posting this tomorrow. The head size is already driving me mad bc it's too big, and I can feel myself wanting to abort this mission already) of Mourynn just, lying down on top of one of those large elevated Pale Tree roots far above the Grove (and far away from everyone else), and during the time between the early years and before the Personal story. Caithe is gone (Destiny's Edge), Wynne is gone (bc well, y'know...), even Faolain is gone (bc of Caithe in DE), and she's just feeling miserable, lost, and alone. (Her hair is in between her sapling hair and the Zhaitan hair, so it's grown out a bit bc she's depressed, and she's meant to be in the new outfit she designed, but I'm in the process of redesigning it a bit, so I've made a few tentative changes for now. Her collar is now just an extension of her clavicle leaves which can be put up like a collar, or can be draped down over her shoulders or back)

[twilightdomain]

is this the only way i deliver rat lore anymore

[mistfallengw2]

Hagan Wesson

Child of Wolf, Favored by Snow Leopard Lieutenant of the Vigil Thief Specter

Certified himbo

Bloopers time because why not

-

Really nice screen!... aaand his hair clips through the shoulder piece, right >:T

Hagolas! What do your elf norn eyes see?

You'd think he's usually serious from the pics you've seen, but that's all a facade. He's a himbo and turns into the biggest dork the moment he's off-duty... or when no one's looking.

Not pictured: my continuous cursing for the lack of better arm prosthetis (or at least better skins that give that idea)

[saladbarselectionmenu]

Caithe is actually such a compassionate character. She's so isolated and lonely and it's kind of heart breaking watching it but once you realise that she is constantly, consistently reaching out to people it's so much worse.

Caithe is the one who tried to repair Destiny's Edge, and thanks the commander constantly for being there for her during Dungeons, and she's the one who reaches out and worries if the commander is hurting over Aurenes loss too, but she's so alone for so much of the story despite the fact she is trying so hard to be a good friend. She's just so afraid at the same time.

[shalotheaxolotltheadventurer]

Happy 10th anniversary!!

[kaninchen-reblogs]

FFXIV Patches 🤝GW2 Patches

No matter the patch, no matter the expansion, the unbreakable bond between Warriors is eternal. Unkillable champions stay winning.

[entering--hyperspace]

Its 2am, quick! Ramble some preliminary thoughts about Rytlock and Leo's relationship, spoiler alert! Its complicated!

I'm currently "going through" the personal story, and I was thinking about how...complicated Rytlock and Leo's relationship becomes especially as Rytlock Puts Himself Into Situations and that affecting a whole lot later into the story. I was talking to my friend about this. Heres the thing about these two,

They are not perfect for each other. This isn't a fairytale relationship, they arent destined lovers, they will never get a true domestic happy life together, and they could probably find people to fit them both better in the long run.

But, they were perfect for each other when they met.

Rytlock, punished for ambition, losing someone he cared about because of this, gaining a literal physical reminder of it, after he had just lost Destiny's edge. Blinded by glory, torn apart by loss, failure. He grew distant from his warband because the warmth of a flame was more enticing than the bonds of his past. He had no one, he was ignorant to the repeated life lessons, he was bored.

Leo, on the other hand, was a coiled snake ready to strike. He had ambitions of his own, he grew tired of constant death, reckless fighting. Spirits lamented over lost opportunity, of being playthings in wars fought by higher powers. He grew up in a land that was a physical cautionary tell of how single individuals could ruin the very souls and doom entire nations. Souls that cant rest, souls that cant return. It was Ascalon that inspired him to become a necromancer, to commune with spirits, to treat the dead with reverance, and thus respecting life before its final march. It did outcast him from his warband, save for a single individual.

When his warband died fighting due to carelessness on behalf of his legionnare, he still chose mercy, even in grief and anger he would not throw away lives as his people were so readily to do. He would show them all, he would show them there was a different way, that the road harder to travel on was a road worth walking if it meant preserving life. Others would see him as weak for this, but he had the confidence and skill to back it up his claims.

Perhaps it was the sharpness, the same cleverness that Rytlock admired in Crecia that drew him to Leo. I like that, honestly. Its a bit selfish, but Rytlock is a very selfish character for a while.

So he chose him, he could see his potential, he was amused, if anything, by someone with beliefs so different than anything they were raised to believe and was ready to challenge the very foundation they stood on. Speaking of, Leo challenged him in ways that surprised him, in ways that if Rytlock were anyone else Leo would have surely been deranked or snapped at for his boldness. He made him stop and consider, a unique viewpoint a fire that had lived for so long it became too strong to be snuffed out, that alone was impressive. Lmao, It's Leo constsntly challenging rytlock that draws him to Leo as well I think. Someone who will truthfully grab him by the ear and snap him back to his senses. On the other hand:

Leo wasn't ignorant of Rytlocks many prior transgressions and the blood most higher ranked charr spill to stand as tall as they do. He didn't think too highly of him before, but desperate times call for desperate measures. They were also, both, lonely. Rytlock appreciated having someone who he slowly crept into being a bit more of himself around, and Leo appreciated the opportunity of gaining his favor, as well as the acceptance of his beliefs. Rytlock understood climbing a steep hill with the people around pouring water down waiting for a slip. He's loyal above all else, he's similarly ambitious. Maybe Rytlock didnt necessarily Follow him exactly, but he didnt turn away or laugh in his face when Leo one night truthfully shared his plans. He simply told him it would be hard, but challenged him to pursue it. And, if anything, Leo's words actually affected him, he could see it slowly, that was enough for him, They were friends.

Physical attraction was there too, of course, that is admittedly a constant even before they become romantic. I see it at this point of maybe not being a thing of romantic bond, but rather of trust. But this is also normal and expected of charr. Friends with benefits, nothing more. But that more would come in later.

A chain is harder to break than a string, much harder. It weighs heavy, its cumbersome at times, but it holds things together quite well despite everything, despite "everything"

They are not a red string of fate, rather a forged red chain. Charr care a lot about loyalty, they care about loyalty in a way that I feel is hard to describe other than something deeply rooted in their culture thus hard to shake. During the time Leo and Rytlock spent together as Leo climbed the ranks and together they took on Ascalonian missions, sharing nights, swapping stories, sparring, challenging, they forged that bond. A bond between two people with no other options. They chose each other.

My memory of path of fire is, muddled, I'll get there when I get there. But what I know for sure is that what began of a romantic relationship would become quickly strained as the story goes on and it is revealed that everything occuring is due to Rytlock's recklessness.

Leo isn't the commander, Connie is, this almost makes it worse for them in a funny way. Leo would probably be more forgiving over his own death, but instead he is made to watch someone else die, he watches countless others die, all while knowing at night he shares a bed with the person at the root of it. But he doesnt leave, because theres always that chain, its backs turned to each other but still comforted by the warmth of another, even if their presence is denied. Im sure when i learn the details of it i can share more thoughts on them but ough.

When Leo does take on more commander-like duties and rytlock is still at his side, it becomes even more apparent how their relationship isnt as ideal as it could be in a perfect life. In a perfect life leo wouldve left everything to be with the olmakhan, to live a peaceful existence, to raise a family. Rytlock thinks of his cubs in a similar regard, Leo and Rytlock cant give that to each other, the world will not allow that of them both, especially leo, But they leave together with that knowledge.

Does this make sense? Idk, i hope so. The love is there, but there is an acceptance of the fact that there will always be a void that cant be filled. Perhaps there is a gentleness to them both that they treat each other with because of that fact and thats just how it is.

[rizardofether]

My top 5 GW2 story parts

Asura personal story parts (10-30)

Path of Fire: The Departing

Basically entirety of season 4

Heart of Thorns

Icebrood Saga (except Champions, fuck Champions)

[13skeletons]

I keep making new sylvari like "this time I will put them in sylvari cultural armor! this time for real!" and then i go "but what's the harm in previewing them in some skins i have unlocked but haven't used?" and then I end up with the gothest, most bloodstone crazed salad ever :weary emoji:

[guardian-instincts-bad]

now i won't say gw2 is necessarily good when it comes to letting you play fat female characters, bc lets be real, almost no game is

but i have recently learned that specifically the medium corsair chest on the biggest norn model actually bulks you out even more and makes the boob situation seem natural and less like you're hiding balloons in your shirt

and i cannot describe the elation i get running around on a kid that looks like this!!

(and from when i was still working out hair and colours, for the side view)

[orrianreaper]

Thinking more about all the patch notes stuff, and seen a bunch of people on the wavelength of how the perma-alac+quick meta is a pain in the ass and it's got me wondering: What would things look like if alac+quick couldn't be maintained At All Times, and instead was something you would need to/ideally pop at specific times. You drop stability when you need it, same with aegis? I wonder how it'd feel, and work, if for Alacrity & Quickness they were instead the button you press when you hit a big burn phase in a fight, like after breaks bars etc? I know I really enjoy getting to learn to use my stab etc based on knowledge of the fight, and timing and practise, it's really satisfying and rewarding to get right - I don't know if realistically it would ever work for a similar thing for those two big important boons. Hell you could even make them stronger to compensate if you want, short bursts saved for critical moments. 🤔

[bannedaid]

🩹💎🎲

FOR SOBB!

🩹 - Someone who was a source of trauma

wowee! looks around. well it's been a while since i've yapped/thought about sobb(sorry)... but i'll try to be accurate with what i can remember. i can always just rewrite... who cares... ermmm well, he doesn't really remember this, but his biological parents and their krewe were definitely a major source of trauma and distress within his life. again, he can't(or chooses not to) remember this, but there's definitely hints of his past somewhere int hat tiny brain of his. just. asura in general, probably, college, etc., their way of life was probably traumatizing for a while before he up and left to become a frycook! yay!

💎 - Chosen family (including warband)

his chosen family :D M4-B-T and P4-B-T (ma-bot and pa-bot, whom he simply just calls mom and pa) are his parents! they are, as their names suggest, golems, that were made by his biological parents to take on the duties of caretaking! because they had more important matters to attend to. yadda, yadda, these bots showed sobb more affection and care than his biological parents (or anyone, for that matter) did, and eventually, they became who he considered his actual parents. this solidified especially after his bioligical parents and their krewe.... erm... mysteriously dissapeared!

🎲 - Biological parents

assholes. not much to say other than that! obsessed with their research and with themselves, not even sure why they decided to have sobb. they love eachother in a weird "i will beat this guy because he's just as smart as me" way. like. toxic yaoi i guess. go you. maybe they thought having a child would help their relationship or something i don't know. they're on and off a lot, lots of arguments over research and blah blah blah and "go take care of the baby" "make that thing stop fucking sobbing" wah wah wah! anyways!! they dieddissapeared in sobb's preteen years. probably(definitely) by their own creation/research.... ahem... but that's already a lot of secrets spilled so enough for now i suppose

[gristlegrinder]

also this is a side note and doesn’t really count as critical analysis or whatever, but i do really like that kryptis thoughts are consistently written as very emotive, fragmented things centered around their raw experience. it’s a little annoying from the perspective of a guy trying to eat all of the lorebooks to figure out environmental backstory since it leaves you to fill in some of the blanks around their recollections, but it’s a nice detail that i think really fits well with their world and how resonant they are with their surroundings and the sheer amount of emotions that filter through their senses.

[sylvaridreams]

only ooc because Auruim would never leave without trying to beat someone to death. playing in my beautiful near canon. with my touys. lalalala.