#gw2 headcanon

[neverloseguy]

Three types of Berserkers

A while ago I read about a forum post and how each Grandmaster traits in Warrior's Berserker specialization represents three different "tiers" of the users, and I think I could expand this idea a bit with my own as well.

Bloody Roar - This is originally said to be the "beginner" tier Berserker (though I would say you could also lump a more savage kind of Warriors into this as well), where the user succumbs to the rage from within and embraces their destructive potential, lashing out at everyone and everything they see for maximum damage. This is pretty easy to imagine considering it's likely the most straightforward of three traits and also pretty much the meta trait (at least in PvE side of things).

King of Fires - This is the "intermediate" tier of Berserker (and I guess Fire Elementalists that like to punch things) where the user, instead of using raw emotions as a power-boost, transforms their burning anger into flames that well, burns enemies around them. This implies the user not only has some level of restraints, but also the ability to manipulate their magical flows even at the state of aggression. Also a useful trait for condition-based Berserker builds.

Eternal Champion - This is the "expert" tier of Berserker, where the user seems to be fully retain their self-control to an extent they can exit Berserk mode early, and merely uses their emotions as if they are one of the arsenals available to them. You could even say that when they enter Berserk mode, they aren't actually *angry* but rather at the state of concentration where adrenaline flows through their veins, enough for them to gain endurance and stability (and among other things) that could turn the fight into their favor. Goes without saying that this is likely for veterans or a more experienced character with a lot of emphasis on restraints and disciplines. Ironically though, this is actually the least popular trait due to it leaning towards defenses and not putting out damage, but it has uses in PvP and WvW side of things.

[lliribee-go-lightly]

wrt to all those lovely tropes about eyes being the windows to the soul, people's eyes changing after being involved in big powerful events, etc etc, I'd like to propose that the Commander has just like. The most fucked up looking eyes ever. They glow, the sclera aren't the right colour anymore, the pupils are very uncomfortable to look at, the whole deal. After killing Multiple Elder Dragons, a god (and being killed by&coming back from being killed by a god), sticking their head in a ley line, being a literal dragon champion, etc, no one can ever look them in the eye and mistake them for anyone than the Commander.

[lilchiharu]

I’m kinda glad they release the armor tattoo skins. In my headcanonfor my commander, Polymnia, as the tattoos to cover up some of the battle scars she’s got. (Like the big-ass scar from Balthazar when he killed her)

I’m using the fire bloom tattoo, cuz I also like the idea that the flowers glow too 🥺🥺

[mistfallengw2]

How do charr hands function? Here's my headcanon (with drawings!)

So I made this poll earlier today and I ended up making some sketches to explain how I headcanon charr hands and their supposedly retractable yet too big claws. The idea is that both the game and the books are partially right: claws can be big (not as big as the models), and they're semi-retractable (so fully-fluffy paws). [Disclaimer: I am bad at anatomical drawings and did not try to make them super accurate :')]

Basically charr fingers are made of three phalanges, but functionally they're just two, with the 2nd and 3rd being much shorter and sort of "merging" with the claw itself, which is mostly supported by the 3rd and starts very close to the knuckle between them. The palm is covered almost entirely by a skin pad/paw pad, which usually extends to the first phalanx of each finger, and the fingertips are covered by pads as well.

The claws are semi-retractile, though the exact range of motion depends on the individual's genetics (claw size and shape + hand anatomy) and preferences (how much they trim the claw). The ability to retract their claws is managed by specialized extra tendons and muscles in the hand's structure, and they can lock the claw in place or move it, even while the fingers are bent, though with some limitation at the extremes of movement. While the claw at rest will stay at a "safe" angle, the claw's bed can shift on the cartilage structure when pulled, sliding back into a "sheathed" position or be pushed outwards. [note: I was too scared to go too far with the "x-ray" sketches and probably the claws could go a bit further back in the finger lol]

Ancestrally, this system kept the claws from always digging into the ground and losing sharpness when running on all fours, while still allowing for extra grip when necessary (similar to cheetahs) and the use when fighting or taking down prey. During the evolutionary transition in which charr started walking upright most of the time and using tools, it lost some of its ancestral necessity and functionality. However, instead of turning into something vestigial, charr evolved the ability of controlling each claw's movement independently from the rest of the finger, allowing for greater precision, fine motor skills and dexterity.

The pad grants grip and softer manipulation of items, while the claw handles movements finer and more precise than the pad allows, and other races find it complex, fascinating or a bit freaky. Some say that charr are as dexterous than humans, if not more, which is quite an accomplishment for creatures with such big hands.

That said, variety is huge among charr. Some have stubby paws with big, wide claws, while others have long, slender fingers with narrow claws.

Claws are still used as a natural weapon by many soldiers, but it's totally not uncommon for charr to file their claws down or keep them blunt, as there's a huge variety of reasons for not wanting sharp knives on one's fingers (job requirements, handling of delicate materials, safer interactions with cubs or creatures with softer skin, personal preference, etc), and some even keep their claws at different lengths for specific uses.

That said, claws can't be trimmed beyond the quick without bleeding or potential damage, and since it extends out of the sheath it's not possible for a charr to fully sheath their claws. Claws grow quite fast to make up for the daily wear and tear, so upkeep must be done regularly, as trimming too much might temporarily impact coordination. Declawing can happen during combat or following injury, and those affected might wear prosthetics/fake claws to make up for it.

[wall-legion]

For your consideration: baby charr being born with just the icklest of horn nubs. A mere suggestion of the horns to come, barely longer than their fur;

Older cubs rubbing their heads on LITERALLY ANYTHING as their horns start to grown out because it itches so much at the bases. Certain low spots in the Black Citadel bearing the scars of hundreds, if not thousands, of different cubs using these spots as scratching posts;

The pride of horns growing out enough to use them, watching in envy as others have theirs grow into interesting shapes and impressive lengths and just hoping theirs will as well. Worrying about breaking them. Watching as someone in the fahrar inevitably breaks theirs and gets taken to get it reattached with metal, and then wondering if it would make theirs look cooler if that happened to them;

Old enough now to be in a warband, in the field. Someone's horn breaks in combat and they declare "screw it, it stays this way". They still wonder if it would make them look cool because, deep down, they're still that cub hoping to have the horns that everyone notices.

[rosewoodroad]

"Aren't you really just someone pretending to be the commander?"

Did I turn a joke line from Cloudseeker into angst development for my commander? Yes, yes I did.

I imagine being the Commander slowly became less of a privilege and more of a performance art over the years. When you've felled Elder Dragons, Gods, Liches and all manners of infallible beings, people start to think of you as one of them.

But you love them so much, you don't have the heart to betray their expectations. So you keep pretending you've got it all under control.

And the more vulnerable you feel- the more weak you are- the less you feel like the Commander. Right now? You're nobody.

[quintiliusheartripper]

Needed to finalize the t4t voice and claw of koda and here they are.

[herald-of-aurene]

Found this on Google but this is how I imagine the Ash Legion homeland's cities look

A vast underground city with many paths and tunnels leading to many places, the ash legion homelands is secret to all who are not ash and are fiercely protected. This is not the only city as there are many like it, but it is the oldest and largest by far

I feel like there are a lot of decoy towns and outposts

[ratasum]

Asura and Gender

I've talked about this in the past but it rattles around in my head every now and then so I wanted to elaborate on my hcs regarding asura, the concept of gender, and gender as it plays into their overall society.

Basically, to start: in the native asuran language, I do not think there are gendered pronouns. It's simply not important to them as far as how you speak to someone (though there are times when that identification is important). There are multiple other pronouns for various identifiers, but the words for "can have children" and "can't have children" are largely the biggest ones that exist, and those are typically used in the process of contracting and how individuals are listed on contracts in regards to partnerships, children, and how a relationship will progress/how long it'll last. But this also includes "may want to have children," "currently not having children," and a variety of other breakdowns. And even someone who is capable of having children can be listed as "can't have children" be it medically or by their choice.

Not to say one's identification doesn't matter. It matters a great deal, in LEGAL matters. Contracts and legal identification, things like that.

And in this way, they're both far more complicated and far more simple than how gender is traditionally viewed by, say... humans on the surface.

Once arriving on the surface, asura were exposed to far different gender rules than they were used to. But instead of changing their identifiers, they instead folded the new ones into their existing system. If you hear an asura talking in native asuran, you may hear "he" or "she" get dropped in common, and sometimes even "they." Now they have even more ways to sort and apply things.

The biggest ramification for coming out as a different gender id for asura is largely paperwork. It's not seen as something bad or weird, there's no real pomp or unease regarding changing one's gender, they're honestly very chill with it; updating how you identify is like changing your hairstyle. Their culture is far more fluid. But you should probably expect to go down to the Office of Identification to sign 37 forms, print them out in triplicate, get forms to your dean or krewe chief (make sure to have copies), also to the RA of your dorm if you're still in college, get a new ID holo taken if you go into any classified areas, and don't forget to fill out this notice to be sent to all your known acquaintances and family to alert them to your knew ID, name, and identifiers.

Or have your parents/legal guardians do it if you're not in college yet!

If an asura can make things needlessly complicated, they will. But as there are no gender roles in their society - instead being a meritocracy based on what you're capable of as an individual intellectually (not even physically) - this always seemed to make more sense to me.

[creativebrainrot]

some of my sylvari headcanons for ur reading pleasure

Their stomachs are pitcher plants + dragon magic. meaning they can eat rocks if they want but its probably a bad idea. nutrient rich food is even more useful and good for their bodies. mentors have to teach saplings to Stop eating the fucking rocks and dirt PLEASE pale mother WH

When they blush their bioluminescence flairs up, and pulses two to four times across their cheeks, whereever their facial glow pattern already is. the pulsing can happen at night, when they naturally glow. depending on the individual, either, the pulses are brighter than their average glow or the pulses cause their glow to dim before brighting in time with the pulse. sounded super cute to me so ive kept it around.

some sylvari are several types of plants, with branches, moss, AND fungus, or any other combination. this one is just neat to me design-wise.

some sylvari are One Single plant, depending on the plant, this can cause certain sylvari to be extremely sensitive and fragile physically and/or mentally. Orchid sylvari who cannot leave maguuma without major issues or require a lot of aid to enable their travels. vine-based sylvari who Need someone else there to feel safe or else theyll panic. preferably a sylvari who's a tree. that they can cling to. sylvari whose flower scent causes them to be mobbed by insects more than anyone else. etc.

their tongues' color matches their color pattern, if they have one. otherwise its the same color as their bark/skin.

sylvari can gain muscle or change their body's physical traits by Thinkin Real Hard about it and photosynthesizing for one to two weeks. genderfluid sylvari make a lot of use of this. if theyre trying to heal an old wound it might take several weeks, depending on the scar or wound. this whole thing is more difficult if done alone, the more common method is asking the pale tree Hey mom. Can i try some shit. I need to borrow a pod for a few weeks plz.

they can also gain muscle same as humans but that takes some extra work and time compared to the sylvari shortcut.

[blufox3542]

In SotO Peitha talking to revenant commander is literally just her joining the group chat. Rev commander is just like “god damn it who joined this time” and now Peitha has like. 8 other spirits she’s gotta deal with.

[neverloseguy]

I always like to imagine that Nellen and Sasha as one of those "best buddies that butts head with each other all the time". Let me explain why:

Both characters went through events during their childhoods that end up creating some kind of parallel between them; Nellen was an orphan adopted by a Lion's Arch's caretaker, where she had a hard time getting along with kids there due to her eccentricity. Sasha was an orphan adopted by a bandit who treated her like shit and made her one of them.

Both of them has always been an outcast of the society, and struggle to befriend anyone their age. The events that would come after didn't make their lives any easier, with both losing what little friends and families they have early on to a series of tragedies that continues to plague them up to this day.

Their personalities are very different from one another, with Nellen being a goofy tech-savvy engineer and Sasha a beefy no-nonsense warrior, but they quickly realize the similar paths they have walked from one another when they joined the Whispers. As such, they would often bicker with each other about the most silly of things, but deep down inside, they know they have finally found someone who understand them.

The picture above is one of those instances where Nellen presumably has a really bad day, likely the usual "you're weird" remarks from strangers that has no idea about who she is, and thus finally breaks down onto Sasha's chest, who proceeds to comfort her friend as she cries uncontrollably to let it all out. As much as they like to fight with each other, Sasha is likely one of, if not the only person who truly knows what it's like to be alone out there, and that is why they will never leave each other's side.

[elderdragonapologist]

I like making the species of GW2 less human than some of them can come across as in game so I've been kinda insane with the Largos and I'm realising the way I headcanon their reproduction means it's probably not uncommon for their children to technically have three parents. (not that it matters as part of my lore is when the eggs hatch its every man for itself so parentage is rarely important. But I think accidentally enabling polyamorous parenting for largos is pretty cool of me.)

[bloodlily16]

I think Trahearne's pantry is 85% canned snow truffle soup specifically because of the stat boosts to condition damage and vitality. You open his pantry and it's all identical cans of mushroom soup, plus a tin of saltine crackers. The remaining 10% of the food is meal kits that Caithe puts together/buys and gives to Trahearne that are made of shelf-stable goods. Like. Cake mix+canned peaches+a baggie of spices+a piece of paper with a recipe for how to make dump cake. Trahearne takes the pie filling and eats it right out of the can with a spoon and leaves everything else. Caithe can never know. He takes multivitamins and thinks that makes it okay.

[where-is-caithe]

purple holoforge go!