#the rest is luxon lmao

[legendary-alliance-stance]

I saw your tags on the canthan facepaint post and was wondering if you could share some of the kurzick/luxon history surrounding that! i am always so curious about the in-game character design but don't have a great grasp on a lot of the lore

Hello!! I'm delighted you asked, I'm always so excited to ramble about anything kurzick/luxon related

(Post in question)

DISCLAIMER: I have not finished Factions yet, nor have I gotten to either the Kurzicks or Luxons in the campaign, so there's bound to be something I've missed, as what knowledge I do have re: GW1 is from the wiki.

So! As far as I am aware (again, see disclaimer), there isn't any strict lore to the faintpaint/makeup that the Kurzicks and Luxons had back in the day, but it was extremely prevalent among the NPCs of both factions.

And while both factions were wiped out (and forcibly assimilated in the cases where they weren't simply killed for resisting) in the interim between GW1 and GW2, there's still remnants of them in present-day Cantha, both in the amount of descendants scattered throughout the Empire, as well as in the form of some cultural things, like the facepaint/makeup shown in @macomico's post

Here are some examples, using NPC models from GW1, that you can compare to the ones in GW2 -- there's a LOT that line up almost exactly!

Kurzick:

Luxon:

[essektheylyss]

Honestly it’s weird to me to see people compare Essek and Lucien as like, npcs to win over, if only for a specific and crucial difference: Essek seems to, if not thrive on, be comfortable with doubt. Lucien cannot stomach and he can’t stand for it.

And doubt is how you change people’s minds in situations like these.

[cadaceus]

C2E135

The dungeon crawl (and, quite honestly in my eagerly nerdy opinion, lore crawl) continues this week as well. We got some really nice moments and some interesting tidbits that are making me ever more curious about Aeor (despite the pressing time concerns and tensions!) Below are my full liveblogs for Campaign 2, Episode 135 of Critical Role but do beware of spoilers!

- OH GOD NO NOT NEW EYES RIGHT OFF THE BAT 

- And Caleb’s is right on his palm too, oof... I wonder if the different placements hold any different meanings with the eyes?

- “I heard that and I taught it to him” ESSEK 💀

- Beauyasha calling each other “babe” and “baby” is so cute, I still can’t believe that this ship is canon and we get to hear them call each other adorable pet names and openly admire and be in love with each other every week (yes it’s 1am, yes I am emotional)

- So, something came into the ground and then blew it up from the inside out? Hmmmm.... I am thinking thoughts.....

- Is this Essek’s first decent roll? I’m so proud, he’s come so far :’)

- The creation of the pantheon.... the Somnovum breaking rules(?) for their research and being banned from the Genesis Ward because of it.... a “Hammer of Creation” project (maybe the aeormatons?)..... the finding of a relic (Luxon?) along with some necromancy work (ie that gemstone in the Eiselcross pilla earlier LOL).... someone please take me to this library

- wizards............

- REST IN PEACE CHARLIE

- Trying to pay attention to whatever Devexian is saying while my dog insists on being let in and out of my room at 2:30am.... bby I love you but please

- Why is Devexian so bitter against the Cognouza Ward?? I wonder why their survival is a “cruel joke” as he said...

- Jester is so stressed she really wants to get to Lucien and I agree but for some reason I’m not feeling the same urgency as I was in previous episodes (could be that it’s the middle of the night dghdjkl)

- “Your hair begins to drift... those who have it, sorry” MATT DFGHJDK

- Dunamis?!?! Guys, what if there is a beacon in this chamber....  😱

- Fjorester/Willingblam reenacting the “I love you” “I know” scene (jokingly) is very iconic of them I think 

- HIS HAIR IS BACK LET’S GO HGSDJHKFJ... rip bald fjord though, the memes were fun while they lasted

- Whoa, it counts as a long rest?? That’s so crazy, also kind of reassuring but I’m worried about possible side effects of it.... 

- Ohhhhh that rejuvination chamber had to do with dunamis, oh my god

- Caleb reminding Essek to hold off until later, just as Essek did for him earlier.... the wizards keeping each other in check despite their personal ambitions and curiousities…. idk why I’m so emotional over this but I am

- Essek giving the mini beacon to Caleb, and saying “There’s two, isn’t there?”  😭

- INITIATIVE BABEY!!!

- Hearing the DM go “oh, shit” about a damage roll against you is never an ideal situation dnklfk...., poor Yasha someone please save her ohmygods

- JESTER USING THE WAND OF SMILES ON THIS MANY MOUTHED CREATURE LMAO I LOVE HER

- Rip Yasha’s ribcage off?? Ummmmm please no kind monster sir please

- wizards flirting 👀 we got a small little feast this week and i am Soft for it

- Ooh, so we’re ending tonight on a bit of a cliffhanger then as they float down further into Aeor... I can’t wait to see what happens! I can’t believe I actually managed to stay up until 4am to watch this, but I think it’s best that I go to bed now lol... BUT it was entirely worth it, and I liked the almost lighter? Tone of this episode after the stress and tension of the past few weeks’. Until next time though, I love you all, and is it Thursday yet?

[legendary-alliance-stance]

Honestly knowing anet I feel like it was prolly gay on purpose lol or at least I'm believing it is lol also YEAH POST ALL THE ART never not post art omg I'm sure there's more of us obsessed with them there's just not enough content floating around to really seeeeee how big of a fandom they have. but another ship with virtually no content is totally just what I needed !! living the dream god i'm. so not ok about these two I could listen to them banter all day FUCK they're so married it's unreal

HELLO HELLO ANON I'm sorry it took me a bit to get to this ask!! didn't sleep well last night and then spent the day working on some non-gw2 art

but YES I really want to believe that they intended for viktor/archemorus to come off as romantic. like. there's something about their interactions that just... clenches fist. they're GAY YOUR HONOUR

also i absolutely get u on listening to them banter all day. a while back I recorded all of their dialogue to compile into something I could post on here, and sometimes I just go listen to it on repeat <3 i love hearing them banter so much

ALSO I'M GONNA SLAP MY ART OF THEM HERE (under a readmore sshh)

[dabs]

like i said, i tweaked some things from their versions in the trailer -- namely i gave viktor some DAMN MAKEUP because he's a fucking KURZICK and i'm mad anet didn't give him the goth makeup like the rest of his people. and i darkened archemorus' skin tone because a lot of the luxons are darker skinned! and i like to read the luxons as very pacific islander/polynesian so it just felt Right?

anyway love these old men. some day i'll attempt to draw fullbodies of them but god i do not look forward to trying to make sense of outfits u can only see in passing in one trailer lmao (also viktor's outfit is just. sir. leather robes??? SIR???)

also here have some younger versions of them that i designed for the Good End Cantha AU that i have lmao