#gw2 headcanons

[doedolly64]

random HEADCANON but I do think that Asura's eyes would have that tapetum lucidum thing that most animals have. Esp cuz they're subterranean. Yay headcanons

[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.

[ratasum]

Asura hcs that I live by in my settings:

MOST asura are lactose intolerant. This stems from having been a race from deep underground that didn't have access to cow or dolyak milk until they came to the surface permanently after the loss of the six original cities. Much of the "milk" used in asuran cooking nowadays comes from other sources, like almonds and oats, but there are intrepid asura trying to invent the Tyrian version of lactaid.

The asuran language has no gendered words. Being a strict meritocracy with zero emphasis on gender or gender roles, asura don't really care much about the gender of another person in the grand scheme of things. It isn't uncommon for asuran sexualities to be very fluid, and of course homosexuality exists for them as much as anyone else, but as far as in their culture, your gender is something that is on your paperwork and can be changed whenever you like. Coming out as trans is a lot easier when it's "That's great, New Daughter, now let's finish your homework quick because the line at the Gender Record Office is gonna be about twenty people deep and I don't want to miss Tyrian Jeopardy."

Albinism, vitiligo, poliosis, amelanism, and leucism are very common among asura. It's really common in cave dwelling species to exhibit much higher rates of albinism and other forms of pigmentation loss, and I don't think it's any different for asura (or skritt, for that matter). It's probably seen as something incredibly attractive and desirable, despite the negative effects that come from living on the surface where the sun is a deadly laser. This is probably a leftover cultural trait from when they were underground, despite the inconveniences of the genetic mutations in the modern day.

Canonically we know large ears are attractive to asura, but I also think very large eyes and heads plays into this as well. With the eyes accounting for visual acuity and the head size... well. Asura are big on brainpower.

The Inquest still speaks "old" Asuran and doesn't use New Krytan unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. Seeing as how they're an Asura On Top organization, this just makes sense to me. Why would they BOTHER to speak New Krytan? That's the language of inferiors, as far as they're concerned. As such, if you want someone to translate something from the time of the exodus that has terminology and structure that's become obsolete, best find yourself someone in the Inquest. It's part of the reason they've remained relevant in asuran politics, despite being hated by much of the populace.

[guildfox2]

headcanon of the day:

thieves in tyria practicing pickpocketing often find that different races most commonly keep their most valuable possessions on different parts of their person.

humans are predominantly right-handed, so find it most comfortable to keep things they reach for frequently, like their coin-purse, on their left side. (i always wear my bag on my left side because it's easier to reach into it with my right hand that way.)

i don't remember where i read it, but apparently most cats irl are left-pawed, so if charr are the same, they would keep their coin purse in their right pocket. but they would also likely keep their small weapons on the right side of their coat for quick self-defense, so watch out when pick-pocketing.

sylvari i think would have little leafy belt-pouches, in the style of the nests those little birds make from sewing leaves up. one might find, however, that their belt-pouches are naturally-grown extensions of their clothes, which are naturally-grown extensions of their bodies, so they might feel you sticking your hand in there to poke around for their coins. :/

norn cultural outfit (common clothing outfit i think it is?) has a belt pouch already, but i like to imagine they might sew a charm of a raven feather onto it for the spirit of raven to guard their coins as fiercely as crows guard their own shinies. (a fun idea to me)

asura are hardest to pick-pocket because portable safe boxes are a popular item for new inventors to make new variations of. some have a metal purse with 18 different locks on it, some have a magically-enchanted purse that turns anyone with unauthorized fingerprints into a moa for touching it, some have a device that creates a pocket dimension to store their things in a different plane (this one's less popular because the pocket dimension frequently collapses and implodes all the money inside it), and some just have a whole entire safe inside their golem. pick-pocketing asura is rarely worth it, especially since you're just as likely to find notebooks as coins locked up in there.

tengu have beaded pouches they wear around their neck, which means if you get caught pick-pocketing them you have to answer some awkward questions about why you're putting your hand down the front of their shirt.

hylek.... don't ask where the hylek keep their coins, or why the coins are slobbery.

[hoppingamongsthestars]

Wait, I know exactly how Sebb dies to Apyl.

Sebb, fearing for his life, tries to reason with a feral Apyl. He goes on some unhinged rant about how if she stops now, they can leave together and be together forever.

Apyl stops attacking and it looks like she's considering what he's saying.

Sebb thinks its working, until she grabs him by the throat nad lifts him in the air. There is an awful cracking noise as her jaw unhinges to open unnaturally wide.

Apyl growls out a rather garbled "ToGEtHeR foReVEr." Releases her grip and her mouth snaps shut. She swallowed him whole.

She coughs up his headset and amalgam ooze like a hairball and passes out.

There is a long debate on who gets to tell her what she did as she won't remember right away when she comes around.

[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.

[moth-loves-largos]

doing that "list some facts abt OC" thing on Bsky and decided to finally make a little doodle on my headcannon abt the reason behind the differences between Zafira and Aaminah's appearance. My head canon being that the Largos from the Maguma region are over all smaller then the largos from the Cantha region, have more saturated blue scales, darker hair and rounder wings

[zojjas-wife]

Premature Sylvari headcanons

Premature blooming can be caused by: poor health of the pod, sylvari itself, or because of the health of the pale tree, or damage to the pod.

preemie sylvari come out with white splotches (like vitiligo) on their hair and skin, and with whatever floral (cattails, flowers, ECT.) they have unbloomed

Many extremely premature Sylvari don't survive.

Depending on how premature they are, the Sylvari can stay in quarantine away from any non-menders from either a week to multiple months.

Very premature Sylvari sometimes don't fully grow to their original intended height & colors.

After the Shadow of the Dragon attacked the Pale Tree, many of the Sylvari in their pods were dropped out, killing many of them.

Ever since she began growing sylvari again after Mordremoth's death there have been a sharp increase in premature Sylvari