#cyna crystalclaw

[bigsnaff]

AN ODE TO MY MONSTERS

#guild wars 2 #gw2 #gw2 fan submission #my characters #my edits #cyna crystalclaw #koorn #designation v #this is so ridiculous #but I spent literally *all* day on this yesterday (omitting a few panels that I decided I didn't like) #so there's no way I'm not at least posting it lmao #I can't draw BUT I can use my years of rp graphics experience to make dorky edits :] #anyway I heard this mashup a few days ago and it completely and utterly changed my brain chemistry

[bigsnaff-moved]

hmm. Story ideas are churning in my mind. Mayhaps I will have Cyna fall into a coma Zojja-style after the extreme physical stress her body underwent during the fight with the Void and Soo-Won?

To be fair, the commander canonically did almost die during then. Aurene's interference ultimately prevented it. But I'm suddenly liking the concept that perhaps that "power boost" was more or less... slightly temporary, and after all is said and done Cyna literally just drops. Not quite dead but almost. And someone else in Dragon's Watch has to temporarily take the reins until she's back up again. If she's back up again.

#guild wars 2 #gw2 #cyna crystalclaw #my characters #not sure if I'll go this route yet but I've been... thinking about it. #will have to see as the current storyline progresses.

[bigsnaff]

Cyna! Uh... wuh-oh, something's off... 🐲

#guild wars 2 #gw2 #gw2 fan submission #my characters #cyna crystalclaw #me: this helmet is cool but im never going to use it #also me:

[bigsnaff]

Here's that voice claim video I've had on the backburner for a hot minute - namely because it just took an insanely long time to find a voice for Cyna that had a low enough pitch to fit how I imagined her. I could've just pitched any VA down myself, but I wanted to find one that was like that by default from the source material itself.

Anyway - these are all almost 100% accurate, barring any special overlays and effects added to the voice themselves.

#gw2 #guild wars 2 #gw2 charr #gw2 asura #voice claim #my characters #cyna crystalclaw #dokks #koorn #merlish cendigg #ex councillor phlunk #nova warhorns #designation v

[bigsnaff]

Detriment

Content warning for descriptions of blood and eye & ear injury.

"I'll carry him."

She pulled her hand back, surprised. It was an uncharacteristically curt response from an individual Cyna had known to be nigh endlessly patient. She looked down at the unmoving form of the younger of the two asura before her, cradled bridal-style in the arms of his elder. 

It was a disturbing sight, even in her seasoned view. One she'd seen of Dokks once before, years ago. A young asura, only slightly older than Koorn is now, stark blood standing out in contrast against her white hair. Cyna had seen, similarly, Dokks protectively pull the girl into his arms and put all else in the world out of his gaze. But the outcome of that instance was known from the very moment the injured was pulled into Dokks’ arms. This time — Cyna shook the thought from her head. There wasn't time enough to even consider.

"Are you sure?" She finally asked, narrowing her eyes and catching Dokks' own gaze. She received only a wordless nod in response. "What do you need?" She offered instead.

"I need... I-I need time. Just give me some time. Continue without us, even. This is too urgent for me to ignore."

The group had been rushing south, scarcely taking the time to spare a glance at their surroundings should yet another Void minion burst out from nowhere and stall them, as had already happened again and again and again. But in the midst of it all, Dokks hadn't even realized that Koorn was falling behind — until he heard the blast and the shout that immediately followed.

Confound it, Dokks had thought. It was a malfunction in a Jade turret. All of the jade tech was having reactions as a result of the Void outbreaks — because, of course, the very source of the jade power was drawn directly from the being that the Void was currently overwhelming. Dokks admired the jade tech for its sheer power and had made note to research it more once their current dilemma was at rest, but he cursed its sensitivity. 

But worst of it all was Koorn had been standing directly beside the turret just as it had blown, and that's all it took to leave his boy convulsing on the ground with a jade spike lodged in the right side of his head and a trail of blood starting to seep down. 

Dokks had shouted; a bout of irrationality, fear, panic. Of course Koorn didn’t respond, couldn’t respond; his body trembled and gasped and quaked. Dokks shook the panic from his mind, shoving his own tremors away, and rushed toward Koorn.

All of that to leave them in their current predicament, with Dokks cradling his nearly-unconscious grandson in his arms and the Commander's eyes reluctantly pulling away from them and toward the distant Harvest Temple, where distant roars rattled like thunder.

"You go – we'll be fine," Dokks assured her. "You can’t stall any longer."

Cyna frowned. Dokks was perfectly capable of defending himself. Dokks distracted while tending to a wound was not. “You stay here and you'll be overwhelmed in minutes. Let me help. Let someone."

But already Dokks was examining the bright spike of jade sticking out from Koorn's head. It was lodged too far forward on his temple to have pierced his brain, thank the Alchemy — but his eye was another story. He watched as Koorn’s affected iris jittered rapidly, his eyes open but pained and his chest quickly rising and falling with short, sharp breaths. The spike wasn’t as deep as Dokks initially feared, but it was enough to do lasting damage. He hesitated to remove it just as much as he hesitated to let it remain.

But above all else, his main concern was the tinge of darkness that was emanating from the piece of jade. 

"Hold on, son, hold on, hold on," Dokks whispered, an assurance, maybe for himself as well. He looked back up at Cyna and smiled. It was not an effortless smile. She couldn’t manage to return it. "Go,” he repeated. “You'll be helping us by saving Tyria, no?"

Warily, she turned away. "I'll come back... if I'm not dead."

Dokks, of course, laughed at this, as he is wont to do in many similar, dire circumstances – ever hopeful, though Cyna’s ears were sharp enough to hear his heart nearly beating out of his chest. "My Commander, not even that could stop you."

She departed with a roar, drawing near and far Void minions to her and away from the two asura. But they were like insects, swarming and endless. She had bought them time, but it was up to Dokks to determine if it was enough. He drew a breath as he set the younger onto the ground, innumerable thoughts running through his mind as he scrutinized Koorn’s injury closer. There was a brief moment when his heartbeat fell short; a trail of blood coming from the inside of Koorn's ear. 

He should have considered it, in the mere minute or two it took for him to be standing there now with Koorn in his arms, he should’ve considered anything and everything, as though it mattered despite there being nothing to be done for it now. It had been a loud blast and Koorn had been positioned directly beside the turret. Minutes was too long to not already consider that Koorn was not only going to be faced with potential blindness, but deafness as well. Minutes was too long to not have considered that any of the turrets might blow in the first place. Minutes was too long to allow the Void to grow from the infected jade and kill Koorn.

But now, what else was there to consider? What else was there to be done? He could do nothing for the ear injury yet, but the obstruction had to be removed now; there was no alternative with his limited time and resources. He couldn’t rush this, but he had to. He didn’t have minutes. 

“Koorn, can you hear me?” Dokks said softly as he smoothed Koorn’s hair. “I’m going to do what I can, but you’ll have to bear with me.” 

Koorn didn’t respond. His eyes were now clenched shut and his breaths hasty and sharp. Dokks gently lifted the lid of Koorn’s affected eye, now bloodshot and darkened with the blood pooling around it.

This could be fixed. It would not be the same, but it could be fixed. Both he and Koorn would have to live with that. Dokks nodded to himself. That was his consequence. It was time to act.

As soon as Dokks even laid the slightest amount of pressure on the spike, a strangled gasp broke from Koorn and his hands shot up, claws digging into the leather covering Dokks’ arm in protest. “Stop!” he screamed, “please, no!”

Dokks braced himself against the shrill sound of his boy’s voice. His own breaking heart. “I have to,” he tried to assure. “It'll be done in an instant.”

Koorn’s breaths skipped and his eyes were clenched shut, but he loosened his grip on Dokks’ arm. The ground trembled as another immense roar erupted in the distance; a reminder of their surroundings, their limited time. Dokks shook his head, wrapped his hand around the spike, and pulled.

When all was said and done, whatever modest contents of Dokks' med kit applied and Koorn’s breathing just slightly calmed, he grappled the boy to his chest and softly whispered.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

When Koorn awoke a day later, he'd discovered that Soo-Won was dead, the Commander had descended into a prolonged slumber, and the two main senses on the right side of his face were completely nullified. History made in the span of a few hours and he had been put out of commission by a single awry machine. 

It was days later when Koorn was faced with the object of his injury, and he was dazzled by just how small it was. He rolled it to-and-fro in one hand — a piece of jade perhaps the length of his finger and wider by double, now purified of Void corruption following Soo-Won's passing. He felt the patched wound in his head pulse. It felt so much larger than it looked.

He squinted his good eye against the pain. The sedatives were helping… some. But he was reminded of his injuries every moment simply by doing anything. He stumbled when he walked; depth perception off and his balance poor. His left ear constantly rang, and from his right — nothing. Just nothing. The same with his eye.

Koorn didn’t remember the blast. He didn’t remember seizing on the ground. He perhaps remembered bits and pieces of the aftermath, of his grandfather being forced to carry him through hordes of Void minions, of the non-stop ringing in his ears. And of course he remembered the unspeakable pain in his eye. All of that to conglomerate into the part he had played in history: a detriment.

…What would mother think?

He thought he heard a footstep, maybe. Or a voice. He wasn’t sure; the piece of jade was captivating enough for him to ignore the maybe-sounds. Then he felt a weight on his shoulder. Not Cyna, of course — she was asleep. Maybe Taimi, or Gorrik, to extend their sympathies, their pity. Or grandfather. Most likely grandfather.

“Hello, Granddad,” said Koorn. 

Dokks’ face was warm. Worried, but not overt. There was a smile, and Dokks’ palm gently met Koorn’s cheek. “How are you feeling?”

Koorn did not smile back. He justified this by telling himself he doesn't usually smile back anyway. He has justified it like this every time. “As well as to be expected. My head hurts.”

“Would you like me to get you some more sedative?”

“No, I've had enough already. I just notice it more because – because…” He left the words hanging; they're easily known. He leaned in a bit to his grandfather's hand. “Have you made any more progress on the frame for the implants?”

There was a brief pause before Dokks slowly responded, “It’s still too early to tell whether your hearing is permanently damaged, you know — you may not need the ear implant at all. Is the ringing still troubling you?” He asked, and Koorn nodded his head. “Well… let’s be patient and maintain our hope.” 

Then, Dokks’ expression quickly brightened, and from his jacket he drew a collection of papers. “Now, to answer your question: I have a rough mockup for the design. Barring any of the bells and whistles yet, you’ll find that this is mostly the rudiments – with room for your own improvements, of course, seeing as this is more your area of expertise than mine. What do you think so far?”

Koorn studied the papers. The design varied across them — multiple choices for himself to choose from, he supposed. They all lacked the designs for the implants themselves, but Koorn had already made designs for an eye enhancement once before, originally intended for his grandfather — the elder himself having his own measure of vision problems. But Koorn was assured at the time that the enhancement wasn’t necessary, as Dokks’ eyewear worked perfectly fine to remedy his problems. However, that same design, Koorn realized, could be reconfigured for his own blindness. 

Despite that, he would still have to put himself to work on the design for the ear implant… once he was more up-to-par.

“You’ll be using reconfigurable tech?” Koorn asked, shuffling the papers in his hands.

“I’ll attempt to apply the same line of thinking to jade, but yes, ideally it should have some measure of modification. I’ve had little chance to dip my toes into jade tech since we landed in Cantha and I’m very much looking forward to the opportunity.”

Koorn blinked. There was a tinge of irony growing there, he felt, that the very thing to take his sight and hearing would also be forced to return it, at least to some extent. Koorn immediately decided he felt bitter about this. “...I don’t want to use jade,” he said coldly.

Dokks paused. “No? It’ll take some time to pool resources from Central Tyria without the gates set up yet, are you—”

“--Jade tech has demonstrated its faultiness already,” Koorn interrupted, shoving the papers back into Dokks’ arms. “By the Alchemy, grandfather — the very dragon that was powering it is dead. It’s completely unreliable.” He turned away. “...And I don’t like green."

“It doesn’t have to be green,” Dokks said, amusement rising in his voice. “Koorn…”

“Can you not take me seriously?” Koorn suddenly hissed through his teeth; a burning in his throat, a stinging in his eyes. Oh, how obvious he was. He hated it. Mother would pull his head down to her chest and rub the back of his head. He was always a child to her.

”You think I don’t?” said Dokks, concerned. Grandfather was predictable. Koorn could sense his desire to comfort, to assure. To have his hand on Koorn’s shoulder. Grandfather probably thought he was being wise in giving Koorn his space, but a part of Koorn wished his hand were there, too — but he wasn’t so sure he wouldn’t shove it off anyway. “I don’t expect you to be pleased about any of this. Please don’t think I’m trying to mock you for mourning. If you don’t want to use jade, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Grandfather said something else and Koorn couldn’t hear it — though he didn’t really want to anyway. He turned his focus to the physical pain to distract himself from the emotional pain. How he felt every beat of his heart in the wound of his eye. The pressure in his ear that the sedatives only managed to muffle. The ringing — not beautiful, like a bell, but like a communicator not tuned to the correct frequency. He wondered whether it all hurt less than everything else. Was it meant to be poetic? Was this some profound demonstration of the Eternal Alchemy? Was he living such a blind, muted life, that it decidedly became outward? 

Would word of his incompetence reach mother? Would she look at him with disappointment when she next saw him?

He heard something then, suddenly – a delicate sound, high-pitched, small, like someone gently hitting silverware against their glass before a toast. He looked down at the source, lying right before his feet. The small piece of jade he had been holding in his hand — the cause of his eye injury. He watched as it spun slightly on the stone floor. He slowly reached down to pick it up, but his balance wavered and he very nearly fell, before a hand quickly grabbed him by the collar and righted him.

He spared a glance back to his grandfather, breath trembling. He held the jade up to the light.

“Some may call it a souvenir,” grandfather had said when he had first presented it to Koorn. How many times he had marveled at it already. How something so small could do what it did. “...I suppose it depends on one’s perspective.”

Koorn knew he was being childish. He realized and acknowledged the irony in this. He realized it was likely what made it earned for others to treat him as though he were a child. 

“Son?” Dokks quietly voiced. Koorn shook his head and wiped some tears from his good eye, finally feeling that hand on his shoulder again. He turned and placed the piece of jade in his grandfather’s palm.

“...I want you to use this piece in the frame.”

“I’m sure I can do that,” Dokks said softly, looking into Koorn’s face. There was a pause at length as Koorn allowed his grandfather to study him. That same expression from before lined his features; warm, worried, but not overt. “...May I?” he finally said, and Koorn nodded. 

Dokks then pulled him into his chest, firm, warm, and he very nearly didn't even need to stand of his own ability. He rested his head on his grandfather’s shoulder and breathed in the scent of leather and machine oil that was oh-so familiar to him now.

Dokks then whispered something that Koorn struggled to hear, but he could feel the vibrations of his grandfather’s voice against his chest. 

#guild wars 2 #gw2 #gw2 fan submission #my writing #my characters #dokks #koorn #cyna crystalclaw

[bigsnaff]

YOU CARRY THE VESTIGE OF GLINT

The last remaining power of Kralkatorrik's scion, endowed to you, Aurene's champion, that you might better defend her.

...So were the words of Glint when spoken to you from remnants of the past.

You feel the power pulse through you in rhythm with Aurene's own, both facets of one another. A lesson of the past and a hope for the future. You don't know where whose power ends and another begins.

Even your own strength, embedded into your heart as a Thorn and clutched in your right fist an unmatched fury, strung together to form a tool - or a weapon?

You are an amalgamation of echoes.

The Thorn whispers with the beat of your heart,

press on

press on

press on

#gw2 #guild wars 2 #my writing #my characters #cyna crystalclaw #gw2 fan submission

[bigsnaff]

I LOVE that if you get at just the right angle, Cyna looks absolutely furious. At the viewer specifically.

#really not a look anyone would want directed at them from *this* specific individual #guild wars 2 #gw2 #my characters #cyna crystalclaw

[bigsnaff]

Cyna Crystalclaw, the Crystal Guardian

#sawry if it's too grainy I like adding noise to my edits and art #gw2 #guild wars 2 #gw2 fan submission #cyna crystalclaw #my characters

[bigsnaff]

VIRE. Cyna's skyscale. One of the originals born from the Mists during the assault against Kralkatorrik in Dragonfall. His accelerated aging would've killed him as it did all of the others, had it not been for Cyna's branding.

#guild wars 2 #gw2 #gw2 fan submission #my characters #cyna crystalclaw

[bigsnaff]

"Guess I hoped you'd stick around a while longer."

#gw2 #guild wars 2 #my characters #cyna crystalclaw #guild wars 2 spoilers #eod spoilers #soto spoilers #not tech soto yet but just wanted to make sure

[bigsnaff]

came to the realization just now that it seems like the pattern for cyna connecting with anyone on a deeper level is basically her being forcibly shackled to them in some way and going through years of comically unfortunate events before finally going from moderately disliking them, to tolerating them, to genuinely caring for them

#dokks. tybalt. trahearne. merlish. and so on and so forth #funnily enough this also applies to aurene?? #I think I made a post on it a while back but cyna struggled a lot with her inherent ''connection'' with aurene at first. #being that it didn't exist. on cyna's end anyway. #she did grow beyond this but it took time. and both of them dying. #cyna crystalclaw #my characters

[bigsnaff]

gorl i love yuo soooo much

#my characters #cyna crystalclaw

[bigsnaff]

4 and 17 for the commander asks! (commanders-company-chronicles)

COMMANDER ASKS

4. Did they grow up with siblings?

well yes, but actually no

I've been conflicted on this in the past! About eight years ago I did originally write Cyna having a younger brother into her background. He was younger than her by enough years that he would've realistically had his own warband, but instead he was a gladium that Cyna eventually invited into her own warband, up until the point he eventually became Branded as a result of said warband's Sentinel duties.

If he was still canon, I'd imagine that event would've been the catalyst to have driven Cyna and her warband to desert their Sentinel duties and leave Blood Legion for Ash Legion, but I wrote him out of her story for reasons I don't even remember at this point. But bringing it up now intrigues me enough that I may revisit it it in some way...

17. What do they regret the most about their past?

I could say that it's everyone she didn't manage to save, or more or less everyone she indirectly caused the deaths of -- and those wouldn't necessarily be inaccurate answers, but probably uninteresting ones because they're basically a given, and also touched down a bit in the game itself.

So... I'd say it's that she ultimately decided to be what she is. A fighter, a soldier, a weapon. She's accepted, and even thrives on it in some ways, the endless fight. One could make the excuse that it was all just a butterfly effect, just a series of events coinciding to lead her to the point she is now, to become what she is, but her regret is that in actuality it was all ultimately her own decision -- every step she took being her own, active, conscious statement, "this is what I was born for, this is what I will do, this is what I will become."

And in that way, she fully believes and feels that she was the direct cause of all of that loss, destruction, and death.

#guild wars 2 #gw2 #inbox #my characters #cyna crystalclaw

[bigsnaff]

My commander doesn't really have that parent-child bond with Aurene that's sort of set up through canon. I'd describe it more as a sibling relationship, at most? Cyna doesn't really have... much maternal instinct or manner to her. She's very blunt, forward, and prone to irritation and impatience.

In fact I'd almost describe her having a consistent disconnect with Aurene, to the point where it was likely a minor character arc wherein she felt conflicted in regards to fulfilling her duties as Aurene's "Champion". It was prophecy, it was destiny, she couldn't necessarily say no. But nonetheless, this "bond" that everyone kept saying she had with Aurene... she just didn't feel.

I don't think she disclosed this to anyone, though Aurene undoubtedly felt it. And if Aurene did view Cyna as a parent, it would make sense that she would go to such lengths to, in a way, prove herself to Cyna.

And maybe it was when Aurene was fatally impaled by Kralkatorrik's crystals after leaping to Cyna's defense that Cyna finally understood.

#guild wars 2 #gw2 #cyna crystalclaw #my characters #I think a huge part of it is that Cyna kind of... viewed Aurene akin to... a pet? #And I don't mean that in a degrading way. But it's kind of undeniable in the fact that's literally how the commander treated baby Aurene #when we first ''bonded'' with her after her hatching. #chastising her in a lighthearted way like a disobedient puppy. calling her to us in the same way. playing games and catch with her and #talking to her like a pet. #like lmao please hear me out. I'm genuinely not trying to call Aurene a pet. I'm just saying that we were treating her in that kind of #manner immediately after she hatched. she wasn't an infant to Cyna. she was a cute puppy dog. albeit a very powerful one. but nonetheless. #she understands fundamentally that this is not the case but she cannot get past this impression. at least until this puppy jumps to her #defense and dies for it. #her bond with Aurene will never be that of a parent-child. she doesn't feel that way nor does she want to. #but she cares for Aurene in a way that you only can when you would die for someone. which Aurene did. which Cyna did.

[bigsnaff]

Honestly the only reason why I haven't written my commander's story this way is because I'm too much of a sap and too connected to part with her - but I do think that the true ending of Cyna's story that would make the most sense would be her leaving with Aurene during the EoD epilogue. This makes sense for Cyna because, in her actual canon, she was comatose for a year as a result of the sheer amount of energy she depleted and injuries she sustained during the battle with the Void and Soo-Won, and thus remained comatose roughly until the beginning of SotO when she awakened (which would be around the time that Aurene did leave).

If I had actually taken the other route, Aurene would've taken Cyna with her - the two slumbering side-by-side until Aurene's reawakening. Whether that be in a year or ten-thousand.

#soto spoilers #eod spoilers #gw2 #guild wars 2 #my characters #cyna crystalclaw #but anyway. dokks was the one that handled the gyala delve incident. #koorn and gorrik were the ones that oversaw cyna's recovery during her coma. #she woke up in time to say goodbye to aurene at least. but the kryptis fiasco was... a rude awakening lmao

[bigsnaff]

I've said it before, but Cyna's entire crystal theme coinciding with Aurene becoming the new Elder Dragon of Crystal was genuinely coincidental. I think I originally named her "Crystalclaw" because I was parading around with the Crystal Guardian greatsword and the Crystal Arbiter outfit after it released (the former of which I still use to this day as her main weapon, and the latter of which I used for a long time -- up until about 2019, I think).

Anywho, I like to think it was a coincidence in her story, too! She and her warband were monikered the Crystal warband because they were originally sentinels in the Dragonbrand. Cyna in particular became Crystalclaw when she uppercut a branded minion. And it exploded.

#gw2 #guild wars 2 #my characters #cyna crystalclaw #she broke her wrist from it too fyi she didn't get out of it totally clean lmao