Barefoot through Tyria

idk I seem to be in the minority here but I do actually genuinely like isgarren. lol. lmao.

BUT most of the criticism I've read about him is all very valid. he's a character with a ton of potential that just isn't being used for some reason.

he doesn't exactly learn from his mistakes. he just kind of immediately shuts himself down emotionally and puts every bad experience into a box that he hasn't opened for centuries. that avoidance and weird selective amnesia makes him very compelling, but at some point, something has to happen. isgarren deflects every attempt to converse about the aforementioned Box, and at this point, it's starting to sound more like lazy writing rather than good characterization. I think voe is starting to tilt in an awkward-heart-to-heart-discussion direction, I hope, and I'm BEGGING anet to let us have an honest, genuine conversation with Isgarren about EVERYTHING.

I think isgarren's strongest characterization came in soto. his possessed monologue on top of the spire is something I think about often. we meet him at his absolute most vulnerable; possessed, at the mercy of cerus, and at the mercy of the commander who he's actively needling in all the wrong (right) ways. it's such a fascinating character introduction.

isgarren is a wonderful pragmatic/impersonal contrast to the commander's selfless/"i'd save the farm" mentality and I NEED them to yell at each other about it more.

I'm not a fan of how easily the commander came to heel next to Isgarren's side, and I wish they'd both tug at the leash a bit more, so to speak.

(again, I feel like voe is heading in this direction, ie. Isgarren can't touch ancora and the comm now knows about his exile. for once, it seems like the commander has a bit of power over him; both physically and emotionally)

(this is just me hoping that we get to see isgarren break in the next story update. he's got so much stacked against him right now, and as stoic and unmovable as he is, the Recent Events and Revelations are bound to get heavier and heavier to bolster by himself. I need him to either get really pathetic about it or just completely shut down. both would Cause Problems, and that's what I'm looking for.)

uhhhhhh this is absolutely just me, but I want the comm and isgarren's relationship to be a little more erotically charged. idk. I think the commander and isgarren are currently the two most powerful beings in tyria and that's a sexy and fun little relationship. I want them to fight. I want them to argue. I want them to stubbornly disobey their orders/a-previously-agreed-upon-plan bc they think they know more than the other. I want them to be in awe of each other. I want them to begrudgingly respect the other's power, authority, experience, and knowledge. I want them to kind of hate it. I want them to kind of love it.

I think isgarren is a voracious reader. that man reads everything (canonically including smut involving himself, to my absolute delight). I like to think that he's always in the middle of reading something, whether that be a tome, relic, history book, or Goldclaw's latest release.

he's also messy as hell, and is a little bit of a gossip hound. he likes To Know(tm).

I'm so enamored with the concept of a punk-ish, recently exiled isgarren deciding to take up residence in a floating tower. the unnecessary theatrical drama of that whole little number is so endearing to me.

I love that his all-knowing, all-powerful, holier-than-thou outward projection is occasionally rubbed away just enough to catch glimpses of his child-like petulance underneath. he's such a difficult person to get along with. he's just the worst.

I think he's a person who is obsessed with aesthetics, and, by extension, art. yes, it's good to be armed with knowledge and ability, but presentation is just as important. he's clearly given the astral ward a recognizable and concise aesthetic, and he's not even subtle about it. he likes all his little soldiers to be lined up just so in freshly pressed linens and newly polished weapons.

isgarren is a very good gift giver. I don't think he's handing out presents left and right, but he has an extensive collection (he's not called Isgarren the Curator for nothing, I'm sure) and knowledge of all sorts of artifacts, books, jewelry, weaponry, etc etc to know exactly what to present someone in the rare event that a gift is necessary.

Now that he's Out And About again, I think he probably gets mistaken for a djinn a lot