#Kassandra complex

[gingermintpepper]

Oooooooh fellow Alcestis and Admetus and Apollo fan? (this is just me nerding out bc they’re weirdly unpopular)

Hello friend!! I'm gonna be so real, I love and adore ALL of Apollo's relationships and entanglements because all of them are beautiful, meaningful and brilliant in their own ways!!

I think the devotion Admetus and Alcestis had for each other and the devotion and loyalty that Apollo extended towards them in turn is some of the most moving love in history point blank period and I do agree that they're oddly underrated, but so are many of Apollo's great loves.

Feel free to ask/yap about them with me whenever!! I absolutely love this trio and I welcome anyone who feels the same with big, broad open arms ♡♡♡

[ferinehuntressmoved]

TAGS 004.

— FAMILIAL SHIPS what is a mother if not a sacrifice of pure love — [ ship: caitlyn/cassandra ] your heart is your greatest power — [ ship: caitlyn/tobias ] even when its darkest i will be right with you — [ ship: caitlyn/grayson ]

— ROMANTIC SHIPS you found parts of me I did not know still existed — [ ship: caitlyn/vi ] : shimmerbeasts to love a monster is to accept her nature — [ ship: caitlyn/jinx ] : shimmerbeasts there is a secret universe written in the freckles of your face — [ ship: caitlyn/vi ] : decidentia loving you is the most natural feeling i know — [ ship: caitlyn/vi ] : gauntletsshot we shine together like the moon and stars — [ ship: caitlyn/lux ] : knifvd

— SIBLING/PLATONIC SHIPS two hearts of feral nature meant to be untamed — [ ship: caitlyn/sett ] : goldenfists you are a landmark on my heart little star — [ ship: caitlyn/soraka ] : knifvdan a song of sea and air — [ ship: caitlyn/angelica ] : angelicaaster for in our loneliness we sought out a heart — [ ship: caitlyn/kassandra ] : ofspvrta

— ANTOGONISTIC SHIPS our lives are intertangled in a complex game of intricacies — [ ship: caitlyn/jinx ] : shimmerbeasts

[eyepatchdate]

but THEN he's like "but that won't apply to you, you live in a different world"

sarge is like "all my love interests kept getting killed to motivate me"

[oediex]

My love for gaming is partly anchored in my love for stories. I gravitate towards games that weave a rich narrative involving complex and thoughtful characters in a world to be discovered slowly but impactfully. That's what Dragon Age: Inquisition, with all its flaws, did for me six years ago, and it's how the Mass Effect trilogy crashed into my life only a few months ago, birthing an obsession I didn't know I needed. It's why the Ezio era of the Assassin's Creed series is, in my opinion, still undefeated, and it's what, years ago, kept me playing Horizon: Zero Dawn all the way into the early hours when I really should have been sleeping.

When sequels get caught up in the hype of their forebears and their disappointing ambitions fail to remember their origin in tale-telling, especially while chasing some passing trend only desired by money-loving investors, a light dies in my heart.

Assassin's Creed: Odyssey was, as per Wikipedia, complimented by critics for its story-telling, but I have yet to find the parts that would have brought about such praise. Kassandra is fun, certainly, and her backstory is promising, but I fail to understand her motivations. Perhaps the choice system has something to do with this, but she also seems to be thrown into larger situations that are not warranted by our knowledge of who she is, a young girl growing up to be a mercenary on a small island under the wings of a silly, get-rich-quick schemer who has a penchant for getting into trouble. How does she come to be in command of a ship, despite seemingly having no previous experience with it, and embroiled in a battle of the Peloponnesian War as if she's been fighting wars her whole life? I don't know who this woman is, what drives her, and which experiences inform the actions she undertakes.

I do like her muscled arms, though.

[hashtagdrivebywrites]

Hello, yes, howdy, welcome to...

✨Hashtag's Fic Masterlist✨

A little about me:

She/her pronouns

I write and sometimes make art

Here is my Ao3!

Asks are open! or you can drop me a message if you want to

I like ask games, but I might be late or accidentally lose track of them before I can respond to them (whoops!)

I'm into a lot of stuff so this blog/page/black hole will be a mixed bag of fandoms

[Updated June 16, 2025] - Fic links below:

Published, In Progress:

Imprint (DPxDC) (Baby G.K. Danny, Halfa Dad Jason, Fright Franklin Pickle Girl Knight, oddball co-parents, attempted qpr relationship) 6/16: Chapter 13 posted - making minor adjustments to the fic, started on 14 and planning on revising 1 soon to correct the tense.

Meandros (AC: 3 x AC: Odyssey) (Time travel/Reincarnation, Kid Desmond, OC's, Deimos!Kassandra, dumb mercenaries with a big bro/dad complex, Desmond "I'm Done" Miles) 6/16: Chapter 13 posted - started on 14.

Published, Complete:

As Long as Stars are Above You (TMNT (mostly Bayverse and Next Mutation)) (Family Fluff, Surprise Baby Acquisition, Good Big Bros, Momma April) 15 Chapters; 39k words; Sequel in progress

Our Mother Breathed Fire (GOT) (Dragon POV, kind of a character study? I don't know) 1 Shot; 2k words

Your Blood That I Bleed (AC 1, 2 & 3) (Family of Choice, Immortality, Cat Dad Desmond, Assassin Dads) 10 Chapters; 74k Words

"In The Drawer" - On Hiatus until I can give it the attention it needs:

A Place For Us (Batman (mostly Arkham Knight)) (Families of Choice, Kids, Adoption, Bat Fam coming back together) 6/16: My first fic on Ao3 and it's been set aside for a complete overhaul because there's no structure/direction and there's a lot of issues with how I was writing/presenting the characters.

Unpublished, In Progress:

And Longer Still If I Can - sequel to As Long As Stars Are Above You (TMNT) (Family and Found Family, Kid Fic, Adventure Fic, Larval Form Mutanimals) 6/16: On pause!

Red Devil Rowdy (title may change; DPxDCxSDxSPN) (Paranormal Mystery/Detective Fic, Family Reveal, Identity Reveal) 6/16: 5 chapters done but putting it on pause because I'm still trying to figure out how to write a mystery that actually reads like a damn mystery.

And Still You Stand, Sturdy and Smelling of Smoke (DC x Spider-man) (Peter Parker Fist Fights the League, Catatonic Jason, Hyper Independent Tim) 6/16: On pause!

Illin' and Able! (title may change; DSxTMNT) (Time Travel, Older Turtles (21), Mom Friend April, Gratuitous Use of "Bro", "Dude" and "Yo") 6/16: First arc finished! Didn't get published with Imprint and Meandros because I didn't want to start a new fic right in the middle of changing ao3 accounts - but we'll get this one up soon.

Holy War is On The Phone (DPxMHA/BNHA) (Ghost Prince Danny, Undercover Investigation, Fake Family, Pissed Off Danny) 6/16: On pause!

Redline (DCxMHA/BNHA) (Robin!Jason, Jason has the Metagene, Accidental Dimension Travel, Pro-Heroes/Older Class 1-A) 6/16: On pause!

(Recently fallen head over heels into a Star Wars hyperfixation, which has naturally spawned a bunch of WIP's of its own, so expect some content soon (EDIT: there's three independent SW wips and three crossovers with other fandoms in progress - will list them soon on the WIP list (10/10)))

[chaosrealm]

Ask Game for any OC(s) you want!

✨- How did you come up with the OC’s name?

🍕 - What is their favorite food?

🍀 - What originally inspired the OC?

🧠 - What do you like most about the OC?

🍩 -Who is your OC’s arch-nemesis or rival?

Thank you for sending!

{more from this list}

✨- How did you come up with the OC’s name?

I've always been interested in Greek mythology and its lore, and I chose Aella's name because it's also the name of one of the Amazons!

Waylon is named after Waylon Jennings, a country singer I listen to a lot, especially when writing things for him.

🍕 - What is their favorite food?

Aella enjoys a hearty beef stew.

Waylon enjoys dumplings coupled with Madam Bo's tea.

🍀 - What originally inspired the OC?

My love for warrior women in media inspired Aella, including Wonder Woman, Xena, and Kassandra from AC: Odyssey!

Waylon was heavily inspired by both the Reacher series and Kenshi's ending in MK1. The idea that there's an entire organization secretly watching over Outworld and assessing threats? Hell. Yeah.

🧠 - What do you like most about the OC?

I love Aella's complexity. I've not delved too much into it in my fics, but she's constantly at odds with what she thinks is right, her love for Reiko, and her respect for General Shao. A part of her cannot imagine a life where she's not fighting all the time, but there's something deep within that wishes the General had never rescued her village that night.

I adore Waylon's introversion. You would think a man of his build would be open and extroverted, a ladies' man, but he's just... not. As his armor implies, he prefers to be invisible, and so quiet you sometimes forget he's even there. He's content with working and living in secrecy.

🍩 -Who is your OC’s arch-nemesis or rival?

Aella and Waylon both despise Quan Chi and Shang Tsung to their core, albeit from different sides of the same coin. Waylon hates them because of their insatiable need to see the realms in chaos and ruin, while Aella hates them both for not only stealing her child but also conspiring against General Shao (she secretly hates them for the whole destroy the realms thing too, although she will never admit it).

[ofspvrta]

one battlefield is very like another. / from diana

μ::|| meme: the passion (1987) | NOT accepting [ Ξ ]

θ::|| @torntruth

Kassandra is quiet for a long moment. It never changed did it? The weaponry did, and mankind found newer and more spectacular ways to obliterate each other, each more gruesome or technologically advanced than the other. But the principle never changed. You kill the guys on the other side. War was simple in that regard, but so complex in so many others.

"The first battlefield I ever stepped foot on, I had only a falcata and a broken spear. No shield. I fought alongside the Spartans in Megaris. We won. But so many laid dead on the field, the precipice above overlooking what was now a mass grave." She quiets for a second. "You never forget your first battlefield, do you?"

[rookiesbookies]

No real post bc Im working on an ask but here’s a teaser for a different fic im doing

Graves Niece!Reader x Konig (might turn into also an X Kruger x Horangi fic for this idk still writing it)

I think this is really funny, tell me what yall think!

This isnt the full fic

For the past couple of years, Graves had dedicated himself to taking care of his niece, a bright girl with a brighter future. As a high school student, she had always excelled, studying diligently and achieving remarkable results. Inspired by her legal guardian's activities, she had set her sights on a career in intelligence, the less dangerous side of the work he did.

Graduating with honors, she effortlessly aced every challenge that came her way, surpassing even the highest expectations. Her exceptional abilities did not go unnoticed, as she was scouted by both the FBI and CIA. Despite the potential dangers associated with such a career path, Graves never fretted. He knew his niece was as tough as nails and unwavering in her determination to work in the field she had chosen.

When she returned to his house after college, armed with the code names Oracle of Delphi and Kassandra, his displeasure was evident.

"Phil, please, let me work for Shadow. It's all I've ever wanted," she pleaded with her uncle, her voice tinged with desperation.

"But it's not our family's company, it's mine. And it's dangerous, I can't let you get involved," he responded firmly.

"Phillip, please!” she whined more, “It's all I've worked for, and we only have each other," she continued.

"That's exactly why I need to protect you from this life," he insisted.

She sighed in frustration, muttering, "I should have joined the CIA. At least they would have given me a tour before shutting me down."

“No they would not.”

“There you go, squashing yet another dream of mine.”

“The men who work in this sphere will not all be as caring for you as I am. I will not be able to protect you from them, dammit.”

“We both know this family only learns lessons the hard way. I want to see the base, at least. Who’s going to take on Shadow after you if not me?”

With a protracted sigh, Graves escorted his mid-twenties niece to the base, providing an extensive list of rules the night before. Recognizing the primal nature of his male-dominated workforce, Graves understood the scarcity of female interaction for his men and anticipated the allure of his niece's figure. Her captivating figure prompted double takes from frat boys, yet she remained steadfast in her pursuit of a 'real man,' dismissing brainless college boys with an occasional fling as insufficient. A brief dalliance with a Law graduate student soured when his self-righteousness eclipsed the capacity to love anyone but himself. In this enclave of primal instincts and complex relationships, Graves sought to navigate the delicate balance between protecting his niece and managing the untamed nature of his workforce.

Arriving at the base, she found herself pleasantly surprised. Graves had arranged for her to have a dedicated barracks, normally shared but now tailored to her needs, boasting top-notch amenities. The introductions with Graves' men were brief, conducted in a group setting. Positioned on a step, Graves gathered his team around him, assuming a commanding presence. The atmosphere buzzed with anticipation and curiosity as she navigated her new surroundings. The personalized accommodations and the commanding introduction hinted at the unique journey that awaited her within the military confines.

[yosoysofia]

Thoughts on Doce and Trece

PT: "Thoughts on Doce and Trece" written in a large font. END PT

We love Trece and Doce so much haa. We don't love how their stories only revolve around their love lives (we don't love what they did with Roby/Doce especially, we're kinda neutral on Tamara/Trece), but apart from that everything about them is so!!

They use two names interchangeably. They are mean / more direct than Franky and Roby so they kinda change our perception on androids (who are portrayed through Franky and Roby as well-meaning and kind of naïve). They have a complex relationship with their mother. She visibly loves them but is hurting them waaay more. Also love how they have a different relationship with their mom. Andrés being more jealous of Franky and wanting his mom's approval more while Doce is more so doing her own thing. Their relationship is so cute too, we love the episode where Kassandra puts Doce's save in Franky's body and when she asks Andrés if he knows that she's his sis he just nods because of course he recognizes his big sis!!

ID: A gif of Doce in Franky's body talking to Andrés at a party. Tamara is between them. and looks at Doce. Doce says: "¿Andrés, tu sabes que yo soy tu hermana verdad?". Andrés says: "Obvio." END ID

IDK we miss their early season 2-A energy where they're very mean and mischievous and they hate humans. A shame they're just stuck in their love relationships after that...... 😔😔

gif warning

[star--nymph]

one the most important and central parts of Kassandra's character for me, from the time I made her at 14, is that of her heart. There are characters who are described as made of love or having a big heart or being good, and those things are Kassandra but I think it's more than her being powered by love and goodness.

Because Kassandra knows that the world isn't made of love. That it's not a good or fair place; she dealt with first hand how cruel it can be to everyone, no matter the age or background. The world has hurt Kassandra, but she still cares about it.

She still fights for people.

Cause yeah maybe it won't be okay, maybe the systems of her world are inherently harmful and won't change, maybe humans can be evil and violent, but they can also be kind. They can also be loving. And she has people who love her and she loves them, she knows the world is worth saving because of the goodness of those people and more importantly because their lives out weights its callousness

and she loves so much more than anything in the world and even when she's been lead down a path that is destructive to her, it's because she wants to save and protect everyone

and like, to be honest, I miss characters that are straight up heroes. Characters that are complex but fundamentally they are good and ultimately guided by their desire to save people

and Kassandra is that for me. She's not perfect, part of story is up her obsession with heroism, her love for so many people, and her need for vengeance is dangerous to HER and will GET HER kill, but those parts of her aren't bad--her need to punish herself for being alive is.

Kass is a hero, she's a good person, she believes in a greater tomorrow, and she's so full of hope and love that it could probably make her explode

in conclusion:

[gingermintpepper]

I think a lot about the depictions of Troilus' death that feature Achilles trying to prise him with a gift of doves instead of the immediate promise of death.

I've alluded to it before, but I tend to look at Achilles and Apollo as comparison cases - maybe not explicitly foils because I'm petty and that would imply that Achilles is narratively equal to Apollo and I don't want to give him that kind of honour even in a bit of casual analysis - but certainly as characters who gain a great deal of complexity when their actions are contextualised in context of each other's. The ambush of Troilus is just one of those funny little things that gets my mind a-whirring.

Because to me, Apollo's 'Troilus' so to speak is Kassandra. Kassandra, who Apollo coveted and wished to court. Kassandra, who was offered a great gift that would have undoubtedly forever marked her as one of Apollo's if she had accepted. Kassandra, who takes the gift but rejects the god and is cursed for her deception. Kassandra, whose curse makes her experience a thousand deaths over and over with no way of communicating such disaster to those around her.

The Achilles who falls in love with Troilus upon seeing his beauty and wishes to make a conquest of him is much the same to me. The biggest difference between Troilus and Kassandra though is that Troilus' rejection is much more physical. Those doves are nothing more than a symbol of the type of sacrifice Troilus would be; if he accepted them, he would die a docile death, sweet and quiet, a necessary casualty to turn the winds like Iphigenia. Except Achilles' love is nothing like Agamemnon's and it is nothing like Apollo's.

In the face of rejection, Achilles' instinct is to maim, it is to destroy. He was always going to kill Troilus - for the sake of the campaign, the boy had to die - but there was no dove's death, no quick and easy knife through the heart, no spit into an open mouth. Troilus' death is a brutal, drawn-out thing, a chase through the sand, a dragging that bruises his skin, a ripping of his hair, a violation of his flesh, a maiming of his corpse. As far as sacrifices go, it's an apalling one. None would dare to treat an animal set to be sacrificed before a god with that kind of brutality, sacrifices were meant to be blemishless and beautiful, something the gods would find appealing. Iphigenia was given away in her wedding finery, Kassandra was dressed as though to seduce a god. Troilus was a dove with his wings broken and his feathers pulled, whose death cries must've been like the terrible hollering of all birds when they try to alert their kind to a predator.

And as fucked as that is, I love it. It sets Achilles' love as this stormy, squallish thing that bleeds into his rage, it establishes that for him, love and wrath are but two sides of the same blade. Troilus was a necessary sacrifice, but he is in no way given even a modicum of the same dignity his contemporaries are and a part of me is just continually intrigued by this.

[redrocketpanda]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks...

hey - absolutely always okay to ask me about my favourite characters (or favourite anything's). I haven't unboxed them for some time and am frankly excited to wave them in everyone's faces again (though picking a top 10 is hardddddd - this could very easily have been a BNHA/HQ/JJK list but I restricted myself to 1 character per media)

Bakugou Katsuki (BNHA) - beloved boy, loml, star in my sky, etc etc. forever #1 of any + all lists. I adore grumpy characters who find themselves caught up in being loved into character growth by their friends, but I think the main reason he's my #1 is that I see a lot of myself in him. I too was a very angry young person with a superiority complex who went on a journey into letting others in, allowing myself to experience joy and love, and dismantling ideas of perfectionism. I don't think I'll ever truly let the pricklyness or slight god complex go though

Bokuto Koutarou (Haikyuu) - beloved boy #2 because who doesn't love Bokuto??? We are all rendered weak in the face of his endearing and endless puppy energy. I love how loving, optimistic and tenacious he is. Oh, and let's not talk about how relatable some of his other qualities are (prior to watching HQ I almost verbatim quoted a complaint Bokuto makes in a completely different context). love himmmmmmmm

Sarah Harding (The Lost World) - One of two of my biggest role models as a child/teenager. I wanted to be like Sarah so bad and had also wanted to work in animal behaviour in part bc of her. She's completely badass, and as an adult I also have a newfound appreciation for how she handles communicates + asserts her boundaries in her relationship with Ian

Padme Amidala (Star Wars) - The second of my biggest role models as a child/teenager. Leia didn't grow on me until I was older, but I was obsessed with Padme. I feel like the fandom + Episode III does her dirty, but to me I adore how intelligent, caring and assertive she is. I studied politics at college because of her!

Gojo Satoru (Jujutsu Kaisen) - Possibly my favourite of all of the shitbags that I love. I remember desperately pleading with myself to not fall on my face for Gojo during the first episode of S1 and made it until the credits... Why do I love him? He's heinously obnoxious, self-assured, hilarious, extremely powerful, and a complete walking disaster of a man.

Cristina Yang (Grey's Anatomy) - I don't watch Grey's Anatomy anymore but I used to be obsessed with it. I still own S1-6 on DVD and have very fond memories of it. I always loved Cristina for her blunt directness, self-belief, intelligence, and approach to friendships/relationships. Plus, my best friend in college identified me as a 75% Cristina/25% George personality so Cristina has also been very dear to my heart for that reason lmao

Achilles (The Song of Achilles) - It wouldn't be me if I didn't include Achilles on a list of favourites. I named my dog after Achilles because I love him so much and joked to my (poor) boyfriend that if we ever have a kid together, their middle name should be Achilles. Madeline Miller's depiction of Achilles is my favourite and love him for very similar reasons to Bakugou tbh. Give me a man filled with unbridled pride and arrogance with god-like physical prowess and I'll probably love them forever (plus also, ow my heart)

Kassandra (Assassin's Creed Odyssey) - *heart eye emoji* but fr I have such a fondness for Kassandra. She's the perfect mix of stoic big buff lady, hilariously sarcastic sense of humor, and absolute heart of gold. I love her characterisation and think she's such a fantastically written character. Plus... I want her to pick me up and cuddle me so bad

Lilo (Lilo and Stitch) - I think it's a tragedy that Lilo is often forgotten due to not being a Disney princess bc she is honestly such a wonderful character. Lilo and Stitch is one of my favourite movies, and I admire how resilient, loving, eccentric and curious Lilo is

Xandri Corelel (the Xandri Corelel series) - The Xandri Corelel is one of my favourite sci-fi series and that is, in part, bc of Xandri herself. She's the first autistic woman I encountered in sci-fi and I adored how the series explores how her autism is what makes her an excellent head of xeno-liaisons. She's also bisexual and polyamorous so even further brilliant rep for me, and tbh is just a great character all round

I tried not to write an essay but it's really hard when I could talk about these characters all day but hopefully this was vaguely fun/interesting for people to read And in case anyone is interested some of my other favourite characters who didn't quite include the top 10 include: Jirou Kyoka (BNHA), Kirishima Eijirou (BNHA), Itadori Yuji (JJK), Nishinoya Yuu (HQ), Tanaka Ryu (HQ), Kuroo Tetsurou (HQ), Miya Atsumu (HQ), Zagreus (Hades), Moana and Rapunzel (Disney), Fang Runin (The Poppy War), Kunigami Rensuke (bluelock), Bachira Meguru (bluelock), Sebastian (Stardew Valley), and Vash the Stampede (Trigun Stampede)

[ancientrimer]

I just saw the most incredible play so far in my life. it beats the jane eyre production I saw in 2019 which is the only good jane eyre adaptation that exists. they said how about I explore the heartbreaking complexities of mother-daughter relationships through hecuba and kassandra on the eve before the fall of troy and make you cry for the entire play. how about that? and then they did do that and I did do that

[mimbotomy]

fic writer asks: 💞💥💌?

💞 Most important part of a story for you?

100% characters and character relationships - getting into all the complexities between characters and either delving deeper into their relationships or lowkey writing my own is my bread and butter and jam. And I often get so excited about character relationships that I get distracted from the plot, especially with Kassandra and Myrrine's relationship in the Children of Kephallonia. It just the potential to be such a fascinating dynamic and I don't think canon did it justice at all.

💥 Say something nice about your least kudos'd fic

So my least kudos'd fic is There is No Escape... which is FANTASTIC in my humble opinion. I think I do a good job combining the two worlds of AC Odyssey and Hades without losing the spirit of either game and I honestly just really love chapter three a lot. What I really don't love is that chapter five isn't done yet 😬

💌 Share something about a WIP that has you excited!

So I'm mostly focusing on three of my WIPS rn so I'm just going to talk about all three!

The next chapter of Not a Malákes Ravenclaw is a complete mess right now but I think it still somehow might sort of be. . . good? I really like Kassandra's conversation with Herodotos and Kassandra and Brasidas have a cute little coffee date so that sort of cancels out all the depressing stuff, right?

For a while I having trouble figuring out where I was going with the Naxos arc of the Children of Kephallonia but I think I finally have a real solid outline that doesn't completely fuck up all the stuff I have already written for future chapters! 🎉 There's going to be a lot of family bonding moments between Kassandra, Phoibe, and Myrrine, not one but two big fancy parties, lots of info about the backstory on Kephallonia that I'm writing for Kassandra and Phoibe, some development of the Cult's goals in this universe, and Kassandra's first encounter with an immortal.

Finally, for There is No Escape..., I'm just going to share one thing bc I don't want to risk spoiling the ending: Phoibe gets a gun

As always, ask me more here!

[chengemao]

READER 3

Title：Playing with gender: Women in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

The article examines how Kassandra is portrayed as a powerful and independent warrior, capable of fulfilling roles traditionally reserved for men in ancient Greek society. While this representation aligns with contemporary values of gender equality, it tends to overlook the deeply patriarchal structures that historically constrained women's roles. By positioning Kassandra as an exceptional figure rather than reflecting the broader realities of women’s experiences in ancient Greece, the game introduces a dissonance between its historical setting and its modern gender ideals. Although empowering, this approach misses the opportunity to engage with the nuanced complexities of gender in a historical context.

The article also interrogates the role of player choice in shaping gender representation. Although the option to play as Kassandra reflects a progressive shift toward inclusivity, the game does little to address the systemic gender constraints embedded in its ancient Greek context. The authors suggest that Assassin’s Creed Odyssey privileges contemporary notions of player agency and empowerment at the expense of historical authenticity. Consequently, its treatment of gender risks becoming a superficial reimagining rather than a critically engaged depiction of the past.

This analysis prompts important reflections on how video games can more thoughtfully represent gender. Rather than simply projecting modern values onto historical settings, developers have the opportunity to explore the complex interplay between gender, power, and context. By incorporating a broader range of identities and narratives—grounded in both historical reality and intersectional awareness—games can become platforms for deeper empathy and critical engagement. These insights will inform my own design practice, as I aim to create socially conscious game worlds that embrace nuance, inclusivity, and historical complexity.

Reference

Eklund, L., Foka, A., and Vekselius, J. (2024). ‘Playing with gender: Women in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’, Game Studies, 24(2), pp. 1–14. Available at: https://gamestudies.org/2402/articles/eklund_foka_vekselius [Accessed 4 February, 2025].

[thechaotic-simp]

“Your savior complex just can't get enough, can it?” Kass spat the words at her sister, her voice laced with resentment. “Is your perfect little life getting too boring for you, sister?”

Celaena recoiled, the hollow, unfeeling look in Kassandra's eyes, mirroring their mother's.