#I barely resisted adding a really good Hytham pic

[fanworldbuildingfun]

Blorbo with hijacker blorbo

Good point! I think I should point out, though, that Basim’s weapon of choice is classified as one-handed sword

(more accurately though, it’s a scimitar – a version of which you also show Altaїr using in the screens. Except for some reason Altaїr’s looks more like a later-version sabre? Then again, there were lots of variations… And apparently the one Basim uses is labeled as “fantasy”, lol)

So it makes sense that the way they use it may be similar. Honestly, the biggest difference in the use, I think, would be played by the weight of the weapons they are using

The scimitar both Basim and Hytham use is pretty sizeable, and would weight accordingly.  Resting the blade across shoulders like this would remove some of the weight off arms, so it’s not part of showing off that Loki did

And yeah, it may be down to game mechanic that they use the same fighting style – but I’m a sucker for lore and thus will put it down to Hytham being Basim’s student. I’ve found some pretty good screens

Source here  There would be no speedy attacks with the other hand here, though - thus the bladed arm is kept away. To avoid damaging the pre-Altaїr blade (and now I also get why both Hytham and, to a lesser degree, Basim disapproved of Eivor’s stylistic choices)

Sidebar:

Could this discrepancy in Altaїr’s fighting style be down to the fact the memories we see are experienced by Ezio? Something akin to how Eivor interpreted the events of Ragnarok through the lens of their experience and beliefs. So there was a level of personal bias to how the events are interpreted

About Ezio’s Levantine Brotherhood Mannerisms:

Speaking of Altaїr ordering Brotherhood to build branches… I think this is where we hit the issue of Layla trilogy interfering with older games. Because if we take Origins and Valhalla into consideration – then Altaїr’s people would be re-establishing the branches, rather than creating them from scratch. After all, one of the oldest Hidden Ones bureaus has been started in Rome, by Aya. And her branch has spread all across Roman Empire

And then we got a re-fresher with Altaїr

But it looks like it took differently? Because while Ezio demonstrates some similarities with Levantine branch, Aguilar is actually more similar to Hidden Ones!

He is pretty free with his gestures, and the only nod we see to Masyaf is the way his finger has been removed (2/3 of Hidden Ones vs full of Levant). Bonus point, though? Aguilar is a leftie! 

In the rest of media we see our blade wielding characters favoring left hand for Hidden Blade use. Rest of weapons are used with their other - presumably dominant - hand. Which I’m guessing reflects Hidden Blade’s use as off-hand weapon?

I mean. So far from the screens I’ve gone through the count of righties vs lefties is:

Right-handed (blade on left hand): Bayek, Aya, Roshan, Hytham, Basim, Eivor, Altaїr, Ezio (pre-upgrade), Hytham Kenway, Ratonhnhaké:ton, Arno Dorian, Jacob and Evie Frye,

Left-Handed (blade on right hand): Darius, Aguilar, Edward Kenway, Aveline de Grandpré

Ambidexterous (either not shown being restricted to one blade, or switch in between games): Desmond Miles (blade on left hand in AC1, ACII, AC Brotherhood, right hand in Revelations), Adewale, Shay Cormac (art either alternates, or shows both)

I'm pretty sure I missed people out here ¯_(ツ)_/¯ But point is. Apparently there are Rules against where the blade goes, though I'm fairly sure with Ezio pushing forward Altaїr's mods, ambidexterity became more prevalent. Given that the blades became sturdier and could now be used for blocking

I do think that would have led to etiquette changes, though. Say, left hand pressed to any vulnurable part of body being taken as sight of trust (as normally that's the hand with blade). Ambidexterous people being viewed oddly (at least before Renauissance time), since they would be technically both deadlier and more vulnurable. That kind of thing (Except you Desmond, why you switch hands in middle of your series)

To go with the glove kink ask... Imagine Desmond AND the team ending up in Altaїr's time. They do relatively well. But what gives them away at the end is Desmond winding down and defaulting to the general etiquette of someone who habitually wears a hidden blade. A peculiar hand movement there, a habitual gesture there... And neither Rebecca nor Shaun even realized that was a thing happening. Meanwhile Desmond: *is melting from joy of subconscious desire fulfilment*

The “Desmond has a glove kink” ask that influenced this.

And the one who noticed it is an old informant who works as a stall owner. Shaun loves the tea leaves he sells so Desmond gets to go and buy them regularly because Shaun and Rebecca are still trying to get a firm grasp on the languages during the 3rd Crusades (and there’s a lot) while Desmond is heavily relying on his Bleed of Altaïr.

And it’s because of this that the informant noticed his usual posture and a lot of his hand movements to specifically be of Levantine Brotherhood origin, down to the way he always liked to hide his left hand unless he was sure that no one would notice a missing ring finger (and the informant is always surprised to remember that he has all five of his fingers).

And that informant sends word to Masyaf because it’s too strange. A man with the mannerism of an Assassin but not an Assassin?

Something was off.

And who gets ordered to check this strange man?

Altaïr before that fateful year when he failed in saving Adha.

Altaïr before the attack on Masyaf where he singlehandedly saved Al Mualim.

Altaïr before he became a Master Assassin, just as curious but less arrogant than he would become years later.

Altaïr with a face that looked too much like Desmond's that it could not be counted as a coincidence.