#but ezio's revenge arc is not that at ALL

[a-not-so-clean-blog]

So I've been thinking about witch Assassins would be the worst yanderes. I did worst case scenario because I can 🩶 AC1-3

1 is a normal person, 10 is full coo coo 🔪

Altaïr: 6/10 or 3/10

Young arrogant Altaïr wouldn't be a fun yandere to have but he's not the worst. If you can handle his normal ego you're fine. Well unless you freak out when he kills someone in front of you. He has no issues getting his hands bloody and doesn't care if you see. He also doesn't like you having friends outside of the brotherhood, and will eliminate anyone who he thinks will corrupt you. Everyone in the brotherhood knows better than to try and get between Altaïr and his target, even a non lethal target. He won't hurt you, but he will use fear to control your actions.

After everything happens with his character arc he is much better. He has a lot more value in free will and has definitely calmed down. He still doesn't trust the people around you but with the brotherhood at his disposal he doesn't need to get his hands dirty or scare you to keep you protected. You can live a normal life, just with a bloody angel on your shoulder. And no, I don't think he would use the apple against you. He has grown and doesn't feel the need to anymore. However despite being much less intense and overbearing if someone makes the mistake of hurting you he will personally make sure that it never happens again. The reason his rating is so low is because he's normal unless an external force makes him do something.

Ezio AC2 4/10 or 9/10

Oh boy. So he did have some mild yandere tendencies when he was younger. Mostly his protective instincts, but the worst he would do is beat up people who upset you. He didn't have much to do during the day so he would spend a lot of time just hanging around you, pestering and flirting.

After he lost his family though… let's just say his obsession with revenge could only be outmatched by his new extreme need to protect and possess those he cares about. He's calmer if you stay in Mario's villa, but that doesn't mean he's sane when he has to leave you. If you don't want to go to the villa… he will try his best to convince you with soft words and big round puppy eyes. If that doesn't work then plan C is to take you by force. He's doing this for your own good, It's to keep you safe! He doesn't know what he would do if he lost you too, and frankly I'm a little scared to find out. He may hurt you by accident. If you try to walk away from him he will grab your arm so tightly that you know it's already bruised. He gets overwhelmed by fear and forgets his strength. He will spend the next week trying to apologize, he is absolutely heartbroken that he hurt you and he will punish himself for it. As to be expected from a man led by his emotions.

Rathonhagé:ton 7/10

I don't think his personality has really changed all that drastically to warrant more than one rating. In fact, I don't think he would really be any different even if his village wasn't raided.

Even without being smitten by someone this boy already has no issue killing if he sees a random civilian getting harassed by red coats. So you can only imagine the heights he would reach if his obsession was in danger, real or perceived. It's hard to tell if you will even notice his yandere behavior or not. Like I said before, he has no problem killing for you, but he also doesn't want to kill in front of you. He knows he's big, dark, and intimidating, but he genuinely doesn't want to scare you. He's so soft and shy when he's with you that you can't even imagine the rage and bloodlust he keeps hidden just under the surface. All in all he has some of the worst yandere tendencies when it comes to intensity, but he will do his best so you never know. The less you know, the better. Also he feels community is extremely important so he's not the type to get really upset if you make friends. To him that's more people who will look out for you. He would prefer if you join the homestead but understands if you don't want to leave your town. He won't force you to do anything you don't want, he doesn't want you to resent him if he does. If you don't join the homestead he'll pop in and check in on you whenever he can. It's totally not stalking…

Desmond 1/10 or 10/10

Ummm… so before he got taken by Abstergo there were no issues. He was just a guy. The only problem came AFTER Abstergo. Especially when he is not bleeding.

He's lived through SO many tragedies. He's seen and felt the pain and loss of his ancestors and it's carved deep scars in his heart. May the Isu help whatever poor soul decides to hurt someone Desmond cares about, because they will suffer the concentrated pain that's been festering for centuries. Surprisingly, his yandere tendencies (especially the aggression) aren't nearly as bad if he's bleeding an ancestor. That's because when he bleeds he will adopt his ancestors tendencies, not the full collection of emotional pain he usually carries with him. If you remind him of anyone his ancestors knew then he's more likely to bleed that ancestor. If not, then it's really just luck (or unluck) of the draw who he bleeds. I'm sorry if he bleeds older Ezio because being in modern time will make him feel like he has no control of the area and Ezio Desmond will freak out the worst.

Begrudgingly I'll give you Haythem too. (Do not ask me to write for him. I do not like him but his character is interesting enough that I will give this to you.)

Haythem 2/10 or 9/10

It depends on if he meets you before or after Ziio. Before Ziio he's basically a normal dude. A little "protective" but not much else. He's more just showing off than actually being proactive. He lets people fight their own battles for the most part, and has a “whatever happens, happens.” type personality.

After Ziio dies he goes completely insane. Guilt and loss corrupting his views on freedom and morality. He is still a Templar, still one of the most powerful people in the colonies. He will use every authority he has to make you do what he wants. If that doesn't work he is more than happy to use force. He has this sickly sweet smile on his face as he drags you kicking and screaming to whatever safehouse he decides you will stay at. Lavish and clean, so different from the outside. He just wants to pretend that everything is fine, just for a little while before he has to go out again. It not a protective instinct, but a possessive one. Like someone stole his favorite toy so he latches on to the next one with a ferocity.

[blackflash9]

AC and the Conundrum of Sequels

So I've noticed a particular trend that paraded many people's minds within the AC community, and that's been the gradual descent into this rather presumptuous mentality that the more sequel games a character has, the more unequivocally 'better' their development is as a character. This is often followed by Ezio used as the poster child.

[Disclaimer: I don't hate Ezio or Bayek, I'm just using them to illustrate my points] While I understand this sentiment, I've also learned that under a more critical lens, a lot in the case of Ezio's supposed "growth" has arguably always been more aesthetical than anything of substance. When we are first introduced to Ezio in AC2, we are already bombarded with a character that is far too perfect. It's hard to think of any genuine flaws in his personality or behavior - especially those that have any lasting consequences for the plot. He never quite makes any mistakes either; it doesn't help that everywhere he goes there's a small army of people desperate to help him out. He also has actual armies willing to help him at the drop of a hat, as well as being best friends with one of the smartest people in human history. His achievements in the plot are all handed to him on a silver platter.

He's never made to learn to do anything for himself. At first, you feel like that could have been the point of the early game. Ezio's father and brothers are dead, he's a wanted man and he needs to protect his mother and sister. Then, instead of trying to get them to safety, he prioritizes a chance for revenge, which suddenly brings the whole city down on him, making it harder to protect his family. The whole thing would then set up a story about Ezio having to grow up, stop being so brash and arrogant, etc. Having been born into luxury and an easy life, he now has to learn how to provide for himself and others. But these opportunities are missed.

When it comes to Ezio's motivations, I always felt like there was no reason for him to continue pursuing the Templars after all the Florentine conspirators were dead. Nor is there any kind of "Creed" or higher calling at play here, since he doesn't remotely know what the Assassins are for another ten years. He just hears that there are some bad guys in Venice and decides to go kill them. By this point, he doesn't have any real reason or motivation to continue hunting them other than his own blood lust. As a result, Ezio often feels like he is a vehicle is that dictated by the plot rather than the other way around.

I mean, only look at the average description for his character arc:  "He went from a young teen to wise master assassin and mentor."  That's all there is to say for most people: arbitrary labels. Rarely do you receive any commentary around here that delves into any shifts within his mindset, outlook, point of view, or anything that isn't just this parroted and outdated take. When we get to Brotherhood, this problem is exacerbated more where Ezio is even more static than he was before (aside from leadership and giving orders), because his arc was already concluded in the game prior where we already spent over twenty years with him where he was already leading people and giving orders. It's just more pointless and reductive padding.

Bayek is another character that normally gets wrapped up in the sequel discussion, but genuinely ask yourself: Is there anything else left to do with Bayek in a sequel? Much like Ezio in AC2, his arc is also pretty much wrapped up by the end of Origins (including the Hidden Ones DLC). He begins looking for revenge for his son's death; takes a stand against the Templars when he realizes the problem is far bigger than just himself; founds the Assassins to fight this corruption. What else is there to really do with the character? His arc's been concluded, it's not even like AC2 where not killing Rodrigo Borgia left a door open for a potential sequel. Any new game would essentially have to come up with a load of new goals and motivations for him to the point you may as well just come up with a new character.

But this is frustrating because we see complete and profound development from characters like Altair in a single game, even before Revelations. He begins as an arrogant jerk who sees himself as better than everyone but slowly becomes a wise individual upon learning from the complexity of his enemies and the contradictions within his own Creed. It's learning from his allies and enemies alike, learning the pros and cons of concepts like freedom and control, about what is gained and lost from acquiring both in life, does he truly become not just a better leader for the brotherhood but a better man.

We also see the same from Connor in a single game. Starting as a naive idealist who wants to fix all the world's problems, only to realize that he'll never be able to do so. The consecutive deconstruction of his naivety through each of his interactions with allies and enemies alike teaches him that the ability to judge right from wrong can sometimes be lost in a world that's presently reluctant to do the same. But through it all, he maintains his faith in his convictions and compromises with what's in his control to forge a better tomorrow for humanity. Altair & Connor reach the same conclusions about life, human nature, and their place within the ongoing struggle in one game, a fraction of the time, as much, if not more than Ezio does in three. Yet, more is needed because we've been spoiled and entitled to more than what was necessary with Ezio. And it's honestly this fixation that holds this series back. Whenever we delve into this topic, I never really feel like the underpinnings behind what sequels actually did for Ezio and his characterization are discussed beyond the surface-level shallow aesthetics, or the ignored light-switch motivations that have made many in the community so insistent that every other character must also have this kind of treatment.

[catofadifferentcolor]

Assassin’s Creed II

To say that everything is permitted is to understand that we are the architects of our actions.

As I’ve been reading a lot about the Crusades recently, it seemed a natural progression to try playing Assassin’s Creed for the first time since the franchise began a decade and a half ago.

And my immediate thought on starting the first sequel (beyond the weird front loading of achievements - just following Lucy's instructions gets you 3 in like 10 minutes) is that time travel must exist, as they've heard all my complaints and fixed them for this game.

This game is not only beautiful, but it takes the time to teach you how to play in a fun, intuitive way. Whereas it took me roughly 5 hours of gameplay and an online guide to figure out AC1, I had most of that figured out within 15 minutes in AC2.

Even if picking up a box/body in the game is next to impossible.

Moreover, AC2 is immersive in a way AC1 never quite managed. About half of this is probably the incredible detail that the Ubisoft went into with Renaissance Italy - which, in addition to being visually stunning, tickles all my nerd buttons, even if I've read far less about the Renaissance than I have the Crusades.

But more than that, Ezio's story is compelling. It's visceral and real and if I didn't have RL commitments I'd probably have sat down and finished this game in two days. Which is probably for the best, as five hours is about as far as I can go before the nausea starts getting overwhelming, but even then it's a fight to stop playing when all I want is to know what happens next.

I honestly don't think I've felt this way about a game since Dragon Age 2. Or maybe Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

And while, yes, sequences 12 & 13 seemed weirdly out-of-tune and less thought out compared to everything else before I realized they were included DLCs, nearly everything about the actual game itself is pitch perfect. Revenge is a common motive, yet Ezio's entire arc of knowing when not to take revenge offers a delightful twist on a common narrative.

Whereas Altair felt like a god temporarily made mortal for Desmond to learn from, Ezio feels human - all too human. He makes friends and makes mistakes. He learns from the past but remains fallible. (Beating up the Pope and then letting him live seems like a mistake he'll live to regret, even if it is excellent personal growth.) He builds a home for his family, but is always away. He...

Well. If one walks away from AC1 wanting to be Altair, I think its fair to say I walked away from AC2 wanting to be with Ezio just a little bit.

There are some game mechanics I didn't like - the picking up of boxes and having to return to base to change weapon loadouts, primarily. The business with Leonardo's flying machine was almost too over the top and some of the smaller missions far too frustrating for the payout - but for the most part AC2 was a fun, enjoyable ride. I'd actually prefer it more if the DLC sequences weren't included in the version I downloaded, and if I can find a way to skip those in replays I will - because there will be replays. (There would be one immediately if I didn't already have ACB already installed.)

...I suppose I should say something about the Ancient Aliens arc as well, but frankly it wasn't as big a shock as it must have been originally, as I've watched my brother play parts of these games before so I have a general idea of what is to come. That, and as soon as I realized it was a naked man and woman running somewhere in The Truth vids, the idea of Adam and Eve having escaped from Eden kinda became self-evident. Still wicked cool though.

(Also, still tapping Lucy for Templar plant, because she's far too much follow me with only vague promises for explanations later and weirdly keen on turning Desmond into a fighter. The whole arrival at the hideout felt like an act two Bond woman right before the inevitable betrayal.)

Otherwise 5 out of 5 stars. I can definitely see why people recommend this as the place to start with the Assassin's Creed series. I'm not sure I'm one of them, but I definitely recommend playing this this one.

[loudmound]

alright. u know what. i shall live my truth.

ezio didn't kill the pope bc he thought he'd stoop to his level of moral depravity. he didn't bc he was fuckoff TIRED. he spent 20 odd years of his life dedicated to this vengeance quest of his that he refused to back down from but realized then and there that he was fucking sick of such a fruitless endeavor. he literally says to rodrigo that killing him won't bring his family back. there was nothing said about morals or anything of the sort. it was simply just that he was tired, and he wanted this all to just... stop.

and also, like, brotherhood exists as a means to say "hey, uh, while it's true that ezio didn't have the full picture, he should have killed rodrigo. he made a huge fucking mistake as an assassin." the narrative doesn't reward him for-- while something of an admirable decision for his development as an individual-- an incredibly shortsighted and selfish decision that endangered the italian city states at large. he was supposed to kill rodrigo! that was his JOB! and he DIDN'T DO IT! while ezio certainly didn't deserve to have his home destroyed and uncle killed, it was still something of a consequence for letting rodrigo live. cesare would've invaded monteriggioni regardless of this choice, yes, but throwing the templars off-balance in such a way then and there would've been HUGE for the assassins!!!! AND EZIO! DIDN'T DO IT!!!!

not every single revenge narrative that ends with the person not killing their biggest assailant is always from the lens of Protecting One's Morals. sometimes it's more complicated than that. sometimes it's for an entirely different reason. ezio's narrative is accutely aware of this choice that he made and followed up by having it bite him in the ass! machiavelli fucking chews him out for it!!!

he also threw cesare off the fuckin burning castle wall in spain at the end of brotherhood. i feel like ppl forget about that a lot, too.

[spiralingeyes]

Sorry, read your bio and I’m just 👀, I would like to hear about the au

oh that's a terrible idea. actually.

it was mostly a joke but given more thought, if we focus on my three favorite assassins...

altaïr

Warlock, of course. most likely his innate light would be arc, strength and power within duty. he finds wisdom over time, being reborn with the first generation of guardians. he started a warlock order, based off of the original "assassins" (Order of Assassins, y'know what the creed was based on in levantine era). He'd go through some ups and downs before starting it, or hell it'd make more sense for it to be existing. i like the latter more. we ramble here. he'd definitely learn all of the facets with his light, but never touch stasis. his preferred discipline would be voidwalker. his ghost im unsure of. i like the idea of desmond being his ghost, maybe eventually being killed and leaving altaïr lightless. ooh that'd be spicy

ezio

gunslinger hunter, need i say more. specifically way of a thousand cuts. born in around the city age, lining up with the likes of andal, shiro, and cayde. young, dumb, charting the universe for humanity. probably a classic revenge story, maybe something internal within the city like a guardian murdered by a citizen? spicy stuff. he'd go on to be a high ranking/vanguard helper after he gains that wisdom. probably played around with void, a bit of arc, but stuck with his knives. his ghost would be Leonardo. an inventive and creative ghost, probably great in a fight just for how he thinks tactically.

ratonhnaké:ton

far younger. we're talking like thirty years risen. a titan, arc as an innate light but naïve and impressionable at a young age. threw himself into the vanguard, probably a bit too lethal. he tempers his arc light with the wisdom gained with experience, eventually leading to a wiser leader. chose the name ratonhnaké:ton for the sake of what it meant, maybe changing it after something critical like the red war "he emerges." his ghost would be Haytham. a snarky bastard with the same accent. very much rude but, he chose his risen for a reason.

[dundunny]

Review: Assassin’s Creed III

I have to first make a disclaimer that I started this game in 2018 so my memories of the earlier parts are a little hazier. This probably is down with the first game as one of the worst in the series. Let me start by saying the franchise hasn't impressed me: The characters aren't very interesting and the plot is dumb, but I love climbing all over historical urban environments. I haven't played Assassin's Creed II since the early 2010s, but to this day I can remember with startling clarity parkouring Ezio up the cathedral in Florence.

Assassin's Creed III doesn't really have that. Boston and New York in the 1700s haven't created the architecture that's jaw-dropping enough to draw interest; hell, a good portion of New York is fucking burned down. So the vast majority of the game is wilderness. And herein lies the studio's problem with game design since day one: They create massive environments, but there isn't a lot of stuff in them. What they do is construct famous landmarks with fine detail, but the everyday buildings people live in look exactly the same and there isn't enough visual difference for me to navigate or even care about what I'm looking at. Let me compare to Arkham Knight. Yes, storefronts were replicated, but in my head I can still remember the lighthouse by the movie studio, the intersection for Gotham's version of Time Square, how the train tracks moves through that Eiffel Tower thing, the Halloween balloon floats by the GCPD, the shops underground below the skyscrapers, and the dock area on the southern part of Founder's Island. If I'm asked to even vaguely lay out a city map for Boston or New York, I've literally got nothing. Ubisoft just made bunch of skins for buildings and plastered it everywhere.

This is massively worse in the "frontier" because if you've seen one tree or log, you've seen them all here. Oh, I can recall the coastline to the west and east, where the fortresses are, Lexington, Monmouth, etc. But it's not fun to run through. Let's take another game, Breath of the Wild. Most of that game was climbing up the side of mountains or fighting in forests or swimming up a waterfall. I haven't played that game in a long time, but I still can vividly recollect shrines, ponds, cottages, stabbing enemies on scaffolding over a ravine, finding a tower surrounded by tar, the beautiful rocks around Zora's Domain, stumbling upon dragon skeletons... Exploration was the reward in that game. It's just not in Assassin's Creed III. Yeah, there are the feathers or treasure boxes, but I just indifference. As I said, tree 1 looks basically the same as tree 384.

The next issue is Connor. He's just boring as character. Altair went from douchebag to humble leader, Ezio was cool in everything he did, but Connor... I don't think he ever really knew what he was doing. His thing is revenge, specifically against Charles Lee for burning down his village and killing his mother. Everything else he did was really trying to put roses on his actions. Yeah, Ezio's was vengeance as well, but he really became a leader who furthered the Assassin cause. Conner... well, he made the homestead but just kinda invited people to live there and none of them were assassins. He meanders his way to his end goal by saying he wants to protect his village but ends up killing those of his people who don't agree with his methods (including his childhood friend). He allies himself with the Patriots, even though it should be very evident they don't like Native Americans any more than the British, and then is surprised when he learns Washington has killed some of his people. Also his voice actor is not very good. Really, I would've preferred to play the game as Haytham and I was so sad when we found out he was a Templar.

Assassin's Creed III also closes the Desmond arc. The premise behind the franchise is interesting—that you can access memories of your ancestors through your DNA—but as the series progressed I found the modern-day portion to become the most farcical part. Yeah, it was cool back in Assassin's Creed II when you saw the first glimpses of the "truth" and realized there was this ancient civilization that the Assassins are probably descended from. But then we learn that everything was destroyed in a solar flare (which somehow causes massive earthquakes?) and we have to stop it from happening again. Ubisoft, is that the best you can come up with? Where the hell did that come from? You walked away from that conference room thinking that was a good idea? When Desmond has to make his big decision about his fate and that of the world, at this point I'm just incredulous about the whole situation that it means nothing to me.

However that section does provide the funniest part of the whole game: When Desmond breaks into Abstergo, for some reason he and all the guards are drawing swords on each other. Why? It's literally 2012. Why aren't you all using guns? Can you imagine touring the White House and all the secret service are sporting scimitars instead of a glock?

So yeah, this was a very underwhelming installment. Normally I try to collect as much as possible and play the DLC because even after all my bitching Assassin's Creed is still fun to play, but I didn't have the emotional attachment or amusement to put in the extra effort. Hopefully the next game will be better.

[lobanri]

untitled asscreed & one piece crossover

Desmond Miles dies using the Eye in an attempt to save the world form the Sun. When he awakens it’s to a completely different world, filled with pirates and marines and powers that seem magical. The marines find him, and he awakens when a pirate crew decides to attack the marines and ends up finding him and freeing him. At least he’s lucky enough that Edward Kenway was a pirate, even if one very different to the crew he’s now a part of.

this goes in a couple different ways, too.

first idea was that the OP world is Earth after the Calamity, so DFs are what happens when the Pieces of Eden get assimilated into fruits- thus they affect Desmond by making him have the whole ‘golden circuitry’ thing whenever he touches a DF user and can potentially… temporarily use their abilities? Steal them? Idfk, ok. Something alongside those lines. Whatever. Or maybe he can get parts of the Piece of Eden they came from originally? And like, Mythical Zoans are Apples or pieces of the Eye and they affect him more, Logias can be Apples or the Scepter or the Belt, Paramecias are the Shroud or the Scepter, etc. So now he has to go touch enough DF users to have a whole Piece, and they’re tattoo like, gradually appearing on his torso until he has the whole Piece and they can leave his skin and appear in his hands, bc i apparently thought it was cool? i mean, i wasn’t wrong, it sounds dope.

so there was that, and the idea that genetic memories can result in a pseudo-reincarnation, so their memories make some renown Assassins make a resurgence. i thought about making it like they only half-remember them and get the full blast when Desmond- key that he is- comes back. 

i made a plan for this, y’all. i had a list. it’s mostly ‘cause i’m kinda crazy, but jeez. looking back i was way too willing to actually write this out. sadly i probably won’t.

1-      desmond dies and lays forgotten in the grand temple. marines/pirates find him and decide to kidnap him bc he has golden circuitry under his skin and his arm looks a bit weird and who the fuck knows. then the withebeards find him and save him. he becomes friends with most of them but gets along w/ace pretty well (weird childhood buddies!)

2-     thatch dies via teach, ace sets out to get revenge and desmond goes ‘what the hell, why not’ and goes with him. during the trip, he starts getting weird dreams about the other assassins (originally this was just ezio but i think it’d be better if he’d get snatches of what each of them is doing, based on how close to them he was physically) but sees hallucinations about Edward instead and tires not to let it affect him. ace is busy w/revenge, but can tell smth is off. they arrive at an island in which desmond sees a wanted poster of himself next to one of another man in a with hood called ‘the assassin’. he has the same scar. cliffhanger. (this could be either ezio or altair, but it just proves that he’s not the only one from the Brotherhood here)

3-     we change pov to ace, who is watching his new friend/brother become increasingly frantic about this ‘assassin’ and tells him some about his family to try to distract him from the dreams he keeps getting and the things he sees. ace keeps getting more worried about his hallucinations bc they can’t find any doctor to do anything about it and kureha left the island- then someone in sakura island tells him that the strawhats have ‘the doctor’s apprentice’  so now ace is trying to both hunt teach and find someone to heal desmond so we see him having a moral debate about what’s more important to him- his revenge or his family’s lives.

4-     we see a mysterious scene w/ ezio in which he talks to someone- nico robin- and we reach the conclusion that he wants to join crocodile for some reason??? which is that he wants to get info and money but when he sees what’s going on he plans on murdering croco. the strawhats end up interrupting him anyway so when he sees robin sneak into the ship he goes ‘eh, well, whatever’ and goes with her in a weird parallel arc that mirrors desmond’s decision to go with ace, except that desmond goes because he’s more of a passive person but was worried about ace and ezio goes because he’s an active person who wants to know why; why is he here? why can he remember? why is he not dead? why does he keep thinking about some strange man he sees in his dreams sometimes? he decides his new “dream” is to get justice for everyone- remake the brotherhood- when he learns about the crew’s stories.  

5-     we come back to the disaster duo, who are now each other’s other half in being a complete and total mess. desmond is still hallucinating Edward and his search for ‘the assassin’ finally gets him a place: alabasta. they arrive just as the strawhats are in the middle of defeating everyone, so ace decides to butt in and desmond just doesn’t want to see his friend get eviscerated so he helps out in the shadows. desmond is quiet and kinda unassuming the whole time that ace is talking to the strawhats so they don’t really notice him much or anything. this makes it much better for when robin shows up, introduces herself and then ezio steps out and does the same (strawhats: ‘what!? another one!??’) and then asks “and who is that gentleman, if I may ask?” to which desmond steps out. “desmond miles. I’m the key. glad to finally meet you properly, prophet.” cliffhanger.

6-    look the first part of this is various ppl just going

then some weird explaining and desmond finally getting someone to look at his head when ace remembers that “oh yeah btw my friend’s been having vivid hallucinations for a couple of months/weeks. is that normal or…? because he keeps telling me not to worry about it and that it’s been happening for a couple of months but im pretty sure I should be worried about it” and chopper trying not to have an attack then and there while the strawhats that have braincells just look horrified .

7-     so moving on from explanations arc- now we reach…uh. ace and desmond separating but promising to check in with each other every day, because I think that’d be a neat way to cut between scenes- they’re all retellings of what hijinks went down that they’re giving each other, and occasionally they comment on some detail and it gives you a break for bickering from all the drama. they buy snails ig.

  this is also when i ran out of plot, but! i do have like, two pages of notes about what some of the others are up to, so i’m gonna add that at some point later. 

(if anyone sees this [which i doubt, but you never know] and wants to use it, feel free! just @ me!)

[thatcrazycrowgirl]

(To anyone just getting into the AC series, there is a spoiler warning for some of the story elements.)

After finishing AC Unity and now getting back in AC Rogue, do you know what I kind of miss about the older games?

The reoccurring interweaving of characters and interactions throughout them.

Let me explain: first off, we naturally have the Desmond Miles story arc that spans the first three games, and climaxed in ACIII.

But within the Ezio Trilogy, we actually got to see Ezio meet Altaïr in AC Revelations.

Then we have what I like to call “the Kenway Saga”, that chronologically begins with Edward in AC Black Flag. Then it continues with Haytham in AC Rogue. But the interesting thing is that, because Rogue follows Shay Cormac’s story, at the end of the game, we get two storylines that branch off of it.

If you follow Haytham’s story, it continues in ACIII, where we play the first half of the game with him, and the second half with his son, Connor - leading to the two of them finally meeting and the player seeing how their relationship progresses.

(Not only that, but if you play the “spinoff” AC Liberation, you get to see Connor teaming up with Aveline de Grandpré for a short time. There’s also the Freedom Cry DLC that follows Adéwalé and is set twenty years after Black Flag.)

However, if you follow Shay’s story, it finishes with him taking down Charles Dorian, who is the father of Arno, the protagonist in AC Unity. Unfortunately, that’s where the storyline stops, as Arno never found out who actually killed his father. (But if he ever did and decided to go after Shay for revenge, that would make a kick-ass sequel or DLC.)

Post-Unity, the closest thing we have to any sort of a connection between characters and games is the protagonist of AC India Chronicles, Arbaaz Mir, is actually the father of Jayadeep Mir (a.k.a. Henry Green). (Which I don’t think even gets a mention in the AC Syndicate game.)

I mean, sure, in the newest games, we see the easter eggs, hear the characters get referenced, and see the database entries, but something about seeing two characters from two different games actually interacting with each other and both main and side storylines progressing from one game to the next just brought the whole idea of it all being one cohesive universe to another level.

I’m not saying the Assassin’s Creed series shouldn’t evolve or that we should stay stuck in the past with the 1st gen games. I’m just saying that little detail of the character interaction (or even just a cameo) in the different games was a nice, little detail that I wish the developers would bring back.

(Please note that as I’m writing this, I haven’t played every game in the series yet, including Origins, so I’m bound to be missing some details. Also, I’m mostly focusing on the main games here.)

[jjoelswatch]

Name ten favorite characters from ten favorite things (books, tv, films, etc.) then tag ten people. Saw @ex0skeletal do this and thought, why not?

In no order:

Bucky Barnes, Marvel; started with the comics and now MCU (I’m excited for Falcon & Winter Soldier!). The character really means a lot to me, and I could honestly write an essay about it.

Steve Rogers, Marvel; again, comics to MCU. 616 Steve is Extra and I love him.

Danica Shardae, Kiesha’ra series by Amelia Atwater Rhodes; Hawksong is one of my all time favorite fantasy novels and that series as a whole is very dear to me.

Oliza Shardae Cobriana, Kiesha’ra series by Amelia Atwater Rhodes; the first time I read a story about a wlw character and it made me feel a sort of way (and I was too dumb to realize because I was in high school and back then we buried those feelings deep asdf).

Joel, The Last of Us; sad dad redemption arc and learning to be human again. This game taught me a lot about writing and storytelling, as well.

Arthur Morgan, Red Dead Redemption 2; I didn’t think a video game could affect me more than TLOU, but the storytelling in RDR2 and how you get to really live out your life as Arthur and make your own choices and essentially build the type of character and story you play is such a unique experience. You walk away from that game really feeling like you’ve lost a part of yourself.

Anakin Skywalker, Star Wars; Revenge of the Sith was my first SW movie and I was really young and loved it, saw it multiple times in theaters. Clone Wars animated series and RotS novelization contain the best versions of Anakin and I highly rec them.

Ahsoka Tano, Star Wars; really fell in love with her character arc in the Clone Wars series, and seeing her again in Rebels was so cool. Really want to know how her and Sabine Wren’s journeys went after the Battle of Endor

Ezio Auditore, Assassin’s Creed; Ezio’s story was so epic and delivered some of my first jaw-dropping gaming moments as a player. I’ll never forget the ending of Revelations.

Hermione Granger, Harry Potter; made me feel okay about being a wild-haired bookworm too smart for her own good.

100% optional, but I tag: @bllyrsso, @jjbittenbinders, @watermelonbabytea, @kiyaar, @harrysflynn, and anyone else who wants to do it.

[budugaapologist]

For the assassin's Creed ask meme can you do 5, 6, 12, 15, 17, 18, 20, 22, 23, 25, 28, 31, 32, 33 Thank you..

Okie dokie here we go5. My favorite supporting character was probably Freddy Abberline. I really like how the twins interacted with and teased him.6. My favorite villain was the Hyena from Origins. My favorite animal is a hyena so I was compelled to like her. 12. My favorite plot twist was probably the reveal of Aveline's step mom as the Company Man. I lost my shit I was convinced it was Agaté.15. The MOST underrated character without a fucking doubt is Adéwalé!!! There is NO argument here!!! 17. Most overrated character in my opinion is honestly Mary Read. She wasn't that great and wasn't nice to Edward in game. I prefer Anne, at least she was funny.18. I'm looking forward to killing the sharks in Odyssey. Not because I hate sharks, I quite like them, but to enact revenge from AC4.20. I think the movie would've been better if they used characters from the games instead of entirely new ones. Also, if they made it less serious, like Syndicate or Black Flag. Funny movies are 100% better.22. My favorite historical setting is the Carribean over run with pirates. I just love pirates so much.23. The coolest piece of Eden to me was the shroud of Eden. I loved that boss fight with Starrick a ton.25. My favorite female character is Bastienne from Freedom Cry. Her repeatedly failing to flirt with Adé is such a mood.28. The most improved character is Edward, like he had his midlife crisis (which, fuck you Ubisoft, was the start of the game since he dies at 42) and slowly shapes himself to no longer be heart set on coin. I could talk for hours on this, I love his character arc a lot since I can relate to it.31. My favorite templar was probably the Crocodile. Not because of all the awful things she did. But because for once I didn't feel a little bad about killing a templar (aside from the slaver in Freedom Cry but that was honestly just my favorite kill, oh it felt good).32. Favorite romantic relationship? Ezio and Sofiah. Sofiah relentlessy wooing his broken heart was adorable.33. My favorite friendship that I refuse to believe wasn't romantic was Edward and Adéwalé. Just the way Adé talks about Edward in Freedom Cry is so sad, he clearly misses him. And the way Edward only listens to Adé and was so heartbroken when Adé said he was no longer his quarter master? Boy I was sobbing they were so close.Thanks for the ask!

[catofadifferentcolor]

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

"To say that Nothing is True, is to realize that foundations of society are fragile and that we must be the shepherds of our own civilization. To say that Everything is Permitted is to understand that we are the architects of our own actions and we must live with their consequences, whether glorious or tragic."

As I’ve been reading a lot about the Crusades recently, it seemed a natural progression to try playing Assassin’s Creed for the first time since the franchise began a decade and a half ago.

And I honestly can't think of anything to say other than I am in love.

Don't get me wrong - I adored AC2 with an immediate, earnest passion that I've only felt a handful of other times in my life. I loved ACB as well - not in the same way, perhaps, but in the way someone might love what in retrospect felt a little like an extended AC2 DLC. But from the moment Assassin's Creed: Revelations started to the bitter end, I was in love.

Part of this was the opening, which hit hard on all the right emotional notes, and the first memory sequence, which was just enough tutorial to suit without twisting itself into knots to explain why the Master Assassin and Mentor of the Brotherhood needs a refresher. And when Ezio does have to learn new skills, it was handled pitch-perfectly with Yusuf acting like the beloved nephew teaching his favorite uncle how to use some newfangled bit of tech. (Ultimately, it was this addition of new skills which sets ACR above ACB rather than the leap forward in graphics, making everything new and exciting. Everything about ACR was new and exciting and fresh in a way most fourth installments of a series lack, and there was no end of squee during my play through.)

It has its faults - the Den Defense was something I never figured out, as somehow nothing I ever did seemed to work no matter how far ahead I was when the Templars started rolling siege equipment through the streets of Constantinople, which stretches credulity. Yusuf's death hurt and had an air of pointlessness to it that really twisted the knife when Ezio just addressed his replacement as Assassin instead of so much as a name. The switch of Eagle Vision from Y to LS on Xbox tripped me up for a good third of the game, and while I liked the upgraded Eagle Vision in general, it did take me longer than I'd like to realize you had to hover over each target with the cursor rather than automatically find the gold one.

And yet, I loved it. I loved it so much that I played the last few memory sequences at a crawl, for as desperate as I was to know what happened next, I didn't want it to be over. I didn't want my time with Ezio to end. His story arc was practically perfect in every way, as was the addition of Altair's later memories to reinforce everything Ezio was feeling and thinking, and the idea of giving him up hurt. It still hurts. There's a part of me that wants to go back and replay all the Ezio trilogy even as the rest of me wants to know what happens in AC3.

Hell, I've even dragged my heels writing this review because it felt too much like closure.

Ezio is one of those video game characters that comes around so rarely I honestly can't think of an adequate comparison. It's rare you get a character that accomplishes so much while still seeming human - trying, failing, making mistakes, trying again. On the face of it he should be a ridiculous stereotype, and yet he's anything but. His whole story arc of setting aside revenge, of realizing he will never have all the answers he seeks... it is beautiful and poignant and I'm more than a little in love with him. (And, no, it's not fair he somehow managed to get hotter for ACR, and there are things I didn't need to know about myself, thank you very much.)

Hell, I fell a little bit in love with all the characters we got more than five seconds with. Yusuf was bright and brilliant and deserved better. Clay was - well, I don't have words beyond wishing to have seen more of him. Sophia was someone I could honestly see Ezio retiring to be with. Altair was a delightful treat to see again. And Desmond... well, I really wish his memories were actually playable, as I got so nauseated trying to fall correctly at the end of the second one that I had to lay down in the dark for about an hour after.

That may honestly be my biggest complaint - Desmond's memories were something you could skip over. (Something you had to skip over if you wanted to keep your lunch.) I think if they had found a way to incorporate that into conversations with Clay on Animus Island instead of monologues in confusing first person settings without clear goals I would have had to give this game an 11 out of 10.

ACR is a game I came out of with a lot of feels, nearly all of them positive. It was a fun game that was just challenging enough to feel like completing parts of it was an accomplishment without the utter frustration that came from Leonardo's flying machine in AC2 and ACB. As sad as I am to give up Ezio, it was a worthwhile conclusion to his story, and now that I've had nearly a week to mourn I'm ready to move on to AC3. But I'll definitely be coming back to replay this one. 5 out of 5 stars, cannot recommend enough.

[thisiswarfmp]

Ezio Auditore da Firenze Character Analysis

Ezio Auditore da Firenze, born the second eldest child of the noble banking family, was once a young and testosterone-filled man who's only outlets were that of women and wine. He lived life luxuriously, not having to fend for himself as his father was more than willing to provide, and he was more than willing to live in the lap of luxury whilst everyone else did the hard work. He was loyal to his family however, beating up his little sister's cheating fiance, finding feathers for his little brother's collection, helping his mother gather paintings for their villa in Florence, having friendly competition with his older brother and beating up people together, and finally carrying out deliveries for his father.   That is until his brothers and father are unfairly and unjustly hung for treason, a false judgement.   Little to Ezio's knowledge, his father was part of a creed of people called The Assassin's Brotherhood, a group of people who slowly changed the course of history from the shadows one assassination at a time in order to keep people free. Sadly, the group isn't the only one out there who wish to shape the future of mankind and their number one opposition, The Templars, wish to change the course of history by controlling the masses for a "world of peace". Ezio's father was caught in this was, and unknown to him the one who he had trusted his life with had turned out to be a templar, sending him and his two son's to the noose; Ezio, his sister, and mother were the only surviving three, and together they fled from the city of Florence to the small countryside town of Monterrigioni, where they regrouped with their uncle Mario.   Whilst there, Mario began to train the young and naive Ezio, teaching him the way of the blade as well as educating him on the history of the conflict between the Assassin's and the Templars. After a few years past and his training has been complete, Ezio begins to take down those who were part of killing his family one by one, not only getting revenge but also slowly taking apart their terribly oppressive regime until it brings him to the Vatican to take down the pope who has become so delusional with his power, he believes himself to be a prophet of God them self, hoping to get into an underground vault located in The Vatican. Using the skills his uncle had given him, he defeats the pope, but he doesn't grant him the mercy of a death; instead he forces him to watch as he is able to open the doors to the vault himself.   Overall, Ezio's character arc has seen him go from the stereotypical young playboy adult who's only care was family, lovers, and wine to someone with a strong belief system that free will and equality with others would be the only future he would like to see for humanity. He cares deeply for the friends he has made along the way, seeing the brotherhood as a second family, and he has countlessly risked his life to see them, as well as strangers who he barely knew the names of, live another day. 

Ezio's clothing is rather luxurious, most likely because these are the robes that his father would have once worn and had been passed down to him after his death. The intricacies and layers are all common occurrences amongst the nobility of the time and thus he would have worn them proudly. He also wears, at the beginning, leather armour (this is later upgraded to metal) which also had a cape connected on his left shoulder that can be customised to hold the colours of one of the visitable cities in the game, or to display the coat of arms of either the House of Medici or the House of Auditore. One thing I've noticed is how Ezio's attire is obviously just for decoration, since if a real-life assassin who lived in Italy were to wear this, whilst running around and climbing buildings, not only would it slow them down and make thins incredibly difficult to climb, it would cause the wearer to overheat and faint, especially during a mid-day summer's sun. It's highly irrational to wear something like this in that kind of environment, and the armour, shoes, and weapons would make it almost impossible to sneak around in.