#i am basing altaïr’s part

[teecupangel]

I've been replaying Nobodies and in the middle of the second game I thought "Hey this guy talks like Desmond!" then I thought it would be pretty funny if Desmond became a murder cleaner lol

Nobodies: Murder Cleaner is available for Android, PC (via Steam) and Apple if you want to try it. It’s a point and click game where you play as a member of a secret government organization and your job is to clean up after other members have killed the target.

So we have two option for this idea.

Option 1: Canon ‘Verse where Desmond becomes a Cleaner instead of a Bartender

In this one, the only thing we have to tweak is what Desmond’s history becomes when he left the Farm. Maybe he saw one of the Cleaners doing their job in Rapid City and the Cleaner didn’t want to kill a kid to cover his tracks so he makes Desmond his accomplice, helping him clean it up, all the while teaching him the ‘craft’. After that, Desmond tags along because the Cleaner says that’s the only way he’ll survive and maybe Desmond’s upbringing mess him up enough that he thinks this is okay. That this kind of life is actually better than the life he had back on the Farm. The Cleaner keeps a close eye on him and notices how ‘unique’ Desmond’s upbringing is. He even thinks Desmond has what it takes to actually be one of the ‘messy ones’ but Desmond preferred to clean. It feels… more distant to his life before.

We get our timeskip and Desmond is one of the best cleaners out there. His identity is ironclad because his Cleaner mentor gave him a new one and their organization made it official since they do have a bit of leeway with the government. In exchange, Desmond will be in their service which he doesn’t mind because the organization pays for everything he needs (other than the equipment and items he might actually need when it was time to clean up because having such equipment with him when he gets to the scene would be security guard bait).

At this point, the organization has an idea that Abstergo is very sus and there’s a shadowy organization that does questionable things against Abstergo most of the time. They don’t know the full story though but Desmond believes that his parents’ cult is actually an ecoterrorist group. He keeps it to himself though since he doesn’t want to be anywhere close to them.

With the backing of the organization and his more honed skills and espionage, Desmond is actually more or less a ghost even to Abstergo. They know Desmond Miles exist but they also know that he disappeared nine years ago. Desmond’s government records are all fake data but authenticated by the government itself. Hell, he even has an SSN and tax records. (Your call if he keeps his Desmond Miles name or he changes to like Desmond Miller or full on fake name like Derek Milton or something XD)

If you still want Desmond to be part of the Animus Project or to kickstart the main plot, Desmond gets caught because the organization has traitors and one of them took him while he was cleaning a scene that turned out to be a trap. However, Desmond knows how to play the game and his childhood training only help him become better at his job.

If Vidic kept the same ‘security’ in AC1 (cameras only, no visible guards), Desmond would find a way to kill Vidic and (maybe) Lucy before the guards even get there. Once he gets access to the computer (thanks, Lucy), tampering with the security feed would be easy because he’s done it before as a Cleaner. He’s also used to using items and devices he sees on the ‘scene’ so yeah…

Before the even finishes Altaïr’s memories, he’d most probably already made his escape after cleaning the scene.

And that’s when…

The Bleeding Effect starts…

Option 2: Full Spy AU where every Assassin is messy and Desmond has to clean after them

Okay, this one plays loose with the lore.

In this one, the Brotherhood is a secret organization that has the capital and the influence that a usual Hollywood super spy organization has.

And Desmond is the poor son of a high ranking member of the organization. He was being trained to be an operative but he didn’t want to be an operative like his father.

So… he became a cleaner instead.

In this one, I think it would be fun if Desmond is just some poor cleaner who has to clean up for the messiest of the operatives because he’s one of the best cleaners.

So the setup could be Desmond appearing on the scene and deducing which of his messy ‘regulars’ did this one and he all have nicknames for each of them.

One of them is super good at his job that Desmond just have to take care of the body most of the time. That one he calls “the light of my life” because it means a quick easy job then Desmond can just chill somewhere and see the sights until he’s called again.

Another one is someone who always has to chase their target and dear god, Desmond wants to strangle this operative so badly because Desmond has to clean up multiple places and that includes CCTVs used by the local government for the roads and such. That one he calls ‘the bane of my existence’.

The funny thing?

Both operative are the same person: Altaïr who seesaw between absolutely the best or having a bad day that can only be summed up as “the universe is conspiring against him to get some cardio today”.

Of course, there’s a lot more operatives that Desmond cleans after.

There’s one that liked to actually steal shit and Desmond just usually make that a burglary gone wrong most of the time.

There’s another operative who may or may not have a dog that he uses to rip apart his target and Desmond always prays the scene is somewhere outside so he can just make it look like a wild animal attack and always hate it whenever it happens in an office building or anywhere indoors to be completely honest.

There’s another one that tries to be sneaky but that only makes Desmond’s life harder because he has to make sure to look everywhere just to be sure that the sneaky operative didn’t miss or fuck up somewhere.

In other words, Desmond has a lot of complaints for his regular operatives XD

[fromashesweriseuphiddenones]

From Meta Assassins, not sure where this would fit story wise but it's a part of it.

Aurelio Voltaire sat there in his apartment rolling his eyes at the cluttered mess. He hated coming home to this dump of an apartment it was merely a collection of stuff. Mail, junk, files, Merch etc. He strode over to his lackluster seating and groaned. This place made him hate life. Outside wasn't much better.

"Bastardo, te acuestas con mi hermana."

"Porque a ella le gusta un hombre que sepa tratarla."

Voltaire wanted to yell before his attention was drawn to the apartment next to his. He listened in hearing

"Yeah let me know when real power wants a magazine or something."

Voltaire almost died laughing. Leave it to little bat, aka Desmond Miles to brighten his day. Then he heard

"Maker damn you Amell. Why do you have to cast both blizzard and Firestorm?! Why do you go all nuclear when I tap away from you?"

Finally he let out a boutriuos laugh. Desmond was playing Dragon Age Origins. His favorite traditional RPG. His favorite stealth based platformer RPG though was Assassins Creed. Funny though considering that he and Desmond were actual assassins. Like Desmond was actually portrayed in the first five games and he had heard Desmond when he played.

"Altaïr, no, no you can't...swim...damn it desynchronization."

"Ezio up, Ezio I swear..."

"Thanks for that assist Shaun."

Just to name a few times he heard. He got up and exited his apartment and went to Desmond's and knocked.

"Coming!"

He heard from within. A few minutes later Desmond was there with a smile on his face.

"Voltaire! Come in. Sorry if I am being too loud."

"Thank you Des, and far from it. I prefer you to the two Bastardos sin polla downstairs."

Desmond smiled as he quickly saved and shut down his game to give his friend, and mentor his attention. He survived dying and Voltaire helped him start again. Desmond told him the truth that Voltaire already knew, and Voltaire told him he was never truly alone among the Goth community. They were all assassins. The two old friends spent time together. Enjoying being "normal", bah Dark Gods they were far from normal and that was okay.

[curiosity-killed]

and if she leads

Pairing: Altaïr & Maria (platonic) Word count: 2028

                 Discovering he’s kind is the worst mistake of Maria’s life.

                 Hating them, disdaining them, has been easy especially after Robert’s death. She bore no undue fondness for the man, an ass who paid her no favors and only brought her on because her wages cost less than a man’s, but he had given her opportunity where no one else would. Continuing his grudge was easy tribute.

                 “Here.”

                 She looks up, hands already forming fists, to see the Assassin offering out a waterskin.

                 “You haven’t drunk anything and your face is” — he fans his fingers across his face as if to indicate a flush — “red. You need to drink.”

                 “I’m fine,” she snaps.

                 “Drink it,” he insists. “You’ll be ill.”

                 She takes it from him mostly to get it out of her face and scowls for good measure. Her face feels hot as a fire iron, dry and cracking from the heat in this cargo hold.

                 “I don’t need you babysitting me,” she snaps in Arabic, “and I speak your tongue better than you speak French.”

                 He doesn’t protest but only holds his hands up in placation and takes the skin back when she’s done. They sit in silence a long while, only broken by the sway of the ship and the slosh of waves against its sides. The Assassin seems unbothered, his arms resting over his knees and eyes half-lidded as if dozing. She doesn’t share his patience, and watching him only makes irritation crawl up her spine like spiders’ legs.

                 “What are you running from?” she asks at last.

                 “I am not running from anything,” he retorts.

                 Raising an eyebrow, she looks pointedly to the dismal cargo hold. No one chooses to travel in such accommodations unless they’re desperate. The barrels lashed to the floor groan with the swaying of the ship, scraping against each other with tired whines.

“I’m looking for something,” the Assassin finally mutters, grudging.

                 He doesn’t offer any more or ask what she’s running from, and so the swaying silence settles in again. It isn’t any more welcome the second time around, and Maria tilts her head back against the wall to keep from smacking her forehead into it just to relieve the tedium. She’s never been one for sitting still, for waiting for something rather than reaching out and making it happen herself. Growing up, her mother berated her for her lack of patience and her bullheadedness, as if reprimands could reshape what nature wrought.

                 “Is is true your leader is a prophet favored by old gods?”

                 That earns a sound almost like a laugh from the Assassin, a snort that is equal parts amused and tired. Running a hand back over his hair, he drops his white hood to his shoulders and leans his head against the wall in a mirror of her pose.

                 “I do not feel like a prophet,” he remarks, quiet, “nor favored by any gods.”

                 With his face out of the shadow of his hood, he looks surprisingly young and his answer stops Maria short. Even with tired shadows under his eyes and the whisper of stubble along his cheeks and jaw, he looks young. Far too young to be the Old Man of the mountain. He cannot be much older than her, if any at all, and the stories of the Assassins’ leader stretch far into antiquity.

                 “You?” she demands. “But the stories are of an old man, a long white beard — you cannot be the great Mentor of the Assassins.”

                 His lips twist, displeasure in their curl.

                 “He was old,” is all he says.

                 A sneer curls Maria’s lips before she can think better of it. Haste has ever been her saving grace and downfall all tied together.

                 “So that’s it,” she says. “You killed the old man for glory and ambition, to steal his own seat. How base of you, to turn like animals against your master.”

                 “There was no glory in it,” he snaps, straightening. “I did not do it for ambition.”

                 He’s straightened, turned toward her with jaw tight and amber eyes hard. His hands have tensed to fists, and she half expects that wrist-borne dagger to jut forth and cut her throat for the asking. Lifting her chin in challenge, she meets his stormy glare with her own. He looks away first, turning sharply from her and pulling his knees back close to his chest. His shoulders are still tense, hiked up, and he flicks his hood over his head once more with a sharp gesture.

                 It’s not like she cares what he thinks or what his motivations really are, but Maria can’t swallow down the strange guilt that worms up her chest. His fury seemed genuine, lashing out as if to protect an open wound. She doesn’t care about him, but it still feels wrong to have probed a hurt like that with so little finesse. He’s a far cry from a gentleman, but in all their interactions, he’s seemed an honest man. It seems unfair to have questioned that so rudely.

                 “Was he your father?” she asks after a moment, trying at a gentler tone.

                 The Assassin exhales, short, and doesn’t answer immediately. There isn’t any surprise on what she can see of his face, though, only the tight-lipped look of someone unsure of the right answer. That, more than what he says, gives her the answer she sought.

                 “No.”

                 Close enough to one, though, if she judges right. That hesitance didn’t come from an easy answer. Lacing her fingers together, she toys with the ring on her middle finger and lets her questions die. It was a gift from Robert, a token from a man she killed for him. It’s morbid, perhaps, but it was the first time he commended her for something other than simply not being in the way.

                 “Why did you join the Templars?”

                 The question startles her, pulls her gaze from the past to the Assassin instead. He watches her, patient, the temper gone out of his posture and expression. He doesn’t look any happier, either, just — blank. There’s a coldness to his expression, a mask of impassivity. He can’t have scrubbed the fatigue from his features, but he seems to have found some way to coil it into armor, that earlier vulnerability bound tightly away.

                 “I was looking for something,” she replies, dry, before sighing and releasing the ring to interlace her fingers. “Back in England, I was expected to be a — a very specific image of a lady. To dress well, to mind my tongue, to bear sons for my husband. I wanted something else.”

                 “And did you find it here?” he asks.

                 He sounds genuinely interested, as if he’s truly asking for the answer rather than just to be nosey or needling. Seeking an answer to his own search? she wonders but doesn’t ask aloud.

                 “Yes,” she answers truthfully, “in a way.”

                 The life she’s lived here in this desert land has been rough and bloody, rarely honorable and never glorious. Still, it’s given her freedom, raw-fingered and dirty as it is. She thinks back to England, to the girl she was on her wedding day, and knows that that girl would be proud of the bared-teeth grin she sports now instead of a bridal veil.

                 “And you? I hear the Assassins recruit from cradles,” she says, trying not to make it sound like she’s provoking him. “Or did you join of your own will?”

                 “There is always choice,” he says, as though it’s an automatic response.

                 Dropping his head back against the wall, he tilts it to one side as if in thought. He’s quiet a moment, though she’s starting to get used to these pauses. Before now, she would not have called him a thoughtful man, but then, she hardly knows him at all.

                 “I was born to the Brotherhood and joined when I was of age — some years out of the cradle, at least.” He shoots her a look, half-teasing, before carrying on, “But I have chosen this life.”

                 If she was looking for any answer in particular, that wasn’t it. She doesn’t know what would be. It seems too mild, too settled an answer for a bloody young leader chasing the unknown as a stowaway. Perhaps she is more romantic than she wants to admit.

                 “So you believe your Order is right, then?” she asks.

                 “Yes,” he answers before pausing. “I believe that we carve the path to truth, and that the path is as fallible as the men who make it but the pursuit of freedom, of truth, is worth the errors. Plato himself believed in the pursuit, even within his—”

                 “What, are you a monk now?” Maria demands

                 She’s heard strange tales of the Assassins, but never that they would wax poetic about dead men’s beliefs. The stories around them were ever of the mystical and bloody sort, about their ability to vanish from thin air and reappear in places no man could reach. Magicians, she would not be surprised by, but scholars?

                 Now, the assassin pauses, looking surprised. The bemusement on his face is enough to make her almost laugh, and she stifles the smile that threatens her lips.

                 “You do not care for philosophy?” he asks, in the same tone as someone shocked that she does not like fish or incense.

                 “For the thoughts of long-dead men who believed all the answers of the universe were contained in their own minds?” She scoffs. “Show me one who did something with those grand thoughts, made some real change in the world, or better yet, show me a woman, and perhaps I will care for it.”

                 He stops short, seeming to process her words before relenting with a slight inclination of his head, something like concession in the gesture. Amused, Maria offers out her hand.

                 “My name’s Maria, by the way,” she says, “Maria Thorpe.”

                 He cants his head, eyeing her hand as if uncertain of the gesture. Instead of shaking her hand, he clasps her forearm instead, hand firm even if his attitude isn’t.

                 “Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad,” he replies, releasing the hold.

                 By now, she’s become used to the descriptiveness of the names here, and her eyebrows rise slightly at his own. How handy of their titles to provide such information, though she does wonder at the thought of an orphan being made a leader of his people.

                 “I’m sorry about what I said earlier about you,” she says, folding her arms over her knees, “and your French isn’t really that bad.”

                 “It is fine. Your Arabic is” — he pauses, wiggles his hand as if in ambivalence — “passable.”

                 Startled, she looks to him sharply and finds a grin pulls up the corner of his lips, curling the pink scar cutting through them. The start of her irritation fades, irrationally won over by something like amusement. She probably deserves it, anyway.

                 As the ship docks and they separate to steal onto land, she has a feeling a bookmark has been placed in this conversation, that the final chapter is not yet written. Despite her better judgment, she likes the thought.

                                                        ---

                 “Aristoclea!” he calls the next time they meet.

                 She freezes with one hand on the top rung of the ladder and twists around to squint at him. Is he having some sort of attack? Is it a code for a band of assassins to trap or kill her? He’s two arms’ lengths below her, scaling the wall instead of the ladder like some overgrown spider.

                 “What?” she demands.

                 “A female philosopher, who did more than sit and talk,” he says, leveling with her. “The teacher of Pythagoras.”

                 Before she can form a reply, his quick hand has snatched the Piece of Eden from hers, and he hauls himself over the edge of the roof with a single fluid roll. Before he’s fully on the roof, his feet are under him and propelling him forward. She scrambles after him, irritated at being duped, but she can’t fight the smile pulling at her lips. Even without seeing his face, she knows he wears a matching one as they race across the rooftops.

[mediaeval-muse]

Video Game Review: Assassin’s Creed Revelations (Ubisoft, 2011)

Genres: action-adventure, third person, open world

Premise: Ezio Auditore travels to Constantinople to unlock the secret of Altaïr's vault in Masyaf, battling Templars who also want the vault’s contents. In the present day, Desmond Miles is trapped in the Animus and must find a "synch nexus", a key memory that links him with Altaïr and Ezio, to reintegrate his splintered subconscious and awaken from his coma.

Platform Played On: PC (Windows)

Rating: 3/5 stars

***Full review under the cut.***

I am evaluating this game based on four key aspects: story, characters, gameplay, and visuals. I will not be evaluating the multiplayer mode because I don’t like playing video games with other people.

Content Warnings: violence, blood

Story: The main premise of Revelations’ story is that, following the end of Brotherhood, Desmond has fallen into a coma. The stress of being controlled by Juno has splintered his subconscious, so in an effort to save his life, Rebecca Crane and a mysterious figure have placed him back in the Animus. In order to repair his mind and escape, Desmond must “play out” the remainder of Ezio’s memories, so he follows his ancestor as he travels to Masyaf in search of Altaïr's vault, which requires five “keys” to open. These keys have been hidden around Constantinople, and Ezio must race against the Templars during the political conflict between Şehzade Ahmet and Selim I.

Desmond’s plot follows a somewhat natural progression. Though I missed his interactions with the Assassin team, it makes sense that his next big adventure would involve being trapped in the Animus and learning more from Subject 16. I liked that gameplay in Ezio’s world unlocked some puzzles in Desmond’s world (even though he’s trapped in the Animus, he inhabits a little island where he can be himself) and that these puzzles told us more about Desmond’s past. I did not think, however, that Desmond’s past was related in a compelling way. Most of it is told to us through Desmond monologuing as the player completes puzzles that are somewhat reminiscent of Portal. I thought Desmond’s past could have been done better, perhaps by having flashback scenes like how Altair’s past is related.

Ezio’s plot felt like it was lacking, and I think the reason is that the past 3 games have focused on finding and controlling the Apple/Piece of Eden, whereas this game is about opening a vault/library.  Ezio’s story also lacks a strong antagonist to tie things together; instead of battling the Borgias, Ezio is competing with general “Templars,” and even though there are some prominent Templar figures, none of them had “stage presence” like Cesare Borgia did. Though I liked the political backdrop, I think Ezio himself was ill-suited for it. It sort of feels like the creators wanted to extend Ezio’s story rather than start something new with a protagonist who was more connected to the setting, and though recovering Altair’s library is a fun goal, I think the story should have revolved around someone who grew up in the region.

I did like that we got to delve a little deeper into Altair’s past and learn more about him. Unless you play the portable Assassin’s Creed games, you don’t get to learn much about what happened to Altair in ACII and Brotherhood, so it was nice to see some exploration of his life in a game that was centered on uncovering his work.

Characters: Ezio, our protagonist and player-controlled character, is a little older in this game, and while he’s still likable, he’s much more serious and down-to-business. I’m a bit torn as to whether his demeanor fits the setting of the game - on the one hand, I loved that the European character wasn’t presented as someone who comes to the Middle East and takes charge. Ezio definitely has much to learn, and his skills are seen as having value without being superior. On the other, I do wish the protagonist had been someone who lived in the area - I got the feeling that Ezio was made the protagonist because of his popularity rather than his suitability for the setting, and while I appreciate that Revelations closed out his arc, I don’t really think it was needed.

The major supporting character in this game is Yusuf Tazim, leader of the Turkish Assassin Order. He shows Ezio around and provides much-needed instructions and lore, and he’s incredibly charismatic and personable. Ezio also encounters historical figures such as Manuel Palaiologos and the future Suleiman the Magnificent, which were fun treats for history enthusiasts, but not extremely commanding personalities. Instead of courtesans appearing throughout the city, there are Romani people seen hanging about, and though I liked that they were included and talked about their oppression, I do think their visual design and function during gameplay were somewhat stereotypical.

Ezio furthermore gets a real love interest in this game in the form of Sofia Sartor, an Italian traveler and book collector who helps him locate the keys. I thought the interactions with her were sweet, but she was a kind of damsel in distress and she didn’t have much personality other than liking books for a large part of the game.

Desmond, for his part, doesn’t get a lot to do, despite this game being about reconstructing his psyche and digging into his past. I liked that we learned more about him, but I do wish the stakes of being trapped in the Animus were higher.

Gameplay: Revelations uses almost all of the same mechanics as Brotherhood. There are armor and weapon upgrades, treasure stashes, upgrades to the city of Constantinople (which stimulates the economy and earns the player more money), etc. Art merchants are replaced with book merchants, so instead of buying paintings, players can purchase codices, but functionally, they were the same. Similarly, instead of freeing areas from Borgia influence, players liberate “Templar dens” and turn them into “Assassin dens,” and while they’re thematically different from the Borgia towers, they’re functionally the same. Players complete assassination missions in which you kill the captain of the guard responsible for overseeing the Templar den, but instead of blowing it up, you trick your enemy by signaling Templar retreat, allowing the Assassins to move in and take over the area. You can also recruit assassins and make use of thieves, mercenaries, and courtesans much the same way as in Brotherhood, though courtesans are replaced by Romani people. There was a moment in Sequence 2 when Ezio had to defend the Assassin safehouse from a Templar attack, and gameplay involved placing barricades, commanders, archers, riflemen, and cannon fire. while balancing morale and damage. I kind of liked the strategy involved and it could have been an interesting mechanic for the rest of the Templar dens/Assassin safehouses, but alas, this moment only occurred the one time unless you’re not paying attention to your infamy meter (which was easy to take care of).

The major weapon upgrade in this game is the introduction of the hook blade and various types of bombs. Bombs ranged from simple noisemakers, to stink bombs, mild explosives, smoke screens, and other useful ranged attacks, while the hook blade enabled faster climbing as well as traveling along zip lines. These weapons were fun, but because so much of the other gameplay was the same as in Brotherhood, they felt like cosmetic patches to an otherwise repetitive gameplay experience.

Visuals: As always, I adored the look of the historical setting. The artists and developers beautifully rendered Constantinople, and I loved seeing more rich colors and details on the buildings and clothing of NPCs than when playing as Altair in the first Assassin’s Creed. I also really loved the look of Ezio’s armor, which forwent the classic white and red palette and opted for a more somber grey. The grey blended with the surroundings a bit better, in my opinion.

What really threw me off was that the facial models for some of the returning characters were altered. Both Ezio’s and Desmond’s face shapes are a little different from how they appear in Brotherhood, and though I do not doubt the change was in service to testing out advancements in graphics, I couldn’t quite shake the uncanny valley vibe.

Animations were up and down; upon starting this game, I encountered a horrible glitch that made the screen flicker and movement impossible, but luckily, I was able to fix it easily using instructions from other players who had the bug. There were some really satisfying combat animations, including finishing moves that upped the level of Ezio’s epic skills, but sometimes they lagged or a bug would make them not connect to an opponent. While not the end of the world, it was noticeable and sometimes took me out of the immersion experience.

Final Verdict: Despite repeating much of the gameplay from Brotherhood and unnecessarily extending Ezio’s story, Revelations presents a beautiful atmosphere and fun adventure to unlock some much-desired background to Altair’s narrative.

[nikashepard]

Jacob Frye custom DAZ Studio model: Facial morphs/expressions test

I still need to figure out how to properly correct the huge amount of black around his neck (the way UVs work with DAZ textures is quite tricky, you always risk to create a horrible difference between parts, which will result in unwanted seams and color mismatches), in order to make the stubble there a bit more realistic. However, I’d say my custom Mr. Frye is quite ready and waiting for a bunch of new renders and a neverending “Dress Up Game”!

These expressions here come from default and additional morphs into the program and they may look a bit funny in some cases... but considering I heavily altered the original base that was inevitable and totally expected. The important thing is that every morph works nicely nonetheless, even if a few tweaks will be required while posing.

Base model: Genesis 3 Male, DAZ morphs and ZBrush sculpt Face texture: FaceGen (using front and side references) + Photoshop (lots of it o|-<) Hair: Blender (helping myself with the in-game outlines as guide) Beard mesh: ZBrush via Fibermesh Body hair (not visible here): Oh My Body Hair for G3M and ZBrush via Fibermesh Eye texture: In-game reference (obtained through flycam)

I am honestly impressed because this is the most accurate model I’ve created so far. There will always be some minor differences in shape and such, but considering this is a custom product made from a completely different base, a personal touch is not that negative. Only the shilling is left and then I’m done. Check my Patreon for more projects, wips and exclusive rewards!

Coming next: Evie Frye Future AC characters planned: Edward Kenway, Desmond Miles/Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, Arno Dorian

Plus more characters from other fandoms (Dragon Age, DmC, Final Fantasy, etc).

Check my custom Connor Kenway/Ratonhnhaké:ton here and here.

HUGE thanks to the amazing @zomgdmc (I could never tag your main blog for some unknown reason) for the very helpful tips and explanations!

[teecupangel]

I had a thought earlier: What if Ezio was Desmond's Sage?

Basically, the usual setup with Desmond using the eye to contact Ezio in the library and offering to send him back in time to save his family, but due to the damage he's sustained from the Eye, he can't come with. Once this moment in the Grey is over, he would die. Ezio begs him to come with him, through any means possible. He refuses to leave behind the divine being he is the chosen Prophet for. The being who is going against Fate itself to give him his family back. Desmond just can't say no to Ezio and tries to see if there's anyway he could come with Ezio. He doesn't want to die if he can avoid it. It's then, through the connection with the Eye and the Apple, that he learns about Sages. With a few modifications for Ezio's safety, that could work. Instead of consuming Ezio's mind to take over, he would just live alongside him. When he tells Ezio of it, Ezio accepts.

.

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When Ezio wakes up, it is to his childhood bedroom. Everything is how it was when he was 17. Is 17. It worked! His family is alive and well! Did the Sage thing work?

"Desmond, are you here?"

'Yes Ezio, i am.'

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Just a thought i had. I imagine that Ezio could let Desmond have control of his body, but Desmond is pretty chill with just watching though Ezio's eyes.

Ezio would have mind conversations with Desmond, which worries his family a lot when they catch him just staring emptily though the air. That and his complete switch in behaviour.

There's probably so many routes to go here, but i'm too sleep deprived to think atm. XD

It doesn’t take long before Desmond realized that all the modifications he made for his consciousness to become part of Ezio had turned him to be the least invasive Bleed to ever be conceived.

Did this count as possession?

Was Ezio even a Sage or was Desmond simply a sentient Bleed?

Wait.

Did that mean that the Bleeding Effect mimicked the experiences a Sage goes through when they start ‘getting’ the Isu’s memories.

Didn’t that mean that there was a possibility that the Animus was based on the research the Isus made to create the-

“Desmond, as interesting as your thoughts are about this subject, I’d prefer it if you were to. Focus!” Ezio was unable to stop himself from raising his voice as he punched one of Vieri’s hired muscles as Desmond liked to call them. The man staggered as he took a few steps back and Ezio swiped his feet before stomping on his groin.

There was a few scandalous looks thrown his way at that attack and Ezio just shrugged.

It wasn’t his fault that Desmond’s skills in unarmed combat bled through to him during these situations and Desmond fought shamelessly dirty.

‘In my defense…’ Desmond quipped from his mind, ‘I was taught that honor and shame have no place when you’re getting ganged up by Templars.’

Ezio grunted as he dodged a punch aimed for his chest, quickly grabbing the wrist and pulling him forward to unbalance him before delivering a high knee strike, making the man gasp as Ezio kneed him on the throat.

Okay, that one was from one of Desmond’s Bleed, not Desmond himself.

But then again…

Desmond was his Bleeds and his Bleeds were him. When he thinks about it that way…

“Desmond…” Ezio gritted as he smacked an incoming kick from another man, quickly jabbing the man’s side before suckerpunching him.

‘Sorry, sorry. My brain’s wacky at the moment.’ Desmond said.

That was an understatement.

Desmond had been in Ezio’s body for only a few hours. They had went outside to try and get a lay of the land and found out the date by Vieri throwing a rock at Ezio and giving Ezio the scar on his lips.

So yeah…

Desmond was still not used to being this… entity inside Ezio’s mind.

“Don’t think too hard.” Ezio backhanded a goon’s cheek hard and fast enough that he was able to topple the surprised and hurt goon with his mind quickly making it known that it was a common technique Altaïr used to do. Ezio tried to focus as he said, “Let’s just get this over with then we can have our mental breakdown in our room, okay?”

‘Yeah, okay.’ Desmond answered and Ezio felt Desmond focus.

It was like his senses became clearer.

His body became lighter.

And…

He could predict everyone’s next move.

To borrow Desmond’s expression at the moment.

Holy shit.

(Desmond doesn’t know it but because he made Ezio his Sage, he is technically a being that has access to Isu senses which he can pass down to Ezio. Ezio’s human body can’t take much of it though so there’s a time limit and that is how Federico comes in and save them because Ezio and Desmond starts getting a headache after using it too much.)

[teecupangel]

I wonder if you’ve ever thought about like, a glitch or a virus in the Animus accidentally causing all the playable ancestors to become self-aware and sentient. I kind of like the idea of them realizing they’re all essentially kinda stuck in the Animus servers and then banding together to essentially blow up Abstergo. hell, maybe Desmond is the reason why they’re all sentient, something about the Apple and the Eye started doing weird things to the samples they took from him so now the ancestors have to find his consciousness!

also I am ngl I think it would be very funny for them to occasionally be able to break into each other’s simulations for various purposes. Edward popping into the American Revolutionary War to say hi to his kid and grandkid. Jacob and Evie and Henry in Constantinople. Altaïr rolling around in the Caribbean, god help this poor non-swimmer.

(and maybe once they’ve gotten him out of wherever he’s been stashed Desmond can teach these guys how to like actually get into Abstergo’s servers and start ruining their lives?)

Ooooohhh, this would be fun and, considering which company Abstergo partnered with to develop the Animus games, this could have just as easily happened because bugs had always been part of the course when it concerned the games they have published.

It might have been a flaw in the Animus game console itself, simply because they had developed a ‘console’ that either didn’t require that the user be related to the genetic memory at all (which had been necessary to stabilize and synchronize with the memories) or they had included a ‘data set’ that includes the DNA origin to stabilize and synchronize with the memories (which meant that they were dealing with a setup they had not fully checked yet (considering Black Flag’s modern day setting was set in 2013 and was released before Rogue’s modern day setting in 2014, that would mean that their Animus iteration had to have been developed and send to Abstergo Entertainment with Sample 17’s data in a year or less).

Also, also, we have seen how ‘viruses’ can interact with the Abstergo games. Liberation’s secret ending which shows the ‘scenes’ that Abstergo tried to remove so that it seemed like Aveline joined the Templar Order in the end could only be accessed by finding a specific NPC in the game in various memory blocks.

So, in this scenario, the whole ‘non-canon character’ popping into other games could have happened during development BUT the Animus game they ship was meant to copy the memory blocks that research analysts got in development so those small inconsistencies could have happened during their breaks or flat-out during a time when no one was using the Animus at all.

The easter eggs (or some fans like to call them “too unrealistic and plain fanservice”) would be included in all the copies of their specific games those games only had minor tweaks to ensure they won’t crash (and have DRMs, I guess) and lesser time for Q&A because, let’s face it, they needed to cut costs somewhere before they were shipped off to ensure they had a yearly release.

It became just a normal part of the charm of these games and Abstergo is just going “Yes, it’s meant to show that we are all connected no matter how many centuries we are from one another!” but internally there are memos going “WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING???”.

Also, also…

We should set up some kind of timeline, I guess?

Because, as far as we can be sure, the only confirmed games that Abstergo Entertainment released are the following:

Liberations (based on Liberation with Aveline) - Prior to 2013

Pirates of Nightmares (based on Black Flag with Edward) - Around 2013 (also has a movie version called Devils of the Caribbean)

Note: We do not have any confirmation that they released any games based on Shay Cormac and, honestly, with how much Shay’s defection hinged on the power of the artifact (which they had probably had to cut out since they were going for ‘realism’), any games based on Rogue would probably need a lot of cuts and edits. They might have just, you know, given up on that in the end.

Buuuuutttt we have confirmation of these games as having been published prior to Arno Dorian’s memories being checked:

Not counting the three on the bottom which we don’t really have any information about, this means that we have confirmation that the following have been released (and, in Edward’s and Aveline’s case, this could have been a re-release ala HD remastered style which Liberation did get in the PS4 era):

Altaïr

Shao Jun

Ezio (also, it’s just sooo Abstergo to go for ‘Fear and Loathing in Florence’, a reference to AC2, but use Ezio’s Brotherhood robes… soooo like Abstergo to use the Brotherhood!Ezio model)

Ratonhnhaké:ton

Aveline

Edward

BUT then you also get

Jacques De Molay

Rodrigo Borgia

Haytham Kenway

This means that if you want the Animus servers' data to be sentient then you can make at least these three Templars sentient as well if you wish to add more conflict to the entire thing.

Now, if we keep the supposed release date with the idea that they released it as Aveline → Edward → Altaïr → Shao Jun → Ezio → Ratonhnhaké:ton → HD releases (or maybe Helix is meant to be a collection like the real-world example of Ezio Trilogy or Rebels Collection)

Then what can happen is that Aveline is the first one to ‘wake up’ and she finds herself in the Caribbean, waking up on Edward’s ship. She tries to ask where she is and her appearance caused Edward to snap out of the ‘Animus control’ and gain sentient.

Then they decide to try and find out where they are via the Jackdaw, sailing her beyond the supposed walls of this place they find themselves in.

It’s during their travels and checking the strange ports (imagine lots of glitching + the entire vibe of Animus Island back in Revelations with each map turned into an island so this means that landlocked maps like Florence and Monteriggioni are now islands) that they see an Assassin taking down a target at the port before running away. They give chase and that’s how they meet Altaïr in Acre docks. Their appearance snapped Altaïr into gaining sentient but not just that…

He remembers up to his death, unlike Aveline who remembers up to her wedding night and Edward who remembers up to a night with Tessa.

No.

Altaïr knows more about where they are than he should.

And that’s when he sees it.

A figure walking the streets of Acre, walking further and further away from them, clad in white that did not belong in his time.

Altaïr gives chase and the two followed him because Altaïr knows more than them, that was for sure.

Altaïr still loses him but he feels like he knows that figure… knows it’s a man and he’s important.

He points at Edward as he says, “Important to both of us.”

But he also knows the man isn’t here in the island composed of Altaïr’s memories anymore.

And Aveline and Edward get a crash course of who they truly are (digital construct of the memories of long-dead Assassins) and where they are. The where is more confusing because Altaïr uses words like “the Animus must always be online to connect to the servers”, “this is the server that has all the data of all researched and analyzed memories”, etc but Edward just summarized it as “prison created by Templars, right?”

“In a way.”

So they board the Jackdaw to try and find an exit and to find this supposed man that was important to Altaïr and Edward.

Along the way, they docked in a port that ends with them waking up Shao Jun as she’s running away from those hunting her. She remembered that this was the memory where her mentor told her to find Ezio Auditore and Altaïr thinks he knows the name.

“But I know of a different name for him as well… Prophet. He was… He was the prophet of that man.”

Shao Jun joins them and she recognized Florence so they docked there and they find Ezio who was looking for feathers.

Ezio stares at Altaïr for a moment then he stares behind Altaïr, his eyes going wild. Altaïr immediately knew what he was looking at he quickly turned around.

This time, the figure was running the rooftops of Florence and the two gave chase, making the rest run after them.

During the chase, Ezio shouts, “Desmond!” and the figure stopped and turned around.

Before they could see his face, a flock of birds flew between them, and the man was gone.

They reached where they last saw the man and Ezio recognized it.

This… was where he and Federico wished that their lives would not change… the day before Ezio’s entire life turned upside down.

With Ezio becoming part of their crew, Ezio had the same information as Altaïr. He knows who he is, where they are, and what they truly are.

But his memories end after seeing Altaïr’s remains underneath Masyaf.

And… he also has his Apple.

Altaïr sees the Apple and realized…

He opened his pouch and, yes…

He has an Apple as well.

So Ezio joined them too and they continue to sail Jackdaw. (If you’d like Adéwalé to be sentient as well even if we have no confirmation that Abstergo profited from his memories as well, this would be a good time to do it)

This time, they get into a naval combat with an unknown ship and Edward is enjoying himself. The ship was beautiful and whoever was in command knew what they were doing.

So Edward decided to ram it and they’d all pile onto the other ship. The crew wouldn’t be able to win against 5 Assassins after all.

But the moment they rammed the ship, both of their ships began to glitch just as they hear a man with a British accent shout, “How is it you came to captain a ship, given the way you sail?”

When the glitching stopped, the Jackdaw looked like it had absorbed the other ship, creating a new ship that seemed to be a merged version of the two.

And there was an Assassin on board that they didn’t know. An Assassin holding an Apple and… he was looking to their right.

Where a lone island filled with buildings taller than any towers they had ever seen could be seen just before the horizon.

The Assassin pointed at the island and turned to face Edward as he said, “He’s waiting for us there… grandfather.”

(If you want Haytham to gain sentient, he’s in the captain’s quarters and he’d open the door a few seconds later with a splitting headache, telling Ratonhnhaké:ton his sailing is shit then stop when he sees Edward. Cue awkward family reunion)

Other Unorganized Notes:

I’m sorry I couldn’t include Jacob, Evie, and Henry, nonny. :(

This was focused on the idea that the Abstergo servers mainly have data of the published ‘games’ while the memories still being researched are in another more secured private server.

Although, considering that Arno and the Frye twins were more ‘modified’ by the Assassins, maybe they could come in as a virus before Edward and the others meet Ratonhnhaké:ton. I think it would be a change of pace if Arno and the Fryes (with Jayadeep) know more than the ‘old guards’. Hell, they could say “We hitched a ride with the virus Erudito sent to find Sample 17 because the public noticed he always makes an appearance as an NPC in all the games so the Assassins think that he’s somewhere here.” “He’s not 17. His name is Desmond.” “Right, didn’t mean to offend anybody.”

[teecupangel]

Hello, I'm here to drop a silly fic idea on you and run:

Are you familiar with the concept of Fruits Basket?

Okay now consider....what if Minerva went about her breeding program in *the most ridiculous possible way*

and anyone born with a certain percentage of Isu DNA turns into an animal when they embrace anyone who *doesn't* have sufficient Isu DNA.

ie the whole Auditore family has enough that Ezio is fine giving family affection

but the first time he chases a pretty girl and she surprises him from around the corner with a tackle-hug

suddenly he's looking up at her from a furry little body and she's running away screaming

child Ezio clumsily slinking his way back to the palazzo on four legs, looking up at his mother with mournful eyes

her scooping him up, "Oh my darling boy, I am so sorry you found out this way."

I read the manga when I was young and watched the earlier anime but I haven’t gotten to watching the new one. also. Wait. Come back. Don't just throw me Fruit Basket and leave. Do you not remember how angsty Fruit Basket can get???

Okay, so, in Fruit Basket, the animals were based on the Chinese Zodiac and there was the whole ‘continuously being reborn for an endless banquet’ curse thing going on but it seemed we’re not going for that vibe? Perhaps, it’s more like the ones with enough Isu DNA can turn into one of the animals in the Chinese Zodiac and it’s really just a roll of the dice (specifically a 12D).

I kinda like the idea of Ezio transforming into the least threatening of his siblings though. Like Federico gets to be an ox, Claudia gets to be a tiger and maybe Petruccio is like a horse or a snake then there’s Ezio being a fluffy sheep. XD

Also, Altaïr would make being the mouse to his stealthily advantage but I kinda wanna make him a white rabbit or a rooster?

Although, we can make it easier for us on what kind of animal they would transform to by actually using their Chinese Zodiac sign:

Altaïr: 1165 - Green Wood Monkey (1165 is the year of the Rooster but Altaïr’s birthday is on January 21, which is before the Chinese New Year, so technically he’s part of the 1164 Year as far as the Chinese Zodiac is concerned)

Ezio: 1459 - Yellow Earth Rabbit

Ratonhnhaké:ton: 1756 - Red Fire Rat

(Calculations from this site)

Then we get to Desmond.

If we take his birth year into consideration (1987), he would be a Red Fire Rabbit BUT may I suggest two alternatives instead?

Desmond does not transform at all and everyone assume that means he’s normal (which is a disappointment for Bill because being able to turn into an animal has become an honorable ‘achievement’ in the eyes of the Assassins and Templars) but this is inaccurate. It’s not that he can’t transform, it’s that he doesn’t have to because his curse isn’t the curse of one of the Zodiac animals but the curse of God. And his curse is the need for a connection with someone who can turn into an animal (which must be given to him freely), binding the two of them regardless of the distance of space and time between them.

He transforms into the cat, the animal ostracized and has only been rumored to have appeared once or twice in history. The cat is always locked up because they are seen as unnatural and is one of the main reason why Desmond ran away.

Or a combination of the two where Desmond’s curse is that of the Cat but the main idea is the Cat is the ‘first’ form of the God curse and, only by creating a connection with another animal (willingly) regardless of the distance in time and space could the cat evolve to being God.

[teecupangel]

Ello \(⁠*⁠꒪⁠ヮ⁠꒪⁠*⁠)\ 💙

[uhh idk if i'm using tumblr correctly-]

I wanted to ask,

If Desmond and his main ancestors or generally any Assassin's creed character [+anyone you want to add], were part marine creatures , what would it be?

[Since i am not tht creative and not really an expert and deeply hands on in Assassin's creed franchise]

I'm just interested in your and anyone's opinions really-

Plus since it's May and I just found out about the mermay challenge aaand I am currently havin the biggest art block ever [help me], maybe I could take somethin out of this idea and draw it :D

[cuz I could feel myself slowly becomin restless- srsly help me--]

[and i don't even know if you had answered this qns before. [sht, srry if you did alr]]

I haven’t exactly been asked about what marine creature would Desmond and the others would partly be before but I had been asked about a merman!Desmond before and my mind got away with me in this one

From there, there’s the selkie AU from @twitcherpated that brought to life this little Ibn-La'Ahad Selkie AU

Now, as for my thoughts on which marine creature they could partly be:

Desmond:

A part of me wants to say angel fish because he’s our angel (awwww) and also because angel fishes have bright colors. But, I know this might be a bit ‘wtf?’ but, how about an anglerfish? (and no, this is not an "I can be your angle..." joke) I know they have a bad rap for being, well, not really pretty, but if it’s a human top-fishy bottom deal, look at this photo of an angler fish and focus on the bottom half.

It’s a distinct look, for sure, which worked well with how ‘special’ Desmond is to the eyes of the Isus and the way its fin glows is a nice-ish callback to how the Reader glows in AC Valhalla. You can even make the latern-like antenna be part of his bottom part as some kind of tail.

If the angler fish is not to your liking, how about the Mariana Hadal Snailfish? They’re known to be strong enough to withstand lots of ‘abuse’ and they have wing-like fins as well (they don’t glide/fly though as they’re in the deepest part of the Mariana Trench).

Honestly, for me, marine animals that glow are a good match for Desmond. (Glowing marine animals in the deeper parts would also work well for the Isus and making Desmond be one of them would show his ‘deep’ connection with them)

Altaïr:

Altaïr’s probably the easiest to think about for me. Since his name doesn’t just mean eagle but ‘soaring/flying eagle’, it’s gotta be the flying fish (even if they just glide).

If you want him to have fuller wings though and don’t mind basing it on extinct animals, the Thoracopteridae is usually described like this.

Ezio:

Okay, let’s get this out of the way. Ezio would be one of the prettiest ones out there, like a beautifully patterned goby or, if you really want to make him fabulous, a betta fish and, honestly, any of those fishes would work. I am a sucker for koi though, especially a white and red patterned koi that would remind us of his mentor robes in Brotherhood.

Alternate suggestion would be a Leafy Seadragon because, goddamn, just imagine Ezio swimming like he’s sashaying with that kind of bottom. It’s definitely eyecatching.

Ratonhnhaké:ton:

Ratonhnhaké:ton would make an awesome orca. It’s one of the best predators in the ocean and their closeness with their fellow orcas will be a good show of how much Ratonhnhaké:ton treasure his people. An apex predator that deserves respect is definitely a good combination to a part-marine Ratonhnhaké:ton.

My alternate suggestion would be a Lionfish though. Mainly because it’s beautiful and metal af. They move with grace but a certain deadliness to them that reminds me of Ratonhnhaké:ton.

[teecupangel]

One of the readers of Zero Eclipse created a Spotify Playlist for the fic and I'm

I love knowing my fics were so memorable that people take the time to make stuff for it.

Then they asked if I have any songs to suggest and...

Well.

I normally listen to the AC soundtrack when I write AC fics with the exception of smut (that's purely jazz versions of Xenoblade songs and I don't know why).

Then I remembered how much of a weeb I am and that, yes, there are songs I can think of on the top of my head that would work for Zero Eclipse.

So if you want to see my suggestions for songs that inspired or I think works well for Zero Eclipse, check underneath

(Warning it's mainly music from my 2 favorite JRPG series XD)

BEFORE I START WITH THIS LONG POST!

Shoutout to chemicalhypebitch in AO3 for suggesting these songs because they work so well too

I still believe I still firmly believe We can still meet We will connect no matter what

I, I loved you in secret First sight, yeah, we love without reason Oh, twenty-five years old Oh, how were you to know, and My, my love had been frozen Deep blue, but you painted me golden Oh, and you held me close Oh, how was I to know that

ALRIGHT. Long post time!

Let's start with the actual reason for the title of the fic

ZERO ECLIPSE - Hiroyuki Sawano

Yeah, that's right. Zero Eclipse's title was based on an Attack on Titan song from the very beginning. I'm not gonna talk about AOT though because, well, I have a complicated history with that manga/anime. But I am in love with Hiroyuki Sawano's music and, while the primary plotline of the fic was created before I realized how well Zero Eclipse worked, there are other parts of the fic that were inspired by the song itself.

Anyway, the song encapsulates Altaïr's feelings for Desmond (both Bleed Altaïr and Original Altaïr) and I have to give special mentions to the following lyrics

For now you are a part of me I will defend and honor thee Did you think that you could die a hero? Our awakening means less than zero! ------- Sad am I to never hear you sigh Of ecstasy And fingertips You're trembling We share a kiss Our worlds eclipse ------- Make a promise that I cannot regret As long as I can see you but in secret I'll never I'll never forget my feeling, no! I'll never I'll never Learn how to let you go

That's just the main three but the rest of the song fits well I think.

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Next is a song I believe works well as Desmond's feelings for Altaïr (especially after Chapter 43)

Follow You - Bring Me The Horizon

(sidenote: this also works well with Desmond from fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum hahaha) Anyway, this song shows how much Desmond is willing to go through just to be with Altaïr and it also works well with the whole 'If they are gods then I will be the devil' drama queen shtick Altaïr went for. Special mention has to be given to these lines

So you can drag me through hell If it meant I could hold your hand I will follow you 'cause I'm under your spell And you can throw me to the flames I will follow you, I will follow you

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Next is an instrumental actually and is the unofficial theme of the 'AQ'AQ program and Original Altaïr.

The Bereaved and Those Left Behind (Version 2) - Yasunori Mitsuda (Xenoblade Chronicles 3)

There's a Version 1 but I think Version 2 works better as both the theme of the 'AQ'AQ program and Original Altaïr. Both versions deal with pain and loss with a hint of hope towards the end (like the start of hope at around 2:20 to 2:54 but ending in an almost question-like tone which signifies the uncertain future) which I think encapsulates what the 'AQ'AQ program truly represented and how the original timeline and the original Altaïr had been. For an extra punch, this works well as a bgm for the final scene in the Grand Temple while the questioning tone at around the 2:55 mark works well with the error message of Chapter 41.

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Next is a song that I think works well as the modern day Levantine Brotherhood's theme (most especially Clay and Lucy)

Melancholia - Hiroyuki Sawano

For Lucy to Altaïr and Desmond

You cheer me, reminds me There is a sun rise You told me to save me from a hell on earth

For Clay

They try to wear me down with what they tell me I'm just trying to make moves, see beyond what they're trying to sell Push for it, even if some attempts fail Take problems mix 'em up like a cocktail It's not the cards that life deals Anyone can alter their situations by Not sitting around, accepting the Abuse and devastation

The entire modern day Levantine Brotherhood

We're kept unheard if we're silent Waiting on others to make a sound Leads to walking blind instead of self-reliance Eyes on the back of the pack It's time to make the day yours Complacency never makes an impact Believe media controls you if you don't act Nothing ventured, nothing gained But when we speak, listen, and act That's what we change

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BONUS: William Miles' Theme (No, I am not sorry)

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Alright, the next 2 songs are in Japanese and can be considered spoilers for Chapter 41. The last song is in English BUT it is an absolute spoiler for Chapter 43. You've been warned.

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Next is a song that works well as Bleed Altaïr's feelings for Desmond

Ai no Uta - Falcom sound team (Trails of Cold Steel 4 Ending Song - This is also available in Spotify but I embedded a video with the English lyrics added)

Special mentions to the following lyrics

Your loud playful smile Fills me with so much satisfaction Staring at your honest eyes, they're so bright I have to close mine and hug you tightly Even if I'm pierced by a thousand flashing arrows I promise I'll be your shield ------- The tears covering your face when you cry Make my chest feel tight, it's painful To make your pain and sorrow go away I'll hug you tightly until you fall asleep Even if the whole world turns against you I'll never let go of your hand ------- I just love you; I just love you I'll tell you again and again, I love you I just love you; our heartbeats are in sync And my feelings for you are overflowing I love you; I just love you I'll tell you again and again, I love you I don't know if it was fate That we met and we formed bonds We'll draw a new trail for the two of us I love you ------- There are good times and bad times Let's walk through life together There are good times and bad times Let's walk through life together

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Next is a song that I think works well to summarize Desmond's feelings for Ezio, Ratonhnhaké:ton and the rest of the Brotherhood at the end of Chapter 41

I'll Remember You - Megumi Sasaka / Falcom sound team (Trails of Cold Steel 2 Ending Song - This is also available in Spotify but I embedded a video with the English lyrics added)

Special mentions to the following lyrics

The time for parting has come Our Boundless Futures Await In case we never meet again I make this promise here and now: I'll remember you… ------- In awe of the bond we two shared We spoke of our histories and our most heartfelt desires Mysteries unpacked and mysteries forged Between those who'd previously never even known the other existed. ------- Love is a wordless understanding Two heartbeats resounding together as one Yet the time for parting has come Wavering tears in your eyes… In case we never meet again I'll burn your image into my mind and I'll remember you ------- Trust is a wordless understanding: Two heartbeats resounding together in solidarity Yet the time for parting has come You fade in the distance In case we never meet again, I'll burn your image into my mind and I'll remember you… ------- Let us always remember our first shy smiles And the future beat we heard the day we met The time for parting has come We must go our separate ways In case we never meet again We must keep moving forward The time for paring has come Our boundless futures await In case we never meet again I make this promise here and now I'll never forget that The trails we drew are our true selves You'll remember too

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Alright, the final song is a major spoiler for Chapter 43. This is your final warning to read Chapter 43 first before checking out the final song

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This one is a song that I think fits Original Desmond (Vega Prime/The Reader).

One Last You - Jen Bird / Yasunori Mitsuda (Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Ending Song)

Alright, let's dive in to this one because I have feelings and I am making it your feelings as well

Original Desmond as the Reader all alone in the Gray and hearing Altaïr

Very end of eternity The final day has come to an end, it's gone for good I would then slowly close my eyes And be cuddled by the shining memory piece ------- I will trace back all the memories with you That's the only wish I have

Original Desmond's feelings for the past years he spent with his Altaïr and how reuniting him with Desmond Miles is his 'handful'.

You have gifted many things to me But I wonder if I could've done the same for you If you would let me, I will give back a handful If it would put a little smile on your face

The goodbye scene between Original Desmond and Original Altaïr before Original Altaïr became the program and Original Desmond returns to the Gray

The final grain of sand has dropped I will slowly so quietly fall into sleep I see you gently fade away Your silhouette has gone to the other side of the mist And all the memories with no sound so quiet Just like in slow motion it moves so slowly

Original Desmond to Minerva about the creation of VegaEye and his decision to give up everything to Desmond Miles

Can I ask you, God? Despite all of this… Could the sandglass somehow take back the time One last time is all I ask from you Can you please spare me some time with the one man I loved? ------- I wouldn't care how and where it should be But I need one last time I want to tell you how I feel inside for you I want you to know…

The final scene between Original Desmond and Original Altaïr as the timeline gets rewritten

And so that last day with you was truly magical The frozen time began to flow At last the longest night has gone and brought in light I felt myself melt in the morning light

Excuse me while I go cry again XD