#or ubisoft for that matter

[nhaneh]

So the thing that bothers me about the terf wizard game isn’t so much the people who are just playing it, but the people who have this incessant need to defend playing it, proclaiming that it’s wrong to call people out for it.

Like sure, seeing people I have or have had some degree of trust or respect for playing the game does feel kinda disappointing, but there’s a degree of simple out of sight, out of mind - I can’t really have opinions about things I don’t know about, y’know?

But the people who insist that they should not only be allowed to play the game (which none of us had the ability to take away to begin with) but to play it without any feelings of guilt or awkward discomfort about it? Worse still, the people on twitch or whichever with the express purpose of making money from the latest big AAA release who argue that they shouldn’t have to grapple with the ethics of the situation?

No. At that point, you’re not just consuming a problematic piece of media - you’ve chosen to actively promote it, and actively reduce or even dismiss the ethical issues surrounding it. You’re not just squaring the round hole to fit the square block every block, you’re declaring the ethical matter a complete non-issue that isn’t worth considering.

And people are damn well in their rights to judge the fuck out of you for it.

[recreationalfanfics]

Do you have any thoughts on older/jack the ripper dlc jacob? Personally i think older jacob is hotter than young Jacob- both are hot, but older jacob does something to me fr 😮‍💨 I honestly think Jacob would send his darling off to Evie during the whole thing or away with their children (if they had any) but still. I just like the thought of Jacob being a little more chill with his darling but also still being completely delusional over how the start of their relationship was love at first sight and totally perfect while their darling is just like 🤨 Jacob tells his kids that you and him just instantly connected whereas you’re biting your tongue from pointing out that you almost threw at a beer mug at his head 😂 I’m so curious on your thoughts- i just love this man lol

ANON, YOUR MIND IS SO POWERFUL. I LOVE JACOB BUT WHY DIDN'T YANDERE! OLDER JACOB COME TO MIND!? THANK YOU AND YES, I DO HAVE SOME THOUGHTS.

- I can imagine that first and foremost, he would definetly send you and any children you two have (should you want any) over to Evie or somewhere far away where Jack can't hurt you when he gets threatened by him.

- Also, since Jacob adopted Jack, imagine Jack being sort of like a platonic yandere but the kind of yandere who thought it would be more merciful to "free you" from Jacob by killing you, so Jacob being conflicted but also feeling guilty for not recognizing Jack and the darkness in him sooner (or even making it worse by filling his head with his ideologies).

- But yeah, no, at that point you have Stockholm Syndrome so you're honestly relieved when you return home and quickly become concerned when you see Jacob and when Evie leaves to go back to India, you caring and tending to Jacob and helping him adjust.

- And even without his other eye, the intensity of his obsessive passion for you is not dimmed by any means. It burns as bright as they cursed day he laid eyes on you for the first time. He's so happy to have you back in his arms safe and sound.

- Also, yes, older Jacob becomes a bit "fuzzy on the details" of how you two meet. He often jokes about how you "played hard to get" and by that, he meant "you literally tried to flee the country but his rooks cut you off and then brought you to him where he trapped you and kept you locked away from the rest of the world" and how you've given up on correcting him because he's so convinced that's what happened.

Older! Jacob: "I was determined to make sure they weren't the one who got away!"

Older! You: "Yes. Yes he was. Very determined. Scarily determined, some might say."

- Both couples old and young envy the both of you and women of all ages tell you how lucky you are to have married a man who was so handsome and so obsessed with you. If you were younger, you would've looked at them in disgust but instead, you nod your head and say: "Yes, there is no one quite like my Jacob" and when Jacob hears, he feels his heart skip a beat and he's suddenly back to being the love sick puppy he was when he first "courted" you.

- But yes he would be rather chiller the older he becomes and this is mostly because you've finally accepted that you're never getting away from him. If you make any bitter or passive aggressive comment, instead of pouting or being upset, he will chuckle or roll his eyes before kissing you because for all that sass; you both know that he won in the end.

- He also trusts you enough to go on morning strolls with him, his arm linked around yours as you both walk down the city just for the view or go to the market together and he isn't worried to let you out of his sight for a bit (Younger Jacob would've been stressing and wouldn't calm down until you were back in his line of sight) and he enjoys how the two of you have conversations instead of screaming matches, conversations where he is reminded of why he loves you so much and how he simply will never let you go.

- The mornings are nice the older you two get, your chairs next to each other as you read the paper and you feel Jacob's eyes on you, admiring you, studying you, enjoying the fact that you were finally his and his alone. Then he'd grab your hand and tenderly rub his thumb on top of your knuckles before he sits up to kiss your cheek. When you were younger, he would've had to grab you by chin to keep you from moving away but instead you stay still and turn to give him a peck on the cheek which makes him hum in delight.

[aro-pancake]

And on tonight's episode of "watching mr pancake play", we got Assassin's Creed 3.

(I've read the books, and he already played the 2)

So, he's in a chat with our buddy, Charles Lee.

But..

I'm a big Hamilton musical fan.

Every time I see Charles Lee on the subtitles my mind goes to one place...

And yes, Mr Pancake knows that that's playing in my head. He makes occasional comments on it.

[guavagyal]

my strat for Far Cry 6 is to play when you're ovulating

[theconfusedartist]

maybe this is weird (and I do promise I’m dropping the rest of the lore in a hour or so) but

in the rewrite, i always write Altaïr as seeing Desmond as:

Altaïr: this is my little brother, my son, my best friend, and annoying twin that makes all the reckless mistakes i already learned from. i love my boy, but damn if he doesn’t be doing some wild shit

wereas Desmond is like

Desmond: i love Altaïr! he’s my brother, my best friend, one of the few people who I’d happily consider my father, my face twin, and (did I already mention?) best friend! he makes a lot of mistakes, and we disagree about lots of stuff, but i’m so happy he’s in my life

Altaïr in permutation 17: this sucks. Des isn’t even here right now (hist time) and he can’t even hear me when I’m trying to talk to him (in modern time)

Desmond in permutation 17: this sucks. Altaïr isn’t even here right now (modern time) and I’m so fucking lonely !! !! !! now I’ve gotta die to turn on the eye and then what?! no one is coming back for me!! I don’t even know where Alex is, I’m just praying that I’ll survive after dying to get Elijah and keep him safe, but this shit sucks!

[elijahmiles]

listen all i need from ac mirage is basim as a terrible single dad trying his hardest to both take care of his street rat son-apprentice hytham and live up to his own psuedo-mom’s expectations while dealing with the parasite living in his head trying to convince him he’s in love with a stick. all i need is that. that and the milfs.

[rehgrats]

Desmond miles is so babygirl

[acsuttles]

PS5 – Assassin’s Creed Valhalla – Rygjafylke – Family Matters – Speak to...

Eivor’s king speaks about resolving.

[mapsontheweb]

Votes vs total needed for the proposed law against planned games obsolescence in Europe.

Percentage of votes require for the "Stop Killing Games" petition to pass in each country, it uses video game item rarity classes to group them.

Every country has an threshold required for the petition to pass. If it passes in enough countries in goes the the lawmakers to make it a reality. This one would require all game makers to allow you to host your own game servers if they intend to shut their own, and a few more things.

Some time ago there was an announcement the servers for the game "the Crew" will be shut down, however along with the ability to play online all the single player content would become inaccessible despite not needing online to work. What was even worse the publisher (Ubisoft) started revoking peoples licenses for the game, that is taking away your ability to even download the game.

Due to that a movement was kick started headed by Ross Scott (Accursed Farms on YT) to prevent something like this form happening again. One of the means by with they want to achieve is be creating an EU petition.

The EU petition works as a way for the EU citizens to propose and outline new laws or projects they would like to be introduced and/or realized in the union. The petition have a minimal amount of votes required for them to pass to the European Parliament with each country having an additional population based threshold. If they do then its the job of the parliament, and experts is the relevant matters, to draft the specific law that would realized the petitions wishes.

The "Stop Killing Games" petition proposes the introduction of a law that would require the game developers/publishers to provide the game owners with the tools required to host their own servers in the event of the official one shutting down, as well as require them to remove any online connections requirements from single player games and single player portions of online games. This would allow a games community to keep it alive at its own financial expense and none for the publisher. 

(by MarbleHoarder/reddit)

[thou-babbling-brook]

Maria Thorpe Character Analysis

Well, I simply can’t disappoint the people – aka, the five of you that will read this, lmfao. I’m so serious about this that I’m actually drafting this on a Google doc before I post this rather than just typing random thoughts on my phone. This is going to be a HUGE ramble that probably won’t make a ton of sense, but I hope it’s entertaining regardless. 

Maria Thorpe – a character that Ubisoft probably spent MAYBE thirty minutes thinking about, but that I have not stopped thinking about for like, five years. What a gal. So glad I was not in this fandom in 2012 to witness how HEINOUS people were about her for simply being a woman “in the way” of a M|M relationship. I hope by the end of this ramble, you, too, will see her for the baddie she truly is. 

In this essay, I will delve into Maria’s character to explore why she is so fascinating to me, the implications of her story, and why Ubisoft can actually catch these hands for dumbing her down in AC Revelations. (I'm putting a cut here because it's so fucking long I'm sorry gang)

First off, to understand Maria Thorpe as a character, you have to understand her background. I’m not going to copy and paste her Wiki or anything, but I am going to outline her life (stated and implied) before we meet her.

For those that don’t know, Maria was born an English noblewoman in 1161 – four years before Altaïr was born (okay cougar). Because she was a tomboy and defied many of the social norms for women in the 12th century, she was ostracized by both her parents and her peers. She mentions in The Secret Crusade that her parents tried to force her to conform, which culminated in her first marriage at the age of 18 to Lord Peter Hallaton. She mentions that he was a decent husband, but he didn’t exactly appreciate her more boisterous nature. After all, in 12th century England (especially among nobility), women were to be seen, not heard. She also failed his expectations as a chatelaine and a wife, as she bore him no children. The Bishop of Leicester granted them an annulment to avoid embarrassment to both Peter and Maria’s family. When she returned, she was “persona non grata” to her family and the whole of Leicestershire, especially when her father had already spent her dowry. With no other options, Maria ran away to join the Third Crusade, where she eventually met Robert de Salbé.

You may notice that we don’t actually know a lot about Maria and her life before AC1, which is probably intentional. To me, though, that’s what makes her backstory fascinating – the implications of her environment and what we can reasonably deduce she went through based on historical context. I think anyone who’s taken a seventh-grade social studies class could tell you women had, like, zero rights in 12th-century England – even more so, noblewomen. Maria was raised to be a glorified broodmare – say nothing, have children (two boys and a girl, as she jokes), and run her husband’s household. Clearly, she was the exact opposite of all of these things. Something interesting about Maria’s first marriage is the fact that while it was an annulment, she specifically mentions in The Secret Crusade it was an annulment to save her family further embarrassment – which implies that the marriage was consummated, but all parties wanted it done with. I don’t think I need to elaborate on how common and horrific an experience like that could be, but I think it fuels Maria’s relationship later on with motherhood, especially since she mentions that she was completely uninterested in childrearing and birth (this is a key point I’ll touch on later).

So what? Why does her background matter? It matters because of how historical and cultural context tie in to help form who she is by the time she leaves for the Third Crusade – a desperate, twenty-two-year-old woman, divorced, ostracized from the only family and society she has ever known, having no other choice than to ditch England and head for the Holy Land unless she wants to become a nun. For many men and women alike in the 12th century, this was their only opportunity to become something more than what they were born as, whether it be a serf, a blacksmith, or a noblewoman. Many who left for the Third Crusade left to “take back the Holy Land,” but also to escape or improve their current standings. To me, Maria falls in the second category, and it is this desperation to escape her life that forms her most notable (and later, tragic) characteristic: her undying loyalty.

As a side note, it is also interesting to me that Maria chose to be a soldier rather than a nurse. This is more so my characterization of her, but I think that’s because a) she’s too damn proud and loud to be a nurse, and b) because if she was a nurse, she would more than likely live and be treated the same way she was at home. Truly, if she wants to escape the patriarchy, the only way a woman like Maria could at the time was to join it by blending in. Girly get some therapy.

We’re now at AC1 in the timeline. Hooray! We don’t know when exactly Maria joined the Templars or when she first met Robert, but we can probably assume it was not long after she joined the crusade. As we know from AC1, AC Bloodlines, and The Secret Crusade, Maria disguised herself as a man (more than likely a young boy since she’s got a voice that would fit right into Alvin and the Chipmunks) and was able to keep up the rouse long enough to rise in the ranks and show promise to people like Robert. For Maria, when Robert finds out she is a woman and yet elevates her further, it is the first time in her life that someone has appreciated her for her masculine qualities. It is why she develops an intense loyalty for Robert to the point of being willing to be his decoy, despite the fact she fully anticipated dying. For Maria, it would be her ideal end – fighting to the death for a cause she truly believed in. Not even really a cause, as we figure out later, but more so for a man she truly believed in – Robert. It would not be through the pain and subjugation of childbirth like most women of her standing, but a brutal fight like any other man.

And yet – she doesn’t. When Altaïr meets her, he’s undergone a whole development arc, whereas Maria (at this point 30, which is SO funny to imagine her fistfighting this 26-year-old frat boy) is at the start of hers. And it starts with Altaïr sparing her – the worst possible fate that could become her at this point in her life. Think about it: the only person who has given her an OUNCE of respect has asked her to essentially die for him by acting as his decoy. As Maria mentions in AC Bloodlines, by this point, she is also a step away from becoming a knight – and at this point, she’s also known as a woman among the Templars. And yet, she believes they have become her family, and she is willing to die for their cause and for Robert. When Altaïr spares her and kills Robert, he’s sentencing her to the life she ran away from and feared – being nothing more than a woman who is looked down upon with condescending snarls and disgust for who she is.

This is why when we meet Maria in AC Bloodlines, she is rightfully PISSED. We literally see her realize that any ounce of respect and power she had is completely gone because Altaïr spared her. She is so pissed, in fact, that she tries to kill Altaïr again. This is even funnier when you remember how much of a BITCH it was to fight her in AC1, but I digress. Altaïr has destroyed everything she has built in her life for the last eight years. He has taken her home, her mentors, her family, and her honor. And bro doesn’t have a clue in the fucking world.

It’s at this point that I’ll also analyze more about Maria’s relationship with the Templars. At first glance, yes, she was a Templar and believed in their cause. Really, though, it goes far deeper than that. It’s not necessarily that Maria believes in their cause – otherwise, it would’ve taken a lot more for Altaïr to sway her to the Assassins – but that she believes in the people. Again, from Maria’s perspective, the Templars (especially Robert) were the ONLY people in her entire life to treat her with dignity, and she is willing to die for them. She is willing to throw her honor to the ground and beg for forgiveness in front of Bouchard because, without the Templars, she is nothing. She is back to square one as a silly little girl trying to run from a life that would only subjugate her. It’s that recurring characteristic of undying loyalty to those who have given her the life she has always wanted.

And for Maria, it is immediately spat back in her face.

When Bouchard takes over in AC Bloodlines, he is a strict Templar Grandmaster. No consorting with women, periodt. And he flaunts this over Maria, taunting her. He is tearing the last ounce of respect she’d ever received and throwing it away. Every sacrifice she made for the Templars for the last eight years meant nothing, and it is crushing to her. She continues to be pissed off at Altaïr, who mentions that she’s more pissed at the Templars than at him. Once again, she is nothing more than a woman – an imprisoned one at that.

This is where one of my favorite Maria scenes (not that there’s many) comes into play. When she and Altaïr are sitting on the ship to Cyprus or wherever it doesn’t matter, Altaïr does something that no person has done for her before: he treats her with unconditional respect. As funny as his autistic ramble about Empedocles and philosophy is, there are so many assumptions that go into Altaïr’s conversation that I think help sway Maria to his side. When he talks to Maria, he speaks to her as an equal. He talks to her about philosophy because of course she would know about philosophy in his mind – to him, she is a soldier and a person first, and a woman second (shut the fuck about The Secret Crusade and him thinking about her as a lioness shut up shut up I low key hate it even though it’s funny). He is the first person in her life to speak to her as an equal and with respect with no strings attached. In fact, when Maria taunts him for leaving her cuffed even as he talks about free will, he lets her go. She may not like him at this point, but after this scene, you can certainly see that she respects him in how she speaks to him. BONUS: she’s not trying to outright kill him anymore! Hooray!

You can see the impact Altaïr and his conversation had on Maria when she confronts Shahar in her courtesan fit. There’s so many layers to Maria willingly dressing in such an exposing, vulnerable, and feminine way (keep in mind this bitch is Catholic, I know her guilt was going crazy), but what I’m going to focus on is her conversation with Shahar. When he speaks to her, he is gross and all but catcalling her, calling her a “little fox” and using a sultry tone. Maria is having NONE of it, and one can only assume this is a tone she has dealt with a thousand times over. This is also where we see the gears turning in Maria’s head. I’ve seen people criticize Maria for how quickly she flip-flopped, but I think that’s overlooking the reason that she WAS a Templar – they were the only people who provided her a home when she had none. If you’re desperate for anyone to treat you with an iota of respect, you’d do whatever they ask. After she talks to Altaïr though, and especially after realizing Robert was simply manipulating her, she is questioning the Templars’ ideologies and realizing this is not what she wants. It low key is like Alicent in House of the Dragons right now – she’s shocked that fighting against women fucked herself over. Maria is similar in that sense – she thought that by being what the Templars wanted and fighting for what they believed, it wouldn’t come back to bite her in the ass. But it did. She’s a woman before she’s a Templar, and the ideology of the Templars would see her subjugated just as she was before. It isn’t until after Altaïr’s spiel about free will and the challenges it brings that she realizes she has other options.

And that’s ultimately what brings Maria to the side of the Assassins – realizing her errors in thinking and wanting a way to redeem herself. The Assassins are her second chance, which is ironic given how many stories after hers would follow this same format of second chances. But it isn’t just the ideology change, either. It’s Altaïr. No, she does not have undying loyalty by the end of AC Bloodlines, but he’s certainly earned her trust and respect. He’s treated her like any other person without ever holding power or loyalty over her head. He does not manipulate her or exploit her – he respects her, and he earnestly tells her of the creed’s ideologies not to lure her in, but because he genuinely believes in the idea of dispelling the illusions of the world and wants to share it with her, whether she becomes an Assassin or not. That is what turns Maria into an Assassin at the end of the day: his respect for her and his understanding of the creed. And despite their issues, Maria chooses to follow him to the ends of the earth.

Now we’re at a really funny part of Maria’s story: we know basically NOTHING about what happens in between AC Bloodlines and AC Reflections. We know that sometime after traveling to Masyaf, Maria and Altaïr became a couple. We know they married in 1195 and gave birth to Darim the same year. Two years later, they would traumatize Desmond Miles by fucking on top of a castle, which is so fucking funny and only supports my characterization of Maria as a gremlin, because who the fuck else would make their husband climb up a giant ass tower for sex? We know she officially became an Assassin and would beg Altaïr to stop looking into the Apple. We know she would join Altaïr and Darim to Mongolia to kill Genghis Khan. And that is all we know for an approximately 30-YEAR PERIOD.

While there’s a lot I could talk about in that gap, like Maria’s relationship with other Assassins, I’m going to focus on her relationship with motherhood. As we established earlier, Maria had ZERO interest in being a mother or giving birth. This is a personal headcanon but I do not care because it’s MY analysis and I can do as I please, but I feel like she would’ve dreaded childbirth, especially given how English nobility acted about it (e.g., how people treated it like a scandal or disease) and how it was the leading cause of death for women until the 20th century. Yet, despite this, she had not one, but TWO children. She was like one away from the goal, and even then Sef had two daughters so really she fulfilled it. But why? What changed that she would be willing to do the very thing she left England to avoid?

I think it goes back to the reason she was disinterested in it in the first place. Like Maria says in The Secret Crusade, she didn’t want to just be a mother or a wife. Her ideal husband would treat her like any other man, taking her hunting or whatever else bullshit medieval stuff they’d do instead of scrolling through TikTok. She never said she didn’t want to be a mother. I think her hesitance stems from the fact that she didn’t want to SOLELY be defined as a mother or a wife. With Altaïr, however, that fear is pretty much gone. Since the moment she met him, Altaïr has always treated her with respect and admired the things she was once shamed for. Her strength is valuable as an Assassin. Her bluntness keeps him in check. Her ideas are admired rather than ridiculed. To Altaïr, Maria is not just a woman or even just an Assassin. She’s a person with her own experiences and ideas and fears and strengths and dreams. He loves her for every aspect of herself that was once frowned upon.

I remember a while ago seeing a Tumblr post from ye olden days (like 2012) talking about how because menstrual cycles were extremely irregular back in the day due to medieval diets and exercise, Maria would have to purposefully chill out to regulate her cycle to become pregnant. What that implies is that she trusted Altaïr so much that she was willing to settle down and have children because she knew it would not influence how he treated or loved her. Personally, I think this is true of Darim, but that Sef was an accident because it’s funnier that way, but regardless, the point still stands. Maria getting pregnant and becoming a mother is the opposite of what she thought she would ever want, but because she loved and trusted Altaïr so much, she was willing to have a family with him because she knew it would not come to define her. I think that is unbelievably sweet.

We also don’t really see Maria interact with her children very often, which I think is a fucking shame. When she does interact with Darim (we never see her with Sef, though we do see her reaction to his death), Maria is always supportive and encouraging. Again, this is more my headcanon territory but I really don’t care because I can do what I fucking please, but Maria low key feels like a boy mom to me, but not in the weird Freud way, lmfao. Like we established earlier, Maria’s key trait is her loyalty. I think this loyalty would be extended to her children. We know she’s loyal to Altaïr (it ends up killing her), but I feel like it would go insane with her children. When she learns of Sef’s death in The Secret Crusade, this woman breaks down in tears instantly. WHERE THE FUCK WAS THE MOTHERLY RAGE WITH ABBAS, UBISOFT. WHERE WAS IT. Anyways.

Masyaf is a pretty cutthroat environment to raise a child, especially when you consider that Abbas is apparently lurking in the background scheming during Altaïr’s reign. Something I wish we learned more about (and something I just find fascinating in general) is the political environment of Masyaf. Altaïr implemented a lot of changes to the Brotherhood that faced backlash, one of the key ones being allowing women in the order again (ahem, Maria). I know Maria said she was uninterested in the politics of running a house, but I do think she’d kind of have to play her hand in politics in Masyaf, kind of how Altaïr realizes he’s not exempt from politics since he’s literally shaping them. If Maria wants her kids to be safe, especially as sons of the Master of the Assassins, she’s gotta play her cards well. This is why I think it does make sense for Maria to calm down after having children to be more similar to the Maria we see in AC Reflections and AC Revelations. She can’t just fight everyone like she did when she was relying solely on herself. Now, she has people relying on her, and I think it makes sense for her character to chill out more (though without losing her spunk) to ensure her family is safe.

For those that have ever watched Magnificent Century, basically think about how Hurrem went from fighting everyone to playing her cards wisely so her kids wouldn’t die or do stupid shit. That’s how I feel like Maria would be.

Something else that’s interesting about Maria to me is her relationship with Altaïr. Duh, you’re probably saying, but hear me out. We know that while she and Altaïr were inseparable during their marriage, there was one thing that strained it: the Apple. It makes sense why Maria would be so pissed off at it. She’s seen Altaïr control men’s minds with it. She’s seen how it takes him away for days at a time with its secrets, to the point she is begging him to throw it away. Back to the point about loyalty to her family, whereas Altaïr seeks knowledge, Maria just wants her family protected and safe because she loves them – including her dumbass husband. It’s ironic that the very thing she fought about with Altaïr is the thing that killed her.

So we’re finally at AC Revelations, and I am truly shocked that you’re still here. Kudos to you. At that final confrontation scene with Abbas, that loyalty for those she loves comes to a head. When Altaïr whips out the Apple, Maria begs and pleads him to stop, because she knows if he uses the Apple to control someone, he will only be proving Abbas’s point, which will only fuck them over. In The Secret Crusade, we also have Malik’s head on top of this scene to make it worse. Maria’s position is again one of desperation. Her son is dead, one of her best friends is now just a head, and her husband is about to go sicko mode. She is screwed and she knows it. What she doesn’t know is that she’s about to be stabbed by Swami (I’m going with the revelations version shut up) in a last ditch effort to stop Altaïr from using the Apple. Altaïr doesn’t listen to Maria, and it kills her. He kills her.

… SO I HAVE THOUGHTS.

I think Maria dying from the Apple makes sense, I do. That’s not my problem. My problem is how AC Revelations basically dumbed her down to this motherly, homely figure which is the like, ANTITHESIS of what Maria is. Where was the feminine rage??? You’re telling me this woman would not be about to SLAUGHTER someone after learning that Sef died?? You’re telling me she would just pull an AltaïR thiS iSn’T yOu???????? Are you so fucking for real right now??? It pisses me off because it nukes her character. While yes, it makes sense for her to be a much calmer woman and 67 compared to 30, this is still Maria. Don’t act like she and Altaïr don’t have fucking anger issues and be so fucking for real.

Here’s my ideal scenario for what should’ve gone down. I think once they pulled Malik’s head out, there should’ve been all-out chaos rather than this bullshit “We killed everyone loyal to Altaïr before he arrived.” Maria should’ve been right there with them with a sword out. Altaïr, in a desperate attempt to calm everyone down, would take out the Apple and try to control everyone. If you’ve seen the long ass discussion about how Revelations fucked up Altaïr’s character arc, this also helps remedy that because Altaïr is pulling out because of his arrogance in believing he can control the Apple. News flash: he can’t. Maria, while fighting for Altaïr, would somehow be killed either by the Apple or like similar to how Swami accidentally killed her. Something along those lines where it is Altaïr’s fault. That’s how she should’ve gone out, not some weird pick me bullshit.

Anyways. RIP Maria Thorpe you would’ve loved Crusader Kings 3.

I definitely missed some points about her character but this is already 7 pages long on Google docs so I am NOT writing anymore. God bless.

TLDR she's a baddie and I need her so so so bad

[werewolf-cuddles]

Wow. This might be one of the most tone deaf, baffling stupid things I've ever seen any gaming industry exec say. Holy shit.

No, we've never gotten comfortable with "not owning our CD collection", because our CD collections have never been arbitrarily taken away.

We've never gotten comfortable with "not owning our DVD collection" because our DVD collections have never been arbitrarily taken away.

Yes, streaming has made it more convenient to access entertainment on demand, but the existence of streaming services doesn't somehow take away from our actual physical media collections. That's not how it works.

No matter how you look at this, it's completely asinine, and spoken like a company that WANTS gamers to be okay with not owning their games.

Well then, it's time to once again break out a classic. If purchasing isn't owning, then piracy isn't stealing.

Source: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/the-new-ubisoft-and-getting-gamers-comfortable-with-not-owning-their-games

[tieflingkisser]

Stop Trying To Defeat Racism With Logic

There's a black samurai in the new Assassin's Creed game, and it has made some people mad. You simply don't have to argue about it.

The new Assassin’s Creed game is set in feudal Japan, which is cool. It stars what appears to be a female ninja and a black samurai based on the historical figure Yasuke, which is also cool. Anyone who tries to argue about whether or not that’s cool is just not worth your time. In case you haven’t been paying attention for the last ten or twenty years, video game culture tends to be a repository for the most tedious people on Earth. You know the type—these are the kinds of people who don’t consider mobile games to be “real games,” or who harass women who use their mics in online multiplayer games, or who argue about “historical accuracy” in a video game that has dragons or elves in it. These kinds of people show up in a lot of nerdy hobbies, like tabletop gaming or whatever it is people do on Letterboxd or even enjoying Greek and Roman history. From the moment that the key art for Assassin’s Creed Shadows depicted a black man in samurai garb, I knew that this particular brand of person was going to get ripshit mad. Just look at the replies to this tweet. It’s absolute nonsense in there.  The most amusing replies are the ones that take into question the, of course, historical accuracy of this character. It may be tempting to try to argue with these people, for a lot of reasons, most of all that history and facts are on your side. This character appears to be based on Yasuke, a real guy who actually existed in the historical record. He was an African retainer for warlord Oda Nobunaga, meaning that he was indeed a samurai. Yasuke is a well known enough figure that he’s the subject of a Netflix anime that is named after him. He’s also a character in Nioh, which was developed by the Japanese studio Team Ninja. You can repeat those facts until you’re blue in the face to people who are determined to be angry about a black man having a leading role in this game, but it won’t matter. You should just save your breath and look forward to seeing whether or not Ubisoft fumbles this very easy layup. Racism isn’t a logical position, so you cannot defeat it with logic. Facts just don’t matter to a racist, especially not the tedious kind of racist who makes their home in video game culture. There will always be a new hair to split, a new way for this kind of person to object to a black man being in this video game. You can bring up the other fantabulous aspects of the Assassin’s Creed franchise that clash with history: the existence of the titular Creed and the Knights Templar; whatever the fuck was going on with the Apples of Eden; the series’ depiction of Karl Marx as a devotee of democracy rather than advocating for an armed revolution of the proletariat. It does not matter because the people who are mad about this have already made up their mind.  To them, Japan is a place that does not and has never had black people live there or make their homes there at any point in time—especially in history. The anger about “historical accuracy” is just a slightly more reasonable smokescreen for their real objection: having to see a black person at all. Unfortunately, blackness and black people have always been inescapable, both now and in the past. I’m not going anywhere, and I won’t be dragged into an argument about the value of my very existence.

[sledge-in-space]

John Seed is a comfort character for some people. Folks like to ship him with their deputies or craft redemption arcs for him.

There's nothing wrong with that, obviously.

But I just can't wrap my head around it.

There's nothing comforting about the way John Seed treated Joey Hudson. I don't understand why the ordeal she went through doesn't seem to matter to fans of his.

She was bait for the rookie deputy and nothing more, because she wasn't going to give in and join the cult.

He terrorized Joey and the rest of Fall's End, stooping to the lowest, most inhumane levels to get his way. Some even theorize that he hurt the "sinners" in his care just because he wanted to, for malicious, sadistic reasons that didn't have anything to do with the cult. At worst, some people go as far as to speculate that he raped Joey.

It's easy to see why someone might come to that conclusion. The way he acts is deplorable and he makes everything feel extremely personal, sometimes in ways that can be interpreted as sexually charged. He'll do anything in order to get his way because "no" is antithetical to him. He regularly flies off the handle, so much so that Joseph is threatening to cast him out. All the touching and getting right up in the player's face is so uncomfortable and obsessive (which is the point, but I digress).

So why does he get to be redeemed and venerated by fans? Don't his actions warrant consequences?

Are people willing to let him off the hook because he's attractive? Because he had a horrible, abusive childhood? Obviously he's got a lot more lore than most of the cast. Is that something people are interested in exploring for him over other characters?

I'm not trying to come after anyone personally. There's nothing wrong with liking villains and Jacob, Faith, and Joseph have also done terrible things to innocent people.

Which is like, fine. It's a video game.

And I know that John, like Joey, is a victim of Ubisoft's choppy, inconsistent writing and storytelling. Things got changed and swapped and cut during development that got us to where we are, with the story we have. Flaws and all, not like it was ever going to be perfect.

But in my opinion, I feel like the adoration for John does a huge disservice to Joey. People make thirsty edits of him while she's literally tied up behind him. It's tasteless and makes the optics of her situation look even creepier.

Her pain has largely been ignored for as long as the game has existed. I can't for the life of me figure out why.

[teecupangel]

How do you think they'd all respond to a pagan/wiccan?

This reminds me of my question of how Ubisoft is gonna fuck up AC Hexe when they revealed Codename Hexe last year XD

Anyway, let’s start...

Altaïr:

I could make a “what is this sorcery” joke but that would be too easy. If he sees a pagan or a wiccan, he wouldn’t really care. This man was raised in one of the most religious sect of the Brotherhood and turned out to be an atheist so, in all honesty, he couldn't care less who or what someone worships. What matters to him is the way someone worships must not endanger the innocent or get in the way of his mission. The most he’d do is interact with the pagan or the wiccan in a more intellectual way, gain more knowledge and information and then… just go his way.

Ezio:

This man was raised as a catholic in Renaissance Italy but he’s also someone who punch the living out of the pope so it really depends on when he would meet a pagan or a wiccan. Before the Auditore execution? Definitely feel awkward around them but wouldn’t insult them. During AC2? Vengeance is more important to him and he’d ally with anyone who would help him. Brotherhood? Dude is pretty much at war with the Church AND the Followers of Romulus, he has no beef with pagans or wiccans as long as they don’t side with his enemies. Revelations? This man has seen and experienced too much that he’s just chill with everything. They want to be allies? Sure. They just want to get on with their lives? That’s okay too.

Ratonhnhaké:ton:

Ratonhnhaké:ton was raised to respect the beliefs of others and he’s definitely more open-minded than a lot of people (even Haytham). He would try to respect their beliefs the best he could and would ask if he doesn’t know anything. He won’t necessarily be a practitioner himself but he’d definitely know more than normal.

Edward:

He has no problem with any pagan or wiccan. If it was a pirate though, he’d definitely take any of their superstitions because better safe than sorry, after all.

Arno:

France actually has a… ‘severe’ history with witch-hunts (around 1000 execution during the 14th to 17th century) so Arno would probably stay clear of any pagan or wiccan if he knows them but he wouldn’t turn a blind eye if they were being harassed (or worse). The most he’d do is help them escape and give them a chance of finding peace elsewhere.

Jacob:

If a wiccan or a pagan wants to be a Rook, Jacob will welcome them with open arms. He doesn’t necessarily believe them but he wouldn’t be rude to them. The most he’d do is light teasing but he’d stop as soon as he notices they’re feeling awkward or annoyed. To him, it doesn’t matter who they are. If they want to be a Rook and can follow the rules, they’re Jacob’s Rooks.

Evie:

She’s look at it from an intellectual standpoint and would be a bit wary considering the danger of being close to a wiccan or a pagan their time has. She won’t stop Jacob from making them their Rooks and she won’t try to bully them or push them around. She’d be a bit distant but it won’t really matter all that much since she’s not close to any of the Rooks anyway. She’d research about them though on the off-chance that they have any interest or information about any POE or Isu related things.

Bayek:

… I mean… he’s a Medjay from Ancient Egypt. He wouldn’t bat an eye if someone worships a specific god as he knows a ‘few’ people who do that. He also wouldn’t bat an eye on any ritual practices or spells they might do as long as it doesn’t endanger anyone. As far as Bayek is concerned, as long as no one is getting hurt, people should be free to worship as they please.

Desmond:

Dude would definitely try wicca. This man has been denied of so many things growing up that he’d try anything at least once… as long as it’s not too dangerous. If you’re looking to convert anyone, Desmond’s your guy.

Layla:

She’d be cool about it. Honestly, Layla looks like the type to have pagan or wiccan friends, maybe even someone who tried it when she was in college XD

[surr3al1sm]

Guys I watched the previews and will now be sharing my thoughts alongside sitty ass screenshots I took, also this probably won't be explained well but when are my posts ever explained well.

Okay first of all, I'm going to be looking at what we're all looking at right now: Murder on the Dancefloor. Starting with that this is an actual banger song choice and I am pleased that it is coming to the game even if it is under... those implications. I really do hope that they're not going down that path and like idk maybe the song starts out with this. Then young Night Swan realises that she's infinetly hotter than the Traveller and just dips. Or maybe she's just using him for his magic idk.

Looking at scene 2 first. Their dance is like just any other duo dance in the game, you could put any two coaches in it and like it wouldn't mean anything. What they're doing after is intresting to me.

Right here the Traveler is showing young Night Swan a portal. Now based on the fact she looks at it, it might be the first portal she's ever seen for all we know. I imagine that the Traveler did probably teach her how to make portals. I really do hope that they just had a mentor/student relationship where the student turns against the mentor and goes evil. Yk that trope, please ubisoft have it be that. I would also take a second to look at the portal because the first image is the portal in MotD and the second is a few of the portals in RYB

The colour doesn't seem to matter with the Traveler as his portals are notibly multicoloured (but I will point out that it's the same colour as Night Swans portals) but the big difference is the shape. In RYB the Travelers portals are recktangles and they open through a very streamlined triangle shape. The portal in MotD is circular and irregular, also it opens differently. Which tells me that in MotD the Traveler is also very young and maybe doesn't really have great control of his magic yet. Meaning they might be sztudents under the same master but the Traveler has just learned portals faster. Over all I think this scene is pretty innocent and indicates that they had like a friend(ly) to rival relationship.

However the problem child is the first little scene we get, and I'm not talking about this.

This just seems like a normal handshake to me. Their hands arent glowing, indicating that no baby making is happening (and if there is, dear GOD let it be Cygnus and not Jack). What I want to look at is how the scene starts. Because hello?? Why is this overlooked??

Why are you two waltzing? Now I know that waltz doesn't have to mean it's romantic, and trust I am hoping it doesn't. BUT what. Why? Respectfully fuck off Ubisoft. This better not fucking mean what I think it means. Istg I will come to Paris and throw hands.

Ignoring that, I could be wrong on every account and I'm just going to wait until the maps have officially been released to I can watch them and figure out what is going on. For now we must simply pray that if they do end up together and procreating that the result of that was our beloved steampunk boy and not Jack. Please don't ruin our ship for us Just Dance, for it is all we have.

ANYWAYS, that aside I am so fucking excited for Darkest Hour. Night Swan looks so good and the map be looking hella cool.

Well, another long one. If you've made it this far, thank you for listening. I would like to take a second to highlight this wonderful comment left on the youtube video as it had me laughing after taking these screenshots

[falkarph]

ASSASSIN'S CREED: MIRAGE PROMPTS

rp starters from ubisoft's assassin's creed: mirage. some may be edited. possible spoilers ahead!

❛ ugh, how the stench of pride seeps from your pores … ❜ ❛ you need something stolen? then i am your man. ❜ ❛ i’ve had a clever thought. if your mind is absent of one, you should perhaps follow mine. ❜ ❛ do you have any idea what they will do to me? ❜ ❛ anyone can wield a sword. but how will you use it? ❜ ❛ true learning requires action and stillness in equal parts. you have made the action. now seek the stillness. ❜ ❛ we are messengers of justice and not the final judges. ❜ ❛ you killed them… ❜ ❛ anyone who works from the shadows does so only because they must. ❜ ❛ we have a similar spirit, you know? ❜ ❛ i am grateful to you for leading the way before me. ❜ ❛ i cannot imagine you being afraid. ❜ ❛ to have courage means to act in the midst of great fear. ❜ ❛ i am not worthy of your prayers. ❜ ❛ you even leave like they do. ❜ ❛ few things are more dangerous than the wounded pride of a powerful man. ❜ ❛ poetry is like music to my ears. especially when i am the subject. ❜ ❛ i know such pain. and i am sorry for yours. ❜ ❛ turn your hate inward. it is your own wickedness that brought you here. ❜ ❛ how am i to guide you if you will not speak openly? ❜ ❛ i … i have struggled with nightmares. ❜ ❛ we are only as weak as we allow ourselves to be. ❜ ❛ ohhh secret stuff, what are you doing this time? stabbing? stealing? stabbing and then stealing? ❜ ❛ what was it like, the first time you took a life? ❜ ❛ if we do not quell the storm within us while awake, it will haunt us in our sleep. ❜ ❛ i‘m grateful for our bond. you are a true friend. ❜ ❛ i know it in my ripe old bones, he wants me to die of starvation. or worse, go out of business! ❜ ❛ how shameful it is that knowledge always ends up in the wrong hands. ❜ ❛ i will walk behind you, every single step, to remind you not to forget who you are. ❜ ❛ how did you find this place? you should not be here. ❜ ❛ unlike you, i keep the past in the past. ❜ ❛ i am your past. tell me … will you leave me there? in the dark corners of your memory? ❜ ❛ words are weapons enough for me. ❜ ❛ my only fear is that we become like them. ❜ ❛ sometimes it is best to leave the thorn in, lest you bleed dry. ❜ ❛ no matter what others say, you only have yourself. ❜ ❛ family? the word has no meaning. ❜ ❛ does where you stand not awaken fond memories? ❜ ❛ rumors of my villainy were greatly exaggerated. ❜ ❛ do not overthink it. you simply need to have faith. ❜ ❛ how can you hunt when you are hounded? ❜ ❛ i wait for no man. ❜ ❛ should we not seek to know our enemies better, to better defeat them? ❜ ❛ come, i rarely bite and i never leave a mark. ❜ ❛ i work in the dark to serve the light. ❜ ❛ i have heard many men say that. ❜ ❛ yours is the tongue that will not still itself, even when i beg for silence. ❜ ❛ how can i leave you to wolves such as these? ❜ ❛ my face is quite forgettable, unlike yours. ❜ ❛ my father once said, to know the measure of a man ask those who work beneath him. ❜ ❛ you spy on me now? ❜ ❛ you know where to find me when your "duty" is done. ❜ ❛ each trail of blood leads back to you. ❜ ❛ will you not stop until all of us are dead? ❜ ❛ that is forbidden ground. there is nothing there for you. ❜ ❛ you let me struggle alone! ❜ ❛ follow this path and i will kill you myself. ❜ ❛ where you go, there i will go. where you rest, there i will rest. i will walk behind you every step of the way. ❜ ❛ i will make every last one of them pay. ❜ ❛ you do not have to look to the past to know who you are. who you can be. ❜ ❛ i know you now. i see you for what you are. ❜