#And Ezio as his enforcer

[fanworldbuildingfun]

Masters_Assassin's Creed by luulala

[teecupangel]

Ezio x Desmond, modern au, where ezio is head of the Italian mob/Assassin branch, and Desmond is his lover that's into extreme sports/stunts. Any thoughts?

I was thinking what extreme sports or stunts Desmond could be into and the first thought that came into my mind was skydiving, mainly because of the leap of faith. Another idea was maybe intense absolutely not legal motorcycle racing. And I thought “why not both?” so…

Ezio is the capo of an Italian mob that used to be part of the Brotherhood. They separated around the 16th century and rose as one of the most secretive shadowy criminal organizations in Italy. Their operations are more in line with being enforcers, making sure none of the other mobs are trying to rise higher than their status without their approval.

In a sense, they’re sorta policing the mobs.

Ezio, in this case, would become the head because of an organized hit on his family that killed his father and brothers. The mobs that had a hand in their deaths thought they could cripple the Auditores enough that they would lose their standing as enforcers but, instead, they simply realize that the Auditores were ruthless to those who wrong them. Many mobs were taken out in the following years as Ezio made them pay with blood and riches.

He would meet Desmond a few years after his hatred and rage had been satisfied and he is now officially the head of the Auditores. They would meet by chance when Ezio was invited to skydive by a head of another famiglia who wishes to ally themselves with the Auditores. Of course, Machiavelli, who serves as Ezio’s main consigliere, would have done a background check of everyone who would be there and give Ezio his report.

That’s where Ezio would see Desmond for the first time. Desmond is serving as a skydiving instructor and he seems to just be an ordinary law-abiding civilian… except for two things:

He is a regular participant in intense motorcycle racing that was definitely against the law

His birth certificate was a well made forgery.

Of course, this being Machiavelli, he would dig deeper and he would find out that Desmond didn’t exist nine years ago. A little bit more digging and he would find clues (but no confirmation) that Desmond is related to the Assassins.

Now, in this setting, the whole Assassin and Templar thing still exists so the Great Purge still happened. The Italian Brotherhood was hit hard and the ones that did survive were taken in by the Auditores and became their soldato and some have even risen to the rank of caporegime. The Templars keep an eye on them but do not engage as they hold too much sway with the other mobs, effectively being the unofficial king of Italy’s underworld. In exchange, the Auditores ignore whatever Abstergo is doing in Italy as long as it does not hinder any of the mobs’ operations. They do keep a list of mobs who cooperate with Abstergo and they’re added to the Auditores’ shit list which makes it a big deterrent for the mobs to collude with Abstergo willy-nilly.

On the other hand, the Auditores and the Brotherhood have a tense cordial relationship. The Brotherhood believe that they sully the Auditore name, especially Ezio who bears the same name as Ezio Auditore da Firenze from the 15th century who they believe to be one of the greatest Assassins in history. The Auditores believe that the Brotherhood is stuck in the past and that they refuse to acknowledge how, during the latter years of their legendary Ezio Auditore da Firenze, he had been the one to spearhead the transition of the Italian Brotherhood into the Auditore Famiglia. This leads to them having a tense relationship that boils down to “you do me this favor and I’ll owe you one” kind of deal with the Brotherhood although the Auditores only always cash in on what is owe of them, never requesting anything from them.

And it’s that tense relationship that made Ezio interested in Desmond, wondering if he was some kind of plant that the Assassins have sent to keep an eye on this deal or some reason. That maybe perhaps the mob that wishes to form an alliance with the Auditores were in league with the Templars or the Assassins.

(They’re not, skydiving instructor is literally Desmond’s day job and this is just one big coincidence)

So Ezio decides to agree to this meeting, not to check the mob but to check this… ‘Derek Milton’.

Unorganized Notes:

Ezio would be his charming self and would flirt with Desmond, half to see his reaction and half because Ezio do think Desmond is handsome.

Desmond is used to the flirting but he could sense something dangerous about Ezio that he finds himself attracted to.

Desmond’s pretty much attracted to dangerous things in this ‘verse. He became a skydiving instructor because it means he can skydive for free. He participants in illegal races because of the thrill of it. And Ezio? Ezio feels like the most dangerous thing he had ever been close to.

They have sex the day they first met. A quickie in some place that they could totally get caught in.

Ezio keeps coming back after that and they have sex after every skydive. It’s the thrill and danger that keeps Desmond with Ezio. For Ezio, it’s the mystery behind Desmond’s past and the growing desire to see him.

At some point, Claudia (who serves as sottocapo) just tells Ezio to keep Desmond because all this skydiving shit is dangerous with how many ways it would go so wrong and they would be too late to prevent it or save Ezio.

When Desmond learns that Ezio is a mob boss, he’s just like “Oooohhh. That’s a nicer job than I was thinking.” “What did you think my job was?” “CEO.”

Desmond pretty much becomes his sugar baby. He quit his job as a skydiving instructor and Ezio bought him his own helicopter to use for skydiving. Desmond loves it because it’s actually more intense to skydive from a helicopter than skydiving from an airplane.

Of course, Desmond had to give up motorcycle racing because it is illegal which meant that it would be easy to tie Desmond to it if he continues and, in the process, tie the Auditores to it.

In exchange, Ezio just takes him to watch the official intense motorcycle races all over the world. Desmond figured it was a good alternative since… they do have their own helicopter and the hotel rooms are always top-notch. (Ezio likes it because Desmond is always hot and bothered after every race)

Desmond learns how to drive a helicopter… because he now has a lot of free time whenever Ezio does his capo thing.

There is a man who stays in the main mansion of the Auditores as more of a beloved guest. He’s more or less an unknown artist and his works are usually considered to be too much like Leonardo Da Vinci’s works that he’s kinda considered as some kind of joke by many artists. He is Ezio’s best friend and he just likes making art or whatever strikes his fancy, once even learning how to program just because. Everyone just calls him ‘Leo’ and the Auditore mansion is filled with his paintings and sculptures. He also paints Desmond sometimes when he feels like it. Desmond just goes along with it because it’s not like he has anything else to do.

Maria is in charge of the mansion that Desmond stays in. She thinks Desmond is just one of Ezio’s many flights of fancy but she does warm up to him quickly enough, to the point that she tells Ezio that, even if they break up, she’s adopting Desmond so he can stay. “I… I don’t know how to feel about that…” “Your feelings do not matter for this, Ezio.” “Madre!”

Claudia likes Desmond enough. She knows he has no interest in the whole mob thing (as Desmond likes to call it) and is staying because he loves Ezio and that’s enough for her.

Machiavelli is the one who is still sus of Desmond but he is cordial enough with him. Kinda has to be, considering Ezio is truly smitten with Desmond. Machiavelli also made sure Desmond’s forged documents are airtight so it doesn’t bite them in the ass later on.

Because of this, Desmond did have to come clean with his past and that’s when Ezio started to call him ‘Desmond’. (Before that, Ezio just keeps calling him different pet names because Desmond never liked hearing Ezio say his fake name when they were having a ‘moment’)

Desmond knows Ezio does bad things and he doesn’t try to spin it into anything good. His moral compass is skewered anyway considering his childhood upbringing so the whole mob business is just okay with Desmond. He does worry whenever Ezio comes back and there’s blood in his clothes but hearing Ezio say it’s not his blood gets him hot and bothered.

It does get to William Miles that Desmond is with the Auditores but he can’t do anything about it. Not when the Auditores are one of the few real allies the Brotherhood still have. What he does do is check in every few days, just to… check up on Desmond, probably? Bill never tells anyone why he keeps doing it.

For the same reason, the Templars stay away from Desmond because they don’t want to incur the wrath of the Auditores.

[dollycas]

Case of the Bayfront Murder: A Macaroni on Wheels Mystery by S.K. Derban #GuestPost / #Giveaway - Great Escapes Book Tour @s.k.derban @awriterofmystery

Case of the Bayfront Murder: A Macaroni on Wheels Mystery by S.K. Derban Conner Reeves Let’s meet Terza before I introduce you to Conner. Terza Tiepolo is the owner of Macaroni on Wheels, a full-service catering company in Little Italy, San Diego. I have included two character cards for readers to enjoy. One features Terza Tiepolo, and the other features Conner Reeves. Of course, they are best friends! Readers originally met Conner in my second book, Uneven Exchange. He is a Special Agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration. Conner works at the National City headquarters, in the County of San Diego. Uneven Exchange, a stand-alone mystery book, takes place primarily in San Diego and Mexico. After the title was featured in a BookBub deal-of-the-day, I received numerous requests to write a sequel. Readers wanted to know more about Conner, and how the story ended for one of the main characters named Rico. But since my heart belonged to cozy mysteries, I would have to find another way to finish their story. I wrote Conner as a single man living in the Mission Valley area of San Diego. He recently purchased his own condominium, and was feeling the desire to settle down and begin a family. Uneven Exchange took place in San Diego, and Case of the Bayfront Murder, my new cozy mystery would also take place in San Diego. The locations created the perfect opportunity to add Conner. The seed of an idea blossomed, and Conner Reeves would be featured in all three of the Macaroni on Wheels cozy mystery series. Deciding how to include Rico came naturally as Conner and Rico were already friends. Rico is featured in Case of the Curved Staircase, the second cozy in my Macaroni on Wheels series. Just wait until you read what happens. I know readers will smile, and some may also shed a tear! Conner is a cutie, with blond hair, and gorgeous baby-blue eyes. He is physically fit, and adores surfing. Conner also adores Terza, perhaps more than just a friend. He is very kind, loving, and fits in well with Terza’s family. Conner would make a wonderful husband. Terza feels conflicted. She enjoys spending time with Conner, and can almost visualize herself in a relationship with him. Almost is the key word. Terza is unsure, and feeling very unlucky in love. There is a definite attraction, but will they, or won’t they? There is a fun “Lady in Red” scene in Case of the Curved Staircase, and the relationships are tied up with a beautiful bow in Case of the Paella Party. I did not leave my readers hanging, I promise! I wrote the perfect Happily Ever After ending – but who ends up with whom? I hope you enjoy reading all three of the Macaroni on Wheels cozy mystery series. Have fun with the following Character Cards! About Case of the Bayfront Murder Case of the Bayfront Murder: A Macaroni on Wheels Mystery Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Setting - Little Italy, San Diego and San Diego Bay Publisher ‏ : ‎ S.K. Derban (March 27, 2024) Paperback ‏ : ‎ 278 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1963188020 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1963188028 Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CV5Z5VY2 Little Italy in San Diego, once a thriving fishing community, has blossomed into a prominent tourist destination. Nestled in the heart of this vibrant neighborhood, both travelers and residents find the Tiepolo Mercato a favorite spot to stop and shop. Ezio and Benedette Tiepolo are the proprietors of the Mercato, while their daughter owns Macaroni on Wheels, the catering company located directly next door. There’s more than pasta cooking in the Macaroni on Wheels kitchen. Meet Terza Tiepolo, a feisty Italian caterer who fills her free time solving crime. She belongs to a local murder mystery book club, and leads the other participants in their monthly whodunnit contest. Terza also works diligently to grow her catering business. But when a prominent doctor hires Terza’s company to cater a dinner party, she never expects murder to be on the menu. The prestigious bayfront event should enhance the Macaroni on Wheels portfolio, and Terza anticipates meeting many potential new clients. On the day of the party, Terza arrives early to prepare, only to discover her grand expectations are as dead as the body on the kitchen floor. Fans of cozy mysteries will revel in solving the murder along with Terza, and will appreciate her zest for life. Readers will also treasure the introduction to her vibrant Italian relatives. They will enjoy getting to know the Tiepolo family, and will smile at the special relationship Terza has with her mother and father. The fun never stops when the animated relatives join together each Sunday for dinner. Consider this your personal invitation! Great Escapes Praise for Case of the Bayfront Murder: A Macaroni on Wheels Mystery by S.K. Derban This was a fun and funny mystery in a wonderful setting – San Diego’s Little Italy. The writing brought this place to life and I felt like I was on a little vacation as I was reading. ~Sarah Can't Stop Reading Books Case of the Bayfront Murder is a nicely paced, cozy mystery with many clues to sift through while enjoying time with family and friends. Sit back with a glass of wine or a cool, refreshing gelato and try to figure out whodunnit! ~Novel's Alive About S.K. Derban  S.K. Derban resides with her husband in Southern California. Although born in the United States she moved to London within the first three months and remained in England until the age of five. Her father, an American citizen, was a decorated veteran of the Second World War. Her British mother was involved with the London Royal Ballet Company and a great fan of the arts. After returning to the United States, Derban’s life remained filled with a love of the theatre and a passion for British murder mysteries. S.K. Derban’s personal travel and missionary escapades are readily apparent as they shine through into her characters. Readers are often transported virtually across the globe. She has traveled to Hong Kong on five separate occasions to smuggle Bibles into China and has been to Israel on seven missionary trips. Derban’s other adventures include visits to Bangkok, Greece, Egypt, Italy, and the Caribbean. Beginning with her faith in the Lord, S.K. Derban relies on all aspects of her life when writing. She hopes her books will allow readers to go on holiday without having to pack! Author Links Facebook - Twitter/X - Instagram - Goodreads - BookBub - Website  Purchase Link Amazon Also written by S.K. Derban TOUR PARTICIPANTS - Please visit all the stops. August 12 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – SPOTLIGHT   August 12 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – RECIPE August 13 – Christy's Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST August 13 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT August 14 – Sarah Can't Stop Reading Books – REVIEW August 14 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT August 15 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT August 15 – Novels Alive – REVIEW August 16 – Cozy Up With Kathy  REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW August 16 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT August 17 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT August 17 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR GUEST POST August 18 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT August 18 – StoreyBook Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST August 19 – Boys' Mom Reads! – REVIEW August 19 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT August 20 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author – SPOTLIGHT August 20 – Eskimo Princess Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT August 21 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT a Rafflecopter giveaway Have you signed up to be a Tour Host? Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today! Want to Book a Tour? Click Here Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using my links, I will receive a small commission from the sale at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Escape With Dollycas. Read the full article

[jcmarchi]

Could These Video Game Families Beat WWE’s Bloodline?

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/could-these-video-game-families-beat-wwes-bloodline/

Could These Video Game Families Beat WWE’s Bloodline?

Wrestlemania 40 is nearly upon us, and if you’ve been following WWE for the past three years, the show, like nearly every story during this time, revolves around one family: the Bloodline. The massive family tree of Samoan wrestlers dates back decades and includes members such as current undisputed champion Roman Reigns, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Yokozuna, Rikishi, and so many others. In a business filled with famous families, the Bloodline is likely the biggest family dynasty in pro wrestling history. 

That got me thinking of similar family trees across all of video game fiction and if any of them could stand toe-to-toe against the Bloodline. I’ve gathered up a few worthy clans, and while we’ll never see them square off against Roman’s fam for dominance, we can at least hypothesize who would earn the right to be acknowledged. 

The Kong Family – Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong chucked his first barrels at players in 1981, cementing himself as an icon and staple of the medium. Since then, Nintendo’s famous ape has multiplied into an expansive family tree of children, grandchildren, nephews, and romantic partners with their own clans, all bound by the name Kong. If you totaled every Kong to appear in games, comics, promotional materials, and the Donkey Kong Country animated series, there’s enough to fill several barrels. And if you ever have trouble remembering some members, the infamous DK Rap serves as a helpful role call. If this confrontation devolves into a rap battle, though, Roman’s cousins, the Usos, have the Kongs soundly beaten. 

The Belmonts – Castlevania

Much like the Bloodline, the members of Castlevania’s Belmont family have made their name being very good at doing the same job: killing Dracula. This legendary lineage of vampire hunters (though they’re equally adept at slaying all manner of supernatural threats) has been slinging whips and tossing holy water better than anyone for centuries. The cruel irony is that their primary foe, Dracula, has a closer connection to them than the latter Belmonts may realize. We don’t often see Belmonts working together due to generational gaps, so whichever member faces Roman may be in a Cody Rhodes-like scenario of representing his family alone, placing them at a severe disadvantage. 

Nurse Joys/Officer Jennys – Pokémon

One of the Pokémon anime’s longest-running gags was how each town has its own Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny. They’re not the same person but rather a visually identical member of two obscenely large clans of medical practitioners and law enforcement officers. It’s unbelievable that one family would consist of dozens of clone-like siblings, cousins, first cousins, etc., let alone two. Imagine if the Bloodline was just multiple copies of Roman Reigns and only his wiseman Paul Heyman (ironically playing the role of Brock) could tell the subtle differences such as eyelash length and teeth whiteness. One-on-one, Nurse Joy is far too pleasant for a fight, but Officer Jenny is always willing for a scrap. Plus, her omnipresent Arcanine could counter an inevitable Solo Sikoa run-in. 

Desmond Miles’ Lineage – Assassin’s Creed

This is an interesting one, as these are more descendants than direct family members. But given that centuries separate Desmond’s most famous ancestors, Altaïr and Ezio, one would assume countless relatives exist in between for his bloodline to survive to the present day. Thanks to the advanced science-magic of the Animus, stabbing Templars in the neck has become a hereditary trait rather than a learned trade. The Bloodline would likely only have to deal with Desmond, but he channels the varied skills (read: stabbing/climbing things really well) of his ancestors thanks to the science-magic of the Animus. 

The Feys – Ace Attorney

From the outside, the Ace Attorney series seems to be just about winning court cases and yelling OBJECTION, but the franchise is steeped in the supernatural. Phoenix Wright’s mentor was Mia Fey, a renowned defense attorney and a spirit medium from a long line of them. After Mia’s death, her bubbly younger sister Maya becomes Phoenix’s long-time sidekick, and players encounter more Fey relatives throughout the series. There are nine known members (all women since only females can learn the family’s spirit channeling technique), but it’s assumed to be much larger given its structure of having a “main” family and several branch families of “lesser” siblings and their kin. The Feys could channel the spirits of Roman’s departed brethren to play some effective mind games. After Cody Rhodes’ claims that Roman and Rock’s grandfathers would be ashamed of their villainous antics, the Feys could easily confirm this. However, the Feys have not been immune to inner turmoil and have been willing to resort to murder to climb the hierarchy, a schism the Bloodline could capitalize on. 

Aquato Family – Psychonauts

Raz’s family may not be wrestlers, but they’re the next best thing: circus performers. Known by their stage name as the “Flying Aquatos,” Raz’s immediate (and very large) family excelled at water acrobatics until an aquatic-related family curse derailed their act. The Bloodline could easily take advantage of this by having the match take place on a literal Island of Relevancy, triggering Raz and his family’s long-standing trauma. On the flip side, Raz getting into Roman’s head and exploring what makes him tick would make for a fascinating platforming stage. There would likely be a lot of Royal Rumble 2015-related baggage collectibles to find. 

The Coopers – Sly Cooper

Sly Cooper was destined to be a master thief from the moment he was born. That’s because he’s the latest of generations of benevolent thieves. Somehow dating back to the Ice Age, Coopers have been pulling off heists since dinosaurs roamed the Earth, possibly making them the oldest family on this list. For all we know, Coopers invented the very concept of stealing and, much like the Bloodline, could devise some sneaky ways of pulling out a win. Plus, they could all be present during the match thanks to the fourth game’s introduction of time travel. Win or lose, one thing is certain: there’s no way in Hell the Coopers aren’t walking out with Roman’s belt, by hook, or by expertly executed crook.

What video game family do you think could take on The Bloodline? Let us know in the comments!

[maddiethecanadianassassin]

Classes/Jobs the Assassin’s would play in Final Fantasy XIV

Jumping on the hype train for the Endwalker expansion coming out! I’m in love with FFXIV however I’m very anxious and cheap when it comes to spending money on video games so I’m playing the trial to the absolute fullest until purchasing the full game. 

Wanted to apologize for the slight absence in posts, I’ve been consumed by the trenches of this MMO and most recently Genshin Impact. 

Without further ado, what classes would the Assassin’s be? 

Altair: Paladin

I headcannon this more so with Altair being a little bit older and becoming more wiser over the years whilst in the brotherhood. He’d want to protect his team just as he would his family and his fellow brothers and sisters and I thought the Paladin class would be a good blend. He protec but he also attac

Ezio: Dragoon

This one was tricky cause Ezio is skilled with numerous weapons and fighting styles. We’ve seen him with the assassin blade, swords, some hand to hand combat, but there is just something about him wielding the spear that seems so sexy and fun, so I thought Dragoon would be a fun choice. Also that one mechanic from the game may or may not have enforced this decision. 

Connor: Bard 

The closest thing I’ve seen to a tomahawk fighting wise was an axe so I originally fought of the warrior, however I was worried it might feel too bulky for Connor’s prefered fighting style. Yes he’s a big strong boy and can take on a whole army if he wants to, but let’s be honest, I think his most threatening weapon would be the bow. His cold and calculating strikes would strike fear into all the mobs. 

Desmond: Monk

This one was kind of a no brainer for me. Not much really to say about this choice other than it seemed to fit Desmond very well, and pretty much any of the assassin’s in general, especially the modern day assassin’s where if traditional or normal weapons weren’t available, why not use your fists to get the job done?

Edward: Machinist 

When it comes to pirates in FFXIV, there aren’t technically any pirate themed classes. We know that Edward is skilled with a cutlass so perhaps he could be a warrior, but he also knows his way around hand to hand combat through bar fights and knives/daggers, so he could be a monk or a ninja. However one of my personal favourite weapons to use as him in Black Flag were the pistols and so the most logical choice to me was the Machinist class. Edward can knock down all those who get in his way with a bang! 

Arno: Red Mage 

This one by far is the perfect fit because it is one of the more aesthetically elegant classes. A good combination of sword and magic skills, Arno can sweep the floor with his enemies and look damn good doing it. Plus I think Arno wearing those big hats with the feather on the side would look really cute. 

Evie: Scholar 

Brains or brawn? Why not take both! Scholars are brilliant healers and damage dealers, especially when they summon their magical companions to come to their aid. Evie would help heal and stat boost her party members and have her own fair share of action in the boss battles. 

Jacob: Gunbreaker 

A similar idea with Arno, this class combines two of Jacob’s strongest skillsets. Sword play and marksmanship, allowing him to fight up close or steer back and take aim when the situation calls for it. A quite flashy and in your face job class, it’s perfect for the brash yet brave gang leader. 

[straight-into-the-animus]

Hey! Could I maybe hear your thoughts on what jobs you think the Assassins would have in a modern day setting? 👀 cheers!

👀 I can certainly try (i swear i haven’t been ignoring you tumblr ate my last reply ilysm)

Altair: He needs that ego boost. Have you SEEN the man? I think something in management would suit him. Maybe marketing for a big ass corporation he inherited and made fancy. (Malik? His co-chair/head founder. Hates every minute but knows he has to stay around because “DAMN IT NOVICE THE TEMPLARS LIKE THEIR BAGELS WITH CREAM CHEESE FOR MEETINGS YOU KNOW THAT WHY DID YOU BRING ME SOUR CREAM”)

Ezio: That boy is a trust fund babyyyyy but he got flair and brains. Honestly he’d probably just do secretary-ish jobs for his dad’s work for the longest time before he sets off on his own. I like to think of him as a partner with Altair (accounting, maybe) but also as some sort of charming negotiator Altair sends in when he’s had enough. (I imagine that he presses a button that alerts Ezio in his office and Ezio rips off his clip on tie like “my time is now”)

Connor: Park Ranger. He loves his friends and those he actually cares about bc he’s got a big heart but a lot of that likes to go to who/what needs it the most. Maybe that might go a non-profit, which I could so see that happening. Achilles helps him set something up, a Go-Fund me that eventually takes off. BUT, fantasies aside, park ranger.

Edward: Yes he’s stinky but when he’s actually got his heart set on something he’s really fucking good at it, once Adewale snaps some sense into him and gets him on his feet. I don’t know how qualified he’d be but I feel like he’d work at a bunch of fast food joints and gas stations and eventually try and dominate them, try and become the manager. First stop, regional manager. Next stop? world domination.

Arno: He’s interesting because like? He wants to help those who need it and bring justice? But he’s also not exactly one for law. Once he stops doing a mini-Edward and plants his sad baguette feet on the ground under him he’d be really suited for something that involves helping people. Maybe a prosecuting lawyer, something to get those who deserve it away from the ones they hurt. He just wants people fine and secure, okay?

The Frye Twins: Okay so it would take like 97.99% convincing (random guesstimate) but Jacob would probably take all his Rooks and start a mini turf gang/vigilantes thingie. Keep a low down profile when he can but make sure the streets are alright. Evie would likely actually be the only one to go help out with the actual law enforcement, partially just for her dumbass brother’s sake and to actually get some “real” work done.

And Bonus Round for my other “Assassins” (they’re real Assassins to me):

Bayek/Aya: They run and coach at the local children’s sports center and deal with that whole area, they’ve been doing it for a long time now. They both love it and dedicate their time to it, though they go about it in different ways. Bayek is definitely the Dad(TM) who wants everyone to have fun. Aya glares at any parent (on either side) who decides to get a little too pushy with their kids, especially during a game. Bayek has had to ‘threaten’ taking her away from the field a few times.

Spartan Siblings: Kassandra does bodybuilding and training, whether in person or videos/photos on Instagram. She acts completely innocent on how she gets a thousand+ likes on each of photos but everyone in the group and her know damn well why and she preens like a damn peacock about it, though she does enjoy her job a lot for the challenge of it. Alexios is much less secure, going where the wind takes him, and he’s pretty much had every job. Barista? Surf instructor? Chicken wrangler? Whatever’s hiring, he goes for. It helps that he has friends (Barnabas) and so does his family (Brasidas) so they always help him out when they can. He just never finds himself wanting to settle down and do something for a long time, as long as he has enough money to get on by. (Eventually he probably would settle and go into something more active, but not for a long time)

(I hope these satisfied you and you weren’t too disappointed! Thank you!!!)

[jasontoddiefor]

Title: When in Gotham, do as Batman does

Summary: Desmond Miles, the mentor of Gotham, and Batman have a serious discussion. (Meanwhile, Robin shows the little Novice accompanying their local Assassin how to do the coolest flips.)

AN: AssCreed/Batman Crossover for the 2nd day of AssCreed Week - Assassin Brotherhood.

Desmond loved Gotham. It was like Florence or Venice or Rome, except better because it was his city. You could tell that it had been built on the bodies of Templars and Assassins alike, particularly the Assassin influence was hard to miss if you had their training. Every corner was easy to disappear into, the buildings were high and the houses crammed into each other to create one fast-paced track for rooftop chasers. Not to mention the abandoned underground railroad tracks or the catacombs sleeping even deeper below. Gotham was built for its shadowy protectors and took good care to hide them all away.

Shaun and Becca had declared him officially mad for settling in this city. He could have gone everywhere in the world. Assassins as skilled as Desmond were hard to come by and currently needed all around the globe.

But Desmond had died for their cause once already (and then been fished out of terror-filled green pits of screaming nails on blackboards) and so they had allowed him to pick.

And Desmond had chosen Gotham.

Or maybe the city had chosen him.

People didn’t really move to Gotham, Desmond had noticed. Nor did they ever leave despite having the funds or the motivation. They cursed and screeched and begged, but they never went further than a vacation away.

And some people didn’t leave at all.

It was a moderately warm September night still. They had been blessed with a warm summer, and its remnants were still chasing through the winds, rolling in-between the skyscrapers. Gotham’s chaos had been calm lately. It was only a question of time until the first Rogue broke out of Arkham again, but right now everything was still. It was one of those nights in which they actually had time to look out for the candles and the flashlights asking for their help. Desmond had sent most of his recruits out for training, errands and information gathering. Maybe also a little blackmail depending on how they brave they got tonight. Instead of supervising from their headquarters, Desmond had chosen to take their youngest recruit out. Though Jason, by all means, wasn’t really a recruit as much as he was a kid that had realized the city’s Thief guild might support him on the streets, but the Brotherhood could get him away from them.

Or as away from them as Jason wanted to be.

He’d seen Desmond teach the Novices how to do a Leap of Faith and that was it. He hadn’t stopped pestering Desmond about teaching him, even at the bar where minors definitely weren’t allowed in, until Desmond had agreed. Jason wouldn’t stop arguing that Robin couldn’t have been much older than Jason either when he had started tailing the Bat. However, Jason also didn’t know that Robin had been trained to be an acrobat (and unknowingly an assassin) from birth.

Desmond knew because he had made it his business to know what was going on in his city.

The identities of its brightest protectors were simply a part of that. Batman had been here before Desmond, had bled for this city. Sure, Desmond could argue he had died for the whole world, but at sixteen he had run away from it all, unlike Bruce Wayne, who had already known his destiny then.

This was also the reason why Desmond’s Brotherhood didn’t kill. He respected Batman’s code as the superior rule. Even law enforcement worked with him while they certainly didn’t know about the Brotherhood.

(Well, they did to an extent. You couldn’t miss the spray-painted As that had shown up all over the city, but the police thought those belonged to a random tagger or, at worst, a gang.)

It was another matter that had his out of town Assassin contacts roll their eyes and bite their cheeks at. Desmond had no problems with assassinations. He was freakishly alright with them so much that he wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out the Isu had engineered him that way.

However, their Brotherhood’s no-kill rule was the only reason the Bat tolerated their presence. Maybe the fact that they had quietly gotten rid of the Court of Owls had contributed as well. It wasn’t murder if you cryogenically froze them to be picked up by the Justice League later on.

The Gotham Brotherhood didn’t kill. It made them child-friendly enough that Desmond had given in to Jason’s demands and let the eleven-year-old become his protégé.

And so here they were, standing on a rooftop and waiting for the Bat to drop in.

“How much longer do we gotta wait?” Jason asked.

After tonight, Desmond would work on the boy’s situational awareness. He remembered a few games Ezio used to play with his recruits and their children to teach them how to observe. They also had the neat side-effect of detecting whether someone was predisposed for eagle vision. Desmond thought he had seen Jason’s eyes flash gold once or twice, the speed at which he managed to track down people certainly spoke for it, but he couldn’t be sure.

He knew Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson both had the gift though, and that Wayne was aware of it. You didn’t train with an old splinter group of the Brotherhood for years to be ignorant of eagle vision.

“Mask on, kiddo?” Desmond asked instead, studying the shadows to their right that had become just a little too dense.

He had felt ridiculous the first time he had put on a mask, he didn’t need one to obscure his face, but masks made people think of vigilantes, and it was better to be mistaken for those (and honestly in these times the border between Assassin and Vigilante had become thin) than be known as the Brotherhood. Gotham was mostly Templar free and Desmond would like to keep to this way. He didn’t need their attention, not when his people weren’t strong enough yet. Nowadays, Desmond was used to the weight of the mask covering his eyes. He had grown fond of the red and gold Venetian Rebecca had bought him as a joke.

“Never took it off.”

Desmond smiled. “Good.”

Then he turned back to the shadows. “Hello, Batman. Robin.”

Behind him he could feel Jason tense, looking around to spot the vigilantes Desmond had already identified.

“Mentor,” Batman greeted him and finally stepped forward, Robin following him easily, being just a step behind.

“Oooh, who is that?” The Boy Wonder asked, mustering Jason.

“My protégé. Don’t take him too far, please, he’s untrained still.”

“What do you mean ‘don’t take him too far’?” Jason asked, but Robin had already crossed the distance eagerly.

Desmond wasn’t sure whether Batman took Robin along to these meetings precisely to have him distract the companion Desmond had chosen to take with him or if Robin really was just that sociable. The Bat’s intentions were hard enough to read on the really good days and Desmond had better things to do than waste hours on that particular headache.

Within seconds Robin was talking with Jason, contributing most of the conversation, while Jason nodded at the right moments, his eyes never entirely leaving Desmond.

“He’s young.”

Batman too was observing the boys’ interaction. He had his arms crossed over his chest, suggesting a relaxed posture, but his shoulders were tensed.

“I have questions about Abstergo, Desmond Miles. And about those you call Isu.”

Desmond sighed. He had wondered how long it would take Batman to actually figure out his identity. They had pretty much erased Desmond Miles, or any other alias he had used before Abstergo had captured him, from history. By all means, Desmond was a ghost. But apparently, even death couldn’t keep the world’s greatest detective away.

“Alright, Mr. Wayne,” Desmond replied. “But does that mean I can take a look at the Piece of Eden you keep at your manor in turn? I don’t want to criticize, but these things really shouldn’t be handled by someone without experience.”

Batman fell silent. On the rooftop next to them, Jason was shouting in joy while Robin performed his quadruple flip for him. He should watch that jump. It was common knowledge, at least for those interested in acrobatics, that not many people could perform it – Gotham’s resident prince Dick Grayson being by far the youngest person. It was even on his Wikipedia page.

“And you have that experience?”

Desmond tugged at his hoodie’s right sleeve, revealing his black glove first, and then his burned arm beneath. The golden circuitry was shining brightly in the dark. Once he stopped using eagle vision, it would return to a muted yellow you could mistake for tattoo ink.

“You’re standing in front of the world’s expert on these cursed artifacts.”

His smile was weary, but there was no point in lying. Ever since his death, Desmond had been able to feel these remains of Eden if he got close enough to them. They didn’t make him uncomfortable, but he could almost tell what each piece had been crafted for, and the thought of letting them lie around left to their own devices was fear-inspiring.

“We have much to discuss. I’ll contact you. Robin.”

Across, Robin perked up and moved from his handstand into a bridge and then into a stand. Batman waited just long enough for Robin to plunge into a print and jump over the gaps between the rooftops before he too leaped away into the alley on their right.

Jason wasn’t far behind Robin, crossing the space between houses without hesitating. Whatever Robin had demonstrated or told him, its effects were already showing.

“You done already?” Jason asked.

“Mhm. Why are you asking?”

Jason clicked his tongue and shot Desmond an annoyed look. “Nothin’s true. I should ask questions.”

“I taught you that sentence,” Desmond replied and began to walk into the direction of tonight’s second destination. He’d drop Jason back home on the way. Sure, the kid had seen much already, experienced too much for his age, but Desmond wasn’t going to take a ten-year-old to the Foxglove. Not even for information gathering. “And I’m sure it definitely had nothing to do with Robin.”

“Oh, c’ mon, D. It’s Robin. He’s the coolest. So you gotta tell me what you talked about ’cause he was gonna teach me how to do the neat flip.”

“I’m sure you’ll get another chance to learn from him. Batman just asked for some credentials.”

“Credentials? That can’t be everythin’. Come oooon, tell me. Tell me, tell me, please. You know I can do this all night and day.”

Desmond didn’t doubt him, he knew better. Jason’s presence at his side was proof of that.

“I know. You showed me that you had endurance and now you’ll learn patience.”

“What? You can’t be serious! Des- hey!”

Desmond chose that moment to jump from the balcony into the dumpster beneath. The smell of these containers really made him miss the haystacks of his ancestors.

“Patience, Novice,” Desmond repeated.

Batman would tell him soon enough when he wanted to meet up. You couldn’t shake off Batman once you had his attention.

(And true enough, he got an invitation to Wayne manor a week later. He didn’t dwell on the fact that Batman knew where he lived. It was only fair.)

[thisyearingaming]

2011 - This Year in Gaming

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective - Nintendo DS, January 11th

A quirky adventure game where you are fucking dead, and you gotta work out who killed you. Ghost Trick is like Ace Attorney at first glance - it looks similar, and is made by effectively the same development team. Give it a shot on iOS.

Dead Space 2 - Multiplatform, January 25th 

Dead Space 2 was the undisputed king of alien horror until Alien: Isolation released. Yeah, you battle massive acid-spitting aliens, but it’s the necromorph babies you’re gonna be shit-scared of. It isn’t quite as unique as it’s predecessor, but it’s definitely much better to play. Bring your brown pants.

The Nintendo 3DS Releases - March 27th

The 3DS was like magic when you first fired the 3D slider all the way up - then it became a gimmick you never used again. Releasing with a few decent launch titles and being able to boast Street Fighter IV as playable, the 3DS arguably didn’t really pick up much steam until a few months after launch. While more powerful than the original DS which was six years old at the time, I can’t remember being particularly interested in it at the time.

Portal 2 - Multiplatform, April 19th 

Valve’s final single player experience until their jump into VR was a bloody good one - very funny and amusingly written with the best Steve Merchant performance since The Ricky Gervais Show, Portal 2′s puzzle solving adventure is rarely a chore to play through, and has thousands of custom maps courtesy of the Steam community.

L.A. Noire - Multiplatform, May 17th

Rockstar’s foray into adventure games has stood the test of time as an enjoyable and often startling journey nto the seedy underbelly of 1947 Los Angeles - as Cole Phelps you’ll threaten a Jewish man with the gas chamber, arrest a paedophile instead of a clearly guilty father, quote Hamlet to a prop skull at the scene of a car crash, destroy thousands of dollars of property, and yell at a child whose mother’s just been murdered. Great fun!

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings - Windows 

CDPR hit it out of the park with a fantastically improved sequel to 2007′s Eurojank diamond in the rough The Witcher, and really introduce Geralt of Rivia to more people for the first time with this game. A branching story that sees Geralt hunting Letho, the killer of King Foltest, and allying either with smelly hippy elven leader Iorveth and his terrorists who don’t appear in the sequel or the very cool but quite racist Vernon Roche and his special forces group, who are supporting characters in the sequel.

Alice: Madness Returns - Multiplatform, June 14th

A surprisingly charming, unsettling dive into the fractured psyche of the Victorian equivalent of an actual goth gf, Alice is a sequel to American McGee’s Alice from 2000. Surreal as fuck and absolutely drowning in atmosphere. Just don’t look at any of the YouTube comments on videos of the soundtrack. Rather bizarre show...

Duke Nukem Forever - Multiplatform, June 14th

Sometimes it’s best NOT to bet on the Duke. I bought this game to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and I did neither - DNF is fucking boring, and I blame it ALL on Randy Pitchford’s devotion to ruining things I like. DNF could’ve been brilliant - either embrace your heritage like Doom Eternal would eventually do, or make it into a “last hurrah” kind of thing where Duke realises he’s getting old and can’t kick ass forever. The greatest disappointment of the 2010s so far - but worse would follow with it. The King is dead - hail to the King, baby.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Multiplatform, August 23rd

The piss-tinted prequel to 2000′s excellent conspiracy RPG Deus Ex, Human Revolution is like smashing Robo-Cop into a world where Detroit is not a humanitarian disaster zone. Adam Jensen, the gravelly-voiced biomechanically enhanced security chief of David Sarif, is dragged into a world of American conspiracies involving FEMA death camps, the government enforcing martial law in US cities and massive Chinese conglomerates plotting to control the world. Just like real life! DXHR is my favourite in the series for its design, atmosphere and narrative.

Dead Island - Multiplatform, September 6th

Eh. Wasn’t that good. Notable for having the most misleading fucking trailer since Metal Gear Solid 2, but nowhere near as fulfilling upon release. An open world zombie survival game with a focus on melee weapons more fragile than your granny’s second hip. Oh great, now there’s a dead kid on my page. Thanks, Techland!

Driver: San Francisco - Multiplatform, September 6th

A game you literally can’t buy anymore, DSF was incredible to play when it came out and has only really gotten better with time. It’s still so unique for a driving game that I’m surprised Ubisoft have had the good sense to just leave it and not go pants-on-head retarded with the franchise since. Nick Robinson had to buy Subway gift cards just to purchase this game. 

Batman: Arkham City - Multiplatform, October 18th

Arkham City was so cool at launch and it still is today. A proper Batman epic with twists, turns, and the most addictive combat arena for years. This whole thing is gold from start to finish, except for the Harley Quinn DLC. I can’t even go into detail about it here, but I fucking LOVE this game.

Sonic Generations - Multiplatform, November 1st

Sonic Generations is the best Sonic game since 3 & Knuckles, but has now unfortunately convinced Sega that not only do people despise the Adventure games, they also really want to see Classic Sonic and Green Hill EVERY GODDAMN DAY. Generations is like a proper celebration of Sonic’s history, even including stuff from every reviewer’s favourite punching bag Sonic 2006 - I really like Generations and it has a stellar modding scene on PC.

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception - Sony PlayStation 3, November 1st

The “finale” of the Uncharted series until Naughty Dog decided it wasn’t. Uncharted 3 may not be as tight as Among Thieves, but it’s just as enjoyable. As quipping invincible action hero Nathan Drake, you’ll ruin historical artifacts and “incapacitate” about 4000 guys in your quest to find Iram of the Pillars, chased by Cruella de Ville and her mercenary squad of a million faceless Englishmen. 

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - Multiplatform, November 8th

God I was so excited for this. World War 3 never looked cooler, and then it came out - and it wasn’t that good. It didn’t feel as epic as MW2, not as well-written as MW, and not as interesting as World at War and Black Ops. Multiplayer was... fine? I think this is the point where most people realised that Call of Duty was basically downhill from here.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Multiplatform, November 11th

See this paragraph? You can read it. Another installment in Bethesda’s cross-franchise “Little Lies” series, Skyrim has been released more times than China’s created a pandemic. But it’s still really good and when you rub it the right way it comes all over your screen like a particularly excited storyteller, ready to point in the direction of adventure.

Super Mario 3D Land - Nintendo 3DS, November 13th

Yeah this was the point I decided I wanted a 3DS. It looked incredible and so fluid, and it really was! Playing this was great fun. That’s really all there is - I can’t be funny about it, nor overly critical. What do you want from me?

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations - Multiplatform, November 15th 

I didn’t like this when it came out - I thought the new graphic style was bad, Constantinople was dull, and the music was too different. Ezio was angrier, older, and the complete lack of any supporting cast from Brotherhood had me thinking this was a game that nobody wanted to work on - but now that I’m older, I can see this for how good it really was. Revelations blends the Ezio and Altair stories together, culminating in a satisfying emotional climax. 

Saints Row: The Third - Multiplatform, November 15

This video speaks for itself.

Minecraft - Windows, November 18th

There’s something beautiful about those early builds of Minecraft. Quiet, unassuming, and riddled with potential for exploration. I could talk for hours about the first time I was thrown into Mojang’s survival experience, about how I still get a bit weepy hearing Wet Hands by C418, about how shit-scared I still am of the mines and caves. Minecraft is immortal, and always will be. 

[emzysimagines]

Being Shaun Hastings' girlfriend would include..

Request - Hey I wanted to ask if you could do a "being Shaun Hastings' girlfriend would include"? If you're interested of course.

Warnings - Slightly, triggering content. A few curse words and/or insults are in here.

A/N - I'm back, guys! Sorry for the wait!

Being sixteen's Lucy, minus the traitor part.

Having been taken by Abstergo since a very young age.

Being convinced by Abstergo that they totally work on human subjects for pure science.

Abstergo convincing you that Templars desire order.

Them leaving out how they want to enforce order.

a.k.a via slavery.

Slowly becoming sixteen's friend.

Him telling you and explaining to you what he sees - how he feels.

Having doubts about Abstergo.

Watching him fade.

Sixteen leaving you evidence and clues to trace.

Him knowing you were smart enough to go with tiny clues and hack past great firewalls.

Finding all, which he had seen.

Finding a video, which he had recorded for you.

The video is the last one of the glitches in AC II.

"I see myself as a Templar raping women, killing people and getting killed myself as an Assassin. I don't know who I am anymore. I'm tired."

"Run, (Y/N)."

Feeling scared to act, once you realize the Templars' true desires and realize what's right.

Going to the assassins after seeing all the data, Abstergo had, and all the data, they didn't have.

Lucy finding you.

Lucy introducing you to her little team - Shaun and Rebecca.

Staying in their secret hideout, as you didn't have anyone or anywhere and tech was your life.

Shaun being his snarky self.

Biting back at him whenever he decides to bitch about you.

Being Rebecca's favourite girl.

Your mind being like Rebecca's and Shaun's combined.

Being a strategist and having a deep look about everything.

Hacking into any computer, you predict Abstergo will use, before they even fully move into that headquarter.

Being so friendly to Desmond.

Him reminding you so much of Sixteen.

Always correcting Shaun's theories.

"What do you think happened? Of course, he never went back to the Villa. There was no way he would've ever gone back! He was attacked, his uncle was killed - only trauma waited for him."

"But his legacy waited for him. It was his home. It was where he had learned the ways of an Assassin. I think he definitely went back."

Shaun being annoyed by how you always bite back.

But impressed and a little turned on when your points and theories are proven.

Avoiding Desmond as best as you can.

Being emotional about going to Villa di Auditore, as you have seen Ezio's memories through Sixteen's eyes.

Shaun noticing your trauma.

Your hands trembling when you stand in front of the statue of Amunet, as you had always found her interesting when Sixteen told you of her.

Shaun grabbing one of your hand and giving you a small nudge.

Looking at him in disbelief at his actions.

"Don't look at me like that."

Shaun being your rock.

Him accidentally confessing that he's in love with you during one of his bitching fits at Desmond.

"It's, absolutely ridiculous! Because, you know what?! I'm in love with you!"

"What?"

"I love everything about you. You're smart and how you always seem to look ahead is brilliant. And don't even get me started on how you always outfoxing me with your little vixen theories. Though, I didn't think someone can do that, it's so hot."

Him being so embarrassed after he's done.

Taking off his glasses as his cheeks redden.

"Oh, dear..."

Grabbing his face and kissing him instead.

Part.2 coming up soooooon!

[historybehindassassinscreed]

In Game:

Girolamo Savonarola was a Dominican friar and the leader of Florence from 1494 to 1498. In 1488, Savonarola managed to obtain an Apple of Eden. Recognizing its powers, he used it to instigate the Bonfire of the Vanities in Florence; hoping to cleanse the city of everything he regarded as evil, such as art and wealth.

When Pope Alexander VI, the Grand Master of the Templar Order, found out that Savonarola had the Apple of Eden in his possession, he sent several Papal troops to retrieve it, though with no success. Meanwhile, Ezio Auditore returned to Florence in 1497 and worked with Niccolò Machiavelli to overthrow Savonarola and retrieve the Apple of Eden.

Ezio concluded that Savonarola's rule was being enforced by his nine lieutenants, who were suppressing the Florentines. With this in mind, Ezio assassinated all nine of them, who had all been either lured into serving Savonarola, such as the Preacher, or were being controlled by the Apple like the Doctor.

Once this had been been achieved, his fellow Assassins La Volpe and Paola began to encourage the people to fight for themselves. Eventually, Savonarola's grip over Florence was lost.

In May of 1498, an angry mob gathered in front of Savonarola's residence at the Palazzo Pitti to stand up against him, having finally cracked under the mad monk's tyrannical regime, cruel words and deeds. Savonarola demanded to know why they were disturbing him when they should be cleansing their homes and selves, but was met only by angry shouts claiming that he had already stripped them of everything. Having failed to win them over with words, Savonarola tried to control the mob with the Apple of Eden, causing them to recoil in horror from the Apple's blinding light, but Ezio threw a knife at Savonarola's hand causing him to drop the artifact.

With Savonarola powerless, the mob swarmed him en masse and took him away, and a Templar guard fled with the Piece of Eden. Ezio chased after and killed the guard, reclaiming possession of the Apple once more.

Savonarola was taken by the Florentine citizens to his execution: being burned alive at the Piazza della Signoria. His repeated screeches and promises of the Florentines burning was met with jeers. In an act of mercy, Ezio decided that no one should die in such agony, and pushed through the crowd towards Savonarola, who was praying for deliverance. The Assassin then stabbed him in the neck with his Hidden Blade before the flames could reach him, ultimately ending his life.

In Real Life:

Girolamo Savonarola was born at Ferrara, the son of Niccolò Savonarola and of Elena Bonaccorsi, on September 21st, 1452. He was educated by his paternal grandfather, Michele, a celebrated doctor and a man of rigid moral and religious principles. From this elderly scholar, whose own education was of the 14th century, Savonarola may have received certain medieval influences.

In his early poetry and other adolescent writings the main characteristics of the future reformer are seen. Even at that early date, as he wrote in a letter to his father, he could not suffer “the blind wickedness of the peoples of Italy.” He found unbearable the humanistic paganism that corrupted manners, art, poetry, and religion itself. He saw as the cause of this spreading corruption a clergy vicious even in the highest levels of the church hierarchy.

In 1482 Savonarola was sent to Florence to take up the post of lecturer in the convent of San Marco, where he gained a great reputation for his learning and asceticism. As a preacher he was unsuccessful until a sudden revelation inspired him to begin his prophetic sermons. At San Gimignano in Lent 1485 and 1486, he put forward his famous propositions: the church needed reforming; it would be scourged and then renewed.

(Image source)

The following year (1487) he left Florence to become master of studies in the school of general studies at Bologna. After the year of his appointment was over, he was sent to preach in various cities until Lorenzo de’ Medici used his influence to have Savonarola sent back to Florence, thus opening the doors there to the bitterest enemy of Medici rule. Having returned to the city of his destiny (1490), Savonarola preached boldly against the tyrannical abuses of the government. Too late Lorenzo tried to dam the dangerous eloquence with threats and flattery, but his own life was drawing to a close, while popular enthusiasm for Savonarola’s preaching constantly increased. Soon afterward Savonarola gave his blessing to the dying Lorenzo. The legend that he refused Lorenzo absolution is disproved by documentary evidence.

Medici rule did not long survive Lorenzo and was overthrown by the invasion of Charles VIII (1494). Two years before, Savonarola had predicted his coming and his easy victory. These authenticated prophecies and the part he had played in negotiations with the King and in moderating the hatred of the factions after the change of government enormously increased his authority. Once the Medici had been driven out, Florence had no other master than Savonarola’s terrible voice. He introduced a democratic government, the best the city ever had. He has been accused, but unjustly, of interfering in politics. He was not ambitious or an intriguer. He wanted to found his city of God in Florence, the heart of Italy, as a well-organized Christian republic that might initiate the reform of Italy and of the church.

The republic of Florence was to be a Christian commonwealth, of which God was the sole sovereign, and His Gospel the law: the most stringent enactments were made for the repression of vice and frivolity. Gambling was prohibited an the vanities of dress were restrained by sumptuary laws. Even the women flocked to the public square to fling down their costliest ornaments and Savonarola's followers made huge "bonfires of the vanities."

Meanwhile, his rigor and claim to the gift of prophecy led to his being cited in 1495 to answer a charge of heresy at Rome and on his failing to appear he was forbidden to preach. Savonarola disregarded the order, but his difficulties at home increased. The new system proved impracticable and although the conspiracy for the recall of the Medici failed, and five of the conspirators were executed, yet this very rigor hastened the reaction.

(Image source)

In 1497 came a sentence of excommunication from Rome; and thus precluded from administering the sacred offices. A second "bonfire of the vanities" in 1498 led to riots; and at the new elections the Medici party came into power. Savonarola was again ordered to desist from preaching, and was fiercely denounced by a Franciscan preacher, Francesco da Puglia. Dominicans and Franciscans appealed to the interposition of divine providence by the ordeal of fire. But when the trial was to have come off (April 1498) difficulties and debates arose, destroying Savonarola's prestige and producing a complete revulsion of public feeling.

He was brought to trial for falsely claiming to have seen visions, and uttered prophecies, for religious error, and for sedition. Under torture he made avowals which he afterwards withdrew. He was declared guilty and the sentence was confirmed by Rome. On May 23rd, 1498, he and two Dominican disciples were hanged and burned, still professing their adherence to the Church.

Sources:

http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/savonarola.html

https://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/execution-girolamo-savonarola

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Girolamo-Savonarola

[sarahasks]

The History of Assassin’s Creed

1. The Birth of the Brotherhood

The Assassin’s Creed franchise has grown into one of the most successful video game series of all time. From the original game released in 2007, to the newest installment which came out in 2017, Assassin’s Creed has been loved and played by gamers all over the world.

The birth of Assassin’s Creed can be traced back to a young man named Patrice Désilets. After college, he was looking for a career that would allow him to make games that were as big and ambitious as his imagination could conjure up. He had a degree in Fine Arts but felt like he didn't want to waste his time doing something like drawing buildings or designing furniture for other people.

After exploring many different job options, Patrice finally found what he was looking for at

2. "The Renegades" - The Ezio Trilogy

I will be exploring the future of the Assassin's Creed franchise and how it has played a role in shaping the world we live in today.

The Assassin's Creed series provides a fantastic opportunity to explore how technology can be used to change our lives. For example, in the newly released Ezio Trilogy, players can access an online database that contains information on all known targets and their hideouts. The database allows players to see where and when they can find their target or search for people who are at risk of assassination. This use of technology is important because it allowed for more fluid gameplay by removing some restrictions on what Ezio could do during his missions.

3. The American Revolution - Connor's Tale

Connor is a member of the Mohawk tribe by birth. He is an Assassin, and his actions serve as a driving force for the American Revolution.

Connor was born in 1756 in Kanatahséton, a small village near the Mohawk River in the northeastern corner of New York. However, he was abducted by British forces when he was just 10 years old and spent the next 12 years of his life as an indentured servant in colonial Boston. In 1776, Connor returned to his homeland to find that it had been ravaged by war against British colonial forces.

4. Revelations - The War Within

Revelations, Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation, and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag all take place in the 18th century.

The AC series has always been based on a fictional history, but Revelations takes this to the next level by taking place during the French Revolution. The story is more focused on Desmond Miles's adventures in 2012 than Ezio Auditore Da Firenze.

5. Revolution and Unity

The game is about a man named Desmond Miles who is a descendant of a line of assassins. The game begins in the year 2012 when Desmond's ancestor, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, is killed by his former mentor, Abbas Sofian.

There are two main themes that are explored in Assassin’s Creed. One theme is unity while the other theme is revolution. Unity can be seen as a connection between different people that want to work together for the good of society. Whereas it can also be seen as one person unifying all their power to gain complete dominance over society. Revolution, on the other hand, can be seen as an uprising against those who have too much power over society and those who enforce their will over others without any feelings or empathy towards them.

[teecupangel]

Submitted by @saberamane

I’m finally back with the Ark/AC Fusion!!

 They reach the deepest depths of the subterranean cave they’ve called home for the past while, and find the platform for the final ‘boss’ of the area. Entering, they encounter the deformed, tentacled monster that was once ‘Rockwell’ (which Ezio says, firmly, that that was on the list of things he definitely wouldn’t consider having sex with), and in time, put him out of his misery.

As the portal readies to ‘ascend’ them, Desmond says a last, tearful farewell to his Reaper, placing it in a cryo pod and leaving it in the saddle of his rock drake.

As they are lifted up, following the spinal like machinery back up towards they came down, all the broken down machines begin to light up until they reach the very beginning of where they started. A bright flash of light and the portal whisks them away.

Only this time, they are not transported through space to a new ‘ark’, they are sent to earth. And earth does not look good. There are spires of crystallized element erupting from the ground, and the dirt is dry as dust and lifeless, not a single spec of green anywhere to be seen. And the creatures are ‘infected’ with the element as well, large parts of them replaced with black and purple, looking like decayed flesh.

They’ve barely taken in their surroundings when these infected creatures begin to take notice, and run towards them.

Surprisingly they’re saved, by a white and red tek Giga of all things. And who does Desmond see on it’s back?

Clay.

Desmond:

Velonasaur

Gasbag

Defense Unit

Mega Mek

Forest Wyvern

Ice Titan

Altair:

Enforcer

Scout

Gacha

Rubble Golem

Thylacoleo

Yeti

Ezio:

Managarmr (Because they’re flashy as fuck, and Ezio is all about the ‘bling’, lol)

Dire Bear

Tapejara

Rex (Ol’ reliable lol)

Daeodon

Desert Titan

Ratonhnhaké:ton:

Snow Owl (I just feel he’d really like their heat vision, and they can heal which would help him when exploring.)

Rock Elemental (Because sometimes you just need a tanky boy.)

Yutyranus

Megalosaurus (Cave runs!)

Iguanodon

Forest Titan

Clay!!: He Lives!! And only has tek Creatures

Tek Giga (totally hacked, not legit tame AT ALL, because you can’t legit get them.)

Tek Rex

Tek Raptor Pack

Tek Quetzal

Tek Parasaur

Enforcer

And as a surprise, Clay, the best man to ever live, hacks an orbital drop to get Desmond’s Reaper for him. And he is definitely judging Desmond about this, even though he knows how this happens. I mean, Desmond could have just left the thing out in the wild to fend for itself…

Now then, how is Clay here? He doesn’t know exactly. He woke up on ‘Extinction’ with that weird gem thing in his wrist, and all engrams/dossier’s unlocked. For a long while he thought he was still in an animus or something…

Also, he is linked to Ezio, and Ezio only, so when Ezio dies… Clay does too. And the first time it happens is a surprise to everyone BUT Desmond. Clay is not please with being linked to someone else, especially when they die often…

=============

Additions from teecup:

The Ark Survival Evolved AU idea (this one and this one too)

Tames for The Island Ark

Tames for the Scorched Earth Ark

Tames for the Aberration Ark

Clay would add an interesting dynamic to the mix too, especially if he’s being a chaotic gremlin.

Also, the fact that Clay can hack the system is such an OP move at this point that I think we need to give Clay a disadvantage of some kind to level the playing field (because the other OP character we have is Desmond and his OP-ness is ‘random’ as far as everyone knows although it seemed to have a higher chance of working on bosses which is more of a rule of funny than anything else).

May I suggest, Clay actually has the lowest ‘stats’ of the four? Like, yeah, he has all engrams/dossiers unlocked BUT he gets tired and hungry quicker than anybody else and his inventory is lower than the others (even if he ups his inventory using other means like a mount, it is still lower than it should be).

Clay thinks someone is out to get him because he’s cheating the system or because he’s not meant to be there in the first place and his entire existence was some sort of accident. Maybe even both!

So, because of Clay’s ‘limitation’, he tends to stay near the base because (1) he’s squishy so he could easily die and (2) if Ezio dies, he dies anyway. Staying near the base means that anything that stayed on his ‘corpse’ could be retrieved if necessary.

Desmond

Reaper does not count as a tame in this ark because Reaper is technically a ‘mod’ at this point and it seems to aggro everything that sees it so, yeah, his Reaper is safer in the base as a lookout/patrol. Full on bored kid always happy to see their working parent come home and play with them vibes.

His Velonasaur usually joins him when he’s out in the ‘wilds’, acting as both a decoy and a DPS attacker with his thorn and spine attacks to keep the enemy (especially flying ones) switching between two or more targets. He also sometimes acts as a scout but Desmond prefers him to stay close by as more of an early radar if Desmond is too focused on one direction.

Gasbag was tamed sorta unintentionally? Desmond found a Gasbag wounded and he felt bad for the poor fella so he gave him food to try and heal him. That amount of food was enough to tame him (and maybe Desmond’s random glitchy taming ability might also be in play) and he followed Desmond back to the base. He works more as both pack mule and also a source for more oxygen. Desmond definitely does not like him to be part of any fighting because he just sees him as a sweet mild-mannered tame, even going as far as feeling scandalous when Altaïr suggested that he could be a good decoy.

Everyone calls bullshit on Desmond taming a Defense Unit. Like, everyone knows by now that if there is any monster/creature/whatever that could not be tamed in this Ark, it would be the sci-fi looking crab robot thingie. Desmond swears he tamed him the ‘natural way’. They all think it’s bullshit but, at this point, they just accepted that Desmond was bound to freaking tame one or two untameables this time anyway. The Defense Unit itself is kept near the base as more of patrol and it likes to attack anything near the base that doesn’t register as an ally to Desmond. This does mean that any other patrolling tames usually grabs the carcass of anything the Defense Unit has killed back to the base for easy ‘good boy’ praises (even though everyone knows it was probably killed by the Defense Unit). 

Altaïr built the Mega Mek after a few Meks have been built that have a prototype hidden blades. Desmond gave him the big puppy dog “I want one pleeeasse?” eyes after seeing Altaïr’s own Enforcer and hearing how he liked watching shows of robots fighting back in New York. Everyone gives Altaïr the knowing ‘you’re so totally whipped’ look when he presented the Mega Mek (which was created using the previous experimental Meks) to Desmond. This is Desmond’s preferred vehicle of choice and as a Vorpal TEK Cleaver as its main right hand weapon and Altaïr’s latest hidden blade attachment as its left hand weapon (the next version will have a hook blade attachment because Ezio insists)

Because of Mega Mek, the Forest Wyvern is usually used for aerial attacks or if Desmond needs to scout some place from high up. Forest Wyvern is also his usual go to AOE attacker and Gasbag is afraid of the fire. 

Unsurprisingly, the Ice Titan serves as the main attacker in Desmond’s ‘pack’. Desmond and the Ice Titan usually tag team every enemy into oblivion while it’s distracted by the Forest Wyvern or the Velonasaur. Desmond never leaves the base without his buddy Ice Titan (which he may or may not be calling Vanilla Ice, Clay stresses he should not be allowed to call him Vanilla Ice).

Altaïr

The Enforcer is his main mount mostly because of how adaptable to the environment it is. His Enforcer is usually called Altaïr’s Monster by Clay because it’s not just one ‘tamed’ Enforcer. It’s multiple Enforcers all ‘stitched up’ by Altaïr’s audacity after he learned that fully crafted Enforcers can only be level 1 and he hates the game of chance of having enemy Enforcers leave blueprints of random quality so he just went “I’ll take my base Enforcer and just keep upgrading him with other Enforcers parts”. Clay is sure cannibalizing parts from other Enforcers is also against the rule but everyone just accepts it because Altaïr is already in his mad scientist phase and every mad scientist needs to create a monster that may become their undoing as a treat. Why is the Enforcer most probably going to be his undoing? Well, it’s a modded Enforcer for all intents and purposes so it is one of their highest damage dealing ‘tames’ at the moment (maybe only rivaled by the Mega Mek)

As the name says, Scout is usually used by Altaïr to scout around so Altaïr could plan his route better. Unlike the Enforcer, Altaïr didn’t bother to mod his Scout BUT he does have a lot lying around the base because of their varying qualities so everyone believes he plans to mod his current Scout at one point or another. It is also sometimes used to lure targets into traps or, if Altaïr believes that Desmond plans to go to a dangerous area OR thinks Desmond might be planning something stupid, he would let Desmond ‘borrow’ his Scout and the Scout’s only instruction is to keep healing Desmond’s Mega Mek. Desmond can’t even use it to scout around because the Scout’s main and only order as far as its concern is to keep healing the Mega Mek. 

The Gacha stays in the base to keep producing resources, especially crystals. Altaïr tried to make a farm but noticed that the Gachas tend to become sad if Gachas of the same gender are near each other and then Altaïr had to get a female Gacha for both of them to stop being sad then they had children. At some point, Altaïr had unintentionally built a large enclosure to ensure the current Gachas are not sad OR trying to overwhelm the base’s population with more baby Gachas. (Clay had suggested they just kill the excess Gachas, at which Altaïr grumbled that Desmond wouldn’t like that if he heard about it and Clay just made a whipping sound). One of them actually gives loot instead and Altaïr is trying to study how the hell that happened. 

So apparently Rubble Golem cannot be tamed but Rock Elemental can be? But if we want Altaïr to have a Rubble Golem instead, we can make it as a thank you gift from Desmond for the Mega Mek? Either way, this one is mainly used to mine resources for Altaïr’s ‘studies’.

It might not be his original Thylacoleo but Altaïr tends to forget that at times. It doesn’t mind. It mostly stays near Altaïr acting like an oversized lazy cat.

Okay. So this one is weird. There’s a Yeti in a cave near their base and Altaïr is currently studying it from afar because… it’s sorta a fascinating creature to him? Like it seemed to understand them to some degree and he would like to study it further before killing it (if the need to kill it does come up in the first place). Clay jokes that, soon enough, that Yeti will start learning sign language. That only made Altaïr curious if that would be possible.

Ezio:

Ezio would insist that he got a Managarmr because he’s all about the bling as Clay and Desmond like to tease. But also, the Managarmr is one of the more ‘dangerous’ mounts to use as they can attract aggro easily thanks to their ambush attacks and flashiness sooooo… there may be a reason why Clay dies a lot in this game thanks to Ezio XD (because of this though, Ezio’s other tames rarely, if ever, get hurt)

If Ratonhnhaké:ton’s previous Dire Bear was more on the attacking and mule side, Ezio’s Dire Bear is more of a jack of all trades but master of not. Loves to gather everything and anything it sees to get pets from Ezio. Fast enough that it could be used as a scout. Definitely packs a punch. And can take more weight than most. 

Tapejara is his aerial support and usually used to ferry him and his other tames into usually inaccessible areas. Tapejara is highly skilled because it does a lot of things, including stealing eggs while the mother is distracted.

Th T-rex is called Cars 2 (in honor of Desmond's T Rex named Car) which Clay claims to be an underrated Pixar movie that deserves more love. Desmond insists Clay is being sarcastic. Nobody else gets the reference.

Daeodon is a tame that everyone insists (especially Clay!) that Ezio brings with him because of its healing abilities. Seriously, Ezio needs it the most this time around for some reason (there are theories that the monsters that easily aggros on Ezio might have ‘smelled’ or ‘felt’ his connection to Clay and that’s the reason why Ezio has the second highest respawns in this around, 1st is Clay and that’s because of Ezio’s deaths mostly. It really says something that Desmond who would have to respawn if anyone BUT Clay dies is the 3rd highest this time around and he likes to ‘take a walk’)

The Desert Titan is usually used as a mobile base and Ezio taught it how to grab his corpse and run away. Actually, his tames had been taught of “Dead Ezio Protocol” which can be summarized as ‘grab Ezio’s corpse and find a safe place while keeping each other safe’. The Desert Titan usually served as the leader in that scenario with the Managarmr becoming bait and decoy while Tapejara flies back to the base to get Ezio.

Ratonhnhaké:ton

Absolutely agree. Ratonhnhaké:ton would like Snow Owl’s utility and also use him as a messenger if any of the others are nearby.

Rock Elemental: Yeeeess, the tank of Ratonhnhaké:ton’s pack and also the real MVP considering the amount of fighting they do.

Ratonhnhaké:ton let Desmond name Yutyrannus “Yuty Junior” in honor of the first Yuty. Ratonhnhaké:ton’s Yuty though is more on the buff-debuff side than pure damage, giving roars that ups attacks of damaged tames (which tend to happen) and weakens enemies.

Ratonhnhaké:ton asked Altaïr if he’d like to name his Megalosaurus in honor of Altaïr’s old Megalosaurus but Altaïr just reminded Ratonhnhaké:ton that he didn’t exactly name all of his tames. That’s more of Desmond and Ezio’s thing (Clay sighs and tells Desmond that naming them only makes it harder to let them go and Desmond groans that he knows that but he can’t help it, they look so sad without names and Clay will stress that, no, they do not, that Gacha is sad because he’s not getting any Gachussy). In honor of the nameless Megalosaurus, Ratonhnhaké:ton names his Megalosaurus Junior. (No one knows if he’s being serious or if it was a joke)

Iguanodon was one of Ratonhnhaké:ton’s first tames in this Ark but she’s been heavily outclassed by the other tames and the places Ratonhnhaké:ton now goes too can be quite dangerous for her. Mainly, she serves to gather food and act as a pack mule for the pack so they can continue on even longer without returning to base.

Forest Titan has a building on its back that stores most of Ratonhnhaké:ton’s other attack items including weapons, ammos and they serve as a mini-sorta base but not really a base? There is a bed there so Ratonhnhaké:ton can respawn on the back of the Forest Titan (he told Ezio he should do that as well but Ezio’s like ‘naahh, it’ll be fine’). The Forest Titan also serves as an offhand tank if Rock Elemental needs to tap out for a bit.

Clay

Tek Giga might have been the trigger that makes everything aggro at Clay. The Tek Giga was Clay’s first hack and hacking in this Ark takes a long time so he could not do it anymore because of all the aggros. However, with the help of others, Clay is planning to try hacking another one. Maybe even the big boss just for shits and giggles XD

Tek Rex and the Tek Raptor Pack are Clay’s main damagers. He calls them his “Jurassic Park Gang”. Only Desmond gets that reference of course. 

Tek Quetzal is usually his go to mount whenever some big fight is happening and staying on Tek Giga or even Tek Rex would be dangerous.

Tek Parasaur is there to cause chaos, master of hit and run attacks and also… berry gathering. This one looovvveeesss stimberry and the common joke is that it’s tweaking when it’s out gathering stimberries XD

His Enforcer is something he fully crafted on his own and, no, he will not do that abdomination that Altaïr was still doing. At some point, Clay thinks Altaïr should just stop but he knows he won’t. He had a taste of what it feels like to be Frankenstein and he’s going to keep going until the Monster finally says no. (Desmond tells him to stop being so overly dramatic)

[malfattore]

Data Entry: Malfatto [ The Doctor ]

— BIRTH —

Malfatto was born on November 22nd 1476, in a small home in Rome, Italy, to parents: Mabilia Luoni (mother) and Fabrizio Venturi (father).

Fabrizio was a doctor, just as his father before him, passing this training down their family tree // Mabilia loved her son with all her heart, but unfortunately, she passed away soon after his birth. The name she had picked and kept a secret till after his birth never passed her lips.

Struck with grief, Fabrizio turned to alcohol, brothels, and inns — completely neglecting his son out of resentment and a grief driven depression.

— EARLY LIFE —

In the early years of Malfatto’s life, he was severely neglected and mentally abused by his father, though rarely physically.

At the age of 6, Malfatto began to take up his mother’s chores and activities; learning to cook, clean, sew, as well as training to be a doctor alongside his father, simultaneously.

At the age of 8, the young doctor became his father’s assistant, working tirelessly beside his elder and facing the horrors of the profession head on; As his father refused to separate him from their work, forcing the young boy to face death, amputations, agony, and so on.

By the time he was at the age of 12, Malfatto had become mostly detached from his patient’s pain, along with his own true feelings and any remaining care for his existing family; only focusing on his work and what needed to be done.

This strained the family’s relationship, to where the young doctor hardly even spoke to anyone unless necessary, and began to steal money from his drunk father to buy what they needed to survive. His father grew even more abusive towards his son, treating him almost like a servant, and therapist, while he continued with his harmful habits, agitating the young Malfatto to the point of hatred and resentment towards his father.

At the age of 14, On a very late night in June, his father, once again, didn’t come home, sparking the young man to go in search of him... But, It didn’t take long to discover his father’s mangled corpse, butchered on the streets, and the perpetrator still at the scene of the crime.

Fleeing the scene in fear, Malfatto ran home, unknowingly followed by the man that murdered his father, and leading him directly to the source of their valuable possessions; Where he was ambushed, himself.

With nowhere to run, and fighting for his life, Malfatto struggled and miraculously managed to free himself from the attacker’s grip, striking the perpetrator in the head with a large wine bottle and sending him crashing to the floor. Without a second to waste, he took a blade from his father’s operating table and plunged it deep into the man’s throat.

Since that night, something changed in him, leading to a chain reaction in his future.

— BEGINNING —

Following his father’s murder and the short, careless investigation performed by local law enforcement, Malfatto started working as a doctor at the age of 15 years old.

He made many mistakes, overwhelming stress and constant crushing failure pushing the young man to be better, to study harder, and perfect his skills. Though, along the way, Malfatto grew even more and more detached, bitter and uncaring — as well as developing severe depression and minor paranoia.

At the age of 17, Malfatto suddenly picked up and left his old home, leaving everything behind, except for a few personal items and one momento.

He then moved to the lower-middle of Rome and became a street doctor to pay off his new home, though he still served in the poor district. There he was faced with the worst of humanity, and where he committed his second murder.

A horrible man, spitting insults and curses, derogatory names of his wife and children — and so, Malfatto had enough, gifting the man a “healing serum”, that ended his life before he managed to get home. He was never caught for the crime.

Then, a third kill, a abusive parent. More direct action this time.

And a fourth. An aggressive “lover”. A brutal kill.

A fifth, a drunkard—

And on and on...

Never caught by guards and with the wit of a medical professional to talk his was out of any suspicious situation; He survived past all his victims.

— PAST —

After the murders of a little under a dozen civilians, Malfatto’s crime spree took a turn that was much more categorizable to the public eye...

It didn’t take long for the corruption (and diseases) of the largest and most popular brothel had begun to manifest, leading to the deaths of many of his regular patients, toxicity in the community, and a loss of productivity. Soon, he began refusing service to notable members of the brothel, as many other doctors throughout the city did, but it quickly became apparent of other methods.

With impulsive decisions towards killing off problems, Malfatto began picking off notable members of the guild, leaving their corpses as a warning to the others, and sparing very few, while he pursued his main target — Madonna Solari, Madam of the brothel.

Despite his careful plans, the Cento Occhi got to her before he did... though not without taking notice of him.

Suddenly, the Borgia had set their eyes on him, sending a familiar face to recruit him — Fiora Cavazza, a notable member he had set out to kill — donning her old working garb as a way to lure him out. It worked, to his annoyance.

Following her home, he was quickly caught off guard by her quick reactions, along with her newfound training, wielding a weapon he’d never seen before. The shock had betrayed him, leaving himself open to an harsh attack, and badly wounding him — forcing him to flee the area to recover.

At the age of 25, Malfatto accepted Cesare’s recruitment and became a Templar, serving alongside the Templar rite; Though, only as a provider of unique toxins and to assist in any injuries suffered by the Order’s most important agents. Paid by the Borgia, He was a tool to be used by their order — pledged to take care of any agents with successful haste and to craft the toxins the Templar rite needed to eliminate their enemies.

Besides that, he was free to do as he pleased; So, he continued killing, getting reckless in his wake...

He began to stalk around the brothel itself, until finally, his recklessness caught the attention of the Master Assassin, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, himself.

Marking his recorded death to be in the Summer of 1502, at the age of 26.

— PRESENT —

That wasn’t the case, though. With pure luck, Malfatto managed to survive the newly-founded Assassins, by only a fraction of an inch to spare his vital arteries. On his own, he scrambled home to tend to his wounds, falling unconscious in his home some time after.

After being in recovery for 6 months, Malfatto was finally reliably back on his feet. This time, working independently from his own home, and refraining from gaining too much attention from any guilds — only exposing himself when absolutely necessary or to someone he has trust or interest in.

His murders began to significantly dwindle in numbers, though never stopped completely.

With Claudia Auditore in charge of the Rosa in Fiore, Malfatto kept his distance — though, retaining a hatred for the guild.

— FUTURE —

The murderer still lives, taking lives sparingly in the dead of night, driven by his own judgement and bitterness, but remains a shadow of the monster he once was.

What truly kills the monster, or saves him, is up to fate.

[teecupangel]

In the vein of modern assassins not being as united as we think... Imagine other cells, who are less devout to Bill, demanding to be in on the whole Animus thing? And then they decide that the way Desmond is basically being coached that it's all on him is pish and start fights about enforced break times, drag in someone who specialized in psychology etc. Y'know, working on having their Assassin actually survive and thrive after the entire thing

It’s highly possible that the Animus project was a big hush-hush operation even with the Assassins so when the other Assassins learned of what was happening, they’d also be pissed.

If we set this conflict during AC2, it’s going to be a clusterfuck for one specific reason:

Lucy Stillman.

If more Assassins want in and one of them actually specializes in psychology?

Lucy’s gonna get under fire because of what happened to Clay, that’s for damn sure.

Lucy could say that she knows the Animus inside and out but the specialist could easily kick her by reminding her that she let Clay die. Not even the whole ‘I couldn’t stop Vidic’ would help her case because she could have requested Clay to be extracted any time she felt like it was getting too dangerous.

So either she didn’t know until it was too late (which wouldn’t look good on being the actual ‘expert’ on the Animus) or she deliberately let Clay die (which wouldn’t look good, period).

This will snowball with Lucy being under scrutiny and Desmond and his team getting exfil out of Italy (maybe even out of Europe) just to be sure.

My bet is they’ll be taken to Altaïr II as some kind of mobile safehouse.

There will be a huge long heated conversation between the experts about how they could use the Animus while making sure to keep an eye on the Bleeding Effect.

Mandatory breaks are not enough.

Considering how long they plan on keeping Desmond hooked into the Animus, they risk the chance of muscle atrophy as well if they’re not careful.

Not to mention, the psychological effects of the Animus were worrying so Desmond needs to have mandatory sessions with their psychiatrist who will keep an eye on and evaluate his mental state after every long Animus Session.

But more importantly.

There will be a great debate about whose memories Desmond should access.

“If we want Desmond Miles to learn from the best, we should focus on Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad’s memories! He was raised as an Assassin!”

“An Assassin from the 12th century! Ezio Auditore is a legendary Assassin-”

“Are you saying Altaïr isn’t?!”

“I didn’t say that, stop putting words in my mouth! I’m just saying that between Altaïr and Ezio, Ezio is definitely a better Assassin to emulate!”

“Oh, now, it’s on! I’m not going to stand here and let you talk crap about Altaïr!”

“I’m not! I’m just saying Ezio’s better!”

“What the hell are you talking about?! Altaïr is obviously better! Ezio is a-”

(cue a heated debate between grown-ass adults like they’re anonymous users of a forum board circa 2012)

On the other side of the ship, Desmond finally has a new set of clothes, has been eating better, AND finally got to sleep at a reasonable time.

... And he is absolutely ignoring the wispy ghost-like hallucinations he's been having since he got out of Abstergo.

Oh, absolutely.

[historybehindassassinscreed]

In Game:

Wanted posters were printed signs found in cities that featured the face of an Assassin, demanding for their immediate capture.

Ezio Auditore da Firenze first encountered them after the execution of his family. The posters prominently displayed the Pazzi family emblem and promised awards of 50,000 florins to anyone who killed or captured the Assassin once he had committed socially unacceptable behavior.

In the mid 18th century, the Assassin Aveline de Grandpré found need to remove wanted posters bearing the image of her slave persona, to decrease any negative focus of her in the public eye.

Around the same time, the Assassin Ratonhnhaké:ton also removed wanted posters to reduce his notoriety, or could bribe printers to stop producing them altogether. Contrary to the posters issued for Ezio, in Colonial America, the depicted image would update as Ratonhnhaké:ton grew older and became a full Assassin.

In Real Life:

Wanted posters (or wanted sign) is a poster distributed to let the public know of an alleged criminal whom authorities wish to apprehend. They will generally include either a picture of the alleged criminal when a photograph is available or of a facial composite image produced by police. They are most commonly associated with the wild west, especially in the media.

The poster will usually include a description of the wanted person(s) and the crime(s) for which they are sought. There is typically a set monetary reward offered to whoever catches the wanted criminal that is advertised on the poster. Wanted posters are commonly produced by a police department or other public government bureaus intended for public display such as on a physical bulletin board or in the lobby of a post office. Today many wanted posters are displayed on the Internet. Wanted posters also might include rewards for providing aid in the capture of the wanted person, usually in the form of money.

(Image source)

Wanted posters for particularly notorious fugitives frequently offer a bounty for the capture of the person, or for a person who can provide information leading to such capture. Bounties provided an incentive for citizens to aid law enforcement, either by providing information, or by catching the criminal themselves. More modern wanted posters may also include images of the fugitive's fingerprints. People who, as a profession, chase wanted individuals with the intent to collect their bounties are referred to as bounty hunters.

Historically, some wanted posters offering a reward contained the phrase "dead or alive". Thus one would get a reward for either bringing the person or their body to the authorities. This could indicate that the person was an outlaw, and that it was permissible to kill them. Alternatively it might mean that it was permissible to kill them if they resisted arrest.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanted_poster

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-history-of-the-most-wanted-poster_us_5851ba70e4b0865ab9d4e8d7

http://mentalfloss.com/article/30745/when-did-fbi-start-using-%E2%80%9Cwanted%E2%80%9D-posters

[historybehindassassinscreed]

In Game:

The Ottoman Empire was a Turkish state that ruled over most of the territories of the former Byzantine Empire and beyond, with Constantinople as its capital.

In 1476, the Ottomans under the Grand Vizier Ishak Pasha participated in a military crackdown on a Hungarian uprising, entering a war with Wallachia and defeating the rebel prince, a Templar named Vlad Tepes.

During the later half of the 15th century, the Ottomans brokered a truce with the Assassins, via their leader Ishak Pasha, who was also a secret Assassin himself. This act led Vali cel Tradat to defect to the Templars, after he had served the Assassins for nearly a decade, as he considered the truce with the Ottomans and Assassins as a betrayal of his Wallachian heritage.

Sultan Bayezid II led the Ottomans into a war with the remnants of the Byzantine Empire, led by Manuel Palaiologos, a Templar, who was attempting to reclaim the empire and restore it to its Byzantine roots.

While Bayezid had originally chosen his son Ahmet as the next Sultan, he soon faced fierce opposition from the Ottoman Janissaries, who supported his other son, Selim, and aided him in his bid for ascension to the throne. Selim then begun a tough war against his father in order to force him to abdicate the title of Sultan. In 1512, Bayezid eventually handed over the throne to Selim instead of Ahmet, and Selim became the new Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.

As soon as he became the Sultan, Selim and his Janissary army marched their way towards Constantinople, where they found Selim's brother Ahmet facing off against the Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze. As he approached his brother, Selim revealed to Ahmet that their father had ultimately chosen him as his successor, before he began to strangle Ahmet and eventually pushed him off a nearby cliff, killing him.

It was his reasoning that Ahmet, who was secretly a high-ranked member of the Templars, had betrayed the Ottomans when he formed an alliance with the Byzantines.

In 1520, a tragedy robbed Selim of the Sultanate, and Suleiman, aged 26, succeeded him. His reforms greatly improved the Empire's bureaucratic system, which would later be described as a "well-oiled engine," despite its significant size.

During his rule, Suleiman expanded his Empire to its furthest points, stretching it from Algeria to the Persian Gulf, and from Austria down to Egypt. Respecting the diversity of those under his authority, he was always careful to honor their cultures, traditions, and religions.

In Real Life:

The Ottoman Empire was created by Turkish tribes in Anatolia (Asia Minor) that grew to be one of the most powerful states in the world during the 15th and 16th centuries. The Ottoman period spanned more than 600 years and came to an end only in 1922, when it was replaced by the Turkish Republic and various successor states in southeastern Europe and the Middle East. At its height the empire encompassed most of southeastern Europe to the gates of Vienna, including present-day Hungary, the Balkan region, Greece, and parts of Ukraine; portions of the Middle East now occupied by Iraq, Syria, Israel, and Egypt; North Africa as far west as Algeria; and large parts of the Arabian Peninsula. The term Ottoman is a dynastic appellation derived from Osman I (Arabic: ʿUthmān), the nomadic Turkmen chief who founded both the dynasty and the empire about 1300.

The first period of Ottoman history was characterized by almost continuous territorial expansion, during which Ottoman dominion spread out from a small northwestern Anatolian principality to cover most of southeastern Europe and Anatolia. The political, economic, and social institutions of the classical Islamic empires were amalgamated with those inherited from Byzantium and the great Turkish empires of Central Asia and were reestablished in new forms that were to characterize the area into modern times.

In their initial stages of expansion, the Ottomans were leaders of the Turkish warriors for the faith of Islam, known by the honorific title ghāzī (Arabic: “raider”), who fought against the shrinking Christian Byzantine state. The ancestors of Osman I, the founder of the dynasty, were members of the Kayı tribe who had entered Anatolia along with a mass of Turkmen Oğuz nomads. Those nomads, migrating from Central Asia, established themselves as the Seljuq dynasty in Iran and Mesopotamia in the mid-11th century, overwhelmed Byzantium after the Battle of Manzikert (1071), and occupied eastern and central Anatolia during the 12th century. The ghazis fought against the Byzantines and then the Mongols, who invaded Anatolia following the establishment of the Il-Khanid (Ilhanid) empire in Iran and Mesopotamia in the last half of the 13th century. With the disintegration of Seljuq power and its replacement by Mongol suzerainty, enforced by direct military occupation of much of eastern Anatolia, independent Turkmen principalities—one of which was led by Osman—emerged in the remainder of Anatolia.

Ottoman dynasts were transformed from simple tribal leaders to border princes (uc beys) and ghazi leaders under Seljuq and then II-Khanid suzerainty in the 13th and early 14th centuries. With the capture of Bursa, Orhan had been able to declare himself independent of his suzerains and assume the title of bey, which was retained by his successors until Bayezid I was named sultan by the shadow ʿAbbāsid caliph of Cairo following his victory over the Christian Crusaders at the Battle of Nicopolis (1396). Those title changes reflected changes in the position of the Ottoman ruler within the state and in the organization of the state itself.

As the territory of the Ottoman principality expanded, however, and the Ottomans inherited the administrative apparatus left by the Byzantines, that simple tribal organization was replaced by a more complex form of government. By the time the Ottoman rulers became sultans, they already had far more extensive power and authority than had been the case a half century earlier. The simple tribal organization of the Ottoman bey could suffice only while the state was small enough for the individual tribal leaders to remain on their lands to collect their revenues and fight the nearby enemy at the same time. As the empire expanded and the frontiers and enemies became further removed from previously conquered territory, the financial and administrative functions at home had to be separated from the military. Taxes had to be collected to exploit the conquered territories and support the officers and soldiers while they were away. The treasury of the sultan had to be separated from that of the state so that each would have an independent income and organization.

Throughout the 14th and 15th centuries, therefore, the Ottoman state gradually reshaped its government and military institutions to meet the needs of administering and defending an expanding empire. That process naturally was influenced by those states that had preceded the Ottoman Empire, not only in the areas it came to rule but also in the lands of its ancestors. So it was that the developing Ottoman state was influenced by the traditions of the nomadic Turkic empires of Central Asia, particularly in military organization and tactics. It was also heavily influenced by the classical high Islamic civilization of the ʿAbbāsids, as passed through the hands of the Seljuqs, particularly in the development of orthodox Islam as the basis of its administrative, religious, legal, and educational institutions and in the organization of its financial systems. In the court hierarchy, the central financial structure, and the tax and administrative organizations developed in the European provinces, the Ottomans were influenced by the Byzantines and, to a lesser extent, by the Serbian and Bulgarian empires. Although conversion to Islām was not demanded of the conquered, many Christians and a few Jews voluntarily converted to secure full status in the new empire. Most, however, continued to practice their old religions without restriction.

A particularly important source of Christian influence during the 14th century came from the close marriage ties between the Ottoman and Christian courts. Orhan was married to the Byzantine princess Nilüfer, mother of Murad I. Murad married Byzantine and Bulgarian princesses, and Bayezid I married Despina, daughter of the Serbian prince Lazar. Each of those marriages brought Christian followers and advisers into the Ottoman court, and it was under their influence that Bayezid I abandoned the simple nomadic courts and practices of his predecessors and isolated himself behind elaborate court hierarchies and ceremonies borrowed primarily from the Byzantines, setting a pattern that was continued by his successors. The triumph of Sultan Mehmed I in 1413 was at least in part because of the support of the Turkish notables and Muslim religious orders of Anatolia, who strongly resented the Christian predominance in Bayezid’s court and attributed his abandonment of the ghazi tradition and attacks in Turkish Muslim Anatolia—as well as the defeat at the hands of Timur—to Christian influence. As a result, Turkish and Muslim influences dominated the Ottoman court during the 15th century, although the hierarchies, institutions, and ceremonies introduced in the previous century remained largely unchanged.

During the century that followed the reign of Mehmed II, the Ottoman Empire achieved the peak of its power and wealth. New conquests extended its domain well into central Europe and throughout the Arab portion of the old Islamic caliphate, and a new amalgam of political, religious, social, and economic organizations and traditions was institutionalized and developed into a living, working whole.

Whereas Bayezid had been put on the throne by the Janissaries despite his pacific nature and carried out military activities with reluctance, Selim I (ruled 1512–20) shared their desire to return to Mehmed II’s aggressive policy of conquest. But Selim did not wish to be dependent on or controlled by those who had brought him to power, so he killed not only all of his brothers but also all seven of their sons and four of his own five sons, leaving only the ablest, Süleyman, as the sole heir to the throne.

(Image source)

Throughout Sultan Suleiman’s rule, the empire expanded and included areas of Eastern Europe. At its height, the Ottoman Empire included the following regions: Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Egypt, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, some of Arabia, and a considerable amount of the North African coastal strip.

Starting in the 1600s, the Ottoman Empire began to lose its economic and military dominance to Europe.

Around this time, Europe had strengthened rapidly with the Renaissance and the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Other factors, such as poor leadership and having to compete with trade from the Americas and India, led to the weakening of the empire. In 1683, the Ottoman Turks were defeated at the Battle of Vienna. This loss added to their already waning status. Over the next hundred years, the empire began to lose key regions of land. After a revolt, Greece won their independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830. In 1878, the Congress of Berlin declared the independence of Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria.

During the Balkan Wars, which took place in 1912 and 1913, the Ottoman Empire lost nearly all their territories in Europe.

At the start of World War I, the Ottoman Empire was already in decline. The Ottoman Turks entered the war in 1914 on the side of the Central Powers (including Germany and Austria-Hungary) and were defeated in 1918.

Under a treaty agreement, most Ottoman territories were divided between Britain, France, Greece and Russia.

The Ottoman empire officially ended in 1922 when the title of Ottoman Sultan was eliminated. Turkey was declared a republic in 1923.

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/place/Ottoman-Empire/The-peak-of-Ottoman-power-1481-1566

https://www.britannica.com/place/Ottoman-Empire/The-empire-from-1807-to-1920

http://www.history.com/topics/ottoman-empire