#Eagle of Alamut anyone?

[fanworldbuildingfun]

@teecupangel a fitting track to go with your “Eagle of Alamut” fic, no?

[teecupangel]

sooo Desmond is an Irish name, so fae Desmond?? 👀 haven’t been able to get to my laptop to search your blog if you've already done this idea, but I thought I’d throw it out there anyway!

am a big fan of Weird fae, like when you look at them you think they should be human but something about them is so obviously not. uncanny valley with a side of fight-flight-or-freeze instincts kicking in just from being around them.

is this something something that comes from his parents? is it all Isu bullshit? is it something he changes into or is he born with it?? on that vein, what if he was a changeling child? lots of ways of incorporating the Isu and the calculations into that for sure

(am one of the anons who keeps coming back for renaissance baker Desmond, so thank you very much for answering those asks, and also for just being a rad individual in general. am still catching up on Eagle of Alamut, I think I’m around chapter 30, and absolutely LOVE what you've already done with it and where you’re taking it. my sib assures me Altaïr makes his appearance soon, and I'm GREATLY looking forward to it.

thanks again, I hope you're well 🧡) —bread anon

(Thank you! I try my best hahahaha. I am so sorry for being slow on asks and replies TTATT

I hope you’re enjoying the rest of Eagle of Alamut… especially Altaïr’s appearance hehehe)

Desmond Miles always knew he was different.

The other kids call him ‘ugly’ and they don’t like to play with him.

He had cried in his mother’s arms and told her what happened and she just… she looked somber.

She patted his head and held him close, comforted him with soft words and a warm hug.

Never once did she say anything about his face.

He was a little bit older when he realized why they think he was ugly.

There were no mirrors in their home.

Or even in the training building he spent most of his childhood in.

But there was a hand mirror in the infirmary.

Desmond never had a reason to go there. What he lacked in brute strength, he made up by being faster than anyone on the Farm.

He had went to the infirmary to take the first aid kit. One of the other kids had a painful gash on his arm. It wasn’t life-threatening but it needed to be cleaned and disinfected.

Desmond had been ordered to get the first aid.

He supposed it was because he had been the reason the boy had hurt himself, trying to run away from him like he was being chased by demons during a ‘game’ of tag.

They always run like they were scared for their lives when Desmond was ‘it’.

The doctor wasn’t inside so Desmond went towards the cupboard that would have the small boxes of first aids stacked on the bottom shelf.

He stopped when he noticed the hand mirror.

And saw his reflection for the first time.

Desmond Miles was not ugly.

But there was something in his features that made him seemed… strange.

It wasn’t anything that can be physically described about his facial structure.

He looked human but there was something in the human brain that just made it scream ‘danger’.

Desmond couldn’t explain it.

But he could see it.

He didn’t bring the first aid back to training.

He went home.

His mother was cooking something.

“What am I, mama?”

She didn’t seemed surprised by the question. She looked resigned.

She looked like she had been waiting for the day he would ask the very same question.

She led him to the dining room, letting whatever was on the stove continue to simmer in low heat.

“You’re my son, my dear little fairy.”

She didn’t held the same unnatural feel as he felt when he looked at his reflection.

But it didn’t sound like a lie.

Her hands trembled as she caressed his cheeks.

Her smile was genuine as she whispered, “You will always be my baby.”

But he could hear it.

The fear in the voice.

Whatever he was…

He was affecting her too.

Yet she didn’t try to run.

So he hugged her, pressing his face against her stomach.

Her trembling stopped and she held him like she was afraid he was going to disappear from her grasps.

She didn’t fear him if she didn’t see his face.

Whatever he was…

It was the face that scared all of them.

.

Once upon a time, a young woman married a young man by the orders of her father. The man loved her but she did not. No matter what she did, she could not. She tried to be the best wife she could be.

She did not love him but she bore him a son. A weak little thing, more fragile than glass and smaller than any other child in their little commune.

She loved her child more than anything in the world.

But the world did not.

The child died during one cold winter night while her husband had been away.

In her grief, she took the cold body of her dead child and ran towards the forest, as silent as she was taught by her own father.

She came across a circle of mushrooms.

And heard the whispers of the fairy queen when she stood in the circle of it.

The fairy queen will save her child.

But he will become one of them.

“Yes! I agree! Please, save him!” The mother begged on her knees.

The fairy queen did not do it out of the goodness of her heart.

She was one of three rulers of their little fairy kingdom, long destroyed by the wrath of the sun.

She was nothing more than a ghost, traveling to the far future.

The mother gave the corpse to the ghost.

And the ghost gave it new life.

The mother thanked her as she held the warm body of her son.

And the ghost disappeared.

The mushroom circle melted like metal.

And mother and child returned to their home.

.

Centuries ago, Minerva saw a future which the Assassins and Templars waste years fighting each other instead of finding a way to save the world.

She saw a future where Desmond Miles would die to save the world in their stead.

So she made a different choice.

There was no one to stop her.

Tinia had long given up, waiting for the end as he drinks and drinks and drinks.

Juno remains imprisoned in the Grand Temple.

She was the only one left.

She changed the trajectory of the Calculations to one where Desmond Miles died as a weak human baby.

She created a device and had it transported to where his mother would walk into in her grief, her mind weakened to the point of thinking of falling off the cliff nearby with her dead son in her arms.

It was a device she had created using Consus’ research.

Consus’ research cannot bring back the dead.

But with Minerva’s modification…

It could clone the dead.

But she didn’t clone the weak human baby that would die centuries from now.

She created a child made of Desmond Miles’ DNA from that tragic future.

And added her own DNA to reinforce his body and mind.

A new future the Calculations could not predict.

A new future where Desmond Miles is both human and not.

Minerva did not know if this would be a better future.

Still…

She does not regret it.

At the very least, before she died…

She was able to save someone.

[tsuraiwrites]

✨weekly(ish) fic roundup✨

more like monthly at this point, but here are some excellent fic I’ve enjoyed in the recent past! most are long fic, so buckle up and prepare to leave some kudos and comments for these a+ authors.

ASoIaF

Coin and Conformity - catelyn stark | oc insert/ned stark

A man wakes up one day to find that he isn't in his apartment, isn't in his own body, and isn't even on Earth anymore. The language, the geography, the culture, the stars, and even the technology level are all different. Even worse, in this backwards medieval society he had found himself in, he woke up in the body of a woman. A woman who had just given birth to her first child, a son.

He's not really cut out for this whole 'motherhood' thing. It could be worse; at least he's a noblewoman, and really, Robb is such a sweet child...

Assassin’s Creed

Eagle of Alamut - altaïr ibn-la’ahad/desmond miles wip

That the reason why he woke up in the city of Jerusalem during the 12th century was because of something [Minerva] did.

Still…

He would have appreciated it if she didn’t also return him to his 16-year-old body.

Dragon Age

The Comfort of Knives - cullen rutherford/male inquisitor wip

Maxwell Trevelyan isn’t who he says he is, and his connection to the General of the Red Templars could become a problem. But will it be as much of a problem as the affection that grows between himself and his Commander?

Naruto

come out of the ashes - gen wip

As a final stand in a war they never stood a chance of winning, Uzumaki Naruto chooses to use a forbidden blood seal to rip through the fabric of space and time itself rather than admit defeat. He’s never been good at accepting his fate, and if bending reality with his own two hands is what it takes, then that’s what Naruto will do.

The rest of the world is just going to have to suck it up and deal with it.

Compass of thy Soul - uchiha madara/ofc complete, lots of delicious crafts and politics in this one

Being reborn into the Uchiha clan during the Warring Clans Era is surprisingly idyllic, so long as you don't mind hard work and are too young to know any of the people who are actually dying. But innocence never lasts, and trying to help family stay alive is a road strewn with a surprising number of pitfalls and last-minute diversions.

Reincarnation For the Win - female self-insert/uchiha itachi/uchiha shisui

She’d been tired for a long time before she died.  However she’d been granted a second life, she was never going to thank anyone for it, no matter how amazing or awful it ended up being.  That said, if she ever met the reason she was sucked into the Naruto ‘verse, there would be much shin-kicking to be done.

Until Dawn Breaks - uchiha shisui/undisclosed wip, part 2 of a timetravel AU

Shisui had succeeded, destroying the man who was responsible for his death, in every way possible. Who had caused so much suffering... more than anyone could have foreseen.

(He gasped for air, throat parched and lips chapped and-)

But now came the hardest part; learning to live again.

The Yondaime's Assistant - hatake kakashi/ofc/shiranui genma complete

When I reincarnated in the world of Naruto, I was lucky enough to live in Konoha but not lucky enough to get all the superpowers you could hope for. I failed my jounin-sensei test and ended up in the Genin Corps. Bye-bye jounin rank! However, considering it also meant avoiding the battlefield, that was fine with me. Now I just had to get a position allowing me to change History...

One Piece

Children of the Sea - fushichou marco/portgas d ace wip

When it comes to Ace, Marco can't help but think of the old saying: Love is a hurricane.

 (Time-traveling Ace, told from Marco's POV.)

SVSSS

Cultivate: Slow Life on a Monster-Infested Mountain - shen yuan/liu qingge wip

When trying to transfer Shen Yuan from the real world to Proud Immortal Demon Way, the System runs into an error. The transfer is not complete.

Shen Yuan is dropped off at the foot of a mountain aware of two things:  he's in the story, and the Shen Qingqiu of this world is not only aware but thinks he tried to possess his body — and he's PISSED. Shen Yuan tries to opt out and live a simple life on what locals tell him is a monster-infested mountain no one in their right mind would bother with.

Sounds like a great hiding spot!

(TL;DR: Stardew Scum Villain Valley Mountain.)

[teecupangel]

The Rio movies and songs got me in a chokehold. This gives me inspiration. In a cultural and historical aspect as assassins. They likely would create like mannerisms or superstitions or they would do dances to songs they made like https://open.spotify.com/track/4jq2VvGRwwtTDdvhnsXNAp?si=T5HZ1RzKSpWG5T9dHfIYpQ or

https://open.spotify.com/episode/26qhTJflucIqLgV4LGvWrx?si=pt54_9JIRX-RyHQY8uc6gQ

For some made up holiday they did. Just a thought

For anyone curious how the music was played in the movie, here’s Youtube clips of the two music linked in the ask:

It’s not such a big stretch for them to develop their own dance that is heavily influenced by their life as an Assassin.

It would be quite similar to Capoeira and we can even make this something that developed way before when they were called the Hidden Ones.

It would heavily be influenced by traditional Egyptian and Greek dances and no one can be sure why, at first, until they rediscovered Amunet as one of the founders of the Hidden Ones (probably Shaun would be the one to connect the dots).

Also…

A dance between two people interested in one another can take inspiration from the sky dancing courting ritual of eagles.

Maybe they would dance while holding each other’s left hand, a show of trust and vulnerability by having their Hidden Blade arm grasping each other. There’s a lot of turning and twirling for this kind of dance, paying homage to the sky dance courtship of eagles.

And, and, and!

This traditional dance is a bit different depending on which Brotherhood an Assassin came from. There are a few different steps or even the musical instruments being used changes.

The dance is influenced by the people of the Brotherhood with the Assassins in Alamut having the one closest to the dance of the Hidden Ones.

Levantine Brotherhood mixes in both Levantine and crusader elements to it, a show of the variety of people living in Levant.

The Italian Brotherhood adds in what was quite popular during Renaissance Italy as a show of how the heights of its power was during the Renaissance.

The American Brotherhood’s dance is a mix of a lot of other dances and tunes with a heavy influence of the traditions of the Kanien'kehá:ka.

But even with such changes…

An Assassin can still dance with an Assassin from a different branch.

Because, even if there is little or a lot of changes, the underlying tune of the dance remains the same.

Just like the Creed.

[fanworldbuildingfun]

I’ve been pondering the question of loyalty in Assassin’s Creed. Specifically, loyalty and how it works with Eagle Sight

See… We do know that different parts of the brotherhood can and do coexist – but that doesn’t make them outright allies. A prime example being Masyaf and Alamut. To a point, one can say it’s the same with Italian and Spanish branches during Ezio’s time

So will the ally-blue be the same for both branches?

Why my brain decided to bring this up: what if the team (Shaun, Lucy, Rebecca, and definitely William) did NOT show up as allies in Desmond’s vision? He had, after all, grown used to Altaїr’s Brotherhood in AC1. They would have been the “branch” his mind would have pegged as allies. Later, same would happen with Ezio’s brotherhood – and, to a point, possibly the Constantinople branch.

And Ratonhnhaké:ton? Yeah, taught him to question things, greatly

But they way they interacted and functioned is completely different from modern times. So there was always just enough nagging doubt in the back of Desmond’s mind to paint the team as neutral-white at first. And as the Bleeding Effect got worse, the white started to bleed into red – because they still wanted him to go into the Animus. Despite the damage it was causing to Desmond. Despite it having killed people in the past

And the more red he sees, the more Desmond doubts, and the more red he sees. It’s a closed circle. So, by the time he wakes up from Revelations, he knows he has to prepare. Because the team can’t possibly have his wellbeing as part of equation

It’s hard. It takes maneuvering. It gets Desmond to practice being extremely sneaky. And by the time the choice at Temple rolls around? He has contingencies

His choice to turn on the Aurora Borealis device wasn’t just altruism. IT also got everyone out of Temple so he can try to *survive*

And he does

And then, Desmond leaves. He doesn’t let anyone know – because this is a new level of anonymity that he feels he has earned. It gives him a certain freedom to not just re-orient himself, but to take a step back and dig into who he can go to and what he will be doing

…And when Origins rolls to an end, it’s not William Miles that finds Leila

[teecupangel]

Writing this as my pinned post since I have a bit of free time anyway.

Introduction:

Hi. You can call me teecup or angel. This is primarily my AC and writing tumblr blog.

I post my fics in AO3 as teecup_angel.

I also have this tumblr blog that’s mostly me reblogging other stuff and very rarely I post something personal, I guess.

I have a twitter too but I haven’t used it in… I wanna say nearing a year? Maybe??? Yeeaaahhhh…

I’m currently writing fics for Assassin’s Creed and my primary focus is Desmond Miles because he deserves better.

Warnings:

I will pair Desmond with anyone (and I mean anyone) and my OTP is AltDes. I also do write gen so if you want to look at my tumblr but you don’t ship Desmond with any of his ancestors, I suggest blocking the following tags (altdes, ezides, condes, haydes, eddes). I also use those tags even when it’s just hinted at just to be safe.

While I cannot stop any minor from looking at this blog, please note that this may contain nsfw posts and I curse like a repressed catholic who was not allowed to curse when they were young. Also, I use 'dumbass' affectionately.

For Asks and Requests:

My ask box is open for nonnies and I try to answer every ask I get unless they specify that they want to keep it private.

Also, if you left me a suggestion or request in AO3, I do try to keep notes of them.

If you do request something or just leave me a plot idea, the most you’ll get from me would be a rambling of how it could work and possible subplots we can add to it. I tend to write whatever strikes my fancy and I’m hesitant in posting too many wips in AO3. Here on tumblr though… short fic and drabbles galore. The only reason why I wouldn’t answer your ask is if I couldn’t get to it in time as I allot a specific time for all asks and reblogs I get. If you don’t see it answered, it only means I’ll get to it next time.

I'm also fine with anyone using any of the posts/fic here or in AO3 to write or draw something as long as the post is linked and I'm informed :)

Also, you can request any crossover ideas with Assassin’s Creed and I’ll find a way to kick Desmond into it. I am a big believer of Desmond is the ultimate isekai protagonist. XD

Concerning the tags of this tumblr:

I got lazy later on in tagging posts I reblog (mostly fanworks from other people) but:

Any ask I answer will have the tag: #ask and answer or #submission for long asks.

Any fic idea I write will have the tag: #teecup writes/has a plot or/and #fic idea: assassin's creed (note: this one usually does not get used for any reblogs with additional ideas so I guess check the reblogs and the replies? This also sometimes does not get used if I'm butting in on other people's posts because it kinda feels wrong to add it? I know I should add a different tag for that but we'll see if I do down the line XD)

Headcanons and analysis (they're sometimes the same???) have #teecup analyze more than necessary and/or #headcanon: assassin's creed

Sometimes I make edits with varying success of humor: #teecup edits (sometimes I do screw up use '#teecup edit' instead XD)

I also draw rarely: #teecup draws

AO3 Stuff:

At the moment (and this part will be updated if necessary), the following have a weekly Monday update:

Eagle of Alamut (Desmond gets thrown back to 12th century Jerusalem in his 16-year-old body, endgame: AltDes)

I also sometimes suddenly post sometimes 2 or 3 more fics all at the same time and it’s kinda my modus operandi to 'coincide' it with important AC dates.

(Also, for those asking me if I need a beta, yeah, most probably but then I would be obligated to remove the "No Beta We Die Like Desmond" tag and the tag is too funny for me to give it up. XD I'd appreciate any comments that tell me if I've written something wrong though, especially the non-English words I sometimes use.)

[teecupangel]

Just a really funny thought I had. Desmond trying to hide out in the past, remain incognito, and utterly failing because of his butt of all things. (I imagine it being Ezio to say this but-) The ancestor who is watching him says to a subordinate or fellow assassin, 'I know an assassin's ass when I see one.' Because come one, all that climbing? It's got to do wonders for the thighs and butt muscles. Like, it'd be recognizable, I think.

Ezio just appreciating a stranger’s thighs and ass when he realized ‘wait… those are…’ and, at first, he would think the stranger could probably be a thief because La Volpe and his thieves were certainly used to climbing like an Assassin then…

He sees the way the stranger moves…

No.

He sees the way the stranger weaves thru the crowds, notices that he can’t hear his footsteps and realized…

Those sinful thighs and ass were not those of a thief…

But an Assassin…

====== Alternatively ======

So, the main reason why I was confident in creating a thermae in Eagle of Alamut was because, historically, public baths were a thing in the Middle East, specifically Syria and Jordan, and they were based or an evolution of the Roman’s thermae.

So, even if Desmond was to wear something like a thobe or any other kind of clothes that would be loose and long enough to hide his lower body, he’d probably take a bath in one of the hammams sooner or later. Maybe he’d miss how it feels like to have a bath that wasn’t just water in a bucket. Maybe he’d feel so dirty from a long tired day of traveling or hiding/stealing so he’d finally give in and go to the hammam.

Not noticing that Altaïr was in the hammam as well (as part of a mission or maybe he’s just using the hammam because he didn’t want to use the bath in the bureau) and…

So now you have Altaïr being an unrepentant stalker as he watches Desmond because that ass and those thighs? Definitely Assassin. But Altaïr doesn’t know him so he’s probably thinking, oh this is an Assassin from Alamut. What’s he doing here?

And Desmond knows… he knows Altaïr is staring at him and his flight-or-fight instincts is telling him to fucking run but that’s the wrong choice. That’s the bad choice.

If he runs, Altaïr would know for certain that he’s hiding something and he knows that Altaïr is watching him.

If he runs, he just knows Altaïr is going to chase after him, no matter how… indecent the both of them were at the moment…

So Desmond tries to act like he doesn’t know Altaïr is watching him, hoping Altaïr will think he’s just some random dude or something.

Hey, he has all his ten fingers so definitely not an Assassin by this time period’s standards!

But he just…

He keeps staring…

And really, Desmond’s “I’m gonna freak out” meter was reaching critical level and that’s not good for anyone so…

He finally goes to Altaïr and says, “I notice you’ve been watching me for a while now.”

He notices the way Altaïr froze for just a split second, too fast for anyone to notice unless they knew Altaïr quite well and Desmond would like to believe he does (thanks, Bleeding Effect. Also, fuck you, Bleeding Effect).

Desmond gives him a smile, the same smile that has gotten him lots of tips and a lot of phone numbers, and asks, “Soooo… like what you see?”

Desmond, bless his idiotic brain, believes he can make Altaïr feel awkward enough to leave if he just blatantly flirts with him. He knows that this wouldn’t have worked if it was Ezio. Oh man, Ezio would just flirt back.

But Altaïr?

Altaïr “I’ve only had sex with the women in Paradise and two other women” Ibn-La'Ahad?

Altaïr “I’ve only loved two different women in my life” Ibn-La'Ahad?

Oh.

Desmond was sure he could make him squirm and off-kilter him enough that he’d have to retreat. There was no way Altaïr would make a fool out of himself. He’d definitely, absolutely-

“I do.”

…

…

Altaïr’s eyes definitely looked up and down and, oh god, what the fuck is that smile? Why is he smiling-

“Very much.”

What.

The.

Fuck.

[teecupangel]

Hi there, Alamut!Nonnie here! Decided to say my thanks here, because I thoroughly enjoyed the latest chapter of "The Eagle of Alamut"! I put on the "Into the Light" track from Mirage to go with the chapter and it was - *chef's kiss* I do admit, while reading, I imagined it as this odd amalgalmation of in-trailer Alamut, Prince of Persia (movie) Alamut, and Bagdad from Mirage trailer. Just - more dishelved? But hey, it works.

Hi Alamut!Nonny! I’m glad you enjoyed this week’s chapter of Eagle of Alamut!

I’m going to be honest with you, I did base it on the concept art of Alamut in AC Mirage and Alamut in the Prince of Persia movie.

The general structure of Alamut was based on the concept art of Alamut in the Prince of Persia movie (although I will tweak a bit of the detail which I will show you guys as Desmond sees more of Alamut). The main idea was to show that Al Mualim 'copied' Masyaf's structure from Alamut so just take the palace between the town and the actual castle and put it on top of the mount and surround it with three towers so that the town is below similar to Masyaf and its village.

Another shot for Alamut that I used as inspiration:

Just imagine that the palace to the right is also a tower and push the tower on the bottom further to make way for a palace, and you'll have an idea of what Desmond saw when he first entered the castle Alamut castle.

Why three towers?

The three-tower structure came from the Alamut concept art from Mirage. This concept art was also used as inspiration for the idea that the main castle of Alamujt is the only one set on an elevated area.

It’ll probably come up in the narration later on but I’ll say it here anyway as a treat XD

The way Alamut is constructed is that the castle was built first and the town came in later once it starts to gain ‘prominence’ in the area. That’s why the town is not part of the mount it’s on.

Also, there are a lot of towns near Alamut under the Persian Brotherhood's care but Desmond has only seen the lower town directly below Alamut castle.

Another thing: The large population of scholars is part of Alamut’s history (and, in Eagle of Alamut, another thing that Al Mualim copied with his library filled with scholars approved by the Levantine Brotherhood)

From Wikipedia:

With its astronomical instruments and rare collection of works, the library attracted scholars and scientists of a variety of religious persuasions from around the world who visited it for many months at a time, hosted by the Isma'ilis.

(In case anyone is wondering, no, you do not need to play or watch Prince of Persia to understand Eagle of Alamut. It takes inspiration from a few things but the narration will explain them as Desmond understands them so it'll be fine... narrative-wise anyway.)

[saberamane]

More ideas! Starting from your tags, there was definitely an angel under Alamut, BUT WHAT IF the Assassin's could learn the 'eagle vision' ability because of that angel? Like maybe the water supply of Alamut came up from the ground where the angel was imprisoned, like Desmond, so their blood mixed with the water, and when the water eventually made its way to the pool where the wells were built over, people indirectly drank the angels blood. And over time the ability would manifest as they got a high concentration of angel blood in their bodies, which jumped substantially with each new generation.

And thus, Altair is the 'first' Assassin to master the eagle vision, and later on does free the angel under Alamut when the Apple hinted at the vault there, but the angel was in very poor condition after slowly bleeding over centuries with no food or water, and thus fused with Altair. This made Altair not only live as long as he had, but also allowed the eagle vision to fully form and not only be passed down the bloodlines, but allowed it to 'evolve' over time as well. (This is based on the condition Altair finds, frees, and fuses with the Angel before getting with Maria and thus having children, so maybe not too long after Al Mualim's death?)

And also why he imprisoned himself in his library, so people wouldn't find out about the angel fusing with him, as it likely caused some changes perhaps not seen on the surface, but could be seen from bones or organs.

Now, the Grand Temple Angel. Definitely Clay, and Juno definitely caused him to go a bit mad. I'd say his powers are kinda like the Apple, he has a lot of knowledge, if not all the combined knowledge of the Isu, he can make illusions and project things, a very limited healing factor, and some sort of cloaking and short distance teleworking, with the caveat that he has to be able to physically see where he is teleporting and he can't go through solid objects, like walls, rocks, etc.

He is not chained like some of the others, for the very simple reason that he can't leave the temple. He can't teleport out, and the entrance is covered by rock he can't move. So he has free reign of the temple, but nowhere to escape to in order to get away from Juno. And he can't hurt Juno either, she isn't physical.

The cherry on top? He is Desmonds lover, and Juno has made him believe that Desmond was not only killed, but used as parts to build the first humans.

And now for the main body of your response (lol).

So, the eagle vision is an Isu trait, but humans got it from an angel. Desmond does not know this, so the bit of conflict from that point is still there. Being locked away, Desmond has a lot of knowledge to catch up on, and perhaps he can use the Apple to get a bit if that, but it's taxing on him, he was not built for one or two main abilities so he doesn't have the massive space for knowledge like Clay.

He follows Ezio to Monterrigioni, and seeing how he takes care of all these people who he doesn't really know personally really starts to make Desmond truly like him. And in turn, he helps Ezio. He helps Maria heal from her loss of two children and husband, helps Claudia with financial issues, maybe even finding some things to invest in that Desmond knows are going to skyrocket in price soon. And on the day Cesare comes knocking, Desmond disables all their weaponry and kills Cesare without anyone noticing. Their canons won't fire, their swords and daggers are missing or broken, the horses left loose. And Cesare, hung from the front gates.

Ezio still eventually goes to Rome to set up a larger base, and there are still some Borgia allies there that need taken care of.

And Desmond? He finds out that Clay is alive, and where he is. And while Clay can't leave on his own, Desmond has the tools to free him.

(Here I take some ideas from the first Tomb Raider remakes, where Excalibur was a key to stone daies's that opened portals to other areas of the world.)

The temples and vaults are all 'connected' in that with the right things, you can teleport from one to another. You need a staff, and apple, and isu blood. Desmond just happens to have all three.

Ezio offers to help, but Desmond knows Clay, and knows Juno is trapped with him, and doesn't want to overwhelm Clay with anything that will cause him to lash out. So Desmond goes alone.

Clay and Juno are VERY surprised at Desmond just popping into existence in the temple. Clay obviously thinks Juno created an illusion of his lover and loses it, attacking what he thinks is an illusion. After a brief scuffle, Clay is calmed enough to listen to reason. And Juno knows she's fucked. Clay has nothing to hurt her, but Desmond does.

Long story short, Desmond 'kills' Juno, takes Clay from the temple back to Tiber to heal, and introduces Clay to Ezio.

And Clay definitely mistakes Ezio as Desmond's like, POE made kid. How can he not when Desmond dotes on him, and he looks like Desmond, down to the scar on his lips?

Though why Desmond didn't give their kid wings is beyond Clay.

(Cue Clay trying to bond with Ezio like an estranged father/step father and utterly failing, and Ezio just absolutely confused. Desmond just laughing in the background at his idiot lover.)

Sorry it's so long lol

Submitted by @saberamane​

Another plot bunny has bitten me. The Isu are seen as gods, and they created humans, but God also created something else.

Angel’s.

What if Angel’s were the Isu’s ‘first’ attempt at creating a slave race, but they made them a little too useful. Like they were given some of the same powers as the artifacts you find in the games? There were some that had the power of the shrouds, so they could heal. Others had the ‘knowledge’ base of the apple’s, etc.

And what if, these beings that were powerful, and had knowledge, and wings, decided they didn’t want to be enslaved? 

So they revolted, like the humans later on, but ultimately failed. And this is where the terms 'fallen angel’ and 'demons’ stems from. Most were wiped out, and those that couldn’t be killed were imprisoned. And one of those angel’s just so happens to be Desmond.

He was a 'jack of all trades’ angel, but one that pretty much excelled at everything he was 'built’ to do, and one of the innate abilities he had made him very difficult, nearly impossible, to kill. So he was one of the ones imprisoned.

And where was he imprisoned at? The vault under the vatican. So Rodrigo was wrong in stating that God himself was inside the vault, but the assassin’s were very much right in thinking it was a 'weapon’.

So Ezio gets to the vault, and instead of a message from Minerva, he finds a winged man, chained suspended in the air, his wings pinned like a butterfly’s to the wall and bleeding golden blood.

And Desmond, knowing this being wasn’t an Isu, but also not an Angel, doens’t know what to do with the man that frees him.

Rodrigo though? Desmond doesn’t know what he is, but he knows evil when he sees it, and Desmond decides the first act of his freedom is to rid the world of an Isu adjacent monster.

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Additions from teecup:

Perhaps we can even make it that Desmond had been ‘saved’ by Minerva because he had been Minerva’s slave. But it wasn’t kindness that made Minerva push for him to be imprisoned. Other than the fact that he was almost indestructible, Desmond’s genes were used for the second attempt of slaves because he was, for some reason, less violent than his ‘brethren’ (honestly, it was because Minerva was less of a dick than the rest of the Isus but he wasn’t going to say that) so the fallen angel Desmond became the ‘basis’ of humans.

So Rodrigo wasn’t exactly wrong in saying ‘God’ dwells inside the vault as one may look at Desmond’s connection to humanity as something similar to a god. Just… not the god Rodrigo assumes.

Also, Desmond’s connection to humanity would make him ‘kinder’ to them, especially to Ezio who he sees as the one who unchained him from his prison. At the same time, Ezio’s mastery of the Eagle Vision meant that he was drenched in the blood of the Isus, of the blood of those who betrayed him and his brethren so there would be some kind of conflict between them as well.

Desmond doesn’t need to see evil to not like Rodrigo. Rodrigo is the leader of an organization that says “May the Father of Understanding Guides Us” who, as far as Desmond knew, was supposed to be Yaldabaoth since Yaldabaoth was the Father of Understanding in charge of creating a slave race for the Isus (also, even if he hears that it’s Tinia, he’d be like “Tinia’s an idiot who was able to remain of high standing because his daughter was brilliant.”)

… If other fallen angels were imprisoned because they couldn’t be killed, doesn’t that mean that we can make Desmond’s main goal is to save those still alive?

Like, perhaps one of them was underneath Alamut and the other was in the Grand Temple (just to give us some kind of way to include Altaïr and Ratonhnhaké:ton XD)