#haytham bleeds are so so funny

[fallen-flier]

desmond to william: it seems your tongue has tasted sour grapes

Okay, we've all heard abt Desmond accidentally calling Shaun "Leo" or "Malik" and Shaun freaking out. And that's fun and all, but allow me to propose:

- A very tired Desmond called Rebecca "Claudia," and Rebecca's heart melted a little.

- Shaun brough Desmond some tea after a long session in the Animus, and he said, "Thank you, Shay." It took Desmond a good ten seconds to realize why everyone was staring.

- William was being Awful as per usual, and Desmond snapped in a perfect English accent. "Charles, control yourself or I'll have to ask you leave." The resulting explosion was heard from Abstergo headquarters.

[teecupangel]

I realize I've had a similar idea in the past, but please consider: reverse isekai protagonist Desmond who is the only human left in the world after touching the isu device because everyone else was transported into a bunch of different parallel universes (/=crossovers of your choice), each containing one of his ancestors.

He must now convince his ancestors to undo their parallel universes an de-isekai the world before reality collapses in on itself.

Oh, and he has no idea how to contact them, all he can do is get into the Animus and see what they're doing.

No preassure.

(+extra points if we get some cameos from the modern day protagonists. Maybe they're the key to fixing the world?)

You know what would be funny?

If everyone was transported into universes connected to their voices and the modern day Assassins are there for the ride and have no idea what the fuck is happening.

.

So we have Altaïr and his voice actor Philip Shahbaz has been in a lot of films and tv series. Considering how I write Altaïr, I would suggest we punt him to one of the crime procedural series that his voice actor guest starred in. We can go for SEAL Team because the episode Philip Shahbaz is in for that series is set in Syria so we can have Altaïr see what his homeland has become in this possible future. Alternatively, we can kick him to NCIS instead and it would be a case of Altaïr having to deal with both the modern day world and hiding himself from the NCIS team who is looking into the death of a military personnel that, coincidentally, was nearby when Altaïr was transferred into their world. Since you want one of the modern day protagonists as a cameo, how about instead of being a cameo, they become the main Assassins’ sidekick? The Watson to their Holmes, some may say. We’re pairing Altaïr with the initiate of Unity and Syndicate (there is a possibility that they’re not the same person but I normally just make them the same person because they’re meant to be us in those games). The initiate would know how the Brotherhood operates so they serve more as Altaïr’s assistant that he calls ‘novice’. The recruit is actually the one who realizes they’re in a tv show because they watch criminal procedural shows while grinding (because, according to them, Arno’s rank system is a grindy piece of shit)

.

For Ezio… now, Roger Craig Smith has done a lot of character voices BUT there is one specific character that we’re going to choose because (1) it will confuse the hell out of Ezio and (2) the characters share the same birthday: Sonic the Hedgehog. And he would have the lovely Layla assisting him for this predicament. Layla is just as confused as him but the best part of this entire thing is that Layla grew up playing Sonic the Hedgehog so they’re not going in blind. Sonic absolutely mimics Ezio’s voice whenever he wants to mess with the man XD

.

Okay. So for Ratonhnhaké:ton… he voiced a multiplayer character in Red Dead Redemption and that is all the excuse I need to kick him to RDR. Normally, he’d be punted to RDR1 but if you want to punt him to RDR2 instead, be my guest. Regardless of which game he gets kicked into, the main premise is the same. Ratonhnhaké:ton tries to find the Brotherhood but sees none and gets roped into the Van der Linde gang’s ‘shenanigans’ (RDR2) or entangled with Dutch’s Gang (RDR1). For this one, he gets stuck with Numbskull and it’s a very tense partnership because Numbskull admits that they’re a Templar (whether by choice or because they were coerced would remain vague until later on) but they’re both in the same mess so they’re gonna try and make the best of it.

.

And now we come to Haytham. I am sooooo tempted to put him in a Hallmark movie called Christmas at Holly Lodge just to fuck with him. BUT if we really want to fuck with him, we kick him to Riverdale and let him suffer through the batshit crazy plot that series had. And, just to rub salt to the wound, he’s stuck with Noob who is starting to Bleed Edward Kenway. Haytham gets roped into Riverdale’s plot because Noob believes that’s the key to how they can return to their own world. The problem? Noob only watched the first season of Riverdale so they’re both flying blind XD

.

In post-apocalyptic world where Desmond is the only human left…

Instead of the Animus, he finds out what his ancestors are doing because the Apple connected to TVs from a random mall that Desmond went to for a supply run.

He’s still working out on how to contact his ancestors.

But his phone… strangely enough… has four new contacts that he doesn’t recognize.

Desmond still needs to find a signal though XD

[69misato69]

Hostile (Alhaitham & Kaveh) ✦ 900 words, fluff and angst

archive of our own ✦ twitter

masterlist pinned on my profile !

alhaitham is wounded during a semi-friendly spar with kaveh and he offers to heal him

cw: blood, flesh wound, kissing

“I guess you’re getting old, Haytham.” Kaveh swung his claymore over the Grand Scribe’s head effortlessly with a sly grin. Alhaitham barely dodged the attack, feeling a few strands of his hair fall loose with the sharp blade. He scoffed in frustration, “Please, do you really think you can take me down with that horrible balance?” 

Kaveh chuckled while he twirled his weapon around as if it was lightweight. “Whatever you say, grandpa.” he jested, they paced around each other for a few seconds to rest and catch their breaths. Kaveh could feel Alhaitham’s piercing gaze upon him, studying his movements trying to assess when his next attack would be.

Unexpectedly, Kaveh bounced off the pillar nearby, appearing from behind him and landing a strike that finally touched the scribe, scraping the black piece of fabric that covered his forearm and a thin layer of skin along with it. 

“Fuck, what was that for?” Alhaitham winced with pain and dropped his sword, a narrow stream of blood was trickling down his elbow. Kaveh stabbed his claymore perpendicular to the ground, leaning on it nonchalantly, “It’s a duel, not a tea party.” The grimace on Alhaitham’s face replaced itself with an angry look, 

“We’re working on defense, you idiot.” he growled, but the blonde was still unfazed.

“And? You need a realistic strike to counter, don’t you?” 

“You’re unbearable.”

Kaveh laughed and slowly stepped towards him, “Hey, this was your idea.”

Alhaitham ignored him, he was busy trying to stop the bleeding and cursing under his breath. Kaveh peeked at the wound, instantly rolling his eyes to the back of his head, “Ugh, it’s not even that deep, stop being so dramatic.” he whined. Alhaitham rewarded him with a deadly look, one that was worth a thousand words, so Kaveh deemed it necessary to change his course of action.

He closed the gap between them even more, now approaching the scribe with a softer tone.

“You know, I could help out.” 

Alhaitham went silent for a moment. It was true, Kaveh could simply heal him, it would take away the wound and the terrible stinging of his abused nerves that came along with it. All it took were the invigorating vines that would sprout from inside his palm. Though, was it worth giving him the satisfaction? Alhaitham imagined the triumphant smirk that would form on his lips afterwards, and the nagging he’d have to endure until they returned home, it was enough to make the scribe decide against it, “I’ll pass.” he spat out. 

Kaveh stuck his head over Alhaitham’s chest, pretending to evaluate the wound further, “You sure? Now that I’m seeing it up close, it looks pretty serious. Could leave a mark.” it was easy to hear that he was holding back a laugh. 

“I hate you.”

“Hate is a pretty strong word.”

“I know, that’s why I used it.”

Kaveh pouted, “Come on, let me help. It won’t even take a second.” he lifted his palm to face up, already summoning viridescent seeds until Alhaitham held his wrist with blood-stained fingers, “Kaveh, let it go.” he looked into the blonde’s eyes in exhaustion.

To his surprise, Kaveh didn’t protest. He squeezed his hand into a fist, melting away the cores and then placing it on Alhaitham’s waist. “What are you doing?” the scribe asked calmly, he was fed up with Kaveh’s shenanigans, not just today but he had been for years . Strangely enough, he also felt a sense of familiarity in them. If there was one constant in his life, it was that Kaveh would always be there to annoy him, to eat his food, misplace his belongings and ruin his day in the best way possible. 

“I’ll just give you a kiss to ease the pain.” the blonde cupped his cheek with his other hand, the hint of mockery in his voice had now vanished. “Very funny.” Alhaitham derided. He expected Kaveh to break off his serious expression, purring a snarky comment before he pulled away. Yet, he didn’t do any of those things, instead he moved even closer to Alhaitham’s face, examining the sharp features of his beautifully sculpted visage.  

“I’m not joking.” he smiled softly, leaning in to press his warm lips onto his roommate’s. Alhaitham was frozen in place, his eyes open wide with shock as the blonde closed his. The scribe had never seen him from this distance, he realized that without the mocking expression and the irritating comments, Kaveh was actually…very pretty. 

So, Alhaitham kissed him back, pecking on his bottom lip and allowing Kaveh to push his back against the cold, stone surface. The blonde smiled over their joined lips, trailing the entrance of Alhaitham’s mouth with the tip of his tongue. Then, just as the scribe attempted to wrap his arms around his neck, Kaveh shuffled away with a hazy look.

Alhaitham stared at him in confusion as his roommate turned around.

“Alright, pick up your sword. Let’s go home.”

Kaveh had already thrown the claymore over his shoulder. Alhaitham was distracted enough to reach for the emerald weapon with his wounded arm, noticing it at the last moment and bracing for a wave of pain. It never arrived. He looked down to examine his skin exposed through the ripped fabric, but the wound had already vanished. All that remained were faint traces of Dendro, dissipating into the air. 

[koszmar-zycie]

⛔ - do they believe in revenge?💫 - do they believe in fate/propecy/destiny? for all your darling!

Koszmar: “I’m conflicted, regarding revenge. Some people will try to differentiate revenge and justice; often citing the difference in motivation. One being emotional, and the other being rational. I’ve gone back and forth between yes and no, as well as which label suits me best. I find that the ends are always the same, and so “revenge or justice” doesn’t matter. Most moralities are the same, simply with varying details. So in the short sense, I do. Because I believe that there are many things that should not go unpunished. As for destinies and fate, I suppose I do. In a somewhat blurred sense. I feel like many have a specific destiny to fulfil, though it may not be terribly grand. Similarly, I also feel like some people are born with a purpose as opposed to destiny. The different being that you’re not given a destination, so much as a motivation. For example, I don’t believe my ‘destiny’ is to destroy the Alliance or slay some great named evil. But I do believe that I was born and reborn as Forsaken with the purpose of strengthening the Forsaken and the Horde.”

Taima: “Hmm. Revenge is an iffy thing. I know that those such as our great leader Baine, or the Alliance’s King are often motivated by revenge. Even if they say otherwise. Which is not a fault. As Koszmar says, the ultimate endgame is the same. Perhaps there’s a taint that blinds them, but for the most part they seek a clarity and peace through their desire to see a wrong atoned for. Then you have those, such as Greymane, who wields revenge as a fuel for mindless bloodshed and violence. I know many of my Alliance friends even feel the same, though few would ever speak such words. That man is a great king and seasoned, experienced man. Yet he will never know peace, because he does not honor his son through aimless and purposeless slaughter. Ultimately, no. I do not believe in revenge. Though I can see how pretty much any man or woman could be claimed by it. Now, as far as fate and destiny? I suppose it’s not really mine to say. I’d like to think so, but to be honest, I’d rather just focus on the now and what I can do, rather than what I may or may not have been assigned by a greater power!”

Xiuying: “I should say not. As Taima said, most of us would be controlled by it in some respect, as it is easy to fall to if you have something to lose. But by default, I do not think it serves a terribly useful purpose. I’d rather see things resolved without the need for such reactionary responses. Fate is funny. In Pandaren culture, we have often heard of fated heroes and the destiny of this or that. It’s kind of engrained into our culture and mentalities. In many ways I do believe in fate. I couldn’t really tell you how. I can see how certain spirits or deities might shape mortal beings into instruments for good or evil, and set them onto a particular path, though.”

Haytham: “Revenge. Ugly word. Of course, not one that arguably most of us haven't followed. Being Gilnean it’s easy to see that Lord Greymane had sent most of us on borderline suicide missions against the Horde in the name of vengeance against the Forsaken. I believe the Tauren Shaman said it best, there. I know a great many Gilneans who would throw their life down for Genn’s revenge. I also know many who see that it is a blind rage, and as a fairly experienced former first mate, I can tell you that blind rage almost always kills that who wields it. I hate this war. Honestly. Regardless of my feelings of the Horde or the Forsaken, I hate the whole thing. Of course I sail for Greymane, but I have dramatically grand fears that his attempt at justice is vastly more motivated by hatred and rage than by true justice. And I would prefer that he not lose his own life to such a thing. Few of us who believe this dare speak our minds. Many feel that hatred is the only way, and that handling the Horde or Forsaken intelligently is a sign of betrayal. I, however, will NOT apologize for wanting to see Lord Greymane alive and well. Anything else is... no pun intended... throwing him to the wolves. Or I suppose, allowing him to throw himself to the wolves. That’s a FAR more traitorous action that trying to reign in his aggression.”

“As for fate? Sure. Why not? I’ve seen many strange and otherworldly things in my time at this point. Fate or destiny wouldn’t seem half as outlandish as any of those things.”

Rahab: “Revenge. It’s what most, if not all, Death Knights are driven by. I’ve made it clear that once the war broke out again and everything went to s**t, that I stand strictly by my brothers and sisters of Acherus, and not Horde or Alliance. The stupidity and blindness of both factions baffle me, as one born of peace and reborn of vengeance. We didn’t unite against the Lich King to make heinously flawed comparisons to former villains in order to force another war, or petty civil war. Some vengeance is acceptable. Fake vengeance is not. You wrote your own fate. You betrayed your own fate. You don’t have the RIGHT to blame someone else and call for vengeance and justice. All who would say otherwise are nothing more than pathetic mongrel beasts in need of culling.”

“Fate? Perhaps. Was it our destiny to be slaughtered and then reborn into suffering? Perhaps. If so, I would love to know what we did to deserve such fates. Elf. Goblin. Human. Gnome. Tauren. Dwarf. All the others. If my comrades and I don’t stand as proof that fate and destiny are flawed, and that the living simply cling to any excuse to bleed, then I don’t know what does. Destiny and fate.” Rahab spits onto a dirty stone brick near a corner of the chamber. “Honestly.”

Willow: “Hahahaha!” Willow laughs, though without sinister intent. Rather, it is the laugh of someone who has genuinely heard quite a humorous joke. “Revenge? You’re asking a Forsaken about revenge?” She kicks her feet up in typical, casual Willow fashion. Pale skin tintly ever so slightly green. “You’re serious? Of course revenge is valid! Take that stupid wolf. We were in a war. Apparently his kid knowingly and intentionally got in the way of the Dark Lady and the geezer. Greymane blames Sylvanas for that? Maybe he was a good kid, but that dumbass committed suicide there, friend. It’s the fault of the tower someone jumps from. But here we are, being lectured by Greymane and his Alliance buddies (and some Hordies with flimsy morality - she whispers additionally) about revenge and justice? HA!” Willow flips a leg over the other, and brings them down, one crossed in a sitting position. “Look. Revenge is a thing. It’s not justice. It’s not even concrete. It’s just something you say after you’ve been beaten in order to feel better about your desire to hurt others. I don’t have any interest in hurting the Alliance by and large. I’m sure plenty of them seek peace with us. But a great many don’t. And for that, MY revenge is filling their arteries with pretty, lovely toxins and letting their red ink paint my canvases.” 

“As for fate and destiny and all that, I don’t really care, to be honest. I just want to survive. And help those who deserve to survive, survive. And for those who don’t?” *willow spins a pair of black and red daggers with bat motifs before re-sheathing them. 

Ja’Zara: “Revenge be dangerous. Real dangerous. Ya can’t expect it ta bring ya peace. In a way, I agree with Willow on one ting. Dat revenge is something ya get as a result of damage or defeat dat ya already suffered. It’ll aaaalways be a chain, mon. I can get behind quick and clean revenge. But otherwise, I’d hafta heavily retink it before actin’. If ya let it build, it’ll just keep goin’ on and on and on. And dat don’t help nobody.”

“Now, as for fate and destiny, I can say dat I believe it. Da Loa and everyting we’ve been taught and raised with tells me dat. We make our own way, but it don’t mean dat dere isn’t sometin’ else bigger den us dat wants us to achieve sometin’ with real impact. Know what I mean, mon?”

****************************************************

Thank you so much @stonestridernerd! This was a good one to go through!

[xadoheandterra]

Some Assassin’s Creed thoughts because I literally can’t get the game out of my head rn.

The worst part about this is that I honest to god remember Lucy mentioning something to Desmond in AC1 about it being a memory, and that he can’t do anything to change it, but for the life of me I can’t find where it is. I know there was something that stated Desmond is in control of his ancestor in the 3D world but that specifically he can’t change the past.

The weird thing is, having played through AC1, we know that you can. Not so much in Desmond’s genetic memories of Altair (although who knows what specifically the Animus is built on? We know it has to be Isu-tech like the Pieces of Eden, that’s the only damned thing that makes sense, and it’s pretty much implied....) but rather through an email that you can read toward the end of the game where they reference a Piece of Eden that turned back time. They even outright say time travel research is done, no more in the game!

Which makes me wonder...how much is Desmond really not in control when he’s in the Animus? They play that Desmond being in the Animus helps hone the skills of his ancestors--and we know this to be true, because we’ve seen Desmond pick those skills up afterward through the Bleeding Effect--but aside from that we don’t know much on it do we?

On top of that it’s funny, playing AC1 and going into AC2 when all I’ve really played before is Revelations and Black Flag, The lot of lore and meta and information just there is--staggering. I didn’t realize how easy the games got after playing AC1. I never could get a handle on them before, but now? Now I understand.

To me it feels like Desmond, once Lucy and Vidic ‘eased’ him into it, fell really easily in sync with Altair. He looks the most like Altair. I could easily imagine young Desmond even acting the most like Altair. It’s so easy to 100% sync with the man (and I don’t mean 100% the game with the little things like the flags, or all the “templars” that you can find because those literally feel like someone just added them into the Animus for fun; they even have a goddamn computer noise associated with their location for fucks sake! It drove me batty) but I mean--getting all of the information before a kill? Simple, although the difficulty did ramp up rather quickly toward the end. Find all of the high points? Simple. Rescue the civilians? Simple. It’s really fucking easy to just get Desmond and Altair up to 100% sync.

It’s not with Ezio. Ezio I’m finding takes work. To 100% sync with this fucker not only do you have to finish his memories, but you have to do every goddamn thing on the map. All of the tombs. All of the assassinations. All of the courier, beat-up jobs, all of the little treasure throughout Italy....all of it. Ezio, this fucker, takes work to sync with. He takes hours of work past the default memories to get there.

It’s not easy for Desmond to slip into Ezio like it was with Altair. Which...I find interesting.

I’ve not played AC3 yet so I have no idea how easy or hard it is to sync with Connor and Haytham, but just from the little of playing Altair and Ezio, and then as an outsider playing through Edward Kenway?

Ezio is hard like Edward, but Edward is worse and that makes sense. The player isn’t related to Edward, isn’t a part of the Kenway line. Syncing with Edward is like syncing with a stranger, the mind doesn’t match and it takes work and hurts to match. All the other games this is clear with the game mechanics--how memories now have little additions that you need to achieve to get 100% sync with the character. That you can mis-sync a memory--it still syncs, but something is off and that grates.

The fact that you can outright mis-sync a memory? That’s part of what makes me curious. It only happens in later games, but still....these are memories. Specific pieces that like with Ezio and Altair you can’t just miss a part of without desyncing Desmond to the ancestor.

To me Desmond tries really fucking hard to sync up with what his Ancestor is as a whole. What they’ve done. Their reasons. Their mind. He tries, and he succeeds, where others failed. That’s why he’s the best Animus subject they’ve gotten so far--not just his rich genetic history but because he can use the very much Isu-styled tech. That’s why he’s the one to open the Temple. That’s why he must die.

The whole of the AC trilogy that built up to Desmonds death, and even after, feels like...his death was on purpose. That no one wanted Desmond’s line to continue--that rich, historical line with deep ties to the Isu and Pieces of Eden...and then there is that one timetravel Piece of Eden that we heard nothing about after that throwaway note...

Fuck. I have ideas now. Ideas beyond ‘Desmond is technically Altair and Altair is Desmond’ that keeps running through my head.

GFDI I wanted to get this out of my head not make it worse! Ugh!

[teecupangel]

So I’ve had this idea for awhile now. There are points in the AC games where Desmond sees ghosts of people instead of his ancestors. What if this wasn’t just a bleed but a slip in time? Desmond trying to prove the ghosts aren’t real tries touching them to ‘dispel’ then and ends up accidentally stealing something off them. Something small like a pin or feather. Desmond starts a collection of items he keeps hidden from the others. His favorite targets to steal from are the ancestors because the stolen item is small it’s not noticed the first few times but then they get paranoid later when they notice. Maybe desmond can reverse pickpocket the ancestors and leaves small things that help on missions? Maybe he just keeps a box of treasures from the ancestors to feel close to them (cause he loves them).

It would be funny if the first time Desmond did this, he didn’t even realize it.

Like… he was just trying to touch his ancestor to see if they were real but the closest thing he could touch was their hood. He touches it and they disappear before he could be sure if he did touch it or if he just ‘imagined’ he touched it.

He didn’t know that he had accidentally pulled their hoods off.

And that immediately catches his ancestors attention because that has never happened before.

How the hell…?

Then…

The next time he tries to touch someone, it’s Maria Auditore. She was just staring at the wall and Desmond didn’t know why he did it.

He just…

He tried to touch her hair.

Only to accidentally take one of her hairpins before she disappeared.

His eyes widened as he noticed the hairpin he was now holding.

Not knowing that Maria Auditore had turned around to face the direction where she felt the touch and ask quietly but desperately, “Petruccio?”

After that, Desmond tried to experiment on just what he can touch or pilfer.

It seemed that the moment he touches the ‘ghost’, they disappear.

But if can pull his ‘prize’ off the ‘ghost’ before they disappear, his stolen good would stay with him.

Tugging Altaïr’s red sash does not work.

But nicking one of Ezio’s pouches (the smoke bomb one that Desmond knew he could easily replace) does work.

As long as the entirety of the item is pulled away from the ‘ghost’, it will work.

So…

Desmond tried to check if he could only do this for small items.

Malik’s teacup (the Jerusalem bureau had a lot anyway) and… this one actually bit him back because he had to quickly steal it which meant he splashed hot tea on his arm.

Machiavelli’s coin pouch… (he can take the ‘hit’)

Haytham’s hat (which he threw on the pile of secret stolen goods he was hiding in his little corner of the Grand Temple like some kind of treasure hoard… not that he thought of Haytham’s tacohat as a treasure but, well, he stole it so it was his now, no takebacks)

And then…

He went big.

He went for Ratonhnhaké:ton’s tomahawk.

In Desmond’s defense, he didn’t think it would work.

The tomahawk was secured on Ratonhnhaké:ton’s belt and it wasn’t like simply clipped on like Ezio’s pouches. It was definitely more secured than Machiavelli’s coin pouch.

But…

He still managed to nick it.

For a brief second before the ghost disappeared, he was sure Ratonhnhaké:ton had turned around and tried to grab his wrist.

He knew he locked eyes with Ratonhnhaké:ton.

He was sure of it.

Anyway…

In the end, Desmond felt so bad that the next time he sees Ratonhnhaké:ton’s ghost, he returned the tomahawk without pilfering anything else.

And Ratonhnhaké:ton realized it when he felt the weight of his belt change. He took the tomahawk and saw the post it stuck to the blade that says ‘Sorry. I didn’t think I would actually steal it. :(‘ (and Ratonhnhaké:ton has no idea what “:(“ meant, was that supposed to be a kind of signature?)

From there, Desmond realized that he can… in some way, also plant something to the ghosts.

He only does it to his ancestors and it’s usually things that he knew they could use with little post its to leave a message on how to use them.

Bandages for Ratonhnhaké:ton because he’s always out alone, and he stresses that he needs to clean even the smallest cut Ratonhnhaké:ton might get.

Machiavelli’s coin purse to Ezio with a post it that says “tell Machiavelli I didn’t steal anything inside. Just wanted to check if I could steal it. Sorry.”

And…

Because he was insane…

Or he was slowly going insane being stuck in the Grand Temple with no one to talk to but two stressed Assassins trying to fight a ticking solar time bomb and his dad who he has a lot of unsolved father issues with, he just…

He accidentally gave Altaïr Shaun’s pocket notebook.

It was stupid.

Absolutely stupid.

But, at the same time…

Altaïr’s ghost just appeared out of nowhere and Desmond didn’t have anything on him so he just grabbed the smallest thing on Rebecca’s table. He didn’t even know why Shaun’s notebook was there!

Fuck.

Shaun was looking for it and Desmond had to pretend to not know where it is because he wasn’t going to tell them he could ‘touch’ ghosts.

A selfish part of him couldn’t help but think that this ‘interaction’ was his alone. That telling anyone would corrupt this beautiful thing he has.

Still, he felt bad so he promised to himself that he’d steal back Shaun’s notes next time he sees Altaïr.

… And he’ll just hope that Altaïr would keep the notebook on him.

Which he did.

Surprisingly.

So he quickly stole it back and…

He paused.

Because that was too easy.

Especially for Altaïr…

So he flipped the notebook open.

And sees a folded paper on the first page, written in English in Altaïr’s handwriting.

“Are you our Desmond? If you are, give me another one of this that I can write on. We need to talk.”

And Desmond frowned and flipped through Shaun’s notes.

He had expected it to be notes about Renaissance Italy or maybe even the American Revolutions.

No.

It was notes…

About Desmond.

All of his Animus sessions, including the sessions he had in Abstergo, summarized with Shaun’s snarky comments here and there, and…

Desmond’s eyes widened.

The last entries was about how Desmond seemed to be trying to touch something that’s not there.

There’s even a comment of how Shaun believes that Desmond is using sleight of hand to look like he managed to catch something in midair and he’s worried that Desmond doesn’t even realize he’s doing it, that he truly believed that he was able to catch something that wasn’t there.

That meant Shaun believed Desmond was slowly losing his mind and making up elaborate-

Wait.

Altaïr read this.

He would have connected Desmond’s supposed ‘catching of something not there’ to…

Oh.

Altaïr knows…

He knows who Desmond is.

[teecupangel]

*gets through the fireplace* Bonjour! Desmond in the Uncharted games! Because I find it funny if he would meet Nathan, thanks to them having the same VA. Adios! *uses the smoke bomb and runs*

So, for this one, we’re going for the Uncharted series is part of the AC series because plot bunny just hit me right at the face.

And yes.

Nathan Drake is absolutely a descendant of the Auditore-Kenway line. (Spoilers to the Uncharted series), it’s heavily implied Nate isn’t really related to Francis Drake and we’ll make use of that setup.

The church Nate grew up in was actually a front of the Brotherhood. His family doesn’t have ties with the Brotherhood, not really, but Sam did learn of the Brotherhood during his stay in the orphanage and is recruited.

Now, Sam isn’t exactly loyal to the Creed. More often than not, he was more in it to get the skills necessary to survive. He kept it a secret from Nate though because he didn’t want him dealing with anything related to the Templars and the Assassins. To keep Nate away from the Templars and the Assassins, Sam tells Nate that they’re last name is Drake.

Samuel Morgan was an Assassin.

Sam Drake was Nathan Drake’s older brother.

So things happened…

Nate meets Sully while Sam was in prison (an undercover mission for the Brotherhood).

Later on, Nate joins Sam in adventuring but Sam keeps any thing connected to the Assassins and the Brotherhood away from Nate.

Sam is an Assassin who is only known by very few other Assassins but Nate has some inkling that something fishy was going on, he just wasn’t sure what it was.

There were specific artifacts that Sam wanted and was okay parting with more lucrative stuff just to get it.

But then…

They teamed up with Rafe…

Sam supposedly died…

Even in the eyes of the Brotherhood.

And that is how Samuel Morgan died and Sam Drake survived the Great Purge that would happen two years from his apparent death.

.

So we have different points in Uncharted that we can catapult Desmond to.

2008 – A 21 year old Desmond is employed by Elena Fisher as her cameraman as they join Nathan Drake in finding Francis Drake’s coffin. This ends with them being part of the whole quest for El Dorado (the corpse of which is an Isu that contracted some kind of deadly virus that is severely dangerous to humans but Desmond and Nate have immunity due to their Isu genes). In this one, Nate actually acts more like an older big brother to Desmond and Elena joked about how they sound a lot alike.

2010 – A 23 year old Desmond gets roped into Chloe and Harry’s plan with Nate because he’s been fired from Bad Weather due to an altercation and has been sidelining as a thief using the training he received from the Farm. He also may or may not have had a fling with Harry Flynn (according to Chloe) and Nate is absolutely questioning Desmond’s taste.

2012 – Desmond escaped Abstergo before the Assassins got him and he is absolutely suffering from Altaïr’s Bleeding Effect. It’s by chance that he is in Yemen at the same time Nate and Sully are there to meet up with Elena. Maybe you can even add in that Desmond used to be Elena’s cameraman for a bit. Anyway, he joins the group because he feels like he knows the Atlantis of Sands that they are looking for. To be more exact… his Bleed of Altaïr knows of it.

2015 – Desmond survived the Solar Flare and has been working for the Brotherhood. He’s tasked with looking into a man named Sam Drake because he sounded a lot like the late Samuel Morgan and they needed to check if he is (1) alive and (2) faked his own death because he was a Templar mole like Daniel Cross. He gets roped into the search of Avery’s treasure and ends up Bleeding as Edward more than once because Edward knows a bit about this supposed treasure.

.

And, just to be clear, Nate does not have the exact same ancestors as Desmond. He’s Haytham Kenway’s descendant from a fling he had in England so they have the same ancestors from the Auditore-Kenway line until Haytham Kenway.

[teecupangel]

can you IMAGINE a Burn Notice/Leverage type show where Desmond decides to leave the Brotherhood after the solar event (having miraculously survived) and now he's on the run from both Abstergo and his dad (just like old times)

but of course he can't just run and only look out for himself, not with three mentors in his head telling him to fight from the shadows (so not completely like old times)

so it's a problem of the week show where every episode there's a new glowing golden person who has something Desmond needs who also *just so happens* to have a problem that needs solving

it's bloodier than Leverage or Burn Notice though because while Leverage never kills anyone and Burn Notice only kills the problem to death like 10% of the time

Desmond solves a surprising number of problems with stabbing

even ones that you would initially assume could not possibly be solved by stabbing

(when you're an Assassin, every problem starts to look stabbable)

And the Bleeding Effect makes Desmond a one-man con team.

Need someone to act like a rich dude? Use Haytham's bleed for a posh British old money ("I think he's a distant royal family member!") elitist or Altaïr's bleed for an arrogant oil tycoon ("He might have connections to the president, are you sure you want to get in his bad side???"). Planning to style a piece of art? Ezio's bleed makes him become an awesome art critic or a great tour guide.

Have to pretend to be smart? Take your pick. Connor has deep knowledge of the flora and fauna of the United States. Altaïr has a more general vast knowledge of the classics, especially of philosophy. Haytham most definitely has an insight into the historical and political situations of every major event the Templar had a hand before and during his time. Other than the arts, Ezio's noble background meant he would have a more religious background so theology is his jam and he can say prayers in Latin. (And the image of Desmond pretending to be a priest then charming his way into where he actually wants to go is so blasphemous I find it funny)

In terms of Leverage, Desmond is pretty much Nate, Sophie, Eliot and Parker all in one. What about Hardison? Well, what use are all these fancy expensive gadgets and security when Desmond has the Eagle Vision? Sure, he can't hack to make cameras go on a loop but he knows the exact blind spots of the cameras. He doesn't know what the red wire does but it glows gold so he just pulls it out and, voila, lasers go offline. When everything else fails, create a blackout and use the darkness to hide.

Letting Desmond loose in 21st century without any support other than his Bleed as a 'third party' against both Abstergo and the Assassins and doing shady things for other people means he's gonna be a more chill version of Agent 47. Lots of pretending to be other people and, as long as he finally covers his scar with concealer and lots of makeup, he'll just be a generic white dude. Just knock out someone with the uniform he needs and he's good to go.

It doesn't even have to be a stabbing. There are a lot of things that can become poison if applied correctly.

AND if we include Edward in his Bleeds (which we can since AC Valhalla did say that he had a dream of being Edward in one of the audio logs), Desmond would have a more in-depth sailing knowledge together with Connor's knowledge which he could probably use to figure out how to sail a boat or a yacht if he needs to and... Darts. Which includes the OP dart: Berserk darts.

But he's not a 'gun' for hire. No, no.

Everyone in the 'underworld' knows of him.

And if anyone asks about him... All they would hear would be...

"You don't find him. He finds you. And when he does, that means he wants something from you and, in exchange for what he wants, you can ask for anything. It will never be money. What he will always ask will be something important to you. Only if you're willing to part with it will he grant your wish."

"That's why we call him the Djinn."

[teecupangel]

If the "Desmond is Jennifer's son during her time in TopKapi palace" route is further developed, won't people outside of Ziio's tribe start to think that Desmond is Ratonhnhaké:ton's real father? (I can see Desmond quite embarrassed but enjoying the mess with Ziio and Jenny after Haytham finds out about the rumours)

The idea of Desmond being reborn as Jennifer Scott’s son here.

Okay… So let’s see if this would work… math-wise.

Since Jennifer was sent to Topkapı in 1735 and Ratonhnhaké:ton is born in 1756 (with Haytham saving Jennifer in 1757), that means that Desmond would have to be born around 1736~1740 for people to think that, yeah, he could totally be Ratonhnhaké:ton’s father. It is also possible for 1741~1743 but that’s like the iffy questionable age group.

In other words, yes, this could work.

You know what would be funny?

If Desmond knew Haytham would be coming to save his mother but not when. So he’s been preparing, even has a failsafe in case Haytham took too long and he needed an exit strategy soon.

His plan?

To frame Haytham Kenway for murdering the sultan’s favorite son and that son’s mother.

Desmond needed to fake his and his mother’s death and, as much as Desmond knew that Haytham had a sucky childhood, and he was truly coming to save his mother, Haytham Kenway was still a dangerous Templar who willingly tried to kill his own son...

Said son is also one of the few people Desmond cared about, either out of his own freewill or because of the Bleeding Effect doesn’t matter to Desmond...

He embraced his Bleeding Effect and Haytham is a danger to Ratonhnhaké:ton regardless of what noble intentions he may have in saving his mother.

Also, Desmond was still annoyed by Haytham’s backseat sailing from that memory, and he knew that Haytham would be able to survive this.

… he might be forever hunted down by the Ottomans but Desmond sees that as a good thing. Gonna be hard to do Templar shit in Desmond’s territory now, right?

I’m just imagining that Desmond had his mother taken out by the Assassins already and is wearing a guard’s outfit. Two bodies that are quite similar to them, both Templars or allies of the Order, are staged into a bloody massacre and Desmond made sure that they would be indistinguishable even by modern means, and he looks Haytham dead in the eyes as he said, “Hello, uncle.”

With fake politeness he had learned as a son of a sultan, he said, “I am quite glad that you have come to save my mother. And, if you truly do care for her, then you must know what role you have to play.”

Haytham doesn’t get a chance to say anything as Desmond puts on the guard’s helmet and shouts, “Intruder! The intruder has killed the prince!!!”

And like the guards have been stationed to be near Desmond and his mother’s rooms, they all get there quickly and find Haytham standing in a bloody room while Desmond pretends to be injured, clutching his arm with bloody hands that were actually from the two fake bodies he had prepared, “He did this! He killed both the prince and his mother!”

And Haytham plays along because he has seen Desmond’s face, know that he is his nephew and everyone here knows how much he loves his mother. If he was being used to finally get away from this place then he will simply applaud his nephew’s audacity and play along.

Only to finally get a headache when it turned out that his nephew and sister has sailed back to the colonies, and he had to learn that from an Assassin who went, “On behalf of the Ottoman Brotherhood, we thank you, Grand Master Haytham Kenway, for becoming a pawn to our mentor’s escape plan.”

For a brief moment, he wondered if it was Jennifer. If Jennifer had managed to become an Assassin and a mentor while stuck in the harem but then the Assassin continues, “The mentor told us to let you go this time as a sign of his thanks to his mostly absent uncle. He did leave you a message: ‘See you in the colonies.’”

And Haytham realized that, if anyone was succeeding his father as the goddamn Kenway Assassin, it would be his devious nephew.

Sidebar: Holden was knocked out by the Assassins because he saw them taking Jennifer to safety but, because Desmond insisted there will be no deaths, they had to take Holden with them and gave him back to Haytham (unharmed other than the ropemarks on his wrists and the bump on his head) when the Assassin came to give Haytham Desmond's message.

Smashcut to Desmond unintentionally undermining Achilles’ mentorship and questioning the Colonial Brotherhood’s actions against Shay Cormac. By the time Haytham gets there, Desmond had already made contact with Shay and was trying to appear as a kind of Assassin inspector and that Achilles’ actions have come into scrutiny and the Brotherhood wishes to hear Shay’s side of the story.

So now, whatever kindness Monro showed to Shay (whether genuine or not) takes the backburn as this becomes a tug of war between Desmond and Haytham to sway Shay to their side with Haytham going for “you know how the Assassins are now, can you truly trust him?” while Desmond is going for “This is not what the Brotherhood is meant to do, Shay, you know that. Help me make this right.”

Then that’s when we smack Haytham with news that Desmond has a child (with a ‘savage’) and Haytham knows he couldn’t have one. The timeline doesn't fit.

He sees Desmond with Ratonhnhaké:ton and he grows suspicious…

Then he hears Ratonhnhaké:ton call Kaniehtí:io mother and…

Desmond raised his head to look at where he had been spying at them and waved at Haytham.

And Haytham just knew…

His nephew certainly got the audacity and the deviousness of a true Kenway.

(Meanwhile, Jennifer is enjoying her retirement in the homestead. She has nothing to add to whatever drama is happening in the Brotherhood but she’s not inclined to help Haytham as well because, as much as her heart warms at the thought that Haytham came to save her even though it was a bit too late, he still became one of them. One of the people who killed their father and Jennifer may not hate him for it because she understands the circumstances that led to it but, at the same time, she feels no desire to reunite with a Templar)

[teecupangel]

Hey there!

I don't know if you take requests for character analyses (if you don't just ignore this), but I would really like to see your take on Desmond Miles since, for some reason, I can't really seem to wrap my head around him, which has resulted in me finding him almost boring, and I would like to remedy that.

I'm particularly interested in what you believe to be to be his biggest flaws and where they come from, since that's what usually compels me the most about a character, and also what I have trouble with finding in Desmond.

I’m fine with any analysis requests that get sent my way :)

Although, I do wonder if I’m the right person to analyze Desmond since character analysis is meant to be as nonbias as possible but I’m me and y’all know how much I love Desmond at this point. XD

I will do my best though but it is my duty to remind you that this analysis is written by someone who loves Desmond so, yeah, some of that love will bleed thru in this analysis.

Also, as this would get pretty long if I do a complete character analysis, I’ll focus on what compelled me to Desmond which, I believe, is connected to your question about what his flaws are and where they come from.

What compelled me to Desmond:

Nolan North’s Voice

He’s voiced by Nolan North and I’ve been in love with Nolan North’s voice since I played Spec Ops the Line. Haha, no, that’s half a joke and my obligatory “Nolan North fangirling” out of the way. Also, no joke, Nolan North was able to give Desmond a compelling voice that helped mold his character in my eyes and ears. I never once heard Desmond speak and thought "oh, that's Nathan Drake" which is funny since Nolan North uses similar voices for the two of them. With what he's given, Nolan North was able to make Desmond unique from his other characters, making him a charming and adorable dumbass with more depth than he usually shows.

Endless Potential

This was what compelled me to him because his part in the series felt like it was building for something more. If we were to believe what Nolan North said in this video (around the 33~34 minute mark), Desmond was meant to have a bigger part in the story. The ultimate Assassin with the ability to time travel, most probably to help change the past and tragedy of his ancestors and to usher in a brighter future for the Brotherhood and mankind. The one who will finally end the endless war between the Assassins and the Templars.

But then Ubisoft screwed that up and wasted Desmond’s potential.

But from their actions were born endless potential. For as long as there are fans who create new stories with Desmond in them, Desmond lives up to that endless potential. By destroying Desmond’s potential, Ubisoft unintentionally created a character with endless potential given to him by those who create stories where he is resurrected or never died in the first place.

And that endless potential is what brings new ideas and scenarios for our dear poor Desmond to get involved with. XD

Desmond and His Ancestors

Kenway-Patented Daddy Issues

So let’s start with Ratonhnhaké:ton because there are some people who say that Desmond and Ratonhnhaké:ton are quite similar to one another but, let’s be honest, most of those comparisons stem from their similar ‘tense’ relationship with their father. Desmond and Ratonhnhaké:ton mirror each other because of that relationship and they showed two contrasting ‘endings’:

Ratonhnhaké:ton had wanted to build a bridge between himself and his father but ended up killing Haytham because of their differences and their stubbornness to yield to the other’s wishes and demands.

On the other hand, Desmond let go of whatever animosity he felt for his father and made up with him in the end even though there have been hints of how deeply Bill mistreated his son (either thru neglect or actual abuse is up to interpretation) that should have been given more time to talk about than... two-ish voice messages.

This is more my opinion but Desmond forgiving his father and trying to make amends is because he wished to grant Ratonhnhaké:ton’s wish in some form. Perhaps even his Bleed of Ratonhnhaké:ton is the reason why he felt the desire to make amends because he’s seeing a lot of Haytham Kenway in Bill. In his Bleed-’corrupted’ mind, this could be counted as Ratonhnhaké:ton getting his wish.

The Legend Everyone Wants Him To Become

Lucy said it herself, they’re using the Bleeding Effect to jumpstart and cheat their way into making Desmond an Assassin. But is that really their end goal? Sure, Lucy had the ulterior motive of the Templars wanting to get the POE that had been under Ezio’s care but the Assassins themselves want Desmond to become an Assassin as quickly as possible.

We can even make an argument that they want Desmond to not be an Assassin like Ezio Auditore but to be Ezio Auditore.

Because Ezio Auditore was seen as a success story by the Assassins. They didn’t know how he had almost been so close to giving up the Creed during his later years, they didn’t know how he left the Brotherhood because he had enough…

They remember Ezio Auditore as this great man, this legend.

And the Bleeding Effect gave them the tool to try and recreate this legend in Desmond Miles.

Also, the way Lucy, Shaun, and Rebecca supported Desmond is similar to how Mario and the members of the Italian Brotherhood in AC2 supported Ezio.

In some ways, they were using Desmond/Ezio to get what they want. Desmond and Ezio are the ones risking their lives the most (either in the field where anything and everyone can kill him with Ezio or in a high-tech device that could destroy his mind with Desmond) while their allies kept information from them “until the time is right” (mostly Bill and, by extension, Lucy) and supported them from the shadows instead.

The Distorted Mirror

For me, Desmond is actually more of Altaïr’s foil and a distorted mirror image of Altaïr because:

Both of their mothers are quite the blank slate with Maud only known as a Christian member of the Levantine Brotherhood but never confirmed to be an actual Assassin while Desmond’s mother has never been officially called an Assassin, only a member of the Brotherhood like Maud.

Both were born and raised in Assassin ‘strongholds’, isolated from the rest of the world. How similar their upbringing was is open for interpretation but, considering how Desmond never talked about any specific children from the Farm and didn’t talk about his life as a bartender or any of his coworkers and the only person that treats Altaïr like an old friend was an informant in Damascus (if we do not count Rauf who looks like he’s friendly with everyone and Kadar who is more on the side of hero-worship for Altaïr than being a friend of equal grounds), we can safely assume they were both lonely (especially after Abbas and Altaïr’s friendship went to hell).

Both of them were trained to be Assassins at an early age but where Altaïr thrived and became one of the best Assassins in the Levantine Brotherhood (and, later on, in history), Desmond saw himself as a failure.

Speaking of which, they both have father figures who trained them to be Assassins but where Al Mualim succeeded in creating a valuable weapon, Bill failed.

Both of them, at some point in their lives, thought about running away. Altaïr had been ready to leave Levant with Adha but stayed instead after her death. Desmond, on the other hand, actually ran away and created a new life out of the reach of the Brotherhood.

Altaïr is known for saying “How can I regret the only life I have ever known?” which echoes Desmond’s regrets of running away from his Assassin lineage.

Desmond had talked about how he wished people had told him things, had explained things to him, and given him information that would have made him understand that the Assassins and Templars were real. He even tells Shaun that he would have loved to have been a know-it-all in the Desmond_01.WAV in AC Valhalla. Altaïr is known to hoard knowledge (his library) and is a scholar as well. They both desired knowledge but where Altaïr sought and hoarded it, Desmond simply… wished for it.

There are other comparisons of how similar they are but distorted in some way to make them unique from one another (like how their canon love interest (sorta in Desmond’s case) died because of them in some form or another) but those are some of the major ones in my opinion.

So, you might be wondering, why did I focus so much on Desmond’s ancestors when this is meant to be a character analysis of Desmond himself?

Because that is one of his flaws.

Desmond has and will always be compared to his ancestors, both in universe and in meta. One can only imagine how Desmond felt about being compared to his ancestors.

Well...

We can actually guess how he felt about that because...

Another one of his flaws is how he saw himself as a failure and his feeling of being never enough, of being a failure stems from, you guessed it, William Fucking Miles:

I—I had failed you, and you KNEW it. But you said nothing. I stayed mad. For weeks. I thought you were...you were patronizing me. I thought maybe you decided right there that I was never going to be the man you wanted me to be... (Noob’s Personal Files: "Subject Zero" - audio file 3)

The rest of the audio file talked about how Desmond had misunderstood Bill’s actions but what kind of upbringing would he have to have had that his first thought when he was praised was that it was a lie? Instead of immediately believing the praises given to him by his own father, he assumed that he had failed and his father had given up on him?

Desmond couldn’t even see his own accomplishment:

Desmond: I wanted out. I wanted my own life. To live my own way. Sixteen years old. And where was I going? No idea. Just away. That's it. That was the plan. Not much of one. They never guessed what I was doing, because I didn't know what I was doing. I just walked right out. Someone realized I was gone. They shouted. I started running.

William: Desmond! Desmond!

Desmond: I just ran and ran and ran. All that training was finally worth something. God, it was so dark when I left. And the forest... endless. I didn't dare take the roads.

Mother: Desmond, where are you?

Desmond: Mother, calling out. Begging me to stay. But I wouldn't. I followed the hills down. Down until I hit a stream. I followed that to a river, and from the river to an old access road. I walked for hours that day, the summer sun keeping me warm well into the evening. Found a clearing after dark. Fell asleep beneath the stars. Never had a quieter night. Not before or since. Walking, too scared to hitch a ride. What the hell was I doing? Lost in the badlands for a day. Felt like a week. Endless ocean of wrinkled earth. Can't believe a place could look so dead. (AC Revelations Escape)

A secured location run and protected by adult Assassins couldn’t catch a 16 year old kid? Even if it’s just his parents who went after him, two adults with more experience couldn’t catch him? This only shows that Desmond had the skills. A sixteen years old who had NEVER left the Farm further than what his training and his parents had allowed was able to evade those who were training him his entire life.

Yet, he still thought that he had been a failure. That memory of Bill praising him for doing a good job and him believing that Bill had given up on him stayed with him and made him believe he was a failure for a very long time.

And this was a man who stayed out of the whole Assassin and Templar business for nine years until he grew complacent and tried to treat himself with a motorcycle license (which might show how bored he was with his life as a bartender and wanted some excitement in his life… like a really fast vehicle)

Bill described Desmond as:

This... boy had no ambition. No direction. No plans for the future. What he DID have was a heritage. One he chose to deny. (AC3 Intro)

But then you get to Desmond’s audio files in AC Valhalla where he talked to Shaun about what the Creed means and he says this:

Anyway, my dad has mellowed over the years. But he was strict when we lived on the Farm. He ran a tight ship. I never got the impression that I was free to choose my path forward. Our creed, our tenets, they were drilled into my head. By the time I was a teenager, I was following these rules out of a sense of duty. This was... just what we did. (Layla Hassan’s Personal Files Desmond_01.WAV)

Just like Altaïr, the life of an Assassin was the only life Desmond had and he felt like he never had a choice. He was envious of Shaun who decided to become an Assassin out of his own free will.

But running away?

Denying his lineage?

That was the very first ‘choice’ he ever made for himself.

And this brings us to what Desmond desired most of all:

His “I wanted my own life.” in AC Revelation’s Escape is another excuse he tells himself. Because what he truly wanted was:

A Place to Belong.

After nine years of being away, my old bitterness was back. I was tired again. I didn't want to admit that moving forward might mean taking a step back. But the shine of the city had faded. The freedom I felt was hollow without old friends, without family. (AC Revelations Regret)

But then Desmond started saying these lines:

And suddenly, I wanted it all back. All that training, all that time. But I couldn't. Those days. They were gone. (AC Revelations Regret)

Not until you guys found me. Yeah. It wasn't until I met you and Becs and Lucy that I knew... I knew I wanted to be an Assassin. (Layla Hassan’s Personal Files Desmond_01.WAV)

I know my easiest days are behind me. But I don't want them back. Not now. My name is Desmond Miles... and I am an Assassin. I AM an Assassin. (AC Revelations Regret)

But then compare that to how Desmond was in AC1:

Lucy: Why'd you run away?

Desmond: I could never leave the compound. You have any idea what it's like being trapped in a place, knowing there is a whole world out there I'd never get to see?

Lucy: Don't you miss your parents?

Desmond: No. Far as I'm concerned, they weren't my parents. They were my wardens and I was their prisoner.

Lucy: It sounds like they only wanted to protect you.

Desmond: With all that's happened... I don't know. I guess they were right. (AC1, after the first memory block)

What changed?

Is it because Desmond knew what it was like to be part of a team? Of what it’s like to be an Assassin?

Yes but it’s a little bit more complicated than that.

Desmond felt like he belonged with the Assassins but he made one big mistake: he thought he meant the Assassins as they were are right now.

But what he truly desired, the place that he believed he could belong was the Brotherhood of olds.

The Levantine Brotherhood under Altaïr as the mentor.

The Italian Brotherhood under Ezio as the mentor.

Those were the 'memories' he had of what it meant to be part of a Brotherhood.

Then he started reliving Ratonhnhaké:ton���s life (one who did not have a Brotherhood, instead a village that left him behind and an old man too jaded to truly guide him without letting his past and guilt drive a wedge between them) and those messages he left for Bill? The acceptance? The forgiveness?

They were created after experiencing the pain and loneliness that Ratonhnhaké:ton went thru. It was created after he felt the sorrow of having a father that will never accept him for who he was.

They were left by a man who felt the regrets of someone close to him, could feel himself be him at times, and wished for another ending.

A… happier one.

Desmond’s line of

My name is Desmond Miles... and I am an Assassin. I AM an Assassin.

Becomes bittersweet because, yes, he had accepted who he was meant to be from the start but, thanks to the Bleeding Effect, we never got to know if the kind of Assassin he was ever meant to be was one that was truly Desmond Miles or…

Someone trying to live up to the memories of his ancestors.

[teecupangel]

(6:22) going with a DC/AC AU I find it a little funny if it's just Desmond in the world of DC and seeing as there's nothing on the brotherhood or templars is confused on what he should do next. Until wait a second is that fuckin Edward?!?

But can you just imagine Haytham Kenway’s Bleed just giving Desmond a headache because, as far as Haytham Kenway’s memories go, he always remembered his father wearing prim and proper clothes like these:

Then he sees John Constantine wearing this:

And he’s like “Oh no. Father’s return to his ruffian roots.”

Anyway, if Desmond gets punted in the DC ‘verse and has no idea what to do, I can totally see him following John just because he looks familiar.

John would be “???” but, at the same time, there’s something about Desmond that attracts… well, the sort that John’s pretty familiar with.

They don’t know it but it’s because the demons and other supernatural beings know Desmond is not from their universe. They can feel it (and some of them can even see or smell it). Desmond is different and they either want to kill him or they want to ‘know’ him.

Desmond just wants to go home and he honestly believes that all this supernatural and magical bullshit he sees being John’s sorta-assistant is just some kind of sci-fi bs he can’t understand. The Isus have screwed his perception so badly that he can’t believe in demons and magic and whatever.

Weird demonic being? Genetic mutation or experimentation gone wild.

Superheroes? Samesiessss.

Magic? Dude’s holding some kind of POE-equivalent item that can do crazy shit.

John is both impressed and annoyed by Desmond’s skepticism. He is absolutely confused at the mental gymnastics Desmond does just to explain everything as sci-fi bullshit.

The demons and other beings who get called ‘fakes’ and ‘genetic mutations’?

Yeeaaaahhh. It’s a good thing the first rule of getting isekai’ed to other worlds is that the main character gets a cheat power.

And Desmond’s cheat?

He can summon a moving pillar of fire and light from the fucking sun like a homing laser beam ala Moonbeam (no, we are not calling it Sunbeam, come on).

(This does mean that he absolutely works as a freaking battery for Superman though but Superman’s cool so Desmond’s okay with that)

(The Batfamily x AC AU that started this)

[teecupangel]

So this is absolutely because @twitcherpated suggested the AC x Fruit Basket AU could have Western Zodiac Signs instead of Chinese Zodiac Signs as a reference to both AC Odyssey and the main Isus of Desmond’s Saga and my high school self just burst through the door and went: LET’S TALK ABOUT DESMOND’S AND HIS ANCESTORS’ ZODIAC SIGNS!

Because there’s actually something… interesting and kinda funny about them.

First of all, here are their Zodiac Signs:

Altaïr: January 11 (Capricorn - Cardinal - Earth)

Ezio: June 24 (Cancer - Cardinal - Water)

Ratonhnhaké:ton: Apr 4 (Aries - Cardinal - Fire)

Desmond: March 13 (Pisces - Mutable - Water)

(By the way, Cancer (Summer N - Winter S) and Capricorn (Winter S - Summer N) are opposites because of their season signs) which I find funny)

If you notice, Desmond’s main three ancestors’ Zodiac Signs all have cardinal modality. There are three times of modalities: Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable. We’ll be focusing on Cardinal and Mutable on this post:

Cardinal signs can be interpreted as the ones who push for change or initiate change.

Mutables signs can be interpreted as the ones more flexible and adaptable to whatever comes their way.

Which does sound like they could be about Desmond and his ancestors.

Cardinal:

Altaïr was known as the father of the modern Brotherhood and brought many changes to the Assassins as a whole.

Ezio brought change to the entirety of Rome (and even Italy to some extent) during Borgia rule.

Ratonhnhaké:ton helped shaped the events of the American Revolution.

Mutable: Desmond’s story had always been about him adapting to his circumstances. When he left the Farm, he adapted to a world he was unfamiliar with and, after being kidnapped by Abstergo and getting ‘rescued’ by the Assassins, the last few months of his life had been him adapting to what was happening in the real world and adapting to the Bleeding Effect he got from using the Animus.

It is funny how Desmond's main ancestors are all cardinal signs while his secondary ancestors (Haytham who he only saw a few memories of and Edward who he only started to have Bleeding Effects of during AC3 according to Valhalla) are both mutable signs with Edward being a Pisces like Desmond while Haytham is a Sagittarius (Mutable - Fire)

And then we have their elements:

Altaïr is Earth (practical, cautious, material world) which shows in the way he fights and how he handled the Apple. Instead of relying on superstition and the belief of men for things they cannot explain, Altaïr focuses on finding an explanation for this material world we live in but he was cautious enough to not fall into the Apple’s temptation until… well… near the end.

Ezio and Desmond are Water (emotion, empathy, sensitivity) which makes sense as Ezio is ruled by his emotions (especially in AC2) and that’s not a bad thing as his sensitivity and empathy are what made him a good mentor while Desmond’s empathy lies in his connection with his ancestors and his sensitivity with the Animus and the Bleeding Effect.

Ratonhnhaké:ton is Fire (assertion, drive, willpower) which fits Ratonhnhaké:ton a lot as, no matter what he did, his main drive had always been to protect and avenge his village. No matter what was thrown his way (even if it was a cannonball), he never faltered.

Of course, zodiac signs should never be taken as a way to summarize a person but I just thought it was funny how their Western Zodiac Signs were able to fit their personality and also how all three ancestors are cardinal signs and of different elements with Desmond having the same element as the ancestor he spent the longest time with in the Animus.

Let’s be clear though, the ambiguity of the characteristics of Zodiac Signs makes it easy to interpret it however we want, for example: Altaïr and Ezio could easily fit the Fire characteristic as well considering they were also driven. Desmond himself could be explained as a cardinal as his story is what kicks the modern day AC story.

In other words: Zodiac Signs are fun but don’t take them too seriously… Like me… who wrote 650+ words for this one.

(I had to doublecheck with Wikipedia on this one because it’s been a long time since I read up on this XD)

[teecupangel]

Tags from @blankerthought

#laskdj of course desmond pulls a kdj...#honestly iconic of him. he should keep doing it#is this going to devolve into the joongdok shenanigans of taking each others' name?#because that's even funnier#local time traveler accidentally ends up using his name WAY MORE in the most twisted way possible#at least it's not like kdj's usual shenanigans where yhk finds out about it after kdj dies horrifically#asscreed

From @artduringclasstime

Desmond keeps using Altair's name as he fumbles around, trying to figure out what to do with his new lease on life. Meanwhile, our favourite eagle is trying to remember when tf he saved that village. And those women. And when he killed that asshole these very kind people are thanking him for killing. Commence slapdash comedy of Altair trying to track Des down and having to deal with the mess he left behind all while Desmond unintentionally stays two steps ahead of him

From @thedragonqueen1998

It would be kinda funny/interesting if the reason he blurted out Altaïr's name is because in the confusion and the bleeding effect, made him forget his name. He has so many names up there and he blurts out a new one every so often, so when Altaïr finally finds this man of many names, he doesn't believe Desmond when he says that's his name. XD

From @thinkingwildthoughts

Wonder how Altaïr would explain this to people- “It wasn’t me, it was someone with the same name, who apparently looks very similar to me- and sounds kinda like me, and has the same scar… But it wasnt me!”, and better yet, how long would it take for “It wasnt me, it was someone who looked just like me” to become his go to excuse when doing something dumb or nice he doesn’t want anyone criticizing him about.

From @artduringclasstime

@thinkingwildthoughts This has me HOLLERING. "Altair! What in God's name were you thinking, killing those men without orders?!" Altair, visibly bloody: "I have No Memory of this. Must've been my lookalike. Bet he had a good reason, though." Meanwhile, Desmond sneezes from three cities over.

From @thinkingwildthoughts

@artduringclasstime Altair falls inelegantly from rooftop across form Malik like a flightless bird, 3 minutes later returns around the corner of another building covered in hay. “There was someone falling? Maybe I should investigate.”

From @adhdavinci

woke: desmond was actually altair all along bespoke: they are both around and run into each other like the spiderman meme every so often. neither knows who is the real altair at this point and theyre too afraid to ask

Altaïr had impeccable memory.

He had to. Al Mualim had told him again and again that it was vital to remember as much as possible. Whether it was to memorize the guards’ patrol route or to be able to recreate the target document word by word, it was sure to help him in his missions.

So Altaïr knew for a fact that he did not save a village from a crusader trying to ransack it.

He also knew that he did not kill a dreadful man preying on widows.

He also was not the ‘kind man’ that killed those ruffians that had been taking orphans and making them steal and beg money for them.

And, yes, he would remember if he helped an informant get to his target by pretending to be a Christian noble of all things.

That was not him.

Malik seemed to believe him.

But he also seemed to also not believe that the things done by this impostor was not Altaïr’s work. Because, according to him, ‘there were too many similarities, both in skill and stupidity’.

So Altaïr hunted his impostor down.

Desmond Miles.

That was the name the impostor swore was his real name.

Altaïr still doubted it though. The first time they met, he had called himself Ezio.

The second time they met, he had said his name was Ratonhnhaké:ton.

The third time they met, he said his name was Haytham then immediately corrected himself and said his name was Desmond.

After that, he always told him that his name was Desmond. Desmond Miles.

Desmond Miles was the only name he had that included a last name.

So Altaïr used it to his advantage.

Whenever he did something that was outside the scope of his mission, he told people he was Desmond Miles.

Whenever he had to deal with something annoying that may come and try to grab him from behind later on, he made sure to leave evidence that would point to a man named Desmond Miles.

Whenever people try to shower him with gratitude for things he did on a whim, he told them his name was Desmond Miles.

That impostor was making it harder for him to remain in the shadows so he would do the same.

Perhaps it was not his real name.

But it was the name that would be associated with him the most.

The first time he wanted to wrap his hand around the impostor’s neck and squeeze hard enough for him to gasp for breath and tears to fall from his eyes, it was because of what Malik had said with such casualness.

“I see you are still alive then.”

Altaïr tilted his head, wondering if this was a new tactic of his to annoy Altaïr.

It wasn’t working because he could hear less of a bite from Malik’s tone.

If anything, Malik sounded… sad.

Then again, maybe Altaïr being alive was something that Malik would find unfortunate.

“One of our informants swore they saw you die two days ago. I suppose that would be your im- Altaïr?! Altaïr! Where are you going!?”

“Desmond Miles.”

The way his shoulders tensed made it clear that his impostor knew why Altaïr had been hunting him all day.

“Heeeeyy, Altaïr…” He greeted as he turned to face him, holding a basket of warm bread in one hand.

With his other arm was bent close to his chest, wrapped around some kind of cloth that was tied around his neck. He could see the bandages peeking out of the cloth and his impostor’s sleeves. Seeing where Altaïr was focused on, the impostor opened his mouth but Altaïr was faster, grabbing him by the neck and lifting him up an inch above the ground.

He choked, most probably surprised by Altaïr’s sudden attack, but surprisingly relaxed after that. Altaïr could feel the way his throat moved against his hand.

He was controlling his breathing.

It was a stupid thing to do.

Anyone would tell him that the correct action was to find a way out of his current situation, not stay relax and wait.

For some reason, this infuriates Altaïr more.

“You are not allowed to die.” Altaïr growled.

His impostor blinked at him, his expression going from confusion before grinning as he said, “Wasn’t planning to.”

Altaïr squeezed him briefly.

A warning.

His mouth opened to let out a gasp. His cheeks reddened and he squirmed a bit before forcing himself to relax.

A part of Altaïr wanted to squeeze his neck once more.

He wanted to see more.

But he refrained himself.

He was not here to ‘harm’ his impostor.

He was here to remind him.

“As long as you use my name, you are not allowed to die.”

“Does that mean if I don’t use your name, you’ll let me die?” His impostor asked cheekily.

Altaïr pulled him close before he said calmly, “I will decide when you die.”

He let go of his neck and his impostor fell on the ground on his knees. He grabbed his chin and forced him to look up before he continued, “Your life is mine the moment my name left your lips.”

He pushed him lightly before walking away, “Heal that arm of yours before you do anything stupid.”

“You suck at this, Altaïr!” His impostor shouted behind him, “Just say you were worried, you asshole!”

Altaïr simply ignored him.

Worried?

What foolishness.

[Desmond Miles has successfully saved a Levantine village during the Third Crusaders after waking up in the past.]

Grateful civilian: Thank you, stranger! You have saved our village from the cruelty of war. May we ask who you are so we may know the name of our savior?

[Desmond Miles believes he cannot say ‘Desmond Miles’ because that might accidentally create a ripple effect in the future.]

[Desmond Miles believes he cannot use any of the names of the ancestors who haven’t been born yet especially the Kenways because of how important they are to his history.]

[Desmond Miles has not yet processed the shock of dying a painful death and waking up in the past and his brain is blanking.]

Desmond: Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad.

[The people Desmond Miles have saved now believed their savior’s name is Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad.]

[Desmond Miles has committed identity fraud.]

[… and he will continue to commit identity fraud.]

[teecupangel]

So let’s first focus on Desmond has the Cat Curse (may have the God Curse):

From @twitcherpated:

BUT I will say that I was absolutely also thinking of Desmond as being the cat, except I was even more cruel to him and was going to go that he only has the monster form

but man him being the God figure would also be very very good

From @zero-saito

So if desmond is cat then does that mean his bond that lifts his curse is his ancestors? Who he thinks he will never meet cause they are dead? But it wouldn’t make sense cause it has to be willing but I’m reality they were aware of him the whole time so they accepted him.

I am all in for Desmond’s cat form to only be the monster form which gives everyone more reason to keep him locked up and for Desmond to not touch anyone (touch starved).

As for the fact that his connection needs to be willing (on both sides so even if someone was willing to connect with Desmond, years of isolation would make it harder for Desmond to connect with them), we can go down the route of “the ancestors can feel or have dreams of Desmond and they accept him” or we can go down the route of “the Bleeding Effect serves as a pseudo connection since Desmond’s mind is getting mushed up” so the curse is lifted when his Bleeds gain sentient and, since Desmond actually has the God curse, the Bleeds themselves evolve much more than they should in Desmond’s mind. (AKA: Desmond gets saved because the deus ex bleeding effect)

Or you know… just yeet Desmond back in time after the Grand Temple to your chosen ancestor…

And now…

For @twitcherpated’s idea of making this Western Zodiac Sign instead:

ahahahahha so! I wasn't grabbing too much from furuba for worldbuilding; I just wanted to steal the turning into animals when hugged bit, and Minerva using it as an incentive/disincentive "no you must only breed with this person, because I have plans was a silly low effort way of doing it

honestly though having an Assassin line stretching back to...hm. Kassandra would be the most fun I think? but feel free to grab anyone, like I said I don't have strong worldbuilding opinions here-- but anyway, a curse along the Assassin line stretching back to Kassandra, and of course then it would be the grecian zodiac instead

....I don't know if that's more or less fun than the Chinese zodiac. Hm. Hm.

well, I'm just gonna toss that aside and leave it to you after all

It will be more chaotic, that’s for sure because…

Altaïr is a Capricorn which means he’s half goat half fish, making him a Capricorn that can’t freaking swim!

Then you have Ezio being a Cancer so now he gets to be an adorable crab.

Then Ratonhnhaké:ton is an Aries so, in this case, the legends of the powerful murderous ram will become folklore in all of America.

Desmond is a Pisces which means that the poor guy needs to have quick access to any kind of water source so he wouldn’t die.

Other AC characters’ Western Zodiac Signs for maximum chaos:

Haytham is a Sagittarius which means he’s a centaur with a bow and arrow. And, yes, the tacohat stays on.

Edward is also a Pisces which works well for him since he’s a pirate. He just has to make sure his crew doesn’t try to eat him.

Shay AND Arno are both Virgos so I propose both of them turn into maidens every time they get touched. Like, full-blown young pure maiden (clothing optional). XD

Evie and Jacob are Scorpios so they turn into scorpions which will make it easier for them to stealth their way into locations… or, in Jacob’s location, poison the fuck out of everyone. If you want it to be funny, make them scorpions that don’t actually have lethal poison, only one that can be as painful as a bee sting yet Jacob is still stabbing everyone with his tail. XD

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

Are you familiar with the concept of Fruits Basket?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ezio: 1459 - Yellow Earth Rabbit

Ratonhnhaké:ton: 1756 - Red Fire Rat

(Calculations from this site)

Then we get to Desmond.

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

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

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

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

[teecupangel]

Desmond said that to Basim once and Basim was an inch close to trying to strangle him, damn his technicalities (whatever that means) XD

From @zero-saito

Desmond is using all the cheat codes he can get and enjoying the chaos. I’m gonna blame altair for that. He would have LOVED using the berserker darts

Altaïr would have definitely loved the Berserk darts. The funny thing is the ‘recipe’ for the berserk darts didn’t come from any of his three main ancestors (or Haytham).

It’s from an ‘unknown’ Bleed of his that pops in and out at times. Very sticky fingers, prone to singing sea shanties and gives Desmond the unhealthy desire to make a gun. At least 4 of them.

From @thedragonqueen1998

New national holiday: "Bully Basim day"! XD He's just so.. punchable? Bully-able? Defo fuckable. Prefererbly by Desmond. XD

And here I am heralding “Bully Basim day” once more!

So I learned a few hours ago that killing the targets with the mysterious shard in AC Mirage via projectiles will still give you the mysterious shard without having to loot the body.

Now, I know the common tool to use in this situation is the throwing knife. Just headshot them and boom, easy kill.

But it's me so... I definitely use the berserk dart on them and watch their own guards kill them... slowly... and painfully... hehehehe

[teecupangel]

Mona would definitely not want to do that but Ryuji definitely would and no one can rile up Mona more than Ryuji even if they’re on the same side.

I would suggest naming the Lamb Subject 17 just to hammer in the ‘raised for the slaughter’ vibes. His final Persona would be called “The Worlds” (as a reference to the possibility that his name Desmond came from the French word des mondes, the worlds, and the fact that he came from another world).

Yeeesss, the bar is filled with alcoholic beverages that his Bleeds recognized (especially Ezio). The walls are filled with paintings in the same style as Ezio, depicting important events in their lives (Ezio cannot look at the painting titled Burning of Cappadocia and Haytham ignores the painting titled “The End of Edward Kenway”).

The All Out Attack? Uuuhhh, I’m thinking that his All Out Attack ‘art’ changes depends on who his Persona is at the moment. All the Assassins would have “Nothing is true, everything is permitted” as the text but written in their language. Haytham would have the English language but his text would be “May the Father of Understanding Guide Us”. Each art would be Desmond having his back turned from the ‘screen’ while the Persona takes certain stage with the artwork behind them will be of similar style to what was ‘popular during their time’.

Unless it’s Lamb.

For the Lamb All Out Attack art, Desmond would actually be the ‘center’ of the art with the words “Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted” written in English (unless we have Edward taking the English text, then Desmond’s would be written in all of his Personas’ languages stitched together to create a Frankenstein language). The artwork behind him would just more or less look like the shadow backdrop of a city (has a sorta half-film noir, half-cyberpunk feel).

For the final Persona All Out Attack art, it’s similar to the Lamb All Out Attack but now the text in Isu script and the artwork is more of an apocalyptic the sun devours all feel.

(Thank you! I just like Aeon Personas hahahaha)

From @shepardking

Wjsjsn I was just thinking about this again when I got the notification of being tagged My thoughts being Desmond being aware, in a way, about the New Game plus+ Like, first play through the game Desmond is just hanging out but when you New Game plus+ he's like "The fuck??? Joker why would you wanna do this again???" Also, Iwai thinking art boy will get adopted only for Desmond to drag Akechi to stay with him after he nearly dies in his father's palace would be hilarious. Like, the only way to get Akechi to be alive at the end would be to get full relationships lvls with Desmond because of course he could get into the locked room and get the fake Detective Prince gone and Akechi out safe And the group only learns Akechi is alive after they finish the palace completely

In other words… place Desmond in a timeloop against his will. XD

But really, we can make this work by making the first ‘game’ have the bad ending. To be more specific, the ending of Joker being shot by Akechi. Desmond wakes up after learning that Joker has died and, now, he has information of the future.

… But Joker does too.

So Joker believes that Desmond taking a more center stage is because of the changes he’s made to prevent the bad ending. Desmond believes Joker and his group are changing because of his actions. And it takes their Confidant Lv 9 for them to realize that they both returned to the ‘starting’ point.

Desmond unofficially adopts the High School Detective and Iwai’s first thought is “oh another one”. As far as the public knows, Akechi is a good kid. Desmond just wants to try and help him out since… sure, he killed people but they were ‘bad’ people and Akechi needs someone to guide him.

… maybe Edward feels like Akechi is similar to Haytham even (Haytham is offended, Akechi is offended as well).

From @seelezeit

[Obligatory 17 Star Joke Here]

Oh my god. That's such a funny coincidence XD

If Desmond ever ended up in the Persona 5 universe, I wonder what he would think of the Phantom Thieves? Would he be a confidant for Akira/Ren/Joker, be a neutral party? Become a Phantom Thief himself? I can't help but think that because of his Bleeds, he'd end up having his ancestors show up as Personas to help him fight in the Metaverse.

Ngl, I wanna make Desmond the Sun because of my penchant of giving Desmond something related to the very thing that killed him but based on his ‘situation’, these are the Arcanas that Desmond can be part of in my opinion:

Aeon (many of the Aeon Personas have an affinity to light and a common theme for Aeon representatives are that they are unfamiliar with the world they are in and are struggling to find their place in this world which describes Desmond’s current predicament and also… there’s no Aeon confidant in P5 so Desmond won’t be sharing this spot with anyone or, worse, won’t be removing an existing confidant)

Sun (A character in a lonely and most of the time terribly situation, signifying the hopelessness of them succeeding with the end results being them having to reflect on their situation and coming to peace with themselves and what is happening to them)

Moon (being attuned subconsciously to the world around someone, gaining the ability to sense things without being told about them, or without anyone else knowing, this arcana is also sometimes called the Arcana of Lies and Deceit which Desmond would be doing anyway because there’s no way he’ll tell the truth)

Death (metamorphosis and deep change, regeneration and cycles… which can also hint on Desmond’s origin as someone not from this world)

Personally, I do see Desmond as a Phantom Thief and acting like the cool older brother type to these teenagers. But being a neutral party seems more like his style, considering… everything.

So I would suggest we make Desmond a neutral party the Phantom Thieves meet up with in the Metaverse from time to time, mostly in Mementos because, in his own words ‘something calls to me here’.

The Phantom Thieves don’t know he’s the same bartender that works at Crossroads who would always give Joker a Shirley Temple whenever he’s on break. Lala told Joker that Desmond looked ‘lost’ so she helped him out (in more ways than one, Lala actually thinks Desmond is undocumented and helped him be an ‘upstanding citizen’…)

Desmond, for his part, is just happy that, for some reason, he knows Japanese? He has a feeling it’s one of his Bleed and many people tell him he speaks like he’s from a period drama so yeah, there’s that (it’s one of his Ibn-La'Ahad ancestors who knew Japanese because they chased the Mongols to Japan)

As for Desmond’s Persona…

It would be funny to give him Minerva or Juno as a Persona but we’re not that evil. Another idea would be to give him Dionysus for our usual ‘Desmond could totally be Dionysus’ Sage’ idea that pops in and out XD

Although…

So we’re going to make Desmond special because he’s our blorbo and we’ll use the Persona 1 and 2 plot of how the characters get their Persona.

He does the Persona game because he was bored one day XD

And that’s how he starts to hear Mementos’ call.

And while he journeys in Mementos by himself, that’s when he encounters the Shadows… of his Bleeds.

Confronting them (which always ends in a boss fight) ends with him receiving their Arcana and his Bleeds become his Personas.

His Bleeds’ Arcanas:

Altaïr: Hermit (wisdom, introspection, solitude, retreat and philosophical searches)

Ezio: Judgment (associated with realizing one's calling, gaining a deep understanding of life and a feeling of acceptance and absolution)

Ratonhnhaké:ton: Hanged Man (sometimes self-sacrificial or self-loathing, but are more often notable for being caught between two different extremes, parties or stages in life of which they have little to no control – always in the middle of two opposing forces and he’s doing his best to protect his people given what’s happening) or Strength (associated with the morality about the stronger power of self-control, gentleness, courage and virtue over brute force)

Haytham: Emperor (desire to control one's surroundings, and its appearance could suggest that one is trying too hard to achieve this, possibly causing trouble for others; some elements in life are just not controllable)

Desmond’s real Arcana and his own Persona (which may or may not be some biblically accurate angel-like figure with all of his Bleeds around a small orb similar to the Apple of Eden in the same veins of the Norns design) will only awaken after Joker reaches max level with him.

Also, the Phantom Thieves don’t know it’s him because his form in the Metaverse is always hooded with the robes changing depending on which Persona he uses (at the start, they thought it was different dudes until Desmond changed Personas in midbattle)… and yes, that includes Haytham. Desmond gets a hood too even when he’s using Haytham but he also has Haytham’s tacohat. Them’s the rules.

Arcana symbolism from megamitensei.fandom.com