#if this was not meant to be an altdes ask

[teecupangel]

Had a dream where during Al Mualim's monolog before his and Altaïr's final battle Desmond fell out of the sky onto Al Mualim killing him on impact, the dream derailed from there but that might be the funniest introduction between Altaïr and Desmond like "sorry I popped out of nowhere a couple storeys up and stole your kill by falling on top of him"

My first reaction is “is this a meet cute scenario???” and… yeah, I think it is.

Altaïr loves to make dynamic entrances (just ask Robert and the twins Shahim and Shahar) so he’d probably be both confused but also impressed by Desmond’s entrance.

Until he realized that Desmond did not do it on purpose, he just literally dropped from the sky and shattered Al Mualim’s spine by accident.

Honestly, this sounds like this would end up being a bit cracky and would give us the following tropes with just ONE SCENE:

Meet Cute

Rescue Entrance that leads to Rescue Romance (Altaïr would insist that he had it under control. Desmond is like “Yeah, he did” and remembers that Altaïr was gonna get frozen by the Apple at one point but, sure, he had it under control)

Fall-In Angel (with Desmond doing his best to deny that no, he’s not an angel, but also wishing to make a ‘fallen angel’ pick up joke because he is not above that)

Oh, god. Now I’m just imagining Malik rushing to assist Altaïr only to be treated to this kind of scene:

(I tried to make it as obnoxious as shoujo sparkles can get XD)

[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]

As ‘Desmond can steal/touch his ancestor when he’s Bleeding’ idea more or less can be seen as gen, I figured this absolutely AltDes version (as I sorta hinted on in the alternate POV) should have its own post instead.

The AltDes version has definitely been started by the wonderful @thedragonqueen1998

Oh, i just imagine Altair waiting for the spirit to return to him after the whole thing with the apple went down, only to never feel him again. Maybe he'd use the apple to get answers? Could defo lead to altdes if you want comfort. ^^

My reply:

Yeessssss. Let's end this with Altaïr finding a way to keep Desmond in his timeline and maybe a big scene of Desmond holding onto Altaïr's red sash for one last time before he dies and Altaïr just grabbing his hand while the Apple glows and dragging him to his timeline

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

From @thedragonqueen1998

oh, im just imagining Desmond going up to the Eye and he sees Altaïr standing there, with his back turned and he holds onto the sash before he puts his hand on the device. He doesnt know if hes screaming as theres only the burning pain, the intense heat, the pure whiteness, the.. feel of fine silk in his left hand.

Altaïr has made sure to keep the Apple on him, so that if the spirit returns he could hopefully anchor it. Maybe he could finally ask some questions without it dissapearing? But its been months. Where as the spirit visited every few days, theres been nothing now. Maybe he should finally put it to rest? Hide away the Apple from anyone seeking to use i-

The spirit, its back. He makes sure to make very slow moves to pull out the Apple while the spirit holds his sash.

He cant mess this up, it might be months if not years until he can get another chance to anchor Desmond to him. With the Apple in his hands he tries to link the spirit to him. To communicate with it. Thats when the screaming starts. Altaïr freezes, these arent just screams of pain, its a death call. Is this how it died? He desperatly wants to turn, to comfort the dying creature, but he cant risk it. The Apple says its 47% done with "uploading memory".

What that means, Altaïr does not know, but the Apple has never failed in granting him his wishes, though understanding the information is another matter. He doesnt know if its been seconds, minutes or hours listening to the horrid screams, to smelling burnt flesh, before they stop and the Apple says "Memory Transfer Complete. Starting Body Transfer. Body Damaged By 20%, Repairs Can Be Done. Proceed?" Repairs? Does it mean saving the spirit? If so, "Proceed".

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

Addition from me

Malik did not understand this entire ‘spirit’ business that Altaïr has built in his mind. He had never felt anything strange whenever he was with Altaïr. If anything, the bureau in Jerusalem felt more haunted than Altaïr himself but, even if Malik has no real concrete explanation to the disappearing cups and small items in Jerusalem’s bureau, he also wouldn’t be able to stop it from being concluded as being ‘I forgot where I put it’.

Nonetheless, Altaïr stresses that the spirit is real and his obsession with this spirit of his that is named Desmond was simply another facet of Altaïr’s personality at this point. It was his deepest secret, only told in confidence to Malik because he needed a ‘sounding board’ to talk over his theories and plans.

Malik would have suggested he get a cat but he feared that making Altaïr a cat owner would either make a very spoiled and fat cat or a neglected wild cat that would get its treats elsewhere while its owner forget its existence.

So he tried to be this quiet sounding board, even ready to simply look over the reports given to him as part of his duties as Altaïr’s Keeper when he starts to hear all these… tales of a time far beyond them, machineries that Altaïr explains but left Malik reeling and feeling quite foolish for not understanding, of this… Animus.

Malik had thought Altaïr had gone mad. That whatever power had driven Al Mualim mad when he held the Apple had taken hold of Altaïr by tempting him with what he desired more than power itself.

Knowledge…

And a connection beyond what mortals usually have.

Malik had never thought of Altaïr as being a romantic but he was a man who liked to make dramatic entrances and exits. Cyprus would be a testament to that and, really, it was just as well that Altaïr did not do anything too stupid when he went to Cyprus. (Although a temporary alliance with a Templar woman had been risky and Malik was just glad said woman had told Altaïr that she was leaving Levant to travel elsewhere.)

Malik didn’t want to deal with that kind of headache. Malik had been ready to tell Altaïr that perhaps the Apple had been faking it but then Altaïr showed him these… ‘post its’ that Desmond supposedly left and…

The materials themselves were nothing Malik had seen before. The words he used in English were strange but his Arabic was fluent.

And looks eerily like Altaïr’s, both in the way it was written and the words used.

Perhaps that was what made Altaïr snap.

The insinuation that this Desmond didn’t exist. That Altaïr had made up this person, a person who, from Altaïr’s own description and the little papers Malik had seen, looked and sounded like the kind of person that Altaïr would fall in love with.

Kind but as lonely as him, understanding of Altaïr’s own faults and still believing in him…

Malik had feared that Altaïr would do something drastic.

He had plans already written up and was about to start preparations in secret to keep Masyaf and the Brotherhood running while he tries to get into the bottom of this entire Desmond thing.

Altaïr was slowly unraveling because Desmond hadn’t been contacting him. Just quietly visiting, Altaïr had called them.

It felt like this was the prelude to something big in Malik’s eyes.

Make Altaïr desperate for any communication, make him desire to ‘hear’ from Desmond once more… Altaïr was primed to do something stupid and Malik believed that the perpetrator had to be that damn Apple.

So Malik went to Altaïr’s private studies to finally confront him and, if need be, knock him out so he could drag him away from the Apple.

But, when he got there, he found Altaïr holding an unconscious man in his arms.

A man wearing clothes that Malik had never seen before… And a right arm charred and black with golden lines lightly glowing underneath the cracks…

“Malik…”

Malik realized…

“I did it. I anchored Desmond to me.”

… that perhaps that spirit that has been tempting Altaïr this entire time had been one of the olden ones that had created the Apple itself.

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

And more ideas from @zero-saito and @thedragonqueen1998

From @thedragonqueen1998

@teecupangel oooh, thats so hood! Malik would be so suspicious of Desmond, thinking hes tricking or manipulating Altaïr, but also cant help but like him. How he makes Maliks tea exactly how he likes it, how he pushes Altaïr into taking breaks and how he treats the novices. How could a being that made the accursed Apple be so pure and good? Did it take the darkness within it and store it into the artifact? Or something else? The being, Desmond, talks very little of it. For what reason does he share such wonderous "future" ideas, but will not tell of where to find more artifacts, of their uses and purpose? Malik can only hope it is for a good reason.

From @zero-saito

@thedragonqueen1998 @teecupangel I love all of this ‘spam’ 😍 this is great!! Yes to suspicious Malik but also Desmond is so sweet he can’t be mad for long. Also altair finally calming down and stop simping over a ghost! Wait! Malik finding out that desmond was haunting the bureau and either asking for the stuff back or an explanation. Desmond having puppy eyes that break Malik like Kadar used to

From @thedragonqueen1998

@zero-saito god yes, Desmonds puppy eyes are lethal! And he feels so guilty cause his hoard didnt travel with him. And he cant help stealing more to build another. He's like a dragon, gotta hoard everything!

From @zero-saito

@thedragonqueen1998 he has to steal things from altair and Malik the old fashioned way but he might still be able to steal from ezio and Connor the usual way. He will miss his family mementos after all

From @thedragonqueen1998

@zero-saito oh, didnt think about him keeping his Bleeds. :O i cant really think of anything else to add though XD im out of ideas here.

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

I got you, guys XD

Desmond wasn’t sure how Altaïr had done it and Altaïr himself was still studying it but his reasoning for studying it was more on the side of making sure Desmond stayed anchored to him. Desmond was sure that there was no way for him to return to his time, not when Altaïr had taken him just as he was about to die, his last memory the sound of his own voice telling him in a robotic sounding tone that the Solar Flare has passed and that it was dispersing the remaining 10% of the shield.

Desmond didn’t know if dispersing the shield was even a good thing but he had fate in the Assassins (his friends) that they would figure something out if it didn’t.

Oh, and about Juno too.

But Desmond was going to ask Altaïr’s help on that front too once he was satisfied that Desmond wouldn’t be thrown out of his time at all.

Honestly…

Desmond was sure that only Ezio and Ratonhnhaké:ton would be able to do that anyway since it was highly possible the ones he could connect with were the only ones who could use the Apple that way.

Between the two, Ratonhnhaké:ton wouldn’t even know it was an option because he would throw the Apple into the sea as soon as he received it, knowing the danger that it possessed.

Ezio wouldn’t even think about asking the Apple such things. He had always been wary of the Apple’s power and it took Machiavelli pushing him for weeks for him to even ask the Apple where Cesare was. So… yeah, Ezio was highly unlikely.

And…

Even if they do…

Desmond was sure he and Altaïr would end up trying to contact one another to find a way to bring Desmond back.

It would be nice to see Ezio or Ratonhnhaké:ton. To be able to talk to them and to tell them everything but…

Desmond wanted to stay in this time.

He wanted to stay with Altaïr.

So the moment he saw their backs as another Bleeding Episode hit him, he gave them a letter that explained his situation.

Desmond couldn’t believe he didn’t think of it before.

Not like there were any papers lying around that Desmond could use in any of the hideouts he’d been. They mostly kept everything in their laptops, computers and other gadgets. Any paper lying around would be important that Desmond couldn’t take or part of Shaun’s corkboard which he also couldn’t take unless he wanted Shaun to start slapping his hand like a mother batting her child’s hand before the child could take a cookie.

Here in Masyaf though…

Malik was okay giving him as many pieces of paper as he wished.

He knew Malik was still wary of him and Desmond wasn’t surprised.

Hell.

He’d be more surprised if Malik wasn’t wary of him at all.

Still, Desmond was pretty sure that he was slowly whittling Malik’s suspicion of him since he had been more than forthcoming about everything.

Also…

Malik did see the small treasure hoard that Altaïr’s (and Desmond’s) room had in the corner, filled with a lot of strange items that Desmond was more than happy to explain to Malik.

He would forever miss his hoard back in the 21st century but it was fine. He knew the others wouldn’t mind helping Desmond have a new one.

He… was still not sure if he should laugh or be offended that Malik had thought he was an Isu.

But that was fine.

Masyaf…

This place…

This time…

It was peaceful.

And he knew the pitfalls that would come.

Desmond was confident that Altaïr and Malik would listen to him once he explained it all.

But for now…

He just wants to relax for a bit.

And let himself be consumed by the peace and happiness he felt.

[teecupangel]

Desmond being manipulative and assertive:

everyone else: woah that’s kinda scary

idk man something just kills me about Desmond being all girlboss, gaslight, gatekeep with others but always just a silly goober when with people he love like his adoptive family, batchmate anddddd alty

god I love the batchmates. They better all live!!!! Grrr I am emotionally attached to their silly asses

It just shows how much Desmond trusts a person when he lets them see him at his silliest and kindest and I like writing Desmond like that. <3

Speaking of batchmates… we’ll be seeing one more who hasn’t made any new appearance since their initiation. In… maybe in the next next or next next next chapter XD

[teecupangel]

So I just got some chicks today (baby chickens), and my one dog is already super protective of them, growling and nipping at his brother when he gets too close to the brooder. Just made me think, how would the ancestor's react to each other, in regards to Desmond, if they'd been pulled to the modern time? Haven't played AC3 yet, but I dont believe Altair knew anything about Desmond, and of course Ezio knew his name. I'd feel Ezio would be pretty protective of Desmond, especially post temple.

This would primarily depend on when they would be pulled from their time into the modern day. For this scenario, the easiest setup would be to pull them the moment during the time that they are holding an Apple of Eden.

Ratonhnhaké:ton would be easy as we could use the time that he was about to drop the Apple into the sea.

For Ezio, we have a lot of possible candidates but, since you want Ezio to know about Desmond and make him pretty protective of him, I would suggest we take Ezio just as he was about to put the Apple into the Colleseum vault. Revelations!Ezio only touched an Apple after he was ready to finally retire so it would be a bit of a bitchslap to take that tired Ezio.

Altaïr would be the easiest to take out as he used his Apple frequently but if you want an Altaïr with just a hint of arrogance still clinging to him, you can yank him out just as he took the Apple from Abbas during Al Mualim’s funeral fire.

(Of course, if your main request is simply for Desmond to get all the loving and to be spoiled like crazy, you can just yank all three of them during their deathbeds, give them their body during their prime, and, voila, instant Assassin sugar daddies… or sugar mentors?)

Now, of how they would react to Desmond himself…

Ratonhnhaké:ton has no real connection with Desmond but that makes them work well together. They’re more on the side of acquaintances getting to know one another since Desmond only saw enough memories to know who Ratonhnhaké:ton but in a sense of ‘hey, remember this guy?’. His Bleeding Effect hasn’t fully sunk in so Ratonhnhaké:ton is more or less the least ‘connected’ to him. His relationship with Ratonhnhaké:ton is also the least complicated because of that and their relationship would simply grow organically. In terms of protectiveness, Ratonhnhaké:ton knows Desmond can take care of himself but he also believes that Desmond has the habit of ignoring the danger to focus on the mission or task at hand so he keeps an eye on him whenever they’re together.

Ezio knows how important Desmond is and is more inclined to side with him, mainly because Desmond is ‘familiar’ and he knows from Minerva’s message that Desmond is meant to save the world. Once he hears that it meant that Desmond was supposed to die and the only reason why he didn’t is because of the three of them connecting their Apples to Desmond’s Apple during that pivotal moment (even if it’s by accident or they don’t know why), he’d definitely be protective of Desmond.

Altaïr and Desmond would have the most complicated relationship, mainly because of how one-sided it is. At least Ezio knows of him and knows of their connection but Altaïr does not. Any connection Desmond feels would just be on his side and that would be painful to bear, especially on how aloof Altaïr could be. Altaïr would be more or less confused by Desmond’s actions towards him but, at the same time, he would be unable to resist the feeling of warmth that Desmond gives him. Being more or less raised as a lonely child, Desmond’s presence would be more pleasing and he would have the desire to hoard it. The day he starts resisting is the day that his ‘restraints’ go out the window. Out of the three, Altaïr would be the most possessive of Desmond, being the one to always stand too close or call for Desmond’s attention. He’s trying to be more of a team player and not be so standoffish but he tends to forget that when he’s trying to get Desmond’s attention. Thankfully for him, Ezio and Ratonhnhaké:ton are understanding men, and Desmond… well… Desmond knows this is pretty much on par with Altaïr anyway.

… this will definitely end up with Desmond having a harem. XD

Unorganized Ideas:

Bill is on their shit list. There’s no way he wouldn’t be. Among the three, Ratonhnhaké:ton would be the most ‘cordial’ simply because Bill reminds him of Haytham which is NOT a good thing, all things considered.

Ezio will learn about Clay and he would mourn the loss of a brother he didn’t even know. Whether Clay lives on as some kind of data that got saved in Rebecca’s Animus is up to you though.

Shaun will be hyperventilating once he sees them. He has sooooooo many questions and all that is keeping him from going ‘wild’ is Rebecca.

They will need a lot of time to acclimate to the modern day. During that time, they would lay low and rumors of Desmond’s death will circulate. Desmond wouldn’t even know about it since he was in a perpetual state of shock and amusement. Shock that he’s still alive and was meant to die. Amusement because he’s fucking teaching them things like how the toilet works.

Altaïr has the easiest time understanding tech. On the other hand, he is also a dumbass who microwaved a metal spoon because Desmond insisted that they shouldn’t microwave metal. Desmond learns early on that the best way to teach Altaïr is to explain to him why these and that is not allowed instead of expecting Altaïr to just nod and not do things.

The moment they are proficient enough to use a laptop or a phone and have access to the internet… uuhhh… well… humanity is both beautiful and also the worst thing to ever happen to the world, that’s the ongoing theme that Desmond is now stuck in.

[teecupangel]

Hear me out:

Soulmate au where soulmarks were created by the Isu to ensure that the right matches would be made in order to get to the chosen one.

They appear the moment two soulmates see each other for the first time, and they start itching after a few days of separation. After a week or so, they start burning.

By the time Desmond is born soulmarks are exceptionally rare, so he does not expect to get one himself, (and by all means he shouldn't get one, since we know that he is the chosen one) but he does, and it's right after he wakes up in Abstergo's Rome facility.

He's really hoping that his soulmate is the cute blonde lady, and not the crazy old guy.

(Ideally this would start as a Desmond/Lucy story only to then switch to a deconstruction of the soulmate trope as they both fall in love with different people instead. Time travel might be involved, for AltDes purpuses.)

(It's up to you whether Desmond and Lucy's soulmarks are a mistake on the Isu's part or something more sinister, maybe Juno's plan to get a new body by being reborn as Lucy's daughter after Desmond dies to save the world? Of course this would imply that in this timeline she doesn't kill her in Brotherhood...)

Or…

It’s a man-made created soulmark?

Like Abstergo managed to get the device that had been used to add the soulmark into humans and they tried to reverse engineer it?

It’s not perfect but they managed to make it work and all they have to do is inject a person with the ‘solution’ from the device that makes use of other chemical components that would trigger the ‘soulmate symptoms’ plus a secret ingredient.

The blood of the intended ‘partner’.

This isn’t how the device actually worked. The device itself used the DNA as seen in the calculations to set up the solutions which would be added to the humans’ genes using another device but Abstergo can’t find the device itself (the device is actually the Eye in the Grand Temple as that’s the one which has the capabilities to see into the future and thus can connect with the Calculations stable enough for the Capitoline Triad to add in the solutions into the Calculations) without the need of any injections to the targets.

So, Abstergo make do with creating an injection, calling it ‘YN-001’ and they injected it to both Desmond and Lucy while Desmond was unconscious so it only triggered when he first got out of the Animus and his eyes met Lucy’s.

Why?

Because by making Desmond believe that Lucy is his soulmate, he’d be easier to control for Project Siren.

But it all come crashing down when Juno controlled Desmond in the Colosseum vault, calling Lucy an abomination and showing everyone using the golden holograms that Lucy and Vidic had injected Desmond with YN-001 to make him believe Lucy is his soulmate.

If you want Lucy to live, Desmond’s feelings for her (which he believed to be love because he did believe he and Lucy were soulmates) makes him able to control his body before he stabs Lucy and he managed to strike a little to the right, missing her vital organs instead.

He still falls in a coma and Clay tells him the truth of Juno’s words. How the soulmate system had been created to ensure that Desmond was born. It was never about fated love or true happiness, it had always been to ensure the birth of the chosen one.

So… AC Revelations happen with Desmond jaded because of Lucy’s betrayal and the truth about the entire soulmate system.

When AC3 rolls around, Desmond actually confronts Bill and asked if he ever loved Desmond’s mother.

The hesitation in Bill’s voice as he tells him that he cared for his wife and she cared for him as well was all Desmond needed to know that they might have been soulmates but his parents didn’t even love one another.

So what did that mean for Ezio?

For Altaïr?

Ezio got the courage to leave the Brotherhood because he believed that Sofia was his soulmate and that they were meant to be together.

Altaïr married Maria and raised a family with her for decades because of the soulmark they shared.

Did that invalidate their feelings?

Did that invalidate their love for one another?

Desmond didn’t want to believe it.

Because if that was true…

If the whole soulmate system was meant to ensure that people would give birth to individuals that would later end up becoming part of Desmond Miles’ genes…

Then… didn’t that meant the feelings soulmates held for one another were their chains?

That they were unable to break from?

Unorganized Notes (AltDes because I was given an option and I will take it XD):

Desmond is under the impression that the soulmate system can influence feelings. It does not. The soulmate system relies on humans believing they are meant to fall in love with their soulmate to work. It can only trigger hormones and the burning sensation if they’re not with their soulmate but, other than that, the feelings are their own.

Desmond doesn’t believe this as he did fell in love with Lucy but her betrayal and the truth about the soulmate system made him believe that his own feelings were 'created' beyond his control and the only way to finally stop the feelings is after their ‘part’ of the calculations is done (which is true as Bill and his wife have been separated since the attack on the Farm and Bill doesn’t show any pain that should have come from the ‘burning’).

Desmond gets sent back in time a few months before the start of AC1 (late June 1191). From there, Altaïr and Desmond meet and they fall in love.

Desmond’s love for Altaïr is real for him because it’s not the soulmate system. However, he also knows that Altaïr would fall in love with his soulmate once they met. Altaïr doesn’t believe he has a soulmate and his feelings for Desmond are real for him as well. He also knows that Desmond hates the very concept of soulmates while Altaïr actually holds it in a high regard because his own parents were soulmates and he lost both of them at such an early age that he wished to believe they had been happy.

Desmond knows that and that’s why he could never tell Altaïr the truth about the soulmate system. It would be cruel and… Desmond loves Altaïr too much to tell him that his parents had him to ensure that Desmond Miles would be born.

Desmond is also jaded enough to tell Altaïr that once he meets his soulmate, he will ‘forget’ about Desmond so… Desmond doesn’t care how fast they were moving. He only had a few months with Altaïr and he was greedy enough to take and take as much as he could until Altaïr would no longer be by his side.

Altaïr wants to show Desmond that he won’t go anywhere even if his soulmate were to appear so he indulges all of Desmond’s wishes.

Altaïr and Desmond’s relationship is a secret… with only Kadar knowing about it because he saw the both of them together once and he promised not to say anything.

Then… June 1191 came and it’s up to you if Kadar survived or not.

Throughout Altaïr’s hunt for the Seven, Desmond is the only person who stayed by his side, not judging him for his failures. Some of the Assassins and informants try to help Altaïr because they wanted to but their actions are tainted by Al Mualim’s orders to make Altaïr work for their support. Because of this, Altaïr feels isolated with Desmond being the only one who stayed by his side. Desmond doesn’t stop him from thinking that because he knows their time together was slowly coming to a close so he holds Altaïr as tightly as he could for the few remaining weeks they have left.

Until…

September 1191 rolled around and Altaïr meets Maria Thorpe. His soulmark appears at the same time hers did and they both stared at each other with wide eyes before Altaïr runs away.

Instead of going to Malik like in canon, he goes to Desmond and Desmond knows just by looking at the rattled expression on Altaïr’s face that he had met Maria. He unclasped Altaïr’s hidden blade and stares at his soulmark, marking Altaïr’s left arm, before saying goodbye. Altaïr tries to stop him but Desmond tells him that the soulmark cannot be erased and Altaïr is ‘destined’ to be with Maria.

“Maybe… maybe in six years… you will remember that you loved me. Maybe…”

Altaïr promises never to forget his love for Desmond but Desmond believes he will forget it. Instead of saying that though, Desmond just smiles at him and tells him he has to go to Malik and save the Brotherhood.

The rest of the plot happens and Altaïr returns to Jerusalem as soon as he could even as he took the mantle of mentor. Instead, he finds Desmond’s home empty and… Maria there, holding a letter that Desmond had given her when she had been looking for Altaïr.

So, more angst happen here and there, Altaïr refuses to fall in love with Maria, Maria is torn between wanting to hate Altaïr and pitying him because she can see how much Altaïr was in pain, and…

Well, we can go for various endings for this one…

Possible Endings:

Downer-ish ending: Altaïr and Maria do fall in love in the end but Maria will always know that Altaïr’s feelings for her paled in comparison to how he feels for Desmond. When Sef is born, their soulmark stop trying to burn them if they try to leave each other’s side but, at that point, Altaïr loved his sons too much to abandon them. (If you want to turn this into a bittersweet complicated ending: Desmond visits after Sef’s birth and he asks Altaïr if he remembers how he loved him, Altaïr replies he never forgot and Desmond would have to live with the guilt of hurting Altaïr needlessly but still remaining by his side and becoming Altaïr’s lover who has a strained relationship with Maria)

Good-ish ending: Kadar stops Desmond from actually leaving and Altaïr manages to catch up, begging Desmond to stay by his side. His soulmark with Maria forces Maria and Altaïr to be near with one another every few days but Maria knows Altaïr’s heart belongs to Desmond. Desmond feels guilty for hurting Maria but Maria just waves it off as she has no reason to fall in love with a man in love with someone else. Maria and Altaïr’s chains finally break when Sef is born and Maria leaves Masyaf as she had always felt like a stranger in the Brotherhood (happy ending for Maria and our KadMar agenda: she goes stay with Kadar in Jerusalem instead and this could end up as romantic or platonic).

‘Golden’ ending: Altaïr uses the Apple to find a way to erase his and Maria’s soulmark with Maria being his ally as she doesn’t want to have a soulmark of a man who is obviously in love with another person. The Apple brings them to an Isu temple and Desmond is also there because, the truth was, he couldn’t bury his feelings for Altaïr and he wanted to be selfish for once so he was looking for a way to erase Altaïr’s soulmark so he can ‘remember’ Desmond. They end up using the device in that Isu temple after Altaïr tells Desmond that he never stopped loving him and the reason why they’re there is to erase his soulmark as well. Maria’s just there, feeling pity for the pain the two had gone through but also annoyed because a lot of the drama wouldn’t have happened if. They. Had. Talked. To. Each. Other. Instead. Of. Desmond. Running. Away. In. The. First. Place. Anyway, happy ending with Altaïr finally erasing his and Maria’s soulmark and Maria goes her own merry way with her dreams of wanting to find her own path.

(sidebar: if you want a soulmate AU AltDes, then may I suggest Zero Eclipse? The soulmate mark is an Isu invention in that one too (by the Isu Inanna) with a similar premise of ‘you will earn your soulmark if you do what we want you to do and follow the Calculation we chose’)

[teecupangel]

Catboy nonny, intrigued with your last answer.

How did Altaïr use it against him? I really wanna know now…

The AltDes version of Catboy Desmond that is connected to this.

You know the drill. I have no idea how graphic this is so let’s be sure anyway XD

Desmond hated how his new body would betray him at times. He would always hiss and lower himself, as if ready to pounce, whenever Abbas was in his sights. He let out mournful meows whenever he smelled food even though he wasn’t hungry yet. His tail would have a mind of its own and the urge to ‘play’ would always come up whenever he saw the recruits training to sneak around or freerunning. Before he knew it, he would either be chasing them or accidentally surprising them.

But nothing…

Nothing…

… was worse than the purring that always left him whenever Altaïr did… something.

He only purred around Altaïr, thank god, but the man was observant as hell so he knew immediately what it meant when Desmond purred.

Sometimes it was a pure kind of purr. Altaïr’s warmth around him, his gentle hands caressing his hair…

His hands would even knead Altaïr’s chest or thigh sometime and Desmond was okay with that.

Most of the time though, Desmond’s pure came in the worst of times.

Drowning in pleasure, unable to control his body from reacting to Altaïr’s touch. Purring became an indicator of how much Desmond enjoyed what Altaïr was doing to him.

Which part of his body was sensitive to his touch.

How far Altaïr could take this session… (too far for Desmond’s sense of embarrassment but never far enough according to Desmond’s slutty purrs)

Desmond didn’t need to ask anything. His purrs was all the indication Altaïr needed to know that he was in the right track, that he could continue for as long as he wants.

And Desmond was always left boneless, gasping for breath and long passed satisfied and into that kind of high that not even that strange catnip-like ‘tea leaves’ Altaïr found thanks to the Apple could give him.

Altaïr was all Desmond need.

He was all Desmond wanted.

There was no need to write what he wanted whenever he was with Altaïr.

Altaïr made it clear that he would give Desmond whatever he desired.

All Desmond had to do was be honest.

And it was hard being honest for someone like Desmond.

So Altaïr would ask his body and Desmond’s body, his feline instincts…

They never steered Altaïr wrong.

[teecupangel]

Just a reminder...

Uuuuhh... the next posting for this month's August Birthday MegaPosting (I really don't remember what I was calling this) will be on Saturday, August 12.

I fucked up and will be uploading not just the latest chapter of Eagle of Alamut and a short sidestory/epilogue for Beloved Moon BUT...

Well... it was meant to be a reblog of a request from here but the entire thing grew to a 10K monstrosity so... the yandere-ish!AltDes ask from before will be posted in a separate fic. The original idea will be posted on August 12 with 'minimal' editing but the 10k sequel will be posted on August 28 because I want to post it during that date.

In other words, Altaïr's Death Day will be a feast for those who enjoy my AltDes work XD

[teecupangel]

Hey Tee! I did an ask about this for The Witcher fandom a while ago now it popped in my head for AC and-

Studio Ghibli AUs. All the Studio Ghibli AUs!!! Which pairing do you think fits best with each movie?

I was wondering if you meant Desmond pairings or if you meant like… non-Desmond pairings but, fuck it, my default setting is that you meant Desmond pairing so here’s some Desmond pairings for you XD

(I will try to add a spin to it or something, we’ll see)

AltDes: Spirited Away

In this setup, we’ll change the parents to Shaun and Rebecca and the idea is Desmond and the two of them are on their way to their next mission. This one will not have any Animus BS in it but they’re still all Assassins.

The same setup as the beginning of Spirited Away but I kinda wanna make them into turkeys instead of pigs so we can have a reference to the Assassin Turkey XD

Anyway, Al Mualim would be the owner of the bathhouse that Desmond works with and Altaïr would be the mysterious employee whose name nobody knows. 

One of the main themes of this movie is losing one’s identity so we’ll have Desmond only be called 17. Every employee is only called by number and Altaïr would be called 1. The other main characters would take the other numbers (2 for Ezio, 3 for Ratonhnhaké:ton, etc) with Clay being 16 because he’s 16. 

Altaïr will be one of the employees helping Desmond but he’s the most distant of them. Maybe that would be the reason why Desmond would notice him because he can feel a familiar loneliness clinging onto Altaïr and he’d be ‘curious’ about it. Their budding closeness would be the reason why Altaïr would be the one to go ‘fuck all of this’ and leave his ‘post’ to help Desmond and Desmond would realize who Altaïr is because of the small details he could remember (and how Desmond had learned about the Assassins of old)

Anyway, it ends in a similar way as Spirited Away with Desmond realizing that all of the employees were Assassins and the bathhouse is meant to be a stop point between living and afterlife. Al Mualim used a POE he found using the Apple that was one of the failed solutions to the Solar Flare to create that pocket dimension and he’s been hoarding these Assassins as a way to have his own army (with defective memories that would make them easier to control) and the pocket dimension would pierce reality and revive them into the current timeline.

Everyone had been helping Desmond because they believe Desmond could still leave if he remembers he’s Desmond, not knowing that only meant that Desmond would pass to the afterlife and not actually return to his old life.

Desmond being Desmond fucked that up because his very existence and his belief that all of these people (employees + Al Mualim and the guests which are actually just passing ghosts that Al Muliam didn’t take) are real jumpstart the reality bending power of the POE but that also meant Desmond has become the singularity, not Al Mualim.

Then the twist would be the reason why the three got into the pocket dimension is because the car they used exploded thanks to a bomb that Lucy placed (orders from Vidic) and their mission had been to investigate Clay’s death.

So… either go for the afterlife peaceful life ending or the ending where the reality bending POE does success thanks to Desmond. 

EziDes: Honestly, I was thinking either Howl’s Moving Castle or Castle in the Sky but I decided to go with Howl’s Moving Castle instead

In this one, Desmond would be Howl so we can have AC Revelations!Ezio hahahaha

No, seriously.

Anyway, the witch is Juno (of course), Calcifer is Clay and Turnip Head would be Suleiman who does fall in love with Ezio but… yyeeaaahhh.

So, Desmond is cursed to not have a heart by Juno (and it’s shaped like the Apple of Eden and is Juno’s main ‘weapon’) and he can transform into a similar bird creature but this one is bathed in white and have gold lines all over (Ezio would realize the gold lines are very similar to the gold lines of the Apple) and he does transform to keep the two warring side in check even if it’s taking a toll on his body. The more toll it takes, the more golden lines appear on his body, all originating from the scar where his heart had been taken.

Clay tells Ezio he can free him from his curse but he wants to be freed first. This is all a big gamble because Clay knows the only way to free him from the life connection he has with Desmond is if Desmond regains his heart before Clay’s fire is completely snuffed out.

The ending is similar to Howl’s Moving Castle but Ezio would steal Juno’s Apple because he knows it’s connected to Desmond but don’t know how while Juno is punished by the king she ‘sided’ with. (Lorenzo, maybe?)

ConDes: Princess Mononoke

I’m going to be completely honest here, Princess Mononoke is my favorite Studio Ghibli film and I was tempted to make this the AltDes one but ConDes just fits soooo much more so, yeah, let’s start this.

Ratonhnhaké:ton would be our Ashitaka and he’d be ‘banished’ from his village because he was cursed after killing a demon before it could reach his village. His grandmother (the clan mother as well) tells him to go west where the demon (which they had realized was a corrupted boar god) had hailed from.

Along the way, he meets George Washington who suggests that maybe the Great Forest Spirit could cure him… if he was to find it anyway.

So Ratonhnhaké:ton reached Iron Town that is under the control of the Templar Order with Haytham Kenway as the leader (up to you if we’re keeping their familial relationship or not)

He also sees the town be attacked by wolves and a man in a hood and a mask that rides one of the wolves and attacks the townspeople as well. 

Okay, for this one, Desmond is obviously the San of this AU and his wolf brethren would be Altaïr and Ezio. 

Can we keep Gillian Anderson as Moro? No? Fine. Maria Auditore or Minerva gets the role of mama!wolf god. Take your pick.

Yeah, George Washington’s gonna steal that head. XD

Alright, so those are the main three done and here are some more Studio Ghibli AU ideas that I’m just throwing out there:

Fuck it. I want a Castle in the Sky one so here: Arno x Desmond with Laputa Castle in the Sky with Desmond being the mysterious man everyone wants to abduct and Arno helping him try to escape and also looking for the mythical Laputa that his father had been searching until his untimely demise.

My Neighbors the Yamada with the Kenway family. Either this is a sweet AU where nothing bad happened to them OR this is like the exact opposite of My Neighbors the Yamada and is just pure Kenway Family Drama all the way. Either way, the fic would be set in Desmond’s POV who is neighbors with the Kenways and it’s up to you if this is gonna be EdDes, HayDes or ConDes (or even JenDes)

Kiki Delivery Service with Desmond being Kiki, Clay as Jiji and Leonardo being that kid that is absolutely enraptured by how Desmond could use a broom to fly. The bakery is absolutely owned by the Auditores with Maria Auditore pregnant with Petruccio. (this can either be EziDes or LeoDes)

Only Yesterday AU where Jacob returns to his childhood rural town after a very bad breakup and tries to ‘repair’ his relationship with his sister that shattered after their father’s death. She’s married and has a child and her husband’s cousin, Desmond, is also a distant childhood friend. 

The Cat Returns would be so fun for Desmond and I kinda want it to be Eivor x Desmond with the Cat King being Odin. I don’t know why, it sorta kinda fits? Baron could even be Basim and Toto would be Hytham, why not?

I kinda wanna make a joke and say Graves of the Fireflies with the Frye twins but just remembering Graves of the Fireflies makes me wanna cry so no, we are not using Graves of the Firefly in this one unless the AU has Desmond save the kids. 

I gotta end it there because if I don’t, I’ll be stuck here thinking of AU ideas for every Studio Ghibli film I’ve watched and I’m pretty sure I watched almost all of them. God, I wanted to make a Nausicaa Valley of the Winds AU but all I can think of are the Templars using ancient weapons to control the world and Desmond being Nausicaa. That’s as far as I got.

[teecupangel]

I’m sure you’ve gotten an ask like this before, but I’m wondering how you see Desmond in your head? Like, ok so say for altdes, do you picture them as almost twins even shipping them? Or does he look more like he does in later games? Or something else? Is it actually the fact that Desmond is using the animus that Altair looks like that, so if Desmond time travelled or something and saw the real Altair, he would look different? No judgment any which way, I am just curious on your own thoughts on the matter!

This is an interesting ask and I’ve actually never received an ask like this before.

Whenever I write, whether it’s gen or AltDes, I don’t write a physical description all that much for any of the characters because (1) I suck at it (no really, I can say the color of the hair and eyes and such but I actually don’t know how to describe facial description like what kind of nose they have and such) and (2) with how different Desmond AND Altaïr looks in the games they’ve been in, I want to let the readers have the freedom to use whichever ‘look’ they like most.

So this is purely my personal... 'preferences' I suppose would be the most accurate word to use in this one. Anyway!

Desmond looks primarily like Francisco Randez to me, more often than not, I kinda remember this pic for Desmond’s looks:

In terms of how similar he looks to Altaïr…

The following would always stay the same in my writing (unless I specified a change or something):

Altaïr would have curly hair underneath his hood (because I like to headcanon he has curly hair) and I do like to describe Desmond’s hair as curling at the end when it gets long but that’s because Francisco Randez’s hair is like that as well.

Altaïr would always have golden eyes while Desmond’s eyes would be light brown (and, if the narration forgives it or it’s meant to be a joking ‘you can call it light brown, dude’ like what happened to Peredur in Eagle of Alamut, his eyes might be called either whiskey-colored or honey-colored)

Altaïr would always be darker in skin tone compared to Desmond.

Altaïr would always be shorter than Desmond (and he’s the shortest of all of Desmond’s ancestors).

In general though, I don’t necessarily describe both Altaïr and Desmond to look exactly the same. They do look very similar in most of my fics, to the point that Desmond could be mistaken as Altaïr from afar. So yeah, I’m on the side of Altaïr and Desmond could be mistaken as brothers but not identical twins most of the time, even when it’s a shipping fic (honestly, not counting the ones where Desmond gets reborn into another character, the only fic that I can think of on the top of my head where I don’t think they look similar enough to be mistaken as brothers would be The Pool ‘Incidents’).

Also…

Altaïr has two distinct looks: AC1!Altaïr and ACRevelations!Altaïr.

AC1!Altaïr is the one that looks exactly like Desmond and the common explanation for that is that the Animus Abstergo had used Desmond’s data to recreate Altaïr in the genetic memories and my headcanon for that one is either:

if I’m being mean, it’s because Abstergo is cutting corners

if I’m being nice, this would be a way to make it easier for Desmond to get used to reliving Altaïr’s memories if he’s in a body he was already familiar with

ACRevelation!Altaïr being different could either be:

(most common explanation and the accepted canon) this is what Altaïr actually looks like.

(a fun ‘hey, what if’ idea) this is how Ezio remembers what Altaïr looks like based on the statue in Villa Auditore. < this one is purely a fun (absolutely not headcanon) idea I have like… what if the memories Ezio sees are clouded by the ideas he already believed to be real as well as the idea that maybe the memory seals were the prototype for the Animus. Also... it leaves a big mystery to how Altaïr truly looks like XD

Anyway, I’m fine with whichever face you want to use for Desmond and Altaïr in my fics. Ubisoft has screwed up their faces already, we should be allowed to do the same.

.

.

.

.

Sidenote: if AC1 is totally get a remastered version, I really hope they cast Ryan Colt Levy as Altaïr's mocap and facial animation actor. (And I think he can voice him too, dude has raannggee)

[teecupangel]

@halfpintofanxiety asks for 28, 35, and 36 from the List of AC Fic Ideas I have at the moment:

35. (Multi) Yew Branches: Desmond as Random Parisian Assassin

A nonny asked for this too here's the link. :)

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

28. (Multi) Bleeding Effect Smut: AltDes Courtesan Roleplay (empty)

This one has no notes but it is meant to be a sequel to this one

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

36. (Multi) Tentacle Demon AU sequel

15th century

Desmond has fully become Altaïr's beloved 'spouse' and turns into a human-demon hybrid that gave birth to their first child, Ezio

Born as a human-demon hybrid, baby with octopus bottom. Connected to Altaïr with some kind of spiritual link that makes everything they eat satisfy Altaïr while impregnating Desmond satisfies his need to fuuuucccckkkk.

Altaïr is underneath Villa Auditore while Desmond becomes its current owner with the Auditore clan being a family that becomes a cult that worships Altaïr. (entire Monteriggioni) 

Ezio becomes a patron of the arts and takes Leonardo da Vinci to Altaïr to be a hybrid like Desmond.

The Kenways

Edward and Haytham being twins

Haytham being estranged after seeing how they let Edward do so much destruction. Edward accidentally being the reason why pirates are so brutal and badass. 

Haytham falls in love with Ziio but because he didn't bring her to Altaïr she dies giving birth to a cambion child.

Returns to Villa Auditore and leaves the baby with Desmond before leaving once more.

Desmond is with Aveline at this time and he names the baby Connor who grows up believing he's twins with Aveline and Desmond and Altaïr are his parents.

Haytham fucks up and a human named Shay accidentally drinks his blood. He goes back to Villa Auditore for help, complicated feelings over child Connor and Shay becomes bound to him kinda like Leonardo to Ezio. 

Haytham travels to the colonies with Shay because estranged son and all that bullshit.

Connor being cute

Add scene:

Connor: Will you come see us again, brother?

Haytham: We shall see, little one. (never calls Connor ‘brother’ but also never calls him ‘son’)

French Revolution

Arno being the next child. Desmond and Altaïr staying underneath Cafe Theatre for a change of scenery. Arno being super stalker for Elise who just smiled at him once.

Like Eddie Redmayne's chara in LesMis but demon human hybrid who wants to fuuuuccckkk

Either this turns into a freaking stockholm syndrome bs or Elise dies either by accident or she kills herself instead than be a hybrid's bitch. Idk. You decide. 

England Steam Industrial Revolution

Twins Jacob and Evie

Evie being more into leading the cult and flirting with Greenie (current cult leader)

Jacob making the rooks gang to make it easier to feed and also because he loves chaos

Jack the Ripper is actually a cultist who may or may not love Jacob as a father or like love-love and may have mistaken what the killing and eating truly does

[teecupangel]

Tags from @thedragonqueen1998

#i am back with my altaïr is a monster fucker agenda #i’m not even sorry #yeah yeah yeah#definitely #altdes #<previous tags #monster fucker!Altaïr is best Altaïr XD #don't even be sorry #we're all a lost cause here

Tags from @wisecloudnightmare

#i am back with my altaïr is a monster fucker agenda #i’m not even sorry #yeah yeah yeah #definitely #altdes #< *crackles* even monster!desmond is bewildered by altaïr's action and tenderness #caressing his sharp teeth? what is in your mind altaïr? 🤔 #assassin's creed #desmond miles #altaïr ibn la'ahad

From @siofreed

*crackles at monsterfucker Altair*

From @thedragonqueen1998

Man, i wonder how Malik would react when he sees Desmond? Even better if he ends up walking in on Altaïr and Desmond getting busy. XD

Malik had heard of the creature that stalks Altaïr’s dreams. Hard not to when it was Kadar’s favorite topic whenever they ate meals together in the privacy of their home.

He really didn’t want to remember how their father had suggested that it wasn’t truly a creature caring for Altaïr but some kind of dream that was trying to show Altaïr that his… preferences laid elsewhere.

Somewhere dangerous and forbidden.

Kadar had turned red and spluttered the entire time while their father laughed, having enjoyed the reaction he got from such an insensitive little joke.

After that, Kadar never talked about what Altaïr told him to their father.

Malik would have preferred it if his younger brother didn’t talk to him about it too.

His father’s joke had dug itself deep into Malik’s mind and now…

No matter how sweet or innocent Kadar’s words are concerning what Altaïr had told him (probably in secret but everyone knew that Kadar tells Malik everything anyway so if Altaïr didn’t want him to know then Altaïr was the one at fault for not remembering that little thing about Kadar), Malik’s mind immediately changes it to what Altaïr probably wished.

His preferences laid on the forbidden and dangerous.

Malik had assumed it meant he preferred the company of men more than women.

That the creature in his dream was a representation of his hesitation.

But then…

Malik saw Altaïr in a very compromising position with said creature.

A creature he didn’t even know truly existed until…

Malik didn’t mean to see any of… that.

Altaïr had not checked in with the Rafiq for an entire day which wasn’t all that unusual. Sometimes, things spiral out of their control and they must lay low for a while.

The informants sent to check his last known location though reported that he was last seen following crusaders into a secret location.

That made the Rafiq a bit worried. Altaïr could take care of himself but he asked Malik to look into it… just to check if the crusaders were hunting him down in that location. If they don’t even know he existed, that was fine.

What Malik saw was carnage.

Almost every crusader torn to shred.

The rest?

Deep wounds made by a blade of some kind.

So Malik continued onward.

… opened a door where he heard Altaïr making strange sounds…

And froze, unsure of what he was seeing, before closing the door loudly and dropping to the floor as he covered his face.

Dangerous and forbidden.

Oh, definitely.

Malik wondered if gouging his eyes would be for the best.

Desmond as one of the creatures from 'A Quiet Place', absolutely wrecking the Templar's no matter what time period. And he looks like a piece if Eden, because Isu BS. (White with gold circuit like markings.)

There’s no way he can be mistaken as human with this form…

So Desmond would be known more on the side of merciless destruction.

Perhaps he’d even be considered a ‘curse’ placed upon the Templars, being able to hunt them down wherever or whenever they appear.

It all started with the death of Robert de Sablé.

No.

The massacre.

There bodies had been too mangled and all they could do was count the heads.

… after they found the heads.

After that, they only heard of the aftermaths.

It sounded like the massacre was random, high ranking and rich people of various backgrounds.

There were rumors that the Assassins have captured and tamed a wild beast.

But then…

Al Mualim died and, according to the rumors, the scene was just as gruesome as the other random massacres with only one other victim.

An Assassin by the name of Abbas Sofian.

A new mentor takes his place.

And… the killing stop.

Or so they thought.

It was only that the Templars hid better that news of the monster that kills those who worship God died down.

But the monster continues to hunt.

Again and again.

No matter where the Templars hid or how they pretend to be others.

The monster finds them.

And hunts them down.

Not even a cardinal…

… could escape the monster of the Brotherhood.

And it would be a while before the Templars realize...

Their only chance of survival is by making noises so loud, it will pierce the monster's heightened sense of sound.