#kassandra: awful awful fate | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

kyndaris · 4 years ago

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A Vikingr Saga for the Ages

Ever since the first game in the franchise, I was enraptured by the idea of stalking my prey on the rooftops of Renaissance Italy and then leaping down - slaying them with a flourish. I didn’t know it yet but the marriage between history and stealthy parkour had me hooked from the very first trailer for Assassin’s Creed. When the series pivoted towards mythology and set further in history than ever before, I eagerly followed. From Ptolemaic Egypt to Ancient Greece. It should come as no surprise that I devoured, then, that I devoured as much of the world that I could in the latest entry: Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. And after clocking in just under 150 hours, there is much for me to unpack in Ubisoft’s latest entry into the Assassin’s Creed franchise. That, and a fierce desire to finally start watching Vikings.

When I initially booted up Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla (AC:V), I will admit that I was a little disappointed with the control scheme. Once again, Ubisoft had made it a confusing mess with trigger buttons instead of face buttons used to attack. Since I had just come from Spider-Man: Miles Morales, it took a good long while for me to adjust. Several hours later, after fumbling through my first battle with a lost drengr (I actually dumbed down the difficulty a litte), I finally managed to find my footing and was on my way to England to scrape out a place for the Raven Clan.

As for stealth...well, the less said about it the better. I never found it effective. It was much easier to smash my way through, axe in hand (or greatsword) and lay waste to their paltry resistance with a mixture of heavy attacks and parrying. I also, hardly used the bow (one of my favourite weapons to being stealthy in Origins and Odyssey).

The story in AC: V is a little messy. Most of it is done through a separate arcs for each territory Eivor ventures through: from East Anglia to Snotinghamscire, with little to link it all together except the main character. Were it not for the very loose story threat surrounding Sigurd and the conquering of Mercia to establish a firm foothold in this new land of England, many of the storylines could be regarded as standalone adventures in Eivor’s epic saga of conquest.

That doesn’t, of course, mean it’s bad. Merely disjointed. Particularly when I went from Jorvik and its Yule Tide celebrations to Glowecestrescire that was right in the midst of Samhain right after each other. Did I go back in time? Or did almost an entire year fly past Eivor with none the wiser?

Still, even though they were mostly standalone storylines, I still very much liked all the characters I met along the way. My favourites were the earnest Hunwald, noble Ceolbert (his death was almost as bad as all the horse deaths I’ve encountered in video games) and fun-loving Twydwr (particularly when he and Eivor were drunk, and messing with the local chickens) On the Norse side, I very much enjoyed the banter between Eivor and her childhood friend Vili. But the one that I admisted most was Soma. She was the jarlskona of Grantebridgescire - the first place I explored after landing in England. And one, I hoped I could romance to some degree. Alas, my hopes were dashed on that end.

What I did find a little intriguing were how Sigurd and Eivor were sages for the Isus: Odin and Tyr. And in their little Raven Clan, revealed much later, was also Freyr. It seemed strange that so many of the reincarnated Isu were all incredibly close at hand.

In this title, Ubisoft was able to focus again a little more on their complex lore that was seeded throughout the first few games. And while some questions were answered, it still left plenty of mysteries of where the games go from here - particularly from a modern-day standpoint. Though I am reluctant to see the franchise go, it does feel like Ubisoft is finally coming to a close on the grand story that they are trying to tell. What the end result turns out to be is still to be determined, but more emphasis needs to be focused on the central conflict.

For a game that still has Assassin’s Creed in the title, Eivor’s connection with the order and their enemies seemed very tangential. While I killed many Order of the Ancient members, there was no sense of personal investiture, like, say with Ezio’s quest. The only ones that I felt motivated to put an end to were Fulke and Kjotve the Cruel. Unfortunately, all the build-up in the first scenes with Eivor were quickly resolves within the first two to three hours of the game, and Fulke’s arc was all but over in the half-way point.

I suppose the main reason for my discontent with the narrative of AC: V is the fact that there is no Big Bad for Eivor and her Raven Clan. Yes, Aelfred of Wessex is a ‘villain’ that hinders our protagonist, but he never felt like an oppressive threat.

Basim’s reveal, somewhat late in the game, was also a little underwhelming. Yes, he did look an awful lot like Loki, but how did he manage to get to Norway? He hadn’t accompanied Sigurd and Eivor. Did he travel with a third party? How did he know that Sigurd and Eivor would be in the ruins of an Isu temple? So many questions, so little time.

Then there was the whole ‘Heir of Memories’ and the fact that Layla seemed so worn. After finishing Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, my last impression of her was receiving the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus from Kassandra and being hopeful for the future. Fast forward to AC: V and Layla is tired. The world is on the edge of destruction once again and she’s now paired up with married couple: Rebecca Crane and Shaun Hastings (the two last appearing undercover in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag).

On a side note, why are their adventures all done in the comics or some other media? AND WHY DO I NOT HAVE ACCESS TO ANY OF THIS?

And because I didn’t play the expansions for Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, I knew too little regarding the modern-day struggles with Layla. In fact, I basically resorted to the Assassin’s Creed wiki to bring me up to date. Honestly, DLC should never be story-related. Or, if it is, should be more tangential rather than major. It’s a terrible practice that quite a few publishers do, and which leaves players such as myself playing catch-up.

The only one that landed with any oomph (at least for me) were the Asgard and Jotunheim arcs. These were connected and told the story of Havi as he struggled to find a way to avert his fate. The final battle also proved challenging and climactic. A far cry from the ‘endings’ that the main story provided. In all honesty, I probably should have left that to last while completing everything else first. But the temptation was too great and I was vastly overlevelled.

I also enjoyed the play on the Norse myths. The only downside with the Builder was that there was no horse to help him. And so, there was no sexy mare Loki to tempt away the Builder’s horse - giving birth to Sleipnir. The other stuff, though, was clever. And I liked the references made to other myths, such as fighting against ‘old age’ and Thrym’s disastrous marriage to ‘Thor dressed as Freyr.’

What was also a little odd, at least for me, was that there was no definitive part where the credits rolled. Much like in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey and Assassin’s Creedy: Origins. Personally, I hate it. Credits give closure and tell gamers that the narrative that they were pursuing has come to an end. It lets me reflect on everything that I experienced and is an indication that I can finally set the controller down.

Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla also came with its fair share of bugs and glitches. Many, after reading up on them, made me frightened to continue. One, in particular, took me a while to figure out an alternative to: entering Lunden. I didn’t help that the more I read, the more I worried about encountering a game-breaking bug. Thankfully, most were simply treasure hoards not loading, late texture pop-ins that were a little frightening, and the drunk Eivor every time I loaded up the game.

Despite its many faults, I still very much enjoyed my time roaming around England, Vinland and Norway as I worked to build up Eivor’s reputation and to ensure her name would be sung for ages to come. Like a true Vikingr, I played copious amounts of orlog, drank mead and tore up the battlefield to create a home for my people.

Even better, at Gunnar’s wedding, I managed to finally woo Randvi (who I abstained from bedding down with earlier on in the game)! That, perhaps, elevated the game for me and I can be happy knowing that all my hard work paid off.

(As an additional aside, I also love how many of the side quests or ‘mysteries’ in AC: Valhalla made references to popular culture. From Winnie the Pooh to Alice in Wonderland. AND ROBIN HOOD! THE NPC CALLED LITTLE JOHN HAD ME GUFFAWING!)

#Assassin's Creed: Valhalla #AC:V #Assassin's Creed #video games #Eivor x Randvi

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semperintrepida · 5 years ago

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The Puzzle in the Wanting

Kassandra threw the ladder over the edge of the Adrestia’s deck as a felucca glided alongside, and she held her torch out over dark waters, casting flickers of orange light upon the smaller boat’s sail and decking as shadowed figures moved below. The moon hovered at the horizon, lighting a path across the waves so radiant and inviting it seemed like they all could have stepped upon it and walked straight to Delos.

It would have been an easier trip, to be sure, instead of slipping away from port in the darkness and sailing to a cove where Kyra could meet them. Kassandra had tried to persuade her not to come to Delos at all; after their successful raid on the supply caravan, Podarkes had doubled the price on Kyra’s head, and it would have been safer for her to stay out of sight on Mykonos. But “safe” wasn’t a word Kyra thought much of, and once Kassandra had revealed her intention to take out the weapons stash on Delos by herself, Kyra had rolled her eyes and said, “I’m going with you. It’ll be safer if someone watched your back.”

Down below, one of the shadows stepped up onto the ladder and began climbing. The felucca turned and headed back for shore. Then Kyra emerged into the torchlight, and Kassandra took her hand and helped her find her footing on the Adrestia’s deck.

Kyra had come ready to fight, with her bow and quiver slung across her body and a xiphos sheathed at her waist. She’d tied the sleeves back on her chiton, exposing her shoulders and the long smooth muscles of her arms.

Kassandra smiled and said, “Welcome aboard,” as she slid the torch into a holder on the rail beside her and Barnabas came over to join them. Kyra’s skin was cool against her own, and Kassandra allowed herself to enjoy how it felt, just for a moment, before she let go. “Kyra, this is Barnabas, Captain of the Adrestia. Barnabas, Kyra.”

“It’s a pleasure,” Barnabas said, extending his hand.

They clasped arms in greeting, while Kassandra bent down and began pulling up the ladder.

“Thanks for the ride, Captain. I’ve always hated swimming to Delos.” Kyra said it breezily enough that Kassandra couldn’t tell if she was being serious or not.

“Aye, it’s dangerous,” he said. “Especially with the ‘maw lurking beneath the waves.”

“Don’t go swimming when Sharpmaw’s around, because he’ll bite your foot off—”

“—and come back for seconds,” they said in unison, before breaking into laughter over their shared joke.

“You’re from Mykonos,” Kyra said.

“Yes, and they’ve been telling that story since I was a boy.”

“You know, I’ve lived here all my life and I’ve never seen Sharpmaw once.”

“And I’ve never seen Zeus, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist. Like the gods — or like love, I suppose — he’ll show up when you least expect it.”

“A philosopher as well as a sea captain. Does the Eagle Bearer pick all her companions so wisely?”

At that moment, Gelon’s voice snapped loudly across the deck: “For fuck’s sake, boys, when I said row, I meant more than one stroke a year.”

“No,” Kassandra said in answer to Kyra’s question.

Gelon swooped past them on her way to the fore of the ship, saying over her shoulder, “Sorry, Commander. Apparently all that beach time left the crew too tired to row.”

Kassandra waved a hand after Gelon’s disappearing form. “And that’s Gelon, the Adrestia’s first mate.”

“She’s an excellent sailor,” Barnabas said, “But even her curses know how to curse.”

“I was fortunate to run into Barnabas when I did,” Kassandra said.

“But it was I who was the most fortunate, because at the time, a terrible criminal was trying to drown me in a pot of water, until she showed up…” He loved telling this story, and he gently guided Kyra back towards the ship’s helm as he dove into the tale.

Kassandra wandered to the fore of the ship and found Gelon shouting down the hatch that led below decks. Then Gelon spotted her, slammed the hatch shut, and stood up to meet her. “So that’s the infamous Kyra.”

Kassandra handed her the rolled-up ladder. “In the flesh.”

Gelon let out a low whistle. “You know how to pick 'em.”

“What are you getting at?”

“I’ve got two good eyes and my blood’s as red as yours. You know what the fuck I’m talking about.”

“Too bad she’s already taken,” Kassandra said, ignoring Gelon’s skeptical look. “How long till we drop anchor?”

Gelon lifted her face to the sky and studied the constellation of the turning wagon. “An hour. Maybe two if the currents suck.”

“Good. Let me know when we reach the inlet.” Kyra’s contacts on Delos would be waiting for them. The Adrestia would send a signal, and the rebels on Delos would send over a boat.

Barnabas was still telling his story when Kassandra rejoined them at the helm’s upper railing. “…and she took his precious obsidian eye, and stuck it up the goat’s ass! The poor thing ran off like a harpy was after it.”

Kyra looked at her. “You didn’t.”

“I put his eye where it belonged,” she said with a shrug.

“Not only that… She told the Cyclops if he wanted it back, he should get it himself.”

“What did he do then?” Kyra asked.

“He wasn’t happy, I’ll tell you that!” Barnabas said. “He pulled out this huge mace, and his men drew their swords. And she just stood there, her armor shining in the sun like she’d been blessed by the gods…”

“My armor was shiny because it was new — I’d just gotten it.”

“Blessed by Apollo to deliver his shining justice, she was. And when this bunch of thugs ran at her with murder in their eyes, she just stood there, looking bored.”

“I was trying to draw them away from you, since you didn’t seem interested in running for safety.”

“And leave my front row seat? The gods had never answered my prayers so… directly before, and I wanted to experience the moment!” He peered at Kassandra, reliving the memory. “Then she finally drew her sword and that spear of hers, and… I swear to the gods… she fought like Achilles reborn.”

“I thought four against one were pretty good odds.” Kyra didn’t need to know her opponents in this particular scrap were three terrible swordsmen and one muscle-bound lunkhead who moved about as fast as a boulder lodged in a hillside.

Barnabas’s voice seemed to stretch under the weight of his awe. “It was the way she moved — faster than any warrior I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen my share of battles. She cut those thugs to pieces, and made it look easy.”

“I believe it,” Kyra said.

“Kassandra saved my life. So I offered her the use of my ship, and my services as captain.” He smiled slyly and winked at Kyra. “The fact that I get to watch a gods’ blessed hero at work is just a bonus.”

Blessings could be so close to curses, but Kassandra would never tell him that. “I got a ship and a friend out of that deal.”

“Yes! The gods smiled upon us both!” he said with a grin. “And I hope they keep smiling — we’re coming up on the southern point.” He shifted his gaze to Delos, a dark shape against the sky dotted with motes of light. “You’ll have to excuse me, it’s my turn to take up the helm and keep us off those rocks.”

Kyra leaned back against the rail and watched him hurry away. “How long have you known each other?”

“A year.”

“That’s all? You were on Kephallonia a long time, then.”

“Close to twenty years.”

“What made you leave?”

“Someone offered me a job. It was a way off the island, and I was more than ready to go.”

Kyra’s brow creased with delicate lines, as she tried to figure out where these tiny pieces fit within the thread the Fates had woven for Kassandra. “What did your family think of you leaving?”

Kassandra didn’t get a chance to answer, as a whistle sounded from the foredeck, followed shortly by Gelon bounding up the stairs to the helm. “The lookout spotted an Athenian sentry boat. We could go the long way 'round, or turn the lights out and slip by.”

She looked for the moon, and found it a sliver above the horizon. The moonpath that had once seemed so substantial had become a small pool of quicksilver that shrank the longer she looked at it. Soon the only light would be the ones shining on Delos, and the smaller specks on the islands in the distance that blended in with the stars. “Lights out and quiet, then,” she said to Gelon, before turning back to Kyra. “I’m afraid the answer to your question will have to wait.”

“Yet another reason for me to curse the Athenians,” Kyra said, a half-smile at her lips. Then she turned away from Delos and faced the sea and its enigmatic darkness, and as Kassandra followed Gelon to the foredeck, she wondered how long that list of reasons would be if Kyra were to write them all down.

.oOo.

“So, what’s the plan?” Kyra whispered. “Other than pretending to be tree nymphs.”

They were hidden in a thick stand of bushes outside the Athenian camp, the sky above them just beginning to glow. Dawn would arrive soon, and the soldiers asleep in their tents would stir along with it.

“I thought you were the strategic thinker.”

Kyra turned to her, and even in this light Kassandra could see her roll her eyes. “Shoot the sentries, stab the sleepers.”

“Very catchy. But let me have the sentry with the torch.”

Kyra merely nodded and drew an arrow from her quiver.

The Athenians had built the camp within an ancient ruin, at the end of a road gouged with wagon ruts and pocked with hoofprints. The sentry with a torch stood watch at the entrance to the camp, where the road ended at a gap between the ruin’s crumbling outer walls. There were two more sentries at the camp’s back corners. A total of three sentries to watch over an unknown number of soldiers sleeping in the tents. Light security for a place so important, but then again, this was Delos, where spilling blood was illegal and everyone feared Apollo’s wrath.

Apollo was the very least of Kassandra’s worries. Of more pressing concern was getting to the outer wall without being seen. The wall was a long run of rough-hewn stones, chest high, with a sharp corner at the end closest to the sentry. She crouched, then chose a curving path that used the corner to block the soldier’s sightlines.

Above her, the sky reflected the halo of torchlight from where he stood on the other side of the wall. She could hear him breathing, and the creak of his armor as he shifted his weight from foot to foot.

She drew her spear, her grip tight around its leather-wrapped handle. Then she vaulted over the wall, took one long step, then another, and drove the spear into the base of his skull. Time slowed, lengthening like thread from a dropped spindle, and she plucked the torch out of the air as he toppled to the ground. She didn’t want an uncontrolled fire waking up the rest of the camp.

The interior of the camp was lit by scattered oil lamps. She snuffed the torch out against the dirt road, its jeweled embers shining in the dark, and when she looked up again, she heard the quiet twang of a bowstring, then a second twang, and then two sentries became two bodies sagging down to earth. She really could get used to Kyra’s idea of backup.

She crept across the grass to the nearest tent. Listened for a moment and heard quiet snoring from within. Lifted the flap, let her eyes adjust to the light, and saw two sleeping forms. Then she was inside, flicking her blade once, twice, and afterwards, neither man would wake again.

There were two more soldiers sleeping in the last tent. She eased her way through its opening, crouched above the nearest man, lifted her spear — and he suddenly woke up, eyes wild, mouth wide. She dropped her knee onto his chest and clamped her hand across his mouth and stabbed him in the throat. The other soldier slept on, but his slumber was unsettled. He murmured nonsense and rolled over in his bedding. Death came for him swiftly and silently. What had he dreamt of before he found himself on the banks of the Styx?

Back outside, she wiped her blade on the flap of the tent and rinsed her hands in a basin of water on a nearby table. The sky had brightened to a pale, rose-colored glow, and she could see the crates of weapons scattered in piles around the camp.

An oil lamp rested on a post next to the tent. She picked up a jug sitting at the base of the post and smelled it. Oil. Perfect.

She flung the jug at the closest pile of crates, where it shattered into a spray of shiny droplets on impact. But before she could even pick up the lamp, a bright streak shot through the air and struck the pile. There was a loud whumph, followed by an impressive ball of flame as the entire pile of weapons went up like a pyre.

Kassandra turned and saw Kyra standing nearby with her bow in her hand and a smirk on her face.

They lit up pile after pile in short order, until there was only one remaining. Kassandra searched the camp, looking for another oil jug, and as she rummaged through shelves full of supplies, she spotted an amphora among a stack of empty vessels. She lifted it and read the stamp on its lid: Pramnian wine. Now that was a find. She tucked it back into place and kept searching until she found the oil she sought. Then she handed the oil jug off to Kyra while she went back to claim her prize.

Just as she was pulling the wine from its hiding place, she heard Kyra’s voice behind her.

“What have you got there?”

Gods, Kyra was quick. The last pile was already up in flames.

Kassandra turned around, hiding the amphora behind her back.

“Let me see it.”

“You’re not my polemarch,” Kassandra said, pivoting her body to keep the wine out of sight as Kyra darted from side to side, trying to catch a glimpse of it.

Kyra put one hand on her hip and used the other one for punctuation. “So you’re a Spartan again? How convenient. Let me see it.”

Kassandra smiled benevolently. “No.”

“I’m paying you!”

“You haven’t given me a single drachma yet. Come to think of it, you’ve been costing me money.” She started counting on her fingers. “Docking fees for the Adrestia… Boarding fees at the stables….”

“Those are your problems, not mine.” Kyra had both hands on her hips now.

“Your curiosity is your problem, not mine.”

“You’re really not going to show me, are you?”

She pretended to think about it. “I might be persuaded… but until then, no.”

Kyra threw her hands up and turned on her heels. “Fine!” she said. “I don’t care what you found.” She took three steps up the road, then looked back over her shoulder. “I mean it.”

Kassandra shrugged and didn’t start walking until Kyra was several steps ahead of her. From that vantage, she could enjoy how Kyra’s irritation had permeated her very movements — including the sway of her hips. Provoking Kyra was proving to be highly entertaining.

After a while, she called out after Kyra, “Probably not a good idea for us to stay on the road. Patrols and all.”

Kyra whirled around. She waited until Kassandra came close; then, with lightning quickness, her hand shot out and grabbed the edge of Kassandra’s chestplate at its neckline.

“You…” Kyra said, voice like smoke, her weight shifting with the intent to pivot Kassandra around. She had to have known Kassandra could be moved only when Kassandra wanted to, but she seemed to expect it would happen anyway, like she’d expect the sun to rise in the east. It made Kassandra curious, and instead of rooting her feet to the ground, she let Kyra turn her and push her backwards off the road and into the forest.

“Are…” Kyra said, and she kept pushing, until Kassandra could sense something solid coming up behind her, and she dropped the arm holding the amphora to her side just before her back ran into the trunk of a tree. Kyra stepped close — so close they could have kissed, close enough for Kassandra to catch her scent: faint woodsmoke, and the sharp, spicy sweetness of laurel.

“Annoying,” Kyra finished. Her indignant tone made Kassandra smile, but Kyra’s knuckles were warm against her skin and she wondered if Kyra could feel how hard her heart was pounding. It was taking everything she had to stop herself from doing something rash, which was puzzling. She’d never been this tentative, this cautious with someone before.

She drew in a breath, then held up the wine. “Careful. Wouldn’t want to damage this.”

Kyra glanced down at the amphora. “You sneaky, sneaky misthios. Pramnian wine.”

“I was thinking we could share it later.”

Kyra’s eyes shone in the morning light, and her voice softened. “You surprise me. And to think I nearly threw my blade through your neck.”

“No one’s perfect.”

“Not even you, Eagle Bearer?” She still hadn’t moved her hand.

Kassandra’s first impulse was to tell a joke, some throwaway line about being the next best thing to a god, a line she’d prop up with confidence and a smile. But something made her answer honestly. Perhaps it was Kyra’s skin touching hers, or how close Kyra was standing, or her sudden certainty that Kyra would see right through anything less than the truth, that made her say, “I am far from perfect.”

Kyra smiled gently. She released her grip on Kassandra’s armor, but instead of pulling her hand away, she set her palm against the center of the chestplate. “Maybe so,” she said, “but I like what I’ve seen.”

Kassandra knew the layer of bronze between Kyra’s hand and her chest had made the gesture safe enough to be possible, but it didn’t stop her from cursing her armor for being there, for separating Kyra’s skin from hers. And worse still, she had no idea what Kyra wanted; Kyra’s eyes were studying her intently but gave no hint of the conclusions being drawn behind them. She let the moment stretch as long as she could bear, before she put on a smile and said, “Am I free to go?”

The hand on her armor jerked away as Kyra returned from wherever she’d gone to tally up Kassandra’s measure. She flushed and looked everywhere but Kassandra’s eyes. “We should probably get moving.”

“Yes,” Kassandra said agreeably, cradling the amphora of wine as she let Kyra lead the way through the forest. It wasn’t long before they reached a game trail that made travel far more easier than hacking their way through the underbrush.

Kyra picked up a long, straight stick from the side of the trail and began using it to skewer leaves on bushes and trees as she passed. Her aim was unfailingly accurate, and her wrist moved with such precision that she made very little noise, just the stick whipping through the air and the quiet thhk of leaves plucked from branches. Eventually, she said, “I learned this game from the huntresses at the Temple of Artemis.”

“My mother taught me one like it in Sparta. All we needed was a stick and a pine tree covered in cones.” Sometimes the game was to knock all the cones off as fast as possible. Other times it was to touch all the cones without making any fall. A game of coordination and muscle control, eyes to arm to wrist, skills useful when wielding a sword, or dagger, or javelin. Even the games of children served a greater purpose in Sparta.

“Do all Spartan women know how to fight?” Kyra switched from stabbing to parrying, her stick striking each branch with a solid thwack.

“My mother does.” Present tense was the hopeful tense. “But she’s an exception. Most Spartan women just learn the basics of hand-to-hand. The real combat training is reserved for men.”

“How did you learn?”

“My parents taught me the fundamentals. They start early in Sparta, as soon as a child can walk. But I wasn’t there long enough to learn how to fight like a true Spartan.”

Kyra’s stick hand hesitated, but if she had a question, she didn’t ask.

Kassandra wanted her to keep talking. “Did the huntresses also teach you to shoot a bow?”

“They did. I think they harbored secret hopes I’d join them one day.”

“As accurate as you are, I’m not surprised. So why didn’t you?”

“I’ve only wanted one thing in this life: to kill Podarkes with my own hands. Vengeance has left little room for anything else.” The thwacking was louder now, her stick hitting the limbs and branches with more force.

“What will you do once he’s dead and the rebellion is won?”

Kyra stopped walking. She waited until Kassandra drew up next to her, and said, “The sad truth is I have no idea.”

Kyra was a glimpse of Kassandra’s future. She knew she’d already let her search for her mother all but swallow her whole, while the vengeance she planned to take out on the Cult merely sat there, waiting its turn. And when she thought of what she would do after every Cultist was dead, she saw nothing but a vast and empty space. “I’m beginning to think we have much in common.”

“Is that so? And what would that be?”

“I know what it’s like to be driven by an overwhelming need, and I’ve had to fight and claw for everything I have. Seems to me you’ve done the same.”

“We should probably compare notes sometime.”

“I’ll bring the wine.”

“Along with a great many tales, I’m sure. But what will I bring?”

The question was a trap. Kassandra made a show of thinking about her answer, then resumed walking up the path without saying anything. After a few steps, she turned around and said, “Your bow… And yourself, I guess.”

“You guess? You sure know how to—” Kyra didn’t finish.

“How to what?”

“Nothing,” she muttered. Perhaps she was catching on to how much Kassandra enjoyed needling her. “What do you want with my bow?”

“I have some questions.”

“Such as?”

“Find some time for us to compare notes. Then you’ll find out.” Just an evening with Kyra was all she wanted, someplace safe, where they didn’t have to worry about Athenian patrols, or the rest of the world for that matter, where they could trade questions and she could find out the things about Kyra she wanted to know: how she’d escaped from Podarkes as a child, how she’d learned to throw a knife like that, how she’d gotten that scar on her forehead. The answers would fit together like tiles in a mosaic. The full picture was what she wanted to see.

And maybe she’d even be able to figure out if Kyra wanted anything from her.

.oOo.

They were crossing the forested hillside above the Sanctuary of Apollo when Kassandra caught the scent in the breeze. She stopped moving and breathed in deeply. There it was: metallic and cloying and all too familiar. “Do you smell that?” she asked Kyra, dropping her voice to a whisper.

“Smell what?”

“Blood.”

Kyra shook her head.

Kassandra placed the wine in a hollow between the roots of a nearby tree and drew her spear. The scent was faint, and she began moving across the wind, turning as the wind shifted, narrowing down the direction of its source. Kyra followed close behind; alert, but mainly curious.

The scent had to be coming from a pile of boulders and exposed rock in the slope up ahead, the pile about as far away as a good javelin throw. Kassandra headed in its direction, picking her way carefully through the thick underbrush, and soon her hunch was confirmed: there, on the ground, was a drop of blood. It had been there long enough to turn the dark red of garnet but hadn’t yet begun to dry. She pointed at it with her spear, and Kyra nodded wordlessly and drew her sword. Another few steps forward revealed more blood, some trailing northwards, the rest leading up to the rocks.

They were close enough now that Kassandra could hear labored breathing and the faint sounds of something moving between the boulders. She readied her spear, then felt Kyra change course behind her, turning back to see Kyra begin climbing up the hillside on a path that would let her flank whoever — or whatever — was hidden nearby.

Kassandra rounded the boulder and found a woman leaning against the rocks, her tunic stained dark red, her bloody hand brandishing a dagger.

Kassandra held out a hand, and said, “I mean no threat.”

The hand holding the dagger dropped, and the woman slumped as if exhausted by the effort. She wore an eyepatch, and her good eye stared at Kassandra. The eyepatch wasn’t new, but the wound at her belly certainly was. “Come to turn me in to the priests?”

Kassandra knelt outside the woman’s dagger range and said, “Depends on what you’ve done.”

“Don’t know if anyone told you, but it’s illegal to spill blood on this gods-forsaken island.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“Shame nobody told the beast roaming around.”

“Beast?”

“I’d call it a bear, but I’d be lying. It’s a nightmare sent by Artemis.”

“How’d you run into it?”

Kyra’s voice sounded from the rocks above them. “I’d bet good drachmae that she smuggled it here.” There was a blur and a thump as she leapt down and landed next to Kassandra. “You’re awful far from home, aren’t you stranger? And giant bears don’t just appear on Delos.” Her tone was frosty, as if she’d summoned Boreas himself into every word.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the woman said.

Kyra crossed her arms. “We’re wasting our time here, misthios.”

There was something about the icy edge to Kyra’s voice that told Kassandra to play along. “Agreed,” she said, getting ready to stand.

“Misthios? Wait, wait. Look. You’re right,” the woman said, nodding at Kyra. “We were smuggling the bear. To Kos. But Poseidon had other ideas — sent a storm that smashed our ship upon this damn island, and that evil beast broke loose. It went right for the crew.” She grimaced with pain and looked at Kassandra. “They were my family, and I’ll pay you good drachmae to put that bear down before it kills anyone else.”

“At the rate you’re bleeding, you’re not going to live long enough to pay me,” Kassandra said. She glanced at Kyra. “Are physicians illegal here too?”

“No, but the ones here are living on the edge, that’s for sure.” She gestured to the woman. “We could take her to the camp. There’s a healer there.”

“Let’s go, then.” Kassandra pulled one of the woman’s arms across her shoulder, and Kyra did the same with the other, and together they lifted the woman to her feet.

“What’s your name?” Kyra asked.

“Iola,” she said, in between panting breaths. “My gratitude to you both.”

“Thank us once we reach camp,” Kyra said. “It’s a long way over rough ground, and you’ll be cursing us most of the trip.”

It wasn’t long before her words proved to be true.

.oOo.

Barnabas was waiting for them at the camp, and he hurried over as soon as he saw they’d brought an extra person with them. He helped Kassandra ease Iola onto a cot while Kyra hurried off to summon the healer. “I’m glad you’re back,” he said. “I was beginning to get worried.”

“We burned the weapons to ash. But it was slow going on the way back.” She looked at Iola. The woman’s eyes were closed, her skin nearly white.

“And who is this?” he asked.

“Captain of a smuggling ship run aground. Got mauled by a bear that escaped from her cargo and ate the rest of her crew.”

He glanced around, as if expecting the bear to jump out from the bushes at any moment. “And where is this bear?”

“I’m going hunting for it shortly.” And she would, after she took a few moments to rest and work out the kinks in her shoulder after carrying a load upon it over hill after rocky hill. She also needed something to eat.

He looked relieved. “The Adrestia’s ready to depart at any time.”

“Good. While I’m gone, make sure she” — a nod to Iola — “makes it on board the ship. We’re taking her back to Mykonos with us.”

“Aye, Captain.”

She wandered away, then, but not before she heard him kneel beside Iola’s cot and begin murmuring, “Great Asklepios, I beseech you, hear my prayer…”

.oOo.

Some time later, after Kassandra had eaten, and gone through her armor piece by piece to ensure it was ready for the next fight, she sat with her legs straddling a wooden bench, drawing the blade of her spear across a whetstone.

The steady shhshht of metal against stone was soothing. She’d realized something earlier, as her fingers had brushed over her chestplate looking for dents and damaged hinges: she hadn’t felt any pleasure killing the men in the Athenian camp that morning. There was satisfaction, yes, in accomplishing what they’d set out to do, but none of the warmth, or the silky, sensual delight that followed every time she killed. There was also none of the craving for more blood, and none of the queasiness from coming off the murderous high. There’d been no high to come down from.

She wondered what had made this morning different from all the days that had come before.

Her hand trembled, upsetting the course of the spear and disrupting her rhythm. She stopped sharpening, and breathed in and out, deeply, until her hands became steady again and she could resume sliding blade over stone. What had been different this morning?

Footsteps behind her, someone light and quiet. She didn’t turn around to look.

Kyra’s voice floated over her shoulder. “The healer says Iola will probably survive. She stitched her up and gave her something to knock her out. She’s not happy you want to move Iola onto your ship, but Barnabas wasn’t hearing any of that.”

Kassandra smirked as she imagined his ire, but the strokes of her blade remained constant.

“He’s keeping watch over Iola,” Kyra said. There was silence for several moments, then: “He’s a good man.”

“He is. One of the very few in Greece.”

Another silence. “We left the wine up in the forest.”

“I’ll get it on my way back.”

“So you’re going after the bear. By yourself.”

Kassandra lifted the spear and began testing its edge with the pad of her thumb, checking for nicks that had escaped her efforts.

“The bear that just killed an entire shipload of hunters and smugglers. Sometimes I wonder if you’re just confident, or if you have a death wish.”

“Yes, it’s a miracle I’ve survived this long.” She picked up a scrap of linen and began polishing the blade with it.

“If I offer my help, will you refuse it?”

“Looking for a cut of some drachmae?”

“I don’t care about the drachmae.”

Kassandra put the cloth down. “This isn’t your fight, and I wasn’t going to assume you’d want to take part. But if you want to help… I won’t refuse you.” She tilted the blade, caught Kyra’s reflection in its bright surface before she rested it across her knee. She chose her words carefully. “I’ve enjoyed our work together.”

Kyra moved closer, and she curved her hand against the base of Kassandra’s neck, holding onto it as she leaned into Kassandra’s shoulder. Kassandra closed her eyes, stopping herself from her want, and a surge of anticipation coursed through her body and across her skin, as if she were standing in a storm, holding her breath while the air charged around her and the hair on the back of her neck stood up, holding on as she waited for the strike of lightning. But Kassandra didn’t know if she should be anticipating Zeus’s fury or something else entirely. Then Kyra’s voice slid across her ear and brought her back to here and now. “So have I, Kassandra,” she said. There was a smile in her voice, and perhaps something more. “I’ll get my bow.”

And then she withdrew her hand, breaking contact, her footsteps fading in the air, leaving Kassandra’s skin tingling and her heart rumbling in her chest like distant thunder. No, she wasn’t going to be able to stop herself for very much longer.

Part of the Elegiad. Go back to the previous story, or on to the next...

#kassandra #kyssandra #ac odyssey #this fic kicked my ass a bit #oh kyra where art thou?#i've spent 55k words in kass's head but kyra's voice is proving elusive #this is also half the plot i intended to cover #we might be in the silver islands a LONG time #i even struggled with the title #it literally came to me 5 minutes before i posted it #elegiad

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imtrynnawriteshit · 6 years ago

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Kassandra x reader

Hey friendos, what's up

I know I have two other things to work on (I'm vvv srry I'll get to it!!) but I had to get this out of my system,,,,

I haven't edited this bc I suck but I'll do it soon so it'll read better!

Words: 703 (lol)

Warnings: again, not edited so this might be a lil choppy, character death so angst? I think? Does this qualify as that??

Fandom: Assassin's Creed Odyssey

Characters: Kassandra and you!! :D

Relationships: Kassandra x reader

Kassandra hesitated at the door, looking up at the house she was about to enter. She'd been away for a while, too long for her liking, taking up as many jobs as she could. She knew it hurt you, but she couldn't bring herself to see you now that she knew what was about to happen. She knew she wouldn't be able to handle it.

But she had to, and no amount of praying or cursing the gods would change anything.

So she came back, her anguish suffocating her the closer she came. You had always been good at reading her, and you knew how she felt. Your only wish was to see her again, but you understood.

Fortunately, the fates had been merciful enough to grant it to you.

Taking a deep breath, she strode purposefully inside to where you lay. Crouching down next to you, her hand reached out to stroke your cheek, her eyes running over you to confirm that you were here, you weren't gone. No matter how many times she saw you, her heart still wrenched and her eyes still stung with tears.

Your smile always gave her a sense of comfort, and even now it helped soothe her aching soul. A source of strength for her ever since she had known you, she wanted nothing more than to give up the staff at the thought of never seeing it again.

But she'd made a promise, and she knew you would be disappointed if she didn't keep her word.

You'd always been ridiculously moral that way.

Your voice was a rasped whisper, barely reaching her ears. It only added to the sense of dread she felt.

"You came."

"Of course I did. I couldn't stay away, not from you. Even after all these years", her voice wavered, a lump in her throat as she tried to swallow.

"I wanted to see you once more, before-"

"I know." She cut you off, not wanting to hear you say it. She couldn't hear you say it.

Your hand came up to rest on hers, which was still cradling your face delicately, as if the slightest force would break you.

Then again, maybe you were that fragile to her.

You wanted to hold her again, dry her tears and tell her it would be okay, but you were weak. Your body was losing the will to fight, to stay awake for just one more day.

Age does that to you.

You felt it first when the mountains, that called to you earlier, now stood tall and intimidating, tiring you out before you'd reached halfway.

You felt it when fights would consist of your rival slicing clean through you, while your movements became stiffer and each jolt brought a new wave of pain.

You felt it all, and though you tried not to let it show, it affected you. And it affected Kassandra, who was more helpless than she had ever been. Immortality was for the gods and the cursed, and while you were one of the former in her eyes, she was glad you weren't plagued with it.

It was now that she felt the true burden of her task.

"You know I love you, don't you?" Your words only brought more tears to her eyes, but she nodded, her shoulders shaking.

"I've never forgotten."

"Good." Your eyes were shining now, and you looked at her almost with awe, taking in every single detail you could. "No matter where I go, I want to remember you. Even if I'm sent to Tartarus."

Kassandra choked out a laugh, "the only place you're going is Elysium. And if you don't, I'll personally come talk to Hades about it."

A huff of laughter left you, before you dissolved into coughs. Kassandra quickly got up, grabbing the pitcher beside you and heading to the well outside.

You lay still, your breathing under control now, and gazed at the door with a watery smile before closing your eyes.

She was back, and it felt like home again.

The pitcher crashed as it fell from Kassandra's hands when she came back in, but you didn't notice.

You were finally at peace, and nothing would ever disrupt that.

#kassandra x reader #assassin's creed odyssey #assassin's creed x reader #assassin's creed #mine

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sigmalied · 5 years ago

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AC: Odyssey - Kassandra (& Player Influenced Protagonists)

My mini-essay/dithering rant about Kassandra, and protagonists in general as shaped by player choice. Kassandra’s quickly become one of my favorite protagonists in gaming, perhaps through my admiration, or idealization. “Strong pretty lady with guts and glory” is an instant hit among my demographic, I won’t pretend like I’m immune to that.

But who is Kassandra? Past AC games had very linear narratives with little room for player input in characterization, and that model makes sense for the franchise because AC is the retelling of historical lives. Of course, this could open up an entirely new conversation about history in general, and how we cannot verify with 100% confidence that historical events happened the way we understand them now. Putting that aside, introducing player choice to AC has, in my opinion, made the story more engaging. It’s made me a more active participant rather than a passive one. But I also respect and sympathize with the argument that player choice has no place in AC because it derails the synchronization aspect of the Abstergo plot. Honestly, though, the Abstergo bits, along with that ancient aliens shit or whatever, has been a thorn in AC’s side for years. It sucks. Everyone I’ve personally spoken to hates it. It’s just awful, okay? If AC just consisted of tales about different Assassins throughout the ages without the modern genetic memory and artifact fuckery, I believe the contiguous narrative would’ve been stronger overall.

So, when we’re given the freedom of choice, who is Kassandra (or Alexios, but I’m using Kassandra for the purpose of this)? Is she as well-defined as previous AC protagonists? I’ve heard a lot of people saying ‘no’ on forums, but I believe that ‘no’ is a product of people not being used to the freedom of choice in AC and not knowing how to properly utilize it. Because the dialogue options do contain the potential to develop her into a player’s distinct vision. However, she is still more or less the same person regardless of your choices. No matter what you do, Kassandra is a pragmatic mercenary motivated by money, vengeance (at times), on a quest for truth and closure. But you can make her hot-tempered and selfish, or diplomatic and generous. You can make her open-minded or intellectually unmoved (e.g. interactions with Sokrates). You can decide her sexual preferences (I’m pretending that DLC doesn’t exist because yikes).

The hope is that your interpretation can be performed in a way that congeals into a distinct character you become attached to. Of course, there’s an element of player responsibility - you’ve got to put in the creativity and consistency required to really fall in love with your protagonist by endgame. I remember playing DA:I for the first time years ago and feeling absolutely nothing for my Inquisitor. It was because I didn’t have a vision in mind at the time. I was only picking “good guy Inquisitor options” and the problem was that I had failed to implement obvious character flaws and eccentricities. Fast forward to my second playthrough, I conjured up a self-righteous, devout Andrastian who would sometimes act generously, but not necessarily out of the goodness of her heart, but because she believed herself to be a superior savior. She became one of my all-time favorite player-created protagonists because I put in more effort to create dimensionality.

But not all gamers go to those lengths. Some can't, some don’t want to, some don’t care, and that’s all good. But to what degree can we hold a game accountable for a protagonist’s characterization when they’ve handed the car keys to us and told us to drive? It’s a weirdly collaborative effort between the flexibility of the game’s choice system and player devotion/creativity. Take Mass Effect’s dichotomous Paragon-Renegade system - no matter who your Shepard is, in-game you will land somewhere along a linear spectrum between two extremes. While the system is restrictive in this way, invested players can still create nuance through implicit motivation, or encountering specific circumstances in which your Shepard tends toward a certain approach (maybe you’re generally Paragon but with a very humanity-first attitude; that would create quite the interesting world state). So, even when dealing with a dichotomous system, a little player ingenuity can go a long way. But you have to invest in developing your protagonist to achieve something like this. The game won’t do it for you.

Perhaps games such as Fallout: New Vegas are adored because of the breadth of options available (this is mostly only feasible in games with silent protagonists). It takes away some of the burden placed on the player to be creative, lets us more easily define our couriers explicitly, on-screen rather than in our heads. Arguably, this system is better for player choice. But that doesn’t seal the fated quality of your character development. That’s still ultimately up to you to decide in almost every situation.

It’s actually taken me more than 20 hours to decide who my Kassandra is: pugnacious, chiefly motivated by money and personal gain (hoisting her own priorities above those of others), while reluctantly inclined to acts of kindness more so due to the threat of guilt than the pride of doing good. You know, “If I don’t help out this old lady I’m gonna feel like shit” instead of “I should help out this old lady because it’s the right thing to do.” So there’s genuine heart and conscience there, just not coaxed out in the most wholesome way.

That said, it’s probably going to take another playthrough to completely fall in love with Kassandra. That’s been the formula for practically all the player-choice games I’ve played. Playthrough 1, I’m figuring out who I want to be. Playthrough 2, I know who I want to be.

#sigmeta #sigaco

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newrulesnewlife · 2 years ago

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Yes, I said that after platinumming Odyssey, I was going to let Kassandra sail off into the sunset.

But it's too much fun to play. So I found some more things to do.

Today I 100%ed the Fate of Atlantis missions, which was not too difficult. I'm toying with doing the First Blade achievements, because they look straightforward, if dull. Lots of "use this skill ten times) which sounds awful.

I also fancy seeing if I can become the absolute number one Misthios, but it would take days of playing to level up to a point where a fight against a 99 Misthios would be a contest.

#new games for a new life #assassin's creed odyssey

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jibootaes · 8 years ago

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hello i am here for the *cough cough* bts ask shit-thing :)))) so um like 2, 4, 6❗❗❗❗❗, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16❗❗❗❗ (i enjoy to see you suffer cc: ), 21, 23❗❗❗, 24, 25❗❗, 26, 28❗, and 29 - love you, aoibheee

kassy i know for a fact that you’ve given me hard questions i sware,,,, anyWAY THANK U BABE HERE WE GO

2. describe is detail the moment where you fell in love with your bias(es)?

wHOOO so here we go lads strap yourselves in this is gonna be a wild ride. sooo, as u maybe know kass i was v deeply in love with the piece of food we call googie (jungkook that lil shit) @ first bc this boy was my first introduction to bangtan. he was the first person that caught my attention (the first vid i watched was dope so yeah he was in a police uniform and he just looked so good i literally pointed @ the screen and was like “YOU”) he was just go good-looking and charismatic an d fuck the slut was cute ok. the first pics i saw of him did not help with my utter infatuation like seriously look how could u not fall in love:

so yeah my infatuation with jungkook was not short lived but dUN DUN DUN HELLO BIAS WRECKER

taehyung slid into my dms abt two months after i had discovered bangtan anD THEN THE FATEFUL SHIP TAEKOOK,,, he was literally not there one second and i was having a peaceful relationship w kookie and then fuckiNG BAM here’s this cute lil peach with the prettiest smile ive ever seen and a laugh i would like to be played @ my funeral and literally the best personality and voice ive ever seen or heard like please taehyung if you’re reading this pls marry me bb

so yeah now taehyung is my ultimate bias of all of kpop im just so in love with him. everything abt him just makes me want to pick him up and eat him like please taehyung jUST I LOVE U. i hope this answers the question lol im just all over the place bc i love him sm :(((( well the moment i fell in love w him was p much when i was rewatching the boy in luv and war of hormone mvs and i just stared rlly hard @ him and was like?? yes thank u?? ill explain more in the next question lmaO

4. the moment you knew you wanted to commit to them

anYWAY yeah i had a brief tussle between jk and tae, many arguments in my head but like i specifically remember the moment i decided taehyung was my bias- i was sitting up in my bed and it was abt 11 pm and i was looking @ the boy in luv music mv for like probably the seven hundredth time and he just appeared w his cute orange hair and his deep voice and i just snapped inside and everything inside me melted idk i jUST LOVE MY BOY TAEHYUNG KASS U KNOW THIS

all his awkward and endearing moments definitely made me fall for him even more, especially in the early days of knowing bangtan. i watched all the “v vs. awkward moments” like over and over and i just new that i was head over heels for him even tho i was trying to deny it bc i was adamant for jk to be my ult bias for a while lol

one of the moments specifically!! the one where they’ve won a cruise ship and the presenters are trying to tell him whats happened and hes just so confused and blank anD SO FUCKING CUTE and hes just like?? u wot m8?? and like the presenter’s like “cruise.. travel.. hAPPY” anD HE’S JUST LIKE “WOW” o my god i love him so much dont evennnnn

6. favourite kimdaily and why?

GIRL WHAT YOU TRYNA DO THIS IS HARD,,, so ummmmmmmm dear god whICH ONE

probs this one?? its just his outfit is so cute and i love those trousers on him and namjoon!! in!! beanies!! and a pink one @ that!! i fucking agree!! and wow hes so pretty in shirts like that and just everything in this pic = perfection,, im probably missing so many kimdailys but this is the one that came to mind so ye!! i love namjoon!! whatta boY!!

(this one’s also iconic,, minions who? i only know namjoon. legends only.)

8. favourite eatjin moment and why?

oml def that time jk joined in and they were making noises and doing “interpretive dance” to say how the “food made them feel” and they just went so insane that namjoon heard them and like came into the room and they stopped immediately and sat there lookin innocent while namjoon was like “what’s going on?” and jin was like “nothin dear go away ur hearing things” i sWARE THESE BOYS IM SO :’)

9. how did you feel when yoongi released his mixtape?

does this explain? but no seriously that boy set me on fire that shit was so gooD and he deserved all the praise he got for his hard work and perseverance!! i love min yoongi :(

10. when did you realise that you’re in too deep?

i think it was the moment i watched bangtan bombs and interviews with no eng subs and just smiled so wide and laughed my ass off with them even though i had no idea what the hell they were talking abt?? and also when anyone asked me what i would want for christmas for for my birthday or anything like that and it was literally just like “buy me bangtan merch please”. o and when i forced my my mum and my grandpa to watch three whole episodes of eatjin. i loved it.

14. top 5 ‘you’re lame but i love you anyway’ moments?

1. uhhhh so basically all of american hustle life lol but specifically that one moment where taehyung is trying to get across the room while namjoon is having an interview on one side of it, and he just fucking fails @ everything and breaks lights and trips and when he tries to slide back across the room on a fucking skateboard he falls of too and trips again and just namjoon was sO DONE i loved it even tho tae is the lamest person i swear

2. the interview where jin confirmed namjin by telling everyone that namjoon was his celebrity crush, resulting in an awkward dude hug :’)

3. when jin said he rapped just like jay-z and yoongi just fUCKING LOST IT LMAO

4. “win. lose. at the end of the day i still have this face so who’s the real winner here?”

5. when jk sang to that dude on american hustle life and the guy said “i like your voice” and jk replied “yeah, i like you” and the rest of bangtan reacted like it was the fucking best thing in the world oml i lov my idiots

15. the very first moment where you felt their sincere passion for music?

i mean, i always knew they really did love what they were doing, it was apparent just through how they express themselves and how invested they are in getting the music and performances just right.. but i guess it was really during the start of the wings era when i realised how much effort and time and heart that namjoon and yoongi and all of the members put into the lyrics and the whole album. what really hit me was how namjoon told us abt how they all just sat with jk and cried, and how the lyrics of begin really showed his feelings. along with all the lyrics from the wings album, especially their solo songs. it really gave me that feeling of knowing that they completely loved what they were doing and loved it enough to write about their own heartfelt experiences.

16. when was the moment when you felt ‘aw, kook is all grown up now~’?

KASSANDRA I SWEA-

?? why would u make me do this

21. what was the reason the you believed that they would make it big one day?

i think it’s always just their sincerity and hard work and pure talent that got them where they are. they’ve worked and grafted so hard to get to this level, but it was clear to see at the start of their career how much raw talent there was there, either with their fucking lit dancing and different style of music, there’s just something so attractive abt bangtan that you just can’t deny. they are DIFFERENT and i think that’s why so many people love them. also they’re huge dorks and i love them sm :(( also!! their music videos.. damn son. if you want just one reason out of many, there’s one. captivating storylines, amazing music, beautiful boys, beautiful dancing. need i say much more?

23. how did they impact on your life positively?

um, where do i begin??? ok so, first off, i’ve made new friends since discovering bangtan, interent and irl! they have such a huge fanbase its hard not to run into a few people you connect with. also, they have always, ALWAYS made me smile everyday since i found them around a year ago… yes hello i am that sappy stan trademark but like!! my boys!! sunshines of my life!! their music always makes me feel better, i love listening to it until i can sleep at night,, i have found my soulmate too?? mr. kim taehyung?? whatta man?? also a certain min yoongi has made my cry thoughtful, sincere tears with a lot of his lyrics.. i find this positive bc he opened my eyes up to a lot actually? his and namjoon’s lyrics are always hard hitting on a lot of down-to-earth, normal subjects like school and everyday problems. also i’ve found many more posters to fill up my walls with so thats good!! they make me feel all fuzzy ok, i love them :’)

24. were their negatives in stanning them? if there was/were, what were they?

well, there are no negatives that affect me personally really.. i mean i’ve gotten some teasing and stick @ school for like something that’s not essentially “normal”. i mean, i’m from a tiny, tiny town in rural ireland so?? please fourteen year old white boys?? give me your opinions?? bc i need them so much?? tell me how weird it is to listen to korean songs and how i dont know what they’re saying and how shit they are even tho you have never even layed eyes upon them?? :/ it’s really nothing tho, my love for bangtan outshines any hate that i’ve ever received lol

25. what kind of role do you wish to see taehyung act as?

BITCH DONT GET ME STARTED I,,,, so i really want to see him a modern day, possibly bad boy, moterbike riding, leather jacket wearing, cocky ass motherfucker,, please i dont care what type of drama it is really i just need to live out my biker!tae fantasies,, just give me a tae that i can make head canons out of with amazing gifs for backup!! just let my baby boy act his heart out :(((((((((((((((( WITHOUT GETTING MURDERED IM LOOKING @ U HWARANG U FUCKING MOTHERFUCKING I SWEAR IM STILL SO UPSET ???

26. a song of your choice that you wish for any of them to cover?

im sorry im a sinning man but i want to hear taehyung sing strange love by halsey in his sultry, deep voice so i can die peacefully. also?? tae singing death of a bachelor by panic! at the disco?? kill me??

28. most touching/sentimental moment of them

i think just the whole mama 2016 awards? bc they won artist of the year and jk and yoongi and jin just broke down in tears and all i could think abt was how hard they’ve worked and all they’ve been through and how they’ve been dreaming and hoping abt a day like this… and backstage, when namjoon pulled yoongi into that hug… dont even…

29. the proudest moment of them so far

um??? when they fucking literally blasted through the charts with spring day and the whole ynwa album?? stan legends only please?? they’ve gotten so far, everything just makes me proud :(( MY BBY GOOGIE GRADUATED TOO IM

ok dude that’s everything thank u for reading this long monster ;) LOVE YOU TOO KASSY

#thank u babe!!#text #bts ask

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alethiometry · 3 years ago

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kassandra, connor, edward

answered edward here! 😊

First impression

kassandra: loved loved LOOOOOVED her from the start! i saw a couple screenshots in a polygon review before i bought the game and thought she was just the prettiest damn jock i’d ever laid eyes on... and she still is. and from the very first line of the game (leonidas prologue notwithstanding) - the cyclops’ thugs yelling “HEY! SHITFACE!” to her while she’s just vibing on her roof - i was in looooooveeeee. her Scrappy Punk Energy is impeccable.

connor: i actually was kind of ambivalent towards him in the beginning! this was ofc coming off the way-too-long-and-boring haytham sequences, so although i was impatient to get to connor, i was also a little annoyed that there STILL seemed to be so much story before we could run around and be assassin-y. so although i liked him, it was hard not to be annoyed at the slow start of his story. i think it took until like sequence 5 or something for him to get a hidden blade. which, considering there’s only about 12 sequences in ac3, was kind of annoying.

Impression now

kassandra: i still adore her, but for even more reasons! i will never not love the feisty misthios with the conflict deescalation skills of a molotov cocktail side of her, but equally i love her devotion to her family in the main storyline, her justified rage and love for her son in the legacy of the first blade dlc, and even her exhaustion but eventual commitment to her (awful, no-good, horrible) destiny in the fate of atlantis dlc. it’s a little difficult to characterize kassandra definitively, because i think her development/arc is far more loosely constructed than other assassin’s creed protagonists, but in general she is presented as somebody who is humorous and loving and cocky and formidable and charismatic, and doesn’t buckle under the weight of all the responsibility she has taken on, or that has been thrust upon her. she rises to every challenge thrown in her way and comes out of it more resilient and always with that sardonic twinkle in her eye and a smartass comment at the tip of her tongue.

connor: WE STAN A CHARACTER WHO NEVER LOSES HOPE EVEN IN THE FACE OF LOSING HIS MOTHER, HIS HOME, HIS BEST FRIEND, HIS FATHER, HIS PEOPLE, AND HIS MENTOR. WE STAN A CHARACTER WHO SURROUNDS HIMSELF WITH PEOPLE HE LOVES AND WHO LOVE HIM IN RETURN, WHO DOES EVERYTHING FOR OTHER PEOPLE OUT OF THE KINDNESS OF HIS HEART AND BECAUSE IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO, WHO DEFENDS THOSE WHO CAN’T DEFEND THEMSELVES. WE STAN A CHARACTER WHO, WHEN BETRAYED BY PEOPLE HE THOUGHT WERE ALLIES TO HIS CAUSE, SEVERS HIS TIES WITH THEM BUT RATHER THAN SUCCUMBING TO CYNICISM CONTINUES TO DO GOOD AND FIGHT FOR JUSTICE AND FREEDOM FOR EVERYONE. WE STAN A CHARACTER WHO IS ANGRY AND STUBBORN AND CONFRONTATIONAL AND BRUTALLY EFFICIENT AT TAKING DOWN HIS ENEMIES, BUT IS ALSO BLUNT AND HONEST AND SELFLESS AND KIND AND COMPASSIONATE AND UNWAVERINGLY LOYAL TO HIS LOVED ONES.

Favorite moment

kassandra: i can’t just choose one are you fucking kidding me they’re all so good she is so good she is perfect and has literally never done anything wrong ever in her life and we know this and we love her

but her monologue/voiceover to elpidios at the end of legacy of the first blade as she sends him away for his own protection always breaks my fucking heart so maybe let’s go with that 😭

connor: there are once again so many to choose from, but if i had to pick just one... i’m really feeling that haytham-washington-connor scene rn. where haytham exposes that washington was behind the shelling of connor’s village and the death of his mother - clearly with the goal of getting connor to turn on the revolutionaries and see the world for the twisted, cynical place that haytham sees it as (he even says as much in his journal in ac forsaken). but instead of taking the bait, connor responds in his own way: he shows that he is not blind to the fact that washington has been using him this whole time, but also that he knows that haytham is trying to do just the same thing to him now. he immediately recognizes that haytham was waiting to spring this information on him and calls him out on it, and reminds both haytham and washington that he is not stupid, that his loyalty is borne out of his sense of right and wrong rather than naivete, and that his people come first. his people ALWAYS come first.

and maybe i’m just a sucker for monologues but the ac forsaken monologue that was recorded but never added into the game for some unknown godforsaken bullshit reason was so so so fucking good and if it had been included in the game i am sure it would be my favorite. “FOR AT MY SIDE WALKS HOPE??????????? T H A T IS MY COMPROMISE???????????/” ✨🔥😲🌟🙌 ⁉ ⭐💯🙏‼😭👏😭🔥✨ BITCH WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!

Idea for a story

kassandra: i basically stuffed all my angsty kassandra ideas into one wip that i’m not sure if i’ll ever finish but love to daydream about. obviously endgame kassidas because, like, that’s my brand, but i also want to take the time to explore her relationship with natakas the way that ubisoft sure as shit fucking didn’t. it’s kind of an amphipolis fix-it and a legacy of the first blade fix-it all in one, if i can ever manage that. probably the most ambitious wip i’ve ever attempted. oh, and also she gets to raise her goddamn son and doesn’t get saddled with any of that keeper-of-memories bullshit. so in a way it’s just a fix-it for the entire goddamn game because kassandra deserved SO much better and i’ll never not be mad about it.

connor: in continuing the tradition of haytham leaving his journal for connor, i think it would be neat if connor kept a journal for io:nhiote. and i’ve rambled before about a connor sequel but you know what the more i talk about it the more i can maybe will it into existence. i think it would be neat if it was framed in a epistolic way where connor is preserving their family’s legacy as he discovers more and more about edward’s life, writing it all down for his daughter, similar to the way revelations was told through ezio’s letters to claudia. it would start in 1791 with connor traveling to the caribbean to aid the haitian brotherhood in the revolution, and it would take him all across the islands - to cuba, to new providence, to jamaica, to greater inagua. to all the places where edward had been. maybe there would be scraps of journals or message bottles with edward’s memories in them? and when the revolution has been won and connor has learned all he can about edward’s life, he travels to england to visit edward and tessa’s graves and to meet his last living relative: his aunt jenny. she’s old and dying at this point but she’s back at the kenway manor in queen anne’s square and after a little bit of trepidation (and maybe he shows her haytham’s journal or his hidden blade as proof that he’s not just some random dude) she lets him in. she tells him about her life and about haytham as a child, and the more she talks the more at peace she seems to be, and connor smiles and takes her hand and thanks her for letting him in, and she passes away quietly and painlessly. and the last thing he does in england before he heads back to his own family is visit his father’s childhood bedroom. he sees the same edward-ghost (like the altair-ghost at the beginning of acr) that he’s been following through animus-memory or eagle vision or whatever: only this time, it’s not some deep insight into assassin-ing or anything like that. all he sees is edward tucking haytham into bed on the night of his tenth birthday. UBISOFT FUCKING HIRE ME.

i also wouldn’t be opposed to a meet-cute type story for how connor meets his future wife, although it’s a story i would prefer someone else to write (to my exacting specifications ofc lol), rather than write it myself.

Unpopular opinion

kassandra: idk how popular/unpopular this is but i did find myself choosing a lot of the meaner dialogue options because although i think she does have a kind heart and feels genuine compassion for people, i think she is by nature a very blunt and often harsh person. i mentioned in the edward post that i think he and kass are kindred spirits, by which i mean i think they both have rough-and-tumble exteriors that they present to the world, and hold their loyalties and loved ones very close to their heart. they’re both exuberant and extroverted people who thrive as mercenaries but in their most vulnerable moments strive for something more long-lasting and stable and quiet. but where i think they differ is that kassandra is... just a little meaner/more abrasive?

connor: i don’t think i have any? i genuinely can’t think of any right now. connor is perfect and everyone knows it. nothing but respect to the king.

Favorite relationship

kassandra: romantically, obiviously it’s brasidas and/or roxana. i don’t think i need to go more into that. battle couples my beloveds 😍😘🥰

platonically, i of course love her relationship with her family. i would kill to have more endgame content with any surviving family members. i’d love a scene between kass and deimos and nikolaos, and a scene between kass and stentor and deimos. there is so much potential there and the game is so goddamn anticlimactic. and while i understand that some of that is because it’s already a long damn game and it’s difficult to program so many branching narratives and storylines and endings, i also... idk i just wish there was deeper relationship-building in the game

connor: i shipped him with miriam for a hot second until that french dude came along and swept her off her feet 😅 but mostly, as with edward, i don’t really him him romantically with anybody because i know he gets hitched later on in life and we don’t know anything about his wife. besides, there’s not a lot of hot singles in his area (rip). and he even says himself that he’s too busy to settle down just yet.

non-romantically, my favorite relationship/interaction is connor and haytham. they’re such a hot mess and i love it. i love how at odds they are ideologically, and yet despite the constant bickering and snapping at each other they still manage to work well enough together. and the fact that haytham can’t even define how he feels about the son he didn’t know he had and who seems to reject him at every turn, while connor continues to hold out hope that he can reconcile with his father.... but they’re both too goddamn stubborn to voice it... i should be angry with These Idiot Men for bottling up their feelings like this, but with these two, i get it. i get why they are the way they are, and i’m just here for the ride. they’re not passive-aggressive about it (well - haytham kinda is), they’re just aggressive. and i love that. the scene on the rooftop where haytham tells him “the only different - the only difference between myself and those you aid, is that i do not feign affection” is SO good. (i almost listed it as my favorite scene but i think i like the washington scene better bc it’s more indicative of connor’s character, whereas this one is more indicative of haytham’s)

Favorite headcanon

kassandra: can barely cook. it just wasn’t something myrrine taught her growing up, because as spartan nobles/royalty they probably had helots doing the cookiing (i think there’s at least one helot you see in one of the family flashback scenes), and she would have been way more interested in combat training with nikolaos anyway. and by the time she’s on kephallonia, i highly doubt markos would know how to cook much more than just the bare minimum for them to both survive. and she wouldn’t have access to the meats and spices that she probably grew up eating in sparta - just bread and cheeses, and fish if she can catch them. simple stuff that she can either prepare fairly easily, or that she can steal. essentially, my headcanon is that kassandra can prepare food just enough that she can feed herself (and eventually phoibe). but if you gave her like a chicken or a pig or some other animal and said “make it tasty” she would have no fucking clue what to do.

connor: i like to think that after achilles’ passing, he started taking in stray animals. the mansion is so big and lonely when it’s just him; he’s always lived in close quarters with other people, and as introverted as he is i think the solitude of the empty mansion is just way too fucking bleak. so obviously the solution is that he just starts bringing strays home. maybe it starts with an injured critter that he nurses back to health, or a dog or a cat that keeps following him around when he’s in boston/nyc. but much like how eivor eventually winds up with like 80 pets inside the longhouse, i like to imagine that at some point there’s like 3 dogs, and 2 cats that curl up in/around his bed at night, birds that repeatedly come and nest in the beams of the mansion roof year after year, deer that come by and nibble at the weeds/bushes by the cliffs, because connor may or may not go to great lengths to ensure that their favorite nibblin’ plants grow there year-round.

send me a character!

#assassin's creed #ac odyssey #ac3 #kassandra #connor kenway #ratonhnhaké:ton #MY BELOVEDS....... thank you alli for humoring me!#ask games

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