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shelleysmary · 2 months ago

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i kinda dig this exploration of the subtle ways in which sauron corrupts. i know some people are VERY attached to 'he didn't corrupt the elven rings! why are they implying that he did!!!' but imo there's room for both to exist - maybe not simultaneously, but i like the idea that once you've been affected by sauron you're never the same. and there's some basis in lotr's text as well! we never see it directly because we're almost exclusively in the minds of the fellowship, but there are hints to "nothing escapes sauron's darkness," which fits tolkien's theme of society being interconnected with itself and also with nature. even things that haven't been affected directly by him are affected through the web because everyone acts in response to him or the mere threat of him. whether or not the actual rings are corrupted is entirely separate from whether or not the wearers of the rings are affected - and they are! everyone is!

on the topic of the title card and the title appearing with verdigris, i would like to add how freaking cool it is (and i do hope it was deliberate, but even if it wasn't, i believe in happy accidents) that verdigris is often confused with bronze disease, which is a chemically different but physically similar effect to verdigris. verdigris occurs naturally in response to exposure and it's meant to protect the metal underneath: it's literally self-protective! bronze disease, on the other hand, can completely destroy bronze or copper on a chemical level and it can "contaminate" other pieces; the damage is irreversible, beginning in one spot and occurring in a cycle over and over until the piece is degraded beyond repair.

this is just a headcanon fueled by op's fantastic analysis, but i think sauron's got a lot in common with the reaction cycle of bronze disease and is constantly attempting to "infect" other people (we see it visually as everyone starts donning red), and while galadriel feels herself tainted by the darkness - and characters are always pointing out that she's in danger of becoming indistinguishable from sauron's - we know for a fact that, if anything, she's more like the verdigris. all of her darkness is in response to her experiences and sauron's deception, but deep down she is still galadriel. she is still herself. the damage is not irreversible. so many things in middle-earth are willing to resist or reverse sauron's corrosion, the difficulty being his uncanny ability to make you believe you're out of options, hence the emphasis given to hope hope hope, "hope is never mere."

(this is already too long, but the credits retaining its references to ainulindalë also reinforces something here, because melkor breaking the harmony doesn't make the music not the ainur's anymore, and it certainly isn't only melkor's, but *~a secret third thing~*, and i think that's where they're going on trop with the rings.)

The opening credits are so dynamic and summarizes the season.

I briefly wrote speculation on this new title card before but didn't really have a fleshed out idea. Now I have more concrete thoughts and so much of it has to do with the opening credits.

But first! Please see and support these two gifsets as their work helped it all click for me:

Opening Credits by fukutomichi & Red Costuming by leotanaka

So, this green title card so far only appears in ep1. Now in s1 ep1, the title card is covered in frost because that's where the present day story begins and iirc, the title card is gold for rest of the series.

Here, I think this green title card is foreshadowing. It's rust, specifically verdigris because we see traces of red alloy, which I think is copper. Verdigris is rust derived from copper and it's toxic.

That seems strange that veridigris is used here (and I'm definitely inspired by Elden Ring lore) because in ROP, that emerald green is linked with the Elves. I believe it's a flip on that and instead, it's showing Sauron infiltrating and poisoning different factions of Middle Earth. This is backed by costuming and cinematography.

The show isn't always trying to be subtle with its foreshadowing and that's okay. It should and needs to pay off. In ROP, Sauron is coded with red; we see that in his prologue look. Red can also double for bloodshed or danger like we see here in the S1 ep1 prologue and the Celebrimbor premonition.

So with all that said, let's break down the updated title sequence!

(caps are slightly adjusted for contrast and visibility. Apparently, the show is too dark on some screens?

I think this is obvious; starting with Sauron at his lowest. Then, the red grain worms its way into the gold patterns. In fact, it sort of resembles:

In the prologue, we see veins erupt on Sauron's face for a brief moment during his tantrum. I *think* we see something similar when Sauron gets rejected by Galadriel.

(Thanks Charlie Vickers and Jack Lowden for all the face! Love when actors aren't afraid to just go for it.)

With the Dwarves, it's fascinating because both father and son are already wearing red before meeting Annatar.

Danger comes to the Dwarves as a result of Mt. Doom erupting so this is something Annatar exploits. Durin IV was right to be suspicious and called Annatar's lies but the fear of doom and trying to be proactive to stop it is much louder. Reconciliation with his dad goes hand-in-hand with giving up their stubbornness to try and work together for their people.

However, this is exactly what makes the Dwarves vulnerable to Sauron. A tragedy.

I see a lot talk about the writers going in circles with Sauron leaving Eregion but only to come back. I think he fled because he's not sure how the elves will react when they find Galadriel in the pond so better leave for self-preservation. He goes to Mordor to scope out the place and manages to plant further doubt.

He asked Adar in s1 if he remembers him and Adar asked him who is he? Sauron already sank his claws in Adar long ago with red wine and his presence here triggers an old memory. Now he's nudging Adar to pursue his doubts and hoping Adar will make that mistake.

Celebrimbor's forge is already tainted by Sauron. His new forge (right) burns redder than the previous one. He may not have been involved in making the three rings for the Elves but his effect on Celebrimbor is there.

Aside from Celebrimbor reciting "not power of the flesh but over flesh," he's wearing red in that exact scene. I looked and tried to find if he's worn red at any other time in s1 but I think this is the only instance. He's usually dressed in blue and green. Celebrimbor's costume change is so subtle because together with the other elves, they are dressed in harmony: gold, blue, and green.

Even when he forged the Elven rings, he wore blue but when he made rings for the Dwarves, well... what a difference. He's also too happy to lie to Gil-Galad.

Red costuming goes into full force in Numenor.

I originally thought this orb was an eye and it still could be. Then thanks to leotanaka's gifset, I realize it could be the icon on Pharazon's chest and foreshadowing the Great Wave.

Galadriel's presence shook up Numenor. Sauron didn't need to do too much because Galadriel's relentless pursuit did the work for him. He saw the Numenoreans' disdain for elves and just needed to gently steer her in the right direction.

I definitely think Sauron takes a lot gambles but actually learned to read the room to NOT get crowned again. He can't know how Numenor will react to their losses in the Southlands. Instead, he just scams them by talking with enough ambiguity for people to fill in the blanks for him. This gives him enough resources to work with.

Now with the elves, here is where things diverge. So Sauron hasn't physically touched the rings but he did affect Celebrimbor and Galadriel, who were both directly involved in making the rings. The golden tree we see in the title sequences is still gold but it's hue is different, slightly warmer as an indirect result of Sauron.

Compare these two titles:

S1 (left) title card uses a bright, radiant yellow gold. S2 (right) uses a burnt gold. I do think current one refers to fire and a forge at work but it's also implying a decline due to Sauron's influence.

I'm curious if the title sequence will continue to evolve throughout the season but if not, I look forward to what the s3 title sequence transforms into.

#galaxy brained!#the rings of power

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thiswaycomessomethingwicked · 4 years ago

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for the quiet night in ask: how did Grima make his way into your heart? And why do you ship him with Eomer? I've been meaning to inquire about this for long hehe (also I love your theme! think this is the first time I see it)

I am so sorry, you’re getting an ESSAY.

I’ve been wanting to talk about my Grima feels FOR SO LONG.

HE SNAKED HIS WAY INTO MY HEART.

Um, tl;dr I have a soft spot for the bad guys who clearly have a complicated history with those they are opposing and I think Eomer/Grima have a fun opposites-attract dynamic and I love a good redemption story.

I don’t touch on literacy and Grima in this because that’s strictly the films and it’s worthy of it’s own post entirely.

I’m trying to think best how to break this all out, because it gets a bit long and rambly. I’m using both book and films for this, as a note. Since I tend to mash up different aspects of those Grima’s in my head, give the guy some eyebrows, and call it a day.

So, first off, his history. Now, we don’t really have anything to go on in canon here. All we know, in both book and film, is that Grima “was once a man of Rohan” (ROTK). In the book, Gandalf says: “This here, is a snake. To slay it [Grima] would be just. But it was not always as it is now. Once it was a man, and it did you service in its fashion.”

Grima evidently has served Rohan for some years at this point. We know that Theoden’s enchantment/possession began three years prior to TTT. In the books there is no possession. Theoden’s enchantment relies on the powers of words and their suggestions. Something Tolkien was well aware of carrying great weight and import in Anglo-Saxon culture. You tell a man he is old and infirm, he will become old and infirm.

I understand why Jackson went the possession route - explaining Anglo-Saxon engagement with galdorcraeft/witchcraft and the power of words etc. and how that influenced the development of Rohan in the span of like 7 minutes of screen time wasn’t happening. Possession works for the same purpose, but in a language the modern audience is familiar with - especially in visual mediums. Grima is circa 40 when TTT happens, same age as Boromir for reference. So, let’s say he’s been an advisor for 10/12 years at this point. He has therefore been a good servant of the king longer than he’s been a traitor.

Hence, the outreach. And, in Brad Dourif’s wonderful acting, Grima’s clear desire to go home to his king. In the book it’s more subtle. Grima chucks the palantir out the window at Orthanc and it’s stated that he wasn’t sure who he was aiming for, Saruman or Gandalf, because he couldn’t decide who he hated more.

Honestly? Legit. I would also hate the guy who reduced me to “it” pronouns. But maybe that’s my gender identity stuff playing up ;)

(Granted, in the full quote Gandalf reverts back to “he”, for context. And I’ve said this before, in another post, that it makes sense for Gandalf and as a writer, I agree with Tolkien’s decisions for that scene.)

Now, for some speculation. Not that I haven’t spilled a tonne already. MORE SPECULATION. This time bringing you long term effects of bullying and never having loving relationships modelled for you! Because LOTR, at the end of the day, is all about trauma and how maybe not to deal with it.

So - motives.

We know Saruman’s motives. Indeed, he tells them to us in FOTRK: “[to] have power, power to order all things as we will, for that good which only the Wise can see” and to achieve “the high and ultimate purpose: Knowledge, Rule, Order; all the things that we have so far striven in vain to accomplish, hindered rather than helped by our weak or idle friends.”

Great. Super straight forward. And from the man’s own mouth.

Grima’s though, always come to us second hand. In the books it’s Gandalf telling us (Gandalf can mind read, so yes, maybe he is accurate). In the films, it’s Eomer guestimating.

But Grima never actually tells us, himself, what his motives are.

(a quick aside: if some dude is shoving me up against a pole and threatening me, and I hear someone walking by, of course I’m going to look over at them and it by no means indicates my desire to shag that person. Now, of course, we know from other scenes this is the case. I’m just saying. It’s natural to look over at the person walking by while you’re being jumped by the Third Marshal of the Mark who is twice your size. anyway.)

So what are his driving forces for treason? What made him go to this point of no return then keep going even when people offered him a way back.

It is important to note that his treason required him to forswear his oath to his liege lord. I don’t know how to convey what a big deal that would have been, in modern terms. But it would have been huge. Forswearing/reneging on oaths was a massive cultural taboo in Anglo-saxon [AS] England (and general, early medieval Europe).

And, as Rohan is based on AS England (I forget if Tolkien was cagey about this. He was sometimes a dumb shit and coy about things so was like “noooo it’s not STRICTLY AS England….but it’s clearly AS England with more horses and a light dusting of vikings and the Danelaw”), we can assume it carried as much weight for them as it did for the historical people.

(Indeed, it’s implied, if not directly stated, in the text what a big deal oath breaking is. Don’t say “oath breaking” too loud or the Silmarillion fandom will come out of the woodwork)

The big takeaway: BIG DEAL TO FORSWEAR YOUR OATH.

And he did it! Which is why I don’t buy the “it was because of Eowyn and like some nice jewels.” You don’t betray your country, you don’t forswear your oath to your king, simply because you’re hot on the king’s niece and Saruman might give you a raise.

And, as a liege man to Theoden, he was part of Theoden’s household so would have eaten, worked with, lived with everyone else in the household (Eomer, until he becomes Third Marshal; Eowyn; Hama; Theoden’s guards etc.)

So, you live with these people, eat with them, drink with them, spend all your time with them, for circa 10 years then you do a bunk and betray them? Something happened. I suspect it was years and years of things happening.

Overall, I think it to be a combination of things. As is usually the case for these sorts of crimes. In this case, a nice mix of fear, desperation, greed, resentment, anger and desire.

Fear/Desperation: So, to Grima’s mind the world is ending. Why wouldn’t he think this? Hell, even the Wisest and the Fairest (i.e. wizards & elves) think it’s ending. Why wouldn’t this poor bloke from some small country nearby to Mordor not think it an existential threat to an unimaginable degree?

Grima is sat here in Rohan looking at Mordor going "oh fuck" then who are the leaders left? Denethor (slightly bonkers) and Theoden (past his prime and lacklustre, like his father and grandfather).

This is not a man with a strong moral fiber. Or...any moral fiber, let’s be real. He does not have the fortitude to stick it out through hopeless situations. And it would have been hopeless to his eyes. And those around him (see: Eomer’s do not trust to hope… Sure Saruman was a problem, but he wasn’t just talking about the white wizard).

Gandalf’s plan, which none of these people were ever wholly aware of, was a goddamn Hail Mary pass and it worked. Barely, but it did. NO ONE had reason to believe it would, though. And those are people in the know. Not someone like Grima who has no fucking clue what Gandalf et al is up to. He sees Gandalf then like … Nazgul torture him on the planes of Rohan (Unfinished Tales). He sees Gandalf then bad things happen.

Lathspell indeed.

Greed & Desire: I don’t think I need to go into these ones too much. They’re pretty self explanatory. Grima and Black Phillip hung out and the goat asked Grima if he wanted to live deliciously and Grima, like any normal person, said: um, yes please? Also, Eowyn was around being badass, beautiful and untouchable.

Resentment/Anger: Alright, more probing in the dark. I suspect, for one reason or another (and these reasons would vary depending if you’re looking at books or movies), he was someone who was always treated as other/differently, teased, picked on, isolated, overlooked, doesn’t measure up to Rohan’s military ideal of masculinity. All of which creates an underlying resentment issue.

And nothing festers quite like resentment.

On top of that, I also suspect he was always told he was a snake/untrustworthy/not worthy etc. and if you're told something enough, and you don't have anything or anyone else telling you the opposite, there is a strong chance you become that thing.

It's a chicken and egg: the face you wear to the world tells the world how to treat you; the world tells you what you are and that is how you shape your face.

THEN you add in Saruman. Who is clearly, in the text, abusive. Which, if there were any inferiority/bullied etc. issues that are informing Grima’s actions, Saruman is just going to amplify it.

“You are a traitor because you’re a snake, and you’re a snake because you’re spineless, weak, nothing more than a creature that crawls on its stomach on the ground. Snakes are bad, evil things. Which is all you’ve ever been. Barely deserving of the good treatment I give you etc.” <-- all of which is basically a summary of what Saruman has been saying to him for a few years at this point (in the book, it’s only tangentially implied in the movies).

So Grima sort of morphed himself into what he believed himself to be, fuelled by that perversity resentment causes: Oh you think I’m a snake? I’ll be the best goddamn most poisonous snake you ever did see. Just watch me.

He is trapped in this situation. A hutch to trammel some wild thing in.

Which leads me to an interesting point that I think gets lost sometimes: Narratively, he and Eowyn are similar in what they are experiencing. Isolation, being overlooked, misunderstood/misrepresented, don't fit into societal roles and expectations etc. They just go in very different directions in how they respond to it.

I think that's why, in the film, it was smart to have her give pause and listen to him because what he's saying resonates. He is, in some ways, speaking as much for himself as her. But then, of course, he's also just trying to shit disturb and make mischief so of course, at the end of the day, any sympathy he is attempting to convey is laced with poison.

I do wonder, too, if he's the first person to see her fear and her frustrations and acknowledges them out loud. Which is powerful. To have someone see you. Damn shame it's Grima. Still, Eowyn (in the film) paused and listened for a reason.

A brief aside on my idle, ill founded thoughts on gender and Rohan:

One of the reasons I think Eowyn and Grima go in diverging directions, is that Eowyn is performing masculinity, in her society's accepted interpretation of it. Masculinity, in Middle Earth, is clearly the norm. And in Rohan, it’s a very particular iteration of military-focused masculinity that is idealized (you can bet, men who killed like 10 orcs were awarded places in court above Grima who served as advisor for like ten years but hasn’t killed an orc ever).

Eowyn’s desire to live/perform this more masculine ideal caters to the subconscious thing of “Masculinity is Natural Neutral Ideal” so of course you would want to be more like A Man. Whereas Grima is the opposite, not performing masculinity according to Rohan's accepted view of it.

And gods, in Anglo-Saxon culture (therefore, Rohan’s, most likely. I see no evidence to the contrary) is that a difficult position to find yourself in. Back in AS England, being called argr, unmanly, or to be accused of ergri, unmanliness, was one of the worst insults you could throw at a man (indeed, some laws said you could kill a man in retaliation for calling you such things). I would bet my shirt that people used such insults about Grima in this world. Which is all kinds of messed up.

Now, my interest in him is my general love for a good redemption arc for the most hopeless of characters. It’s why I struggle to call Boromir’s arc, when he’s written as living, a redemption arc. Because I don’t know he has much to redeem himself for. In his own mind, sure, yes, but externally? Not in my view, at least. He has things he’s done wrong and needs to make amends for. But that’s different from redemption.

Grima, on the other hand, is one whose walk-back from evil would be a full on redemption arc. And I like it because he’s not nice, he’s not pleasant. He will never be nice or pleasant or cheerful. But learning how to love and be a good person doesn’t require niceness.

Saruman could be plenty nice. Sauron could be plenty nice. Look what they turned out to be.

And in my writing, I do hope I’m treading that line between creating an understanding of who Grima is without Kylo-Ren-ing him. Or, woobiefying him, as the old parlance was. That’s the line I’m really aiming for. I want people to not hate him. I want them to understand him. Oh, still condemn him, still judge him, disagree with him, acknowledge and know he did bad things and isn’t a nice person. But the end game is to add some understanding and nuance.

Shades of grey.

Also I’m a sucker for challenging redemptions.

Why Eomer/Grima?

Because I am an agent of chaos.

More seriously, I was never overly taken with the Grima/Eowyn approach, personally, which is obviously popular (um...within the Grima world), and closer to canon. There are some beautifully written fics and art out there for the two of them, so if you’re into that. The creators in that nook of fandom are top notch.

I always liked the drastic opposite of Grima and Eomer. As I noted above, Grima and Eowyn are two sides of the same coin. Both bitter and resentful and trapped. And that’s a lot of fun to play with, and i get it. But for me, I love a good strong contrast of personalities in my pairings. (If that uh … isn’t readily apparent.)

I think both Eomer and Grima would have a lot to teach each other and in some really interesting ways that neither would expect. I can see both getting under each other’s skin in that way where you’re sort of always thinking about them.

Grima is also someone who has had very little love in his life (I suspect he wants it, he just doesn’t know how to give or receive it). Eomer is someone who has lost a lot of people (parents, quasi-uncle for a few years there. I think it’s why he’s so controlling over Eowyn. Didn’t want to lose her). And I think there’s something in there where they could help each other grow. But I’m a sucker for some beauty to be there, in the end. Some hope.

Mostly, though, I think it boils down to their dynamic and the angst potential. Eomer is this brash, forthright, fiery third marshal of the mark who may or may not think things through. Big of heart, dumb of ass. Then there’s Grima who is quiet and reserved, cynical, critical, always has a plan or five, gets by via his wits etc. Lots of fun potential there.

#LOTR #lord of the rings #the lord of the rings #grima wormtongue #rohan #eorlingas #LOTR meta #ask #reply #eomer

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Best Easter Eggs That You May Have Missed

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Assassin’s Creed Valhalla‘s Viking world, fresh mechanics, and new characters help distinguish it from the franchise’s best titles, but some of Valhalla‘s greatest qualities are the ways it refines the trademark elements of older Assassin’s Creed games.

That includes a laundry list of Easter eggs. The Assassin’s Creed series has always benefited from some impressive and often elaborate Easter eggs, but we’d dare say that Valhalla features the franchise’s best collection of hidden references yet.

While it’s going to be a long time before all of the game’s hidden references and in-jokes are uncovered, these are some of the cleverest Easter eggs in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla that have been discovered so far.

The Dark Souls Bonfire

Dark Souls seems to be especially popular among other game developers, so it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that one notable Easter egg in Valhalla features a Dark Souls-style bonfire complete with sword and nearby knight’s helmet.

What’s really interesting, though, is that you’re actually able to kneel by this fire and restore your energy. It’s pretty impressive that the Valhalla team put in the effort to pay tribute to one of Dark Souls‘ defining mechanics when the design of the bonfire alone made their shoutout loud and clear.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

One of Valhalla‘s quests takes you to the town of Ravensthorpe where you must collect scattered pages of a book. To be honest, it’s not exactly one of the game’s most exciting activities.

However, the quest’s payoff is amplified somewhat by the revelation that the book itself is called “Fantastic Fish and Where to Find Them.” It’s an obvious (but appreciated) nod to the Harry Potter book and spin-off series, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Believe it or not, that may not even be the game’s best Harry Potter Easter egg…

The Harry Potter Horcruxes

In the London area of Valhalla, there’s a cabin guarded by a snake. If you defeat the snake and head inside the cabin, you’ll find a piece of paper called “Strange List,” which features the words “Diary, Ring, Locket, Cup, Diadem, Snake, and ???.” That strange list certainly seems to echo Voldemort’s collection of Horcruxes, with the question marks being a substitute for Harry.

Even better, you’ll find a cup, a necklace, a book, a tiara, and a wand inside the cabin, which (along with the guardian snake) seem to suggest that this cabin doubles as Voldemort’s hideout in the world of Valhalla.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

The COVID-19 Pandemic

One of the strangest Easter eggs in Valhalla can be found by browsing emails during one of the game’s modern-day sequences. Look hard enough, and you’ll spot a letter from someone called Ram in which they ask their sibling whether are not their worries are related to “COVID.” That’s actually just one of a few modern-day letters that seemingly reference the pandemic.

Interestingly, there are also some pandemic references in at least two other 2020 games (Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 and Watch Dogs Legion), but to my knowledge, this is the first game that directly names the coronavirus.

The Legend of Zelda’s Chickens

In Valhalla‘s Dunwic area, you may stumble upon a prison cell that houses a skeleton and several chickens. This bizarre scene will suddenly make sense if you try to attack the chickens and watch in horror as they swarm upon you.

This appears to be a callback to the infamous chickens in many Zelda games which will group up and attack Link if the player “accidentally” strikes one of them.

A Desmond Reference in the Audio Files

During one of Valhalla‘s modern-day sequences, you’ll have the chance to explore the contents of Layla’s laptop. If you’re thorough, you may find an audio file featuring the voice of legendary Assassin’s Creed protagonist Desmond Miles. The audio file is seemingly even voiced by Nolan North himself.

This Easter egg is fun enough on its own, but this reference to one of Assassin’s Creed‘s most beloved characters is actually a testament to the ways that Valhalla cleverly pays tribute to the other entries in the series.

Bayek From Assassin’s Creed: Desert Oath

One of the deeper cut Assassin’s Creed references in Valhalla can be found in Ravensthorpe. There, you’ll hear Reda read to a group of children about a desert land and a story concerning The Protector” and “The Scholar.” The story largely echoes the adventures of Bayek: a character who first appeared in the novel Assassin’s Creed Origins: Desert Oath.

Actually, this is just one of at least a couple of references to Bayek that have been found in Valhalla so far. Is someone on the team just a fan of the character, or is there more to these shoutouts than meets the eye?

The Lord of the Rings Quest

It’s not exactly a surprise that Valhalla features a Lord of the Rings reference (it is, after all, a fairly popular fantasy franchise), but the extent of the game’s tribute to that franchise is undeniably impressive.

One of the game’s quests tasks Eivor with finding a ring. That alone could obviously be a reference to Lord of the Rings, but it turns out that the entire quest is actually an elaborate tribute to several key moments from those stories. In fact, there’s a chance that all but the most knowledgeable Tolkien fans will miss a few of the references along the way.

Death Stranding

A tipster alerted Kotaku to one of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla‘s most intricate Easter eggs: a clever tribute to Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding.

If you build a trading post in the village you take over early in the game, you’ll find a list of items that some customers apparently never picked up. You’ll have the option of delivering the items to these customers yourself, but doing so is a surprisingly slow process complicated by the weight of the items. That concept seems to echo the gameplay design of Kojima’s infamous “delivery simulator.”

The Prodigy

It’s easy to love an elaborate or subtle Easter egg in a game like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, but there’s something to be said about a simple nod to a modern-ish piece of pop culture.

That’s what you’ll find in Essex where a local band is playing a song that’s lyrics include the line “Smack my bishop!” It’s easy enough to assume that’s a reference to The Prodigy song “Smack My Bitch Up,” but Valhalla confirms the reference shortly after you meet the band by revealing that this world event’s name is “The Prodigy.”

The Trogdor Tattoo

Valhalla‘s tattoo shop is a cool mechanic in and of itself, but it’s made that much better by a note you find in the shop titled “Tove’s Tattoo Ideas.” One of the ideas written on the letter reference “a dragon, breathing fire, with the wings of a bat and arms of a man,” with the additional note that “the dragon’s arms are very muscular.”

Many fans will undoubtedly recognize this as a wink at one of the best internet videos of all-time:

The post Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Best Easter Eggs That You May Have Missed appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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