#who wants to save Layla from an assassin?

[layla-dubois]

Marked for Death | Open

Layla was managing pretty well, though her magic flared and sputtered at random intervals but she was riding the highs and lows with more ease than she'd expected. Her classes were paying off.

Others seemed to be having a tougher time. The longer the binding spells remained absent, the more volatile some seemed. She skirted the chaos as she moved down the island streets until her feet came to an abrupt halt.

Had she really seen that? Between the moving crowds, was that face real or were her old nightmares returning to haunt her? Was this all perhaps a dream? It couldn't be, the chaos of the boundary spell coming down was all too real. Then... was that face....

Layla gasped and took a couple steps back as the crowd cleared a bit and she saw the familiar face more clearly. No, it couldn't be! She couldn't really be standing there on the island streets!

Standing before her was her cousin Kalilah DuBois.

"Hello, traitor," Kalilah voice purred out.

Without the institute's protective magic, her family had found her and there was only one reason Kalilah would have been sent to track Layla down like this. The DuBois were seeking absolution from the Sang Vide coven by way of killing the traitor vessel of their family.

"H-how... h-h-how are y-you..." Layla sputtered.

"Seems like someone opened up the gates to your little paradise," Kalilah answered before Layla finished her question. She raised a hand as fire engulfed her fist. "At least you've picked a nice place to die." She offered a cruel smile before launching the ball of flames towards Layla, who stood frozen with fear.

[teecupangel]

A time travel AU to the pre-canon (or game's starts).

Except that Desmond, Layla and Clay are trapped as a spirits. They only can be seen (and listen) by the people who are attached to the protagonist or are important to the lore.

And the protagonists ALSO time traveled.

You decide:

1-. If the protagonists wake up in they past body or...

2-.are also trapped being spirits that only can be seen (or interact) by they past selves.

Like if you go to the first option:

Arno wakes up the moment that his father gives him the clock or Ratonhnhaké:ton wakes up the day his village was burned.

(In somewhere place Haytham wakes up a listening three voices and having a headache).

Or if you go for the second option:

Maybe past! Ezio wakes up only to be jumpscared by a old voice that maybe sounds like him?

(Claudia or Leonardo wake up by seeing two man and one lady in their room).

In general all Juno plans go and get destroyed and they found a way to fix-it the timeline (Maybe Clay accidentally saves Kadar and Desmond Khemu and Layla gets the Auditores safe?)

I wanted to be vague, so you can...

Go Wild.

So are we going for the modern day Assassins getting separated in time?

Because I think it would be funny if some poor unfortunate soul gets haunted by three ghosts.

But it would be so chaotic if they don’t know there’s three of them because they’re haunting three different people.

(In this one, the Assassin will be haunting their past self and there’s a bit of ‘I’m the only one in the past’ thing going on because they assume what they’re doing is having butterfly effect on everyone else when, in reality, there’s four different ghosts fucking up the timeline.

.

Altaïr

Altaïr will absolutely be annoyed by his older self. “Shut up and watch” is a very common response to a lot of ghost Altaïr’s suggestion. It doesn’t help that ghost Altaïr knows that his younger self needs to do this by himself. It’s really just small mercies that he was able to shout at the young man before he got thrown out of the room, taking down two knights with his knives. It saved Kadar after all.

Altaïr saved no one. Kadar survived because some strange man started talking to him and helping him. He thinks he’s being haunted by the guardian of the treasure he touched and he can’t tell anyone because this ghost keeps telling him that Al Mualim is a traitor.

Malik is having a bad day. Some woman that dresses too lightly has been haunting him and gawking over the supposed legendary Master Assassin Altaïr. Oh, and apparently, she’s from the future but she doesn’t really know what’s supposed to happen. All she knows is that Al Mualim is a traitor and now Malik has to keep a secret from everyone how he’s looking for evidence that could get him beheaded. His brother seemingly getting a sixth sense of when he’s snooping is not helping (Kadar absolutely believes his brother notices he’s been acting strangely and that’s why he’s able to predict Kadar’s next moves and be in the same location before him)

Desmond is fucked. He is so fucked. Why, of all people, was he haunting Abbas??? He can’t even poltergeist the shit out of him because he can’t interact with anyone or anything. Fuck this ghost business. He can, at least, slowly drive him mad by making sure he can’t sleep.

Ezio

Ghost Ezio and teenager Ezio would probably have the best partnership. Ezio wouldn’t trust him at first but, once his father and brothers are arrested, things will absolutely be different.

Clay has no idea why he’s haunting Claudia but he’s making the best of it. She just needs a little push to get the ball rolling and, my god, Clay was going to make sure Claudia Auditore would be the best Assassin in this time period… just to fuck with Ezio.

Layla only read the summary about Ezio’s life so she’s winging it with helping Federico Auditore. It’s not that bad. Federico seems to think she’s some kind of ghost of an ancient civilization (the Isus, Layla realized later on) and she’s going along with it because it makes things easier.

Desmond wants to strangle someone. Why was he haunting Lorenzo de’ Medici??? No. Seriously. Why the fuck was he- Fuck it. He was going to bother Lorenzo until he gets out of his lazy seat and do something about the Auditores’ arrest or, help him, he was going to haunt the shit out of him that everyone will believe he’s become mad.

Ratonhnhaké:ton

Ratonhnhaké:ton and his younger self would have a more father-son relationship although neither of them would admit it. The longer Ratonhnhaké:ton guides his younger self, the more he sees his children in him. All he wish for is for his younger self to have a better ‘ending’.

Clay is gonna end up with Haytham because that would be funny and, if anyone can screw up Haytham, it will be Clay and his casual digs of the family trauma Haytham has and how he’s just adding more family drama to his own son.

Layla’s gonna have a freebie for this one and haunt Faulkner. She’s living the good life, sailing the seas without all the problems that comes with it. This is a vacation for her.

Desmond is going to be Achilles’ problem and, dear god, he’s going to make Achilles actually talk to Ratonhnhaké:ton and have a healthy relationship with the man if it’s the last thing he’d do in this weird ghost state he finds himself in.

[moonlit-ocs]

Leila Wayne-al Ghūl

Layla - Derek and the Dominos

um…duh? really though, i find that this song plays through her love interests’ heads. whether its wally or roy or some other redhead

Who Is She ? - I Monster

ooooh she wears so many masks. the mysterious assassin and vigilante of gotham are her main ones, which i feel leads the song so well. but there is this drop in the song at “somewhere across the sea of time” where i like to imagine her entire life pass by and all those different masks. from her as a child training with the league, to an assassin, her as batgirl, demonspawn, a student, the ghoul rebrand, a billionaire’s daughter, party girl, the wayne enterprises exec, galas, the ceo as her hair greys and when the song ends on “immortal she, return to me” i see her as old, wearing green robes with her family sword and leading the league of shadows after a lifetime of fighting them

Safari - The Breeders

this specifically i relate to arkham knight jason todd and their sibling bond, her mourning him while he’s planning on destroying her city and getting back at bruce. but he still longs to see her again and misses her and he’s ashamed of himself. he wonders if he could follow through once he sees his sister again. if she would even accept him—love him—knowing what he planned to do.

Lights Out - Mindless Self Indulgence

disclaimer: yes he very much is a POS we do not support him. anyways i think this captures leila’s more brutal side, and leila is not a batbrat! she tries to follow bruce’s rules, but she was still raised by assassins for some time and still agrees with their ways to a degree. but she builds a reputation as a vigilante, and foes fear her greatly because she carries deadlier weapons and causes more damage and pain. she just calculates much more carefully. bruce doesn’t like that she thinks she can be the judge and jury, but she refrains from being the executioner for his comfort.

Pa Pa Power - Dead Man’s Bones

this is such a gotham ass song it almost doesn’t belong here but i relate leila with gotham so heavily compared to my other OCs. only time she’s not a gothamite is in the YJ timeline but other than that shes a gotham girly. i like thinking of arkham knight!leila and the gotham evac here, so a bit of jason and also bruce and dick and tim and barbara but imagine the streets burning from below where riots prevail and shes stuck on saving the city and her family from certain doom. NOW IMAGINE THE DLC WITH RA’S AND NYSSA AND IT BEING HER CHOICE look it up that game is a masterpiece.

Me and the Devil - Soap&Skin

leila has a lot of ethical dilemmas. of course she returns to the league several times. she’s the oldest grandchild, if not the only child in some storylines. and ra’s sees her potential despite his reluctance to let a woman take over. he wants her on his side. he’s ashamed that she’s turned her back on them and taken up with the scum of gotham, but when she returns to the league she is treated like royalty and it feels so wrong to her. being beside ra’s is painful for her, but sometimes she needs to prove to herself that she made the right decision protecting gotham and in some cases, the world. building a reputation with the assassins does help her in the long run.

Cities In Dust - Siouxsie and the Banshees

gotham vs shadows thats all i will say

She’s Lost Control - Joy Division

leila has a weakness that comes from her brush with death—the lasting effects of the lazarus pit. i think this song captures the feeling of her mind slipping when she starts to experience her episodes. confused, manic, unpredictable. shes lost control (again)

I’m Just a Shadow - SHEL

well…leila is a shadow. shes no savior. she can’t change what she was raised to be and she wrestles with redemption and the fact that she’s destined to lead the league of shadows. she doesn’t want to lose her way and leave the batfamily, but every road leads back to the assassins.

as good a reason - Paris Paloma

i imagine leila meeting the “woman with red lips” being talia/biological mother warning her against ra’s and her struggle for power and obedience, then leila meeting the “young girl with bright eyes” being stephanie brown warning her against either cluemaster or bruce wayne and to push back, using her own experience against ra’s, bruce, and many rogues to help steph

[leila]

[thoughtfulfoxllama]

Ok, I've been thinking through my Assassin's Creed: BoM concept

Instead of the Gold Plates being the medium for the Animus, the Sword of Laban is a Sword of Eden, made specifically for Training (so, it has Animus-like ability to allow access to the memories of the people who use it)

The Sword was found by Joseph of Egypt, and was passed down to Joshua, and from Joshua to Laban (an idea from "The Lost 116 Pages" by Don Bradley)

Nephi doesn't want to be the leader of the Nephites, but he uses the sword's ability to increase charisma (as seen in "Odyssey") in order to help them stay safe from the Lamenites. I think Nephi would be a good Prologue, but I think a mission where he has to use the Sword on his brother would be meaningful (which isn't even implied in the Book of Mormon, but would be my own addition)

After Nephi, it'll skip to King Benjamin, with him taking our key Lamanite figures, but (in traditional AC style), he'll learn more about compassion, not wanting to kill them, regretting it at times even, but refusing to make himself dull to the suffering he is causing (even for the greater good of his people). This will be a part of explaining his views in his great speech

After Benjamin, it'll skip ahead to Ammon. Obviously, Sheep Raiders, arms, all that. But Lamanite Territory is dangerous, so he'll have a fight on his way to the Lamoni, and more missions after the sheep, and a sequence for saving his brother from Lamoni's dad

The War Chapter with Captain Moroni. Enough said

There needs to be at least one sequence about the Gaddiantons. Lachoneus is my choice, but Nephi is also a choice

And it ends with Mormon. He's a General of an army, and a historian. How does his appreciation for history begin: the Sword of Laban

It needs a good Modern Plot too. Maybe Basim is their resident Isu Expert (because he's a Sage), and he's leading Shaun & Rebecca to stuff from the memories he's living through

And then he betrays them to Abstergo. His Alethia, so when he learns about the Phoenix Project, he gets in touch with Abstergo, and they make a deal. He works with them if they resurrect her. But, I still like Basim as a character. He's not a monster, and he is devoted to the Assassins, so he regrets his choice, and has to choose between Alethia or the Creed

And that's it. It cuts back to the Gray. Layla & the Reader are freaking out. The odds are 50/50, and they can't definitely read any more futures. But the choice is between saving or destroying the Assassins

Now, it'll be mixed in style. Nephi, Benjamin, and Teancum will be more Stealth Based, but Captain Moroni, Ammon, and Mormon will be Combat Based. I love the stealth of earlier games (and Mirage), but it'd be hard to do a full stealth game

And I enjoy a well done Modern Plot. But it needs to be well done, add something to the world, and not just be cutscenes. I liked the Modern Missions in AC:3

But, what are your thoughts

[teecupangel]

(the Red Dead Redemption x Assassin's Creed AU plot that this is connected to... sorta?)

“What’re you watching?” Rebecca asked, yawning as she walked towards the small kitchen their little safe house had. She rubbed her eyes as she mumbled, “It’s 3 AM in the morning…”

Rebecca grabbed a glass and filled it with mineral water, not wanting to hear about the latest conspiracy Shaun has about tap water. The light from the laptop Shaun was using to watch whatever it was that got his attention was her only source of light but she didn’t mind whenever it grew dark. She had already memorized the layout of their safe house.

It was that small.

Rebecca placed the glass on the sink and turned around. She began to walk to the pitiful couch where Shaun was supposed to be sleeping on as she said, “Come on, Shaun. Bill wants us to meet him at the docks at 7 am. You’re gonna be cranky when we get there and you haven’t gotten any sleep.”

Shaun finally paused the video and turned to stare at Rebecca.

Thanks to the video stopping at the moment where two young men were talking about something that Rebecca couldn’t hear because Shaun was using headphones, she could see the large dark lines underneath Shaun’s eyes that showed just how much sleep he had been sacrificing to watch…

A… BuzzFeed video.

“Shaun…” Rebecca said in a disappointing tone.

“I think Desmond time traveled.”

Rebecca blinked before…

“Shaun…” Rebecca’s face softened.

Shaun had taken Desmond’s death the hardest. Rebecca knew he felt guilt and shame over how he had treated Desmond up till his death and-

Rebecca didn’t want to think about it.

She shared the blame as well, after all.

She had been so focused on her tasks, doing what Lucy and Bill ordered without even thinking of how isolated Desmond became because of their actions.

But she also knew Desmond wouldn’t want them to drown in their guilt and to do what he wasn’t able to do…

To save and protect what remains of the Brotherhood.

“Nononono, listen!” Shaun stood and dragged the large corkboard he found in the trash a few blocks away. Seeing that this was going to be one of those days, Rebecca went to the wall next to the kitchen and flipped the lights on before returning to the couch.

Seeing the corkboard filled with…

“Did you use the printer for your conspiracy theories again?” Rebecca sighed. Bishop was going to send them a strongly worded email again about how the ink of their printer can’t be used for ‘personal use’.

“This is important!”

“Most of the screenshots looked like they came from the same BuzzFeed video.” Rebecca argued dryly.

“Ryan and Shane are the most unbiased investigator in our modern era! Unsullied by the propaganda of the Templars that run rampant in those so called ‘official’ and ‘academical’-”

“Okay, okay.” Rebecca rubbed her face as she stopped Shaun before he went on a rant and asked, “So? Why do you think that Desmond time traveled?”

She paused before she added, “And where?”

“So… in 1877, Dutch van der Linde formed the van der Linde gang-”

.

.

“So… what’s in Calais?” Layla asked as she waited on the deck of Altaïr II.

“Nothing important.” Bill answered, “But two Assassins have been assigned here to lay low. They’re the ones who have the most experience with tinkering with the Animus.”

Layla hummed.

A not that comfortable silence befell them for a few minutes before Layla finally commented, “So… it’s 7:30…”

Bill let out a small sigh that Layla wouldn’t even have heard had she not been this close to Bill. Bill’s tone remained calm and composed as he said, “We will wait for another hour. After that, we’re leaving the port if they don’t get here or make-”

“Bill!” Gavin rushed to the deck, holding a paper in his hand. He handed the paper to Bill as he said, “Rebecca and Shaun… they… they found Desmond.”

Layla saw Bill froze for a brief second and his hand trembled as he took the paper from Gavin’s hand.

It seemed to be a printed copy of a sketch with the signature on the lower left that might have been ‘A. Morgan’.

The sketch was of a young man with a scar on the right side of his lips, wearing a hood.

On the right side of the sketch was…

I met the strange fellow again. As usual, he spoke in such a strange manner and would not say what this ‘POE’ was at all. But he finally told me his name. Desmond Miles.

Holy shit! Remember when I asked about that one crossover?

Red Dead Redemption 2 x Assassin’s Creed?

I’m gonna refine this shit a bit so stick with me here:

Desmond Miles, we love to fuck with this guy’s shit, I love this silly little guy in general, so, what if the events of Rdr2 happened because of a POE???

Like, bro? It works way too well, because ofc the Pinkertons would be Templars or something, it fits too well. The Van der linde Gang aren’t Assassins, but Arthur and John might have a bit of Isu blood in them. (Cough Dead Eye/Eagle Eye connection cough)

Lets say that Dutch “found” (read: stole) or was given a Piece by Micha (fuck that guy) and goes batshit crazy, and you know the rest.

So, either Desmond is in his time travel era and inadvertently saves the gang or he’s got enough time/is alive to see the memories of John or Arthur (yeah, Arthur’s only known kid died, but we can fudge some shit here if we wanted)

I just imagine the Assassin Crew talking about the gang and the legend surrounding them (because like several of the members survived so there has got to be rumors floating about), like that one Buzzfeed: Unsolved x Rdr2 fic!

That would be so dope, just saying.

[herstarburststories]

You Have A Home

Pairing: Sam Winchester x Reader

Summary: After a call from Y/N, Sam comes back town to help -- and brings Dean with him.

Requests: N°1 heyhey, could you do a Sam x reader where they went to college togehter and later meet again and they realise their feelings for eachother...xx + N°2: can you do a college sam headcanon with medicine student reader

A/N: This was fun! The monster here is mentioned in season 6, when the boys ask Bobby for advice on how to kill it. This is my first Samgirl long imagine, with Dean being the flirty he is. I wrote this almost one year ago, so it's more crude and I'm nervous to be posting it! And my piece for @cajunquandary 's 600 challenge, my prompt was monster of the week. Dividers by @talesmaniac89!

Dean's eyes remained on the road when the bitter statement left his body, tangled with a wry chuckle, “I can't believe you are still in touch with those people.”

“Those people?” Sam arched elbows, slightly skeptical by his brother's tone, “They were my friends, Dean.”

“Sammy, all our friends? Dead. They all die. Or worse.” He glanced at him for a moment, pursing his lips together. It might not be an easy assignment, but was part of the job. Sammy had tried to run away plenty times and always came back, when would he understand? “We don't get to have friends. You should've learned that.”

“They are not our friends, they are my friends. Also, they don't know about the hunting life, they aren't in harm.” Sammy hissed once the other locked his green eyes on the road again. Dean sighed, moving one hand away and up from the steering wheel in a rendition gesture.

“Whatever you say, man. I'm just warning you, this doesn't usually end up good for them.”

Sam scoffed, Dean could get on his nerves sometimes, “We saved many people that got to have a good life.”

“Yeah, but those people didn't know us before that. I told you when you left Stanford--”

“I didn't keep contact, okay!? I just... I just still have a phone that they have the number of. No social media, no calls on birthdays.” Nervously gesticulating, he added, “I know how to keep them safe, Dean.”

“So, old friend?” The eldest Winchester asked after the few minutes of silence that followed Sam's outburst, “Female old friend?”

“Yes. (Y/N) (Y/L/N).” Dean smirked, and Sam to rolled his eyes at his behavior, “Keep it in your pants.”

He'd let out a malicious laughter before turning on the radio, the first guitar sounds of AC/DC playing in the background.

“I think you'll be the one not keeping it, Sammy.”

“Hello?” The woman in nothing but a towel who had opened the door greeted them with a question, her brown eyes glaring at the two men with clear confusion.

Dean had no shame to check her out, innerly celebrating that she was still wet from her shower. Perhaps visiting Sam's friends wasn't that big mistake. “Hey, you.”

She grimaced at Dean for two seconds before turning her attention to Sam again, sudden recognition written on her face.

“Sam? Sam Winchester?” He nodded, smiling that light-hearted boyish grin at her. Not caring about her dressings, she just threw herself at Sammy, hugging him tightly. “I missed you!” She pulled away only to hit his shoulder. Her short stature didn't match Sam's, but he'd still make a grimace at her attempt of slap. “Why didn't you call? God, your hair grew a lot. Listen, I have some scissors.”

“Tried that, didn't work.” Dean interrupted their reencounter, trying to get in the conversation. An usual lopsided grin on his face, “Dean Winchester, Sam's brother.”

“Layla, Sam's friend.” She gave him a friendly smile in return, opening space for them to pass through the door before closing it, “Come in, I need to change in clothes.”

“I wouldn't even dream of that. Seriously.”

Layla would just wiggle one of her brows at Dean's comments, not impressed by it, “Ele é sempre assim? (Is he always like this?)”

Thankfully, Sam still remembered a bit of his friend's native language. He just chuckled, managing to apologize for Dean's typical Dean behavior, “Unfortunately. Sinto muito. (I'm sorry)”

“(Y/N) is in the kitchen. I'll be right back.” Her accent was thicking stronger duo the comfortability around Sam. Excusing herself, the caramel skinned girl leaded upstairs.

“What did she say?” Dean asked, side glancing at the path Layla had just gone on, not even sure of which language she'd just spoken, much less what was said. Sammy didn't bother replying, satisfied to grin at his obvxion brother. “Dude, come on!”

“Sam!” A well-known voice filled the room as the image of (Y/N) appeared in front of them, dressing your loyal cook's avental. You didn't think twice before jumping on Sam. “I missed you, giant!”

He, like always, caught you with a light-hearted laughter, “I missed you too, cupcake.” You two spent a few moments like this, enjoying each other's warm and long lost touch, until Dean cleared his throat. You finally went back to the ground, embarrassed by having a stranger to see that level of intimacy between you and Sam, “This is Dean, my--”

“Handsome brother. Hello, cupcake.” Dean was so going to tease Sam for the rest of his life for it.

“You really live up for Sam's description.” You giggled, heading towards the kitchen “Come in, I'm baking.”

“So, you and Layla still live together?”

“Most of the time, yes. You know how she is, comes and goes. Never wanted to stay in a place for too long and got a job that supported that.” The boys followed you, Dean examining the kitchen and trying to discover what you were cooking through the smell, while Sam couldn't take his eyes on you, “Apparently, just like you.”

Even though your back was facing them as you checked the food, the bite didn't pass unnoticed, “I had to leave, (Y/N)”

“I understand that, Sam. But you never called or texted. It was like I--” You quickly corrected yourself, “We never existed for you.”

“It's not like that.” Sam sighed, how could he justify? He knew you wouldn't buy a simple excuse. You were smart, and knew him too well to swallow a 'I went on a trip with my brother and just decided that college wasn't my deal' and leave it for that.

“I'm here!” Layla declared, arriving into the room with an excited smile, it was good to have the gang back together. Although, the tangible tension almost made her go back to the shower, “Am I interrupting something?”

“A sitcom DR.” Dean answered with sarcasm, spreading his figure on the chair when you turned around with an apple pie in your hands “What about we talk about the ca-- Is this pie?”

“We heard a scream followed by a loud roar and (Y/N) stayed near the camping part because there was still a signal and I went looking for who it was. When I got there, the thing ran away. Jorge's body... No human did that. His chest was cracked open irregularly, as if it was done by an animal and his heart looked weird. Like it was squeezed and drawn on up somehow?”

“We got a Samia.” Dean stated, relaxing on his spot. Some sault, rosemary and fire would do the job just fine, “Let me guess, it left a clawn near the body or inside it?”

Layla nodded, “Right in the chest or what lasted of it.”

“Are you okay? Finding the body in that state.” A comprehensive manner englobed Sam's question, whom noticed the normality with his friend described finding a shattered body.

“Just some guts.” She shrugged, a grimace was all the reaction they'd get. Crying wouldn't help, neither being terrorized as they expected her too. “I've seen Grey's Anatomy enough not to care about it.”

“Well, I'm literally a medicine student and I am still not okay with that. Especially after you made me go and check the body.” You argued, glaring at your best friend who'd only roll her eyes in response.

“I needed a professional to say if he was dead or not!”

“You need a therapist.”

Dean got up, looking straight at Layla. Time to play the hero in shining armor, “Don't worry with that, we will take care of it.”

Frowning, you were the one to respond, “Do you work for the police now or?”

“Are implying that we investigate it by ourselves?” Your best friend added.

Dean couldn't believe his brother. How the fuck did he let them get inside without saying they didn't know about the hunting business? It was a luck shot that they didn't think much when he said Samia.

“Nope. Not you two. We will do it.” The blonde one said, pointing at them with a smirk.

“I agree, we will do it.” Layla replied, matching his taunt smile.

“Sam, I'm not letting you and your brother do it by yourself. Jorge was my professor, I knew him. Besides, we found the body.” You got on your feet and crossed your arms, waiting for a response. Sam always had a sort of hero complex, ready to help no matter what, but there was no way you'd be letting him go into danger with his brother. Getting in your dormitory to kill a cockroach back then or facing an idiot during a bar fight to protect one of your friends was something, but this? They were talking about looking for an assassin. What if something happened to him? You were the one who called. All on you. The thought of Sam getting hurt for any reason was unbearable, but because of you? You weren't willing to do that.

“You would be in danger, (Y/N). You both.” He tried to explain, internally hoping you'd accept his reasoning and let it go. Sam didn't want you to become one of the friends who knew about this life, you deserve more. He already lost one woman he loved in this city, he couldn't lose another.

You huffed in frustration, “Just like you will!” 

“It's different.” As he was terrified of, you insisted. Arms crossed still and eyes locked with his, determined to get something from him. Sam was smart enough to know that you would keep it going. Perhaps he could give you a short explanation, “Me and my brother, we are used to this. We hunt things like that.”

Layla tilted her head to the side. The way Sam talked remembered her of animal hunting, although she highly doubted that was the case, “Little more explanation?'”

“Monsters are real. Vampires, werewolves, spirits. The list goes on. Call us crazy. Roll the credits.” Sarcasm saltered every word of Dean's as he gestured up and down with a cocky smile. Everyone glared at him, a special furious look from his brother, “What? I thought they knew what we did and that's why she called.”

“Sam?” Your voice was fragile when you said his name, a demonstration that you would believe him through the fear of the truth, but that he had to say it.

Sam laid his hazel eyes on you. God, how he wished he didn't have to confirm anything, to break your vision of world so abruptly, “Dean is right. Supernatural things are real. I know it sounds--”

“Unbelievable? Problematic? Scary?”

“Yeah, all of them.” Sam offered you a humorless smile, then holding your hand the way he used to when you were nervous about an exam, “But I wouldn't lie to you, cupcake.”

The silence was broken by Layla opening a bottle of Whiskey, pouring them for the three people in the room besides herself. You rolled your eyes at your best friend, while Sam wore a tiny smile and Dean was astonished.

Noticing the eyes glued, the latina just shrugged “What? If you are gonna tell me that Dracula is real and you are a sort of Buffy's apprentice, then we will need some alcohol.”

“Why did you call?” Sammy asked, his brows knotted together, mouth slight open as he waited for your response. “You didn't know what I did. And he wasn't my professor at Stanford. Then why did you call, (Y/N)?”

You could make up a hundred excuses. Lie and say he was the one friend besides Layla that you had somehow a way to get to. Appeal to the excuse of 'I felt something weird about the death and you said I should call if I ever had a problem of any kind'. But for as much as you felt horrible for using a death as a pretext for calling him, that was partially the truth. You already had put yourself into a mess of monsters and a drained heart, it couldn't be scarier than being honest to Sam and to yourself.

At least, you hoped so. But your heart was rushing like when you saw Jorge's body. Jesus, when did love become so morbid?

You took a deep breath, oxygen barely achieving your lungs, and then started to talk.

“I wanted to call you the minute that you left, Sam. I almost did a million times.” You answered, looking down at the bottle of a sort of plant that he was putting in a dark green bag. “I thought about what you could be doing, what was so important that you couldn't send me a message. But you just didn't want to call, I guess.”

“I wanted to call, of course I did.” You scoffed at his statement, looking up to match his eyes, “(Y/N), I'm serious.”

“You didn't even come to Jess' funeral, Sam. Layla said that maybe you needed to leave to clear your mind, that was too much to deal with. But I was so worried, and sad and confused and I wanted to talk to you because you would understand, you always did. About anything. And I wanted to give you some sort of comfort, but--” You lifted your hands and shrugged your shoulder, a broken chuckle leaving your body. “But you weren't here.”

“You stopped leaving messages after two weeks. Calling was gone when it made a moth.” You sniffed. Sam's lips curved into a pure, cautelous grin. God, he was always so sweet. “The emails took two months.”

“You were never good with dates. I gave you a calendar in your freshman week.” Your teeth met your lower lip. He didn't answer, only nodding at your affirmation, omitting the fact that he still had the calendar between latin books and pieces of newspapers, “Yet, you remember all of it.”

Sam leaned forward, holding your hand with all the delicacy you would expect from a sculptor. It had been too long since he hugged you, and his touch made all your skin tickle with warmth. “I missed you too, (Y/N). I thought about you all those years.”

“So, Cupcake?”

"Let's focus on the case, Dean."

“Then you can go back and eat your cupcake?” He remarked with a grin. His brother just huffed, pointing the flashlight through the trees, “So, Layla…”

Sam rolled his eyes, like he usually did when Dean started being too Dean for his liking, “Dean. The case.”

Before he could make another teaseful comment, a roar invaded their audition. The hunters gave each other a quick glance before heading towards the direction of the noise.

Shaking the salt and rosemary mixture in his hands, Dean smirked, “That's it. Time to shine, cupcake.”

“I have to admit. Being patched up by a doctor is better than by Dean.”

A surprised, half relieved laughter came out your body as you finished another stitch on Sam's arm. That boy was unbelievable; openly talking and making jokes about his brother, who was also being patched up by your best friend in company of a bottle of whiskey, while he spoke about Layla's name being a rock song. You were working on a large wound on his shoulder-- which you were sure that was full of dirt from the forest.

Medicine student, but I'll take that complement.” You winked at him, gaining a soft grin from Sammy, “I was expecting more blo-- Why are you smiling? I'm touching a recent wound. It doesn't look dangerous, but I'm sure it is supposed to hurt. A lot.”

Sam's answer came out easily, the bare, vulnerable truth: “I'm happy you are here.”

You looked at him, his hair longer than before, but the soft simper remained on his face. You bit your lip to hold a giggle; her heart dared to hope. What he expected when he said things like this? A quiet contentment spread through his expression while he watched your reaction.

“You should have come home sooner.” 

His mouth formed a line, “I don't have a home, (Y/N). It's just Dean, me and the road now.”

“No, Sam.” Shaking your head lightly, you intertwined your fingers with his. His life was dangerous, you couldn't afford the luxury of waiting even more to share what you had finally admitted to yourself in the moment he walked through the door. It didn't seem like the easiest, simpler situation. But the only hard thing you couldn’t go through was to be away from Sam Winchester. He lingered on you for years, you were done letting him run away. It was time to hold his hand and walk together. “You should've come home sooner. To me.”

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[pro-bee]

Ziva David Appreciation Week Day 1: Underrated Friendship

OK, I had a totally different idea for this one initially (and if I have time tonight maybe I’ll make another post), but here it goes for now:

I don’t know how “underrated” this is, but I really liked the relationship between Ziva and Damon Werth.

(All screencaps in this post courtesy of NCIS Source.)

They meet under inauspicious circumstances, of course. He is their main suspect and has just beaten the crap out of the entire team, including Ziva. 

Yet instead of feeling fear or anger, Ziva is immediately drawn to Damon, because she recognizes something in him: Trauma.

Even before we find out that Damon is a super soldier, that he’s been experimented on and manipulated through the use of steroids to do someone else’s bidding, Ziva is sympathetic towards him, recognizing a look in his eyes she’s probably seen in countless friends and colleagues as a soldier -- and even in herself. Being so focused on your mission that you can’t leave it behind.

For instance, once Werth is in custody, there is that moment with Abby where she freaks out over the attack, losing her marbles over her friends being hurt, and in turn losing it on Ziva when Ziva expresses sympathy for Damon’s situation. That brings the infamous line where Abby accuses Ziva of being an “emotionless” assassin, compared to the rest of them who presumably have feelings, which gets right at the heart of Ziva’s own pain. Because we know she’s not emotionless, just like Damon isn’t, and she sees in him what she assumes the world sees of her. That on the outside she appears to be the perfect soldier, following orders without remorse, but we know that on the inside she feels so deeply that she essentially feels alone, like no one can understand her.

Which is why she is so desperate to clear Damon’s name. 

He’s a marine who gave his life to serve his country and is now being tossed aside to cover up someone else’s mistakes, just like Ziva’s been used by her father and Mossad to serve someone else’s agenda, been trained her whole life to be the sharp end of someone else’s spear, without any consideration for her own desires or choices.

Which is why it’s so important to her to not only plead his case and get to the bottom of what really happened, but also show him that someone out there does understand what he’s going through. Both the trauma of what happens in a war zone and when you get home -- and what it’s like to have everyone make assumptions about you and write you off. (As the conversation with Abby painfully demonstrates.)

So when they finally figure out what is happening to him, that someone is harming him, Ziva is determined that she can get through to him, and insists on meeting with him, even though it is a risk to her safety. 

Which proves to be true, when they have their “Pulp Fiction” moment and he Hulk Smashes his way through the hospital room:

What has always struck me about this scene is how preternaturally calm she is in this moment. This guy who probably weighs twice as much as her comes charging at her, and sure, she’s probably internally worried that she’s going to get hurt, but she isn’t scared of him. And not in that “Ziva is a badass who takes no shit” kind of way, but in an overwhelmingly compassionate, “this isn’t who he is” way. It is incredibly vulnerable and raw, but again displays this whole other side of her that we only get glimpses of. 

The show often glosses over Ziva’s own military service, but how many men (and women) do you think Ziva has known in her lifetime who have ended up exactly like Damon? Guys who were once your best buddies whose brains ended up like “Swiss cheese” to quote this show, due to their PTSD and whatever else they’ve suffered with as a result? Friends you wish you could have helped but lost along the way?

I feel like that is exactly what drives Ziva to fight for him so fiercely from the outset, and why she takes an unusually silent, open approach with him. 

She gave him a chance when no one else would.

(Because life gave her a second chance when by all accounts she never should have had it.)

Like, I even love that of all of them, it’s Ziva and Gibbs who get dressed up all fancy to take Damon to his medal ceremony, and how disappointed they both are when it gets cancelled.

They want to stand by him. (That’s a whole other post -- how Ziva and Gibbs “get” the military duty aspect more than any of the other combination of team members, because they’re the only two who have served and understand the commitment and personal sacrifice that entails firsthand.)

Bonus cap: Ziva in fancy clothes:

Anyway, this first episode is mostly Ziva-focused, obviously, because Damon’s brain was all scrambled, but I loved how it showed their instant connection, which is highlighted in his future appearances in season 7.

It’s a short one in “Outlaws and Inlaws,” but it packs a punch.

Once again, Damon finds himself accidentally on the wrong side, this time because it turns out his boss is a mercenary who has hired him to kidnap Layla and Amira (under the guise of “rescue,”) but I love that as soon as he sees Ziva there, he goes from “oh no I have to save my friend!” to “oh SHIT we gotta fix this” when Ziva tells him what is in fact happening. Like, screw all his coworkers, if Ziva tells him something’s wrong, he’s with her 110%. I love how deep that trust is.

And I like how he changes sides immediately at this too. We only see him briefly in this episode, but he’s totally ride-or-die for Team NCIS, thanks to Ziva. 

Then in his last episode, he and Ziva actually get to team up on a mission!

And they’re all cute and fun and flirty but in a totally friendly way!

(Not gonna lie, if Ziva couldn’t be with Tony, I would have been fine with her having a fling with Damon. He was hot and nice and kinda worshipped her, what’s not to like? But I digress.)

I just really appreciated how he was this dude who could easily have been a macho meathead, but instead he’s sensitive and struggling with his demons, just like Ziva is, and the reignite this kinship over their shared history of trauma:

“My friends who know about these things tell me it is a science. Trauma intensifies memory, which can make it feel ever present.” “There a reason for that?” "Perhaps to teach you, so you do not allow it to happen again.” "I keep getting stuck in my own history.” "Look, the last time we saw each other, you were in control. You helped us. Even after everything you have gone through, you can move forward. You can find the right path, Damon.”

(transcript courtesy Springfield)

In the context of the show, this is months after Somalia, and Ziva is still grappling with what happened to her there, along with everything that happened to her in her life before she came to NCIS, and she’s trying to reconcile who she wants to be with her past. 

But she’s doing the work. That’s the important part.

So when she reunites with Damon, sees him struggling with his own past and his own choices and possibly heading down the wrong path because he can’t find his footing in civilian life, she’s sympathetic to his plight. Because she was lucky enough to have NCIS to fall back on, something to help guide her and give her direction in her life when she left her old one. Damon doesn’t have that kind of support system, and like Ziva went from being in a highly specialized unit where everything was life-or-death, to living an aimless existence just trying to get by. 

I love that Ziva tries to mentor him in a way, or even act like a sponsor of sorts, showing him that trauma manifests in different forms, but that there are ways to get through it. They are not defined by their experiences or by others’ expectations of them, and all they can do is work hard to honour their choices and live up to their own expectations of themselves.

I love that they took what was probably this one-off character in season 5, and used his backstory to mirror Ziva’s, and help her work through some of those feelings herself. 

I’d like to think that Damon and Ziva kept in touch over the years, checked in with each other with a quick text every couple of months or years to see what they’re up to. He was an unexpectedly cool dude, and I’m glad we got to see Ziva show compassion to him when no one else would, because that is such a huge part of who she is. She fights for those who don’t have a voice.

I’d totally be cool with Damon coming back one day!

[blandacheadcanons]

Let’s talk about AC: Odyssey

Overall, the game was a 7/10. I liked it, primarily because it’s shiny new content and because i get to play as a woman for the whole game (and Kassandra hnngggnng) but there were some issues which, for me, undercut the emotion of the whole thing, especially the ending.

spoilers and bitching below, proceed at your own risk

An ADHD dream and nightmare

in general, the way i played Black Flag, Origins, and Odyssey was tantamount to “Okay, gotta go to - squirrel!”

Now, that problem (not really much of a problem but y’know) starts with me. I have ADHD, so I’m already prone to being unfocused in my game play. But it doesn’t help that the map is littered with side missions, collectibles, and shiny things.

That, on it’s own, is not much of an issue. So it’s a bloated game; that just means there’s more to love. and I do love this game. however, the overwhelming amount of side missions and the fact that you’re practically required to play them in order to level up enough, means that the game loses its focus.

in Black Flag, this was somewhat remedied by the fact you’re never really under-leveled, so much as under-prepared. In Origins, it was offset by the intensely emotional story and clear motivations. In Odyssey, neither of those things were present.

Breaking the game

Throughout its life as a series, Assassin’s Creed has done something few other games have done: justified the fact that it’s a video game. We, the player, play as Desmond/Layla/whomever, who is playing through the memories of the historical character. The Animus can essentially take a puzzle and build the edges and group the pieces by color, but it still needs a human to put the pieces in place. the puzzle - the memory - itself cannot be changed.

Now, in Odyssey, there is no more justification. Yes, I’m talking about the choice mechanic.

This aspect of the game just... breaks everything we know about the series. the way the animus works. the way we play the game. the lore went from decently put together to flat out incoherent.

I love Kassandra. and I love that she’s the canon character. but if female leads for some reason come at the cost of consistent story-telling, i’ll take the consistent lore.

Way too big

traveling takes for-fucking-ever. Look, Ubisoft, I know people loved the naval portions of your games. but that’s not an excuse to make everything fucking HUGE and spread out over a dozen islands. If you must have such a huge game, give us fast travel to an island right away. restrict it however else you like, but for FUCKS SAKE.

Clash of the Titans (and the original premise for this series)

from AC1 to AC: Black Flag, each game has been defined by its historical setting. It was the Crusade Game, the Renaissance Game, the Victorian Game...

Origins began to lay the framework for a more mythology-based portion of the series.

Well, Origins walked so that Odyssey could fly by it on a motorcycle. Throughout the game, i wasn’t about the historical figures i would meet. I was wondering where and how the mythology would be making an appearance.

On its own, this is not a bad thing. It also makes sense, given that Ubisoft seems to be shifting to the Isu for plot in the wake of Juno’s death.

It is, however, still rather jarring. It also doesn’t look like we’ll be getting more of the historical thing because AC: Ragnorak is looking like the next game.

I love mythology as much as the next person, but...I don’t even know what to say.

The Ending

the aforementioned lack of focus and emotional intensity led to a...lackluster ending. I went for the best ending where Kassandra saves Alexios and the family is reunited.

Alexios’s heel-face turn seemed so sudden. Like he’s furious up until he touches Leonidas’s spear, and he suddenly sees the light? I’m not saying that it can’t happen, but in a game brimming with mythology and magic, this was the thing that strained my suspension of disbelief.

And this was right after Kleon shot him in the back, too. but is it ever brought up? is his faith in the cult shaken by the fact that one of his “family” just tried to kill him? does Kassandra use it as evidence that the cult is using him?

nope. not once. not even a little bit.

And these are just some nitpicks, but for me, both Alexios’s subpar voice acting and Kassandra’s quiver disappearing (idk if that was a common thing or just my game) undercut the emotion of the scene.

cutscenes are not the time for errors like this, people!

too short

As much as I complain about a bloated game, the main storyline was way too short. If you play only the main story line, you’ll probably have uncovered about half the map. maybe less. Why do i care about the map? I don’t. But i do care about an underdeveloped story.

Maybe there was more plot that ended up on the cutting room floor, but ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether the game was slashed to ribbons or wasn’t there in the first place. We got a game that was too short.

The lack of length also exacerbates the tone problem. Had we had a longer story with more Deimos/PC interaction where cracks appear in Deimos’s armor, and he maybe even does something uncharacteristically charitable (out of more than pure shock), i could then buy his behavior on Taygetos as a last-ditch effort to maintain his self image in the face of his shifting world view.

If we’d had cutscenes like Syndicate where we could see a few moments from Alexios’s perspective, I could understand how that world view shifts and how the cult treats him.

but instead, we get an exponential graph of Alexios’s development. and it’s a damn shame.

Loss of Identity

for every AC game, there’s a million video essays laying out the problems with it. And in every one of those essays, there’s a line to the effect of “this game doesn’t feel like an Assassin’s Creed game.”

Previously, i was always of the school of thought that were was no “feel” of an AC game. the nature of the games is to change, in big ways and small ways, between games. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

But now, if you had me play this game and then AC1 and told me they were in the same series, i would never fucking believe you. The already thin common threads between games has been completely broken, even more so by going back in time. Origins had a similar problem, but it at least referenced the rest of the series with the hidden blade and the establishment of the Assassin Order. the only things “Assassin’s Creed” about Odyssey are the Isu and the title.

Other Nitpicks

Layla does not get out of the Animus nearly enough. I know most people hate the modern day line, but i like the break from all the historical action.

not calling Deimos Alexios/Kassandra in the subtitles. I know it was probably easier on the devs but just imagine the feels if the name changed when Deimos was being more vulnerable/letting his compassion show.

Kassandra can full-on see Atlantis and a Sphinx and still be amazed by every mythological creature that crosses her path.

people move way too much in dialogue cutscenes

animation and cgi are becoming so real that it’s creepy again

i appreciate the move to Actual Eagle’s Vision, but leave it in these games. I don’t want to get to the middle ages and be seeing out of a raven within a century of Atair’s Color Coding Eagle Vision. That’s not how evolution works.

While cool, the introduction of literally magical armor and weapons further proves that this isn’t a historical series anymore.

There is barely a stealth mechanic in this game, and when it’s used, it’s just used to pick people off before we’re noticed, not to avoid being noticed.

in a world where there are mercenaries and those mercenaries have to kill each other either for money or just to move up in rankings, mercenaries killing each other should not be illegal. if i try to fight one more mercenary and end up getting killed by the swarm of soldiers that just pony up out of no where, i swear to God...

why are soldiers acting as cops anyway doesn’t Athens have real, actual cops or equivalent

I think Ubisoft finally remembered they were rated M in Origins and Odyssey but it honestly just makes it harder to play around my parents

That’s as much as i can think of off the top of my head if i can think of more i’ll add it

[zero-saito]

Agreed to all of this. I find it kinda ironic that the Assassins (Bill fucking miles) constantly disrespect Desmond but the Templars? They did fear and respect him, they sent their best to get him, they kept their security high the whole time they had him. They sent multiple people to bring Desmond in (ac2 end withVidic’s fugly face). The assassin may idolize their past (Altair, Ezio) but the Templars respect them as bamf people. Desmond will likely be added to that list, they will say that Desmond was a huge threat that they couldn’t pin down and that had Desmond not died in the temple then they would have been in allot of trouble. The Templars got lucky that the assassins ‘mismanaged’ their people so much in the modern era. Can you imagine the damage that Lucy or Clay could have done if they had been supported???

Desmond was abused, I’m willing to bet allot of assassins are abused in different ways depending on who was teaching them and where. The assassins under Bill were rotting from the inside, becoming hollow because they weren’t supported and they had lost the meaning of the creed.

Desmond with all the animus training and everything he did while free and living his own life makes him a super soldier. Especially with eagle vision! The Templars made their own versions of this with Daniel being the prototype for it. I wouldn’t be surprised if Bill was monitoring the team with the goal of making their own super soldier. If shaun and Becca were in on it, it would make sense. Wearing down his sense of self. Knocking down his self esteem, it would make desmond moldable enough to follow orders but also gain an attachment to his ‘handlers’.

Granted that’s one of my more angsty and painful headcannons but it can lead to some good stuff with the ancestors.

Desmond’s entire story gets invalidated not just from Ubisoft. Poor ability to write, because it’s shit and they don’t even know their own characters. But also after Desmond save the entire world at the temple, they were still all of this hype about the world ending and that Desmond hadn’t save the world but I had just bought them time. We see this again to a small degree with the reader and his panic about wanting to leave something behind and about making sure that everyone was safe. However, he was stuck in his own loop, similar to how Clay was stuck in the loop during the lost archives, and unable to move forward without someone (in his case desmond) to give him the final nudge. Layla, becoming the guide is the nudge that Desmond needs. But in addition, the reader doesn’t seem to recognize himself as a desmond, and we can argue about why that is, but the fact is that he is missing some pieces of himself.

 I don’t know about any of you, but I remember in the past that Ubisoft made some kind of announcement stating that their comic book series and their video games or not in the same canon. This allowed for some crazy shenanigans to happen in the comments that were unrelated, but let them make money anyway.  it’s because of the comic books that we even know who Daniel Cross was and the fact that Desmond has a son. Elijah does mention in the comics about Clay and Desmond still resisting Juno from within the gray, if this is to be held as Cannon, then it means that half of Desmond is within the gray and half of it ended up in Yggdrasil. How he ended up there, ubisoft doesn’t even know. But I know that the fans have written more than enough stories about possible ways of bringing people back from the dead for this series. As of now, the only people that know that the reader is Desmond, that’s Leila. But Basim knows that the reader is there but not who he was. Loki isn’t one for the calculations. Unless minerva or some other ISU put desmond there, they did a shit job.

Back to Bill and his wonderful management skills, in the end when desmond was gonna die he did offer to find another way. But the offers is empty and hollow since it feels disingenuous coming from Bill. They may not have had allot of time after Ezio’s message before the flare but if Becca and Shaun (and Lucy depending) were doing their job, they should have reported it. Which means Bill should have had people looking into it at least a bit to confirm if it’s true or not. But he either ignores the warning or doesn’t believe, he never bothered to look into it. Which would match his personality and style or resource management (surprise, there is none).

We could also say that Desmond and Bill reconciling was a sham. To Bill it could have just been a ploy to control desmond or make sure the mission is a success, from how he behaved afterwards we know it didn’t necessarily mean much to him. But Desmond was going through Connors memories which Haytham and wanted/wished to reconcile. Desmond could have been influenced by that (not that we can blame Connor for that). Ever notice how similar haytham and William are? @theconfusedartist

y'know something that annoys me about assassins creed?

they always make it seem like desmond wasted his life away after he left the farm to become a bartender, that he wasn't fit to be an assassin until he was training in the animus, and that he didn't have any ambition (as said by William in the AC3 remastered opening)

but like. none of that is true. at all

I mean I was just looking at the wiki to see Desmonds accomplishments and bio and apparently it was Daniel Cross that brought him into Abstergo. which. kinda puts Desmond skills in perspective

Daniel Cross was considered the most successful Templar member and, before Desmond, had a really great track record with his missions. Save for the ones that involved PoEs

they had to send him in to get Desmond

also Desmond managed to stay hidden from the assassins AND templars for 9 going on 10 years, since he was kidnapped on like August 30 brought in for the animus September 1, and the only reason he got taken in was due to them getting his fingerprints from the DMV

like. That sounds stupid but think about it. If he was going to the DMV he had to have an entire false identity in order to use a license, bc you need proof of birth, SSN, and multiple legal documents

he just. had that made on the run. Like that actually takes skill or connections or both to be able to effectively be in the system without being found with fake legal papers

And he DID have ambition: he wanted to live normally. Yeah its not some big dream or anything but he managed to stay hidden from two secret shadowy organizations that is all over the world in order to make it happen. that's determination and he only got caught due to his fingerprints being matched

and he easily fights off the abstergo agents in the opening of the first game. I'm not saying that Desmond was near as good as Ezio or Altaïr or Connor at this point, but he can clearly defend himself very well. at the end of AC2 he has no qualms with killing, he just does so with the hidden blade.

look, all I'm saying is, at the very least Desmond had to he quite skilled even before he started using the animus

[icefrozendeadlyqueen]

Twisted Creed: Chapter 29 - The First Gang Leader

Kaylock's POV.

Tuesday - October 27th, 1868.

Glass scattered about the wood floors. They scurried to the broken window. I stare knowing pretty well their answer, "She is gone!", they shout to the skies as I sigh heavily.

"Is she?", I ask to no one in particular. An emotion runs through me as I stare at Rose's handcraft metallic hairpin. They are thin hardly seen until you are found in a pickle. Rose's poison is deadly; however, the question still stands. Which poison did she use?

"Yes, sir. What shall we do?", Their voices were whispers as my mind drifts off to our past. Back then things seem easier. No problem or interruptions. I could learn things, and I could be with the woman that's out of time.

Why couldn't I say the words? Why couldn't I say the simple words?  Anything. If I had maybe, I could gain some more time. Maybe, I should have long ago. Maybe like that, I could at least have that one friend. Once I had one...

Flashback -- When Kaylock was a bit younger than now.

I never say what I really feel, do I? I have always relied on Rose to take care of everything. I had always done that no matter where I was. Rose was the big sister I never had. I was an Orphan a nobody, but she saw great things. I thought she was mad. She had to be mad because everyone else called me a Bastard.

"How would you handle a gun, Rose?".

I quickly turn back to glance at Rose. She was leaning back on the Tavern's walls. It was a summer afternoon not much was going on; however, my friends and I had managed to find a gun. There was a brawl two streets away, and we saw an opportunity to take the gun. We sure took it without knowing in which danger we were in.

Rose locks eyes with me. She looks bored and not particularly in the conversation, "Well, what I remember from the books I read says to grip it with your palm. Have your 3 fingers below your Index finger holding onto the gun in place. Have your Index finger on the trigger, I believe. The most important thing is your thumb goes on the hammer which is the top corner little button. When you are ready to take a shot, you aim, press it back then take the shot".

We look at Rose in amazed as she slowly explains to us how to handle a gun. I can't believe she was able to tell that just by memory. I can hardly remember what I did last week in Whitechapel. Rose walks towards my friends and I without saying much of a word. She takes the gun from my hands as quick as a mother would to a disobedient child. My friends started protesting saying things like.

"We were the ones to find it!".

"It's ours".

I watch as she hid the pistol within her dress pockets. It wasn't a bit too soon before a group of men appeared a couple of steps in front of us. My friends stayed quiet without a word said, "Who of you took our gun? We heard you kids took it".

I look at Rose as she signals to me to be quiet. Rose looks at my friends, "You guys are late for supper, aren't you? Go on". They didn't wait that long before sprinting away. The men watch Rose and I. I was out of it truthfully out. Rose wasn't. She was calm to be in such an unnatural situation. I was sure that I would die today; however, Rose was calm to calm to be considered normal.

"Gentlemen. I am to explain to you that. There is no gun in here".

Rose turns around locking eyes with each one of them. They shortly look at each other then at Rose, "I don't believe you understand us. He was the one that took the gun", One of them explain with a smart tone. Rose didn't move one bit. It felt like everything slowdown as the man pull the gun towards me. A gunshot resonates the streets; however, I was completely intact. The man in front of me wasn't.

A shock in his eyes glances at the emptiness in Green Forest eyes. No emotion. No light. No feelings what so ever. Rose aims the gun at another man, "Yo-ou! Took it!", Another one shouts to Rose as she takes another life, "Leave".

The group men didn't think twice on Rose's words. She looks down at me without much thought. I could see the emptiness in her eyes while she examinates me. I remember everything in her eyes. It was the same as before the only difference is that Rose has no remorse.

End of Flashback.

I could see the Assassins from my spot on top of the train. I bet my train on this fight because I am sure to win. I am not planning on losing tonight in the contrary I'll take their heads to Starrick. I am bound to get more gains than losses from this with or without Rose. Whatever she put on that hairpin will not affect my outcome. I watch the Assassins every move as they stare around after battling out the blighters. I stand up walking into the view of the Assassins.

It's just two Assassins and at least 6 or 8 Clinkers. How are they so incompetent to lose?? Guess, I have to do everything around here.

"There, he is!". One of the Clinkers said pointing at me. I lock eyes with the two Assassins as the train starts moving. They ran to the train as my eyes catch a familiar face in the crowd. Dark blue work dress and a white cloth on her head. Blood boils within me as she is still trying to protect me after all this time.

I am capable of writing my own destiny. She doesn't decide my fate. I am the one that decides that. I'll make sure she remembers that.

"You two! Go", I shouted to the Blighters next to me. They hesitate as the Assassins took down all of my personal. Blood boils within me as they aren't doing as I tell them, "They are only two. Fight or I'll personally throw you off the train". I watch them hesitate for a mere second before one charge at the Assassins. Before the other one makes a move I quickly punch my way in.

It doesn't fair, but who is watching for fairness? I am watching to win this fight at whatever cost. I'll take their heads to Starrick. I might get paid handsomely for dealing with a pest. After that, I shall finish the dealings with Rose once and for all.

A silence immerses my mind and the sounds around me stop completely. I couldn't think couldn't as shots were fired one, two and a third spread on my chest. I push through it with the adrenaline ran through my veins making me almost immune to pain. I charge one more time to the Assassin in front of me in a complete vain attempt. I thought I make it until I catch the blurry outline of the train leaving me behind. It was in slow motion I was seeing it how the Assassins throw me off the train. My life rushes in front of me as I deep inside me regret one thing...

I am sorry, Rose...

Extended Ending:

Nobody's POV.

Rooftops were all normal people could see. Blonde locks dance with the wind as a tall man stands to the left of a woman, "You couldn't safe him, Rose. It wasn't for you to intervene". William tries to comfort Rose out of her lost. She is glancing towards the now stop train in front of Whitechapel. Two Assassins are including the defeating Blighters into a new gang call The Rooks.

"She won't listen to reason, William".

"Don't say that. Rose is strong", William defends Rose with glares towards his twins brother, "You are desperate for her approval".

"Rose. Did you find anything in Kaylock's territory?", Will questions waiting for an answer as quick as ever, "I have to report back to the misses. She'll want to know anything and everything we found", Will adds catching no movement whatsoever from Rose. She stands glancing at the two Assassins. Will knows it's painful for Rose, but he believes she can get over it.

"Rose. Snap out of it!", He shouts at her.

"I have done my job, Will. My packages are already being searched by Layla herself. Why don't you do us all a favor and get going? I am already tired by your existence". Will shrugs off Rose's unemotional words. He leaves soon after getting what he wanted. William sighs walking away just mere steps from the edge as he stops. He looks back at Rose seeing her back, "If you want to go see him before Anaya gets to him, you can't save him after that".

Nothing was heard after that just the wind blowing Rose dress around. She glances back not seeing William or Will behind her. A sigh escapes her lips as she jumps onto another rooftop in search of Kaylock...

[spartan-officer-brasidas]

AC Odyssey Spoilers

I really thought about not posting this because I know a lot of people disagree on a few things I’m going to say, but I decided at the end of the day, it’s my opinion and I would hope they’d respect mine just as I respect theirs. Basically these are some of my hot takes from Odyssey, plus a few arguments for Legion as opposed to Vikings.

I’ll start with the base game (which is where my opinions are different from many peoples opinions), and then I’ll do the dlc stuff. The obvious one is Odyssey is a good game, which is a fairly popular opinion because, well, it’s a really good game. Where my opinions starts to deviate is that I like it as an Assassin’s Creed. I fully understand and respect the arguments for why people don’t like it as an AC (RPG elements, combat system, etc), but at the end of the day, I think that franchises change, and that’s what makes them good. Take Fire Emblem for example, I’ve played many of the games. Past FE installments are very different from the newest ones, but the new ones are no less Fire Emblem. In fact, Awakening saved the franchise in many ways, and I think Assassin’s Creed should be viewed in a similar way. The game needs to grow and adapt with its audience, and I think that’s what they’re doing. Basically, where many people said they wouldn’t be interested in Assassin’s Creed keeping with the style of Origins/Odyssey, I absolutely would—in fact, I hope they do. They don’t necessarily need to be as RPG oriented as Odyssey (though I did like that), but having that feel of RPG is a lot of fun for the story they’re telling.

Now I’ll move onto the dlc, and for now, I’m going to skip the Legacy dlc (it’ll come up later). The Atlantis dlc. I have a lot to say about it. Overall, it was very good—I really did like playing it and I thought the story was literally amazing. Unfortunately, this post isn’t going to be every little thing I liked because that wouldn’t be super interesting. First, I think they did the setting all wrong. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it for as long as I live, but they took a really REALLY weird take on the Underworld. The biggest being that they played out the Underworld to be almost equal to Tartaros in a way, and it’s not. I dare say it never has been (historically). Tartaros is for punishing the most evil, the Underworld is for everyone else. By no means is the Underworld desirable (see Achilles’ response), but it’s not that  bad per se. it’s just...nothing. It is what it is, but by making the landscape unbearable and Hades a chaotic and almost evil king, they made it seem more like a second Tartaros. Story wise, I get what they were doing and it makes sense. Chaos, order, etc, and I thought that was really neat. But I feel like it was rushed. I think the story could’ve been told a bit better if they had lumped Hades/Persephone/Underworld/Elysium into one chapter, used Olympus as another (since it’s tragically not in Greece in the game), and then Atlantis. I could continue on with my thoughts on how characterization was handled but that would make this post extremely long, so I’ll save it. I really want to talk next about the ending of the Atlantis dlc and then the implications of both dlcs/end of the game.

The very end of the Atlantis dlc was, at best, underwhelming, and at worst, a downright disappointment. I really truly do believe they had more planned for this story, but those plans got cut off and they had to just wrap it up really quickly. To be completely clear, I loved this dlc. I thought it was really interesting and fun to play, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that the ending was just not up to standard. To start, Layla and Otso Berg. What was that? There was very little build up for that, so when it happened, I didn’t really think much of it and I still don’t. But that’s the smallest of my worries. What happened with Aletheia? She just disappeared, and I know she had her issues with Layla (who didn’t), but that still doesn’t justify just dropping off the planet. We got no indication as to why she was doing this, and we didn’t get any explanation for the connection to Juno/Aita. It really feels like there was supposed to be more here. Which leads me to my next point.

There must be more to this story. We were ultimately left with more questions than answers imo. The next best thing they can do is either surprise us and give us another dlc (doubt this one will happen), or continue the story in the trilogy, which works for me because it kind of points to Ancient Rome. Here’s the logic (including Legacy dlc) (also featuring a cut because I know some people don’t care):

Ubisoft went out of their way, and in the process, managed to piss off and upset a Lot of people just to establish a connection to Origins, a game that is 100% done from what I know. They literally didn’t have to give a connection between Kassandra/Alexios and Aya, but they did. And at the expense of choice in the game. Why would they do that?

We have almost no insight on Aletheia—who she is and why she’s doing what she’s doing—and we have even less for Juno and Aita, which is...fishy. There must be more to this story (involving the Dikastes).

Kassandra has the staff! She can control its destructive power. Great! Now what? That’s it? Her story is far from over, and she just walks out of Atlantis like that? I’m not buying it, sorry.

Basically, Ancient Rome would help solve all of these (though to be fair, the 3rd point could feasibly be solved by ANY setting). By using Ancient Rome, Ubisoft can justify their destruction of choice to create a generational line between Kassandra and Aya because from there, they can connect the protagonist (or any other important character) to Aya, and use it as a story device (maybe drawing into the staff and Aletheia as well?) Sure, this could be done with a lot of settings, but not really in a way that makes a lot of sense. By keeping the third of the trilogy in the Mediterranean (and especially Rome), they can easily do this without stretching truths, simply because of how the societies of the Ancient Mediterranean interacted. The second point is the most telling of Ancient Rome because only a Mediterranean civilization would have knowledge of and truly care for the Greek/Roman/Etruscan deities. Our answers for Aletheia, Juno, and Aita could really only be answered by an Ancient Roman’s journey, unless they wanted to just throw it into a completely different setting, making the story sloppy and not really understandable, if that makes sense. Plus, it’s more like that those three and Kassandra stayed in the Mediterranean for a good while before expanding out. The three point ties into what I just said, but also, like I noted earlier, the third can we dealt with in 99% of settings, so I won’t go on about that. 

[teecupangel]

So I watched the trailer of Assassin's Creed Shadows and I thought I'd give my preliminary thoughts

History-wise

Okay... so Yasuke was Oda Nobunaga's vassal from 1581 to 1582. Historically, he was captured by Akechi's forces after Mitsuhide betrayed Nobunaga which led to Nobunaga's death. Instead of killing him, Mitsuhide ordered he be shipped to the Christians (whether he did it to save Yasuke's life or because he was being racist is still unsure) where he was treated and they sailed out of Japan later on.

Naoe being an Iga shinobi... I have nothing XD Nobunaga did destroy the shinobi clans in Iga (that was a whole 'nother thing) and her last name, Fujibayashi, was one of the ruling families of Iga province. Other than that... uuuhhh... the kanji of her name 名緒絵 sorta gives the impression of an honorable, kind and talented person. 名 is usually seen in words that translate to 'name' or 'distinguished', the first thing I thought of when I saw 緒 was 'beginning' but it can also mean 'strap' or 'cord' and 絵 is a kanji that appears in words that is connected to art and painting.

Possible Storyline

Oda Nobunaga is not a Templar. He was, for a time, an ally of the Brotherhood until he got his hands on a Sword of Eden and everything went downhill from there. So I see 2 possible storylines:

This is set before Oda Nobunaga's death in Honnouji and Yasuke has a redemption arc with Naoe guiding him to the ways of the Brotherhood. They probably act independently from Akechi's forces and the end game is to take away the Sword of Eden from Nobunaga. Yamauchi Taka (who kills Nobunaga in AC canon) would appear as a support character of some capacity. (He might even be Naoe's mentor)

This is set after Oda Nobunaga's death and Yasuke is on a path of vengeance against those who conspired against Oda. He and Naoe would have a more hostile relationship first before it developed into Yasuke finally letting go of his need for vengeance and becoming a blade to save the weak from this endless bloodshed.

Regardless, we'll probably see Hattori Hanzo since he's part of the Japanese Brotherhood.

Plot 1 would end in Honnouji and the retrieval of the Sword of Eden... or the Sword of Eden apparently gets into Akechi's hands and we get to have plot 1 AND 2 where the sword becomes 'pass the baton' kind of deal (this will fight with the current AC canon though)

Plot 2 could end anywhere from Akechi's death during the Battle of Yamazaki OR we get as far as the Battle of Sekigahara which is always fun (I mean... not fun because so many people died there but fun in a video game-y kind of way).

Plot 2 is more broad which could lead to 'too many characters, not enough limelight' while Plot 1 is more centered and could serve to make the character development shine.

(If this Oda Nobunaga gets a laser sword as well, at least we can say Isu bullshit on that one XD)

Gameplay

As far as I know, Assassin's Creed Shadows will follow the open world rpg setup of the Layla trilogy. Considering how Mirage made use of Valhalla's engine, that might be Naoe's gameplay as well. I would suggest to wait for an actual gameplay as Ubisoft sometimes make fancy 'moves' in cinematic trailers that you can't actually do in-game.

I also want to know how they would handle the two main characters setup. Considering we see them together in the trailer, this might be a case of "same missions but who you pick decide how you approach it" kind of deal instead of AC Syndicate's "Jacob and Evie do their own thing most of the time". Same missions also means there's a good chance of wanting to replay it as a different character for a different experience and also... it means they'd be reusing the same assets during development XD

teecup Rambles

Okay, here we go.

I really want to see Assassin's Creed version of Nobunaga Oichi because she's my favorite character in these kinds of stories. She's usually portrayed as the kind beautiful younger sister of Oda Nobunaga that he once said could have been a fine warrior if she had been born a man. Also, her daughters would later marry (or become a concubine) to prominent historical figures. Her relationship with Nobunaga after the death of her first husband is also vague so she can support Yasuke regardless if he's trying to avenge Nobunaga's death or if he betrayed him.

Other than that, I think the final battle being Sekigahara would be epic. Just waves and waves of enemies to fight as Yasuke while Naoe stealth her way to the big battlefield to assassinate their actual target. Although, historically, it would make sense for the story to end with Nobunaga's death or Akechi's death since that's around the last time we hear of Yasuke.

... then again, he would just return after being shipped off and that starts the main game too.

Yeah, that's about it. I really just wanted to talk about Ichi but I couldn't add it elsewhere.

Oh and Yasuke is in Samurai Warriors 5 if you want to have an idea of how Ubisoft can handle him... also in Nobunaga's Ambition. It would be awesome if his Isu armor's helmet would look something like Nagoriyuki's (who is inspired by the historical figure Yasuke) from Guilty Gear as a reference to a reference but I highly doubt it.

[holly-mckenzie]

OTP TAG

tagged by @marthaskane​

Pick 10 of your otps from different fandoms without reading the questions and then answer them. Then tag 10 other people to do the same.

Mako x Raleigh (Pacific Rim)

Warren x Layla (Sky High)

Alec/Swamy x Abby (Swamp Thing)

Ortega x Kovacs (Altered Carbon)

Jane x John Smith (Mr and Mrs Smith)

Haley x Nathan (One Tree Hill)

Regina x Aleksander (Dark)

Charlotte x Gareon (Babylon Berlin)

Liv x Noah/Alexander x Mia (Skam NL/Druck)

Tai Yu x Truly Lin (Our Times)

Do you remember the episode/scene/chapter that you first started shipping 6?

Yes, I actually do! It was the scene where he gives her the bracelet? But also the scene where he finds her and brushes her hair away in 

Have you ever read a fic about 2?

Ummm.... YESSS!  It’s legitly all I think about. #sorrynotsorry

Has a picture of 4 ever been your screensaver/profile pic/tumblr?

No... But they should. You right?!

If 7 were to suddenly break up today, what would your reaction be?

I mean, according to season 2 he’s [redacted]... but you know... If they were to break up? TBH I would be so heartbroken and yet not surprised. Heartbroken because they are the only good couple in the show, and yet not surprised because all the other couples are horrible. 

Why is 1 so important?

OH MY GOSH! They are so good for each other, because they bring out the best in each other? You know? And like she calls him out on his shit (e.g. - “it’s not obedience Mr Beckett, it’s respect or when she told him how he’s a terrible pilot). But also they trust each others so deeply?! All of the heart eyes they have for each other? Dude... I could go on!

Which one has the strongest bond?

I would have to say Mako and Raleigh... because you know *makes kaiju punching motion* they’re drift compatible.

How many times have you read/watched 10′s fandom?

I watch it like once every few months. so a lot. 

Which ship has lasted the longest?

together? probably the smiths, haley and nathan, or lin truly and tai yu. as an otp of mine? probably the smiths or haley and nathan.

How many times, if ever, has 6 broken up?

I mean, I don’t know... I can’t remember if they ever do.

If the world was suddenly thrust into a zombie apocalypse, which ship would make it out alive: 2 or 8?

So Gareon and Charlotte vs Warren and Layla... Interesting, because Gareon used to be in the War and Charlotte is really smart and thrifty and on the police force. Than you have Warren and Layla who have super-powers? However, I think what would hold them back is Layla’s principals and Gareon’s PTSD? So, like I dunno. They would probably both make it out, but they might not.

Did 7 ever have to hide their relationship for any reason?

Kinda? Probably, at first from her mum... the show is a bit vague on the details.

Is 4 still together?

noooo..... *cries in a corner*

Is 10 canon?

Yesh! THEY ARE SO CUTE!

If all 10 ships were put into a couple’s Hunger Games, which couple would win?

Oh gosh, there are a lot of battle couples here. So I would have to say probably the Smiths, Ortega and Kovacs, or Swamy x Abby. The Smiths because they are trained assassins, Kovacs for the same reason and he wouldn’t want Ortega to be injured (though she may take some issue with him killing people), and Swampy and Abby because Swampy would literally do everything to save Abby and vice-versa.

Has anyone ever tried to sabotage 5?

Have you seen the movie? That’s literally the entire plot.

Do you spend hours a day going through 3′s tumblr tag?

I used to, but when my hyperfixation for swampy comes around again, you bet I will.

If an evil witch descended from the sky and told you that you had to pick one of the ten ships to break forever or else she’d break them all up, which ship would you SINK?

9 or 6. 

tagging: @finnreyskywalker, @queenofmahishmati, @portia-lin, @gilbertsannes, @jamesfleamont and anyone else.

[the-irish-mayhem]

ok i’m gonna put some absolutely pointless and unsolicited thoughts on assassin’s creed odyssey below this cut because i need to write it down somewhere and get the words out of me or i’m going to do something stupid like write a goddamn fic

ok..... listen, i love the game and i love the story (mostly) and i have now officially put over 100 hours on the game but like.... it’s not really an assassin’s creed game to me. i hate to sound like a reddit dudebro talking about The Canon(tm) but it kinda matters a lot which sibling was the Eagle Bearer with how the games’ lore is set up.

also? i think the multiple different family endings works fine, but like... snuffing out the Cult? If Kassandra/Alexios truly wiped out the Cult (who we are meant to see as proto-Templars) then it stands to reason that the Templars never would’ve existed. So does that mean that the Canon(tm) is that Kassandra/Alexios did the Weird End where they kissed Aspasia and let her go? OR, did they kill her and the Cult was never actually wiped out? Or if they were wiped out, their ideas clearly prevailed, but HOW? There are so many weird questions the multiple ending choices leave. Even just chucking in some dialogue from Layla asking a rhetorical, “But if Kassandra/Alexios wiped out the Cult... how did they eventually become the Templars?” would’ve been a nice way to at least try to address the discrepancy by stating an awareness of it and suggesting that there was a legitimate response to the question (even if it wouldn’t be answered in this game)

Like, I love RPG games with multiple endings and character choices having dire or ameliorating consequences on the storyline, but... Odyssey would’ve benefitted HEAVILY from a nice, summed up ending, what with all the Isu garbage they were shoving in left and right. (And tbh, all the Isu stuff really did feel like garbage in this game.)

oh, and another thing? small tidbit, but like.... there is no WAY Cultists wouldn’t get harder to kill the further you got into that questline. I’m not talking about health/combat level, hack-and-slash-til-they-fall type of hard to kill, but rather I think that these assholes would’ve gotten PARANOID AS FUCK once you get towards the endgame. They would’ve paid out the ass for ARMIES of men and mercenaries to guard them, they would’ve hidden their locations like there was no tomorrow, they would’ve buried themselves in forts under hundreds of guards or on remote islands or in remote strongholds because they knew they Eagle Bearer was coming for them. (I’m also imagining them getting paranoid Kassandra/Alexios is coming for them every time they hear an eagle, and maybe there’d be some sort of mechanic where you had to be stealthy with Ikaros somehow because they’re watching for eagles? idk but all I could think about was NPC dialogue being like “oh, I think I heard an eagle. should we tell--?” *loud sigh from other guard* “yeah, no. I don’t think Hermippos realizes how many eagles live on this fucking island.”) (I think it was Dishonored? that had a sort similar mechanic where your Big Bad would progressively get more paranoid about his safety based on how you did your missions.) (That shoulda happened here. If we’re going full on Warrior RPG, then at least give me something resembling the stealth difficulties of the old games.)

anyway. I’m also a leeeetle salty as to how Deimos’s redemption arc was written. Or, I suppose, since we’re all up in RPG territory, it wasn’t necessarily a redemption arc but as soon as I found out that little shit was my sibling i was like “bitch i am saving you whether you like it or not” so I’m treating this as though it was always meant to be a redemption arc.

Going back to my initial points, I think it would’ve been beneficial to both the lore and the story to decide who was who. I played Kassandra as the Eagle Bearer and therefore Alexios was Deimos, so that’s the way I’m imagining this.

The game starts the same way--there are two samples of DNA to choose from, but choosing one or the other MASSIVELY changes gameplay because Kassandra is the Eagle Bearer and Alexios is Deimos. That’s who they are in the story. So if you choose Alexios? Surprise bitch, you’re fighting for the Cult. You’re a proto-Templar. And tbh, I think this would’ve been an awesome option because let me tell you, I will never forget the feeling I had in AC3 when they revealed that Haytham Kenway was a Templar, and I’d been playing as a Bad Guy for that whole first portion of the game. Like... that shook me to my core and literally hooked me on single player, story-based video games FOR LIFE.

Anyway, we can switch POVs back and forth as needed for Layla and co. to gather the information they need, and this dueling protagonist would give the player super cool options for deciding how they want the story to go. heck, I envision this as creating a more satisfying redemption arc for Deimos, but you could go the other way, and make his warpath that much more intense and meaningful.

whoever you chose initially would be who you would play as during the last confrontation on Taygetos (and again, based on your decisions, redemption might not be possible.)

Like, imagine all the cool decisions you could make as Deimos, and you could actively choose to believe your sister and slowly try to turn from the Cult. Maybe some of your actions don’t work out, and you take punishment for it that you need to get out of. You start trying to slip information to Kassandra about the Cult’s activities. Phoibe and Brasidas are two of your Big Choices in if Kassandra will forgive you at the end (but depending on other actions whilst taking down the Cult, you might be able to earn her forgiveness anyway? idk how I would do the choices, but like..... ugh, imagine.)

Anyway. Odyssey could’ve made a lot more sense Canonwise(tm) if they had just bitten the bullet and made Kassandra the Hero and Alexios the Villain/Anti-Hero. You still could’ve played both, and it would’ve been an infinitely more impressive RPG if they’d done it that way. The complexity! The drama! The excitement of playing a chess game against yourself! Think of all the cool endings!

So uh. That’s it.

[immortalpramheda]

The 100 6x11 ‘Ashes to Ashes’

Sheidheda is still taunting Madi. As she faces him in a game of chess, he tells her what it is he wants from her. He wants her to get revenge for Clarke, and kill anyone who gets in her way. He wants her to rule this world, just like he did the last.

I’m thinking more and more that he might be Cadogan. From what we’ve learnt previously, Cadogan burnt Becca alive and it’s seems very likely he then took over the Grounder culture and made it what it ultimately became. There’s a huge possibility that he could be the Dark Commander. Maybe now being in Sanctum (a new world), it’s awoken him and he wants to rule this one and turn it into something more twisted, just like he did to the last world.

“Mistakes are forgivable, not learning from them isn’t.” Miller and Gaia were two of Bloodreina’s most loyal followers in the bunker, but we’ve never really seen them interact before. They both feel regret at how they stood by and didn’t do anything to stop all the horror that transpired. Miller in particular still feels immense guilt. But as Gaia points out, they can be forgiven as long as they learn from their mistakes.

Miller goes back to his roots as a thief and is the reason they manage to escape. He steals a knife from a guard, but he doesn’t use it to to kill, he uses the wire to pick a lock. He’s learning from his mistakes that violence is not always the way. If there is another option, then they should take it. These two together were gold and I’d love to see more of them!

Echo is to be the first new host, using bone marrow extracted from Madi. She’s turned into a Nightblood the same way that Clarke was. She’s terrified of being mind wiped, and we learn why. Because she’s been erased before.

When Echo was a child she was being trained by Queen Nia to become an assassin. When she fails to kill a man, she is instead tasked with killing her friend, Ash. If she fails at this too, then they both die.

She’s hesitant and refuses to put up much of a fight, even begging Ash to fight back and show there’s value in her too. But Ash ends up killing her instead. Nia gives her the name of Echo and Ash is erased.

Ash’s whole life up until then was forgotten and she was forced to take on the name and life of her best friend. And how fitting is her name, she’s an echo of the friend she had to kill.

This is something she has never confided to anyone before. She’s ashamed, she feels like an imposter. Her whole life was upended and she’s always struggled with her identity, never quite knowing who she is. That’s why Spacekru was so important to her. It was the first time she felt like she had a family and knew her place. It’s a sad backstory, and explains a lot about who she is as a person.

She told Ryker, a stranger, because that’s easier than telling a close friend. Killing him also means the secret dies with him, but I wonder if she’ll ever be comfortable opening up to anyone else.

The big question is, why was she turned into a Nightblood? She could still become Simone or another Prime. Or maybe she could take the Flame and becomes Commander? But that doesn’t really check out, because the Grounders think synthetic Nightblood is a betrayal of their culture. I doubt they’d follow her. But there must be a reason.

Bellamy’s plan was to bargain for peace with Josephine’s mind drive, but the drive is empty. So she is gone for good. She can’t resurrected again.

A lot of really subtle, sweet moments between Clarke and Bellamy this episode. Comforting her after waking up from a nightmare, how he apologises for not protecting her, and the way he’s hesitant to let her put herself in danger again.

“You’re my sister. But you’re not my responsibility. Not anymore.” The Blake siblings are finally on their way to mending their relationship. Octavia is determined to do whatever it takes to earn his forgiveness. Bellamy loves her, but the truth is that their relationship was toxic. They can’t go back to the way things were, it wouldn’t be healthy. She is not his responsibility anymore. They’re adults and need to take responsibility for their own actions. Hopefully soon they’ll have the chance to just be brother and sister, rather than this unbalanced relationship they’ve had their entire lives. It seems that we’re heading that way and I’m very much looking forward to it.

The Children of Gabriel have not been sure whether Gabriel (the Old Man) is actually alive or not. It seemed that they’d abandoned him. They’re surprised, and relieved, to see Xavier again. One of them is his sister. Layla. He reveals he is Gabriel, and has been for the past ten years. His sister is furious that this imposter has been living in her brothers body for that long, fooling them all. Introducing Xavier’s sister is an interesting addition, I hope we get to see more of her.

Bellamy suggests they make a bomb with Red Sun Toxin and let it loose in Sanctum. Causing everyone to go mad and use it as an opportunity to kill the Primes. Clarke isn’t completely on board with this plan, it reminds her a lot of Mount Weather. These people have been brainwashed, they’re innocent, and they shouldn’t be punished. She has another idea, make the bomb strong enough to only effect the bugs. Force an evacuation instead of a mass psychosis, while she poses as Josephine to bring down the shield. If they have the chance to save innocent lives, then they should.

Bellamy is hesitant to let Clarke go on a dangerous mission because he doesn’t want to lose her again. Their goodbye was bittersweet, there’s no guarantee their plan will work. But he acknowledges this is the best course of action and lets her go. “For Monty.”

Despite everything that Clarke has been through, having her body stolen and almost dying, she is the one determined to keep Monty’s wish. Revenge isn’t the way. Saving their people and freeing the innocent people of Sanctum from this false religion is how they do better. Even if it means putting herself in danger, because that’s what Clarke Griffin always does.

Clarke does a great job of playing Josephine, complete with the hair twirl and nonchalant attitude towards torture and death, and Russell seems to completely buy that she’s his daughter. Murphy buys it too (I think? He seemed to believe she really is Josie but maybe he’s just playing along).

She almost breaks when she sees Madi strapped to an operating chair, but she keeps her composure. She has no choice but to play along or risk blowing her cover. (Kudos to Eliza Taylor for playing many different iterations of characters this season - Clarke, Josephine, Josephine playing Clarke, and now Clarke playing Josephine, she’s absolutely killing it!)

Gabriel mentioned that Simone is the one who originally weaponised the Red Sun Toxin. She and Josephine were intrigued by the visions of those who survived being caught out in the eclipse, and they began leaving test subjects outside to study. The believers of the Primes reported seeing the Primes as ‘gods’ in the hallucinations, and their aggression was almost always aimed at the less faithful. And so the ‘Adjustment Protocol’ was born. Every once in a while they let loose a bomb of the toxin and let the believers kill the non believers. A way for them to ensure Sanctum is full of only loyal followers.

Considering ‘Adjustment Protocol’ is the name of the next episode, I’d say it’s likely that things won’t exactly go to plan. Not just the bugs will be affected, but there will probably be a mass psychosis and it will be mayhem. Maybe Murphy will be the only person who isn’t affected again?

Another great episode! It pushed the plot forward in some really exciting ways, and Bob did an amazing job at directing! Only two episodes left now, and I can’t wait to see what happens!

[truthbeetoldmedia]

The 100 6x11 “Ashes to Ashes” Review

Trust is hard to come by in a civilization built on lies. In “Ashes to Ashes”, Clarke, Bellamy and Octavia are forced to come up with a plan quick that will appease the Children of Gabriel and save their people in Sanctum while Echo, Gaia, Miller and Murphy forge their own respective plans to get out of the sacred city alive. 

Not only is the story in this episode captivating, thanks to veteran writer Charmaine DeGrate, but the acting and visuals are stunning as well — all due to Bob Morley’s natural talent in his directorial debut. He has definitely proven himself a force in front of and behind the camera, and I know I speak for the entire The 100 fandom when I say I cannot wait to see where his career takes him.

For now though, we are lucky to have him as our Bellamy Blake, who particularly shines in this episode as he faces Octavia and acts as the mastermind behind the plan that aligns them with the Children of Gabriel. That is until Clarke has other, more selfless plans, of course. 

For Monty

Upon waking up as 100% Clarke Griffin, our protagonist has a very different outlook on life. While in the mindspace, she was forced to face her demons in the form of people from her past who knew she could do better. Monty in particular helped Clarke to realize that violence isn’t always the answer. So, when Clarke comes to and realizes her people are still in Sanctum, she is dead set on masquerading as Josephine to get into the city and save them. 

We as the audience get to see that changed and evolved Clarke inside the mindspace come to fruition in the “real world” and witness the satisfying tension it causes between her and Bellamy. Bellamy, who has spent much of the season fighting tooth and nail to get Clarke back finally has her by his side again. So naturally, when she wants to thrust herself back into a dangerous situation, he isn’t a huge fan. 

Though it was disappointing that the two only briefly discussed the lengths Bellamy went to to save Clarke before refocusing their attention on the rest of their people, this is how it has always been. As frustrating as it is, they live in a post-apocalyptic world where there isn’t much time at all to discuss feelings and desires. After the ending scene of 6x10 in which we felt how desperately Bellamy needs Clarke by his side, it’s undeniable that they need to find the time to sit down and have a longer conversation someday about what it actually means that they will risk everything, including the safety of the people they love, to save the other (hint: It is absolutely not platonic). However, as we are approaching the end of the season and tensions are coming to a head, it doesn’t appear that they will find that time anytime soon. 

Regardless, just seeing Clarke and Bellamy back together, working through the problem in front of them side by side was much needed after a season of Clarke mostly existing only inside her own head. Clarke and Bellamy are co-leaders first and foremost, and as such are a force to be reckoned with. Though it pains Bellamy to consider the consequences of Clarke getting caught in Sanctum, he knows that this is what must be done — what Monty would do. 

Monty continues to be their moral compass this season as they try to work towards peace. Though this moon has thrown them for a loop more than once in their attempts to start anew and be better, our heroes know they must do so even when the temptation to get revenge is stronger than ever. Doing what is right is not always the easier route, but it’s still the one that should be taken. 

While callbacks to characters long gone can sometimes be tiring, this season has done a beautiful job at emphasizing the important roles they played and continue to play in the lives of the characters still standing. While Murphy is terrified of facing his mortality, we know through Monty, Maya, Jake and even Pike that dying does not mean you cease to matter. The impact you had on people while you were alive remains. 

And so, Clarke faces her own mortality head on for the greater good. If she doesn’t, she knows her people will likely die. While I’ve missed Clarke deeply, her returning to the screen in such a powerful way almost makes it worth it. She’s evolved into a whole new kind of hero. Just when I thought it was impossible, I love her even more.

The 10-Year-Lie

While brainstorming a plan that will lower the radiation shield and get Bellamy, Clarke and Octavia’s people out of Sanctum, the group is confronted by the Children of Gabriel. They believe that Gabriel is still Xavier, and that he and “the old man” are protecting Josephine, thus betraying their anti-Prime regime. When they discover that Gabriel has bodysnatched Xavier, and has secretly existed in this form for 10 years, the Children of Gabriel are understandably upset. 

Layla, the sister of Xavier, helps add an interesting layer to the story. As Bellamy and Octavia work through their tarnished sibling relationship, she must mourn the fact that she’ll never get the chance to do the same, as her brother is gone forever. Layla’s hurt and anger is palpable as she must cooperate with Gabriel in order to destroy the Primes. 

We also get to see more of how the Primes are directly hurting people and tearing people apart, even though they believe what they are doing is right. The 100 has always placed emphasis on the grey area between right and wrong, a space that many if not all of the characters on this show have occupied at some point in time. The view of the Primes as godly figures and the cold war between the believers in Sanctum and the nonbelievers in the forest once again highlights that grey area. Both believe they are right, and neither are willing to budge. 

Also interesting is Gabriel’s role in all of this. Though he has notoriously led an anti-Primes movement, he is still alive in yet another body. We get little insight as to why he was resurrected 10 years ago, only that it was done by a man named Eduardo without his consent. This explains why he’s been hiding for so long, pretending to be Xavier. Though this season has largely been about redemption for characters like Octavia and Clarke who we know to have done bad things in the past, Gabriel needs to redeem himself as well. He has his own demons that he must face by helping to rescue the innocent and unwilling before they become hosts.

What is still undetermined is whether he will go along with Clarke’s peaceful plan, or aid the Children of Gabriel in killing the remaining Primes. While Clarke and Bellamy have a moral compass in the form of Monty guiding them, he does not. Though he has agreed to side with Clarke, we know how quickly characters on this show can switch allegiances when it is convenient for them. So, Gabriel is certainly a wild card.

A Spy Named Ash 

Back in Sanctum, Russell and Co. waste no time finding a new host for Simone’s mind drive. Echo, who has just been betrayed by Ryker while attempting to assassinate Russell and save her friends, is the chosen one. 

As Ryker prepares to kill her, Echo stalls, offering up a backstory that gives the audience an important little tidbit of information: Echo isn’t the name she was born with. As a child living under Queen Nia’s rule in the Ice Nation, or Azgeda, Ash was forced to kill her friend, Echo, and assume her identity before a trip to a neighboring kingdom. 

She tells the tale through tears, seemingly still guilty that she was not able to spare her friend’s life. However, when Gaia and Miller (a dream team, might I add) come to her rescue, Echo reminds Ryker of something Queen Nia taught her, right as she plunges a spear into his heart: hesitation is death. 

While this was an unexpected “badass” moment, it completely alters the importance of Echo’s story. While watching the flashback, we’re supposed to feel bad for Echo who was forced to kill someone close to her at such a young age. We believe that this provides more depth to her character, shows her as more than just a spy with good aim. 

However, Echo does not redeem herself by doing better as so many others have done this season. Instead, she takes the easier route, revenge, and kills Ryker. 

While this may be smart and cunning, it makes all of Echo’s flashes of vulnerability up until this point seem ingenuine. If this moment, an important glimpse into her traumatic past, was only a ploy to set her up for revenge, how are we as the audience expected to interpret any moments of warmth or vulnerability from her as anything other than manipulative? I want so badly to like Echo and to see her become a well-rounded character, but unfortunately this flashback only aided me in viewing her as cold-hearted, one-note character. 

The “badass female warrior” trope is only entertaining up to a certain point. If Echo is to continue being a part of the story the writers are telling, she needs an emotional facelift. And pronto. In a season constructed around the idea of facing one’s demons, there’s no reason Echo couldn’t have done the same — and shown some real depth in the process. 

My Sister, not My Responsibility

While dangerous, Sanctum sure is beautiful. I’ll give it that. While foraging for the toxic mushrooms needed to make a bomb with the same hallucinatory properties as the red sun, Bellamy and Octavia get a much-needed opportunity to hash things out in a glowing cave.

Octavia has changed since going into the anomaly and facing her demons, the most significant of which was her brother and what she put him through. She knows that she cannot expect Bellamy to forgive her for the person she became in his absence over those six years, but she also needs him to know that she’s turned over a new leaf. 

It’s understandably difficult for Bellamy to believe that she could have changed so much in such a short amount of time, but it’s clear that he sees some sort of shift. While Bellamy refuses to forgive and forget, he does offer up a satisfying line, delivered perfectly by Bob Morley: “You are my sister, but you’re not my responsibility, not anymore.” 

For Octavia, Bellamy was her moral compass. She needed his guidance, although this is the first time she’s admitting that. The Blake siblings have been through a lot. At times, their tumultuous relationship has felt exhausting. Bellamy’s recognition that Octavia is still his sister, but that she’s not his to guide anymore is something that has been a long time coming, perhaps too long. Though they still have a lot to work through, when and if they ever find a moment of peace, this moment felt satisfying. Bellamy is no longer running away from Octavia and pretending she doesn’t exist, and Octavia is taking responsibility for her actions. 

Marie and Bob’s acting in this scene was impeccable and really brought this relationship back to life. This scene was probably my favorite of the entire night, purely because we got to see a pairing that has been missing all season return. And, perhaps more importantly, Bellamy was able to definitively tell his sister that he doesn’t forgive her for her abusive behavior, and doesn’t have to. 

From this point forward, Octavia will have to continue on her journey of redemption by herself, without that moral compass she claims to need so badly. Her demons are perhaps the darkest of all, so it will be interesting to say the least to see if she can reach some form of enlightenment or if she will fall back into her old ways. 

The Unsung Heroes 

An unexpected yet delightful pairing this episode was Miller and Gaia. These two minor characters got the chance to shine through and bounce off each other in ways I never knew I needed. Gaia helps Miller to forgive himself for following Octavia despite her wicked ways, telling him that mistakes can be forgiven, it’s not learning from them that cannot be. 

This line parallels Gaia greatly to Monty, whose only wish for his people was to be the good guys moving forward. While Monty is the moral compass for Bellamy, Clarke and Octavia in the forest, Gaia is that same moral compass in Sanctum. 

She and Miller escape their holding cell and manage to save Echo, but not before she’s been made into a nightblood. Gaia notices this right away as she’s untying her, and in true Gaia fashion is stunned. 

I can’t help but wonder if Echo’s nightblood is a setup for something greater. Will she take the chip and become commander? I don’t think so. More plausible, I think, is that she will have to lower the radiation shield. Of course this means something would have to happen to Clarke and/or Raven that would hinder them from being able to do so themselves. 

While Gaia and Miller got their chance to be unsung heroes in this episode, perhaps Echo will get that same chance soon, possibly redeeming herself. Though this is equal parts speculation and wishful thinking, The 100 is unpredictable. Regardless, I would like to see Gaia and Miller become best friends and continue being a dream team, please and thank you. 

Caught in the Middle

Poor Murphy, always finding himself caught between a rock and a hard place. Then again though, as Russell puts it, he’s willing to do whatever and align with whoever in order to save himself. While Murphy takes offense to this, he can’t necessarily deny it. 

However, there’s a shift in Murphy’s thought process that is visible when Russell warns him there will be consequences for not bringing Josephine back alive. Murphy assumes he will be killed, “an eye for an eye”. He seems genuinely accepting of this. It’s only when Russell says Emori will be killed that Murphy’s face changes. 

Murphy has always been a selfish person. Arguably, Emori changed that about him the moment they fell in love. In Season 4, he fought to make sure she would not be killed in the radiation chamber. Similarly, she refused to leave him to die on earth at the end of Season 5. The two are willing to die if it means dying by the side of the person they love. 

However, this is the first time we’ve seen Murphy really accept his own death as he recognizes Russell’s deal for what it is, immortality versus mortality. He still wants to live forever by Emori’s side, but if one of them has to die to save the other, he wants it to be him. 

I’m still waiting for Murphy to change sides as he does so well and become the hero we all know he can be (see: him helping to save Clarke in Season 3). This time though, perhaps he will stay on the “good” side and take Monty’s words to heart. 

Murphy’s internal battle with his mortality has been so interesting to watch, and has been perhaps my favorite storyline to come out of Sanctum’s body-snatching ways. He’s known as a cockroach for a reason, but does he want that to be his legacy? Though he’s high up on my list of characters most likely to die this season, I sincerely hope he sticks around purely because I want to see him accept his mortality and live with it.  

This is The 100 though, so I’m not holding my breath that he will get a happy ending. After all, does anyone ever get that on this show? 

The Academy Award Goes to: 

You’ve seen Clarke, Josephine, Josephine pretending to be Clarke, and a Clarke and Josephine combo. Can I interest you in Clarke as Josephine? 

Realizing that the only way to avoid killing innocent people is to lower the radiation shield before the less intense bomb is set off, Clarke knows she must pretend to be Josephine and do it herself. Clarke parallels Bellamy from Season 2 as the inside man, and she certainly isn’t expecting what she finds when she returns to Sanctum. 

Madi is strapped down and being drained of her bone marrow to allow for the creation of more hosts, including one for Simone, Josephine’s mother. Clarke takes on perhaps the greatest acting feat of all time when she tells Madi that she is Josephine, and that Clarke is gone forever. She must be apathetic as Madi struggles in place, promising to avenge her death. 

I genuinely expected Clarke to break in this moment, and I’m sure there will be many moments like it in the near future. Clarke knows she must remain undercover if she wants to save the lives of all her people, including Madi, but that’s her child strapped down and being used as a medical experiment. 

It has been such a joy to watch Eliza Taylor’s range this season as she’s taken on the challenge of not only playing two entirely different characters, but playing them as each other as well. She’s really done an incredible job with it and shown just how talented she is (though just her as Clarke was enough to prove that). With Eliza announcing that she’ll be directing next season, I’m already excited for what’s to come after Season 6 is over. However, we still have two more episodes to get through in which I’m positive she’ll shine in front of the camera like she’s done all season long. 

Final Thoughts

In his first episode as a director, Bob Morley really knocked it out of the park. Everything came together to showcase the story in the best way possible, with the actors shining through in their performances. It’s unsuprising that so many cast members have been singing Bob’s praises since before the episode even aired. Hopefully we will get more episodes directed by him in the future!

As far as the story goes, this episode was pretty on par with the excellent writing that’s been delivered to us all season long. Clarke has been set up to once again save the day, but will she be able to? It’s those unexpected yet expected twists that make this show so great. We know that something is going to go wrong with this plan, we just don’t know what. 

With Clarke and Murphy back in Sanctum, almost everyone is in the same place again. The stories are starting to intertwine, with Abby’s bone marrow solution incapacitating Madi and thus throwing an unexpected wrench in Clarke’s plans to stay cool and undercover. Meanwhile, Murphy has further aligned himself with Russell and the Primes and will likely be a key player in determining the fate of his people. Does this mean more Clarke/Josephine and Murphy? Sign me up. 

And then there’s Bellamy and Octavia who are still with the Children of Gabriel and Gabriel himself. These two will really have to work together to save those they love and avoid a bloodbath. Octavia’s redemption, incoming. 

After all is said and done, Bellamy is going to have to face what he did as well though. He cannot sweep under the rug the fact that he left everyone else behind to get Clarke back. Even if it was in the best interest for his people, his focus at the time was on saving Clarke. 

This episode did give us a few breathers amidst the chaos for characters to work through their personal issues, and I’m hoping that we’ll get more of that after the climax of the finale. If the story is to move forward, the characters' relationships need to change, whatever that means for each respective pairing. 

Interpret that however you wish. 

With two hours of Season 6 left to go, I think this episode ultimately did its job. It forced the characters as well as us to consider how this is all going to end, and if they can really follow Monty’s advice and do better. 

Next episode, the penultimate, will launch us head first into the action and thrill The 100 does so well with that morally grey area growing even bigger. I can’t wait!

Stray Thoughts

Where is Jordan? It makes no sense that he suddenly disappeared, especially having played such an integral role in the first half of the season.

Bellamy hiding his tears after talking to Octavia really got to me. Bob Morley truly is a force in front of and behind the camera.

Speaking of acting, can we talk about Eliza Taylor playing Clarke playing Josephine? Incredible. That “Boo hoo” was everything.

That parallel between Clarke pulling the gag out of Bellamy’s mouth and him doing the same to her in 3x02 was something I never knew I needed until now. *Chef’s kiss*

Gaia must be protected at all costs. That is all. 

Jessica’s episode rating: 🐝🐝🐝.5

The 100 airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on the CW.