✨Turn A Turn~✨

Been in the mines now that the previews are coming out and wanted to compile all the Eshmel option pictures in one post for my own reference.

FYI only the f!Eshmel stuff I organized, the m!Eshmel stuff were done by someone else and I just added it for completion's sake

Preview spoiler image doodle up and stuff under the cut

Instead of cursing her to an eternal sleep or death, Maleficent declares that the princess will grow up to betray the kingdom and serve her instead. So the king sends Aurora away, but one day the young adventurous girl strays a bit too far and right into her territory.

here are my observations so far:

all games on roblox are, theoretically, free-to-play, but the moment you launch any game, you are inundated with pop-ups telling you to spend real world money

games on roblox physically section off entire areas of the game if you do not pay for a VIP pass (such as Dress To Impress)

games on roblox will place objects near to you so you will click on them assuming they are part of the baseline experience, only to have a pop-up that says "to use this item, pay real world money" (such as Animal Hospital Anomaly)

games on roblox will prompt you to pay money if you die so that you can continue playing that session of the game (such as 99 Nights In The Forest)

most avatar cosmetics on roblox cost some amount of money (with the lowest being the equivalent of real-world 5 US cents). the baseline cosmetics roblox provides you with are intentionally ugly/uncanny valley. when you dress your avatar and have you inventory open, there are ads directly below your owned items - both to serve as a "wouldn't you rather pay to have better items?" as well as to trick younger kids into thinking they already own those items, clicking on them, and buying them

most of the cosmetics (and games. and everything) on roblox are designed by players, not the company itself. these designers (from what i've read) are massively exploited and underpaid, and a lot of them are minors.

these items are called UGC (user generated content) and there's an entire market into tricking children into thinking they can receive UGC for free. they'll call a game "free UGC" or something and then present the user with three options: to remain AFK for several days in a row as they slowly accumulate one point at a time (which can then be turned in for a second fake currency for a terrible rate, like 100,000 points to 1 ticket), to play mini games on the server that are extremely difficult/time-consuming/have a low point payout, or to spend real world money to purchase fake currency to redeem the items. in all cases, the goal is to trick the child into remaining on the server for a long time (which results in payment from the roblox corporation for having an "active server") and/or to spend real world money directly - far more real world money than they would ever need to spend if they were to buy these items directly from the marketplace.

there's also an aftermarket for UGCs. because false scarcity is in play - "only x amount of this item exists." once acquired, they can be resold at a steep increase depending on perceived desirability and rarity. so people have bots in these servers (and elsewhere) mass-buying the UGC when the price is low, and reselling it for profit. preventing real human users from ever having access to them.

there's a server for UGC's where the entire premise is that you enter a promocode to give you the chance to buy the UGC... not get it automatically for free. in order to get the chance to buy, you often have to "follow" or "friend" content creators, join groups, or have previously purchased specific items. this server is called "Free UGC Codes" btw. to, again, trick children into thinking they will get these items for free, seeing the requirements, making other purchases and following people, only to be met with another payment screen, and decide to click on it anyway because "it really isn't that much money" and "i already put in so much effort."

there are very few genuinely free items you can acquire. they are often not worth it. i spent approximately 2 hours playing a cookie-clicker-style hair salon tycoon where i had to keep building facilities by raising (in game) money and walking on top of buttons. it was an incredibly tedious experience designed to keep me (and any kids) on that server for as long as possible. i got my hot pink headphones, butterfly wings, and multicolored hair, but at what cost? my time and frustration.

The game does a REMARKABLE job with portraying the BLATANT hypocrisy of the colonists and the Founding Fathers. It's in the way they are so quick to use Connor and his skills for their own ends, never TRULY giving back to him in anyway that's equal to what he gave them.

It's in the way Connor calls out Sam Adams hypocrisy for owning Surry. And the way Sam claims the liberties of those who aren't white can wait because THE WHITE people don't have their freedom. But "don't worry. We will get to them when we get to them"

Except the kind of freedom he's equating is one of economic and political representation for men like HIM while those like Surry are literal PROPERTY. While people like Connor are treated like pests who's land they can steal and who's culture and identity becomes a holy fucking mission to destroy. While women full stop WERE NOT CONSIDERED AT ALL. This was a war for the freedom of white men. Not everyone and it's a joke it was at all considered a war for freedom.

George Washington also being the massive racist he was. Actively USING Connor for his own ends and throwing his people to the wolves while dressing up his own bigotry in a heroic veneer you can smell from a mile off.

And Charles Lee. Oh that bastard. THE racist. His monologue to a CHILD who's throat he is crushing being so cruel, so devoid of any humanity right before he burns a tribe theoretically because he could not find the precursor site. Showing the true colours of this man we spent hours befriending. How the "eager, enthusiastic side kick" act Haytham fell for peels away to reveal a deeply bigoted man.

Haytham's own short comings too. Connor's white father excusing his racist buddy even when he learns Lee KILLED his wife/partner (to put it bluntly) Haytham actively using the danger coming for Connor's tribe to manipulate Connor. Using this as a tool for his tactics instead of the serious matter it is without a care for how it would affect Connor AND assuming point blank Connor would FALL for it.

It's in the way that guard sees Connor and Haytham together and says mockingly "tasted the forest fruits did you?" To Haytham while Connor is RIGHT there.

It's in the way at the end of the game Connor stands on his own, looking at the new country he helped form and realising his people are still gone, pushed away because of the deals and politics formed by the colonists he helped. It's in the way the last shot of the revolution happens, and Connor looks back to see a fucking slave auction. Realising he was used again and again by people who claimed freedom and equality but never actually MEANT it in the ways it should apply.

It's in the way Achilles as a character is important and how his identity shaped him and his sense of the world.

It's in the way Connor can't go by his REAL name.