Hello, I'm here to drop a silly fic idea on you and run:
Are you familiar with the concept of Fruits Basket?
Okay now consider....what if Minerva went about her breeding program in *the most ridiculous possible way*
and anyone born with a certain percentage of Isu DNA turns into an animal when they embrace anyone who *doesn't* have sufficient Isu DNA.
ie the whole Auditore family has enough that Ezio is fine giving family affection
but the first time he chases a pretty girl and she surprises him from around the corner with a tackle-hug
suddenly he's looking up at her from a furry little body and she's running away screaming
child Ezio clumsily slinking his way back to the palazzo on four legs, looking up at his mother with mournful eyes
her scooping him up, "Oh my darling boy, I am so sorry you found out this way."
I read the manga when I was young and watched the earlier anime but I haven’t gotten to watching the new one. also. Wait. Come back. Don't just throw me Fruit Basket and leave. Do you not remember how angsty Fruit Basket can get???
Okay, so, in Fruit Basket, the animals were based on the Chinese Zodiac and there was the whole ‘continuously being reborn for an endless banquet’ curse thing going on but it seemed we’re not going for that vibe? Perhaps, it’s more like the ones with enough Isu DNA can turn into one of the animals in the Chinese Zodiac and it’s really just a roll of the dice (specifically a 12D).
I kinda like the idea of Ezio transforming into the least threatening of his siblings though. Like Federico gets to be an ox, Claudia gets to be a tiger and maybe Petruccio is like a horse or a snake then there’s Ezio being a fluffy sheep. XD
Also, Altaïr would make being the mouse to his stealthily advantage but I kinda wanna make him a white rabbit or a rooster?
Although, we can make it easier for us on what kind of animal they would transform to by actually using their Chinese Zodiac sign:
Altaïr: 1165 - Green Wood Monkey (1165 is the year of the Rooster but Altaïr’s birthday is on January 21, which is before the Chinese New Year, so technically he’s part of the 1164 Year as far as the Chinese Zodiac is concerned)
Ezio: 1459 - Yellow Earth Rabbit
Ratonhnhaké:ton: 1756 - Red Fire Rat
(Calculations from this site)
Then we get to Desmond.
If we take his birth year into consideration (1987), he would be a Red Fire Rabbit BUT may I suggest two alternatives instead?
Desmond does not transform at all and everyone assume that means he’s normal (which is a disappointment for Bill because being able to turn into an animal has become an honorable ‘achievement’ in the eyes of the Assassins and Templars) but this is inaccurate. It’s not that he can’t transform, it’s that he doesn’t have to because his curse isn’t the curse of one of the Zodiac animals but the curse of God. And his curse is the need for a connection with someone who can turn into an animal (which must be given to him freely), binding the two of them regardless of the distance of space and time between them.
He transforms into the cat, the animal ostracized and has only been rumored to have appeared once or twice in history. The cat is always locked up because they are seen as unnatural and is one of the main reason why Desmond ran away.
Or a combination of the two where Desmond’s curse is that of the Cat but the main idea is the Cat is the ‘first’ form of the God curse and, only by creating a connection with another animal (willingly) regardless of the distance in time and space could the cat evolve to being God.
