the pros of reading ao3 fics in public is that their layout is so clean and simple that people would think youâre reading some academic researches when youâre in fact reading a 50k fic. the cons is that you need to control your face all the fucking time
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Happy birthday Altair! Happy 861st year >:33
i finished this maybe a few weeks ago but now's a good time to post! yippee |
also i'm literally ezio man, looking up at altair with love ;-;
So I got sick again and that means the brain worms activated. Therefore, behold more unhinged Desmond Miles thoughts.
In one of my last posts here I was fantasizing of yet another EziDes story. This is...a continuation of that (maybe a crack version of it lmao idk I clung to this dream to keep from throwing up and now you must suffer with me.)
Imagine, rightâDesmond, still trapped in 15th-century Italy, half-limping, half-hallucinating, and fully convinced this is some elaborate death dream. He's got Altair's armor (stole itâEzio never saw it coming), a demon horse named Clay who only loves him, and while wandering around just sightseeing and being nostalgic, he overhears word of "the Assassin"âand just gets a little sad.
Because Ezio had to carry so much shit alone for such a long time. Like, Desmond remembers Ezio sitting in Venezia on his birthday mulling that it had been 10 years since he'd been on the quest to avenge his brothers and father and that just eats at Desmond because yeah, Ezio had allies. He had La Volpe, Bartolomeo, Mario, etc., but for SO MANY MISSIONS, he had to do that shit solo.
And so Desmond decides stubbornly (and a little unhingedly) that no, not this time. Ezio SHOULD'VE had support from the beginning. Ezio deserved better. Ezio deserved backup. Ezio deserved homies.
So Desmond, in his half-delirious glory, helps.
He quietly starts recruiting. Trains a few people. Sends pigeons messages across Italy to support Ezio from the shadows. He basically lays down the Brotherhood infrastructure before Ezio even realizes what's happening because honestly...it's just something he wishes someone had done for Ezio sooner.
But because this is Desmond "I'm losing my mind and this might not be real anyways" Miles, he decides to encrypt every single Assassin order in incomprehensible Gen Alpha slangâas a joke. Also to prevent messages from being deciphered if intercepted. (Dual purpose. Very efficient.)
We're talking full-on "cap/no cap," 'dogwater," "mid," "no rizz," "goated," "skibidi ops active" kind of nonsense.
His recruits? They have no idea what this shit means, but Desmond's so graceful, so terrifyingly competent, so mysterious and cool as hell that these Renaissance teens start thinking he's some divine ghost of the Creedâthe real Altair of legend reborn.
So now, his recruits are getting pigeon orders like:
"Get your rizz up."
"The plan is lowkey fire."
"Don't fumble the bag."
"That's not poggers."
"We go full send at dawn."
"That's straight dogwater, no cap."
And they think it's all actual ancient Assassin wisdom. Like, they actually think this is how Master Assassins talk in code. One of themâand bless themâactually starts a friggen codex to translate this shit like:
"goated" = elite/powerful
"slay" = execute target with flair
"hard L" = catastrophic failure
"no respawns" = don't die
"no cap" = absolute truth
Ezio eventually steals/finds one of these notes that says:
"sussy vibes. npc energy. handle or ghost. clay watching."
And is hella confused. So he goes to the only person he knows who can help decipher it.
Ezio, concerned: "Leonardo, I require your mind. I⌠I need help."
Leonardo, after some intense contemplation: "I believe⌠the 'npc' may be a political faction. Perhaps a guild? Clay⌠Clay is a name? A material? Could this mean a trap involving the earth? And this phraseâ'ghost'âused in this context...I assume he means specters. Necromancy? Could this be related to a cult?"
Ezio, even more confused: "It says 'sussy vibes.' What does that mean?!"
Leonardo, squinting at the note: "Perhaps an ancient dialect."
And the recruits? Oh, the recruits are absolutely thriving. Every time they get a new message from their mysterious Mentor, it's like scripture:
"vibe check. mark goated. protect with your life. fr fr. no cap."
They call Desmond, "The Ghost."
They call Clay, the demon horse, "The Omen."
They start unironically saying, "No Cap. Just Creed." as like, a slogan. Like THEY THINK THAT IS THE ASSASSIN'S CREED.
Meanwhile, Desmondâdressed in Altair's stolen armor, lying backwards on Clay, eating a fig while watching the sunsetâsends another pigeon like:
"Good work, kings. That was peak stealth. The Prophet's gonna need real OGs like you soon. Slay the Creed. âDM"
But Ezio "The Prophet" Auditore da Firenze is losing his goddamn mind.
He's halfway convinced there's a new, elite Assassin cell rising, but he doesn't know where they are or why they all speak in tongues, and why they're all so helpful.
All he knows is they leave behind clean kills, perfect intel, strange scrolls, and once, an ugly as hell pigeon carrying a scroll that simply said "we out here" with a little doodle of Altair doing finger guns.
If any of ya'll are still here after reading through my mania, here's a little treat I cooked up hehe:
-----------
The bird landed on the rooftop ledge.
Once, Tommaso would've ignored it. It was, after all, just another pigeon in a city full of them, but that was before.
Before the blood in the alley. Before the outnumbered fight behind the butcher's yard. Before a man in dark robes had descended down from the rooftops and saidâ"Come with me if you want to live."
He hadn't introduced himself.
He hadn't smiled.
He'd just reached out.
And Tommaso, bruised and desperate and already halfway feral, had taken his hand.
That was over a year ago and now, Tommaso never ignored the pigeons. Ever since he was savedâno, chosenâhe looked. Always. For fear of missing any of his master's many wisdoms.
And there, he saw itâthe scar over the bird's eye. Jagged, ugly, familiar.
His breath caught, just for a second.
Theirs.
One of Spettro's bird.
Tommaso rose from where he'd been sitting and gently untied the small scroll from its leg. He didn't unroll it yet. He didn't need to. He knew the feel of the paper, the weight of the string, the tension in the knots. He knew the way their Mentor folded things. Tight. Clean. Intentional.
He didn't know his mentor's nameânone of them did. They only called him Spettro.
The Ghost.
Without a word, Tommaso tucked the scroll into the hidden fold of his doublet and only when was sure he had no tail did the Discepolo slip into motion, moving across the tiled rooftops of San Gimignano with silent feet.
It wasn't long before he reached the base.
From the outside, it looked like nothing specialâjust a rundown storehouse tucked between an abandoned smithy and the city wall. The stone walls were chipped, the door was molded from water damage, and the rooftop tiles were cracked and crooked.Â
No one paid it much attentionânot even the city guards, which was what made it perfect.
He landed on the roof and slipped through the rooftop hatch, already hearing voices as he descended down the ladder.
"ânot saying I dropped the bag last time." Leonello snapped. "I'm saying you cut in before my angle was set."
"You were about to do a backwards jump from a fruit cart." Carlo replied dryly. "You'd have landed wrong and died stupid."
Tommaso paused halfway down, lips twitching. Same argument, different day.
From the conversation alone, he could see it alreadyâLeonello (newest recruit, still wet behind the ears) being defensive and flustered while Carlo (Tommaso's second, a junior only by a month) lounged against a crate, arms crossed and smug. In the background, he heard the sound of a whetstone, likely of Matteo (the oldest in age, third in seniority) sharpening his blades, utterly unbothered by their argument.
Tommaso dropped from the last rung with a soft thud and crossed the room with purpose.
"Enough squabblin'." He saidânot sharp, just loud enough to settle the air. "We've got more important things to handle."
Leonello turned, still bristling. "Like what?"
Tommaso didn't answer right away. He just reached into his doublet, pulled out the scroll, and let it unfurl with a snap of his wrist.
"Message from Spettro."
That shut them up.
Carlo straightened. Matteo looked up. Leonello, suddenly nervous, stepped closer.
Tommaso walked to the center of the room where a crate that they used as a makeshift table sat. It was cluttered with spare bandages, sharpening stones, and spools of twine and he cleared it all aside with a sweep of his arm. The others watched in silence as he smoothed out the parchment and laid it flat, pinning the corners with a throwing knife and an inkwell.
They crowded around.
No one spoke as they read.
yo squad
don't let the Borgia ops catch u slippin.
squad meet @ the sus tree tmrw, 2 bells past prime.
plan's lowkey fire rn, but if the big cheese shows? we full send.
tell Leon to stop acting NPC. get his rizz up.
if he fumbles again, that's not poggers.
keep it 100
Leonello's face paled first.
Matteo snorted under his breath. Carlo gave an audible wheeze and took two slow steps backward, hands on his hips like he needed distance just to process it.
Leonello pointed at the scroll, scandalized. "He named me. Why did he name me?!"
Tommaso raised an eyebrow. "Maybe because you keep fumbling like an NPC."
"I do not fumble!"
Carlo muttered, "You kinda fumble."
Leonello turned to Matteo for backup. Matteoâbetraying no emotionâjust looked away.
Leonello groaned.
Tommaso, still calm, reached down beside the crate and pulled out the Codexâa weathered notebook wrapped in string and reinforced with thin pieces of leather. It was their working glossary. Their sacred translation log.
He flipped it open reverently and turned to a dog-eared page.
don't catch u slippin = remain vigilant
lowkey fire = promising, keep quiet
full send = commit
NPC = soulless, insult
rizz = charisma, presence
fumble = failure
not poggers = deep disappointment
big cheese = captain/leader
Leonello, who like them, had been silently cross referencing the terminology between the notebook and their master's scroll, leaned over. "What the hell is 'the sus tree'?"
Carlo sat back. "Obviously a tree. Suspicious tree?"
"But suspicious how?"
Tommaso pursed his lips. "Could be the one near the south gate. The one with the strange lean?"
"No." Matteo said immediately. "Too exposed. No cover." Spettro would never have them meet somewhere that open.
Leonello perked up. "What about the one near the church? The one the birds never land in?"
A pause.
Everyone stared at him.
"âŚOkay..." Carlo said slowly. "That makes more sense."
Leonello perked up again. "Ohâlike as in perfect score?"
Tommaso wrote that down too, underlined it. "We'll ask him if we survive."
Carlo leaned back, arms crossed. "Spettro's not gonna explain it. He'll just say something cryptic and then disappear on the roof again."
Leon grumbled, still bothered by their mentor's criticism. "I have rizz."
"Cap." The others said in unison, not even looking up.
Tommaso gave Leon's shoulder a firm pat when their youngest groaned, mouth twisting with nostalgia. "Hey, every novice starts out with no rizz. Look on the bright side. Spettro believes in you. If he didn't, you wouldn't be in the squad."
Leonello made a wounded noise.
Carlo smirked. "Come on. Ready up for tomorrow. Maybe if you survive the sus tree op without fumbling, your rizz will go up naturally."
Matteo nodded sagely. "Yes. Keep it 100, Leon."
Leonello groaned louder.
Tommaso grinned.
They fell into silence after that, the kind of silence that wasn't uncomfortableâjust thoughtful. Focused for the job ahead.
Tommaso reached for a quill and started on a response. Carlo sharpened his throwing knives. Matteo inspected the gear pouch for quality. Leonello began to practice the same breathing routine Spettro had taught them during rooftop conditioning.
Outside, the wind stirred the shutters.
Inside, the Ghost's squad quietly prepared to slay.
--------
Days later and somewhere across Tuscany, Desmond Milesâdressed in Altair's armor (a little too loose at the shoulders but otherwise fitting like a glove)âwas enjoying the rest of his day in silence.Â
He was slumped against a tree on the grass, his burnt husk of a right arm resting limp across his lap, while the other lazily fed figs to his horse. Clay, massive and smug and deeply unstable, snapped them from his palm with the same enthusiasm he used to chase noblemen's mares through city squares. His tail twitched. His eyes glinted with violence.
Desmond didn't notice. (Or maybe he did and chose love anyway.)
"Good boy." He murmured, voice hoarse with exhaustion.
The last few days had been longâvisiting Florence, the assassin tomb raiding, the saddle shopping, the people. He hadn't been prepared for this century despite the memories. His feet hurt. His ribs ached. He was still getting used to how committed his brain was to this death dreamâlike, it even remembered horse sweat and bad cobblestones. But⌠it was peaceful. (Mostly. At least until someone recognized the horse.)
Desmond let out a breath and closed his eyes for a second, ignoring the little voice in his head that was going, Are you sure this isn't real?
Whichâno. Obviously not. That would be ridiculous.
It was just a death dreamâhis mind was just replaying fond memories before he kicked the bucket because the brain was weird like that. He told himself to just enjoy it while it lasted and see it for what it wanted to be.Â
Just a sky he could look up into and believe in. Just air in his lungs that didn't burn. Just a little quiet, a little sun, a little rest.
A little mercy before whatever came next.
Desmond blinked when something landed on his boot, slow and bemused. He glanced down and there, a pigeon perched on him like a king. It was hideousâscraggly, grey-brown, with one good eye with a scar down it that made it look vaguely threatening in that silent way.Â
And there was only one stray he'd picked up that looked that way.Â
"Oh hey, Shay." Desmond mumbled, nudging his leg out so the bird could hop closer.
Shay fluffed up like a wet dog and let out a wheeze that might have been a cooâor a death rattle.
Either way, Clay immediately lunged for it.
"No!" Desmond caught the bridle with his good arm just in time. "Not him. That's our mailman, remember?"
Clay snorted and jerked his head with all the attitude of a diva denied a snack.
Desmond shook his own head and reached into the pouch on his hipânew leather, nice stitch work, something he'd bought just yesterday in Florence after a round of absolutely essential shopping. A saddle for Clay. A satchel. Some dried fruit. A sword that he probably could have gotten cheaper elsewhere, but had felt right anyway.
And today?
Today he was outside. Breathing clean air. Sitting on grass. Sending notes to his own little baby assassins.
It was a good day.
Probably the best one he'd had in years.
Desmond smiled, soft and tired, as he pulled out a blank scroll and a quill. It was hard writing with his lap as a table with his non-dominant hand despite being ambidextrous, but he made it workâand his recruits were already used to his shorthand writing style anyways.Â
yo squad. u did gud. next linkup = near Forli. clay's buggin. keep ur heads low. Prophet's on that solo grind, help him if u see him. fr fr.Â
He beckoned with his shoulder and all that Pavlovian training paid off when Shay flapped over to perch on his right shoulder. Gingerly, he tied the scroll to Shay's gnarled little leg with one hand, using his teeth to pull the other end of the string tight.Â
"There ya go." Desmond hummed. "Come back safe. Got some non-GMO bird seed with your name on it."Â
The pigeon perked up and with a wheezed battle cry, launched itself sideways into the sky.
Desmond tracked him with his eyes, a faint grin tugging at his lips.
His bones ached, his right arm where he had touched the Eye was still useless and felt like shit even on good days, but despite all that, he feltâŚokay. Sore and worn but okay.Â
It was strange.
He hadn't felt this okay in a long time.
The breeze brushed past him, warm and golden and light. His satchel was full of things that belonged to him and florins to last him the next couple weeks. Clay had a saddle and a brush. Desmond had fruit in hand and the sun on his armor.
It felt like living. Like he was finally being allowed to live again, even if just for a little while. Even if none of it was real.
"Not bad, huh?" He murmured to the horse, popping the last bite of a fig into his mouth.
Clay huffed.
Then, with perfect, casual malice, he kicked a nearby bush and nearly bucked Desmond's satchel into the tree had he not caught it in time.Â
"Dude."
Clay tossed his head, proud.
Desmond snorted and shoved at his neck. "You're literally insane."
Clay whinnied and blew air through his nostrils hard enough to flap Desmond's hood.
Desmond rolled his eyes but didn't stop smiling. He offered him a piece of dried pear from his pocketâone of several treats he'd bought in San Gimignanoâand clicked his tongue as Clay devoured the treat smugly.Â
"I am absolutely spoiling you." He sighed, but there was fondness in his voice.Â
Clay tilted his head as if to say, I deserve this!Â
Desmond huffed. "Right, but you didn't organize a field op just to build team synergy and steal an assassination job off Ezio's birdfeed, so maybe try being a little more humble, yeah?"
Because honestly, that was exactly what the Sus Tree Operation had been.
He hadn't meant toânot really.
He'd just been checking the Medici coopâhalf-curious, half-boredâwhen one of Ezio's contracts had slipped loose. Something about assassinating five Borgia henchmen with stealth kills only. High value, decent payout.
Desmond had read it twice. Then a third time.
And then⌠he'd taken it.
'Ezio's in Venezia, anyways.' Desmond had thought with a nod to himself. His ancestor had enough on his plate. He probably wouldn't even notice a single assassination contract missing. Besides, Desmond's recruits needed practice and the florins. He was hoping to fully kit out the recruits and if there were any extras, maybe even have a rainy day fund for when Ezio inevitably found himself penniless in Rome.Â
"Teamwork makes the dream work." Desmond muttered under his breath, vaguely ashamed of using his novices for labor and stealing Ezio's contract, but not at all sorry. "I'm just being proactive. It's like Brotherhood internship hours."
Clay flicked his tail like he agreed. (Or like he didn't care, so long as he got more snacks.)
Desmond leaned back against the tree, his good arm folding around his middle. The leaves above rustled gently in the breeze. The air smelled clean and the last of spring's rain.
In a weird way, Desmond was happy. Tired, still convinced this was his death dream, but glad for the chance to do something again. Something that felt like it mattered.
He closed his eyes, letting the sun warm his face.
They'd leave soon. He wanted to get to Forli by the end of this week. Maybe scout out a potential meeting point. Maybe leave a carved message in the wood near the stables for any of his recruits who might pass through. Maybe even leave Ezio a gift, for when he passed that way.
He had no grand plans. No endpoint. Just movement.
But thisâthis strange wandering life, with missions and maps and pigeons and apricot pits in his pocketsâ
It was his.
And he liked it.
He didn't even notice when Shay looped back overhead, squawking like his tail feathers had caught on fire or when the villagers outside Florence started whispering again.
"The demon was spotted near the tree line!"
"No, an angel! I swear I saw him dive off the bell tower and fly!"
"He was talking to the devil horse again!"
Desmond exhaled and stretched, back popping, joints aching. Then, remembering his earlier promise, he patted his hip and whistledâlow, sharp, two quick notes, face turned towards the sky. "C'mon, Shay! Told you I'd pay up."
He held open his left pocket, which he'd stuffed earlier with a modest mix of dried corn, pumpkin seeds, and something labeled 'high vitality blend' that a merchant had sworn birds loved. Desmond had no idea what was actually in it, but if something happened to Shay, he knew where the merchant lived.
For a second, there was silence.
Thenâwith a wheeze and an unhinged war cryâShay dive bombed like a sack of bricks straight into the open pocket.
Desmond jolted with a laugh, half taken aback by the force. "Oh godâokay, okay! Rabid bird secured!"
Shay gave a triumphant cough-coo and vanished into the pouch, tail feathers sticking out wildly like a very ugly brooch.
Still smiling, Desmond reached up and scratched behind Clay's ears. "Alright, break's over. Let's go see what's up in Forli. Wonder if Caterina's killed her husband yet."
Clay flattened his ears like finally, and thenâbefore Desmond could gather the reinsâthe horse bolted.
They launched down the hill in a blur of hooves and grass and startled birds, Desmond's satchel flapping, pocket bird rattling. Desmond let out a yelp and instinctively threw his arms around Clay's neck, clinging on like a very frazzled backpack.
"You asshole!" Desmond wheezed, half-laughing, half-panicked. "I didn't say now!"Â
Clay snorted as if to say, you didn't have to, and picked up speed.
The wind rushed in Desmond's ears. His hood flew back. The world blurred past in streaks of green and gold, and somehow, clinging tight to a smug, overgrown hellhorse with a feral pigeon in his pocket and more about-to-be-stolen assassination contracts waiting in Forli, Desmond felt itâ
Joy.
He laughed, breathless and bright, and let the dream carry him.
------
I started this specific post as a joke. Now there's a codex, lore, and I'm actually starting to care too much.
Anyways, stomach bug's(???) gone so back to my wip lmao
Thank you for indulging in my hijinks. Let us pray it does not happen again.
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Ubisoft broke my game and so I made it Constantinople's problem
Ok so I was replaying Assassin's Creed: Revelations and now I'm actively losing my goddamn mind (as expected.)Â
Not because it's a bad game.
Not because it's sad.
But because UBISOFT BROKE THEIR OWN GAME and just said "oops lol" and walked away like we wouldn't notice that they LOBOTOMIZED THE STORYLINE MID-SENTENCE.
Let me explain.
AC: Brotherhood ends with Desmond just straight up ganking Lucy (rip girl but also WHAT) and collapsing into a coma.Â
Ok. Cool. Fine. I'm traumatized but following.
He wakes up on Animus Island and here, Desmond meets Clay (sweet memory ghost, digital son, Clay Kaczmarek I love you) who is like:
"Hey bro :) Your mind is literally mashed potatoes. You need to finish Ezio's memories, finish Altair's memories. Get a Synch Nexus and also REMEMBER YOUR OWN LIFE or you're gonna dissolve into digital soup like me lol."
Cool. Awesome. Love the stakes. That sounds like a story arc, BUT HERE'S THE THING.
You can't.
YOU LITERALLY CANNOT.
Mechanically? Sure. To reach a Synch Nexus and beat the game, all Desmond needs to do is finish the Altair and Ezio memory sequences. That's it. That's what the game tracks.
BUT NARRATIVELY? Emotionally? Psychologically? The Synch Nexus is also about Desmond remembering who he is. That's what the Desmond's Journey gates are for.
They're not just bonus missions. They're literal memory obelisks meant to ground Desmond in his own identity. His past, his sense of self, and all the trauma he never got to process.
Ubisoft built that structureâthen torched the damn bridge.
So Clay is like:
"Go relive your own memories or your brain will liquefy."
And Ubisoft said: "Lol no. Eat glass."
Because if you're playing AC:Revelations post 2024, post multiplayer removal era, then congrats! When you try to walk into those big glowing obelisk gates that holds Desmond's memories, you know what happens?
You get the black loading screen of death. Forever.Â
It's not a bug. It's not a fluke. It's the direct result of Ubisoft gutting the multiplayer component of their damn game without fixing the single player fallout and what did that multiplayer contain?
The GODDAMN UNLOCK TRIGGERS FOR DESMOND'S JOURNEY.Â
And instead of, you know, patching the damn thing, they just⌠moved on.
Built ships in Black Flag.
Let Ezio flirt with librarians.
All while Desmond's character development is now LOCKED FOREVER BEHIND THEIR INCOMPETENCE.
The cure is canonically in the game but physically inaccessible AND THEY NEVER FUCKING FIXED IT. You walk into Desmond's memory gates and the Animus SHOVES A PILLOW OVER YOUR FACE FOREVER.
So naturally, I lost my goddamn mind.
You can collect all the Animus fragments you want. Go ahead. 100% it.
But it will mean NOTHING.
Just that same black screen. Forever.
Because there IS NO CONTENT.
No cutscene.
NO CLOSURE.
Hope you like staring into the void, loser.
And that's when this happened:
And of course I FUCKING SPIRALED BECAUSE IMAGINE RIGHTâ
Desmond tries to fix himselfâtries to follow Clay's advice, reclaim his mind, but instead, the moment he tries to walk into his own memory gates on Animus islandâŚhe gets stuck.Â
Just like your game.Â
And Desmond wakes up in Constantinople, YEARS BEFORE AC: Revelations starts.
The Animus bugs.
Memory code collapses.
Everything breaks.
Like, he HARD CRASHES there like a corrupted .exe file thrown through a portal.
No shoes. Dissociating. Bleeding effect cranked up to 100.
And he thinks he's still in the Animus.Â
But it never does.
Because the city smells too real. The ground's too cold.
People are speaking Turkish which he doesn't understand a LICK of and so Desmond just curls up in an alley and waits for the loading screen to finish.
Because this isn't the Animus.
This is 1506, bitch. There is no patch coming.
His soul is literally buffering and no one understands him because English hasn't even hit this part of the world yet. He's rocking on the ground like a feral alley pigeon, muttering in six languages that sounds like utter gibberish and confused whether heâs Desmond or Ezio or Altair right now.
He's literally some feral, barefoot man.
And he's so, so dangerous.Â
Because he's got Altair's instincts, Ezio's technique, and the mental clarity of a browser with 40+ tabs open with 3 playing music.
He doesn't beg like a beggar the locals assume he is, so people avoid him. They think he's cursed.
Except. EXCEPTâ
ENTER KEMAL:
Random retired master assassin with a bad leg, a pigeon coop, and a "fuck around and find out" attitude. He finds Desmond after the guy stabs three Templars in an alley with a broken blade (because somewhere in the fog of his mind, that still feels right).
And Kemal's like:
"This one's fucked, but he's got claws. Let's fix that."
And he just TAKES DESMOND IN (because of course he does.)
He treats Desmond like an injured pigeon he found in a ditch. Ties him to the furniture so he doesn't dive out the window. Feeds him lentils laced with sleepy herbs because otherwise he bites people.Â
And the Brotherhood is like, "Who is this??"
And Desmond?
Desmond acts like a cornered pigeon.
He growls. He hides under furniture. He chews through rope.
He's not house-trained. He's animus-trained. (Good luck with that.)
And Kemal shrugs like:Â
"He recited Surah Ad-Duhaa in Latin, bit a man, and then stabbed a Templar. I'm keeping him."
Fast forward FIVE YEARS:Â
Desmond is now the unhinged mascot of the Constantinople Assassins
He's always barefoot
His tunic is never on right
He's also terrifyingly good at killing people and worryingly creative at making bombs because in his broken mind, making a martini and making a molotov are functionally identical: measure, shake, serve, pray it doesn't explode. (And honestly? Bartending and bomb crafting was essentially the same skillset.)
He brings his self-proclaimed big brother Yusuf shiny trash like a magpie
He glares at mirrors
And everyone in the Brotherhood is so proud of him. Theyâve spent years getting Desmond stable(ish). Teaching him how to exist without twitching at shadows. How to talk with his own voice and not a long-dead ghost.
They're proud. They're protective. They're freaking smug about their little murder pigeon.
AND THENâ
AND THEN Ezio Auditore da Firenze sails into town and oh, that's when it ALL UNRAVELS because Ezio sees Desmond and just stops like he's been hit with a brick. His brain lights up like a haunted cathedral.
That nameâDesmondâhas been rotting and echoing in the corners of his mind since the Vault, and suddenly the ghost is real. Breathing. Right there.
And so Ezio gets absolutely obsessed. Not in an entirely healthy way but like in a "mine now" but make it Italian with unresolved prophecy trauma sort of way.
Meanwhile, Desmond? He sees Ezio and FREEZES. Like, his whole body goes still and he LOCKS IN on Ezio like a compass snapping north because his mind is like "I KNOW THAT GUY" and so what does he do? He starts following Ezio. Just appearing in alleyways. On rooftops. In Ezioâs peripheral vision like a glitch that might bite.
And Yusuf? Yusuf looks from Ezio to Desmond and goes ABSOLUTELY NOT.
Because Desmond is THEIR FERAL PIGEON. And Ezio? Ezioâs looking a little too interested for their liking.
Feral Older Brother Mode⢠activated.
Actuallyâscratch that.
The entire Constantinople Brotherhood is now in Feral Older Brother Mode.
Yusuf: "You can talk to him, Auditore, but if you touch him, we will throw you in the Bosporus."
Ezio: "I wasn't gonnaâ"
Yusef: "You were."
Constantinople Assassins: "We saw your face." "Stand down."
AND THE INSANITY CONTINUES because Desmond never flinches from Ezio. He leans in because the closer Desmond stays to Ezio, the more mentally stable he gets. Because subconsciously, he's reliving Ezio's memories the old-fashioned way. IRL. In real time. Like a really dedicated LARPer with severe dissociation and trauma. Like, Desmond is RE-SYNCING by following Ezio through the game narrative.Â
And Ezio starts really seeing Desmond. Not just the mismatch of instincts or the haunted stares, but the man underneath. The one held together by twitchy nerves and too many memories that arenât his.
So Ezio starts asking questions. Real ones.
Gentle ones. Casual ones. The kind you ask on rooftops during stakeouts or over shared dinners at sunset.
And dude, that's probably what Desmond NEEDED for him to start remembering who he is. Not a mission. Not a Piece of Eden. But for someone to reach BACK and remind him there's still a "Desmond" underneath the bleeding effect.
So Ezio becomes the fucking sledgehammer and breaks them open himself.
The Animus failed him.
Ubisoft fumbled the bag.
The game doesn't let Desmond open his memory gates.
LMAO so yeah.
That's my AU. That's the freakshow.Â
A EziDes romance featuring:Â
Desmond "Pigeon with a Kill Count" MilesÂ
Feral. Territorial. Makes unbroken eye contact while bomb making
Once "accidentally" bombed the corner of a market because someone called Ezio handsome
Steals Ezio's heart and then his throwing knives
Sometimes forgets Ezio is real and not just a vision from his fractured brain, and honestly? Same
Ezio "Kinda Into This" Auditore da FirenzeÂ
Sees a man who looks like prophecy and chaos made a baby, hears "Desmond", and immediately short circuits
has never been this confused or this turned on by a man making eye contact while crafting bombs out of wine bottles
Thinks he's being courted (he is)
Yusuf "You Touch Him, You Die" Tazim
Unlocked "big brother murderbird" DLC
Refers to Desmond as "my bird" and once threw a man off a roof for trying to flirt with him
Every time Ezio talks to Desmond, Yusuf unsheathes a knife. Ezio has stopped noticing. It's a courtship ritual now.
Kemal "Retired Assassin Turned Bird Dad"
Found Desmond in a rain gutter and imprinted on him like a duck
Said "not my problem" and then proceeded to make it entirely his problem
Has "I raised that bird with my own hands" pigeon dad energy
Desmond bit someone today? That's his baby. Good job, son.
Emotionally retired but physically ready to brawl
And me. Spiraling. Again. Into Ezio/Desmond hell.
This is not a slow burn.
This is a slow pecking.
A ConfusedEagle!Ezio and FeralPigeon!Desmond courtship full of glances and weird gifts and staring too long from rooftops.
Now excuse me while I go spiral in peace. I spent the last three hours thinking about this when I should have been working on my WIP and it's all Ubisoft's fault.
If you made it this far through my unhinged fantasy, thank you so much. You are now legally part of my Constantinople Brotherhood.
Go forth. Protect the pigeon. Bring him lentils and knives.
May your bombs be stable, your pigeons bitey, and your Ezios confused.
The thought of Desmond, no matter the timeline he gets punted to, accidentally adopting a pack of feral street urchins that just think he is the coolest big bro ever makes me very happy.
Like, he remembers being young, without a home, and terrified, and most of these kids are even younger than he was.
So he starts by giving them some coin or food here and there, then he just starts teaching them how to properly pickpocket, how to climb, how to fight, and before he knows it, he has this little squad that follows after him like little chicks.
He doesn't realize it until someone else points out that he is acting very much like a mentor would.
Desmond: "Huh? Nah, I'm just making sure they survive past puberty. Maaaybe 16. Then they are on their own."
broke: shane trading to boston so he can live with ilya full time and they can share rooms on roadie all the time <3
woke: shane trading to boston so he can room with connor connors his new bestie and have quiet time in the hotel rooms. watching tape and nature documentaries, discuss landscaping, order room service. socks on.
ilya and marley are partying rocking in their room next door
Youâd think Cliff Marlowâs full name would be Clifford or maybe even Clifton, but itâs actually Heathcliff. His sisterâs name is Catherine. Their parents were English professors at an Ivy. He doesnât like his full name, but he doesnât mind Heath which is what he goes by.
School was never really little Heathâs thing, which was a constant disappointment to his parents. So he threw himself into the one thing he was genuinely good at: hockey. His family had plenty of money, so they paid for the camps, equipment, travel teams, and everything else he needed. But they never really cared about sports, so while they supported his hobby, they were never particularly interested in it⌠at least not until he made it to the NHL and started making millions, of course.
But Cliff grows up as this kind of the stereotypical neglected rich kid. His parents werenât especially interested in actually raising him. They could provide money, but not much attention. Heâs much closer to the nanny who raised him than either of his parents.
Eventually, he gets shipped off to a hockey boarding school full of other wealthy, emotionally stunted teenagers growing up in an incredibly toxic hockey culture. So while Cliff is a genuinely good person underneath it all, heâs also kind of immature and a complete mess.
Anyway, while heâs at this school thereâs already another player named Heath (what are odds?), so thatâs when he started going by Cliff instead.
Naturally, Ilya is absolutely insufferable when he finds out Cliffâs real name.
âHeathcliff? What kind of name is Heathcliff?â
(This was inspired by someone saying they love how the fandom collectively decided Cliffâs full name was Clifford, and I was sitting there like⌠what other option was there? Then my friend jokingly said, âHeathcliff,â and somehow that spiraled into me inventing this entire backstory for him. đ)
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In 2018, the Boston Raiders descend into anarchy with the announcement of Ilya Rozanov's trade to Ottawa. Sports journalists speculate on a deep sense of betrayal felt by players at their captain's departure fracturing the team dynamics and disrupting synergy.
This is only partly true.
Because what really happened is that Ilya gave the guys a heads up regarding his signing to Ottawa. And everyone immediately assumed Montreal Jane was knocked up. Amid the wave of stilted congratulations, some American player asks why Jane doesn't just move to the States and raise the baby here? At which the Canadian players in the room not so subtly cough/laugh.
And so the locker room and subsequently the group chat soon devolved into a heated debate on universal healthcare, gun laws, and kinder eggs so furious that no one noticed Ilya removing himself from both without confirming or denying his trade had anything to do with "Jane" and their non-existent Canadian bastard lovechild.
there are apparently a lot of mushrooms that are poisonous to some people and edible for others. unlike food allergies, itâs not an allergic immune reaction, itâs mushroom poisoning but only for some people
shane looooovesss shaping ilyaâs curls into hearts. the problem is they are curls, so a tiny action could send all his work to waste at once, so both shane and ilya has to be very very still for this whole ordeal. usually shane would find curls that already sort of faces each other and guide them to the desired position, but sometimes the curls beat him and he has to find another one. my point is, one time shane makes a whole head of heart curls (this is an exaggeration, he probably made 5 sporadically) on ilya and he snaps a photo of it. it has ilyaâs lovesick eyes looking at him too and so it becomes shaneâs homescreen wallpaper (his lockscreen is them hoisting the cup together, thank you very much).
they have a fun interview with harris one day and harris asks to see their lock and home screen photos. it goes semi viral on hockey twt and one of the most popular rt was ârozâs ass down horrendously bad for his husband his hair is proclaiming love lmfaoâ. that was retweeted by bood, accidentally, after laughing and showing it to cassie.
I still think that my favorite urban legend/folklore fact is that there are certain areas in New Orleans where you cannot get a taxi late at night not because it isnât safe, but because taxi companies have had recurring problems of picking up ghosts in those areas who are not aware that they are dead and disappearing from the cab before reaching the destination and therefore stiffing the driver on the fare causing a loss for the company.
In a book about the tsunami in Japan in 2011, the writer talked about how there was a huge increase in reports of ghostly activity. Apparently in Japan treating ghosts rudely is basically considered the stupidest thing you could possibly do. For months after the tsunami, taxi drivers would pick up a passenger only to have them give an address in one of the devastated areas. The cab driver often looked up halfway to the destination to find their fare had disappeared. Not wanting to be impolite to the person (even if they were dead) theyâd drive to the address, open the door to let them out, then drive away.
I love imagining that every eridian welcome committee comic takes place in the same universe and that grace just never said anything about it.
He doesnât call them out on it cause that might mean that they will actually research phrases more and second guess themselves a lot. And that would mean the cards would stop. Which would be a shame.
But like this he gets a fun little puzzle every week or so where he tries to guess what the committee is trying to say this time. He can rate the cards on funniness and clarity!
Iâd like to think that he explains what a lot of them sound like towards the end of his life after having received thousands of cards filled with innuendos and catcalling. The committee doesnât emotionally recover for the rest of their lives.
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I think there's a great chance the existence of mirrors/reflective surfaces silently fucks Rocky up.
Like, Grace is in the bathroom, shaving, the curtain pulled to the side and suddenly he stops and says "stop touching my stuff". Rocky, frozen, somewhere behind him, can't fathom how Grace sensed that. He was so quiet. The razor is so loud. Grace's still facing away from him. What the fuck.
Grace repairing some panel or other and asks for a tool. Without even turning around, he says "no, not that one, the one to its left". Rocky's like are you shitting me. I know for a fact your hearing is ass. You can only see in one direction and I'm not in it!! What?!
concept: no astrophage au where eridians and humans still make first contact but like, properly. a whole diplomatic mission meeting in the middle of space to save travel time. stratt is humanity's greatest representation. the eridian equivalent is equally as scary and secretly soft. it's all very star trek.
but rocky and grace put the whole diplomacy thing in jeopardy by being too best buddy with it. like they're both really low level members of the mission. some engineer necessary for ship maintenance, and an obligatory molecular biologist they brought along in case they found more alien cells out in space. and these two guys like, somehow keep ending up hanging out essentially "at the back of the classroom." consistently left out of the actually important negotiations, and well, they're bored!
grace steals some laptops and starts jury-rigging his own personal translator for rocky, despite the fact that the official translation software is way quicker to learn and much more nuanced. rocky starts learning english, simplifies his eridian, and immediately starts mocking grace for needing the software. they start blabbing to each other about all the weird quirks of their respective cultures and advanced science their planets can do. the whole time they are ribbing each other about culture stuff. grace eats in front of rocky. rocky forces grace to sleep in a corridor somewhere so he can keep watch.
then stratt and the eridian leader find out and it's like
stratt: you. you've been meeting in private with a member of the eridian deligation?
grace: ... yyyes.
stratt: and you shared with them classified scientific documents?
grace: i... maybe gave him. a laptop. he's so smart! what was i supposed to do?
stratt: HIM? you've assigned male pronouns to a genderless species?
grace: he said he likes to match!
stratt: do you even know the name of this eridian?!
grace: i call him rocky :)
stratt: đ°
then on rocky's side of things it's like
eridian leader: sorry did you say you called the human after one of its digestive noises?
rocky: yeah :)
eridian leader: and. you've been telling it about how to make xenonite. one of our most vital trading resources.
rocky: yes yes, grace is very ignorant about basic chemistry đ
eridian leader: right. and you watch it sleep. despite the fact that all the human beings we have spoken to have described this as a cultural violation?
rocky: well he didn't like it at first but he came around!!
anyway both sides of the delegation are sweating profusely (metaphorically speaking) until they see rocky and grace in action and are like ohh! they're both freaks. we are not to blame for this. these two are just really bad at navigating cultural norms.
cut to grace curled up with rocky while he sleeps like a baby.
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