After touching the Eye and saving the world from the Solar Flare Desmond passes out and when he wakes up he finds out he turned into something like Medusa with the whole lower body as a snake and snake hair, and of course all the ancestors as the snakes and when I say all I mean e v e r y s i n g l e o n e so now Desmond has to find a way to not get caught by Abstergo while his ancestors are arguing on what to do.
I like Yusuf and I hate his death so depends if you add him (and others who aren't ancestors)
Hi, nonny, might I interest you in a Naga!Desmond AU idea?
Now, let’s talk about how we can make Desmond’s life so much more annoying in this one.
If you want Yusuf in this idea to be alive… we have an easy way to set it up.
So, let’s say that the Solar Flare didn’t just affect Desmond. Sure, he was now a Gorgon (… can we even use that term for a dude?) but the Solar Flare also affected the Animi.
And those who had been using an Animus long enough to start Bleeding.
Abstergo could only count this as some kind of side effect of the Solar Flare and it only affected the people who are being ‘forced’ to relive the lives of their own ancestors.
Anyone playing the Animus gaming console or people working for Abstergo Entertainment to find the next ‘game’?
They were fine.
But the ones hidden in their facility in Madrid…
They had ‘mutated’.
The first sign was that some of their hair would start to fall.
Then it would pop out of their skull, usually at the part where the head and the nape met.
A snake head.
Only those with their own snake heads could understand the words the snake heads would hiss.
And they always think they were the ancestor that the Animus Subject had been reliving.
The Bleeding Effect was more manageable. They kept the skills but the memories and the hallucinations? The memories they gain would only be what they relived, no more sudden memories not part of their Animus session. And the hallucinations were gone.
Instead, the snake now connected to them would talk as if they were the ancestor they had relived themselves and would have even the memories that the subject did not relive.
In this scenario, Cal gets taken in by Sofia Rikkin after he was supposed to be executed and he sees… these ‘monsters’. Sofia tells him that it’s necessary to save humanity but Cal calls her out on her bullshit.
Then he starts to ‘remember’ Aguilar’s skills and his hair starts to fall. The other subjects and their snake companions ‘welcome’ Cal and one of them would be Emir whose snake companion introduces himself as “Yusuf Tazim da Istanbul!”
And when Aguilar wakes up, he tells Cal to fight the memories, the Templars must not know about the Apple.
During the scene where Aguilar is inducted by his ancestors thanks to the Animus glitching (+ the Bleeding Effect), the facility is attacked by an unknown person that many call a monster before dying.
This monster takes down a lot of the guards and ‘researchers’, even managing to lock the entire facility down so no one gets out. The subjects with their snake ancestors reach Cal and they take out the guards and researchers there while the head of security grab Sofia to take her to safety. Before he could, something dangles from the high beams of the Animus room and grabs the head of security and Sofia is almost taken as well but she manages to shake off the head of security’s death grip on her and she fell on the floor, twisting her ankle. There’s a crunching sound before the head of security is dropped to the floor, just next to Sofia who flinches.
Then she froze when she felt the thing above them start to dangle down, slower this time. It dangled behind Sofia and he heard the hissing sounds before he heard the familiar voice of Ezio Auditore say, “Salve, Sofia Rikkin. My compatriots and I… have a lot of questions that we hope you would be able to answer.”
Unorganized Notes:
Desmond’s snake heads have come to the agreement that any bickering will be kept to a minimum and in a very soft volume when Desmond is on the field. When Desmond is in a safe place though, all bets were off.
Haytham acts like their devil’s advocate and takes every chance to insult the current state of the Brotherhood.
Desmond has been looking for Shaun and Rebecca but the Assassins have gone deeper underground after the Solar Flare. He actually found the Madrid facility because he could feel something calling to him. It felt like the sound of babies crying. Not the actual sound but it makes Desmond feel the need to check up on it and help it any way he can.
Altaïr is the one who usually gets Desmond to experiment on his new body. He’s also the reason why Desmond is pretty good at slithering around now since he made Desmond practice and get use to his new body. He knows how important it is for Desmond’s (and their) survival for Desmond to get used to having a snake-like body.
Ezio is more or less their spokesperson whenever Desmond doesn’t feel like talking. He’s also the peace keeper although his way of keeping peace is biting the snake heads making a fuss (usually Haytham and Altaïr)
Edward is the one that usually reins Haytham in though. He’s also the one to make the most daring plans (Altaïr is the snake head to make the second most daring plans, much to the surprise of everyone)
Ratonhnhaké:ton is the calm one, although he does sometimes get snarky when he’s talking to Haytham, and he’s also the one that has the most snake knowledge although Desmond searched ‘snake’ in google too because Ratonhnhaké:ton humbly says he does not know enough and they should learn everything they can.
Aquilus is also a snake head because I rarely include him in any of these ideas and I feel bad. He’s the most confused one because he has no idea who the hell anyone is and why he’s there but he is also the one with the most knowledge about gorgons so he’s the one who tells Desmond that they may be a male version of a gorgon and what that implies. His explanation does make Desmond fear that he can turn anyone he stares at into stone. As much as he feared it, Desmond was also disappointed to learn that, no, he cannot turn anyone into stone.
Yes. Desmond’s snake ancestors can be understood by anyone. The other snake ancestors could only be understood by their descendants that they’re connected to and other people with snake ancestors.
Trying to separate the snake ancestor from their descendant causes extreme pain. It is unclear if they do die because they are separated or if the pain and shock of being separated caused cardiac death.
If you want to add Arno to this: Cal is Arno’s descendant as well (his father could also work if you want to go down that route)
If you want to add the Frye twins to this: Darcy and Lucas Clarkson are twins born in 2004 that are confirmed descendants of the Frye twins (just say fuck you to Ubisoft saying Watch_Dog Legion is not connected to AC or transfer Darcy and Lucas to AC and give them a sorta different backstory)
I'm reading the novelization of Assasin's Creed the movie, and the book managed to make me hate Sofia Rikkin even more. She's the type of "mad scientist" character that irritates me the most, the "oh I'm putting all those people through horrific things for their own good". She's kinda naive, and super horrible at yhe same time seemly without realizing she's being horrible.
Give me a character that knows and admits they're a horrible person, over someone who does fucked up things while thinking they're doing good, any time.
Sofia originally wanted Callum to wear Aguilar’s robes to aid synchronization, not his blades. She scrapped the idea when the robes proved too difficult to restore, and would get in the way of the arm.
However, she fired the idiot who didn’t blunt the blades.
When they first brought you here, to one of their Animus facilities (or ‘prisons’ as you liked to call them), they didn’t bother giving you their names. You didn’t ask them to. It didn’t matter to you. But one day, a woman, a head scientist as you’d later learn, introduced herself as Dr Sofia Rikkin. The rebel in you told you to remain silent and hostile but when you saw that shine of honesty in her eyes, you reluctantly swallowed your anger and talked to her as calmly as you could at the time (given how restrained and nervous you were).
She explained your purpose there - they would put you in the Animus and watch your memories - ‘genetic’ memories to be precise. You listened to her patiently and when a pause came, you told her that you knew how that machine worked, how it wouldn’t be your first time in there. You felt a little amused when you saw her face change from calm and collected to surprised. Guess she wasn’t used to hearing that.
Once they ‘released’ you into the ‘social’ area of the facility, you weren’t surprised to see so many kidnapped people in the slightest. You were a long-ago-initiated assassin, a Master. You were a brilliant hacker, IT-specialist, historian, fighter, and on top of that, a great expert on the artefacts of Eden. You previously had the chance to study them very closely, and that alone gave you an edge - you knew exactly how Apples and the other artefacts worked, and what their purpose was. Minerva had chosen you as her ‘champion’ for the fight against recently released Juno, for by the time you actually got into that facility, Desmond Miles had been long gone.
While Desmond was your cousin (and one of the closest friends you’ve ever had), it didn’t stop him from foolishly pressing his palm against that damn pedestal. As grim as 'inevitable’ solar-wind/energy (you surprisingly couldn’t remember which one was right) collision sounded, it was far better than whatever Juno had in store for humanity. Everyone was devastated at his death, even his distant and cold father, who normally would never shed any tears. Fortunately, the team didn’t disband and together with Shaun and Rebecca, you somehow managed to move on - and that’s where the backstory abruptly stops.
At first, you didn’t bother with socializing with the people around you. They kept themselves away from you, not knowing who you were but knowing why you were brought here. For as long as you could, you kept interactions with any of them at a minimum, not only because they were complete strangers but also because you needed some space to observe everything - the structure of the building, guard patrol schedules etc.
On one day though, you saw the eyes of a person who looked like he had seen better days, had a better life. You didn’t know why he did it but when your eyes met, his lips whispered the words ‘Where am I?’, clearly stating that he knew nothing about Abstergo. Thankfully, the guards didn’t pay any attention to that, but you chose to look the other way and poke at your untouched steak.
‘Where am I?’ - the words kept repeating in your head, over and over again. ‘You have absolutely no idea what you have gotten yourself into, pal.’ you thought while laying on your bed, awake and in the middle of the night. You suddenly wished you could send a message to your teammates, let them know where you were but alas, you didn’t have a laptop at your hand’s reach, or even a simple phone to poke around in the Templars’ internal network and search for the Apple located in this damn building.
Once they put you into the Animus the next day, they kept replaying Ezio’s memories - memories, that you had already gone through at the Auditore mansion - to find the place he had hidden the Apple in. What they didn’t know was actually your rather strange ability to directly interact with your genetic memories and ancestors. While no one could explain that - even Minerva - you found it useful, and right now, very comforting because you knew that all of them - Altaïr, Ezio, Connor, hell even Edward - were watching over you, unable to physically aid you but staying there with you as your pillars of sanity.
Callum, as you finally learned his name, was slowly getting accustomed to life in here. Moussa became his first friend, then Emir, and as bizarre as that sounds, even Nathan (the descendant of a traitor, Duncan Walpole). You kept noticing him glancing at you whenever you entered the hall to have lunch or spend some time playing basketball.
Once you got your tray with lunch, you sat at the table next to him. You told him the words you first thought of after he first arrived here.
‘You have absolutely no idea what you have gotten yourself into, pal.’
‘What do you mean?’ you smirked.
‘We are prisoners in here. Forced to revisit the memories of our ancestors. Find what they seek.’ Suddenly he seemed very confused at your words.
‘Who’s “they” and what are we supposed be to looking for?’ You subtly shifted your gaze to your surroundings, looking for anyone eavesdropping on you. The camera wouldn’t be able to hear your conversation in this hall anyway.
‘Ancient artefacts. Not made by a human.’
‘Are you saying there are aliens out there?’ As amusing as that sounded, you kept your poker face.
‘It would be rather difficult to explain it to you here where we are not exactly alone. Besides, I’d need the artefact in my possession in order to show you how it looks like, and how it can be used.’ Now you saw him in deep thought, probably just processing your words. An alarm signalled for you to finish your lunch, and then go back to your designated cell.
‘I think I might be able to get one for you.’ Since the guards were already approaching, you had only enough time to give him a small nod. ‘Finally.’
Some days later, Dr Rikkin asked for you to step inside her lab. Whether it was for another ‘interview’ or not, you frankly didn’t give a fuck. And then...you saw it. The Apple, laying inside a small chest, just waiting for you to come and get it. But you wouldn’t dare to do it. It wasn’t the right time.
‘I have an offer for you, Y/N. One that would benefit both of us.’ You already knew what she was about to tell you. ‘Not a chance.’ you thought.
‘Oh, please. Don’t tell me that I’m going to have to dig deeper, and when I’m finally finished, you’ll have your father pardon me. That scenario won’t happen, I assure you.’ For a moment she looked sad but the she made her face neutral again. She knew you were right but what else could she offer you for your cooperation? You wouldn’t budge so easily. She decided to be honest with you, for reasons she herself couldn’t understand. Perhaps you were just charming enough.
‘No. He won’t. But I do want to help you. I-’
‘Look, it will never work out between us. I know that you’re trying to bring Callum on your side by telling him a story about how both of your mothers were killed by an assassin but he won’t get you what you want. No one here will.’ you paused, to let her mull over your words a bit. Not giving her the option to open her mouth, you continued.
‘Your father, you, and your countless followers can’t seem to understand that the Order you’re all trying to achieve so hard will never be realised. While we Assassins fight for the Freedom, we understand that we can’t give people too much of it, or the world would become even more chaotic than it already is. The Order on the other hand practically equals slavery. You are trying to find the Apples of Eden like the one behind you.’ She turned to look at it but made no move to close the lid of the chest.
‘What do you think your fellow Templars would do to the innocent people? Enslave them. Make them mindless puppets to play around with.’
‘My father has always said that our the Templar Order would make our world peaceful. That we would never have to fight anyone again.’
‘Then you were either raised as a blind mole or an ignorant fool. Look around you. Why do we, perfectly normal people, have to be kept in cells and used as your personal Indiana Jones’ to find a thing that you have absolutely no real knowledge of? Oh yes, you have absolutely no idea how the Apples, or should I say any of the Eden Artifacts, work.’ She was stunned, to say the least. The things you just said...seemed baffling to her. She slowly and with a small hesitation, started to believe your words. The Templars had neither good and peaceful intentions nor the knowledge on any of the artefacts of Eden, and that one day, it would be their downfall.
‘I believe you, Y/N, but unfortunately, I don’t have the power to release you. My father would never betray the Order or its principles.’
‘But I see that you can. I’m not going to offer you a place within the Brotherhood. You can come there yourself if you want to. The only thing I’m actually pleased about is that you finally know the truth and recognize it. No one benefits from lies - everyone has to swallow the bitter pill in the end .’ With that, you left her lab, letting her think it over and decide for herself, whether she’ll betray her father or not.
While you were talking to Sofia, Callum faced his shadowy ancestor in his cell, staring at him through the glass window, looking him in the eye. After the last Animus session, he began experiencing hallucinations, dubbed “the Bleeding Effect”. He couldn’t tell the difference between what was real and what wasn’t. Unbeknownst to him though, Alan Rikkin was looking at him through the one-way mirror, silently observing his moves. He was fascinated by it because as a Templar, he would never be able to experience such a thing. It just didn’t work on the Templars as a whole. But there was also that feeling of dread like he knew something bad would happen with his ‘guest of honour’, like he would be able to tear down the whole facility if he kept gaining Aguilar’s combat experience. He would have to keep a close eye on him.
You don’t hear it when it happens. The Riot. You simply stare at the ceiling, doing nothing. Then suddenly, Moussa barges in through the door to your right. You jump up from the bed and raise an eyebrow, silently asking ‘What?’ He only smiles and throws you a strong rubber baton.
‘We goin’ hunting now?’ you ask.
‘After you.’ he motions to the door, and without a thought, you ran into the hall so fast, that Moussa is having trouble with keeping up with you. The more unconscious or dead bodies you pass, the stronger your will fight is. Spotting a guard stepping out of a hallway, you run up to him and jump in the air, just high enough to flip and land on his shoulders, twisting his neck with your thighs. Your companion is very impressed, to say the least. When you finally reach the main hall, you see the other Assassins having finished the fight in there. Emir runs up to you.
‘We need to find Cal.’ you’re quicker than Moussa.
‘In the Animus room. He’s there, I know it.’
‘Then let’s go!’
The fight between you six and the guards doesn’t last long. Nathan lays dead on the floor along with Emir. It was safe enough to take a breath. Callum though has another idea in his mind apparently, and runs away to God knows where. Then you realize that he’s after Sofia. ‘She will escape, Cal. You won’t catch her in time.’ The three of you - Moussa, Lin, and yourself, leave the room, but not before bowing your heads in respect of your fallen comrades.
You and Callum escape the facility.
‘You want to get that Apple, don’t you?’ he asks you one night after your escape. You nod.
‘I was after it long before I let myself get captured by them. Sometimes it’s necessary to take such risks.’ You briefly thought of Lucy and her betrayal. ‘But they don’t always pay off.’
‘I assume you know much more about the Creed.’
‘I do. I’m one of its current leaders actually. I know that you’re not familiar with the name of William Miles but he’s the one who is trying to keep the Brotherhood together. He’s given away a lot of things to keep it that way, and I’m trying not to let him down because he’s the only blood family I have left.’ You hug your shoulders, and Callum puts his jacket on your shoulders, trying to keep you warm and at the same time comfort you.
‘True, I don’t know him but you could introduce us to each other someday perhaps? Right now, we need to follow Alan Rikkin and retrieve the apple he’s stolen.’
‘That’s the part where you realize that we Assassins can never afford any holidays. We always have to be on the move, always have to be alert and cautious. It gets so tiresome sometimes that you wish you were already dead and at peace.’ He actually laughs at this. What would Moussa and Lin say about this? Perhaps the guy upstairs knows, you can’t tell.
‘Indeed. Now, let’s sleep. We won’t have enough time for it tomorrow
The next day is practically all a blur to you. Alan and his followers converge at a ceremony in a Templar sanctuary in London to celebrate their ‘triumph’. You all dress up into black hooded outfits. Rikkin begins his speech. His neck gets pierced by a hidden blade. He lies in a pool of his own blood, while Callum retrieves the Apple from his hands. Sofia cries for her father and vows revenge against Cal. The four of you depart, vowing to protect the Apple from the Templars.
Present day, Luxembourg
"How glad am I to finally have you back in my arms," Shaun sighs as he holds you close to him. You squeeze him tighter, letting a tear escape your eye.
"And I you, Shaun. Frankly, it was a mess in there. I’m glad that it’s finally over."
"Me too but I know that you were able to handle things in there just like you always do - perfectly."
"Don’t flatter me, you bastardo." you mocked him with a perfect Italian accent, which he loved, if anyone asked you. Rebecca went over to you two and gave you a tight hug which you happily returned.
"I was really worried, Ryder. Try to be more careful next time, okay?"
You rolled your eyes, “I always am. Now let me go and attend the Council. As rather useless as it is, I need to give them a full report about what happened in Spain."
”Alright, go but return ASAP. We’ll need you, and this guy over here specifically.’ She pats Shaun on the shoulder and he answers with an indignant ‘Hey!’
As soon as you leave the room, you spot Callum standing in the shadows at the end of the long hall. He looks you in the eye and nods. You nod back.
Despite never using the Animus herself, it was Sofia Rikkin that pushed for a more realistic Animus experience, causing the development of the 4.3 and related models that allowed the subject to physically copy the movements of their ancestor. The giving of subjects items, usually weapons, that belonged to their ancestors was also an immersion initiative created by Sofia.
