Shaun Hastings

"What am I do-- who are you, my mum?"

―Shaun Hastings addressing a curious Desmond.

Shaun Hastings was a member of the Assassin Order, whose main role consisted of assisting Desmond Miles during his time in the Animus 2.0. This help mostly came in the form of the creation of Database entries on the various people, places, and buildings he encountered.

Shaun also gave tactical assistance to other Assassin teams across the globe, sometimes by relaying messages from higher command. His support was often targeted towards Assassins who were out "in the field."

Biography

Early life

"Most Assassins, Desmond, are like you, yeah? They're "born" into the Brotherhood. Not me, though."

―Shaun to Desmond.

Originating from England, Shaun was interested in conspiracy theories and the unexplained from a very early age. Though initially unaware of the existence of the modern-day Templars and Assassins, when he was around 15, he did some investigations into a company known as Abstergo Industries, and realized that they were "up to no good".

This eventually inspired him to prevent their wrongful activities in any way he could. While working as a junior professor, Shaun took the pseudonym "Guy Fawkes" (after one of the co-conspirators of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot) and began spreading the word.

He published articles detailing Abstergo's inner workings to WikiLeaks and other news groups, searching for people with "stories to tell;" all the while remaining unaware that the Templars would try to silence him.

Rebecca Crane was first to realize the danger he posed to himself, and tried to warn him that he was "messing with the wrong people." However, Shaun did not believe her, and eventually, he was found out by Abstergo employee Alan Rikkin.

Shortly after this, on December 10, 2010, Shaun was kidnapped by Abstergo. Fortunately, he was able to make an escape from the van that was taking him to the company, with Abstergo only discovering afterwards that the van's computer had been hacked, creating a false alert for a need to stop and refuel.

Shaun was then contacted again by Rebecca, who "rescued" him, and recruited him into the Assassin Order.

Hiding out

Shaun explaining the new era Desmond would visit.

Desmond: "What's all this stuff for?"

Shaun: "This stuff, Desmond, oh this stuff is nothing special, really, this stuff is just the stuff that keeps our entire operation from falling apart really."

—Desmond and Shaun in the hideout.

After Lucy Stillman and Desmond Miles had escaped Abstergo and reached the hideout, Shaun was first to greet Desmond, and introduce both himself and Rebecca. However, he promptly then insisted that they all get straight to work.

Desmond then entered the Animus to relive the memories of one of his ancestors, Ezio Auditore da Firenze. While he was inside the Animus, Shaun supplied Desmond with information in the form of Database entries, as well as the occasional piece of advice on glyph puzzles.

As the historian and analyst of the Assassin Order, Shaun was constantly working on his computer, and rarely had the opportunity to speak with Desmond – often telling him bluntly to "go away" if ever he tried to talk to him.

During the assault on the hideout by Warren Vidic and several Abstergo guards, Shaun helped Rebecca pack up their equipment, and later, drove the van to their next hideout at Monteriggioni.

Escape to the Sanctuary

Shaun speaking to Desmond in the Sanctuary.

Upon setting up camp in the Sanctuary, Shaun helped by hiding the van, and teaching Desmond how to reroute power into the underground chamber.

Once they had set up, Shaun continued his research, operating similarly to the way he had in the previous hideout. In contrast, he was much more respectful and tolerant towards Desmond – though he was still rude and impatient with Rebecca, which caused Lucy to give him a greater workload than the other Assassins.

During Desmond's breaks outside the Animus, Shaun told him further history of the events he was experiencing, mentioning things such as the fate of Caterina Sforza, and Cesare Borgia's explicit letter to the Pope about his wedding night.

Journey to the Colosseum

After Desmond located the Apple of Eden through Ezio Auditore's memories, the modern-day Assassins were still left with the mystery of how to get to the Apple's vault. Though Rebecca knew it was accessed with a spoken password, the group was unsure of what it could possibly be.

Desmond pointed out the numbers they had found written on the wall, as well as the triple triad symbol, upon which Shaun correctly deduced that they are relevant to God, and His 72 names. This number, he also stated, was the same year that Rome's Colosseum was built. They all concluded that that was where the Apple would be found, and began their long road trip.

File:Modern Assassins Inside the Vault.JPG

Shaun and the Assassins before the Apple of Eden.

On finding the Apple, Desmond used it to ask where the Temples were located, which resulted in it projecting a series of symbols and images. Shaun, upon identifying the Phrygian Cap and the Eye of Providence, said that both objects come together in only one place.

However, before he could finish his explanation, Juno possessed Desmond through the Apple, causing a temporal freeze in those around him, and forcing Desmond to stab Lucy in the abdomen.

At the point where Lucy and Desmond collapsed, Shaun and Rebecca were still visibly conscious, and appeared unaffected by the Apple's power despite standing in the same positions they were since previously frozen.

Characteristics and personality

"England is not in Europe actually, Rebecca. We, we tolerate Europe, you know? Like, like a person tolerates herpes."

―Shaun to Rebecca in Monteriggioni.

Shaun was often cynical, condescending, sarcastic, and pessimistic. However, he did have a playful side, often inserting humorous tidbits into the Database entries he crafted. As a prank, he also once e-mailed Lucy and Rebecca that he had found a "riddle" that held a clue to the location of a Piece of Eden, but eventually revealed that the riddle was just a joke.

Shaun in the Sanctuary.

When he first met him, Shaun would often have little patience with talking to Desmond, though at other times, he would converse with him at length. He also often insulted Rebecca, commenting on her immaturity by saying "the grown-ups are talking" – neglectful of the fact she had saved his life multiple times.

Shaun was desperate to enter the Animus, and even resorted to begging Lucy through her e-mail, which she silently declined by not replying. However, when confronted about it, he said that "the job behind the desk" was much better.

When talking about his status as an Assassin, Shaun stated that "I've killed before, I expect to kill again. It's just that I’d prefer not to". He portrayed the rather sarcastic role of an individual who does all the work and never gets noticed or rewarded, as he had complained more than once that no one missed him when he was gone.

His cynical attitude was also evident in many instances, such as when he pointed out that the Assassins were still killers, whatever their motives; making them no more the "good guys", than the Templars.

Shaun was also skeptical of most institutions, such as the church and governmental institutions. He noted in one description of Venice that the city's past "followed the historical norm: The people got screwed." Despite some of Subject 16's puzzles implying that the Assassins had actively resisted Abstergo's use of capitalism as a mechanism of control, Shaun's dialogue once contradicted this, as he used the word "communists" as a jibe directed towards Lucy and Rebecca.

Despite his attitude towards Rebecca, Shaun still held her in higher regard than he cared to admit, most probably because of the numerous occasions on which she had saved his life. Only Lucy seemed to ignore his snide remarks.

Shaun's interest in history was shown clearly through his extensive database entries, and in an email from William M., who claimed that Shaun would enjoy the area in which the Assassin leadership was based as it had "lots of history."

Shaun was quite confident in his own abilities, once calling himself a "master at decryption." He also thought himself to have a gift for "seeing things and making connections," an ability he compared to Desmond's Eagle Vision, only more "useful" in his opinion. He was likely only referring to his high intellect though, rather than some kind of super-human power.

Romantic life

Lucy: "Who was that girl you were dating? Kate?"

Shaun: "Ah yeah, Kate. Katie, Katie, Katie, kitty-Kat-Kate. Charmed the pants right off her, I did."

—Shaun in the Sanctuary.

At one point when Desmond asked Shaun about his love life, Shaun proudly told of his exploits with a girl named Kate, who he allegedly "charmed the pants right off" of.

However, Rebecca scoffed at this and pointed out that she knew for a fact that Kate and Shaun had not even made it to second base. At Shaun's embarrassed demands for an explanation, Rebecca nonchalantly said that she and Kate had had lunch afterwards.

Trivia

File:Othershaun.jpg

An earlier design for Shaun, created prior to Wallace's casting.

• The character Shaun Hastings is named after Sean Hastings, a cult hero in the computer industry.
• Danny Wallace, the voice and model of Shaun, was contacted by Ubisoft when he attended the BAFTA video game awards with a friend. He was e-mailed and asked if he would like to be a character in an unknown video game, which he accepted. The game turned out to be Assassin's Creed II.
• During the corrupted sequences in Assassin's Creed II, Shaun states that he forgot that Rodrigo Borgia eventually became Pope, even though there is a portrait of him in his Papal attire on the wall next to his computer.
• In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Shaun has a portrait of Cesare Borgia near his desk, as well as pictures of famous landmarks in Rome, such as the Pantheon, and some of Leonardo da Vinci's designs, such as the crossbow.
• Shaun's password for his e-mail account is GuyFawkes23,
• It is hinted that Shaun was an altar boy at some stage in his childhood, due to his mention of his priest once saying "You know too much for your own good."

Video

Interviews

thumb|right|300px|Danny Wallace Interview Part 1

thumb|right|300px|Danny Wallace Interview Part 2

Others

thumb|300px|left|Shaun arguing with Desmond.

thumb|300px|left|Shaun Hastings reveal video.