#(ie. whenever on a rayshift)

[futurefind]

//Do you ever think about "Reamom" Master au. That is, au where Rea is 1. ~30 y.o Chaldea staff (cryptid to mage society proper, the Heart of chaldea thats done so much work to work on the entire staffs bonds, unity, and morale, even per-apocalypse. ft unofficially adopting mash and olga and those two having a strong bond) 2. long since eliminated from Master candidacy bc her circuitry is 'allergic' to Rayshifting and then 3. intentionally becomes/stays the (primary/acting) Master anyway because Ritsuka Fujimaru is a gd KID and god help her they're not being turned into Atlas if she can help it.

Do you ever think about how, while the heart of FGO stays the same— Rea's a perfect fit for canon Guda barring only her sparkles and their canon interest in mecha— it just... utterly flips the framing of its themes? From a shonen-esque coming of age story where growing up means taking on the world and being responsible for your impact on it, in the most extreme and horrific way possible... into a story about parenthood/caretaking, and an unwillingness to surrender any responsibility, even to those who can and/or should share in it, because it's not just your job to be Responsible, but to protect as many people as you can from that responsibility?

On how much no matter hard you can try to protect the ones you love, even- especially- children, you can't shield them from The Horrors that are intrinsic to life In A World? That taking it as a personal responsibility, as a personal failing, can and Will break you unless you learn to finally surrender and share the burden of Responsibility?

That there's no preparing for a life that leads into an empty nest, no matter how long you keep your kids in arm reach where it's safe, because it's rooted in everyone dying on you? That a career you love and home you cherished and children you adore can't save you from when the only thing that's left is a graveyard of even more dreams than bodies.