#Saber Alter is being born

[tiredandoptimistic]

Every change in the new flower card book

Because I think about this series a normal amount, I went through my old copy of "An Illustrated History of Notable Shadowhunters and Denizens of Downworld" from 2016 and my new kickstarter edition that arrived yesterday, and took notes on every change. Some characters were added, some were given new art or facts, some had their information updated, and some are the same as they ever were. I split all these changes into categories, so you can look up what interests you. Full spoilery details below the cut.

First off, the general formatting was changed slightly. Instead of characters being split into categories based on series (TID, TLH, TMI, TFSA, TDA) and alphabatized by first name within those categories, they're all in one cohesive list that's alphabatized by surname.

So, to start with, there were a couple overall changes. In my old edition, characters had their common names listed above their flower card (ex: Alec Lightwood), and their full names on the page to the left that held their facts and stuff (ex: Alexander Gideon Lightwood). Some characters also have their maiden name on their flower card but their married name on the fact page, or vice versa (Celine Montclaire and Celine Herondale, or Helen Blackthorn and Helen Penhallow-Blackthorn). In the new edition, everyone is referred to by only one name, the common name that was already on the flower card. The section in the personal information for married/maiden name was also removed for all characters except Sophie Collins, Jocelyn Fray, Tessa Gray, Cecily Herondale, Imogen Herondale, Maryse Lightwood, and Jessamine Lovelace Gray. Characters with minor alterations to how their name is written: Helen Penhallow-Blackthorn became Helen Blackthorn Julian Atticus Blackthorn became Julian Blackthorn Mark Antony Blackthorn became Mark Blackthorn Emma Cordelia Carstairs became Emma Carstairs Charles Buford Fairchild became Charles Fairchild Charlotte Branwell became Charlotte Fairchild Clary Adele Fray became Clary Fray Amatis Herondale became Amatis Graymark Linette Owens became Linette Herondale Stephen William Herondale became Stephen Herondale William Owen Herondale became Will Herondale Alexander Gideon Lightwood became Alec Lightwood Isabelle Sophia Lightwood became Isabelle Lightwood Maxwell Joseph Lightwood became Max Lightwood Celine Herondale became Celine Montclaire Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern became Jonathan Morgenstern Jonathan Fairchild Morgenstern became "True" Jonathan Morgenstern Axel Mortmain (Hollingworth Shade) became Axel Mortmain Aline Blackthorn-Penhallow became Aline Penhallow Jaime Rocio Rosales became Jaime Rosales Woolsey Marmaduke Scott became Woolsey Scott Bartholomew Velasquez became Bat Velasquez All of these names are unchanged on the actual flower cards, it's just that the names on the fact page have been changed to match the names already on the flower cards.

Characters with alterations to their personal information: Magnus Bane's birth year was changed from "unknown" to "early 1600s" Arthur Blackthorn's birth year was changed from 1973 to 1964, though 1973 still makes more sense with the timeline and I believe that 1964 is a mistake. Drusilla Blackthorn's favorite weapon changes from unknown to "her sister Livvy's saber," and Rosewain is added to her family Livia Blackthorn has Rosewain added to her family Octavian Blackthorn has Rosewain added to his family Tatiana Blackthorn's favorite weapon is changed from n/a to demonic magic Tiberius Blackthorn's birth year is changed from 1997 to 1993 (which has to be a typo, Livvy is still born in 1997), his favorite weapon is changed from quarterstaff to sling weapon, and Rosewain is added to his family Alastair Carstairs's family name is changed from Turan to Jahanshah, and his favorite weapon is changed from Cortana to spears Cordelia Carstairs's family name is changed from Turan to Jahanshah Jem Carstairs's birth year is changed from 1861 to 1860 Sona Carstairs's birth year is changed from 1850 to 1861 (the new year matches better with the TLH timeline), her maiden name is changed from Turan to Jahanshah, and her previous married name of Verlac is removed Lily Chen's birth year is changed from unknown to 1885 Sophie Collins's favorite weapon is changed from hand mirror to hairbrush Charlotte Fairchild's favorite weapon is changed from sword to whip Matthew Fairchild's favorite weapon is changed from rapier to chalikers Nathanial Gray has Moore added to his family Gwyn ap Nudd's favorite weapon is changed from unknown to sword carved from the bone of a redcap Cecily Herondale has Owens added to her family James Herondale's family name is changed from Gray to Gray/Starkweather Lucie Herondale's family name is changed from Gray to Gray/Starkweather, and axe is added to her favorite weapons Will Herondale's birth year is changed from 1861 to 1860, and Owens is added to his family Anna Lightwood has whip added to her favorite weapons Jaime Rosales's favorite weapon is changed from poison to crossbow

Characters with new details added to their fun facts: Lady Midnight is changed to Lady Midnight AKA Annabel Blackthorn, and her fun fact has information about Annabel added onto the legend of Lady Midnight Drusilla Blackthorn gets a completely new fact about rigging up a projector to show Night of the Living Dead at the new Shadowhunter Academy Helen Blackthorn has the last sentence of her fact changed to say that she's no longer banished to Wrangel Island Livia Blackthorn has a completely new fact about Livia's Watch Tiberius Blackthorn gets a new fact about a mystery he solved at the Schoolmance Jem Carstairs has a new sentence added to the end of his fact acknowledging his new family with Tessa, Mina, and Kit Sona Carstairs gets a new fact explaining the retcon about her poisoning Theodor Verlac by saying that as a youth she was attacked by a demon that caused untrue rumors about her to spread and be believed Church has the last sentence of his fact changed to say that he's retired with Jem rather than at the LA institute Ragnor Fell has a new sentence added to his fact saying that he and Catarina have been going on adventures together since he came out of hiding Gwyn ap Nudd has a new sentence added to his fact saying that he's now able to confide his troubles in Diana Jace Herondale has a new half sentence added to his fact Kieran has two new sentences added to his fact about his reign as Unseelie King Alec Lightwood has new sentences added to his fact about his role in the Clave-in-exile Alien Penhallow has a new sentence added to his fact about how she's no longer banished to Wrangel Island Jia Penhallow has the last sentence of her fact changed to no longer reference being separated from her daughter Maia Roberts has a sentence added to her fact about her role in the Shadowhunter-Downworlder Alliance Diego Rosales has a new sentence added to his fact about his new role as the Inquisitor

Characters with new art in the new book: Drusilla Blackthorn Alastair Carstairs Cordelia Carstairs Jaime Rosales

Characters added in the new book: Adaon Ash Paige Ashdown Inquisitor Bridgestock Mina Carstairs Zara Dearborn Oliver Hayward Kit Herondale Janus Jarog the Enraged Divya Joshi Shinyun Jung Ke Yi Tian Claude Kellington Eugenia Lightwood Rayan Maduabuchi Nene Oban Thais Pedroso The Riders of Mannan Hypatia Vex Manuel Villalobos

Characters unchanged from the old book: Cameron Ashdown The Band (Eric, Kirk, and Matt) Camille Belcourt Grace Blackthorn Jesse Blackthorn Henry Branwell Maureen Brown The Dark Sisters Malcolm Fade Jocelyn Fray Luke Garroway Tessa Gray Edmund Herondale Imogen Herondale Tobias Herondale Jordan Kyle Simon Lewis Benedict Lightwood Gabriel Lightwood Gideon Lightwood Maryse Lightwood Robert Lightwood Thomas Lightwood Max Michael Lightwood-Bane Rafael Santiago Lightwood-Bane Catarina Loss George Lovelace Jessamine Lovelace Gray Meliorn Beatriz Velez Mendoza Chairman Meow Valentine Morgenstern Alexei de Quincey Raziel Johnny Rook Cristina Mendoza Rosales Raphael Santiago Seelie Queen Jonathan Shadowhunter Hodge Starkweather Michael Wayland Diana Wrayburn Brother Zachariah

Characters left out from the old book: Asmodeus (it's literally just him I don't know why he wasn't included in the new one)

Anyways, I know this is a lot of dense information that might not be interesting to everyone, but I had fun putting it all together (because there is no joy like cross-referencing). Obviously there might be some mistakes because I am a failible human, but this should be more or less everything. If anybody wants exact wording on the changed/added facts then just ask and I can tell you.

[allthelittlecreepycrawlies]

For the "Alliances" theme, what about a sangyao arranged marriage where it's other people's idea and they fall in love after getting married?

"I'm sorry," had been the first thing his da-ge said when the negotiation party had returned from Lanling.

When their father had agreed to a betrothal arrangement with Jin Guangshan, pretty much no one in the sect believed it would actually hold. After all, it had become very apparent that Jin-furen had no interest in making the effort to have a second child with a husband who was probably already a carrier of an unfathomable number of intimate diseases by the time their son had been born, and it had been just as apparent that Jin Guangshan would never consider any of the numerous bastards he'd sired across the jianghu to be worth even half a moment of attention.

But, apparently, he'd found this 'Meng Yao' to be passable enough to use as a game piece, and had sent a demand for the agreement to be honored.

There had been some alterations to the terms, as Nie Huaisang found when he forced himself to read through all of the polite legalese.

Though he would still be the one to wear the veil, ostensibly taking on the wife role, he would generously be allowed to remain at home with his da-ge, with Meng Yao being registered as marrying into the Nie sect and moving to the Unclean Realms instead of the reverse.

Thus ridding Jin Guangshan of an unwanted son while still giving him a claim to the dowry.

The most auspicious date listed was probably the most egregious lie in all of it. Not even a whole month away, it gave the Jin sect an excuse not to throw a properly-designed wedding banquet while still letting them show off how rich they were in that they could still make a lavish party out of their cast-offs.

All in all, it was a blatant spit in the eye for both his brother and his future husband, and the only reason Nie Huaisang could see for his brother and the elders to have agreed to such rudeness was to keep him out of Lanling and out of Jin Guangshan's hands.

He figured would have to be better-behaved for his brother for awhile as thanks for taking such a beating to his pride.

Even if it meant, ugh, letting himself be dragged to saber training.

But the new terms of agreement honestly made him feel more sorry for his betrothed than for himself. Short of just getting rid of him like he'd gotten rid of all the others, Jin Guangshan couldn't have made his haughty disdain for his son -for everyone involved, really, but especially his son- more obvious, and unless Meng Yao was a complete idiot, he had to be aware of how little his father cared.

Well.

If he was going to make the best of this garbage fire of an arrangement, he was going to need to know more about his husband-to-be than his name and who his father was.

---

It was almost time for their wedding party to leave for Lanling, so once the maids had finished fussing over his hair and makeup, Nie Huaisang read the notes from his spies one more time, then tucked them into the sleeve of his innermost robe.

As the carriage made its way along the road, he turned the information over in his mind, letting options spool out in front of him like threads ready to be pulled taut by the loom.

None of the spies had had any objections to Meng Yao as a person. They'd all found him soft-spoken, gentle, and clever; courteous even to servants, and pleasant to look at. He was just beginning cultivational training, but was dedicated and a quick study.

All in all, an ideal spouse, really.

But every one of them had painted an unflattering picture of his heritage. His father had been a regular customer of a courtesan in a brothel near the border between the Jiang and Wen sects, who'd suddenly found excuses to stop visiting when she bore a child a year to the day before Jin Zixuan had been born.

What a mess.

No wonder Jin Guangshan had wanted so badly to make use of him.

No wonder Jin Guangshan had wanted so badly to get rid of him.

But Nie Huaisang could see the potential that Jin Guangshan was willing to squander. If Meng Yao proved willing to play along, they could make it so that he'd be worth more than the bride price Qinghe Nie had paid in return for him.

---

Even under the veil, Nie Huaisang could see the stiffness in his betrothed's posture.

Though Meng Yao was clearly doing his best to remain composed, a polite smile painted on his otherwise-neutral expression, he still gave off an air of a man awaiting execution, or a fox with its leg caught in a snare.

As they knelt side by side to begin the ceremony, Nie Huaisang used the heavy fabric of their sleeves to hide when he laced their fingers together and gave the hand he held a gentle squeeze.

Meng Yao started the smallest bit in surprise, then... relaxed. Not enough that he stopped looking trapped, but enough that it was evident he'd appreciated the gesture. And even losing just that tiny sliver of iron in his spine already made him look more attractive.

This was going to work out for them.

Nie Huaisang was sure of it.

(Nie Huaisang would make sure of it.)

[nasuversekinkmeme]

Weekly Roundup: Prompts

FSN

My most cringe prompt: Instead of modern age, the FSN Servants (somehow) got summoned in the Paleothilic, where their Masters are "UNGA BUNGA" people. Like imagine if Saber can't understand what Shirog (Caveboy Shirou) saying. Only Heracles understands caveman language.

(WARNING: MAJOR FSN SPOILERS for people just reading it now) So according to Nasu & Co., Shirou has a very low chance of becoming Archer in any route, the least in HF, with future installments implying that he could become EMIYA Alter instead via Mind of Steel ending in that route. But that does mean it's theoretically possible somewhere in the multiverse. Therefore, I'd like to see an UBW "Bad Ending" where Shirou, after years in spite of Rin at his side, becomes Archer. (Saber can be there too if you want but please keep emphasis on Shirou and Rin's dynamic.) Shirou: Become everything you swore to never be. Question if destiny can truly not be overcome. Your girlfriend begins to recognize parts of the man you never wanted to be in you and her treatment of you shifts accordingly. How do you handle any of that? How do you live with yourself and with knowing what fate awaits you? How does Rin cope with everything? What are the first signs, how well does she handle seeing Shirou slowly turn into her former servant? Knowing Archer asked her to help him and she failed? Is maybe a part of her even happy about it because she misses Archer? Just... Post-UBW Shirou turning into Archer.

(Kinda take in the HF route) Shirou Emiya just arrives at the Gate of Hell after his death due to destroy the Grail. His body was the same as the day he was born (no clothes). Shirou, like many other naked souls just arrived at Lake Acheron, waiting for Charon the ferryman to ferry them. While Shirou has ignore the cries of the souls from the Vestibule of Hell and the ones on the same boat with him. There is one cry that he heard: It was Shinji, who was punished in the 3rd ring of the 7th Circle. (Basically a Shirou meets Shinji again in Hell). Kirei Kotomine is Hell's tour guide, and Shirou gets to beat Shinji up for what he did to Sakura.

EXTRAVERSE

M!Hakuno/Nameless (EMIYA, Archer, insert your name of choice here) Something. Please. (If NSFW, bonus points for Top Hakuno, but I'm not picky)

APOCRYPHA

Fate Apocrypha but everyone has a mustache.

FGO

Achilles and Odysseus having a very romantic day at an amusement park.

Gudako/Mashu cuddle?

Woodwose and Boggart screams because they're slept together on the same bed at the morning. (Mainly due to the wines they drank last night)

Middle school Guda and Mori Nagayoshi meeting for the first time in an All Boys' Only MIddle School. (OC2 prompt)

smut, yakudou cnc/ntr play. One of them gets tied up in a corner and is forced to watch while the other "assault" the third one, bragging about how good it feels to fuck them, how the other clearly WISHES they could partake, making fun of both the "assaulted" and the rope bunny for getting turned on by the situation, ect. No preference as to who plays which part.

age gap, mash/roman as a ship. can be anything from "mash has a one-sided crush that roman gently turns down" to "roman being the only person to show affection to this homunculus is taken to its logical grooming extreme." All I ask of you is to not make it a sweet unproblematic ship. It's a fucked up dynamic I wanna see the fucked up dynamic.

nsfw, Ritsuka sandwiched between both Dantes (NSFW) (preferred if ritsuka was gender neutral)

I reaaally want to see a fic where gudao and mash end up in a romantic relationship... because that's the natural course of action, right? A boy and a girl, as close as they are, surely it HAS to be for romance reasons, right? What they're feeling for each other MUST be romantic love, right??? (you get an extra kiss on the forehead if you make one/both of them realize they're queer along the way. Could be they're both gays. Could be that Mash is straight but Gudao realizes she's a trans girl. Could be that one of them is aro. Whatever you want!)

age gap, Mash and Goredolf. Stuck in a room you can't leave unless you have sex. (You don't actually have to include sex if you don't want to, mostly I REALLY want to see those two grappling with the whole "I wouldn't in a million year consider you a romantic option and yet here we are.")

Olga Marie going through the Grand Order with Ritsuka and Mash and getting hit on by at least one Servant per Singularity. Yes that includes the events.

SAMREM

Iori realizes theyre trans. I dunno what this would change, if anything, but it happens and at the very least it results in a thumbs up from Rogue Berserker.

ANY

Nasuversekinkmeme as a Master. (The entire blog, obviosuly)

The nasukinkmeme mod as a fate servant

My request is... self inserts!! I want you guys to draw/write yourselves as servants. What's your class ? Whose servant would be your homies? How well would you fair in a holy grail war? Cringe culture is dead, go buckwild!!

[tgrailwar-zero]

(holding the scraps of Chaotic Heroic Act 3, contemplatively)

Egh... hey, ah, Empress Nero... if we, uh...

... if we found a... really grim portent...

... when would be a good time to ruin the mood?

Asking cuz I think we found Act 3, and it's rather...

There was a short moment of silence as NERO read, and then as it was passed around to the others to read. Eventually, it found its way back to Nero.

CONSTANTINE placed a hand on her shoulder, with a worried look.

CONSTANTINE: "…Antecessor Nero…"

NERO shook her head, folding it up and casually sticking it within her bosom for storage. MUSASHI whistled. CONSTANTINE frowned.

CONSTANTINE: "Antecessor Nero."

NERO: "Do not worry for me. I am well. An Emperor knows better than to cry around her peers. I will say this- I won't forgive that Titan. I will not be satisfied until I am victorious..."

With that statement, it seemed as if the air changed from quiet contemplation to tactical plotting incredibly quickly.

NERO: "Let us see… a Rider, a Caster, a Saber, a Foreigner, and an Avenger… and of course, whatever you are, my Ensemble. Perhaps you're the key, as you were the gestalt necro-weapon born from the Moon, and presumably one of the Titan's thralls. I'd hope so, as I do not believe we have the firepower ourselves."

She began, with a stately tone.

KUKULKAN: "Nothing's changed then! We protect the Masters with everything we have!"

MUSASHI: "So, the goal is simple. Gain the permission to leave from the Lair Servants, and then reach the Moon, and then win."

AVENGER: "They'll will need to pass Saber first. With that being the case, would that not mean that Saber's alliance is with the former 'Interlopers', rather than the current? Making him an enemy of the Solar Cell, and a prospective pawn of the White Titan?"

The Avenger's voice rumbled and echoed throughout the camp, causing the campfire itself to shudder as his shadowed form grew slightly more tangible.

CONSTANTINE: "…Right. That White Program… and what was happening to those Valkyrie..."

MUSASHI: "That, in addition to Saber and Caster going at each other's throats… if I didn't know any better, I'd think there's a storm on the horizon…"

AVENGER: "The War is over, so attention must be shifting elsewhere."

MUSASHI: "Yeah, I got that from my source too. Let's scratch everything- forget red versus blue, we're dealing with four potential factions."

KUKULKAN: "Right. First, the Lair Servants- Servants that have been summoned to the Solar Cell. We'll say that their 'Master' is the 'Heavenly Divinity' that everyone keeps going on about, though who knows how their contract works. Let's call them the 'Keepers of the Solar Cell', for simplicity. Or the Sun Buddies, maybe? That's cute, yes?"

NERO: "Of course, there are Servants like you, Lady Musashi. Rogue entities that have the capacity to join our cause."

KUKULKAN: "Saber has the Origins of… what was it? Berserker, Rider, Foreigner, and… Caster? And Lancer is a Lair Servant now, so that means… potentially Assassin and Archer, yes? Those are the only ones left?"

AVENGER: "In the case that they're alive and can be reasoned with anyhow…"

NERO: "Or their Spirit Origins haven't been altered, or used to summon a new Servant. We can't assume that trick can only belong to the Masters."

CONSTANTINE: "Then, there are the now rogue Servants from the War. Chances are that most of them are gone, faded away without any sort of Mana Regeneration or Independent Action skill, unless they're being very careful about the souls they're stealing for mana- enough so that they don't get slaughtered by the local Lair Servant. Let's… assume that means at the very minimum, the Red Archer remains… and pray that I'm proven wrong."

KUKULKAN: "…And finally, Saber. Visiting his city, I don't think mana resources is a problem, yes? And he has claimed two major territories. The Hamlet alone had very good leylines thanks to Doctor Asclepius… if he was smart, he'd turn that place into a battery, yes? It's not as if there are people there to oppose any terraforming."

CONSTANTINE: "To clarify- four factions. The Keepers of the Solar Cell--"

MUSASHI: "--Sun Buddies. I like what Kuku said."

CONSTANTINE: "…Keepers of the Solar Cell, then King Charlemagne's Army, Rogue Servants drifting around from the prior wars, and us."

NERO: "Lots to think about… ugh, my migraine is coming back. I'm going to retire to my chambers. Go team, and all that."

With that, she clutched her head and stumbled off to her own tent.

MUSASHI: "...Sheesh... she knows she doesn't have to try and keep it together for us, right?"

CONSTANTINE: "Pride is important to an Emperor. Still... she has a point. This is a lot to take in. Resting our eyes and our minds for at least a little while is probably the best course."

With that, you watched as the camp grew more and more silent as each Servant vanished off to their respective quarters, leaving you alone in the night air for a moment.

[douglysium]

Alter Ego of Truth and Lies: Hugues de Payens (Full Profile)

*Note that all information in this profile is subject to change at any time.

Class: Alter Ego

True Name: Hugues de Payens

Nickname: Alter Ego, Alter Ego of Truth and Lies, AERT, Hugues de Payens Prototype, Hughes de Payens, Grandmaster Hugues, The First Templar, The Most Righteous of Templars, “Big Sister/Brother,” “Mistaken Fool,” Hugues de Payns, Hugo de Paganis, Hues de Paiens delez Troies("Hugh of Payens near Troyes"), Ugo de' Pagani, Master of the Knights of the Temple

Characteristics

Species: Servant, Human

Gender: Male, Nonbinary, Female

Height: 1.72 Meters

Weight: 90kg with Armor

70kg without Armor 

Blood Type: Unknown

Place of Origin: Payens, France

Birthday: 1070

Age: Unknown

Personal Information

Addresses self as: Watashi(わたし), Jibun(じぶん)

Likes: Truth, God, honesty, Knights Templar, the countryside, rustic villages, Saint Mary(the mother of Christ)

Dislikes: Lies, demons, dishonesty, rumors, hearsay, heresy, Knights Templar, secrets, undead

Talents: accounting, managing money and finances, rallying people to a cause

Natural Enemy: Hassan-i-Sabbah, Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyubn, Knights Hospitaller, and the Teutonic Knights

Image Color: Blood Red, White and Silver

Affiliations:

Knights Templar

Family Members

Thibaud(Son)

Many possible descendants

Servant Stats

Type: Heroic Spirit

Source: Legends of the Knights Templars, Historical fact, Rumors about the Knights Templars

Region: Payens, France

Alignment: Lawful Good

Hidden Attribute: Man

Armaments: Sword, mace, and shield

Known Summoning Catalysts: a sword once used by Hugues de Payens, a mace once used by Hugues de Payens, a coin from some of the money that Hugues de Payens managed, a piece of Hugues de Payen’s shield, and a fragment of Temple Midlothian.

Qualified Servant Classes

Within the prime Fate timelines AERT is an entity that split off from the original/true Hugues de Payens(Shielder Hugues de Payens Profile). They are born from a mixture of both truth and some of the rumors surrounding the Knights Templar during/after Jacques de Molay and the Templars he led were accused of and charged with practicing witchcraft and heresy. So great were these rumors that they spread like wildfire and came to affect not only Jacques de Molay but the very image of the Templars themselves. Some of these rumors are what led to the birth of this Hugues. Due to the fact that they are split off from the actual Hugues de Payens they are eligible for all the classes she is eligible for and some extra ones due to their altered mental state and some of the skills they have gained from myths and rumors. Interestingly, within the prototype timelines, this Alter Ego Hugues is the default/real one and is thus not eligible for the Alter Ego class in said timelines.

Alter Ego

This class is a natural fit for a being born from rumors that split off from the original Hugues de Payens. Their existence is a delicate one as they are constantly being pulled mentally in two separate directions. First, there is the side of Hugues and the Templars that was seen as noble, and heroic. Alongside that, there were even some myths that saw Hugues and their knights as holy or on the search for holy objects and relics. Some even believe that they found some of these objects. On the other hand, you have the corruption created by those who saw the very Templars and their entire order as corrupt and rotten with heresy and witchcraft. AERT is constantly being pulled towards either side. While they try to uphold and perform the values of their holy order the whispers of countless rumors and accusations constantly try to pull them towards being part of the corrupt order everyone “knows” they are. As if countless people want their suspicions and lies confirmed to be true. This has caused AERT to become more paranoid and to go even further to prove their devotion to God and his faith.

Saber

Many crusaders were well known for their zeal for God as well as the bravery and violence they would display in his name. As a Saber, this part is emphasized and Hugues is noticeably more aggressive and offensive in their close combat fighting style. This is reflected in how Hugues has the Valor skill in this form. This form of Hugues is affected by the more exaggerated and fantastical tales of the Templars than the Saber form of the other Shielder Hugues. In this form, AERT is also unaffected by the rumors that burden the Knights Templar. They also have a Noble Phantasm based on the flag of the Templars. There was a rule that stated no warriors of the Templars should ever surrender unless the Templar flag had fallen, and even then they were to try to regroup with another one of the Christian orders first, such as the Hospitallers. It was only after all the flags had fallen that they were allowed to leave the battlefield. As a Noble Phantasm, this flag makes Hugues and any Knights Templar within its range unable to die until the flag is either destroyed or falls, or until Hugues runs out of mana.

Rider

The crusades were massive war campaigns in the name of God and the holy land. This fact is epitomized when Hugues is summoned in this form. They specialize less in one on one combat and more on directing and summoning large armies.

Berserker

It is well known that the crusades were quite violent. Despite how many crusaders felt like they were fighting for a holy cause, it is unsurprising that during battle many of them would have been overtaken by anger or embraced rage. With some believing their anger to be the wrath of God or striving to be the embodiment of God's wrath on the battlefield. In this form Hugues has access to a version of the Noble Phantasm Deus Vult: The Rallying Dream of the Crusaders. But it acts slightly differently, as the Noble Phantasm will not end until all of their opponents have been killed and/or defeated or Hugues and their army dies.

Shielder

This Hugues’ shielder form is somewhat different from the female one. In this form AERT specializes in defensive formations meant to protect the holy land and its faithful pilgrims. Due to this AERT takes the form of a noble protector with abilities that allow them to protect holy sites, saints and people of the same faith. However, these same abilities damage and bring drawbacks upon those of different religions, demonic entities, or those who wield black/demonic magic.

Foreigner

In this form Hugues has succumbed to the corruption of rumors and has taken on a heretical form based on the lies told about the Knights Templar. Hugues has had their form twisted by this on top of becoming possessed by an outer god. In this form they wield powerful black magic and demonic magic. It is possible that Jacques de Molay(Foreigner) has something to do with this form’s existence. Meaning that there is a chance this form can only be summoned under specific circumstances or when Foreigner Jacques is present.

Ruler 

In this form Hugues’ side that follows the way of god has won out, standing above all the rumors spread about their order. The legends of the Templar finding holy artifacts has also further amplified this form’s resistance to the corruption of rumors. They are saint-like and have no wish for the grail themselves(qualifying them for this class), only wishing to observe and protect the grail and fight in the name of God.

Avenger

In this form Hugues has succumbed to the corruption of rumors and has taken on a heretical form based on the lies told about the Knights Templar. Unlike their Foreigner form, however, they are not possessed by any outer god. So they seek vengeance on all those who falsely accused and besmirched the good name of the order of the Templars through any means necessary.

Other Versions- Shielder Hugues de Payens(Shielder Hugues de Payens Profile)

Parameters

Strength: A

Endurance: B+

Agility: D

Mana: B

Luck: C+-

NP: A+

Hugues’ luck stat is odd since it has both a + and a -. What this means is that AERT’s luck is unstable and has a chance of jumping up to an effectiveness greater than that of B rank or dropping in effectiveness to a point where it is less effective than a luck stat of D. They also appear to be slower than that of the real Hugues. Their Endurance has also slightly dropped due to not being in a more defensive shielder form.

Class Skills

Magic Resistance: B++

At B rank, it is a skill that cancels spells with a chant below three verses. Even if targeted by greater magecraft and Greater Rituals, it is difficult for the user to be affected.

In the case of AERT the skill increases in effectiveness when resisting holy and/or demonic magic and magecraft.

Riding: C

At C rank, it is a skill that allows one to flawlessly manage beasts and vehicles if they have received the proper training and adjustments. Most vehicles and animals can be handled with above average skill. However, the user cannot ride the likes of Phantasmal Species such as Monstrous Beasts.

In life Hugues could ride horses quite well which has translated to having this skill.

Madness Enhancement: E-

At E rank the user does not receive the benefits of Mad Enhancement nor do they lose any of their reasoning abilities, and overall they just become a little rougher.

This would be a much higher rank if AERT was summoned as a Berserker. At this rank it does also make Hugues slightly more focused on proving faith through combat and numbs their ability to feel pain to a degree.

Personal Skills

Defense of the Faithful: C

A skill that acts as a variation of the Self-Field Defense Class Skill of the Shielder Class. Like Self-Field Defense, it protects allies and allied territory, with the skill’s range increasing the higher the rank, but unlike Self-Field Defense it only works on those who the owner deems to be faithful or shares the same religious beliefs as them.

Given that Hugues de Payens was the first Grandmaster, their desire to protect their Order´s true purpose and those who devote their life for said Order manifested as a Defensive Barrier made to protect soldiers and pilgrims alike who are faithful and wish to journey to the Holy Land.

Charisma of the First Grandmaster: B+

A skill born out of the fact that Hugues de Payens was the first Grandmaster of the Templar Order, not only were they Cofounder of the Order alongside their friend Bernard of Clairvaux, but they were considered the most capable person of leading it, being capable of proving their prowess both as a spiritual and military Leader during the 20 years they served as the Order´s Leader. They are capable of inspiring almost anyone who has joined their order to follow them. It appears that in the case of AERT the skill’s effectiveness has dropped one rank. This is due to the influence of rumors making people less trusting of the Knights Templar order in general.

Vow to Renounce Temptation: C+-

A Skill born out the vow Hugues and the other original Templars took once the Order was first created, it's a decree that states that they will renounce the world and all of its temptation, material wealth, etc. in order to attain purity in the name of God, it's a skill that shows their devotion for their cause as a Templar, being ready to renounce anything in the name of the Lord almighty. For AERT it has been lowered a rank due to their Innocent Monster skill. Making it less effective as well as less stable and more prone to fluctuations in its effectiveness.

Latin Rule: A++

A special Skill that in truth is one of the Noble Phantasms Hugues de Payens has in possession, it's described as a code of honor that all Templars had to uphold which was written by both Bernard de Clairvaux and Hugues de Payens. It describes how the Knights should behave at all times both in and out of battle, stipulating the needed punishments to be taken if it wasn't fulfilled. Innocent Monster has caused this skill to drop one tank.

Golden Rule: C

A Skill that refers to the measurement of one's fortune to acquire wealth. With this skill money will seem to find its way towards a servant.

The Templars are notable for being prominent in the field of finance and Hugues helped establish the order as a financial institution. Like their institute, Hughes is proficient at handling money which has manifested as this skill. While this skill does not guarantee they will be rich it does prevent them from accidentally becoming broke or falling into debt.

Innocent Monster: C+-

An attribute possessed by Servants whose true history and existence have been distorted by the monstrous reputations and gossips they accrued across the course of their life and thereafter, without concern for the actual person's will or appearance. As a consequence, the Servant's abilities and appearance have been rendered to conform to the specifications of their legend. Incidentally, this Personal Skill cannot be removed. Hugues is constantly fighting off the mental effects of this skill with faith so it often drops in effectiveness. This skill has a chance of rising in potency if AERT is hit with a demonic or black magic attack and will decrease in potency if hit with a holy or divine attack.

This skill can potentially affect many of the Servants in the Knights Templar due to the rumors of heresy, demonic magic, and black magic surrounding Jacques de Molay and the Templars. Hugues considers it their burden and believes that it will be dispelled once they dispel all the rumors and lies told of their order. To them it is a reminder of the shortcomings of the order and proof that either their faith wasn’t strong enough or that they didn’t perform God's will enough. It appears that the effectiveness of this skill is also tied to Hugues’ master. If said master is one of faith or believes Hugues to be one then the skill is less effective. But if they practice heretical teachings or believe the rumors about the Templars then the effectiveness of the skill will be raised.

Noble Phantasms

Liber de Laude: Praise to the Righteous Templar- Rank A(Anti-Unit (Self)), Maximum Number of targets 1~20,000

Liber de Laude, also known Liber ad milites templi de laude novae militiae which roughly translates to “Book to the Knights of the Temple, in praise of the new knighthood” is a book attested to Hugues de Payens, written by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux which served to boost the morale of all of the Templar Knights due to its tone and timing. The book was something Hugues de Payens desired to write in order to maintain the hope, faith, and morale of their Templars, but due to unknown circumstances was unable to write it themselves, thus they asked for help from their friend Bernand to write it for them, even going as far as to have asked him 3 times to write such texts for their knights. Bernard mentions in the text that it was all the idea of Hugues themself, as the text both talked about how much knighthood had fallen since the Age of Knights and how the Templars, unlike other contemporary knights, remained just and righteous, with them being the last defenders of the God almighty´s teachings, equating their crusade as a righteous journey that they must go through to achieve salvation. Despite the worries the Templars of said time had on whether their cause remained just or not, Hugues and Bernand ensured to write something to keep their morale up in order to reach their ideal of salvation.

This Noble Phantasm works by essentially rallying up the forces under Hugues’ command, essentially boosting their morale to continue fighting no matter how dire or difficult the situation may be, convincing them that their fight is a righteous one worth fighting for. Once the Noble Phantasm is activated, it would be as if Hugues read the actual book in its entirety, pointing at the flaws their current enemies possess while highlighting and glorifying all the virtues their allies possess in order to boost them for battle, giving them the belief needed to surpass any enemy as they continue their righteous crusade. Liber de Laude is capable of boosting thousands of Allies at a time, being capable of letting them face enemies that are stronger than them, and even in theory being able to make simple soldiers into fighters strong enough to contend with E Rank Servants, showing the great power and motivation the text truly possesses. But it's far from an all powerful boost as despite being capable of giving a great boost to its allies, they need to truly believe that they are capable of that for the effects of Liber de Laude to take effect, meaning that an ally with great enough Mental Pollution or an enemy with great Resistance to Mental Attacks may not be affected as easily, and also… Just like their Order, it's not a permanent boost and eventually it will fade away.

“Knights are impure savages, driven only by lust and greed

Their path of Knighthood has been tainted, lost by the Evil of Men

But thy path is still Bright oh Brethren in arms, your righteousness can still be shown

Your fearless sacrifice in the name of the Lord won't be in vain, your Holy belief shall carry you onward. So raise up your arms for Battle! Dictate your wish to fight for what is right! Fight for proof of what you truly are! FACE ALL WHO TAINT YOUR HOLY CRUSADE, REACH UNTO THE GATES OF HEAVEN! LIBER DE LAUDE!” 

“HEAR THY VOICE FELLOW TEMPLARS AND PREPARE FOR BATTLE!

IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO PROVE YOUR WORTH AS A KNIGHT!

SHOW YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS AGAINST THOSE WHO TAINT KNIGHTHOOD! 

KEEP YOUR HEAD UPTIGHT AS YOUR CHARGE TOWARDS THE GATES OF HEAVEN

YOU ARE THE GUARDIANS OF THE LORD'S TEACHINGS, FIGHT TO PROVE OUR CAUSE!

LIBER DE LAUDE!”

“BURN ALL THOSE WHO DARE CALL US HERETIC!!! LET THEM HEAR OUT TENETS OF FAITH AND KNIGHTHOOD!!! LIBER DE LAUDE!!!”

Deus Vult: The Rallying Dream of the Crusaders- Rank A+(Anti-Army), Maximum Number of targets 1~1,000

This is the legendary chant used to signify the beginning of the crusade, once chanted by Pope Urban in order to trick those poor souls that would die for his ambitions now became a chant of honor and unity between all knights that made up the Templar, a single phrase “God

wills it” which became a symbol for this Holy Crusade… It’s the chant that

united so many people under one single goal. The Holy Crusades weren’t a single event that happened just once, it was a massive moment in Christian history as it saw the rise of various warriors of faith who gave their life to reclaim the Holy Land of Jerusalem as that was the promised land told by the Lord, in fact it wasn’t merely a single Crusade but various which were fought across years by different religious leaders with different amounts of success, an event that shook the Christian world by its sheer magnitude.

All of those who have led a crusade have access to this Noble Phantasm in one form or another. Despite theoretically having the same potential under all of its users, its effectiveness varies depending on how beloved they were as leaders or what crusade they led. So in truth, no two crusader kings would have the same usage of this Noble Phantasm. 

Despite not being the leader of any particular crusade, Hugues de Payens is capable of calling forth for the aid of any Templar known throughout history, being able to summon any and all Templars known throughout history to aid them in battle… Summoning any future grandmaster of their order and every nameless soul who truly believed in the ideal that the Templars upheld… and in theory… they could even summon their old friend Bernard through this Noble Phantasm. 

Once activated, Hugues will be able to manifest the world where their crusade took place, being able to summon all the different crusaders that fought at her side as Phantoms of humans who lost their name in history, while they lack any sort of skill and class the sheer

numbers that they possess makes them capable of overwhelming even the strongest of servants for a limited amount of time.

  Of course, the crusaders summoned are just as strong as humans, so they aren’t hard to get rid of, but their conviction makes them continue fighting even at the brink of death, in some special cases it’s possible for a few to manifest as actual historical figures that have fought in the crusades, but they lack access to their skills and Noble Phantasms. But as expected, such a Noble Phantasm requires a great amount of mana to be used, and in most cases can only be used once per battle before Hugues is forced to squeeze their master out of all the magical energy they possess… Also, this Noble Phantasm, while strong against individual servants, is far from perfect as techniques which have massive areas of destruction, such as many anti-fortress and some anti-army Noble Phantasms, would be capable of wiping out the entire Crusade in mere seconds.

AERT’s version of this Noble Phantasm varies slightly from that of the actual Hugues as they are capable of summoning even fictional Templars as long as enough people believed them to have existed at some point. Furthermore, it gains an increase in effectiveness when it is used to attack someone/something with demonic magic/objects and those wielding holy objects. While the crusade stomps out anything it sees as heretical it is also enhanced by the legends of the Templars searching for and obtaining holy artifacts. If the Noble Phantasm is targeting someone with a demonic object the onslaught of the army will refuse to stop until every soldier has died or the demonic object has been destroyed. If Deus Vult is used to kill someone with a holy object or relic the Noble Phantasm will basically “steal” it. Allowing Hugues to use it as a Noble Phantasm of their own. If this holy object happens to be the Noble Phantasm of another servant it will transfer to AERT with no degradation in rank, effectiveness, or quality.

“IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO RAISE UP YOUR ARMS ONCE MORE!

WE FIGHT FOR GOD'S GLORY, WE FIGHT FOR SALVATION AND THE LIGHT OF TOMORROW! WE SHALL GRACE THE HEAVEN AND REACH OUR RIGHTEOUS PLACE

FOR THE GLORY OF GOD, TO HONOR KING SOLOMON, HEAR THY CALL OH HOLY TEMPLARS DEUS VULT!”

“Our crusade JUST, our faith PURE, or wrath HOLY. Now show all those non-believers just what I am referring to! DEUS VULT!!!”

“IF GOD WILLS IT THEN WHO AM I TO DENY IT!? DEUS VULT!!!”

“This will be a crusade to cleanse the land… DEUS VULT!!!”

Ignea Veritas et Fides: Burn Away the Heretic, the Liar, and the Non-Believer- Rank C(Anti-Unit), Maximum Number of targets 1~10

A manifestation of the more fanatical side of the crusades and the Templars to punish the non-believers and the heretics,

It takes the form of a cleansing flame that coats anything Hugues is holding that they recognize as a weapon. These flames will burn all those who do not believe in the Christian faith or those who practice heretical teachings, such as witchcraft or demonic magic. It is harmless to the likes of true saints or the faithful though. If the fire burns someone who is not on the level of a servant they will be burnt to ash in mere moments. Entities such as servants who are burnt by the flame will feel it and continue to do so until they become a believer of the Christian faith and renounce their heretical ways or until Hugues dies. This also applies to non-servants if they manage to survive through some outside aid or miracle.

This Noble Phantasm also works the same way against existences that are considered “unholy” such as zombies, vampires, and Dead Apostles.

Unfortunately, the partially corrupted state Hugues de Payens takes in their Alter Ego form means that they feel a burning sensation in the parts of their body that have been too corrupted as long as they are using this Noble Phantasm. AERT sees this pain as a test of faith though.

The Noble Phantasm also burns those who are actively lying. This also means Hugues themselves cannot tell a lie while using this ability lest they burst into flames. This Noble Phantasm burns a hotter blue if used within a church or anywhere sufficiently holy.

“As God wills, I will make sure you burn for your deeds! IGNEA VERITA ET FIDES!!!”

“Sinners like you must be punished. IGNEA VERITA ET FIDES!!!”

Secans Mendacium: The Blade of Burning Falsehood- Rank B-(Anti-Unit), Maximum Number of targets 1~10

All the rumors and assumptions people had towards the Knights Templar have coalesced into the physical form of a large strange living cursed sword composed of Phantoms, Wraiths, and rumors. Whenever Hugues wields this sword their Innocent Monster increases by one rank and their Vow to Renounce Temptation decreases by one rank. When used it also pushes them closer to a Templar that all the rumors and lies said the order was. The sword also seems to physically corrupt Hugues every time they unleash its True Name.

The sword constantly whispers to Hugues, beckoning them to worship demons and unleash its True Name. The sword also whispers to those near Hugues and attempts to corrupt those that touch it. So Hugues must remain vigilant and faithful. When the true name is unleashed the sword is bathed in a demonic hellflame that whispers lies and rumors as it burns. This flame is then unleashed in the form of a fiery slash at its target. Those who are hit by the flame will be inflicted with visions and whispers of all those who hate them and all the negative things that the world believes about them. If a servant doesn’t have a strong enough protection to mental attacks they can end up turning into an alter form of themselves if they fail a luck check.

Every time Hugues unleashes this sword’s true name the grip of rumors upon their form becomes stronger and stronger. If AERT uses this Noble Phantasm’s true name more than 6 times then they will be transformed into an alter and lose the “grace of god.” Becoming the heretical knight of witchcraft and demonic magics that many believed the Templars were.

Hugues’ left arm appears to be physically corrupted and weirdly thin and purple. When Hugues wields their Secans Mendacium Noble Phantasm that arm becomes unnaturally muscular. The corruption can be seen trying to spread throughout their body in a vein or root-like fashion. It appears to grow in strength and size whenever Hugues uses Secans Mendacium.

“Please God, have mercy on my soul. SECANS MENDACIUM!!!”

“I am sorry God. I can only ask for your forgiveness. SECANS MENDACIUM!!!”

“If that is what you think the Templars are then FINE. SO BE IT!!! SECANS MENDACIUM!!!”

“I’m sorry my lord God, but I need to win this fight. SECANS MENDACIUM!!!”

Miscellaneous Skills, Abilities, and Equipment

They are trained in the ways of the Church and are extremely proficient with using things like black keys and scriptures in combat. This gives them an edge when fighting the undead and/or unholy as well as other spirits.

They wield a sword that is smaller than their Noble Phantasm. They often use this as their main weapon instead of their Noble Phantasm due to said Noble Phantasm’s corruptive influence. They also wield a special flail for longer ranged combat. It can also physically hit and bind spirits.

The flail is a relic that has been blessed and is extremely effective against demonic and undead entities, such as Dead Apostles and vampires.

They also wield a large shield. There’s nothing particularly special about it except for the fact that it is blessed with special wards and tougher than any normal shield.

They always seem to smell of burning incense.

They seem to have some sort of odd connection with the proper Hugues and can sometimes recall events she experienced of people she has met.

Background

AERT’s true identity is that of Hugues de Payens, the co-founder and first Grand Master of the Order of the Templar Knights, the most famous order of Knights during the Holy Crusades. However, while this form of Hugues is real in the prototype universe in the normal timeline they are not the real Hugues(Shielder Hugues de Payens Profile). Instead they are an entity that split off from her in the form of an Alter Ego born from a mix of fact and the rumors/hearsay regarding the Knights of Templar. While some were good, many of the rumors that Hugues was born from regard how the last Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, apparently practiced witchcraft, black magic, and heresy. While this would normally only affect Jacques the rumors involved the very Templars themselves, causing its corruption to seep into many different forms of members of the Knights Templars.

AERT shares almost all of the same background as the figure they sprung from. Not much is known about Hugues de Payens' life as there isn't any account that serves as a Bibliography of their life. Most of their early years were surrounded in mystery, with historians barely getting somewhat of a time period where they were born given that in the year 1085–1090 Hugues was a witness to a donation by Count Hugh of Champagne in a document, at that point they must have been at least 16 years of age which at that time meant they was a legal adult in order to be a witness of such a document, meaning that they would have been born no later than the Year 1070. While there weren't many documents directly mentioning Hugues, the most famous attestment to their name came from the fact that they were the co-founder and subsequent first Grand Master of the Templar Order of Knights. It was said that Hugues de Payens went on a pilgrimage to the Land of Jerusalem alongside Hugh, Count of Champagne around the year 1104-1107 but while the count had then returned to France Hugues had stayed in the Holy Land as there were future documents that refer to them with the title of "Master of the Knights of the Temple", but the Templars themselves are said to have originated much earlier than that. The chronicler Simon de St. Bertin wrote that Hugues de Payens approached King Baldwin II of Jerusalem (whose reign began in 1118) alongside Bernard of Clairvaux and eight other knights, two of whom were brothers and all of whom were his relatives by either blood or marriage, in order to form the Order of the Knights Templar. The other knights were Godfrey de Saint-Omer, Payen de Montdidier, Archambaud de St. Amand, André de Montbard, Geoffrey Bison, and two men recorded only by the names of Rossal and Gondamer. Baldwin approved the foundation of the Order and entrusted the Temple of Jerusalem to its care. Count Hugh of Champagne himself joined the Knights Templar on his third visit to the Holy Land in 1125. As Grand Master, Hugues de Payens led the Order for almost twenty years until their death, helping to establish the Order's foundations as an important and influential military and financial institution. On his visit to England and Scotland in 1128, he raised men and money for the Order, and also founded their first House in London and another near Edinburgh at Balantrodoch, now known as Temple Midlothian. He also helped develop the famed Latin Rule which served as the first set of rules of conduct for the Order.

At some point Hugues encountered and fought one, and possibly more, of the Hassan-i-Sabbah during one of the crusades they took part in. They have only ever managed to get the Hassan to retreat and wounded one by cutting off one of their limbs. However, they have yet to kill a Hassan.

Some legends surrounding the Templars perpetuate the idea of the order having a mysterious nature. Claiming that the Knights Templar excavated a sacred treasure from the ruins of Solomon’s Temple. Which according to the rumors prompted them to go to Rome in 1127. However, there is little evidence backing up these claims.

Eventually, on an unknown date Hugues had died… the details regarding their death are scarce and no source seems to agree on the reason why they ended up perishing, and it seemed that with their death, the Templar Order began deteriorating more and more as it slowly began devolving from an Order created to uphold the ideal of holiness and righteousness set by God, to an organization built upon money and power… a true bastardization of what the Templars were created upon.

Appearance

Torn between traits of fact and fiction as well as holiness and corruption, AERT has the traits of both a man and a woman. They have both a beard and breasts. This occurrence can be likened to how Jacques de Molay is a man in his saber form and woman in her foreigner form. However, Hugues appears to be caught somewhere in between, most likely due to their existence sitting somewhere in between fact and fiction. While they share some traits with proper Hugues in physical appearance, such as height, they diverge in many ways that one might find unusual for an Alter-Ego. They have tan skin and black wavy hair and some of their hair seems to look orange like fire. Their nose appears to be permanently broken or bent out of shape from an injury they most likely sustained in life during one of their many battles.

They wear an outfit that one would expect of a Knights Templar crusader. Which is knight armor with a white surcoat with a red cross along with a white mantle that also had a red cross. The red cross was a very important symbol for the Templars and it also appeared on the robes of knights. Hugues will refuse to eat or drink unless they are wearing it. The red cross was also a symbol of martyrdom and to die in combat was considered a great honor and something that guarantees one will go to heaven. There was a rule that warriors of the Order should never surrender unless the Templar flag had fallen, and even then they should try to regroup with another one of the Christian orders, such as the Hospitallers, first if possible. Only after all ally flags had fallen were they allowed to leave the battlefield. Something that, along with their training, courage, and heavy armaments, made them one of the most feared combat forces in medieval times. AERT’s surcoat is also stained with blood and their sword, not the noble phantasm, has red rust on its blade. When this rust is wiped off or when the rust becomes wet the blade smells like blood.

Hugues’ armor is white with red highlights on it to represent blood and combat and, interestingly, parts of their white surcoat and mantle appear to be singed and a small flame forms upon its singed areas when Hugues becomes excited or begins to use one of their Noble Phantasms. Hugues’ eyes glow orange like small flames while they are wearing the helmet. The feet and gauntlets of their armor glow orange hot when they are angry. Their helmet’s left side is rusted and AERT wears a strange shoulder pauldron that is aflame when they are in combat or about to enter a battle. Apparently, this fire comes from Hugues burning incense while in combat.

Hugues’ left arm appears to be physically corrupted and weirdly thin and purple. When Hugues wields their Secans Mendacium Noble Phantasm that arm becomes unnaturally muscular. The corruption can be seen trying to spread throughout their body in a vein or root-like fashion. It appears to grow in strength and size whenever Hugues uses Secans Mendacium.

Personality

While AERT does share many of the traits of proper Hugues, they’re much colder, paranoid, controlling, and untrusting than proper Hugues. They are still smart but not a genius, reliable but not all-knowing, and have given up any unnecessary material positions. They wish to uphold the legacy of their order. Some describe them as being like Shielder Hugues but without any of the warmth of an older sister figure.

This behavior stems from the downfall of the Knights Templar and the rumors spread about the order. AERT fears people spreading lies or misinformation and will punish anyone who does so. They wish to redeem the Templars and clear their name. They have very little tolerance for heresy and the practice of any sort of forbidden magic and are often quick to stomp it out. They tend to act cold and quiet towards those who are not Christians but are more open to those who are. Despite this they have taken a vow to never lie and can be brutally honest in their opinions and feelings towards others. They do this to remain transparent and help clear the name of the Templars. They can be quite an unruly and hard to control servant if one is not a believer in the faith they share. Still, they can be described as a bit of an idealist since they believe anyone can be saved if they have faith and, like proper Hugues, pushes themselves and others close to them to their limits to prove the might and worthiness of the Templar Knights, wanting to convince themselves that there is still hope for their fallen order. It also appears that they believe the Templars are not just a thing of the past and if it wasn’t for misinformation they may still persist to this day. Those who join the order are expected to give everything for it.

They have a disdain towards the undead, such as Dead Apostles and vampires, and will usually attempt to kill them on sight.

Hugues does not shy away from combat and actually hopes that if they die they will do so in combat because doing so would apparently guarantee them a place in heaven. They believe that their status as a servant is proof that while they did not go to hell God still demands more of them and that they have been returned to the land of the living to enact his will.

They are very stubborn due to their faith. They also do not care what pronouns they are referred to so long as they can perform the will of god.

Wish for the Grail

“My wish is to clear the name of my order. Not in the eyes of God for he knows their faith to be true. I wish to dismiss the lies of the fallible mortals who declared my order to be heretics and accused them of the very blasphemy we fought against. If I cannot obtain that wish then I will settle for burning all those who sullied our name. If I cannot find justice still then I will wish to reconquer the Holy Land of Jerusalem in the name of God so that all may see the faith and resolve of the Templars.”

Interactions

Hugues de Payens(Shielder)- “The real Hugues huh? Well, your faith is as expected, strong as steel. But sometimes it looks like you are getting soft. How can you expect to save the Order without stomping out lies wherever they begin to grow?”

Shielder Hugues de Payens Profile

Shielder Hugues is a fanservant created by @Omegazplayer on Twitter.

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux- “My righteous friend. With your faith and holiness, together we can save the Templars and clear the Order’s name for good.”

Saint Bernard is a fanservant created by @Omegazplayer on Twitter.

[LB] Pope Urban II- “People like you are the real heretics. One day I will make sure you burn.”

Caster [LB] Pope Urban II Profile

Pope Urban II is a fanservant created by @Omegazplayer on Twitter.

The Crusader- “Strange… I remember that I don’t remember you. But I also remember that your faith is true friend.”

The Crusader is a fanservant created by @Omegazplayer on Twitter.

Richard the Lionheart- “Your faith and strength are like a beacon of hope, and you wield the divine Excalibur with such skill. It is an honor to stand in the presence of a man like you.”

Jacques de Molay(Saber)- “You may have been too soft Jacques but you didn’t deserve your fate. I shall make sure every single person who condemned you to death and sullied the names of the Order shall feel the same burning pain you did.”

Jacques de Molay(Foreigner)- “…Disgusting. My cursed sword and arm writhe in response to your presence. Mark my words, the first chance I get I will burn you and every lie that led to your creation to cinders. I will remove taint like you from this earth and not even ash will remain.”

Ultra Adhemar Le Puy[If Deus Vult, Land of Hope and Deceit is completed]- “I know what you did in Jerusalem King Adhemar. If you really wish to repent and become that beacon of salvation then join me in holy battle in the name of God.”

Ruler of Surreal Awakening/Ultra Adhemar Profile

Ultra Adhemar is a fanservant created by @Omegazplayer on Twitter.

Claude des Armoises- “Lying to take the name of a holy saint? I’m not sure that can be overlooked in the eyes of God. If you cannot become a saint in your own right then you are but a liar at best and a heretic at worst”

Jeanne d’Arc(Ruler)- “Seldom have I seen the faith and holiness of such a saint. With your help and God’s grace, we cannot lose.”

Jeanne d’Arc(Alter)- “You spit on what the holy maiden stood for. Leave before I bring the righteous fury of God down upon thee.”

Pope Joannes [If Deus Vult, Land of Hope and Deceit is completed]- “I remember that you are a believer. That’s all I need to know. Simply say the word and I shall destroy God’s enemies for you and retake the holy land.”

Roland- “…Knights like you are why Bernard and I made the Liber de Laude in the first place. I will give you a copy, READ IT!!!”

Mash- “The knight who possesses you is righteous and faithful. If you're anything like him then your shield will not waver and we cannot fail.”

Queen of Sheba- “I humbly ask if you may shed some of the wisdom of Solomon upon me. Even a crumb of the king’s wisdom would be worth an entire army.”

King Hassan- “No, it is you who should bare thy neck! I would rather lose my own head before I even think about renouncing my faith.”

Hassan-i-Sabbah- “Your tactics are most dishonorable, and for what? A false god? There is only one true God and I serve him.”

Godfrey of Bouillon(Saber) [If Deus Vult, Land of Hope and Deceit is completed]- “Let us fight for our one true eternal and everlasting king, the Messiah, God himself. It is with his blessing that we will retake the Holy Land someday.” “You should never feel shame for fighting in the name of God almighty.”

Saber Godfrey of Bouillon Profile

Saber Godfrey of Bouillon is a fanservant created by @Omegazplayer on Twitter.

Peter Bartholomew(Faker)- “Ah… The spear, it’s just a fake. I see now…” “You spear may be fake but your faith is true. COME let us march to battle in the name of God.”

Faker Peter Bartholomew Profile

Faker Peter Bartholomew is a fanservant created by @Omegazplayer on Twitter.

Dialogue Examples

“HERESY!!! This will not stand!”

“No, no, NO. LIES, BLASPHEMOUS LIES. They aren’t true about the Templars now and they weren’t never true then.”

“Greetings master… Tell me, are you one of faith or one of heresy?”

“The path of righteousness is an arduous one, but one we shall take nevertheless!”

“Let's not waste a second to slack! Idle hands are the devil's workshop!”

“FOR THE GLORY OF OUR LORD! BROTHERS AND SISTERS, RAISE UP YOUR ARMS AND CHARGE TO VICTORY!”

“Our holy battle is for salvation and righteousness! We will never lose!”

“Oh Divine Lord who watches over us… I beg of thee, Grant us the path to victory!”

“Heavens bless our battle!”

“For the glory of our Order!”

“It is the will of God!”

“HEAR MY WORDS AND CHARGE INTO OUR GLORIOUS VICTORY!”

“As long as our flags stand God smiles upon us and hope is not lost!”

“May God have mercy on your souls.”

“Believers I can forgive for they are devoted and righteous, some non-believers I can tolerate for they are merely ignorant of the truth, but heretics and liars are something that I can never EVER allow to pass. They spit upon the good name of the Lord God. They must repent and if they cannot do so then they must die.”

Death Line(s)

“May God have mercy on me...”

“I am sorry God, I have failed you...”

“Has God found me unworthy…?”

“Has God turned his back on us…?”

Fun Facts

If they were in FGO they would be a 5-star.

If they were a Pokemon they would be a steel and fire type.

Their Magic the Gathering alignment would be Red-White and sometimes Red-White-Black when their corruption grows too strong.

If they were in the Epithet Erased universe their Epithet would be Crusade.

If they were in the Hunter X Hunter universe their Nen type would be Enhancement.

Their overall servant rank is around B+.

Their alter is similar to Jacques de Molay(Foreigner) in existence and function.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugues_de_Payens

https://web.archive.org/web/20170529095728/http://www.templiers.org/huguespayns-eng.php

https://www.geni.com/people/Sir-Hugh-de-Payns/6000000019302872420

http://www.timeref.com/library/medieval_knights_templar_timeline.htm

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Templars#ref883524

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_Templar

https://archive.org/details/crusadesstoryla01kinggoog/page/262/mode/2up?view=theater

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AkZKJOm-meehGOu7rP_6WINd1oojr06ZDhkGPpTUmGg/edit

https://www.outfit4events.com/eur/articles/interesting-facts-of-the-past/templars/#:~:text=They%20were%20equipped%20with%20a,black%20and%20white%20Templar%20Shield.

Gallery

[freyayuki]

Fate/Grand Order Avalon le Fae Morgan Pickup Summon Banner

The Part 2 Chapter 6 "Lostbelt No.6: Fae Round Table Domain, Avalon le Fae - The Moment a Planet Is Born" (Act I) was just released in the Fate/Grand Order (FGO) mobile game.

This came with the Avalon le Fae Morgan Pickup Summon banner, which features the following Servants:

5-star SSR Berserker Morgan (#ad)

4-star SR Archer Tam Lin Tristan

4-star SR Saber Tam Lin Gawain

3-star R Caster Cú Chulainn

Tam Lin vs Fairy Knights vs Fae Knights

Was surprised when I saw that the 4-stars featured in the Avalon le Fae Morgan Pickup Summon banner had “Tam Lin” as part of their name.

Never heard them being called that before. It was always either Fairy Knights or Fae Knights or Barghest for Gawain and Baobhan Sith for Tristan.

Haven’t played through Lostbelt 6 yet so maybe Tam Lin will be explained there but for now, I prefer either Fairy Knights or Fae Knights, partly because it seems to have a nicer ring to it and partly because I guess I got used to Barghest and Baobhan Sith being referred to as such.

Thoughts about Caster Cú Chulainn

Caster Cú Chulainn is a story-locked 3-star Servant. Already have a copy of him and mine is actually at Noble Phantasm (NP) level 3.

My Caster Cú is at max level but I never leveled any of his skills. Can’t recall ever using him because if I need a DPS Caster, I either just borrow one from a friend support or bring one or more of my other Casters or even Alter Egos instead.

However, I heard something about how Caster Cú will get some buff or upgrade or something that will make him pretty good.

Don’t really know much about it, and not really interested enough to bother looking it up, so just waiting for this rework or whatever to drop in the Global or English version of the game to find out more.

Don’t mind getting more copies of Cú, of course, but he’s not really my priority in the Avalon le Fae banner.

Thoughts about Morgan, Fairy Knight Tristan, and Fairy Knight Gawain

Been hearing a lot about Morgan since she first appeared in the Japanese version of Fate/Grand Order. Even read somewhere that she’s one of the Servants that most players have Grailed to level 120.

Apparently, she’s really good and can work in different comps. For instance, she can be paired with 2 copies of 5-star SSR Assassin Koyanskaya of the Light to Buster loop. And adding 1 copy of 5-star SSR Pretender Oberon will help to further increase her damage output.

Well, there are others who are saying that Morgan’s damage is on the weak side and she needs more investment such as by having more NP levels to deal with enemies who have higher HP.

Since I haven’t read through Lostbelt 6 yet, don’t know anything about Morgan other than the fact that she’s apparently a queen. Haven’t felt the need to look around for any Lostbelt 6 spoilers since I haven’t even finished playing through Part 2 Chapter 5 "Lostbelt No.5: Interstellar Mountainous City, Olympus - The Day to Bring Down Gods" yet.

But I did take a quick look at Morgan’s skills and her Ascension art and such. Her skills seem pretty good. She even gets a 50% NP gauge charge like 5-star SSR Avenger Space Ishtar.

Also ended up liking her design so was interested in rolling for her. Besides, was also interested in trying out the Buster looping system so I wanted to roll for her, Koyanskaya of the Light, and Oberon.

As for Tam Lin Gawain and Tam Lin Tristan - don’t know anything about them either. Most of the talk and hype are all about chars like Morgan, Koyanskaya, and Oberon.

Never bothered to look up the skills of the Fairy Knights. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen all of their Ascension art at one point but that seems so long ago that I can’t remember them anymore.

Just based on the first Ascension art of the Fairy Knights that can be seen in the in-game news, I prefer the design of Tam Lin Tristan. But I guess Tam Lin Gawain seems okay enough as well.

And just based on the short bit of info the in-game news says about these 2, it seems that Tam Lin Gawain has a nicer personality when compared to Tam Lin Tristan. At the very least, the former isn’t being referred to as “selfish, capricious, cruel” and “just the worst”. She’s apparently the “epitome of violence” though so maybe neither are all that good.

Guess I’ll find out more about these 2 and Morgan when I finally get to play through Lostbelt 6.

Anyway, hoping to get multiple copies of Morgan and maybe even 1 or 2 copies of the Fairy Knights plus 2 more copies of Caster Cú Chulainn so I can get him to NP5 already.

Also hoping that I can get at least 1 or 2 copies of the 5-star SSR Craft Essence (CE) The Black Grail. My copy of this CE is stuck at Level 60 of 60. Need 2 more copies in order to be able to fully MLB this CE.

Fate/Grand Order Guaranteed Summon Function

Fate/Grand Order now has a “pity system” but it costs 900 Saint Quartz (SQ) for 1 rate-up SSR. If you happen to get the rate-up SSR before spending 900 SQ, you’re not guaranteed to get another copy even if you keep pulling until you spend 900 SQ.

In short, this so-called pity system sucks. Don’t know if I even have 900 Saint Quartz. Currently, have 216 SQ on hand. But I have more in my present box and in the form of SQ fragments. Also have some as rewards from clearing permanent missions and such. Didn’t collect any of these SQ yet so I wouldn’t be tempted to spend them.

Fate/Grand Order Pulling Plans

As mentioned, wanted to roll for Morgan, Koyanskaya, and Oberon. And, assuming I even have some more SQ left, was also interested in pulling for 4-star SR Archer, Anastasia & Viy. Well, there are more Servants who I want to pull for, so just listed the ones who are coming really soon.

Morgan has a lot of rerun banners. She’ll actually show up again pretty soon after the Avalon le Fae Morgan Pickup Summon banner. In contrast to that, Oberon’s rerun won’t be for like another year or something so the best thing to do was to prioritize pulling for him.

Besides, Oberon and Koyanskaya are both meta supports like 5-star SSR Caster Altria or Artoria or Castoria. Koyanskaya buffs Buster cards and NPs similar to how Castoria buffs Arts.

Oberon buffs Buster too but aside from that, he can buff NP damage which all DPS Servants can benefit from. These supports can also charge the NP gauge of their allies which helps with looping or 3-turning fights.

Avalon le Fae Morgan Pickup Summon Banner Pulls Results

In short, I should just skip the Avalon le Fae Morgan Pickup Summon banner since Morgan’s getting a rerun soon anyway.

But I ended up pulling on said banner. Maybe it’s just because it’s been a long time since I last pulled using SQ, and I guess I kinda felt like pulling now instead of having to wait some more for Oberon’s and Koyanskaya’s arrival.

Can’t remember the last time I used SQ on a banner. I think it was when I pulled for Space Ishtar. I talk more about that in this post. After that banner, pretty sure I started saving in preparation for the arrival of Morgan and the other Servants who I'm hoping to get.

I should be saving my Summoning Tickets as well but I ended up using these on some banners. Like, just recently, I remember throwing 10 tickets (IIRC) on the 5-star SSR Rider Medb banner and even the 5-star SSR Berserker Vlad III banner. Unfortunately, failed to get either of them.

Anyway, here are the results of my pulls on the Avalon le Fae Morgan Pickup Summon banner:

I told myself that I’ll only do a couple of multis for Morgan. Don’t want to spend all my SQ on this banner since I still want to be able to pull for Oberon and Koyanskaya and even Anastasia & Viy.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to get at least 1 copy of Morgan soon. Then, if I want more copies, I can just try rolling for her again on any or even all of her rerun banners.

Anyway, not gonna bother to list every single Craft Essence or Servant that I get, especially not if they’re only of 3-star rarity.

Already have all of the 3-star Servants at NP5 unless they’re story-locked. Also pretty sure I already have all of the 3-star CEs unless they’re new and have just been added to the game recently.

So I started with a multi-draw. To my surprise, a gold Saber card actually showed up.

This turned into my first copy of 4-star SR Saber Tam Lin Gawain.

Always pleased to see a new Servant, of course, and at least I actually got something good in my first pull.

But also couldn’t help thinking, welp, it’s like the game somehow knows that Morgan is who I really want to get and that, design-wise, I prefer Tam Lin Tristan over Tam Lin Gawain, so of course, FGO gives me the Saber. LOL.

Ah, well. At least she’s new. Also got 2 4-star Craft Essences from this draw but neither were of use to me since they were both dupes. One of these CEs was the Art of Death, and my copy of this is already fully MLB.

Currently have 5 Summoning Tickets on hand so decided to use these now. When I ran out of Tickets, used SQ until I was able to get the 1 Bonus Summon.

Didn’t really get anything of note from these single pulls so went back to doing multi-draws.

To my surprise, my next multi-draw gave me a gold Saber card again. Welp, totally wasn’t expecting that at all.

The gold Saber card turned into my second copy of Tam Lin Gawain. So she’s NP2 now, assuming I decide to fuse the copies together.

My next multi-draw only gave me dupes of 2 4-star CEs. Meh. Would have preferred to get a third Tam Lin Gawain instead.

Got another gold Saber as well as 2 more 4-star CE dupes in my next multi-draw. Thought for sure that I was about to get my 3rd copy of Fairy Knight Gawain but instead I ended up with a dupe of 4-star SR Saber Chevalier d'Eon.

Ugh. Frankly, would have preferred to get another copy of Tam Lin Gawain instead since she seems to be way better than Chevalier d’Eon.

Chevalier d’Eon doesn’t even have a Noble Phantasm that deals damage. And pretty sure the only time I ever bothered to use this Servant was during those events where you can’t use the same Servants all the time since they get “exhausted” and need to “rest” for a few hours before you can bring them to battle again.

My next multi-draw gave me 2 more 4-star CE dupes as well as a new 4-star Craft Essence. Also got a dupe of Caster Cú.

Ahh, Morgan and even Tam Lin Tristan, doko da? Also, if I’m gonna get a Craft Essence, could I please get a 5-star one? Would really love to get another copy of The Black Grail.

To my surprise, a gold Archer card showed up in my next multi-draw.

Was super pleased to see this, of course. Could only hope that I wasn’t about to get another dupe.

Thankfully, got something new. Just got my very first copy of Tam Lin Tristan. Yay!

I thought that was it but then, to my complete and utter surprise, a gold Berserker card showed up too.

OMFG! Please tell me I’m about to get Morgan and not some dupe or some other Berserker.

The gold Berserker card slowly reveals itself and - yes, yes, yes! It’s Morgan! It’s my very first copy of 5-star SSR Berserker Morgan. Hell, yes! Super pleased to see this.

Aside from my first copies of Fairy Knight Tristan and Morgan, this multi-draw also gave me dupes of 3 4-star CEs.

Was down to 21 Saint Quartz on hand when Morgan showed up. Really so glad that she didn’t take all my SQ. Even managed to get copies of the 2 rate-up 4-star Servants.

Now I can go back to saving for Oberon and Koyanskaya and even Anastasia & Viy. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get at least one copy of them as well.

Anyway, here are some more screenshots of Morgan:

4-star SR Archer Tam Lin Tristan and 4-star SR Saber Tam Lin Gawain

For now, haven’t done anything with either Tam Lin Tristan or Tam Lin Gawain. Haven’t bothered to level them up or even to get Gawain to NP2. For now, want to focus on Morgan first. Will get back to these 2 sooner or later.

5-star SSR Berserker Morgan

Spent the resources needed to get Morgan to level 90 and get all of her skills to level 10. Not sure yet if I want to Grail her or not so for now, just gonna leave her at level 90.

Was gonna unlock Morgan’s second Append skill called Mana Loading or Load Magical Energy but then I realized that I couldn’t because I don’t have enough of her Servant Coins.

I need 120 Coins to unlock Morgan’s Append 2 but summoning her only gave me 90 of said Coins. Gonna need either another copy of her or increase her Bond levels some more in order to get more of her Coins.

Man, this Coin system thing is awful. It’s even worse for the 4-stars. The Fairy Knights only give 50 Coins when summoned. Heck, Chevalier d’Eon only gives 30.

IIRC, story-locked 4-star Servants like the Fae Knights will give more Coins while permanent 4-stars like d’Eon will give less. You also get a different amount of Coins when summoning a limited 4-star Servant.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, if you want to Grail a Servant past level 100, you will also need to spend Coins to do that. As such, those who want to unlock all 3 of a Servant’s Append skills and Grail them to level 120 are gonna need a lot of Coins.

Was annoyed that I couldn’t unlock Morgan’s Mana Loading skill yet. At level 1, this will let her start the fight with 10% NP charge. At level 10, this will give 20% NP charge.

I told myself that it was fine even if I couldn’t unlock Morgan’s Mana Loading skill yet. After all, she gets so many rerun banners so if I still felt like it, I could try rolling for more copies of her on those banners.

The important thing was that I have her now and even the Fairy Knights. So should save the rest of my SQ for Oberon and Koyanskaya.

After leveling up Morgan and getting all of her skills to level 10, decided to try her out in one of the Ember Gathering or exp quests. The highest level of this quest has 3 waves with the first 2 waves having 3 enemies each and the last wave only having 1 enemy.

My setup for this fight with Morgan is as follows:

Have Morgan equipped with my first and only copy of the 5-star SSR CE called Kaleidoscope. This lets her start the fight with her NP gauge already charged to 80%.

Equipped the Mystic Code called Mage’s Association Uniform. The second skill of this Mystic Code lets me charge one Servant’s NP by 20%. Using this on Morgan lets her fire off her NP right away. Ideally, this should clear out all the enemies in wave 1.

For wave 2, I use Morgan’s first 2 skills to get her NP gauge charged to 50%. Then I use the first 2 skills of the friend support Castoria that I borrowed to further increase Morgan’s NP gauge by 50%. Now Morgan can fire off her NP again to clear out all the enemies in wave 2.

For wave 3, I bring a Servant with a single-target NP. This is usually whoever has class advantage against the last wave’s enemy.

Caster Altria can charge the entire party’s NP gauge by 30% so when I use her first skill to charge Morgan’s NP by 30%, my single target DPS also gets the 30% charge.

As such, this Servant just needs 70% more charge in order to fire off their NP once we get to wave 3. So I either make use of CEs with NP gauge charge or bring Servants who can charge their own gauge and/or have their Mana Loading skill unlocked and/or maxed out or any combination thereof.

I always borrow a friend support Caster Artoria who is equipped with a fully MLB 5-star CE called Chaldea Teatime. This increases Bond points gained by 15% when used as support.

Then my back row is filled with Servants whose Bond levels I’m trying to increase. And these Servants are all carrying Bond up CEs.

Anyway, was very annoyed when Morgan failed to kill all the enemies in wave 1. Don’t know if she just rolled low or something but - ugh. Was still able to 3-turn this fight since the remaining enemy in wave 1 only had a bit of HP left so face-cards quickly took care of them.

Morgan was only level 90 and at NP1 and I haven’t even used her or Artoria’s ATK up skills since those charge the NP gauge too and was saving them for the second wave so I suppose it’s understandable why Morgan’s damage was kinda bad. And I recall hearing how her damage wasn’t that impressive at NP1.

Plus I didn’t even bring a Mystic Code that can increase a Servant’s attack or NP strength or something.

This made me think about trying to increase Morgan’s NP level now. Found myself thinking about pulling some more on the Avalon le Fae Morgan Pickup Summon banner.

This was a bad idea. I don’t need to keep pulling. I really don’t. It’s not like Morgan is unusable right now anyway.

Besides, getting Koyanskaya and Oberon should help to further increase her damage output, and if I really want more NP levels for her, I can just roll on one or more of her many rerun banners.

Avalon le Fae Morgan Pickup Summon Banner Pulls Results Part 2

Unfortunately, telling myself all that did nothing to dissuade me. Still felt like pulling anyway. Sigh.

Anyway, here are the results of the rest of my pulls on this banner:

Don’t have enough SQ to do another multi-draw so just went to get more from my present box. Every time I need more SQ, just kept going back to my present box for more.

Like I said, this was a really bad idea since it’s not like I have thousands of SQ saved up. And besides, I'm supposed to be saving the rest of my SQ for Oberon and Koyanskaya.

So I shouldn’t be wasting any more of my pulling resources on the Morgan banner but couldn’t seem to help it so here we are. Sigh.

Anyway, my next multi-draw gave me 1 more copy of Caster Cú Chulainn and dupes of 3 4-star CEs. Meh.

Another multi-draw gave me a new 3-star CE, 1 dupe 4-star CE, and 1 dupe 5-star CE. Unfortunately, the 5-star CE wasn’t a copy of The Black Grail or even a Kaleidoscope. Eff this banner.

My next multi-draw gave me another Caster Cú dupe but pretty sure I already have enough to NP5 him so don’t really need anymore copies.

Well, I guess I could use more if I want to unlock his Append skills, but not sure if I want to bother doing that. Don’t even have any of his skills leveled yet.

This pull also gave me dupes of 3 4-star CEs. And I got a dupe of the 5-star CE called Heaven’s Feel. This is similar to The Black Grail.

Heaven’s Feel increases NP damage by 40%. At MLB, it increases NP damage by 50%.

On the other hand, The Black Grail increases NP damage by 60%. At MLB, it increases NP damage by 80%. The downside or demerit is that the Servant equipped with this will lose 500 HP each turn but that’s a small price to pay for such a powerful effect.

Honestly, it felt like the game was mocking me by giving me a Heaven’s Feel dupe. Argh! Why couldn’t this have been a dupe of The Black Grail instead?

I know Heaven’s Feel is a pretty good alternative to The Black Grail but my copy of this has only been limit broken like once so I’ll need a lot more dupes to fully MLB this.

Anyway, another multi-draw gave me 4 dupes of 4-star CEs. Ugh. Really beginning to regret continuing to pull on this banner. Was able to get Morgan and the Fairy Knights pretty early and without having to spend so much SQ.

Should have considered that good and lucky enough then just left this banner alone. Now it looks like I’m about to waste the rest of my SQ for nothing but trash.

My next multi-draw gave me a silver Berserker card that suddenly started turning gold. OMFG! Was so, so hyped when I saw this, full believing that I was finally about to get my second copy of Morgan. And then the gold Berserker card finishes revealing itself and -

Argh! Turns out I just got yet another dupe of 4-star SR Berserker Atalante Alter. Damn it. And eff this game. Eff this banner. Why? Why’d this have to happen? Damn it.

So, so freaking disappointed. This is like my 3rd dupe of Atalante Alter. Still haven’t bothered to fuse the copies I have of her since I don’t really use her. It’s like with Chevalier d’Eon. Only use her when I have to. Also don’t have any of her skills leveled.

Man, this is so depressing. I feel like I’ll just end up running out of SQ with nothing more to show for the loss of all of these resources. Really shouldn’t have continued to pull here.

Should probably just stop now. But, at the same time, it feels like I’m too far gone to just suddenly stop now. But the more I pull, the more depressed and disappointed and frustrated I get, and the more it feels like I’ll never be able to get Oberon and Koyanskaya.

Anyway, my next 2 multi-draws basically gave me trash. There’s no new or dupe gold Servant or 5-star CE so meh.

Since the results of my multi-draws were all so bad, decided to try doing single draws but this didn’t give me anything good either.

So I went back to doing multi-draws. The next one I did gave me a new 4-star CE. Also got 2 more 4-star CE dupes. And 1 5-star CE dupe that isn’t The Black Grail because eff this game.

My next 2 multi-draws gave me nothing but crap again. Man, the rates in this game are so awful. Wish they’d improve it even just a bit.

Another multi-draw actually gave me my third copy of Tam Lin Gawain. Well, that was a nice surprise. At least I finally got another gold Servant even if it was a dupe.

This pull also gave me a new 4-star CE and 2 more 4-star CE dupes plus 1 more copy of Caster Cú Chulainn.

I tried single draws again but got crap again as usual. Well, one single pull did give me yet another dupe of the 5-star SSR CE called A Fragment of 2030.

Ugh. Seeing that was so freaking infuriating and frustrating because that could have been a copy of The Black Grail instead. Really wish that had been a copy of The Black Grail instead.

A Fragment of 2030 is a pretty good CE since it gives 8 critical stars each turn. But I already have a lot of copies of this CE so really don’t need any more. Just went and double-checked and apparently, I now have 6 copies of this CE so I can fully MLB one already.

Argh! That just pisses me off even more. Why couldn’t something like that happen with The Black Grail instead? Eff this game.

Anyway, a gold Berserker card actually appeared on my next multi-draw. Was really pleased to see another gold Servant card and a Berserker one at that. But, at the same time, was really worried too. I could only hope that I’m not about to be trolled by yet another Atalante dupe or even some other Berserker.

To my surprise and relief, it was another 5-star SSR Berserker Morgan who showed up.

Hell, yes! Super pleased to see this. Now I can get my Morgan to NP2. Will also be able to instantly unlock one of her Append skills now. Yay!

More importantly, I can finally be done with this banner. Sure, more copies of Morgan will be most welcome, but it really is best to just wait for her rerun banners.

Trying to get a second copy of Morgan cost me way too much SQ. Now I don’t even know if I’ll be able to get Oberon and Koyanskaya unless I somehow get lucky or a miracle occurs or something.

I kinda, sorta regret continuing to pull on this banner. I can only be glad that Morgan eventually showed up again even if it took her what felt like forever to do so. I'd regret things more if she didn’t show up again at all.

But since she did come home again, this pulling session wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Still wish I didn’t have to spend so much SQ though. If only I’d been able to stop myself from throwing more Saint Quartz on this banner - But, ah, well. What’s done is done.

5-star SSR Berserker Morgan

Of course, I immediately went to increase the NP level of my Morgan.

Also unlocked her Mana Loading or Load Magical Energy Append skill and leveled it up to 10.

Then I tried her in the aforementioned Ember Gathering or exp quest again and now her NP was able to finish off all the enemies in wave 1. Yay!

Now I found myself considering Grailing her to 100. Was unsure about this since I don’t even know that much about her yet. Haven’t even unlocked Part 2 Chapter 6 "Lostbelt No.6: Fae Round Table Domain, Avalon le Fae - The Moment a Planet Is Born" (Act I) yet.

And, at the time I’m writing this part of this post, my Morgan isn’t at Bond level 5 yet so haven’t unlocked the entirety of her in-game profile yet.

But from what I’ve seen so far, I do like her. Her design is nice and her personality seems pretty okay too.

So after thinking about it some more, I decided to go for it. Spent all the resources and Holy Grails needed to get Morgan to level 100. Ooof, this cost me lots of QP and exp cards. Thankfully, I had enough of these resources on hand.

Note: at the time I took a screenshot of my level 100 Morgan, she just hit Bond level 5.

Anyway, now that my Morgan is level 100, she’s dealing even more damage, which is great.

4-star SR Saber Tam Lin Gawain

Got my Tam Lin Gawain to NP3. Ahh, wish this had happened with Morgan instead.

Anyway, I started leveling up Tam Lin Gawain. The moment I Ascended her for the first time, her name changed to Barghest.

When I got to see the rest of her Ascension art and heard the rest of her level up lines, I was like, wow, what in the world is going on here? What happened to Barghest? Guess I need to play through Lostbelt 6 to find out.

Looking at Tam Lin Gawain’s skills, she actually seems pretty good. She can charge the party’s NP gauge which is nice.

But when I looked up the values online (seriously wish this was available in the game itself), it looks like she doesn’t do it by that much at all which is too bad.

Tam Lin Gawain also gets a buff “when on a [Sunlight] field”. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have a skill or passive or something that can change the field to [Sunlight].

Leveled up all of Barghest’s skills to 4. Been trying her out in battle and she does seem pretty good.

Been looking at her voice lines and and the parts of her profile that I’d already unlocked, and her personality doesn’t seem that bad as well.

I think her first Ascension art is growing on me. Well, it wasn’t like I ever really disliked it or hated it anyway. It was more like I was neutral towards it. Besides, wasn’t really paying that much attention to her or Tam Lin Tristan since my focus was on Morgan.

Anyway, I guess I mean it’s more like, right now, I prefer her first Ascension art. Her second Ascension art doesn’t seem that bad too but the rest of her Ascension art is currently a no for me.

4-star SR Archer Tam Lin Tristan

Too bad I only ever got 1 copy of Tam Lin Tristan. After leveling up Barghest, started doing the same for Tam Lin Tristan. The moment I Ascended her for the first time, her name changed to Baobhan Sith.

Was shocked and surprised when I saw the rest of Baobhan Sith’s Ascension art and heard the rest of her level up lines. What in the world happened to her? Also don't really like the rest of her Ascension art.

Leveled up all of her skills to 4 too. She seems like a pretty good Archer. She can even get up to a total of 60% NP gauge charge when 2 of her skills are leveled to the max.

Been trying her out in battle and she does seem pretty good. But hearing her voice lines and looking at the parts of her profile that I'd already unlocked, she seems like a really awful char. Her personality seems so bad. Can't say I like her right now but maybe I'll change my mind once I get through Lostbelt 6 and learn more about her.

Conclusion

So, what about you? Did you pull on the Avalon le Fae Morgan Pickup Summon banner? What do you think about Morgan, Tam Lin Tristan, and Tam Lin Gawain?

Have you read through the Part 2 Chapter 6 "Lostbelt No.6: Fae Round Table Domain, Avalon le Fae - The Moment a Planet Is Born" (Act I) story yet?

Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions by leaving a comment below or by reblogging this post.

Notes:

screenshots are from my Fate/Grand Order game account

[tiny-chrys]

I’m fine...

[ENGLISH] Irisviel: Saber, you- Saber: I'm fine... [PORTUGUÊS] Irisviel: Saber, você- Saber: Eu estou bem...

[thessaliah]

Reading your twitter and can you elaborate what you mean when you say Chaldean is not against Marisbury? If he’s against Chaldeas and Marisbury’s plan, he’s also against Marisbury by default, no?

He never said he was against CHALDEAS. His stance is, at best, neutral, but Rasputin wasn't going to fight or face them until the Ordeal as well, so probably he won't either. Were he an enemy of CHALDEAS, he would have attacked Rasputin, instead he helped Guda to sabotage Kirschtaria who was an enemy of CHALDEAS.  From the beginning, he introduced himself as: カルデアの者. That means he identified himself as a Chaldean at the time being one only meant agreeing with Marisbury's Grand Order.

Now his identity is still a mystery, but the "he's Solomon from CHALDEAS" is quickly becoming the strongest possibility, consider the following (if he isn't a Rasputin/Koyan case of speaking nonsense). Not the only one, for the off-chance of Lev or Goetia. Spoilers just in case:

Identifies as Chaldean, and has a uniform, but the uniform is slightly different from our Romani's (it gives the impression of an Alter, but could very well be another department color).

Claims this isn't the "Chaldea he knows" and that can't be isn't the Chaldea from 2015 when Kirschtaria/Daybit could tell were different from the start (and would not know them as Lev/Goetia did) while Fake Vinci claims that this Novum Chaldea is born in 2015, from the survivors and Romani Archaman leading the recovering humanity from the Incineration deal (and the ideals she lists are those Romani stated, the Malice Or Romance stuff foreshadowed in that novel). Let me stress this, Novum Chaldea is Romani’s Chaldea, from 2015, so how come Goetia or Lev can tell it wasn’t a Chaldea that would go against Marisbury they never encountered yet Kirschtaria or/and Daybit knew this? I mean I know this arc is full of plot holes and bad writing, but it’s a little suspicious.

Lots of Goetia/Romani fans on Japanese twitter made a list of moments in Chaldean that looks contradictory, not as "Goetia playing Romani" but as someone who playing he’s both. So we are wondering what's up. The scene with Morgan has him act and speak like Roman then Goetia comes to mind, and keep in mind with Independent Manifestation, that Goetia was an evil of humanity because of being Solomon's magecraft which Solomon would have alone. “Solomon” being Romani and Goetia leaves to him to have a mixed perception of ‘how’ to be I suppose with the replacement thing involved.

Guda and Mash don't know who is this dude, and they immediately recognized U Olga is Director Olga (confirmed by Daybit).

U Olga feels no mental waves from him at all - it's the only time she brings this up and completely paralyzes her. She sees emotions in color, but Chaldean emits nothing as if he had no real feelings...how was Solomon described before his humanization? He could pretend to have a personality and feelings (none of his own but following an “expected” role, at his time, was to be a “benevolent and peaceful” king but it implies, I think, he would follow and act depending on what the expectation and perception he should or whoever has control of him), but actually, he had none. He was "nothingness."

He has Clairvoyance, while Goetia and Romani lost it due to Ars Nova.

Marisbury not being as evil as presumed has been hinted too (the era of humanity stops at 2017), so Solomon would cooperate with him, one without feelings wouldn't care about morality too. Could also be like Galahad, that they side with the Human Order.

He’s being a foil to Olga, thematically, who might have been swapped her place with CHALDEAS version due to Lev’s actions. 

Goetia fans shouldn't despair, because if it turns out it's Solomon from Chaldeas and not him, it means he is definitely going to star as a helper against him in the Rider vs Saber tradition of role reversal.

But keep in mind, the writing isn’t stellar, so any point can be retconned to loop back to the direction Nasu decides in the end, so Goetia and Lev, and anything discussed are fair game.

[vikifangirl]

Dia 16 parto

El momento había llegado. Sería difícil, mucho, Joey y Ryou no lo disfrazaron pero prometieron que al final todo valdría la pena cuando finalmente tuviera a su pequeña en sus brazos. A lo largo del último mes y con ayuda de sus amigos Yugi se preparó. Enterarse que no podría producir suficiente leche fue una dura noticia así que a pesar del miedo hizo prometer a Atem que no le quitaría ese momento.

Era difícil cumplir con su palabra, Luchaba por no perder la calma y enviar todo el hospital al reino de las sombras al ver a su luz sufriendo. Deseaba manipular su mente para ignorar el dolor, incluso hacerlo inconsciente a todo lo que sucedía pero si algo iba mal Yugi no podría manifestarlo y el personal médico tampoco lo notaría pues su intervención alteraría o incluso dañaría las maquinas. Entre los dos Yugi siempre fue el más fuerte, mostrando coraje ante retos como así e incluso siendo capaz de mantener a su oscuridad bajo control. Este no era el momento para ser débil, no sería una carga más para su compañero. La forma en que Yugi se aferraba a su mano le hacía saber que lo necesitaba. Quizás el vínculo mental se rompió tras el duelo ceremonial pero el lazo entre sus almas era inquebrantable,  mientras Yugi siguiera llamándolo estaría ahí para él aun si solo podía sostener su mano o darle palabras de amor y ánimo, superarían esto juntos.

Finalmente nació. La acercaron solo un momento para poder ser vista por sus padres y la retiraron después de que el faraón cortara el cordón, tenían que revisar su estado. Mientras el personal iba de un lado a otro ellos se miraban sonrientes al escuchar el llanto, yugi agotado y Atem mimándolo. Podían esperar, ahora sabía que al igual que el hijo de Ryou y Bakura su pequeña aun no tenía la fuerza suficiente para tomar ni un alma o invocar monstruos, estaría bien en manos de los médicos y ellos estaban a salvo de ella.

Después de un rato les entregaron su bebe, limpia y lloriqueando fue dejada sobre el pecho de Yugi. Su nombre seria yien

----------------------------------------

Day 16 Birth

The time had come. It would be very difficult, Joey and Ryou didn't disguise it but they promised that in the end it would all be worth it when they finally had their little girl in their arms. Throughout the last month and with the help of his friends, Yugi prepared himself. Finding out that he couldn't produce enough milk was sad news, so despite his fear, he made Atem promise that he wouldn't take that moment away from him.

It was difficult to keep his word, he struggled not to lose his temper and send the entire hospital into the realm of shadows when he saw his light suffering. He wanted to manipulate his mind to ignore the pain, even make him unconscious of everything that was happening, but if something went wrong Yugi wouldn't be able to manifest it and the medical staff wouldn't notice it either because his intervention would alter or even damage the machines. Between the two Yugi was always the stronger, showing courage in the face of challenges like that and even being able to keep his darkness in check. This was not the time to be weak, it would not be another burden for his partner. The way Yugi held on to his hand let him know that he needed him. Perhaps the mental link was broken after the ceremonial duel but the bond between their souls was unbreakable, as long as Yugi kept calling him he would be there for him even if he could only hold his hand or give him words of love and support, they would get through this together

Finally she was born. They only brought her close for a moment so she could be seen by her parents and they removed her after the pharaoh cut the umbilical cord, they had to check her health. While the staff went from one side to the other, the couple looked happy when they heard the crying, yugi exhausted and Atem pampering him. They could wait, now she knew that just like Ryou and Bakura's son, her little girl still didn't have enough strength to take a soul or summon monsters, she would be fine in the hands of the doctors and they were safe from her.

After a while they handed over their baby, clean and whimpering it was left on Yugi's chest. His name would be Yien

[spiritwaker95]

Fate and Genderbends (2021)

So you know the joke about Fate just Genderbending people? Did you know it’s only like... 11% or so of all the Servants in the series? Let’s explore Grand Order, as of December 2021 on the JP Servers, going based on Class, disregarding Alternate Versions and Summer/Halloween/Christmas (So Artoria and Artoria Alter count as a single being, same with Lancelot (Saber) and Lancelot (Berserker). Elisabeth and Carmilla, and Tamamo and the Tamamo Nine, count as two separate people, however, due to being separate entities and not alternate classes. It’s a pain in the ass, but this is the best I will do to simplify things) I will also explain the in-universe reason for the Genderbend if it exists. Also not doing Shielder because Mash is an original character in the series and her story is explained in Grand Order on why she is a Shielder Demi-Servant Sabers (26 in Class)

Artoria Pendragon (born Female, disguised as Male. Arthur Pendragon does exist as a Servant but will count as part of the Artoria set for this list) Altera/Attila the Hun (Starchild of Mars, raised by the Huns to be a warrior) Nero Claudius Okita Souji Mordred (Clone of Artoria) Miyamoto Musashi (Alternate Universe version of Musashi.)

Lancers (27 in Class)

Nezha (VERY sensitive topic for her, as is not sure why was “reborn” as a woman) Nagao Kagetora Gareth

Archer (29 in Class)

Oda Nobunaga (Alternate Reality version of Nobunaga. Confirmed the one in our Timeline was Male)

Rider (26 in Class)

Ushiwakamaru Francis Drake (might actually be Queen Elisabeth I) Quetzalcoatl (Genderless God using Female Body as a vessel) Sima Yi (Summoned in Female Vessel)

Caster (33 in Class)

Xuanzang Sanzang Da Vinci (Was Male in real life, is Genderfluid as doesn’t see Genius being tied to Gender, summoned in the body of the Mona Lisa)

Assassin (31 in Class)

Jing Ke Katou Danzo (Is a Robot) Kama (Is a Male God using a Female Body as a Vessel) Jack the Ripper (Where do we begin... An Amalgamation of all the abandoned and aborted children of London, with the main figurehead being a little girl) Hassan of Hundred Personas (Asuko is the Persona used to interact with Master)

Berserker (28 in Class)

Frankenstein (Is actually Eve, not Adam) Minamoto-no-Raikou (might actually be female IRL, but no one is sure) Paul Bunyan (No one knows why. Not even her)

Ruler (7 in Class)

No one is Genderbend in this class

Avenger (6 in class)

Taira no Kagekiyo (Spoilers for Lostbelt 5.5 on this one) Mori Ranmaru

Moon Cancer (2 in Class)

Ganesha (Male God using Female Vessel)

Alter Ego (6 in Class)

No Genderbend

Foreigner (6 in Class)

Katsushika Hokusai (Hokusai is the Octopus. His Daughter Oei is the woman) Van Gogh (MAJOR JP Server Spoilers on this one) Jacques du Molay (Lived Male, resurrected in a Female Body by a Great Old One)

So there you go. A full list, as of current, of all the R63 Servants in Fate.

Of 227 Servants, only 30 are Genderbend

[akampana]

How does Diarmuid alter compare to Diarmuid in their treatment of artoria, how they show affection, etc?

This is kinda toxic, be warned. And I'm gonna answer this as if Diarmuid Alter here has just arrived into Chaldea, and so this begins just before his GudaTherapy. It's under the cut in case you don't wanna read that.

The whole thing with Diarmuid Alter is that he no longer has the capacity to restrain himself, and any feeling he gets goes from 0 to 100 insanely quickly.

He's a later iteration of Diarmuid ua Duibhne's spirit origin, a corrupted copy that was born the moment Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald forced him into Command Spell Suicide. Unlike his usual self that forgives and can be seen hanging around the likes of Fionn, Altermuid holds grudges, forever seeking revenge against those who scorned him.

For this reason, he doesn't trust anyone completely(not even Guda, not yet), he cannot stand his former king, refuses to work with the student that took up his professor's name, he's violent against Emiya(Assassin), and with Arturia...it's kind of complicated.

Diarmuid Alter's feelings for Arturia exist exactly on the boundary between love and loathing (because while she herself hadn't intended for Episode 16 to end the way it did, she was still there) It's a very thin line, and the constant pull on either direction slowly eats away at his mind.

Lancer/Saber Diarmuid's fondness for Arturia is translated into Altermuid's obsession with her. It messes him up that he can never decide whether he was to kiss her or kill her all he knows us that he wants to be the only one to do it.

This battle makes him insanely jealous of any Servant that has a defined relationship with Arturia, whether it is friendship, romantic love, or even hate. He flips out whenever it feels like someone's getting ahead of him with her. (Like for example, if Cú Alter leaves love bites, he turns murderous, but he has the same defensive reaction if say someone like Gawain gives Arturia cookies.)

Altermuid sometimes squeezes until it bruises, but it's always an accidental consequence, because he's unable to decide between wanting to dig his claws into her wrist or using it to pull her toward him. When he kisses her, his mind screams that he should loathe her existence, but at the same time, he can't stop. On the one hand, he wants to enact some sort of revenge upon her person, but on the other, he's aware it wasn't really her fault and he can't stand hurting her.

He's just stuck in an eternal loop made worse because Arturia represents both what he wants so desperately(a loyal person who abides by the same chivalric code) and detests so fervently (a leader who betrays and lets their selfish desires trample all over his honor). He wants her to be the former, but he's terrified she'll be the latter.

This puts him at odds with his other selves. He taunts them a lot, especially because neither Saber or Lancer leave visible marks out of consideration. They try to reprimand Alter because well, he is them but all he does is laugh just a bit madly and say and call them hypocrites. Because he is them, he knows exactly the extent of their lust and lives in the tiny, passing thoughts that still resent her for that final night in the 4th hgw.

After a lot of time and a lot of these explosive episodes where Diarmuid flip-flops between being extremely attached and protective and being destructive and distant Guda decides that they should be apart until Diarmuid Alter arrives at a state where being around Arturia doesn't immediately result in disaster. So Guda separated them.

Arturia would spend time in Card form while Diarmuid was out, and vice versa. On the rare occasion they were active at the same time, the other Servants kept them from each other.

Eventually, Diarmuid Alter realizes he misses her, but he can't be sure that he won't have a meltdown if he's around Arturia too long. One day, he goes to his servant quarters and finds a tiny white flower there for him, with a thin blue ribbon tied around it, and he knows who its from. The next day, Arturia gets two roses in return in her room.

They don't see each other for a very long time.

So yeah, pre-GudaTherapy stuff like that last doodle happen on the regular...now they have a long-distance thing, but that's it. just little tokens in each other's rooms. Just to remind them they haven't forgotten about the other, even when they're apart. For now, it's easier for Diarmuid to think about her when she's not around. Leaving gifts gives him the opportunity to figure out his feelings safely.

Ty for the ask!

[writer-and-artist27]

From my wandering mind (trying not to debate on who to Grail next, Skadi or Berserker Musashi/Shii-chan), I couldn't help but think about hugs with some of the Servants in my Chaldea.

Each Servant hugs a little differently, but when it comes to Vy and her posse of Heroic Spirits, they all have their distinct impressions.

Saber Alter is a bit awkward with hugs. She just doesn't do them, Servant or not. But when Vy's in a bad spot, she ends up placing a hand on top of Vy's head for pats. It just works out that way. Burgers aren't included, but Vy ends up finding one near her lunch tray later anyways. Alter seems to be aware of extra-tired days, which says a lot considering how many enemies Excalibur Morgan shut down back in the day.

Chevalier D'eon hugs like a comfy yet prickly burr of some kind, keeping Vy close with one arm around her waist while a hand stays close to her rapier. D'eon is still a Knight even in peacetime, and she can't let her new Lord get into trouble. She still remembers that one giant ghost from the beginning of their journey, and how much pain it caused Vy from just defeating the darn thing.

Medea hugs like a distant aunt that just reunited with you after some time away, eager for more affection without saying anything. Considering Vy almost always is smothered by the Caster, it's become a thing. Sometimes, Vy gets glimpses of a tall, dark man with glasses in her dreams and lets Medea hug harder. It's the least she can do.

Diarmuid barely initiates hugs on his own, most likely from his past with Fionn and Grainne. Vy often has to tug on his shirt hems instead to ask for permission, and he acts like a gentle tree when she eventually hugs him. He never pushes her away, but the hugs don't last long unless he feels up for extending the contact after a particularly tough battle. His mole has caused him plenty of trouble already, having a Master that's not affected in the slightest while letting him achieve his dream of being a loyal Knight is all that he's ever asked for. Letting her hug him every now and then is okay. Not all the time, though.

Archer EMIYA acts more like an unmoving rock compared to Diarmuid's tree stance sometimes, barely flinching when Vy wraps her arms around his waist from behind but not really reacting to her touch either. It takes Vy asking him, "Hug back?" that he eventually turns around and humors her, but his embrace is always hesitant while still being tight enough to remind Vy that he's been scarred in his journey to be a Hero. That physical contact for the sake of contact is something foreign to him. Vy tries not to think about what he's seen as a Counter Guardian, merely whispering, "Thankie, Shirou," into his shoulder every single time she hugs him, because it's the least she can do for the first Gold Archer who ever answered her call for help. She might not be able to do everything for him, but goddammit, she's gonna do her best so that he can rest too.

Marie Antoinette hugs like a sister would, giddy and giggling the entire time Vy comes close. She encourages the hugs the most out of the first group of Servants who answered Vy's call, eagerly taking them on even when Vy's shy about asking. Arms around Vy's back, squeezing warmly, and a cheek brushing the top of Vy's head. It makes for a cute image, and hey. Giving love is the least she can do. No one gets away scot free with calling Vy's body "dirty" from all the wounds she's been dealt. Vy has a heart big enough to even accept the darkest parts of Marie that she's seen of herself, after all. The least Marie can do in return is indulge a girl who really should've met some better people growing up.

Miyamoto Musashi, even as a Berserker, happily accepts Vy's hugs. It's partially because Vy's cute when tugging on Musashi's sleeve to ask, but it's also because without her sword, it's easy to get lonely when traveling the world. Being stuck in a swimsuit is the smallest price to pay when it means Vy can cuddle up to Musashi like she hasn't seen the swordswoman in years. It's nice having someone close by, and permanently too. Plus, as much as Vy says it's okay, Musashi still feels bad about eating udon out of a Grail to the point of causing a Singularity. Sure, it wasn't as bad as BB's apparent stunt last year, but it's egged Musashi on some. Not helped by Vy's occasional little mumble of, "Don't leave again, Shii-chan," into Musashi's chest after some simulator fights in that flaming castle tower.

Scathach-Skadi didn't know what to make of hugs at first. Even with her world gone and then later having traversed a lookalike of it with Vy, she's still a Divine Spirit. The last god after Ragnarok. Her hands have been cold for who knows how long. Yet Vy still chooses to lean against her side every now and then, arm faintly winding around Skadi's waist for that extra bit of warmth, and Skadi's gotten better at ignoring the urge to leave for ice cream. Novum Chaldea may be hot sometimes from the lack of working temperature control to Skadi's liking, but a little one's presence makes things tolerable. Skadi doesn't want to think about the world she lost, about the children she was made to leave behind from answering Vy's call back when Da Vinci was much larger in size and presence, but when remembering the Lostbelt she fought that other self in, she'd take Vy's hand any day, even if it burned. She made too many mistakes in her old world. Never again.

Ereshkigal hugs Vy timidly, almost like a bear trying to be aware of her strength in front of a cub. So many things could go wrong in Ereshkigal's point of view, but to Vy, it's just another friend who deserves hugs. Cold hands be damned, hugs make everyone feel warm and Eresh deserves nice things in Vy's brain. Ereshkigal fumbles even to this day, tongue-tied over formal language and plain sputtering, but the blush on her face makes it obvious she doesn't mind. No one really hugged her while she was still head of the Underworld, and now that Vy is with her for who knows how long, she's gonna cherish her little grape.

Achilles hugs like an over-excited big brother wanting to see his newly born sibling, eagerly catching Vy in his arms before she could even touch him to lift her up in the air. He's laughing the entire time in contrast to Vy's surprised squealing, but he can't help but twirl her around and watch the squeals change into surprised giggling. Catching her back into his chest once she gets dizzy is fun too, because he's the tallest out of the Grailed Servant group and can thus hide her away when some too-curious-for-their-own-good staff are glancing their way. Achilles can't help himself. Vy's laughter is cute and sounds more like the aspiring young woman she was supposed to be. At least in his arms, she could be Vy and not just Humanity's last Master.

Arturia hugs like that of a cat, coming to Vy's side when she feels it necessary. Even after being the Saber-class Servant in two Holy Grail Wars over, physical affection isn't her strongest suit. She admitted as much when Vy first asked her for permission to initiate a hug. Still, Arturia's gotten used to Vy gently asking for it, obliging almost every single time. Hugs are a bit too firm sometimes, but it's not to the point of EMIYA's rock. Arturia's still learning. Plus, Arturia can't help but see the similarities between Vy and her past self, and the last thing Arturia wants is Vy having a bad ending like how she did.

Robin Hood, unsurprisingly, ends up being the main person Vy ends up following for hugs, acting like a human-ish vine. Maybe it's the green clothes and the lack of smoke on him these days. Still, even if Robin doesn't respond to Vy's hugs immediately, it's almost always guaranteed that he's gonna wrap his arms around her eventually. With the way he hugs her back, it sometimes looks like he cradles her, using No Face May King to hide her away from the world while pressing his lips to her hair. Vy doesn't mind, often snuggling him via pressing her forehead into his shoulder and contentedly slumping against him in return. It helps that he's her first Hero and still is, even if he didn't answer her call at first. It took two months for him to show up during the Incineration of Humanity. Still, when Vy hugs him sometimes, she later dreams of hikes with her dad. The scent of the forest is strong with him, and Vy dearly hopes Robin gets as much comfort out of the gesture as she does. Thankfully, there's nothing to worry about. He hasn't stopped calling her "little sparrow", after all.

[brave-symphonia]

top 5 FGO-only Servants & top 5 types of sweets :D

I am taking FGO-only to mean any Servant in FGO that I don't know from any other Fate material, okay this took a bit of time, but I got it down from over 20 Servants I remember really liking to 5:

1.Senji Muramasa

What, he isn't Shirou, I can still pick him! Honestly though, that's not the only reason I picked him. From what I've seen of him so far in Shimousa, I like him. And the first scene I ever saw of him has stayed in my mind ever since I saw it.

I mean, using Shirou's Unlimited Blade Works to forge every single blade in it into one single blade for one single attack that cuts through Fate and is so powerful it can kill God and the backlash kills its user? That's fucking cool. (I have to admit, this may be misinformed and misremembered. Either way, it's cool.)

2.Miyamoto Musashi

I love her.

Okay, but seriously. I've only known her for a little bit, but I really like her. Her design, to her attitude. How she doesn't enter a fight if there's no reason to and nothing to be gained from it.

How her concept is an alternate version of Musashi that was born a different gender and cast out of the family because of that, and now she trains to prove her father wrong? Also, she frequently crosses dimensions and realities? I just really like her.

3.Ereshkigal

Look, I just really like Ereshkigal. I wish we had gotten more of her. Like, I really liked her during Babylonia, so she gets spot #3. If she ever is available to pull from and I'm not saving for anyone, I might just try for her.

It's nothing complex, I just like her.

4.Meltryllis

I know I just met her in Seraph and probably won't see her outside that event, but I really grew to like her throughout that event. Part of that might have been due to her playing a huge role.

I mean, sacrificing her spirit origin twice just to save the day, sacrificing herself for her master, because she truly cares for him? I just like her.

5. Mysterious Heroine X

Honestly, I'm kind of surprised about this, but I like MHX. I thought about giving this to MHX Alter, but I don't really know enough about her. Maybe whenever Saber Wars 2 comes around.

Anyway, I know she's a gag character, but I like what she brings with her. The Servant Universe, a future overpopulated with Sabers because two many new Sabers are being made. Her going back in time to destroy Sabers to keep that population under control.

And I like how she without fail is always looking for Sabers to kill.

--------------------------------------------------------

Okay, that's one of them down, now for the top 5 sweets, off the top of my head (I don't think I can really explain these, so I'll just list them):

1.Sour Gummy Worms

2.Reeses Peanut Butter Cups

3.Fruit by the Foot

4.Fruit Snacks (yes they are different from FbtF, and specifically the ones without juice inside, I prefer solid fruit snacks)

5.Starbursts

Thanks for the ask!!!

[kob131]

True Name: Uther Pendragon Class: Saber Gender: Male Alignment: Lawful Good (believes he is Lawful Neutral) Parameter: Strength: B Endurance: A Agility: C Mana: E Luck: C NP: B+

History: Uther was born as the youngest of three brothers, himself, the Black Dragon Vortigern and the Paranoid Prince Ambrousis. After their father Constantine was died, the eldest son Ambrousis took the throne at the young age of 14. Due to an innate paranoia, the treachery of royal politics and persistent rumors of his father having been poisoned, Ambrousis sought to weed out all potential traitors and dangers to himself In his madness, he killed civilians for speaking unfavorably and nobles for dealing with other nations.

Unable to tolerate his eldest brother’s actions, Uther, alongside the middle child Vortigern, staged a rebellion against Ambrousis, uniting several lords and knights across Britan to wage war against his enthroned and madden kin. Through numerous bloody battles, he forced Ambrousis to met his demise by his own hand, with no small amount of grief and sadness. Soon after, the lords of the land agreed to name him King, something that would come to frustrate his last living brother.

Throughout his reign, he came into conflict with his neighbors/arch enemies the Saxxons. The two kingdoms went to war with each other many, many times, almost always with Uther just barely managing to edge a victory. During these many wars, he was always noted to be seen wandering near lakeside, gazing wistfully out upon the water. One night, on the last of his many walks to the lakes of the land, returned with two twin newborns in hand, girls who he would name Morgan and Morgause and claim as his children. No one is quite certain who the mother of these two was...

Later in life, as the strain of his life came to haunt him, he began to seek an heir to which take his throne upon his increasingly likely death. However, due to lacking a wife and having only daughters who could not be accepted by his kingdom, he looked to his old and trusted friend Merlin. Together, they hatched a plan for Uther to impregnate the lovely Lady Igraine with the king impersonating her lover through Merlin’s magic. Alas, though the child was blessed with the blood of a dragon, it was also yet another daughter, named Arturia. Distraught and despondent, Uther gave up his quest for a successor and left the child in Merlin’s care.

This turn of events alongside the death of his legitimate child Morgause left Uther in the worst of health. His body deteriorated day after day, for years on end until one day, seven years after those events, he died due to a combination of sickness and poison by his lifelong enemies....*

Personality: Quite unlike his successor, Uther is open and friendly man who ruled through trust and familiarity, while not being the best at administration. He warms the hearts of both his retainers and his people with his honesty and openness. Alas, this warmth also lends itself to a certain...fiery temperament in battle.

A man tried to uphold honor and dignity during his life, helping define the code of honor that many among the succeeding generation would uphold as their standard. That said, he could not always uphold it as the conception of his youngest child will tell you. 

Below his surface though, he holds a great many regrets. He laments his killing of his brother, his inability to stop the tyranny of his other sibling, his failure to properly raise the children under his care, his shame at the manipulation of Igraine born from a moment’s weakness and lust and his perceived abandonment of his youngest child. Because of this, he feels rather uncomfortable around most British servants, especially those from his era as it reminds him of his failures. Though, he still trusts and respects Merlin (even holding the distinction of being one of the few people able to catch the flower magus off guard).

He also regrets not having tried to defy the laws of inheritness during his time, as he sees this inaction having caused the many conflicts and pain of his successors.

Noble Phantasm:

Flame Sword of the Dragon King: Caliburn Classification: Anti-Personnel Rank: B+

Born from the legends that he himself wielded Caliburn before lodging it in it’s infamous stone as well as the misconception that he himself had dragon blood- Uther wields an altered version of Caliburn of similar quality to it’s true self. In battle, he can ignite the sword with dragonfire and enhance it’s power before releasing it in an inferno the swallows the opponent. The Noble Phantasm itself is not the sword but rather the technique and skill that Uther uses when swinging the ignited sword.

Relationships:

Merlin

Still views him as a trusted advisor and friend. Wishes he would not inform him of his daughters’ sex life. Holds the distinction of being one of the few people to catch Merlin off guard.

“Ah, Merlin. My old friend! You are truly a sight for these sore eyes... Would I like to hear about my child? ... I know you better than to answer yes.”

Arturia Pendragon

A father in name only, he believes. He feels nothing but shame and remorse upon seeing her, believing he does not deserve to be considered among her family. This despite Arturia’s admiration of his own rule.

“... Of course, she is here. The noble King of Knights who did what I could not... No Master, I do not wish to speak with her. I had that chance long ago...”

Arthur Pendragon

Is VERY confused why he has a look alike calling him ‘Father.’ While accepting of the man, Uther can’t help but feel bitter about how things seemed to have worked out for his other self.

“Master? Why is that lad giving me such a strange look? ... Arthur Pendragon? My son from another world? ... *sigh* Of course I find an heir I could truly pass on to NOW of all times...”

Lancelot

Is quite confused (then amused) that his daughter’s greatest knight is a Frenchman. Uther shares a kinship with him as a fellow knight ashamed of his past. Helps that Lancelot is the first Servant he meets upon arriving at Chaldea.

“Ah sir Lancelot! I was wondering if you and I could partake in a friendly spar sometime soon! Yes yes, I shall try to keep from getting too excited like last time.”

The Orkney Siblings (Gawain, Agravain, Gareth, Garehis)

Uther feels deeply conflicted with the siblings, knowing that they are the children of his one surviving child and yet his own failings as father caused them harm indirectly. He is, however, forced to put these feelings aside as the knights all deeply admire and adore him, having been raised on stories of his heroics. Especially the eldest Gawain.

(Gawain) “Oh, you are...yes, Gawain. Morgan’s eldest son. I shall take my leave. ... Wait, You want me to stay? You want to know about my battles? Haha, I-I don’t know what to say.”

(Gareth) “Oh, young Gareth. What a surprise, what brings you to me? ... A jousting battle? Young lady, do I appear to be of the Lancer Class in any manner? ... Now it’s a sparring match?!”

Vortigern

The mere sight of his elder brother deeply enrages Uther. The pain of his brother Ambrousis’ death dredged up at the sight of the sibling he believes he should have slain, there is no chance that Uther will ever cooperate with Vortigern.

“VORTIGERN! Damn you to hell, you inhuman tyrant!”

Morgan Le Fay Pendragon

To say the sight of his eldest daughter brings Uther pain would be nothing if not an understatement. Pressured by the constant wars and responsibilities as king, along with no partner to help him in raising a family, he could never truly invest himself into Morgan’s life as he wished to. Because of this, the death of her sister and even his own, Morgan walked a path of sacrifice and failure, transforming her into the brutal witch she is known as. All because, in Uther’s eyes, he could not comfort her.

“Morgan, oh Morgan. You have suffered so much, despite never wishing for the throne yourself. Seeking it out for Morgause and myself... Forgive your fool of a father, for he could not save you from this.”

Mordred

He did not recognize her as his kin at first but greatly enjoyed her company. Upon learning of her full heritage, Uther resolved himself to make up for his failures with her parents and help guide her to a better life.

“Ah, Mordred. Come, come. We have much to talk about. Yes yes, I know you feel as though my talks are long winded and boring. But I ask of you: will you allow this old man to indulge talking to his grandchild? Ha ha, no need to blush, I should be thanking you after all.”

*Sorry to any Arthurian myth fans but holy fuck, not only is Fate’s iteration of the Round Table Myth really hard to faithfully adapt the original myth- The myth ITSELF gets really patchy when not directly concerning Arthur. 

Like, the actual villain of early Uther’s life was VORTIGERN, who was NOT his brother. That doesn’t line up with Fate so I had to make the good guy Ambrousis a bad guy. And THEN it turns out that Uther fucked and married Igraine BEFORE Arthur which again doesn’t match up to Fate. So had to change the mother of Morgan and Morgause to someone else just for this to make sense.

[him-e]

We should’ve known IX was fucked the second it leaked that the Skywalker saber had been repaired with no alterations whatsoever. The *beginning* of TROS is when Rey should’ve made her own lightsaber, not the end, because the ST was her coming-of-age story and it should’ve been the “adulthood” phase of it

^ EXACTLY. 

More importance was given to her burying the sabers of the previous heroes than to her creating her own one, which is perfectly fitting for a movie that is more concerned with proving its main protagonist worthy of the old guard’s legacy, than with completing her growth as a heroine in her own right. 

Also perfectly encapsulated by her big hero moment, which doesn’t consist in an active choice, in an existential victory born out of compassion as opposed to a flat display of power (see: Luke in rotj), but in her being the perfect vessel to be imbued by the spirits of the old jedi, and wielding not one but two old hero sabers in front of her, not to destroy, not to protect, not to save, no, just to bounce Palpatine’s power back to its source. It’s neither aggression nor compassion. Just passivity. She doesn’t win thanks to her inner power, she wins because she finally proves herself worthy of the good legacy. Her big existential victory? Choosing the name Skywalker (as opposed to Palpatine, a name that meant nothing to her for two movies and that doesn’t in any way mirror any actual struggle with any inner darkness. It’s literally just a name and some force lightning she shot once without any permanent consequences for anyone). 

Everything about TROS screams “this isn’t about Rey, this is about all that came before her”, and it’s just depressing. This should have been her movie, we should have seen her building her own saber, or rebuilding the legacy one into something different from before, something that’s uniquely hers. Like, imagine writing the final movie of a saga in which Rey is supposedly the protagonist and giving her HER actual personal weapon, the one that should be forever iconically attached to her character, only 1 minute before the end. I’ve seen people say that her igniting the yellow saber means that this isn’t the end of her journey, it’s the beginning, and I’m like… I’m all for open endings, okay, but this should have been the end of her journey, because this was HER FUCKING TRILOGY! This was IT! If we have yet to see the beginning of her journey, what was this trilogy for? What the fuck have we been watching for 5 years?

[toku-explained]

The Sword of Light

Z: Obviously this is mostly a recap, but there is some pertinent information, most of which we already could infer, even if I didn't. Seems like Yoko's testimony plus Yuka's research on Celebro has probably allowed STORAGE to be absolved. Except Hebikura no doubt, also of you somehow doubted the Dark Z Riser had been destroyed it's confirmed here. So we now know Celebro's actions were all in aid of causing humanity to create a weapon that would then destroy earth, so most of his actions were to encourage the creation of increasingly dangerous weapons. He created Erimaki-Telesdon to test Windom, he drew out King Joe so STORAGE would adapt it. He had nothing to do with the development of D4 as far as we know, didn't even bring out Barabas. The major new information is that Celebro is responsible to Grigio Raiden landing on earth 10 years ago, my presumption therefore is that it was the ultimate weapon created on another world he destroyed.

The Absolute Conspiracy: Now in the third part of Chapter 2, we move close to the "present" of the M78 timeline, Zero explaining the change of Belial and Tregear's fates splintered the timeline. On Planet Golgotha, the Ultra 6 Brothers confront Guar Army generals Juda and Mold, who we saw were part of Tartarus' army. Evidently, to Taro's confusion, the pair were taken out of the timeline before the events of Ultra Fight Victory and X, and as Ultraman, Jack and Zoffy fight Mold, he demands to face the Andro Super Warriors, making Zoffy realise they're from the past. Taro, Ace and Seven face Juda, and both fights are very evenly matched. It's a good thing Gina wasn't there. The brothers give Taro their power to use the Cosmo Miracle Ray in them, the brothers die calling on Gina to avenge them. Another portal opens, and Belial and Tregear emerge, Zoffy realising the two have come from branched timelines. Belial faves the elder brothers, and Tregear the younger, demonstrating Tartarus has given them great power. The mention of Absolutions is noticed by Zoffy, right before two days defeat the Brothers, but Zero leaps right in. He recognises Belial, and faces the pair, doing okay until Tartarus arrives, defeating him swiftly, he takes his allies to The Kingdom. After the fact, Father of Ultra, Zoffy, 80, Mother of Ultra and Taro discuss Tartarus, and decide on the need for a special team to form to deal with the threat, Zero is charged with assembling such a team, given his ability to cross universes. The presence of his Ultra Zero Mantle places this most likely after Z & Zero voice drama and before Z.

Saber: It's the Geed Cameo episode everyone! Tassel only knows the story is going to be evolving thanks to his friend the hooded man. The Megiddo need a new plan, and Reika believes with Caliber gone Touma is the person so lead them to the Sword of Light. Everyone at Northern Base is trying to move forward, Touma remembers what Caliber said but is sure he can trust everyone. Various people can now see Wonder World in the sky after being in the vicinity of the open gate, which gives the Megiddo another avenue. Reika attempts to recruit Touma to Southern Base, he refuses. Something is obviously up with Reika and Southern Base, but it's hard to work out what. Touma told Mei what Kamijo told him. Luna evidently knew Touma was important when they first met. Reika sows seeds of doubt in the Northern Base members, while she's actually the one who captured Sophia. The information given to Touma by Kamijo, combined with the manipulation of Reika, causes the other Swordsmen to turn on Touma, it does make sense Ren would be the first to act as well, and Rintaro's personal feelings towards Sword of Logos would make him refuse to listen to the idea anyone within is a traitor. And certainly, none of the Swordsmen of the Northern Base is the problem. Sophia could be, technically, but it's obvious they're part of Southern Base in reality, or the whole lot of them. After only observing since he gave King of Arthur to Touma, Yuri finally takes part, revealing the book Kin no Buki, Gin no Buki, he transforms into the sword Saikou, as Reika wanted, and takes down the Riders. And now Megiddo are born from implanting an Alter Book into a person who can see Wonder World.

Kiramager: So, turns out not even Yodonna has ever met Yodon, curious, he only communicates with her via Dark Changer, but Crunchula, now 4/5 of his whole, self, got some discipline from him. Okay, but Yodonna splitting Sena by accident is hilarious, the splitting of personality seems a little uneven to me. Hakobu this time escapes rather than being used by Yodonna and Garza again to get to Atamald. I mean we can already see where this is going with Sena 5 being separate, the other one will get in over her head because she doesn't consider the drawbacks. Okay but that beach scene was absolutely framed as like a lovers reunion, twice. Okay, so the revelation about Yodonna, I was actually wondering about that after last time. Her total lack of awareness is... interesting.