#but what is good is ritsuka's humane feelings and nothing more

[mako-neexu]

sorry...begu of jp fandom works are too good... i have to say my thoughts..!!

The girl who is the Last Master of Pan-human history and the Insect of the Abyss, Winter Prince and Great Liar of the recent short story of Kairi. I love their dynamic in this story too much. Fujimaru Ritsuka is a Master. Oberon wanted to destroy the 'Last Master of Panhuman history in his own way. That title alone entails to many things...such as concern for her 'first time', her body, her mind, and her future. 

And Oberon saw all this in the short work. Her fear of her first time being taken instead by monsters and other creatures that would leave her scarred more than she already is, her thinking of Oberon having to take it instead being the better option, her habits and her skill of learning fast, no doubt because of her experience, her body that she was conscious of, to which oberon only stroked her scars which ritsuka only smiled and laughed because his silent response instead of saying something that will twist his words with his curse.  

Ahhh I also really loved that part where when he touches her chest, its not automatically linked to sexual feelings...rather, she was so used to medical exams that the sensitivity was different. And that links to her experience as Master of Chaldea. And his goal for that night was to destroy her. Reduce her to a 'woman' and a person named Fujimaru Ritsuka. Not some grand hero with the title of Last Master of Panhuman History. And that angered him so much!!! It was disgusting!!! He wanted to break that mask!! And erase the pressure of being Master in her eyes. 

I love that detail of covering them both with a blanket. To trap Fujimaru Ritsuka in before she could slip away from his grasp and be replaced with nothing but Master. It's too much. I like it too much...   I also love seeing her express fear but not for taking her 'first time' but fear for falling into pleasure and letting go of the role of 'Master'. Too good!!!! Also the aphrodisiac made should have affected her severely or should have broken her, but the 'Master' was still there. Seeing through Oberon so easily with his actions, calling him a bad person yet someone who was kind at the same time. Even after he finished inside her, the brillance of her golden eyes didn't fade. Like a star in the night. 

At Mike's tavern, to see him surprised is too good!!!AHHH!!! You haven't broken the Master yet. She will pretend in front of others no matter what. As long as she breathes, as long as she is alive, even if she was defiled, the 'Master' will perfectly play her part in the stage. With that 'Master' as the leading actor because that was what everyone wanted and needed, the woman who was 'Fujimaru Ritsuka' would slowly disappear from his reach. 

www Page six...the moment of realization was the best. After that, was even more "best" than ever. I'm sorry I loved the story too much. The dream that Oberon sees is where he realizes he and Ritsuka are the same. He was the one who had been waiting for thousands of years, waiting for a human to defeat Cernunnos even before the prophecy. The realization of her having her own abyss match his, her as a destroyer of worlds, his predecessor even... Them having the same 'role'. Fujimaru Ritsuka who could fully understand Oberon, just as Oberon fully understood her. This girl who had to keep going forward in the vast expanse of snow with nothing to rest on nor warm herself with, this girl who was bloodied, this girl who no longer has a place in proper human history. His realization of his feelings for her was the best. His realization that he has someone like him made both me and him happy. www I have more feelings but i have to stop here www

[nobuverse]

@midnightactual ll Plotted

It had been a routine mission at first, one Nobunaga and many other servants with the skill of Independent Action would often undertake. Davinci's sensors had located a holy grail replica, somewhere in the reaches of time. A singularity, as they called -it a breach so grand in the timeline of history that it threatened the very reality they were trying to restore.

Nobunaga's inherit powers as an archer allowed her to stay manifested for around two days without her master around, but they never dared send her out for more than a few hours to scout ahead without Ritsuka, and only when the threat to reality was considered rather minor - the type of thing that would barely require an effort to fix. As faint as the signal was that the staff achieved, they didn't disturb the young mage's sleep to mention the situation. They'd report to him in the morning, everyone figured, after Nobunaga's return report.

The coordinates are set for somewhere in Japan, sometime after 2016. Close to the time period they had wrongly labeled as "The final singularity". Simple. Easy, even.

But something goes wrong. Drastically so. The servant could knew it before she had even finished rayshifting to the coordinates. A blinding, searing pain shot across her nerves; like all her mana circuits had been fried at once. It ends as quickly as it starts. She stumbles out of the coffin with a gasp as the thing slowly dissolves from the world. She attempts to contact Davinci back on the ship, but gets nothing but static in her communicator. Useless.

Although she didn't feel any pain, it somehow felt as though she was missing a part of her- like a limb had detached itself without warning. Regardless, she figured the best thing she could do at the moment was simply get on with the mission that had been assigned to her, if for nothing else than a distraction.

She decides to begin in spirit form, walking in the space between the physical and ethereal planes. Though she can't interact with anything around her, she can at least take a good view of the city without drawing attention to herself. She finds nothing unusual, much to her dismay, but a thriving city. Certainly, one with its fair share of some less than appealing areas, but nothing that could explain what had peaked the interest of the radar. She would have usual taken the time to revel in the modern marvels far outside her time period, but she can't focus now. That uneasy feeling of anxiety was only growing stronger and stronger.

She materializes back into the physicals realm a few hours later. Thankfully, she was able to get a hold of Chaldea this time. But, as expected, the news isn't good. She's ended up no where near where she's supposed to- in another universe, entirely, even. It was one that ran parallel to that of their own - not interfering with their timeline at all. It means she can't simply rayshift back, it'll take a long time to get her back. Then, comes the worst news of all: her contract's been severed. She's lost her connection to her master- her source of mana. Though they'll try everything they can to save her, it's unlikely to happen within the span of two days. It's suggested she stay in spirit form to conserve the mana she has left.

-----

Two days come and pass, although it seems like an enteral wait. It's through either determination or sheer luck that she's managed to live this long, hoping to be reunited with her loved ones on board the ship: her wife. her brother. her best friend. her niece.

----

It's in a vain attempt to distract herself, spirit wandering from one rooftop to another, that she sees it for the first time. This shadow, a presence unlike any she's ever seen dragging its lumbering feet through the city gravel. It's half the size of an average house, figure both human and distinctly inhuman all at once. A large hole in its chest, gnashing teeth behind an ugly mask.

Nobunaga's first thought is how incredible it is that no one's reacting to its presence: only the destruction it accidently causes as it moves along. This beast was moving along unseen, overturning sidewalks and bending light posts.

She wants to reveal herself, but can't. She's been warned that if she manifests in her physical form again, there wouldn't be enough mana in her left to turn back - and she'd drain away her reserves before the end of the day.

Foolishly, she follows it. Even though she knows her time in Chaldea has made her soft, even though she knew she wouldn't be able to stand by if it went after a human life.

The result is predictable, in hindsight. When the mangy creature reaches for a teenage boy, sleeping on a bench in the middle of the summer afternoon, she breaks. Feet hit the roof tiles with a clatter as she manifests, a wave of her hand summons a matchlock rifle, and she fires. It roars as the bullet goes through its shoulder, the teenage boy awoken by the sound of the gunshot. Her rifle falls, sliding down the roof as it dissipates again. She focus on running now to lead it away, manifesting another between two houses, just enough to allow her to jump the gap. Her communicator has to be turned off, as it's already started annoying her ceaselessly. ( No doubt with Davinci and Sherlock screaming at her from the other side. )

She sprints as the beast runs after, leaving debris in its wake as it tries and fails to reach for her. Her only thought is getting it away from the general population, into an empty, open soccer field she had noted earlier.

Her landing is anything but graceful. She stumbles, almost falls. She decides to conjure one last loaded rifle, into her arms this time. She aims, and fires just in time as the white mask comes only a few meters from her. Blood splatters on her face as it falls, hopefully for good.

" Freak." She muttered, spitting at the ground. She had to get one last insult in before she collapses to her knees. Exhausted, but also not gone yet.

In a few hours time, though, that would change.

[animasend]

1, 12, 20

canon questionare. -- accepting

What made you pick up this character?

okay so i always loved olga and was sad she went away in the story so soon but at the time i actually got into fgo, the only one i wanted to write was ritsuka. olga hadn't yet hit the braincell but it was the combination of me enjoying her as a character and at the suggestion of a friend that i decided to take her up!

and here i am, years later, losing my mind for a month and a half straight bc lb7 came into my home, ate my food, called me a fool and left me crying on the floor while ALSO proving all the theories i've had about her and like hell yeah i won but the cost of winning...

What would you say is the most unique trait about your character?

how she's just so achingly human in how she acts and behaves and nothing is able to destroy that or take it away. like i've said before, back when she was just supposedly a mage, she wasn't your typical mage. lev pointing out that her reaction to learning of her father's demi-servant experiments was not how a mage should react. she was horrified and appalled that nobody did anything to stop that and sick to her stomach so being told ' aren't you a mage?' shows that Olga just, has never had it in her to be so cold and cutthroat and logical as a mage should be.

she cared and had her morals and yes, she acted arrogant and cruel and cold but that all had a purpose. it was what she was led to believe what was needed from her. she had to be an Animusphere, a mage, something her father would be proud of but never 'Olga Marie'

i'll be vague but even in lb7, even after her amnesia and the truth about her being learned, she kept her promise to Chaldea. she wanted to stay with them, as the weaker version of herself, rather than be their enemy. she cared despite her stance of it just being her duty to help at the time before remembering everything. she knew she wasn't perfect and criticized herself and acted hot and cold often, but that's just part of being human

at the end of the day, while she herself may not be human, she had always acted far more human than she ever should have and it just makes me feel so much at how that trait of hers could never be taken away from her

If you could sum up your character with one sentence, what would it be?

it messes me up how everyone refers to olga as like a star or a dream and it is impossible to sum her up in just once sentence because there's so many facets to her character that everyone so easily overlooks bc she's 'cringe' or her character design or some other ridiculous reason like that but. if i HAD to, i'd go with something she herself said

' that's a nice dream, if only it had worked out'

just because olga tries so hard and struggles and is messy but messy in the way of she's human in her emotions with the good and the bad but no matter how hard she tries, things just never work out in the end for her and it makes me SO. SAD. LIKE CASE FILES REALLY IS THE ONLY TIMELINE WHERE SHE'LL EVER BE EVEN REMOTELY HAPPY

[dnangelic]

' it's not . ' immediate , and just as matter-of-fact . his voice nips low , a snarl without any bite . ' ordinary people ... ' and yet , despite the strength of his initial decline , the rest of the words start to feel strange in his mouth . would a thing like him really try to talk about what ordinary lives it hardly should have known ? even his most stubborn ideas about humanity were nothing more than ideals . and yet , he hisses and bares his teeth ; growls out his thoughts from between the long , razor points anyways . ' ordinary people are always allowed something beyond just that . what is it you're so afraid of ? ' the slit pupils of his eyes cinch , each thinning line trying to needle into the other , and yet it wasn't enough ; would never be to slice the master open and place all their parts into vivisection . all he had to work with were ritsuka's words ; vague confessions and self-lashings .

( ... so you're the same , huh . )

' in the first place , it should be enough that you're there . whether it's a servant or even an ordinary human being , there's nothing more precious than anyone's time . second , even if there's a wall , don't you want to try to break it ? to crack and smash it into pieces , just so you can reach person on the other side ? even if you think you have next-to-nothing to give , you can still give it your all for the sake of someone , right ? '

it would have been hypocrisy to call the master a coward , and yet it still might have been a truth . ' --- when i think about her , i want her to trust me . when i call her cute or beautiful , when i call her clever , even for insulting me ... even if she can't believe it about herself , i want her to at last believe me . it's only natural , then , that hearing the opposite would hurt , ' like the ache in his borrowed body , stemming from the heart and bruising him all the way down to the very bone . even this sense of violently being pulped --- was love , too .

' master , we might not be a couple , but we're still friends . if i can make a hole even just the size of my hand in any wall that springs up between us , then that's good enough for me . ' his fist raises and approaches , only to blossom its fingers into an open , waiting palm . ' a box that can't be broken from the inside might still be able to be broken from the outside . if you can find someone to accept things , then there's nothing wrong with living like that ... so believe in me . please . '

an empty thanks would never be enough . ' --- i want to meet you at least halfway . '

ㅤㅤRITSUKA blinked at the accusation, taken aback by how annoyed Dark was by the prospect. He listened to Dark's reprimands with an unreadable expression before a simple smile took his lips in response. " ... When you put it that way, I guess it can be pretty selfish. I mean, it's not like I don't understand where you're coming from; I have been on the same end more times than I can count so I do agree that it's pretty frustrating but ... isn't it normal to feel like you shouldn't be loved by anyone ? " He said it so matter-of-factly to the point it seemed like a given. " Well ... people have varying reasons for feeling this way but it's not as if we don't consider your feelings. It just feels ... unfathomable, I guess ? Like there's some kind of unbreakable glass between the other person and I. At least in my case, I still don't think I have much to offer ... rather, there's nothing that I can give at all. " His gaze momentarily faltered and flicked elsewhere as if he resented that very fact but the moment came and went and he was back to his usual smile ( it was if he hadn't just said anything at all ).

ㅤㅤ" That's the spirit ! If there's anything that I admire about you, it's that you're determined. Or maybe persistent is the right word ? " He laughed. " I really hope things work out for the both of you either way. Even if nothing happens now, you can at least look forward to the time you have with her. " That was the great thing about being in love after all. " H - huh ? Ahaha ... you don't need to go out of your way return the sentiment. I mean, we've been a lot less clumsy about it compared to the start so I think we're finally settling in. Besides, it's pretty embarrassing when you bring it up but ... well ... right. " The brief fluster had come to a wane and there it was again, that same distant expression with a smile still somehow plastered with a smile.

ㅤㅤ" Thanks. "

[vyragosa]

on mobile so im putting it in tags nsfw gudalimbo

[versegm]

Prior to Ritsuka, Artoria (Caster, she who chants, child of prophecy, ect ect,) hadn’t really interacted with any humans.

Nothing specist about it. Castoria dislikes people in general, humans and fairies alike. But there were no humans in Tintagel, so she knew way less about their innards than she does about the average fae.

Which is really a long way to say, she thinks she can be forgiven for taking this long to figure out what exactly is wrong with her friend.

“Ritsuka?” Her knuckles rap against the door. “Do you have a moment?”

She hears shuffling, then the door swings wide open. “Artoria! Always a pleasure to see you.” There are bags under their eyes, as it is sadly commonplace, but their smile is bright with truth. 

Artoria steps inside and closes the door behind her, discreetly casting a spell to keep it locked. No offense to the other servants (okay, a lot of offense,) but this is important and she really doesn’t want to be interrupted.

“You got good timing! Cat stopped by earlier with some experimental snacks.” They bend over to look under their bed, because of course that’s where they store snacks apparently. (And before anyone accuses her of hypocrisy, Artoria would like you to know that she does not hide any food in her room. If she gets snacks, she eats them all right away. No one can take away what has already been consumed.) “They’re like, nuts coated in chocolate, they’re pretty neat-”

“Ritsuka, are you possessed?”

Ritsuka pauses, for half a second. They straighten their back, casually. (Lies.; they only appear casual. Stress. Fear. Confusion. That’s more accurate.) “I’m sorry?”

“I said,” Artoria walks close to them, “Are you possessed? Do you need an exorcist? Do you need me to kill someone?”

“No!” They whip around to face her, waving their hands frantically. “No no no no to any of that!” Truth, truth, lie. “It’s not really- I mean, I guess it is, but I’m not- it’s not-” their gaze darts to the door, then the window, and at last the vents. “How did you even-?”

There are a lot of things wrong with Ritsuka. Their shadow is often too dark and too thick. Their weight is inconsistent, lighter at times and heavier at others. Their skin sometimes feels too smooth regardless of any hair or scar, as if they were wearing a film or an invisible cloth over their arms. But what veered Artoria away from there’s weird servant stuff going on into there is something REALLY wrong is much simpler:

there’s an echo when they speak.

Not a literal one, mind you. Not one she can hear. Ritsuka speaks in a perfectly normal way with a perfectly normal voice articulating perfectly normal words (if with a slight accent she cannot pinpoint.) But it’s an echo she can see. An echo in the lies, that reflect two contradicting intentions, an echo in overlapping lie and truth at once, an echo with no sound that constantly invade her sight, and after months of rattling her brain over what could be the cause of this the only thing Artoria could come up with was there is more than one person speaking at once.

Ritsuka sits on their bed, dragging a hand across their face. “Sorry. I’ve never had to explain that one before. I don’t… know where to start.”

Artoria sits next to him. “First thing first. Are you certain it’s not dangerous?”

“They’re helping me,” Ritsuka says, which is not a no. “In battle and such. They give me advice on battle formations and such.”

The sentence rings true, but it’s frayed at the edge, the way lies by omissions often are. And such. That can mean a lot, and such. “What else do they do?”

Ritsuka shrugs. They seem dead set on avoiding the question. “So this thing is dangerous.” Go figure. Ritsuka always curry the favors beautiful and deadly things. 

Artoria is willing to tolerate the likes of Douman or Koyanskaya, but she draws the line at being inside their head. As such, she gathers mana inside her palm, ready to-

“No no no!” Ritsuka grabs her wrist. “No exercising, no blowing shit up.”

Artoria raises an eyebrow. “If it’s hurting you, I’m not giving you much of a choice.”

“It’s not hurting me!” Truth (genuinely believed) lie (but you should know better.) “They just- sometimes it takes me a few times to get a fight right, that’s all. It’s not pleasant, but I’m grateful for the extra chances nonetheless.”

That’s a truth, but not one that makes much sense. What does that mean, a few tries? Artoria has fought by RItsuka’s side. They rarely get more than one try at a fight, for the simple reason that if they lost, they would be killed-

It clicks, not as a sudden realisation, but as a slow, growing horror that this would be something really fucked up. Oh, fuck, that could actually be it. Oh, FUCK, she thinks it might be it.

“Ritsuka,” she asks, very, very slowly, voice burning with ice, “are you telling me this thing rewinds time anytime you die.”

Ritsuka shifts uncomfortably and looks away.

“How many times.” When her demand is met with silence, Artoria reaches out to grab their arm. “How many times, Ritsuka.”

“I don’t know.” Truth (they lost count) truth (it never cared to count.) 

Anger flares in her guts like violent flames. She wants to hit. She wants to kill. She wants to chuck a bomb at this thing. Who does that? Who fucking does that?! Who would deny someone the simple escape route of death- who would force someone to keep going again and again and again and again through countless pains through endless suffering who would be cruel enough to force someone to live with the memory of being killed?

“It’s not like that,” Ritsuka says, because of fucking course they do. “They would let me go if I asked, I think. They’re only giving me this for as long as I wish for it. And,” they have a small smile, “I do want to live.”

So it’s some demon taking advantage of their desire for- what? Amusement? She grinds her teeth. She still wants it away from her friend. “What even is this thing?”

“They don’t really�� speak. Not like people do. So I’m not quite sure.” Ritsuka tilts their head to the side. “I think they’re an Outer God. You know what these are, right?”

Vaguely. The Chaldean summoning ritual filled her on these sorts of things. The general concept of god is still one foreign to her, but if nothing else, she still remembers Cernunnos, still remembers this creature so massive it wasn’t even aware that it’d died yet. Granted, Ritsuka doesn’t need any help to get pumped full of curses, but that still doesn’t convince her that this thing should be allowed around any longer. “Yes. And this one seeks you as a vessel… because?”

Ritsuka is silent. For a moment, Artoria thinks they’ll dodge this question too, but before she can asks again, they answer: 

“They love a lot. I can tell. But… they’re a god of war, you know? They know nothing but battle. They can bring nothing but violence. They’re a herald of blood, but they want to be so much more than that. That’s what they want to use me for. I am fine with that.”

Ah.

For all her anger, Artoria cannot argue against that. She knows all about people who try to be more than what their purpose wants them to be.

“How can you tell it’s love?” She tries, a last-ditch attempt, even if she already knows it pointless. (That last tirade sounded like truth and truth.)

“I know all their emotions. They can’t speak, but they feel. Oh, Artoria, how they feel.” Ritsuka sets a hand on their chest, above their own heart. “They loathed Britain. That was annoying. When our feelings clash, it can be distracting. They love the servants. I love them too. When we feel the same, it echoes, it amplifies, it grows so much it sometimes spills. It’s not always better, but it is easier to cope with for me.”

That… explains a lot. About Ritsuka, as a person. “You did not hate Fairy Britain?”

“Oh, I did. But not to the point of wanting everyone dead.”

(That’s the thing about Ritsuka, isn’t it? When they see someone in a pickle, they try to save them. It’s not that they want to save people necessarily. It doesn’t matter if the person deserves to be saved, or if they’ll live long after being saved, or if they’re someone they like or dislike on a personal level. If someone can be saved, Ritsuka has to save them.)

(Then again, Artoria supposes she’s not much better. To each their star. To each their wish. To each their reason to doom themself.)

[luckythereviewer]

I mean, it's good but it does feel slightly disappointing in that this romantic relationship that is about Hakuno and Nero, we have to shove Ritsuka into it and make it about them and Chaldea. Like, the biggest issue I have with all of this is how Hakuno just decides not to go there themselves to save Nero, instead relying on Ritsuka to do so and the only excuses we get are that Draco likes the journey undertaken by Ritsuka and Chaldea and that Ritsuka has dealt with more Evils of Humanity than she has thus making him better qualified. And even if Ritsuka has to be includes, it doesn't mean Hakuno can't go there herself to at least help Ritsuka come to understand who Nero is as a person as they wouldn't have the understand of Nero to the extent that Hakuno does. It's bad enough that Hakuno didn't even get a cameo in the SERAPHIX Epic of Remnant Chapter and remains the only master to have a collab event and not get put into the game (seriously every other collab event has had their series protag be put into the game), but in this story where Hakuno appearing in person to help save Draco like Nero has done for them several time and the best we get a last minute cameo. And I'm just left wondering why? We got two pseudo-servant Rins in Arc 1 with Ishtar joining with Babylonia and Eresh coming during Christmas 3, we got Sakura-pseudo servants with Parvati in EoR, Kama during the prelude for LB4, and Durga and Kali with Ordeal Call 1, we got Shirou with Muramasa being an NPC for Shimosa and LB5 before becoming a summonable servant for new years, same with Kirei and Rasputin, Luvia and Astrea, Taiga and Jaguar-Man, Caren and Amor, Reines and Waver as Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang, and so on. We even got Jinako with Ganesha and Kiara as herself and yet Hakuno gets nothing but a cameo where we don't even get to see her full face.

Part of me wants to hope that Nasu is cooking something big to keep Hakuno out of FGO for this long but, at this point, I feel like whatever he's cooking is burnt at this point. We are entering the final story chapters for Arc 2 and Hakuno is still nowhere to be seen while FGO goes about grabbing every other possible Fate protag, the most recent being Iori from Samurai Remnant, a game that only came out almost 5 months ago. Hakuno should have finally stepped in by now or, at the very least, a god or goddess should have take note of Sovereign Hakuno, seen their potential as a vessel, then take one look at the several instances of living Hakunos (I.e. Living Hakuno, CCC Route Hakuno, hell even School Life Hakuno) and yoink them to be a vessel but nope nothing. Is Lilim Harlot and Draco's story really good? Yes. Is what role Hakuno got better than nothing? Sure. Did the relationship between Nero and Hakuno feel important here? Absolutely. Ultimately, I can't get over 2 things that keep this event from truly being an event I love: 1) Hakuno's role being purely cameo and doing background work rather than having an upfront and personal role in the actual story and 2) This being a story in FGO and thus has to tie into Ritsuka and Chaldea because they have to be the most important people in the room, even when dealing with affairs and plot threads that ultimately have nothing to do with them.

In Fate Extra, where Hakuno can only wait for death despite how much they struggle to live, Nero comes not summoned by Hakuno, but her summoning herself to Hakuno to save them.

In Lilim Harlot where Draco can only wait for death, Hakuno saw this and pull Guda there to help Draco, just like how Nero saved Hakuno back then. Hakuno who knows Nero very well must be aware that despite what Draco said and intend to do, she still has burning desire to live as shown by her alter egos Bestia Coccinea.

The best thing about Lilim Harlot is that Draco was saved by a love story that spans through 5 series for a decade (Fate/Extra, Fate/Extra CCC, Fate/Extella, Fate/Extella Link, and Fate/Extra Last Encore). The emotional payoff is just amazing when you think about it.

[mako-neexu]

(It's the angst anon again! The one who brings all the guda angst prompts!) This time it's a gudako that is tired of being the last master of humanity that just wants to be someone else for one day. So she starts to lean in heavily to the other roles. One week she's "Christine". The next she acts like what she believes to be the perfect wife for Morgan (Morgan does not like it). In between she juggles being a good daughter for Raikou and mother for Jack. And then a different role and another role. Taking them on until it is clear that the servant has gotten sick of the act and she moves on to the next (she does still continue to be the master when needed, so most just let it happen so long as it makes her happy).

One week she's finally confronted by non other than Oberon when she tries to take on the role of "titania" and (in his own confusing way) tells him to just give up the act and be herself, be "ritsuka fujimaru".

She simply stares blankly. And states "but I don't know how to be "Ritsuka Fujimaru""

Concept is really interesting!

Having more than one role is necessary for life right? You could be someone’s teacher, someone’s mother, someone’s daughter, someone’s lover, someone’s inspiration, someone’s envy, someone’s savior, someone’s rival, someone’s friend.

To Fujimaru, who wants to attain a normal life at best and be with her friends and current family, i think she definitely try her best to be “someone” for them.

Since shes no longer in her “normal everyday life”, all her previous friends and family must be like hazy figures at best, and at worst, she can no longer remember who they are. Only by records and data in her medical profile and data about her.

To take on a role is to discard something first, sacrifice something first. To be that “someone” who can fulfill that person’s desires and in which they seek, she has to make room for things to take place inside her. Shes limited, she’s human in the end after all.

I havent read what titania acts like in shakespeare’s story but she’s a concept right? Only fiction, only derived from inspiration. But she’s compassionate and loyal, head strong, a little like ritsuka that she doesnt have to change much. Yet she does anyways but maybe acts as someone who feels like a fairy, not one, but just feels like it. 

If you watched read oshi no ko, you’d know akane-chan right? She studied Ai’s personality and background so much that when she acted out “her”, Aqua was seriously speechless. I think thats a scenario i want to do between oberon and fujimaru ritsuka in this concept.

Playing a role so perfectly you can’t distinguish what is mask and what is face that when you ask them to stop, stop this at once. You are not her. You will never be her. So stay as “you” are. This play pretend is sickening. It’s as vile as the Abyss, as vile as you. So just be “Fujimaru Ritsuka” goddamnit. That Fujimaru Ritsuka who fought and in the incineration of humanity, that ritsuka who held on too much even if it was painful and the goodbye was inevitable. Just be that for fuck’s sake. 

Just be you.

A graceful tap of a finger on her lips in a pondering manner, Ritsuka hums and smiles, “I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean, Oberon.” Even her speech, even the way she sits, it was similar to how Aurora acted, similar to how “Titania” acted.

You know what I just fucking said. Quit acting like her or are you seriously dea-

Then, the mask was dropped.

What Oberon saw was a void of a “person”, blank in its entirety, its face shaped to fit an expression, a feeling to suit the atmosphere, to appease and smile for show.

“I’m sorry,” A hollow voice, lacking a role, lacking a purpose, lacking the feelings that are connected to it. Another person- entity so different from the other personalities adopted and developed in these past years. 

An original replaced, shredded, put together, used, discarded, leaving behind nothing but its shell still somehow conscious and moving of its own volition.

“But I don’t know how to be that person anymore.”

[akari-hope]

lgbtq+ anime for pride month

decided to make this for anyone looking for new recommendations, or anyone who’s wanted to get into anime but doesn’t know where to start! all recs will include a summary, genres, applicable representation, and how accessible it is to people brand new to anime, as well as any major content warnings.

(a quick disclaimer for those new to anime - some series on here will NOT have explicit rep, but rather be heavily coded or have implied queer themes. however, these are included generally because the implication is strong enough to treat it as text, or because the series has been generally accepted as queer. i’ll be sure to clarify whether something is canon or coded in each entry.)

ouran high school host club (comedy, romance) summary: haruhi fujioka is an honor student on scholarship at the prestigious ouran academy, who’s only looking for a quiet place to study when he runs into the notorious host club. in his frantic attempt to leave, he accidentally breaks a vase valued at 8 million yen. club leader tamaki suou has an idea for how he can pay them back - working for the host club. rep: crossdressing/drag are staples of this series, nothing explicitly stated but there are definite themes of gender identity exploration, and the show doesn’t shy away from homosexual themes or ideas accessibility: newcomer friendly! the english dub of this series is notably good. content warnings: some 2000s-era language in regards to gay/trans people that may be seen as offensive today, one scene that implies intent of sexual assault (while there is no actual assault and it is quickly played off, it may still be upsetting to some viewers)

yuri!!! on ice (sports) summary: yuri katsuki is a professional figure skater, recovering from a crushing defeat at the grand prix final. he returns to his family home to debate what he plans to do for next season. he goes to the local ice rink to clear his mind, and shows his old friend there something he’s been practicing - his idol victor nikiforov’s latest world-winning routine. unbeknownst to yuri, he’s being filmed. the video goes viral, and before he knows it victor is standing right in front of him, offering to be his coach. rep: canon mlm romance accessibility: newcomer friendly! content warnings: a few scenes that briefly display anxiety/panic attack-like symptoms

given (drama, romance) summary: one day on his way to his favorite napping spot in school, ritsuka uenoyama finds a boy, mafuyu satou, dozing in his spot, clutching onto a guitar with rusted, broken strings. uenoyama wakes him up, berating him for not taking better care of his instrument. mafuyu, noticing his knowledge of the instrument, begs uenoyama to repair it and teach him to play. uenoyama initially refuses, but mafuyu is persistent, even following uenoyama to band practice. it’s not until uenoyama hears mafuyu sing that he changes his tune, offering lessons if he joins the band as their singer. rep: canon mlm romance accessibility: newcomer friendly! content warnings: discussions of grief and loss additional note: given also has a movie sequel, which has a scene involving sexual assault.

sweet blue flowers / aoi hana (romance, slice of life) summary: fumi manjoume and akira okudaira were best friends in elementary school, until fumi moved away. now in high school, fumi is back and attending the same school as akira once again. their relationship isn’t the same now, though. the two must navigate the new trials of high school while trying to revive their waning friendship. rep: canon wlw romance accessibility: newcomer friendly!

bloom into you / yagate kimi ni naru (drama, romance) summary: yuu koito has always dreamed of the sort of soft, heart-fluttering love in shoujo manga. when a boy finally confesses to her though she feels...empty. she begins to wonder if she only understands love conceptually, but cannot feel it. yuu is still mulling over how to respond to her suitor when she witnesses the student council president, touko nanami, turn down a love confession of her own. she decides to approach touko for advice, but then the unexepected happens - touko confesses to yuu. rep: canon wlw romance accessibility: newcomer friendly! content warnings: some mild sexual content, depictions of homophobia

stars align / hoshiai no sora (drama) summary: toma shinjou is desperate to recruit new members to the boys’ soft tennis club, which is on the verge of being disbanded due to poor performance. maki katsuragi, the new transfer student, immediately catches his interest due to his quick reflexes. toma persuades maki to join, and maki’s skill quickly becomes driving momentum for the entire team. through their shared sport, the boys of the soft tennis club explore their own capabilities and hardships as they navigate life. rep: canon nonbinary character, discussions of gender identity and sexuality accessibility: some prior knowledge of anime tropes and themes is desirable, but not necessary content warnings: discussions and depictions of abuse, bullying, and violence

mahou shoujo madoka magica (fantasy, psychological drama) summary: madoka kaname and sayaka miki are good friends, regular middle school girls with regular lives. one day, the mysterious homura akemi transfers into their class, and strange happenings begin occuring. they meet a strange cat-like creature known as kyuubey, injured and on the run from homura. as thanks for saving its life, kyuubey offers them a reward - he’ll grant any wish they desire, and in return they’ll become magical girls with the power to help others. homura, despite being a magical girl herself, discourages them, saying everything is not as it seems. rep: sapphic themes and implied romantic feelings accessibility: some prior knowledge of anime tropes and themes is desirable content warnings: blood, violence, major character death, unreality, grief additional note: madoka magica has 3 movie sequels, with a 4th on the way. while the first two are merely recaps of the series, the 3rd, rebellion, is a continuation of the story.

no. 6 (sci-fi, drama) summary: the world has been ravaged by war - the last safe haven of mankind lies in six walled-off city-states. shion is an elite resident of one such city-state, no. 6, given priority housing and treatment due to his exceptional abilities. one night, a fugitive by the name of nezumi sneaks into shion’s room, and threatens to kill him. despite knowing he’s a fugitive, shion instead tends to his wounds and shelters him for the night. when his transgression is discovered by the authorities, shion and his mother lose their elite status, and are relocated. now just a regular citizen, shion begins to discover a new side to the city he’s called home. years after their first meeting, he reunites with nezumi once more - their meeting putting in motion a series of events that will unveil the secrets of no. 6. rep: canon mlm romance, trans/nonbinary coded character accessibility: some prior knowledge of anime tropes and themes is desirable, but not necessary content warnings: blood, violence, major character death, body horror, insects (bees)

seraph of the end / owari no seraph (supernatural, action) summary: a virus ravages the human race, infecting and killing everyone above the age of 13. their food source now threatened, vampires come out of the shadows to take the remaining humans captive. the children of the hyakuya orphanage are among the survivors. yuuichirou detests the vampires, and is determined to escape. mikaela has hatched a plan to do just that. the hyakuya kids make their way to the exit of the vampire city, only to be ambushed by a vampire noble. yuuichirou is the only one to escape. he’s found by the japanese imperial demon army, who say they’ll use him against the vampires. believing the rest of the children dead, yuuichirou joins immediately, determined to seek revenge against the monsters who killed his only family. rep: implied romantic feelings between two men (in the manga the anime is based on this is canon, and the localization team views the relationship as romantic) accessibility: some prior knowledge of anime tropes and themes is desirable, but not necessary content warnings: blood, violence, death, body horror, unreality

banana fish (action, crime drama) summary: ash lynx is a runaway on the streets of nyc, taken in and raised by the godfather of the mafia, dino golzine. now the leader of his own gang, he begins investigating “banana fish” - the only two words his brother will speak after returning from the iraq war. ash meets his friend skip at a bar, where he’s shunichi ibe and eiji okumura, japanese photographers covering american gangs. however, their conversation is cut short, as dino’s men storm the bar and kidnap skip and eiji. ash sets out to rescue them and continue his investigation. rep: canon mlm romance accessibility: some prior knowledge of anime tropes and themes is desirable, but not necessary content warnings: blood, violence, major character death, drugs, homophobia, pedophilia, sexual assault, rape

wonder egg priority (fantasy, psychological drama) summary: after the suicide of koito nagase, ai ohto is left to grapple with reality without her best friend. under instructions of a mysterious entity, she purchases a wonder egg. ai breaks the egg in the world that materializes in her sleep, and is tasked with saving people. under the belief that she’ll be able to save koito, ai embarks on a journey where she must recognize the relationship between other people’s demons and her own. rep: canon trans characters, sapphic themes accessibility: some prior knowledge of anime tropes and themes is desirable content warnings: blood, violence, death, suicide, self-harm, transphobia, fatphobia, bullying, abuse, pedophilia, sexual assault, rape additional note: wonder egg priority has a special airing on june 30th, 2021, meant to wrap up the original series - as of writing this post, the series is technically incomplete.

flip flappers (fantasy, sci-fi) summary: cocona is an average middle schooler liing with her grandmother, no clear goals in mind for the future. she meets an odd girl, papika, who inites her to join the organization “flip flap”. cocona finds herself dragged along by papika into the world of pure illusion, a mysterious alternate dimension where papika searches for crystal shards. as cocona and papika explore pure illusion, they awaken to the power within the crystals, transforming into magical girls. they must learn to work together in order to unravel the mysteries of pure illusion, and their pasts. rep: sapphic themes and exploration of sexuality accessibility: some prior knowledge of anime tropes and themes is desirable content warnings: mild violence, unreality, mild sexual themes and nudity

noir (action, drama) summary: parisian assassin-for-hire mireille bouquet receives a strange email from kirika yuumara, a japanese student, who invites her to make “a pilgrimage to the past”. mireille makes to dismiss the email as nonsense, until it starts playing a song she recognizes from her youth. when the two meet in person, they’re ambushed by gun-wielding men. to mireille’s surprise, kirika is able to fend for herself - even more surprising, kirika has no memory of how she has such skills. the two of them team up to unravel the mysteries of their pasts, operating under the codename “noir”. rep: canon lesbian characters accessibility: some prior knowledge of anime tropes and themes is desirable, but not necessary content warnings: violence, death, implied rape and csa (not shown)

revolutionary girl utena / shoujo kakumei utena (fantasy, psychological drama) summary: after an encounter with a prince who comforted her after the death of her parents, utena tenjou is given a rose-crest ring, and a promise that they’ll meet again someday. however, utena has now committed to becoming a prince herself! after witnessing the abuse of fellow classmate anthy himemiya, utena is drawn into a dangerous game. duelists with rings matching her own battle for the ownership of anthy - the “rose bride”. utena decides she must free anthy from this fate. rep: canon sapphic characters, implied romance (in the movie sequel, this becomes canon) accessibility: prior knowledge of anime tropes and themes is necessary to fully enjoy this anime content warnings: unreality, violence, abuse, homophobia, pedophilia, incest, sexual assault, rape (for a comprehensive, spoiler-free breakdown of all potentially disturbing content, click here) additional note: the movie sequel, adolescence of utena, gives more explicit canon romance than the original series. however, the original series is considered an absolute classic must-watch for sapphics.

if anyone has questions about any series on here, feel free to ask! any other recommendations, feel free to tack on! (please include a summary, rep, accessibility, and any content warnings!)

[bakerstreetdetective]

sanctummilitis​:

She bristled. He was goading her. Kiritsugu mocked her the same — disregarded that, despite it not being enough, she had done everything within her power to save her nation. He chastised her the martyr deeming herself the only sacrifice necessary, even once fractures splintered the Round Table. Arturia Pendragon had never been an ordinary girl — she had been bred and raised for Britain’s throne — but at one time, Ritsuka Fujimaru had. She were a mage who diminished her importance, humble so to write herself off as average and extraordinarily lucky. But no ordinary mage could perform what she had accomplished. Humanity rode on her shoulders, and in spite of that tremendous weight, her legs slugged forward, no matter the snapping of bones and oozing of blood. So long as she could, she would. That was the essence of Chaldea’s Master — a being who fought against the impossible, grasping what love and hope there were for a tomorrow constantly under siege, while never turning a blind eye to yesterday.

In her eyes had flashed unending pain and admiration for the Sherlock Holmes of whom she was robbed, she protested fiercely he was family irrespective of the circumstances behind his summoning. And here he was… speaking of her as nothing. It were infuriating — she loved him, and he dismissed her with bitter coldness. Unforgivable. Stoic had she played when delivering the uncomfortable truth of being Ruler and Avenger to the Master, but she could not help but feel flames coil about her heart to hear such insult levied the woman’s way. Teeth ground themselves and fingers tighter about her unseen hilt squeezed, a slight shudder from the intensifying pressure of the vice grip.

“She has given up everything and more. the Sherlock Holmes who stayed by her would understand why any would take up their weapon in her name”. Valour and reputation had long lost meaning for Chaldea’s pivotal existence, but such blatant degradation of her character Saber would never accept. “‘Flawed’? And your world is without? Do not mock us, Ruler — Chaldeas would have no need to fight if it were a utopia. We fight because, flawed or not, it is our world — and we will not simply surrender to be culled”.

Holmes remember while the city take away his weapons and ability. There is one thing they didn’t take away as Holmes while still facing a increasingly pissed off Saber light his pipe. It’s not consider a proper weapon as it’s just something Holmes often use because he to is a creature of vice.

Also his only weapon. Saber will strike him down before he can even get close to Bartisu.

Only one shot at this....and the chance of success is low. He is fighting a saber after all. But that better then just rolling over and die.

“I sincerely doubt any Holmes would stay by someone who their enemies for to long. If there is such a Holmes then he no doubt the more illogical and foolish Holmes of all time. The Alien God work is beyond your mere pan human history understanding. Even if the alien god screwed up. The result would not be as messed up as it is now. How many extra class servants have been summoned Saber? You don’t think sooner or later Gaia gonna wanna talk to your master?”

It’s abnormal.

Avengers, Rulers, Alter ego etc etc NOT SUPPOSE to have that many show up.

Holmes continue his monogloue as he carefully position himself where he need to be.

“You can’t be there for her forever. Like all servants we’re just a phantom of the past. . The only reason SHE can’t give up yet because she probaly afraid of disappointing all of you. Her servants. While you might be fine with killing your way for the greater good. How does she feel being thrusted with the responbility to save the world? You might be fine with the blood on your hands. But what about her? How many civilizations have she ended? Can she even sleep at night anymore? How does it feel dragging a child to do the duties of a warrior and king?”

He don’t know her strength. He don’t know her struggles and he don’t know her iron will. He see a child who can’t give up. Proably afraid of disappointing those who been with her for so long. 

He was dismissing her as nothing. His tone dripping with condescension and mockery. 

“At least with the alien god fate would be in order and decided. It’s really to bad you chosen chaos instead. You much rather see Gaia burn then accept new rule.”

It happen in ALMOST a instant. Holmes suck in air and blow out his pipe hard enough as the ashes from his pipe should be able to blind her as he quickly throw the fastest and hardest punch in his time as a servant aiming for her solar plexus. He is aiming to shut her down MAYBE just long enough for him to catch up and finish the job. 

Holmes made two MAJOR miscalculations.

1. Instinct can work even negate VISUAL interference. Sure it’s only to a certain extent. But blowing pipe smoke isn’t as NEARLY as impressive as one would think.

2.....Saber already done this whole song and dance of being sneaked attack by a unarm assilant with a certain Kuzuki Souichirou. Who BETTER at this then Holmes is.

TWO critical mistake that Holmes not gonna able to fix. She only need to land one good blow as Sherlock Holmes posses no noble phantasem of defense nor is he a known warrior.

He a skinny little detective picking a fight with King Artoria.

[300iqprower]

Mash suffers from being a Ritsukasexual character way more than Jalter. I have said this before and I'll say it again, the writers don't know what to do with Mash when she isn't talking to someone she knows or being passive-aggressive when Ritsuka talks to female servants. Btw I would like to express how much I despise that part of Mash's character. It's so fucking annoying. I remember how I was doing one Jeanne's Interludes and Mash got more screentime than Jeanne in Jeanne's Interlude.

100% agreed. Avenger Jalter’s character got compromised but she’s at least still allowed to have an actual character. What’s more Jalter’s stuff is usually restricted to what few times she actually has a main role, whereas Mash is…borderline omnipresent. I’ve outlined before how the terribly written (or rather the issue being how much they DIDNT write anything about it) Galahad “twist” meant they did effectively nothing with Mash’s character for most of part 1, and then when it finally seemed like she was becoming a great character with Babylonia and Solomon, the game had her completely fucking gone for all of the pseudo’s (i mean afaik Salem is like the others, and if you think i’d count Agartha’s comm lines then i have a hacked JP account to sell you). This isn’t even touching on as you said how Mash, despite having no meaningful character, would invade on things that were supposed to be meant for other characters to get meaningful moments though of course 90% of year 1-2 interludes were a waste of time regardless…

The sad thing is Mash is really well written in the Lostbelts….only to force her into being fucking garbage in gameplay because like i always point out, Nasu and DW’s reaction to players finding ways to get a consistent safety net is to break out the scissors. Apparently they’ve even forcibly nerf her hp if you grail her above 100? If that’s true then how I not seen anyone ever mention that, that they went so far out of their way to force you to use an incredibly shit playstyle that they did that thing they’ve said for years they “just CANT do!” and change a servant’s stats?

The other potentially even sadder thing is that mash isn’t well written because she’s her own good character, in fact so far (through LB4) she’s at her weakest when they try to capitalize on her previous relationship with the crypters. She’s good because she’s become a proper player surrogate who is as much in the deep end as Ritsuka and rather than that grating cutesy kouhai shit, she’s a mirror/equal to Ritsuka in the devastation they feel and the barely remaining will to carry on they cling to. The idea that Ritsuka is being crushed under the weight of the worlds they kill off, their need to find humanity in everything and protect the worlds they know they have to inevitably end….that’s more reflected by Mash than it is EVER shown through Ritsuka themselves. It has to be, because Ritsuka is not a character, they are a proxy. A proxy in a gacha at that.

TLDR, after Galahad got revealed Mash was en route to finally become a character whose love for Ritsuka was more than just for the sake of it, as shown with Babylonia and Solomon, only for them to pointlessly bullshit a reason to remove her from the story completely and when she came back the thing EVERYONE could at least love about her (how good she was as the main free unit) was stripped away (probably because they thought “okay they’re this invested let’s make sure they HAVE to gamble to keep up”). Then when she actually did return it wasn’t to continue the character she originally was/was becoming but rather to just use her as a mirror to Ritsuka so they could loophole their way into giving Ritsuka an identity while technically not giving a metaphorically faceless protagonist an identity.

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #Gudako: Gudako

Happy April Fools! We were going to do Scathach today, but this thing crawled into my home and it won’t go away until I make a build of it. So here’s Gudako.

Check out her build breakdown below the cut, or her character sheet over here!

We’ll then return to our regularly scheduled Scathach.

Race and Background

Ritsuka Fujimaru is a human, but you’re an awful little gremlin with a penchant for lechery. In other words, a Lightfoot Halfling. That gets you +2 Dexterity, +1 Charisma, and makes you Lucky, Brave, Nimble, and Naturally Stealthy. This means you can re-roll ones on attacks, checks, and saves, have advantage against being frightened, can move through larger creatures, and can hide behind them as well.

We’re also making up a Gambler background for you, giving you proficiency in Deception and Insight. 

Ability Scores

Even if you’re a weird awful version of FGO’s master, you’re still FGO’s master, so your Charisma is pretty freaking good. After that is Constitution- I don’t know how you survived the end of that last book but you did, so that’s probably con based. After that is Dexterity. It might just be the art style, but you’re kind of noodly, and incredibly fast. Your Strength isn’t amazing just yet, you’re still kind of a nerd. After that is Intelligence, then Wisdom. You play a gacha game. Enough said. 

Class Levels

1. Sorcerer 1: Mages in the Nasuverse are kind of a weird mix between sorcerers and wizards, but since you never really learned about magic that means you’re 100% the former! 

Thankfully, being a sorcerer opens us up to the gacha of the magic world, Wild Magic! At first level you can cast Spells using your charisma, and first level or higher spells can activate your Wild Magic Surge. After casting such a spell, you roll a d20, and on a 1 you then roll on the big ol’ table and get weird magic stuff. If you’d rather roll more often, your Tides of Chaos can force the issue. You can spend it to gain advantage on an attack, check, or save once per long rest. That being said, you can speed things up at your DM’s discretion, recharging the tides with a mandatory roll on the wild magic surge table.

Speaking of spells, you get a bunch of cantrips here. Friends and Mage Hand will improve your relationship with Mash, Prestidigitation takes care of all of that “actual magic” stuff, and Message lets you use your phone like a phone. Weird, I thought this was a gacha console?

For first level spells, Chaos Bolt brings the gacha into your combat, with the spell’s damage type based on the damage roll you make. It also has a chance of bouncing off and hitting another target for theoretically infinite damage. Expeditious Retreat will give you that gremlin speed you’re known for.

Finally, you get proficiency with Constitution and Charisma saves, as well as the Arcana and Intimidation skills. You just kinda give off this aura, y’know?

2. Sorcerer 2: Second level sorcerers become a Font of Magic, giving them sorcery points equal to their level that they can spend to make new spell slots. You can also do the reverse, but that won’t be useful until next level. You also learn how to bring out a creature’s hidden desires with Id Insinuation, which forces a wisdom save (DC 8+chr mod+ proficiency) or the target is incapacitated and takes psychic damage. There’s a reason your little eggplant has trouble fighting you off.

3. Sorcerer 3: Third level sorcerers get Metamagic, ways to use your sorcery points to enhance your magic. You strike me as a buster meta player, so Empowered Spell will let you get the most damage out of your spells (and also let you cheat a bit on Chaos Bolt). You also learn how to skip the casting animations on your spells thanks to Quickened Spell, turning an action casting spell into a bonus action.

On top of that, Hold Person lets you hold a person down while you have your way with them. By that I mean attack them, duh. Get your mind out of the gutter.

4. Sorcerer 4: Use your first Ability Score Improvement to bump up your Strength. Trust me, it’ll help out later.

You can also cast Create Bonfire for the survivalist in you, or you can Mind Thrust on the people you’re holding. It’s still nothing lewd, it just deals psychic damage, and if a creature fails the intelligence save it can’t take reactions until the end of its next turn and has to choose between moving, taking an action, or a bonus action next turn.

5. Sorcerer 5: Fifth level sorcerers get third level spells, and Conjure Lesser Demon lets you summon Mephistopheles to the battlefield! Actually it’s just eight manes or dretches, but it sounds like it would summon Mephistopheles. Those demons are just as loyal as Mephy though, so... keep your distance.

6. Sorcerer 6: Sixth level wild mages can Bend Luck as a reaction, adding or subtracting 1d4 from any check, save, or attack you wish near you. Now you really have protagonist powers! You can also cast Haste now for additional gudaspeed.

7. Sorcerer 7: Seventh level sorcerers get fourth level spells, and Conjure Shadow Demon does exactly what you think it does. You can conjure a shadow demon- I think Cursed Arm would probably count for this? Also, this demon’s slightly more cooperative, but it will probably turn on you after the fight’s over.

8. Sorcerer 8: Use this ASI for more Charisma. You can also Conjure Barlgura, which also does exactly what you think it does; conjures a barlgura. What, you don’t know what a barlgura is? Yeah right, everyone knows barlguras! They’re so iconic I don’t even have to tell you which servant they’re like!

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

What the hell? It’s been eight levels already and we haven’t even summoned a four star yet! I’m so salty I’m gonna....

9. Barbarian 1: Going into barbarian lets you turn your gacha salt into Rage, giving you extra bonus damage on attacks, getting advantage on strength saves and checks, and you get resistance to physical damage types. You also get an Unarmored Defense, letting you continue your fight even in the nude.

10. Barbarian 2: You can now make Reckless Attacks, gaining advantage on all attacks for the turn at the cost of taking attacks at advantage for the round. Your Danger Sense also gives you advantage on dexterity saves that you can see coming. You might think that’ll help when Berserker of Learning with Manga turns on you. You’d be wrong.

11. Barbarian 3: Did you think the gacha was over just because of a class change? Hah! Thanks to Tasha’s, you can set down the Path of Wild Magic at third level, giving you Magic Awareness, an action to sense magic within 60′ of you proficiency times per long rest.

More gachaly, you get a new Wild Surge when you rage. It’s a smaller table than your sorcerer surges, but it’s more consistent. It’s the friend point gacha to the other’s quartz gacha.

You also get Athletics proficiency from your Primal Knowledge, for better sprints.

12. Barbarian 4: Bring your Strength even higher so hitting people is actually a good idea.

13. Barbarian 5: You get an Extra Attack each action now, and your Fast Movement adds 10′ to your movement speed, making you not the slowest person in the party any more!

14. Barbarian 6: At sixth level, your Bolstering Magic lets you spend an action to either A) add a d3 to a creature’s attacks or checks for 10 minutes, or B) regain a creature’s spell slot, with the level based on the roll of a d3. You can use the second one once per creature per long rest, but your total number of uses is equal to your proficiency bonus each long rest.

15. Barbarian 7: Seventh level barbarians let their Feral Instinct take hold, gaining advantage on initiative rolls. You also can ignore surprise by raging. Your Instinctive Pounce lets you move up to half your speed when you rage. You like pouncing.

16. Barbarian 8: Use this ASI to bump up your Constitution for more health, more AC, and stronger rage spells.

17. Barbarian 9: Your Brutal Critical gives you an extra die of damage when you deal a critical hit, as you rub gacha salt in the enemy’s wounds.

18. Barbarian 10: Your last wild magic goody is the Unstable Backlash- when you take damage or fail a save while raging, you can roll on the wild magic table and replace your current effect. More gacha, MORE GACHA! 

You also get more Primal Knowledge for Survival proficiency. I think you kinda ended society as we know it in at least one timeline, so you’ll need it.

19. Barbarian 11: Your Relentless Rage gives you a guts skill of your very own! When you would normally drop to 0 hp you can make a constitution save to say at 1 hp instead. The DC increases each time, but resets on short rests.

20. Barbarian 12: Your final level is another ASI for more Strength. Hit people, it’s real simple.

Pros:

You are just so random, which makes it hard to strategize against you. Your enemy can’t know what you’re gonna do if you don’t!

You’re pretty beefy, but you can also send in a demon squad to cause chaos in your stead when you’re feeling lazy.

Halfling’s lucky is so useful it honestly deserves its own pros spot. Nat 1s are for nerds!

Cons:

Mixing conjuration and rages is never going to end well, especially when those conjurations want you dead.

You’re so random that you can’t really strategize for anything. Yeah, it won’t be boring, but you can’t be as precise as other builds.

For a lot of this build, your shortness can be an issue when it comes to mobility. Being the slowest person in the party when running from demons (that you may or may not have summoned) is a serious problem.

[x0401x]

Given the Movie: TV Guide Interview

Nakazawa Masatomo: “Both Eguchi-kun and Asanuma-san are reliable people, so I didn’t feel nervous during the recordings!”

Eguchi Takuya: “Asanuma-san himself is a bundle of talent.”

Asanuma Shintarou: “Nakazawa-kun has, if nothing else, tolerance.”

The TV series “Given” aired in 2019, portraying the youthful drama of young people having a heart-to-heart through music. It became a hot topic by depicting the love circumstances of mainly Mafuyu (Yano Shougo) and Ritsuka (Uchida Yuuma), while its continuation, “Given the Movie”, was finally released on August 22nd after having the release postponed. We had the main cast of the movie – Nakazawa Masatomo, Eguchi Takuya and Asanuma Shintarou – discuss inside stories about their mental state, the recordings and the movie’s highlights.

——The story of “Given the Movie” centers around Haruki (Nakazawa), Akihiko (Eguchi) and Ugetsu (Asanuma), who are played by the three of you. How was it when you heard about that?

Eguchi: I was simply happy, like, “So they’re going to depict it that far!”. I felt that I was looking forward to the condition of the adults’ romance, which is a bit removed from the high school romance of Mafuyu and Ritsuka.

Nakazawa: I was surprised, and at the same time, a bit anxious. There are many things in my life as a voice actor that I am experiencing for the first time through “Given”... but both Eguchi-kun and Asanuma-san are reliable people, so I didn’t get nervous during the recordings!

Asanuma: Ugetsu didn’t appear in many episodes of the TV anime, but in the movie, I got to read the preliminary narration for the first time. At the same time as I got to personally feel that I was in a position of main, I also felt the high spirits of the production team, so I was also quite nervous at the beginning (laughs).

——After the TV series, Haruki, Akihiko and Ugetsu gradually change. Mafuyu’s existence is indeed big.

Nakazawa: In the TV series, Haruki, who was in a position similar to caretaker of the band members, took notice of Mafuyu’s talent and was influenced by Mafuyu’s song, so the feelings that he had been avoiding to look until then were portrayed as steadily growing bigger. Besides, he also felt impatience at Mafuyu’s sudden growth spurt and created a complex. As always, he is in the role of being swayed around in the movie too (laughs), but his emotions become unclear, so the amplitude of his character grows a lot.

Asanuma: Ugetsu is a genius violinist, and it is exactly because he is a genius that he doesn’t turn his eyes towards things other than music very often, but through coming in contact with the song of another genius, Mafuyu, he starts having interest in them. Ugetsu, whom nobody can grasp, changes even more upon coming in contact with Mafuyu, who speaks out his thoughts straight up, so I think this is also one of the highlights of the movie!

Eguchi: If I had to say it, it might be that Akihiko’s change starts from the movie. He seems like the kind of man who’s insanely good at swimming with the tide, but in the movie, the moment he confronted the issues he was deeply involved with, I felt a change in that his capability of dealing with things worsened... The one there is the awkward and realistic Akihiko. During the recordings, I tackled Akihiko while thinking that I should, in a good sense, skillfully destroy what he had become until that point.

——Then, were there any changes to everyone’s relationships from when the TV series and when the movie’s recordings ended?

Asanuma: There wasn’t much of a change, right?

Eguchi: Because, although the TV series and the movie have different forms of display, what we have to do doesn’t change. But maybe we managed to record more relaxed and enjoyably for the movie. I personally feel that we have managed to create something good. Also... I remember that the taiyaki they gave us as snacks were delicious!

Nakazawa: Yeah, yeah! They were tasty.

Asanuma: The sweets that (the author) Kizu Natsuki-sensei bought for us were delicious too.

Nakazawa: True, true... If it goes on like this, the fact that the snacks were yummy will turn into the main topic of the inside stories (laughs).

Asanuma: That might be bad (laughs).

——Then, was there any moment during the recordings in which you have sensed each other’s talent?

Asanuma: Nakazawa-kun has, if nothing else, tolerance. Haruki does, too, so he might be the one who is closest to the character he plays out of the three of us. He envelops you warmly no matter what you do, so you find yourself thinking, “I wanna try causing him trouble” and, “I want him to spoil me”.

Nakazawa: So that’s what you thought of me! I’m happy!

Asanuma: This was my first time participating in a BL series, but when I found out that Eguchi-kun was the one who would play Ugetsu’s partner, Akihiko, I was very relieved. After all, Eguchi-kun also grants a feeling of security with his precise acting.

Eguchi: You say that, Asanuma-san, but you’re a bundle of talent yourself, so I always felt that the way you clad yourself in the air of a genius when you’re playing Ugetsu was amazing. I sometimes think, “If I were playing another character, how would I perform them?”, but frankly, your interpretation of Ugetsu surprised me.

Nakazawa: Right! Asanuma-san’s Ugetsu feels like a different kind of existence. The feeling that he silently oozes out his aura is honestly so cool.

——I am looking forward to watching the movie even more now.

Nakazawa: I believe that the story of how these three people who have listened to Mafuyu’s song will show their feelings for one another is told in a very natural manner. I want people to enjoy it by all means.

Asanuma: People have nothing to lose when they are high schoolers, so they convey their feelings straightforwardly even when it comes to romantic love without thinking about the consequences, but when they turn into adults and accumulate experiences, they come to know feelings of inferiority and complexes, so they end up learning how to deal with others by distancing themselves from them. When they do that, the forms of romantic love naturally change. I see the phrase, “I’ve become an adult” in many works, but I think “Given the Movie” literally depicts the romance between three people who “have become adults”.

Eguchi: That’s right. The taste of the romance changes in comparison to the TV anime. It’s the kind of series that makes you think, “Human beings are such a pain, so complicated”, but taking all these points into account, it also makes you go, “Human beings are great”. By all means, I want people to watch it!

[hopeled]

that was the response she was expecting. after all, for two people who were good friends in this city to meet back in her world? some would call that a twist of fate and perhaps it was. but Ritsuka would hardly call it anything bad. the excitement courses underneath her skin like electricity and she just can't stop the smile from growing the more she thinks about it. even if she has to divulge some of the less than happy aspects of what happened, that was okay.

" Something had happened to Nero. A shadow had fallen off of her. Remember what I told you about the Beasts? Well, this shadow had become one. At the time, we thought that she had somehow forced a contract with me in order to help her escape the Counter Force going after her. But that wasn't the truth." as she speaks, Ritsuka watches Hakuno's every reaction, knowing that the other knew she was telling nothing but the truth.

" It was you. You had come to me and tried to introduce yourself as someone named Francis, I think? You didn't tell me your true name but when the memories came to me here, I knew you from appearance alone. Anyways, I asked if you were her Master. You said no but that you were Saber's Master. But even so, that you didn't feel right turning a blind eye to her suffering and abandoning her. That you were the one who forged a contract between me and Draco, which was this shadow's name."

" You were watching over me and Draco and Chaldea. You...were the reason what happened was happening, in a way. Draco was in trouble and I told you to help me get her back but you had a question for me. Can you guess what you asked me?"

lips pull into something of a grin, but her features reflect nothing but warmth. " You said that to walk besides an Evil of Humanity is to accept what their love is head on. You asked me if I would still do this, even knowing that her flame would burn everything to ashes." fingers carefully intertwine with Hakuno's as a gentle squeeze is given, something of a laugh following.

" You trusted me to look after her and I made a promise that I would. You knew that nobody else could. So, you see? Even in another world, in some place where you're not even a human anymore, you're not forgotten. You're someone's shining star."

      ❛   — Me ?   ❜   HAKUNO   repeats, head tilting ever so slightly to the side. Wow. Her assumption couldn't have been any farther from the mark. 'Hakuno and Ritsuka Fujimaru meet' was nowhere on her metaphorical bingo card, and she's so stunned by the very idea that for several seconds she has nothing to say. Until she processes the rest of what she's said, that is.

     Nero Claudius being a subject of discussion isn't exactly shocking for her. Hakuno's already well aware that all three of the former Servants of the Moon Cell had come to call Chaldea home. Just as some miracle of merging with the Moon Cell core allowed her to have recollections, however vaguely, of all three, so too did a miracle certainly take place to allow them to rely on one another to protect yet another third-rate mage. Ritsuka seems like she's practically bursting, so... that's a good sign, at least. She wouldn't exactly be so excited if it were something bad about her red Saber. However...

      ❛   … I think I'll be needing some of those dirty details anyway.   ❜   Being able to see, hear and touch Hakuno Kishinami — former winner of the Grail War, perpetual ghost in the machine — is one miracle she can't quite accept.

[havetheavengersdoneanythingwrong]

An Interlude — Me, ‘Yourself,’ I

Two Masters pick up another ‘them.’

Many other ‘them’ — of times and Masters long gone, each filling each other’s roles in stories meant to be the same.

Like a play filled with understudies, where the choice in lead actor changed everything —

...Then, what to do about that?

<Pt. 1/???>

featuring story from @hasbbdoneanythingwrong + @hasquetzdoneanythingwrong

--

"...It's you."

A being from his dreams, a being beyond rational description.

A Singularity had appeared, hadn't it? One only recently, showing its face, a remnant of what should've been destroyed.

The coward believed such a thing was the only cause of a being haunting his dreams. A shapeless, formless, yet all-encompassing, formed being, that threatened to vanish from his sight and take him over, simultaneously.

And its words, too-

▓▒░▓▓▄▀▌▌▐█▒

Made no sense.

No, nothing the being said would mean a thing to the cowardly Master, and yet it made sense all the same. Two opposite extremes, filling him not with the words it spoke, but the emotion those unspeakable tongues filled in his mind.

"...I don't understand. I... I don't get it at all."

No, so much 'strange' had occurred, in a matter of mere days. A Servant had spoken of a world not unlike his own, another Chaldea, and another Master. Then, replaced soon after, by a Quetz who spoke of it only as a faint dream, barely recalled, but fondly looked back on.

And mere days afterwards, this thing -- that which now sought to fill him with unending fear, and discomfort, as it held itself within him, seeking to spread itself within his mind like a comforting, but foreign virus to the human conscious.

╟╧╜╚╕╘╧╨╪╬╗

...His heart, suffocating under the mass of the 'it,' that threatened to encompass his entire being, envelop it into itself--

...Yet, its words made its way to his mind, before the cowardly Master forced himself to wake with a bite to his finger.

Y o u a r e n o t a l o n e . S e e k T H E M .

...The being, so foreign, spoke now as if the Master himself were speaking to 'him' in a mirror.

...The seeping, crawling feeling faded in an instant, as the familiar 'My lord!' awoke him from his slumber.

With Da Vinci fussing over something in the other room, surely preparing to announce the time of their Rayshift, the cowardly Master made a beeline for somewhere -- someone -- he knew would help.

--

"Oh, hell no."

Ritsuka had spent a solid five or six seconds just laughing incredulously, before their eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to speak.

"--I'd heard it from... something. Ritsuka, we already know they exist, and... We need to know what they're up to. If they're allies, we need to get their aid, and..."

"It's not that."

Ritsuka interrupted my speech by placing a finger over my mouth. Breathing out, they placed their index finger on their temple, as if trying to formulate what they were to say next.

"Thing is, Cadence, we have a serious problem with time stuff right now. We already have a sudden Singularity that's just happened, despite our best efforts, and your first idea is to go check other timelines? And off the advice of a weird thing that appeared in your dreams after the Singularity was formed, no less!"

Ritsuka breathed a long, drawn out sigh out, as I took the opportunity to get a word in.

"This time stuff is something we can take advantage of, especially because we've just achieved a sort of contact with it. Remember Quetzacoatl? She was acting as if she were in a different Chaldea entirely, for the day we summoned her, until her Spirit Origin 'shifted.' All things considered, we need to check up on that."

Placing a finger to my neck to calm myself, lightly scratching its side, Ritsuka waited a moment before responding.

"...Listen, if you're right, we can't do this willy-nilly. You know full well how dangerous this is. But..."

...Ritsuka shook their head, raising their hand in what I could only assume was the brief consideration of punching themselves in the face.

"...You're not the type to take stupid risks. The fact you're not avoiding this like the plague says to me that you've got something in mind. After all these things we've seen up to now... I can't believe I'm saying this, but I guess we'll have to look at even more time shit."

...The Master laughed, in disbelief, before turning on their heel and beginning to move south.

"...I think, if anyone's going to know about this, it's going to be a certain Moon Cancer."

"--You're not seriously thinking of going to her for advice, right?!"

"Less advice, Cadence, more a way to figure out what the hell has been happening outside our little bubble. I doubt we'll be able to see everything, but even just a little bit will do. It'll tell us who our allies might be if we end up forced to one of their worlds."

Ritsuka raised their hands over their head, stretching themselves out and yawning loudly to get out the slight ache of sleeping on a Chaldea bed.

"...Or, if a Singularity forces us into contact with them," he continued with an awkward laugh, "we need to figure out who won't kill us on sight."

...Turning a corner of Chaldea's hallways, he'd knock upon a very certain door -- greeted by a purple-haired lady, smiling wide, with a gaze best described as a mixture between intimidating, venomous, yet also fairly innocent for the moment. "Why, if it isn't my favourite senpais. What brings you here so soon? Ritsuka, you usually at least wait 'til noon to try out some BB slots."

The lady took her seat on her bed, resting her chin on her right hand and raising an eyebrow -- turning an ear to the two of us.

"No slots today, sadly. BB -- I'd like you to help us understand other people."

"...Other people? Senpai, you're not exactly lacking in the social department. Although, C--"

"--Not like that," I quickly clarified, if only to save my own pride. "We're looking to understand people from... different Chaldeas, if that makes any sense."

...At that, BB's eyes widened, if only for a moment -- then smiled, with a sort of distinct softness, before it returned to its usual mischievous aura.

"Is that so..? You're sure about this, right, Senpai~? Surely you wouldn't wish to be jealous of Masters better off than you two."

Before I could respond -- frozen just for a moment at hearing that -- Ritsuka piped up in my place.

"Yeah, we're alright with that. At day's end, we want to see other people like us. What they've done, and... If they'd be allies for us, should we somehow meet."

...The mischievous lady only nodded, before placing a floating screen just in front of them.

"If that's the case, I have no choice but to show you all the other Senpais out there! ♥"

...And, mere moments after -- our first sight showed its face.

--

"--You vermin should know that I am the only one who can hurt my centipede!"

An annoying voice, marked with an angered 'sigh' that would've made most anyone's hairs raise on end.

Yet, to the Master they now saw, such a voice could bring only the brightest of smiles. Two beings of seeming opposites, giving each other a knowing glance before a wave of confidence enveloped them both.

With the casual smile only a devil could muster, the Moon-Cancer made short, easy work of the mere beasts in their way. The icy wasteland, seeping away at the Master's bones, did little to harm the sense of warmth that seemed to envelop them both.

"Now, now, Quin," the lady spoke with a chuckle, "don't get too happy yet~! There's a cave to hang out in not too far away -- we can talk there!"

Quin -- That was the Master's name. A spare glance at their BB's face told them all they reckoned they had to know -- in place of her devilish grin, remained a mischievous -- yet warm, glowing smile.

The moment they fled into an otherwise dark, empty cave, Quin collapsed to tears -- perhaps in part of fears that could only come from traversing a Lostbelt alone, but seemingly mostly of relief.

"How... H-How did you get here..?!"

Through sobs, the Master spoke, as the Moon-Cancer only smiled, and laughed, crouching down beside her Master.

"Quinny, I'm hurt~! You should know by now that I can pretty much do whatever I want."

Neither Master observing the event could truly understand the pain she went through just to reappear at the side of her Master -- but Ritsuka, sparing a glance to look at the BB that manifested there, saw teary eyes, and a soft smile.

...The face of someone who had almost certainly been through hell.

Cadence focused upon the Master themselves, finding himself awed. A Master who, despite all that remained against her, found herself with allies that wouldn't so easily give up and leave her. A Master who, though almost assuredly afraid, still stood up and kept pushing forward. And a Master who stayed with the Moon-Cancer who seemed as if she was her exact opposite, as both impacted each other permanently.

--

"...That was Quin, senpais~!"

Spending a moment holding a hand to her eyes, BB soon returned to her usual self -- Ritsuka only smiled, but didn't elaborate on it any further.

"...That was..."

...She seemed to be a good person. A 'hero' -- even allied with someone considered evil, she...

...She was a hero. In her own right, she was a hero -- even if she were afraid, she still pushed forward, and fought with the bravery of a hero.

"...Well, we probably have one ally, Cadence.”

Ritsuka smiled a bit, as if to ease me of something I'd not realized I had, before returning to the Moon-Cancer.

"What's our next sight, then?"

To that, the Servant only winked, before another screen enveloped their sights.

--

"...Hey."

A black-haired man, narrowed eyes at two writers not far in front of him.

No time for grief, for there was still something to do. The eyes of a man who had a plan -- even if far out, one he would place his faith in.

Those eyes -- sharpened, fire sprouting within that pupil of his -- were eyes of sheer determination.

"If you can turn fantasy into reality, how about we pull a Moriarty on me?"

A sentence truly outside the realm of 'reality' -- one that caused Cadence to recoil in shock. Yet, the cowardly Master still found himself leaned in to listen, as the other Master beside him smiled and nodded to themselves.

Mash, turning to face the black-haired Master, raised her eyebrows in some form of confusion.

"--Huh..? Senpai, what are you talking about?"

"Moriarty has that gun from that one German story. If the authors here can do something similar to help me, then..."

...The Master spent a moment in thought, but it certainly wasn't one spent in hesitation. No -- both observing Masters knew the look well.

It was one of focus, and of finalizing their plan. It brought back memories of Reines, of Chen Gong, and of El-Melloi.

"...That doesn't sound outside the realm of possibility."

The taller author -- Murasaki, at a closer glance -- spent a few seconds staring upwards in thought before replying. The smaller author, surely Hans, stared at his colleague and Master with a mixture of incredulity -- and, just as much, curiosity.

"What did you have in mind?"

"Let me see if I can find what I'm looking for."

To this, the Master flicked his fingers delicately from a row of comic books situated carefully on a shelf, up until he pulled a certain issue out, as if it were made for this very moment.

"--This! This, here."

Opening the comic to a specific page, as if he'd done this a thousand times before, he placed his finger upon one panel in specific -- a planet made of dark ooze, its inhabitants slimy parasitic creatures.

A middle-of-the-road author, almost assuredly Shakespeare, took a close look, and smirked, as the Master elaborated.

"Symbiotes. From Marvel."

As the determined Master watched the author's expressions, Shakespeare decided -- as usual -- to be among the first to speak.

"Interesting."

...Hans, meanwhile, twisted his face into a frown.

"...I'm not sure how I feel, adapting a modern work like this."

"Just do it. I'll be able to save her with those powers."

The Master only furrowed his brow, his voice taking on a slight firmness to it. Andersen picked up on that tone of voice -- one of someone who had already weighed their options, and one that had already decided their fate. The author silenced himself for the time -- at times like this, even he recognized that he had to put his author's code to rest.

"Senpai... Is this really a good idea?"

Mash spoke carefully, placing her words best to try and ensure her friend had thought it through. She had faith in his idea, the observing Masters could tell, but it was certainly best to avoid acting rashly.

"...I need to save her, Mash."

The Master, certainly, had already made his decision. As he elaborated, Mash's concerned expression shifted to a soft smile -- assured that, at least, he was sure of this action. If he held faith it’d work, then she felt she could as well.

"I hate being without her. And I want to skewer the fools who took her away."

...Murasaki, at that, only nodded.

"I can see the pain he's feeling. We... should help."

...At his fellow authors' words, Hans raised his hands up, and grinned awkwardly.

"Fine, we'll turn you into an alien monster. But it likely won't stick when this Singularity's fixed."

"So long as I get my wife back, I'm fine with it."

The gaze of the Master said it all -- he would stop at nothing to find, and save, someone he loved.

Suddenly, to the two observing Masters -- the sheer determination of this Master, even as he requested a possibly dangerous procedure, now only made sense.

...He, too, had something to protect.

--

The Moon-Cancer smiled, for a moment, before closing her screen.

"That, Senpai, was Rex. A Master who managed to tame even a lady like Quetzacoatl~!" Ritsuka gazed back at me, the look in his eye saying it all.

"...That was his Quetzacoatl?!"

Of course, his incredulous statement immediately after solidified things -- as, giving it some thought, I'd realized myself what had happened.

"...Well, now I feel a bit bad, summoning Quetzacoatl like that. Probably should've used a catalyst that wasn't a T. Rex plushie."

As Ritsuka casually said something that made even BB perform a double take, my mind fell a little bit -- as I tried to make heads or tails of that Master.

'...That man... Despite a situation so grim that he had to alter his own body, and add a Phantasmal Spirit to its structure... He didn't look fearful at all.'

No -- it wasn't fearlessness. That was sheer grit, made only stronger by what was on the line. His sharp tone, the fire in his eyes, wasn't from foolish aggression or rashness -- it was from a man whose life and love were all on the line. A man who knew how bad the situation could get, and one that could swallow their fear and fight for the sake of someone they loved.

'...No wonder she was so insistent on finding him.'

The horrible taste of jealousy caught in my throat -- my eyes closed, seeing only that fiery gaze.

...That was bravery.

...My eyes flipped between screen after screen -- Rex' fiery gaze, and his risky yet high-reward plan just to save his lover. Quin's emotional strength in the heat of the moment, holding out and fighting long enough to find safety, being such a kind Master that even one like BB would cherish her.

'...Compared to them...'

...That jealousy, that surrounded my neck, tightening it and stealing my breath away. Envy at their strength, where I had lacked it.

Those -- were heroes. Those were the people that would surely save their 'Chaldea.'

...Certainly, I knew my own weaknesses -- but it only became clearer, where I stood.

"...Cadence, I think he's an ally. Whaddya think?"

But the jealousy cleared itself from my neck as Ritsuka shouldered me lightly, and as a hand formed itself upon my shoulder. Silent though it was, I knew that grip as well as the back of my hand.

"...He's no Genji."

...An approving voice -- Ushiwakamaru, doffing her mask and blindfold and sitting just beside me.

"...He fights our fight. An enemy of the Genji is a friend of mine."

...That jealousy wouldn't so easily leave me -- but I only allowed my mind, for a moment, to recognize my own strengths.

Even if I paled in comparison to these two heroes, I still had something.

"...I think he's an ally, too, Ritsuka. Maybe a little blunt, but... I've only ever seen a gaze like that in you."

The Master beside me scoffed.

"Are you kiddin' me, chief? I don't think I've seen anyone so determined to help someone. And seeing as how you're showing us that, BB, I assume he succeeded."

"Correct~! Both of these two are just as alive as you are. And, y'know, this isn't the end of our marathon."

...Ritsuka raised an eyebrow.

"Jeez, just how many saviours of humanity are there? I find it hard to believe so many Earths got the crap end of the stick."

"You'd know if you counted to infinity, senpai~! I'm only showing you the ones you'll probably meet. I snuck a little charm into that Quetz' pocket, you see, and now you're linked~!"

...

"What."

Ritsuka took approximately five seconds before responding.

"It was just a bit of stomach medication. A little baggie I gave her. I don't even think she knows it's there."

...

"What."

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding~! Maybe."

...As me, and Ritsuka, found ourselves completely sidetracked by what was best described as 'the worst thing we've heard in centuries,' BB clapped her hands together and began pulling up a few more screens.

"I call a little intermission~! All three of you, get some treats and come back later. I promise you'll love the next ones."

--

...

An ever-shining light, bypassing such simple screens, watched 'them' in their many, many seats.

Them who threatened to suffocate and take over 'them,' 'him,' but who satisfied themselves watching the production of Life.

The rakugo theatre intrigued them all -- as a lone 'it,' playing the parts of them all, laughed and dropped another punchline to the tale. Surely, a dramatic, comical, saddening, heartmelting, uplifting 'rakugo' --

...As the actors raised their hands to follow suit, and drive the coward into the next act of his performance, 'it' held up its fan and its cloth, waving the acting Masters to their next story -- to the next ochi.

▄▀▄██▌▌░█▓╨╨╜╓═

The ever-shining light laughs, and cries, and screams, and smiles gently.

The performance has only just begun.

[hopeled]

Fate/Grand Order Dialogue Meme

Repost, don’t reblog!

SUMMON:

" Huh. Well, isn’t this a strange turn of events? Never thought it’d end up like this......ah! Right, I forgot: introductions! Forgive me. Fujimaru Ritsuka-- yep, the very same one. Ha, you look surprised! Me too, but don’t worry. I’ll make sure you make it out of this in one piece. “

LEVELING UP:

Level up – “ So this is what it feels like.....Arturia was right. They could use more flavor.” First Ascension – “ Outfit change is a go! Kinda like those old superhero movies, but much more efficient. What do you think? Pretty cool, huh? “ Second Ascension -- ” You think if I ask da Vinci-chan, she’ll let us put in a system that plays the level up noise whenever this happens? No? What do you mean it’s pointless?!”  Third Ascension – “ Mmm. I used to always doubt what I could do to help, but I will not let this be a waste. ” Final Ascension – “ I told you from the start I would make sure you came out of this in one piece. I intend to keep that promise and like this, I can. So thank you for believing in me like this. Everything that I am is yours. ”

BATTLE

Battle Start – “ Let’s go, Master.” Skill 1 – “ Don’t get cocky.” Skill 2 –  (imitating a Servant’s laugh) “  Hm? Too much? Sorry....” Skill 3 --  “ Playtime is over!” Attack Select 1 – “Gotcha.” Attack Select 2 – “You better keep your eyes wide open!” Attack Select 3 – “ I see.” Extra Attack – “Did you think I was finished?” Noble Phantasm Selected – “ So it’s come to this...” Noble Phantasm Deployed – “ Humanity must bear sorrow and tears, but still they struggle towards the sky. No matter far we travel, that is our guiding hope. For their promise of tomorrow, your end will be here. Don’t worry....for even this ending will be beautiful. ” (Anti-World, AOE: Apply Ignore Invincible to self (3 turns, activates first), deals increased damage against [Threat to Humanity] enemies (1 turn, activates first),  inflicts heavy defense ignoring damage & lowers defense (3 turns) to all enemies and applies debuff immunity to self ( 5 turns) ) Regular Damage – “Hngh--.” Damage from Noble Phantasm – “Dammit--” Defeat 1 – “Ah....so it’s like this....but.....” Defeat 2 – “Don’t think.....this means you’ve won-!- ” Battle Finish 1 – “  Come on, time for food! ” Battle Finish 2 – “ I wonder.....would you be proud....?”

MY ROOM

Bond Level 1 – "No, I’m not hiding! I just....I’m not sure how the others will handle it if I just walk out like ‘ Hey, guess who’s back!’ without warning. ” Bond Level 2 – “ Come on, let’s talk. No, not about me but you. Ah, you wanna know something first? Alright then.  Don’t let any stories fool you-- I was nothing special when I was a Master....and I was always afraid. “ Bond Level 3 – “ I never thought I was Servant material, nor did I really want history to remember me for obvious reasons. Despite doing all I did....I always wondered: would it work? Would things go back to normal? But I had to try, at the very least.” Bond Level 4 – “ You want to know how it happened? To be honest I....can’t really remember the details. I don’t know if that’s the Throne’s interference or something else but maybe it’s better that way.  ” Bond Level 5 – “ I think I finally understand now....why so many did what they did for me. The path you’re on isn’t a cruel one. It will hurt you and try to break you and push you beyond your limits. It’s merciless, saving the world. You’re giving everything to it. But when you’re on your knees and wondering how you can keep going on like this, don’t worry. You’ll find your resolve in that moment and you will get back up. How do I know this? Because I was you, once. You don’t have to say anything because I know. And I promise I will be there with you, every step of the way. Both as your Servant and as your friend. And if you can’t find the strength to, I’ll carry you until you do. Your burdens are mine as well-- don’t forget that.”

Dialogue 1 – “I think it’s taking everyone some getting used to....seeing me like this. I can see that look in their eyes everytime I’m around.” Dialogue 2 – “ Come on, lay down. It’s rare to get free time around here, what with everything going on. So sleep. Hm? Oh, don’t worry! I know a few good spots where you won’t be disturbed and even then, I’ll make sure you get your rest. ” Something you like – “ My likes? Food! And napping, but Servants don’t need sleep huh.....I also enjoy origami. Sometimes, the Casters will animate the little creations for the children Servants....it’s nice, seeing them laugh. ” Something you dislike – “ Ha.....that’s too long of a list, you know? But I’ll go with something less serious-- I would not mind if cherry tomatoes were obliterated from existence. I don’t like their smug aura....it mocks me.” About the Holy Grail – “ The Holy Grail....I won’t lie, it’s tempting. But I don’t want it. I’d rather accomplish something with my own hands.” During an event – “Well, what are you waiting for? Go! Have some fun!” Birthday – “I know this probably isn’t how you expected to celebrate your birthday, but....it’s not a bad thing. Go on-- I’m sure Emiya has made the best cake you could ever hope for. Enjoy it while it lasts because if not I can finish it for you! Hey, don’t make that face, I was joking!”