#i do enjoy how after you defeat a boss they become like. pacified

[danifart]

pon piriri is so sweet i can't believe fuse called it a turd earlier

[spidersmiceandeverythingnice]

Absolutely No One Asked for This but HERE IT IS ANYWAY 

(also known as how I would’ve written the Rome Singularity in Fate Grand Order because it COULD have been great but... was kind of... meh.) 

Under the read-more because I have a tendency to ramble, ANYWHO...

So we begin roughly the same way - the party arrives on a hill in the Italian peninsula, overlooking a battle. One side is clearly about to be overwhelmed by the other - the larger army is also Conveniently Populated with ghouls and zombies, cluing our heroes in as to who the Good Guys are for this chapter of the story. The party intervenes and the commander of the armies make their appearance - one is the teenage Emperor Nero and the other is, gasp! Caligula, who is supposed to be dead.

The team quickly deduces that Nero’s reign is the Singularity and that the enemy - at this point, still Dr. Lainur - is using the Holy Grail to resurrect powerful Heroic Spirits of the Roman Empire in order to destroy the foundation of humanity here, at one of the most pivotal moments of Western civilization. I would also include characters like Caesar, Leonidas, and maybe Alexander (or perhaps Heroic Spirit Hannibal of Carthage riding atop a war elephant because COME ON, DELIGHT-WORKS, DO I HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING MYSELF HERE??!) working reluctantly alongside Caligula in the first appearance, making it abundantly clear that they are being controlled by outside forces. The main difference is that I would also include Boudica among the enemy army - her hatred of Nero would certainly be enough to motivate her initially. So in any case, the plan might’ve worked had Nero not been motivated by equal parts narcissism and genuine love of the people to hold onto the throne. Nero accepts the party as allies and introduces them to Jing Ke, her “ambassador from the East.” Jing Ke further clarifies that she’s a Heroic Spirit who specializes in assassinating emperors. (”Uh, Jing Ke, didn’t you FAIL to assassinate the Emperor the first time around?” “It was simply fated that I would die that day. Besides, assassination is really more of a hobby for me.”) With all of this information, Nero decides to immediately use their newfound strength to take the fight to her uncle - but before she can do that, Caligula and Boudica arrive and the two of them set fire to the city of Rome.

Fleeing to the harbor for safety, the party is caught in a storm and winds up on a Mysterious Mythical Island somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea. There, they met Stheno, the eldest of the Gorgon Sisters, who spills the Tea regarding Nero’s haphazard rise to power and basically affirms that, while her love for the people and country is genuine, her selfishness and unwillingness to compromise with other leaders is what will bring her down in the end. Stheno’s quest happens in more or less the same way, but it’s really just a test to see if the player’s conviction to save humanity is genuine. After the player returns, Stheno tells them that perhaps they can defeat the other emperors by legitimizing Nero somehow. At this point, she directs them to Romulus, the great founder of Rome itself. Romulus declares that, as the child of a war god and Heroic Spirit, the only way to prove worth as a ruler is by defeating him in Single Combat. Also, Romulus should be a five-star Servant and ridiculously strong compared to the other enemies, just to emphasize how much of a Big Fuckin Deal this dude is, both in the mythology of Rome and to Nero’s personal story.

Nero is a little bit shaken by the effort it takes to defeat Romulus, but he declares that since she is still young, she will surely grow as an emperor - and as such, he will see to it that she remains on the throne. This should be a moment of some character development for Nero, who in this timeline has only just taken the throne and is still grappling with the responsibilities she has as an Emperor. Romulus should tell her that a true leader is not simply the strongest warrior, but someone who can plant the seeds that can allow future generations to thrive. Then we would get a cut scene where Jing Ke manages to assassinate Caligula just for the hell of it. 

The party now makes its way back to Rome, which has been badly damaged by the fire. As they clear the city of remaining enemies, they gather a small crowd which demands to know why Nero fled during the fire instead of defending them from the armies of Boudica and Caligula. Nero at first tries to make Romulus stand up for her, but he declines. Nero is able to use her charisma to pacify the crowd somewhat and declares that she will continue personally overseeing the battles against the False Emperors, ending the battle swiftly so that she may return to build up a new Rome that is stronger than ever before. The seeds of discontent are still in the crowd but Nero herself is filled with renewed determination. The party heads out into the wilds of “Barbarian” Europe. 

At this point, you really start encountering the Enemy Servants, but it becomes quickly apparent to Lainur - revealed through cutscenes - that a lot of these people don’t ACTUALLY want Rome destroyed. Leonidas and Alexander aren’t Romans but enjoy the chance to battle against legends like Romulus and are grateful when they are defeated. Caesar gripes and groans and goes easy on Nero, peppering his fight with advice as to how she - his descendant - might continue his legacy. Even Boudica is beginning to show signs of discontent as she realizes that the imminent destruction of Rome won’t bring her daughters or husband back - but will eventually lead to the destruction of her beloved Britainnia as well. I think Hannibal would’ve been a better addition to the lineup here because I think his motivation for the destruction of Rome (avenging his devastated nation), contrasts pretty strongly with Boudica’s more personal drive (she may hate Rome but she doesn’t really want to destroy the entire world). The party might fight Boudica here, but once you beat her, she escapes back to the capital and a frustrated Lainur then decides to summon a third, powerful Heroic Spirit - Attila the Hun. These three “scourges” of Rome are then sent out to defeat you.

Jing Ke rejoins the party just before Nero and Friends arrive at the False Capital, which is located somewhere between France and Germany. She tells them of Atilla’s summoning and fears the worst. You push forward, defeating Boudica first. After which Hannibal might appear and Boudica, having had a change of heart and deciding that her true loyalties lie with defending Britainnia, not destroying humanity. Boudica joins your party after a heart-to-heart with Nero, in which Nero should display her first moment of true humility, and then you go on to beat Hannibal, finally moving on to Attila. 

After defeating Attila, you get to Lainur and the Demon Pillar, at which point the idea of Solomon as the antagonist was introduced if I remember correctly. In the aftermath of that battle, the team muses about the nature of leadership and legacy. Romulus declares that Rome is the eternal city and would never fall, etc, etc, etc and it’s all very hopeful and sweet - and you disappear and ta da! End of Singularity. Boss fights galore - Romulus as the Five Star Servant he rightfully deserves to be - and maybe character development for Nero and Boudica. 

There’s an alternative version of this where I think it would be possible to include Attila from the beginning (at the expense of Alexander and Leonidas), and then have the Final Boss Servant be Remus - the murdered brother of Romulus. But either way, I think the main thing is just to not have the party running haphazardly across Europe as much - and include a few more nuggets of Real History, like the Great Fire of Rome and the devastation of Carthage and whatnot.The main theme of the chapter should be “legacy,” in the way that there is no such thing as a “pure” country or “perfect” person, but that humans should always strive to build better things and work to not repeat the mistakes and pains of their ancestors. Rome should be a hopeful and spirited Singularity with a more focused plot line, and I think it would do a world of good! I actually really liked the chapter but it was so... unfocused... or rather, it was so focused on hyping up Nero that it forgot to have a coherent storyline with a climax and resolution.

Anyway, if you have suggestions or something then feel free to reply or message because I think A Lot of how I would’ve written or rewritten some stuff in Grand Order.