#keep mashu away from him

[icantthinkyandere]

yandere crypters!! specifically kadoc and kirsch if u can ^^

I've done Kadoc here, and I'm using this as an excuse to do Ophelia.

{Kirschtaria Wodime}

Out of all the crypters he is the friendliest out of all of them. He won't talk to you immediately other than a simple greeting he's done with everyone. But, they have caught his interest and once he's able to, he will

Once he finally does, oh boy, he will not leave you alone. Doesn't matter out how you react to, being nervous and confused because, well, he's Kirschtaria Wodime, he's an important person with an important job. Or if you don't care about him or know anything about it.

As long as they're not out right rude to him, he will back. There's something that he finds so enchanting. He starts to seek them out when he's done with meetings or has any free time. He has fun, and he likes his new friend. He does start to feel bad since he feels that he is ignoring others he is close with. But Olga is always busy and serious, Kadoc and Ophelia run away from him.

They have a different life from him(and probably a lot of different things, including interests outside of being a mage). He loves listening about anything and everything, no matter how strange or obscure. He's more than happy to talk about his life and interests, just not his family, mainly his dad.

I can not express how sweet Wodime would be would, during Chaldea you wouldn't even notice he's a yandere from how he just sits and listens along side how busy he is preparing to to take on the Singularities.

The red flag really would only start after Chaldea during the Lostbelts. If he is aware that the person he adores is alive, he will be worried sick. He doesn't want to rush the plan or anything, but he does not feel like you're safe without him. He can only hope Chaldea is taking care of them while Caenis dies since he won't stop talking about them.

If he is able to have you around during the Lostbelts, you have zero freedom. Since he's strong enough to take on Chaldea on his own, Caenis has babysitting duties! He goes as far as to write down what he needs to and might even lightly suggest using a command seal for him to listen.

He cares so much, and that does make him a little easy to take advice of. He wants to the people he cares about happy, and now that you've become the person he cares about the most, he has a blind spot for them.

That blind spot doesn't mean they can get away with anything. All it really means is that he doesn't think they could ever do much wrong, even when insulting him. Everything will be fine when his view of the world finally happens.

When dies during the Lostbelts, he feels sad that he can't be around them anyone, protect them, and make the world one they can live in peace in. But, he knows that Chaldea is the next best option and hopes the people there can love you as he did. Maybe Ceanis will keep taking care of them for him

{Ophelia Phamrsolone}

Ophelia is the opposite. Just because her feelings are more intense now doesn't mean she'll change that much. She actually does get worse, though. In canon, she isn't able to interact with characters she does like such as Wodime and Mashu.

There is no change she will ever approach someone she likes now. Unlike Kadoc as well no one will really notice and try to encourage her to at least try either, the only positive being that Beryl won't notice and be awful.

She wants to talk to them so badly that she just ends up staring at them. No, really expects her to catch feelings for anyone, so if her staring at both you and Mashu get noticed, she might end up getting reported, causing Wodime or Olga to ask if she has a problem with them.

She really doesn't mean to look creepy or like she has a death stare. She's just so nervous and trying to get the confidence to say "Hi." At least she ends up spacing out. Getting called out or not, she feels more and more awful as time goes on.

She can't talk to Wodime, who she admires deeply. She can't talk to Mashu, who's friendly and won't be rude to her, and now she's obsessing over someone she barely knows. She wouldn't have considered it at any other time, but maybe all the suggestions Romani made for the masters mental health might help her.

Her thoughts have become so overwhelming that she has to get them out, or else she might just explode. A dairy, art, poetry, anything. But seeing it done on paper makes her worse. She already felt sick from anxiety, and now that she's seeing her thoughts and almost fantasies on paper, she wants to throw up. 

She knows she just wants to get close to them and be loved. A lot of her feelings come from being a mage and the sexism from that world, but even acknowledging that doesn't change much.

Even the Lostbelts start, and she doesn't know you're alive. She sorta feels like this is where she belongs. She already feels like the worst person alive for creeping on an innocent person and placing unfair expectations on them. She places herself into a circle of feeling like she is a villain and then feels bad again because Wodime doesn't see this like an evil plot.

By the end of the Lostblet, she's happy to die. Maybe she can make up for the bad she's done that they aren't even aware of or even affected them. For you, Mashu, and everyone else.

Out of all the yanderes that can pop up in  Fate Grand order, she is probably one of the most self-hating. Her anxious thoughts get the best of her, and so does her morals

[sakuwsker]

source: https://twitter.com/opus_colors/

Happy Birthday, Mikuriya Kaede 9/3!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Kaede!!! Today, March 9th, also Mikuriya Kaede, "the mad dog of the artist major", Happy Birthday!!!

March 9 is a thank you day. My mother sent me a message thanking me for growing up well. Thank you, too. I heard from Shido -kun at breakfast that today's Mikuriya -kun's birthday. I was told that you don't want things, so I would like to at least thank you. Thank you for always standing at the forefront of our department. Congratulations. (Anjyu)

I have a birthday gift from Perception Laboratory addressed to Kaede. It's not my policy, but they have a policy to give that kind of care to their artists. Anyone can come and pick up this artist. Or else, slap Kaede awake and tell him to charge his phone and press it against his eyeball to check for his incoming calls. (Mashu)

A present? I don't want it. (Kaede)

Get rid of it yourself. Don't make me get my hands dirty. (Mashu)

You shove it back up your ass and don't bother me. (Kaede)

Dear, are those the words of someone who works for a top company? No matter how incompetent an artist you are, you should learn how to behave in a manner that allows you to respond to social greetings with social greetings. If you don't like that, even if you put up a sign saying [No flattery] on your own. Hang it up and walk away, you social misfit. (Mashu)

You're the one who got me into this mess and got me a job, but you know I'm more suited to freelance work in the first place, and I didn't want to work in Japan because I didn't want to be bothered with all these useless relationships, and I gave in and did it, so don't bother doing it, damn it, and eat up my creative time, you damn grader.

I admit that I forced you to get a job for my own reasons, but you have to understand that since you signed the contract with your own hands, you are now responsible for your own actions, and if you want to make your life a little more open in the world of perception art in the future, take it and keep your mouth shut. (Mashu)

Why do I have to take care of these elite shitty graders, from who-knows-what, what's with the [get my hands dirty?] and don't tell me you need me with half a mind, I'm not going to waste my time cleaning myself up and working with you, at least get your hands dirty. (Kaede)

Okay, I'm going to stain it now, but only with your blood! (Mashu)

Come and get me!!!!!! (Kaede)

I've been feeling a bit scared about the timeline for a while now!? Hey!!! What's that sound!?!? Kirinoe -senpai must be here!?!?!? I have to call Shindo!! Tose!! If you see this come!!! Today is blood birthday!!! (Kazuya)

Just love Kaede's and Mashu's bickering :D This probably be last birthday messages from OPUS.COLORs as year had already passed so thank you for seeing and reacted to these rough translations of mine. Hopefully they will continue with something as there will be one year anniversary in April and the stage play is in May. <3 <3 <3

[castilium]

Shalltear... had been captured? Had it not come from Albedo, she'd have had a difficult time imagining the possibility even existed. However enormous they might see, even Nazarick wasn't infallible — overcoming seemingly impossible odds wasn't a foreign concept to humanity, though. Chaldea were a testament to that resilience and defiance to lie down and die — even in Olympus where the population seemed content living under the divine care of the Gods, there were those who rebelled for want of their own will. No matter how Lord Ainz and Nazarick cared for the land, there would always be those who fought for a preference to independence. Or greed to rule themselves.

Obedience came naturally to Mashu, perhaps coded into the very fibre of her being by the man who created her, and so she remained behind Albedo, following each instruction given and listening curiously.

At sound of the captive being pulled in, Mashu's body grew rigid and her blood cold. A human bloodied from the torment he'd endured, someone she would automatically jump to protect and defend. They were of the same race, someone who rebelled just like her Master. And yet her body froze up, chilled at the condition he were in and awareness that acting might only flare tensions with their hosts. But she... couldn't just ignore this. Her heart thumped in her throat, surging blood threatening to drown our her hearing. Did he see the look on her face, how alarmed she had become in passing, was he counting on her to save him, or believe she, too, a captive?

Before words could find themselves in her swollen throat, the succubus had a new instruction whilst handing over the child — go back. Look away and run out of earshot. Caressing the doll in her arms, all she could muster was a breathless cry after their shadows. "Wait—" One fallen on deaf ears.

She should dive ahead and fight her way through. She should be rescuing him. Why... why?

You don't want to hear this.

Guilt ballooned, Mashu closing her eyes with one muted parting apology to the man as she turned on her heels and ran. Frantic strides until the echo of his howling reached her ears and her legs gave out, body curling around the doll to protect it from the impact as she crashed onto the ground.

She'd left him to the wolves. Run to spare the complications of intervening and fighting in the depths of Nazarick where the tide would be overwhelmingly against them. Against her eyes, a glove brushed, smearing away the tears welling up, and with their dismissal, she pushed up in stages, keeping the baby to her chest. Once on her feet, the course back to the cell resumed, but not a run. A limping devoid of life.

Albedo only nods. "This is where we gather intel and interrogate anyone here. As for my older sister, Lord Ainz had to ensure that she's secured in this place so no one will capture her like what happened to Shalltear. Her ability for reconnaissance is very useful." Remembered clearly of how Shalltear was mind-controlled, It was for the better to let her remain there.

"Of course, she's also in-charge of an orphanage with Pestonya, which was a hound-faced maid. Screams of the tortured aside, they were mostly from Sunlight Scripture and some captured workers sent from Baharuth Empire. As far as i remember, the Scripture ones were responsible of the first attack at Carne Village long ago." She did remembered of how they slaughtered some villagers back then, explaining why Ainz sent a Death Knight to eliminate them and gained the villagers' trust.

It was merely a straight path, looking for the office of Neuronist as they made it for merely at least fifteen minutes of walking.

"I normally would not want to be here but where is the doll of a baby? Nigredo almost killed me, if you want answers." Folded arms aside, her tone was serious. Neuronist themselves knew where it was as noticed it was missing and led here.

"The doll you say? Seems one of those workers went to your sister's room and took it. No need to worry, he's taken care of." A torturer dragging an escaped worker. It was the same guy who was tortured by Neuronist. "Fool, you were. I'll make sure you regret your attempt!" The nearly escaped worker got dragged back to his cell as Albedo followed. There was the doll that Nigredo truly wanted. She took it from him and gave it to Mashu.

"You don't want to hear this. Go back upstairs and wait for me. Let me indulge this for making my sister upset. Wait for me at my sister's cell. Do hand it to her."

And the horrors of a certain worker began. Nazarick's torture methods were quite... cruel that healing is involved.

[castilium]

          MASHU KYRIELITE ( SHIELDER ) || MISTIFIED

spoilers for lostbelt 7: Nahui Mictlan included!

Because some of Mashu’s development since has its roots in the original Mistified, she won’t remember instances such as Ritsuka’s death during its initial run or memories connected to it when the two of them swapped during Empatheorem, but she will recognise things aren’t quite lining up in some regards, though won’t be able to find much in way of answers.

RESIDUAL DATA IMPRINTS

LOSTBELT 7: NAHUI MICTLAN — The focal point will be the third layer of the underworld,  Golden City of Chichén Itzá, where the city populated by friendly deinos resides surrounded by fertile land and jungles. There’s a lot that LB7 dropped on us and rather than get right into the thick of it with other ideas, this will take the deinos’ approach and be more laidback (as laidback as FGO can be nowadays).

SOUYA — Host to both the Tsukihime Remake and Melty Blood: Type Lumina, this will serve as the grounds for which Mashu gains her experiences in the area, particularly focusing on her confrontation with Roa and his warning about her future.

IMMORAL FRUCTUS CITY: LILIM HARLOT — Like the above, the event will be a chance for Mashu to learn about Arcade’s timeline, with that Chaldea being aware of others and the collab coming. As the bulk of its divergence comes in the later parts of the story, we’ll be jumping into the deep end with the Convergence Singularity where Beast VI/S and Grand Rider have their time to shine.

SENTIENT DATA IMPRINTS

OCELOMEH — The jaguar warriors introduced into the seventh Lostbelt by Tezcatlipoca; their driving motivation is to wipe out the deinos and replace them as the prime species, responsible for mass slaughter and turning deinos feral by feeding them meat. They don’t grasp language, as such, their dialogue shown as pictograms in-game, but they’re well capable of organisation, brandishing modern firearms made based on ones borrowed from Koyanskaya.

NEMO/NOAH — Grand Rider himself. Different from the Noah that Sion summoned, this is Noah having inhabited Nemo after being decimated upon arrival in the seventh Singularity by Beast VI/S. His preferred company is animals, so if you’ve got a friend, you’re in luck, but keep him away from the alcohol and keep an eye on him so he doesn’t start disrobing.

BOSS ENEMY — MARISBURY ANIMUSPHERE

We all knew he was sus — the founder of Chaldea and the world’s enemy will be the one to serve as Mashu’s main adversary for the event. But because there’s so little we really know to go off actually writing him, he’ll function in a way similar to Ofiuco — safely behind an impenetrable barrier and observe with the smile he’s always seen wearing.

It’ll tie in nicely with how he calmly watched Galahad go to town on Chaldea’s defences after he was summoned — and, spurned by all the loss and suffering as direct consequence of Marisbury’s agenda, Mashu may just try to finish the job she stopped Galahad from doing. Someone’s got to (try and) make him pay while we wait for Nasu to let us throw hands directly.

[sylhea-raemi]

once i read lostbelt 6 i may like the idea of burning fairies

[exousiate]

        the mistwood is difficult to travel but his eyes can see clearly, looking for the cabin with careful precision. the ghosts refuse to appear for longer than a few seconds, and it’s probably hilarious for them to continue playing as such with him. unfortunately, his patience can last longer than most. he has nothing against waiting for them to slip up and reveal themselves, his choice of costume had not been planned for this but it was proving more than useful.

his eyes turn around and he finds something that could not be a ghost but something dead in every sense of the word.

     other people, he has found, will see what they want to see. it does not matter if it’s right or wrong, reasons are rarely logical and his own mind has grown numb to not feel anything more than he should. is it that strange that Mashu would stumble when they all refuse to lend her a hand? that she would allow someone else wear her flesh and let them to breathe in her place? it’s not his responsibility, he has no right to chastise her in this, but he wants to ask her how much does she think she can carry without it tearing her apart.

he stays still for a moment, letting his eyes say words. he clicks his tongue, teeth bare, not apologetic at all. if it’s taken as a sign of hostility, then he has no problems with it. Mashu had always had a heart like a canvas, and it was why many wanted her to learn things on her own, but he knows how much grief can leave nothing but rage. he has seen it before, in her, in himself and he cannot keep her away from harm. a part of him wishes he could, the one that is aware blood means nothing, not when he sees her and not the man that left them behind.

     “I thought you were disgusted at their folly,” he points out calmly. “Were those empty words?”

@castilium​​​ — ghoulishly good ghost hunting

[castilium]

Spirale could perform miracles. She hadn't been there in those inal moments of Sherlock Holmes who had guided Chaldea across empty terrain and impossibilities (much like the Doctor who gave his existence for humanity). It had been only through the lens of her Master had she been witness to that smile descending into the roar of raging waters. The last sight they would have of a beloved companion whose essence had faded from the island long before the Traum Singularity formed.

As such, she anticipated they would never meet again.

Some might determine it better that way — so that those behind could grieve and lay they loved to rest with closure. But their journey had never been so kind; it was oft sudden and violently the ways they parted, leaving gaping holes that could never be filled and wounds unhealed. Like with the man who raised her, Mashu could never make peace with missing that final smile of a man she admired since childhood as they left the future in hands scorched by the flames they attempted to extinguish before all burned away to nothing.

Frozen in place, the Demi-Servant found herself wondering dozens of times if this might be a dream, a grief-stricken illusion, reality as bizarre and mercifully callous it operated. Did he know? Was he aware? She'd learned long ago never to make assumptions, but... she imagined he must have the truth beating inside of him.

"Holmes—" But that didn't change who he was, who he had always been. His name left her breathlessly, as if speaking louder might frighten him off. He might be a ghost, but nothing could change who he was to her — not even being a puppet of Chaldeas's God.

A shaky smile formed, combating the welling inside of her from overflowing. It was a clever tactic — attempting to substitute himself with a Servant adept at disguises, and from the Pseudo-Singularity he'd last fallen on that skill to keep himself out of his nemesis's sights. So he'd not worry, she needed to keep it together. He entrusted them with so much. "But if you were, I wouldn't be as relieved right now to see you".

@castilium

"Perfect like always Holmes."

He missed the chance to give Mashu a Xmas gift due to being distracted and a bit under the weather. But no way is he going to miss the chance for new years as it's a couple of stuff he knows she enjoy. He put a very well decorated gift basket in front of her unit as he smirk with pride.

A Chaldea style book mark

Some of her favorite tea.

Glasses cleaner fluid and the nicest case and cloth dust can buy

and some bath bombs. God knows that girl do a lot of physical related work and can use it. Just cause she a demi servant don't mean she can't enjoy herself as Holmes about to leave.

He....still want to be a part of their lifes as their friend. Holmes complex about hurting them slowly gotten better with time and assurance from Saber. But he don't think he ready yet to face them as he head down the stairs he bump into....Mashu

Huh she sure back from the cafe early. There this silence as Holmes try to compose himself.

Holmes take a puff of his pipe. Hmmm what should a genius detective say to get himself out of this situation since he been ghosting them (Not his fault. He have no idea how many layer of sleeper agent he in) for months and haven't REALLY had time to talked to Mashu since the whole invasion event?

Holmes put on a pair of party sun glasses on his coat pocket that say CHALDEA 2022 (his last new year with them before you know what)

".....would it be believable if i told you i'm the assassin of Shinjuku?"

It's a poor excuse. But Holmes is glad to see Mashu look.....less stress these days. God knows she and Ritsuka need it. Not having the burden of saving the world been doing wonder for their sleep.

[aurata-rin]

Fate/Grand Order Gudaguda 2021 (Ryouma Close Call) - Epilogue summary

A voice beckons for someone to wake up. Ranmaru opens her eyes. Someone wanted to give her their thanks to this 'them' that came from far away. Ranmaru recognizes it as the Ranmaru of this star. Thanks to Ranmaru X, they were able to keep their oath to their lord, to Nobunaga. Ranmaru X calls the other Ranmaru a model page for going so far as to make their lord's treasure their own Noble Phantasm. The pride of all Ranmaru in this galaxy. Mouri Ranmaru is confused, though, about what Ranmaru X is saying.

Ranmaru X: "Yes, Ranmaru is the best Ranmaru among all the Ranmaru, Mysterious Ranmaru X." Mouri Ranmaru: "Mysterious." Ranmaru X: "Ranmaru." Mouri Ranmaru: "X."

A pause.

Mouri Ranmaru: "Eeeeeeh?! Not something like Ranmaru's descendant, or a future Ranmaru who became a Servant? I mean, I had the feeling my wish while at the brink of death crossed space-time and reached a future descendant." Ranmaru X: "No, I'm a Servant, but, I was the last one standing in the battle to determine the strongest Ranmaru on the Ranmaru Planet, the Ranmaru THE Battle. The Ranmaru who attained the title of Mysterious Ranmaru X!"

Still confused, Mouri Ranmaru believes it's probably due to Nobunaga's head giving way to endless possibilities. Mouri Ranmaru is further surprised that himself, who was praised as an unparalleled handsome boy, has this sort of descendant. Although she's not really his descendant. Ranmaru X says that whether Ranmaru is a man or woman depends on the growth cycle of the Ranmanium. Understandably, Mouri Ranmaru doesn't understand a thing. Just as he's about to confirm, Ranmaru X flees. Her job is done.

Master is back at Chaldea, greeted by Mashu. Okita arrives to fetch them; Ranmaru X is about to return to her star. Nobunaga has also shown up, remarking that Ranmaru sure was troublesome, protecting her head until the end. Ranmaru X is sure Ranmaru is happy. Nagayoshi has given up, he just goes ahead and calls Ranmaru X by his brother's name, Naritoshi. Ranmaru X gives the OK -- she does think of Nagayoshi as an older brother. Nobukatsu is about to get jealous over the fact it's Ranmaru, but Chacha reminds him they're separate people. Okita Alter brings some Chaldea manjuu she and Rengoku made for Ranmaru X to bring home. Hijikata wonders where Ryouma and Izou are at, but Ranmaru X greeted them just earlier. They all say goodbye, and Ranmaru is about to head off. With Master. Everyone is taken aback. She was going to bring Master to live happily on Planet Ranmaru. They have such a strong connection now, and if they were to sever their contract, Ranmaru can't return unless she kills Master. Mashu and Okita step forward to hold Ranmaru back.

Ranmaru: "Le-- Let go of me! You shield person and sickly-looking fellow!" Okita: "No way we can let you go! Also who's the sickly-looking fellow, huh! I'll stick you to my jet pack!" Mashu: "If, if Senpai is going, I'm coming along!" Nobunaga: "Wahahaha! Rather amusing, this Ranmaru... No, Mysterious Ranmaru X!"

In Chaldea's cafeteria, Ryouma's found Izou. Izou tells him to quit that outfit. He can't calm down around it. Same goes for Ryouma, so he switches to more traditional Japanese clothes in a flash of light. Much better for drinking alcohol, Izou remarks. The two share a drink. Izou's asking where Oryo is, but Ryouma says today is for the guys to get together. Izou toasts for Takechi, Shinbei, and Takasugi. Ryouma joins in; for the men who lived in their age -- a toast.

The chapter ends.

[airgetlamhh]

Thoughts on Lostbelt 2

Longpost ahead.

So.

Lostbelt 2. Finally played it after so long, and this will contain spoilers.

To make sure everyone knows what they’re getting into, I’ll give the thesis statement right here: Lostbelt 2 is bad. 

The entire time I played through the story, I kept waiting for it to pick up. I kept waiting for it to shrug off the poor pacing, the deus ex machinas, the random things just happening for the convenience of the plot. I kept waiting for it to shrug off the poor characterization, the constant telling instead of showing, the moral myopia. It never did. 

From nearly the very start to finish, Lostbelt 2 is bad. 

We start off fairly fine! A desperate ploy to sneak through the Lostbelt to meet up with the allies we’ve learned about, the Wandering Sea, interrupted by a Lostbelt Servant attacking us with the intent of stealing the Paper Moon that allows us to perform Zero Sails. All of that is a decent setup!

And then we’re told how strong this Saber is. How incredible they are. How their swordplay surpasses anything else they’ve ever seen, how they desperately wish that Musashi was there, how no no, he didn’t use his sword, he only parried! Things that Sherlock Holmes observes, not Mashu, not the one who’s actually been fighting for two years now, so Mashu seems borderline useless. Holmes figures out it’s Sigurd because...he uses a sword in a Scandinavian Lostbelt, and he figured out that Holmes used magic because Holmes fire magic lasers at him. From this, Holmes is able to pinpoint Sigurd’s identity, and that’s just the setup for the rest of the chapter, really. 

To be specific, what I mean is that we will constantly be told how incredible someone is with very little evidence, and the plot will bend and warp to make certain things happen. 

The scene does exactly one good thing, which is the foreshadowing of Surtr. Coming into it knowing that aspect allowed me to appreciate little bits like Surtr talking about Heroic Spirits like he wasn’t one, and Surtr not being able to kill Mashu because Sigurd resisted it. But that’s about all that was good in the scene, and all it really does is set up a consistent thing of Surtr being one of the only good parts - until he isn’t, of course.

I’m going to shift here from specifics to characters, because otherwise I’d be rehashing the entire story and I don’t have the time or effort required for that. That being said, it is difficult to decide where to start, so I’ll go right to the very building blocks of the story, the themes. 

Lostbelt 2 is, very obviously, attempting to have a theme of different kinds of love throughout the story. Part of this is because it’s very much set up like an otome game that the author Hikaru Sakurai would write, with Ophelia in the center, but it’s a more general theme too, with Skadi and the others all building up towards it. Now, love is an absolutely wonderful thing to build your themes around, exploring and examining it can be great for stories. Beasts themselves do that, examining different varieties of genuine, but toxic love that allow them to be well-meaning monsters.

The problem is that Lostbelt 2 does not engage with these themes on anything but a surface level. Skadi represents maternal love, so she constantly talks about how everyone is her children and how she’s their mother. No examination of the desire to see her children grow, the pain she feels when they fight, the struggle of forcing herself to cling so tightly knowing that it’s suffocating them and going to kill them before they reach 26. 

Napoleon represents passionate love, so he flirts with every woman he sees. No examination of why he’s so passionate or what drives him to burn so brightly, beyond a token mention that for some reason when he’s summoned he’s driven to seek out a lover, another aspect of things happening to serve the plot. 

Sigurd and Brynhildr represent true, romantic love, so they act mushy the entire chapter from the moment the real Sigurd appears. Now, don’t get me wrong, I liked their scenes a lot and I’m happy that they chose that portrayal instead of the one I was afraid of where it was yandere jokes day in day out. But there’s no engagement with the fundamentals of their love, nothing that tests it, even the existing complications with Brynhildr’s tragic summoning are swept away with a single line of “I can resist them better now maybe because my saint graph is broken”, so ultimately there’s no conflict whatsoever. And sure, that’s nice, but it’s not very good if you’re trying to build your story around a theme of love. 

Next, Surtr, who represents obsessive, dangerous love. I honestly actually think Surtr’s done well, even if the love he happens to represent is the least positive one. Surtr is capable of only one thing, destruction, and when he fell for Ophelia in that moment where she saw him and he saw her, he decided that if he ever had the chance, he would repay her the only way he knew how: allowing her to watch as he destroyed everything. When he’s summoned, he acts basically like the possessive one in an otome game, constantly talking about how Ophelia is his woman, getting angry when Napoleon flirts with her, spending most of his time pushing things between them as far as they can go etc. etc. I’m not particularly a fan of how his desire to repay Ophelia battling against his singular purpose transformed him into a typical possessive bastard boyfriend, but it’s at least engaged with on a deeper level.

Finally, Ophelia. She’s the otome game protagonist here, born into an controlling family and finally freed, hiding a secret special power, beloved by almost all the men involved in the chapter while she’s harboring feelings for someone else, even has the typical friendship route with Mashu going on. Her love is a love that she doesn’t acknowledge, but that’s all it is. It’s never engaged with beyond the fact that she clearly loves Kirschtaria but insists she doesn’t, and her final scene as she dies is Mashu telling her that yes, she did love Kirschtaria. That’s all. 

For a theme of love that’s supposedly woven into the Lostbelt, it’s barely examined at all. It’s not well written, and in comparison to Lostbelt 1′s theme of what it means to live in a world where the strong devour the weak and how deeply it examined and engaged with that, it’s a genuine disappointment.

Now, to move onto the plot, it’s...in the abstract, it’s fine. Chaldea is intercepted and forced to fight in the Lostbelt and ends up dragged into the overarching ploy by Surtr to release himself and burn everything. That’s a perfectly fine story, but the problem is that when you get to the moment-to-moment stuff, it falls apart completely. 

Skadi is constantly talked up as this incredibly powerful true goddess, not merely a Divine Spirit, and we know she can see and hear our every move because of her snow. How does the story work around this borderline omniscience within her Lostbelt? Skadi just decides not to do anything about Chaldea with zero rhyme or reason. We need to sneak into the palace and avoid alerting the guards, except Skadi already knows exactly where we are, except that doesn’t matter because we need to sneak in for some reason. We get captured with no plan to escape, and it just so happens that not only was Skadi keeping a Divine Spirit amalgamation locked in the dungeons too, but that she can piggyback on you making a contract with Napoleon (pure dumb luck you hadn’t done it before) and force a connection with you too, and then cast spells to hide you while you escape. Skadi knows we’re trying to free Brynhildr, who is the sole threat to Sigurd and Skadi’s own Valkyries in the entire Lostbelt? She just decides to do nothing at all. 

So much of the plot happens because either Skadi makes terrible decisions to do nothing, even though she knows Chaldea is there to destroy her entire world, or it happens because random shit goes on that couldn’t have been planned for like Sitonai. Shit like Surtr suddenly becoming Fafnir and being able to use the Evil Dragon Phenomenon to brainwash Ophelia somehow, like Ophelia’s Mystic Eye being able to do anything the plot demands, even when it explicitly goes against its existing capabilities like rewinding time on Sigurd’s wounds, like Bryn and Surtr somehow being able to resist the effects of her eye with no buildup or explanation. It’s poorly written in terms of the exact events that happen, and that all culminates in Skadi’s one cool moment, where she declares she’s going to kill the seven billion we fight for for the sake of her ten thousand...and then right after, it reveals that Skadi was going easy on us and refused to use her runes of instant death for no reason even though she was fighting for the survival of her entire world. The moment to moment plot is not good, and neither is what comes next, the worldbuilding.

In Skadi’s Lostbelt, half the world is covered in Surtr’s flames, while the other half is blanketed in Skadi’s snow. Where the two areas meet are the only places where life can grow, and so Skadi set up villages there. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough food for everyone, so she enforces strict population control: if you are not the mother or father of a child by 15, you are sent away to be killed by the giants. If you are the mother or father of a child, you are sent away to be killed at 25 instead. Through this tragic method, Skadi enforces a limit of 100 villages with 100 people, a total population of 10000. This is all fine. 

But take a closer look at what we actually see, and this falls apart. First, the giants. The giants are immortal and never need to eat. They do nothing but sleep all day and attack any human that comes close to them. Later, it’s revealed that they’ll attack any heat source including Valkyries, except we know that’s not true. Giants never attack each other, they never attack and destroy any of the plant life around them, they never attack the Lostbelt tree seeds, they even fight alongside mass-produced Valkyries before it’s revealed that Skadi and the three originals can mind-control them! They exist only to destroy, but Skadi can control them with her masks and indeed uses them as labour, keeping them chained up in her castle to be brought out and controlled as needed, or using them to guard Brynhildr’s castle. 

Worst of all, the first time we meet anyone in the chapter, it’s Gerda, who is sneaking out of her village to go to the massive liveable area close to Village 23. This area happens to be the only place she can go to get medicinal herbs that she needs or one of the people in her village will die in childbirth. This area is also full of giants, who have not destroyed it despite being fertile and full of life and heat, and who are allowed to take this place that could be used to grow more food for humans who need it, and simply stay there doing nothing. 

Now, this is where I thought the game would engage with things. How Skadi, in professing her love for all her children, is actually being cruel and unfair. They certainly set it up in the conversations she has, where she casually mentions how humans must die for her coexistence to continue. Skadi chooses to keep the giants alive despite the fact that they are all braindead and can do nothing but kill and destroy the moment their masks are removed. She chooses to keep them alive even though it comes at the expense of the humans who must die when the giants never make that same sacrifice. She chooses to allow them fertile land even though they cannot farm nor do they need food, and in doing so deprive the humans of potentially living longer, having more supplies to do so. She makes these strange choices and then later reveals she can control the giants to do her bidding, and it all seems to fall into place. 

What we see from how she’s characterized early on is that the system is unfair and Skadi is unwilling to change, because it benefits her tremendously. Gerda’s village didn’t have enough herbs to save the children forced to breed by 15, and despite Skadi’s omniscience letting her know that Gerda had snuck out and was trying to save a life, she did nothing. There was no system in place to beg a Valkyrie to get these herbs, and no indication whatsoever that Skadi would use her powers to control the giants to save Gerda’s life. The picture painted is someone who cares about humanity not out of true care, but simply out of obligation. Those who disobey her rules, even for good reasons, are left to die by the engines of destruction she keeps alive.

That’s not the story it tells later on, though. Skadi, portrayed from the start as this all-powerful goddess with complete control over everything, is revealed to be far weaker than we thought, and far less monstrous. Ignore all the times she did control the giants, she actually can’t do it all that well. Ignore all the times she declared she would not allow anyone she loved to be killed, but chose not to act to tell her Valkyries or her giants or anything else to save either Chaldea or Gerda. Ignore the evidence we see on screen that there’s more land that’s simply taken over by the giants, Skadi can only make those initial 100 villages and can’t make any more. Skadi is not bad. Skadi did the best she could. Skadi is morally right. 

Please love Skadi, there’s no complicated moral quandary here, she’s just Good.

Comparisons to Lostbelt 1 are impossible to avoid. Both have the same basic cause, a calamity that was impossible to predict and impossible to avert. The stagnation that dooms a Lostbelt created by the kings in question in their desperation to survive. Ivan turned humanity into the Yaga and created a world of strength, where progress is impossible because everyone in his new world was too busy devouring each other to work together. Skadi created a world of weakness, where progress is impossible because she limited the population to avoid everyone dying out. There is, however, one crucial difference between the two. Not in terms of story, not in terms of characters, not in terms of themes. 

“Your existence itself has already become a grave sin.”

That one line, spoken to Ivan, is the biggest difference between how the story engages things. In both Lostbelts, Ivan and Skadi did horrible things and made horrible choices because they had to, for the sake of survival. Ivan twisted humanity into monsters that lost capacity for mercy or empathy, while Skadi forced brutal population control and careless death on humanity because of her refusal to allow the giants to be destroyed. Both of them did horrible things, but only one is held to account by the story.

What Ivan did was evil, and the story recognises it. It doesn’t accept the excuse that it was all necessary for survival, because that’s irrelevant. It’s evil regardless. This same sentiment should have been expressed with Skadi, but it’s not. Ivan is condemned, but Skadi is absolved. She had no choice. She did the best she could. After building her up as all-powerful, the end of the story instead destroys her agency and power in its haste to prevent any kind of responsibility falling on Skadi’s head. Even to the very end, where she declares that she’ll kill all seven billion lives we fight for for the sake of her ten thousand, she holds back and allows us to win, despite how it butchers her character.

The biggest irony in all this is that Ivan’s world was worse than hers in ways. There was no way for the blizzards to stop, no meat besides for the demonic beasts. Crops couldn’t grow, and instead of living in peace, the Yaga were constantly tormented and killed by the Oprichniki. There were no liveable areas like there are in Lostbelt 2, no merciful ruler that sees all, and controls the greatest threats, no peaceful villages where food can be grown. There’s far more justification for Ivan to claim he had no choice and that he did all he did for survival, because it’s hard to see what his choices were. But Skadi? Skadi intentionally does not act and intentionally allows suffering and pain to come to her children, both actively by not saving Gerda, and passively by allowing the giants to take land they don’t need. Despite this, Skadi is absolved, because the story desperately wants her to be a tragic waifu that you love.

There’s lots more I could talk about. How Sitonai was pointless and existed only for a pathetic FSN reference. How Gerda was a cowardly and manipulative piece of writing compared to Patxi. How Ophelia’s story of always being told what to do is resolved not by her taking the step to freedom herself, but being told to free herself by someone else. The constant repetition that plagues the chapter, the weirdly prevalent sexism that everyone gets in on when it comes to Ophelia’s love life, the nonsense of the final battle itself, the absolute nonsense of Skadi being Scáthach-Skadi. I could even talk about how I’d fix the chapter, because boy howdy there’s a lot there. 

There’s lots more I could talk about, but this is already very long, and I think it speaks for itself. Obviously asks are available if anyone wants me to examine them in more detail, but for now, I’ll finish off with one last reminder.

Lostbelt 2 is bad.  

[tainbocuailnge]

fuck it i will make my own content i will COOK MY OWN FOOD. new phantom interlude requirements ascension 3 bond 5 shinjuku clear. arrow one you return to kabukicho to check on a weird disturbance measured there and find a bunch of the coloratura are still active so you clear them out (simple 3x3 enemy battle) but several of them have the christine wig and the moment you realize this is odd something in the scenery shifts. you notice mashu isn’t with you and wasn’t from the start. you’re about to investigate on your own for a bit when dantes comes out of the shadows and says you should know better by now than to recklessly wander around other people’s nightmares. you notice the coloratura gathering around one specific theater and when you enter it you find yourself inside a completely empty palais garnier. 

arrow two, following the sound of singing brings you to one of the spectator boxes with a clear view of the main stage, where phantom is performing an opera for empty seats together with a number of lifeless mannequins - they don’t move or sing like the coloratura, but he acts as if they do. dantes laughs derisively at this pitiful display but something compels you to stay and watch. the song ends and phantom looks directly at you from the stage and thanks and curses you for coming. he tells you to leave because it’d be all too easy to keep you here to himself forever but dantes laughs that someone else’s personal hell isn’t nearly enough to trap you. phantom only now notices that dantes is with you and is furious that someone other than his christine came to this place. coloratura appear from behind every corner to swarm you (battle against like 100 of them scripted to end after ~10 turns) and through sheer numbers manage to separate you from dantes and drag him away, but they all ignore you and dantes tells you not to worry about him and head deeper into the theater because “you already have the key to this prison” as they disappear behind the stage.

you only get to wander a short while before another person shows up - an unmasked phantom. he still talks in somewhat purple prose but doesn’t sing his dialogue and he calls you by name. he explains that this place indeed isn’t a nightmare so much as a conceptual prison where his soul resides, and that the presence of more than one phantom isn’t a split personality thing but merely an inner conflict. he says he can lead you outside to the waking world before you see any more ugly things and the choices are “i want to get dantes back” and “i want to get to the bottom of this” and if you pick the first he tells you sadly to please not look at him with such resolve not meant for him but pick the second and there’s simply a long meaningful pause. either way he agrees to lead you to the basement but warns you probably will not like what you see. 

arrow three, phantom and dantes are staring each other down in your room at night. dantes says not to give him that look, he has nothing to do with this, but then sighs about how their master sure has a penchant for getting caught in these kind of things. phantom tells him off for often smoking around you, because he will never forgive anything that could harm you(r voice). dantes merely raises an eyebrow and says it’s a pretty shoddy prison so with a bit of luck you’ll break out of this one before morning and nobody else has to know you’ve been getting your soul trapped again.

back in the dream you’re making your way through the tunnels underneath the theater. phantom guides you safely past several deathtraps and you note that even though he said this is a prison, the traps seem more intent on keeping others out than keeping prisoners in. phantom is disproportionally taken aback by this observation and begins talking about the events of the end stretch of the novel, where raoul with the help of the daroga makes his way past erik’s torture chambers to save a kidnapped christine. he very pointedly talks as if he and erik are different people, saying that perhaps erik’s greatest mistake was thinking he could be seen without letting anyone approach him. you say “aren’t you erik, though?” and he says no, erik got to see many parts of the world but the phantom only knows the opera. 

unmasked phantom disappears as you enter the room where a masked phantom and a restrained dantes are which conveniently looks like the hall of judgement from prison tower because utena taught us to reuse assets for symbolism. this one calls you christine again and threatens to kill ‘the viscount’ unless you stay here with him and dantes is about to roast phantom to a crisp over casting him as raoul on top of always calling you christine but shuts up real fast when you point out dantes still calls nightingale mercedes. phantom seems to calm down a little from that and rambles about how he knows it’s not right to keep you here and he’ll let you go but after releasing dantes he shifts into a bitter rant. must it end like this every time? must he be doomed by the ugliness of his face - of his soul - to cause despair wherever he goes? even now he would like nothing more than to keep you here forever, christine, even now he feels no remorse over the blood on his hands, merely regret over where it brought him, wanting to do better while believing he did no wrong, knowing but not grasping his mistakes until its too late every time. 

you try to interject with a “phantom...” but only when you call him erik is he cut short. the follow up options are “please sing for me again” and “let’s go back” but both options make him calm down immediately and just say “yes, of course.” you’re not waking up yet though so you walk your way out of the basement with little trouble and dantes comments that it really is a shit prison to be better at keeping people out than in. when you're back in the theater proper phantom gets on the main stage and begins to sing again but this time the dolls join in. you ask if he isn’t coming outside with you and he says no, he will continue to haunt this opera as is his fate, being asked is more than enough. 

you wake up at a normal time in the morning to phantom by your bedside, and he calls you by name when he says he is grateful from the bottom of his heart that you came to see him perform.

[hopeled]

knives in the backs of martyrs.

                                     [RANK UP CHALLENGE: DRABBLE]

                                          at first, she pretends she doesn't see it.

       when she dragged herself outside for fresh air after sleeping all day on the couch, she did not expect to see it. towering over every building in sight, branches extend up and outwards into the sky. an array of golds & pinks coloring the cracks in the 'bark' as it pulsated with power. the sight alone makes her blood run cold, sends a shiver down her spine that is not born from the cool evening air. no, Ritsuka knows what caused it-- what has made her frozen in both shock and fear. it’s a Tree of Emptiness. in Spirale. in this place she sometimes thought of as a home away from home (but always a place she could never stay long, a gilded cage.). it confirms a longtime suspicion-- worry, even. when she first arrived here. back then, it was only the thought of a Singularity and not the horror of a Lostbelt. but there is that tree. there is the fog surrounding this place, like those stormwalls. and....she is the only one that sees it. why else would the city remain quiet and at peace at such a sight? it is hidden from them. of course it is and it would remain so. ( her command spells hum with a familiar feeling. another sign. ) it seems that whatever had been hiding it has decided: no more. and now, she is faced with a choice. a choice with only one answer.

              for the first day, she pretends.

  it’s difficult. those who know her look at her with concern, able to tell so easily that something was not right. she doesn’t like lying to them. 

   ‘ what’s wrong, senpai? you look pale... ‘

        ‘ master. sleep is essential to the upkeep of cognitive functions. do you require assistance in achieving it?

               ‘ the pews are quite comfortable. i can assure that you will not be disturbed. ‘

  she would always shrug it off, play it up with a smile, blame it on work. and yet, every second of the day, the sight of that tree would be right there, haunting the edge of her sight. she was playing a fool’s game, going on as she was. she pretends, but it’s pointless. Ritsuka knows this. she knows that her actions are only prolonging the inevitable, clinging onto some misplaced hope that it would go away if she left it be. that it would act as those Singularities that sprung up after the world was bleached, something that would vanish in time, needing no intervention. but even then, she couldn’t leave it be. any suggestion was always met with ‘ you know i can’t do that.’ and who better to know herself than her? so, she pretends. for a little while longer, she goes in with this ‘life’ here. ( like in Russia, she feigns ignorance. but this is not a waiting game for when the realization would tear her two. she already knew it from the start and it saves her that break. but only that. )

     for one week, she acts as if nothing as wrong. 

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

  it’s been a long time since she last summoned a Servant. the flow of mana and surge of presence as they manifest is a familiar one to her, but even so, it feels....almost foreign, in a way. there was six; enough to handle the tree-- Rider: Achilles. Archer: Arjuna. Saber: Arturia Alter. Assassin: King Hassan. Berserker: Vlad. Ruler: Sherlock Holmes -- enough to bring this Lostbelt down and put an end to it. 

     ( guilt jabs at her heart, piercing it without remorse. put an end to it? yes. yes, i have to put an end to it. )

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

      she is thankful that she did not see them before she left. those she has come to call friends, people she is close to, ones she does her best to at least look out for. those Servants she knew were busy doing whatever it was they occuppied their time with: business, fun, simply relaxing and enjoying a life without the worry of war. familiar faces she had spoken to once in awhile, but never really knew, continued on as they did. she had spotted Yelena from behind, traversing the Star Trail hand in hand with that former enemy of Ritsuka’s. they looked peaceful; happy.  she had even spotted him on a few occassions, reading some (probably) boring book under the sun. ironic, she thought. this would be the second time, wouldn’t it? destruction at her hands. she almost laughed at that.  

        and then there was Mashu, who had fallen asleep, curled up with Fou nestled in her arms. Ritsuka knows she’s been making her worried sick, as best as the Shielder had tried to hide it. not just with...this, but everything before. Dr. Roman had said how hiding the truth from her was wrong. would he say that now, she wonders? that now the truth she was hiding was far more damaging than anyone could know?  ( would you still want me to tell her? ) she had covered Mashu with a blanket before leaving the house for the last time, taking care to brush aside the girl’s bangs and placing her glasses on the bedside table. 

  a bit rude, wasn’t it? a bit cowardly, even, to use the cover of night to leave without questions from her, from anyone. to them, it was just another day in the city, another day of life. they didn’t know. they didn’t see it. and it’s better that way, Ritsuka thinks. better that they die without knowing the truth of it, without feeling the pain of it. it’s why she picked the dark, with only the stars as her witness, to do this. 

                             at least this can be the one mercy she can give them.

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

                                                          the tree falls.

  not the way it does in the forest. no, this disintegrates, crumbling from the top down. out of the six Servants, only two are left standing as the battle draws to a close. her body is beyond its limit and yet, still it stands. the adrenaline is the only thing keeping her upright as she watches the beginning of the end. this Lostbelt was collapsing. the very thing holding it together, the Tree of Emptiness, is no more, leaving only that same, gaping hole at the center of it all. the sky cracks like fractured glass, misplacing the stars and splitting the sight of the moon in two. she watches. she watches it all. unlike Russia, there is no melody playing. unlinke Scandinavia, there is no gentle wind. there is only the silence and it is deafening. 

                      she’s tired.

    she doesn’t know when her legs give out on her, nor when she eneded up being carried by Vlad, but she cannot find the strength to ask . the earth itself rumbles with quakes as piece by piece, the Lostbelt -- and everything in it -- ceases to exist. she can faintly hear Arjuna speaking to da Vinci from the Shadow Border ( where was it at, again? why did she forget..?)  but she can’t make out the words clearly. it all sounds as if she is in a tunnel and their voices are echoing from an end she can’t find.  

    she wants to leave. she wants to be back in the Shadow Border now, back in her bed within it, and to collapse into a dreamless slumber. no matter how uncomfortable it can be, her weary body has never cared. as long as it had a place to rest, that was all that mattered. she wants to sleep and sleep and sleep this dream-turned-nightmare away, until it’s nothing more than a hazy memory. (but it would never be a hazy memory. she remembered far too well. always.) she cannot say for them to hurry-- it takes too much effort. at best, Ritsuka can only keep her head still against the Berserker’s shoulder in silence.

      she can hardly keep her eyes open, lids fluttering as she struggles to keep a grasp on being awake. she needs to see this; needs to see the end of Spirale. she owed that to each and every fragment of history, every world, that has been culled and this city was no different. ( she wishes it was. it would hurt less. if only she had known from the start.) no.... no it was different. she always knew she would have blood on her hands. Patxi had told her she would never be able to pretend otherwise.  but never did she think the blood would be like this; not just that of strangers, people simply living their lives, but of friends too. and as she forces her eyes to open, to focus, everything is....blurry. as if she's deep underwater, unable to reach the surface. her cheeks feel wet. was it blood? tears? she can’t tell. she can’t see straight and that is more worrisome than anything else. she has to see.

                                               no. let me....let me see.....

 there’s an encroaching darkness. it dims the edges of her sight, slowly smothering her conciousness despite her efforts to fight it back. 

                          stay....awake. i need-- i need to....please....why....?

   she can’t think straight. her thoughs are fragmented. mismatched words and feelings. too much to make sense and too little to understand, it leaves her floundering for something, anything, to latch onto it. but the only thing found is a pull too strong for her to resist. like Aphrodite's song, she has no choice but to fall under its spell--

                -- fall and sink further into the darkness, letting it swallow her whole.

[thessaliah]

The nature of Wodime’s and Olgamarie’s relationship, and the flaw in FGO writing

I've rambled about this in a reply already but is good to repeat myself here. I think one of FGO biggest flaws is how Nasu is sacrificing coherent characterisation and organic relationships because he prioritises keeping the players on their toes for the plot "mystery" as the game is ongoing and could be ongoing for years.

That's why adaptations change characterisation sometimes because it was the result of Nasu trying to "fool" the audience to cover a plot point, or give Guda's relationship a completely different turn. I can hardly buy Guda's "I want to save the Director", for example, when they spent all Fuyuki bullying her and dismissing her to the point Roman stepped in and tried to "guilt trip" Guda over liking and being nice to Olgamarie by listing her positive traits and tragic backstory (apparently Nasu didn’t believe in the “show, don’t tell” when he made Romani his mouthpiece). It's quite bogus. Guda did not meet her beyond that. Adaptations like First Order or the manga remove this element and make Olga softer and active. Same for the treatment of Romani, who took Olga's place as a bullying target after she was gone. Worse yet, Mash joined up too. Once again, adaptations do away with all this. This was a badly written cover-up to try to "trick" us he was not plot relevant, but it hurts a lot of the supposed deep bonds because some was borderline emotional abuse poorly disguised as "witty comedy". Or that time Mash  didn't meet Da Vinci until Orleans Singularity to mirror the 'surprise' that Leonardo was a woman as the player-vocalisation; thing ignored in most adaptations that establishes that Mash logically met Da Vinci earlier when she was 12-13.

Kirschtaria's and Olgamarie's mysterious bond is another of those relationships affected by the prioritisation of plot mystery over characterisation. Nasu has hinted many times they have a connection. I mean, they should, he's her father's 'ideal successor', they went to the same class, they shared the same circles. How is that they never speak of each other? At least by name. Is it because they don't care and their bond isn't important?

(Really, really doubt it).

Nasu admitted in the Anniversary interview he left pending the simulation with Daybit because he will cover it later. And despite would make sense Kirschtaria would think about Daybit when his thoughts were exposed, he's missing. Not because Wodime doesn't care, but because Nasu doesn't want the players to know that yet. Still, his absence compromises his coherent characterisation. I believe is the same with Olgamarie. The same goes why Olgamarie doesn't mention or think of Kirschtaria when, with her crippling complex and his position, it would make sense she did. There is an interplay between each others, though, as priestess and Crypter. As the light (if that's her) and the chosen one. As the god and the one who challenged her. What was said, what wasn't. What they did; and what they didn't do.

(For example this exchange)

We don't know the nature of their relationship yet. It could be envy and competition, sibling/family-like affection, or even one of those unspoken tragic romances. Either way, I suspect their relationship would be important for the next part. While Mashu and Guda probably have zero awareness of what Wodime felt, Gordolf probably can spill the beans. Gordolf is a character who was introduced as a sort of positive foil to Olga; and who bought Chaldea to, among other things, restore Kirschtaria Wodime whom he has a crush on looks up. The one who was saved because he reminded Mash and Guda to Olga while the priestess watched. He's also the character who had a private chat with Caenis (the person who knew Kirschtaria the best) about the guy. I'm sure U-Olga will keep pretending she's not Olgamarie, she'll deny herself (as Mash puts it), and perhaps whatever is the relationship between them would play a part to break through this.

(From Lostbelt 1 associate Roman and Mash, and Kirschtaria and Olga - could part 2 be their story as part 1 was the former duo?)

Nasu may not give overt text clues, but sometimes he does subtle visual ones. This could be a coincidence, but I still think is worth comparing:

(Team A receives instructions).

The top picture is of the new Opening of Cosmos in the Lostbelt. We have Team A gathered in front of Chaldeas, receiving instructions from Marisbury Animusphere. The bottom is similar, from episode 0 of the Babylonia anime adaptation (an episode Nasu was involved with pointers and suggestions); except they gather to receive instructions from Olgamarie. We can't see Beryl's expression in the bottom one, but you roughly see everyone has the same face: all serious but Pepe who is keeping a positive attitude (and Beryl has a sinister smile on top one, but we can’t see his face in the other one so it doesn’t matter). There's a departure, though. For some reason, Wodime is smiling in the bottom one, the one with Olgamarie as the Director. It could be an animator's choice, but for someone who pretends to be serious unless you get to know him, he's openly giving a tender, happy smile, not a smug cold one. When Episode 0 was out, I just thought it was Kirschtaria being excited about the adventure, but the opening has a scene similar to that, and maybe isn't just about the mission.

Maybe I'm overthinking it though.

[cosmosrival]

Rico besides Kama what do you think about the other indian servants?????

AHHHHHHHHHH THIS IS GOING TO GET SOOOO LONG!!!! i have a different view of the indo fam as a whole. i call them the indo fam but i mean the found family trope!!!! theyre like a group of college students sharing a dorm if that makes sense, since their servant selves are obviously different from their initial myths/human vessels!!!

OK SO. RECENTLY, i have an oomf that found books about arjuna that summarize his exploits in the mahabharata(I DONT HAVE THE STRENGTH TO READ IT ALL IM SO SORRY) and also talk about him in a more philosphical manner such as his states of mind during each event etc and i’ve been meaning to read said book because im genuinely interested in arjuna now!!! and i’d like to know more about this indo prince because from what i’ve seen, he is portrayed in a rather bad light(?) in FGO which i find extremely !!!!!!!!!!! and incrdibley !!!!!!! strange !!!!!!! the mahabharata’s conflicts can be put in a mostly grey area where there’s no good nor bad, its not black and white. so seeing arjuna get bashed because of the way his conflict with karna was written is... hm. let’s say that im REALLY starting to understand arjuna fans that dislike seeing him get mischaracterized so much. OTHER THAN THAT, his design is adorable, his travel outfit is my favourite because he deserves to relax and have some fun!!! fgo making him a chuuni is cute and his VAs little moans are cute cute cute!!!!!!!!!!! (mash grabs my shoulder and forces me to sit down) i think that arjuna deserves better and im really happy to see him have fun in his travel costume voicelines. i think we should take arjun on a date!!! he’s a great lover, we’d have the best time!! OH ALSO, kama seeing him as the student council president in their interlude makes me SOOOOOOO HAPPY its unreal, i think it fits him very very well, the seitokaichou who was elected because of everyone’s hopes and recommended by teachers because he’s suuuch a good student but because of that, the pressure to be good is constantly towering over his head and everytime he looks out the window he wishes he could ditch class and skip a day just because he felt like going to the arcade and be a bad student.......just this once........i think hes very very cute...... i want him to cook for me. HAVE YO U READ HIS BOND 4 VOICELINE ?mmmmmggg i want him to get embarrassed everytime i praise him for having such a muscular waistline. AUG

ANEWAYS i also have quite the thoughts about karna, his characterization in the game is linked to arjuna’s and thats fine but i think that forgetting how much of a little sassy bastard he can get was a mistake! did you know that in apocrypha’s german dub on netflix, when jeanne calls his name like “You’re Karna, aren’t you ? The son of the Indian Sun God !” HES LIKE “So ?” AND THAT WAS SOOOO BITCHY OF HIM, i think that karna is a good boy in fgo but the fact that he was such a fighty old man in the mahabharata shouldnt be forgotten and is a charm trait. I MEAN ???? HE THREW HANDS WITH AN 18 YEAR OLD(ARJUN) WHILE BEIN LIKE... THIRTY TWO. WHATS WITH THIS ANNOYING OLD MAN !!!!! knowing these little facts about him made me like him so much more actually !! i think karna being so nice is adorable!! but the little bitchy energy u can find in his voicelines is also very charming!! i think karna looking at me emotionless as i ask him to lend me his notes for the nth time that week and then saying “...Mn.” when i thank him is cute!!! his voiceline towards things he dislikes is interesting to me. karna seeming aloof and mean bc he doesnt know how to communicate but is actually nice underneath...... hey... thats a little delinquentcore........ i wouldnt say yankii but hes like... hes like... u know hes the handsome quiet one of the group of yankiis... u know the one...? hey where are you going

ganesha is also a character im deeply interested in but i havent played CCC so i dont know that many details about jinako herself !! my brain goes HMMMMMM it seems lord ganesha is trans in fgo ! (since kama used to be a male god originally as well!!) ganesha uses all pronouns!!! and ganesha is also special to me because they share similar traits with kama when it comes to their characterization AND mischaracterizations. ganesha isnt JUST jinako. theres a part of a god in the servant mix!!! and jinako HERSELF is actually a pretty sad character imo. the whole otaku/neet thing is obviously a facade and her true wish being that she wants to redo her whole life is also proof of how much she hates what shes become, yet at the same time, she doesnt know what else she could do. but anyways, i prefer looking at servants from a lore POV so i think that ganesha should still be considered a god and be adressed as such!! i like seeing people portray ganesha as jinako but i prefer it when a certain lavish more godly side of them is put forward. a side of jinako that managed to move on a little bit if that makes sense ? that got more serious. and became someone else entierly despite sharing similarities. needless to say their bond with karna makes me happy since he shows them respect as you should towards a god!! its a bit different from their bond in CCC... like they matured somewhat!! anyway ganesha is the one who taught everyone else in the indo fam about video games and technology and i will NEVER shut up.

ashwatthama..... MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM %_’(’ç_”’è_ç(è_’”545656455456545453£¨¨µ¨µMµ¨++°=)=)°+ goodness. jesus christ on earth. my love story with him makes me so embarrassed. when he got revealed i instantly fell in love with him despite knowing JACK SHIT ABOUT HIM but since i was the only one in my friend group who was hardcore into fgo at the time, i kept my love for him to myself and just... (looks away)(i drop my wallet full of picturses of him) quietly adored his everything in silence. WELL, ree having an intense crush on yankii type characters isnt new, its been my favourite trope for ages (gyarus go in hand with them!!) and im still very attached to it so thats what made me love him in the first place!!!! BUT THEN. I GOT INTO HIS MAHABHARATAN LORE. And OHHHHHHHHH BABY.......... (im twirling my hair) so theres this 7ft tall war criminal..........<3<33<3(mash leans in and informs me that the convention of geneva didnt exist at the time) SO THERES THIS 7 FTTALL IMMORTALMAN.......<233 gOD he makes me absolutely CRAZY9909840385%£%%£%%µ%µ%µ the love i have for this character is immense and whenever im sad i remember that pako exists and has a tablet and can draw and i suddenly feel so much better. ok im gonna stop horny posting a little bit. but hes my wife. AND WHAT I LOVE ABOUT HIS PORTRAYAL IN FGO IS THAT, they actually made him a good boy despite his initial roughness and misdeeds ???!!! HELLO?? ashwatthama wishing for a redemption ark is my favourite thing and his righteousness that was born because of his regrets is a very interesting drivepoint to me !!! hes a gorgeous character and im buying a ticket plane as we speak right now so i can go find him in northern india. i’ll find him. GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME !!!!!GET OFF ME !!!

miss lakshimi makes me very sad! because every female servant in the indo fam is an already known face. (... would sita count.) and lakshi being a jeanneface is a waste. well, she’s still very pretty and her lore is also quite interesting!! i havent looked into it fully yet but i think she should be kissed on the mouth. her bad luck makes me slip on a banana peel whenevr i get close to her to kiss her and i hit my head on the pavement and pass away- 

parvati is on a tough spot for me atm. i genuinely love thinking of her as the way the indian goddess herself is portrayed because thats where the fun lies for me in her character. especially when shes involved with other indian servants, thats a given!! i would like to see parvati grow, suffer and heal. because branding her as an “all-knowing mom” is easy, but every single parent makes mistakes if you follow that logic. also, since shes the sakura servant “thats closest to her initial personality”, she’s got some of the most Repulsive fans ive Ever witnessed in fandom spaces and lets say that im trying to work my way out of this hellhole and find things to like about parvati without the fandom’s influence. needless to say, im going to keep looking into her mythos and her lore by myself at my own pace and keep doing my own thing in my little corner. 

rama shouldve been a jock. THE RAMAYANA IS OLDER THAN THE MAHABHARATA, WHY IS.....Hrm well him being summoned as his baby version gives me hope for a future rama alt perhaps??? but i think that he shouldve been a total jock and he shouldve been huge with a huge red lion-like mane for his hair and a teethy grin and big biceps and intense love for his wife. SPEAKING OF SITA, her charm point is her purity but i wish.... that their artist still hadnt drawn them like That, im not a fan of lily servants and i think purity = being young is a bit of an annoying excuse!!! rama and sita looking similar is because of their shared history which is fine but... rolls my eyes............. rama shouldve been 6ft tall and sita shouldve been a milf to match...... anyways i doubt ravana would be added as a servant but i’d love to have a ramayana centric event!! where all indo servants have their own lore centric role to play!!! oh thatd be a dream.... but i have learned to not expect much from a fanservice game so im jus gonna draw my own stuff! (strikes a pose!) (mashu claps!)

[castilium]

The house was quiet.

When just the two of them occupied the residence, there was a frequent tranquillity through middles of the day, when the sun hung high and the trappings of the city lured either or both outside. Something... felt different. Not for the first time had such a feeling settled over the address, and once more had it been that something felt awry... wrong.

Against his door tapped her knuckles lightly. “Doctor?” No answer passed through the wooden slab. And with that hush clenched tighter her heart, sliding deeper without that lifeline of evidence to cling onto. In fact, it was rather the opposite — more solid grounds on which her fears could stand. A push against the handle would clarify the truth. And it was a sight so bittersweet in its familiarity. A distinct lack of presence.

His was a transient essence, always had been. Naturally there could come a day when Romani Archaman’s smile would be nothing more than a memory; one more goodbye without parting words exchanged or a final evening reading books, watching films, playing games, eating sweets or gazing at the stars. Mashu dug into the pocket of her jacket, tearing from its nest her phone and swiping across the screen with shuddering fingertips that failed to register on the first attempt.

The messages between them remained — the playful appeal for a new cake from one of his favourite bakeries along Star Trail just before the weekend, a joke about him floating out to sea when everyone planned to gather for their day at the beach, subtle hints to best treat him with Father’s Day on the horizon. But when entering his name into the extensive contacts list, the closest was ‘Romanus Augustus Rye’, a name which similarly vanished after inputting the character that separated his from the Doctor’s.

He was gone, leaving behind a room vacant without his warmth, his scattered papers, his figurines, which all awaited a return they would be kept waiting for. If ever it came. Her shoulders slacked... would she ever seen him again? When last her father parted the island, Chaldea was still of the present, she tended to his room on a daily basis. But those days... they were long of past now, like a distant memory after all which had transpired since. Just like those, and just as with the room Ritsuka and Fou left unoccupied on most nights, she would uphold that duty to see it cared in the absence of the one meant for it. But a dull ache drummed against her heart, as one step closer to that reality made itself so now.

She was alone.

With Roman no longer present, and Ritsuka and Fou in the City of Glass, the house had no-one else. Her hand fell away from the handle, fingertips knocked by the metallic shine before they dangled by her side, and toward the kitchen she wandered with only the patter of feet against the carpet to keep absolute silence from drowning out all hum of the city outside. From the table, she pulled out a chair and took its place, resuming the spot of the day when he quite literally came crashing back in, longing that perhaps... by some miracle...

Before the ordeal of their alternatives, before Tunguska, before all the Chaldean Master’s memories became her own, before the war. If she wished hard enough, just maybe... they could go back. Her hand laid out atop the surface, laying upon where his held on that day as her heart cried and poured out all the agonising truths learned in his absence. But there was no warmth to cling onto, no comforting words of wisdom.

Only the quiet fact that she could not be daddy’s little girl forever.

She’d resolved not to be a ball and chain that held Roman down from the freedom he always sought, nor for Ritsuka in the peace she deserved. Since the very days they met, both had taken Mashu under their wings, cared for her, raised her — everything was owed to them. This loneliness, it was as natural conclusion to those relationships, to urge her on so that the world could grow beyond a cluster of incredibly brave people. But she would have liked time to prepare, to say something. See him off with one last hug and promise to be strong, become the girl to whom he gifted so much, so that he might smile and feel pride in her.

A twist rotated the hand, fingers curling inward until their nails brushed lightly against the skin of her palm. And stretched out the empty fist remained whilst her head rested against the table top, lonesome eyelids hanging with renewed weight. She missed him terribly all over again.

[liedream]

@demishield​

     “...” It would seem he’s thinking, debating even what he can say but then. “... if you wish to know, for once even if I was being inconsiderate and all... don’t trust his words. Honey-eyed lies is all they are... if there was one thing I regret, it truly is leaving what little I had for friends. He only seeks to place you on an unreachable pedestal, take you away from what you wish for. And... perhaps even end your life before you can honestly live.” His words hinted at worry, concern even. Perhaps he had his differences, perhaps even he thought humanity dying by the flame was fine but there was just something telling him that he shouldn’t keep doing this.

     Even if he thought she died before, even if he had refused to help for all of this... he found himself wanting to be honest with her. “Just... Mashu, if I may ask, would you prefer a peaceful and quiet life surrounded by friends or a life after this that would take your own? Prevent you from even trying to explore it yourself at that without forced decisions on what’s best for you?” It honestly reminded him of the church, of the things he had seen at that. “... if I had to choose, I would rather if you wish to explore it not be anywhere near that man.” Was he starting to sound like a worried brother more than earlier? Perhaps.

[zoriety]

Qin Shi Huang’s role in the casino event highlights (alongside full translation)!

Given the emperor at the point of the casino event had been in Chaldea for over a year, before reading this I was sure he'd at least got the hang of how things work in pan human history. Could not have been more wrong, the emperor has literally zero idea what’s going on at any given time and is probably one of, if not the most confused person in Chaldea. (I’ll put the rest under the cut along with translation, because there’s so much to say about the disaster that is this entire scene)

QSH: Well, the era of the Warring States also took place in our Lostbelt. We have hundreds of years of experience when it comes to diplomatic finesse that does not depend on military power. QSH: It is just that in poker you read your opponent’s face instead of calculating the condition of the country. If something makes a difference, this is the only point. QSH: Here we are spared from all the courtesy of diplomatic etiquette, the world leaders just gather in one place and try to rob each other’s country’s fortune in a competition of wisdom. QSH: Oh yes, since there is such a skillful method, we can even avoid all the dogfight. QSH: This “Casino of Las Vegas” (he says it in horrible Chinese kanji) is truly a praiseworthy system! 1: …What? 2: There seems to be a big misunderstanding here…

Featured here are: Qin Shi Huang being enraged to find out what a Casino is, because he had been dedicating energy to utterly destroying opponents at poker, thinking he was dominating fellow kings - only to discover he had been taking the money of random people, which he views as utterly wasted money. 

QSH: Just how many cups of rice could have been bought with the money that was flying around here in just one evening?! How many infants could have been raised? QSH: So these peasants were wasting and gaining all this money just for fun? QSH: Just how many people have been blinded by this reception (interior decor/flashy environment) that made them think they were kings and completely lead to ruin? Mashu: Um, you see, I think what you’re saying is right, but… QSH: Oh yes, for Us there has not been a thing to induce such rage in a long time.(!)

(He then proceeds to try and burn the whole place down...)

The emperor was playing poker so mercilessly against foes, feigning being a poor player, because he was utterly convinced that this was a system devised to create a world peace without violent combat. 

I think it says a lot about his character that he, convinced of this, was having no fun at all, but absolutely dedicating himself to it. I think that’s very similar to how he’s ran SIN - it’s emphasised that it was a burden to him, but that he felt the only person capable of keeping peace, and so dedicated his entire life to being the ideal, perfect ruler (according to his own vision, in any case - could do a whole other post on SIN).

Hilariously, he wasn't even aware that he had entered a singularity, because everything in this history is so bizarre to him (compared to the unchanging SIN empire) that he just didn't think the event was that strange. I really get the impression that the emperor for a year has been wandering around new Chaldea with no friends, being utterly confused by everything and anything... oh dear. I feel like the emperor must win first place for most confused servant contest, which is especially funny because he’s also so ridiculously confident in being a world ruler, true human, ect - he has no idea that what’s he’s taken away from a given scenario is wrong until told so

Mashu: We’ll do something about this Singularity even without destroying everything further! QSH: …What? Singularity? This? QSH: Hahaha! You are such careless people, you should have told Us sooner! Ah, it means We just raged in vain. Iskandar: Hey, you… People usually notice it the moment they're rayshifted. QSH: Huh. Compared to Our perfectly stable Eternal Empire of SIN, this “normal history” is filled with marvellously strange things from end to end. It is impossible to spot the difference between the regular and irregular! QSH: But, well, yes. But if it is decided that this place full of ugliness will be completely swept as a dead end, then We are at peace.

However. The emperor still doesn’t fully understand what has happened here...

Iskandar: But is it alright you didn’t explain anything to him? That the casinos are often found not only in singularities but also in regular history and such? 1: The explanations… Can wait for the next time! Mashu: Yes. We will explain everything to Qin Shi Huang the next time we meet him. Now let’s prioritize the resolution of this singularity.

He’s just clueless.... 

And he is so temperamental (rages and wishes to burn things to the ground when he disagrees or finds it terrible) that I can only assume nobody wants to explain things to him when they think the result will be bad LOL - (do we chase him and tell him casinos are real? that sounds like a problem for another day, mash...)

This makes me so, so excited for the inevitable QSH interlude - It’ll either be a fun one (think the Ozy and Gil making friends and playing videogames together interlude, because the emperor seems very misunderstood and has no friends at this point) or a super serious bond-deepening one, but I have no idea which.

Oh, if you want the full translation, I paid someone on twitter to translate for me (will log in when I’m on desktop and add their name linked). (Edit: @aelen_altria ) I’ve put it online here!