#personally i love Kriemhild's design

[berserker-showdown]

ON the Right carved of Ivory, the ideal woman of King Pygmalion's dreams, and given the breath of life by Aphrodite. Born of Hammer, Chisel and Love, the Statuesque Galatea

ON the Left the Noble and Beautiful Queen of Siegfried, the Wielder of the Corrupted Balmung, her Rage unmatched by any foe in life. The Berserker of "Passionate love that repays the murder of one’s loved one with twice the payback": Queen Kriemhild

[thecur]

About Oktavia von Seckendorff

There's a lot to say about Oktavia (personally I'd say it's the easiest to find interesting stuff about her out of all the witches) but here's some stuff I've been thinking about.

(I'm aware that most of this has probably already been pointed out by someone at some point, I just want to ramble)

Her name

Oktavia is more obvious. Oktavia -> Octavia (latin, "the eighth"). In music an octave is an interval of eight whole tones (it's the same note in a different pitch, I don't know if people who don't care about music know this stuff).

Sayaka and Oktavia are both music themed I don't have to explain the connection, but I also find it interesting to note that Oktavia's first appearance is in the eight episode of the anime.

The interesting part is von Seckendorff, I know. Karl Siegmund von Seckendorff (26 November 1744 - 26 April 1785) was a German poet and composer (and military officer, which doesn't seem relevant right now but considering the knight elements in Oktavia's design that might have played into it?).

I'll be completely honest, he has very few creations and I cannot get access to any of them (he really was not relevant enough, I suppose) but Wikipedia lists one of his works as Das Rad des Schicksals, oder die Geschichte des Thoangesis, which directly translates to the wheel of fate, or the story of the Thoangesis(??). I do not know what is in that text, I can't even get an e-book of it. However, the title alone reminds me of the many wheels in Oktavia's labyrinth and other depictions of her.

This is going to sound like I'm reaching but the name von Seckendorff can also be connected to Kriemhild Gretchen (Madoka's witch). Karl Siegmund von Seckendorff found inspiration in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, translated one of his novels and composed music for some of his poems. Goethe's Faust seems to inspire aspects of Kriemhild Gretchen, and considering the inherent connection between Sayaka and Madoka I feel like this is worth mentioning. (I might elaborate on this separately but the basic connection between Madoka and Goethe's Faust is: girl named Magarete loses her innocence/purity and becomes trapped and destroyed — from that point on is referred to as Gretchen. Being a witch is loosing your innocence freedom etc, being a witch turns Madoka into ((Kriemhild)) Gretchen.)

Von Seckendorff was never really successful when pursuing the arts, by the way. (I mean, people barely know him.) There's something to be said about Sayaka's whole story, about her being destined to always turn into a witch and never "succeed".

Her design

Most people are somewhat aware of the whole little mermaid thing, but I'll mention it again just in case. Sayaka's story greatly resembles that of the little mermaid (not Disney), which could explain Oktavia being referred to as the mermaid witch (and literally being a mermaid, she has a tail) as well as the general water/ocean theme both her and Sayaka have. You can read it yourself if you're interested, but long story short the little mermaid wants a human soul and a prince's love and exchanges her tongue (yeah) for legs with a sea witch so she can be on the surface, though she can't speak. (So still similar to the Disney version) The Prince does not fall for her, she dies of a broken heart and jumps into the sea, dissolving into sea foam.

The mermaid makes a great sacrifice for her wish and the love she desires and ends up not gaining anything from it, instead loosing her life as her soul withers away in the sea. Very Sayaka.

Okay this one seems weird but I thought of it when rewatching the series again.

In the first episode Junko (Madoka's mother) notes that pink ribbons will attract affection/attraction from men. Sayaka only became a magical girl in the first place because she desired Kyōsuke's love (and Octavia is destined to appear in every timeline that Sayaka makes a pact with Kyubey in, so you could argue that the desire for love is a direct reason for Octavia's existence.) (Oktavia is stated to be all about love/falling in love so I guess that's canon.)

I think the ribbon could just be there because of the school uniform, but I don't think that's the case (or at least not the only case. Design choices can have several inspirations) When witches take inspiration from their respective magical girl's designs it's usually about the actual magical girl clothes and not casual/school clothes. So yeah, I like to think it's meant to represent Oktavia's desire to love and be loved.

There's probably a lot more to say about her but these are some of my thoughts :3

[lightheaded-dullahan]

4 and 15 for vlad

4. I need this man in an Otome game now.

Fate: Honestly; I would love to see him in another grail war with a master that actually cared for him. That’s why I made one.

Non Fate: Design wise, I’d like to see him as a Final Fantasy boss. Give him a nice dungeon. Character wise, I’d like to see him in a contemporary setting. His personality alone would be just … really fun to play with. Maybe something set between 1980s - 2020s? (Yeah I know that’s a petty big range but whateverssss)

15. Obviously it’s Vlad/Switch/Moriarty

Shipping Vlad is hard. Half the time he doesn’t really….get a lot of interactions enough. If I really wanted to do an interesting dynamic….maybe enemies to lovers Vlad/Karna? The only thing that actually caused their conflict in Apoc iirc, was the religious differences. I think that would be interesting to explore - especially with Vlad’s own history with religious conflict.

Siegfried/Vlad is one you’ve personally implanted in my brain - they’re both kings yet simultaneously vassals in different aspects. If we add in Kriemhild too…hmm, I’ll need to give that more thought.

Another difficulty is Vlad happens to be one of the visibly aged characters — and so; since age gaps seem less popular than I think (I enjoy a nice age gap romance) he often gets left to play a paternal role…I should work to fix that.

[fledbeast578]

who do you like more, siegfried or kriemhild?

Oh that's tough, Anon-person.

Design-wise they're about equal to me, I like the contrast with Siegfried looking almost like a shining knight, meanwhil Kriemhild is anything but. I really love how drastically Balmung shifts, as if Siegfried's noble heart affected it just as much as Kriemhild's rage-filled one.

Siegfried I enjoyed but I don't think he was super great in Apocrypha (unfortunately tends to happen when you're killed 1 episode in), I wish we had gotten more speaking roles. I simultaneously want to bully him and think the narrative treats him too harshly for thinking suicide is the only answer so often, so it shows a nice progression that instead of leaving Kriemhild alone he's so often trying to reconnect to her.

Oh and by the way if Siegfried was book accurate no one would have been able to handle him. He simply would have won the grail war and also saved Sieg.

Kriemhild I really love as a character, and frankly I think she would have been a much better Avenger than most of the ones we have lmao. I love how despite being so cold and cunning she's still almost... Lightheaded in her more casual interactions, like she finds it difficult to think about anything but revenge and bloodshed. If I had to give one definite flaw to Kriemhild, it'd her the community because holy shit the people who talked about that one pic Raita drew of her and Baobhan Sith has all the annoying married women enjoyers come out in droves.

If I had to pick which one I liked more though... Kriemhild probably, she had a really strong showing in Traum, but I do love them both.

[hasarjunadoneanythingwrong]

May I request your thoughts on Kriemhild and Siegfried for the ask meme

im gonna treat them simultaneously as a dual pair/try to sort of acknowledge them on their own

favorite thing about them

holy shit they brought in siegfrieds wife after 7+ years of his solo existence. her design owns, they go together but also work well individually, they treated her well given how they altered his story and you can tell they genuinely love each other despite everything that happened but they also didnt just hand wave away all the trauma that went down

points for kreimhild having a very realistic response to finding out the truth

also i like siegfrieds wings and horns although theyre rarely brought up out of gag moments

least favorite thing about them

ive seen people get mad at siegfried 'cockblocking' them or what the fuck ever since krimhild was introduced which. dude. he's been around for over 7 years before she showed up and she was barely alluded to prior to her introduction if anything shes cockblocking people who shipped themselves or ocs with siegfried but you've heard barely anything from them this isnt even like cases like brynhild where she was introduced first like why are you mad??? she was never gonna fuck you. the compulsive need to make every woman in fgo a consumable waifu for the mc is a legitimate brainworm tbh it should be studied in labratories

also siegfried's ascensions are very 'year one''core esp in comparison to his wife

favorite line

i dont understand japanese but i love kreimhild's np.. the passion, the pain...

also that part in oniland where siegfried goes third ascension to dodge brynhild

brOTP

is it a brotp if its more like a mentorship situation (talking about sieg)

OTP

well siegfried and kreimhild for one. i also like to think most heroic spirits arent so stuck on monogamy tbh...(kind of thinks kreimhild and altera is funny)(thinks karna making out w like half of apocrypha including siegfried is funny) nOTP

gudao but more bc of the waifu brainworm thing. if its a poly thing then fine have fun w it. also sieg romantically bc EW???

random headcanon

kreimhild is like 3 weeks of couples therapy away from attending every event with matching outfits with siegfried

unpopular opinion

as much as i love kreimhild and am glad to see her/her design some aspects of her reception make me scared of the chance of seeing other famous wives of heroic spirits getting introduces bc people cant be normal

id also like her to have some events where she can be her own person and not just 'siegfrieds wife' but BECAUSE of how those same people get i feel like they'll just take it as signalling shes madly in love w the mc and hates her husband or what the fuck ever and destroy her character song i associate with them

for them together maybe?

also kriemhildcore lol

favorite picture of them

[kaibutsushidousha]

Can you rate all 2021 & 2022 silhouette Servants?

1) Morgan is my 3rd favorite Servant in the whole game and pretty sure she already has her own post explaining why. The Morgan-Arthuria-Fujimaru-Oberon quartet parallels are really the best part of Avalon le Fae.

2) Another member of my level 100 crew. Taigong was my most requested Servant at the time of his release and what we got of him is certainly in line with what I wanted. Goofy but capable. Thoughtful except when his fear of disappointing gets the better of him. Great taste in waifus. All in all, I can proudly say that's the tactician I asked for.

3) Jue was one of the big stars of Traum along with Roland and Xu Fu. He's as pragmatic and ruthless as he can get but the narrative is no less sympathetic to his motives, ideals, and lifetime failures. Regardless of whether or not the Master he's so devoted to turns out to be an Olga Marie piece in some way, Zhang Jue still has a very important place in the overall narrative as someone whose story and character reflects Olga's own perhaps even better than Douman does.

4) Kagekiyo is perhaps the most successful example of a mixed Servant because Heian gave them a very emotionally powerful character moment as Yoshitsune (Kintoki's best opponent in Heian) while the Kamakura event gave them an equally powerful moment as Kagekiyo proper. Both sides are covered evenly and covered well. Kagekiyo proper is my favorite character in the Ushiwakamaru circle of characters (low bar, but I do like them a lot).

5) Homietrot is my friend. Homietrot is your friend. She's always there being devoted and positive when Morgan and Mash need her. I'm extremely glad she became a permanent addition to the main cast.

6) Miss Crane's event is very rightfully criticized for being a mishmash of idol fandom memes, but Crane herself is one part that's undeniably written with a heart. Also, her design is gorgeous, her less dignified expressions are excellent, her relationships to both her original Master and Romani made me feel things, and her Noble Phantasm is one of my favorites.

7) Quixote and Sancho have their bad jokes along the way but are overall a fun comedy duo with poignant character moments for both of them individually, a neat role in the narrative, insightful commentary about their own nature and how it reflects on other characters, and one of the most soulful profiles in the whole game. Sancho was all in all one of the best ideas possible for this character.

8) Kriemhild already has her own post about her part in Traum, so I'll just add that she's being pretty well-used in interludes and events.

9) Kiichi has a fun personality, is easy to mock as every Sakurai fetish combined, and provided the tengu lore that made me go insane at least twice, but the star of her debut is clearly Kagekiyo so she's a bit on the forgettable side as her own character (as opposed to as the representative of tengus).

10) Bakin speaks funny, had meaningful things to say about Chaldea's role in part 2, and rightfully calls Hokusai a shithead. He's a character I could love if he was a less boring event.

11) Feihu is an always welcome addition to the Investiture of the Gods crew but they kinda did nothing with him beyond "dad" and the stupidest questions about loyalty. It's a shame they sacrificed Tianhua's chances for a solo Servant debut, but the family gimmick was imo worth it.

12) Caren is Caren. Not even her memes are new. Welcome presence as a new member of the NagiKama friend circle, but it was it is.

13) Lostbelt Percival is one of those Avalon le Fae cast members I paid the least attention to. His opinion on fae is a thing I agree with, though. Can't comment on Pan-Human Percival because I'll only buy the first Aslaug novel next month.

14) Constantine had a charming relationship and an excellent death scene in Traum, but in both cases, Joan was the better side of it. Likewise in his epic duel, Quixote was the better side of it for such a wide margin it ain't even funny.

15) The Trung sisters certainly existed but not nearly as much as the Cons existed (and still constantly exist in merch). All I can say is congratulations to the Vietnamese fans.

16) Tametomo was a minor character in Traum, then he got a main part in his debut event and I still feel Traum did more for his character than the event did.

17) Galatea has cool pants, which are great but not great enough to compensate for her coming in and out of her debut event completely unaware of what was going on with Aphrodite. If she's going to be a side dish to an Olympian we'll never have, at least let her be emotionally involved with it.

18) Baobhan Sith's Eliza-like visuals are very significant: her whole character concept is "what if Eliza's character arc simply ended in CCC chapter 2 instead of evolving into the perfect redemption arc presented in chapters 5 and 7". Unfortunately, I can't care much about an undercooked version of a great character. At least she's good as an example of how Beryl works.

19) Huyan Zhuo is impressively obnoxious and about the most gratuitous and undignified FGO has gotten with waifubait. She's a good fit for her role of less mature foil for the baby version of Elizabeth Bathory but still solid placed on my bottom 5 Servants.

[cloversdreams]

My totally biased top 10 9 fgo jp chars released in 2022

Charlemagne

James Moriarty (Ruler)

Taisui Xingjun

Lady Avalon (who is absolutely not merlin in a wig)

Ibuki Dōji (Berserker)

Wu Zetian (Caster)

Huyan Zhuo

Nine-Tattoo Dragon Eliza

Kriemhild

*based solely on personal preference and how neat i think the characters are

charlie gets top spot because he was on my most wanted servants list!!! and now hes here!!! my sonnnnn!!!

ruler moriarty gets next because i fell in love with him the moment i saw him. didnt even know who he was yet. just knew it was fate.

(the two of them should kiss)

taisui is number three!!! thats my babyyyyy!!! i fell for him immediately as well but in that urge to protecc kind of way <3

proto merlin was also on that list of wanted servants so happy she got her ass over here from arcade

summer ibuki and wu were def surprises but i really ended up enjoying both. especially shocked about wu. talk about 180 feels towards a char lmaoo

huyan is wife.

teeny liz is second adopted babby of the year.

kriemhilds design is just incredible

[fategranddisorder]

Loved your dragon siegfried headcannons, siegfried was top tier husband in my opinion and as much as I like kriemhilds design I still dislike that he feels no longer like a husbando (at least to me). Constantine being immediately paired with another woman as well furthered the blow for fgo husbandos

Do you have any headcannons for a master that was close with siefried dealing with kreimhilds appearance or do you think it's a similar situation with constantine to where one thrones version is paired up but the other is available? My main ship was rituska siegfried so I'm struggling right now and your blog gives me hope lol

Oh darling.

I always look at it this way:

All these heroes had multiple lovers when they were alive or in their legends. So I really don't care what FGO says or wants to push as ships.

They fucked and there is no reason why Guda can't be one of them.

And type-moon personal ships are shit anyway. With their misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic, underage shenanigans.

As far as headcannons go:

Who says Kriemhild will show up? Maybe she won't because Siegfried is happy now.

If Siegfried is aware of her existence in the throne of heroes the Siegfried in Chaldea doesn't worry too much about it.

All the servants in Chaldea get to live their life a second time. Without the tragedy and shortcomings of their previous lives hanging over them.

[dweemeister]

Woman in the Moon (1929, Germany)

By the end of the 1920s, humanity could envision a world where spaceflight might be possible. Several decades before that, the science fiction books of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and others thrilled viewers with promise of adventure and the unknown. Also capturing that interest in space would be Georges Méliès’ film, A Trip to the Moon (1902, France) – even if you have never heard of this film, you may be familiar with its most iconic frame. A Trip to the Moon is one of the first science fiction films ever made and, for the 1900s decade, among the most innovative of its time. Though other filmmakers around the world dabbled in science fiction, the genre never truly took off until mid-century.

One of the few filmmakers bringing a sense of spectacle to sci-fi silent films was German director Fritz Lang, best known today for Metropolis (1927) and M (1931). Because of its release in between Metropolis and M, Woman in the Moon tends to be underseen and undermentioned. But, like Metropolis and A Trip to the Moon, it is a silent film exemplar of science fiction. It is a remarkable piece of entertainment in its second half, even as it wastes too much of its runtime on a tiresome subplots that involve gangsters and romance. When Lang brings his showmanship during the crew’s trip to the Moon, the results are unlike any other filmmaker working in cinema at that time.

Businessman Helius (Willy Fritsch) meets with his friend, Professor Mannfeldt (Klaus Pohl), to discuss developments over Helius’ plans to journey to the Moon. The mission was inspired by the Professor’s hypothesis that the Moon, “is rich in gold” – something that has attracted the mockery of his fellow academics. In the shadows, an unidentified gang sends a man calling himself “Walter Turner” (Fritz Rasp) to spy on Mannfeldt and Helius. More trouble comes to Helius when he learns his assistants Windegger (Gustav von Wangenheim) and Friede (Gerda Maurus) announce their engagement. Helius, who has never confessed his love for Friede, finds himself in an awkward romantic bind in the events leading up to launch. On launch day, Helius, his assistants, and Professor Manfeldt board the Friede. But their crew complement includes two others: Walter Turner (who threatens his way onboard) and a stowaway child, Gustav (Gustl Gstettenbaur).

Thea von Harbou, Lang’s wife from 1922-1933, wrote the screenplay, adapting her book The Rocket to the Moon. Just a quick glance through her filmography recalls a number of great Lang-von Harbou collaborations: Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (1922), the Die Nibelungen saga (1924), and Metropolis. She truly is one of the great screenwriters of early cinema, but Woman in the Moon is an underwhelming display of her talents. Von Harbou mires with its Earth-bound scenes, and Woman in the Moon reaps no benefits from its spy subplot. There is a straight science-fiction story buried somewhere in this overlong 169-minute film, but von Harbou overstuffs her screenplay with the potential sabotage of the rocket to the Moon. Never does the viewer feel that Lang’s astronauts are in danger of being blasted to smithereens in outer space or that “Walter Turner” will ever succeed in whatever murderous plots he has hatched. Isolated from whatever themes Woman in the Moon wishes to present, the love triangle that slowly overtakes the rest of the film always feels vestigial to this overcooked story. Compare this overwrought, yet underwritten romantic drama to Metropolis, where the relationship between Gustav Fröhlich’s Freder and Brigitte Helm’s Maria outlines perfectly the tension of their society’s industrial hierarchies and the geography that separates the classes.

Woman in the Moon truly defies gravity only after its launch and touchdown on the lunar surface. The cinematography team led by Curt Courant (1934’s The Man Who Knew Too Much, 1938’s La Bête Humaine) capture the terror of early spaceflight better than some of the more expensive American sci-fi productions would in the 1950s and ‘60s. The speculative lunar sets – which look more like Méliès’ vision for A Trip to the Moon than anything recognizable from the Moon – tower over the movie’s intrepid astronauts as they explore this lifeless (unlike Méliès’ vision) celestial body.

The screenplay, camerawork, production design, and special effects seen in The Woman in the Moon come from the most widely accepted scientific theories of the late 1920s concerning astrophysics and the nature of the Moon. Where some aspects might feel dated (that includes the appearance and breathable atmosphere of the lunar surface and the submersion of the rocket into water before launch), others are prescient. The explanation of how the rocket’s flightpath is so prophetic that it seems as if Thea von Harbou and Fritz Lang sat in on an Apollo mission briefing by NASA. Woman in the Moon also contains the first countdown to launch seen in a sci-fi film (yes, the launch countdown is an invention of Woman in the Moon), as well as a multistage rocket that jettisons parts of the rocket as it exits Earth’s atmosphere. Prior to launch, the rocket’s assembly in a separate structure before transportation out to the launchpad – where it will blast off to space. For a film released in an era that did not make much use of seat belts and Velcro, the utter violence and human disorientation of a rocket launch requires the astronauts to strap themselves into their bunks and hold onto surface restraints.

The frantic editing and startling cinematography of these scenes, coupled with the film’s undercurrent of distrust and ulterior motives, are a Lang staple during the most technically accomplished scenes of his filmography. It is there in the worker montages of Metropolis, the elaborate assassination scene of Dr. Mabuse the Gambler, and the horrific battle sequence of Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild’s Revenge. Those Lang hallmarks find their way late in Woman in the Moon, well past the point where they might have been effective in alleviating the film of its structural issues. Though Woman in the Moon might not be as influential as any of those aforementioned movies, Lang’s propulsive sense of action is apparent in the film’s second half. Like a silent era John Frankenheimer, Lang is in full control of the film’s tension – knowing when and when not to apply these techniques to heighten the viewer’s adrenaline.

Not nearly as a widely-discussed for Woman in the Moon is its final moments. The film’s concluding dilemma is startling. It precipitates into a situational solution that does not grant a narrative resolution. Are Lang and von Harbou attempting to comment on the lengths of selfishness, of the tension intrinsic between science and human avarice that can endanger others? Or is it more cynical of scientific discovery and technological progression than it might appear? Woman in the Moon wastes too much time on its romantic triangle before even approaching questions as nuanced as these.

However one interprets this, Woman in the Moon – more popular with general audiences than film critics and those noting that Universum Film AG (UFA) executive Alfred Hugenberg was beginning to align himself with the Nazi Party – arrived in German theaters at a time of political upheaval. Among the politically inclined, Woman in the Moon proved divisive: leftists derided its alleged Nazi subtext and the Nazis approved of this depiction of a technologically advanced, forward-thinking Germany. Shortly following Hitler’s ascendancy to German Chancellor in 1933, the Nazis banned A Woman in the Moon and seized the film’s rocket models due to how accurate its depiction of rocketry was. At this time, the Nazis, with a team led by Wernher von Braun, were deep into researching the V-2 rocket – the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile.

Detractors of Woman in the Moon dismissed Lang and the film as curios of Germany’s cinematic past. With synchronized sound films all the rage since 1927, Woman in the Moon proved to be Lang’s final silent film. Today, the movie is Lang’s final epic, before he transitioned into a career leaning heavily on film noir. The scenes of greatest interest to silent film and sci-fi fans arrives deep in the film, after too many stultifying conversations and lovelorn looks from the main characters. In its greatest spurts, Woman in the Moon’s scientific speculation heralds a future beset by self-interest, yet heaven-bound.

My rating: 7/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog (as of July 1, 2020, tumblr is not permitting certain posts with links to appear on tag pages, so I cannot provide the URL).

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

[muffinrecord]

Top 5 PMMM original witches?

Number Five: Elsa Maria

I’m not a fan of the overall design of the witch herself, I prefer when the witches look completely unfathomable, but I love the barrier. The black/white with the slight color outlines was neat as fuck, and the fight here with Sayaka was stomach-churning. The tree stuff was cool too.

Number Four: Patricia

This one is really freaky. I love the barrier-- it feels at first kind of friendly? I love the blue skies, the clotheslines; it feels like a memory of a good day almost. But then you start to realize that this is an endless blue sky... and where do those clotheslines come from? It goes from good dream into awful nightmare, where you can just imagine falling off one of those clotheslines and falling... and falling... and never ending, never finding a bottom. Eyagh.

The witch herself is also very cool. I’ve always found her design to be questionably sad. Why are her legs two hands? Why does she have so many limbs? Her little leg-arms are crossed and I think that’s a neat detail.

Number Three: Kriemhild Gretchen

The overall design is SUPER cool. It reminds me of Riful from the manga Claymore, 

and while that is a complete coincidence, I don’t care, I still like it. The way it looks like her arms are weirdly bent towards the sky, as if a welcoming gesture, is really creepy and reminds me of old-school creepypasta. The overall net-like design of the bottom of it all feels horrifying-ly encompassing. 10/10

Number Two: Gertrude

Getrude creeps me the fuck out, and I think it’s because her design is sort of Eldritch? You don’t have a recognizable “face” or anything like that, and it feels like the best essence of the horrors of witches-- the amalgamation of a girl’s memories and experiences, transformed into something otherworldly and beyond your day-to-day life. 

I feel really pretentious saying this, so sorry sorry, but like... I feel like her design (and barrier) really brings to mind just how alien another person’s world/experience/mind can be from your own. I dunno. It makes me uncomfortable and I like it.

Number One: Charlotte

There is a background you could get from the Nagisa event from February. It looks like this:

and I think it says a lot when this fucking thing actually fills me with dread. Even though it’s very cool, I don’t use it because I don’t want to feel anxiety for the first thing I see when logging in to the game, ya know?

Anyways, Charlotte really brought horror into the series and I love her for it. All of the witches kind of inspire a sort of nervousness, maybe because of how much they stand out from the art style, but I think Charlotte is the creepiest of them all. 

Her barrier is great and it feels really “tall” in a way. When you’re with Madoka or Sayaka and are looking from their perspective, you REALLY get a sense of how powerful and scary these witches and their minions are. It’s something I really appreciate about the show overall-- you might have Mami doing sick tricks with her guns in the background, but there is this sense that without any magical powers things are straight-up HOPELESS on your own.

Like seriously, look at the screenshot and pretend you’re the one there. Imagine Charlotte in her larger form. How much bigger than you is she, physically? How many “yous” would you have to stack to reach her height? From this angle, can you actually see her face?

Magical girls are often jumping around all over the place and vaguely floating (or occasionally flying) around their enemies, and I think this sometimes gets rid of the sense of scale for what they’re fighting, but I love this scene and this witch for making me feel so small compared to what these megucas can do.

[byrah-stein]

Fan Servant #1: Kriemhild

Because I don’t know what to start posting with, and since this has been one of my favorite things, I think I’ll start with some self made Servant ideas. If you have questions, comments, concerns, feel free to voice your thoughts!

“So this is how the world remembers me...you are most unfortunate to have summoned me in this state. But very well. Avenger, Kriemhild, has answered your plea for vengeance.” - Kriemhild upon summoning Kriemhild: 

Class: Avenger

Alignment: Neutral Evil 

Parameters: 

Str: B

Agi: B

End: A+

Luck: D-

Mana: B

NP: A+

Class Skills: 

Avenger: A+

Self-Restoration (Mana): B

Oblivion Correction: A+

Personal Skills:

Clairvoyance (Dream) (D) -  A Skill capable of revealing the future to Kriemhild, but only through the visions of dreams. As a young princess, Kriemhild has a dream of raising a falcon, only to see it killed by two eagles. It’s explained to her by her mother that the meaning is that she will love a man very much, but he will be killed. The skill will show vague dreams to Kriemhild of important events regarding herself to come in the future. She will not initially be able to discern the meaning of these dreams, but she can figure it out either herself, or with the aid of others.

Saint and Sinner (A) - A Skill representing the duality of Kriemhild’s actions, and the interpretations of the people who know of her tale. Some believe her to be a she-devil, bloodthirsty and a monster in human form. Others believe her to be a saint, a woman driven by love, and a relentless widow who seeks retribution for the wrongful death of her beloved husband. A variation of Innocent Monster, she is summoned embodying these two sides, and can change between the two as need be. 

Patient Vengeance (B) - A Skill derived from her restraint to achieve her revenge. She did not simply go into a violent frenzy to avenge her husband's death. At least, not initially. After Siegfried was killed by Hagen, she had waited thirteen years to exact her revenge, waiting for the day to come where she can strike down those who killed her beloved husband. It is a Skill that demonstrates her unending drive for revenge, a woman who will wait until the time is right before destroying her enemies. She will not stray from her intended course of action, or be convinced to abandon her goals. A variation of the Calm and Collected Skill, it also increases her defense if Kriemhild views the situation as “not the right time”

Noble Phantasm:

Balmung: Phantasmal Greatsword, Vengeance for my Beloved Felled Dragon (A++): Originally the sword wielded by Siegfried, a cursed holy sword used to slay the evil dragon Fafnir. After Siegfried’s death, this weapon would be used by his wife Kriemhild to avenge him, drawing the blade to kill Hagen. Because it is wielded by Kriemhild, who is fueled by hatred and revenge, it takes the form of a demonic blade, releasing a dark crimson burst of energy, mercilessly destroying it’s targets. As it was an instrument of Kriemhild’s poetic justice and revenge, it deals additional damage depending on if the target is one that Kriemhild can see as “the cause of her grief.”

Macht von Etzel; The Might of the Huns, and the Scene of my Vengeance (A): This is the kingdom and military power of Etzel, which became Kriemhild’s after their marriage and his death. It allows her to summon the soldiers of his army, but it also functions as a Reality Marble, recreating the burning hall of Etzel’s court, where she would kill Hagen. Within this Reality Marble, all of her parameters receive an increase of two Ranks, and also carries the trait of immobilizing anyone that she sees as “the cause of her grief,” leaving them helpless to defend themselves. However, nearing the end of the Noble Phantasm when used in this way, it will leave Kriemhild severely weakened, and open to a blow that will almost always result in her death.

Photon Ray; War God’s Sword (B): The sword of Etzel, or more commonly known as Atilla the Hun (Altera), it is the Sword of Mars, a longsword with a “somewhat futuristic design.” Due to Kriemhild’s marriage with Etzel, and the acquisition of his power, she is able to use the Photon Ray sword, and draw out it’s power if needed, in essence becoming recognized as “Etzel” when using it. Though since she is not the original owner, it is not as powerful when she uses it.

[doppel-drop-distance]

4, 15, 19!

4: Who has your favorite magical girl design?

I went over some of my favorite magical girl designs in Magia Record in this post, but if we’re asking my favorite in the whole franchise, then, oh gosh...

I’m going to narrow this down into the two iterations of the franchise I’ve actually invested in, since I don’t think it’d be fair to judge designs from spinoffs and such that I haven’t read.

PMMM: This is a toughie because I think all of the designs in the original series are pretty solid, but Madoka’s is just so freaking cute you guys. I know I typically get attached to the fancy, thematic ones, but Madoka’s ribbons, puffy skirt, little ribbon shoes, the ruffles...Even her Grief Seed is cute, it’s got a little ribbon! Madoka just radiates magical girl and I love it.

Magia Record: Sana Futaba’s! I won’t go too crazy with this since I already talked about it in the last post but just know I love the contrasts and the themes. I think it’s the best design out of the main cast, but that’s just my personal opinion ^^

15. How would you have reacted to finding the truth about Soul Gems and Witches?

Assuming this is in the context of being a magical girl, pretty badly my dude. I’d already be having five anxiety attacks about the idea of fighting eldritch beasts from beyond and now you’re telling me it’s basically inevitable that I’ll become one of those things if I don’t just get an arrow to the Soul Gem first? I’d totally flip out. Probably cry. Need some hugs maybe. It’d be a disaster.

If I had some buddies to get me through the initial terror, I’d still be pretty on edge, and 100% more paranoid about the state of my Soul Gem. But in that scenario at least there would be fellow magical friends to help me through it.

19: How do you feel about the Holy Quintet’s Witch form designs?

This question was MADE for me. But to save you all the headache of reading a novel-length ramble, I’ll try to sum up my thoughts concisely:

Candeloro: I love that she’s just...tiny? I think she’s one of the smallest Witches in the franchise, actually. Fitting, since I believe she’s meant to look like a dress-up doll. Also, her cute little tea party Barrier is very nice.

Ophelia: The patterns on this design are especially nice to look at it, and I love that she’s just..her heAD IS A CANDLE. I honestly wish we got to see this Witch (and Candeloro’s) in more spinoffs and things...

Oktavia von Seckendorff: She’s a warrior mermaid! That’s so cool! If there’s anything I love the most about Oktavia, it’s her connections to the Little Mermaid. Plus the musical theme to her Barrier is great. I still listen to that theme while I work.

Homulily: Which one? Regarding the one in Rebellion, there’s so much in her design, from the red spider lilies to the Nutcracker connotations in her design and I love it all. But if we’re talking about mortal-world Witch Homulily (the one in the Portable game), man I’d just love to know more about her. That Homura is pre-Rebellion, so...what would her familiars be like? What about her Barrier? You only see her in the Game Over screen of Homura’s bad ending...I want to know more :(

Kriemhild Gretchen: I know so little about this Kriemhild Gretchen and that’s what scares me. You don’t get to see a lot of her beyond the fact that she’s huge. I remember reading a comment that says that Madoka’s Doppel is so big that all you can see in the animation is her core, the Soul Gem - and idk if that’s true, but regardless it has some terrifying implications. She scares me.

[coe-lilium]

Hey Lilium! I love your Servant redesigns! I'm starting to learn to draw digitally so that I can design Servants myself, like Kriemhild. Would you have any advice you could give me on this?

Hi! Thank you so much for your words!

I’m a bit unsure if you’re asking for tips on digital art itself or on chara design?  

In doubt, I’m going to go with “digital art” in this post, if you meant chara des hit me up with an ask and I’ll happily provide for that :) 

*necessary intro*: please consider that my art education ended 10 years ago and never prepared me for more stylized/cartoon styles, so I’m self taught for almost all intents (100% regarding digital art).

Long wall of text under the cut:

First suggestion is to get a good, reliable art program. 

Plenty of artists use Paint Tool SAI and Clip Studio Paint (currently using CSP myself and don’t plan to ever abandon it). Neither of them is free but both are less pricey than Adobe bundles and both were created more for illustrating than “photoshopping” purposes. There’s plenty more but those are two I used and can recommend. Many art programs usually offer a 30 days trial so my suggestion would be to try them out and see which is more to your liking and offers the best quality/price wise.  

By personal experience, it’s much better to pay and have support than to find a free unofficial version and then get fucked and lose all your works when you update your operating system and discover the bootleg program doesn’t work anymore. Learn from me, don’t risk it.     

Next suggestion, get a drawing tablet or a tablet. Nothing too pricey as a beginner, when paired with a good program any decent tablet will do its job. What you really need is pen pressure, everything else is optional. People draw on their iPads with great results but never having tried I can’t give suggestions here, if not to look for artist who do and see how they work (YT surely has tutorials ‘bout it).   

With hardware and software out of the way, let’s get down to proper drawing business:  

First of all, forget that “but you’re not a real artist if you use references/copy poses” noise: use references, use all the references you want. 

If you want to paint a starry sky and don’t know how to rend the effect, maybe the glowing of a nebula? Look up Youtube and Deviantart tutorials, tumblr tutorials, look up on how all the artist you like paint and their tips, all the IRL photos in google. 

Something I personally find very helpful are tutorials comparing realistic and stylized styles and showing how to go from one to another, how to simplify shapes etc.    

Renaissance artist invented the darkroom/camera oscura to help them drawing perspective and then traced over that shit. If Caravaggio traced to save time, then so can we. 

And there’s so many different ways to reach a similar result that maybe your first attempts will look like copycats of that tutorial you saw or that really inspiring artist. It’s fine. But the more attempts and the more you play with your program of choice, brushes you like/find more comfortable, the more you look up different sources and integrate bits of them all in a singular piece, the more your work will be distinct.

Now, onto one of the big elephants in the room: do you know how to correctly sketch a human body from scratch? If yes, amazing! (all my respect). 

If not, there’s plenty of solutions without having to learn how to (which is the way I currently work bc drawing is a 100% hobby and I’d rather spend my time elsewhere than in re-learning human anatomy) and working digitally makes these solutions way easier. 

After you find a “how to draw anatomy” book or blog or tutorials and safely store it somewhere safe to go back and reference, then you can 

1. find stock photos, either from google (be careful not to use copyrighted stuff) or in bundles specifically created for artists to use as bases or references. On Deviantart for example there’s SenshiStock, incredible project with hundreds of photos free to use. The anatomy book/blog here will be useful if you want a certain body shape and your reference doesn’t match with your idea. 

2. chose a program like CSP or similar that comes with 3D stock poses which you can then alter as much as you like in size, weight, rotation, light direction, position of every body part down to each finger (in CSP’s case, you can also download plenty more free to use poses, brushes, 3d objects, patterns etc created by the userbase and shared in the library bundled with the program).  

3. if your main art program doesn’t come with human poses? no problem at all, get one just for this specific purpose, like Design Doll (both free/pay ver, imo free ver is more than enough), Posemaniacs (free, online, uses flash), MagicPoser (free with option of in-app purchases, it’s an app, good reviews, just tried it a little and seems quite good). 

4. less conventional but imo still useful, especially if you want to draw in “anime” style and proportions for Servants designs: go to My figure collections and use figmas. 

They’re highly posable plastic figures from the most different jp (and not) characters, each one with a photo gallery and as long as you modify the final piece and -important!- don’t sell it if you base it on a specific user photo? I’d say go for it. Or mix body parts of different figmas, or use the “archetype” products, naked bodies made precisely for drawing bases, there’s options with both more “anime” and more realistic proportion. 

I collect them for both owning Fate/other characters without spending a fortune and for drawing references and I find them quite well suited for this purpose. Why on earth despair if I’d ever want to draw Arturia in armor when I can just grab my figma of her, pose it, take a photo and then draw on it? :P

Now, hardware and software check, way to find poses check, what else? 

Layers are your best friends. For example, Bradamante? A good 50+ layers, some of them stored in folders so I could just select and deselect them to remove or put on mantle, lance, shield, sword etc. Just... remember to name them to save yourself a lot of time.  

And changing a layer’s opacity too, especially to draw the definitive lineart over the first rough sketch or for shading or highlights.    

The more I write the more I find things to write about so I’ll call it for now, this post is already a WoT as it is. Hopefully I was of use, but if you need more, ask right away and I’ll do my best! :)