#what mashu saw?

[purewhitedevil]

random starter - @castilium

This wasn't new to all these kinds of mists but it seems that they have found a ruined carriage as the insides of it were stolen and none of them were hurt due to those in-charge had retreated. Of course, this means one thing. They are in Albedo's world even if its mistified.

Albedo was way too ahead of the scene as Mashu might have seen it first.

"Mashu, what did you found around the road?" With 3F on her hand and Hermes Trismegistus isn't on but carried in a compact way, she had to know as it could be deja vu by a chance.

[cheiyunn]

La fin du rêve [Part 2]

[Gyroaxia’s live]

Tomoru: Everyone, over here! Ah that’s good, everyone is here together

Felix: It’s been a while since we saw Gyroaxia’s live, and since the chance has come anyway 

Jun: The admission and goods lines were crazy too… it feels like… there’s an increase in fans

Daimon: Speaking of which, they’re apart of the label that invited us here right?

Tomoru: Yes, apparently it’s called ‘Dreadnought Music’. Later on we’ll need to meet with the representative Mashu-san.

Felix: I see. So they have already taken the first steps into becoming pros then

Koharu: …hm..

Felix: Oh? It seems they’re about to start

-Gyro on stage-

Nayuta: Nothing will change, we’re still us. Killer stage.

-Killer stage plays-

Mashu: Pardon me. You are Fantome Iris, yes?

Felix: Hm.. you are?

Mashu: I am the one who invited you all here today, my name is Mashu.

Tomoru: Ah, you’re Mashu-san then? Thank you for today, I am Kurokawa, the person who received your call

Mashu: Ah, Kurokawa-san? Thank you for your work today

Tomoru: It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Kurokawa, who plays the guitarist LIGHT. Actually I’m a member, rather than a manager. When on stage I’m in makeup, but normally I’m just a plain salaryman, so I look rather boring now…aha…

Jun: I’m also often told that I’m different off stage too… ahaha..

Mashu: Is that so.

Tomoru: eh..this person doesn’t seem to laugh much… maybe even a bit gloomy… but something about this person… it’s like I somewhat recognize his face…

Mashu: My apologies for not introducing myself earlier. To reiterate, I am the representative of Dreadnought Music, Mashu Shintaro

Daimon: Our pleasure. My apologies, there was one more of our band member who was here, but he had left earlier on

Mashu: Is that so, then I hope to greet him at a later time

Tomoru: Hm? …Mashu…Shintaro…?

Felix: What’s wrong Tomoru?

Tomoru: Um.. is it possible that maybe back when you were in elementary school, you went to Nagoya for just a month? In grade 5, group 1, the seat in the very front.

Mashu: Yes, what about it?

Tomoru: I knew it! Its me, Kurokawa Tomoru! You’re the transfer student who had really bad eyesight so you had to sit next to me, Shintaro-kun right?

Mashu: Indeed. It’s been a while.

Tomoru: Woah… stuff like this really does happen! It takes me back, what a coincidence! Have you been good?

Mashu: Yes, thanks to you. Anyways, in regards to the proposal of action I had spoke of to you all.

Tomoru: Ah, right

Tomoru: Wait I was just brushed off super quickly…! Thinking about it, compared to how he was in elementary school, the current Shintaro-kun is really different… he used to be so timid and  nicer 

Felix: Hm. Let's hear it

Mashu: I’ll get straight to the point, we would like to invite you to work under our label.

Tomoru: Hold on. Invite as in…?!

Mashu: In a fashion similar to Gyroaxia, we at Dreadnought Music would like to fully back Fantome Iris in both your pro debut and future activities.

Tomoru: That is…well… but, why?

Mashu: We watched you at LRFes, and believe that you all have the ability and skill to equate going professional.

Mashu: However, after the sudden cancellation of the event, the support given by Duck River was also suddenly cut, no?

Daimon: Yeah

Mashu: It's befitting action for that company, a truly foolish decision. With this current suggestion, there is no plot or trickery at play here. It is simply that we at this newly built label wish to welcome only excellent bands.That is all from me, I would be grateful if you took consideration to this positively.

Felix: An unexpected proposal indeed. I got it, we’ll think about it.

Mashu: We appreciate it. And also, Kurokawa-san.

Tomoru: Ah, yes?

Mashu: Is it okay if you stayed back for a while. There is one more proposition that I wish to discuss with you about.

Tomoru: w-what is it…

[Street]

Koharu: That song… ‘Fairytales are full of shit’ huh? Ahaha, its almost if that was said to us 

Koharu: but hearing that lyric I…

Koharu: …? Hm? Hold on you’re Asahi right?

Nayuta: Hah?

Koharu: You probably don’t recognize my no-makeup face but its me, Fantome Iris’ Mitsurugi! I saw your live just now, but is it really okay to not go to the after party?

Nayuta: …what bull

Koharu: Ahaha, its really like you to up and leave on your own~! Well same goes for me too

Nayuta: I don’t care. If you don’t have anything else I’m leaving.

Koharu: Ah hold it..! At least lemme talk about my impression…!

Nayuta: …what

Koharu: The one you sang on stage just now, Killer Stage right? I just thought that it really echoed the current situation with Fantome

Nayuta: so what about it? You wanna bitch about it?*

Koharu: That ain’t it, you guys are going to make your pro debut right? Putting whatever you wanna say in your lyrics and music, and running straight on into an unsure future…y’know…I’m pretty envious of that youth of yours

Nayuta: ..hm. Then you guys should do to

Koharu: We can’t do shit with just momentum, theres a lot of other things, y’know with being an adult…

Nayuta: and thats related?

Koharu: hm?

Nayuta: Thats the same as living right now

Koharu: …

Nayuta: I’m going my own way. You all can do whatever you want

Nayuta: (softly) Your music wasn’t that bad either

Koharu: ahaha! I wasn’t asking for your sassy remarks either…! Knowing that our music is good, is something that we all know the best about

Koharu: Our way of living is different huh… when I get back, we need to really need to talk, all 5 of us, need to head this on

[Fantome iris sharehouse]

Tomoru: My apologies for keeping everyone waiting, I just got back

Felix: Welcome back, Tomoru

Tomoru: I got a message that everyone was waiting from Jun, did something happen?

Daimon: Not really, Koharu just asked us to have a drink while talking. After you wash your hands, sit over here

Tomoru: I see, okay, thank you.

Koharu: My bad for rushing you, but having the atmosphere here all thorny for any longer was just… by the way, I just heard about the invitation to join the same label as Gyro

Tomoru: Thats right, after that Shintaro-kun- ah no I meant Mashu-kun, spoke about how they really checked our activities post LRFes, and were waiting for the right time to speak to us

Jun: If we were still with Duck River, they wouldn’t have been able to make a move either so…

Koharu: So that means our small activities weren’t for naught after all then

Koharu: aha, so? What were you answers?

Felix: We have yet to reply. Until all 5 of us, including you give the OK, we won’t move forward

Koharu: hmm.. So thats how it is

Felix: …Koharu

Koharu: what?

Felix: I’m glad your asking us out but, was there something you needed to discuss with everyone?

Koharu: ah… well.. Thats, its not like I don’t have anything to say but its more like…after watching Gyro’s live today, I wanted to talk with you all

Tomoru: I get that, to watch them who used to be our rivals at some point, it feels like I won’t be able to sleep tonight

Jun: …yeah, me too. When I get back, I feel like practicing my guitar rather than playing games

Daimon: It was a complicated live in a way. On one hand it was a good live, on the other, looking back at ourselves, it also felt like we can’t just be standing around idly either. And then there was the discussion of a pro debut 

Felix: It seems that the discussion of what we should do from now on has come

Tomoru: Its really a dream come true situation but still, its best to discuss thoroughly it first

Koharu: Thats right, then Tomoru. What do you think?

Tomoru: I actually have one more thing to report. Its a separate thing from what we discussed with Mashu-kun but

Daimon: Ah, the thing that he called for you alone right?

Tomoru: It was a sudden question but he asked if I would like to change employment to the label instead

Jun: Is that that headhunting thing?!

Tomoru: Wait no it’s not that big of a position, it’s not as engineer in the first place but rather as Fantome’s manager

Koharu: Woah seriously? Talk about abrupt.. Even if its a crazy proposition, what do you think?

Tomoru: I haven’t clearly thought about it enough yet, but I do intend to put it into consideration

Felix: That means that you’ll quit your current job? With how much you held onto it despite how demanding it got, its just a tad surprising

Tomoru: Thats what I was planning to do as well. But just recently, there was also the request of if I wanted to step up as the leader of a new project too

Daimon: A promotion you mean then. Then that means you thought that you’d be even more busy than now so you’ll quit?

Tomoru: No, the company has become less ‘black’ than before, so I thought that if I became leader, I would have more days off. That's why until now I had thought of simply taking it.

Tomoru: At the same time, the subordinate I was looking after recently got commended for work

Jun: Is that subordinate possibly the one that was a fantome fan that we brought with the president over to our secret live? 

Tomoru: That's right! In the beginning he was wasn’t able to too much but in order to see more of Fantome’s lives, he worked hard enough to even change the air around the company too

Tomoru: ‘To think that he’s grown so much’ was what I thought, and how all of it was now one step behind me. And that he would be able to do well as the project leader too.

Tomoru: Work as Fantome’s manager to me, is really an unknown world. It was something that had never crossed my mind but now more than ever do I want to dedicate more time to the band, so its worth a shot

Koharu: Worth a shot huh…

Tomoru: It seems super busy and a pain but there was the feeling of warmth that grew within me too

Koharu: Thats right, because you’re living

Tomoru: Yes. Its as they say, its better to do it and then regret, rather than regret not doing it. Then I want to do the best I can for the band right now.

Koharu: I get it. Y’know, I also thought it too and yeah, I really love Fantome. And I don’t want to give up on both the band and my current work either. Being the root of the problem right now it ain’t really my place to speak but still, no matter how hard it gets in the future, I want to protect this band. Even in the off chance we end up breaking apart, I’ll always go and rebuild Fantome as many times over. Thats just how precious it is to me, this place where I can make music with you all.

Daimon: Yeah, I feel the same way

Jun: Koharu-san… Daimon-san…

Koharu: Feli. Lets hear what you have to say too

Felix: …At this time being, the glass in front of me is empty, now why is that?

Koharu: Huh? What's with this all of a sudden, its because you drank it right?

Felix: aha well that is also true but… well then, why do you think I have a right?

Tomoru: The right as in left and right…? Is it related to how LIGHT is the king's right hand man? Hm… what is it then, is this a sort of riddle?

Felix: I’ll give one more hint then. Why do you think that death exists?

Jun: …! Is it because I’m unlucky

Daimon: No way, that’s not the subject either 

Daimon: I give up

Felix: That is because a being to contradict it exists as well. Because there is a state where glass is filled, does the concept of one’s body come to fruition. Because there is a left, a right exists. Because (human) nature exists does the concept of death persist alongside it

Tomoru: …I see

Felix: So basically, because the world of fantasy exists as the opposite of reality, it can be established 

Felix: Because we live in reality, can we bring forth a world of fantasy, is what I think

Koharu: Its befitting of us right

Felix: Yes, at some time Tomoru had said so, when I had asked why he continued to work at that company. You answered that the part of you that worked with others and experienced it was a important piece to bringing forth your music 

Tomoru: Yes, I remember that

Felix: At that time I couldn’t grasp it but now I think I do. Getting off the stage, and becoming the us that work hard in reality, is the reason why we can present and create such a dreamlike performance 

Jun: um.. I mean, I’m the only one here without a proper job though… I’m sorry…

Felix: Jun, you are both kind and possess this form of delicateness. But when you’re on stage, you become a directly opposite being. You too, possess two different faces.

Jun: …ah- how embarrassing..!

Tomoru: Don’t be~, since its something that only you can pull off

Felix: Thats why to me, this place that we’ve created is… ah no, it seems that I’m unable to put it into words, forgive me

Daimon: Jun, how about you give Felix that thing

Jun: t-That's right! Um, Felix-san, this…

Felix: …? This is?

Jun: Um… I made a new song… its out of line, sorry…!

Daimon: He said that if he made this in the sharehouse, it might concern both you or Koharu, he was coming to the cafe to work on it. While he was making the song, it seems that he was looking forward to you adding the lyrics

Jun: With this melody, you can add the lyrics on top, so then me, and Tomoru and Koharu-san and Daimon-san can perform and then… I want to perform this on stage (voice slowly drifting out) 

Felix: …

Jun: …how is it? If it isn’t good enough I’ll rewrite it how many times over you want!

Felix: No, its a good song Jun. Its truly befitting of us now.

Felix: It seems I’ve felt it once again, how I always am Fantome Iris’ number one fan.

Felix: and that the love for us that created this world, no, the for world that we brought forth, is love from the bottom of my heart

Felix: For adults like us, we know well the difficulties for chasing a dream and how eternity may not be obtainable. To anyone, there is only one chance to live. And in the far future, when this life has long burnt out, our dreams will finally reach an end. But as long as there are people who love the music that grants our dreams, will our dreams become eternity. And for that eternity I wish for.

Koharu: and is that, your honest feelings..?

Felix: Yeah

Koharu: Ahaha! For gods sake!

Jun: UWAH! That scared me…

Koharu: My bad my bad~ As always, your way of speaking talks circles~

Koharu: To sum it up, “let's keep doing music together” right?

Felix: aha, I’m not the best at expressing my feelings, you of all people should know that

Koharu: Well, if the king says so, there’s no defying right? Since we need to make a place for humans and vampires to live in harmony after all~

Tomoru: Yes, as the king’s right hand man, no matter how far, I’ll still make music

Jun: p-please don’t leave me behind though

Koharu: Of course you do too, Daimon?

Daimon: The one who called forth the vampire king, the clergyman and the only human, D. For I have a duty to protect you all after all. From now and forever

Felix: Yes, this truly is the 5 of us

Tomoru: Well then, since everyone’s glasses are empty, lets do a cheers!

Koharu: Lets go! Hold up, all the sake’s gone though

Felix: There’s a special wine saved for an occasion like this, that someday we would get to drink, right Daimon?

Daimon: Yeah, the thing that you had stored away carefully right

Daimon: You sure?

Felix: Yes, it was saved for a day like this anyway

--Wine bottle appears--

Jun: Uwah! An expensive looking wine has appeared!

--Wine pours--

Tomoru: So then, Feli-san, lead us off

Felix: To us, who shall continue to live in both the world of fantasy and reality, à votre santé!**

Tomoru: I look forward to working with everyone from now on!

Jun: ..I-I’ll do my best…

Koharu: Good to work with y’all again

Daimon: Yeah

Felix: Everyone, thank you

Koharu: Yo, Feli.

Felix: What is it?

Koharu: This… from all the alcohol I’ve drank so far… this one was the best

Felix: Aha, that's true for me too

[Backstage]

Jun: a-a-a-am I good?? It seems that I’ve lost contact with my hands and feet?!!

Tomoru: I’ve been telling you that you’re fine… you seem more nervous than usual…?  You’re breaking out in cold sweats y’know…?

Jun: w-well because at today’s performance Mashu-san is also watching right?! What if I flub it and the talks of joining the label drop so there’s a surge of pressure right now why is everyone else so calm what

Tomoru: Well because we just need to do as we normally do so…

Daimon: Jun. Once we enter a label, there’s the chance of performing at an even bigger stage than this you know.

Koharu: yup yup~ big stages, and even possibly going up against other bands, so don’t be freezing up now. But some strength into it!

--Koharu smacks Jun on the back--

Jun: OW I THINK SOMETHING BROKE

Daimon: If that's the case then I’ll put your bones back in place, go face back

Jun: AaAaA Its okay now!

Felix: It seems everyone is very lively 

Koharu: But still, saying that we still wanna continue our normal live while working as a band is something not many would say right

Daimon: Well normally, many want to focus solely on making music after all

Tomoru: Mashu-kun was also very surprised as well, but its very on brand for us. But if today’s live doesn’t do as well then maybe the contract will really become void…

Jun: Oh there you go again with putting pressure on me~~~

Koharu: Well it’ll be fine~

Felix: Indeed. As long as we act ourselves then there is no problem

Tomoru: Ah, its almost time

Felix: Then let us depart, to the stage where everyone awaits us…!

[Stage]

FELIX: My subjects, to see everyone’s faces at today’s soiree after quite a long time, is quite pleasing to me. Our journey has led us to a new world. From now forth, new sights that one has never seen before shall lay forth, if you choose to follow there may be a harsh path along the way. However, no matter how many times we fall, we will never let this journey go, no matter how far we go, will you follow us? 

-Audience cheers-

FELIX: Thank you. Next up is a new song, please listen to it.

Felix: As long as our followers are with us, we will continue to live in this dream world, and continue to delivery this fantasy

Tomoru: In this never-fading fantasy, as our hearts are lit ablaze

Jun: We will walk forward to our goal point

Daimon: and now, we shall open a new door

Koharu: To protect the flowers that will bloom further away

Felix: Our name is Fantome Iris. Now in this spot, shall we make a pledge to eternity!

______

[Fantome Iris sharehouse]

Koharu: *Yawns* Good morning, well its expected that no ones awake anyways

--Koharu writes something down--

Koharu: This’ll be good, well then, I’m off!

--Koharu leaves--

Tomoru: Good morning!

Jun: …good morning…

Felix: Tomoru, Jun, good morning

Daimon: Morning. Tomoru, weren’t you on paid leave today?

Tomoru: Well thats, this morning, Mashu-kun, no, Mashu-san asked to meetup. Something about stuff to learn before entering the company

Felix: I see, so its almost time

Tomoru: Yes, no matter if he’s an old schoolmate, now its superior and subordinate after all. I need to keep my words and how I call him in check. 

Felix: Its very Tomoru-like

Jun: Because he was moving around, even I woke up despite it being the morning…. Uwah, the sunlight from the window… it stings

Jun: ..?

Tomoru: Something wrong? Hm? There’s something left by the window… it seems to be a potted plant and a memo?

Daimon: Its Koharu’s handwriting. “Flower’s bloomed” is what is says

Tomoru: Ah! You’re right, its very small but it’s started blooming, here!

Felix: Ah.. Its very beautiful, it seems to be a late-blooming flower then, aha, its truly like us

Jun: Its very beautiful

Daimon: It naturally makes you want to smile 

Jun, Tomoru: Yeah

Tomoru: …wait, I need to go NOW!

Daimon: Hey, at least drink some soup

Jun: Um, it looks like you socks are mismatched, is that okay?

Tomoru: Woah! B-but I have no time!

Felix: Could you wait a bit, Tomoru?

Tomoru: eh? Whats wrong..?

Felix: Could you put this toast in you mouth and run out? Just like in anime or manga and then you bump into someone when turning the corner

Daimon: Haha, indeed

Jun, Tomoru: Hahaha

Tomoru: Hold on, this isn’t a time to relax!

Felix: Send my regards to Mashu

Jun: Have a safe trip

Daimon: Be careful okay?

Tomoru: Okay! I’ll be off!

_______________

**: The french version of cheers

* : I’m not sure if this comes off too harsh

[derekscorner]

Fated Rantings: Airgetlám

It's been a while, no? Welcome to my 11th (or was it 12th?) march into the Fate series. Albeit it delayed by covid, I finally saw the second of the two Camelot movies.

I made a small post after watching the first movie but I didn't make my usual long post for it since it was one part of two and because I had little to say.

In fact, some of what I said in that post apply to both films. Such as how the pacing feels a bit rushed, some characters change quickly, and some events are moved around or removed.

However, I can't call these faults with the movies since they're adaptions of the FGO mobile game and do not let the "mobile game" moniker fool you, FGO has novel volumes of text.

Some of it's arcs are even written by the original novel writer Nasu. He may be even more involved than that but my development knowledge on FGO isn't as broad as other series.

All that you need to know is that there was no way to compress that full Singularity into a movie just as there's no way to compress FGO into a full anime.

The one FGO anime that does exist just covers one singularity in of itself. (Babylonia Front) That is how each entry is.

So while I won't fault the movies for such things I do still miss certain aspects the mobile text had. Such as the lengths to convince Ozymandias, the hilarious fact that Hassan had beheaded him before the story started, Sherlock Holmes making an appearance, etc.

Instead I'd rather focus on how the movies made story moments full highlights. Such as Arash's sacrifice, it was damn near beautiful. Then you have any scene with Da Vinci in them. There's a fun troll energy to everything she does and I liked seeing it animated.

The glow up of Nitocris also caught me off guard. Her sprite and art in FGO is "eh" but she's downright adorable in these movies...and more powerful than the game gave me an impression of.

I am also glad I got to see at least some of the uneasy tension between Lancelot and Mash. Mash, being possessed by Galahad, Lancelot's son, does not give him any slack. You only see bits of it in the movie but each scene reminded me of the sheer disapproval Galahad has for Lancelot in the game.

For as badass as Lancelot is in legend, for all his power as a spirit, he can't deal with his son and it's amazing.

I also haven't forgotten other characters such as the Hassan's, the mountain people or even our leads Mash and Fujimaru but I will admit I have little to say about them.

The mountain people are shown little for the novel to movie compression reasons I already covered and the Hassan of the Arm and Serenity are good characters but I do not know what add about them.

I do like their characters thanks to the mobile games context but what you see is also what you get. They are great assassin's and the movie gives them great moments.

It would've been hard for them to compete with the original "Old man of the Mountain" anyway. Hassan, the real one, is legitimately intimidating and I looked forward to every scene he was in.

The way he taunts Gawain with the truth just moments after rendering his powerful holy sword useless. The way he just appears or vanishes, Hassan truly is death personified and you see even more of that ambiance in the game. Even a primordial god (tiamat) comes to fear him.

In turn, Mashu and Fujimaru are more or less "just there". Mash gets more interaction than Fujimaru but she does not take spotlight. The most significant of her time is in relation to Sir Galahad who had possessed her when FGO started.

Even then Galahad does not physically appear. He'll talk through Mash toward Lancelot but most of the relation is the other Knights realizing (usually in shock) that he is there thanks to Mash's shield.

You wonder why since Galahad doesn't appear in many movies/shows based on Arthurian legend but the short of it is Galahad's talent.

The Fate Galahad reflects his IRL myth, he was the perfect knight. He was nearly uncontested in swordplay, loyalty, and overall skill. He was the only knight to successfully get the Holy Grail, the real one.

In other words, even if just in spirit, Galahad's presence is to be feared. Him opposing knights is also a clear reminder to them that they're in the wrong because they know Galahad's moral compass is flawless.

Fujimaru felt the most like he was "just there" to me but I expected it in some form since he's just one of the two gender options for the FGO protagonist. A person you're supposed to name and see the PoV of in the game.

I see lots complain about how perfect or "overly good" he can be animated and while I can understand someone finding that annoying I also do not know what they expected. Fujimaru is a stand-in, they took the safe route with him for these films.

Granted, I know some of those complaints are levied at the Babylonia anime which is a bit more fair since it was a full anime production. It's also hard to not feel the flatness of him when you see his opposite, the female option in FGO dubbed "Gudako", being downright chaotic and funny in several Fate productions.

Her appearance in Carnival Phantasm is comedy skit gold and whoever wears her mascot attire in Japan is known for being a chaotic lil shit. I kid you not, look up videos.

And yes, I know that "Fujimaru" refers to both as well as that the male version is often called "Gudao". My point is that our mobile game PoV insert isn't too fleshed out a character nor do they have odd quirks to identify with.

I think this is fine because the two Camelot films aren't about Mash or Fujimaru. No, the true star of these films is Bedivere.

Knights of the Lion, Knight of the Round

I don't even know what to say about this man to get myself started. He, like most of the round table, is a tragic soul. More so in the Singularity than he is in other versions of history.

The movie didn't mention it but the sole reason this singularity existed, the catalyst for history altering, was Bedivere. Lion King Arthur is a result of Bedivere's actions, not the Mage King or the grail.

This movie also reminds me of the thing that pulled me into Fate to begin with, it's odd but loyal use of Arthurian legend. You may see female Arthur and laugh but do understand that King Arthur and his knights are more faithfully portrayed in Fate than they are most modern western media.

Bedivere is no exception. Everything from his personality to his fake arm are a nod to it. I'm not sure how true it is in Fate's history but the earliest versions of our history portray Bedivere as missing a hand (or arm) and while handsome he was not among Athur's most well known or even skilled knights.

He, however, was the most loyal. Galahad excelled in all areas but most knights matched (if not surpassed him) in one and for Bedivere that was loyalty.

That loyalty is shown in every version of Arthur's myth with his death. Bedivere was the one at his side when he died and he was the one that thrice approached the lake to return Excalibur.

It is also here where this version of Bedivere failed, in the final moment he was not loyal.

He could not accept Arthur's death and did not return the sword as instructed. That single act altered history and doomed it because Arthur was not by her tree when Bedivere returned.

He knew that Excalibur made her ageless & immortal but he didn't know that her holy spear Rhongomyniad did the same thing. By denying her Arthur's destined death she also held onto the spear and became a wandering spirit.

You see, the thing about gods in Fate is that many were originally something else before human faith and worship elevated them into a god. What Bedivere had no way of knowing is that centuries of wandering with a holy spear would eventually turn Arthur into a god or "divine spirit".

And this is more tragic than you can fathom because gods in Fate do not comprehend humanity. They are affected by it but they do not think on the same level and what they deem rational a person will not.

The great sin Bedivere committed here was rob King Arthur of her human heart. Something that her subjects already doubted that she had.

A good deal of Bedivere's guilt is see in the two movies as he realizes what exactly he has done.

He already felt guilt before the movies started and he was already warned by Merlin that the end of his journey would be rough but he didn't realize the extent of those words.

He, now ageless due to Excalibur, spent 1500yrs looking for Arthur hoping to apologize. A truly grueling punishment within the Fate series because souls, like bodies, degrade.

Your "essence" will go back to "the root" when you die but a soul can degrade overtime if left clinging to the mortal plane. For many, this results in their mind breaking and going mad.

Even the gods only thrive as long as the civilization that believes in them does. Nothing is eternal and that is the lesson Bedivere had to learn in the movies.

That's why I say that he is the star of this story. Over two films he has to learn that everything ends and that endings have meaning. Something doesn't just vanish when it's over.

He could not accept that Camelot was over or that Arthur was meant to be over.

Idolism

For many reading this you probably ponder "why?" but the movie also answers there albeit it in spurts. The best window into his loyalty and guilt is seen in how he reacts to the other knights.

Many of them look down on Bedivere even if they also praise his loyalty to the king to the point that him standing against the Lion King shocks them.

Even then, they see Bedivere as beneath them. Mordred especially chides Bedivere harshly for weakness. But what's telling is his words and replies to them, especially Mordred.

Bedivere looks down upon himself. Even after 1500yrs he does not understand why Arthur made him a knight when he's essentially just a normal person.

He was not blessed by faeries, he did not have a holy sword or other magical weapons...in Fate. Irl he supposedly had a magic spear but Fate seems to have forgone that.

In Bedivere's mind he's outclassed by the Knights of the Round in every possible aspect. Even his loyalty, the thing that the other knights were say he's best known for, is lacking in his eyes.

That does not mean Bedivere is a depressed or self loathing individual either...well originally. He's very harsh on himself in the movies for what he's caused but there's no indication he was that way originally.

He was truly at a loss as to why Arthur made him a knight and fully believed himself inadequate for the role but worked his hardest anyway.

This eventually put him in the pitfall that nearly everyone fell into, they idolized Arthur. All of the knights in the movie have flaws in their logic due to their idolized views and it's reflected in their words and oath to the Lion King.

Mordred & Agravain are possibly the biggest victims of this mindset but they're a topic for another day. What is unique here is that Bedivere wanted to see Arthur's true smile or see her drop the ideal king act.

This was not for any grand or selfish reasons Bedivere just wished for his king to be happy in a sense. Ironically, he too only ever saw the perfect king and could not let them go.

Even at the end of the movie I wonder if he ever truly understood Arthur. Because when I saw the film, the flashbacks, I didn't just see the tragedy of Bedivere's quilt and choice but I saw what Arthur saw.

Personally, I think that Artoria valued the normalcy of Bedivere. He truly was not blessed by faeries, heaven, or by magical blades. He was a guy that tried his best and he saw things the way a normal person would.

I can't say to what extent of course but I do think she saw true value in what he saw as shortcomings with himself.

Either way, these movies are truly beautiful and what makes them so isn't just the animation or OST but the tragedy that is Bedivere.

Other Knights and Conclusions

As said earlier, Mordred is a topic for another day and I've already talked about Lancelot in my Fate Zero post. In fact, the Lancelot here seems either loyal in spite of what happened to Guinevere or because of it.

Had the other knights not referenced his betrayal I'd have assumed he was summoned lacking those memories.

And I haven't read the 'Garden of Avalon' novel to truly know about the whole round table. Let alone Tristan who is infamous for the line about “The king does not understand the hearts of men.” which is misinterpreted.

Not in the sense that it's mistranslated but in the sense that how people took his words both in-story and out were not his intented feelings.

And I know next to nothing about Gawain in Fate other than he, like many, was a child of Morgan. Much of the chaos in Camelot was either direct or indirect thanks to Morgan's relationship to her children.

Agravain is a fascinating case study due to his nature. He famously hates women despite his king being a woman and it's thanks to his relation to his mother Morgan.

A trait he shares with Mordred oddly enough. Both have a complex relationship to Arthur based solely on how their mother warped them.

You can also see Agravain's dynamic with Lancelot in the movies. There's a disdain there and Lancelot is quick to suspect him despite being a betrayer. This is presumably due to Agravain exposing Lancelot's affair in life.

It is also due to people misreading Agravain's intent. He often appeals to Arthur's kingly or inhuman side and many assumed he was trying to run a shadow kingdom but Agravain was just trying to help his ideal king the best way he knew how.

He, to the disbelief of many, is actually very loyal to the king and country. His actions and feelings are just complex due to his hatred of Morgan and women compounded with his ideal king being a woman herself.

One day if I manage to read the novel I may come back to give Agravain a proper post since he fascinates me.

For now though I think I'll stop and focus on the Mordred post while it's fresh in my mind.

I can't really think of anything else in-depth to add. These movies are amazing, especially if you view it as Bedivere's story more so than an adaption of Fujimaru's.

The animation is godly and the scene of Bedivere returning Arthur's sword and her heart/memories with it is beautiful. The music is beautiful.

The OST for that scene is 'walk by' btw. Go give it a listen, bye now~

=============================

For my other experiences with Fate go here: https://derekscorner.tumblr.com/tagged/fated-rantings

[animasend]

👀 do you believe your existence to be one that matters? or was it all a mistake?

truthful answers - not accepting

"...." any words that had settled on her tongue die before being spoken, the quick answer of ' of course it matters' falling to pieces.

once upon a time, in a place that now resides unknown to so many, olga marie had wondered. and she had deemed herself worthless at the end of it. someone who only held worth if she could live up to a tainted wish of a father who never acknowledged her, who was not the person she fooled herself into thinking. and she had failed. no matter the desperation, no matter the struggles, she had failed. and if it were here answering this, then she would have said no without any hesitation. but she is gone and what remains is a fragmented dream.

( the story of the director known as olga marie is unknown to her now. it is something olga considers to be a nice dream, one she wished to have done better in. for even if the memories are long gone, perhaps unconciously she can still recall that want which went unfulfilled. )

or was it all a mistake?

as the alien god, her intentions had been to use ORT. to continue her one goal, caring none for what got in her way, crushing anything and everything like bugs. but like history is fated to do, decisions of the past repeat. she did not belong with humanity and she could not understand humans. she held no place in such a world and as the one who wrought its almost complete annihilation, she never believed otherwise. and yet, she had tried to stay. even if meant remaining as some weakened and flawed version of herself, she still tried. but that was not enough. in the end, she still failed, but it was her duty, wasn't it? as it had possessed her heart, it was only right that she kill it.

a decision olga knew would result in her death.

yet, had any of it mattered? did her existing as she did, doing what she did, matter at all? originally, she had been nothing more than an obstacle to Chaldea. an enemy to stop and she knew that did not change, not even in her last moments. though Fujimaru and Mashu had looked at her with the yellow of friendliness, she saw the distress and fear in the rest of the crew. that was to be expected. and if not for her changing her mind....she supposes they would have fought once more. she was theirs, and humanity's, enemy. another obstacle preventing them from restoring the bleached surface to what it once was. the culmination of her existence, of it holding any meaning, had changed when she recalls what had been said to her.

' you were no more than a sacrifice of his design. '

that is what that Saber had told her, her words holding no lies. was she truly just another's ploy? a pawn in their grand game? something made for a specific purpose then cast aside the second it was achieved? was that her role when she had been human....? had this-- becoming this -- been the mistake? was her existence good for one thing only and upon leaving that unachieved, she was nothing? she doesn't know and trying to know makes her head hurt.

" ....I don't know."

[exousiate]

        yesterday, he had come across an empty throne hidden between the stars. ever earlier, that very same day, he could have sworn that he saw— no, it does not matter, he does not want to believe it is possible. if it is anything but what he hopes for, then the possibility that is someone else would be too much. only the dead are allowed to rest, is what the voices in his head say. there is no rest for the living, not in any form or shape, and he has no other choice. if he does not move forward, what right does he have to look at the ghosts in the eye, to tell Mashu to not be him? it merely slows what is coming and it is still not enough, but he had given up on the world being kind a long ago.

and maybe it makes him like a living graveyard, with memories as flowers that he keeps bringing. he has stopped every second trying to see if anything could have been different, because if he does, that will only drive him mad. it is much easier to pass across the mists, never rushing to see what lies ahead. anyone meeting all their ghosts and refusing to look back even once would be a liar. perhaps that is why he does not walk away when his eyes fall on something familiar.

     he could recognize that ribbon everywhere.

it is strange to see someone he loves, but it is even more strange to see Olga Marie before he knew her. she is younger, so much younger, and he still sees the same gestures that he does every day. how strange to wish that he could change what has happened before it occurs.

what usually would bring him to narrow his eyes is replaced with a rarely shown but ever-present kindness. he walks slowly, kneels down, and for a second, he wishes it was someone else speaking for him, someone that knows how to approach others with a smile, before he pushes the thought away, and reaches out with a gentle voice. "What is wrong?" a small frown pulls at his eyebrows, and his tone is filled with unspoken concern. “Did you get lost?”

@animasphere​​​​​ : MISTIFIED RERUN

[gae-bolg-alternative-dot-exe]

[sylhea-raemi]

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

[kiwikipedia]

I Saw A Dog Today

Fandom(s): FGO

Rating: K

Pairing: Arthur (Prototype) x NB Reader (can be read as platonic)

Summery: Waiting for Arthur to come back and he has something to tell you (oneshot)

Extra notes: Multiple Masters in Chaldea! AU

Happy Birthday, Kakapo!

Original Post on my Writing Blog

No matter how easy the Singularity seemed to be, you still got a little bit nervous when a different Master was on call for it. Certainly pulling every master would make sure that it went smoothly and quickly, but Romani and Da Vinci were rightfully cautious.

No unnecessary risks.

Still, you were worried and not just because of the spunky redheaded Master that had been on call this time instead of you or the black haired young man— Gudako was certainly more energetic than Ritsuka.

No it was because your usual partner Servant was needed.

It was well known in Chaldea that every Master had a Servant they could trust wholeheartedly with everything. For Ritsuka it was Mashu, for Gudako it was Scáthach, but for you?

Yours was Arthur.

He had been summoned in some stranger circumstances, but a large portion of Chaldea’s Servants seemed to be at this point— Musashi, King Hassan, Merlin… you could name a good number of them.

But Arthur was the one you bonded with first. And now you were worried about his safety.

He was more than capable than taking care of himself, you knew, but you couldn’t help it! Who wouldn’t be worried about their most important person in their life?

“Stop pacing, Master,” Emiya’s voice chided from the kitchen as you paced in the cafeteria. You looked up, frowning at the Counter Force Archer.

“I can’t help it,” you sighed, shaking your head before looking up at the clock. “I’m worried.”

Emiya sighed. “They’re all only a few minutes late than Da Vinci predicted, the final wrap up battle might’ve just taken a bit longer.”

You sighed again instead of answering, nodding a bit before deciding to leave the cafeteria for one of the break rooms. It wouldn’t do you any good to keep bothering Emiya with your restlessness.

You had decided to settle down on one of the sofas there, flipping idly through one of the magazines that had been brought back from the New York singularity.

You must have dozed off from waiting, because suddenly you startled awake as the door was opened.

You tilted your head back, blinking sleep from your eyes slowly before smiling a bit, seeing a familiar form in the doorway.

“This is where you were, Master!”

Arthur stepped in, smiling brightly. You moved to stand up, but he stopped you as he moved over to the couch and sat down instead.

Well, sitting down was a bit of a calm stretch, as he more or less plopped down with a soft ‘oof’ next to you.

“How’d the Singularity go?” you asked and he smiled brightly.

“So,” he started, “The singularity itself was kind of boring, but!”

At this he perked up.

“The good news is that I saw a dog today in the singularity!”

You tilted your head, blinking. “A dog?”

The blonde nodded happily. “Yep! A dog!”

You laughed softly at his excited expression before settling down on the sofa, leaning against him.

“Tell me about the dog, Arthur.”

The Saber seemed to brighten up even more. No matter the story, you always paid attention when the blonde was the one telling it. His voice was soothing to listen to and he just had that way of his that drew you into listening.

That’s just how it was.

And the dog was cute, so that’s what matters, right?

(All dogs are cute, Arthur would tell you later. You agreed.)

[akurrami]

hey hey, saw that requests are open so I would like to request karna and siegfried from fate where they unintentionally male the reader jealous and how'd they make it up to reader? thanks bb

BB huh? Well I am having flashbacks. The good kind.

But I can of course do it! Hope you like it, anon!

Pairing: Karna x Reader, Siegfried x reader (Seperate)

Reader is gender neutral.

TW: Jealousy, if that's something you aren't comfortable with.

So, let's get to it!

Karna

Oh dear Karna, the hero of Charity. The Heroic Spirit who gave up even his own heart - for his master, You.

Helping is well within his nature. So he thinks none of helping out other servants and Chaldea's staff. It's like breathing to him.

As he starts doing so more and more often, and starts getting affectionate glances from certain staff members, that's where you drew the line. Your jealousy starts eating away at your brain, feeding you thoughts of Karna not being interested anymore. You were so close afterall, now he seems more distant than ever.

But our dear Lancer of Red is totally oblivious, for the most part. You took time to get through his tough exterior into his heart, took time to understand him and build trust. For that, he couldn't possibly love you more than he already does.

So when his dearest, his lover, one person he feels at ease to talk to, starts being more snarky, sarcastic and overall displeased, concern grew in his heart. He sought guidance, which he found. He sought out Ganesha, or Jinako. Because of the special bond they share.

When she told him it's obviously jealousy, and Karna is the last person in Chaldea to pick it up, Karna didn't know what to say. He hurt you, and he did it all without intending it at all. He blames himself as if it's a grave sin.

Without a second thought, he rushed out, determined to find you, and repent for his mistake. He finds you eating lunch, with Mashu comforting you to the best of her ability. He grabs your wrist and without wasting even a minute, rushes out into the halls of Chaldea

Without words, as he stops walking, he dons his divine armor onto you. And then follows to embrace you tightly. You hug him back, of course. Not understanding the move with the armor, but still, seeing emotions break through his act of being unemotional, fills you with a mixture of happiness and fear.

"Don't ever think I'd abandon you, Master. Not now, not ever. My armor is yours, to protect you from all harm, and my spear shall remove any threat that dares stand against you. I am so...sorry that I made you worry. I'll do anything you ask to redeem myself. Just say what you need me to do."

Overall: He blames himself to 11th degree for not noticing sooner and will do anything to achieve your forgiveness.

What he'd do besides that: Probably never leave your side, hold your hand more often. You know, small reassurances, that still mean the world to both of you.

Siegfried

The famed slayer of Fafnir was weary at first. He was afraid of being exploited for personal gain once more, but never let it show.

That is, until you patiently waited for him to declare it is his own wish, that he wants to share the special bond of love with You. It was easy to see he cares for Sieg, a Caster Servant, even though they remember each other vaguely. And it sent your soul into an uproar.

Unlike Karna, due to his previous experiences with love, he noticed a lot sooner.

Obligatory: S U M A N A I.

He embraces you tightly once he does notice. Doesn't say much, but just hugs you for as long as he needs to to make you realize you're his everything. It is his choice bestowed onto him by Your support.

Is a lot softer than Karna, because as his form of an apology, he does what he does best - fulfills wishes of others. He will do literally anything so you don't have to do it, and can rest, especially after a mission, or a particularly taxing Reyshift.

Cooking, laundry, even running errands. You say it, he will do it. But after you getting jealous he puts in even more effort, to show you his undying love.

Please be mindful of the fact he sacrificed himself once to save Sieg, if you are at death's door, Siegfried will stop at nothing to save you - Even if it costs his life.

If you're just wounded but unconcious, and the enemy that did this is still breathing, Siegfried will show no mercy or remorse for taking their life. And after that, will vigilantly oversee your recovery.

My thoughts on both: I like the fact you picked two heroic spirits who are known for putting others ahead of themselves, often to their own detriment, anon. They'd both make great partners in that regard, though Siegfried is a bit more open emotionally I think.

Hope you liked it! Thank you for reading it!

- Rami.

[mikrom00dness]

001: C control

003: Masakaki

Just want to see your thought :> (for the fandom/character ask thing lol)

001 | Send me a fandom and I will tell you my:

Favorite character: Masakaki *(phphphahahah it was obvious)

Least Favorite character: Hmmmm... I think I love almost every main character except Takedazaki and Hanabi maybe...

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): Kimimaro/Mashu, Kimimaro/Mikuni (more like bromance), Masakaki/Kimimaro (more like platonic)... and that's all I guess

Character I find most attractive: Masakaki (as a character(!))

Character I would marry: there is no such character XD

Character I would be best friends with: Jennifer, Kimimaro or Mashu maybe

a random thought: C is very underrated, if you dig into it - you'll dive in more

An unpopular opinion: we could have an interesting and unique world if Midas Bank and thier representatives concept would be more detaled

My Canon OTP: Kimimaro and Mashu 100%

My Non-canon OTP: If about only c fandom - none? If about crossover non-canon OTP - I have one. Look down throug ths post to see it ;^)

Most Badass Character: Masakaki, Jennifer and Mikuni (I call them - the Far Eastern District Badass Trinity XD)

Most Epic Villain: Mikuni, Masakaki (He has vllian vibes imho)

Pairing I am not a fan of: Kimimaro and Hanabi (I didn't get the whole point of Yoga's feelings towards her)

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): Masakaki and the Midas Bank itself. I've got tons of questions, which were left unanswered. What s the point of Midas Bank existens? Why is it dividet to Districts? Why do they need representatives? Why do they look the same but seem different by hair-eye-clothes color? How long does Midas Bank exist and is Midas some kind of God or what else? I am aq bit dissapointed about this point bc i saw the QR codes and some conseps, so I totally can say that writers had something big planed ( or at least bigger than we have eventually) And Yoga's feelings towards Hanabi.

Favourite Friendship: Jennifer and Kimimaro, Masakaki and Kimimaro (after all whats happend I see them as frienamies)

Character I most identify with: Each of the chacters can be relatable, but for me the most relatable is Masakaki. He's unsocialised (imho) and somewhat annoing for other characters, but he is funny and unique in his own odd way ^ ^

Character I wish I could be: I don't really like to take others places ^ ^ And I think all of them are the characters who are not to be envied.

003 | Give me a character & I will tell you:

How I feel about this character: He is very interesting for me from a writers perspective. The one unique trickster with an unresolved complex antagonist potential.

Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character: OCs and a character from other dead fandom XD

My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: Kimimaro (frienamies headcanon) and somewhat respect for Mikuni as an Entre

My unpopular opinion about this character: Writers really lost his potential, I'm sad about it :.....) Bc when I watched the show for the first time, I thought like: "he is not who he seems to be". And I really headcanon that his has been living for quite a long time, so he surely knows how to control (XD, you get it Control) his emotions. So It'll take a lot of work to really piss him off.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: to see him angsty, sad, angry, surprised, frightend and etc. Any emotional or moral character development (a mental breakdown would be totally fine) to see where and how, in which direction can his potential grow.

Favorite friendship for this character: Between him and Yoga and some of other representatives (but I think we can call it brotherhood non-canonical headcanon?) and some kind of friendship that I think could have been developed between him and Grell from Black Butler (idk, I think it would have been an interesting interaction, also a non-canonical headcanon)

My crossover ship: Well it should have been a secret for now (bc t's related to my crossover-fanfic) but I'll (yes in the future) just ship him and Yui Hirasawa from K-on (but only in a platonic way, like other romantic realationship with this fella :3)

[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.  

[megashadowdragon]

**1.**Punching Gilgamesh the moment you are summoned/enter a fight/enter a room is not reasonable and should not be done at any time -Gudao

1a. Not even when he barges into the Camelot Room and threatens to everyone, especially when he does it to make your female counterpart marry her -Gudao

1b. Apparently PTSD is not a viable excuse to punch someone when you see him harassing someone. Noted.

2. Just because I am a King, does not mean I can give people nicknames. Makes me wonder how Gareth felt about being called Best Boy by Merlin.

3. Eating contests are apparently not allowed, seems food shortages are common with my counterparts.

4. As it turns out, screaming "To Valhalla" is not the best idea when you step onto Iskandar's Chariot. Especially so when you are right in front of the enemy.

5. Frankenstein is not a doll, do not dress her up. No Arthur, not even if she tilts her head and makes cute growls -Gudao 5a. Okay! Only if its a sundress! -Gudao

6. Getting together four of my other counterparts and forming the Saber Rangers is not allowed, especially if we have Excalizords. Seems the other servants aren't fond of needlessly big robots that take too long to combine.

7. Motorbikes are not to be used at any point or time in Chaldea, no, not even when Iskandar decides to hold the "Chaldea Grand Prix" -Da Vinci

7a. THE SAME GOES FOR OTHER VEHICLES YOU MONGRELS, UNLIKE YOU FUCKS, SOME OF US NEED BEAUTY SLEEP AT 3 AM! -Gilgamesh

8. Just because I can use a sword, doesn't mean I am allowed to attack my Cu Chulainn with it. I swear, he walked into it.

9. Apparently I am not allowed to compliment people? Turns out after I left the beach where I hung out with a sweetie named Kiyohime, along with master, Kiyohime attempted to burn someone alive because I said that master looked like a dashing man. I highly doubt she did.

9a. The smell is still stuck to my trunks Arthur -Gudao

10. My liege... My OTHER liege, please don't ever get Red Saber to sing "Total Eclipse of the Heart" again when I am about to utilize Galatine -Gawain

11. We know you are fascinated in other cultures, but please. Stop talking to the Servants of France about Sasaki Kojirou, we don't know if you made up his nickname, but he is not the "Savior of France" - Jeanne D'Arc

12. I would suggest that you stop entering the Camelot Room by screaming "Where is my love! Guinevere!", while it as funny once or twice, I can't stand to see either Lancelots' become depressed anymore -Arturia Altria

13. No offense... But please stop patting my head so much, I know you are basically my Uncle, but people are getting the wrong idea -Mashu

14. While Proto League is an acceptable nickname for the servants of your war, please don't ever enter a fight and scream it out again. We know you enjoy it, but it can get obnoxious after a while - Random Mob 1

15. Proving that I am male by either fighting or pantsing myself is no longer allowed after Heracles decided to do the same thing when a recently summoned Shakespeare made him question his own gender -Da Vinci

15a. Having the entire male team to pants themselves in front of the enemy is not a viable tactic against Archers, no matter what you watched beforehand and despite how fun it is -Robinhood

16. Just because Merlin suggested it, I shouldn't instantly do it. Its odd, almost like no one trusts Merlin, he seems just like my one.

17. "I saw a pest" is not a viable reason to drop a Corrupted Grail into the Babylon Room, we understand your dislike towards the King of Heroes, but Ishtar and Ereshkigal were caught up in the rage.

17a. "I was bored" is not a viable excuse to kiss a female servant while under the effects of Merlin's illusionary spell, Gudao has yet to leave his... specially enduced Coma.

17b. "I saw this scene-" is not a viable reason to go to a prior singularity and ask Muramasa to create a specific weapon, it is time wasting, no matter how strong the weapon is.

18. Suggesting to Rayshift to the point before someone dies is not a good idea, no matter how much fun it is for you to watch the "Crazy Murder Loli" die.

18a. Getting Fou'd is not a good reason to Rayshift back to your fight against Beast VI just so you can "Finish the Fucker Off".

19. Using a voice manipulator made by Merlin is not a good way to get people to be afraid when you shout a noble phantasm.

19a. Shouting "Stella" is not allowed, Arash prematurely shot off his Noble Phantasm while training and now we have to resummon him.

20. Just because we have a Simulation Room, does not mean I can alter the device to allow me to see someone from the past.

20a. We know you miss her, we do too. If you want to speak, you can come talk to us -Proto League

21. Trying to host an "Engry MIYA" talk between Nameless and Alter is not a good idea, just... Don't.

22. While having a Picnic is fun, please don't host them in the middle of a fight.

23. Just because a rabbit killed Gawain in a movie, does not mean you can threaten to cook Fou alive.

24. We know you love kids but come on, you can't just take Nursery Rhyme and Jack out to "Play Fetch" with the Dragons in France every after-noon.

25. Blaming someone that isn't even a servant isn't a viable way to shift blame.

26. I've been banned from the Kitchen, apparently forcing my way in and cooking the meals before Nameless is not a good idea. He looked ready to cry.

26a. Turns out mentioning the fact that Muramasa was far more willing to let me into his kitchen when I visited him was not a good idea. I don't think Nameless likes me much.

26b. "Just because I have the alcohol" is not a good excuse to get a few of the servants including Mashu drunk at dinner.

27. Just because you technically existed before Back to the Future 1 and 2, does not mean you can threaten to sue the creator, even if you can go back in time freely.

28. NO, NEVER DO THAT AGAIN, NOT EVEN IF KIYOHIME ASKS NICELY, WE SHALL NEVER REPEAT THE EVENTS OF YESTERDAY AGAIN.

29. "Look what I found" is a sentence that I am never allowed to speak when I am holding something bigger than my head or smaller than my hands.

30. Turns out that breaking my own arm is not the best way to get Nightingale to calm down. Never thought Merlin would be wrong.

31. "Sure you can touch my Excalibur" is not the best way to differentiate between Arturia's Excalibur and my own when someone asks to hold it.

31a. "But mine is bigger" is not a good response when Arturia talks about how easy her seals are to remove from her Noble Phantasm, nor is it alright to use when talking about when how she made Mordred.

32. Stealing Gilgamesh's potion of youth and putting it in the Soup that EVERYONE ended up eating is the easiest way to have myself barred from missions for a week.

33. Just because people are afraid of it, doesn't mean you should hug it. Not even if Merlin says to.

34. Just because someone stole your food, does not mean you should "Call in a favor" and have Elizabeth sing until someone gives up who stole it

34a. Update: The above applies to Nero as well.

35. Just because I have an innate fear of the Lancer version of my female counterpart, does not mean I can steal her horse and run away because of that fear.

36. Making King Hassan say "Omae wa mou shindeiru" is not allowed, especially if you reply with "I'm already dead" just to mess with him.

37. You are fond of Mordred, we understand. But please stop teasing her. Calling her cute will be her death - KotR

38. We understand that being locked in a single room with Nobunaga can be hard, but saying it was like prison is not fair.

38a. Quoting an abridged anime is not allowed, especially if it has "Sluts" and "Prison" in the same sentence, we still don't know where you got that swim team outfit.

38b. Making a mini Excalibur and saying "Blade of Promised Prison Riots! SHANKCALIBUR" is not allowed at all, Edmond almost had a heart attack.

38c. It is noted that the Arthur and Nobunaga were almost forced to kiss, but utilizing time manipulation to see Romani's death and threaten him with "Spoilers" is not allowed.

39. Just because Merlin asked, does not mean you should dress up as a "Cutesy Idol" and perform a song with a voice changer on in front of a camera for his "Magi*Mari" stream, Romani has yet to heal from that wound.

40. Looking Mordred in the eye and saying "Mordred, I am your father" is not allowed, especially when you have her surrounded by all the versions of her "Father", even the ones that just look like "Him".

41. "I solomly swear I am up to no good" is not what you say while standing behind the Director in the Lost Room, she died once already, we don't need her worrying about what you will do.

41a. "Remember that time you became a Loli" is not to be said around Olga Marie after what happened after she was... Killed.

42. Quoting Kamina from Gurren Lagann is banned, especially after everyone believed you were actually erased from the throne. Only to find you a month later taking off an invisibilty cloak and sneaking into the mens bathrooms to shave.

43. Anime is fun to watch, but please. Stop trying to explain why a certain character would be within the Throne of Heroes.

43a. Stop. Asking. When. I. Will. Summon. ISSEI HYOUDOU! -Gudao

43b. BOOSTED GEAR SCALE MAIL! -Arthur

43c. BOOSTO? -Siegfried

44. Valentines is a wonderful thing, we get it. But making everyone in Chaldea chocolate by going around and hunting in various areas is not needed, we have too much already.

45. Stop Rickrolling, that was so early 2000s, get with the golden times old man -Kintoki

45a. EX-

46. Commenting on the impractical armors of the female knights that walk around is not needed, we have gotten complaints about how they feel harassed -Staff Member

46a. I just wanted to help out... -Arthur

47. I am not to sing anything ever again, the reason isn't because I am bad, no. Everyone agrees I am quite good. But its the genre I sing coupled with my Charisma rank. Seems love songs should not be sung. How sad.

48. Just because I have cat ears, does not mean you should give me Catnip - Atalanta

48a. The same was repeated for Alter.

48b. Along with Tamamo Berserker.

49. "Merlin told me to do it" is no longer an excuse that is accepted, even if he did make you do it.

50. LITERALLY ALL THE THINGS ON THIS LIST ARE BECAUSE OF MERLIN, STOP LISTENING TO HIM.

51. I'm only responsible for a quarter of these, stop blaming me for your troubles, Normies -Merlin

Kiyohime asks Arthur what to do to catch Gudao's attention. Arthur tells her to turn into his most cherished person. She turns into Gudako and tries to force Gudao into sex.

[hasereshdoneanythingwrong]

Birthday Party

Faye walked through the halls of Chaldea covering Val’s eyes. She’d arrived not too long ago to hang out with her counterpart but found her down in the dumps. Val’s day had been crappy, there was no way around it. Lobo tore up the kitchen, Hans was crying in the library. Again. Jalter was nowhere to be found which meant it was only a matter of time before something or someone caught fire. All in all, a hundred things were going wrong.

Val: Faye I really don’t think this is the best time—

Faye stopped and uncovered Val’s eyes, spinning the girl around. She gave Val her very best puppy dog eyes as she spoke.

Faye: Please, Val? You said that you’d come with me, it’s important!

Val: Welk it’s just—

Faye: Val, you promised. I don’t get to stop by that often, so I want to make the most of it.

Val sighed. She had promised Faye that they’d hang out. Granted, she didn’t expect everything to implode when she came by, but hey. They’ll deal with some of the minor problems later.

Val: Fiiine. A promise is a promise. But why do you have to cover my eyes?

Faye spun Val around and re-covered her eyes as they began walking again.

Faye: It wouldn’t be a surprise if you could see it!

Val: Wait, surprise?

Faye: Oop. Uh, it wouldn’t be a surprise if I— I mean, if someone who’s totally not me said anything.

Val: Faye, you’re bad at this.

Faye: Shut up! I’m doing my best here.

Val sighed once more as Faye pouted behind her. The two continued their walk. The winding corridors, while familiar, were now foreign without her sight. Val was almost a little nervous, being blinded for so long. It wasn’t for another 10 minutes of walking that Faye finally stopped moving.

Faye: Alright, we’re here.

Val: Can you move your hands then?

Faye: Nope! That’d ruin the surprise! The door’s open just walk in!

Val’s internal monologue was screaming at the prospect. Something was gonna be terribly wrong, wasn’t it? Why else would Faye cover her eyes for so long? What if—

A bright light blinded the Master as Faye suddenly removed her hands. A loud cheering and popping was heard as Val tried to adjust.

???: SURPRISE!!!

Val blinked away the lights and confetti to see a large gathering in one of the meeting rooms. She was surrounded by her servants, most notably, all of her girlfriends, including Jeanne, who she’d been worried about tracking down all day.

In the center of the room sat a large cake. Written in icing on the top was “Happy Birthday, Val!”. As she was trying to process this, the birthday girl was overwhelmed as each of her girlfriends formed a queue to give her a quick smooch, leaving her head fuzzy.

Val, holding her face: How-What-I-Who?

Faye stepped beside her into Val’s field of view.

Faye: Well, I saw that you were having a bad day, and somebody mentioned that on top of that, it was your birthday!

Mordred: And if you had you’re way, you choose to skip over it like a dumbass.

Musashi: So Faye came up with an idea. We’d throw you a surprise party!

Ishtar: Of course, I helped guide her! She wouldn’t have known what to do without my masterful planning!

Jeanne: Your “masterful planning” included putting to work in the kitchen! How’s that make sense?

Mashu: Well Jeanne, your chocolate expertise was an essential part. We couldn’t have made the cake without your chocolates!

Val stood in awe as tears began to form.

Val: You- you all did all this….for me?

The Group: Of course!

Faye gave Val a side hug as her tears began to loose.

Faye: We did it because we care about you. And everyone deserves their own special day.

Mordred: So are we gonna eat this cake or what?

Mashu: Mordred! The protocols say that the guest of honor has to take the first piece!

Musashi: Leave it to me!

In a flurry Musashi cut the perfect slice of cake and handed it to the awestruck Val.

Faye: Eat up, Val. There’s presents afterwards too!

Val smiled as she took a bite of the bitter cake.

Perhaps today wasn’t so bad after all.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY @hasishtardoneanythingwrong !!!!

You’re a precious friend to me and I hope that your birthday is a special one. I wouldn’t be the same person I am without your presence in my life. You’ve helped me through many a rough patch and I’m forever thankful. I hope this story brings some light to your day!

[animasend]

   “ What do you mean Fujimaru took off?!”

 it sounded almost unbelievable. almost being the keyword here. whatever sort of afternoon plans Olga had were swiftly canceled once she saw the text, her route changed to meeting up in person with the Demi-Servant. whatever was going on was more important than shopping. eyes are narrowed in a demanding gaze, hands planted on the surface of the table in the kitchen within Mashu’s home. “ Why would she just take off? That’s not like her-- neither Fujimaru is that stupid. Did something happen? Why didn’t you stop her from leaving?

   the fully story is unknown, so she has no way of knowing Mashu wasn’t anywhere near enough to prevent the other’s disappearance. even so, though-- wasn’t somebody with her? they had to have been and whoever it was, why didn’t they stop her? a terse sigh leaves the mage’s lips, gaze focusing on the Shielder’s expression. it seemed that with each question, something flickered across her features. as if she knew the exact reason why this occurred yet was hesitant in revealing it. it’s a nagging suspicion, one that Olga has no intentions of ignoring.

   a silence settles, but her voice once more cuts through it, her tone leaving no room for any sort of beating around the bush. “ What’s going on, Mashu?”

@castilium​

[tempenensis]

Ehhhhhhhhh seriously, what the frick is Gojou wearing in this fanart? Same for Yuuji and Megumi. One of the comments said it's FGO Astoria lingerie but Google search only returned doujinshis. Is it FGO official merch?

HAHAHAAH you've finally found the cursed fanart. I laughed until my stomach hurts when I first saw it. Gojo wears Arturia Lancer Alter's lingerie from Royal Icing CE. Yuuji wears Nightingale's costume from Trick and Treatment CE. And Megumi wears the all-time fandom favorite, Mashu's two-piece (if you can call it that, idk what it's supposed to be called) in Dangerous Beast CE.

[sanctummilitis]

ARTORIA/ARTURIA PENDRAGON (SABER) ♚ MISTIFIED

bats this out a little later than planned, but that still means plenty of time for chaos. in corroboration with some others, Saber had been in the process of investigating the fundamentals of Spirale, so she’s not about to let this slide by. though she’ll be venturing out into the unknown, her powers won’t be affected, there might be more pressing issues for her to contend with.

RESIDUAL DATA IMPRINTS

♔ A good majority of the data imprints will come from Zero and Stay Night. Saber herself will be learning of the events in the Fate and Heaven’s Feel routes, on top of Hollow Ataraxia. All of this will hardly be a surprise to her, given things come Grand Order, and she’s long ago confronted the fact that Saber Alter is a thing. But now she can tell Shirou he’s the best version of himself with a heap of evidence. ♔ The fight with Lancelot during the last night of the Fourth War? The confrontation with Gilgamesh in front of the Grail? Absolutely. ♔ That said, imprint of her original life will be a thing. Times during her travels as Lily with Merlin and Kay, or her and Gawain’s fight against Vortigern, for quick examples that spring to mind.

SENTIENT DATA IMPRINTS

♔ IRISVIEL VON EINZBERN — NON-LETHAL Instead of dredging up Kiritsugu, Irisviel will represent the emotional rollercoaster thatn Zero was for Saber where her Master(s) was concerned. Though the one person that she could look back to the War and not feel her insides writhe with disdain, Irisviel is a testament to just how powerless Saber was left feeling by everything that went down. ♔ GILGAMESH (ARCHER) — NON-LETHAL Can’t have Mashu be faced with the guy with unrequited feelings and not do the same for Saber, can I? He’d be lethal but it might be a little overkill, so he’ll be toying around until his patience runs out. ♔ DIARMUID UA DUIBHNE (LANCER) — LETHAL Taken from the point of his death, when he’d become convinced that Saber had colluded with Kiritsugu to take out Kayneth and himself by underhanded tactics and spent his last breaths cursing her. The manifestation of that hatred and betrayal is out to haunt and make Saber pay for what he believes happened that night. ♔ ARTURIA (SUBVERSION) — LETHAL For the sake of anyone who wasn’t around during Subversion: Arturia was an ordinary schoolgirl native to Spirale. After their father’s assassination, Arthur worked his way through the police ranks to seek out the culprit, while Arturia attended middle school, her brother always watching out for her from a distance. The second part of the event saw a deteriorating Arturia desperately searching for Arthur before they could be sealed, armed with Saber’s phone and Excalibur: this is the imprint that will manifest. Though she won’t have Excalibur instead of Saber, her blade will share its appearance, dyed in the darkness of tainted miasma, not unlike Berserker Lancelot’s, and an eroded mental state to match.

capping at 3, castmates exempt. if anything takes your fancy or you’d like to plot anything specifically, i’m more than happy to jump in and figure things out.