Fragment 52 Insight

It’s been a long while since the Emiya family got any serious light shined on them, though admittedly there are still other servants and groups who could use it more; Fear not, they’re coming. For now though, it was about time to explore an actual family relationship now that it’s had a lot more time to settle into a routine sort of deal.

What better than by choosing a servant who technically was never a part of one of Fate’s most popular families: Kuro. Due to her unique origin, it would make for a great angle on showing an adaptation to a new family and experiences. I wanted it to lack almost all sort of tension so that it felt really smooth and fluffy, though with some potential for Kuro shenanigans.

Instead of doing the usual ones, the main element of Kuro’s personality I wanted to showcase a bit was her manipulative and cunning nature. She’s what Illya was supposed to become, after all, so showing her skillfully maneuvering her way into getting what she wanted serves as a good scene premise. What better than by cornering some shady shopkeeper into selling a child lingerie for their parents? I also wanted to show she could still be nice and even newly considerate by giving him small bonus cash for the trouble (which was a lot for that era).

It’s been a while since we’ve actually delved into a benign singularity for a bit. The last big experience was for Christmas with the same general premise, but I didn’t actually show Santa Joan Lily doing the shopping itself. I’ve done it a bit more here with some window browsing, card picking, and an actual pseudo-bartering scene.

One thing many may have noticed, but this is one of the first time I pointed out moral issues that had to be taken into account. While Chaldea can essentially do what it wants in a singularity, there’s a sense of morality on what can and can’t be done. Despite fighting for the same goal, servants do still have their own beliefs and morals. Just because Blackbeard and Drake like pillaging treasure freely doesn’t mean others smile upon it. Outright stealing a gift car would be the negative talk of Chaldea too.

There are scales to be balanced, and playing by social law is usually for the best.

The need to adapt and play by the rules is both for strategic and Chaldean morale purposes too. Revealing themselves too openly may drive the culprits into further hiding or speed up their plans before they’re discovered. There’s also dealing with cultural dilemmas like how the 1950’s and 60’s were racially charged years compared to most, so dark skinned servants would receive very different initial treatment should they try to blend in.

There was initially a scene where Illya and Kuyo were also clothing shopping, but it was scrapped when I made the final outline. The fragment was already dragging on fairly long and there were several Illya and Kuro interactions to choose from. Instead, I’m saving a standard clothes shopping experience for another group of individuals.

Next week: It’s hard being considered one of the weaker servants in Chaldea, but they still manage to find their place and keep many smiling… even when they’re harboring simple desires of their own that have yet to be fulfilled.