Fragments of Chaldea
A Fate/Grand Order Fanfiction Series
Chapter 2 Insight
I’m going to be very honest here: This is likely the hardest chapter I’ll have to write for the story. After several re-writes, I’m still partially uncertain if it came out correctly, but I guess that’s just me harping over my own quality and intricacy.
As a dialogue and character analysis based chapter, it was an interesting tightrope. I had to draw the stark differences between Caster Gilgamesh and a (partially) KoGil-influenced Archer Gilgamesh. Part of the hard part was ensuring it didn’t sound like a total praise-session for Gilgamesh in general, which was a rather fix thanks to another heated argument between them.
Since Gudao and Gabrielle are presumed to encounter the old man because of the original story, I thought it’d be a nice touch to have him give a few choice words to Gilgamesh too. Anyone who has read Babylonia knows who he is, so it was only fitting he give some advice in his own way to someone who needs it.
There’s also the slight bit of closure I gave for Merlin’s feelings on the whole situation. Given everything that Gudao and Gabrielle have done in the last singularity, the caster would likely have a much different opinion of the masters than simply being their number one fan. I believed he’d be over the moon, honestly, and so it opened the door to a very specific gift only he’s able to manage.
I know it’s been three entries and Day one only just ended, but this is where things accelerate. Rapidly. There’s even a small time skip because we don’t need to go over much of the fluff again. Also, some have noticed there’s quite a few lighthearted tones in this tragedy, but that’s the case for Babylonia’s actual plotline too.
Enjoy it while it lasts…
Soundtrack Disclaimer: The music doesn’t fit 100% all the time since it can’t be customized. When I pick music for a chapter or scene, it’s because it was the most inspiring piece played when writing. While it may work for me and what I visualize, it might not work for you. Feel free to give it a try.
The first works for the first half when things are relatively smooth.
Chapter 1 Insight
Here we start to see where I cut some drastic corners. From the beginning to the argument in the throne room, I squeeze pieces from two canon chapters into one while omitting a fair amount. To be honest, a lot of what was removed was mostly background material. Some haven’t been completely omitted due to direct relevance, but have been moved to another time. As stated before, this isn’t a complete retelling, so reading the full translation definitely helps with understanding.
As noted with the gate scene, I’ve also shifted some lore reveals appropriately. Learning about the cannons on the wall should have come much later, but when Gilgamesh sees his treasures being hauled off, you know he’s going to say something.
When two Gilgamesh meet, there’s going to be an argument even if one is more mature. Can you blame the older one though? Many canon scenes have been shifted ever so slightly due to various variables, and this is one notable example. I figured with such a powerful showing, the King of Uruk would be more willing to give a compliment or two and acknowledge Chaldea’s seriousness. Most of the main story in the game is written with simplicity’s sake by not taking other servants (besides Mashu and helpers) into account. I merely show what it would be like with select servants on scene.
Naming confusion, as shown with Their Guiding Light, is handled appropriately in my work. So far, only the Ishtars remain partially confusing to identify, but this was done on purpose. When the story continues down the canon line, there will finally be clarification later.
So far, I’ve been giving Gilgamesh a pretty hard time with the situation, but I believe this is roughly how things would turn out for the arrogant archer. Whether or not it continues you’ll have to find out next chapter, due out later this week since my planned update schedule is back on track.
The first one works well until the dream sequence ends.
The second one does a fair job with the rest, but doesn’t quite catch the tension during the argument in the Throne Room.
Prologue Insight
And so it has begun! New Story! New Dividers! I’m admittedly a little too excited about new dividers!
After taking some feedback to how Camelot went, I did fully intend for this to be as short as possible without wrecking the story. It’s the reason I set a 5 chapter limitation on future supplements, which I decided to scrap. It’s unfair to the story to give it such a limitation, but it’s also bad to stay away from Fragments (the core) for too long. So I’ve made the middle ground flexible.
Also, admittedly the 5 chapters were already looking to be around 15k words each by the outline, so I figured I may as well poll the readers to see if they want that limitation pulled. From now on, there’s no limit, but I’ll keep things appropriate.
Their Guiding Light’s Prologue was fairly straightforward, yet a tad boring since it was a basic setup from Chaldea. I aimed to change that with this one, and I feel I executed that perfectly with a mix of tones. I feel very confident about what I have in store for everyone with this story, and all you have to do is wait and see how I’ve interweaved this with the actual plotline.
Admittedly, the only actual confusing part is keeping track of who’s currently deployed. Camelot also had the issue, but it stemmed from the idea both Gabrielle and Gudao use full teams; This idea has been long founded in Fragments of Chaldea, and is merely something that needs to be done properly. That said, I made it very clear who’s going to be key based on their appearance and exposition. With all the side and passing mentions in Fragments, those who have been reading that should be accustomed to picking out who’s important in the scene.
I did my best to make it as accommodating for those just jumping into Redemption from Sin, but there’s only so much I can do. Each supplement acts like an extension of the core story, and are supposed to be seen as really large and non-Slice-of-Life fragments. If you skip over everything that has previously been written, of course you’re going to be lost. As long as the series has become, it definitely rewards those who have stuck around or read since the beginning.
With nothing to really say about the self-explanatory prologue, I’ll simply say I hope you’re all ready for the journey ahead, because Gilgamesh certainly isn’t. Chapter 1 has been delayed due to work and FGO NA’s release, so it will be released in a week like the core story’s usual update schedule. See you then!
Fragment 88 Insight
Carmilla offered a chance at a different approach. Usual trend has been a servant grows guilty and wants to atone outright for their past sins. Reading Carmilla’s bio and materials made it apparent that the guilt isn’t too heavy, even with her interlude taken into consideration. So that’s what I capitalized on that. Instead of an evil servant doing their best to make up for their past mistakes, Carmilla only made a vow never to do it again. No apology or atonement, only the vague inference of not knowing what she’ll do if she encounters a ghost of a victim.
Still, it pops up as a thought every now and then, so it’s apparent the years she’s spent on Earth after her summoning has tempered her to an extent. By now in Chaldea, she’s more or less come to terms with what was, and is taking advantage of the luxuries presented. She’s also ensuring her noble aesthetic is intact, even if it means ruining it when she comes within eyesight of Elizabeth.
And that aesthetic quality and presented appearances is how I decided to theme Carmilla and her fragment. She’d be huge on that. Every CE she appears her outfits are high tier extravagant or fashionable. The Anniversary CE for this year was probably the shining example, and was also the main outfit I gave her for this fragment:
Just missing the dog.
To that end, a lot of her interactions and decisions needed to be based around aesthetics. The whole “seeing is believing” idea as a theme from two different angles. For her, it’s everything from a big point in choosing her closest group of friends to scrutinizing potential suitors like Hijikata. Even her hobbies would likely be influenced by it since it’s safe to assume things looking ‘out of place’ would be an eyesore to a noble with tastes. Interior Designer instincts felt like a perfect fit.
And, of course, there’s still the speckling of hints of the other part of her real character she’s oblivious to. Like being as dumb as Elizabeth at times, her haughtiness being an occasional first line of defense, and so forth. I hope mixing all of it together still felt smooth all the way through until the tense ending.
It’s been peaceful around here, so it’s about time to rock the boat and flesh out some harder developments. It shouldn’t need to be said, but like the author’s note stated, there’s a reason Lobo was pushed a bit from canon.
Also, if you didn’t recognize the lyrics to the song:
Teaser: Every day in Chaldea was like an offering to the divine. It certainly wasn’t Olympus, but that was a good thing. She even felt freer here than she did atop that ethereal realm. Even so, she had her own self-appointed responsibilities she needed to see through. They gave her a sense of purpose, and made more strides towards subtly appeasing her guilt over previous actions. This time, she’d be a goddess free of any possible guilt, who ensured only the best for those she looked after.
Fragment 87 Insight
First fragment to take part partially during a primary singularity… for obvious reasons why. I thought it’d be nice to show how Chaldea is like while the main force is away. Though a more relaxed singularity compared to the ones they dealt with before, just wanted to show Chaldea was more or less stable and not gripped by overwhelming concern.
Unlike most other fragments, this one is heavy in introspection and mental thought. Babbage isn’t exactly a social butterfly, and his form limits him from doing many things. It was that “lack thereof” that actually helped color him more. He hasn’t really deviated from his interests, but he does still help where applicable, such as applying his genius to current development projects. Especially ones that ensure Chaldea’s prosperity and safety.
Then there’s his real hobby/dream/focus. Having him know of steampunk was an instant “well duh” for developing him. He’d have believers of his vision, and it’d make a nice contrast showing how willing he was to interact with them over the secured internet as opposed to renowned heroes. It’s not that he’s not impressed with the others, but as an intellectual, he just bores of conversation that doesn’t test the mind or further his goal.
So heavy focus was applied to his vision. He doesn’t care too much about the circumstances of his summoning. If anything, he embraced it to pour even more focus into what he wants. It made him more of a recluse compared to most, but he still has colleagues to talk with in the forms of his fellow geniuses. So while it’s not Slice of Life as most see it, it’s definitely Slice of Life for Babbage.
It also made the fragment a perfect segway to introduce Holmes and the case he involved him with. AKA, why 2017 (the Lostbelts) was calculated as a disaster. It’s looking more like Fragments will likely tread down that course with every release, but as I stated before, don’t expect the Lostbelts’ theme to survive the adaptation. My series’ core premise takes absolute authority, and if there’s any complaints about that, I truly question why someone started reading the Slice of Life to begin with.
That aside, there’s not much to really expand upon besides the reasoning decisions. Babbage works on logic and reasoning. Everything is scheduled and calculated, but he still enjoys himself and helps the others. Maybe not the staple feel good many were expecting, but it’s this routine monotony with occasional breaks that I feel best suited him.
Teaser: Everything is relevant to what you know, even the truth. It was her ignorance that doomed her in her previous life, and it was only in this modern world did she understand how her indifferent slaughter of young women was perceived. Her guilt may have been shallow, but it was present, and perhaps that’s why she took Chaldea on their offer. All things considered, it wasn’t too bad here.
Fragment 86 Insight
You can 100-per-cent rest assured Vanguard will not let those two poor soldiers, who were chased by Spartacus in that god awful swimsuit, EVER live it down.
Scarring images aside, this fragment surprised me. It was probably the most difficult one to write, mostly because I haven’t written a true third-person “no-focus” fragment since “Eternal Summer” way back in Season 2. It felt strange, and I was second guessing myself every second with switching POVs while trying to keep everything flowing together. Next hardest part was containing the length. Sure I’m hardly known for my brevity (read: lack thereof), but this one really threatened to drone on, which I hoped it didn’t after cuts and adjustments.
At the same time, I needed to ensure Fragments’ core premise can be seen as safely preserved while also placing new bricks for potential conflict in the future. Stuff from minor abrasion to outright confrontational stuff, mostly thanks to Saber Alter, but also because of some Clock Tower mages and Vigil partial distrust of each other. Can’t have things being too smooth and relaxed.
So the underlying theme is the title: First impressions for everyone on both sides. Again, I tried to ensure everything fit with it, flowed, and merged together as best as I could. Even after a few revisions, I still don’t feel as confident with this fragment as I do with nearly all others, but I still believe it delivered the general message, mood, and impression… while also dropping two major bombs you couldn’t miss.
Like hitting the broad side of a barn at two feet with a light machine gun bolted to the ground sorta guaranteed.
While one is definitely obvious, and won’t be shown, I’m sure a few took note of the name-dropped collaboration project between the Vigil and Chaldea. While it should be fairly indicative, I will remind you it could still swing the other way and the project could be used for something else. I won’t spoil anything here because some read the insights before the fragment (should be the other way around, to be fair), but the project itself will have a different intended purpose in FoC… but that doesn’t mean it still can’t be used for what it is in canon, if you get what I’m saying.
All will be slowly unveiled in time, as usual.
To ease concerns, no, not everyone in the Vigil will be big characters and such. Some named ones, like Fadil and maybe the Norwegian Mobius, will be a minor at most like Janice or Chef Leandre. Sergei and Skyler are definitely majors. Bazett and Kairi are obviously the popular cameos. Saber Alter is… well, you know. There and now can get her own fragment in time. Essentially: Lot of new names in the ever-growing character bloat, but I ensured it was only a minor headache for you to keep track of by using nationalities to swiftly differentiate.
To address a final elephant in the room: Yes. It’s the beginning of something very unique for Kiyohime, but don’t expect things to just be a snap of the fingers away from glory. As with bigger overarching points, I intend to paint it carefully and properly, so it will take time.
Reminding note: There’s no supplements anymore besides Lost Shards. EOR1 will not be novelized in the series, but I’ll be working on a paraphrasing/spark notes of what transpired (Not too different). Then maybe some of you may request a short scene or two you found interesting I could flesh out as a shard.
Teaser: This was a world that developed of its own accord. It was not the one he dreamed of, but it was impressive nonetheless; He’d never fault humanity for consistent progress. However, he was frustrated for being forgotten… or so he thought. It wasn’t until Tyler told him of that strange fantasy obsession that his hope grew. And thus, when they returned, he realized he wasn’t alone in his fascination of a world powered by steam.
Fragment 85 Insight
Another vacation fragment, and 2/2 on touching rougher themes. This time I balanced it out with a lot more scenic wanderlust though.
If you properly recall, Geronimo and Arjuna had a little talk way back in the latter’s fragment about inner wolves. Obviously, that became the theme for this one to compliment Geronimo’s nature and history. He’s a very emotional figure in history, but his older days (as shown in FGO) were calmer even if he held on to some prejudices. I doubled down on this by having an inner-struggle within that he has to manage when certain stimuli are involved.
In this case, it’s the sad reality of the continued conditions of Indian Reservations, which is hardly a lie. Clearly flipping US politics into a three party chaotic slugfest isn’t reality, but that’s mostly a background matter for curiosity’s sake. The less we dive into politics the better, but in this case, it was a dare I took because of the high potential it has with Geronimo. In particular, giving him his own newfound purpose for staying beyond ‘minor singularities’ while also challenging his anger control.
I was more miffed with Geronimo’s lack of material compared to others, mainly because this is one servant I really, really wanted to portray appropriately. The Native Americans have been fairly misunderstood, and I won’t want to add to that with scattered belief. That said, Fate’s whole “beliefs influences the spirit” shtick (like Salieri) means I could feasibly get away with some leniency, but I try to avoid that when I can. I do what I can to paint every servant in a meaningful way that can allow them to further grow upon that and expand.
As a note with OCs revealed in vacation fragments: They’re like the ones in supplements. You very likely won’t see them again, but they could be referenced still. Them popping into Chaldea though is an easy guess though: Don’t count on it. Not everyone has to come to the building to be meaningful to someone.
Every location save for the restaurant was a real life depiction, and I’ve personally visited two of them. I’ll place links further down, but the Antelope Canyon depiction was actually partially inspired by what I went through. To access it, you must have a guide because it’s on the reservation, but the one I had was particularly fervent about laying down blame on the US government. Righteously so, he’s allowed to complain, but the tour was probably 40% about the canyon and 60% about reservation conditions. It was an eye-opening time, but for others who were not interested in learning and just wanted to see the place, that could have been one hell of a vacation ruining experience.
I didn’t want to replicate that sort of guilt-trip into the fic. I feel the discussion was already pretty dark and revealing as is.
Like I said before, vacation fragments often severely limit servant to servant interaction, so I try to limit them. They work wonders for ‘less social’ servants like Geronimo, and by that I mean those who don’t classify as a “social butterfly.” There will be yet another in the future.
Teaser: Super fragment, and it doesn’t feature any servant in particular. Many will pop into the limelight for this one, because the Vigil’s Elite “Vanguard” Platoon finally arrives, and it will create new friction, ease reservations, or both. Very likely both.
Fragment 84 Insight
Mandatory unapologetic pun: It’s Treestan’s fragment so it was bound to be a bit sappy.
Groans aside, I wanted it to be a nice little progressive mix. Many probably snapped their fingers that I teased Arturia lily again but then pulled a ‘nope’ barely a scene later, but it was all as the small tie in for the later developments. Obviously Arturia was getting her material body change, so it would be best from a knight’s perspective. What better than it being Tristan, who didn’t understand her just like she didn’t understand them? And what cooler concept than showing three (technically) sides of the same coin.
It was going to have its sad moments, because that’s Tristan. He’s the tragically beautiful knight. Everywhere he went, despair was sure to follow, and I wanted to ensure that was well-cemented in his actions and thoughts. He gets a second chance, so he’s going to be much more aware of what he, and others (like Emiya), might due to cause an error. But even if he’s mostly living to ensure his King’s new way of living, he has his own little glimpses of growing satisfaction.
I thought of exploring his bond with the other knights deeper, but it wound up spread across the board to just give a general summary: They get along again, are practically in sync, and Bedivere remains his closest. There was a small bit of extra comparisons with Mordred and Lancelot, but Gawain wound up getting a bit of the short stick.
I tried to make a lot of symbolism in Emiya’s admittance and the overall proposal, so I particularly like how that came out, even compared to the hilarity of the reveal scene only a bit before. The fragment wound up containing a tiny bit of everything except full angst, so I had to make sure the transitions were smooth. I know a lot would probably be loving the scene, so any little nitpicks had to be ironed. It did mean the party’s description was a little bit on the hasty side, but the fragment was already dragging on way longer than I wished. Season 4 is looking to be the longest entries yet…
This is the cover of the famous Elvis Presley song Tristan played for the final scene, later joined by Jeanne singing the lyrics:
Teaser: In his last years, he’d longed to return to the land of his birth… to once more see the red rocks that he fought amongst so many times before. Now he had, and he felt his tempered anger flare yet again for the conditions of his people. Even so, with the help of friends and his own wise mind, he held back, and only fell determined to bring hope to his people without despair.
Fragment 83 Insight
The teaser should have made it very obvious who was popping up this time around.
The last time two servants were summoned at the same time was back with Karna and Arjuna. There won’t be another ‘summoning’ fragment for a while since they tend to be fairly straightforward and predictable, but I needed to use this one to set up a few things. The dual summoning was both for convenience and spice, but Achilles and Chiron also weren’t the only ones summoned in the weekish gap.
In exchange for the ‘summoning fragment’ disappearing for a while, I’ll be pulling a few ‘summoned in the background’ deals again like I did back in Seasons 1 and 2. I need to focus more on servants that are in Chaldea who still haven’t gotten their showing.
Besides the usual trend of adding new foreshadowed future stuff and making new developments, I started another subplot/arc. It was bound to happen with all the foreshadowing it was given, but it won’t be dragged out too much. It’ll be mostly comedic if anything, but there’s another drama one (or multiple) coming up to keep things active. Can’t have everything be 100% sunshine and rainbows.
That said, Chiron was straightforward to write. Almost too straightforward honestly. It felt a bit plain, so I tried to see if I couldn’t expand on the whole idea he was taught too. His skill does wonders for knowledge and teaching, but I thought it’d be a nice twist that he’s also looking to further himself. Does wonders to cement him as a powerful but humble figure who understands there’s always room for improvement.
There were also too many possibilities for interactions, so I had to pick and choose what offered some of the most potential. Scathach and Heracles were no-brainers, but I also wanted a relaxed one (Da Vinci and Chacha) so it wasn’t all 100% meaningful. Sometimes you just gotta throw in a new angle. It meant interactions with fellow Great Holy Grail War companions got heavily watered down, but like everything, there’s still plenty of room for showing in the future. Their interactions would have been a bit too plain, obvious, and repetitive too.
Teaser: He could never take the harsh words of truth back; He’d meant it back then, but they didn’t apply now. They had both learned their mistakes. Now, he was allowed to witness something truly majestic after acknowledging his own misunderstanding. From here on, he once again swore he’d follow his King in the new life she lived as one of her faithful knights.
Fragment 82 Insight
I was very much considering lopping dozens upon dozens of medical terminology all over the place, but I decided to tone it down a bit. I still wished to flavor the fragment with occasional bouts of medical analysis and observations since it is about Nightingale.
Most importantly of all though, I made certain that she never saw her mad enhancement fueled resolve feel like a problem: It wouldn’t be for her. It’s her own lifelong resolve tripled into a borderline obsession, like Hijikata. It’s who they are, and not just madness for the sake of madness. Thus, she wouldn’t even consider the dilution potion once in her own thoughts.
That said, I also wanted to make it so it’s not all ridiculously fueled resolve. Yes, she doesn’t listen to others when it comes to diagnosis, assessment, advice, and treatment, but she does listen to herself and her regarding those. It’s like her natural instincts and practice; She’s a nurse that doesn’t let others tell her how to do her job, but if the situation calls for it, she will still act accordingly.
Case in point: Baby Gio and her mother Elsa. Treating a baby harshly and distantly would cause unnecessary stress and anxiety for a newborn, but being compassionate would yield improved results in a quick/efficient manner. Thus, I thought it’d be a nice twist, as shown in Marie’s fragment, that Nightingale was absolutely gentle with babies. I also made it where she acknowledges her own shortcomings in regards to mental health, which is an entirely new field, so Elsa would have a little more sway then most as an expert in that category. Again, fueled resolve halted by personal acknowledgement that someone else is much more suited for the task.
The small tricky part was ensuring Nightingale was running all over the world to save every wounded though. A bit of weaving and finesse, but I think the reasoning works out. It’s not like she’s not taking her vacation as humanitarian missions anyway.
And finally, a smorgasbord of interactions with others, including finally fixing a long-term problem: What better fragment for Naomi to wake up then one regarding a nurse? All that should have been self-explanatory though.
I’ll need to take a one week break due to unexpected workload. I was hoping I’d get more Halloween themes in before October ended, but c’est la vie.
Teaser: He came from an era of heroes, myths, and legends, yet Chaldea was looking to be like nothing he’d seen before. There were many faces he recognized upon arrival, both from that great holy grail war and his past life… but he was happy they’d be his allies. Most of all, he was relieved he and his students were off to a pleasant start once more.
Fragments of Chaldea 
You must be logged in to post a comment.