Fragments of Chaldea
A Fate/Grand Order Fanfiction Series
Fragment 51 Insight
Cursed Arm is probably the most interesting for plain slice of life. Just look at the dude. He’s more menacing than friendly looking on first glance, especially considering Heaven’s Feel route… yet what does his My Room Lines and Camelot Singularity reveal? I really liked the appeal Nasu added to his character’s flip side, and it was more than easy to run with it.
So, I made flat out slice of life for him since his lines and actions pointed in that direction. He likes doing chores and probably has some subdued desires to be a family man. Complicate it by acknowledging he is a Hassan who must follow their creed strictly, and you get an interesting picture to work with. What better way to exemplify that then by the uneasy and uncertain shadow of their order’s founder within Chaldea?
Since he likes doing chores, I also figured he would be one of those more than willing to lend a hand to others. This opened the door to many different possibilities to show how many skills and things he’s learned by doing so. It also allowed me to plant plenty of foundation material for later concepts and developments, including the biggest: Anishka is revealed as the fiftieth master.
There was initially a scene where Cursed Arm was going to be doing some Peacekeeper stuff too, since I have him slated for that. It wasn’t scrapped, but merely moved to a later fragment to save some space.
I’ll paint more of King Hassan’s character later, but Cursed Arm’s interactions with him in the two scenes showcase just how lenient he’s being. Everyone whose read the my room lines should be well aware of what King Hassan thinks of the vanilla Hassans. Given the circumstances and their changed situations, I simply adjusted his outlook appropriately for how he’d like view them now. It’s still very much a mystery though which will be revealed in his fragment when the series gets to that point. It’s much later, as a note.
Next week, someone’s obtaining spontaneous presents for special people in their lives, but they need to get materials secretly so there’s less of a chance they find out. It’s time to go shopping in a benign singularity!
Fragment 50 Insight
A fair bit of female fanservice here. I do give a shout out to both demographics, don’t forget!
All throughout the Bablyonia Singularity, it was only about dealing with Kingu. This time, it’s about learning how the real Enkidu has adapted to his new home. Needless to say, with the help of his friend, it was fairly straightforward, which paved the way for a light-hearted and humorous fragment.
The only tricky part was writing his “checked” attitude towards Ishtar. He hates her with a passion normally, and for good reason, but this is not the same goddess. Since a few days passed, and even Gilgamesh permits her conversations, it was not a hard stretch for Enkidu to give a second chance. All it needed was a few more sparks to make him offer a chance to “restart fresh”, so I included the most curious way to do so: A hardcore volleyball match.
Besides Enkidu’s potential bond with Ishtar, I made sure this entry was all about closing the final gap between Gilgamesh and some others. They’re practically already friends, but the King of Heroes doesn’t want to admit it. Enkidu obviously sees otherwise, so he just patiently waits to push them ever closer. The only thing it lacks is that dialogue with Gilgamesh about making more friends, which I decided not to show.
There was plenty of interaction between the two friends already in this fragment, and would rather showcase other stuff.
The Jenga game was a last-minute idea, but also introduced the recurring situation that Iskandar is being his usual, pushy self (but with good intent). It also gave me a good chance to continue to show, through action rather than dialogue, just how close and comfortable Gilgamesh and Enkidu are. Then again, I’m pretty sure the ending lines of the opening scene pretty much outlined just how comfortable they are as friends.
The new summer event allowed me to fine tune some swimsuit designs, but otherwise wasn’t the main point of this. They’ll make more of a showing with their antics later, mind you, but the main attraction was definitely the volleyball game. I wanted it to be as “regular cool” as possible in the beginning before ramping up to become outrageous. The servants had to get carried away by summoning all their stuff, and thankfully Summer 2017 gave me the leeway needed to make summoning Gulaganna to help a feasible idea.
Final note, I just had to throw in the lancer died joke. I figured too many entries had elapsed without its true appearance.
Next week, a servant continues their newfound daily routine. But besides trying to do chores before the robots can, what other curious hobbies and tasks have they picked up?
Fragment 49 Insight
Been a bit since there’s been a bronze servant showcased, but it was time to shed a bit lighter on Salon de Marie again. What better than the stoic assassin behind the bar and his point of view?
When one thinks of a bar scene, it’s usually either a party or depressed situation. I decided to showcase a few different ones to shake up the general stereotype just a touch. There was initially going to be a sad scene mixed in with the others to showcase how he handles those, but I decided there’s been enough of that in a row thanks to the singularity. Anishka’s scene served enough for the negative end of the spectrum by use of fear and uncertainty. It serves well with the Emiya scene to help showcase a wider variety of situations.
However, the real meat here is seeing how the stoic Sanson has learned to adapt as a retrained bartender thanks to Mata Hari and Marie. By use of different individuals and scenarios, I tried to show that he’s still just as human as the others and is capable of learning. With a strong medical background, he would use that insight and understanding as advantages in a situation. His swift analysis would then allow him to properly respond with his newfound wisdom and improving social skills.
The real trick was doing it all in one location through several different scenarios… all in one night. It’s a small window into what he would likely have to deal with on occasion in such a filled facility. As stated before, for months he was just a stoic mixer with great drinks but sub-par hospitality due to his reserved nature. This is a giant example of the leaps he’s doing for his queen and himself to improve on that.
This chapter, while serving to bring out Sanson’s character, also held a lot of foreshadowing. It’s fairly obvious what’s coming down the pipeline for some, but others were left a touch vaguer. It also had to be balanced and blended to ensure it didn’t dominate a scene too much, since this is Sanson’s fragment. However, they still needed to feel natural in their own ways, and I hope they did.
As a final note, that won’t be the last you see of full-throttle Shakespearean speech. Having him and Sanson (whose noble upbringing likely made him read his works) converse was a rare treat and development for both, but it won’t be the last for the playwright. I find his dialogue incredibly fun to write after studying his works for a few years personally. Having him and Sanson use it as everyday greetings and conversation was something I’ve been looking forward to revealing, but it won’t be abused.
Next week, Chaldea’s curious event is unveiled at Fantasia Resort! A long-awaited competition finally heats up! What awaits the beach-going residents of the facility before Tamamo’s Chilean asado?
Fragment 48 Insight
Feels good to be back to Slice of Life. But before we fully seat ourselves in the true presence, there was one more elephant in the room to address. Due to the focus being on Gilgamesh, Medusa was left out, so it was only fair to address her situation.
Medusa’s hidden concern, combined with Ana’s own emotions during her memories, is one hell of a powder keg. Thus, this Fragment was going to lean towards the angsty side. She’s been through a lot, and after facing herself she’s going to have a lot of questions, concerns and fears. Add to the fact Ana turned into Gorgon, and you have a rationalized fear.
I used this point to help convey that certain things can’t happen with memorial essences. I also took the time to explain Ana’s situation regarding what happened. Whether truly canonical or not, it fit the chosen narrative well. It also provided a good opportunity to introduce the idea Merlin can just come and go as he pleases with that little Independent Manifestation skill of his. Quite the handy little thing.
Though I showed proper concern and worry from her friends, including an unheard criticizing rant from Hans, there were only two people who could feasibly shake sense back into her. Thus, the emotional scene with the three sisters, and later their additional, protective berserker. I used that opportunity to introduce their new begrudging viewpoint on beauty, considering the modern belief has shifted compared to theirs. It helps to reduce Medusa’s personal complex through the revelation they’re also jealous of her in ways.
As a small note, yes, the older sisters are usually berating and teasing of their youngest, but it should be noted they do still love her. After many more months in Chaldea after the tragic end, I have no doubt they would have allowed themselves to be kinder to her… in private at first. This is merely the tipping point where they realize she can’t just handle everything on her own like she used to. This time, it’s their turn to help take care of her in a way only they can provide: real family.
Fairly straightforward fragment that helps show Medusa’s first steps to actually pursuing her interests earnestly. It’s no longer just doing it enough to find satisfaction and contentment, but to make her happy, both for herself and her sisters. If she’s happy, they’re happy. Vice versa also works. What you’re left with is a simple formula that makes Medusa accept the appreciation and her own newfound pursuit of a joyous life.
Time for Fragment 49′s hint!
Next week we have a Smörgåsbord of interactions and moods all tied together around one central theme: You see a lot of interesting things as a bartender.
Fragment 47 Insight
The irony about releasing this Fragment was that I pulled a very late night to fix my sleep schedule… Pre-Work-Trip excitement sucks.
Iskander seems to have this accidental knack for being part of the last fragment before a supplement. It’s not intentional, since this one is his actual Fragment, as opposed to the large part he had in Mordred’s. Unlike that one, I wanted this to feel much more upbeat while maintaining a slight transitional feel towards the supplement. I feel that was accomplished relatively easily.
I wanted to show yet again Gilgamesh does show some respect to certain individuals. Rama was shown to be one earlier, among the other heroic Indian Spirits, but Fate/Zero made it clear Iskander would easily be considered among the count. Though none would be anywhere near friend tier, they would at least be able to discuss with Gilgamesh on rather civil terms. With that building block out of the way, it was easy to move on to the actual fun parts.
There are many ways to torture an OC, but I feel what I do for Tyler is the perfect way to do that. You’ve got the overbearing King of Conquerors who always looks to bring out the best in people… in his own way, of course. Too bad the little prank doesn’t go as intended, but it sure is relatable, isn’t it? I’m sure we all know that one person, or maybe you’re it, that would want nothing more than to nuke their house to remove that tiny spider that got a touch too close. Poor arachnids can never catch a break.
A reader reminded me a while ago Iskander did hold the title of Pharaoh, which I completely forgot about. Shame on me, especially since he’s my second favorite and he was involved in Nitocris’ interlude about this very topic. I simply waited until his fragment to show it considering he’d likely be with others he’s closer with on most occasions.
I’ve introduced a lot of servants over the past several fragments, but most barely got screen time. I’ll be remedying this issue in Babylonia and the next set of fragments, but at least Shuten gets her first slice of life interaction. For the festival-loving servant who has endless food and alcohol indulgence, I feel she would take a big liking to games of that caliber. Just Dance easily comes to mind for breaking that ice, but like Mordred and Cu, she’s only an occasional visitor compared to the real core.
I included plenty of Waver & Iskander interactions because it’s only to be expected. While straightforward, I think I did a fairly decent job of depicting the growth in their friendship, and how there are still nostalgic consistencies.
I also added a small tip of the hat to the Extella War while showing Iskander’s other means of taking on worthy warlords. Too bad Nero hasn’t figured out how to apply Imperial Privilege to help her dice rolls.
Next Fragment won’t be for a long while, but I thought 47 would leave everyone with a good feeling since it was almost pure Slice of Life. I hope you all are ready for a shift in tension, because Babylonia is going to bring the drama in spades!
… In three weeks’ time, of course. I have actual career stuff to do.
P.S. – Had some issues imagining the dance moves the group had to do with Shuten? Here are the videos!
First Song:
Second Song: (Can you imagine Waver and Iskander attempting to do this?)
Fragment 46 Insight
Didn’t see this servant coming at all, did you?
Hyde is technically his own servant, and one of the ones who practically required their own fragment. Since Jekyll is the primary identity, the chances for Hyde to make an appearance are much more limited. However, of all the characters who could make the final push for to end a long-standing development, he was the best choice. It made for a great book-end since the whole relationship question was raised by him in Jekyll’s Fragment months ago.
The trick was getting him to the point where he would actually consider doing it.
It was easy enough since watching Jekyll would likely give him a headache, especially after all his development. With Mordred shaving off parts of Jekyll’s gentleman persona, Hyde would likely get more respect for his alter ego. With every step he takes down the less “pure” path, it would be a nod of the head from Hyde. So when Jekyll makes a giant leap in the other direction, of course Hyde’s going to be frustrated and dumbfounded.
The other trick was ensuring Hyde wasn’t going to do anything crazy, but at the same time, explaining why he hasn’t tried to forcibly seize control whenever he’s released. This took a bit of extra thinking, but the idea that you can do anything you put your mind to made it clear: He can manipulate imagination at will. He’s trapped in the brain, so why shouldn’t he be able to use the imagination section to make his “prison” a lot more comfortable? Quite the comforts he has access to now.
I added enough of Hyde’s quick interactions to show how many see and deal with him in Chaldea. To be fair, it’s mostly his fault they’re still distrusting of him when he’s throwing blunt commentary around. What do you expect from the man, anyway? He’s smart enough not to cause too much trouble, but he’s certainly not going to bend over backwards for people who he doesn’t owe anything to.
Gawain is still his loyal lap-dog self, but for good reason. At least it doesn’t extend over his king alone anymore. Arthur is also showing his newfound protection for family, showing he sees this Mordred as something different from his actual son (who is an actual son, heh). With all the knights likely to be stalwart, there needed to be some sort of leverage for the berserker. That’s where Brynhildr comes in, since her standpoint and heartache over Jekyll’s situation would likely make her at least consider the options from a different perspective.
The rest is straightforward, with not too many future teases. That will be remedied next chapter now that Chaldea has reached a relatively stable equilibrium once more. It’s time to shake it up again in the last Fragment before their next primary singularity. Next week features a servant with a larger-than-life and often overbearing personality.
Fragment 45 Insight
Very few could cut the que line, but Arthur had enough links compatibility to make a better fit in this section. This fragment was originally going to be Gawain’s, but I felt he had a lot of show time and development in Their Guiding Light. He’ll have guaranteed scenes next chapter to make up for it, however.
So, we raised the issue earlier with having two of the same servant, but Arthur is able to break the restrictions. As indicated earlier through questions asked, Arthur would not count as a memorial essence because he lived a fairly different life from Arturia in another timeline. There’s a big difference from being a male and pretending to be one, after all, especially when they demeanor and personality are remarkably different at an un-influenced core.
Arthur is already far less rigid than Arturia was when she was summoned. He’s been seen as open and even sometimes teasing. With that in mind, his emotional range was already significantly bigger, so I concentrated on him getting acquainted with those who were hoping he’d arrive, and those he’d run into conflict with.
Not conflict in the aggressive sense, but in terms of recognition and acknowledgement. This isn’t like Joan and Jeanne, where they’re polar opposites. Arturia (at this point in FoC) and Arthur are fairly close in nature. I decided to go with the tried and true family approach. Arthur is no substitute for Kay, but he could certainly act like a concerning big brother since he bristles with chivalry. Add the fact his counterpart could easily pass as his little sister, and the key fits rather nicely.
I was initially going to make a bigger show of pointing out how Arturia/Girlin and Merlin/Arthur share voice actors, but I decided not to. I simply made a one line tease and that was all that was really necessary.
I made the banquet with the Prototype group a tad shorter, but kept the impression it was going very well. For those confused about what happened as the first forms of dinner entertainment, the Medjeb chasing the Sphinx was a Pac Man reference, and the mummies were doing Michael Jackson’s classic Thriller Dance. Who says you can’t get creative?
I gave a top of the hat to Ayaka because of the Bond 10 card for Arthur. The translation for the card has a lot of meaning in it, so I thought it was only right something in Chaldea would spark that interest as well.
I felt there wasn’t enough inclusion of just the masters bonding with a servant, so I slipped in a scene of that for Arthur. He could likely use it to reaffirm his position that not all master’s are bad… or at least, Manaka levels of bad. It also allowed me to drop some other information in regards to master background, which I do on occasion.
Next week, I finally bring the Mordred/Jekyll thing to its conclusion. But who is going to be the one to break the rules of courtesy to help them?
The dance the mummies were doing:
Fragment 44 Insight
It had to come eventually. A fragment starring everyone’s favorite, self-sacrificing archer. Natural to this servant, I had to make sure everything he did was both rather optimistic and friendly, formed by positive intent. He’s a hero after all, and one who forged peace for two groups with his most famous move.
With this in mind, I had to bring to light him and Frankenstein. Going off of the idea that servant death pretty much amounts to nothing development wise due to the mechanics… I simply made the point obvious. Having them kill themselves repeatedly at key moments, only to bring back, would be pretty bland and dumb, but their noble phantasms needed to be mentioned. Since the staff are, even still, unaware they can be brought back, of course Gudao would keep his stance that their Noble Phantasms are banned.
As stated, sacrifice is something that needs to be weighed heavily. Things usually wind up being contrived to warrant it.
That said, with a whole bunch of the other servant groups getting highlights through the past 44 fragments (TGL is a big fragment, heh), it was only a matter of time before we arrived at the Prototype group. Ozymandias was missing, but I think I did enough inference to say he gets along with them now. I at least made certain that they would have a group meeting in some way, and to cheer up Serenity would be one ideal.
Too bad it didn’t go so well for the rather lightweight Jekyll. Just wait and watch, that’s all. It’s pretty clear why this needed to be done when you take a step back and look at the overall picture.
New servants have been arriving rather rapid fire recently. For those who were wondering how I was going to do it, well, no more curiosity I guess. Even if it was technically just another Collab, Shiki has arrived as another pseudo-servant. More to come, of course, and they’ll all get adequate screen time when proper fragments approach. Not yet, though, since I need these next few to help bring an end to this little “arc” (of sorts) and form the final building blocks for Babylonia’s course.
With that said, next week we get more into ideals and chivalry, which means following a famous Knight of Camelot. Which one though?
Fragment 43 Insight
Marie’s Salon Team hasn’t had much insight into their inner relations, so I aimed to fix that by following one of the members. I chose Mozart because of the uplifting potential he had with a musical based fragment. The scenes of the salon group were intermixed to help show how they interact with each other as well, since most of their appearances are with others being catered. There were plenty of angles to work with, but I went with a casual approach until the very end.
As Chaldea’s most prominent musician for obvious reasons, if it didn’t include any music, the fragment would have been beyond serviceable. So I included it in every aspect of his current living (and past), as well as its influence on how he thinks. It has had a powerful impact on him as his bio states, and I took some real-history liberties to add some extra depth. Music is everything to him, for better or for worse, but this time he aims to make it for the best.
…unless the singing idol rivals are involved: Then he just hates life, but can you blame him? They had to make an appearance too, without a doubt. If anyone can give them the critique they need, it’s Mozart (not Hans this time!). Whether they can handle it or not is the real question.
Speaking of handling, I brought up the radical idea he actually accepts a few modern songs. That’s the key note though: It has to be an extreme few. The amount of outrage when Rock first came out in the 50’s was loud, and that was only a single generation gap. Mozart dealing with all this new aged music? As mentioned several times before, Mozart hates it and for good reason. That said, his love for music would lead him to at least see why it “turned so poor” and search for pieces of hope.
Even if he hates the electronic background, I feel many Lindsey Stirling’s songs (save a few) could convince him that a blend is possible. He would find most hope in film-style orchestral and other instrumental pieces. They are more akin to what he would create and be exposed to in his time, so there’s no question about that. With that in mind though, his acceptance of modern music would likely come to a halt here; The basic background beat would be the borderline of what he’d even allow, and only because it would admittedly raise spirits with its catchy and mood-raising beat.
As a musician, he has to give an occasional tip of the hat to entertain the modern generation too… begrudgingly, of course.
Finally, since Mozart knows magecraft, I felt knowing that performance spell would be a nice touch. He already has a performance requiem as a Noble Phantasm, so something as casual as visualized notes and a manifestation aura should be mundane enough to be acceptable.
Next week, we follow one of Grand Order’s most beloved heroes, for various reasons.
The ending song in case some haven’t heard it:
Fragment 42 Insight
This Fragment shares a lot of similarities with the Hans one, simply based on the inclusion of a rather large fighting event. The difference is, the mood of the casters actually reflects in the style of the fights. Hans’ more critical viewpoint made his darker, while Helena’s rather relaxed and even optimistic one lent to the more comedic and exhilarating ones she followed.
As a note, if you’re wondering why they got partially sidelined with their fights, it’s a tip of the hat to their roles: They’re supports.
But that doesn’t mean they both take back stage roles. Helena shows this through her newly learned hobby. Lighting something is an art, as I’ve had drilled into my head several times as a photographer and Film School Graduate. It’s not easy, especially with an event where there’s unpredictable movement. It can be done plainly, but where’s the fun in that? So like Hans discovered his passion for announcing, Helena found her supporting role in manipulating lights perfectly without obscuring the view for the audience. A rather unusual trick, but with her automatas and direction, it suits her well.
Those little guys aren’t great in combat, so they may as well see more use besides maids.
Helena’s classic teaching notion got a much larger spotlight as Chaldea’s first official teacher, for the children… and Jeanne. I wanted to include Jeanne’s curiosity for continued learning, but it felt shoehorned in most places outside her fragment. Introducing it with the idea Helena is educating the children made for the best situation.
Though she makes a lot of references with India, I put that to the side for now to talk about at a later date. Instead, I focused on her friendship with Edison. as a fellow caster. I felt setting up their work ethic was a nice touch, as well as introducing a few new concepts with Da Vinci’s creation and Chaldea’s current standing.
I also wished to highlight her stance with peacekeeping between Edison and Tesla. Unlike other rivalries, there’s is more absurd and comedic than potentially violent since they’re gentleman. With that in mind, I wanted their words to bite harder than their actual hits… until they do finally come to blows at the end. Their fight was kinda shadowed, and underwritten, compared to Tyler and Delaqua’s, but I did that on purpose. I wanted to leave it to the imagination what bickering could have happened based on everything they’ve said already, since the action was relatively bland as a classic boxing match.
Finally, there needed to be some sort of reference to Theosphy and Helena’s noble phantasm without having to dive too deeply into it. I made mentions here and there, but I felt most followers of Fate only know the basics of Theosphy as explained by the game itself. So not to confuse with concept and terminology, I went with the casual angle: Her UFO noble phantasm. Word will likely spread about that, igniting the imaginations of the science community. They’d make references about aliens. All it takes then, is for Medusa to recommend a rather well known book for her to expand her knowledge.
Too bad the conclusion of the fight is preventing her from charging straight through to the answer she seeks.
I’m leaving next week’s teaser a mystery again too. It isn’t until Fragment 44 that things get a little serious again.
Fragments of Chaldea 
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