Fragments of Chaldea
A Fate/Grand Order Fanfiction Series
Fragment 31 Insight
Mordred was going to show up regardless just due to their friendship. It’s been mentioned several times, and glanced at a distance in Their Guiding Light. They’re almost opposites, which creates an interesting dynamic when the two are allowed to simply interact. He’s the anchor that keeps Mordred from going completely wild, and she’s the force that’s pushing him from being overly docile. Whether they like it or not, since their interactions in London, their intricacies influence each other in a subtle manner.
As stated, I don’t follow the fandom’s popular ideas blindly, though it does have a subtle influence on small scenes or concepts. Look hard enough and there are some meme references on occasion. I will admit that the idea of an ambiguous Mordred/Jekyll has been floating around since I introduced their friendship way back in Fragment 13. It was both London, and a strange explosion of supposed fanart, that sparked the idea. I simply leave it ambiguous at this point.
We’re dealing with someone that, in a sense, has a dual personality. Of course Gilles would make another appearance as well considering his own backstory. I felt it gave proper reflection and served as a nice mirror for both of them. I tried to make it seem like Jekyll was convincing himself by talking to Gilles, but I refrained from being overly blunt about it.
Besides Mordred, Hyde was the other guarantee for an appearance. They’re in the same body, so of course he would appear. Unlike what was shown in “A Study in the Color of Ravens’ Feathers” (Official work which I highly recommend reading), I decided to let Hyde take a spectator-style back seat instead of constant whispers. I created the idea he could simply set up a meeting with Jekyll if he wanted to discuss anything, though from the doctor’s perspective it would be more like berating.
I wanted him to be crazed, but not absolutely insane. He does what he wants for ephemeral pleasure, even more so than Drake, but that doesn’t mean he’s an idiot. He knows what’s going on and what he has to do to get “let out” more often to do as he pleases. It’s like a game of mental checks and balances, so while he does hate Jekyll, he knows he has to cooperate with him on some regard. Where this unique sort of partnership will lead will only develop form here, but I have at least set the building blocks for them.
He’s also the best asset to point out blatantly what he refuses to acknowledge. It’s ironic that the evil within he had refused to accept is now trying to make him accept other ideas, like a pseudo-snowball effect.
A bunch of the Prototype servants were mentioned, but not shown, to be directly involved with Jekyll. Besides Paracelsus, Arash is also supposed to be good friends with the assassin, though I’m saving their interactions for his fragment instead. There was also the two mentions of proto-Arthur so readers could get a general idea of what others knew of him in Chaldea.
Overall, it’s a very straight forward fragment to read. No real subtle intricacies, which made it an ideal follow up after Kiyohime’s addition. Next week we have Serenity’s chapter, and as stated, it is OC heavier than the usual. It doesn’t happen often, but they do get some spotlight… and for very good reason next week.
Final Note: For those who don’t recall correctly, if you watch the rabbit scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Gawain is one of the knights who gets his ass handed to him by the fluffy thing. You can see why Gawain is a little jumpy around Fou now.
Fragment 30 Insight
Since you’ve read the Fragment, you can likely see why I consider it the most controversial one to date. It’s one thing to develop a character over the course of time, which I did, but it’s another thing entirely to get rid of an undesired trait. There was definitely no way around this confrontation though, so I wrote it the best way plausible.
To summarize everything, something had to be done to correct the problem, but also give Kiyohime a happy ending she deserves as a tragic servant.
The Mad Enhancement had to be removed if there was to be any hope of this happening, and thankfully I already set that precedent a long time ago. That elixir ain’t cheap though. Another controversy in this chapter is Gabrielle’s willingness to go behind another servant’s back to keep the peace. If you read this carefully enough, and aren’t a skimmer, you likely could tell how intricate I was in the specifics. She did it willingly, but she also didn’t do it without regrets. She did it because it had to be done.
It can be argued that being a Yandere is Kiyohime’s defining factor, which is exactly why this was controversial. But I didn’t remove the definitive trait of a character entirely, which is the important part. I simply toned it down because the mad enhancement is gone. She still has the lingering crush on Gudao she’s trying to get over, but she’s willing to move on in hopes of finding someone she can truly be dedicated to… except this time, she’s waiting for him to make the first move.
If anything, I would argue her mad enhancement was holding her back. She can grow and try new things in hopes Gudao falls in love with her, yes, but she’s not forming strong friendships when all she can talk about it him. She’s been wandering the halls, creeping out nearly the entire population, and over obsessing over the master to a very unhealthy extent. She’s literally a prisoner of her legend, just like Dantes was. She can still be a very dedicated/ jealous/ possessive individual without being over obsessed to the point of killing intent, which is exactly what was changed.
The Gorgon sisters were the best bet for making Kiyohime a better person while keeping her the way she is. Honestly, there was nothing wrong with the berserker except her one absolute flaw which was her clingy over obsession with the master. You remove that, which is completely viable with the mad enhancement, and she’s suddenly one hell of a character. Hell, she’s even the wife material she believes herself to be, and only really needs advice on some fine-tuning etiquette.
You can make a lot of back and forth arguments on the philosophies the Gorgon sisters taught Kiyohime, or more specifically the one lecture mentioned. The point of that is, it’s from their perspective. Of course the man-hating goddesses are going to have a pro-female point of view. Of course they’re going to want the man to make all the approaches and effort, because they’re goddesses who have only had stuff done for them. Again, it’s all in perspective.
But another important part is her renewed friendship with Tamamo. Their rivalry essentially dissolved with the revelation of the relationship, so there was nothing to stand in the way of it again… except themselves. I had Kiyohime determined to renew it, because it would be true to her character. She’s determined and resolute, so she would do it if Tamamo was still uncertain if Kiyohime would be comfortable or not with the idea (which she was).
…and what better re-bonding session than attacking a faux male target? Tamamo’s signature Polygamist Castration Fist just had to make a showing, even before any sort of summer Fragment appeared.
With all that, I felt I could settle the design by having it end on New Year’s Eve. The whole resolution thing applies, of course. Though Kiyohime didn’t get her wish for Gudao, perhaps someone else will come down the line. Until then, I gave her plenty of support and newfound friendships to make her happy now that she’s no longer creepily stalking the master.
Gabrielle shows how far she’s willing to go to keep the peace and ensure the best for everyone, which is much farther and more controversial than Gudao would ever consider. It serves to separate them further, but at the same time she acknowledges greatly what she did was wrong through words and actions. Some may come to hate Gabrielle for it, but her actions were no unrealistic for the situation. What Kiyohime decides her punishment will be with the tickets is anyone’s guess, but she knows she deserves it; Why else would she give them to her?
Until next time! As a small apology, because I actually did the teaser number wrong, I will reveal next Chapter’s servant.
Serenity’s was supposed to be 32, not 31 (next fragment). Fragment 31 stars Jekyll.
Fragment 29 Insight
Christmas could have been its own mini arc at this point, seeing as the past three fragments all happened within the same week. While technically following each other, they still feel like separate pieces thanks to their spotlight servants.
And so we’ve finally arrived at Scathach, one of the most iconic servants in Grand Order.
I’m sure many were curious why her disposition was different, but I hope this Fragment finally unveiled everything about that. If you looked at all the clues and facts, it was fairly obvious that the reason she became more open and talkative was because of Gabrielle. I simply used the first part of her piece to solidify that idea. I also made sure to remind everyone (as if no one doesn’t know at this point in fragments…) that servants can change over time thanks to their exposure to different circumstances.
So I took a different approach with her fragment, since she’s a lot more collected and reserved compared to many other servants. Like Kiritsugu, I can see her being content with being around other servants without feeling the need to mingle. Going off that idea, there’s a lot of observing and self reflection compared to most other fragments. This is also coupled with a lack of dialogue, since she would be more than willing (at this point) to just enjoy the atmosphere for what it is and not feel the need to add to it.
But still, she needed help to show she’s more than willing to openly converse with people depending on how close they are. Gabrielle and Cu make the perfect candidates for obvious reasons, especially when combined with the much smaller interactions with others.
The observations gave plenty of opportunities to present different situations she’s used to seeing, but it let me showcase Christmas through the eyes of someone content with watching. The contrast between Chaldea’s beginnings and its current state, as seen through a veteran’s eyes, could also be better depicted. It helped give some personal opinion on a holiday, as opposed to Halloween which did not have any focused spotlight and remained unattached per se.
And, of course, besides the usual gifts, Christmas isn’t Christmas without its ugly sweaters.
With the youth potion and the holidays fading away, Chaldea prepares to enter its next chapter. But before the next year can properly commence, there’s an elephant in the room that needs to be addressed for the sake of trust, and those who picked up on the clues should be now well aware of the storm that’s about to break in a very unique way.
No guessing needed for next week’s teaser: It’s time to confront Kiyohime.
Fragment 28 Insight
Santa Alter gets a fairly rough Cameo here. Unfortunately, more details of the minor singularity will only be revealed later, with most remaining a Noodle Incident among anomalies. Let’s be honest though, there are some pretty absurd singularities in the mobile game too. I had originally planned on it being a little more, but it didn’t actually make sense at one point…
… to such an extent, this is actually the first Fragment I scrapped the entire original premise of and re-wrote ¾ the way through. It simply felt too shoehorned and forced when my initial intention was to make it feel like the original 2016 event with different twists. The main issue with that involved circumstances and mechanics: Santa Lily was going to disappear in Fragments of Chaldea regardless of outcomes, so why would they be going through all the “prove you’re a good Santa” plans if it’s a fleeting moment?
So I shifted the premise. It made significantly more sense she was trying to give great memories for the real Avenger Joan to look back on, starting with the idea of being Santa and bringing joy where an Avenger can’t. It only escalates from there and she winds up realizing what it means to truly give and receive. While the avenger likely won’t outright admit it, that’s a priceless present to obtain.
I kept Amakusa as a mentor to the little Joan, as a small reference to the 2016 event. As with the original premise, I was going to have him do his whole Santa Island Christmas Masque spiel, but once more it didn’t feel right anymore. Worry not, it will appear sometime later in an unexpected way. The little mention about his mutiny over trying to activate a grail (and subsequently vowing to seal the desire for Gudao’s sake) is actually canon: It refers to his Interlude.
After the next Fragment, the child servants should be getting less screen time until Kuro’s fragment appears. They’ve been appearing a lot lately, but that was due to the nature of the holiday season; What’s Christmas without children?
Third time’s the charm for Gudao and Mashu. Presence Concealment cloth has so much utility when you think outside the box… and innocent little Joan has no idea what Gabrielle’s personal alteration to her blanket gift really did.
Overall, the Fragment was fairly straight forward, and meaningful in a different way, after the revision. See you next week for a rare follow-up Fragment…. sorta. It takes place Christmas Day, so it would feel like a connected story if it wasn’t for the switch in Character spotlight.
Fragment 27 Insight
And suddenly lilies everywhere.
I considered giving all of them their own personal fragments with spotlights back in November, but the idea to make Christmas for the children pushed for this one over any. They’re all temporary, with some lasting longer than others, but it should be enough of a gift for the rest of Chaldea. Some will get a bit of extra spotlight, while others not so much. If you read properly, at least you know Waver will return to himself the fastest because, well, he’s not actually a lily. Poor Emiya is another story for protecting Arturia.
Quick note, Shirou is obviously not a servant, but since he was technically Emiya’s “lily”, I decided to fudge the line on this one.It’s also a slight tip of the hat just in case a god possesses Shirou’s body and we wind up getting another Ishtar/Rin-style summon where the deity is in control. That said, like the others, it’s only temporary.
The real focus lead, even if the new child servants tend to steal the spotlight, is Martha. Older sister type gets to check up with all the younger servants, and she definitely likes what she winds up observing.
I felt Jeanne and Martha’s friendship behind closed doors would be interesting. With all of Jeanne’s opening up, and Martha’s subdued self, I knew they could have an interesting dynamic when almost no one else is looking. Poor Amakusa just has to deal with it, though perhaps he sees it as a sort of penance. Maybe, maybe not.
I didn’t put too much dynamic development into Martha as I did a lot of recent servants because she’s a long time resident. She’s already found her niche, and instead of showing adaptation, it’s more of showing the vigilance she has to keep to prevent her more “un-saintly” self from surfacing due to Chaldea’s relaxed atmosphere. There are some hints that she’s considering not hiding it anymore, but like some things, those are just tiny teases that leave the “will they?” question in your heads.
Medusa’s opinions are pretty well known, but her Lancer version’s bond card really drives the point home about her feelings about being like her sister. It’s also a small tie over until Euryale and Stheno get a real spotlight, and that’s definitely already in the works.
Medea and Joan are going to have one hell of a headache after this. Even worse because there will be pictures they can no longer deny. Iskander probably won’t even bat an eyelash at his smaller self.
I’ve been trying to give more servants side appearances as small tie overs, but some of you are going the extra mile and actually figuring some carefully laid bricks out. Good on you guys; Some things are definitely in there for a reason, even if they don’t apply directly to the current fragment. My longest readers probably know how I operate by now, so it’s to be expected.
I’m not even going to make next week’s hint vague, since it should be obvious by this fragment’s image: Jeanne Alter Lily dons her Santa attire.
Fragment 26 Insight
I wasn’t kidding when I said it involved a saint and religion, nor did I lie when I said Alters wouldn’t get summoned to Chaldea due to being duplicates. It’s all in the wording, and Jeanne Alter just happened to be the loophole among her darkened counterparts. So for those who were waiting to see her, I hope you’re content: She gets a permanent spot in Chaldea.
She’s a huge fan favorite, so I endeavored to write her correctly, which was difficult. The alter puts up quite a visual and verbal front, but deep down she wants acceptance and has major insecurities involving the real holy maiden. Thanks to the Da Vinci Counterfeit event, which as mentioned, did happen off screen of Fragments, significant leaps have been made to establish her willingness to be a part of this place. Too bad there’s so much prejudice since she just happened to lead a dragon army across France.
So what better person to offer a helping hand than a fellow avenger? Besides feeling comfortable in each other’s auras of vengeance, the refined Dantes could easily be a helper thanks to his own experiences. He certainly does a lot to smooth things over for her transition, and I tried to make it apparent it was both by good will and as repayment of sorts for what the two berserkers did for him. It only makes sense he would try to get her into their little group.
I made sure their fragments stood out very differently. The Dantes fragment is easily the most popular in the series from what I’ve gathered from all comments sent my way, and I didn’t want Jeanne Alter’s to be a carbon copy. Whereas his was a story of finding self-liberation after denying himself and others, her’s is a tale of finding acceptance past prejudice. I made sure she didn’t change as drastically too, since she’s still very new and most of the development was done thanks to Da Vinci’s singularity.
And through all the shenanigans, including Beowulf’s failed attempt to start a food fight, it worked. I figured food fights were getting old, so I made it very one sided and opted for a snowball fight instead. They live in the snowy mountains and no one had started a snowball fight on screen yet, so I knew it needed to be fixed.
Through various interactions, she gains valuable outlooks on gods and goddesses. Even with her revealing encounter with Ishtar, and the defensive stance from Tamamo, the Gorgon sisters had yet to make a proper appearance. Don’t worry, I got something specific planned for them coming up.
The ending can be seen as very quick and sudden turn around of opinions, but there’s quite a few things to consider on why I made that decision. FGO Materials did reveal Jeanne considered her alter like a little sister. It’s also been months since their last encounter, and Jeanne Alter has had quite the surprise development thanks to Da Vinci’s counterfeit problem. Taking the holy maiden’s experience with dealing with a more openly troublesome avenger a few months back, I can easily see her managing against her scowling counterpart rather cordially, especially with that opinion of her’s.
But as stated, even with all that, it was way too sudden to state “You’re sisters now.” That’s just not believable, at all, regardless of how potentially open Jeanne is about it… but I have a fix for that in addition to the passage of time.
Next Fragment, Paracelsus appears again, as does the ever bubbly Astolfo. What could possibly happen with those two involved? …a lot. We’ve been in dire need of something extra sugary and upbeat with the past three (even with their comedic moments), and the next one answers all of that in one big bang!
Fragment 25 Insight
Back to the romance genre for a fragment, since these two had more than the necessary dynamic for it. I still consider it my weakest genre, which I will still use sparingly, but for the sake of diversity I have no issue writing it.
Halloween 2017 Event, while funny, was pretty much the necessary information on whether this would be a sad one or a RomCom of sorts. Obviously it fell towards the former, but I put pieces of the latter in so it wasn’t too depressing; We did just come from the Roman/Solomon fragment after all.
This fragment also served as a nice test bed for a historical interpretation. I placed the Siege of Alexandria as a scene, obviously taking some creative liberty, to help portray Caesar in a different light: The muscular man Cleopatra’s eyes would never argue with. Also gave some meaning to some of the jewelry she wore to help bridge the gap the Halloween Event created.
Honestly, after everything Caesar had done, both historically and in the Nasuverse, it was a little far fetched for Cleopatra to be so very judgmental on superficial qualities. Yes, she has a specific eye for beauty, but to go as far as to absolutely break her wish? That’s pretty fickle, but I went with it anyhow, because that’s her character. I just simply needed the right person to set her mind in the right direction, even if she’s still disgusted by his weight.
What better person than Nero?
I purposefully left out any development after their better reunion, simply leaving it open ended that Cleopatra would continue trying, and figure a way not to feel so repulsed by his body. I’ll obviously drop hints here and there from now on to show progress, just like I do with other connections.
This was also a nice way to show Altera has a cozy spot with the Romans now. Though, it is apparent Nero isn’t the only one in the group with slightly absurd antics; I feel Romulus would definitely be game for it if it was for the sake of a Roman Emperor, regardless of how potentially south it could go.
See you readers next week, where we dive into a controversial topic: Religion! It’s kinda necessary involving a saint.
P.S. – The lyrics for the song at the end are from a song called “Will you still love me” by Chicago. The opening lyrics just fit the situation too well. I’ll leave the video here.
Fragment 24 Insight
Oh? The wound was healing and I poured salt in it?
But we play Fate/Grand Order. We’re only filled with salt! Jokes aside, I made this a double fragment week so you had both an emotional as hell chapter, and a humorous one.
So we get to a servant most people have suddenly held dear to them. I particularly thought Roman was a neat character before that when I believed he was just a normal human; I like reading about normal people and what they have to go through when everyone else is capable of much more… But to think he was hiding that for a secret? My respect for him grew tenfold, and it was already fairly high.
So he deserved a fragment, and what better servants to share it with than David and Da Vinci. Recipe for one hell of a feel trip, so I ignited the torch and set the groundwork as soon as it was an actual confirmed theory. This fragment was only a plausible entry that I had since early November due to the Roman = Solomon rumors. Once that was confirmed, this took to life real quick.
Roman is complex. He’s sometimes aloof, but often working hard. He has his own little security blanket in the form of Magi*Mari, and he hates seeing sad things. Coupled with the usually upbeat yet collected/stern Da Vinci, you have an interesting friendship. Add in David, and a secret to be kept, and you got some recipe for turmoil.
So I made it a balance. There’s humor, but there’s also very heavy emotion. This is not a light subject, and it’s even worse for those who know the ending (which should be everyone reading this fic). If this actually spoiled anything for anyone, I’ll be dead surprised. I can’t honestly apologize about it though, since there have been spoilers left and right in FoC and TGL. Technically, this entire fic is spoilers for the whole Fate/ series. But I digress.
Ever since he debuted in Altera’s chapter (Which this makes several callbacks to), he hasn’t gotten much appearances. Obviously this was mostly due to concentration on other servants, but I wanted it to be very clear in this chapter he was an influential force around Chaldea: He is the unofficial director after all. So all the small gestures add up to show how appreciated he is the community.
And since you know the ending of F/GO Part I, that should make this chapter relatively painful to read. That was the whole idea. This one’s to you, you beautiful work of a doctor.
A final note for those Ishtar fans who were bombarding me about adding her in, no, this was not an act of appeasement. She’s been planned to appear for a while now, and I sometimes lie/fudge estimates on when they debut so people don’t get their hopes up. Just have patience if you want to see a specific character; Unless they’re an alter or duplicate, you’re very likely to see them, and soon for that matter.
Next week we deal with some expected love issues! But for who?
Fragment 23 Insight
If you couldn’t guess, I kinda got the idea from the movie with the same name. Kinda.
Ozymandias is an interesting character to work with, especially after receiving a Memorial Essence from Camelot. So I tried to find an interesting way to figure out how the greatest pharaoh could possibly come down a few pegs, since he has a much higher chance of doing so than Gilgamesh. Then it clicked. What better way to make him better than by enticing him to become better through rivalry?
“You don’t wanna be seen like Gilgamesh, do you?”
And so it began, Ozymandias’ adventure to try and be more respectful to his peers. I included a lot of internal questioning since he is not a stupid servant by far. His pride will make him worry that he’s tarnishing the title, but at the same time he’s able to see the possibilities of what can come out of it. With every little conversation he’s finally allowed himself to have with others, he gets that little bit of motivation to continue forward. It just keeps snowballing.
And then there’s the classic Hans being Hans. Sharp as ever and ready to tear apart someone’s character simply for existing, or in this case, irritating him in some way. But I wanted his talk to work differently this time. Ozymandias almost lets his pride get the better of him, then he realizes this is just an obstacle. As conceited as his answer still was, it was already a remarkable change from what it would have been before. Baby steps are key.
And then there’s the new arrival to the squadron of prideful Egyptian rulers.
Cleopatra was a lot of fun to write. She takes after the other two pharaohs with the typical superiority complex, but she’s also a fashion diva as revealed in her lines. So I ran with it. Chaldea already had a few individuals interested in trends (Nero as an example), but there was no one who really embodied the spirit of a Fashionista. Thank you Cleopatra for having the possibility to be exactly that.
It also served as a nice little hole in her armor of conceit, where she doesn’t believe she would dare try what Ozymandias is doing… until Astolfo comes over in an outfit she absolutely must have for herself. You’re on the ball, Rider of Black, whether you realize it or not.
See you next fragment, where we follow a servant who truly deserves a spotlight!
Fragment 22 Insight
A Gilles fragment? Damn you Gacha!
An unusual choice for a return to Fragments, but Gilles serves as a relatively good transition. His duality of mind as a saber is a very interesting facet to work with. I understand some people are pretty off-put by him considering he’s the gacha spook, but I am proving my point in giving all servants a spotlight in some regard. Love him or hate him, he is a very interesting servant with a unique background.
That said, his appearance is also in preparation for something later, as with all my usual placements. I’ll let you theorize about that.
But, of course, TGL has given way too much in the form of drama/angst/hurt/comfort. So it had to be balanced, and so this fragment was a partial experiment in genre balance.
You have Gilles struggling to maintain his sanity, yet you also had Chaldea in the background with its own version of insanity. It was a mix of drama and comedy in equal parts. So while he was struggling to keep his whispers down, Chaldea’s environment would step in and help him in the most… unusual of ways.
I believe it fit fairly well together and helps remind everyone that we’re back from the singularity and ready to deal with the absurdities of trying to get countless servants to live together in relative harmony… until Astolfo starts a food fight by accident.
At the very least, Marie is likely to have a new employee, and Gilles is going to get exactly what he needs to help keep the damning whispers down.
Poor Gabrielle can’t seem to catch a break this fragment, but at least she gets an A for effort… or a B from Ozymandias. What could that favor possibly be that he called in from TGL?
Final note, the number of allied servants who appeared in TGL showed up in this fragment as a final closure of sorts. Only one not really seen was Arash, but I wanted this to be less about them and more about Gilles’ first look into his new working environment.
We return to the weekly update schedule, so the next fragment will be released in a week as usual. As a small teaser, the next featured servant is a male five star.
Fragments of Chaldea 
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