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intrepid-fictioneer-7 · 1 year

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How to read the Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Light Novels

I was recently reminded that there is a lot of people who simply don’t know that they can read the Case Files light novels, and that there are people who do know but have no idea where to find them. This is especially a problem when these people have only watched the anime and want to know where they can find more of the story. Since it kind of requires you to go through some hoops (not a whole lot but still), I decided to take a page out of @humbertozero‘s excellent Fate/strange Fake resource post and make one for my other favorite Type-Moon Fate spinoff, the dossiers of El-Melon.

Read the First Volume: Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Vol.1 (PDF) (EPUB)

Read the Second Volume: Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Vol.2 (PDF) (EPUB)

Read the Third Volume: Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Vol.3 (PDF) (EPUB)

Read the Fourth Volume: Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Vol.4 (PDF) (EPUB1) (EPUB2)

Read the Fifth Volume: Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Vol.5 (PDF) (EPUB)

Read the Sixth Volume: Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Vol.6 (PDF) (EPUB)

Read the Seventh Volume: Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Vol.7 (PDF) (EPUB)

Read the Eighth Volume: Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Vol.8 (PDF) (EPUB)

Read the Ninth Volume: Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Vol.9 (PDF) (EPUB)

Read the Tenth Volume: Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Vol.10 (PDF) (EPUB)

Important note!

It should be noted first that I am just the compiler here. I am neither the translator nor am I the files’ creator. So all credits go to...

Credits

Credits and thanks to TwilightsCall on the Beast Lair forums (from which the majority of the other creditors originally posted their contributions) for translating the first 4 volumes and some of volume 5, thus getting the ball rolling. Further thanks to azwhoisverybored for translating the rest of the series from volume 6 onwards, and thanks to Kneenaw for starting the translation for the rest of volume 5. Thanks to Dotelias for making EPUBs for volumes 1-3, thanks to cereal_ for making EPUBs of volume 4, thanks to u/confusedkuratowski on Reddit for making EPUB of volume 6, and thanks to ProtoformX for making PDFs and EPUBs for volumes 5 to 10 as well as for Adventures volume 1!

And big thanks to Makoto Sanda for writing Case Files in the first place!

Further explanations

Anime

The anime adaptation of Case Files, with the mouthful of a title that is Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note, is particular to use as an entry-point in the series, because it only partially adapts the series. See, the author, Makoto Sanda, said in interview that the two first arcs/cases in the series didn’t quite work as scripts for anime episodes, so the anime only adapted the third case/arc, Rail Zeppelin, which is more action oriented than the more mystery focused first arcs. But because they still needed to explain stuff like Gray, Reines, El-Melloi’s students, etc., many of whom are relevant characters to the arc, the first half/six episodes of the anime is about introducing them.

So to the question “where do I start reading after the anime?”, the answer is unironically to restart at volume 1. And then you may skip volumes 4-5 since they are the Rail Zeppelin arc and there are not much differences besides some characters not being present during that arc. This is why I think you can watch the anime first if that’s more your speed (I have my problems and criticisms of the anime but that’s irrelevant to this post).

And you can’t start with the anime and start reading with volume 6, the first 3 volumes have characters and plot points that come back for the final arc, so you’re gonna be incredibly lost if you think to consume the series this way.

Weirdly enough, despite being original episodes, the anime originals are most likely canon in some ways. Episode 0, the original OVA, is an expansion of an anecdote Gray mentions in the first volume’s prologue, and Episode 1 takes place during Waver’s travels before the story starts and is an actual story, one of the 3 incidents Sanda has in mind for Waver’s journey before he returned to London. Episodes 2 to 6 take place during the one month period between volume 3 and volume 4, and finally the special OVA take place on Christmas also in between arcs.

Manga

The manga has gorgeous art, but, at the time of writing, it is unfortunately only translated up to the second case right now. Still, go check it out.

The Adventures of El-Melloi II

The sequel series currently ongoing, started a year after the first Case Files ended in 2019. You might know it as “the (other) series where Rin shows up grown up and also a pirate”. @reignsan has been compiling pretty thorough chapter-by-chapter summaries of the volumes by @kaibutsushidousha if you don’t mind being spoiled. Or you can be patient and wait for azwhoisverybored to finish translating them on Beast Lair in this thread.

At the time of writing (27/07/23), the first volume of Adventures has been completed and compiled into PDF and EPUB forms.

Lord El-Melloi II Case Files material

This is absolutely not required reading in any shape or form, those lore books are usually of interest only to dumb nerds like me lol. A timeline of the Clock Tower? An explanation of its politics? Yes please. But it also has insights into the characters by the author that aren’t in the books proper, as well as behind-the-scenes explanations for some decisions (for example, why it’s Gray with the American spelling instead of Grey with the British spelling). Only the glossary/encyclopedia is translated, but give it a look...after you read the series, because it assumes you did and has some big spoilers.

Drama CD

What’s that? You heard something about a Buzzfeed quizz about the most handsome Clock Tower teachers and how it’s somehow a plot point? Look no further than one of my only posts that did numbers. Read the summary, it’s hilarious.

#lord el-melloi II case files #Lord El Melloi II Case Files #Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files #fate series #TYPE-MOON #nasuverse #lord el melloi ll #Lord El-Melloi II #Gray (Fate)#reines el-melloi archisorte #reines el melloi archisorte #flat escardos #svin glascheit #would you believe what I spent the most time on was finding a free collage making site allowing this grid layout for 10 pics?#never again #but it made me realize how neat the symmetry of the covers for books of a same arc are

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lordelmelloi2 · 4 months

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On Hephaestion in Fate

Iskandar’s closest friend…though he didn’t think so himself. While his sister spread such information around, Hephaestion was aware that was simply counter-intelligence. Hephaestion was inserted at Iskandar’s side so as, even if only a little, to reduce the chance of him being attacked. [...] If alive today, he would no doubt be accused of having a siscon streak in him. In a way, one could say that fear became accurate after his death.

From Hephaestion (person)'s entry in the materials of Lord El-Melloi II Case Files. Very frustrating to read.

I hate what Fate series is trying to do with Hephaestion and Iskandar's relationship, I Know explicitly they're trying to make room for fujo shipbrainrot here by saying essentially that they don't have to worry about it; but there's problems.

Urobuchi and Nasu and etc. have all stated Iskandar is bisexual, there is no way they could've made that judgment unless they explicitly acknowledged the nature of Iskandar and Hephaestion's relationship. The fact is also that the parallels between Iskandar and Gilgamesh and their respective "closest friends" are very blatantly apparent through F/Z and other incarnations that like to put them together and Case Files as a novel itself also hasn't really made any attempt to discredit Hephaestion's importance to Iskandar, either.

It's weird also that they even use the word 'siscon' here because it almost implies that Hephaestion didn't feel anything for Iskandar as much -- which is so fucking bizarre, because Iskandar's love of Achilles and the Iliad has been present during the entirety of F/Z and through FGO and other incarnations, who do you think was Patroclus? Like there is no actual fucking way they could strip that Hephaestion was the Patroclus out. Of course though they have basically all-but erased Patroclus from Achilles' story as well.

The thing though is that this does also imply a lot more Olympias machinations. Because we know Faker was also something that was Olympias' doing, taking Hephaestion's twin sister and molding her into a nameless body-double for curses to be redirected towards in order to protect Iskandar. If that setting is true then yes of course Hephaestion is going to be fiercely protective of her because he's acutely aware that his sister is being used for something so dehumanizing on purpose and she doesn't even care about it; she's also thoroughly stripped of her own mental self-agency in that she's truly devoted to Iskandar and her brother and that's it.

So it can almost be inferred that in the Fateverse that Olympias essentially set up Hephaestion and Iskandar to be best friends rather than it being their choice in Aristotle's classroom -- or perhaps that Hephaestion fit the bill for what Olympias was looking for and so she began manipulating the situation accordingly. Hephaestion has always historically been remarked upon as being the smarter one so I don't doubt he would see Olympias' nonsense with his sister and be upset about it right away. Though, I mean, it's hard NOT to be upset with what Olympias was doing through Alexander's childhood; she poisoned all his siblings, including one that he did care for, she pushed him constantly into the spotlight for the sake of power, she even at one point bought a prostitute for him and begged him to have sex with her because his disinterest in women and sex at that age was something she felt personally concerned with (again, powergrabs, but also, definitely covert incest shit in noble families). The last anecdote I've listed is one that's not stated in Fate series but is something that happened historically.

The question then is whether or not Fate wants to legitimize Hephaestion's feelings towards Iskandar as mutual. It's possible that the phrasing here would imply that Hephaestion merely believed he could not be as close to Iskandar's heart as he truly was; something that, given the amount of personal relationships Iskandar had, isn't a hard thought of self-doubt to keep. Iskandar had many relationships and all were very important to him for many reasons (Ionioi Hetairoi existing makes this obvious). It's just that truly, his relationship with Hephaestion was the Most important, and for Hephaestion to even be relevant in this manner or even discussable in this manner also adds to that.

If Hephaestion was (presumably) opposed to Olympias and protective of his sister, why would he follow Iskandar in the Fate verse, then? The benefit of course being power, which isn't something one would scoff at in this setting, but I truly doubt that Hephaestion would simply go for powergrabs if the whole point is that the people who followed Iskandar did so because they admired him and loved him. But that brings up another point.

Hephaestion has been absent from Ionioi Hetairoi and from character designs or materials despite his significance until the Case Files manga. There has been no depiction of Hephaestion himself in any material featuring Ionioi Hetairoi, the 10,000 strong army of Iskandar, of which features his most important relationships. Faker was also absent. What does this imply?

Faker's absence was due to protest. We know this from information from Case Files. Faker also has the ability as we know from Lady Reines' Case Files to be able to summon Ionioi Hetairoi herself, featuring Iskandar within it. One would presume Hephaestion also has this ability. But why is Hephaestion not there at all?

A few options -

Hephaestion IS there, Waver just doesn't want to talk about him because he's insane in the head or whatever

Hephaestion is there, but in the back or something -- his role being not forefront is the reason why he's in the shadows; something that is remarked upon in historical analysis as to why we know so little about Hephaestion even now. Hephaestion's role traditionally was to do a lot of the "dirty work", and so his position was less favorable to put the spotlight on in comparison to the sun-shining glory of Iskandar.

Hephaestion is not there because of protest, much like his sister.

Hephaestion is not there because he is not that important of a relationship to Iskandar...

Hephaestion is not there because he doesn't truly exist.

I generally feel like I trust Makoto Sanda to not go this route, but there has been (somewhat baseless) speculation that Hephaestion was actually Iskandar's split personality. I Highly Doubt That This Was The Case in Fate series given the way it has treated Hephaestion thus far as a figure, but it would explain why Hephaestion has been a complete phantom in the series and in Iskandar's recollection.

Though I think personally it's more likely that it's 2 or 3, I don't think that it's out of the question for it to be the simply negligent option 1 or the outright ahistorical option 4.

The other question is: why is Fate series so negligent of Hephaestion?

That's easy to answer from certain standpoints -- one is because it gives them more room to make money off of fans that are there from the sheer yaoi market that Isuwei as a pairing as brought in. Like from a marketing standpoint it is blatantly obviously advantageous to simply ignore Hephaestion until the end of time.

The other reason adding on to that is because in terms of representing gay content, Fate series really considers itself to have no liability to do so, especially when there's such a massive fan following for a male/male pairing. The fans make the majority of the content, so TM's work is done, and they can hand off crumbs to people hungry for them and keep fans of the actual historical figures begging for scraps with little things while rewriting it to suit their needs. It's the reason why Achilles doesn't have Patroclus despite the significance. It's also why the genderbends are so predominant; it's what's keeping the money going. In the recent GudaGuda event Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin's historical homoerotic relationship is explored but the weight of it lessened as Uesugi is not just a genderbend but also one of Takeuchi's designs. So the risk of straight male fan complaints about yucky gay stuff is lessened because Uesugi isn't "really a guy" in Fate here.

Type Moon hasn't really been one to look up to in terms of whether or not they will give realistic male/male representation in pairings; either one side of the pairing or both have to be in a female body, thus leaving what would normally be a m/m pairing as a "safer" yuri f/f pairing (which then benefits their marketing as well as the majoritively male fanbase is easier to sell to).

The problem though is whether or not it is going to mesh with the rest of the story.

As I said from a marketing standpoint it is obvious that ignoring Hephaestion is beneficial. But from a narrative standpoint -- and this is Sanda's challenge -- ignoring Hephaestion forever just doesn't make sense.

There is no Iskandar without Hephaestion. It is impossible to write a story about Iskandar that involves ANY aspect of the historical portion of him without mentioning Hephaestion. And the fact that Hephaestion was mentioned at all was Fate series' first mistake.

Iskandar's materials have him listed as Dhul Qarnayn, aka the Great King mentioned in the Quran as one of the ideal ways a King should exist. The reason for THIS is because of the Persian Alexander Romance. The Alexander Romance is basically a legend-version of Alexander the Great's story in which Hephaestion's presence is very little or just outright absent. It is a fantastical version of Alexander the Great's kinghood in which he performs many great deeds. There are Greek, Persian, Syrian, Hebrew, Ethiopian, Nigerian, Indian, Malaysian, Byzantine and even more chrono-regional versions of this story, and each one features that mysticism that made Alexander the Great into such a worldwide figure today.

It is pretty apparent that a lot of Iskandar's characterization comes also from the version presented in the Alexander Romance. His being Dhul Qarnayn solidifies this. It would have been easy to continue to ignore Hephaestion if they simply continued to go down this route -- the Alexander Romance features little stories featuring him, and glorifies Iskandar into this God-chosen figure, and in some versions, even as a prophet of God.

But in Case Files Faker is introduced and so is Hephaestion as a figure that did exist. Hephaestion is given some material, but never appears, except as a version spoken of by his newly-conceptualized twin sister. (Hephaestion did not have a twin sister in history, but that much should be common knowledge).

Hephaestion's absence then becomes this bleeding, gaping wound in the story, where the writing fails to stick to just one version of Iskandar -- and chooses to also associate with Alexander the Great the Historical version. Hephaestion's absence leaves this hole at the core of a lot of Iskandar's lacking characterization, where we see this vibrant, energetic character full of appreciation and care and love for those around him, except the man he was told to have loved and been close to the most.

And again. Hephaestion's importance to Alexander within history itself cannot be understated. I've mentioned before the sheer amount of money that went into Hephaestion's funeral, the fact that Alexander started executing people who had beefed with Hephaestion before (Eumenes was one such person who narrowly escaped the threat of execution because of his poor relationship with Hephaestion), Alexander executed the doctor who was in charge of Hephaestion and otherwise went on a complete megalomaniacal spree in the 8 months between Hephaestion's death and his own. There was no Alexander without Hephaestion. For Fate to come in and say that Hephaestion did not think he was the closest person to Alexander is to understate the megalomaniacism of the later Alexander's historical life, which strips from the character we are also inferred of through Faker's recollections in Case Files.

Faker often warns about getting too close to Iskandar, stating to Gray "The King is like the sun. Its heat burns away anything that gets too close." For the man who was considered equal to this sun, his absence is like that of a black hole where the rest of Iskandar's character is held. I also accept scraps of Iskandar's characterization here and there from various authors and depictions; I'm not saying I'm better than anyone on that note. But the frustration as an Iskandar fan I have at the sheer lack of consistency is what compels me to write on my own.

I generally have been very trusting of Makoto Sanda as an author to wrap up fine details, and he's generally been very consistent -- the inclusion of Ergo as Alexander IV's repo'd body in Adventures is still messy but the conclusion of Case Files was overall pretty decent. But it would still behoove him to write more on Hephaestion as a character or for the developers to genuinely consider adding in Hephaestion and fleshing him out; otherwise we miss so much of Iskandar and so much of what we think is going on in the Fate version of the Hellenic Empire history because that one piece is missing.

#hephaestion (fate)#iskandar (fate)#character analysis #fate grand order #fate series #fate zero #faker (fate)#alexander the great (fate)#alexander the great #lord el-melloi ii case files #lord el melloi ii case files #adventures of lord el melloi ii #adventures of lord el-melloi ii #Wrote this this afternoon in a fit of needign to write Something #narrative analysis

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thefigureresource · 23 days

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Olgamarie Asmireid Animusphere [Lord El-Melloi II Case Files: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note] 1/8 scale from Bell Fine coming June 2024.

#Olgamarie Asmireid Animusphere #Lord El-Melloi II Case Files: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note #1/8 scale #Bell Fine #Olgamally Animusphere #Lord El-Melloi II Case Files #Lord El-Melloi II Sei no Jikenbo: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note #Lord El-Melloi II Sei no Jikenbo #Fate series #Fate #Anime Figures

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dresspheres · 1 year

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605 Icons | Waver Velvet | Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files

605 Icons for Waver Velvet from Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files

Please like or reblog this post if you plan on using them

Credit me if you edit them! Otherwise, credit’s very much appreciated.

Download Here

#Waver Velvet #Waver Velvet Icons #Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files #Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Icons #Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files Icons #Lord El-Melloi II Case Files #hc: black #hl: long #male #glasses #light skin #age: adult #ec: grey #* request

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grailfinders · 2 years

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Fate and Phantasms Viewers' Choice #8: Touko Aozaki

Today on Fate and Phantasms we’re building Aoko’s older sister Touko Aozaki from Kara no Kyoukai, Mahou Tsukai no Yoru, Lord El-Melloi II’s Case Files, and even a cameo in Fate/Stay Night. If you’re confused by how she’s somehow managed to go from black hair to brown to red to blue, it’s because of the body doubles. Don’t worry, we’ll explain more in the build. Or you can check out the Witch on the Holy Night HD version coming out in December for more information if you like waiting more and reading more.

Anyways, Touko is a lot of things, but she is foremost a puppet maker, rune user, and transportation aficionado, and all of those fall under the purview of the Conjuration Wizard. Yeah that’s her entire build, we need some high-level kit here. Almost. I am breaking my own rules here and using an unofficial subclass from Keith Baker, purely because the Mastermaker Artificer is perfect for this build. Again, almost.

Check out her build breakdown here, or her character sheet over here!

Race and Background

While there is a chance you’re playing as the original Aozaki, it’s not high. In most cases, she’ll be a Reborn puppet of her own making. This gives her +2 Dexterity and +1 Intelligence, as well as an Ancestral Legacy giving her proficiency in Deception (self-inflicted) and Survival for those pizza crackers. Her Deathless Nature gives her advantage on saves against being diseased, poisoned, or dead, as well as resistance to poison damage. She also doesn’t need to eat, drink, or breathe, and you can finish a long rest in 4 hours without sleeping if you just sit around a bit. She also gets Knowledge from a Past Life for a d6 added to a skill check up to proficiency times per day. I wish they still kept the construct option from the UA, but we’ll work with what we’re given.

As for her background, like Kirschtaria her family life is absolutely fucked up as a mage Noble, but at least if gives you proficiency in History and Persuasion.

Ability Scores

First up is Intelligence. Your magic circuits are good, but the reason you’re powerful is because you make good use of them. Second is Dexterity, mostly because if you die before level 15 you’ll actually die, and that’s not canon. Third up is Constitution, you made yourself, and you’re good at making yourself, it’s probably why you’ve had multiple sealing designations put on you. Low constitution would be shoddy craftsmanship. This means your Charisma is a bit low- you tend to give people the cold shoulder and keep them arm’s length from you. Unless you’re building their arm, I guess. Your Strength is pretty low, but we’re dumping Wisdom. Between needing glasses, losing memories between puppets, and a depiction of DID which while I admit I have not read yet I don’t have high hopes for, your perception and stability is absolutely rock-bottom.

Class levels

1. Wizard 1: Like I said, you’re a Wizard, Touko. That means you get Arcane Recovery once a day to recharge a few spell slots on your short rest instead of a long one, and you get Spells from your spellbook to use those slots with. Touko can steal magic crests from other mages, sort of like how wizards can copy spells from other spellbooks, but at least in D&D you don’t have to keep the wizards alive for that. That whole spell-stealing thing is also why we’re not super in-depth with the list again, it’s hard to be specific when her abilities are mostly “casts good”. So we’ll just bring up spells from each level that are Touko-ish when we get to them, but keep in mind you get 3 cantrips right away, with another at level 4 and 10, as well as six 1st level spells now, and two more of any level you can cast each time you level up. Okay? Good. Let’s get into magic.

For cantrips, Prestidigitation is a great spell to grab when you don’t know what you want, giving you all sorts of minor magical effects. You can also use Friends for a very cheap version of your Eyes of Enchanting, but we’ll get more powerful ones laters. Finally, grab Gust for your last cantrip. Her wiki article mentions she could cause a hurricane with a wink in high school. I know that’s probably an expression, but it’s funnier to take it literally, so now she’s a wind mage too.

For first level spells, Mage Armor helps you not die, while False Life lets you repair yourself with puppet parts for some temporary HP. You can also use Magic Missile for the obligatory caster balls, and Find Familiar to get to puppet making early. They’re not super impressive, but it’s only level 1.

2. Wizard 2: At second level you get your Conjuration specialty, making you a Conjuration Savant. This means when you copy someone else’s magic crest into your own, conjuration spells are cheaper and faster. Why WotC decided all the wizards should have an incentive to not pick their own specialized spells during character creation is beyond me, but here we are.

On the plus side, you also get Minor Conjuration, letting you create any inanimate object that is smaller than 3’ long and lighter than 10 pounds, as long as you’ve seen it before. It’s obviously magical, and it lasts an hour. Most summoning spells come with large costs attached, so it’s nice that you can use your magic to cover a few of them.

3. Wizard 3: Third level wizards get second level spells- any mage worth their salt can Detect Thoughts, and your Eyes of Enchantment give you more than enough hypnotizing power to Hold Person. We’ll also mention Misty Step while we’re here to get started on Touko Travel.

4. Wizard 4: Use your first Ability Score Improvement to bump up your Intelligence for stronger mystic eyes, spells, and later on prosthetics.

5. Wizard 5: Fifth level wizards get third level spells. Touko is the inventor of the Mystic Eye Killers, glasses that can suppress even the mystic eyes of death perception. Depending on what eyes you’re up against, that could be Counterspell or Dispel Magic. Either way, you can do it. We also get our first runes in the Glyph of Warding, and can begin making Tiny Servants out of small objects.

6. Wizard 6: A sixth level wizard can make Benign Transportation as an action, teleporting yourself up to 30’ away, or swapping places with a nearby willing creature. You can do this once per short rest, or it can be recharged when you cast a leveled conjuration spell.

7. Wizard 7: Your fourth level spell slots mean your eyes are now powerful enough to Charm Monsters- you can also move further with a Dimension Door, or you can create a person-sized puppet when you Summon Construct. tbh your constructs are pretty close to living things, you could probably get away with any spell with Summon or Conjure in its name, but we’re trying to stick as close as we can here.

8. Wizard 8: Once you use this ASI to max out your Intelligence, we’re finally strong enough to focus on puppetry full time- next level.

9. Artificer 1: A first level artificer can use Magical Tinkering to add small effects to tiny items. Not quite Tiny Servants level, but it’s still neat. Sensory effects, glowing, that sort of thing.

You also get another list of Spells and cantrips to prepare from, also using your intelligence. There’s a lot of overlap between wizard and artificer spell lists, so make sure you prepare something special. Pick up Guidance and Resistance to be better than your sister, and make sure you get Cure Wounds to patch people up properly. That’s really the only spells we need, but there’s plenty of other toys to make this dip worth it.

10. Artificer 2: Second level artificers gain four blueprints to Infuse Items, though you can only have two up at a time. It’s the nineties, cell phones exist, so grab Sending Stones. You can also make an Enhanced Arcane Focus for stronger attacks and to ignore half cover. Aside from that, a Bag of Holding and a Wand of Secrets are just nice to have. Only the first two are really in character, but you only really get two at a time, so it balances out.

11. Artificer 3: Normally getting prosthesis as an artificer requires 14 levels of training, but as a Mastermaker, your Prosthesis Expertise lets you turn any nonmagical item into a permanent prosthetic, functioning exactly like the original. It can be detached or attached as an action by the wearer, but it can’t be removed against their will.

You also turn one of your arms into a Battlefist, which is… less than ideal. It’s a melee weapon that is magical (but can be infused) and can also be your focus for artificer spells. It deals 1d10 damage on a hit, and can use your intelligence modifier for damage and attacks. When you make it, and every time you finish a long rest, you can give it one of the following properties: finesse, thrown(20/60), or reach. We’re going with finesse, obviously. You’re pretty slight, and I think it would be more prominent if Touko had a rocket arm in-game. Maybe she will if she ever comes over to FGO.

Also, you get Absorb Elements and Thunderous Smite on your prepared list permanently, but we were really just here for the hands. Also also, you can make The Right Tool for the Job over a long rest- any kind of tool you need, but you only get one at a time.

12. Wizard 9: Ninth level wizard, fifth level spells. Conjure Elemental is like Summon Construct, though the only one that really matches your aesthetic is an earth elemental. Or an air elemental if you agree with me about the hurricane winking thing. You can also use Modify Memory on yourself to convince yourself you’re still the original, a perfectly normal and healthy thing to do I’m sure.

13. Wizard 10: At tenth level, your Focused Conjuration means that you’ll never lose concentration on a conjuration spell unless you want to. Given how many of those make the creature go wild if you mess up, that’s a blessing.

14. Wizard 11: Sixth level spells! Also, this is one of the meatier levels for Touko-tier spellcasting. Create Homunculus is pretty self-explanatory for why we’d want it, but you can also use Guards and Wards to protect your hideout from the Clocktower. Finally, while Drawmij’s Instant Summons doesn’t quite work like Touko Travel, since it brings the object to you and not vice-versa, it’s a good place to start if you want to homebrew something with your DM.

15. Wizard 12: At twelfth level of wizard you get another ASI, and it’s time we finally round up that Constitution score with the Chef feat. As part of your short rest, you can cook food to give extra health to any creatures using their hit dice. Also over an hour of cooking (or a long rest), you can cook some pizza crackers to pass out to others or keep for yourself, no judgement. You make Proficiency treats per cooking session, and they stay fresh for 8 hours. If eaten during that time, they gain Proficiency temporary HP.

16. Wizard 13: Thirteenth level, seventh level spells. Despite Touko’s body doubles, we are not picking up the Simulacrum/True Polymorph combo we gave Morgan. Touko’s puppets only come to life after she dies, so the snowmen have to stay down. That being said, you wouldn’t be a fucked-up mage if you didn’t know Power Word Pain. We’ll also grab Sequester to help you hide from the Clocktower a little better. It does mean you’ll be put in suspended animation, so it’s more of a last resort than anything else.

17. Wizard 14: Fourteenth level conjurers have Durable Summons- any creature you create or summon with a conjuration spell starts off with 30 THP as a free gift. Your self-puppets won’t have this benefit, but that’s literally future you’s problem.

18. Wizard 15: It’s now you’s problem again! The eighth level spell Clone imitates your puppetry almost perfectly- all you need is a gem worth 1,000 gp, and a vase worth 2,000 gp. Plus a cubic inch of your own flesh, but that’s why you have healing spells. After 120 days, a copy of you or a younger version of yourself will pop up in that jar, and upon death your soul will pop into the new creature and go on like nothing happened. As long as you can keep making new clones, it’s practical immortality.

19. Wizard 16: Use your last ASI for more Dexterity. I know you’re immortal now, but dying still hurts- don’t do it if you don’t have to.

20. Wizard 17: With our final level, you get ninth level spells. True Polymorph will let you turn clone you into proper you. Most people would say there isn’t a difference, but you can tell. You can always tell.

In more lighthearted news, Nasu mentioned Touko killed someone by putting on her glasses back in high school, so that sounds like Power Word Kill to me. Again, it almost certainly wasn’t literal, but I live for that glimmer of possibility.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

Wizards are already incredibly powerful, and adding even a little bit of Healing to their kit makes them even moreso. It’s not going to help much if you try to heal the tank, but your little HP matches up with your little healing perfectly, making you more self-sufficient. Also, having prosthetics on hand is always good if your DM likes to use lingering injury tables.

While you’re squishy, you’re also very hard to catch, with the ability to build your own frontline of beefy summons and plenty of teleportation options to make fighting you an absolute slog for anyone who isn’t an archer or another caster.

Even if they catch you, they’re probably not catching the other clones any time soon. Your healing just so happens to give you plenty of flesh to work with, and your Minor Conjuration means once you’ve seen one diamond worth 1,000 GP, you’ll have an infinite supply of gems to work with. You’ll still need a whole lot of jars, but that’s still not a discount to sneeze at.

Cons:

It’s a good thing you have so many spares, because you’ll be burning through bodies like nobody’s business with how little HP you have. Your AC certainly isn’t bad for a caster, but you’re just a breath away from getting Power Word Kill’d yourself.

You’ve also got low wisdom, so you’re more likely to experience cloning blues, miss out on important info due to failed perception checks, and fall for illusions/ mind control.

Your best stuff is amazing, but it comes late in the build. You start building prosthesis at level 11, and you can’t clone yourself until level 18. The odds of a campaign going this long is slim, and the odds you survive until then even worse. Even after that, you’ve got a good four months between your first clone being made and actually being able to use it, which is not ideal.

#touko aozaki #kara no kyoukai #mahou tsukai no yoru #lord el-melloi II case files #fate/stay night #dnd 5e #D&D #dear god she's in a lot of shit huh #wizard #artificer

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kara-knuckles · 2 years

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The Phantom Cat AU

The... less gruesome... parts of the latest Strange Fake update reminded me of a certain other “sharing body” scenario I have been entertaining ever since I watched the Case Files anime. I guess, I may as well write it down now that it crossed my mind again.

Lord El-Melloi II Case Files opens with a story about a stray cat that was hit by a car. Personally, I think the novel version, where the cat is just an ordinary cat, works better thematically, but since the anime decided to give it its own spin, I may as well expand on the idea. So, behold!

Because the cat was used as a part of a curse, it gained magical properties. So, after the curse was lifted, it had enough of an existence left to decide it didn't want to leave and stayed. Since Case Files is big on the mind-body-soul thing, I'd say that the cat's body died, its soul was used in the curse, while its mind remained. Now it lives in Waver's mental world and acts as a dream familiar.

As most of the cat's essence disappeared, it's not quite the same being as before. It doesn't have a set form and instead looks like a shadow-y cat-shaped thing. However, as it grows more stable, it learns to take a more solid form.

Waver doesn't want to bind it to himself, so he doesn't name it. He doesn't even check if it is male or female in an attempt to raise its Mystery. There are lots of legends and superstitions about cats in general and black cats in particular, and he wouldn't even know if any of them do or don't apply to his new neighbour unless he checks, would he? ;)

We know from Zero that Waver at least used to have mice as familiars. Waver being Waver, I wouldn't be surprised if they were attacked by stray animals all the time, but now that there is a cat living in his head, it gives them a degree of protection.

Since it's not technically a ghost, Gray doesn't detect it, though she has a vague feeling it exists. Svin can smell it though. And Flat can probably outright communicate with it, but most of his attempts get him in trouble because his ideas of saying “hello” include stuff like giving Waver a cake with catnip or switching his shampoo with the one for cats.

In FGO, the cat shares its living space with Zhuge Liang. At first, it wasn't happy with the company, but Zhuge eventually won it over. He considers it a fierce warrior, especially as it attempts to snatch his fan at every opportunity.

It can also visit Master's dreams. Being a rather ill-mannered street-raised cat, it likes to cause problems for Dantes, who sees it as some kind of sitcom rival. It's pretty chill around the Master, though.

From there, it occasionally visits other Servants’ dreams, particularly Alexander/Iskandar's, since they have connections to both Waver and the Master, so it is easier to move there. Because Servants don't normally see dreams, it enjoys showing them some, since it allows the cat to use its mind powers in whatever ways it pleases. It never does anything dangerous, though. Sometimes it just wants to people-watch in others memories, sometimes it wants to play or be petted. Save for Alexander, no one knows where these “cat dreams” come from, but the most popular culprit guesses are Nursery Rhyme and Abby.

#Waver Velvet #Lord El-Melloi II #Lord El-Melloi II Case Files #Fate/Grand Order #fgo #i'm probably forgetting more details but oh well #it's been a while #one power i do headcanon for this cat is an ability to heal its owner #where i live there is a belief that when a cat is laying on an ill person #it helps them get better #and Waver tends to get injured a lot #so it would be nice to have some bonus regen powers #even if they are weak #theories and headcanons #Nasuverse

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hatsumishinogu · 1 year

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Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Vol.10

#lord el-melloi ii case files #lord el-melloi ii sei no jikenbo #makoto sanda #TYPE-MOON #mineji sakamoto #TENGEN #kadokawa comics #manga

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medakakurokami · 2 years

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#lord el melloi ll #Lord El-Melloi II Case Files

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fukines · 2 years

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#fate #fgo #fate grand order #ロード・エルメロイii世の事件簿 #lord el-melloi ii case files

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jikenbosan · 8 months

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key illustrations from lord el-melloi ii's adventures volume 6 !

#lord el-melloi ii case files #waver velvet #lord el-melloi ii #lord el-melloi ii adventures

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reignsan · 9 months

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Shirou in The Adventures of Lord El-Melloi II volume 6.

#fate stay night #shirou emiya #lord el-melloi ii case files

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intrepid-fictioneer-7 · 1 year

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I didn't realize that trying to incorporate some of the Clock Tower's big shots would require so much obscure Nasuverse trivia. To anyone out there thinking that it might be a cool idea to feature other department heads in a scene, don't do that. Don't repeat my mistake.

Okay, so this budget meeting was the HARDEST part of this fic. I even made a note at the beginning, because it is ridiculous just how much the information about Clock Tower faculty is spread around various Nasuverse canons.

Not even Fate canons. I spent more than an hour just reading the obscure information about the department heads on Type Moon wiki.

Vice Director of Clock Tower? You won't know about her unless you read Tsukihime side materials. Or read wiki.

These are quotes from the Case Files oneshot Time Magic Is For All Intents And Purposes A Useless And Dangerous Magecraft, which you should absolutely read, and its companion author commentary.

I find these innocuous comments interesting. They aren’t wrong per se, I will be the first to admit as a Case Files fan that Clock Tower minutiae is not widespread knowledge. But I think they reveal a fascinating difference in fandom experience.

See, the author considers the Vice Director of Clock Tower, Lorelei Barthomeloi, obscure, and she is, objectively. She appears in one short story for Tsukihime II, a game that never came out, has a profile in a side material encyclopedia, and is a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo in Carnival Phantasm. By all accounts, she is an obscure character...or she should be.

Because to me, and I’m certain many others in the fandom, Lorelei is basically Nasu fics’ equivalent of HP fanfics’ Daphne Greengrass: an obscure character in canon frequently used (and overused) in fanfics. Lorelei is not used the same way as Daphne (for one, I don’t think she is made the main character often), but she is often used in similar roles; notably, in Overpowered Shirou fics, she tends to be Shirou’s love interest or one of them as part of his harem. Usually, the scenario is that they meet while hunting Dead Apostles.

But you would only know this if you are familiar with how often Shirou is made overpowered, wanked, and turned into a Sue in fanfics, and the methods used. Especially if your exposure to Fate fanfics is on fanfiction.net, which is where they proliferate. However, if, as I suspect the author is, your sole and primary consumption of Fate fanfics is on Ao3, where the climate and culture tend to be completely different, you might have never read or heard of a Shirouwank fanfic, much less become familiar with its usual tropes. There are people in the fandom to whom “Incarnation of Sword” means nothing.

I don’t know, I just thought it was funny, after my initial surprised reaction:

“Clock Tower faculty is such obscure trivia...”

“Indeed, I don’t think the average fan would know about them since they are more prominent in Case Files, and...”

“...like the Vice Director!”

“...Lorelei? Obscure???”

It’s always refreshing to get humbled.

#Fate series #Just fandom things #fandom shit #fanfiction #fate fanfic #lord el-melloi II case files

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