#equilibrium supplement

Glad you’re enjoying the ride!

As for your questions, no, I’m definitely not trying to paint the Mage’s Association in a good light, because that’s not what they are. In fact, a solid reason for the existence of Supplement IV Equilibrium is to ensure they’re dealt with accordingly.

For those who may get the wrong idea at times, one must remember that the mages we’re often shown in Fate are usually far more relate-able than the true mages that inhabit the world. I merely continue the trend with Gabrielle and Gudao’s parents (specifically Gabby’s father and Gudao’s mother, who are the mages). 

As made obvious by Gudao and Gabrielle’s ‘carefree demeanor’ in regards to magecraft, they weren’t raised to the same mentality. So it’s safe to assume that though the parents wanted them to become great mages, they let them decide their own path as opposed to forcefully molding them into a family model. If it did happen, it would have been more apparent with Gabrielle since her lineage is similar to Waver’s: Stretches back a decent bit, but is far from a named, old house.

So that brings us to the questionable mages, who fill the ranks of most of the Clock Tower. As I touched on briefly, Equilibrium was purposefully designed to deal with the problems they present. They’re arrogant, morally bankrupt by normal human standards, and will do much if it means even the slightest chance of a miraculous advancement or prestige. Considering Chaldea is supposed to be a subbranch owned by a former lord that now holds a lot of “immensely powerful familiars controlled by weak mages?” Yea, that might actually make them throw away their infighting to unite and try and grab what they can.

In order to prevent constant underhanded tactics and attacks, I made sure the Clock Tower got a taste of what it needed to ‘keep them in line,’ so to speak. What’s a quick way to get it through their heads what these ‘powerful familiars’ can do? Have a far weaker shadow servant run rampant through the halls to the point it was only stopped by two Magicians. Could it have been stopped by fewer? Sure, but word of mouth is powerful, and more often than not, the many will be terrified it took two Magicians to stop a weaker servant. And Chaldea has over a hundred.

So it’s that fear, concern, and begrudging acknowledgement of power that mostly keeps them in check. It’s like bothering Aoko, Zelretch, the Barthomeloi head, or the mysterious Clock Tower Director himself. If you want the best chance to remain safe and advance your lineage, you avoid unnecessary and insurmountable trouble, and poking bears is a surefire way to get your ass handed to you.

Glad you enjoyed it! 

As evidenced by Equilibrium and several fragments in Season 4, there is zero chance anyone is allowed to just move out of Chaldea. The ‘Vacation Fragment’ style is the most that’s going to be explored as shown by Shiki’s being the first. The others and their worldwide aspirations can be explored in various ways, but moving out and outright unhindered interaction with the world at large goes against the interests of several organizations (including Chaldea’s council). 

Thanks for following along!

Considering it’s a member of a phantasmal species, who are far above and beyond what the vast majority of humans are capable of, understanding language should be an easy task. Whether or not they want to would likely be up to them.

This is Scene VIII’s unofficial soundtrack, which is a bit special in its own way. 

Each of the supplements had their own theme, but this one is Fragments of Chaldea’s theme as a whole. 

It’s got that nice calming yet inspirational blend, and I thought it’d be extra special with the scrolling scrapbook-style images. I felt it captures the revised ending of Fate/Grand Order Part I really well.

FGO for almsot all images obviously, except the one photo of the fanfic OCs. I made that one with all the illustrations Grape graciously provided. 

You won’t find that song anywhere except the official licensing website. It’s a song I’ve had licensed since my film days.