I'm Not a Regular Mom (FGO OC)

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jwolfe_beta said:
Morgan: "Fun police. That attitude is baked into his soul."

Cue begging and whining by the Magi for her to become director again so Caster Seven can be reined in.
Olga: "You didn't hear who I was bonded to, did you?"

Morgan: "Oh I think I got something!" -Reels in Olga's soul with a fishing rod-
Merlin: "I don't know, it looks a little small. We might need to throw it back."

-Thinks about Morgan's sillier/derpy moments, in particular her spilling stuff due to Catboy-Matthew and cooing over Matthew/Cú-
Resolve yes. Gravitas and elegance? Probably not all the time.

Vivian: 'Ohh, we should try this. It looks fun!'
Olga: "No! It's silly and embarrassing!" (secretly wants to but in denial)
Vivian: 'Yes we will.'
Olga: "No. We. Aren't."
Vivian: 'Yes.'
Olga: "No."
Vivian: 'Yes.'
Olga: "No."
Vivian: 'Yes.'
Olga: "No."
Vivian: 'Yes.'
Olga: "No."
Vivian: 'No.'
Olga: "Yes.....DAMITT!"
Vivian: 'Hah! I win!'
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Now I'm imagining Matthew and Olga bonding over the fact that their respective servants can be quite a handful to deal with at times.
 
Arkio said:
Now I'm imagining Matthew and Olga bonding over the fact that their respective servants can be quite a handful to deal with at times.
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With Matthew it's incredibly embarrassing mother and Olga has more in line with what, a split personality? Come to think of it, what is Vivian's relationship to Morgan other than 'rival'? I can't see somebody who just outright hates Morgan's guts to work with her like this.

Though the insanity will only get worse when Artoria and (later) Mordred are included in this mess.
 
In all honesty she's mainline Morgan's rival. Compared to her, the heroes' Morgan is a saint.

Also I have some fun ideas for fiddly lore bits. Strictly non-canon to greater Nasuverse but a bit of fun for my fic.
 
Arkio said:
. Despite his trauma and (supposed) misanthropy, I have yet to see him mistrust someone and vice versa.
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I'll point out this is demonstrated with the little trust he extends to Romani and the rest of the staff in Chaldea and vice versa. In fact, that Romani agreed to aid him with materials and what not startled him. As a matter of fact, he hasn't even attempted to make overtures with the Staff at large, only trusting heroic spirits (sans Gilgamesh), Ritsuka who was polite and approached him as a human and not as a tool and Da Vinci who helped raise him.

In fact, remember that there is this large barrier between both parties and that Matthew is still hostile to the rest of the staff, not only that, but also the staff want him on a leash. So I'd say its shown rather than told in the story.

Arkio said:
e has so far had an answer to every situation, was able to avert any major catastrophe, fix every tragedy and has had a strange amount of skill when it comes to things that he should have no prior experience with. You can justify that with Morgan helping him with them, but by that admission what is he worth without Morgan doing everything for him? Though this is more of a personal problem with the character itself rather than a critique, so take it as you will.
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I'll however, echo this critique, Matthew so far has pulled a number of rabbits out of his metaphorical hat, I do wish that there is a point where he's faced with an actual conflict, beyond the social one. I want to see Matthew fail and learn from his failure, Morgan has coddled him so far. But he does needs to step out of his mother's embrace if he's to accomplish anything.

Arkio said:
You have made a group of literal god-level characters, or in other words, a nice, pretty little collection of deus ex machinas to be pulled out the sleeve at your leisure.
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Eh, I feel its possible that this is the only instance where a Deus ex machina can come in handy, even if there are more goddesses involved, they won't exactly be of big help, Amateratsu-Vitch is a special case because well, Tamamo's little stunt at the end of CCC.

As for the rest, Gods need to use humans as vessels and in turn surrendering a chunk of their power in order to aid mankind and even the full on Goddesses that joins, Scatanach-Skadi is not truly all that powerful. So, I think the council is relegated to leveling the field and not just waving away the problems. I think the only one capable on the roster to take on Tamavich is Gilgamesh and that is if he could be arsed to wield Ea and the consequences of wielding Ea would be devastating to the point it could easily end in a loss for Chaldea.

Arkio said:
. Another thing is how you portray the servants themselves in fights, with the most recent example being Ceaser and Boudica.
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I'll disagree on this, unless on the other side it was Iskandar leading the armies, this was the best option, no matter how many soldiers Caesar and Rome had, because Boudica could just kill a large chunk of soldiers with little ease, the average person is no match for a Servant. Thus Caesar had to take the field in order to drive her off... with predictable results.
 
Fairborough said:
As for Galahad... I don't know if this is intentional or not, but I don't really understand his demeanor. His ACTIONS certainly make sense - he's already explained why he attacked Matthew so many years ago, and why he's only drip-feeding Mash his abilities. He was only doing what he felt was right. But his stoic and vaguely superior attitude seems to be a persistent thing, even when he's trying to explain himself/reconcile with Mash and even when he's doing people a favor.
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This seems to be an extrapolation of his canon behaviour; people think he's an Alter for a damn good reason.
 
jwolfe_beta said:
Vivian: 'Ohh, we should try this. It looks fun!'
Olga: "No! It's silly and embarrassing!" (secretly wants to but in denial)
Vivian: 'Yes we will.'
Olga: "No. We. Aren't."
Vivian: 'Yes.'
Olga: "No."
Vivian: 'Yes.'
Olga: "No."
Vivian: 'Yes.'
Olga: "No."
Vivian: 'Yes.'
Olga: "No."
Vivian: 'No.'
Olga: "Yes.....DAMITT!"
Vivian: 'Hah! I win!'
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Try what? Picking up a Kaleidostick? :V
 
I'll point out this is demonstrated with the little trust he extends to Romani and the rest of the staff in Chaldea and vice versa. In fact, that Romani agreed to aid him with materials and what not startled him. As a matter of fact, he hasn't even attempted to make overtures with the Staff at large, only trusting heroic spirits (sans Gilgamesh), Ritsuka who was polite and approached him as a human and not as a tool and Da Vinci who helped raise him.

In fact, remember that there is this large barrier between both parties and that Matthew is still hostile to the rest of the staff, not only that, but also the staff want him on a leash. So I'd say its shown rather than told in the story.
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I honestly forgot about that scene, so shame on me I guess.

Eh, I feel its possible that this is the only instance where a Deus ex machina can come in handy, even if there are more goddesses involved, they won't exactly be of big help, Amateratsu-Vitch is a special case because well, Tamamo's little stunt at the end of CCC.

As for the rest, Gods need to use humans as vessels and in turn surrendering a chunk of their power in order to aid mankind and even the full on Goddesses that joins, Scatanach-Skadi is not truly all that powerful. So, I think the council is relegated to leveling the field and not just waving away the problems. I think the only one capable on the roster to take on Tamavich is Gilgamesh and that is if he could be arsed to wield Ea and the consequences of wielding Ea would be devastating to the point it could easily end in a loss for Chaldea.
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You're right, but even when acting in a limited capacity they can still address problems that the main cast cannot. The thing is, they already have several highly skilled if not outright broken casters on their side to fill that role already, so the divine interventions end up robbing the main cast of agency as well as making their achievements less impressive in comparison.

I'll disagree on this, unless on the other side it was Iskandar leading the armies, this was the best option, no matter how many soldiers Caesar and Rome had, because Boudica could just kill a large chunk of soldiers with little ease, the average person is no match for a Servant. Thus Caesar had to take the field in order to drive her off... with predictable results.
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What I had in mind here would Ceaser strategically outmanoeuvring Boudica and her forces into an engagement that is advantageous for him by cutting her off from her own forces, letting the servants gang up on her and defeat her. So, less the army charging her so much as Ceaser actually living up to his legend as a master tactician rather than his role being relegated to bailing Nero out. Really, he is also a victim of the "too many characters problem", preventing him from getting the chance to shine.
 
Arkio said:
What I had in mind here would Ceaser strategically outmanoeuvring Boudica and her forces into an engagement that is advantageous for him by cutting her off from her own forces, letting the servants gang up on her and defeat her. So, less the army charging her so much as Ceaser actually living up to his legend as a master tactician rather than his role being relegated to bailing Nero out. Really, he is also a victim of the "too many characters problem", preventing him from getting the chance to shine.
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the problem with this is that Boudica in this state cannot be out maneuvered, any plan that Caesar tries relies on her being a creature of logic or having any internal logic beyond "Murder Romans".

Cutting her from her own forces would also just mean less warm bodies for her to cut through and inflict more damage to rome, she's not only an avenger here, but she also has a native anti romans skill, so it already puts Caesar on a severe issue.

Like, part of the problem is that Nero here is FGO nero for the most part, it needs the touch of extra!Nero, haughty, self centered, yet charismatic enough and absolutely willing to dunk on people she does not likes. See Shinji and the Alice's as examples.
 
Duncan Idaho said:
the problem with this is that Boudica in this state cannot be out maneuvered, any plan that Caesar tries relies on her being a creature of logic or having any internal logic beyond "Murder Romans".

Cutting her from her own forces would also just mean less warm bodies for her to cut through and inflict more damage to rome, she's not only an avenger here, but she also has a native anti romans skill, so it already puts Caesar on a severe issue.

Like, part of the problem is that Nero here is FGO nero for the most part, it needs the touch of extra!Nero, haughty, self centered, yet charismatic enough and absolutely willing to dunk on people she does not likes. See Shinji and the Alice's as examples.
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She could be baited out of position by using Nero, then having Waver use Unreturning Formation to scramble the playing field to their advantage, then surround her and have the heavy hitters simply blitz her without giving her a chance to fight back. Her anti-roman advantage is easily circumvented by only sending the Chaldeans to actively engage her.

Also, you seem to be mistaking Avenger for Berserker. She can be relied on to attack Romans, to charge her army into them without a care for loses and to want to murder Nero in particular.

Of course, none of that would succeed because Flauros, but that is an outside context problem. You could argue that this would put Chaldea at ground zero and potentially present a game over scenario, but Ceaser and Waver and most likely Nobunaga as well would have made contingency plans for something that could turn the situation around against them, serving as another good showing for them and giving the characters a sense of gravitas and weight other than being glorified props.
 
Duncan Idaho said:
As for the rest, Gods need to use humans as vessels and in turn surrendering a chunk of their power in order to aid mankind and even the full on Goddesses that joins, Scatanach-Skadi is not truly all that powerful. So, I think the council is relegated to leveling the field and not just waving away the problems. I think the only one capable on the roster to take on Tamavich is Gilgamesh and that is if he could be arsed to wield Ea and the consequences of wielding Ea would be devastating to the point it could easily end in a loss for Chaldea.
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There are canonically 4 Divine Spirits who can manifest as Servants without using a bunrei or possessing a human to become a Pseudo-Servant. Stheno and Euryale are so weak that becoming Servants actually makes them MORE powerful; Romulus-Quirinus is so strongly tied to humanity that he can manifest without a human vessel; and Tiamat is Tiamat.
 
ladyonion said:
Try what? Picking up a Kaleidostick?
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Games night (board, tabletop and/or computer) with the rest of the servants, playing model for Medea, taking part in a baking/cooking contest, general goofing around, any number of things. Anything that Olga Marie Animusphere, Director of the Chaldea Security Organization would never do; as it would be completely improper for a Magi of her status.
 
Fairborough said:
This was very satisfying to read. I like that you have everyone use the abilities that they have intelligently, and not suddenly forget them whenever its convenient for the plot for them to not be able to do something.

The complex relationship developing between Matthew and Gil continues to be interesting. It's going in a better direction, even if it's not particularly normal or even objectively healthy, but I can't help but feel like until Enkidu shows up, there's an upper limit to how emotionally invested he'll allow himself to be in anyone. Or atleast, what he'll admit to himself and others.

As for Galahad... I don't know if this is intentional or not, but I don't really understand his demeanor. His ACTIONS certainly make sense - he's already explained why he attacked Matthew so many years ago, and why he's only drip-feeding Mash his abilities. He was only doing what he felt was right. But his stoic and vaguely superior attitude seems to be a persistent thing, even when he's trying to explain himself/reconcile with Mash and even when he's doing people a favor.

Does he find it grating that he's been type-cast as a bad guy because Matthew shared his side of the story first, or is he just overly serious and playing up the 'noble' side of 'noble knight'? I'm not saying he should be a meme like ara ara morgan, but the fact that he basically never lightens up seems to be a recurring theme...

Also,
The interaction between Nero and the Valkyries was great
I hope that Romulus gets a chance to shine in the next update
I kind of want to see Olga flip out
Having not played Extra, I'd like a better idea of what Hakuno can and can't do
I want to see Romani and Da Vinci spit out their coffee when Olga shows back up
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Given you had a fair few questions/comments here and I've been busy-ish, I wanted to clarify/explain some things.

I'm glad that Gilgamesh and Matthew's back-and-forth continues to be good. It's going to be one of the more complicated relationships but I do intend for it to eventually... smooth out? Approach something healthy? It's gonna take a while, but you know how it goes.

So Galahad. He's got a very rigid sense of justice, and is a bit of a stickler. That said, he's also pretty noble in the 'for justice and the people' sense. His morals are inflexible, but they do tend towards goodness, and kindness isn't something he's incapable of. He did stick around so Mash could survive in canon after all, and that was not a 'for the good of the many' choice. By all rights he could have faffed right off and been justified (to a degree).

To that end, I write him as with a stick up his ass, but ultimately meaning well. He's a little like... well, Hermoine Granger in early HP (to use a touchstone most people recognize). He's not evil, just hardcore about his perception of right and wrong.

Romulus is along because for all Gilgamesh can get through the armor, he has approximately one thing that can sure-kill TamaVitch and that's Ea. Even with 'the world is about to become a menagerie' that's not on the table. Ritsuka hasn't earned it, Matthew hasn't earned it, and TamaVitch definitely isn't worth it to him. Romulus' entire kit can bypass Nega-Weapon by dint of him being a Divine Spirit crammed into a Grand Vessel. He's the only one there who can reliably harm and/or kill her. Yes, this includes Amaterasu (and I will get to that in a moment!). Next chapter will be his turn to be badass, now that TamaVitch is successfully corralled and unable to passively pillage Septem for new pets.

Hakuno's Codecasts are basically spells-as-programs. I've stuck with mainly having her use defensive/support casting, which results in temporary buffs like Fire Resistance, a speed boost, a magic dampener, etc. Air Walk lets her manipulate the environment slightly by creating targeted platforms of solidified air (something something molecules pseudoscience, MST3K Mantra Go!). She does have directly damaging Codecasts, but her greatest strength is giving her allies the tools they need to take the win. The rest of her abilities are pretty clearly defined in her sheet, so I hope that clears it up!
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Okay. So there's been a lot of... discourse going on about certain story choices I've made, and things that I could have done better. I gladly welcome criticism, but am willing to admit that I am in an emotional space (given IRL things up to and including the state of the world) that it feels to me that this particular conversation has gone on long enough for my emotional and mental health. I will explain myself, and then politely request the discussion to stop.

So the Council. I do have an endgame for this fic, and they feature heavily. The amount they can intervene is limited, and jwolfe_beta was very right: the ladies are all signatories to the Pact of Fairy Tales. They can act and expect reactions or react and expect actions, but past a certain threshold things are verboten. This is an explanation for why Manaka wouldn't just dump 666 on Chaldea and call it a day, because unlike Goetia she needs a reason to ignore them. There is a defined plot that I can be malleable with concerning certain unreleased info from FGO, but there are Things That Will Happen. I'm not writing blind.

But as for the Council - they will meddle. That's part of what they're there for. In the case of Baba Yaga, she has: kept Bryn from dying and recovered materials that people with the power to use them to heal her did. She had no hand in the actual process of repair. She has handed out some semi-cryptic advice. And for a (in-story, in-character) low price, she rented her mortar out for a one-way trip and granted temporary sanctuary to two wounded characters. In the grand scheme of things, the latter was more so I wouldn't feel bad about leaving Caesar and Caligula in the middle of the woods on their own, despite them being able to paste humans with a dirty look.

Amaterasu has revealed herself in glorious fashion, and... trash-talked. She's been parading around as Tamamo (when she's basically piloting a spanking new bunrei more in line with irl portrayals) and patching wounds and occasionally throwing a Tamamo-level fireball. Other than that, she's done far, far less than Baba Yaga has. In fact, her big donation is... a psychological attack on Beast II. And as a mild spoiler? That will be all she does. It's all she needed to do, and all she can do while Amaterasu because of the Pact.

Out of the remaining six members (not including Morgan herself), three are full-on noncombatants. They are goddesses known for guiding, teaching, and supporting. Three can fight, but as the most obvious spoiler in the world, the only two of them who will actively take the field will be the ones in Babylonia because things will be decidedly insane there anyways. Will the Council factor into the plot? Sure. Will they intervene to a point that the protagonists don't have to do anything? No.

The other one that seems to be a sticking point is how I handled Caesar, Nobunaga, and Waver in particular. I have a tendency to use lots of characters, so some get more screen time than others. For the ones with less, I rely on canon characterization to carry them because I want them for a few scenes as, well, props. They are there to do a thing I want them to do, and that is to support the characters I explore or to surmount a challenge.

In terms of grand strategy, my usual method of SRPGs is to fling units at the enemy, pray the counterattacks miss, and play on Phoenix mode regardless. I am not a strategist in the slightest. My highest level of strategy is prepping a pokemon team for the elite four after looking up what elements are used. Please do not expect me to have the brainpower to make a tactician look better than competent, especially with how I already struggle with combat scenes.

One thing that struck me was the mention of Medea, which I personally thought was interesting given Okeanos is on the horizon, and she is a shoo-in for a major character there. The core cast is set as Ritsuka, Mash, Roman, Da Vinci, Matthew, whoever goes in Matthew's polycule (which I am deliberately picking and choosing for rather than nab-a-waifu), and the Crypters. The rest are rotating characters based on what Singularity/Event/Thing I Want to Happen is occurring.

As a note, I will try my best to reduce Noble Phantasm use. It seems to be annoying people, and it's something I can easily fix.

Hopefully I managed to communicate my thoughts and feelings clearly and kindly. You are all wonderful people and I'm very grateful you've taken such an interest in my story. I hope to continue to entertain you in the future.

Thanks for your feedback and support!
 
To be fair re: Amaterasu, she can't actually go all out most of the time due to the nature of her powers. Solar flares aren't exactly known for discrimination, after all. Sure, she could obliterate TamaVitch in one hit, but she'd also either glass a good chunk of Europe or drill a hole down to the mantle in the process, neither of which are very conducive to restoring the proper course of history.
 
Finagle007 said:
To be fair re: Amaterasu, she can't actually go all out most of the time due to the nature of her powers. Solar flares aren't exactly known for discrimination, after all. Sure, she could obliterate TamaVitch in one hit, but she'd also either glass a good chunk of Europe or drill a hole down to the mantle in the process, neither of which are very conducive to restoring the proper course of history.
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mmm, the Greeks had a story along those lines... something about Apollo's chariot getting taken for a joyride, the driver being incompetent, and acidentalying the Sahara.

so yea, Amaterasu NOT going "BEGONE THOT!" and glassing Europe is a fair choice.
 
zane said:
mmm, the Greeks had a story along those lines... something about Apollo's chariot getting taken for a joyride, the driver being incompetent, and acidentalying the Sahara.

so yea, Amaterasu NOT going "BEGONE THOT!" and glassing Europe is a fair choice.
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Yep Phaethon son of Helios, the guy was struck down by Zeus for causing the sun to go out of control, and rampaging through his territory, he became a part of a toxic marsh, which his 9(if I remember right) sisters became trees at when they mourned for him there, said marsh may have become part of the waters that Jason journeyed through.

As a Servant I'm guessing he'd be a three star rider, with his Noble Phantasm being a recreation of his time on his fathers chariot ending in him temporarily dying, and the attack hitting randomly
 
neogoki said:
so he is a light case of "Lawful Stupid"
with the law being his own code of Morals.
New expiriences from outside his worldview are just what is needed to cure that.
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Maybe 'Lawful Stubborn' instead in this case? In that he has the proverbial implanted redwood but if he sees the needed evidence/facts, he is willing to change his tune on matters.
 
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