The Magic Circuit

Sengo Muramasa. The elusive Alter-Ego in the body of Emiya Shirou. What's the deal with this character, and when will DW let us roll for him? Limited Over Zero's hideous hand: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/typemoon/images/5/5b/Limited_zero_over.png/revision/latest?cb=20150912065658 Shimousa manga Noble Phantasms Shuten Douji: https://s7.mkklcdnv7.com/mangakakalot/p1/ph918911/chapter_3_devils_and_demons_bottom/15.jpg Hozoin Inshun: https://s7.mkklcdnv7.com/mangakakalot/p1/ph918911/chapter_3_devils_and_demons_bottom/20.jpg

Some Case Files viewers have reported that they found it incredibly hard to follow at times. Ben and Mia, thankfully, did not, and are here to answer everything from who Gray really is all the way to what "mystery" means to mages who aren't everyone's favorite cigar-smoking detective. Clock Tower reference image: typemoon.fandom.com/wiki/Clock_Towe…ower_schema.png Timestamps: 4:20 - Gray, Add and Rhongomyniad 24:14 - The Clock Tower: organization, hierarchy, and politics 49:15 - Executors and the Holy Church 52:48 - Mystic Eyes and the Rail Zeppelin 1:04:50 - Doctor Heartless, Servants, Ghost Liners, and Faker 1:25:16 - The Forest of Einnashe

With the return of FGO's yearly challenge quest gauntlets, Ben and Mia sit down to talk strategy both past and present, the state of the game, and their thoughts on what might be welcome additions in future difficult content.

This week, Ben and Mia once again welcome special guest Urie for a fun exercise in character creation! Each of us were given a choice of historical figures, and a little bit of time to design them into Servants worthy of the franchise. 4:03 - Ben gives Mia his picks 8:36 - Mia gives Urie her picks 13:30 - Urie gives Ben his picks 24:09 - TIME STOP!! 25:50 - Ben reveals his Servant 40:00 - Urie reveals his Servant 55:35 - Mia reveals her Servant 1:14:22 - Random Page Ben's picks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Tri%E1%BB%87u https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgil https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranavalona_I https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancho_Villa Mia's picks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Gildong_jeon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faust https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hua_Mulan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhenaten Urie's picks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Henry_(folklore) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zorro https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tecumseh https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes Ben and Mia's Servant sheets: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WEaLImx4Wm_Hmb_ZoRi_gByTwxnZtcAg89DqyTcGbVA/edit?usp=sharing

Just as Goetia destroyed all of panhuman history, Nasu has stated that one day he plans to end Fate/Grand Order as we know it. Ben and Mia step up to fight for the future: what lies beyond that empty horizon? Links: https://www.frontlinejp.net/2019/01/02/fate-grand-order-interview-nasu-kinoko-discusses-the-end-of-fgo-what-comes-after-part-1/ https://www.reddit.com/r/grandorder/comments/aaktko/why_you_really_shouldnt_worry_about_fgo_ending/

It's the most wonderful time of the year, as FGO's fourth anniversary comes with many new things, in game and out, to discuss. This episode, Ben and Mia discuss up to episode 6 of Case Files, the Babylonia prologue episode, and all the new happenings in Fate/Grand Order: Summer 2019, new bronze servants, strengthening quests, and more! Drama CD Dantes: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/typemoon/images/2/21/FGO_The_Count_of_Monte_Cristo.png/revision/latest?cb=20170727181256 Chen Gong nonsense: https://youtu.be/aRU9TJ_TQMM Salome/Euryale charmlock team: https://youtu.be/LO9m1EU3dLU Timestamps: 1:55 - Lord El-Melloi Case Files 15:51 - Babylonia Episode 0 26:45 - Could an anime-only fan watch the Babylon anime with only episode 0 for context? 35:07 - Summer 2019!!! 48:00 - Strengthening Quests 1:05:28 - Rider Da Vinci and NEW BRONZE SERVANTS 1:35:20 - Lostbelt 5 Teaser 1:36:59 - Random Page: Outer God

For the latter half of our Fate/Stay Woke series, Ben and Mia turn their attention from gender and sexuality to race, culture, whether Fate's depiction of figures from non-Japanese societies is respectful or not, and when/how that really matters.

This week, Ben and Mia take a little change of pace and talking about something a bit more important than gameplay or lore. We're both big proponents of active reflection on the media you consume, and heaven knows that the Fate series has a lot of content about gender, sexuality, and cultural appropriation. In this episode, we take a deep dive into genderbent Servants and what they have to say about gender stereotypes, sexual objectification, and LGBT representation. Also, the Case Files anime is out and in this house, we stan Waver. Content warning: use of transphobic slurs This episode also contains spoilers for Sarazanmai and Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire. See below for timestamps. 8:11 - Our positionality 14:33 - The History of Genderbending 23:20 - Nero, Kagetora Nagao, and historical justifications for genderbending 29:08 - How do we feel about the existence of genderbend servants now? 31:12 - Un-gaying the Gilgamesh/Enkidu relationship 31:48-33:51 - Vague SARAZANMAI SPOILERS about the depiction of gay relationships in media 35:33 - Why do they make genderbends? 38:55 - Sometimes, genderbends can be a cool take on a historical figure. 49:30 - Gender ambiguity: Astolfo and the "Are traps gay?" meme 1:01:05 - Le Chevalier D'eon, trans representation, and Agartha 1:07:43 - Mordred and masculinity 1:12:14-1:16:50 - GAME OF THRONES/A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE SPOILERS about Cersei Lannister and internalized misogyny 1:16:59 - What hills can we choose to die on? 1:21:39 - Wokeness reprieve: El-Melloi Case Files anime episode one!!!

Finally, after shilling the series constantly at every opportunity, it's our dedicated Fate/Strange Fake episode! With volume five of Ryohgo Narita's epic having been recently released and in the process of translation, Ben and Mia recall the first four volumes of the series and predict what will happen next as one of the best ever (in our opinion) Fate stories continues to unfold. Fate/Strange Fake can be read here: https://humbertozero.tumblr.com/post/150696689780/how-to-read-fatestrange-fake-light-novel-read 1:18 - Lightning Round Recaps 20:11 - Remembering all the shit we missed in the recaps 23:36 - Brief note on Haruri Borzak and True Rider 24:36 - Who's at the hospital fight? 29:36 - Someone has to die first -- it's probably Pale Rider? 35:51 - Who's the "Final Boss?" 38:29 - What the fuck is up with Ayaka Sajyou? Does Manaka Sajyou exist in this timeline? 51:31 - Other predictions: Saint Germain, Watcher, False Assassin, Zelretch, and more 1:08:51 - Random Page: Bazett Fraga McRemitz

Ben and Mia finally take on the most important, most mysterious, and most frightening ongoing story in the Nasuverse: FGO's Cosmos in the Lostbelt. What is the God of the Foreign Star? What can we expect to find in the Indian Lostbelt and those that come after it? Are Chaldea even the good guys anymore? And who the hell is Scandinavia Pepperoncino, really? This episode is chock full of spoilers through Lostbelt 3 and the Tokugawa Labyrinth event. 3:08 - Why we love Lostbelt One 8:33 - The Alien Priestess and Olga Marie Animusphere 12:04 - What are Lostbelts? Who are the Crypters? And how do we deal with their moral dilemmas? 26:41 - What's going to happen to Kadoc Zemlupus? 31:21 - Who the hell is Scandinavia Pepperoncino, really? 40:13 - Who is Lostbelt Berserker? And -- Karna and Arjuna in the Mahabharata vs in Fate. 48:33 -- Brief freaking out about the year given for Lostbelt 4 51:17 -- The return of Ashiya Douman and the God of the Foreign Star 1:00:08 -- Tinfoil theory: Sherlock Holmes is a Foreigner. 1:06:34 -- Caenis is kinda problematic. 1:08:34 -- Finishing thoughts and minor predictions on future Lostbelts, including Daybit zem Void, Fantasy Trees, and David Bluebook. 1:19:16 -- Random Page: Blut die Schwester

With Mia away, Ben goes solo -- and digs up an old recording we made when we first had the idea of starting a Type-Moon podcast, from the far-off days when didn't even know what Strange Fake was yet.

Ben and Mia take a break from being educational and indulge in some good old fashioned Q&A. Topics include their favorite Servants in FGO, fun team comps, and the ones that got away. Timestamps: 2:43 - Who is the first Servant you Max Bonded With? 5:05 - What Servants are you working toward Max Bond? 9:19 - Favorite Servant Class? 13:46 - What is your favorite kind of party? 17:48 - What's your favorite battle tactic? 20:32 - Who is always on your frontline? 23:52 - Who is always in your party? 24:38 - Favorite Mystic Code. 27:58 - A Mystic Code you want. 29:52 - Are you waiting for a rate up of a Servant already in the game or someone who isn't out yet? Who? 32:33 - A Servant that didn't come home. 33:21 - A Servant that needs work. 37:48 - A Servant that you didn't like at first but now love. 39:59 - Who is your favorite Servant(s) for each class? 55:42 - What Support Servant do you use most? 56:52 - Favorite story arc? 58:36 - Favorite attack animation? 1:01:23 - Favorite Noble Phantasm animation? 1:02:07 - Favorite boss battle. 1:04:40 - Favorite plot twist. (spoilers up to Lostbelt 2) 1:06:21 - Favorite music. 1:07:31 - Do you have a dream Servant? Who is it? 1:13:18 - An event you want to happen or want a rerun of. 1:14:33 - Favorite enemy mob and an enemy mob that you despise. 1:15:57 - A material you never have enough of. 1:17:06 - A material you have too much of. 1:18:52 - Favorite hunting grounds? 1:22:18 - Random page: Galahad (spoilers up to Lostbelt 1)

Mia and Ben actually, really, truly, discuss the intricacies of the TYPE MOON magic system, addressing age-old questions like "Why do spells need incantations?" and "What even is the Spiral of Origin?" Also, the Warrior Cats series by Erin Hunter, because even the most lore-rich episode to date wouldn't be complete without a healthy digression. Links: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/typemoon/images/f/f7/Shadow_giant_actual_size.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140620141503 Timestamps: (coming soon)

DISCLAIMER: We recorded this episode before 6 and 7 (probably around early March), and as a result some of the information we present here is out of date. Ben, Mia, and their guest Tay (FateSteelTaylor) discuss the (at the time) recently translated prologue of Fate/Requiem, a new entry in the Fate franchise written by Meteo Hoshizora. The trio bumble their way through their first impressions, reflect on how it fits into the overall canon, and get into some hijinks along the way.

This time, Mia and Ben try to tackle the nitty gritty of the TYPE MOON magic system, only to derail themselves immediately and spend the whole episode talking about Heaven's Feel II: lost butterfly. GENERAL SPOILERS FOR THE HEAVEN'S FEEL MOVIES Links mentioned in the video: Hansa doing the Bajiquan pose vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/typemoon/im…50531172212 "The Prophecy" (slightly censored) puu.sh/D8FnI.png Timestamps: 2:48 - How sick were the new fight scenes? 6:31 - Gilgamesh and Sakura confrontation 9:50 - Saber Alter vs Berserker 14:10 - How Lost Butterfly improved the VN's pacing 19:00 - Archer's Arm and shounen powerups 21:35 - Did Lost Butterfly do Illya justice? 24:20 - Digression about the pole-vaulting memory 25:50 - Illya discourse continued 31:55 - Sakura's representation in the franchise vs Illya's 39:09 - How Lost Butterfly did Shinji wrong 43:26 - We ramble for a bit about our bad time management sklls 45:16 - Random page: Fierce Tiger Forcibly Climbs a Mountain 49:20-51:45 - Minor Losbelt 3 and Fate/Extra spoilers 53:01 - BAJIQUAN MASTERS 58:16 - Melty Blood, the greatest fightan game to ever grace convenience store parking lots and hotel bathrooms 1:05:55 - We realize that this April, we are the real fools.

Following up our Valentine's Day girl tier list, Ben and Mia evaluate every boy in Grand Order for dateability in honor of White Day! See our final tierlist here: https://i.imgur.com/jihZXPx.jpg Make your own tierlist here: https://tiermaker.com/create/fgo-date-tier-list-boys Cute Cursed Arm: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/typemoon/images/b/b1/TrueAssassinTCending.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/300?cb=20141028211343 Babbage oven with Fran and Moriarty: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DVajIl6W0AErNRJ.jpg:large Which is a reference to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgHW02YF50s 3:00 - Explaining the Parameter system 9:54 - Siegfried 12:19 - Julius Caesar 14:15 - Emiya 16:08 - Gilgamesh (Archer) 19:34 - Robin Hood 24:14 - Arash 26:58 - Cu Chullain 31:54 - Musashibou Benkei 35:02 - Leonidas 39:13 - Romulus 42:19 - Saint George 44:55 - Blackbeard 45:22 - Gilles de Rais 45:36 - Mephistopheles 46:07 - William Shakespeare 50:21 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 52:58 - Waver 59:54 - Sasaki Kojirou 1:02:05 - Cursed Arm Hassan 1:06:15 - Charles Henri Sanson 1:07:16 - Phantom of the Opera 1:07:45 - Heracles 1:10:48 - Lancelot (Berserker) 1:11:34 - Lu Bu 1:12:10 - Spartacus 1:19:34 - Sakata Kintoki 1:22:24 - Vlad III (Berserker) 1:25:59 - Asterios 1:26:39 - Caligula, Darius, and Eric Bloodaxe 1:27:20 - David 1:28:39 - Hector 1:30:15 - Fergus mac Roich 1:34:51 - Nikola Tesla 1:36:08 - Paracelsus 1:37:55 - Charles Babbage 1:40:33 - Jekyll and Hyde 1:44:32 - Arjuna and Karna 1:48:25 - Fionn mac Cumhaill 1:52:18 - Beowulf 1:53:08 - Amakusa Shirou 1:54:30 - Astolfo 1:56:20 - Edmond Dantes 1:58:25 - Cu Chullain (Alter) 2:00:00 - Rama 2:02:33 - Li Shuwen (Lancer) 2:03:15 - Edison 2:04:37 - Geronimo 2:05:50 - Billy the Kid 2:07:25 - Angra Mainyu 2:09:27 - Iskandar 2:10:08 - Emiya Kiritsugu 2:10:48 - Fuuma Kotarou 2:13:25 - Ozymandias 2:15:12 - Lancelot (Saber) 2:15:36 - Tristan 2:17:12 - Gawain 2:18:32 - Tawara Touda 2:19:45 - Bedivere 2:20:12 - Vlad III (Lancer) 2:20:33 - Enkidu 2:21:46 - Gilgamesh (Caster) 2:23:20 - Merlin 2:23:43 - Goetia 2:24:08 - Solomon 2:24:39 - King Hassan 2:27:48 - Moriarty 2:28:51 - Emiya (Alter) 2:30:00 - Yan Qing 2:31:42 - Arthur 2:33:50 - Hijikata 2:34:50 - Christopher Columbus 2:35:00 - Sherlock Holmes 2:37:05 - Hozoin Inshun 2:37:28 - Munenori Yagyu 2:38:15 - Avicebron 2:40:28 - Antonio Salieri 2:41:25 - Ivan 2:42:18 - Achilles 2:43:19 - Chiron 2:45:31 - Okada Izou 2:47:37 - Sakamoto Ryouma & Oryou 2:50:44 - Napoleon 2:53:23 - Sigurd 2:54:35 - Diarmuid Ua Duibhne 2:56:46 - Xiang Yu 2:56:57 - Prince of Lanling 2:58:51 - Qin Shi Huang 2:59:47 - Li Shuwen (Assassin) 3:01:45 - Red Hare 3:05:02 - Conclusion

As a Valentine's Day special, Ben and Mia evaluate every female character in FGO for dateability! Join us as we slowly lose our minds realizing just how huge of a task ranking 135 girls can be. See our final tier list here: https://i.imgur.com/J463kd1.png Make your own tier list here: https://tiermaker.com/create/fgo-date-tier-list-girls Timestamps: 4:21 - Fate/Strange Fake news 6:34 - Gender disclaimer 10:25 - Mashu Kyrielight 12:39 - Artoria (Saber) 13:18 - Artoria (Saber Alter) 16:46 - Artoria (Lily) 19:13 - Nero 22:27 - Altera 24:41 - Elaborating on tiers (which becomes meaningless once we change them) 27:17 - D'eon 29:17 - Atalante 31:15 - Euryale 31:24 - Elizabeth Bathory 33:34 - Medusa 35:46 - Boudicca 37:00 - Ushiwakamaru 39:06 - Marie Antoinette 40:50 - Saint Martha 42:04 - Medea 44:27 - Stheno 44:31 - Jing Ke 45:37 - Mata Hari 49:11 - Carmilla 51:06 - Kiyohime 51:17 - Tamamo Cat 52:54 - Jeanne D'Arc 54:43 - Artemis 55:58 - Tamamo no Mae 58:18 - Francis Drake 59:38 - Anne & Mary (revisited 1:43:00) 1:00:04 - Medea Lily 1:00:14 - Okita Souji 1:01:35 - Oda Nobunaga 1:03:03 - Scathach 1:05:15 - Mordred 1:06:20 - Artoria (Lancer Alter) 1:07:13 - Fran 1:08:31 - Mysterious Heroine X 1:09:19 - Brynhildr 1:09:52 - Ryougi Shiki 1:11:19 - Nightingale 1:12:15 - Medb 1:13:52 - Jeanne D'Arc (Alter) 1:18:05 - Hundred Face Hassan 1:19:17 - Irisviel 1:21:01 - Shuten Douji 1:28:48 - Sanzang 1:30:15 - Raikou 1:32:21 - Artoria (Lancer) 1:33:39 - Nitocris 1:34:41 - We realize we've made a terrible mistake, and rework the tier system, many servants get moved slightly to reflect the changes 1:39:31 - Hassan of Serenity 1:41:02 - One more tier added 1:42:11 - Da Vinci 1:43:00 - Anne Bonny 1:44:15 - Cleopatra 1:46:24 - Ishtar 1:48:48 - Enkidu 1:49:27 - Quetzlcoatl 1:50:06 - Gorgon 1:50:47 - Jaguar Man 1:51:51 - Tiamat 1:52:09 - Miyamoto Musashi 1:53:57 - Mysterious Heroine X (Alter) 1:55:53 - Meltlilith and Passionlip 1:57:40 - Suzuka Gozen 1:58:50 - B B 1:59:15 - Sessyoin Kiara (Extra CCC spoilers) 2:03:24 - Sherezade 2:03:54 - Penthesilea 2:04:24 - Parvati 2:06:42 - Tomoe Gozen 2:07:53 - Mochizuki Chiyome 2:08:48 - Kato Danzo 2:09:39 - Osakabehime 2:11:07 - Circe 2:12:05 - Ne Zha 2:13:14 - Sheba 2:14:06 - Ereshkigal 2:16:08 - Kastushika Hokusai 2:17:21 - Semiramis 2:18:15 - Asagami Fujino (Kara no Kyoukai Part 3 spoilers) 2:22:00 - Anastasia Romanova 2:23:56 - Okita Alter 2:24:35 - Valkyries 2:27:10 - Skadi 2:27:26 - Qin Liangyu 2:28:06 - Yu Miaoyi (Lostbelt 3 spoilers), revisited 2:38:14 2:30:06 - Bradamante 2:30:21 - Murasaki Shikibu 2:32:29 - Wrapping up

Part two of our celebration of Fate/Stay Night's 15th anniversary! This time we talk about how the Fate series has changed since the original VN, the de-emphasis of the Holy Grail War itself in recent Fate stories, the importance of balance between Servant and Master characters, and more. Timestamps 1:50 - Hollow Ataraxia 9:15 - Fate/Extra 17:00 - Fate/Extra: Last Encore 20:15 - Extella, Grand Order, and the de-emphasizing of the Holy Grail War 28:52-31:51 - Fate/Requiem (no spoilers, just talking about the setting) 33:52-35:29 - Grand Order first arc and Prisma Illya spoilers 36:21-40:25 - Strange Fake spoilers as we have our obligatory-every-episode non-sequitur gushing about how good it is 41:00 - Intertextuality, cultural context, and why the series needs Masters 48:08-50:45 - Minor Cosmos in the Lostbelt spoilers through Russia 52:07 - Do we need the Holy Grail? 57:13 - Random Page

Happy New Year! In honor of the 15th anniversary of Fate/stay night, Ben and Mia reflect on how they got into the series, the original visual novel, its adaptations, and where the series has gone since then. CORRECTION (1/15/19): We are both aware how dumb we are and that the actual release of F/SN was January 30th. See also: https://twitter.com/TheMagicCircuit/status/1085205654871134209 Timestamps 6:33 - Our intros to the series 11:53 - Rin and Shirou's dynamic 16:48 - Carnival Phantasm, Emiya Gohan, and why spinoffs work 31:48 - Fate Route 45:33 - Heaven's Feel 50:18-50:28 - major spoiler for upcoming Heaven's Feel movies 52:13 - How faithful should an adaptation be? Who is their audience and what do they want? 1:10:03-1:10:43 - minor Grand Order Agartha spoilers 1:11:13 - random page attempt 1, Prisma Illya spoilers 1:13:43 - random page attempt 2 Links https://theafictionado.wordpress.com/2018/07/05/swords-and-saucepans-domesticity-masculinity-and-emiya-shirou/

Ben and Mia discuss Christmas 2018, the end of Grand Order Part One: Observer on Timeless Temple, Quantum Timelocks, and more. Discussion topic and spoiler timestamps: 6:30 - Christmas 2018 18:00-19:00 - Minor Shinjuku EoR spoilers 23:00 - Merlin and Time Temple 26:00-50 - Extra CCC and CCC event spoilers 33:10-30 - minor Cosmos in the Lostbelt prologue spoiler 37:40-39:50 - Fate/Apocrypha and Melty Blood spoilers 41:45-43:45 - Kara no Kyoukai Part 5 spoilers 51:30 - Quantum Timelocks 56:35-58:50 - Fate/Extella spoilers 1:08:30 - random wiki page, Apocrypha spoilers Are you a big jazz boy or a little jazz boy? https://quizzes.clickhole.com/are-you-a-big-jazz-boy-or-a-little-jazz-boy-1825124525

Ben and Mia introduce themselves and what the podcast is all about. Topics include feelings on Lostbelt 3, the nitty gritty on the new Servants, their first impressions of the Christmas 2018 event, and Fate/Strange Fake. CW: rape mention (we discuss a Strange Fake character's backstory). Things we mention in the episode: https://twitter.com/madocactus http://humbertozero.tumblr.com/post/150696689780/how-to-read-fatestrange-fake-light-novel-read