Monthly Create-A-Servant Contest

[DelRey]

I will put the rework contest on hold in january, dw
I suggest that the Wyvern gets an ol' reliable poster this time
I can help out posting. Then we can spam all the entries

[pinetree]

I can help out too if you need it

- - - Updated - - -

Also hell yeah I'm excited for Secret Santa.

[Spelror]

let's go i guess

[kiwi]

i didn't end up participating, but it's interesting to see somebody do a JFK, which I was.... not not going to have in my potential entry, at least, haha. Good stuff this time around kids.

[NailsInYourFeet]

Honourable Mentions

• Sorghaghtani: Very almost made it, consider her my 6th place. Cool faceclaim, one of the more interesting figures I've learned about this Contest, and incorporating the Serge is interesting
• William Randolph Hearst: Felt picking both news tycoons would be a bit much
• Cope & Marsh: Rival duo Servants is always interesting to see, especially when they're paleontology related
• Toriyama Sekien: Always interested in sheets of this figure, the art's quite nice and fitting too

1 Point - Charles V.
A figure I'd been interested in for a while, and this sheet does a pretty decent job with him

2 Points - W.T. Stead.
His Skills are especially intriguing, with the whole 'everything becomes news' idea, and that he was an occultist too makes him fit even better in the Class

3 Points - Ernest Shackleton.
Great faceclaim, another figure I've been interested in even longer, and I like the imagery of Endurance being fused into them

4 Points - Koivunen.
Probably the most 'What the-' legend I learned about here, and an impressive one too

5 Points - McGonagall.
Definitely someone I was looking forward to since being brought up in The Womb. Good as the NP is, his Skill Unassailable Rosy Glass really makes him work for me.

[DracoScribe]

Ah, finally, it's the voting period...now I don't have to worry about even more entries. XD

Still need to read the ones I haven't read yet, so that and then voting will be a priority before replying and giving thoughts on the sheets that I ain't voting for that I haven't commented already. Among other things.

I will say I'm tempted to join in on the Secret Santa but I'll have to think about it and see if I'm up for it by the time it rolls around.

[Vididii]

i didn't end up participating, but it's interesting to see somebody do a JFK, which I was.... not not going to have in my potential entry, at least, haha. Good stuff this time around kids.

I almost made two of them

[Random]

There is... so much. Holy shit. I got distracted by several things, up to and including the collapse of the government, so I never actually updated the relationship section for Schliemann. Alas.

1 point: Gatekeeper Lili is a pure gem of BL lore. She's also a cute girl. Her personality is really compelling in the way that makes me wish she were canonical. I think she'd be popular if she got added to FGO.

2 points: I might have foreshadowed my opinion already, but Assassin Hearst hits different knowing what we currently do about Lostbelts. What is

truth

information

, really? I don't think I need to elaborate too much, I just like all the additional context he gives to the world. Any story he's in is bound to get a lot deeper really fast.

3 points: Caster McGonagall. I would be shocked if he didn't place incredibly high. I'm not entirely sure if this is a tactless sentiment, but I have to hand it to you that drawing the faceclaim in the historically-mocked MS Paint compared to the others in the contest elevates his presentation substantially - I don't think it would have hit quite the same if you'd drawn it in Clip Studio, for example.

4 points: Gatekeeper Sarashina has a really unique depth, no pun intended. She's kind of a counterpart to Hearst, and I have a lot of the same thoughts about her that I do Hearst in terms of how she fits into the greater universe. Hearst's approach to his own lore is almost narcissistic, but Sarashina scored more of my points because she feels so... deliberate, somehow. She has things to say that nobody else knows. I want to tie her to a chair and interrogate her on cosmic secrets.

5 points: Avenger Nobel takes the top spot for me. I knew he would straight away as soon as I started reading. What a fantastic take. Edgelords with morals are my weak spot, and he fits squarely into Type-Moon's themes of modern civilisation. There's some sweet chuunibyou waiting to happen. I feel like you were implying that he's a Counter Guardian, but I can't say for sure. Phenomenal work. No notes.

[BnEl15]

Imagine hitting profound TM themes by pure accident despite being practically a baby when it comes to understanding deeper Nasuverse lore and philosophy, can't be me

Ahem, I mean... Counter Guardian, yeah! Glad someone caught on. I have always been a fan of Nasu and his... Nasu-ness, described through his thought provoking language and prosework. It's impressive that you managed to catch that little reference I slipped as a tribute to his finest works. Haha. Hahahaha.

[Random]

Ahaha... Well, to briefly touch on why I thought that: an underlying qualm that Nobel seems to have is that he is destined to intervene on behalf of the humanity that he claims to hate. Despite being already dead, he's resigned to the idea that he will ultimately have to act to avert human crisis by potentially uncomfortable means. Merlin makes the distinction in Garden of Avalon that ordinary Heroic Spirits form through the hope of those they save, whereas Counter Guardians are formed by despair - which fits Nobel to a T. I understood him as being a kind of counterbalance to the concept of war itself - i.e. the avenger of modern warfare, not in the sense of just his class.

On top of that, he's an Avenger without violence, a not-entirely-pure Anti-Hero, and someone apotheosised as destruction while holding an ire for destructive forces. He feels very much like a "self-evaporating detergent", so to speak. His legacy is one and the same as the despair that would have generated him, which is directly akin to Jeanne d'Arc being born from the despair of her geopolitical situation, or more directly, the circumstances of EMIYA's pact. If the Counter Force were to make use of him, he would quite fittingly be something of a bomb that vanishes after wrecking shop, because he would literally have been conscripted to deal with the exact kind of thing that he's composed of. He's like the period in the sentence that cuts it off.

- - - Updated - - -

Just a fan-theory that I thought connected well to his themes and arc.

[BnEl15]

Ooh, nice, I think I get it now. I did get the "Avenger without violence" idea pretty early on, but I didn't think to connect it that far.

Cool character analysis, and yeah, when you say it that way, he does make sense as a Counter Guardian.

[DelRey]

In true nasu fashion, let the readers create the meaning of stuff you make up
Such an in-depth analysis is appreciated, no matter who receives it

[DracoScribe]

Okay! I did it! I read the rest! And it was a lot less than I thought. However...

GAH SO MANY STUFF I WISH I COULD VOTE FOR

But unfortunately my top three votes were already decided the moment I saw them, and it didn't change with the later sheets. Only gave me spots for my 4th and 5th place. But first! Honorable mentions.

Blessed Gerard: A vampire, a Dead Apostle at that, being a saint and doing his best to not succumb to his vampirism? I am very fascinated (and in hindsight kinda reminded of Ciel. Wonder what she would think...). Only reason it's an honorable mention is 'cause I WANTED MORE and I liked the others more.

Aimo: My gosh this is one of the craziest (and by virtue funniest) shit I've read in terms of actual historical records and I love it. And that's saying something considering how crazy history and mythology can get. The reason is ended up being honorable mention is 'cause...I just liked the other sheets more. Consider this guy my honorary 8th place.

Hearst: Gives me Spamton [from deltarune] vibes by how shifty he is to me but unlike Spamtom, who I'm a big fan of, he's a lot less sympathetic. He's honorable mention by virtue of me being prinicipally against him and I am not sorry about that. XP

Sir Ernest Shackleton: captain that can move and remove his body parts because basically his vessel is his ship? And a personality I like? Aw hell yeah. Reason he's honorable is 'cause a different captain took the spot and is even more after my heart than this man. XD

Schliemann: this man is insane and i love to hate him. he is also honorable for the same reason as Hearst: i am prinicipally against him and JUST. SO. MAD. AT WHAT HE DID. Yet I find his Servant sheet a riot and creative. So there.

Lazăr Edeleanu: I'm always a sucker for learning of more figures in chemistry and basically less "glamorous" scientific fields, so I was happy about reading this. The reason he's honorable mention is because, well, he isn't as endearing as the others. Now I know not all Servants have to, but if it's gonna be someone that ain't endearing, then they gotta at least have charisma. Like Hearst. So yeah. Basically personal tastes.

Edgar Allen Poe: A sheet born from a pun? As a lover of puns, you have earned my admiration and respect. I'll admit I was very confused about the sheet until the end. Otherwise, the sheet is honorable simply because I like other sheets more and this one wasn't as endearing.

Gustavus Adolphus Rex Sueciae: I liked him as a historical figure already from the sheet, but that Craft Essence? ...yeah i love it. I really wanted to give him a vote, but like with some of the other honorable mentions, I just like other sheets more for one reason or another. Consider this guy honorary 6th place for me though.

Nobel: By virtue of being a figure I am VERY empathetic towards, because while I know it pales in comparison, I too hate it when anything I do that I meant well backfires on me and don't want that on anyone. He's honorable mention because, again (again), there are so many other sheets that I just liked more. So consider him my honorary 7th place.

EDIT: GAH I FORGOT AN HONORABLE MENTION

William McGonagall: this man is a riot. Again, reason he's honorable is simply because I liked the others more. and i also forgot him Consider him my honorary 9th place.

And now for my votes!

1 point: Sir Sanford Fleming
I will admit the Noble Phantasm alone is what made me decide to give him at least one point instead of being among my many honorable mentions. I mean, the whole time based abilities/NPs being affected by his? Being able to teleport with it? Hell yeah. I find that cool and creative. But he also has other things going for him, admittedly mainly the whole association with trains and time, especially time. I don't know, I appreciate this a figure involved with time zones. So yeah.

2 points: Camille Monet:
I wrote a Beauty and the Beast sheet and mentioned I love them and this sheet is of a wife summoned in response to her husband and helping him out. Of course I was gonna be a sucker for this sheet. Add in how the sheet is presented and that's just a cherry on top.
Also I, too, am fond of gladioluses, though admittedly mostly because of their meanings in flower language (which I am a sucker for): rememberance, faithfulness and sincerity.
Also also: no i have not yet consumed violet evergarden but am tempted to read the light novel first over the anime (which i am tempted to see dubbed because i wanna hear the performance of ann takamaki's voice actor, erika harlacher, in a role very different from ann)

3 points: Felix von Luckner
I mentioned he was one of my favorites right? Well then this shouldn't be a surprise. From me commending his career and being as pacifistic as he could be, to the creative reason for his Class and his NP, to his personality, this sea bear really caught my heart. Or should I say barrelled into it? XP

4 points: Mary Celeste
....i love me my sentient ships and this one makes me wanna give her a hug. Okay more seriously, I am a sucker for non-human figures being Servants, especially non-fantastical creatures, so seeing a ship as a Servant alone was gonna make me love this, but the story behind being Avenger? Yeah, I wanna give her as high as I can give. Unfortunately I can't give the complete five points because...

5 points: Lady Sarashina
...this is my five points. I already said why I love this sheet so much and don't feel like repeating myself. I will say this left the biggest impression on me in this month's contest. It's just... -chef's kiss- It just hits SOOOOOO many buttons for me.


now here's hoping ill actually reply to the stuff i want and give thoughts to the servants i haven't talked about within this week...
inb4 i jinxed it

[Legendary Hero of the Chain]

Runner ups: Petrus and Catherine, Sorghaghtani, Gustavus Sueciae, Sugawara no Takasue no Musume, Maeda

1 Point: Sir Christopher Lee by DesReploid
Part of this is probably because this man is one of my favourite actors of all time, on top of being in a lot of my favourite movies. However, my love for the person would have only gotten him to an honourable mention. Using the Faker class like you did feels incredibly appropriate for an actor as varied as him, and the sheer coherence of the sheet is what grabs him my 5th place.

2 Points: J.F. Kennedy by Vididii
I’m very much looking forward to what this guys saber form is like, and if the quality is anything like this, well… It’ll be a hit. This sheet hits the bastard tropes very well, but at the same time balances it to the point he feels just right, especially with the ‘class of edge’ that Avenger is sometimes. The creative imagery used across the board definitely nets him the 4th place. Once more… the damn FC…

3 Points: The Mary Celeste by Baron Magnus
God I love the mystery of this ship, and the way you played into it has created a fantastic servant. Whilst it is indeed the middle place of my awards, it is probably the first sheet I read that I just really, really loved. Probably plays into the fact I was doing something similar, but I just like the very different way you went about things. Well done.

4 Points: Edgar Allen Poe by Justiciar Hux
Great author? Check. Type-Moon lore? Check. Bad pun inspiration? Check. Damn, if my first place hadn’t been in the comp, this would have grabbed the gold. As it is, it has left me very excited for the story, and impressed with the wonderful way you connected this author to the ideal blood of Blackmore. I till question if Apostles can get them in Fate worlds, but eh, I’m not going too knock when it makes something this good. 2nd.

5 Points: Alfred Nobel by BnEl15
Going to be honest, after this sheet, I’m probably never going to do the old Avenger Nobel idea I had myself. It’s pretty clear why. This beautiful little avenger is wonderfully written, and I very much agree with a lot of the recent comments on him. A mirror to Fate themes indeed. 1st place, here ya go.

☥On a side note, if my count's correct, the current leaderboard is:
1-Sugawara
2-Maeda
3-Nobel
4-Hearst
5-Boulanger

[Baron Magnus]

I'll start with my points because i have a lot of kudos I want to dole out but feel a bit... constrained on time. So without further ado here are my five votes.

Note
upon request the collapses are gone.

1 Point
Sans=John Fing Kennedy

I don't think this is a surprise. It's John Kennedy. It's sans in disguise. I don't think I need to say more. Frankly if it weren't for the fact that, on a second read, I got confused as to what was going on story-wise and also the presence of many good sheets then this would have more points. Of course its quality cannot be denied and so regardless enjoy a point good sir.

2 points
Ernest Shackleton

I think she's the first artic servant and hot damn is it a hot one. Kudos to writing such a well written servant and he first artic one! You have not only set the standard but you have earned 2 points for it. If it weren't for the other entries I plan on giving points to then this one would be around 3-4 points. Even so I wish nothing but the best for the best boi this competition.

3 points
Otavio Maeda

I promised a high amount points so here they are. Maeda was always a vote for me though. Between the wonderful story of the worldests strong modern man versus a world of myths is honestly exilerating. However rather than go the obvious road you've taken the more difficult but satisfying road. I commend your writing and award his sheet 3 of my 15 points. May the strongest sheet win!

4 points
Dr. Lazar

My top three choices came down which sort of stories spoke to me this time. Maeda is a story of struggle. This is a story of humanity. My top pick is a story of life. This sheet exemplifies humanity to me. Its got all the trappings of a nasu story and is very, very well written. He just feels right as a servant. Frankly sentiment is the only reason the 5 pointer is where it is. Yours is here because it is the best story and the second best at tugging heartstrings.

5 points
Sugawara no Takuse no Musume

Beautiful. Sublime. I have many words to say about it but none quite fit what I feel reading this. I cannot express the beauty of this sheet with just words. o instead I'll grant it 5 points with the only comment being it did make me cry a bit because of how beautiful you wrote the story. Kudos.

[pinetree]

Baron you should probably take out the collapse jokes on the votes. Asterism already has a hard time counting the votes with alternate names and secret identities lol
Also, thanks for the heartfelt vote.

[Serra]

Aw, only a couple more entries and we could've hit a nice round 50! Congratulations to everyone who entered this month! I hope next time I'll be able to offer something more interesting than that rushed Radagaisus sheet lol. There was a record-breaking amount of entries, but also a high level of quality overall! Surprisingly, I managed to narrow down my top three personal favourites relatively early on, but it took a lot to determine the order between them, and a lot to decide which sheets would be deserving of the fourth and fifth slots. Several sheets that aren't mentioned below are still pleasantly revolving within my head nonetheless lol

1 point to

Sorghaghtani

Blends mentions of her personal eccentricities (for instance, the nicknaming, or her refusal to call Presbyter's Privilege a variant of a certain other Skill) very well with elements that showcase her impact on history. Interesting take on the serge and its role in magecraft compared to the meaning it came to hold in several cultures. Liked the mentions of her family in her relationship lines a bunch, particularly the one for Mordred. Just, great job all around lol

2 points to

Alfred Nobel
A Nobel sheet disillusioned with the Prize and progress in general is immediately pretty attention-catching, I've got to say. The writing is neat, him being an Avenger whose main objective isn't to kill is very welcome, the nitroglycerin shades are fascinating, and both Noble Phantasms seem interesting both in concept and in terms to what sort of battles they would lead to. Random already said a bunch of more insightful stuff on him than I could though so I'm going to stop here lol

3 points to

Blessed Gerard
Fantastic sheet, great concept drawing on Dead Apostle lore in an original way, excellent Noble Phantasm with great imagery, and it manages all that while remaining efficiently terse. Also, this reminds me of when I did the Barbarossa sheet for you and gave him a line for Blessed Gerard Looking forward to the next Secret Santa!

4 points to

Lazăr Edeleanu
Loving the concept of him becoming the humanity of something that should be unable to be human, and he still manages to be a legitimately fascinating and complex character outside of the function he serves in relation to the Outer God and the powers deriving from it. Very fitting kit, great Bond Essence. I definitely appreciate the way his Noble Phantasm involves Textures, too. The humour was fun, even if I probably didn't get all of the references. And all this out of someone who died during WW2 and an Outer God from a 90s short story? Love it.

5 points to

Heinrich Schliemann
Striking sheet that feels extremely coherent in all its parts. Great bio and very fun personality; skills are on point too, especially the clever usage of Territory Infringement. Even the alignment helps considerably with in forming the overall picture of Berserker here.
My favourite part was definitely the "knowing something = blowing it up" equation behind his Noble Phantasm. It's very original, the only power I can think of that reminds me of it in a roundabout way is how Umineko debate sometimes appears to work under certain specific circumstances, and even then there's a lot of differences. But more importantly, Wahre Antike is also both very entertaining and a perfect fit for this figure.

[AndrosTC]

1 Point : Destro's Unas
There's nothing cooler than a goddamn nobody turned out to be a fucking god devourer. Also Gorr-Bale FC? Neat.
I'm always mesmerized by the era he was in, the cradles of civilization will be on my go-to list if we ever have a time travel machine
Any civilization existed before the Bronze Age Collapse was filled with mystery simply because the only account we have on them were from the conquerors who settled their lands and told their story with the invader's perspective. So I'm thankful for you to create this sheet, it reignite my interest into this quaint era of early human history

2 Point : Serra's Radagaisus
Any Late Roman Empire servant is always welcomed. This era of history is filled with contradictions and chaos that upon reading the passages might make one wonder that this must how post-apocalyptic world felt like. Barbarians pouring in in every possible border of the empire, Rome split with Constantinople, looming Huns up north. For the Romans having most of your young men either slaving their way in Senators' Pavilion, die of starvation, having their village burned to ashes, or joining the army, there's no inbetween. I love this Avenger-but-not-quite interpretation of yours, and having him become a walking machine of destruction? chef's kiss

3 Point : Nuclear's Sorghaghtani
HERE WE GOOO!!! A Mongol Servant, Neat. PGR's Qu FC somehow strangely fit the character so much I can't help but felt some sort of awe of this. On the historical perspective, it blew my mind how all her sons soon became capable leaders of the Empire, brought the endless onslaught of the Horde to all four corners of the known world, her role in this expansion is immense, and it's neat of you to distinguish Sorghaghtani as "Mongol's Cosmopolitan Administrator" and the "Mother of Four Emperors" that's rather clever way to streamlining the character in a focused manner

4 Point : Reploid's Christopher Lee
The man, the myth, the legend, CHRISTOPHER LEE!!! Incredible, just incredible. This sheet reminds me how much of a blessing it is to living concurrently with the late renowned legendary figure of the film industry, a career spanning well over 6 decades. Also that's a brilliant put for him to have his Noble Phantasm allows him to draw and reassume the bits of knowledge he had with his roles. Truly, the Lord of Misrule

5 Point : BnEl's Alfred Nobel
And the zenith of genius concept being executed magnificently. The more you think about it, the honorable "Nobel Prize" was quite ironic how his invention made the destructive aspect of War to be exponentially increased, and him being in deep guilt because of his invention --- a common attribute of brilliant minds such as Einstein, Oppenheimer, Kalashnikov, Fritz Haber, and many more --- is a great way to explore the character
I must say, it's a great sheet, Nobel's past and his conception as a Servant is fleshed out rather neatly here. So good job


To the other sheets and creators, it's not that I don't favor your creations, it's just that there's simply so many great sheet in circulation so that big decision must be made. Overall, cheers to us all for enthusiastically join in the contest, thank you guys
And this contest being my debut, I have read all the feedback I received from my Al-Jazari sheet, thank you for the criticism and suggestion, I'm open to knowledge
Hope we all could gather here again in future contests

[asterism42]

Baron you should probably take out the collapse jokes on the votes. Asterism already has a hard time counting the votes with alternate names and secret identities lol
Also, thanks for the heartfelt vote.

I will add on to this that if it's too hard for me to understand who you're voting for, I just won't count your vote.

[NittyGritty]

1 Point: Caster - William Topaz MacGonagall by Delgoras


Gotta respect an entry with original art. As much as the 'prose meta' has dominated the last few contests, I do appreciate a more straight-forward, stripped down sheet. My entry was also a bad poet, so bias is half the reason you're getting this vote.


2 Points: Lover - Petrus & Catherine Gonsalvus by DracoScribe


This one fucks on presentation alone. Killer FC, nice dialogue weaved throughout. I like how historical facts have been reframed through a fairy tale lens.



3 Points: Assassin - Blessed Gerard by Kamera

No Maidens? A very novel and atmospheric sheet. I like how his 'suicide' NP doesn't actually kill him. I assume the NP will become locked after use since he will no longer be an Apostle.


4 Points: Avenger - Alfred Nobel by BnEl15

I quite like this cynical take. His second NP strikes me as the more interesting of the two, drawing from his status as an Avenger.


5 Points: Gatekeeper - Lili Boulanger by DelRey

If Petrus & Catherine Gonsalvus fucks on presentation then this one courts, seduces, marries and lives out the rest of your days with you on its presentation alone. Nice, clean presentation with considered colour choices and layout. I especially like the layered in musical beats, tying into the sheets overall theme. Gold star.