Aiden

Let me start by saying that Nasuverse is a very complex setting to work with. It is full of background and interesting minutiae, the sort of world-building stuff I enjoy trying to piece together and make sense of in my spare time, so I can nerd-rage about inconsistencies and nonsensical elements until my heart is content.

The problem with complex settings is, if you're on a budget and stuck in a specific timeframe, you can only show so much of that setting at any given time. So lots of minor elements get the shaft (and no, not the literal shaft, that means you're a major character). Little characters that never get much attention, though Hollow Ataraxia was able to fix some of that for the Fate franchise.

Not nearly as much as it could have, but I can't judge it for certain as I have no played it in full. I've watched a couple fight scenes and the Eclipse: School (Himuro) sequence.

I didn't even know the name of the character Saegusa Yukika, or remember her personality at all, until I had an AIM conversation with Radiantbeam one day.

It was maybe a week before I got into the swing of my INSANE NUMBER OF DRABBLES, and we had a simple conversation after I looked into the character some more to refresh my memory.

I did Yukika's dialogue for the roleplay of 'they eat lunch together', she did Rin's, and... somehow it just clicked.

We were going to leave it at that, but then I started writing drabbles and I promised I would give Beamu a fluffy yuri moe surprise, so I went back and looked through our old conversations for inspiration.

SAEGUSA YUKIKA.

I had to write it. I went and looked through the prologue of F/SN one more time while doing so to make sure I got it all right.

Nasu had all of these little nuances to her, and to Rin's feelings when talking to her, that made writing and shipping them together an exercise in simplicity.

From there, I started branching out and looking into other, related minor characters, to see how I could tie it into things... and they all have such fascinating personalities!

Himuro Kane, Makidera Kaede...

I'd already noticed Ryuudo Issei, cause he was a bit more prominent, but I still got to see more of him when I did the HA research binge between classes on campus.

I am just completely fascinated with the interactions of minor characters now, both between themselves and with more 'major' players in the setting.

Rin/Yukika OTP.

I think the main part of the appeal, for me, has actually been that empty space in characterization and biographical details. There's just enough material for me to work with to unfold a character into existence wholesale, and make them fit, without forcing anyone to have to adjust to the idea of becoming emotionally invested in an Original Character.

That's worked out pretty well for me so far.

And as I write this, I also notice the little world-building thing I did with Altrouge Brunestud shows an even earlier (within the same week, because wtf I am insane about drabble writing) trend on my part towards building up minor characters in some fashion. Hm.

Have I mentioned Rin/Yukika OTP?