Nasuverse 1d4chan article

Nasuverse should, in a sane world, refer to the setting shared by most of the works of Nasu Kinoko. For a long time, this was so. These days, if only it were that simple.

In their college years, Nasu(who could, indeed, well be a woman) did a lot of GMing, and based on that, an even bigger lot of writefagging. By their own claim, they GM'd in their own homebrew system, which all the tabletop-looking stuff in their works is supposed to reflect, even though none of it actually makes internal sense but does have some elements of other systems, like saving throws and the alignment grid. Nasu ''most definitely didn't run World of Darkness'', even though they are a fan of all the regular western systems. If they ran WoD, it would surely reflect on their work, which it doesn't because everything is named totally different and it's not the same thing. The Alignment Grid used in Fate also refers to completely different concepts for 'good/evil' and 'lawful/chaotic', so it's not the same thing as D&D cosmology at all. Kinoko Nasu is, certainly, NOT making mad dosh using concepts and settings outlined in another people's property, living every GM's wet dream. Any allegations to the contrary will be met with no response and the utter absence of Kinoko Nasu, the main writer of the now gigantic TYPE-MOON brand, from the public view, leading to nobody even knowing their sex, as they keep hiding behind the cartoonish avatar of a mushroom.

With a bit more respect, the Nasuverse is an expansive setting for various Visual Novels and short stories, later anime based on those, but these days mostly video games. Often discussed on our board, it is a very interesting case study for /tg/, as a look at what World of Darkness would be like if it came from the east. Rather than all of its many factions and concepts coming through the western lens, the core of this one lies in Zen Buddhism. It should probably be noted that TYPE-MOON did not become as big as it is just by pandering to the lowest common denominator as it may often do today, and the works as its roots are generally very well regarded on /a/ and /jp/ alike. In short, Fate/Stay Night and Tsukihime are pretty good reads, and Kara no Kyoukai is a pretty good read/watch.

Numerous attempts have been made all around to run games set in the Nasuverse, but Anons find that this is rather difficult. The main reason is that the setting can be only seen through the stories we are given that are set in it, and the characters who live in it. There are many more 'Character Material' booklets than the ones a GM would really want, 'World Material'. In short, there are an awful ton of holes in the fabric of this world, a lot of unprecedented new information that seemingly changes everything in every new work, and a lot of things that you are going to simply not know unless you can read moon runes. Even then, the lore can get staggeringly complicated, sometimes even requiring understanding of Buddhist theologic concepts to make out what the writer really meant in between the scientific buzzwords. It can also get really stupid, like basically everything that we are told Fate/Extella.

The most accurately representative way to run a game set in the Nasuverse, no matter which part of it, is to force every player to make a character sheet in GURPS with as much complexity to it as you can feasibly get away with, and then run a PvP heavy game. Once the players start fighting, they should slowly start tearing their character sheets to bits midway through the fight, and instead start fencing with their fully erect phalluses in front of the whole table. That i=s pretty much what every fight in every work there is like.


=Setting=
Being a proper multiverse, it's a bit difficult to tackle universal rules, since they may change per work, but we'll do our best to get as close as we can.

==The Root and You==
Long ago, all the happy planets in the solar system lived in peace. They each produced life fitting for its habitat, big and small, and unrestrained by the laws of physics, the specifics of which, as it happens, can change from one celestial body to another. The life of Venus was vegetative and thrived in its rich atmosphere, wheras the life of Uranus, for example, was crystalline, and many-limbed. On Earth were born creatures of flesh and bone, rich in number and often very distinct from each other.

There was just something different about Gaia, the soul of Earth. Maybe something was missing on Earth, or there was too much of something existentially poisonous, or maybe Gaia took a wrong turn before the answer it eventually arrived to. It tried many different things due to its failure to produce a ruling lifeform, something that would truly exemplify Gaia. On Jupiter walked life more similar to a small pseudo-star clad in helium: Type-Jupiter. Pluto was orbited by a gigantic cross of metal: Type-Pluto. Even Luna, Gaia's little sister, was full of predatory fairies, and able to produce the fairy king, Type-Moon. Wink Wink, Nudge Nudge.

The existence that was born on Earth, after all of its experiments that would later be known as gods, beasts of folklore, and archeological excavations, the closest thing to a Type that Gaia could produce on its own, was, of course, the Primates. Mankind, however, could not itself be a king, and did not produce a lasting king of their own, because its unique trait was its detachment from the Root of All Things. Free will is just a part of what it means - mankind was, fundamentally, not part of nature anymore, unlike just about everything else in existence. The more sapient mankind grew, still ruled by the gods which were themselves just an extension of Gaia herself, all the while worshiping the divine providence that made them, humans slowly but surely grew to become something quite separate from their mother. Although Gaia loved all of its children, it understood that the thing it created was actually a sort of terrifying cosmic cancer with no equal.

To punctuate this issue, Gaia had a corrective force that represented its own survival instinct, the Counterforce. It was the manifestation of its own will. If it did not like something happening on its surface, it could resolve the situation with a well-placed lightning bolt or volcano eruption, or just erasing and remodeling a part of itself.

Humanity, however, developed its own survival instinct, it's own Counterforce, stemming from the collective counscousness of mankind - the Magi of today call this Alaya. Humanity went, and started trying to make sense of things, started imposing ''logic'' on the world. In doing so, Alaya imposed its will on existence and grew, while other beings of Gaia lost its 'mystery', which was essentially what allowed them to exist. As history progressed, Gaia and Alaya would inevitably be at odds with each other.

==The Age of Gods==
[strike]So there was this alien spaceship thing called Sefar[/strike] '''*BLAM*''' In the old days of humanity, where written sources barely reach, gods, the divine, and magic were very real, while science was not so real. Gods even had physical bodies, walked the Earth, and it took some seriously cataclysmic events for them to grow weaker, and let Humanity have space to grow, and found the basis of civilization.

In those days, humanity was strong, as today, humanity is weak. It's unknown whether humanity's fall was caused by the population explosion spreading out Alaya's power too soon, mankind losing its touch with earth, or both, but in general, it is a common opinion in the setting that Age of Gods was the good times, while the current state of humanity is terrible and cannot last long.

One boon of humanity in the Age of Gods was Magecraft - originally, a gift from the gods. Back then, humanity could use magic by simply saying the correct magic words, and Magi today really wish they still could. Back then, magic was flashy and fancy, while today, it is subtle, and barely visible.
>>>>>>more stuff goes here<<<<<<<
Solomon, King of Magic, has set down certain rules for the use of Magecraft. As of his time, humans needed to go through quite a few hoops to use it.

It is stated that the Age of Gods has ended with the death of King Arthur, but this wasn't abrupt - rather, Britain in around 800AD was the last ember of a world now lost, and the king has departed, everything that was left on the world that was not a regular beast or of humanity, all the fairies and Dragons, have hidden themselves away from humanity's eyes, preserving the last bits of mystery they had left, and without which they could not exist.

==The Age of Humanity==




Concepts:
=Magecraft=



True Magic


=


=Psychics=

=Mixed Bloods=

=Dead Apostles=


Factions:

=Mage's Association=
=The Church=
=The Hunter Families=





==Type-Moon Titles==
For most of the company's existence, it has generally been understood that there is a dichotomy between 'Tsuki-side' and 'Fate-side' of the setting, with some of the concepts and important setting events therein being exclusive to either Tsukihime, or Fate. Tsukihime requires Human Order to be weak, while Fate requires Human Order to be strong. Some works, such as Strange Fake, have recently thrown wrench into it, by featuring both Servants and powerful vampires, so they'll be hereby referred to as the 'strange worlds'.


=Tsuki-side=
* '''Tsukihime'''
The Visual Novel that got TM famous. Very minimalist by today's standards, which works in its favor.

As a little boy, Tohno Shiki wakes up in a hospital after an 'accident'. He finds that the near-death experience has left him with the ability to see and actualize death in anything and anyone through the 'lines of death' he sees on everything. This is absolutely terrifying. It would have probably driven him insane, if not for the appearance of the mysterious older woman, a sorceress. The sorceress gives him magical glasses which block the ability, in hopes that his newfound understanding of life's fragility would make him into a responsible adult. Ten years later, Shiki runs across a blonde vampire woman in his city, and quickly finds out that being a responsible adult might not be so easy.

Tsukihime is very somber and seriously written, with practically no jokes existing in it - this is especially apparent compared to something as flowery as Fate/Stay Night. It's also notable for the twilight-esque premise being just bait to make you read a completely different story, one that has nothing to do with vampires, and everything to do with being a responsible adult. It's a subtle work that does not go out of its way to make itself understood, one can't claim to 'get' much about it until they've read all the routes to the end.
Tsukihime has a decent manga which mostly uses Arcueid's route with elements of others and some original content, though it's not exactly a substitute for the novel. [s]There is also an ani[/s] '''*BLAM*'''
** '''Tsukihime PLUS-Disc & Kagetsu Tohya'''
Bonus content for Tsukihime. PLUS-Disc is just a tiny afterword from the company, but KT is a VN of its own. It features the protagonist in a Groundhog Day scenario, able to investigate much of the background of the Tsukihime world, which the tight and grim narrative of Tsukihime couldn't easily touch upon. PLUS-Disc features a short story of its own, while Kagetsu Tohya has ten of them (some of which are jokes, but most are pretty great), outside of its own main narrative.
** '''Melty Blood'''
A fighting game, with a huge following despite being relatively dated. You can find people playing Melty Blood anywhere in the real world, in parking lots, on toilets, and of course in the basement.

Melty Blood has a main story, for which you need to play one of the first versions of the game, or read the manga, which is also alright. Surprisingly, much of the core information we have about the setting comes from Melty Blood.
* '''Mahotsukai no Yoru'''
The first visual novel Nasu ever wrote, never released. Technically a prequel to Tsukihime, and very similar in feeling.
* '''Clock Tower 2016'''
Set on Tsuki-side through technicality, most people would associate it with Fate.
* '''Tsukihime Remake'''

=Fate-side=
* '''Fate/Stay Night'''
The Visual Novel that got TM rich.
** Fate/ Hollow Ataraxia
** Fate/
* Fate/ Extra & CCC

* '''Fate/Grand Order'''
The Visual Novel that got Sony obscenely rich. THIS IS THE SINGLE BIGGEST CASH COW OF SONY. Nothing else Sony does or has made it this much money recently. We wish this was hyperbole.

Featuring some of the most abysmal lootbox rates in existence, this brand name con aimed at people with too much money and too little sense also has its good parts. It should be admitted that you don't need to spend money in the game to finish the story, but why would you want to read the story of Fate/Grand Order? It's pretty bad and takes a long time to get good. Once it does get good, it mostly redeems itself with the Solomon chapter. Despite being a phone game, its gameplay can get pretty deep, so you can almost understand why so many people play it. Almost.


=Strange Worlds=
* Kara no Kyoukai
A series of short stories, localized and released. Turned into movies with ridiculous production quality, that rank among some of the best anime adaptations of written material out there.