velshtein | this what happens when you take advice from a madman

Lmao I love how Rider holding Waver like that is just a normal thing.

I LOVE SABER AND LANCER'S WHOLE KNIGHT THING. They are so adorable. And so into it lmao.

Like I just want them to skip off into the sunset and spend eternity being knights and being proud of themselves and complimenting each other and just living and breathing their path of chivalry gheugheguh. King of Knights is a fantastic name for Saber since it seems to me that she does value her pride as a knight more than her pride as a king, with the way she treats Irisviel, the way she ruled as king (serving the people).

(King of Conquerors works great for Iskander since Alexander the Great was known for that whole conquering thing he did BUT LMAO KING OF HEROES. Gilgamesh...is not a person I would call a "hero" especially before he met Enkidu with the whole BRIDE RAPE thing, but I guess his adventures with Enkidu and the stuff he did after Enkidu's death was pretty...heroic in a I DID LOTS OF COOL STUFF way. I guess. LOL IT DOES WORK FINE IN THE MORE LITERAL "I'M THE KING OF ALL THE HEROIC SPIRITS" SENSE THOUGH. If he named himself.)

Lol you are so cute, Waver.

SMILING. FINALLY SMILING. KIREI ARE YOU ENJOYING YOUR PATH OF SELF-DISCOVERY???

Lmao Gilgamesh you are beyond creepy. But at least you have great taste (for all the worst reasons).

ALSO there was a small flashback cut out, from the end of Rider's and Gilgamesh's conversation. I assume for time related reasons. I guess it could still be added at the beginning of next week's episode...maybe. Probably not because it doesn't really have anything to do with next week's storyline or anything really after it. ANYWAYS I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO IT AAAAAH. But it should be on the blu-ray release.

GILGAMESH FLASHBACK OF ENKIDU'S DEATH AAAAAH. WHY. I WANTED TO SEE THIS. It's tiny but very sweet imo and a nice look at the one relationship that Gilgamesh had where he actually loved and was loved in a LESS SELF-SERVING way than usual.

From the Baka-Tsuki Translation of the Fate/Zero novels:

Tonight, witnessing with his own eyes that incomparable light lead the thoughts of the primeval Heroic Spirit back to the distant past.

– Once upon a time, there was a man.

He was a foolish and ridiculous fellow whom, despite having a body made of mud and soil, set his heart to stand shoulder to shoulder with gods.

Of course, his hubris and disrespectful arrogance offended the gods in heaven. The man suffered divine retribution and lost his life.

Even to this day, the King of Heroes still couldn’t forget the way that he passed away with tears streaming down his face.

Why are you crying? The King of Heroes had asked. Could it be that, only now, you are regretting having taken my side?

It’s not that –

He had answered.

“Who would understand you after I die? Who else would march forward by your side? My friend… when I think that you will live on all alone henceforth, I can’t help but shed tears…”

Like so, when he saw that man taking his last breath, the incomparable king realized – the way that this man, who was human but wanted to surpass humanity, had lived, was even more precious and more brilliant than all the treasures he had collected.

GEHGUEGHEUGH. Also it's got the whole DREAMERS WHO DREAM TOO BIG theme going on that Gilgamesh also sees in Saber, and that was mentioned to Kirei in one of the deleted bits from episode 12.