Sei Shounagon

, Class Name , is an Archer-class Servant summoned by Ritsuka Fujimaru in the Grand Orders of Fate/Grand Order.
==Profile==
===Identity===
Sei Shounagon was daughter of Kiyohara no Motosuke, one of the “Five men of the Pear Chamber” accredited with compiling the readings for the oldest collection of Japanese poetry in existence, the Man'yōshū.
A woman who lived in a society revolved around men, however, through her own power and initiative she was able to show the world her amazing talent. 
She stayed close by the side of Empress Teishi who was the wife of Emperor Ichijō until Teishi's passing. After the Empress’ death, her musings and observations of court life surrounding Teishi were compiled into a book called “The Pillow Book”.
An author and poet of the Heian period (794 - 1185) in Japan.
Being an oddity during this period in Japan, Sei Shōnagon was well versed in reading Chinese characters and the world of Chinese poetry.
There are many stories passed down through the ages of her using her vast knowledge to go head to head with the men of the time in debates and intellectual discussions.
For a woman of this time, she was clearly not run-of-the-mill.
From "The Diary of Lady Murasaki Shikibu” we can see how Murasaki Shikibu clearly kept the existence of Sei Shōnagon in her mind.
As a lady of the court she began to serve Teishi in the later part of her 20s.
The young Teishi came to deeply care for Sei Shōnagon and in return she loyally served the beautiful and bright Teishi, without betraying any of her expectations.
She would enthusiastically write about the going ons of the royal court where she lived,
later these writings were compiled into a Zuihitsu book. This would turn out to be Japan’s first collection of essays “The Pillow Book”.
Her brother Kiyohara-no-Munenobu was killed by Minamoto-no-Raikou. 
===Appearance===
===Personality===
As soon as you think she’s always running around having a blast in a great mood, you notice that there are times where she suddenly feels down. Similar to a cat she can be fickle to her surroundings, however, for the most part she focuses on having fun more than anything else. She’s a party girl servant. Sei Shōnagon was a girl that was ahead of the times and lit up her surroundings while musing about her love for the beauty of things around her.
====Relationships====
;Murasaki Shikibu
:"Man~, it's Murasaki Shikibu, that Murasaki Shikibu! Doesn't it feel like fate to be meetin' in a place like this!? Like, this is a touching event, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say we're already best buds!? ...Eh? "The Diary of Lady Murasaki"? Hahahaha! That's what they call tsundere, Chan-Mas."Fate/Grand Order Lines
:A fellow female writer of the Heian period, and a bestie (she thinks). Evidence suggests their friendship is surprisingly firm despite Nagiko's pushiness. When it's just the two of them alone, they can discuss the books they recently read like normal people.
;Murasaki Shikibu (Swimsuit)
:"AAAAAAAAAA. Kaorucchi, Kaorucchi, Kaorucchi's here. Like what you see? You and I, swimsuit buddies this year. Now you can invite me to see the ocean any time you want. Just kidding, I know you won't. No, wait... Why don't I just take you there right now? Ok, that's decided! No time like the present! Hurry, hurry, the ocean's calling for us!"
:Those two bestest friends are, to no one's surprise, as close as ever in their swimsuit forms.
:"Comes the summer season and I constantly drag her to beaches, pools, and Singularities."
;Minamoto-no-Raikou
:"A close aide of Fujiwara-no-Michinaga and the leader of the Minamoto clan. It would be, like, awkward to meet her. If I saw those up close, like, they've got some terrifying intensity... I wonder what the heck are they packed with."
:The one who killed her brother Munenobu. The commander of the Genji. When she was first summoned, she kept her distance out of fear but...
;Sakata Kintoki
:"When this feral child was first brought to the big city, I took care of him with all my love and affection, and as result, he saved my life when he came home to slay my brother. Remember that?"
;Shuten-douji
:"Yanno~, some time ago, when I entered the baths, I saw that oni of Mount Ooe gulping down her alcohol. Sigh, what's up with Chaldea?"
;Ibaraki-douji
:"Yanno~, some time ago, as I was passing by the cafeteria, I saw that oni of Mount Ooe eating snacks with the children! Sigh, what's up with Chaldea?"
;Fujiwara-no-Teishi
:She doesn't say anything about her former lady. It won't be easy to convince her to share what's truly precious to her.
;Suzuka Gozen
:"Suzuka-paisen's amazeballs! She's a god for realz! ...Eh? She's a true kami-sama? No kidding? Still, she's really wonderful. She wouldn't hand over the mike even to god. Join us next time, Chan-Mas! In the endurance karaoke!"
:"My senpai in the JK uniform style, and a senpai to the Heian Era as a whole. A paisen beyond any senpai. Her sublime lifestyle slays.":
;Suzuka Gozen (Swimsuit)
:"Paisen finally got that swimsuit and that bike license she always wanted, so I get to ride with her a lot. Sometimes I get too hyped and she yells about how I'm "so annoying", but jokes on her, I enjoy that."
;Ashiya Douman
:"Huh? Are you not afraid of Ashiya Douman, you ask? No, I get it, he did some pretty bad stuff. He's a real lost cause, that Raksha King Skull... What was it again? Nah, the name doesn't matter. Even here, I gotta keep an eye on him at all times. You never know what he'll be up to. AH, MANBO-CHAN SPOTTED! Let's take him to have lunch with us! Surround him from the other side, chan-Mas!"
:Why is she trying to take his clothes off? When questioned, she testified she was trying to check if he had a tail.
;Osakabehime
:"Kabe's nice, isn't she. Osakabehime, I mean. She's a Japanese Servant, and also all writer-like! With this, it's obvious we'd hit it off well! ...Mm, though she keeps tellin' me to go home when I visit her to have some fun~. Hehe, what a shy one."
;EMIYA
:"I incited the children into assaulting the cafeteria and we stole the snacks... If you were to ask who was in the bad, then, well, that would be me-chan, but... That red guy didn't have to get that angry! He made me sit in seiza so long that I got bruises. He was a high-school teacher when he was alive for sure."
;EMIYA and Children Servants
:She sometimes leads the children in cafeteria raids. She's always the first to be captured and punished, so the children are mad at her uselessness.
;Medb
:"Look, look, Chan-Mas! It's nail art! Medb-chi did it for me. She was grumbling up a storm, but she's good at taking care of others. She got so into talking about love after that- ...Eh? She's a great queen? For realz?"
;Mephistopheles
:"There was a devil in the hallway just now! Their fashion sense was wicked! I super respect that! Then, when I asked them where they got their get-up, they wouldn't tell me since it was a trade secret. Though they did give me some candy. They were a nice devil!"
;Edward Teach
:"Blackie's an amusing guy~. He might look scary at first glance, but he's just a very weird uncle. He looked like the kinda guy who'd have all kinds of book so I told him I wanna visit his room and have some fun...but for some reason he vehemently refused, you know~. I wonder why?"
:"A messy relationship with messy treatment and messy interactions. He probably doesn't see me as a woman, but I'm a still a target for his heal, so it's all good."
;Georgios
:"Geo-geo...I mean, George-sensei showed me his pictures and they looked amazing. They were pretty much shining. If you were to compare them with, it's like the width of a handbag that seems to be able to stop anything for around 3 turns! I wonder if I-chan could become his disciple for realz..."
;Mandricardo
:"Oh-ho! What happened, Ricacchi? You're looking sexy. Heeeh, hmm, hehe. I just gotta make you enjoy your summer, no matter what. Ok, we're gonna gather anyone we find not doing anything and go to town. Lemme start making the calls. Dh- Huh? Wait! Give back my phone!"
:She feels a need to be nice to him for some reason. She got 100 times more annoying about it after learning about his rambunctious past.
;Captain Nemo
:"All that is small is beautiful4. Aha, what should I do, chan-Mas? I could watch the Nemonemos working for eternity! Should I move my stuff to this dock? Huh, I can't?"
;Kama
:"Huh? Wasn't expecting to see you here, Krama Queen. Let's go for a swim if you're free. Wait, were you this size before? Guess I have to bridal carry you. What? Anything but that? Why am I trying to carry you anyways? Because you'll run away if I don't grab you, no doubts. Ah, Kiichan, can I borrow the thing? The mallet."
:"The perpetually grumpy god of love. When I carry her, she makes that face that looks like she's given up on everything in the universe."
;Okita J Souji / Oda Nobunaga (Swimsuit)
:"Hey, JJ. Let's jo jave jome jun jomewhere. Uhahaha, don't worry 'bout me. I'm not here to hitch a ride on your jet today. On the contrary, it's you who gets to ride my skateboard. No, you can do it. Put your foot here. You got it. Alright! We're blasting off, try your best not to fall! Emotional Engine, full speed ahead. Heeeeeeeeeeeewwww. I grabbed Nobbu along the way."
:"The classic quartet, faster and wilder than ever with the addition of the delinquent and the race queen. We still get together sometimes, I think. Since Suzuka Paisen went Summer Vaycay mode, Okita had to inherit the role of the only sane woman in the group."
;Caenis
:(Circumstantial evidence tells that she tried to join the Chaldea delinquent faction but Caenis and Mordred both rejected it.)
;Anastasia & Viy / Charlotte Corday (Swimsuit) / Kama (Swimsuit)
:"The lovely sisters-in-arms who braved the Caribbean Singularity with me. Their stars of summer and love were shining in full bright, so I couldn't help rooting for all of them."
:(Kama looks away with the face of someone who has a thousand arguments against that statement.)
;Takasugi Shinsaku
:"The finest party-goer produced by the age of the Bakumatsu. Every time we interact, this man finds something to entertain him, but he is the real entertainment."
;Locusta
:"Ain't bamboo shoots a lot better?"
:"Huh? Is it war you want?"
;Azumi-no-isora
:"A colorful pair. They're always complaining that I'm nothing like they heard about in class, but jokes on them, I enjoy that."
==Role==
===Fate/Grand Order===
====Valentine 2020====
====Heian-kyō: Naraka Mandala====
==Abilities==
===Skills===
====Class Skills====
*Magic Resistance (C Rank): Negates spells with a chant of two verses or less. Cannot defend against something more complex, like high magecraft or ritual curses.
*Independent Action (Self-Centered) (A Rank): Goes out to have a good time even when her Master is absent. "Right, let's go to Kyoto." However, she needs her Master's backup for things that demand vast amounts of magical energy, such as using her Noble Phantasm.
*Snow atop Mount Xianglu (A Rank): In one snowy day, Sei Shounagon's lady, Empress Teishi, asked her what the snow was like atop China's Xianglu Peak. Bai Jiyu's poem read "One must open the bamboo blinds to see the snow on Xianglu Peak", so in reference to it, she raised her lady's blinds high, displaying the snow in her garden. Sei Shounagon's knack for ascertaining the true essence of every situation often produces a decisive strike.
*Dharma of Ekayāna (B Rank): The Lotus Sutra defines the Law of Ekanaya as an allegory to the idea of being the one and only. Sei Shounagon's single-minded feelings toward her lady repels all forms of tentation that comes her way. Sei Shounagon famously used the Law of Ekayana as a metaphor for her views on romance. She strived to be the number one in the heart of her partner, and wouldn't accept being number two or three, but in front of Teishi, she lost all her previous backbone and timidly said: "For your affection, I could accept being any number." The very lady she cared for scold her for this comment. "Listen here, you need to learn to commit to what you say." How beautiful that was.
====Personal Skills====
*Verse of the Great Poet (B Rank): Though being part of the “Thirty-Six Heian-era Immortals”, “Thirty-Six Female Immortals of Poetry”, and having appeared within “Ogura Hyakunin Isshu”, she continues to tell herself and everyone around her that she finds it difficult to write poetry. It could be said that there wasn’t much compatibility between age-old conventions and her way of life which was too early for her time. Even still, the verses she composes at times would raise the spirits of people, while scaring away unruly men at others.
*Afusaka-no-seki (A Rank): Hangu Pass may open with singing birds, however, the gate of love is not so simple. This unconquerable Afusaka-no-seki, first of all to get through it, unsurprisingly...
*The Stars Unite (B Rank): As the night grows in darkness, the stars shine ever so bright. Subaru, Hikoboshi, Taihakusei, Nagareboshi... The power she unleashes is full of radiance like the stars.
===Noble Phantasm===
* Emotional Engine - Full Drive: Noble Phantasm that is the materialization of the world she created within "The Pillow Book" brought into reality. The souls of enemies that become trapped within the Reality Marble will slowly be eaten away at.
==Forms and Alternate versions==
===Swimsuit===
====Abilities====
;Class Skills
*Mad Enhancement (D Rank): It steals intellect in exchange for a large increase in physical capabilities. Despite being discreet, courteous, and cultured, she has the potential to transfigure herself into a wild youngster. Note that the regular Sei Shounagon (Archer) does not have this Skill.
*Independent Action (Self-Centered) (D Rank): Goes out to have a good time even when her Master is absent. "Right, let's go to the beach." However, she needs her Master's backup for things that demand a partner, such as using her fireworks watching, barbecue, or watermelon splitting.
*Dharma of Ekayāna (B Rank): The Lotus Sutra defines the Law of Ekanaya as an allegory to the idea of being the one and only. Sei Shounagon's single-minded feelings toward her lady repel all forms of temptation that come her way. The reason why she doesn't seem that different as a Berserker, slight trigger-happy tendencies aside, is because she's supported by this Skill or the memories at its core... maybe.
;Personal Skills
*Summer Street! (A Rank): She had the great idea of studying the arts under the mentorship of the ace Van Gogh, but the only thing she really learned is that she has no talent for painting. But now that her vivid sense of color is awakened, she breathes new life into her poetry, stealing the hearts of those who come across them.
*Night Pool Slider (A Rank): Speed brings thrills. Now that she experienced this excitement, she can't go back to her ordinary life. She found a radiant performance stage that can brush aside the darkest night. "Let's take the dive, headfirst into the sparkling lights."
*Chic Summer Sweets (A Rank): Shaved ice mixed with liana syrup*...* Hey, those words were taken straight out of Sei Shounagon's classic List of Elegant Things. Japan's first kakigoori, with a legendary syrup lost to time. Its manufacturing process is unknown to the modern era. But... it became a trend this summer! Hurry or you'll miss it!
;Noble Phantasm
* Emotional Engine - Vivid Full Sensation: Emotional Engine is a source of creativity and imagination powerful enough to create a Reality Marble. In a bold move, she converts all of the energy generated from it into propulsive power to dash through the streets on her skateboard. The gaudy letters she writes with her spray cause the enemy's mind and body to be pierced by the emotion.
==Development==
===Creation and Conception===
Sei Shounagon was designed by Mika Pikazo in Fate/Grand Order. Her scenario writer is OKSG in Fate/Grand Order.Fate/Grand Order material XIV
===Comment from Illustrator===
"Sei Shounagon is a design that carries the concepts of "Heian vs future", "the best parts of the past", and "shockingly cute trends". She's a character that really got me thinking about what would the real Sei Shounagon like and choose. If you can see what makes her good, feel free to love her, either deeply or the consumerist way. The Noble Phantasm's face cut-in with the double peace sign and the little tongue sticking out was me intentionally creating the smile capable of defeating everything." (Mika Pikazo)
==References==
vi:Archer (Fate/Grand Order - Sei Shōnagon)
Category:Servants
Category:Archer-class Servants
Category:Characters in Fate/Grand Order (Part 2) 
Category:Human Attribute Servants‎
Category:Chaotic Good Servants
Category:Japanese Servants
Category:Authors
Category:E rank Strength Servants
Category:D rank Endurance Servants
Category:C rank Mana Servants
Category:A rank Luck Servants
Category:B rank Agility Servants
Category:D++ rank Noble Phantasm Servants
Category:Humans
Category:Buddhists
Category:Introduced in 2020
Category:Lostbelt No.5.5 Inhabitants
Category:Reality Marble users