Flat Escardos
Flat Escardos is a young magus appearing across the Fate franchise, initially debuting in Fate/strange Fake. The heir of the Escardos family based in Monaco, he is a student of the Modern Magecraft Theories department, specifically the El-Melloi Classroom, at the Clock Tower. Possessing an exceptional talent for hijacking other magi's spellcraft and fashioning improvised spells without traditional magic foundations, he is equally famous for his eccentric, un-magus-like demeanor, which serves as a constant cause of grief and stomachaches for his mentor, Lord El-Melloi II.
Overview
Flat Escardos is a young magus appearing across the Fate franchise, initially debuting in Fate/strange Fake. The heir of the Escardos family based in Monaco, he is a student of the Modern Magecraft Theories department, specifically the El-Melloi Classroom, at the Clock Tower. Possessing an exceptional talent for hijacking other magi's spellcraft and fashioning improvised spells without traditional magic foundations, he is equally famous for his eccentric, un-magus-like demeanor, which serves as a constant cause of grief and stomachaches for his mentor, Lord El-Melloi II.
Appearance
Flat is a handsome young man with short blonde hair and blue eyes, possessing a refined demeanor that hints at his wealthy upbringing, though his highly expressive face often gives him a slightly younger appearance. His attire consists of a white shirt paired with a vest or waistcoat, complemented by jewelry such as earrings.
Personality
Strikingly atypical for a magus, Flat is remarkably carefree, open-minded, and friendly, lacking the cold rationalism standard in the magecraft world. He is a passionate enthusiast of modern subcultures, frequently dropping game and pop-culture references into his speech. His desire to participate in Holy Grail Wars stems from simple curiosity and a wish to make friends with Heroic Spirits. Despite his goofy demeanor, he possesses sharp insight into others' true natures and knows when to exercise caution in life-or-death situations. Having endured rejection and assassination attempts by his own parents due to his bizarre talents, he holds deep affection for Lord El-Melloi II and his classmates, who accepted him as an individual.
Abilities
Possessing the rare Void attribute, Flat intuitively completed a centuries-old family research goal at age eight. Unlike conventional magi, he requires neither established magecraft foundations nor his family's Magic Crest to cast spells. Instead, he can hack, invert, or manipulate another person's magical energy and forge temporary, improvised spell formulas on the spot by factoring in ambient variables like weather or terrain. However, these instant spells are single-use and cannot be duplicated. He uses gaming terminology as the phonetic readings for his incantations, and his unique magical vision forces him to distinguish magi by their mana rather than their facial features. Despite his brilliant spellcraft, he possesses zero physical combat sense or resistance, making him easily rendered helpless by plain physical attacks.
Background
Flat was born as the heir to the Escardos family, an ancient yet historically unremarkable magus lineage in Monaco known only for maintaining its crest without notable achievements. Flat emerged as a miraculous anomaly, born with overwhelming talent that outshone centuries of his ancestors' efforts. However, his extraordinary gifts frightened his own family, leading his parents to isolate him and even attempt his assassination. Upon coming to the Clock Tower, his chaotic behavior and unusual talent led various instructors to pass him around as a nuisance until he finally settled into Lord El-Melloi II's classroom, where his abilities and personality were at last properly guided and understood.
Relationships
As the senior-most student of Lord El-Melloi II, Flat holds his teacher in deep respect, though his antics constantly cause the professor severe stress. He shares a stormy yet highly effective partnership with classmate Svin Glascheit, whom he nicknames "Le Chien." Within the El-Melloi Classroom, he interacts closely with Gray, Reines El-Melloi Archisorte, Caules Forvedge, Rin Tohsaka, and Luviazelitta Edelfelt. He also exposed Reines's automaton Trimmau to various modern movies, corrupting its speech mannerisms. In Fate/strange Fake, an accidental procurement of a catalyst leads him to summon and contract with False Berserker (Jack the Ripper).
Trivia
Flat's obsession with sweet treats and pop culture once led him to use magecraft to completely cover the streets of Monaco and the halls of the Clock Tower with macarons, an incident that pushed his mother to attempt his assassination. He is also a passionate gamer who frequently seeks opportunities to invest in or acquire video game development studios.