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( 2 ) I will be all the good in the world.
The HOLY GRAIL WAR Meme
Who will it be?
For those unfamiliar with Fate/Stay Night or Fate/Zero, you can find a better explanation of the Holy Grail War here. (Note: The Holy Grail War in Fate/EXTRA functions in a dramatically different way, and one not followed for purposes of this meme.)
Instructions
1. Comment with your character. In the subject line, put that character's name, canon, and which role (Master, Servant, or either) you would like them to fulfill. Though not mandatory, it would be preferred that you give a brief summary of your character as they will (most likely) be AU'd into the setting. (NOTE: If your character can fill the role of Servant, I suggest you state which class(es) -- Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, or Berserker -- they fall into.)
2. Reply to others' comments. Pick your character's role (and the other character's if they list "Either" as their preference), then use the RNG to pick a scenario that fits the two characters' roles.
3. Enjoy! Though there might be triggers, depending on how the prompts are interpreted.
TWO MASTERS
1. Battle. Who says that Servants get to have all the fun? After all, most Masters try to kill each other, too. Whatever the circumstances, the two of you are locked in a fight. Neither of you are willing to use your Command Spells just yet, so no Servants here. Just two magi duking it out.
2. Alliance. There's a bigger threat out there. Either one Servant is exceptionally powerful, or the situation has changed and the participants need to take action aginst it. One way or another, you're teamed up with one of your rivals for the Holy Grail. How long will this last before you try to stab each other in the back? Or, will something more develop?
3. Protection. Uh-oh! One of you has lost your Servant! Unfortunately, there's no way you'd get to the church safely on your own, so the other one will help you get there! Or maybe you don't trust the priest presiding over the Holy Grail War and are giving shelter to them yourself? Given their track record, no one would blame you.
4. Death. One or both of you lay dying. It might have been by the other's hand, or by someone else's entirely. How will you spend your last moments in the presence of one of your rivals?
5. You, Too? Surprise! You may have been friends before, but you've just discovered that you're both Masters! How will you handle this revelation?
6. Wild Card. Roll again, pick one of the previous options, or make one up!
1. Are You My Master? The summoning is complete. Whether intentional or not, catalyst or not, a magus has summoned a Servant. What kind of meeting was it? Was everything totally under control, or did a hitch occur? Or maybe it happened in the middle of a life-or-death situation!
2. Identity. Either the Servant has flat out told the Master their identity, or they unleashed their Noble Phantasm. Either way, the cat is out of the bag. How will the Master react, now that they know their Servant's name and legend? Will anything change between the two?
3. Battle Aftermath. A battle has just ended. Who participated? Are either of you hurt? Did the Master have to use a Command Spell? Any number of things could have happened here.
4. Discord. Uh-oh. It looks like the Master and the Servant don't get along. Here come the arguments! Don't do something stupid, like waste a Command Spell over a triviality...
5. Love. And then, there's the opposite. Sometimes Masters and Servants fall in love with each other. How will this affect things?
6. Wild Card. Roll again, pick one of the previous options, or make one up!
1. Battle. This is what usually happens when two Servants meet -- they duke it out. This probably says enough as it is.
2. Alliance. There's a bigger threat out there. Either one Servant is exceptionally powerful, or the situation has changed and the participants need to take action against it. One way or another, you're teamed up with one of your rivals for the Holy Grail. How long will this last before you try to stab each other in the back? Or, will something more develop?
3. The Grail Dialogues. Maybe you're not interested in fighting just yet. Maybe you just want to sit down and talk with the other Servant. Find out what they want, what makes them tick. Get some wine while you're at it -- nothing like good wine to go with good talk!
4. Death. One or both of you lay dying...again. It might have been by the other's hand, or by someone else's entirely. How will you spend your last moments in this War in the presence of one of your rivals?
5. Identity. Congratulations, you've just learned each other's identities! Will this change the situation, or will you press onward?
6. Wild Card. Roll again, pick one of the previous options, or make one up!
James Moriarty | Fate/Grand Order | OTA
Though if you're interested, I can also have him be a Master in a weird alt universe grail war that took place in London in the late 1800's! There are no breaks go nuts]
5...and 3 because that's how she'd handle it.
[Archer surely had her identity pegged within minutes of hearing about her, assuming he cared to learn anything about 20th century crime. Caster, for her part, had to get reports of his action from her familiars to be sure, but what exists of the man's legend is something she knows by heart. And so, she is nothing respectful, and perhaps a bit giddy, in the calling card that Archer finds somewhere in his usual haunt with no trace of where it came from.]
It is time that we met face to face to speak of terms in this conflict. I will be found at this city's wharves at around 10 pm this evening. I will be without mortal accompaniment or any other Servant, and I expect the same of you, if you wish to talk. If you agree to these terms, I will abide by the rules of hospitality until the next midnight, and we can have a civilized discussion.
[The invitation bears a wax seal, of course, but no signet. The invitation itself is the last clue she's offering the man.]
This thread is now butterfly and cackle central
It was rather quick to look up references to Caster - Her mannerisms and the few hints she dropped in her speech, along with those golden butterflies of hers. What he found...was facinating.
She - and the crime she was connected to - had become akin to a modern day myth, endlessly talked about and poked at. Forgeries of the original stories in a bottle, an actual tragedy to latch onto...
...It was brilliant work - no wonder she'd been engraved upon the throne! A being who's origins were just as much of a question between reality and fiction as his own.
He couldn't help but be entrigued - And when she calls him out, he's more than willing to go and meet her - alone, without his Master.
After all, she had used her Magic - her magic, placing her will on the world like a reality marble - to guarantee it.
Of course, there was always wiggle room - even in that statement. The Rules of Hospitality for her could be very different from the ones he was used to...but that was the game, was it not?
So, he went to the warves - in his full outfit, his cape fluttering around him imposingly as his butterflies flapped and glew a beautiful blue in the darkness of the night.]
...Servant Caster. A Pleasure to meet you this night - and an even greater one to be brought out for discussion!
[He gives a polite bow - One a victorian gentleman would extend a lady.]
Though, perhaps I should call you by your True Name? After all, I am more than certain that you've been able to discover my own.
no subject
There's hardly a need to stand on ceremony about names anymore, but I am very curious as to the specific name you wish to address me by.
no subject
He takes his place at the table, waiting until she sits down with him before he speaks.]
Hm? Well - it's obvious, is it not? You are, of course....
[He lets his words hang for a moment, before continuing.]
Beatrice, the Golden and Endless Witch, are you not? The ruler of Rokkenjima.
no subject
Professor James Moriarty. Truly, you are a genius of your era, and a gentleman besides. I have to say, it's an honor to be part of a ceremony with such a celebrated mastermind.
no subject
[His own smile seems polite, yet genuine - but that's the trick, isn't it? It's hard to tell what the man behind those blue eyes is truly thinking - even as he lifts a tea cup and takes a sip.]
I must admit, it is gratifying to know that there are at least some in this game that can think. More so when the author of such fascinating work is in front of me.
no subject
[She takes a drink of her own cup, thinking.]
Although truth be told, I'm not sure if the detectives ever got any less obnoxious than yours. Even into the later half of the 20th century...
no subject
[A tantalizing piece of information for someone like her, who clearly admired the classics.]
Ha - I wouldn't be surprised. Holmes did set quite the standard, after all...! Though that opponent of yours could hardly live up to such a pedigree.
[He takes another taste - before letting the cup down again, staring her directly in the eyes as he speaks.]
After all, he didn't even notice a fairly obvious trick of yours in the second game.
...A dangerous play, that. What would you have done if he had followed the logical conclusion of it? Or realized the meaning of the Master Keys..and what it meant for a young woman to be found dead alone, locked in her room?
[...Yeah basically Moriarty pretty much figured out....quite a bit. Too much, maybe.]
1/2
He had his charms. His skills at deduction were not among them. There's a certain...line between people like us and people like him. His weakness was always that there were certain things he wouldn't admit a human could do, because he couldn't bring himself to acknowledge the reasons behind them. An experienced investigator like Mr. Holmes, on the other hand, has no such luxury of blissful ignorance, any more than the criminals he pursued did.
no subject
Truth be told, I preferred his obliviousness to a professional detective. Not because it wasn't frustrating, but because the professional was utterly without charm. Did you avail yourself of any of the forgeries of my legend? I'm sure you'd have gotten a great deal of amusement at the kind of investigator I wound up pitted against in a few of those.
no subject
Ah, yes - I did read a few. It was entertaining, though I felt they lost the 'spark' that you had given to your work...Then again, should I really be saying that? After all, a Pastiche is just the same as a Forgery, and I was given far more life in those than in my 'original' stories.
[He gives a chuckle before clearing his throat.]
Anyway! As it is, we also have other things to talk of, don't we? Such as...this War we've both found ourselves in.
3-ish, MASTER IS HERE
But Fukuzawa had other ways to make up for his lack of skill in magecraft. The primary one being the sword at his side. Being an expert fighter meant that he could provide physical assistance to Archer in battle, be it in diverting attention from the servant or going after the master directly.
Of course, it might actually help if he told Archer this, rather than just jumping into the battle with Lancer without saying anything. Admittedly he did match blade strikes at first, and the prospect of a 2-on-1 fight was enough to drive Lancer off and end the fight in a stalemate. It's a good thing the fight ends when it does, because Fukuzawa is absolutely exhausted and bleeding from a few cuts. But they're both alive, so it's alright, right?]
Archer. How are you doing?
no subject
[He says it with a harsh snap, because not only did they get into a fight directly after just a day or two after his summoning - one that his Master just initiated without a single damn word, mind you - but also that said Master fought Lancer 1 on 1! Certainly, he was an Archer - but unlike most, Moriarty was more than capable of close combat fighting with his coffin.
It was just his luck to be saddled with an idiot, honestly.]
You're the one who was actually injured! Leave the fighting to me next time - you can barely stand as it is!
2-1 I guess!!
[Takumi hummed to himself as he went over the list Kyoko gave him with all the steps. His natural talent was good enough to participate, but he was not an actually trained mage- honestly, most people would assume he was a sitting duck in this War. But his Mentor trusted him with this and believed in him so, he was going to do it! If just to keep things from getting too wild.
They were outsiders to mage society, but there was no way they were going to let them destroy their city with their unchecked ambitions. Winning wasn't the point- the point was to cause as much trouble as possible then abandon it if things got too dicey. Though the idea of actually winning and getting a wish? He couldn't even think of what he'd want.
Well! There was no point thinking on that now- he looked around, giving himself a moment to steady his heart. A 'real' mage would have found doing this in the basement of Nakano Broadway almost insulting. But there was power here. The building, the area, was thrumming with history and the lives of the people that lived and passed through here. Kyoko had weaved spells and lines into the building but she wasn't the first and Takumi himself wouldn't be the last to do so. If this was going to work at all, it would work here.]
Let silver and steel be the essence...
[He rushes through the incantation in a rush, eyes screwed closed and hands spread over the circle... before he lost his nerve]
aww yeee let's mess this grail war UP
Not only that - it's summoning outside of a Workshop, in an area touched by many people, in a city. It was practically determined from the start who would response to such a summon, in hindsight - even if, normally, he would never be able to be summoned.
There's a rush of magical energy, and then -]
Wahaha....You must be an odd one, to be able to summon me!
[There's an older looking man standing there in a fancy outfit and cape, his blue eyes twinkling as he gives a dramatic, showy bow to Takumi.]
I am Servant Archer, here to respond to your summons! I take it you're my master, hm?
no subject
[He stumbles back, almost falling on his ass- but when he heard the Servant speak:]
Archer! Yes, I was hoping for an Archer, this is perfect!
[Lookit this eager puppy. He starts looking on his body for his seals, all while still talking]
Oh, sorry- I'm Aiba Takumi... I guess I'm your Master, huh? Oh... is there something specific I'm supposed to say I can't remember-
[He might be hunting down his notes. Excuse him]
no subject
[He smiles at the note grabbing - this boy is reminding him of Ritsuka, oddly enough - and quietly steps out of the circle towards Takumi.]
No, no - this is fine, you needn't worry yourself with any ritual saying. Now - I suppose that you summoned me to fight in a Holy Grail War? As such, I would like to hear the wish you would make upon it.
[Most likely something idealistic or silly, honestly.]
no subject
Not exactly. Archer, as your Master I want you to help me destroy the Grail War itself.
[Well]
1/2
Moriarty goes stock still, his eyes going wide and his mouth dropping open.
He's genuinely speechless, at the desire his Master has for this war.]
no subject
Wahahahahahaha!! Oh, of all the things...!
[He understood, now - why he was summoned here, above all else.
After all, he was James Moriarty. The Man who dared to write down equations speculating on the force it would take to destroy the world itself, someone who hated Mages and their ways.
When he manages to finish laughing, he flicks a tear out of his eye before nodding.]
...Then I will follow you in your goal, Master! I swear to you that I will help you destroy the Grail itself, and dash all the hopes of the other Masters in this war! Yes - it's more than fitting for myself!
no subject
What- you don't even want to know why? I was expecting to have to discard my seals and run to the Church if you looked like you were unhappy with losing your chance at winning...
[At least he thought through the risk of making this request to a being called from the very thing he wanted to ruin- and the importance of his Servant being completely in his corner to even have a chance.]
no subject
[Which, surprisingly, was the truth - the grail was just another variable in the Equation, and he had little to regret about his life. Those few regrets that he did have, well...he wouldn't do something foolish like attempt to change them.
There was no changing the past, after all.]
I despise Mages, after all. Of course I would happily participate in destroying their hopes and dreams!
no subject
So it's probably not surprising when to Archer that his eyes lit up at the mention of the Servant's hate]
Good. I've seen the disasters they leave behind thanks to what my Mentor has shown me. I can't... I can't stand the idea of one of them getting a Wish or whatever secrets the Grail has...
[Rather than getting the Grail and wishing to undo or change these crimes he wanted to take the chance away from them. There was a core of spite in that logic.]