"I ask of you. Are you my master?"

[goalless]

The HOLY GRAIL WAR Meme

 

Seven Masters, magi of the present day. Seven Servants, heroes of days past.One Holy Grail, granting whomever claims it a wish. Only one team of Master and Servant may claim it.
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!


MASTER AND SERVANT

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!


TWO SERVANTS

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!

Comments

kiritsugu emiya ( fate/zero )

[originbullets]

( master. m/f for shipping if you want that. )

firefly | honkai: star rail

[pyronexus]

((voicetesting! open to any prompts, defaulting to Servant; she probably works best as either a Saber or Avenger. info and permissions are here, all caught up on 2.3 but mark spoilers for others, etc.))

M&S1

[starcinoma]

[ a girl without a given name, without a future, without even a catalyst. firefly should have been a nobody - someone doomed to spark once and fade away. this war should have come and gone with the cold, clinical efficiency of so many wars before.

and yet-

and yet something within firefly sings, resonates to the throne. memoria resonates; spiritrons activate; the ghost liner is given form and structure. there is a burst of light, a golden gleam beyond comprehension...

...and when all is said and done, a girl stands in the circle. a girl with golden sparks dancing at her feet; a girl holding a blunt rod, a strange baseball bat, in one hand. ]

...Servant. Saber. [ the strongest of knights stands before you, firefly. she glances around, an almost lazy glint in her eyes. ] You're my Master, right?

shuten-douji | fate/grand order

[osake]

( assassin-class by default, berserker if you want her a little stronger and more evil, and caster available with the right set up, but not interested in the onicure thing atm.

also canonically a master. )

[kharma]

[Nestled within the concave face of a mountain her temple faces the sea.

Two aging gates straddle the path into the stone-paved courtyard. A path lined with decorative white sand and stones gradually side wind to the modest shrine between the pine trees and behind it the silhouette of a rising pagoda hidden among the leaves.

At the foot of the shrine the priest's own cigarette smoke mingles with that of the bamboo stick incense drifting from the shrine. She inhaled calmly as the moonlight reflected off the far-off sea waves like glimmer of a fish's scales.

In the distance the sound of titans clashing continued— faint yet deep cracks of thunder and rumbling continuous in her ear. As she exhales another stream of white smoke her voice finally breaks the quiet.]

Still going at it, hm?

[She's patient— as expected of her occupation.]

You don't mind keeping an eye on their skirmish for a bit longer, do you... Assassin?

lapis de fiore | original | ota

[crisantemo]

[ Can be either master or servant!

As a Master, she's a powerful magus from a family that tends to lean more towards unsavoury activities. Grandmother is questionably human, and Lapis is basically taking part in the war to help fulfil some plan of hers. Which are likely very sketch. Her magecraft tends to focus on having spirits/demons assist her both in and out of fighting - she also gets stronger when there's a full/new moon as well. Is very ambiguously human, but is a mana powerhouse at least.

As a servant, she would be either a Caster or Foreigner. Her myth would be related to a young woman who surrounded herself with death and demons and something beyond that, who saved the world from being forcefully reset. As a Foreigner, there would be more focus on how her family are basically weird eldritch beings from the stars and her powers would reflect that. Especially the moon - the moon is haunted af due to her family. Either way, she would be loyal to her Master, but she personally has no interest in the Grail - she knows that shit nasty.

More info in journal! ]

Anastasia | Fate/Grand Order

[viyndictive]

[ Servant, Caster! This one is specifically Lost Belt flavor, but we can definitely AU anything else. ]

soundwave | transformers idw | ota

[peacewithouttyranny]

[can be either master or servant. Servant comes in assassin, caster, or foreigner class.]

Elphelt Valentine 🍀 Guilty Gear 🍀 OTA

[travailler]

[An anti-hero Servant whose origin is that of an artificial based on an old god of destruction and created to act as an anti-human killing machine. This and that happened and she sabotaged her own purpose after falling in love with humanity.

Class: Berserker. Can be an AlterEgo or Foreigner if you want something exotic. She will fight enemies with the power of rock and heavy artillery, all for her husband Master. Just don't make her use her ultimate Noble Phantasm.]

misha | honkai star rail

[chronometre]

Servant! Albeit rather unconventional...

But if you don't mind spoilers for the Penacony arc:

"The Watchmaker" was a mage and philanthropist of some renown; his primary calls to fame are the 'Legacy' of his fabled hidden fortune, and his status as a major pioneer in the craft of dream manipulation. The catalyst: an antique pocketwatch that still keeps perfect time, said to be one of his most prized possessions.

And yet, the summoning fails. If you wanted a Caster of exceptional quality, you're instead getting...this bellhop kid. Doesn't even seem to have the markings of a Caster container...? (Huh, an Alter Ego??) It wasn't supposed to go like this.

He's terribly sorry about that. He's not sure why he's here either. Still, he'll try his best to lend a hand...?!

Open to either master & servant or servant & servant scenarios!

kochou shinobu | kimetsu no yaiba

[wingclip]

(assassin or caster! alternatively can be a kindly master set on obtaining her revenge.)

sha gojyo | saiyuki

[lengthy]

(a flirtatious and loyal lancer, gojyo is from the manga saiyuki which is taken from the novel journey to the west. can also do master flavor but won't be much of a mage.)

Romani Archaman | Fate/ Grand Order | OTA

[shouldhaveknown]

[Either an unwilling Master who'll insist that he only stood at the wrong place at the wrong time and can you please leave him alone and go pick a better master instead (also don't ask about his mana or why it's so potent that it can get people high or drunk from only a sip), or the most awkward Caster Servant ever.

Also available in Solomon flavor (he could be a straight-out Servant, demi-Servant or Master like that)!]

Rider (Medusa) | Fate/ | ota

[sekika]

rolled a 2 and open for more! lmk if you want anything changed

[vandalizer]

[Whenever he found Rider in an alleyway all by her lonesome and at the edge of her life, Van felt like he was taking in a wild animal. Despite his cold and pragmatic demeanor, he always went out of his way to help people. And if necessary, he'd be willing to put himself in danger and shoulder heavy burdens that no one else should. That was his life with his Spriggan job. It meant you had to wander through the cracks of society and fix problems that not even the police or guilds would handle or could.

This dark blue path was one only meant for him. Even if he had to walk it alone... Though with Rider officially his assistant now, he had to remember that he wasn't doing everything alone. An extra part of hands was incredibly useful around his office and for handling some small-time requests around the city. What helped was that she was pretty obedient whenever it came to him giving her orders. Though he couldn't help and find it a bit awkward. Van wasn't necessarily a slave driver, he always allows freedom of choice and tries not to throw people into dangerous situations they don't feel comfortable with.

He doesn't see her as a tool, but a person. That's why Van still had to wonder if she was still keeping some distance from him and not saying much about herself. This whole "Master and Servant" contract was still a big thing he was wrapping his head around.

It felt like she had a extra shadow around him. But sometimes, he had to wonder if she was learning more about him through observation than conversation. He had to find an opportunity to get to know her better. To this day, he still didn't know if 'Rider' was her real name or just a nickname.

That's why this new request he gotten on his phone was a good chance for them to both break more of the ice. Looking over to her at his desk, Van speaks up in his usual laid-back and grizzled voice.]

Yo, Rides. I've got a monster-extermination request in a village outta town from here. You wanna tag along or do you wanna hold the fort?

[He feels that he might know the answer, but he still pitches the question anyway. This would be a nice little get away for the two of them, he felt. Business aside, there was a reason why he took on this request personally.]

Qin Shi Huang Di | Record of Ragnarok | OTA

[emperorsway]

[Alter Ego Servant who has a lot of fun driving his Master up a wall by being more difficult to herd than a whole pack of cats. Fighting-wise his gimmick is that Qin Shi Huang can reflect any attack that isn't a critical hit right back at who's coming for him and that he also comes with an extra-skill that can prevent others from landing crits. (Think of it as a 1-time -90% crit rate thing that's very effective, but also needs to be cast and effectively landed each time anew.) His caveat is that he is a high-grade empath who will gain any injuries he sees when the blindfold comes off - including those of opposing Servants, Masters and even civilians.]

Ashiya Douman | Fate/Grand Order | OTA

[beautiful_carnivore]

[Alter Ego or Caster class Servant. Can also be a most wicked Master.]

SCP-073 / Cain ( scp foundation )

[scp073]

[ my ass is dusty af with fate/ info, but he's a deeply reluctant master or a caster, ruler, or outsider class servant who's just there for the vibes (in the same vein as merlin).

he even has caster AU fanart, check this icon out. ]

Apophis | IM: Great Priest Imhotep | ota

[forsakensun]

[Info: A former God of the Sun and Primordial Guardian Deity who was turned into the hated God of Darkness and Chaos by the new generation of gods & who merged with a mortal prince when the latter was sacrificed to seal the realm Apophis had been locked up in. Because of that he usually gives his identity as Prince Djoser, since it's both technically no lie and it's easier to pretend to be somebody else than to face all the hate humanity only ever had for him. Personality-wise an overly friendly, wise-cracking sunshine guy with a slightly unhinged side in response to severe trauma. He'll fully expect his Servant/Master to betray him the second Apophis is no longer the best means to reach their goal.

As Servant: potential classes for him could be Shielder (since that was his original purpose - protecting the Ogdoad and Creation itself), Moon Cancer (he's the antithesis of the concept of Order in Egyptian Mythology) and Avenger or Beast (his purpose and only desire is to cause the end of the world, since he views it as his only way out of what he's been forced to become.)

His skill-set centers around the idea of Corruption: either by direct attacks with anti-matter and black holes, or by messing with people by getting them to confront and confess to the emotions they usually try to hide.

As Master: a flippant headache who's way too prone to run off and try to meet all the enemy Servants in person just because he feels like it. Will claim that his wish is some typical shonen hero bs like 'freeing humanity from the shackles of the gods' or 'rescuing my best friend' when it's actually revenge.]

Takao | Azur Lane | OTA

[faithfultakao]

[Can fit into Rider, Archer, or Saber classes! I'm pretty open to ideas and have a wiki link in her journal!]

alexiel (angel sanctuary)

[againstgod]

[ Probably Savior Saber Servant. I'll assume she hijacks a summon because she's bored and doesn't want to be in her body until she cools her feelings. Similar to Saber in FSN, she won't be able to cancel her materialization because she's alive. ]

Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr. | Indiana Jones | M/F

[raidersofthelostrp]

[The Master! One who probably got into the Grail War by mistake while stopping the plans of some evil mage or whatever.

You could also make the argument for an Archer-type servant. IDK go wild!]

Ashiya Douman | Youkai Gakkou no Sensei Hajimemashita | ota

[nuraridouman]

[Assassin or Caster Servant who goes by the name of "Nurarihyon" and keeps hiding his face behind an old man mask. If he's the Master it'd probably be some Ancient Japan AU because he used to be a court Onmyoji before he became a youkai? idk, I'm open for all ideas, just hit me up!]

"acheron" / honkai star rail

[stormymemories]

( first of all: i'm caught up in 2.3, so any spoilers pertaining to that are completely fine with me.

preference here for acheron being the servant; canon and cross-canon absolutely welcomed. also especially interested in hi3 interactions in general. mistaking acheron for someone else is also great, honestly.

in terms of class, i like the potential idea of her being a pretender who people believe is a berserker, but if you want to play it straight, i can play her as a berserker or saber if you'd like. i'd also be interested in playing her as an alter ego servant, given her background. alternate types of grail wars that aren't necessarily the standard would also be fun to play, too.

feel free to ask if you have any questions re: plotting. open to shipping, but would like to discuss dynamics first. )

ciel — tsukihime

[chadou]

( either a master or an archer-class servant! )

kirschtaria wodime ♔ fate/go

[cryptant]

[The Master or a Pseudo-Servant (Alter Ego or Caster). In the first scenario, he probably is filling in for Olga-Marie or as a Clock Tower rep without a personal interest in winning the Holy Grail.]

yuji itadori ( jjk )

[eyescar]

[ Could be a master or a servant! )

Asterios / Berserker - Fate : Grand Order

[beefaroni]