Holy Grail War Meme

[lostinlaundry]

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 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. 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 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. 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

[hellenization]

Thank you so much!

--

[Rider is the kind of man who can spend a night in a field looking skyward. There's conquests to plan, but also unreachable oceans to dream of, allies to make, and wine to enjoy.

It is the last one that preoccupies himself presently, and he sits alongside his Master out in the field. The whole thing got push back, but they are both here, and from the relaxed posture of the two, there's no guile tonight, no seeking a fight.

Not until Caster shows up. Rider's master grows tense, but Rider himself shrugs it all off his massive shoulders.]

Whoever it is that has just joined us, come, step forward!

[For effect, he raises one of the wine bottles.]

We have no quarrel yet tonight, and if you'll sit with us, we might share this drink and keep things as they are.

[fractaljesus]

[Caster bristles when the other Servant calls him out, every fiber of his being on edge and prepared to fight if need be. However, he is not adept at discerning lies, for they go against the very basis of his being, so while he is cautious, he is inclined to believe Rider.

One step turns into two, which turns into three and then keep increasing until he steps into view, white hair and cloak practically glowing in the light of the moon. He does not, however, take the invitation to sit with the pair, choosing instead to (somewhat awkwardly) hang back a short distance.]

I do not understand. You are open and vulnerable, yet you invite an enemy to join you. Why?

[hellenization]

A war may be won through words as much as it may be won through combat. Tonight, in such a night and in such a place, I feel that the right field of battle is through speech.

[Rider is many things, but a liar has never been one of them. Caster is given a broad, beaming smile for his troubles.]

If you wish to change that, by all means, but for now I'd much rather stay seated and enjoy this night.

[fractaljesus]

[War won through words rather than combat...? Ah, negotiation.

Caster's face betrays no emotion as he steps forward to take his invitation, seating himself across from the giant of a man. Though he shoots Rider's master a brief glance, the human is largely ignored.]

You desire to negotiate.

[hellenization]

Hah! If that's what it will take to get you to sit.

[Rider passed the bottle in his hand over to Caster, still giving the servant a great smile, still light in heart.]

Here. I've other bottles. That one is yours and yours alone.

[fractaljesus]

[The bottle is regarded with a perplexed, yet unblinking stare, and Caster doesn't immediately reach for it. Other bottles, he says. So there is a surplus. To share that which one has in excess.]

Understood. [Caster doesn't so much reach for the bottle as a floating, disembodied arm appears from thin air to take it. It brings the liquor back to the man in white, whose eyes quickly scan over the label. Unfortunately, he doesn't know enough about wine to determine what any of it means.]

I have tried beer once. It was bitter. [His brows crease slightly at the memory, lips pursing into a small frown. It's the most emotion he's displayed since he got here.]

[hellenization]

[Caster's way of taking a bottle gets an appreciative eyebrow raise from Rider. He knows his Master must be trying to make sense of this, divine Caster's identity, but he doesn't say anything on that matter.]

The bottle you just took is not, I promise. Unless you'd prefer a vintage of that sort, in which case you need only say the word.

[fractaljesus]

[Because folding space is less work than just moving his cloak out of the way. Such is the nature of a being who exists in more than three dimensions.

Caster shakes his head, small frown deepening.] No, it was unpleasant. [He protests, studying the label more closely. Though he does not understand very much of it, he commits all of it to memory, for new information is new information.]

What is it?

[hellenization]

What, the wine?

[Does Rider have to explain what wine is? He hopes not, for that says a great deal about Caster and much of it is quite sad.]

[fractaljesus]

[He shakes his fluffy white head and gently sets the bottle on the ground beside him] 50%. I am familiar with the concept of wine. It is an alcoholic beverage created by fermenting fruit. [A disembodied hand points to the label directly.] However, I am not familiar with this specific variety.

[He's also only ever had a tiny sip of beer and that is the extent of his experience with alcohol.]

[hellenization]

[Rider frowns, then shakes his head. Caster spoke so formally that it felt like engaging one of those robots on the TV programs he had been watching lately.]

This is a white one, and sweeter to the taste based on the growing region and the winemaker's influence. It's easier to enjoy if you taste it, rather than read the label.

[fractaljesus]

[Could He really be blamed for his formality? Humanity is as alien to himself as he is to them. Most of his experience is from a theoretical standpoint or from reading books. Even emotions are relatively strange to him. There is a reason his Master sent him away for the evening to learn to loosen up.

Caster listens intently, perking up just a bit at the "sweet" descriptor, not unlike a child having been informed of candy. Once again he grasps the bottle and a second disembodied hand appears to grasp the cork. Bracing the bottle between his knees, the stopper is pulled free, and he puts his nose over the opening to take a sniff. It certainly smells sweet.]

Do you have a cup?

[hellenization]

Uh.

[Rider paused, first looking to his master and exchanging a few hand gestures that ended in shrugs, ten turned his attention back to Caster.]

We do not. So you'll be drinking out of the bottle like I am.

[fractaljesus]

[He'd been under the perception that drinking in such a manner is unacceptable, yet here is Rider, encouraging it. His supposition must be incorrect, then.

Caster lifts the bottle by the neck with one hand, and braces the other beneath its base, bringing the mouth of the bottle to his lips. Even before he tips it, the fragrance is nearly overwhelming. Fruity, sweet, yet with an undercurrent of something he can't place. It's definitely not beer.

He sputters a bit when it pours out faster than he'd expected, quickly covering his mouth with a hand in an effort not to make a mess.]

It is... difficult to regulate the quantity consumed with such a shape. [He coughs, having accidentally inhaled a bit.] The taste is pleasant, however.

[hellenization]

That just comes with practice!

[Caster did not seem the type to appreciate a hearty clap on the back so Rider restrains. Instead, he demonstrates, tipping back his own bottle and managing to down a respectable portion of the bottle.]

And I have a second bottle of that vintage, should you need it.

[fractaljesus]

Unnecessary. Kado.

[A small pink cube blinks into existence in the same manner as Caster's disembodied arms when summoned by that single word. It floats and dances in the air in stark contrast to the stoic man who called it, but doesn't do much until Caster holds the bottle aloft.

Then it absorbs it into itself, emitting oddly organic noises.

It takes only a brief moment for it the drop the bottle back into Caster's hand, and he brings it back to his lips in a second, more careful attempts at drinking.]

I have recorded its information. It may be freely reproduced at a later time. [He explains as he lowers the bottle from his mouth, unable to conceal a self-satisfied smile at avoiding choking.]

[hellenization]

[Well, okay. Rider flowed with Caster's strangeness well enough, but it was his way of speech that continued to leave the man baffled. He was so stiff, so formal, and even if he could summon little helpers for basic action, it looked like he was trying. That? That was praiseworthy.

Just like that swig from the bottle. Rider beamed.]

See! You've got the hang of it now.

This seems relevant. http://imgur.com/a/er8BL

[fractaljesus]

[He never was very good at the whole "being human" thing. He'd existed for a very long time as a completely logical entity without even being capable of emotion, so feeling anything is still a novelty, even now. And you know what else is a novelty? Basic biological functions and body chemistry.

From a theoretical and conceptual standpoint, he knows that consumption of alcohol can cause intoxication, but he's never actually experienced it himself. The single sip of beer he'd tried at his Master's behest wasn't nearly enough to affect him, but as he continues to drink, Caster looks up at Rider with a look of mixed surprise and confusion, brows knitting.]

I feel... ["Feel"--said as if surprised that he's 'feeling' anything] Warm.

[hellenization]

Ah, that means you're enjoying it.

[Rider beams. This was a good enough step forward, and if Caster was already warm, then he had to suspect the man's tolerance was low. Something to keep an eye on.]

It is an excellent night for it, and for enjoying your first bottle.

[fractaljesus]

Enjoying? [Is he? He can't really tell. It is a warm and fuzzy sensation, but not one he can classify as good or bad. It does make it difficult to concentrate, though, a fact that is illustrated by the way the small Kado cube spazzes out for a few seconds before vanishing in the same way it appeared. The thing is mentally tied to Caster and controlled telepathically--an extension of his will, in other words.

He feels... uneasy by the idea that his focus could be so compromised by a simple drink. At the same time, however, Rider's enthusiasm is contagious, chasing away his suspicions that this could be a trap.

'It is an excellent night for it.'

Caster turns red eyes skyward, taking in the band of stars spread across the sky. Stars that so mystified humans for thousands of years that they came up with countless stories to explain the twinkling lights so very far away. Human imagination was truly a remarkable thing.]

What do you think of stars?

[hellenization]

[Rider follows Caster's eyes upwards, letting out a low, considering rumble.]

The skies have changed since last I saw them.

[There is nothing good or bad about that fact. It simply is.]

Yourself?

[fractaljesus]

The sky is constantly changing. [Caster cants his head at Rider's answer, unsure what he'd been expecting.] Many of the stars we see have already died millions of years ago. The light you see in the sky is merely an afterimage.

[But he digresses.]

They are a violent chemical reaction that creates new elements through nuclear fusion. This reaction creates heat and light as a byproduct, which may be seen even here. [He takes another sip of his wine, having grown quite fond of the taste at this point.] However, ancient humans had no way to know this truth, and so fabricated stories to explain them.

[Caster glances over at Rider's Master for a moment, then returns his attention to the other Servant.] I like humanity. Every culture has their own stories to explain the stars. With their unbridled potential and imagination, they are an endless wellspring of new information. In a sense, they are a miracle.

Stars mean nothing to me, but they are valuable as a catalyst for human imagination.

[hellenization]

[All of Caster's words are stilted. Formal. Remote, and that is hammered home by how he speaks of ancient cultures and humanity in a way that suggests not being human at all. It almost feels condescending, if Rider was the type to pounce on something like that.]

As are grails. What do you imagine you might do, if you win this contest?

[fractaljesus]

[Caster knows what his answer is. His Right Answer. It hasn't changed since before his death. It has remained the same for millennia. He stares at Rider's Master, debating whether to reveal something so integral to his existence that it might betray his identity.]

Humanity is a miracle. [He repeats, more slowly this time.] But they are not eternal. They exist in the blink of an eye, and will be gone in less than a million years. [He takes a long drink from his bottle, and by this point, his pale skin has turned pink.] I want to preserve humanity--to bring them to divinity. [As Caster speaks, his eyes widen, a nearly manic look spreading across his face.] I don't want to lose that wellspring of information. Imagine what they could create if they had eternity to do so!

[And then he stops, calm once again chasing away his wild demeanor, though his brows remain knitted in confusion. He can't focus, and it takes a long moment of silence for him to collect himself.]

And what is your own answer?

[hellenization]

[That was not the kind of answer Rider expected. It is, in a way, a great compliment to man, to want to ensure that they endure. Iskandar, in life, declared himself the son of a god. Zeus, none the less. But for all of that, in all the myths and in reality, even the children of gods die.

It seemed, in Rider's opinion, a poor idea in execution.]

Incarnation. This world is wider than I ever dreamed of, and I intend to finish what I began.