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]

[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.

[fractaljesus]

[Caster would argue to the contrary if Rider had voiced such an opinion.

His answer has him perplexed, and under the influence of the wine, his head tilts in a little steeper of an angle than intended.]

You desire to live again? A human lifespan is merely a few short years. You would return to this?

[hellenization]

Of course! All of this success means nothing without mortality. To be a god is to not face hardships, to breeze one's way through all obstacles. Even the demigods had their struggles, and sometimes they died for it. And yet the haven't, as we still speak their names and tell their stories.

[fractaljesus]

[And yet the more Rider explains, the more confused Caster gets. He can't understand that way of thinking at all.]

You desire hardship? Is it not the nature of humanity... The purpose of existence to solve the problems one is confronted with? Then the ultimate goal is to eliminate suffering. Is this not so?

[hellenization]

To confront problems, perhaps so! But the nature of humanity is down to what individuals decide to make it. There is no uniformity, and I cannot say that I have heard any of my own men think that the ultimate goal is to eliminate suffering? What makes you think that is the true purpose?

[fractaljesus]

[Caster looks down at his half-empty bottle--or rather his detached hands gripping its neck, thinking hard about the question presented. No, he knows he's right. What suits humanity. And yet...]

Humans make great efforts to better the circumstances of their lives. When one problem is solved, another inevitably arises in its place, which they in turn make efforts to solve. If all problems are solved, then suffering is eliminated. It only makes sense.

[But humans are never satisfied with what they have. It's a paradox in his mind. Humans aim to eliminate their suffering, but only create more of it as a result.
It's... too familiar.
Caster doesn't even notice that his grip on the glass has tightened to the point where it's about ready to give. He's too busy worrying his bottom lip, lost in his own thoughts and the logic loop he's found himself trapped in.]

I... cannot comprehend.

[hellenization]

[Rider tilts his head slightly.]

You are assuming a monolith. Why?

[fractaljesus]

[The loop cycles again and again in Caster's head, and to an outside observer, her would appear locked in; eyes wide staring straight ahead, knuckles white with his grip on the bottle--now forming cracks in the surface. It's Rider's voice that snaps him back to reality, and he blinks several times in clear confusion.]

A monolith? [Unfocused and confused as he is, it takes him a moment to realize just what Rider is asking, but when he does, he casts his gaze downward. It's not quite... shame, for he has no concept of that emotion, but a general sense of unease, like he's not grasping something that should be obvious.] I like humanity. [This much he never lied about.] However, my perception is fundamentally disparate from your own. I cannot translate this perspicacity into your language without an unacceptable percentage of intent lost in the process.

[hellenization]

Try. Or perhaps better, explain where your perception comes from.

[fractaljesus]

[He wants to. Yaha-kui zaShunina desperately wants to. But he is ever aware of Rider's Master, and for the sake of his goal, he can't reveal what could compromise him as a servant. Still, there are other options, such as...

Caster finally releases his death grip on the bottle and raises one hand to his temple, opening another communication channel directly into Rider's head.]

'This method reduces miscommunication through information lost.'[He begins, though his master would hear nothing of the mental conversation between the two Servants.

His next message doesn't come in "words" so much as concepts. Thoughts transferred directly. He explains that while he knows that humans see themselves as individuals, he had difficulties perceiving this individuality. Each person appears to him as a multitude, repeating infinitely across dimensions. That what humans understand as their whole self is merely a cross-section of a greater being unable to perceive itself extending into more than three dimensions. They cannot grasp this, just as he cannot grasp individuality.

'Humanity' is, to him, a single entity.]

Does that answer your question?

[hellenization]

[In truth, Rider dislikes having secrets from his Master. So while he listens to the transfer, considers it, nods to show that he understands, Rider does not respond on the same channel.]

It does. It is a difference in perspective. All I will say is that I think your wish misses a few points, but that's just fine. It is yours after all, and no one else's.

[fractaljesus]

[It is... relieving--is that the proper emotion? He can't tell, though he does feels somewhat lighter--to share this, even if it may come back to be used against him in the future. Though he cannot trust him as they are technically enemies (he is smart enough not to share everything with the opposing Servant), he has not attacked him in his moment of alcohol-induced weakness when he easily could have, and that speaks volumes. Rider is earnest. He will not betray him.]

And I cannot understand yours. It is as you say; a difference in perspective.

[But it is getting late, and the wine is beginning to wear off (he'll save the rest for later), so Caster climbs to his feet, looking skyward once again.]

But I believe I have gained some insight from you. My way of thinking needs reevaluation. I will attempt to improve my understanding. Thank you.

[hellenization]

[Rider nods in acknowledgement. Caster wouldn't be a natural ally, and there's no reason to expect he'd join Rider's fold. There is too great a gap between them, and that is just fine.]

That and wine are the least hospitality that I can provide.

[fractaljesus]

[Despite their differences, Caster had enjoyed their talk, and it had given him something to think about. It is unfortunate then that the next time they meet will probably end with one of them dead, but that is the nature of this war.

Caster once again summons Kado, and the cube expands to envelope his entire body before shrinking back down to its original size and flies away.]