Holy Grail War AU Meme.

[unknownrival]

 
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. Add other preferences if you would like. (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 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

Master/Servant 3 (and possibly 2) AU FUNTIMES GO

[faithstaynight]

[It had been an exhausting day for Saber and her Master. Their first major battle in the Grail War, against Caster... really, it shouldn't have been that much of a problem. Saber versus Caster? The strongest class versus one of the weakest? It would have been laughable.

But that Caster... that Caster... his appearance had been twisted nearly beyond recognition, but she had recognized him, and he her... and that caused her sword to falter. She had managed to retreat before the strange creatures he had summoned overwhelmed her and Zelda, but the emotional damage had been done.

So here they are now, mostly unharmed back at Zelda's place, and Saber is trying her damned hardest to not look at her Master.]

I... apologize for my failure today, Master.

AW YEEEE

[sageprincess]

We are alive. I would not call that failure.

[Zelda is still new to this whole Grail War thing. Something about the idea horrifies her - that she must fight and kill in a bloody competition for a single wish - but at the same time... her dreams have troubled her lately. Visions of a flooded castle have plagued her at night, and if she can find a way to prevent that vision from becoming reality...

Well, that's not important right now. What's important is lifting Saber's spirits after an admittedly messy and disturbing battle. The Servant, Caster... the mere thought of him sends a shiver down her spine. But there's more to it than mere fright and disgust weighing her Servant down, and she feels she has a duty to help her however she can.]

You... recognized him, yes?

[faithstaynight]

But we retreated. It should not have been a difficult battle at all, and yet...

[She could still feel her hand shaking as she tried to keep her grip on her sword firm. It was embarrassing, hesitating like that in the middle of battle, but even so...

She hung her head, still refusing to look at Zelda.]

I... I did. He was someone I knew in my first life. I know I should not have hesitated because of that, but... [She sighs.] I was foolish. Once again, I apologize.

[sageprincess]

Retreat is not failure. It is a viable and wise course of action when a previously unknown variable changes the expected outcome. Because of it, we are alive and able to plan for our next encounter, should we find ourselves facing Caster and his master again.

[She doesn't know the history between the two Servants. She had never even entertained the thought that Servants could have history until today. But she hopes taking a logical approach will help ease Saber's guilt. If she had been acquaintances with Caster before... well, she can hardly blame her for hesitating.]

... Do you wish to talk about it?

[faithstaynight]

[What her Master says makes sense, of course. But there's still a part of Saber - that stubborn, thick-headed side that she was well known for in her first life - that wanted to keep insisting that she had failed. But... she'd rather not get into an argument right now.

She finally raises her head to look at Zelda, a look of deep conflict clear in her eyes.]

It would be... unwise, to keep from speaking of this. Hiding these feelings away will only harm my performance on the battlefield. So... yes, I am willing to talk. [There's a moment of silence, before she speaks again.] But speaking of my connection to Caster will also reveal my true name. If you wish for me to hide it, we can discuss this some other time...

[sageprincess]

[Saber will find no judgement in her Master's eyes, only concern. There is a practical reason for airing this out, of course - Saber had said as much herself - but as much as others insist on viewing Servants as weapons and tools, she just can't do it. It reminded her too much of the way she used her own Hero.

She frowns slightly.]

... It is likely Caster and his master are having a similar conversation at this moment if he recognized you in turn. However, if speaking of such things would make you uncomfortable, I will not force you to. Already, you know his abilities better than I, and I am willing to trust your judgement.

[faithstaynight]

No... no. [She takes a steadying breath, trying to calm herself. Staying in such an agitated state will only make the upcoming discussion more difficult on her.] This is... most certainly the best time to discuss such things.

[Another pause. Another stop to calm herself.] Tell me, Master... how much do you know of the Late Middle Ages?

[Oh, recognizing Saber's true name won't be difficult at all, but Caster's... he was quite overshadowed by her at their biggest military campaign, so she wouldn't be surprised if not everyone recognized his true name.]