55th ♫ | beyond the barbed wire, two race to the peak

[mytarget]

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

Alice Kozakura | oc | Assassin Servant

[ninjabanish]

[Well, when you summon your Servant, you're going to get a very tall girl dressed like a ninja, who claims to be an Assassin Servant. Which is a bit odd, considering she's capable of using magic on par with a Caster, going toe-to-toe with a Saber, and generally being incredibly broken. She is even hiding her True Name and most of her stats, giving her True Name as "Alice". Which is. Weird, to say the least.

Of course, if you can reveal her actual history and truth... Her True Name is Lucifer. Which explains a lot.]

[celadontyousee]

[It's a scene that should be familiar to anyone who knows of the Holy Grail War- a summoning circle, a hand with command seals outstretched, the light fading to reveal a figure within it...]

[But something seems just a little off.]

[It's not so terribly odd that the master appears to be a rather slight, waif-like young thing- there have been people involved before who looked even younger and more delicate, and they were still powerful competitors. But something about the young mage's expression is strange, dreamily staring into the distance as though she's looking through the world more than she's looking at it.]

[Also, she's wearing a silk bathrobe at two PM, but that just might be mage fashion.]

[The surroundings don't seem to be particularly warlike, either- it's a cozy little attic above a shop, decorated with an eclectic mix of random keepsakes. The effect is a bit like a magpie's nest, if the magpie in question really liked colorful knitwear.]

[Whatever her oddities, she seems content to wait patiently for this newly-summoned Servant to get her bearings.]

Oh hey a good chance to use this icon

[silentsummoning]

[Auau had to work hard to reach this moment. While her innate magical capability is high, getting access to knowledge on how to use it hasn't been easy. She isn't the one who was originally was going to enter this Holy Grail War--that's the mage that she killed and stole the knowledge of the War from. Mind, he was a shitty person.

She has something she wants, and she's willing to kill for it, but only as truly necessary. Namely, to tear down the mage families that employ horrid practices.

Now she sits before the summoning circle. From what she's heard, Servants are able to speak any language. Hopefully her deafness won't be an issue.]

Jailbreak | OC

[nor_iron_bars]

[Psst hey, hey you. Yeah, the one in the summoning circle, with the command seals.]

[You want the absolute shittiest Caster?]

[Sure you do. Good luck with that.]

Shitty Caster meet Garbage Fire Master

[fashionable_yapping]

[She's drawn the circle and done the whole ritual. Just like her mage family taught her. As she eagerly waits in anticipation of what awesome Servant she'll get, she fantasizes about ripping apart the competition and winning the Holy Grail War. Quite literally in this case.]

aran voliere | oc

[thecageysort]

[Well, there's options here.

Maybe you summon yourself this very intimidating looking gentleman in full armor. Saber, of course, as is immediately obvious from the sword he carries. But, wait, is that what you were going for? Because it's also very possible you were trying to summon the Legendary Enchanter and instead you got this guy. Clearly some wires got crossed. Although if you really want, he could be a Caster who 80% of the time is just hitting shit with his sword instead of using magic.

Or maybe he's a Master, in which case... have fun with this way too serious Master who doesn't seem all that interested in the Holy Grail War personally. He's just following orders. It's Fine.]

you know what i considered birchfell but this is more 'fun'

[dreamknight]

[ A burst of magic, a burst of light. All of this is normal for a Servant being summoned from where Heroic Spirits dwell into the physical world.

When the light fades, however...

...The masked figure standing in the center of the circle seems...terribly small, for a magical spirit tasked with fighting in a war. If it wasn't for the horns and the blank mask, they'd pass as a normal human child without difficulty.

When the question comes, the voice isn't so much a voice as it is an impression in the mind.

...Ask of you.

Are you my master?

There is no hesitation in it, at least. Just a grim resignation to do what is asked of them. ]

Yuuri Wakasa | School-Live!

[serrata]

[ TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!!!

As a Master, Yuuri's a little inexperienced but fierce and determined. She certainly doesn't want to hurt anyone, but she's in the war to win it and claim the Holy Grail. Her intent is to wish for her little sister to be brought back to life, but you probably already guessed that because it's me and I love being upset about the Wakasa sisters.

As a Servant, she's much closer to her canon self i.e, she's a soft warm neesan who is here to make sure you eat delicious food and Protect you. She's a Caster class servant, but her True Name is Inari Okami, the Shinto kami of (among other things) agriculture, rice and tea. ]

[spelleton]

[ Don't want to hurt anyone? WELL, THAT'S FINE, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT SERVANTS ARE FOR, TO DO ALL THE MURDERING FOR YOU??

Especially this one, who seems particularly dressed for it already, what with all the red he's wearing. For all intents and purposes, he seems fairly ordinary for a Servant, even if his appearance is initially striking with the mask and veil. He's very human-looking.

He kneels and inclines his head, after a moment. His summoner is...younger than he would expect, but he's not one to question the circumstances that brought him back into this world. ]

I ask of you: are you my master?

[ His voice is smooth and professional and has no trace of any feelings he might have about the whole thing at all. ]

Master + Servant 3

[nohproblem]

[ Yuuri's first encounter with the enemy was, as is usual for the Grail War, a lively one. Lancer fought with superhuman agility and grace, but everything she could throw at Saber was easily overpowered by her shining blade. In the end, Lancer was able to escape with her Master in tow and only having suffered injuries that would have killed a normal human. So, she'll be fine.

Back at Yuuri's home, Lancer puts her back down, staggering a bit when she lands. If she's in pain, it doesn't show on her face. ]

Are you hurt? [ If she's worried for Yuuri's well-being, that doesn't show on her face, either. ]

Verstael Besithia | Final Fantasy XV | Master

[plasmodiarist]

[Hey, remember the absolute fucked-upness and moral depravity of mage experiments in the Nasuverse?

Yeah.

What Verstael Besithia lacks in noble bloodline, he makes up for in sheer talent for magecraft and... "creativity." He's more brilliant than he is strictly powerful, but he's actually no slouch in the circuit department. Consider him upper middle class, as far as power goes. His ideas have even netted him the support of some older, more traditionally endowed families, whose backing includes the resources he needed to get into this Holy Grail War.

His wish? Immortality, of course. But surely his genius will benefit the greater world in some way. Verstael's always known he'd leave his mark...]

Prompto Argentum | Final Fantasy XV | Any role

[photoshooter]

[As a Servant, he'd be an Archer or an Assassin, and I'll make his legend up to suit whatever setup you need.

As a Master, Prompto's absolutely an accidental summoner who doesn't even know he's a mage and is going to mess up every single thing there is to mess up. Sorry, dudes, you're probably not getting that Grail.

~Other~ roles possible. :>]

Master + Servant 1

[nohproblem]

[ The catalyst was an old, worn theatre mask. Once the ritual started, ghostly faces began appearing around the room - other masks, each one with a different expression and each one fixed on their summoner.

There's no dramatic burst of light or energy that accompanies most summonings. Instead, when the shadows clear and the room is once again in full view, the masks are gone, and Lancer is there, naginata in hand.

There's no inflection in her voice at all when she speaks. ]

I ask of you: Are you my Master?

Violet Evergarden | guess

[shiritai]

[ SABERFACE JOKE!!!!

As a Servant, she's pretty much just Canon Violet summoned as a Servant because her life is just kind of Like That. Probably either an Assassin or a Berserker. FOLLOW YOUR HEART.

As a Master, Violet kind of has no idea what she's doing, since she's basically just acting as a backup Master in place of someone who died (guess who). She's supposed to take orders??? Not give them??? MATHLADY.GIF ]

i'm sorry violet

[fellknight]

[ Being a backup Master to someone who's already died can't be easy, especially when the body's like

right there.

Sadly, the Servant currently observing her with interest doesn't seem particularly inclined to ease the transition in this regard. The armor-clad Lancer crouches by the sad corpse, inspecting it.

One bright, pinprick pupil moves to fix her in its owner's unsettlingly attentive stare. ]

Hrrm. And what will you do now? Master.

Ekkehardt | OC

[spelleton]

[ Servant: Assassin, because what else would he even be. Intensely loyal to the point of slight absurdity.

Master: Probably avenging someone who died who he served as a normal-ass human servant and therefore a Tad Bloodthirsty. ]

[prettypurpleparlor]

[It's a familiar scene, by now, to us observers:]

[The light flares, the smoke clears, a figure stands within what was once an empty circle... though this one seems somehow strange, in silhouette. Humanoid, certainly- but is that quite the right number of limbs?]

[Perhaps not. Then again, she'd argue that humans have far too few arms, really. It's a wonder they ever manage to get anything done.]

[Still, that's not the time for this. Certain formalities have to be observed, for the sake of the thing.]

I have been called forth as Servant Caster. You who stand before me... I ask of you, are you my Master?

Birchfell | OC

[fellknight]

[ Servant: The world's most unruly bastard of a Lancer. Will be nice and play along...if they find you amusing.

Master: How did you fuck up this badly to get Birchfell as a master of all things. Does not know what they're doing here at all. Doesn't even want to win. Are you sure they summoned you?? ]

Type: Dawn | OC

[dawnuntildusk]

[As a Servant, you've managed to get yourself a rather powerful Caster. Although you might be surprised about that, considering how serene and polite she tends to be. But in battle, she's a little scary. Her True Name is The Good Witch, which... does explain all that magical power, huh?

As a Master, she seems pretty much the same personality wise, if a lot more determined. Make no mistake, she is in it to win it and she's got enough talent as a mage to back it up.]

two servants

[tricksandstones]

[Hello, Caster. Archer is over here about to start a fight, except.

Oh.

Oh, shit. She freezes as soon as she sees Caster's face.]

... Well. Fancy meeting you here?

Trevor Belmont | Castlevania

[treffyfuckingbelmont]

[Servant: I dunno what a whip counts as. Lancer? He does ALSO have a sword so maybe Saber.

Master: he's got a magic seal but doesn't have the first clue of how to use it, so instead he just uses a magic whip and Being Super Stupid™ to win the day.]

Hata no Kokoro (Hata no Kawakutsu) | Touhou | Servant Lancer

[nohproblem]

[ Hata no Kawakatsu is the legendary father of Sarugaku theatre. When the country was in turmoil, he wrote 66 plays, and had a mask made for each, in order to bring peace to the people. After passing down the secrets of his art, he went out to sea to die, but some tales suggest that he returned as a monster that terrorized the countryside until being enshrined as an avatar of Bishamonten.

The girl who got summoned doesn't look exactly like an old playwright, but this kind of thing does happen in the Grail War from time to time. ]

Summoning

[familiaridol]

[The first thing the arriving Servant will see is an excited Clover pumping her fists. She wasn't sure she could manage this--after all, she's a homunculus familiar, even if her not so dearly deceased master did somehow manage to install magic circuits during her creation.

She still bears the healing wounds from her fight with her master, whose ashes she had dumped in the nearest river. But they're mostly healed, it being only a day since that happened.]

Penny Polendina | RWBY | OTA

[in4apounding]

[The absolute sunshiniest Servant you've ever seen, determined to do this right and Be The Best. Probably a Saber or Archer class? I don't Fate.]

Waver Velvet | fate/ servantswap au

[fionnuisce]

[Servant: Caster True Name: Lord El-Melloi II]

[Strength: E Endurance: E
Agility: C Mana: D
Luck: A+ NP: ?? ]

[Ordinarily, Lord El-Melloi II would not qualify as a Servant--this case is best described as a glitch in the summoning system, reaching through to a potential world akin to a dream instead of calling his Pseudo-Servant self. While he shares the same eye for detail, his personality tends more towards that of a commander than a strategist. The Master unlucky enough to make such an accidental summoning will find it impossible to confuse them at a glance, as this theoretical existence presents himself differently and carries a cane on his right side.]

[Noble Phantasm:
Mearcair Réalta
Verdant Rose of Clarity]

[The ability to cut through the heart of battle and expose an opponent's weaknesses. Using Volumen Hydragyrum in tandem with basic thaumaturgy, Caster evaluates the battlefield and enemy forces in an instant while laying traps made of wire magecraft. He utterly and completely lacks the strength to capitalize on this information, and the traps are barely a hindrance to most agile Servants. However, the shift of terrain and influx of information are a critical weapon in directing one's own forces--as a result, the rank of this Noble Phantasm depends wholly on his allies' use of it.]


[honestly i'm bored and mostly here for the concept of 'chaldea AU but guda got spooked by a 4* waver'. alternately if anyone wants to make me sad with a surprise diarmuid i can play out the master role like a normal person for a change]