The Grail Works Mission Dossier (Discussion & Ideas)

[Xamusel]

By the way, guys, which version of Arturia is this image supposed to represent? I ask because I had a minor plot idea in relation to the Grail Works that I wanted to incorporate when I get the chance.

[Kieran]

Eeeeeeee eggplant kouhai fluff!

I know, right? After seeing Chibi-Mash, and how adorable she is, I just couldn't resist.

Interesting take on Mash's possible reaction to her condition. That Babylonia episode gave a lot of interesting setup that we're mostly familiar with from the game already, but Mash's stoicism and resignation is definitely one of the saddest parts of it. It really colours how you look at her afterwards.

Yeah. I also found it interesting when Lev said she was basically designed that way, so that she could theoretically synchronise with any Heroic Spirit.

. . . Personally, I read that as, "We had no idea who we were actually going to summon, which is why we tried to make the host body as blank a slate as possible."

Assuming this is an alternative reaction that kicks off our plot divergence.

Oh, yeah - Chaldea is a smoking crater, this time, because Mash didn't (well, couldn't) stop herself. It's going to be a while before she's really got a handle on that . . .

. . . In the meantime, I'm debating - do I leave Mash as being Illya and Miyu's age, or have her be their "cool" and much-admired (in school, at least) sempai?

By the way, guys, which version of Arturia is this image supposed to represent? I ask because I had a minor plot idea in relation to the Grail Works that I wanted to incorporate when I get the chance.

https://danbooru.donmai.us/data/__ar...baa0c3d4b9.jpg

. . . The image isn't showing up, and the link comes up as "Forbidden."

[Xamusel]

...curses. Hold on a bit. I'm gonna try this a different way.

*finagles for a few minutes*

Okay, try this link, instead: https://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/3583890

[Kieran]

The picture itself doesn't want to display, but the page does come up, and it indicates it's part of the Lancer collection . . .?

[Xamusel]

...as I've only discovered after linking the page to you. (/)_-) Essentially, it's a pic of Lancer!Arturia that... actually, it's loaded now in the actual post. I hope you can see it now.

[Kieran]

Nope. Doesn't matter, though - you've got the answer you wanted, right?

[Xamusel]

Yeah, I do... why can't you see the image at all, though? I know it's supposed to be showing up in the post where I linked it originally (and, in fact, I had to edit it because it showed up three times... ugh).

Anyway, my plot idea goes along the lines of Saber showing my character how to swim, only she somehow becomes the Lancer incarnation of her life in the process... and she proceeds to do some serious training of my character (with the mind out of the gutter for the time being). Of course, things proceed to be difficult, because she and I get sent on a mission shortly after the fact (not sure when in the timeline this is supposed to be).

[Kieran]

Yeah, I do... why can't you see the image at all, though? I know it's supposed to be showing up in the post where I linked it originally (and, in fact, I had to edit it because it showed up three times... ugh).

Well, it works now - and just to frustrate us both, I'd assume.

Anyway, my plot idea goes along the lines of Saber showing my character how to swim, only she somehow becomes the Lancer incarnation of her life in the process... and she proceeds to do some serious training of my character (with the mind out of the gutter for the time being). Of course, things proceed to be difficult, because she and I get sent on a mission shortly after the fact (not sure when in the timeline this is supposed to be).

OK.

[Xamusel]

Why, yes, of course it'll be enough to frustrate the both of us... ugh.

In all seriousness, I'm thinking it'll be a plot related entry that lets my character go to a world with Saber in her Lancer body, even if only temporarily. I just don't know what​ the world will be when in use.

EDIT: By the way, forgot to say this earlier, but I plan on something happening before I get to what counts as my character's second Story Arc (like in a manga): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPlR2NO7Pco

In short? I'm going to have that song play as means for a Death Flag for Haruka (until it becomes clear he got shunted to a different universe).

[Kieran]

Recent events had, for obvious reasons, seen to it that Frid had Scion on the brain.

One of the game mechanics that he’d barely touched on when running his own chronicle had been Fate. Fate was that ineffable power of destiny, written by the actions of the Gods and their Scions through the building and application of their Legend—and once written, thoroughly binding. Patterns tended to recur throughout the myths of Gods and heroes; the same roles—or people—showing up over and over, as they became embroiled in the same sets of circumstances.

Like, for example, Odysseus: he would arrive at a strange island on his way home, which contained a trap—and his men would continually spring it, forcing Odysseus to rescue them. Or Herakles, who would frequently lose his temper and kill someone, even without Hera’s forcing madness upon him. Nor was it confined to merely Greek mythology. The Norse curse of the Rheingold forced similar patterns to emerge in its saga, for example—ultimately dooming Siegfried. Or there was the tale of Beowulf, and his unfortunate luck in shattering swords that could supposedly cut through anything against the hides of his foes.

That was the power of Fatebinding, which was the reason the Gods had largely withdrawn from the World: Fate would continually force them to play out variations of the same tales, the same roles, the longer they remained there. The Second Edition even took it a step further, in that mortals’ interpretations of their actions could become a part of their being; which was not so big a problem, in an era where news could take months to travel, via bards or hand-copied manuscripts—but in the age of Instagram and YouTube . . .

And all of this was a roundabout way of Frid’s punch-drunk brain announcing that if near-death experiences and apocalyptic explosions had somehow become a pattern of his fate, he would be extremely annoyed.

Then again, his recent experiences so far could’ve been put down to the other aspect of Fate in Scion’s game mechanics: the Fateful Aura. Essentially, it boiled down to “anything important liable to happen, would happen in their presence.” If a seal on a lake monster was going to break, it would do it when they were arrived in the area, or a bank robber would move up his plans suddenly, and it would coincide with just when the Scion walked in to open an account . . . The higher a being’s Legend rating, the more powerful the aura was—and he’d been in close proximity to two beings on the cusp of full godhood.

Maybe now, things will calm—

His thoughts were cut off by a sudden, albeit distant, explosion.








On the road, three hours later








It felt surreal, driving through Antarctica, much less with the passenger he had: a ten-year-old Mash Kyrielight, sole survivor of Chaldea . . .

Normally, he’d be worried about living through the plot of Fate/Grand Order, since dealing with Fate/Apocrypha had been hard enough—but history, to him, was literally written in the stars, and he’d backtracked Mash’s trail while tending to her. This universe didn’t have any sign of Demon Pillars or Singularities; Chaldea wasn’t nearly as large or complete as it should have been, either. No, this place was a Fate universe that operated with an entirely different Grail War history, and he recognised which one it was.

Because Mash’s condition was the result of experimenting with a Class Card; and sure, it made no sense—but Prisma Illya was always a little weird like that. Not Carnival Phantasm levels of weird, but still.

Now, unquestionably, the smart thing to do would be to take Mash and keep driving until they hit Canada. There was no need whatsoever to get involved in Fuyuki weirdness, even if the whole “mirror world” thing kept it relatively contained compared to an out-and-out Grail War. There was no need to get involved, and staying in a relatively distant, non-European country would keep Mash under the Clock Tower’s radar—assuming they didn’t just conclude that she’d perished with the rest of the facility. Just head home, where he knew where everything was and how everything worked, and live peacefully.

Except . . .

Except that a quick check at an Internet café in Australia revealed that he already existed in Canada, apparently—which meant that there was a risk of being exposed as an imposter, if he tried to do that. And with needing to get Mash’s paperwork in order, that risk increased exponentially. Which meant he needed somewhere that he could find someone willing to do their paperwork but wasn’t liable to ask too many questions, outside the Association’s normal areas of interest, and that generally narrowed things down to a bare handful of places—the top three of which were in Japan.

Touko might be willing to help, but I’m trying to stay away from magi altogether . . . And even leaving aside the fact that I want to keep Mash and myself the hell away from Dead Apostles, I never learned enough about Misaki’s politics to be useful to Akiha—besides, Fate universes are supposed to be parallel tracks to Tsukihime ones, so there’s no guarantee she even exists . . .

And that leaves me with Fuyuki, of course.

Frid sighed. The good news was that to all appearances, Kirei Kotomine was dead—and in addition to Rin’s being off in London, Irisviel and Kiritsugu were frequently travelling, so outright magi interference was minimal. And Rin wasn’t associated with the Astromancy Department, anyway, so the chances of her knowing Olga Marie Animusphere by anything except reputation were ludicrous.

Besides, he had no reason to cross paths with the supernatural side of things at all; there was a perfectly reasonable Yakuza boss in town. Offer a few favours for a couple of forged identities and it ought to be fine—he himself was fairly distinctive, but a lot of what he could do was actually quite subtle.

And all I have to do is keep an eye on the local high school, and take Mash on vacation out of town when Luvia transfers in. That’ll eliminate her as a potential Kaleidostick wielder, and we can just go on blithely ignoring things. Or, if we’re really lucky, the Works will have tracked us down by then.

. . . And Frid knew perfectly well it wasn’t going to be that easy, but he needed his delusions, damn it!

This is going to be a long “vacation . . .”

[Xamusel]

Yes, Frid, it is​ going to be a long vacation. Do try to enjoy it.

[Kieran]

Oh, some of it, probably - but does anybody believe it'll be as peaceful as he's hoping for?

[Xamusel]

Yeah, I'm not denying the humor involved with his attempt at a vacation, Kieran. I'm just wondering how much will go wrong here for him.

[Xamusel]

Oh, right, for those of you who want to see what I have for a planning document for the series of events as I've written them... plus what I have for an introduction to my character.

****************************drive/folde...1R?usp=sharing

[Kieran]

Oh, right, for those of you who want to see what I have for a planning document for the series of events as I've written them... plus what I have for an introduction to my character.

****************************drive/folde...1R?usp=sharing

Looks complex and complicated - to the point where I can't follow it, at least. I really suggest you simplify it, somewhat.

[Xamusel]

What do you suggest I do to simplify the whole thing? I mean, really, I want to do that right, Kieran... however, I have a plan for an overarching plot for the whole Grail Works. Hopefully this will work for everyone.

[Kieran]

A potential answer








. . . Not that this Master didn’t come with competition—it was such an odd feeling (relief, that inner voice insisted; the word she was looking for was “relief”) to see him without the presence of—

XX cut off that line of thinking right then and there—firstly, because he’d already proven that he could predict her thoughts, and secondly, because her past experience was that what her Master had dubbed “the Gozer Effect” was very much a reality around that; think too loudly, and it would happen.


. . .


“. . . Just kill me now,” the Servant groaned, mortified—and then stiffened in alarm. When several heartbeats had passed, XX relaxed, murmuring to herself in astonishment.

“Huh, she’s really not here—no way would she have passed up an opening like that . . .”








Some time earlier (from XX’s perspective) or later (from Godafrid’s)
Another world entirely








The city at night was quiet, peaceful, even—which was a good thing.

. . . Or it would have been, if she wasn’t so bored.

No, she admitted to herself—not bored, exactly. She was lonely.

She wasn’t always lonely, admittedly; she had friends that spent time with her, and cared for her (to one degree or another). She also had a purpose in her life: protecting the peace of this town’s nights. That was, she told herself, a lot more than some people had.

But her friends had a bit more than she did—specifically, the presence of significant others in their lives—and so there were times like this: where she wandered the rooftops and back alleys alone.

Satsuki Yumizuka—former schoolgirl, current unwillingly transient Dead Apostle and self-appointed vigilante—sighed and glanced up at the narrow ribbon of night sky that cut a swath between the two buildings surrounding her. To her surprise, she caught sight of several flashes in the heavens above; it was a meteor shower.

Satsuki worried at her lower lip in contemplation, careful not to break the skin (she’d done that enough times to have learned her lesson). Shooting stars like those were considered a sign of bad luck in Japan; but in western tales, people made wishes on them. Vampires were a western invention, too—so it ought to be OK, right? It made more sense than praying to God, at least . . .

(Not that Satsuki was particularly religious even before she became one of the damned, but Ciel-sempai was part of the Church, apparently, and she knew from literally painful experience that Ciel could do things to keep up with her, even as a human.)

Tilting her head back, Satsuki murmured, “I know Sion and Riesbyfe are a couple, and White Len has Tohn—Nanaya-kun,” she corrected herself, adding hurriedly,

“And I don’t really mind that, seeing as they all need each other to in order to actually exist . . .

“But if it’s not too much trouble,” she asked timidly, “do you suppose that maybe, you could find somebody for me . . . ?”

The stars continued flashing overhead silently, one of them bright enough to make her flinch—

And a body dropped onto the ground in front of her.

With an involuntary “Eep!” of shock, Satsuki jumped back—and then really looked at the body in question.

It was male, maybe her age or a little older by looks. A Westerner, it seemed, with brown hair, like Tohno-kun, pale skin, like Tohno-kun, the same sort of wiry build as Tohno-kun . . . Alive, judging by the presence of breathing and a heartbeat, if a bit battered; with, judging by the hints she could see of his eyes as they cracked open before slamming shut in pain, the same blue eyes that Tohno-kun had, as well.

In short, he was more or less exactly as she’d asked for, if a bit more American in look than she’d expected . . .

Satsuki glanced upwards again, bemused. “Um, thank you . . .?”

As the body on the ground stirred in response to her voice, she panicked (he’d heard her!), blurting out, “I MEAN, HELLO—I MEANT ‘HELLO’ . . .!”

Satsuki was mortified—in the traditional sense, as opposed to the literal sense of being “mortified” that came with being undead—which she also was . . . And she was babbling now—but at least it was only in her head.

Please, please let it be just in my head . . .

One positive to being a vampire, at least in this situation, was that Satsuki couldn’t actually blush—at least, not without a lot of blood in her body, and she was trying to restrict herself to once a week; so in this case, only her expression would give away how embarrassed she felt. As long as she didn’t look him in the eyes, she ought to be alright—

Her nose twitched suddenly. That smell . . . It was blood, as tempting as blood always was, but . . . More. She didn’t know what the difference was, she didn’t know what it meant, but she wanted it—wanted him . . .

“Sorry,” she murmured, feeling her fangs come out, “but just one bite . . .!”





(The following is non-canon, even for a snippet - it's just because I'm not sure the idea of adding a Dead Apostle to the Works is a good - much less workable - one . . .)








Trifas, Romania
July 1, 2004








It had taken a lot of thinking, research, and time—not to mention begging and pleading—but she’d done it. She’d remembered the way he’d mentioned once, and tracked it down with Miss Arcueid’s help; after all, according to what he’d said, the True Ancestor had even more reason to look into than she did . . .

And best of all, it had worked for her, too—because here she was!

Smiling so widely she half-expected her lower jaw to fall off, she announced herself. “Servant, Assassin! True Name . . . ” She smiled shyly. “. . . Well, you always called me ‘Sacchin’ . . .” She tried to blush. “M – Master . . .

“That sounds strange,” she admitted, “but I kind of like it . . .”

What do you suggest I do to simplify the whole thing? I mean, really, I want to do that right, Kieran... however, I have a plan for an overarching plot for the whole Grail Works. Hopefully this will work for everyone.

Keep it simple - do one step at a time. In my experience, you'll end up scrapping, re-evaluating or rewriting half your plans as you go along, anyway. Going twenty-five arcs ahead isn't really a good idea.

. . . Try focussing on "Reign of Winter" first - see how it goes before you make any further decisions.

[Xamusel]

...Kieran, point of fact here. That's not 25 story arcs, that's two. I specifically labeled it as such to signify that it's a quarter of a whole each time.

EDIT: Actually, what you're thinking is actually stories, not the story arcs that I'm using to split portions of the series up with. I have two stories in one arc so far... and I'm hoping to finish the whole thing ASAP (at least planning it out).

[Kieran]

And that's part of what I mean: the odds are generally good that the story is going to change as it goes, so I advise not planning so far in advance . . . But I'll take another look, when I'm more awake.

[Xamusel]

...point taken. I'll keep that in mind, since I want to be fairly consistent with my writing here, give or take a few hiccups.