The Grail Works Mission Dossier (Discussion & Ideas)

**Dis Laplace** · June 29th, 2012, 11:32 PM

You know, would it be a bad time to mention one of my ideas regarding a couple of chuckleheads that Rin met during her off time studying the 'magic' of other worlds?

They're okay, if they weren't somewhat nutso and tend to drive Rin's patience out the window and off the planet to make it dance to the Can-can on the Crab Nebula.

They also have some sort of two element "Revive' spell. . .

**Kieran** · June 30th, 2012, 07:32 AM

There's never a bad time to mention any story ideas - do tell.

EDIT: Also, I had another suggestion for objectors to a Negima version of Arc - maybe he could use Satsuki instead? Nobody's gone into detail regarding her yet, and even as a Dead Apostle, Sacchin's exact abilities are . . . Nebulous. And a Negima Shinso/High Daylight Walker is definitely an improvement over being a Dead Apostle.

It's not perfect, but it's a compromise that everyone can live with, maybe?

**Dis Laplace** · June 30th, 2012, 08:40 AM

Long story short: Rin wants to go studying the magical mechanics of other worlds say for a month or two.

Cue Rin being ported to a world with a magical academy where she would be studying with wizards.

No. . . I'm not talking about Hogwarts. Welcome to Midgard's Alderheim; where the headmaster think he's a beard, the wizards are completely off their rockers, and the pale-faced instructor that burns easily in the sun is most certianly not a vampire.

And poor Rin ends up in some of the shenanigans of some of the students there. 730+ hours in the essentially prana-rich world, even if she got what she wanted, she is pretty much on edge.

Especially when one of the wizards use a spell that brings up a couple of undeads. . . so he get them to dance to "Thriller".

Long story made even shorter: Rin is in Magicka, a game hailed for being a "mage suicide simulator".

**Incarnite Azurnum** · June 30th, 2012, 08:45 AM

But don't worry, revive is a two element spell.

Just be careful with that Vortex and Summon Death.

**AlER** · June 30th, 2012, 01:16 PM

QFSAAA BeamofDeath

**Guy** · June 30th, 2012, 01:17 PM

Originally Posted by Kieran

There's never a bad time to mention any story ideas - do tell.

EDIT: Also, I had another suggestion for objectors to a Negima version of Arc - maybe he could use Satsuki instead? Nobody's gone into detail regarding her yet, and even as a Dead Apostle, Sacchin's exact abilities are . . . Nebulous. And a Negima Shinso/High Daylight Walker is definitely an improvement over being a Dead Apostle.

It's not perfect, but it's a compromise that everyone can live with, maybe?

Sure, may I ask for some snippets before the main story?

This way we can see how he plans on doing that, and, if needed, give our opinions on the execution.

**MWkillkenny84** · June 30th, 2012, 01:27 PM

Originally Posted by Guy

Sure, may I ask for some snippets before the main story?

This way we can see how he plans on doing that, and, if needed, give our opinions on the execution.

I'm working on it!
And thanks, I've already found the complete formation of the Team sent into the Negima!verse.
Arcueid, Taiga and Satsuki.

**Kieran** · June 30th, 2012, 02:10 PM

Preliminary snippets are never a bad idea - that's why I keep doing them.

**Kieran** · July 1st, 2012, 09:01 AM

Originally Posted by Kieran

Preliminary snippets are never a bad idea - that's why I keep doing them.

And in that vein (pun intended, as you'll see), here are two more. The first one is connected, peripherally, to this one.

Anno Dracula 2000

Kate Reed had been a very modern girl when she was warm. Working feminist, advocate of Irish Home Rule, avid bicyclist, go-getting girl reporter. Something of that had carried over when she'd been turned - in the Great War, she'd been an ambulance driver, and a genuine war correspondant in several of those that followed. It made her, in a sense, a very modern sort of vampire, easily adaptable to the changes in the world, at least compared with the mouldy old relics that had inhabited the London of her girlhood. She was like Genevieve that way, and possibly even better at it than the elder was.

Not that she thought this world was at all inhospitable to vampires - quite the contrary. Between laptops, the Internet, and e-mail, this was a grand time to be a vampire - at least if you were interested in journalism. And that, too, was something that had come with her, borne on the blood of her father-in-darkness as much as in herself. Frank Harris had been a newspaper editor, after all. Personally, Kate still wished that she didn't need her spectacles - contacts made her eyes itch, and the laser surgery hadn't taken - but by and large, she was generally satisfied with life and her position in it.

Though there were moments, such as now - when she was hurtling through a cafe window into the street - where she seriously reconsidered that position.

She didn't know who the three toughs were, aside from the fact that they were vampires, and probably around her age - not quite newborns, but without the weight of centuries that added the presence and puissance of an elder - and that at least one of them was at least partially capable of shape-shifting, since he was a bear of a man that leaned more towards the former than the latter. Sadly, it wasn't a trick that Kate could pull off herself, at least more than turning her nails into talons and extending her fangs. Handy to scare the odd warm would-be mugger, not so terrifying for un-dead thugs like these.

In her century-plus of vampirism, Kate had picked up more than a few tricks, however - at least, she knew how to fall properly. A quick roll dispersed the momentum of her impact and brought her to her feet in short order. Unfortunately, however, the three thugs were as quick as they were strong, and already arrayed around her. This was not going to end well -

'Do you need a hand, Miss Reed?' called a warm bystander suddenly, startling all four of them - because, apparently, none of them had noted him before. Her reporter's curiosity, not dominant in her mind right now but never far from the surface, wondered how he'd pulled off the trick. Her assailants' reactions, however, were more blunt - one of them leaped toward him, fangs and talons extended in a blur of killing speed -

And the warm bloke hit him with a car.

Kate blinked. It had been fast enough that even at vampire speed, it was a bit of a blur. It took a moment for her to realise what had happened - that the newcomer had grabbed the nearest vehicle, and swung it as though he was playing baseball rather than fighting off a vampire. As she caught up with the present, there was a distant sound of glass breaking, as the impromptu batting target's arc terminated in a seventh-floor window across the street. Almost simultaneously, the same car impacted her next nearest attacker - in the manner of a projectile, this time - and half-buried him into the concrete wall beside him.

The stranger - who looked not any older than Kate herself, though she knew that meant little - gave the last un-dead punk a smirk. 'Care to try your luck?'

Apparently not, given the speed at which he fled. She might have felt insulted by the quality of attacker she apparently merited - but confronted by a far more intriguing puzzle, she shoved him to the back of her mind. Instead, she focussed on the definitely warm fellow in front of her, whose smile had turned more friendly.

'Are you hurt, Miss Reed? Do you need . . .' He shrugged, a tad uncomfortably, and she was absurdly reminded of Charles, a century ago. The pang of loss still hurt, though he'd been dead over forty years now. On a more practical level, however, the red thirst prickled at the back of her throat, but wasn't unbearable yet, so she shook her head.

'Who are you, and what do you want?' she demanded.

'I'm here to recruit you, if you're interested, Miss Reed.'

'I've already told you lot - I'll work with the Diogenes Club, but not for them.'

Now it was his turn to shake his head. 'We're smaller, less organised - and a bit broader in scope.' He smirked. 'I can guarantee you a wealth of travel opportunities, though.'

Kate arched an eyebrow. 'You're presuming a lot, considering you haven't so much as introduced yourself.'

He shrugged again, a sheepish smile on his face, even as his eyes danced with amusement. 'I'd think that saving your life ought to buy me some credit, Miss Reed - and I'm called Kurai.'

"Called" was right, given the distinct lack of any remotely Asian feature about him.

Kate sighed. Still and all, he had a point. She was a modern girl, but still at heart, partly Victorian as well - and manners demanded that she at least hear him out, given that she did owe him.

'I'd suggest retiring to the cafe for a cuppa - but I doubt I'd be welcome to return,' she said, glancing at the shattered storefront. 'I don't suppose that you know a better place for a private conversation?'

The smile twisted into the smirk again. 'As it so happens . . .'

She sighed again. Another boy playing secret agent - more Edwin than Charles, now. If he wasn't from the Diogenes Club, he certainly seemed to fit their preferred mould for agents.

However, Kate couldn't help herself - she had to know what was going on. Vampire or warm, she'd always been curious, before anything else - and it looked like it was still getting her into trouble.

She just wondered how deep the hole was, this time . . .

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And the second:

Collinsport, 1972

Some days, Kurai reflected, I really think I ought to have my head examined. As opposed to the rest of the time, when he just thought he ought to.

Bad enough that he was stuck dealing with a very insular family, which made insinuating himself into their business very tricky. Even worse that they included a vampire, a werewolf (in the closet, but still), and a pair of mediums. Adding insult to injury was the fact that he was in the 1970s - for heaven's sake, he hadn't even been born yet! But the witch was the worst aspect of the whole business, as she was currently proving.

As she directed another part of Collinwood Manor to attack, Kurai dodged reflexively, even as his mind worked furiously to form some kind of strategy. Angelique Bouchard was dangerous enough as a simple witch - the sort of foe that was more William Noire's kind of fight than his - but here, she was worse. She was like him, but corrupted by their mutual, ancient enemy. And the sort of horrors they could spawn with mortal building blocks was terrifying enough without adding power like their own to the mix.

Angelique draws her heritage from the Loa, he thought. Is there a weakness there I can exploit?

While he was no expert on "Dark Shadows" by any means, he'd read Lara Parker's books years ago, but remembered enough to guess the nature of Angelique's heritage, and even the specific individual it came from. The worst of it was, the Loa Erzulie was a goddess of love and beauty, mostly, not a combat monster. But watching her weather Carolyn's ferocious attack with barely scratches to show for it, not to mention throwing the younger female around like a rag doll, Kurai was fairly certain that Erzulie's nature didn't really apply to Angelique anymore.

Finally, the witch contemptuously tossed the petite blonde into a wall, where she lay still - and Kurai felt fury ignite inside him, even as Carolyn's mother Elizabeth began pumping shotgun shells into Angelique's form. The sole "normal" member of the family, she would be helpless against Angelique's power . . .

. . . And he'd been their guest, if nothing else. Even if his mission hadn't been to deal with the witch, an obligation was owed to the Collins family that he had to pay.

Knowing that he wasn't liable to survive this - Angelique, he suspected, was on the tier above him in terms of power, which counted for a lot - the young hero drew his weapons anyway, and charged into the fray with a war cry . . .

**Elf** · July 2nd, 2012, 12:06 AM

Holy crap, Kate in Grail Works?

Like she'd eat them all for breakfast.

**Kieran** · July 2nd, 2012, 07:03 AM

Well, I'm pretty sure at least a few of them wouldn't taste too good . . .

Seriously, though - I think Kate would have an easier time of it in the Works than Gene. She's weaker, but not carrying as much baggage, either.

**Kieran** · July 8th, 2012, 08:06 AM

I've placed a snippet involving the Celtic variant of Kurai's new incarnation here - it also gives a few details on the source of said powers, as well as the Egyptian and Canadian variants.

One reason I haven't made up my mind yet is because each source has different virtues they hold as important - and these will come to define Kurai, over time. (I'm still waiting on the book to be delivered in order to find out how, exactly, but it's supposed to arrive tomorrow). As such, I'm not sure which will be the easiest for the Works to live with - but here's the list:

Egyptian

Conviction - Representative of utter devotion to a cause, and the lengths one will go to in order to further that cause (in extreme cases, zealotry).

Harmony - The belief that there must be balance in the world (in extreme cases, one will do evil in order to balance out the good).

Order - The belief that in the absolute rule of law, and preventing anarchy and chaos (in extreme cases, making him judge, jury and executioner).

Piety - The level of devotion to the gods, and belief in traditionalism (in extreme cases, this can lead to his refusal to help those who are not pious enough).

Celtic

Courage - The characteristic of how brave and daring a person is. He will seek out the toughest opponents, and will hold them to the same level of bravery as they hold themselves (the extreme will drive him into a berserker fury).

Expression - A need to express oneself in art (in Kurai's case, literature). Driven to extremes, he'd create something horrifying and scathing, usually in response to an attempt to suppress creativity.

Intellect - The vastness of one's knowledge, reason and logic, although not necessarily their wisdom. In extremes, he becomes a victim of obsessive analysis - analyzing to the point of paranoia. He become incapable of making important decisions, as he sees every side of the argument and calculates every risk to be too much.

Piety - As above.

Canadian

Duty - The virtue of helping one's community and respecting its authority. The Scion will put aside his own ambitions and work to uphold a society's laws and bring stability to the realm. The extreme is Morbid Self-Sacrifice - he will bring incredible self-sacrifice onto himself for even thinking of not helping society.

Expression - As above.

Intellect - As above.

Valor - The valorous believe that his life’s work is to use his martial skill to defend the weak and the helpless. They strive to be full of honor and strength, and will defend that with their life. The extreme is Valorous Sacrifice - he will go to extreme lengths to die a glorious death in battle. He will attack his foes with reckless abandon, and will fight until the death of his or his enemy.

Personally, I'm thinking that the Canadian or Celtic ideals will be easier to work with (and don't the Celtic ones fit Lancer to a T?) . . .

**Kieran** · July 19th, 2012, 10:42 AM

Created a poll - please vote!

**pureauthor** · July 22nd, 2012, 11:22 AM

So, here's my idea for the story I want to do sometime after I finish Melancholy of One:

Spoiler:

Thoughts, comments?

**Kieran** · July 22nd, 2012, 11:28 AM

It certainly sounds promising. You'd either have to wait for Hymn and Lyric to finish with Shirou and Sakura, respectively, or PM them for any important details you'll need to know about their stories, but I'd bet you can manage a Final Fantasy crossover better than I did.

**Kieran** · July 23rd, 2012, 08:11 AM

No dobut you guys will find this funny . . . Part of the reason for my delaying on a sequel is that one of the concepts I'd intended to use required a sourcebook I don't have (the reason I kept bringing up the Canadian/Celtic/Egyptian stuff). I ordered it, but apparently the only physical copy available on two continents is in German.

. . . Naturally, it got sent back.

So I've been reworking an older idea I had - and now, as it turns out, apparently I should be able to get that sourcebook, after all. *sigh* Honestly, at this point I'm almost considering going with my original "monster" concept: turn Kurai into a mutant wolf, a la TMNT, and deal with the fallout. It'll be a pain, in a lot of ways, but I can do it easily.

. . . And incidentally, please answer Pureauthor's question (the primary reason for this double post/necro).

**forumghost** · July 23rd, 2012, 09:03 AM

. . . And incidentally, please answer Pureauthor's question (the primary reason for this double post/necro).

Wait, one day counts as a necro?

Anyway, since noone else has anything to say, I guess I'll add my 2 cents:

I've always rather liked IX, despite never actually finishing it (my disk two had an accident involving... well, lets just say it wasn't pretty) and would definately be keen to see GW interact with the cast, Esp. Zidane.

However, I'd also like to point out that you've already used the whole 'summoned by accident' idea twice now, and it would be a shame for this to become the GW version of "A Wizard did it".

Incidently, have you thought about how this will affect both Shiki and Sakura's abilities? Arriving By Accident=No Shielding after all (that is still correct right?) so there could be some major repercussions from that...

**Lyric Rome** · July 23rd, 2012, 10:31 AM

Bad news. Someone broke into our house and robbed us. Casualty list is long, and it includes my family's desktop computer as well as my laptop.
All those files I have, school work and fanfiction related are now gone. I have to reconstruct everything I wrote from scratch using my memories. And hope the assholes who stole from us gets caught and everything stolen is returned.

Anyways... I never played FFIX. Still, I agree with forumghost. Summoned by accident has already been used. While it is a good enough reason, it should be avoided at all costs unles it goes for a cliche like "You all meet in a tavern" for tabletop games.

Shiki would probably turn into a weird Ninja/Death Knight fusion while Sakura would be a White Mage. Incidentally, I'd love to see Shiki go Ninja Death Knight.

**Hymn of Ragnarok** · July 23rd, 2012, 12:40 PM

Shit Lyric Rome. I am so sorry to hear that. That's just awful. I hope they do get caught.

forumghost has a point about the summoned by accident thing, and the repercussions of arriving without shielding.

As for Shirou, perhaps we should discuss Shirou sometime. I plan on using him in my own story, so maybe we should work together to nail down his abilities.

**Kieran** · July 23rd, 2012, 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by Lyric Rome

Bad news. Someone broke into our house and robbed us. Casualty list is long, and it includes my family's desktop computer as well as my laptop.
All those files I have, school work and fanfiction related are now gone. I have to reconstruct everything I wrote from scratch using my memories. And hope the assholes who stole from us gets caught and everything stolen is returned.

Very sorry to hear it - hope things improve for you.

Thread: The Grail Works Mission Dossier (Discussion & Ideas)

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