The Grail Works Mission Dossier (Discussion & Ideas)

[Vigilantia]

Let's try a different angle, then - who do you see your character working with? Granted, I assume that most authors will pair whichever characters they like to tackle particular missions; but we also have our favourites, as well, who'd serve as a "regular" cast of characters - like our prior setups of Rin/McNab, my character/Nero, and so on.

So who do you see them dealing with most easily or effectively on a regular basis (for the purposes of this exercise, assume you can use any Type-Moon character you like)? And why would they be paired for a mission?

. . . Depending on your answers, you might find the decision easier to make.

Someone going to pick up Riesbyfe or Sion anytime soon? On that subject, is Satsuki (isn't it sad?) going to be used anytime soon? :P Maybe Ayako?

This looks fairly interesting - may I ask where the source of this plot base originates? I would love to read it.


Also I won't promise a full story as I have never written one - but would one be able to write in OCs into this? I have this one reoccurring OC that I keep inadvertently working into anything I attempt to write, without that OC it's just.. ehh.. meh? The immediate idea of course was OC x Saber(I have a soft spot for tsundere x timid/moe yuri, sue me okay) doing something or another to get a shread(but incomplete form) of Sabers "humanity" back while managing to allow her to partially or fully use her form as a true dragon, and ofc some cute nonsexual(I don't really write sexual content, ever.) yuri.

I'll let Kieran answer this one.

[Kieran]

@crystal: You know... even basic supplies like food would be a boon to GW, just to feed the stomaches of the individuals that call either the Tohno Mansion or the Emiya Household home.

Very true. Or even someone to manage the finances and bureaucracy - they are a conglomerate of multiple households, with varied resources and expenses. And just because they're off saving a dozen different worlds at once doesn't mean that the bills don't have to be paid.

@Anyone who cares: The SI I wanted to join in with the chaos that's Grail Works I planned on simply being a magus, so I'll probably go back to the drawing board on my previous snippet I submitted to match that requirement (So my character would have to be an OC resident of the Nasuverse, something new to explore, ne?).

Yes, yes it is.

My interest in having it this way is I wanted to see how writing about an incarnation of 'Development' would turn out. I don't believe that is what would be my origin, but it interests me in the challenge I would have in writing about myself this way and it's something I'm rather fond of. Having my origin and element be 'Self-Actualization' is a bit much for me and is too... lacking for my taste since I would focus more on characters rather than the situation at large. Personality wise I'm more in the realm of Shirou, though if I believe that a system of government is... well let's just say I believe that each individual is the highest level of authority on earth.

I already have ideas on where I can go and be useful, because honestly, I'm not built too well nor am I mentally oriented for direct combat. So most of my works for Grail Works will probably be on the psychological/battle-of-wits kind of stories. Call me the milk-man in the least extreme cases, haha.

Sounds interesting (and even more interestingly, reasonable for an OC) - I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Someone going to pick up Riesbyfe or Sion anytime soon? On that subject, is Satsuki (isn't it sad?) going to be used anytime soon? :P Maybe Ayako?

Eventually.

This looks fairly interesting - may I ask where the source of this plot base originates? I would love to read it.


Also I won't promise a full story as I have never written one - but would one be able to write in OCs into this? I have this one reoccurring OC that I keep inadvertently working into anything I attempt to write, without that OC it's just.. ehh.. meh? The immediate idea of course was OC x Saber(I have a soft spot for tsundere x timid/moe yuri, sue me okay) doing something or another to get a shread(but incomplete form) of Sabers "humanity" back while managing to allow her to partially or fully use her form as a true dragon, and ofc some cute nonsexual(I don't really write sexual content, ever.) yuri.

I'll let Kieran answer this one.

. . . OK. In order, then.

This looks fairly interesting - may I ask where the source of this plot base originates? I would love to read it.

The series (or at least, most of it) is currently in suspension, pending a total overhaul. When I can get my hands on the Fate/Zero anime (hopefully soon) for background reference, I'm going to begin writing its origin story - from the Fourth War, to the Fifth War, to the present day (where most authors can do their work).

In the meantime, however, at least one mission fic is still ongoing - you can check it out here.

Also I won't promise a full story as I have never written one - but would one be able to write in OCs into this? I have this one reoccurring OC that I keep inadvertently working into anything I attempt to write, without that OC it's just.. ehh.. meh? The immediate idea of course was OC x Saber(I have a soft spot for tsundere x timid/moe yuri, sue me okay) doing something or another to get a shread(but incomplete form) of Sabers "humanity" back while managing to allow her to partially or fully use her form as a true dragon, and ofc some cute nonsexual(I don't really write sexual content, ever.) yuri.

. . . The only way I could possibly see that working is if it's one of the universes in which the Grail Works is contracted to intervene. In other words, you'd be writing the background for a mission setting, not anything to do with the Works itself. On the other hand, if you're OK with that, then . . . *shrug*

[crystalwatcher]

Well...

Let me try to start at the top here.

For Kerian's questions on who they could be paired with I could see my Knight getting paired off with Rin on a regular basis simply because I think both of their personalities would lead to them working well together, but she would also work with Saber prety well, and would probably try avoiding getting paired with Shirou too often because of a clash in ideologies that she'd probably get hung up on. (Shirou and his whole 'save everyone bit would tick her off because she sees it as being incompatable with a given mission.) My Puella would work well when paired with Sakura and cause really 'interesting' situations with the rest of them, and this almost sold it to me right there alone. She would also work well when paired with other OCs and SIs for the simple fact they'd probably be more understanding of how broken she is mentally. My Keyblade Wielder would probably be the only one that would be able to work well with Shirou without too much clashing. When concidering the Tsukihime cast it's a bit more of a dice roll.

For Creed: that actually a very good point. Both my Knight and my Keyblader could take part-time jobs around the two towns and the actual houses, and my Knight could help in managing resources for the Works; by doing things such as cataloging what they have and what they need. So if we add this into the mix My Knight starts looking like a better option really.

Cooking though would probably be left to Kohaku, or Shirou. Trying to intrude on any part of that would lead to some kind of extinction level event.

[Kieran]

OK, having established that, what kind of stories would you like to write, and which character would work better for them?

[crystalwatcher]

I really want to write stories that go into how dysfunctional the Works is on a personnel basis: Word of God from the Nasu-verse has Shiki and Shirou as utterly hating each other and after a bit of review on their personalities I can kinda understand why. I wanna go into how that would effect the way the Works is Run, and the troubles Illya has keeping everyone from killing eachother wholesale from an outsiders perspective.

I also wouldn't mind making a number of action and comedy stories either.

My Keyblader wouldn't be very good for either of those because she's be too sympathetic to all sides and that would cause me more problems in the telling than if someone summoned Godzilla into Shirou's bathroom. My Knight and Puella would give some really good view points on it all, my Puella giving a good showing of how different everyone's personalities are from eachothers without going into Marysue category. My Knight would also give a great way to have a story where someone whose at least relatively sane is trying to work with them all despite the disjunction everywhere, and how over time she comes to appreciate all the craziness in a shitty world that needs the funny to stave off the madness.

[TheAbsolutistsCreed]

My major problem would be getting my character from the East coast of the uSA (sic) to Japan. Though if push comes to shove, I could simply use my desire to visit Japan as a starting point, that and job searching. At first I'll probably have a basic understanding of Japanese and would need to continually ask anyone I talk to there to speak slower. Though the fact that they teach English as a second language in Japan, at least I can communicate with the younger crowd. That would leave those I could probably communicate with be Shirou, Sakura, Rin, Shiki, Akiha, Saber, and Rider. Don't know about the maids though... I might work on my language skills with Shirou, I imagine it would be mutually beneficial as far as working out the kinks will go.

I plan on having my character have a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. I know I don't but knowing myself like I do, if I was a magus, actually finishing college would be my choice. I need to have money for my research coming from somewhere, but working for the Clocktower? I'd rather die in the slowest, heartbreaking and most agonizing way possible.

I have images in my head of trying to play shrink for the other characters after taking missions... *Shudder*... God help me.

@crystal: I hope they aren't offended if I made my own cuisine then if only for the fact that I like to... uh... spice up my foods to taste stronger. I'm kind of like Kirei in that regard except that I like to eat strong tasting foods, not extremely spicy ones. Haha. Eg. Using two packets of flavoring for quick ramen noodles instead of the one.

And are you getting enough sleep, quite a few typos there.

[Vigilantia]

I really want to write stories that go into how dysfunctional the Works is on a personnel basis: Word of God from the Nasu-verse has Shiki and Shirou as utterly hating each other and after a bit of review on their personalities I can kinda understand why. I wanna go into how that would effect the way the Works is Run, and the troubles Illya has keeping everyone from killing eachother wholesale from an outsiders perspective.

I also wouldn't mind making a number of action and comedy stories either.

My Keyblader wouldn't be very good for either of those because she's be too sympathetic to all sides and that would cause me more problems in the telling than if someone summoned Godzilla into Shirou's bathroom. My Knight and Puella would give some really good view points on it all, my Puella giving a good showing of how different everyone's personalities are from eachothers without going into Marysue category. My Knight would also give a great way to have a story where someone whose at least relatively sane is trying to work with them all despite the disjunction everywhere, and how over time she comes to appreciate all the craziness in a shitty world that needs the funny to stave off the madness.

That's actually a very interesting premise all by itself and has a lot of potential if done right. I can already imagine Works friction between several members.

[Kieran]

Yeah, me too. So it sounds to me like your Keyblade wielder ought to be out of the running, in favour of one of the other two options.


. . . And on a semi-related note, apparently none of the distributors around here will send Fate/Zero to any of the stores in town (and, in fact, have never even heard of it). Fortunately, I was able to order directly from Aniplex, so the first season/set is on its way now. Happy early birthday to me, I suppose.



EDIT: And since deciding on things Norse just continues to frustrate me (along with writer's block on several other projects), I believe I shall stick to yon British hero - who has had a few minor oversights corrected in his character sheet (I missed assigning an Epic Wits Knack, and it's one that's kind of important).

And after all, there's nothing that says I can't use the Norse as quasi-antagonists - given that one of the more popular versions of Robin Hood has him as a staunch Saxon fighting the Norman (Norse) oppressors.

[crystalwatcher]

@crystal: I hope they aren't offended if I made my own cuisine then if only for the fact that I like to... uh... spice up my foods to taste stronger. I'm kind of like Kirei in that regard except that I like to eat strong tasting foods, not extremely spicy ones. Haha. Eg. Using two packets of flavoring for quick ramen noodles instead of the one.

And are you getting enough sleep, quite a few typos there.

I honestly think that's ok. Everyone has their own quirks and if the whole of the gang fell into the same mold we wouldn't get much characterization and would make the story bland in that regard.

And probably not. I'm dying from lake of decent sleep.

That's actually a very interesting premise all by itself and has a lot of potential if done right. I can already imagine Works friction between several members.

Thanks. That's what's mostly driving me to write for this idea. It's also my weakest point when writing so I'd love the practice.

Yeah, me too. So it sounds to me like your Keyblade wielder ought to be out of the running, in favour of one of the other two options.

Agreed. I'm mostly leaning towards my Puella Magi right now, but the complexity of my Knight is starting to look more attractive right now because of other Madoka crossovers that have been bouncing around in my head.

. . . And on a semi-related note, apparently none of the distributors around here will send Fate/Zero to any of the stores in town (and, in fact, have never even heard of it). Fortunately, I was able to order directly from Aniplex, so the first season/set is on its way now. Happy early birthday to me, I suppose.



EDIT: And since deciding on things Norse just continues to frustrate me (along with writer's block on several other projects), I believe I shall stick to yon British hero - who has had a few minor oversights corrected in his character sheet (I missed assigning an Epic Wits Knack, and it's one that's kind of important).

And after all, there's nothing that says I can't use the Norse as quasi-antagonists - given that one of the more popular versions of Robin Hood has him as a staunch Saxon fighting the Norman (Norse) oppressors.

If I do stick with my Knight any suggestions on where I should send her first?

[Kieran]

I honestly think that's ok. Everyone has their own quirks and if the whole of the gang fell into the same mold we wouldn't get much characterization and would make the story bland in that regard.

Exactly.

And probably not. I'm dying from lake of decent sleep.

I know what that's like - and I wish you better.

Thanks. That's what's mostly driving me to write for this idea. It's also my weakest point when writing so I'd love the practice.

Sounds like a plan, then.

Agreed. I'm mostly leaning towards my Puella Magi right now, but the complexity of my Knight is starting to look more attractive right now because of other Madoka crossovers that have been bouncing around in my head.

I know what that's like, too.

OK, let's try working backwards - where do you see your character ending up when they "retire," and how would they get there? (Use both, and take the more attractive option).

If I do stick with my Knight any suggestions on where I should send her first?

Try something short, as an introduction - call it "proof of concept."

[crystalwatcher]

OK, let's try working backwards - where do you see your character ending up when they "retire," and how would they get there? (Use both, and take the more attractive option).

My Knight I see as eventually getting back to her own Dimensional 'Cluster' in the Nanoha-verse and eventually settling down with the TSAB and more or less retiring either there or in Halkgenia in the Familiar of Zero verse and living there.

My Puella I was thinking about killing off brutally to send her to rest with her friends. Big emotional moment.

Try something short, as an introduction - call it "proof of concept."

Which sounds like a good idea, I just don't know where to place the proof of concept. Might place it in the Soul Edge games for the lawlz... But not sure. I really want to put it in a fighting game to start with.

[Kieran]

My Knight I see as eventually getting back to her own Dimensional 'Cluster' in the Nanoha-verse and eventually settling down with the TSAB and more or less retiring either there or in Halkgenia in the Familiar of Zero verse and living there.

My Puella I was thinking about killing off brutally to send her to rest with her friends. Big emotional moment.

Well, if you're writing for "lawlz," it sounds like the first one is the better bet - its associated with comedy series in ZnT, and lacks the tragic vibe of the latter.

Which sounds like a good idea, I just don't know where to place the proof of concept. Might place it in the Soul Edge games for the lawlz... But not sure. I really want to put it in a fighting game to start with.

OK, so figure out how they'd get there, or where you go from there (and how) and you might narrow down which one.

[TheAbsolutistsCreed]

That and Ilya would probably send us out to test our mettle and it could be something pedestrian like a resource run, or even screw up and send you some place unexpected, at least for both of you. My character will be hanging around and learning Japanese to start with, so I won't be out as much until then. In the meantime, I could use that to make little snippets of integrating myself into Grail Works.

Tbh, I want to see more of the less used characters. Who knows what chaos they'll bring up. I'll probably start there after getting my new introduction written down and posted.

On a side note is it Karen who is current overseer at the church in Fuyuki?

[Kieran]

How about I get through writing the Wars, first - and then we'll both know.

[crystalwatcher]

I'll stick with my Puella because I've been planning a number of really emotional pieces, and probably bring in my Knight much later after my Puella is killed off.

That way we kinda get the best of both depending on how long this whole thing goes on.

Give me a while and I'll dig up some of the info on Lolia and revamp her design if possible.

[Kieran]

An aspect of Creation, not so long ago








To the certain disappointment of women the world over, he did not resemble Tom Hiddleston, though he'd admit that, for a mortal, there was a certain style about the man which he appreciated. It made him far more acceptable than some who'd portrayed him in the past.

Loki glanced about, a sneer curling his lips. Thus far, the arch-trickster had yet to see anything noteworthy about these "Games of the Gods." For that matter, the entire pantheon was entirely too dull for his tastes; which made what he was about to do all the more palatable. True, there was a certain annoyance in knowing that others had repeated the trick - the Elder God had meddled in multiple timelines at Mimir's Well, and the blasted vampire had stolen one of these before - but at the same time, he had to do it.

He was the God of Chaos and Mischief, after all - nobody was supposed to be better at tricks than he was. He had to do this, and do it better than they had.

He had a reputation to maintain, after all.








Some time later - Fuyuki, Japan








He frowned, trying to sort through the varying sensations. He knew this, having read about it -

- having experienced it before, insisted the whisper in the depths of his soul -


But that was a far cry from experiencing it firsthand, or even understanding it. Still, he had a place to start - he knew what had happened, even if why or how were still mysteries.

Exaltation. Through a means he didn't understand, he'd gained one of the fragments of the Unconquered Sun's power, had it grafted to his being, to raise him on high (the literal meaning of "exaltation") as one of its champions.

Bad enough that it was part of an RPG, worse still that it wasn't an Exaltation he'd have expected. The Unconquered Sun chose those with the potential for greatness, for glory, and that was not him. And even if he somehow did meet the deity's requirements, he'd have figured on receiving a Twilight Exaltation - the caste for the scholars, sorcerers and artisans. Failing that, he might have understood a Zenith Exaltation - the priests who believed in the righteousness of the Unconquered Sun, and carried its light to the darkness that threatened humankind. This, however, was neither.

Well, at least it's not totally inappropriate, he thought. I mean, a Dawn or Eclipse Caste would've been just wrong.

The Night Caste were the "Exalted" setting's equivalent of D&D rogues - thieves, spies and assassins. Specialising in stealth and swashbuckling, they quietly eliminated problems that law and society couldn't, or wouldn't touch. It was a rough justice, but it was the kind he'd always believed in. And maybe, on reflection, that was why he'd been chosen . . .

. . . None of that, however, explained how he'd wound up where he had. He'd been in Canada, and the Exaltation was from a fantasy realm called (creatively enough) "Creation." So why the hell was he in Japan?

He didn't know - and what abilities he had didn't give him any ideas of a why to find out.

If this is a World of Darkness - especially the classic variety - I am going to scream . . .

[TheAbsolutistsCreed]

How about I get through writing the Wars, first - and then we'll both know.

Err... I meant with the Grail Works shade of color, not the parallel reality you seem to be going into, unless you want to write that much history and eventually get the Works running from this. That would be amazing, haha. I'm going to carefully include my OC in the works AFTER the fourth and fifth Grail Wars if that's the case. Though it would probably be prudent of me to do so anyways.

Huh... Loki, huh? Well that sucks... this is going to be an interesting Grail War.

Do you by proxy represent Loki's interests and goals as his scion, or do you have some degree of freedom. Though from the insinuation, I believe that Loki sent you there. It might be more prudent to say that he controls where you go and you represent him, but it's up to you how to do so.

Just a bit of information I would be interested in to gain better clarity in what you've written so far. Great work by the way, even though I have not dabbled in half of the stuff you mentioned, haha.

As far as my OC goes, I'll probably have him come along to Japan after the Grail Wars are finished to job search, at least the fourth and fifth. But how to get involved with Grail Works...

[Kieran]

Err... I meant with the Grail Works shade of color, not the parallel reality you seem to be going into, unless you want to write that much history and eventually get the Works running from this. That would be amazing, haha.

I'm not quite sure what you mean . . .?

I'm going to carefully include my OC in the works AFTER the fourth and fifth Grail Wars if that's the case. Though it would probably be prudent of me to do so anyways.

That would likely be wise, yes.

Huh... Loki, huh? Well that sucks... this is going to be an interesting Grail War.

Do you by proxy represent Loki's interests and goals as his scion, or do you have some degree of freedom. Though from the insinuation, I believe that Loki sent you there. It might be more prudent to say that he controls where you go and you represent him, but it's up to you how to do so.

Just a bit of information I would be interested in to gain better clarity in what you've written so far. Great work by the way, even though I have not dabbled in half of the stuff you mentioned, haha.

That is a bit of an experiment. The Night Caste of the Solar Exalted is basically the same (conceptually) as what I'd planned for my Scion to be, with a little more flexibility - I don't have to risk Fatebindings every time I use my powers, for example - and I wondered how well it would work/go over. I wrote it this way because I could see it coming about via someone stealing an Exaltation for fun, and tossed it randomly to someone, just to see what it would do. I've read a couple of fics like that, actually.

As far as my OC goes, I'll probably have him come along to Japan after the Grail Wars are finished to job search, at least the fourth and fifth. But how to get involved with Grail Works...

Good question. I'll think about it, and let you know.

[crystalwatcher]

Chancers are that Lolia will probably need to be brought in sometime after the Works is Officially formed, since Mado-kami is the one that leaves her in the Works' care.

[TheAbsolutistsCreed]

@Kieran: I was alluding to the Kaleidoscope, aka, multiple parallel realities and all that stuff.

@crystal: God help the romance going around, haha. Hope having your character around won't make things worse.