Snow Bunnies

[Mattias]

Topping it off, before Kiritsugu came along, Einzberns were supposedly pants at combat, which is why they brought in an expert like Kiritsugu.

I always assumed that after the Third they finally realized that trusting the War to a homunculus that goes to shit once four Servants get absorbed was a horrible way to be the last team standing.

[Gabriulio]

Yet they repeated it in the Fifth...

[Arashi_Leonhart]

I always assumed that after the Third they finally realized that trusting the War to a homunculus that goes to shit once four Servants get absorbed was a horrible way to be the last team standing.

iirc they didn't use a homunculus for HF3. They built Iri specifically to make it so the Grail would be mobile and capable of looking out for itself unlike times past. Before, it was a straight-up cup.

[Hymn of Ragnarok]

Also, with how magi operate, I always figured that they would simply consider a normal human venting in anger like that to be beneath their dignity. Topping it off, before Kiritsugu came along, Einzberns were supposedly pants at combat, which is why they brought in an expert like Kiritsugu. I figured that him watching Shirou--implied to be a few years into his superhero wanderings--was
him being cautious about actually breaking out into real fighting.

Dah. That had been in my memory, but I had dismissed it thinking, "What's Taiga doing all the way out there?" But apparently that's exactly what happened.

Of course, that still puts them on Einzbern property and where Acht is strongest, surrounded by loyal servants. And Taiga has no magic circuits and is utterly vulnerable to hypnosis, but I suppose Acht wouldn't know that.

Still. His home. I'm surprised his people just let Taiga get away with an insult like that. She just laid him out, in his own home. Seems kind of humiliating, and for Sella to just let it go by....eh. I think we just don't see eye to eye on this, it just doesn't seem like the kind of thing they'd let them get away with. Especially when some of their homunculi have Servant tier stats. They might not have won but they can't be quite that bad at combat, even if all they have going is raw power. That's a lot of raw power.

I can't just say, "This is wrong, no way it can happen," because I can go through some mental loops and see how it might happen. Unfortunately, for me it's still hovering around the implausible point on the suspension of disbelief. Like this happened too easily and with too little consequence. The Einzberns are still a long line of magi with history and great deeds, and Shirou and Taiga being able to essentially waltz on in and deck Acht in his halls so casually doesn't quite work for me when I sit down and think about it.



If it makes more sense, it feels like the kind of prompt that needs its own story and build-up, with Shirou and Taiga trying to bring Christmas to the people in the castle, and everything being planned to get a shot at Acht. Except instead of anything gruesome Taiga settles for just slugging him, to the surprise of everyone. But I tend towards cracky scenarios here because....well, it kinda feels like a crackish scenario. It just felt too easy here, something that seems like it should be some nigh monumental feat is just done fairly easily, and with a lot of misplaced bravado on Taiga's part that just happens to work.

I like Taiga, this seems like a very Taiga thing to do and when she's on screen things get less serious. It just didn't end up working for me, but you can't please everyone.

[Daiki]

Best fanfic ever.