#grail war gone wrong

[cosmichorrorsarestillnicerthanme]

Lol Ive got an Artoria Pendragon prompt for both saber Artoria and lancer Artoria. Where a previous male master of hers is summoned as a heroic spirit that she has a romantic relationship with that turned into a marriage after she stayed with him as a familiar after the grail war ended. She's constantly spending time with him and having alone time with him leaving the knights of the round confused on who reader are until they finally ask Artoria and she announces that That The newly summoned servant is her spouse and therefore her queen.

I went in a bit of a more... Chaotic direction for this then I intended...

Still, I had a blast writing it!

NOW! YOUR WISH IS MY COMMAND!!!

Mordred’s 1000 yard stare bored into the cafeteria wall, coming dangerously close to burning a hole through it.

At the most definitely not round table next to her’s, the knights of the round sans their king were drawing straws to ask Mordred what was wrong.

Now let us all pray for Gawain and thank him for his sacrifice.

Oh, now he was sitting next to Mordred with the same traumatized stare…

Then Lancelot.

Then Bedivere.

Then Tristan.

Then Merlin, who began to laugh his ass off as if he was in on an inside joke.

That left only Gareth, who, upon asking what cursed knowledge caused this, followed them promptly.

That cursed knowledge in question being this.

Mordred heard moans from the king's room, and the king telling the newest Caster of Chaldea “Don’t Stop”

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The Knights stealthily watched Artoria and you from across the room, a sense of impending doom hanging over them.

And that sense of impending doom was growing with every second as Artoria began to slowly and very conspicuously scoot closer and closer to you on the couch.

Eventually Artoria was sitting as close to you as she possibly could, a content smile on her face as she began to whisper something to you.

The Knights were quite concerned about this, but there was nothing they could do about it.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Artoria eyed her knights conspicuously watching her as she stealthily slid closer and closer to you with each passing second.

She should probably tell them who you were.

Alternatively, she wanted to keep you to herself as long as she could.

Needless to say, she knew what option she was going with.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

This torture of the knights continued for a month.

Mordred saw Artoria share food with you, nearly killing her from the shock of it on the spot.

Gawain saw the king give you a secret kiss on the lips, causing him to faint dead away.

Lancelot has been into the infirmary for head trauma a concerning amount this month from slamming his own head into walls.

Tristan was mostly normal about all of this. Mostly.

Merlin was laughing his ass off.

Gareth had gone into overdrive with making food and sweets to keep her mind off things.

And Bedivere was really just still traumatized by the implications of what happened.

Eventually this all came to a head when Artoria had her fill of fun and called the knights to assemble.

After that things got… chaotic.

Especially when she explained that, through a surprisingly well thought out powerpoint, you were the Queen and then you popped in to say “So that means I’m your mom now Mordred! Technically at least.”

Mordred kinda… checked out after that…

Slowly things began to fall into place, but a certain flower mage wanted to keep his entertainment going for just a while longer.

So, Merlin being Merlin, asked “So then Artoria, how was it to have your bed warmed by your lover again?”

“What do you mean? We haven’t… wait… wait! Oh! HA! HA AHA AH!” you said before beginning to laugh, leaving the knights confused and Artoria blushing as you laughed while falling to the floor, unable to control yourself.

“T-that wasn’t… intercourse…” Artoria said before muttering something under her breath as you howled with laughter on the floor.

“What was that my king~?” Merlin cooed, a mischievous grin on his face.

This when put together with your laughter and her knight’s confused stares led to the inevitable.

Artoria cracked, and, much to her shame, told them exactly what happened.

“IT WAS THE QUEEN GIVING ME A SHOULDER MASSAGE!!!”

Artoria Lancer, unlike many of her other counterparts, can be rather… mischievous at times.

Not to the same effect as Merlin, but she does take some amusement at others' expense on occasion.

And so when you showed up one day and after all of the hugs, kisses, and crying, Artoria knew just what to do.

She was going to introduce her knights to their queen.

Eventually.

Until then however, well, Artoria was going to ensure her knights were kept on their toes.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

First up was Mordred, and Artoria’s plan for her was simple.

A hickey on the neck, or what looked like one at least.

The reaction, to be expected, was Mordred completely breaking.

Second was Bedivere who showcased similar results after seeing her exiting your room. 

Next up was Gawain where all she had to do was make a few implications to have him clutching at his proverbial pearls.

Lancelot was next, and he was a slightly tougher nut to crack, at least until she gave you a quick kiss on the cheek.

Gareth simply received an off-handed comment from Artoria about you being “Someone rather important from her point of view.” This left Gareth confused for a few moments until the dots connected in the way Artoria had predicted.

Tristan was… already in the know… somehow…

 And so, with all her little pieces of chaos sowed, Artoria sat back with you at her side and had some popcorn and a massive buffet of other foods.

However, she eventually ran out of food after… several months.

You were surprised she had that much self control.

You were also surprised when the knights of the round kidnapped you in a very dramatic fashion.

Bag over the head, handcuffs, the whole nine yards.

“WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MY FATHER YOU HOMEWRECKING RIDER!!!” a very distressed Mordred shouted as she tore the bag off your head, revealing a room covered wall to wall in bulletin boards filled with pictures, red strings, documents and the other, equally distressed Knights of the round..

It seems Artoria’s little mischief has gone a *Tad* too far…

And now Mordred was shaking clarent in your face…

It is probably time to start talking, fast.

Then the door was blown off its proverbial hinges as Chaldea had sliding doors.

And there stood your one and only, Artoria Lancer, looking very, very irate.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

One quick ass whooping later, the Knights of the round were sitting on the floor, lumps on their heads and looking very ashamed of themselves.

After all, they had just kidnapped the queen…

And that was a whole other can of worms for Mordred…

Nonetheless, the entire charade came to an end, and you were only slightly disappointed the amusing antics Artoria had caused were over.

Simply put, there is no pomp or flashiness when Artoria Alter is involved.

When you are summoned she is going to find you, kiss you, and tell everyone in no uncertain terms, that if they were to even think about touching “Her Berserker” she will use their head as a doorstop and feed their bodies to pigs…

After that, she refuses to elaborate and leaves, you following her closely behind.

This left a very scared Chaldea and a very confused Knights of the round.

This is because of the following.

They had just been threatened by a very, very scary lady.

Artoria Saber Alter had just walked up to someone and claimed ownership of them like a lost puppy.

ARTORIA SABER ALTER JUST KISSED SOMEONE IN A VERY PASSIONATE AND LOVING MANNER!!!

ARTORIA SABER JUST DID SOMETHING IN A LOVING MANNER!!!

So, the Knights immediately set to trying to track you and her down.

This took a lot longer than any of them thought possible seeing as the two of you had simply disappeared into thin air.

Then everyone heard a massive crash from the material storage room…

On that day Guda was to be found in the fetal position upon finding their entire storage of materials having an absolutely massive chunk bitten out of them when Artoria forced you to eat them in order to have you in your “Final Ascension” as Guda dubbed it. She did this because she wanted you in “The right clothes for my queen.”

This left the Knights in shock, however, Artoria simply went off gallivanting with you again instead of clarifying anything.

[adriwatchestoku]

Geats ep3 (and 4)

lmao a friend came into the chat yomi and i are in and told us that yes geats goes places

"DON'T PUBLISH THAT"

the woman manifests in Keiwa's room, I need to learn this so I can do this to Yomi when she's a menace

a lot of questions going on with what the fuck is going on and who is behind it!

oh that's not upsetting to say to your child

I need to learn more names

WE NOTICED THAT TAKAHASHI YUYA IN THE OPENING

I appreciate we're getting Kagami and Tendou again, Takahashi style

Neon, istg. If you're trying to run away don't stream it until you're GONE

Of course everyone is like NEO AND ACE YAY

Ace could NOT be like this but he IS

Even the bodyguards hahahaha

HAHAHAH NEON

"that's one way to get out of the situation you're in"

ah, Takahashi. you and your zombies

random but I appreciate Kamen Rider NOT covering moles

keiwa you're too nice. but hey, side mission clear

neon not knowing how to kill zombies… yeah, she doesn't seem like the horror movie type

this show lmao. Neon running around like that

ah the hatesex pairing

"can't I just buy my way to victory?"

"that does mean you can load up on cosmetics, which is important"

"do you have a problem with Ace" there are a million reasons to have a problem with Ace

"neon seems like the type of character who will be deeply terrifying by the end of the series. something is deeply wrong with this person beyond the obvious"

I'm glad to know this version of the Holy Grail War also has deeply wrong people

"that's not suspect at all"

Ace just knows how to get the most points, the minmaxer he is

yeah that was expected, even if he got his score docked

I need to learn who the main rider suit actor is for Reiwa because he's good

of course Ace doesn't fight back because he's minmaxing points

"Someone's going to learn real fast if the penalty for player attack is individually or all at once"

no penalty because he's a zombie already

oh damn

the visuals for the zombie stuff is so good

"a world where humanity is extinct" whoa the edge

oh ace that sounds like you've been traumatized by being in this for far too long

well shit, neon

"well this is interesting that it's not retroactive erasure"

Geats ep4

I appreciate Tubi has the bumpers so we can have the proper WTF whiplash experience

Keiwa you're a sweetheart. Very clearly the protag

nah, even if she survives, she ain't coming home

the image of ace in the barbed wire in the op remains ominous

ah the "it's just a joke bro" defense

neon got her reality dose early

"i mean I think that [wanting to run away but then when she's about to turn into a zombie, wanting to go back] is pretty normal given the circumstances"

both yomi and i noticing ace emotes a lot in the background

oh ace what's your trauma re: this

just the constant battle royal

that's apparently a weakness of yomi's

I mean, gps tracking on your rich ass makes sense

aaaaaaah kidnapping trauma for neon

and a mother that wants a doll, not a daughter

keiwa where did you come from

oh hi ace

ACE PLEASE

this is the weirdest date

oh the slow crumbling of the smile into tears

WE'RE FOUR EPISODES IN, TAKAHASHI. WHY IS THIS MOVING SO FAST. WHAT DO YOU HAVE PLANNED

tubi with adblock is fucking hilarious

keiwa stop flinching every time you shoot

welp. da-paan has gone full asshole

alright neon let's go!

"just gotta fucking speedrun this shit"

Ace with all the information. still hitting on Keiwa and Neon huh

"i'm cheering for rocket hammer. more things should have rocket hammer and I think she deserves one"

oh nice you go neon

oh the teamwork!

c'mon neon… hold on…

ace with the minmaxing AGAIN

at least this time it's for neon

"GOOD. I'M HAPPY"

alright who's dead now. who lost this round

bye bye, da-paan

"he lost the right to be a kamen rider" "THE FUCK DOES THAT MEAN"

GOOD GIRL, NEON

Wow, the confidence

oh a new guy next episode

[tgrailwar-zero]

MEMORIA FRAGMENT - I

This was a memory.

Which one of you it belonged to was negligible at this point. It was yours now. Collective. Belonging to one piece of the puzzle.

The lab, like the rest of the space, was digital.

A figure stood before you, poised and focused.

ARCHIMEDES: "My name is Archimedes. I am a Solo Servant, summoned by the Moon Cell as a system administrator."

A Servant.

You looked upon him with some awe.

Those were rare in this era-- no, a rarity in almost any era--but it was a magical concept that you could recall with ease.

A 'Ghost Liner', a high-class Familiar, a 'living' record of a figure from long ago. The etchings of human history given shape and form, brought forth by the might of a great phenomenon.

The fact that one was summoned spoke to the processing power of the Moon Cell.

ARCHIMEDES: "Very good. I can tell that you're a diligent person. Perhaps we'd get along. You will have a Servant of your own soon enough, if you pass."

There was something nice to being praised by the Archimedes of Syracuse. He continued, checking something.

ARCHIMEDES: "Now, do not worry. This screening process is not intensive. This is simply to ensure that there's a 'record'. However, 'who' you are is irrelevant. You could be a student, a murderer, a dictator, an educator… all are considered equals in the eye of the Moon Cell. Or rather, those finer details are considered 'not worthy of attention' at the moment."

You listened, quietly.

ARCHIMEDES: "You are a participant in this Holy Grail War. Do you recall your name? Your name, age, date of birth, place of origin… though for the last one, I suppose that can be whichever you claim."

You remember providing the details seamlessly. It seemed less seamless now.

You had been part of a once-great mage family. Perhaps not the greatest, sure. Not Magicians, not Lords of the Clock Tower, but your family had the potential for greatness. That is what you were told, again and again. There was so much potential. You were sure you could be a Magician, or a great magus- at least the rank of 'Brand', though you knew that if you did everything right then you could reach 'Grand'.

Potential that couldn't be realized because somewhere along the lines, things had gone wrong.

Mana had been driven from the World.

If the Clock Tower wasn't gone.

Magi had to adapt. No, humanity had to adapt. And it was struggling. Things had suddenly, abruptly, ground to a halt in the 1970's… and now your legacy was in danger. Real danger.

A feeling bubbled up. Frustration? Emptiness? Fear?

You pushed it down. That was far from proper for a magus.

Besides, the Holy Grail could fix that. It could return things to how they were. Restore the glory of your house.

ARCHIMEDES: "Perhaps."

His reply was vague, more vague than you'd expect.

ARCHIMEDES: "And you are from the Americas? No, the records say 'North America', in what's left of the United States?"

Things had shifted dramatically in the past few decades.

Power changed hands rapidly, until one group had gotten a firm enough grip on it and had been able to keep it from being 'passed' anywhere else.

Each detail felt more painful to recall than the last. How things began crumbling before your time, and when your moment finally arrived you had nothing but rocks in place of what had been a once-great castle.

ARCHIMEDES: "So… that's what happened. I see. It is one thing to read records. It is another to hear one's account."

He sighed, folding his arms.

ARCHIMEDES: "Your memories will be stripped, and you will be put into a simulation along with 998 others. 128 of you will survive, and be allowed to fight for the Grail."

ARCHIMEDES: "...I wish you the best of luck as you search for glory on the Moon."

[knightotoc]

The beginning and end of Crosshair's arc each address a separate frustration I've had with Star Wars backpedaling on its own drama.

The first is the wishy-washiness of the clones' implanted brain chips. The original concept art from Attack of the Clones shows the clones to be victims of brainwashing. The sterile, science-gone-wrong imagery is inspired by Lucas' debut THX-1138, a bleak film with a tenuous and generally confrontational relationship to Star Wars. AotC, with its forbidden romance and evil fetus-growing laboratories, is the SW movie most similar to THX, and also my favorite.

The AotC concept artists went so far as to speculate that the clones did not have souls, an extreme reaction but certainly a dramatic tabula rasa to build characters upon. RotS briefly shows the Jedi's complete trust in the clones and the clones' ruthless betrayal; the explanation for this shocking behavior is implied through a parallel to Anakin, as is everything else in that movie.

But once the darn cartoon had been on cable for a few years, the writers lost faith in the THX reference and Anakin parallel and decided to replace brainwashing/manipulation with a physical Order 66 chip in the clones' brains. The idea that their characters had become too lovable to ever willingly do something so bad is a fundamental misunderstanding of Star Wars, the operatic genre, and human nature.

Season 7, while knocking it out of the park with the Maul stuff, made this brain chip thing even worse by having Ahsoka break Rex's before he had to kill any Jedi. So even though the clones are innocent, the protagonist clone is even more innocent.

And now he's supposed to lead the clones away from the Empire, but why should they follow someone who can't even relate to their fundamental curse? He's like Galahad, the only knight chaste enough to find the Holy Grail, and they're like Bors, who is technically chaste except for that one time he had sex because he got tricked by a magic spell. Thank God for rigid moral hierarchies beyond earthly control!

The only other clones who can't relate to the chip curse are the Bad Batch, since their mutated brains made them immune to it. But while the goodies don't hurt a fly, Crosshair uses his special gift of free will to shoot at a cute little Padawan. And not just any Padawan, but one of the most beloved Jedi to ever do it, the future Kanan Jarrus.

So in a bent around way, Crosshair punches through this annoying loophole the cartoon writers made in one of the movies' darkest scenes. He's not matchy-matchy, but he is still genuinely brainwashed, which makes him the only clone who still follows their original violent vision.

So, the twist at the beginning of Crosshair's arc course-corrects a decision made in a spin-off about the motivations for background characters -- but the end of his arc addresses a much bigger problem, one that affects the greatest scenes and biggest characters in the whole story: amputation.

Luke's spiritual pain from learning the truth about his father is accompanied by the physical pain of amputation. Obi-Wan demonstrates his unexpected badassery through amputation. Luke demonstrates his burgeoning badassery by Force-pulling his lightsaber toward him...shortly followed by amputation. Anakin's repeated carelessness for his weapon and life leads to him stupidly running right into amputation. Kreia proves her twisted devotion by amputation. Cay Qel-Droma becomes dependent on his brother because of amputation. Obi-Wan will not kill Anakin, but he will amputate him.

And these scenes are scary and intense, in the moment. But they do not have consequences. All of these amputees are either alien villains who we never hear from again, or Force-wielders supported by a wealthy institution which instantly provides a perfect prosthetic. Only Kreia runs around with an actual stump, but her signature move is telekinetically spinning three purple lightsabers.

There are several heart-stirring images, such as Anakin's robotic hand holding Padmé's at their wedding, or Luke's hand revealing gizmos instead of blood when he's shot on Jabba's yacht, but these images have more to do with Lucas' problematic theme of "nature > technology" than the theme of disability.

But Crosshair does not have the Force, and he certainly doesn't have the support of any institution. Most dramatically of all, his amputation is not the tragic finale of his battle, but only the penultimate act.

As a fantastically skilled sniper, Crosshair relies more upon his hands than any other SW character I know. His astounding precision is demonstrated most memorably in this scene from an earlier season, in which the music stops to allow his laser fire to ricochet off a spinning disk, down a hallway, and right into his clanker target's head:

This isn't the Force. This isn't believing in something you can't see. This is deliberate!

Throughout the last season, Crosshair has a tremor in his dominant hand which significantly affects his aim. This comes to a terrible head when he misses the shot meant to attach a tracking device to the ship kidnapping his sister Omega (again). After years of doing wrong, he finally wants to do right, and he fails because of his humiliating and unprepared-for disability.

This disability continues throughout the long journey to track her down by their wits, until he is finally captured himself. Just as escape seems close, the Imperials cut off his dominant hand to punish him. In all the other cases of amputation in Star Wars, it takes a guy completely out of the fight. But Crosshair can't afford to lose, yet. He has to keep going.

In the final battle scene, the villain is hand-cuffed to Omega on the other end of a bridge (with no hand rails of course), and Crosshair has to shoot the hand-cuffs off so the badguy can fall without dragging down Omega. Crosshair has to lean his rifle on his brother Hunter's shoulder, balance with his stump, and pull the trigger with his non-dominant hand.

The first Star Wars movie is actually unique among the franchise for having a purely satisfying victory -- the other ones all pile on some tragedy or irony -- but I think that Crosshair's victory is the most satisfying of all.

[literallyjustanerd]

Could you do Cody or Fox for the music thing? Thank you 💖

Thanks for the ask!! And for the two excellent choices. I ended up doing both :) I'll list the songs first then share some details below the cut:

Cody:

Holy Grail - Hunters and Collectors

Shelter - Porter Robsinson

Way Out There - Lord Huron

Fox:

Typhoons - Royal Blood

Uprising - Muse

Normalisation Blues - AJJ

Anyone else who wants a 3 song playlist on a character of their choice, please feel free to drop a name in my inbox!

My favourite lyrics from each song and some character rambling below:

Cody:

I love Cody so goddamn much okay he's such a good character for the little we see of him. He's strong but gentle and so scarily competent but he doesn't ask for glory. He's absolutely lethal in a fight but he still tries to end conflict with peace and negotiation wherever he can. He falls so easily into the "big brother" role and gives so much of himself to his brothers without hesitation.

He knows the clones' lot in life and instead of fighting against the inevitable, he puts his strength into fighting for his brothers. The songs I chose (it wasn't an easy choice lol) ended up having a common thread of fighting on despite knowing you'll never have a place in history or be remembered like you should. Because I love to make myself sad about Cody.

Holy Grail - Hunters and Collectors

Started out seeking fortune and glory It's a short song, but it's a hell of a story When you spend your lifetime Trying to get your hands on the holy grail ... I followed orders, God knows where I’ve been But I woke up alone, all my wounds were clean I’m still here I’m still a fool for the holy grail

Shelter - Porter Robinson

When I'm older, I'll be silent beside you I know words won't be enough And they won't need to know our names or our faces But they will carry on for us ... And it's a long way forward, so trust in me I'll give them shelter, like you've done for me

Way Out There - Lord Huron

I'm a long way from the land that I left I've been running through life and cruising toward death If you think that I'm scared, you've got me wrong If you don't know my name, you know it now I belong bodily to the earth I’m just wearing old bones from those who came first There are many more flames when mine is gone They will build me no shrines and sing me no songs

Fox:

Okay I've never really been a Fox girlie but the more I think about him the more I do love exploring his whole deal with being closest to the Chancellor during the war.

Typhoons - Royal Blood

These songs ended up being incredibly angsty and mostly about having your own mind turned against you, inspired by the idea that Fox always had his inhibitor chip slightly active to keep him compliant with Palpatine's orders. Especially when Fox's own free will ran explicitly counter to what he was ordered to do - i.e. shooting down his own brother. I still haven't forgiven him for Fives

The last song is actually about the US, it was released in 2020 about Trump's presidency, but oddly enough I think it fits pretty well in this scenario too lol...

Flashbacks, I’m not letting go Tear me up, cast a shadow I got game face, but it’s all for show Can’t give it up, blow my cover ... My thoughts becoming parasites They live to keep me terrified I tell myself I’ll be alright Typhoons keep on raging, and I don’t know why

Uprising - Muse

Paranoia is in bloom The PR transmissions will resume They’ll try to push drugs that keep us all dumbed down And hope that we will never see the truth around Another promise, another scene Another packaged lie to keep us trapped in greed And all the green belts wrapped around our minds And endless red tape to keep the truth confined

Normalisation Blues - AJJ

I can feel my brain a-changin’, acclimating to the madness I can feel my ourrage shifting into a dull, despondent sadness I can feel a crust growing over my eyes like a falcon hood I’ve got the normalisation blues This isn’t normal, this isn’t good I’m detached and I’m distracted, all keyed up but unproductive Vacillating between being all excited and disgusted And then dozing lackadaisically in this bubble where I’ve made my mental home Connection’s more important now than it ever was, but I’d rather be alone

[mochiotomedumplings]

fate-hsr collab event (spoilers !)

going through highlight moments in the collab quest bcs its such a banger - warning for unlimited spoiler works ! and unrepentant sunturine headcanons :) and a lot of screenshots 😂

unabashed sunday fan extra warning :)) should really replay penacony somehow now that i can take thousand hd screenshots of sunday 😭

part 1 | part 2

i have been fed mwahahhah penacony my beloved

me too, aven, me too

ngl i accidentally started the quest by talking to robin on the ship - couldn't help it with sunday out and about. just thinking how happy they'd be... and this quest did not miss with penacony at all ! in fact, it's got so much penacony in it that it might as well be supplementary reading for the main quest 😂 there's some solid robin appearance for one, making me think the main quest would have gone much different had robin had the chance to actually talk to sunday without gw's interference... then again perhaps it might have gone exactly the same. it's penacony after all, inevitable.

you can stand a bit closer sunday... it's just a dream 😭

there's so much to say about how penacony it is, and perhaps due to my accidental start i was somehow not expecting it. they could have just made a holy-grail story totally unrelated to penacony, just there bcs wishes & entertainment theme, so i was half expecting little to no sunday appearance at all (a mention would have been luxury !) - but i got a very pleasant surprise instead. i mean, zero appearance still, but his presence is very much there as it was central to penacony.

i hadn't gone into screenshot spiralling at this point so no pic here, but boothill's mention of sunday and robin's instant reaction was the start (they really care for each other, 2.7 made it abundantly clear and tear-jerking but sth small like this hit just as much... that no matter how far they're apart, that bond remains). felt so spoiled by the crumb 🥹 i thought that was it tho, so imagine when there was more.

sunday perspectives !!! from robin so it's SSR... this really reminds of how pessimistic sunday is despite having an idealistic dream. like he spoke of infini-sunday and a paradise of happiness so smoothly but underpinning all that is this soul-crushing conviction of the cruelty and harshness of life, how value-driven things are. sure all he's seen was penacony... but that's a once-prison-turns-bustling-capital-of-dreams, with ppl coming from all over to make it big or experience the dreams... that kind of metropolitan vibe, the chaotic potluck of people who all have something towards "dreams", whether it be desperation or fascination. the history of penacony is actually very interesting & in theme with the quest (sunday's 3-act play) so while it's like a small corner of the hsr universe, it's quite the relatable slice of cake when talking about the experience of "humans". and in a world like hsr, where pathstriders and aeons feel like cultivators and gods beyond humans' reach (yukong's pov on war and Lan's out-of-proportion prowess), was sunday wrong about the problem of reality at all ?

(ofc he turned too pessimistic that it became extreme intervention instead... but well, one must fall to truly fly)

so robin's the "last remaining head of the Oak family"... i knew she took up leadership after sunday, but it's somewhat wild to hear it like that. that no matter how fallen sunday is now or how robin is a friend to the express, they're both prestigious heads of one of the most powerful families in penacony & asdana star system in extension (was The most powerful when sunday held the reins). it goes to show just how complicated sunday position was back in the quest when he had to do all the organizing while preparing for the "real" festival at the same time and crashing out from robin's death among prying eyes & pressurizing of the ppl around him. an interesting thing to note tho was how he hadn't planned on "taking care" of aven like he had to with welt and robin under gw's eyes - he wanted to "shackle" him yes, but there was the intention there after realizing his loss to just let aven cause a ruckus so he could duck behind and go after robin's culprit. also got an argument going for how he set up his threats & bluffs for a chance of talking to aven again, and with how against "death" he was (remember that the order was making sure no one could die in the dream) it's very unlikely he was actually out to kill aven who he knew had little to do with robin's case. as for it being the "harmony's consecration"...

the more we learn of it, the more likely it is that what sunday used was actually order (technically order falls under harmony path-wise but there is definite distinction, enough to be felt as discordant noise to chordmaster+ like robin). there's the manifesting as past present & future which is not a thing associated with harmony as far as i know (only seen with sunday, who's the sole order practitioner we actually faced) (interestingly in the main quest we didn't get to see sunday actually use tuning - ppl would either not notice the difference or not care about it since harmony ate order, and it made sense considering he actively disliked the harmony back then - 2.7 was him accepting it again) and having a "punishment" tied to it, based on following some rules (as noted with welt, divine laws and such aren't really xipe-like) and note how physically uncomfortable it was for aven, headache & nausea, and him commenting if everyone joined the family like that - not a very "harmonious" invitation. that's probably foreshadowing - how could "harmony" have such coercion and constraints ? it gets clearer when we see the actual representation of "harmony" via tb's clockwork and miss note's noble phantasm.

same with robin's tuning at the start, harmony at its base seems to be about adjusting people's mood - emphasizing or making certain emotions harder to notice, affecting memories and our perception of them, mental healing or thought manipulation like what sunday did in 2.7 (it seems like a subtle difference could be said btw "sunday" and "wonweek" in 2.7 which represented order and harmony respectively inside sunday, i.e. order is more "you shall do as i say" while harmony is more "you feel this way, don't you"). we see this with the clockwork powers in the event - manifesting artificial emotions - and how miss note created "fantasies" to trap the servants who could oneshot her by drawing from their own memories and feelings. it's dependent on emotions and how the target process them, but order is more direct and forceful - the people in ena's dream are Satisfied, and it can't be changed. the pressure is different in that way: under harmony the target might feel a bit strange and woozy, with a focus on the feelings that's been planted/ adjusted inside them (there's clockwork that can't be changed in the event, but the host was still responsive) while under order it's like enforce of authority, the target will feel the force of the "order" pushing for something. so it begs the question, what was sunday aiming to do with the "order" he put on aven ?

it was to "shackle" aven, insurance that sunday had a handle on aven wherever he went in the dream. the death threats powered by order became an intimidation to mask the fact that he was bluffing, but aven would feel its existence as intended - the illusions would be either an extension of that or manifestation of sunday's desire to "punish" him for lying, exposing aven via his alternate egos. since aven knew sunday would be watching, either future aven had been "ordered" via existence to pressurize & talk about things that aven would not have spoken out loud, or sunday had been more involved in that conversation than just an observer - like realizing aven wanted to die and making future aven disappear before the performance.

(as far as he knew, no one should be able to die with the protection of the order, and he needed a distraction to go for robin's murderer)

okay got a little bit sidetracked but continuing on.

... this is gonna be quite the long piece 😂

"utopia in dormancy" direct comparison of ena's dream to nihility (and i think she was referring to ena with "higher power"... he really summoned an aeon, dead or else, and was in a position to actually use that power for his purpose. this gets crazier the more we know of the "scale" that aeons operate on in hsr world, in the sense that a gaze is already quite the marvel and everything they do is completely out of proportion. and he actually touched one, and used their power to successfully manifest the "paradise" for a while. moving parts but he still has to be able to actually handle the powers he's moving 😤)

(nihility, once again reiterating that sunday had also gone down nihility in his quest for "paradise" with order - an endless, stagnant dream without any future, dooming everyone's fate with one man's pessimism and escapism - who had to learn that happiness can only come from moving forward, even if suffering is inevitable - just like aven, who had to find meaning in his life even if it seems hopeless. dormancy is impossible in dreams bcs even when dreaming, ppl expect to wake up the next day... dreaming of a possible future)

robin's really reminiscent of sunday here. she loves him clearly but she's just as blunt about his actions being a mistake he must atone for like he would treat himself. responsible birds 🥹 and something tells me sunday would react the same to the holy grail as robin did. after realizing that borrowing god's power to become everyone's savior was the wrong path, he would definitely not rely on some artifacts (advertised by oti no less) to fulfill his wish even if he might share robin's desire to fix what he had done (he would do it himself if he could though, he'd say it's meaningless as atonement otherwise) (and would definitely steer well clear of something that would force "happiness" on others... took that lesson to heart for sure)

he would be just as firm and unaffected as robin was. though once lost in the dream, now his true heart shall lead the tuning... and he would not be swayed by something like this (and especially against oti 😂 feels like he might want to just go and remove the grail knowing what kind of bad influence it could be to the dream but well... perhaps thats why such a deus ex machina was not allowed in this event 😂)

robin's stance on the people not being so weak that they need ena's dream... so much callback to sunday 😂 even when later she said she trusts saber and tb to break out of the fantasy of rest by themselves... it was almost like she was making that point to old sunday. penacony all over again we can never separate him from penacony hahahahaha

aven's appearance in this event tho, really surprised me. as in i knew he'd be there, i didn't think they'd give us so much of him. could have been bait but it was a jackpot for aven fans ! i took like every moment of him on screen and honestly ? he was like "penacony and i just can’t seem to stay apart" grumbling about being there again and they put him here probably bcs he's the best (only) person for the job not that he'd choose to come back but he's so flipping penacony that this just the place he'd shine the most i feel, any event with themes related to wishes and dreams. we thought it'd be him fighting for his life but it was practically a vacation compared to ole penacony, he was so chill and casual here 😂 he thrived with such a fun dynamic cast too, not trying to outdo them with complicated schemes... aven, no schemes ?! i suppose he's just too versatile as a character, but i think he'd enjoy the chill time more than the stress.

(penacony and i just can’t seem to stay apart i know his mission in ole penacony must've done a number on him, in many ways, but i can't help thinking of this as him being tied to sunday somehow 🤭 fate is wicked indeed) (they were such intense enemies, and it was such a rollercoaster, but in the end... looks like you've got a new plan, i'll wait and see 🤭) (also the way he said it, it was like it's penacony again... but that's fine. this command spell though sucks and part of me wonders if he's not that against penacony on its own, considering his interest in its movies)

😭 i spent the whole sunturine day just thinking if aven got asked about being "friends" with sunday and he'll be like grumbles we're already past that (refuses to elaborate) (bcs they were enemies who did not hold back but sunday also just let him have the performance and he got the dream slashed but sunday also found robin so they both got what they wanted out of that play) (sunday knows too much about him but owes the ipc so already in the same boat) (annoyed that despite losing everything, sunday is still sunday, he just can't win against this guy somehow)

anyhow back on track. aven got a lot of cool character moment in this event that should fuel more brainrots to come, like how he's as chill about betrayals and alliances as it suggests in his voiceline, truly a man of business (despite that image, has things he won't cross no matter what; won't admit it though, and sunday the man of principles himself knows this) how he is suspiciously a movie nerd ? robin could have been the speaker of penacony's history and yet, aven here gave even more than her - did he read up on all this for his mission or was it just, fate ??

(the idea that aven who's so unaffected and just lets things go for business yet grumbles and probably bristles thinking of sunday even though they were undoubtedly enemies who both held no punches... but has a party line for sunday ! idc if its pity crumb or bait from hoyo i'll take it !! he's annoyed yet can't help but drawn to that featherhead !!!)

more on aven being overly aware of his presentation and impression as a member of the ipc (and his own notoriety) (he's really too used to being hated 🥹 expert at drawing hatred and being the "scapecoat") (perhaps thats why it was confusing to him that sunday set the stage for him. not even hating him after what he did ? maybe sunday just wants to use him against the ipc, but it feels different somehow)

the sass of this man 😂 totally intentional vs sunday's unintentional sass 😂😂 (i swear they're the couple that just pisses ppl off left and right yet can't be hated cos they're hyper-competent and such good company to be around 🥹) (except when they start flirting and its so tooth-rotting they get kicked out - aven's plan all along 😊)

he's been going around with such swag, unsurprisingly so, quite the different image from how he was for most of ole penacony especially 2.1. fighting against the control-freak sunday in his own turf was truly harrowing, and also bcs sunday held no punches against him unlike with the express. and also aven went with that kind of plan, to truly trick sunday... he won, but in the end who really won btw the two of them 🥹

(also i missed this in my playthrough but apparently aven met robin at some point and asked for her signature ? for a colleague ?? leaving aside who this mysterious colleague of his could be... could it just be he himself ? i mean i didn't expect him to be into movies either, and penacony movies no less)

aven going "not fair !" reminds me of him in penacony too, and what archer said later about hero of justice confirmed my earlier thoughts that aven really paid attention to the whole fairness of things. fairness of a game, whether something happening is fair/ just or not despite his reputation as this shady character who throws away all principles for the gamble (bcs he very much keeps to them, even if it's hard to notice underneath the extravagant flair) (playing fair just like sunday 🤭)

the relaxed swagger made it more obvious how charismatic he is, his words naturally smooth - making his points and position clear, being perfectly civil even when dissing others. smug, charming, in a crowd-winning kind of way, sorta like a celebrity making his appearance in a show. family head sunday was smug and smooth too, but just like penacony aven was tense, his words more like negotiating rounds. funnily enough the "free" sunday probably has a less smooth way of talking as he no longer has to act like he got everything under control and going perfectly, reverting back to being more contemplative and reserved, being able to make strange remarks about ppl without the pressure of a political leader. that "imperfect" version of him, who's likely telling himself to chill it with things he can't control, contrasts funnily well with aven who's back in his groove again, considering all the possibilities to come out on top of the game.

aven going "forget that third rate nobody"... never forget how value-oriented this man is. he won't involve others into his self destructive schemes, but navigates the world very much like what sunday said about self-worth and self-value. perhaps it is part of his aventurine persona, perhaps it's just a casual diss to the enemy... but indeed, the ppl he cares about in his games are those with enough value to make a difference. or if they're important to him in other ways... like maybe a director he's a fan (?) of, or a ex-enemy that he can't brush past like others.

wait a flipping second... dream bubble cinema. you meant all these movies they'd been talking about had been dream bubbles. like the one sampo-sparkle showed us before, live-in experience sorta thing. you saying aven had been watching many of these, enough to be a semi-expert fan ?? him watching many dream bubble movies is an interesting point that will become relevant later.

but also ! aven the movie nerd we never knew we needed 😂 now reminded of how (i think) kakavasha would have liked penacony before all the sad tales, all the bling and games and starry skies. a part of him for sure lives off thrill, and penacony vibes just fit him way too much (wonder if they were literally developed together) (also rmb his favourite perfume the endless night carnival... that's penacony in a bottle right there). and now we have supporting evidence that he watches penacony movies, enough to talk about it like a veteran fan... he talks about tropes and all ! this guy is no casual watcher. aven, you and penacony just can't seem to stay apart huh.

having their date in the silent room bcs i say so 🤭

pray tell... why are you the sass queen that you are ?

"i've heard of the name before" "master of interesting commercial gimmicks" roasting the hell out of the director you're fan of... you even relate to him, don't you ?" nothing but "shady tricks up their sleeves" aven the contradictory person that you are 😔 a puzzle to figure out as always.

when archer told saber that she "has the mind of a leader, always so sharp on reading the situation" as she was discussing next steps with aven, i was instantly reminded of sunday (as expected). my sunturine radar was ticking telling me that saber=leader=sunday, but ofc that's just the mind of a chronic sunturine brainrotter: sunday would be just as sharp and picking up on aven's points. they're both thinking of the possibilities all the time after all, easily on same the wavelength even if they might clash in methodology.

got more of aven being great at talking to ppl, and more to suggest he's definitely riling up grady and skott on purpose as a psychological tactic. i had to include this screen bcs... "Miss Robin". i think sunday would approve of this robin shilling (if aven was really robin's fan i might explode but no way hoyo is that nice...)

(also one funny observation... aven was like You can't be trying to figure out old oti's game ? to jade like dismissing it as another oti money-making scheme, not that he was wrong - there was some disdain there. and robin was also like I'm gonna stomp that old oti once i got the chance. something tells me that sunday will react in a very similar manner regarding oti like Just give me a moment i'll sort this out very soon 😇 *goes to sort out old oti*)

apparently miss note's model is from another ipc but i haven't played that quest so saved from that association 😂 i thought miss note and grady were quite cool, like they were quite the interesting people with quite the interesting history ! the readables we got on the way telling their stories were great, and perhaps it's the tragedy of it like most of penacony that makes it compelling (like the dr blues quest...i cried !!).

i swear to god it's intentional this use of word 😂 there were really parallels between the two of them. both started on a quest with an idealistic wish to bring good to the people they lead. saber promising to fight on the front line would be equivalent to sunday always giving it all for work, sacrifice himself if need be for the people he's in charge of.

the off-color lighting... it's like his world shaken to see robin like that

he would really have tb's head if he finds this 😂 split into parts just like her brother... but why are the parts like this 😂 it's so funny that "polite robin" is so direct and action-oriented, and there's apparently an "action robin" contrasting the scholar one that takes care of all the "action"... her physical basic attack... she's definitely no frail birdie 🥹

>>> part 2

[nasuversekinkmeme]

Weekly Roundup: Prompts

TSUKIHIME

Akiha and Kohaku having a silent and cute moment together. Enough suffering, let them be happy together

FGO

Galatea chisels Baobhan a ring as a friendiversary gift, just for Morgan to interpret it as romantic and set up a series of trails for Galatea to prove her worth as her daughter’s girlfriend. All the while Galatea seems strangely unfazed? Each trial includes a different fairy knight including Mash who got roped into this somehow and Ritsuka because of course she wants to scope out her (soon-to-be) daughter’s (not really) girlfriend!

Fujimaru Ritsuka, on their first day of working at Chaldea, falls asleep- and dreams. Dreams of the Fujimaru Ritsuka they become. The experiences they go through, both joyful, and traumatic. The shadows of the people they will lose along the way. And in the future, they dream of their past. (The thoughts that prompted this prompt below, I invite the writer to sample them at their own discretion) ["What happened to you?"] ["I survived."] ["Will I want to survive?"] ["You will survive, either way."] ["Will I remember any of this?"] ["Only after it happens."]

Fujimaru, who is totally Straight and Cis Male btw, finds themself hanging out with the trans and genderqueer servants a whole lot. Not sure why though. I'm sure this means nothing about her.

The Jewish servants in Chaldea (David, Sheba, Avicebron, etc) helping celebrate Hanukkah with Mash after Romani is gone

heroine x finds the death note. She writes some random saber name on the Death Note and they die. Then she decides to write Artoria Pendragon’s name on the Death Note. X dies.

smut, During a routine system update, BB accidentally presses the wrong button and downloads 69 yotabytes of gay porn into her mainframe (it happens) and now she's extremely desperate and pent-up, needs to be fucked senseless by ANYONE who is willing to do it

Maou Nobu being the weird crazy aunt to the kids of Chaldea

ANY

A grail war happens in Hawaii, but because it's the setting for Serva-Fes, every participant shows up in their summer spirit origins and costumes massively disappointed it's just a regular grail war.

[spindrifters]

this has definitely been said, but I just know james was a group costume whore. and mwpp + lily were perfect for so many group costumes.

wizard of oz?? obvious casting there. the spice girls??? EASY. scooby doo?? sorry, pads, you got to be sexy last year (posh spice), we need you to be a dog again!

listen listen I just have to point out that the spice girls weren't around until the 90s so although they definitely went as them later on (because nothing has ever gone wrong on halloween ever) ((sirius is posh, james is sporty, they make remus be scary, lily ofc is ginger, peter's baby)) ALLOW ME TO SUBMIT a running list of group costumes they did throw together in the 70s:

the rocky horror picture show

the star wars gang

alex's droogs

a collection of pet rocks

aerobics teachers

monty python and the holy grail

ABBA

M*A*S*H

gloria steinem & other leaders of the women's lib

various 'salads' in jello

fleetwood mac

[lanliingwang]

spoilers for some plot details and f/sr archer's identity under the cut (not by true name specifically but like. if you know Any details about his identity you'll probably recognize him, so I just want to be safe!)

I will forever bemoan that zheng chenggong and f/sr archer never got to like. interact with most of the rogue servants in any significant way. but anyway I think there should be a digression where arjuna is playing a local instrument (probably something like a bamboo flute JKSDHG) in the kanagawa night and zheng chenggong and archer are Just passing through and f/sr archer immediately. identifies the mysterious flute player as someone who may not be familiar with the instrument, but is nevertheless skilled in music.

(Related fun fact: f/sr archer historically was known to be very learned in music and could still distinguish mistakes or wrong notes in a musical piece being played even if he's drunk (or to be more specific, has gone through three rounds of drinking)! So I think he could recognize a genuinely skilled musician when he hears them play.)

anyway. that's how I imagine they end up meeting arjuna in this non-canon digression idea -- by following the flute playing until they come across arjuna sitting on a rooftop.

and ofc. f/sr archer and arjuna could grow to be on friendly terms from that meeting onward! (though not outright friends bc this is still. a grail war unfortunately OTL. but they could be if it wasn't the case)

[thebladeblaster]

I just finished Will+Dress and have officially started Divine Z

I liked Will+Dress a lot. I love how Yu-yu essentially declared war on all net deckers🤣. But yeah the commentary about players becoming samey is very relevant to card games. I never expected the antagonist would be an AI. He’s just a silly little guy.

I’m still wondering if Yu-yu was related to his creator. We still haven’t figured out why Yu-yu’s dad’s face was hidden. Also I was wrong about everyone who I thought had Psyqualia😅. It really seemed like the story was building up to revealing that Yu-yu or Urara had Psyqualia. Like what was those melodies she heard?! Or the glow from her friend?! Or the flames Michiru was talking about?! Was Michiru talking about flames a Gaillard reference?!

I have so many questions 😅. However it seems like Divine Z is continuing on from Will+Dress so hopefully we’ll get some answers 🥲. Overall, Overdress + Will+Dress are my second favorite Vanguard series after the original. I like them WAY more than G.

As for Divine Z I already like Akina more than Yu-yu because he’s his own character rather than feeling like Walmart Aichi. They also did a really good job at getting you invested in his wish. I’m also a simple girl who just loves knights🤣. We’ve finally gone full circle back to the Sanctuary. Though, I definitely see Akina’s deck as being more Angel Feather coded than Royal Paladin. So, this new story is essentially the Holy Grail War in Vanguard😅? It’s very interesting and not what I was expecting from the chosen ones trope. Also Overdress characters are part of them👀! They’re characters I wanted to see more of too. An interesting line from the beginning is that it mentioned that people have loved Vanguard since ancient times which I think firmly proves that the D-format canon is its own universe 🤔. I’m pretty sure the og continuity never implied that Vanguard always existed unless I’m forgetting something from G. Most importantly are Akina and Yu-Yu related?! Why do they look so similar?!

Akina punting the plushie was peak fiction change my mind.

I’m kinda worried though the stakes are so high that Akina might be subjected to some plot armor. I really don’t want that so I hope Divine Z avoids that. I want to keep having suspenseful fights. Anyway I hope Divine Z stays good. I really like its concept. Interestingly this is the first Vanguard series to start off being overtly supernatural which is in massive contrast to Overdress which seemed to hint at something supernatural at the most.

So now that I’m completely caught up I’ll resume the weekly reactions😊!

[rosecentaur1916]

An argument that Poe deserved to be left out of Holdo's plans Part 1

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

SPOILER WARNING FOR "STAR WARS: RESISTANCE REBORN" BY REBECCA ROANHORSE

I've been floating around the fandom and seeing people argue that Poe did nothing wrong in "The Last Jedi" and that just isn't true. Its the learning lessons movie of the trilogy just like the beginning of the third act has the crisis of the soul, so too does the trilogy, but just in the second act not the third.

You can't pretend that the loss of the bomber squadron wasn't Poe's fault. Even Poe couldn't pretend that it wasn't his fault. Here's an excerpt from "Star Wars: Resistance Reborn" by Rebecca Roanhorse which is an official Star Wars canon book about the situation from Poe's perspective. This takes place in Grail City after Black Squadron had helped them fight off The First Order: "He motioned the rest of Black Squadron over, and they gathered by their ships under the stretch of the night sky. And he told them. Everything. Of the D'Qar evacuation and his decisions that led to the loss of the Resistance bomber squadron, of the slow chase across space, of Rose Tico and Finn's mission to Canto Bight, of his own insubordination and demotion, and, finally of the Battle of Crait and all they had lost. And what little they had left. ""I don't understand," Jess said, her voice an octave too high. "They're gone? The fleet is gone?" ""They can't be all gone," Karé countered. "Can they, Poe?" ""I'm sorry," he sad, head lowered. ""Oh..." she covered her mouth with her hands and turned away. Snap gathered her to his chest. Poe could see tears in his eyes. ""The people, too?" Jess asked, "Are you sure?" ""Jess," Poe said gently. "I was there. The Resistance..." He spread his hands. "It's pretty much just the Falcon, and us." "Silence, as Poe let it sink in. Just how bad it all was, just how desperate they were. And how much of the situation was his fault." Pages 25 to 26. Even Poe knew it was his fault that the entire bomber squadron was lost, that he was insubordinate, and deserved the demotion. He had not garnered Holdo's trust so she did what she thought was best and didn't tell him the evacuation plan from the Raddus to Crait. I'm not saying that he didn't do all the things listed as well, but being upset with Holdo for not trusting him enough with the plans for the evacuation when she had plenty of evidence to not trust him is just plain silly and ignoring the hurt he had caused. That's not okay either. Poe is no angel, or Star War's equivalents of angels if they have any outside of force ghosts. Then immediately after that he goes on to say: ""I understand if you want to leave. I mean, if you want to leave without me. Black Squadron seemed to be doing fine without my presence. But if you stay and allow me to lead you, I will do everything in my power to make it up to you. I promise." "He closed his mouth and waited. For their confusion, for their judgement, for their disavowals. When all he got was silence, he looked up." -"Resistance Reborn" page 26. He took accountability and this was the action he was going to take to fix it. However, they don't let him pull away from them and admit their own faults: "Snap was the first to speak. "That's some heavy stuff, Poe," he said, voice serious. "and I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me." ""I underst-" ""But," Snap continued before he could finish. "Didn't I just tell you about our massive disaster on Pastoria? People died because we let ourselves get played. We have to live with that, too." ""The droids call me the Great Destroyer," Jess added. "Still. I mean, it's not like I'm trying to get them killed, but they end up scrap all the same." ""Well-" ""And I'm pretty sure my middle name is insubordination," Sauralinda added, "but that's because I'm misunderstood." ""I'm not making excuses for-" ""You're going to have to face your mistakes, Poe," Karé said, "and make amends where you can. But you'll do it with Black Squadron at your side. You're not getting rid of us that easily. Besides, it sounds like all we've got is one another, screwups and all. "The heaviness that Poe had been carrying lifted a bit. They weren't saying what he did was okay, but they weren't going to abandon him, either. "I'll work to make it better," he said, quietly, head down, shame heavy on his shoulders. "I swear it"" I will finish in part 2 because tumblr won't let me make this post any longer....

[toadeyes-miqote]

FOU!!!!!!!!

Foo-ou Fou! Fou! Fou! FOU!!!! Into the the Techno Battle Dome- simulated Grail War commencing spoilery spoiler

What the Fou is Cath Palug doing here?! Free my fluffy little Primate Murder dang you. Who else is here? Greg? Scathach? Cu Chulainn?(Void Ark Raids) Basaka?(Heroes' Gauntlet)

Is this some kind of twisted Heroic Spirits / Servant Arena? Or the entertainment version of Exarch / Elidibus /Azem summoning spell. Throne of Heroes used for sport instead Would like very much if there's a storyline to follow up on this consumption of souls thing. Its like Futuristic Eulnore. Especially so if it turns out to be Emet's nostalgia project gone wrong. Considering that he might had noted that Elidibus' memories was sort of fading / unreliable. Yeah drawing attention to Elidibus' memories and the way Preservation suck up every mote of memory leaving holes. Hylnyan and Gudako would probably be able to call a truce and work with each other on this place. So many plot points~~~~~~ I want to know more...

Oh and interesting floor mech was interesting

Um yeah. That guy got my comms and Gudako is coming back for the raids

Congrats Hylnyan - Gudako has taken up residence in your Summoner Soul Stone because Yuna thinks the technically last Master of Chaldea((Pruner of timelines, Beast of Gacha, Destroyer of Worlds, Listening Ear to Dead Heroes, Bearer of Heavy Responsibilities) has the experiences to help you out.

Oh and Thank you Lahabrea Sensei for all the Pandaemonium fight training

Gouki?! Is that you? Is Fighting game now? so long as no Hyper Viper Beam.... oh wait...

Reina Mishima has entered the building~~~~~ Uhm... Is this a sign that Fighting Games have found me and wants me to go home? So much for retirement. My MNK is not ready yet.

[observeroflaplace]

Grail War AU 1

Summoning

A tall woman pours tree sap into a complex and arcane array. She focuses; her wrist throbs with pain . With a mental image of lightning striking an oak and splintering it’s bark, she channels magical energy through the floor and guides the viscous fluid through sheer force of will into the desired shapes and patterns. Next to her lies a dusty old book, open to pages full of diagrams. Inside the centre of the circle, though lying just out of reach of the sweet-smelling substance, she placed a frayed piece of golden cloth.

Perhaps this was a waste of mana; however, from what little she managed to read of this ritual, it was this, or blood or mercury; and she didn’t fancy shedding quite this much, nor risk poisoning herself from the fumes. Sap; the life blood of trees, would have to do. Or so she thought.

Consulting the book beside her, she clears her throat and reads aloud the incantations written upon it; or rather, the Finnish translation she hastily annotated. Supposedly, the original was penned by a German Magus who had ventured to the Far East. Luckily for Mielikki, she had been able to acquire an English copy - courtesy of the Clock Tower idiots making their own preparations - and translate from there. Here’s hoping nothing major was lost in translation.

“Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill. Repeat five times. Once each container is filled, destroy them.”

Was it five times? Did she mix up the number of times saying “Fill”? Or should it have been “Close”?

“With a body of steel and silver; and a foundation of stone, and the archduke of contracts, and my great ancestor Schweinorg…”

She wondered if she should have substituted the name with a Magus within her own bloodline. It was too late now.

“…Raise a wall against the winds; the gates to the Cardinal directions close! Descend from the crown, and follow the forked path to the kingdom!”

What was she even doing? Was any of this going to work? What if she called forth something wrong, something dangerous? Should she stop now? Could she even stop now?

She breathes deeply to settle herself. To renew her determination.

“I hereby declare; my will becomes your body; and your sword becomes my destiny! Submit yourself to the Grail’s call! If you obey my will and reason, answer my summons!”

No, she thought. I will do this. I’m not going to be outdone by those closed-minded clock tower stiffs!

“I swear to become all that is good in the world! I swear to defeat all the evil in the world!”

Please work. Please can this one significant miracle work.

“Descend from the circle of binding, clad in the great trinity, guardian of the scales!”

The magic circle on the floor crackled and sparked to life; shedding a white light briefly rivalling that of the very sun. And amidst it all, something golden shone brilliantly. For a moment, Mielikki wondered if she’d glimpsed the wish-granting vessel itself.

Smoke fills the room. Sudden darkness. Mia coughs and tries to sweep away the sudden smog, fearful that she’d simply set fire to her workshop. Then she panics. The relic. The catalyst. No, no, no, no, no- If that was gone, there would be no second attempt-

The smoke fades, but before Mielikki can look through it, her hand throbs with an intense burning sensation; like her very soul were being branded by hot coals. Though brief, it was unlike anything she’d felt; even compared to opening her magic circuits. She closed her eyes and winced.

When she opened them, Mia was hit by an overwhelming sensation of wrongness; like the world itself was coiled like a spring and that something which should not be possible had torn itself into being. She did it. She actually did it.

A short woman with bright blond hair, garbed in hooded golden raiment, and a billowing white scarf above and behind her shoulders, stood before her; her stature aside, there was something in her stance, and her poise which spoke of grandeur long past.

“You who would be my master; I answer thy summons.”

[plunderherz]

We've talked about the haircurl so far. We have not TALKED ABOUT THE 4! CIGARRES! Surreal!!!

Lisztgirls, be honest: how likely is it that this collection is real? I mean, it's too good to be true. I've been looking for something like this for freakin 15 years and I've never seen any Lisztomania trophy in any auction house or collection in the world. At times I was sure it was just marketing, except for the stories. Am I wrong? Has anyone of you ever found something else?

It really would be a holy grail. But still, something is wrong here...the mask and the hand are replicas from Weimar from the 1970s. I know this because I own the same hand and I am currently waiting for the mask to be reproduced. But can the cigar case and the curl really be genuine? The 1839 curl looks very dark in the preview picture. The comparable hair from the time is much lighter...and the estimated price somehow seems too cheap to me (me. I'm crazy.) Could this be a DIY collection of a crazy-in-love Liszt girl from the pre- 70s? The flower could be real, though, as there were rose bushes in front of Franz grave, before the war. What are the chances? Apart from the fact that I have little hope of winning the lot anyway. Please (!!!!) give me your opinions! @franzliszt-official @jolyneee @jenniedrawsandroleplays @scourgiez @chopinski-official

Otherwise I have to wait 2 more weeks for the catalogue to come out to take a closer look. Arrrrghhh!

(I have now gone through 6 registration processes for the auction. They probably want my blood work too.They will get it all.)

OMG!!!!! I am freaking out! Would anyone like to buy my kidney???? PLEASE?

@franzliszt-official When I finally get a lock of your hair, I'll build you a shrine!!!!

[fangirlingpuggle]

So rereading fate/zero fics and just came up with super dumb servant swaps for the first war.

Basically Waver summons Gilgamesh...and Gilgamesh looks at tiny little human and is like ‘I have had Waver for less than a day but if anything happens to him i’m killing everyone here’

Just Gilgamesh looking at small angry human and being like ‘this is hilarious I like you, you can stay’

Iskander gets summoned by Kayneth...only still doesn't like him and ends up still spending all his time around Waver because he’s interesting.

Gilgamesh coming back from buying wine: LEAVE MY MAGNUS ALONE MONGREL YOU HAVE YOUR OWN

Rider:Ah hello Archer what are you doing here?

Gilgamesh:I LIVE HERE LEAVE!

Iskander:Fine fine *picks up Waver and leaves*

Gilgamesh:PUT THE MAGNUS DOWN OR DIE *Gates of Babylon open*

Waver:...What even is my life?

Just overprotective Gilgamesh who has just adopted this small magnus, like showed up picked up waver and like ‘this is mine now’ and really doesn’t like that Rider keeps hanging around his magnus or that his magnus is getting a crush on said rider servant.

Diarmuid get’s summoned by Kairya and as soon as he finds out about Sakura is just like ‘....so forget the grail...we’re saving the kid’

Artoria is summoned by Tokiomi and is not fond of him...then finds out about Sakura and nopes out of his plans taking Rin with her.

Basically Diarmund and Artoria killing Zouken and then noping out of the grail war with Rin and Sakura.

Kiritsugu and Kirei summon assassin and berserker not sure which summons which (So either horde of assassins or one op berserker super protective over Irisviel) The 2 of them end up fighting of course the other servants and Magnus see and are like ‘yeah fuck that’ and just leave them to it.

Caster and Ryuunosuke are still being the worst and everyone teams up to kill them (sort of Rider goes and Kayneth can’t stop him because he only has so many command seals and he wasted them very quickly, and Kirei and Kiritsugu  are just trying to kill each other)

The grail war sort of falls apart but in the best way.

This is really dumb but made me laugh.

Edit: some wording...my brain does not function at 2am

[versegm]

the lostbelt arc is the arc of ambiguous morality where there is no right or wrong side and everyone is overall trying their best, but I feel like lb6 is gonna be especially a wake-up call to people. Like. In Russia, the solution to the lostbelt is very obvious: if one got rid of Ivan, it would improve the situation plenty. Likewise in Scandinavia, with Sutr gone, you've solved 90% of the problems. Which is part of the tragedy, mind you- they finally have a chance to grow and that's when you have to kill them- but at least you got the comfort of knowing this was a situation with a very simple, albeit fucking hard to reach, solution. You, as a player, can easily imagine "well if this wasn't a super large scale holy grail war, it would be fine."

You don't get that with lb6. There is no easy solution to lb6. You want to kill Morgan? I mean, sure, but you do realize there are like five factions fighting for powers in the background, right? There is no easy escape here. Even if the protagonists somehow had complete knowledge of the inner working of the lostbelt AND this wasn't a death game scenario, what would they fucking do? There is SO much going on. Who do you favor? Who do you condemn? Everyone is trying their best. Or their worse, depending on who you ask. There is no one true correct path here. Shit's majorly fucked. You are not the hero here. And you should get used to that feeling.