@Napoleon: Mostly, the commercials for Adventure Time just squick me out on some level - I really don't like that sort of art style. Although, I might be able to stomach it and read the fic if the other shows are awesome enough to cancel it out; Gargoyles, Darkwing Duck, the 90's Batman or Spider-Man cartoons, that kind of thing.
Hey, does anyone know if Diarmuid's beauty mark works on men as well as women? All the men Diarmuid faces in Fate Zero have some degree of magic resistance, so it's hard to say...
Edit: Never mind, DID THE RESEARCH.
edited 23rd May '12 1:45:21 AM by SCMof2814
Allright, snippet that will hopefully lead to an action scene...
Which was how Shirou and Red Saber found themselves sitting outside of a café along one of the city’s major thoroughfares not far from the park, eating cheesecake. It was as close to an ideal situation as they could manage. Pretty soon some master would have to pass by, and given the people around, it was probably sufficient to discourage even Masters of Assassin from making a move.
“Will you not try some, Praetor?” Red Saber said, as she broke off bits of the confection with her fork and popped it into her mouth. People stopped to stare at her and her red dress. “Though common fair, it is quite palatable.”
“No, thank you, Saber,” Shirou said, trying to keep a watch out and wondering at the sudden profusion of Cafés. It seemed wrong to him to watch the woman eat when she wasn’t inhaling it like it was her first meal in weeks.
Red Saber quietly put down her fork and gave him a level look. “Praetor, do I offend you in some fashion?”
Shirou blinked. “What? No!”
“Then why can you not bear to look upon me?” Red Saber said. “You avert your eyes as if I repulse you, the other Saber clad in blue even more so. Do you perhaps harbor a dislike of the fair-haired?”
“No! Of course not!” Shirou said.
Red Saber made a contemplative sound. “Then why do you act as you do around us? It cannot be because this circumstance discomfits you.”
“It’s… personal,” Shirou said evasively.
“That is hardly a sufficient excuse, praetor,” Red Saber said. “It is an excuse for the weak-willed and cowardly who do not have the strength to exorcise themselves of their failings.”
Shirou glared at her. “We’ve barely known each other a day. Isn’t it kind of early for you to be calling me a coward?”
Surprisingly, Red Saber laughed. “Ah, well-spoken, praetor. Very well then. I shall reserve calling you a coward until after I have seen your merit in battle. Still, rid yourself of this weakness. If you cannot even bear to gaze upon my magnificence, how will you fair against the glory of battle itself?”
“I’ve fought before,” Shirou said, a might defensively, wishing something would happen to end this conversation, like a ninja attack. He didn’t have a very good track record of winning verbal sparring with women.
Red Saber looked over his shoulder. “Well, I shall have a chance to see your mettle soon, then, praetor,” she said, and stood up, her cake unfinished. Shirou had a moment to stare at it disbelievingly. Its continued existence seemed an insult. He was about to chide her for wasting food when she spoke, still looking behind him.
“Well met, stranger,” she said, and Shirou turned. Standing not far away was a man wearing a white silk shirt and dark trousers. He reminded Shirou of nothing so much as a male model, the almost feminine kind who were too good looking for one’s peace of mind. “I hope you do not think that the charm upon your face is all you require to be victorious. Else you are sadly mistaken.”
“My apologies,” the man said. “It is a curse I was born with. I’m afraid there is nothing I can do about it. You can blame my birth or the fact you were born a woman.”
“I choose to do neither,” Red Saber said as Shirou moved to stand behind her. “Such excuses are a sign of weakness. While the rules of this Grail War prevent us from exchanging our names, I would have your Class, stranger.”
He nodded. “I am of the Class of Saber, my lady.”
Red Saber smile. “What a magnificent coincidence. As am I.”
“Then this shall be an interesting encounter,” the male Saber said. “A true test of skill and prowess between warriors of equal advantage.”
Shirou, meanwhile, was looking around in confusion. “Saber!” he called out to the man. “Has your Master done some kind of spell to the people around us?”
The male Saber– Shirou was privately thinking of him as Calvin Klein Saber– tilted his head. “My master has worked a magecraft around us, stranger. It surrounds us in mundanity and as long as we restrict our actions to speaking, no one will notice anything amiss.”
Red Saber smiled widely, and her eyes flicked to the park. “Then perhaps we should retire to somewhere private, where we may do more than speak.”
Calvin Klein Saber made a gracious nod and turned to lead the way, Red Saber close behind. Shirou had a moment to feel like a third wheel horning in on someone’s date (not that he knew that was what the feeling was), before moving to follow, keeping a wary eye out and hoping the others were listening…
Say it with me now: "Calvin Klein!Saber"
edited 23rd May '12 1:46:03 AM by SCMof2814
A couple of things:
- It's 'fare', not 'fair'. As in 'fare-well'.
- 'Incited' might not be the best choice of words - maybe 'involved'?
- Given that you're using capital Ms otherwise, you might want to capitalise the 'master' in 'Pretty soon some master would have to pass by'.
You're right. Not that I plan to write it or anything, but here's a thought:
What If? Shiro Emiya were actually Kal-El? He'd still be easily killable by Servants due to his Nigh-Invulnerability not being effective against magic, but I reckon that he'd be strong and fast enough that he could fight back, meaning that he'd be a sort of Glass Speedster in comparison to most Servants, but in order to survive something like a Grail War, he'd still need Rin's magic training and additional combat experience from sparring with Saber.
Hmm. Not sure I like it. It makes the fire backstory really implausible, for one thing—he wouldn't have been in any danger, hence no Kiritsugu, hence no Avalon, hence no Saber. On a more narrative level, Shirou as Badass Normal who really struggles to keep up with the various Servants is a valuable thing. And no Avalon also probably means no UBW, which would be a pity.
Shinigan (Naruto fanfic)
Well, you could always just rejiggle the backstory a bit. Remember what traditionally happens in Superman's backstory when he falls to Earth? Big boom, right? Now what would happen if he struck the middle of a city?
Maybe in this one, the damage from Gae Buidhe caused Prelati's Spellbook to malfunction, causing him to show up as Caster's ultimate, deadly killing machine?
edited 23rd May '12 1:56:58 PM by Iaculus
What's precedent ever done for us?It was a magic fire. As Kryptonians are vulnerable to magic, Shiro would've still been in very real danger. .... On second thought, in most iterations of Superman's history, he didn't absorb enough solar energy to activate his powers until he was a teenager anyway, so it wouldn't matter if the fire was magic or not. Heck, it could be that his powers don't even begin to manifest until shortly before the Grail War starts, so it wouldn't really be much of a factor to start with until it came time for the final battle with Zouken, Kotomine, or Gilgamesh, and in any case, he'd still need help from Saber and/or others to win, so the Superpower Lottery wouldn't really kick in until Hollow Ataraxia.
Who, Supershiro? Only up to Dawn of the 8th Day (or maybe 9th) on the Fate Route, haven't gotten to play as much as I'd like. Also, regarding the city + boom idea, that could work.
edited 23rd May '12 2:05:17 PM by EvaUnit01
Hmm. I'm only really familiar with the first movie, and there he's shown lifting cars around at the age of five or so. There's probably many and multifarious versions, though.
If his powers don't start activating until right before the War, that would work better. I might read it.
Shinigan (Naruto fanfic)
Pre-Crisis, Supes gained his powers immediately in a yellow sun. Post Crisis (and subsequently in most modern continuities), he didn't get them until his teens.
Kind of like how Spidey is now often bit by a Genetically altered spider instead of a radioactive one.
Though that means you have to change a line in the legendary song.
One Strip! One Strip!''Spider-Man, Spider-Man! Does whatever a spider can! Spins a web, any time! Catches thieves, just like flies — look out! Here comes the Spider-Man!
In the still of night, at the scene of a crime! Like a streak of light, he arrives just in time!
<repeat chorus>''
That's all I remember of it.
The only Ear Worms I've got warring in my head right now are KI-ING! KI-ING! KI-ING GAINER! METARU OVERMAN KING GAINER!!! and GAGAGA, GAGAGA, GAO GAI GAR!! GAGAGA, GAGAGAGA GAO GAI GAR!!! Coincidence that both are by members of JAM Project? I think not.
edited 23rd May '12 3:53:05 PM by EvaUnit01

I like both Rin designs.
@Napoleon: Yuck, not touching that one with a 63-ax-handle-long pole.