History Fanfic / ChaosTheory

* SlasherSmile: Gilgamesh sports one of these. It is unnerving enough to scare [[NervesOfSteel Kirei]].

* FleshGolem: [[spoiler:Caster Alter]] stitches together parts of the corpses of [[spoiler:False Assassin and True Assassin]] to make a new familiar.

** Rin's response to Zouken making demands of her is, "Oh, ''fuck that''."

** Lancer's is [[CurseCutShort Cut Short]] when [[spoiler:Caster Alter]] deploys the Shadow to attack him in earnest.

* SwordSparks: This frequently happens during the fights that involve melee combat. At one points sparks are the only indication anything is happening, when True Assassin throws black daggers, invisible in the night, at Shirou and Saber's invisible blade deflects them.

** Three of Gilgamesh's are pressed at once: [[spoiler: The Shadow is running around threatening ''his'' kingdom, Archer is running around copying ''his'' treasures, and ''his'' Saber has been tainted by the Shadow]]. This prompts him to enter the fray when all of the above are [[spoiler:fighting at Ryudou Temple]].

** [[spoiler:Caster Alter]] feels the same way about Zouken as Kirei does. She may be evil and steal people's souls, but at least she's not so ''slimy'' about it.

** [[spoiler:Lancer Alter]] loses his right arm to Saber in the second battle on the mountain.
** [[spoiler:Caster Alter]] loses her left arm and leg to [[spoiler:Pegasus, Rider's mount]].

** In Chapter 22, [[spoiler:Lancer Alter]] is losing badly to Berserker and [[BloodKnight doesn't mind at all]]. Then, the scene cuts to [[spoiler:Saber]], who is stuck sitting in a tree while bleeding out from severed legs:

* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Archer, Lancer, and True Assassin agree to work together and not try to kill each other until they've escaped a mutually dangerous situation.

** Rider loses some of her hair to Berserker.

** Archer is exhausted, heavily injured and [[spoiler: without an arm]] from fighting against [[spoiler: Gilgamesh]], and he still has to fight [[spoiler: Saber Alter]]. As Archer remarks that [[TemptingFate it couldn't get worse]], [[spoiler: Dark Sakura appears, having consumed Gilgamesh by use of his previously amputated hand.]]

* GoOutWithASmile: As in canon Heaven's Feel, [[spoiler:False Assassin]] does this when [[spoiler:sacrificed to summon True Assassin]] in order to show contempt for his killer by rejecting an UndignifiedDeath.

** [[spoiler:Lancer Alter]] cuts off [[spoiler:Saber]]'s legs to stop [[spoiler:her]] from being consumed by the Shadow.

* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: True Assassin, on behalf of Zouken, tells Sakura to return to the Matou house and implies that if she refuses, harm will come to Taiga and the archery club members.

* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Lancer says it, word-for-word, when preparing to face take on the Shadow and [[spoiler:Caster Alter]].

* {{Squick}}: InUniverse. Rin and Archer have to hold back from physically gagging when they see [[spoiler:Illya kiss Shirou]].

* TheBigBadShuffle: It starts out with the above BigBadEnsemble Zouken and [[spoiler: Caster Alter]] being the main antagonists, working together to fulfill their agendas while simultaneously plotting against the other, while Kirei merely observes and Gilgamesh does whatever he wants. However, after [[WhamEpisode Chapter 31]], [[spoiler:Dark Sakura kills both Zouken and Caster Alter, Kirei becomes TheDragon, and Gilgamesh is reverted to a child after a near-disastrous encounter with Dark Sakura and ends up doing a HeelFaceTurn.]] Near the end though, [[spoiler: Sakura is separated from the Grail's influence, but Kotomine sacrifices himself to incarnate Angra Mainyu as Avenger, whom proceeds to take over as BigBad.]]

** If you don't want Illya to sic [[GameBreaker Berserker]] on you, then do ''not'' harm a single hair on Shirou's head. [[spoiler:Rider]] finds this out the hard way.

** Upon meeting Archer again, Gilgamesh refers to a ToThePain promise he made the last time they met (see entry below) and says it's time to get on with it.

** While they're running for their lives from [[spoiler:the Shadow]], Lancer asks lightly about Archer's master, says it'd be a waste for a girl that pretty to die, and tells Archer to get Rin and escape while Lancer holds the line.

** Shinji, arguably even ''[[UpToEleven more]]'' than in {{Canon}}.

* DeliberateInjuryGambit: [[spoiler: Shirou does one when fighting the counterfeit Archer.]]

** More conventionally, [[SmugSuper Gilgamesh]] reacts this way to [[spoiler:Caster Alter (and her "pet" shadow monster, Lancer Alter)]] in Chapter 11.
** Though not a case of ''Evil'' having standards, [[spoiler:Illyasviel]] mentally compares Gilgamesh's attitude to that of the Shadow in Chapter 15. Gilgamesh is found... wanting, due to his conceit and smug-superiority coming off as more contemptible than the Shadow's anguished loneliness.

** In Chapter 4, Rider throws [[TheChewToy Shinji]] into a thorny bush and, [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments hilariously]], Shirou throws him into ''Rin''.
** Archer throws Rin into a thorny bush in Chapter 10.
** Saber does the same to Shirou in Chapter 13.
** In chapter 14 Rin gets chucked by Archer (again) into a pond. At least it's better than a bush.
** In chapter 43, although it is by teleportation, Illya and Sakura get chucked in a pond.

** The response of Archer, Lancer, ''and'' True Assassin to [[spoiler:Caster Alter]] in Chapter 9:

* ForWantOfANail: The nail in question? Shirou ''responds'' to Illya in their first meeting. The story snowballs from that point.

* HeroAntagonist: Rin, as Shirou's opponent during ''[[ForWantOfANail this]]'' War. However, they come to an agreement due to the bigger enemy that is the Shadow and the Dark Grail.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler: Avenger's wearing down of the dimensional boundaries is the only reason why Illya's and Sakura's plan worked]].

** Illya tells Rin that the reason she didn't stop Sakura from leaving on a suicide mission is because for once in her life, Sakura was making her own choice about her life instead of being someone's doll, which Illya empathizes with.

* INeverToldYouMyName: Rin has been suspicious of Archer knowing more than he should for a while, but the last straw for her is when he calls the Einzbern Master "Illya" despite her having never told them her given name.

** When Illya is kidnapped and Shirou and Rin are fighting the guards on their way to save her, one of her captors expresses doubt Shirou and Rin will reach them.
--->'''Illyasviel von Einzbern:''' Shirou and Rin can handle anything you have to throw at them. Wait and see.\\

-->'''Archer:''' Good-bye, Ladies and Gentlemen. Well... ladies, gentleman, and Shinji. '''I am the bone of my sword.'''

* MistakenForPedophile: Shirou in Chapter 23, much to his chagrin. [[spoiler:Early on, he was only worried about ''looking'' like the time he spent with Illya was sketchy, but upon finding out that she's actually nineteen years old...]]

* MythologyGag: [[spoiler: Many of the Servants Illya and Sakura summon to stop Avenger are from ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'']].
* NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow: [[spoiler: Illya notes that the [[GodzillaThreshold extreme situation]], her and Sakura's unique abilities, and Avenger's weakening of the barriers between dimensions is the only reason their mass Servant summoning had a chance of working, and that the World would have smitten anyone who tried such a thing under normal circumstances]].

** In order to be [[spoiler:purged of the Shadow's influence]], Saber has to acknowledge that she's human, darkness and all, and accept the best and worst parts of herself while deciding not to follow her darker impulses. When [[spoiler:the Shadow tries to take over her again]], she's immune to it because all it does is bring out the darkest side of someone and she's already embraced that side as part of herself.
* NoSocialSkills: Illya is clever, but her isolation and lack of any real friends throughout her life means that she's not very graceful in certain social elements; in Chapter 23, she seems to assume that [[spoiler:Shirou ''knew'' he was going on dates with her despite thinking she was ten]] and that even if [[spoiler:he ''didn't'' realize it]], it was perfectly acceptable. Whichever one it was, [[spoiler:Saber and Rin]] ultimately get the wrong impression.

* NotWhatItLooksLike: In Chapter 23. When Shirou freaks out about the fact that he was, essentially, going out on ''dates'' with [[spoiler:Illya]], Rin and Saber mistakenly assume that he ''knew'' they were dates and that he's freaking out because he didn't know [[spoiler:she was nineteen]]. Of course, Shirou's [[AmbiguousDisorder inability to connect with people and empathize properly]] means that he didn't even realize that [[spoiler:Illya]] considered them dates; he ''thought'' that [[spoiler:he was in an IntergenerationalFriendship]] and misread [[spoiler:Illya]]'s intentions, which then leads to her [[DiggingYourselfDeeper digging him in even deeper]] in an attempt to save him. A ''long'', heated discussion ensues offscreen for ''twenty-four minutes'' before the matter is resolved.

* OtherMeAnnoysMe: [[spoiler:The normal Rider Medusa and the Lancer Medusa summoned as a minion of Avenger]] hate each other.
** [[spoiler:The same applies to Saber!Gilles towards Caster!Gilles]].

** Rin's response to Zouken's demands in Chapter 28 is, "Oh, ''fuck that''."

* {{Protectorate}}: [[IdiotHero Shirou]] is this for Illya, as of Chapter 4.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Shirou (of all people) gives one to [[SmugSnake Shinji]] in Chapter 4.

** This is [[spoiler:Gilgamesh]]'s motive for joining the heroes' team. [[spoiler:He gets it in Chapter 43, being the one to finish off Avenger/Kotomine once and for all]].
** [[spoiler: Morgan wants revenge on Arturia for spoiling her plans so badly that she'll ''side with Avenger'' to make it happen]].

* SlasherSmile: Gilgamesh sports one of these in Chapter 25. It is unnerving enough to scare [[NervesOfSteel Kirei]].

* TeethClenchedTeamwork: In Chapter 10, between [[spoiler:Archer, Lancer and True Assassin]].

* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Lancer says it, word-for-word, in Chapter 10.

* TheUnmasquedWorld: The final battle ends up exposing the existence of magic to the public. Though most civilians like Taiga are still trying to wrap their heads around it, the Mage's Association is going crazy and fears they will be doomed.

** Illya gives an internal monologue to this effect in Chapter 4, regarding [[SpannerInTheWorks Shirou]].
** Also, [[spoiler:Lancer Alter]] in Chapter 13.

* YouShallNotPass: [[spoiler:Lancer]] stops to hold back the advancing [[spoiler:Shadow]] in order to insure [[spoiler:Archer's and Rin]]'s escape, though he intends to not sacrifice himself in the process.

** A corrupted bounded field has just been erected by [[spoiler:Caster Alter]] at the end of a chapter. The next chapter opens with, "It was a catastrophe of epic proportions. The single worst disaster that had ever befallen this world. A thing of corruption and destruction that despoiled all it touched." This is then shown to be Sella's reaction to Illya having left the Einzbern base on her own, all day, multiple times.

* BigBadEnsemble: It's a combination of Kirei Kotomine, Gilgamesh, Zouken Matou & [[spoiler:Caster Alter]].

* WronskiFeint: Rider passes over Saber to put her in-between Rider and the sword-arrow chasing her.