History Fanfic / FateRevelationOnline

* AbsurdlyHighStakesGame: Same as ''Sword Art Online'' canon [[spoiler:except the only way to die is being physically disconnected; despite Kayaba's warning, defeated players are used for testing purposes]].

* CheeseStrategy:

* ArtificialIntelligence: Yui, from SAO canon, shows up, in addition to the far more powerful Cardinal system that manages game balance. Yui is a Turing-capable AI, which allows her to process natural language and fuzzy data far better than Cardinal despite having less processing power. For reasons Yui doesn't understand, only Turing-capable [=AIs=] are deletion-accepted and deletion-enabled. While she was originally created as a mental counseling AI, she is retasked as a [[spoiler:{{Psychopomp}} for the dead players, putting them to work testing game features]]. The conflict between what she was designed for and what she is doing now is creating errors.

[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9740933/1/Fate-Revelation-Online Fate Revelation Online]] by [[http://www.fanfiction.net/u/314218/daniel-gudman Daniel-Gudman]] is a crossover of the ''Literature/SwordArtOnline'' universe with ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''.

** Shirou's and Ilya's in-game reputations grow into this. In fact, a minor plot point in the story is the worry that the [[ObviousRulePatch auto-balancing functions]] of the Cardinal system will lead to an inversion of MonsterThreatExpiration and make the game [[NintendoHard harder]] for everyone else.

But this is more than just a sadistic death game. On launch, Kayaba Akihiko announced a "thaumaturgy patch" so that players may learn magecraft. Ilya and Shirou immediately realize that the game's magic is perfectly accurate to the real world. Kayaba has broken some of the most important laws of the Moonlit World by revealing magic to normal people, and worse he has done it in such a way that the players are not just victims, but collaborators. If the Enforcers find out about this, they will slaughter everyone to keep the secret safe.

* AlchemyIsMagic: Alchemy eventually gets patched into the game. Shirou explains to Argo that there are two types of alchemy: Physical Alchemy (which is basically just chemistry by way of magecraft), and Spiritual Alchemy (which involves transmutation of the soul). Physical Alchemy is extremely dangerous if you don't have the periodic table memorized, but is generally looked down on because it has no chance to reach the Root, the end goal of all magecraft. Shirou warns Argo not to bring this up to Illya, as it's a sore spot. Argo, who still doesn't know that magic is real outside the game, doesn't understand why Illya would get so bent out of shape over a piece of game lore. Shirou doesn't explain that Illya is a [[OurHomunculiAreDifferent homunculus]] and thus a ''product'' of Physical Alchemy.

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: The fic is about the ''Sword Art Online'' characters learning magecraft under the belief that it's just a game. They advance quickly, and many of them are capable of truly impressive feats. Then there are Illya and Shirou, who were not only aware of magecraft before the game, but had just won a magical death tournament. Illya has literal orders of magnitude more magical power than anyone else in the game and is an expert on most magic systems, while Shirou is a genius swordsman who can copy the powers of legendary heroes in true emergencies. After both of them separately solo a raid boss, the AI in charge of game balance gives up and [[ObviousRulePatch declares them exempt from balancing]].

* BodyCountCompetition: Illya [[InvokedTrope proposes]] the party members she brought with her compete to kill the most mobs while they search for the field boss.

** This is one of Cardinal's primary purposes, populating the world with enemies and rewards to create a balanced and enjoyable experience. This is also why Diabel is worried about Shirou and Illya; if they are so much more powerful than the rest of the players, then they will either be nerfed (which is unlikely since they are using skills they obtained from outside the game) or the world will become tougher to compensate--which will make the lives of everyone else much, much more difficult. Cardinal eventually solves this paradox by naming them [Titled Players], exempt from normal game balance.
** When Klein's guild manage to OneHitKill a boss, there is a discussion on why this didn't grant anyone a [Title]. Kirito points out that the system isn't about really strong players, it's about players who are too strong for the system to handle. Klein's trick was situational, required his entire guild to help, and technically anyone could use it. By contrast, most of what Shirou and Illya do is completely unique to them and can't be taught or shared. Klein can be balanced, Shirou and Illya can't, so Klein doesn't get a title.

** Illya has an encyclopedic knowledge of the magic system, ''stupidly'' overpowered magic circuits, and is collecting players with Rare Elements. Several people theorize that she is working with Kayaba and received some benefits from that. She is working with Kayaba, but that's unrelated to everything else. As a homunculus purpose-built for the Holy Grail War, she's one of the strongest and most knowledgable combat mages in the world. People also notice that sometimes her childish mask slips, and theorize that the "magic mirror" that revealed everyone's true appearances didn't work right on her because Kayaba programmed in an exception. She ''is'' OlderThanTheyLook, but again, it has nothing to do with Kayaba.
** Shirou has a knowledge of the magic system almost as good as Illya, and he has ridiculous skills and reflexes far beyond any other player, and perhaps beyond the human limit. There are two competing theories: That he was an "alpha tester" who played the magic system before launch, or that he's a player who died early on and received BrainUploading. The truth, of course, is that he's a low-tier mage who has managed to put all of his pitiful magical power into combat, combined with an impossible will to save everyone.
** Combining the two, Diabel is careful about using Shirou to control Illya because he doesn't know their exact relationship. At worst, Shirou might be an AI programmed to help Illya while seemingly disagreeing with her, and pushing too hard will just reveal the lie. At best, their relationship is too complex for Diabel to understand. He considers using Shirou in ''any'' way to be a last resort, even though Shirou is unfailingly helpful.

* ForWantOfANail: The presence of Shirou and Illya changes more than a few parts of SAO canon.

** Illya recruits Asuna and Kirito early on, so Asuna never joins the biggest guild, and Kirito is only a solo player for a couple weeks (though he doesn't officially join the guild, he's acknowledged to be effectively a member).
** Illya recruiting Rare Element holders means that Silica becomes a Front Liner, and Rosalia and Kuradeel get picked up before they can really become villains.

* IntergenerationalFriendship: Well, teenage version. To kids, the difference between an eighteen year-old and a twelve year-old is huge, so Asuna sees her friendship with Illya as something like this. Of course, the audience knows that Illya [[OlderThanTheyLook really is eighteen]] (though she [[{{Manchild}} enjoys playing up her appearance a bit]]), so she has more in common with her than Asuna realizes. On the other hand, everyone assumes that Illya and Silica are the same age so their friendship makes perfect sense, but in reality Illya is at least six years older.

* MostDangerousVideoGame: Unlike the source work, it's subverted. Early on, Illya is able to briefly connect with the outside world, and discovers that people who have died in the game have ''not'' died in the real world (though the ones who had their [=NerveGear=] removed really did die). This is an important enough secret that Kayaba Akahiko himself immediately contacts Illya and makes a deal so that she will keep the secret; his experiment requires that the players truly believe they could die. [[spoiler:Yui, the Mental Health AI, is using at least some of them to test new game features]].

* OvershadowedByAwesome: Illya is the best mage in the game bar none (and only slightly lower-ranked as a warrior), while Shirou is the best swordsman and blacksmith in the game bar none. Asuna and Kirito were two of the most famous players in canon, but since they're in Illya's guild they're basically just seen as above-average.

* PragmaticVillainy: Illya learns early on that Kayaba is not actually killing the players who die in the game; Kayaba warns her not to mistake this for mercy. It is soon revealed that [[spoiler:he is using them to beta test new features, and if they refuse to cooperate he uses them for direct soul experimentation]]. While no one else in the game ''knows'' Kayaba isn't killing anyone, Rosalia guesses that's the case, because it would be easier and safer. If people are constantly dying due to in-game deaths (as in canon), then the outside world would have a constant motivation to get the players out as fast as possible. If they're not dying, then it would be a much lower priority and Kayaba's experiment is more likely to continue unimpeded.

* RedBaron: Shirou is initially called [The SixthRanger] as an insult because he swoops in to help people and then runs off, like an [[HelpingWouldBeKillStealing overpowered kill-stealing jackass]] from an anime. As the game wears on and players begin to understand that he's genuinely helping, it becomes a real honorific. And then the [Titled Player] system is implemented, [[ObviousRulePatch exempting certain overpowered players from the game balance]]. Shirou's official name is changed to [The Sixth Ranger], and Illya's becomes [The White Witch].
* ResortToPouting: Illya can evidently manipulate her brother this way.

* SlaveRace: During the otherwise [[BreatherEpisode Breather]] BeachEpisode, Illya casually points out that all {{Familiar}}s are slaves, and if you make them too smart you have to worry about a TurnedAgainstTheirMasters situation. Silica is horrified at this, since she [[TheBeastmaster loves her animals]], but Illya counters that her animals never chose to love her back--Silica programmed them that way and still uses them as disposable tools that she can modify at a whim. Illya, of course, doesn't see anything actually wrong with any of this.

* StockLightNovelHero: Subverted with Kirito. He's one of the front-line players, but he's OvershadowedByAwesome by most of the other people in the guild he's not quite joined. Illya is the best mage in the game bar none (and a decent warrior besides), Shirou is the best warrior in the game bar none (and a decent mage besides), Asuna is [[JackOfAllStats universally well-rounded]], and everyone else has a [[UniqueProtagonistAsset Rare Element]] that helps them stand out from the crowd. Kirito, by contrast, merely has the Ether element, which works best when you have another element paired with it. This isn't always a bad thing--since Kirito isn't trying to hide his strength, he's able to give the Moonlight Black Cats a lot more help than canon, and they don't get slaughtered when they face an unexpectedly powerful enemy. Likewise, he never really gets a harem because all the girls are helped by other people instead of him. His only love interest is Asuna.

* UniqueProtagonistAsset: Discussed; as in Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} canon, people are born with an affinity for various elements of either the Western or Eastern arrays. Sometimes, however, people can have a "Rare Element" that does not match any of these, and is often unique. The players semi-jokingly refer to these people as "Protagonists" since it's such a common anime plot for the main character to have some rare special ability. Rosalia mentions that many people have Rare Elements that are [[CripplingOverspecialization too specialized and weird to make good use of]]; these people usually don't get called Protagonists. Shirou (as in canon) has the Sword element, which is even more useful in a game completely built around swords. Silica has the Beast element, and Illya begins collecting Rare element holders at Kayaba's request.

* TheWormThatWalks: '''Zolgen.''' Illya notes that she finds it funny how Kayaba based a boss enemy on his own master, Zouken Matou. [[spoiler:Then Zolgen kills two players who are friends with her apprentice, [[TranquilFury and she doesn't think it's funny anymore]]]].

* HeIsNotMyBoyfriend: This is Asuna's response to Ilya's teasing remarks about "equipping [{{Bishounen}}] (Kirito) as a boyfriend". In response Asuna tries to invoke this trope from Ilya, but the latter innocently says that "Shirou is just her [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseSiblingTerminology onii-chan]]"... and then [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior her expression makes a 180]] and assures Asuna that it's [[NotBloodSiblings not like she and Shirou are related by blood or anything]]. Cue sputtering.