#withanina

One more, albeit belated, birthday present for @withanina, because I wanted to do something with @yasuda-anis. I hope you enjoy. :)

The song for this little piece is Floating Feelings from Yuki Yuna is a Hero. The piece was all I could think of for this short story.

@withanina: "Congrats Vy! It’s been wonderful seeing Robin grow more and more so this celebration is perfect! The familiarity and comfort is just so good to read. Congratulations again and best of luck going even higher!"

@grievouslyxorvia: "YES!!!! A Thousand Congratulations!!! Ahh the feeling of a Bond up is incomparably beautiful 💙 and the stories that come with are so full of overwhelming love…. aaaa congratulations again!"

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Thank you both for the kind words. I'm still in a bit of disbelief because I honestly wasn't expecting it. It's such a nice surprise since I also finished my Medical Microbiology final exam yesterday, and with my birthday coming up later this month, it feels like Robin himself wanted to get in on the celebrating early in-game.

I just find it a bit funny that my whole dedication for Robin was already lingering below the surface when I started playing back in 2019, then after a brief talk to a RWBY voice actor on Tumblr (who coincidentally didn't like Fate's portrayal of Robin), I ended up loving Big Robin all the more. Differing feelings go places, I guess!

"Fluff!! Such freshly baked fluff! I’ll care for you, no matter what you say! Ah, it’s always fun to read short blurbs like this."

It's comments like these that make me happy I dipped my toes into writing my take on FGO to begin with. And when thinking on all that's happened in FGO so far in NA history, well. I'm just glad I can inject some fluff where I can, and that you were able to enjoy it, Aqui. :>

And, just, ramble here. The feelings here were written from my listening to Friend from RWBY's Vol 8 Finale.

Even if the Robin Hood in Fate isn't the famous Robin Hood from Loxley and all that, there was something about him when I first got into Fate that captivated me. Maybe it's how his snark with Dan Blackmore really reminded me of Leo (I still love him as boyfriend, so much so), or the practicality of his Noble Phantasms and fighting style in contrast to all the other Servants introduced so far. When I look back at him now, though, I think what made me love him in the end is how he reminds me of my mental images of my dad when he was younger.

My dad came to America on his own after stowing away with another man on a boat while the Cambodian War took place in Vietnam for a few years, raised himself up to speak English and buy a home, and handled a lot of things on his own until he met my mom. It's still mind-boggling to me how he was able to handle all that. "I always came home to an empty apartment in those days," he told me once. And, to me, Robin reminds me of that spirit, of trying to do as much as possible while others live on not knowing what you've done.

Just as much as I hope I'm making my dad proud with I'm doing in my career to help him and mom, I'd like to think Vy sticks with Robin because she wants him to know that, yes, people looked up to him. That, no matter what others said about his methods and personality, he still made a positive difference in the world. The Throne of Heroes wouldn't have recognized him as "Robin Hood" otherwise.

"I'll care for you, no matter what you say," basically sums up Vy's demeanor towards Robin to a T. Because to Vy, Robin matters, Robin is someone worth the effort it takes to love, Robin deserves love, and she just wants him to know that. Poison or not, charlatan or not, Vy looks at Fate/Extra's May King and thinks, "I want to help this man believe in himself."

To Vy, Robin Hood is deserving of his True Name simply because he did something for her, way before he was even summoned. It's only with the Lostbelts (as seen in Day 12 of Passing Days) that he gets the gist of it.

Even if it wasn't a direct thing, Robin Hood still gave a little girl hope that she could do something with simple methods and kindness, even if his story had a bittersweet end. The least the little girl in Vy feels she can do for him is make it so he can enjoy his new story, whether it's by her side or with other Heroic Spirits who know of his tales in Sherwood Forest.

@withanina: "Oh! Long, and good! So much feels have really hit me hard. But it’s the heartwarming stuff that’s always so nice to read. I’m glad to see Murasaki, mainly because of my bias, but that book really does come back a lot doesn’t it. Thanks so much for sharing Vy!"

@syabudakbarubelajar (in the tags): "just watched fgo initium iter and moonlight lostroom so i read this with mash's voice/tone from the anime jhbdcbhjcdh sdjhdshd im even imagining this fic being animated and flowing like said anime eps edkfninjefinl yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee fgo fate grand order fate go mastersona vy gudasona fuckfuckfuck hits right in the kokoro ufbddidnndl lostbelts are a bitch and so are the crypters and that foreign god-bitch whatever their reasons are im still  ggonna give them an enthusiastic greeting to the face with a crowbar vy stay stronk za cake isnt a lie kkkkkkkkk i gotta read ur other one but wait did i already? idk cant remember"

@hasquetzdoneanythingwrong: "So wholesome with that special book, and Murasaki and Robin reassuring that you’re still a good person! I loved it!" (in the tags) "i was mentioned! Quetz birthday soon! another cake for Quetz! cute!"

@partialdignity (in the tags): "this is really good vy very laid back and soft which vy definitely needs at this point very good use of the portal joke my friend 😉 thank you for this fluff and i hope Quetz had a good birthday"

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All these responses really bring a lot of joy to a very quiet day over here for me. And considering I've been revisiting a certain moe-zombie anime in my free time for writing inspiration, I'm glad to know my attempts at fluff today paid off.

I really need to get around to giving Murasaki and a lot of my other newer Servants some spotlight (Samba Quetz especially, considering a certain Rex who was mentioned in the fic), but gosh, Robin's still stuck in my heart and it's hard to get him to move. Ah well. He's a good Archer and I love him a lot. Even now, he's still helping me get through tough work days where I'm the only trainer for new people in my department left which hurts considering I haven't been in this job for more than 6-7 months and this happened. Life has been... something.

On the other hand, Fate/Grand Order is a large game in both story scale and character roster, so the bits and pieces of fluff I can put in before the next story event happens feels all the more important these days.

@withanina specifically said: "Gotta admit, this sort of thing is what I’d expect from Vy. Not just calling out Kama’s flawed plan, but calling out how even if she wins she’ll still be miserable as she started. Welcoming someone as hurt as Kama, who will probably resist tooth and nail even though she wants to be happy, is something bigger than most could do."

...Would you believe me if I said my initial reaction to Kama's plan was absolute rage? Vy's reaction in the story is very much a subdued, thought-out version of my feelings afterwards, since it took @xviicprc's many reblogs of Ooku meta posts after the event's end in NA for me to see the flaws in the writing. I was pretty invested in the story before that point, all because of seeing Parvati in a bigger light since she was my first Gold Lancer ever, but now that I've had time to think about it, my ace heart certainly judged Kama too quickly in that first encounter.

Yes, Kama was using love in the wrong way, but that doesn't mean how they came to that conclusion was any less justified. What Shiva, and by extension, Parvati, did was really upsetting, so Kama was in the right for feeling angry and going the way they did, at least in motivation. Doesn't make what they did in pulling Chaldea and the protagonist in any less upsetting, by extension, so my writing the drabble was a way of wrestling with both sides.

It's still a flawed plan, Kama's goal in the event, so I'd like to think the Kama in my Chaldea is both learning and figuring out the many facets of love again with Vy as their Master. Since Vy is still on the ace spectrum - being demiromantic, questioning asexual, and all - they definitely have a lot of studying to do.

Good luck on maxing him out!

:) Thank you, Aqui. I’ll need the luck. At the same time, my writing muse has been wiggling for the Faceless May King, so have a rough draft dialogue thingie because Passing Days has still been on my brain. Just for you, since I’m still glad I met you and I was thinking of a talk we had earlier this week when going about this bit.

Roughly inspired by this.

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“Hey, Master?” 

“Hm?” 

“Not that I don’t appreciate it, but I gotta know. Why did you decide to use Holy Grails on a bowman like me?” 

“…You were one of my heroes growing up.” 

“Huh?” 

“Sure, there’s been a lot of Robin Hoods. I know that not all of them had a happy ending like the Disney version would like kids to believe, but I grew up with the Disney version and I admired him.” 

“…So then?”

“You may be one of many Robins, just a ‘petty’ bowman, but you’re still the one Robin I got to know as a person. The last thing I ever wanted was to end up not giving something back to you. You’re my big Robin, and I wanted to show you I appreciated you!” 

“…Is that it?”

“I mean, for more serious reasons… Robin Hood taught me how to be kind to people. To not judge things by their cover and just help wherever and whenever you can. And considering the Robin Hood I know is still having trouble with how his life ended, I wanted to give one of my heroes the closest thing I can get to a happy ending in his new incarnation. Since he convinced me I’m worth something, too. So um.”

“…”

“N-Not to sound pretentious or anything, but are my attempts at a happy ending working?”

“…I wish I could’ve met you sooner, Master. Maybe things might’ve been different.”

“…Oh. Well. Sometimes I think that, too. But you still met me now, big Robin. And I’m glad that we coexist right here, right now. I like coexisting together with you.”

“…Yeah.”

“Robin, uh. Are you blushing?”

“D-Don’t look over here! I am not!”

“I-I’m sorry, I’ll turn around! Just let me know when I can look, then!” 

“You here…”

“Mm-muu?” 

“You are a total fool, little sparrow.”

“…But I’m your little sparrow, right?”

“Heh. Yeah.” 

“Hee hee. Love you, Robin.”

“…” 

“You don’t have to reply to that, y’know. I just wanted to say it.”

“I know.” 

“Good! Because I have and always will mean it!” 

“Fools are always gonna be fools, huh?”

“Well, the Crypters made me memorize that!”

“…Not what I meant. Be easier on yourself too, little sparrow.”

“Eh?”

“Not all fools are bad. A fool like me wouldn’t have stuck around with you if that was the case.”

“…Thankie to you too, then, friend.”

"Congratulations Vy! The short story was so nice too! It's so nice to see Art treated so kindly. And her last line... Your work is great as always. Here's hoping Achilles will max bond soon too."

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(=ﾟ▽ﾟ)/ Thank you, Aqui, really. Art deserves more kindness, especially after everything she went through in Stay/Night and Zero. The last line she said, I feel, came from a dream I had (albeit I can't remember it anymore), where someone close to me told me that. It's haunted me for a while, so I'm glad I got to use it in a way that gives a positive warm feeling. :)

Cute fluff! Tired hugs to refresh and relax! Also, please make sure to rest!

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:) Tired hugs are some of the best hugs I've ever had, actually. Whenever I'm sleepy irl, I find my family members give some of the softest hugs ever in response to me flopping onto them. It's another reason why I still want to stick with my parents for a few years longer in spite of having a full-time job — there's something about hugging someone you love when you're sleepy and vulnerable, just to find them alive and okay, hugging you tight in return.

It's why I'd like to think Vy as a Master feels that "something" a lot more because of how all Servants can be intangible fleeting presences. So, her way of reaching up to Robin Hood in the story was, in her mind, confirming he's still there after everything with the first three Lostbelts.

And considering the real first year anniversary of Di Thuy's death is coming up this May, hugs are more important to me now with how I can't fly to Houston to be with my grandparents and the rest of my family this time.