[Image Description: A colored pencil drawing of a bespectacled Chaldea Master in a lotus-clip adorned side ponytail and the Decisive Battle Uniform, smiling while holding onto the mantle of a green May King Archer. The Archer sighs, the one heart thought bubble betraying the love he shares with said Master as an aquamarine ribbon loop connects them both. The drawing's creation date, "6/4/2024" sits at the top lefthand corner of the paper. End Description.]
This drawing took so much longer than I wanted it to. It took me seeing a single page from Chobits, and seeing my favorite Archer get to Bond 15. That's it. And even if my colored pencils take a while, I'm still happy with this.
I'd like to think Robin's happy. I want to keep writing for him, and the little Master that is his little sparrow, for as long as I can.
[Image Description: A colored pencil drawing of a brunette Master in a yellow blouse and lotus ribbon clip holding back a part of her hair, hugging a green Archer dressed in a casual dark green hoodie from behind. He stares back at her in surprise as speech bubbles with giant hearts indicate her sharing her love for him. The drawing's creation date of "12/1/2024" sits at the top right hand corner. End Description.]
To start 2025 on a high note, I wanted to finish this drawing I've had since last month. Work fatigue from holiday hospital rush made the coloring delayed, but with New Year's here, had some time to make it up.
Because in the face of an unknown future, hugging your loved ones helps a lot with coping. And reference from Oshi no Ko artwork on pixiv helped me get this done.
Even if Lostbelt 7 looks like a total mess, I still love Robin Hood. Least I can do is draw him a good hug.
[Image Description: Two screenshots from Fate/Grand Order showing in order, (1) the Bond Level Up screen for Archer Robin Hood, where his Bond Level has gone up from 14 to 15; and (2) a screenshot of Robin’s Servant card, with emphasis on all 5 of his extra bond diamonds beyond Bond 10 in the level screen being filled. End Description.]
…This took a little over five years. From May 8, 2019 to today, July 10, 2024.
First Bond 10, first Level 120, and now first Bond 15. Robin’s been through so much since I started this game. And I love him. Very very much.
And well, even if I’m about a year rusty…
I have to write a short story for celebration, right? With a song from Season 2 of Laid Back Camp and all.
—————
Robin slowly opened his eyes to the sensation of someone gently stroking his forehead. The scent of flowers tickled his nose as he inhaled, and looking up revealed starry brown eyes reflecting his image past a familiar big pair of glasses.
Vy's pretty starry brown eyes.
She was leaning over him, tucking a long strand of brown hair behind her ear to better show the smile growing on her face. Even when dressed in her Decisive Battle uniform from Chaldea, she looked radiant. "Good morning, handsome."
"...G' mornin' to you too, beautiful." Robin closed his eyes again once her left finger brushes some of the fringe out of the other side of his face, an incoming breeze making the incoming sunlight feel not so hot against his arms as he rested them along his stomach. "What're you doing, Vy?"
"I heard from Tama-san how a lap pillow could be relaxing, so I thought I could brush your hair to help you rest." With that said, Vy doesn't stop her stroking of his head, her thighs adequately plump enough against the back of his neck to act as a good cushion. She even twirls a small strand of his hair around her pinky finger with a giggle. "I know I'm not the best at taking breaks, but I at least want you to enjoy yours, Big Robin."
"This is already plenty, little sparrow." And yes, it was a little irritating to know she got the idea from that pink fox of all Servants, but it was better that it came from Tamamo Caster compared to, say, the two Koyanskayas that somehow found their way into Novum Chaldea to cause more headaches in their shared jail with BB. Robin shut his eyes to the thought, inhaling deeply to take in more of those flowers. More of Vy. "...At this rate, I won't want to get up."
"And that's fine." Vy gently pokes his cheek, giggling as a faint glint of gold comes into the corner of his vision with his next slow blink. An unmistakable glow of gold from her ring finger, just to match her lotus-shaped Command Seals. The tiny wing inscribed into the band shines just a little brighter to go along with the pink flower already there as she says, "Last I heard from Tama-san, wives are supposed to be there for their hubbies, right?"
"And vice versa," Robin retorts dryly, lacing his own fingers together and absently thumbing at his own silver band sitting at the base of his right ring finger. Caster Da Vinci didn't have to upgrade their rings with bird wings, but here they were. And it was nice to poke at. "A marriage's not a one-way street, Vy."
"Aye." Vy pats his cheek then, and opening his eyes reveals the blue stars of her eyes reflecting his image with pure love back at him. She leans down a little more, her breath mingling with his just as she says, "I love you, Big Robin."
Robin grins and leans up to meet her halfway. "I love you too, little sparrow."
Even in a simulated forest, it was another day of what would be a happier future to come. Bleached World resolution and all.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Or the author decided to dip her toes into the realm of smut/mature content for the first time ever, with the encouragement of @partialdignity (Thankie, Carim) and other friends. So content warning here, for some removed clothing and kissing. Just saying.
Heavily inspired by real life and how the journey to even committing to the action of sex itself possibly being a slow one, with two partners trying to explore each other at their own paces.
Canonically takes place after Olympus and Heian-Kyo in Part 2 of FGO, following this bond story from Tumblr. And is canon to Passing Days.
Was listening to Idol from YOASOBI when drafting, funny enough.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Or in an effort to break 200k total words on AO3, the author decided to revisit the Ooku event originally covered in Extra Days 4-6 while doing some character exploration. Inspired by Persona 4′s Shadow Confrontations; @partialdignity‘s writing of Step Back, Press Forward and Excising the Thorn; and the fight between Team RWBY and the Nightmare Grimm version of Blake in RWBY Ice Queendom.
This chapter is dedicated to the aforementioned @partialdignity (for help with writing Kama and the entire Ooku segment) and @hizentadahiro. A shoutout to @withanina and @kunikida too, since I know you’ve been going through some tough times lately - here’s some writing to help tide them through. I love you all lots. :>
FFN link here. OST playlist here too, with the new songs included.
[Image Description: A traditional drawing of a forest hunter dressed in a white suit with black and yellow cuffs, taking the gloved hand of a bespectacled brunette Master, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. The Master stares at him in surprise in her own formal butterfly-themed white dress, her blush coincidentally matching the lotus ribbon clip in her hair and the pink accents of her choker, cuff, and glove. The background has pink flower petals and light orange circles throughout, finished off with the drawing's date of "10/4/2022" in the top left corner. End Description.]
So per FFN and AO3, Passing Days turns 2 years old on November 28th this year. That's huge, considering I've only been writing for... 6 years? As of October 19th, too. Gosh.
And well, considering the recent trailer for Fate/Extra Record, I felt the intense urge to draw something again. Especially for the duo that Passing Days ended up being about, a far cry from its Tumblr oneshot debut two years ago.
It took a lot of references, some of which came from official Fate artists (and considering the new controversial advent of AI art, I wanted to point out the links specifically to give credit back to the original creators), but it's here.
I'm not sure where FGO's story will end. But whatever it tells, I'm sure I'm going to write alongside it, just to give these two their happy ending.
For everyone else, I hope you enjoy the ride. :) And thanks for staying with me for these last few years.
[Image Description: A traditional colored pencil drawing of a bespectacled, tearing-up brunette Master dressed in a gray-sleeved, blue dress with a white ribbon sash and petticoat. Her hair is done up in a high ponytail and held by a Chaldea symbol clip, her gaze not at the viewer but at the mirror in front of her. Behind her, a hooded May King looms in concern, his mantle raised upwards to hug the brunette's back as he looks down at her. The drawing's creation date is above the mirror's wall at the far top left corner, being "11/13/2022". End Description.]
From the writer standpoint behind this piece: There's only so much "saving the world" one can do before you start doubting yourself and what you're doing. In those times, you have to count on the people around you to help, even if they're "ghosts" because they at least understand the plight of being a hero; they were with you every single bloody step of the way. They can move you away from that accursed mirror taunting you of what you've become.
From a personal standpoint behind this, well. Being at home for 2 months between jobs has been a tough ordeal, to say the least. Going through interview after interview, recruiter after recruiter, wondering whether or not I'm professional trash based on how my previous job let me go. And well, I'm not surprised to have those thoughts leak into my writing and artwork.
When listening to RWBY Ice Queendom's rendition of Mirror Mirror, I suddenly got the idea of drawing this. Weiss Schnee is still a character I love dearly, from her character arc to her design, so after staring at her Volume 4 artwork and so many other references (all linked, of course), I was able to finish this in about two days. Thankie, Weiss.
Otherwise? I'd like to think Robin would be good at hugs when it comes to someone he grows to care about. It'd give his mantle another purpose aside from camouflage, anyways. A certain Chaldea Master I've been writing for (almost 2-3 years now, as of this post too) could use more.
[Image Description: A digital artwork of a brunette, glasses-wearing Vietnamese girl in a plain straw hat and a white ao dai dress with pink/purple hems, pink pants, and black shoes, sitting on her knees in a meadow in the middle of a forest. A lotus flower sits near her right hand, a warm smile on the girl's face as she offers her left hand to the green-cloaked rogue sitting against a tree trunk, and the rogue smiles back, one green-gloved hand raised in the air to eventually hold hers. End Description.]
A commission done by the lovely @panyum, this serves as both a celebration of achieving Bond 11 with Robin in-game and a concept art for a scene that's been lingering in my head for a while.
My energy has been more iffy lately with a new hire coming under my tutelage, but I can at least write this out under the cut, both for the friend who did this commission for me (thank you so much, Pan, I love this so much, this is probably the best Roby commission yet, your depiction of my culture via the ao dai is amazing) and to the rogue who's taken a seat in my heart to the point of staying in every team I have in FGO, one way or another:
-------------------------
Robin knew he was dreaming. From the damp grass under his feet and the smoky scent of the No Face May King, he knew he was back in his past again. There was no other explanation.
It didn't make seeing his little sparrow approach him in a long white dress any less eerie. Sure, Masters and Servants could share dreams, but there was something different about Vy walking closer to him compared to the previous times they had experienced this, awareness obvious in her features.
Not once during his previous summoning did Sir ever approach him like his little sparrow.
With a tilt of her head, her straw hat tipped back against her hair as Vy slowly sat down on her knees. A pink lotus was placed against the ground that she didn't cover, matching the pink ribbon keeping some of her long brown hair back and the warm smile on her face.
"You don't have to sit alone, y'know, Robin," Vy whispered, offering a single hand to him. "You're not alone anymore."
Even when every single part of him doubted that, he found himself smiling and raising a hand back.
