#AND HE DEDICATED ONE OF THE ELRIC BOOKS TO HIM
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percys-lemons · 4 months ago
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unfortunately this is how i looked yesterday raving to my friend about canterbury scene and it’s connections to prog in the 70s
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yutamayo · 1 year ago
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Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks....
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Oh shit!! No I have never been asked this (you're like my fifth ask ever) so I am very grateful for a chance to share!
Alright, so favorites? It'll probs be for a million diff reasons; the characters will have shaped me/my perspective on things in life bc I'm never a fan of things I don't find meaningful. But I want to make sure this list is based on the actual character and not just scenes/the media itself resonating with me. I chose these characters BC of who they are, their choices, their feelings...
Kaneki Ken
Hideyoshi Nagachika
Biaggio (The Kings of Summer)
Effy Stonem (Skins UK)
Samwise Gamgee the Brave (LOTR)
Armin Arlert
Arya Stark (GoT)
Light Yagami
Edward Elric
Hodaka Morishima (Weathering With You)
I don't think I can put it in any specific order bc I love them all for so many different ways, but here's my lil explanations...
Kaneki: Tokyo Ghoul was one of my first anime/manga, and will always hold a spot in my heart for that reason. Kaneki I love specifically bc of his character development. I'll say it now and I will say it again: character development is one of the biggest things for me. I want to be able to look at a character on the first episode and then at the finale of the show and I want to see two completely different people. That's what we got with Kaneki, but also him as a person; I personally connect with his reserved life and his complications around being a good person vs living for yourself and whatnot. We also will never get tired of a psychological break + white hair I mean, c'mon. The anime did the manga dirty 100% so if you're reading this and thinking Kaneki is shit I really do reccomend the manga; it truly shows the depth of his kindness, his trauma and his strength. Love that for him.
Hide: Fucking ray of sunshine sunflower boy my love. Anyways, I will always appreciate a subtly hyper-aware character. His nonchalance and lightheartedness wasn't a show or anything, but it was intentionally to relax the mood of the people around him all the while taking specific note of the things happening/his surroundings. Plus his dedication to the person he loves; I enjoyed that it wasn't an obvious and intense depiction (although it sucked he got so little screentime) but I do think he's intentionally shown to be someone who doesn't need to make a show of their love or dedication. Hide was in it till the end, and he didn't ever stop to get acknowledgment for that. He didn't need to BC that's just who he was and I love him for that.
Biaggio: The Kings of Summer (2013) is a movie that I grew up rewatching, it's amazing and reccomend it 1000% but my fave character is literally the side character (not the protagonist or even the second main character he's genuinely just there.) He is magnificent. This is partly a comedy movie and Biaggio is one of my favorite versions of comedy, the kind where he is clueless and absolutely on the spectrum, so fucking wholesome deadass funny and badass (I don't want to give spoilers but mans went head to head with a rattlesnake for a friend) and he's even more important to me BC my best friend and I had a special saying from the movie that we used for like personal and meaningful reference. Even going to get the line tattooed on my thigh. "Biaggio's right here." Yes. I'm getting that tattooed. And ik I'm not supposed to hype the media just the character but this movie also has one of my favorite lines in the world that I also want to figure into a tattoo. "I have no idea where he's getting the chives." (Yes, they're talking about Biaggio).
Effy: Skins UK is also one of the shows of my youth. Effy Stonem... When I first watched it she was everything I wanted to be, which, if you know Skins is a real fucking problem. My love for her used to be kinda toxic but my mental health at the time when I zeroed in on her as a character wasn't great. That being said, she probably means more to me BC of that. Her personally; her aesthetic and the way she really did not give a shit about things, but also the way it was obvious she wanted people to know she didn't give a shit, the way she sometimes cracked and asked for help, I loved the way she looked like she was unbreakable even while looking like a fucking mess. Then she turned out to be mentally ill and I resonated even more but not in a good way. I thought ab her over the years on and off, she was also smthn that fueled my ED so when things were bad my headspace was around there. Then the final season she was still a mess, but she was an adult and she was getting her shit done and making the most of her days. I started taking inspiration from that Effy. Got some character development of my own :)
Sam: Lord of the rings is smthn I grew up on (am I gonna repeat this every time...) my fam would watch the 12hr extended edition every Christmas. My main man is Samwise the fucking Brave. This man dedicated his heart and soul to his best friend. He was a dimensional character it wasn't just plain devotion; he saw the potential in frodo when he didn't himself and Sam just reminds me of support systems in general. Also my relationship with my own best friend. I'll never forget the way he cried, the way his heart was in it for a friend. He was strong yet he thought so little of himself. He's someone I can reference when I think of the fact that there are a billion different ways to be strong. And an infinite amount of ways to show love. I'm grateful for that.
Armin: Armin was my fave AOT character from the jump and still is. I saw his potential the moment those babyblues crouched over that mf book and that dumbass bowl cut hovered over the pages. I love him. He's smart, will go all the way for his friends, even if it's detrimental to himself. He grew up, well, is still growing up, and he's pretty much been forced to become confident in himself BC he's aware there's too much on the line not to be. I enjoyed that Armin as a person had those powerful qualities from the start, I enjoyed even more having them knocked out of him and put to use like cracking open an acorn shell.
Also just fucking baby non-binary twink whore baby
Arya: Arya. ARYA. I binged all of Game of Thrones like last year, I was never into the show when it was airing it was just kinda a thing. I tried reading the first book and enjoyed it but decided I just wanted to watch. So, when I start this shit, even when reading I fuckin loved Arya. Tomboy badass who won't take no for an answer and won't say yes if she doesn't mean it. The fact that from the begginging she was my fave, this little girl with trauma and determination (we seeing a trend here?) I will always appreciate that they made her wholeheartedly devoted to her revenge. No half-measures, no room for what everyone thinks should come with revenge; dissatisfaction. She was oh so very satisfied. I love characters that aren't good or bad, just people that believe in their reasons enough to devote themselves to them. And then of all fucking things, the goddamn finale she is the one who saves the world?! My girl, who I knew from the moment she appeared would do great things... Saved everybody's ass. So her.
Light: Okay now death note was actually like the second anime I ever watched and in those days (a decade or so ago) it was even more team L or team Light that it is now, it had it's own fucking Edward/Jacob twilight energy. Anyways I dedicated myself to team Light BC I rationalized his side in the begginging. The best part ab rewatching a show is seeing things in new light. At first he was badass and smart, next watch I realized he was pissboy. Even so, I fucking love him. I love that he's crazy and evil and delusional and has a god complex the size of the fucking Library of Alexandria. I like bad people, I do. I wouldn't irl but I find fictional media is a beautiful way to appreciate the ideal of things rather than the implications of them. So yes, Light lowered the goddamn crime rate and he had a great thing going. I wanna be Misa so bad, they'd have ruled the fucking world, if it weren't for L and those meddling kids.
Edward: Ed, my love. So FMAB was my first ever ever ever anime and my eternal genuine favorite. Edward, aside from the immense familial dedication and love, just really made me smile. I liked seeing his abrasiveness holding hands with his kindness. He made me personally invested in him too?? Idk why there's one scene where he saves/does something but ends up with a metal pole through his side under some rubble and yeah they get him out and it's fine but they didn't really acknowledge it and idk I remember constantly wondering why they didn't acknowledge how far Ed just went or how far he fucking goes to help people. I also love the mecha limbs aesthetic. Can't say no to that cyborg energy.
Hodaka: Weathering With You (2019) is probs my fave anime movie if I really think about it. Hodaka, I truly love BC his actions showed the purity of wanting someone you love to be safe by your side. He took notice of things that were beautiful, like in the way he was in awe of a home cooked meal. He wasn't afraid to yell or cry or push himself to the limit, if it meant protecting the people he loved. I liked that he's a "kid" but the whole time shows his maturity BC all these heavy things were thrown his way. He's dumb sometimes, whiny and essentially unrealistic.
Unrealistic. That's what you say when you've lost the determination to hope. To know and to try anyways. He never lost those things, and we could all take a lesson from him on that one.
~
So there's my silly little (Jesus it's so long) list of the silly little loves of my life. I know I'm gonna end up remembering someone at some point and wishing I had put them here but that's just the dumb bitch juice I had with breakfast talking.
Hope you enjoyed!! Y'all feel free to drop your faves and reasons in the replies!! Inbox always always open, and thank you so fucking much for sending this my way!! ❤️❤️❤️
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limetameta · 2 years ago
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You know me lads I love a good au:
This time on the table we got ourselves a serving of What if Kimblee got discharged from the military after Ishval instead of going to prison. So you have this really mentally unstable individual who is clearly going through a lot (though most notably for him is the ph stone being taken from him) told he is unfit to serve in the military anymore. And that he will be discharged on grounds of shell shock. Kimblee understands this is their way of getting rid of him, a nightmare to deal with.
He goes home. Well to the hospital first and then to some hearings and then the whole court martial situation and then he doesn't even get to go home but they shove him into a mental institution until he calms down. Because Kimblee? A bit angry. Let's not get into how or why he didn't blow people up let's just focus on the au because this isn't even the good part.
Man finally goes home after this ordeal. Has to reconnect with his family. Mama Kimblee my beloved is so happy to have her boy back from Ishval. If anything she's quite happy that her Solf’s not in the military anymore. If only he'd stop with the alchemy business too and focus on being a doctor or a banker or even a textile worker. Something real and safe and financially tangible.
Kimblee is not a military officer. He gets those veteran discounts and a veteran's pension and that's about it. So he focuses on research.
-When are you going to find someone to settle down with? Martina's boy is already married and he's younger than you!-
So he focuses on research.
-Not to mention that I'm worried about your health. You aren't eating enough. And I don't think I've seen you sleep once through the entire night since you've been back!-
He focuses on research.
-I mean, really, Solf, maybe you should talk to someone about this. Aren't you in contact with any of your war buddies? You never have anyone over. You can't be that disliked. I taught you how to be charming.-
Somehow he manages to focus enough on his research for long enough for his name to become synonymous with alchemy. Has written a plethora of articles and even helped write some books on alchemy. His theories are definitely something else and this gives him a certain level of infamy that the war didn't. Feel like the man gets a PhD. Just so he can write Prof.dr Kimblee. It's definitely filled some void in his chest. His mother's certainly proud her son's a doctor of SOME kind. Still not like Martina's boy who's an actual surgeon, but oh well.
At least he gets out of the house.
Kimblee remains in contact with two people from the military. Very one sided. Kimblee didn't even know these people liked him well enough to write him. But the whole hospital then discharge then PhD thing must be interesting enough to warrant them to write.
There's a whole little box dedicated to the photos Maes Hughes sends him. Kimblee is a bit frightened to think about what kind of box someone like Roy Mustang must need in order to encompass all of the memorabilia Maes Hughes sends him.
Maes is kind of like a normal friend Kimblee can tell his mother about. Because other than the neighbourhood gossip and the music scene in their hometown, he is painfully aware he is running out of topics to talk about w her.
The other person is. Well. Not a person, more of an angel of death if Kimblee can say so. Riza Hawkeye sends one or two letters per year. But she sends them. Kimblee thinks that's nice of her. He sends her cards on the major holidays. Has invited her out to come and go hunting with him in these parts. Has always had the offer declined. Does not mind.
Kimblee is a painfully smart man and he has a lot of stipulations put into place how he needs to use his alchemy and in which circumstances he is allowed to use his very destructive alchemy. It's...exhausting. though it is better than having a tattoo artist completely tattoo over his palms and effectively render him incapable of ever using it.
In comes Edward Elric. He has gone through so many books to no avail. He is at his wit's fucking end about finding any information about how he and his brother can find their bodies back. He has no idea who else he can harass.
Roy Mustang is just about to suggest Shou Tucker, the Life Thread Alchemist - when Riza just says, offhandedly: "I mean, there's always Kimblee."
Roy? Instantly grimaces. Horrified. What even is life?
This reaction? Just enough for Edward to go head first into his manhunt on the Kimblee guy. "I read some of his stuff and he seems really intense. How do you know him? I thought he wasn't a State Alchemist?"
"He was." Roy just leaves it at that. Smart man, this Roy. Not one to waste words.
Anyhow they track Kimblee down. Which isn't difficult. He's in the phone book. Riza has his address.
But it gets a bit funny when he reaches the destination. Edward just keeps pointing at people and going: ''Oi, are you Solf J. Kimblee?'' ''Oi are YOU doctor Solf J. Kimblee?'' ''OI, WHAT ABOUT YOU, ARE YOU SOLF J. KIMBLEE, DR PHD ALCHEMY GUY?'' (billy nye the science guy theme plays)
''He's gone fishing,'' one person says. Finally they point him in the direction of this guy who's on a little row boat out into a lake. He has a hat on and he's chilling. Edward, naturally, keeps shouting at him for attention from the lake shore. He's screaming atop his lungs. ''OI??? OI!!!! YOU DR KIMBLEE OR NOT??? OIIIIII, WE GOT SOME QUESTIONS, WE'RE ALCHEMISTS!''
Alphonse is like: ''Maybe it's not him. Maybe it's just some guy fishing.''
''How can he fish?'' Edward's pointing at the boat and the man in the boat. ''He doesn't have a fishing rod.''
Alphonse hums. It is pretty suspicious.
Edward won't stand for it, thanks. He and Alphonse are getting in another boat because they don't have any time to spare. The faster they get information the faster they can get out of here and maybe finally find a lead towards their goal. Besides, the ph stone continues to be an enigma nobody knows anything about! This guy could very well be a dud, but they'd at least like to figure it out quickly.
So, their boats are neck and neck. Alphonse introduces them as the Elric brothers.
''You're that twelve year old that became a State Alchemist?'' The man says. He doesn't seem surprised, only mildly curious.
''I'm fifteen now, thanks!'' Then. ''Are you that Doctor Kimblee guy or not?''
''If you're asking if I'm Martina Kimblee's son, Adam Kimblee the successful surgeon, I will have to disappoint you.''
Edward is fuming by the end of Kimblee's roundabout answers that he tells him he's come here for one purpose and one purpose only and that's to hear what Kimblee knows about alchemy and ph stones and that he won't be leaving until he gets what he wants.
''Sure,'' Kimblee says, ''I can tell you about my research. On the condition you kill more fish than I do.''
The boat Alphonse and Edward took to get to Kimblee has two fishing rods in it. And some bait. Though, Kimblee's doesn't.
Edward and Alphonse have accepted this bet
Kimblee's humming a classical piece. Maybe the Carmina Burana. He's grinning. He's having a fun time just chilling in his boat looking at these two very determined teenagers trying to out-fish him.
Edward is telling him that he's gonna lose so fucking hard. He hasn't caught one fish yet.
Kimblee points to all of their wriggling fishes. ''And those are still alive.''
Edward huffs and says they'll die eventually. There's no way Kimblee can beat them. They've caught like 5 fish so far. And Kimblee? A big ol zero! Nye-he!
Five fish turns into ten. They're celebrating on their boat already. The poor souls. Kimblee doesn't prepare them for what's coming. He leans over his boat and claps, sparks sizzling from his alchemical activation, and he very gently submerges his palms into the lake water. There's a big boom. Suddenly definitely-more-than-ten fish swim up to the surface, dead and dazed.
Kimblee smiles at them and waves with his moon array palm. ''I win.''
''You didn't CATCH any of them, though!''
Kimblee scoffs. ''I said kill, not catch.''
''He did say that, brother...''
''Motherfucker.'' Edward throws a fish at Kimblee.
''So rude!'' Kimblee says, barely dodging the fish.
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the-elemental-alchemist · 3 years ago
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💜Rules/Introduction🤍
“My foolish heart turns at the stars.”
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⚠️WARNING⚠️: CONTENT AND OR RPs ON THIS BLOG MAY CONTAIN DARK AND OR NSFW THEMES IN THE FUTURE. DONT INTERACT IF YOURE UNDER 18 OR UNCOMFORTABLE WITH STUFF LIKE THAT
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Fullmetal Alchemist indie rp blog/side account for my oc/self insert, Julia and Envy(who i ship her with). This blog will consist of stuff from fmab and fma 2003. I’m pretty new to rping on tumblr/ rping in general so I would appreciate it if some people could show me the ropes. I would rather mainly rp with other Envy rpers, but other characters are welcome, just nothing sexual or suggestive with any fma characters who are under 18. I will be using both he/him and they/them pronouns when referring to or talking about envy.
(main account/admin: @strawberryraviegutz)
Basic rules apply to this blog such as;
🌸No bigoted or rude behavior in general is allowed here
🌸DO NOT or interact if you're under 18
🌸DO NOT interact if you support incest, pedophilia, minor x adult ships, ect.
🌸Must have age in bio
💜🌸🐇Oc Introduction🐇🌸🤍
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Name: Julia Keirstien
Age: “24”
Height: 5’0
True age: Unknown(though much, MUCH older than 24)
Race/Ethnicity: Black
Species: Half human half homunculus hybrid
Powers/abilities: Elemental manipulation, telekinesis, healing/regeneration, immortality, performance of alchemy without a transmutation circle, increased strength and agility, can make her ouroboros tattoo disappear
Friends: Edward Elric, Alphonse(who are also like kid brothers/younger siblings to her. Same goes for Winry and Mei Chang), Riza, Sheska, Roy
(Main friend group: Sheska and Riza)
Alias:
The Elemental Alchemist
Occupation:
Freelance State Alchemist/Amestrian Citizen
Nicknames Envy gives her
Rabbit
The Rabbit
Cotton tail
Princess(Derogatory)
Bunny
Little Bunny
Little Rabbit
Brat
Bun-Bun
Bunny-Bitch
Dearest (sarcastically)
💗Likes💗
Sweets
Fantasy novels
Romance novels
Overall books in the fiction genre
The colors pink, purple, and white
Cute things
Helping others in need
Baking
Flowers
Art
Sleeping in
Tea
❌Dislikes❌
Injustice
Her past
Her biological parents
Accidentally upsetting/hurting people
Messing up
Awful/Mean people
Dead things
Being abandoned
Not being taken seriously
Being disregarded
Being harassed or chastised
Envy(at least she did at first)
Appearence
Julia is a short and petite young woman. She has brown skin, icy blue eyes, and long wavy snow white white hair with two buns tied up on the sides of her head. She wears a long sleeved dress purple and black dress that goes down to just a liver keeps knees that is buttoned up by three gold buttons. She wears long white heeled boots with a yellow stripe going down the side, and wears two black fingerless gloves.
History(Backstory)
TW: CHILD ABUSE, DEATH, DOMESTIC ABUSE, BULLYING
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Despite the fact that Julia is a homunculus, she was not actually created by Father(aka the dwarf in the flask). It was actually Julia’s own biological father that turned her into one. 154 years before the events of brotherhood, Julia was born into a royal family and the result of an arranged marriage between her mother and her father who was the ruler of the country they lived in.
Julia’s father was a very ruthless and strict man, doing everything he could to keep the amount of power/influence he had over his country and or other countries, even if it was through shady and corrupt means which was how their country was managed to be real advanced like Xerxes. While also being a king of some-sort, he was also what most would consider a mad scientist(or in this case alchemist). He dedicated his research of alchemy as a means to discover how to make his country’s and kingdom’s influence even more powerful.
He wanted to He wanted to obtain the power of the God him and his kingdom worshipped so he could gain more knowledge about the universe and to expand his empire and thought that he was worthy to be chosen by God to learn the secrets of the universe. Some of the corrupt priests were in on this plan as well because they wanted to do it “in the name of God/for God(aka truth but no one really knew what truth looks like.) Along with thinking that the colonization of other countries was good because it was “in the name of God”. And like most, alchemists wanted to know the key to the magnum opus and Rubedo to make the philosopher’s stone. A certain number of people every couple of years also started going missing. Julia’s father was of course behind it. He secretly would preform illegal an unethical experiments on the population of his country who were poor/lower class along with the lower clsss of the countries he’d colonized to further his research.
Julia unfortunately was not safe from her dad’s experiments. From a very young age, he basically treated her like property, forcing her to go through minor lab tests along with making her study A LOT to test her intelligence, and punished her with abuse if she did anything that he considered “out of line”. He basically forced her to learn how alchemy works, and while Julia was interested in learning alchemy, it felt like a chore learning due to the amount of pushing her father did.
He told her it was just to prepare her for greatness in his own twisted sense of love and that it was in the will of God. He also wanted to gain knowledge from God on how to make Julia was to make her a catalyst for the philosopher stone.To use her as a living weapon.
Whenever Julia would go out whether it be taking her to business meetings or parties/balls She stuck out like a sore thumb. She was mostly shy and quiet. Some of the higher class people and some of the priests thought that she wasn’t fit to rule the kingdom and their children thought the same as well. As a result Julia was not taken seriously by her peers. Despite being the daughter of the ruler of the country she lived in, no one ever stopped messing with her because of the fact that her father simply did not care.
This unfortunately however resulted in her being the target of ridicule. Despite being the daughter of the ruler of the country she lived in, no one ever stopped messing with her because of the fact that her father simply did not care.
He saw it as something to toughen her up and also only saw it as something to toughen her up when she would eventually meet God. It also didn’t help that some people hated Julia simply for the fact that her dad was an awful person and took it out on her. Julia’s mother was no better either. She was unfazed at the abuse her husband did to her daughter. She hated Julia’s father for the obvious reason that she was forced to marry him for political gain and the fact that she was being abused by him as well. She was kinder towards Julia back when she was an infant, but as the years went by, she began to grow a disdain towards her daughter.
Around the time when Julia was able to walk and talk better on her own, She started to act cold an uncaring towards her. Whenever Julia would try to get close to her mom or show her mom physical affection, she was either ignored or physically shoved away and or hit/slapped away. Julia never understood why her mother hated her so. That’s one of the main reasons why she hated her father. For making her own mother hate her. She also never really saw her mom all that much, though whenever she did, her mom would avoid her like the plague. She feared both of her parents due to all of this.
Julia often used fantasy and romance novels to escape her bleak reality. She often dreamed about the idea of falling in love with a prince of some sort that would treat her with care and rescue her from the hellish nightmare she called her life. And as if things couldn’t get any worse for Julia, at the mere age of eight, she was the victim of a lab accident that left her bed ridden for weeks. The accident caused her once black hair to turn a ghostly white and her brown eyes an icy blue.
When she was able to go out again, the ridicule much worse due to her newfound appearance. She was called names like “witch”, “white haired witch” and “ghost girl”. Julia’s new look also caused her mom to view her as some sort of evil deity/spirit that had come to kill her. A bad omen. All of this obviously broke Julia even more. When Julia was around nine, she found her mom trying to escape one night when everyone else in the mansion was asleep. Just before she could leave, Julia grabbed onto her.
She begged and pleaded with tears in her eyes for her mom to take her with her and away from that monster she called a father. Though of course like all the other times whenever she got physically close to her mom, she was denied. She was kicked off of her mom, and her mother told Julia straight to her face that she was the worst thing that had ever happened to her next to her father and how she wanted nothing to do with her father or her ever again and called her daughter an abomination. After that, she escaped into the night. A month after what happened that night, Julia’s mother was eventually found and taken back to her dad after a search all over the country was sent out for her.
She had been having an affair with another man and they had planned to flee the country and start a new life together. Her father was of course enraged when he found out about this. And as a result he killed her. Julia was in the room when it all happened meaning she’d witnessed her dad murder her mom right in front of her. The very last words Julia’s mom said to her and her dad was,
“You bastard…I hate you! Both of you! Especially you, you little shit! You unclean abomination! You ruined any chance I had at happiness, I curse the very day I forced you out of my womb! If only… if only you hadn’t been born I could’ve been happy… I hope you suffer a fate far worse than death.”
And then she was shot in the head and died instantly as a result. Her death was covered up as a suicide, and the man she had an affair with was publicly executed for committing “treason”. As the years went by, Julia’s view on humanity became a bit skewered. She viewed all people as selfish and cruel with no empathy left in them. Though despite having this mindset, the other half of her clung onto hope. Hope that there were good people out there. Hope that things would be better.
During Julia’s late teenage years, her father was starting to make what he considered a “breakthrough” in his research. That being he finally figured out how to make a philosopher stone and how to open the gate of God(or truth). He planned out how to do the transmutation throughly. On the day it would be enacted,it was going to be disguised as a ceremony to the kingdom. A country wide celebration with festivals and all sort of festivities. It was called The Day of Prosperity and it would take place a couple of weeks after Julia’s twenty first birthday. Though unknowingly, this would lead to his downfall of not just himself, but the entire kingdom and country as a whole.
In the months leading up to that day, the necessary amount of crests were made made from certain pinpoints using the countries he’d colonized in which some people in said countries were slaughtered for the plan organized by the corrupt priests for once again “in the name of God”. Julia’s father already viewed the countries he had colonized to be uncouth and thought it was necessary to convert them to his beliefs. It was no different from when he slaughtered the people in the countries he waged for war on that he was colonizing way before the plan.
Weeks after Julia’s twenty first birthday she was tested on her knowledge on alchemy, in which she passed of course. Julia herself had a bad feeling about what was happening. Something didn’t feel right to her. And for good reason.
On the day of prosperity, Julia woke up on the floor of the throne room of her home with her arms and legs cuffed together. She was in the center of a giant transmutation circle on the floor with her father standing in the center right next to her. Julia asked him what the hell was going on, and he responded by saying that this was the greatness he’s prepared her for her whole life along with him finally finding a way to gain the power of God.
Julia still not knowing what was going to happen to her tried to struggle and free herself but it was no use. She couldn’t transmute anything to free herself not only because she was bound, but the shackles she was bound in were special alchemy cuffs that prevented her from performing any sort of alchemy, so she was trapped. Julia’s dad used his own blood along with Julia’s and smeared it on the circle.
Long story short when the circle was activated, the process was basically kinda like how Hoenheihm became immortal(minus the dwarf in the flask). He had opened the gate. Billions of people died all over the country, and the entire country’s souls were transformed into the philosophers stone and the stone’s energy that was then fused inside of Julia’s heart.(though her father did not. Truth sent her dad into the gate for his crimes for not only trying to do human transmutation in reverse, but also for the horrible things he’d done to others in the name of Truth even though Truth never stood for any of Julia’s father’s corrupt beliefs at all). Everything for Julia went black. And then a moment later she woke up infront of the gate and saw Truth. Julia was basically on the verge of death, and because it clearly wasn’t Julia’s fault, Truth decided to give her a second chance at life, but she had to give up part of her humanity in return due to the law of equivalent exchange.
Julia was hesitant at first, but she didn’t want to die. Especially not like this, so she reluctantly agreed. When she woke up back in the living world she was back in the throne room next to the corpse of her father. Distraught, scared, and confused, she ran outside to discover that it was raining and saw the lifeless corpses of the country’s population that littered the ground.
Julia looked at her reflection in a nearby puddle and sow that she had strange red markings on her arms(though these red markings weren’t the red nodes that Lust, Envy, Greed, and the other Homunculi had). And to her horror she also saw that on her right shoulder where she was cut was completely healed and in its place was the mark of the ouroboros.
Julia knew what a homunculus was, and ike most alchemists or alchemists in training, she learned what a homunculus was back when she was learning and studying alchemy as a child. It was clear to her what the mark of the ouroboros that was now on her shoulder meant in that very moment.
She wasn’t human anymore.
She ran away and never looked back. She spent her now extended lifespan traveling to new places while also trying to find way to make herself human again. But after an entire decade of looking for answers, she was unsuccessful and had gave up. She also didn’t know how to control her newfound powers during that time, but luckily she eventually managed to do so and was even able to make her ouroboros tattoo disappear whenever she wanted to and the same went for those red markings. She decided to use her newfound powers to help people throughout her travels.
She kept her telekinesis on the down low, but she was able to disguise her elemental manipulation powers as alchemy since she was able to preform alchemy without a transmutation circle since she saw the gate.
After decades of traveling she decided to settle down in Amestris and live there. She applied to become a state alchemist(this was after the ishvalin war had ended btw) so that she could help others in that country as well. Julia easily got mistaken for an ishvalin due to her white hair and brown skin which she had to refute multiple times. It took a lot of hard work but she passed the entrance exam, though wasn’t assigned on military duty. She was basically assigned in a position in an agency to where her job was to take commissions from people who needed help with situations that only state alchemists could solve.
Her feelings towards the military were and are pretty mixed. On the other hand they were no different from the people from her homeland. Ruthless, cruel, and no empathy towards others. But on the other hand, she’s met some pretty decent people when working there. One of her very first friends she made while working there was Riza Hawkeye. And she eventually befriended Sheska as well.
She even had a bit of a crush on Roy Mustang at one point, but after she saw how close him and Riza were she decided to back off. But she eventually got over it(Roy sorta knew but didn’t bother to say anything). And she does eventually meet the other characters during the events of the anime like Ed, Alphonse, and yes, Envy.
In the fma 2003 universe everything is basically the same except the way she became a hybrid was due to her being half dead/on the verge of death(yes her dad basically nearly killed her for his own personal gain just and “in the name of God”like in the mangahood universe). Despite going through the gate, by some miracle she was still able to keep her soul(she was sorta able to do it through sheer willpower kinda like what Envy did when he went through the gate to get to our world so he could kill Hoenheihm.)Though in exchange the gate took part of her humanity away, which is how she was also able to become half
homunculus as well as the first homunculus to ever be able to perform alchemy before Wrath
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And that concludes Julia’s introduction and backstory. I hope you guys enjoy rping or interacting with me in general.
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nevermore-the-kitsune · 4 years ago
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Top Ten Biggest Polt Twists in Animation (in my opinion).
Spoiler Warning
10. April is a mutant (TMNT 2012)
In this incarnation of TMNT, the turtles fight the evil Kraang. Their main target is April O'Neil. The reasons why have been kept vague until it is revealed that she herself is a mutant! Not any mutant but a combination of Kraang and human DNA.
9. The Philosopher Stone is made out of People (Fullmetal Alchemist series)
Brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric committed the ultimate taboo and attempted to bring back their deceased mother. However, in the process Ed lost his arm and leg while Alphonse lost his body and became a soul bound to a suit of armor. The brothers came to believe that only the philosopher stone, who is said to hold unlimited alcchemic potential, was the only way to get their bodies back to normal. That dream is shattered when they learn that the stone is made by killing thousands of people.
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8. The Author was Stan's Twin Brother (Gravity Falls)
Gravity Falls is a town that holds many secrets. During their summer visiting their great uncle Stan, Dipper and Mabel discover a mysterious book that holds the secrets that lie beneath Gravity Falls. A major theme throughout this show is "who is the author" the mystery twins encounter many strang things in their quest to find out who they are. Only to have it revealed that Stan's brother was the author.
7. Chad is still in the KND (Codename Kids Nextdoor)
In the beginning of this series, Chad or #274, was the leader of the KND. Until his 13th birthday, when he betrayed them. Throughout the series Chad joins the KNDs nemesis, the teenagers, and takes a part in their plots to destroy the KND. However, when #1 is given a chance to take him out, Chad reveals that he never left the KND and was working as a spy.
6. Grandpa Max was a Plumber (Ben 10)
Ben 10 tells the story of ten year old Ben Tennyson who is on summer vacation with is grandfather and cousin, traveling the U.S in an old RV. On the first night Ben finds the Omnitrex, a device that allows him to transform into different aliens.
By the end of the first season Max reveals that he was a Plumber, an intergalactic police officer, and had know the whole time what the Omnitrex was and the Aliens Ben transformed into. While not a huge twist (the series would have some bigger ones as it continued) it was still a shock to learn that Max knew what was going on the whole time.
5. Rose betrayed the Huntsclan (American Dragon: Jake Long)
Dragon Jake Long fell in love with a member of The Huntsclan, Rose or Huntsgirl. However, she in turn fell in love with Jake not knowing that he was a dragon. Rose gets the chance to kill Jake, if she does she will become a full fledged member, but Jake shows her his human face. In turn she lets him go and runs away.
During the second season, the Huntsclan attemp to destroy every magical creature by using mythical skulls that grant anyone who brings them together a perfect wish (Think the dragonballs). In the last moment she strikes down her master and instead wishes for the destruction of the Huntsclan, knowing that that will include her.
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4. Rose Quortz was Pink Diamond (Steven Universe)
Many believed that Rose Quortz, the leader of the resistance and mother of Steven, had shattered Pink Diamond, one of the heads of the Gems. However it is revealed in season 5 that she WAS pink diamond and had faked her own death to protect the Earth.
3. Nagisa's blood lust came from his mother (Assassination Classroom)
Class 3E is the bottom of society, but they have been given the chance of a lifetime. A being who can move at mock 20 says that he will destroy the Earth in one year, unless one of them can Assassinate him. He takes on the role of their homeroom teacher to better prepare them.
Out of all the students in 3E, Nagisa Shoita was the lest impressive. He was small, weak, and looked more feminine than his female classmates. Yet, Nagisa has the national talent of an assassin. He managed to get the drop on their gym teacher, a man who is skilled in many fighting styles, and took down an ex military officer (twice). He has surprised his classmates with his abilities, feom getting the drop on top assassins, including their homeroom teacher, to installing fear with just a glare.
However, this came at a price. His mother is abusive beyond reason. She forces Nagisa to grow his hair long, makes him wear dresses and other feminine clothing. On several occasions she has bashed his head into solid objects. She is unpredictable, forcing Nagisa to do what all children in that situation do, learn to control his emotions and read the thoughts of others. This woman created a viper.
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2. Eric Cartman and Scott Tenerman are brothers (South Park)
Cartmans mom has always been loose. The identity of her son's father was likely going to stay a mystery. But during the second episode of season 2 we get our answer (kinda). The answer was given now we could move on.
In a later episode Cartman gets scammed and humiliated by Scott Tenerman, an older teenager. So, Cartman devises a scheme. In the end Scotts parents are dead and eaten in some chille.
Many seasons later its revealed that Scott's Father and Eric's are one and the same. Ms. Cartman amd the town had lied about his identity in order to protect his public image. Thus Cartman killed his own father.
1. Zak Saturday is Kur (The Secret Saturdays)
From the beginning I knew this would be number one.
The Secret Saturdays is about a family of scientists who study crypteds, or strange creatures with unique abilities. The most dangerous was Kur, a creature said to have the power to raise a crypted army and take over the world. Zak has the ability to manipulate crypteds leaving him and his family to believe that shoukd Kur be unleashed onto the world, Zaks power woukd be the only thing that coukd stop it.
At the end of season 1, the truth is revealed that Zak IS Kur.
The entire first season is dedicated to finding Kur and talking about how dangerous he is. Then it turns out that it's Zak, a 12 year old boy with a kind heart. I cannot describe how shocked I was, then having to wait years to find out the outcome (we moved around alot) killed me.
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Remember that this is my opinion. What are some of your favorite plot twists in animation?
(Images are not mine, all credit goes to the artists)
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poppy-pelican · 4 years ago
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Darkness on Fire (chapter 2/5)
Rating: Explicit (although not until later chapters)
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26692747/chapters/65460514#workskin
Chapter 2 Summary: Hawkeye and Mustang discover some secrets about Van Hohenheim and his family, and their simple bodyguard job quickly gets complicated.
Two Years Later
 Chris Mustang should have known raising a boy around an establishment like hers would come back to bite her in the ass. When her nephew was tragically turned into a vampire, she had expected him to sulk and pout about it. But no, Roy relished his new night life, as he called it. Currently he was tasting his third woman of the night, always out in the open for anyone to see. Chris had asked him to take it back to a private room—many times—but he claimed it was good for business. He dropped by once a week for his meals unless work kept him away. It was always the same. He never took one of her girls to a private room, always drank from their wrists, and was never exclusive with a particular woman like her many other vampire customers.
The only steady woman in his life was his dedicated assistant, Riza Hawkeye. Chris checked her watch. It was past five in the morning. The stoic assistant would be arriving soon to remind Roy to leave before sunrise. He hadn’t explained why he returned from the militia with his alchemist teacher’s daughter as his shadow. When Chris had poked around for information from others, the truth of it had been enough for her to refrain from searching for anymore answers on the subject.
Vanessa, whose wrist Roy was tasting, giggled as he licked the wound shut with an exaggerated waggle of his eyebrows. She blew him a kiss and sashayed over to a vampire couple who wanted a quick bite to share before dinner. Vanessa was best suited for that kind of meal, seeing as she was a vampire herself.
Roy slunk over to the bar, his gaze flicking revealingly to the door where he expected his assistant to appear.
“I’m going to be unreachable for at least a week,” he said. “An old friend asked me to come for a visit. Elizabeth will be accompanying me.”
“Oh?” Chris asked. The two of them were part of an elite, off-the-books team for the new fuhrer. They were slowly hunting down the last of the previous regime’s supporters—the ones who wanted humans to submit and produce blood like livestock. But since Roy mentioned Hawkeye’s codename, that meant this assignment was not from Grumman. A more personal assignment, then?
“Enjoy your visit,” she said.
Roy checked the door again, not even attempting to hide it.
“She’s late, huh?” Chris asked. “That’s not like her.”
“She was running an errand for me. I’m going to be annoyed if she doesn’t get here before sunrise.”
Chris held back a smirk at his barely concealed worry. “Are you going to need a room?” she asked.
The question went unanswered as Hawkeye finally walked in the door, folding a dripping umbrella.
“Did you get held up?” Roy asked.
“Hi Chris, could I get a quick coffee?” Hawkeye asked, ignoring the question.
“Sure thing.”
As she listened to the pair’s hushed conversation, she saw she already had a pot of coffee ready. She didn’t recall making it, so it must have been one of the girls.
“It took longer than expected, but I got what you needed,” Hawkeye said. “We can talk more about it tomorrow night.”
“You’re going to make me wait all day?”
Chris put the mug down in front of Hawkeye, who thanked her quietly.
“You should get home, sir. Not only is it raining, but the sunrise is soon.”
“Rain,” he grumbled.
“I have an extra umbrella in my bag,” she said. She tossed it at him. “I’m going to drink this and then I have a few more errands to run.”
He gave a petulant sigh, but waved goodbye and was out the door. After the rest of the vampire customers had either left or taken one of Chris’s safe rooms, Chris returned to Hawkeye, pouring herself a glass of white wine.
“How did your meeting tonight really go?” Chris asked.
Hawkeye clutched the mug closer to her.
“It went fine.”
“It seemed like you were shooing my boy away,” Chris said. “Have something to hide?”
“I just didn’t want him to burn any bridges because of me. Our contact can be difficult, but he always has the best information.”
“So…there’s a reason to burn bridges?” Chris inferred.
“Not on my account,” Hawkeye said. “Next time I will just make sure to bring your nephew along. I don’t like surprise vampire meetings. It was supposed to be just myself and the contact.”
And there was the info Roy would take issue with. He never wanted her to deal with vampires on her own—and with good reason.
“You don’t look compelled now, but…” Chris looked Hawkeye over. Her skin was paler than usual, her eyes red and tired. If nothing else, the blood would give her a small energy boost. “I have some vampire blood on hand if you need.” As her bar grew into a neutral ground for vampires to meet, she had long ago started keeping the stuff on hand.
“I probably should. To be safe. Though I can’t see why they would have bothered,” Hawkeye said. “Aside from trying to intimidate me with the vampire they brought along, it was a simple exchange. Though… I may have threatened to blow his head off,” she said with a half-smile. Hawkeye’s reflexes were legendary. Few humans could hit a vampire target so unerringly.
Chris gave a throaty chuckle. “That’s one way to take care of things.”
She pulled out a lockbox she kept under the bar for special customers. Compulsion was a tricky thing. During active compulsion, it was easy to notice, particularly if it was someone you knew well, but if the vampire compelled you to forget, that was a different matter.
She opened the box, glancing at the tiny bottles of blood. “I don’t have Roy’s on hand, if you’d prefer his, I keep it upstairs.”
“No, that won’t be necessary.”
“How about this one,” Chris said, holding up a labeled bottle for Hawkeye to take.
“Maes Hughes?” Hawkeye asked curiously. Hughes was a good man—and a lucky one. It wasn’t six months after Roy transitioned into a vampire that Hughes followed him into the nightlife, although with far less enthusiasm than Roy. Hughes’s spirits rose once his girlfriend assured him she wouldn’t leave him over some fangs and a change in diet.
Hawkeye thought it over for a minute before grimacing and adding a few drops to her coffee.
“He’s a frequent donor. He likes to help out,” Chris explained, watching as Hawkeye took a sip.
“No compulsion,” Hawkeye confirmed. “And I’m pretty sure this coffee is made of tar because I can’t even tell there’s blood in it,” she said with a wink.
Hawkeye finished her coffee, leaving just as the first rays of light began to peek across the rooftops. The rain had stopped, and she left her umbrella behind with a subdued wave before she went out the door.
Chris ambled over to the umbrella, picking it up. Inside she found a note wrapped around the handle, “Mustang’s sire is back in Central. Be careful.”
Chris crumpled the note, feeling deeply unsettled. She knew how desperately Roy and Hawkeye wanted to put an end to deceptively young Selim Bradley’s life, and yet they were leaving town. It gave her a bad feeling, but she could only trust the pair would take care of each other and return safely.
 #
 “Why the hell did Hohenheim ask us all the way out here?” Roy asked, looking around the small village of Resembool with skepticism. They had arrived on the sleeper train, and sunrise would be soon. Roy was uncomfortably aware of the lack of safe houses in the country compared to Central. “Pretty sure the people are outnumbered a thousand to one by sheep.”
“Let’s get going. Hohenheim said he’d meet us near the general store,” Hawkeye said, marching ahead without waiting for a response.
Roy let her gain some distance as he did one more scan of the area. While Hawkeye held her own, she was only human and therefore much slower. Usually they would drive together, but it seemed the invention of the car had yet to trickle its way to the rural areas of Amestris. Instead there was enough quiet that Roy could hear Hawkeye’s delicious heartbeat thumping along even a hundred feet away.
He caught up to Hawkeye with ease, even though he carried both their bags. Hohenheim had been incredibly vague and unforthcoming about how long they would be needed or why, so Hawkeye had insisted they pack enough to get by for at least two weeks.
Hohenheim appeared at the end of the road, his unusual golden eyes almost glowing in the moonlight.
“Welcome, little brother,” Hohenheim greeted. He refused to stop calling him that no matter how often Roy reminded him he hated it. Exactly like an older brother, Roy supposed. “And the lovely Miss Hawkeye. I’m glad you’re here. My wife is excited to meet you.”
“Your wife?” Hawkeye asked, her curiosity leaking out.
“The mysterious Mrs. Hohenheim?” Roy asked.
Hohenheim chuckled lowly. “Yes, although she kept her maiden name, Elric. Resembool is her hometown, actually. She wanted to raise the children here.”
“Children?” Roy asked, his surprise mounting. “As in—your children?” Although Hohenheim had taken Roy under his wing after his untimely death, he had never mentioned children, not even his wife’s name. He was exceptionally private.
“Yes, we have two boys. Edward and Alphonse. Ed is eleven, Al is ten.” Hohenheim sighed like an exhausted but doting father. “They are a handful. Very talented alchemists for their age. And…fledgling vampires.”
“That is not what I was expecting,” Hawkeye said bluntly.
Roy shook his head, hoping to clear it. “Something tells me our sire knows about them.”
“I’ve no idea how he heard about them, but he sent a…letter” Probably not a good letter. “Usually I can talk him out of his delusions, which is why I’d like to deal with him promptly. Did you find out his location?”
“He’s in Central,” Roy said, looking at Hawkeye intently. She had been very close-lipped about her meeting with Raven other than the basic facts she had gleaned from him. “He’s been spotted at his usual haunts there.”
“Good,” Hohenheim started walking at a brisk vampire pace. “I’ll take you to my house. Sunrise isn’t far off.” Then he quickly retraced his steps, turning sheepishly to Hawkeye.
“Just give me the directions and I’ll find my own way there,” she said, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment. She hated when her humanness was a burden.
“All right. The boys can let you in. They are still very tolerant of the sun.”
Roy was intrigued. He had heard of vampire children, but they were rare and—like these boys—kept hidden until maturity. No wonder Hohenheim settled in such an isolated town.
 #
 Riza would have considered staying in town and renting a wagon if she’d known most of her walk would be uphill. Sunrise had come and gone, and the August sun was stretching across the rolling hills. She shed her light jacket, carrying it over her arm the rest of the journey.
She was almost there when she finally came across other humans. An adorable family with a young daughter.
“Are you looking for the automail shop?” the mom asked, crinkling her eyes in a friendly smile. Perhaps she thought Riza’s arm hidden beneath her jacket was automail.
“No, just visiting some friends,” Riza replied, hoping she didn’t come off too rude. She wasn’t sure she should let anyone know who she was visiting.
“Well, we are the doctors in town,” the man said, introducing them as the Rockbells. “If you need anything, stop by the clinic.”
Riza thanked them and continued up the hill. As she spotted a house that fit with Hohenheim’s directions, she spied two boys tussling in the shade of a large tree. They had the same coloring as Hohenheim.
She studied the boys. They looked so human, but there was something different about their movements. Faster, stronger, like a vampire. Any concern about their control around a frail human fled the moment they spotted her and reverted to human speeds, coming over to greet her politely.
“You Uncle Roy’s friend?” the smaller one asked. She stifled a laugh at him referring to Roy as uncle. Probably more of Hohenheim’s teasing.
“Yes, Riza Hawkeye. Are you Edward and Alphonse?”
“I’m Ed. This is Al,” the taller one said, sticking a thumb toward his brother.
“Nice to meet you. You can call me Riza if you’d like.”
“Do you want to see our treehouse?” Ed asked abruptly, gesturing up above in the branches, where there was in fact a small wooden fort with a tire swing underneath. “It’s so fun during the day, but Mom never lets us play in it unless there’s an adult around.” He grinned charmingly. Riza was being played.
“It’s already past bedtime,” Al said dutifully, but his pretty golden eyes also lingered on the treehouse.
“How about a quick look,” she said. “I’ve never been in a treehouse before.”
The boys cheered and clambered up the rudimentary ladder. Riza followed, feeling awkwardly tall as she hoisted herself up into the cozy wooden house.
“What’s this?” she asked, holding up a girl’s doll she almost sat on. It reminded her of one she had as a girl.
“Oh, that’s just Winry’s. She uses this during the day when we can’t come out. We’re only allowed to play with her in the evenings,” Ed said matter-of-factly.
“Winry Rockbell? I think I met her on the way here.” She doubted there were two girls with such an unusual name.
“Yeah, that’s her!” Al said excitedly.
The boys showed her around the treehouse like it was a grand house, rather than a small structure Riza couldn’t stand up fully in. The most interesting thing was the obvious remnants of alchemy. It looked advanced, from what she knew, and when she asked them about it, she wished she hadn’t. Alchemists were all the same. They would’ve talked her ear off if Al hadn’t started yawning, reminding her that vampire children slept during the day.
Inspecting the Elric home from the outside, Riza was unsurprised to find all the windows had locked shutters, and as the boys opened the door, they were very careful to only crack it as much as necessary to open it. Riza followed them in, most interested in finding a glass of water before getting to work.
Hohenheim popped his head out a door.
“Did they show you the treehouse?” he asked.
“It was a very nice treehouse,” Riza said, not wanting to get the boys in trouble. “And I’d never been in one. I just had to take a peek.”
A woman with chestnut brown hair and twinkling green eyes appeared beside him.
“Hello, you must be Miss Hawkeye. I hope the boys weren’t keeping you out too late.”
She introduced herself as Trisha Elric before ordering Hohenheim to get some refreshments while she corralled the boys into their bedroom.
Mustang was in the pristine kitchen drinking a glass of wine, looking comfortable at the kitchen table.
“We’ll wait for the boys to go to sleep and then fill you in,” Hohenheim said, offering her a glass of water and a plate of cheese and crackers.
By the time Riza had eaten and freshened up in the bathroom, Trisha had joined them at the table.
“The boys are asleep. They—they know a little about Van’s sire, but we don’t want to frighten them,” Trisha said, grasping her husband’s hand.
“While I don’t anticipate any real danger to the boys or Trisha, I would feel better if another vampire alchemist was with them while I was gone. And I requested Hawkeye because we need someone who can go into the daylight like our sons, just in case.” Hohenheim said.
Riza wondered what had been in the letter he mentioned earlier, and why it had made him bring outsiders into his family home after all this time. Not just any outsiders, the Flame Alchemist and the Hawk’s Eye. Riza was sure he had others he could trust equally, and while she was touched by his trust in them, she knew they had been chosen for their considerable skills. Even though Hohenheim didn’t expect danger, if there was any, it sounded like he wanted to be prepared for it to turn deadly.
After discussing Hohenheim’s plans, Trisha showed Riza and Mustang around the house while Hohenheim went to make some last preparations.
“You’re welcome to anything in the kitchen,” Trisha said. She tilted her head, glancing between Riza and Mustang before she asked, “Will you be needing blood, Roy?”
“I knew I’d be roughing it, so I overindulged last night,” he replied. It should hold him over, as long as he didn’t exert himself excessively. Riza could guess what Trisha was wondering, but Riza hadn’t given Mustang blood since the first time. She had an agreement with Mustang that she was a delicacy only to be used in emergencies. It had been…too much, the one and only time he’d been at her vein.
“I apologize that all we have is animal blood. I drink it whenever Van is gone,” Trisha said.
Human blood was limited in small villages like Resembool. Riza didn’t have to look at him to know Mustang was mentally groaning. Human blood was not only more nutritious, it tasted better. While Trisha and Mustang could give one another blood, vampires were tetchy about sharing with those in committed relationships.
“Do your sons drink much blood?” Riza asked.
“No, we occasionally add our own to their drinks, but they don’t need much. And Van and I do very well drinking from each other.” Trisha’s cheeks turned rosy. Oh.
They moved onto the sleeping arrangements. “Van said you two have known each other a long time and wouldn’t mind sharing a room,” she said. Trisha looked amused. “But he can be a busybody. So do you mind sharing the study? Otherwise we can put one of you up in the living room.”
Riza looked at Mustang, who only raised an eyebrow as if to say it was her decision. She’d either look like a prude or like she was sleeping with her boss.
“We can share,” she said. “I’d take the couch, but I don’t want to be in the way.” A compromise, she hoped. She really didn’t want to be a bother.
“I promise not to bite,” Mustang said teasingly.
Riza bestowed him with her most unimpressed look while Trisha laughed.
After Trisha left them to get settled for bed—because it was already almost noon and they had been up all night—Mustang couldn’t resist heckling her.
“You know, I wouldn’t be offended if you didn’t want to share,” he said quietly, an attempt for them to not be overheard by the family in their rooms. “I could even take the couch.”
“It’s not like I’ll be sleeping much,” she said, realizing too late how that sounded, so she spoke quickly. “I’ll try and keep watch during the day. You can be on duty at night. It’s just a matter of adjusting my sleep schedule.”
“You planning to stay up all day?” he asked, sorting through his luggage. “You’re no good to me half asleep.”
“No, not today. I’ll go to bed earlier tomorrow. Could you wake me if I sleep past sunset?”
“Sure,” he said. “Are you going to wear that godawful thing you wore to bed when we stayed in Dublith?”
Riza scowled. The last time they had to share a room, he’d mercilessly teased her about her nightgown. It was a shapeless, high necked, long-sleeved gown that went down to just below her knees. But it was insanely comfortable, and she didn’t care what Mustang said.
“This one is short sleeved for summer,” she said innocently.
“That’s not better. How old are you, anyway? Eighty?”
He knew very well she was twenty-one.
“I brought an extra one in case you need something to sleep in,” she offered, infusing such sugary sweetness that he wrinkled his nose.
“I should burn it. It’s hideous.”
“It’s just for sleeping in,” she said.
“It makes you look like a stuffy virgin.”
Riza laughed, pulling out her hairbrush.
“I am a stuffy virgin,” she said. “So it’s doing its job.”
She thought nothing of the comment for a brief moment before she realized her blaring mistake. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, the constant presence of Mustang since they boarded the train, or the fact that she was still a little in shock over learning Hohenheim had two vampire children, but she had let herself become too comfortable with Mustang. Flirtatious.
Mustang was even more surprised.
“That’s impossible! How did I not know this?” He promptly cleared his throat. “Not that I should know. But…you’ve had several boyfriends.”
She tilted her head, her smile falling.
“I’d rather not show off my body, especially my back, to someone I’m not serious about.” She could never date an alchemist, or anyone untrustworthy who could decipher her tattoo. It limited her prospects, but not as much as the odd hours of her job with Mustang did.
“And now I feel like an ass. I’m going to bed before I put my foot in my mouth again.”
“Probably best for both of us, sir,” she said, disappearing to the bathroom.
 #
 Hohenheim left as soon as it was dark, and Roy went up to make sure Hawkeye was awake. He paused outside the door, listening to her heart beating in the languid rhythm of sleep.
He knocked loudly on the door, grinning as her heart jumped awake. Then, because he was a foolish man, he opened the door to make certain she was awake. She stood in a hurry, hair tousled, eyes bleary.
And there was the ridiculous nightgown. This one had touches of feminine ruffles at the shoulders, and looked silky and soft. It was perfectly innocent.
This one, just like the one she’d worn in Dublith, seemed conjured from hell to torture him. He expected Hawkeye to wear something like all the female soldiers of the militia had. They’d been boyish and simple. Bland.
He rarely let himself think of her as anything more than a friend. That stupid nightgown had derailed all professional thoughts. He was itching to hike it up to her hips, revealing more skin inch by inch until—
“Did you need something?” she asked, turning to grab her bag.
“Um, breakfast is being served,” he replied, backing out of the doorway before he said or did anything else moronic.
Downstairs, Roy helped Trisha in the kitchen while they waited for the rest of the household to appear.
“Can you show us some flame alchemy?” A young voice asked from behind him, when breakfast was nearly finished. “Dad says you can set a whole building on fire.”
Roy turned and found the two brothers dressed and bright-eyed. They had the look alchemists get when knowledge is in front of them. Unfortunately, flame alchemy was something he could never teach them. He’d made a promise to Hawkeye.
“I suppose I could give you a quick demonstration if your mom doesn’t mind.”
Trisha laughed. “Sure. I’d like to see it, too.” She leaned back on the counter, watching expectantly.
Roy pulled out his gloves.
“Why do you have the transmutation circles on them?” Ed asked, curious.
Another benefit of becoming a vampire had been losing the need for drawing circles when transmuting.
“They are the original ones from—before,” he explained. “I still need the gloves for the spark, so I’ve kept using them.” Maybe one day when they needed replaced, he would just make them plain white. Then he looked at the boys watching in giddy anticipation. “Do you two need to draw them out?”
“We still need circles sometimes, but the older we get the less we need them,” Al said.
“I can do without one most of the time now,” Ed bragged.
“But you burn in the sun twice as fast as me,” Al pointed out, sticking out his tongue.
“Perhaps time for the demonstration,” Roy said, then with a snap he created a small flame in his hands, shaping it like a sunflower.
The Elrics ooed and ahhed as Roy did a few fanciful tricks, happy to use his alchemy for something good. He was also honest enough to admit to himself he loved to show off.
Hawkeye appeared and Roy extinguished the flames immediately. She had never outwardly said so, but he suspected she inherited her father’s dislike of showoffs.
“Time for breakfast,” Trisha said.
“Too bad Dad said we can’t ask him to teach us any flame alchemy,” he heard Ed mutter to his younger brother.
Roy would have to remember to thank Hohenheim for that later.
As they ate breakfast, the boys made a grand case for running to see their friend Winry before she had to go to bed. On this, Roy allowed Trisha to decide, and she practically pushed Roy and Hawkeye out the door with her children. He got a strong feeling she wanted time to herself.
“So you haven’t been able to go out much lately?” Hawkeye asked the boys, full of sympathy as they cut through a grassy field.
“Not during the day,” Al said forlornly.
“But Mom said we could invite Winry over to the treehouse either this afternoon or in the morning— since Riza’s here.” Ed looked hopefully at Hawkeye.
“That’s up to Mustang,” she said.
“That should be fine,” Roy agreed easily. The boys cheered and began plotting all the games they would play. Kids should be kids, Roy thought, and the treehouse was right in the front yard.
The Rockbell home was busy winding down for the night when they arrived, but they welcomed the boys and their escorts in with kindness.
Yuriy and Sarah Rockbell asked after Trisha.
“She stayed home to relax,” Hawkeye explained, doting on the family dog. Typical Hawkeye. If there was a dog, she could not resist making friends with it.
“I don’t blame her,” Yuriy confided. “Those boys probably talk even in their sleep. Winry is the same.”
“It’s good she has friends her age nearby,” Hawkeye said. “It’s a talkative age.” Her comment brought Roy back to little Riza Hawkeye growing up a little neglected and lonely in her father’s house. He’d once found her telling her dog about her day at school. After that, Roy made an effort to ask about her studies, and even then it had been like pulling teeth to get her to speak to him. Maybe what she’d needed was friends her own age, not an awkward teenage boy.
Granny Pinako shoved a bunch of sweets at them all, drawing Roy from his memories, and Winry brought some of her automail prototypes to show her friends. Now Roy understood why they were friends with the girl—she was as clever as they were.
“How am I supposed to know if it’s any good?” Ed asked her.
“Can’t you feel how light it is? But it’s still very durable!” she told him crossly.
“I think you should let me transmute some skulls on it. Make it look cooler,” Ed suggested, and their arguing turned into some kind of game of chase around the house with Al and even the dog joining in. It gave the adults a chance to talk.
“Of course we know you by reputation, Flame Alchemist,” Sarah said, once they got past the watered down version for why Roy and Hawkeye were bodyguards to two pre-pubescent boys.
“We were volunteers for the militia ourselves,” Yuriy said. “We appreciate everything you did for our country.”
Roy heard the genuine feeling in his words, but it left a bitter, crawling sensation behind. His mind went to that night, his body operating without his control, burning everything—and everyone—in sight. Hawkeye had rightfully put him down like the monster he was, though he wished the responsibility had fallen to someone else.
“Not to bring up troubling memories,” Yuriy added. “We just wanted to thank you.”
“We owe you just as much thanks,” Hawkeye said, recovering quicker than Roy. “There were more injuries than a bit of vampire blood could fix.” And many of the vampires tired of the chore, although Roy had never minded. He had always wanted to help others, and now in his veins he carried a gift to heal injuries more easily than alchemy.
“It was the least we could do. We know the good that vampires can do. Hohenheim saved my mother’s life,” Yuriy said, nodding at Pinako. “And this was fifty years ago,” he grinned, lightening the mood.
“How old is Hohenheim anyway?” Hawkeye asked.
“Old as dirt,” Ed yelled from across the room, laughing at his own joke.
Later, with promises to send Winry over in the morning, they left with two very hyperactive kids. It was in this excitement they showed their supernatural traits most. The boys played a game of leapfrog that was more like two leaping leopards. The boys never would have stayed under the radar in a busy city, but the country fields were vacant except a few bleating sheep.
“You can run ahead with the boys if you want,” Hawkeye said. “I can tell they are dying to run home faster than my human pace.”
“They probably walk slowly for the Rockbell girl all the time,” Roy said.
“Actually, we carry her,” Ed said. He skidded to a stop in front of Roy, uprooting clumps of grass in the process. “She’s not heavy and she likes to go fast.”
“Why don’t you give Riza a ride?” Al chimed in, joining them. “I bet you could jump over the sleeping sheep faster than we can!” Then he promptly looked panicked as Ed elbowed him. “Please don’t tell our mom about sheep jumping.”
“Sheep jumping?” Roy grinned wickedly. He thought of little Riza Hawkeye who hadn’t known how to enjoy herself. It was never too late, was it? “Come on, Hawkeye. Brace yourself.” He tossed her over his shoulder before she could protest.
 #
 “Did you like sheep jumping?” Al asked Riza eagerly as they came to the last bend before their house. Riza’s feet were happily on the ground again.
“I think it would’ve been more fun if I hadn’t been upside down,” she said, glaring at Mustang who pretended to fix his hair—which was no messier than usual.
“Yeah, we carry Winry piggyback,” Al agreed.
“It’s best to always ask before throwing a woman over your shoulder,” Mustang said. “Next time I will ask. Probably.”
“To be fair, it was fun,” Riza said. And if she’d wanted him to put her down, she would have made him do it. There was something to running fast, though she could have done with less jostling.
Trisha welcomed them back, and everyone scattered. Riza went to familiarize herself with the property while Roy did the same at vampire speed. Riza would have to do another circuit in the daylight to cover her bases.
Beginning her struggle to change her internal clock, Riza went to bed hours before sunrise, long before the vampires in the household. In Central, this was usually when she woke up for the day, but after pulling a couple of late nights, she fell into a heavy sleep.
 #
 When Mustang woke Riza, at first, she thought it was for her turn to take watch, but his posture was too urgent.
“Someone’s outside,” he said. “Get some clothes on. Come downstairs.”
Trisha and the boys were gathered in the living room with Mustang when Riza came down. She’d pulled on the clothes she wore yesterday in record time.
“You two do not leave this room unless I say so,” Trisha was saying, more fierce than Riza had heard her yet.
It was well past sunrise. Mustang and Trisha were captive to the house.
“I think there’s a fire right against the front door,” Mustang said, addressing Riza. As he spoke, she could suddenly smell the smoke. “If I stand back, you can open the door and I can take care of it.”
Riza nodded and walked to the door, her gun in one hand. Smoke seeped in through the thin cracks around the door. Riza waved at Mustang, his gloves at the ready, but he was hidden around the corner in the shadows.
The doorknob was too hot to touch, so she grasped it with the hem of her shirt. Unlatched, the door slammed open, a stack of firewood tumbling toward her. She jumped back against the wall as it blew a wave of heat into the house before Mustang smothered it with a crackle in the air.
“I hear someone out there,” Mustang warned.
Kicking the burnt wood out of the way, Riza stomped out of the house, eyes squinting in the bright sun.
The horror at seeing Yuriy Rockbell’s vacant blue eyes staring at her distracted her just a moment too long to avoid the knife in his hand.
 #
 The smell of Hawkeye’s spilled blood permeated the house, mixing with the fumes from the smoke. It was too bright to look. Roy’s eyes already ached from putting out the fire, but he had heard her gasp in surprise before she grunted in pain.
He snarled, almost lunging to the door when Trisha yanked him back.
“You’ll burn,” she said simply. “Edward—”
Ed rounded the corner, Trisha restraining him by the shirt so he couldn’t run out of the house.
“It’s Dr. Rockbell!” Ed said darkly. “He’s compelled.”
The sounds of scuffling continued.
“I have his weapon,” Hawkeye panted. “If Ed and Al can help me—”
Al darted out, followed by Ed—whose shirt ripped as he escaped his mother’s grasp.
A moment later the boys dragged Yuriy into the living room. Trisha tore into her wrist, giving him her blood while simultaneously compelling him to calm.
Hawkeye stumbled in next, clutching her abdomen, dripping with mouthwatering blood. There were also several deep gashes on her arms.
Roy’s fangs went to his wrist, pulling her against him in one swift motion. He held his dripping wrist to her lips, which she kept firmly closed.
“Riza,” he said gently. “Don’t make me compel you into drinking this. You need it.”
At last, she parted her lips and latched onto him, eyes closing as she sucked. Roy watched her throat flex as she swallowed, the warmth of her mouth and the subtle flick of her tongue on his skin delivering sensuous shivers down his spine.
As his blood joined with her body, a strange possessiveness he couldn’t explain came over him. He only knew he wanted to sink his fangs into her neck.
“Feel better?” he asked, hoping to distance himself. His own thirst was growing. He’d have to dig into the stash of animal blood after all. She’d taken more than he expected.
Hawkeye withdrew, a little blood dribbling down her chin, which she licked.
Roy’s fangs ached with the need to bite, but he forced himself to look over her injuries. Only faint marks remained of what was visible. The boys brought a first aid kit and a wet cloth to wash the blood off, so Roy left Hawkeye with them while he went to speak to Yuriy. He looked dazed, slumped over on the couch while Trisha patted his back.
“Is she all right?” the doctor asked him, looking worriedly at Hawkeye.
“She’s doing better,” Roy answered, probably not as kindly as he should have. He reminded himself it wasn’t Yuriy’s fault. “How are you?”
Yuriy rubbed his arm. “She broke my arm—understandably—but it’s healing as it should. I think it was a clean break.” He sighed heavily.
“Do you remember being compelled?” he questioned.
“It was a woman. Dark hair, very pretty.” Yuriy grimaced. “I was letting the dog out before bed and she was outside the house, waiting. She wanted me to get—” his eyes went to where Ed and Al were doting on Hawkeye.
“I see,” Trisha said, folding in on herself. “They were just baiting Van to leave.”
Roy nodded in quiet agreement. His sire wanted to collect those boys, and he had sent one of his followers to retrieve them. The woman who compelled Yuriy would surely try again.
“We need to leave—tonight,” Roy said.
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jahaliel · 5 years ago
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this is originally from lightveils on twitter and i saw someone reblog it on my dash (I think it was the talented @elfpen ) Here we go - all of these fics are well-tagged so please take care when looking them up.  As it is this has taken me most of the day so I’ve not listed the tags. Under a cut because this is gonna be LONG
A fic you love without knowing the source material: I’ve never seen Full Metal Alchemist or read it but Satellite by SpicyReyes is Fantastic and I am a SUCKER for time-travel fics done well and this is top tier.  Also nice and lengthy, WIP. A fic with a premise that shouldn’t work, but it does. Maestoso by novalotypo - I did not expect the Elric brothers becoming virtuoso violinists and somehow still setting everything to rights but boy did I enjoy it A fic you’ve read several times: There’s a lot of these XD but I’m going to go with The Life and Times of Hatake Kakashi, long suffering jounin sensei by FeelingsDusk because it’s hilarious and a really well written Naruto time-travel fic that balances perfectly the level of detail with the story beats. A fic you remember years later: The incredible letter-writing fic series Logolepsy by Vehlr and WeatheredLaw it was the first fic that broke my heart, one of the first fics I wrote fanpoetry for and is just perfection.  Dragon Age Inquisition post-game Cassandra/Varric A comfort fic: Once again I’m going to pick a series - the incredible Demon and Angel Professor series by Ghostinthehouse.  A Good Omens AU with every piece of the series being 666 words long telling the story of Dr Fell (Literature Professor, everyone loves him) and Dr Crowley (Botany Professor, everyone’s scared of him) and their students. A cathartic fic: I’m going to cheat and rec my own fic because there’s nothing quite as cathartic for me as for expressing all my feelings onto an OC.  In Lightning’s Wake, Victory.  My OC is Nemo d’Vidas and in this fic she travels to the world of Sekiro and gets to change the story. A fic you’d print and put on your bookshelf: Well that’d have to be Swung by Serafim by flamethrower becuase I have in fact printed it and put it on my bookshelf...  Harry Potter re-telling with a what-if Harry was Obliviated at the end of book 2 and the proper novel-in-its-self length Epilogue we all deserved.  Please note: NOT A SNARRY FIC. A fic you associated with a song: Ah this is has to be Wait What? by seeing_blue, a DA:I fic with an incredible OC whom I adore.  The song that I associate it with is Centuries by Fall Out Boy. Solas/OC A fic that inspires you: Okay so I think this one has to be Re-Entry by flamethrower and no I will not be ashamed of reccing multiple fics by one author.  Star Wars, Time-Travel Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan an epic piece.  I figure a fic that inspired me to make a whole side-blog dedicated to fanpoetry for it probably fills this square pretty well. A fic that brought you on board a new ship: Basically all of Norcumi’s magical Rex/Obi-Wan fics.  I enjoy all of them so here’s Second Chances, a post 66 finding each other again. A fic you wish could be a movie: Sekiro: We Can Never Die by mintyworks - Honestly Sekiro is half-way to being a movie in and of itself, it’s beautiful and mintyworks takes an understated relationship and brings life to it; it’s just gorgeous. A fic that led you to making friends with the author: In an Ancient Elvhen World by Mayaiai; her OC Reese has made a few guest appearances in my work and she’s a great friend and a wonderful person.  (She also has her own original published fiction on amazon) Free Space: Reprise by Elfpen (Star Wars, time-travel brilliant and beautifully written series, still on-going really wonderful characters) and Absconding with Harry by obaewankenope an incredible HP/GO crossover featuring everyone’s favourite Snake Demon adopting a local kid who can speak to him when he’s a snake form.  This leads to a new teacher and librarian starting at Hogwarts. A fic you’ve gushed about IRL: And the Brave Man with A Sword by blackkat - Harry Potter time-travel Founders fic; I raved about this to an IRL friend who is also a massive HP fan. A fic you associate with a place: To Intervene by apathyinreverie - an MCU fic that just hits all my buttons and every time I read it I’m transported to the UN watching Tony Stark politic.  It makes me think about the times I got to sit and watch our Parliament sit as well. A fic that made you gasp out loud: Til Kingdom Come by Heronfem - an interesting twist on the DA:I story.  Begins before DA:I and has just some really gorgeous charactersations and incredible moments.  Mind the warnings. A fic you found at the right time: This would be blink (reality shivers) by SparkleMoose - honestly his fic is just everything and I have constantly read the AUs and reveals etc of this fic at 2am when I can’t sleep because it helps me - Ace is a dear boy and deserves all the good things.  FFXV OC-centric with the most excellent Ardyn characterisation A fic that you read fic of:
Looking Glass by Feynite - this is a time-travel post DA:I fic that spawned all sorts of incredible AUs made me laugh, made me cry has so many talented authors and artists doing all sorts of things.  Beautiful OCs, an incredible world
A fic that made you laugh out loud:
What the Frap? by DarthLivion which is a coffee shop AU for Awaken the Stars and is just magnificent and I love it to pieces. I just adore the characterisation and there are so many heart-warming moments as well as the laughing out loud ones.
A fic with a line or two you’ve memorised by heart: “ I survived everything the galaxy could throw at Qui-Gon Jinn, in another life ” “You are a sock drawer thrown in a trash compactor” Both quotes from the incredible The Desert Storm series by Blue_Sunshine ongoing WIP time-travel Star Wars series.  (I have a thing for TT-SW stories I think this makes the third on this list XD) A fic that gave you butterflies:
One of my favourite collaborations - and honestly I was so incredible honoured to have my poetry included in this piece.  Survivors by ShaeTiann, norcumi and myself  like ShaeTiann and Norcumi are both SO AMAZINGLY TALENTED and their fics just MAKE YOU FEEL ALL THE EMOTION.  Besides I’m a sucker for post-66 stories.
A fic that embodies something you value in life: Baba by CrownofPins - a gorgeous Castlevania fic that embodies hope, that shows you cannot always walk alone and that love accepts, love makes room.  It’s really well done and my OT3 besides. A favourite AU: Disconnected series by Katzdecimal, Good Omens AU; a really interesting take on falling, on surviving, on life after the Almost-Apocalypse.  Beautifully written and a go-to fic. A fic you stayed up too late to finish reading: Backslide by blackkat  Naruto time-travel fic that got me suckered into the fandom despite not knowing anything about it.  Finished it in one sitting after starting it at about 10pm - went to sleep at 3.30am exhausted but happy. A fic that made you feel seen: The Balance series by Norcumi and Dogmatix.  There aren’t really words for how I feel about this series but to me it’s about finding a way forward that isn’t what everyone expects; that isn’t the path laid out for you but is the road you’re walking.  It’s about dealing with emotion especially anger.  Star Wars AU which takes off with a Sith!Qui-Gon, who Fell when Maul killed his Padawan on Naboo and then diverges wildly.
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heartfeltheart · 5 years ago
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Alchemy: Magic Vs. Science
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Chapters: 3/25 Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist/Harry Potter Rating: T Relationships: Edward/Winry, Lan Fan/Ling, and May/Alphonse. Primary Characters: Edward Elric, Severus Snape Additional Tags: Crossover, Teacher!Edward, BrOtp Edward/Severus. Sassy beyond measure. Series: Part 1 of 9. Summary: Magic and Science, are they the same or are they completely different? It just takes one person to point out all up and downs. Along with breaking the stereotypes that come up with being a wizard, alchemist and most of all being human. Thank you, @amynchan! D/C: I do not own Harry Potter or Fullmetal Alchemist. Discord: La Red(Mesh Mash of… stuff.): https://discord.gg/KYjmVAb Alchemy Series: https://discord.gg/DejEYNJ
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“English and Edward’s accented voice.” “Amestrian or another foreign language.” “Written notes.” ‘Thoughts.’ First Name: Informal Last Name: Formal (Or used to annoy others)
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"Dis is amazing..." Edward said in total awe the moment the bricks moved away to show Diagon Alley. He quickly looked over his shoulder to see Severus giving him an amused look. "Hov is dis place been able to keep out of the public eye?"
Severus started to walk forward in a seemingly random direction and signaled for Edward to follow him. "The entire place is charmed, no muggle is able to see it."
Edward pointed at himself. "And I?"
"Another theory, for another time." Severus replied quietly, he weaved through the witches and wizards. Edward followed him while looking around the area trying to take everything in. So many questions swam through his mind Edward wanted to ask Severus but he held back.
The last thing they both needed is someone listening in to them and talk to the wrong people. Even if Edward has full permission from that crazy headmaster to teach at his magical school, he didn't want to make any enemies...yet. There were a lot of kids and teens running about with their parents. All of them had a list in hand, chatting endlessly about the upcoming school year. Edward couldn't help but smile bitterly, he never went to a traditional school per say, he did go to a small school with Alphonse and Winry before his mother died. After that, Granny home-schooled them after Edward got into far too many fights.
"A knut for your thought?" Severus murmured glancing back at Edward who has a distant look in his eyes.
"Are a lot of deze kids go to Hogwarts?" Edward asked offhandedly, pointing at the kids running around Diagon Alley.
Severus glanced around the area before he nodded. "It is that time of year when they come out here to buy their supplies for the upcoming school year."
"...By do I have the feeling I am already regretting dis." Edward sighed raising his arms in defeat.
"You and I both." Severus replied as he walked into Flourish and Blotts. "Keep your thoughts to yourself, Elric. We do not need any unwanted attention."
Edward only rolled his eyes as he followed Severus, in his own pace. Glancing around the bookstore, he took note that the place was filled with more students along with their parents. All of them were in a hurry trying to get their books and find themselves out of the chaos. "Dis place...is rather chaotic."
"You don't even know the half of it." Severus sighed to himself, heading towards the back of the bookstore, where fortunately seemed to be empty except for a couple of random teens or older adults. Not giving any of them a single glance, the both of them walked passes them. The students were giving Severus nervous looks or quickly shuffled away in fear. "It should be over here...Here it is."
Severus stopped in front of a certain bookcase and signaled Edward towards it. "This section has all the alchemy books in this place."
With a grin, Edward started to glance through the titles and recognizing a few from the other bookshop he previously visited. He pulled out a book and began to get lost in the book. Seeing this, Severus turned around and headed out leaving Edward in his own world.
-.-
"Not good enough."
"Total trash."
"This will only get someone killed."
"...This guy is an idiot..."
"This one is...oddly decent."
Edward sat crossed legged on the floor in front of the bookcase with a large book in hand. Multiple piles of books scattered all around him, the piles were all coordinated by decent, okay, nope and just plain trash. There was a small tiny pile of good books, which only compromised three books our of well over several dozens of books he scoured through the area around his current spot.
Edward randomly picked out another book from the shelf and flipped it open on a random page. "This is actually good enough to be used."
Edward grinned as he read the book. He flipped through the pages, he landed on the dedication page. Whose names he saw written there made his blood freeze.
In the loving memory of my wife, Trisha.
To my sons, Edward, and Alphonse...I hope this book gets to you both.
Snapping the book closed, Edward turned the book around to see the spine of the said book. His eyes narrowed at the name of the author of the book.
Von Hoheheim.
Grudgingly, Edward placed the book in a different pile. Personal use. Even if his father was a shitty one, the man is still his father. Even though Edward still hold a deep hatred towards the guy...
"Whoa...look at this?"
"Who would take out this many books?"
"Who knows, George."
"Why don't we found out, Fred?"
"Lead the way, dear brother."
Edward blinked slowly as he heard those voices. It was obvious they were male, ten or eleven, and by their tone, it sounded like they are siblings. Slowly, Edward took a peek over the 'nope' pile of books. He came eye to eye with a two pairs of brown eyes, brown stared into gold. "Hello."
The two pairs of brown eyes widened in a realization that they got caught spying. With a loud oomph, the twins accidentally stumbled forward. They accidentally spilled over the pile of books.
Edward stared at the boys taken in their full appearance. Twins, they were identical twins, they were wearing worn but well taken care of clothes. Hand-me-downs perhaps? They were almost identical. He watched the twins scrambled up and began to take note of their differences. The one on the left had an extra freckle right under his left eye. The other has a bigger nose, hardly noticeable unless you take note of it. "Do you need zomething?"
One of the boys quickly looked around trying to find something to say that would not get in trouble with the stranger. "Alchemy! We were looking for alchemy books."
"Really?" Edward asked in false bewilderment, he inwardly chuckled at the horrible excuse. "Vell, how about dis..."
-.-
The sight that Snape came to see was Elric chatting away with two boys, Weasley's by the looks of it. They were chatting about alchemy while putting away books, each Weasley was holding a small pile of books while listening to Edward with such eager eyes. They took in Elric words about alchemy, they even seemed eager about it.
Snape waited until the last book was put away until he made his presence known. "Did you find everything that you needed, Elric?"
When Snape appeared, the twins paled at the sight of the man. Recalling what their brothers had told them about said man.
"Ah Zefferus, der you are." Elric grinned, not even taking note of the tense atmosphere around his perhaps future students. He saw that the Potions Master carrying a pile of books in his arms. "Done vith your shopping?"
"Done with yours?" Snape remarked, seeing Elric's own pile of books. He took a single glance at the twins, his lips curled back in a fashion he could only do. "Ah, Weasleys... Here I thought we could finally get a bre-"
Snape was cut off as Elric pilled his own books over the professor books. This resulted with the Head of Slytherin view being obscured by said books. "Elric..."
Elric ignored him as he took the books from Fred and George, who all had grins of mirth's, piled them on top of the rest of the book on Snape's arm. "Vu tvo are koing to pe first years, ja?"
"Yeah, we have three-"
"Older brothers and two of-"
"They are going to be at Hog-"
"Warts with us."
Elric's eyes pin pong between Fred and George as they spoke for one and for the other, finishing off each other sentences. He raised his hand to stop them from talking, as they began to get off topic. "Huge family, older broders, one younger broder and zisder. Pranks?"
Elric stared into the twins eyes, almost glaringly. He then pointed at one of them. "Fred..." Then he pointed at the other one. "George."
Fred and George stared at him in bewilderment, he actually guessed accurately right. Not even their own mother could get their names right more than half of the time.
"As much as I enchoy a prank effery once and a file...No pranks in my class." Elric shook a finger at the boys, talking in a reprimanding voice. "Dey tend to get you killed..."
The twins paled at how easy the golden eye teen spoke those last words. It was as if he could care less about it too.
Elric then grinned at the twins and ruffled their hair. "Nov come on, it is time to pay. Come on, Zefferus."
"About time..." Snape growled under his breath, he glanced over the stack of books in his hands. "Now come on..."
Elric only grinned and laughed as he followed him, he signaled for the Weasley twins to follow him. "Do not mind him, he is just being immature."
Snape huffed out but did not respond to the comment.
"Before I forget..." Elric looked down at the twins, brows furrowed. "Do you tvo need help getding your school books? You tvo helped me, I help you in return."
"You are on a limited budget, Elric." Snape said low in a tone, to the Elric wanting to get out of the current situation he was currently in.
"Den I vill uze my perzonal funds then...if I could do dat?" Elric muttered the last part to himself wondering if he could transfer the money he has accumulated for his work in the military. "Could I transfer money from my perzonal account and turned it into..."
Elric trailed off not fully knowing what else to say as he is not familiar with this worlds system works.
Snape took a quick glance at the Weasley twins, they were confused by Elric's words and his own confusion of the Wizarding World. The Potion’s Professor mentally debated if he should stop this conversation as it would lead to unwanted attention but...Seeing as the youth is probably going to make it a point on who he is and what he is not later on...
"We...could have that arranged." Snape said slowly, wondering just how much money the other has. As Elric had told him he was in the military but did not mention what was his ranking or payroll. "How much...?"
Elric quickly scanned through his pockets to quickly take out his notebook and a pencil. He quickly wrote down a number and showed it to Snape. "Vill dis be enough to get me through the year?"
Snape took one quick glance...then another...and another. His eyes widen at the amount on the paper. "In what currency is that in?"
"In bounds. I changed it ven I came to dis country." Elric said feeling unsure if the amount he wrote down is enough. "Vill it be enough?"
"Is this your entire savings?" Snape felt his mouth dry at the sheer amount that Elric presented.
"Just about..." Edward moved his head side to side as he thought it over. "Three months vorth of bay."
'He could buy ¾'s of Diagon Alley with that amount.' Snape thought to do the math in his head. He cleared his throat in trying to clear his mind. "It is more than enough. We'll head to Gringotts after this..."
"Vat is Grinkotts?"
"Are you a muggle?" Fred and George asked, no longer able to hold in their curiosity.
-.-
Mrs. Molly Weasley looked all over the bookstore frantically pulling her two youngest along with her. She looked over every crook and cranny trying to find the twins. One moment they were in her sight and then...they disappeared in their typical fashion only known to troublemakers. Normally it wouldn't have been an issue but Molly mind is on overdrive that day.
Four of her children are going to be attending Hogwarts and this year, money is extremely tight. Charlie and Percy were placed into advanced classes and they require new texts books and the twins, albeit they could reuse other books the other boys had gotten previous years, the required new textbooks are out of the families price range. It is not her year...
Molly ignored her youngest son complaints as she pulled them along with her. Even with Charlie and Percy looking for the twins too, it seemed like they were having the same trouble as her. The twins were nowhere to be found...panic is finally setting in.
"Fred! George! Boys, where are you!" Molly called out, no longer able to hold it in any longer. She took a turn and quickly headed back to the front of the store hoping that she just missed them. "When I get my hands on them."
"Mum, we found them." Percy called out running towards his mother in a frenzy. Molly stopped mid-step and quickly headed towards Percy's direction.
"Where are they, are they are alright? I knew this sort of thing would have happened." Molly prattled on as Percy led her through the shop. "We still need to buy your and your brother's books, among several other things."
"About that...Fred and George already got their books. They already paid for the books."
"How...?"
-.-
"He's going to be the new Professor at Hogwarts."
"He's going to teach Alchemy."
"We saw him looking through books."
"About Alchemy."
"The guy looked like he's Bill's age."
"I wonder if we could get into his class."
"Remember what he said, he gets to pick his students."
"Do you think he might?"
"Pick us? He said he might consider it."
"Fred...George...Do you even know if he actually is a professor." Charlie asked, feeling that a headache is coming in. Out of all the things the twins had done...
"That professor was with him. Nap?"
"Professor Snape?" Charlie asked feeling his blood run cold for a bit. "This guy was with Professor Snape? Getting books?"
"Yeah him, he was with Mr. Elric."
"Mr. Elric needed books for his class.
"We helped him and in turn."
"He bought our books for the year." Fred and George finished, each boy holding a pile of books in their arms. "And a couple of other books too, about alchemy."
Charlie stared at them wondering if he should be glad or angry at this point. Glad that his brothers don't have to worry about their books, as the book list that year is by far pricier compared to other years. Anger at that fact it was a handout, now th-
"I hope we make it into his class."
"Only if we study the books he got us."
"He also bought your other books?" Charlie asked he extended his arm out towards the boys. "Let me see."
Fred and George glanced at each other wondering if they should. Seeing how tense their older brother was, they quietly complied. The each took out four different books from their own pile and handed one to Charlie.
Charlie took the book and scanned it when he saw the tag price on the book his eyes nearly popped out of his head. That single book had to cost about the same as the average cost of a seventh year's book list. When he opened the book, Charlie couldn't make head or tails about it. He flipped the book to show it to the twins. "Do you know what this is?"
"That's a peripodic table...I think?" George's nose scrunched as he attempted to say out the word.
"Periodic table." Fred corrected him.
"Yeah that. It's a table of all the elements."
"Mr. Elric said that learning this would help us understand Alchemy." Both boys continued on in unison. "If we study it, he might consider allowing us to get into the class."
Charlie watched as his brothers spoke to each other excitedly about the subject in hand. The only times he ever saw the twins with that sparkle in their eyes when they talk about their pranks or play quidditch. Let alone something that has to be school reacted. Then again...anger persist.
Charlie was one of many that petitioned for the elective to be open the upcoming school year. Here are the twins... ending up meeting the teacher. The said teacher seemed to already teach them a couple of things on the subject, already received praised along with getting books paid. "And he just paid for your books? This must have cost him a fortune."
Fred and George paused, they looked at each other uneasily. The conversed nonverbally trying to figure out what they should say to their older brother. With a nod of determination, they figured out what to say.
"Mr. Elric is from another country." Fred started off.
"He works for their government." George continued off.
"During his time there, he hardly spent any of his money."
"From Mr. Nape." "It's Snape." "...Mr. Snape's reaction from the number Mr. Elric gave him made it seem like he was rich or something."
"Why did this...Mr. Elric buy your books? All your required books?"
"He said that since we helped him, he helps us." They said trying to figure out what that meant. "We tried to tell him to not to but..."
"It was rather..."
"Difficult trying to get him not to buy our books."
"He wouldn't take no for answer."
"The way he wanted us to repay him is by-"
"Studying and getting good grades."
"That's it?" Charlie asked taken aback.
"That's it."
-.-
"Doze two are the right age to start learning about alchemy." Elric said as he watched Snape shrink all the books and putting them into his suitcase. Once it was said and done, Elric closed the suitcase with a puzzled look as he picked it back up. "You haffe to tell me hov dat...spell vorks."
"Here I thought you would have an episode?" Snape replied dryly at Edward words.
Elric only shrugged, he turned around taking a good like of the area. "Vere to next?"
"Gringgots."
-.-
One hour later...
Snape resisted the urge to groan in annoyance as he watched Elric speak Amestrian to the goblin that is helping the blonde set up his own vault. The moment that Elric found out that he goblin, Kavex, spoke Amestrian, that was the main language they spoke making Snape feel left out.
"I never had any use of it until recently. I got by with what I had on hand." Elric said as he filled out the required paper. "I mostly spent it on...medical bills."
"You've accumulated a fair amount over the years of your military service..." Kavex said looking through a couple of documents. "How long will you be staying, if I could ask you of that?"
"At the most a year." Elric responded without a second thought. "I have other affairs back home...but who knows...I might come back."
"And everything here will be the same." Kavex nodded, he held out his hand towards Elric's direction. "I need your blood and signature to complete the vault."
"It won't be used or stored away...right?" Elric asked hesitantly.
"It will be the binding contract that will allow only you to access the vault." Kavex said, he pulled out a giant tome and slid it over toward Elric. "This is our laws if you wish to look through it before he finalizes anything. It's written in Amestrian."
Elric slid the book closer to him and began to read it, ignoring Snape's look of disbelief that he gave him.
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wheremytwinwatches · 5 years ago
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[Where My Twin Watches]: Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 7
So Sokka, where’s this episode taking place again?
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Excellent! Let’s get started then!
Narrator recaps the encounter with Doc Marcoh, who revealed the existence of incomplete Philosopher’s Stones (which is a great writing move, now the Brothers can be going around hunting down Imperfect Stones rather than repeated episodes of “Damnit, another fake.”), and gave the location of his research. Now fixed up, Ed and Al are off to the First Branch of the National Central Library. Whoa, was expecting a title card and got Screaming Edward instead. What’s wrong? Ah. Seems that the library’s a bit… destroyed. When did this happen? Shot of Eastern Command, Lust is commenting that “burning the entire place down was easier.” Damnit, seems they got the location out of Marcoh and removed the lead while our characters were held up at the Rockbell’s. Now Lust and Gluttony are in East City, Lust checking in on Scar. Seems Gluttony has a very keen nose, he can smell the Ishvalan. Lust confirms that Gluttony can get his snack. Still confused about the animosity between the Goths and Scar. Whatever their plans, seems it would be easier for the Goths if there were fewer State Alchemists to get in their way. Or is it more that he’s a disruptive force, a distraction for their own plans? After all, if they do need Ed for some sort of sacrifice, Scar killing him would definitely mess things up. Episode 07: “Hidden Truths” Speaking of the Ishvalan, Scar’s still in the sewers, when he notices a bunch of rats fleeing past him. Looking back, there’s a pair of glowing red eyes in the darkness. Yup, that’s Gluttony with his creepy grin. Goth vs Vigilante fight? Wow, Gluttony’s pretty fast for a hefty guy. Scar prepares his Face Grab, but it’s not an instant kill as Gluttony grabs him. Scar ends that by straight-up slicing off the Goth’s arm. Wait, no blood? Suddenly Lust comes racing up, Scar barely has a moment to be surprised before an explosion sends our view back to the surface, big cloud of smoke pouring out over a river. Seems we’ll have to wait on that fight, we’re back to Riza reporting that Scar hasn’t been seen since his attack on the Elrics. Havoc suggests that he’s not in East City anymore, but Roy hopes that isn’t the case. If it’s gotten to be too much for Central, and he closes it quickly? Then he’ll “be golden.” Huh, didn’t think you were that much of a careerist, especially after you objected to Bradley giving you the credit in the first episode. Wow, Roy doesn’t dream small, does he. Aiming right for the office of Fuhrer. Further talk’s derailed by [Soldier 1] rushing in to report an explosion on the Marl River. Nearby Military Police speculate on what caused all the rubble, as the State Alchemists examine the bloody remains of Scar’s jacket. No body though, so I’m gonna assume he’s still alive. No way he’d be axed off this soon. And may I say how happy I am that it’s “by the book” for the State Alchemists to find hard proof someone’s dead before writing them off? No “Never Found The Body” for these guys! Hey! In the crowd, it’s the Goths! Pretty brazen, sticking around with the bystanders. Lust complains that Scar got away, while Gluttony’s more concerned he didn’t get his snack. Regardless, they assume that Scar will be out of the picture for now. Lust will head back to Central to report to Father. Meanwhile, the Elrics and Armstrong are looking through the destroyed library, when they’re approached by a Second Lieutenant Ross and Sergeant Brosh. Hey, it’s two more people from the intro? Also, Ross and Brosh? Calling it now, they’re either siblings or LI’s. Ross is here to pass on an order: Armstrong is to report back to Command Center, they’ll take over supervision of the Elrics. Nooo, don’t take away The Mighty Armstrong! Ed just complains that he keeps getting saddled with bodyguards. Driving away, Ross comments that there was a woman who was well acquainted with the materials of the ex-library. Although she wasn’t working there anymore. Well, it’s more than you had a minute ago Ed, don’t diss it. Brosh seems nervous, which Al picks up on. Scared of the Giant Fanged Suit of Armor sitting across from you? Or… is it the person sitting next to you, hmmm? Nah, it’s the armor, which he asks about. The Elrics claim it’s a hobby. Really guys? That’s a lame excuse, go back to the “It’s for training” you used in the first episode. Awkwardness all around. They arrive at what looks like an apartment building, and… oh. Oh my. Look at them. Look at all those books! Did this woman make her own library or something? I want them! The Alchemists sidle through the bookshelves, Brosh wondering if there’s actually someone living in the place. Ross calls out for Miss Sheska, Al catches on to a muffled “Please help me” down an aisle to a bunch of collapsed books. Well, at least the lady saved her glasses. A moment of frantic digging later, they uncover a lady who profusely thanks them and apologizes for getting trapped under the books. Yeah, might wanna work on your shelving technique, miss. Confirming that this is the Miss Sheska they came to meet, Ed asks about her working at the library, and she flinches at that? But then she springs into a Glittering Gushing Moment ala Armstrong and Winry, about how beautiful the word “library” is and how she’s loved books her whole entire life, how working in a library was heaven! Buuuuut she kinda forgot about the “work” part, spent all her time reading and got fired. And now she needs another job to move her poor, elderly mother to a better hospital. But all she can do is read! Woe, sadness, despair! ...ok, which one of you guys stuck a gender-bent me into this show? Ed snaps Sheska out of her despair by asking about Tim Marcoh, she recalls the name from some handwritten notes stuck in a bookshelf. Nice memory! And my growing suspicion is confirmed when she just asks if they want to read them. Where do you think all these books came from, Ed? Or rather, Sheska’s got a photographic memory, she remembers the content of any book she’s ever read. So she can write the notes out for them! “Thank you bookworm” indeed! And now, a table full of notes! Lady, why are you apologizing for taking five days? I’m surprised that table’s holding up under those stacks of paper, and all that was written from memory? Alchemists, if you don’t hire this girl for your own paperwork you’re idiots. But here they are, Tim Marcoh’s notes! Or rather… recipes? Oh. Ooooooh. I get it! But our characters don’t, they just complain about coming all that way for a cook book. Come on guys, it’s chemistry! Well, maybe Ed and Al get it, because after confirming the notes are completely accurate he thanks her, gathers the notes to take back to the library, and writes out a check for Sheska from his grant funds. Which going by Ross and Sheska’s reactions (“Did he miss a decimal point somewhere?!”) is not insubstantial. Guess being a skilled State Alchemist pays well. At another building (guess by library they meant one other than the destroyed one) Brosh is asking how the cookbooks can possibly be related to Alchemy. Ed explains that due to the danger of Alchemy being misused, the research is always encrypted. Come on Brosh, aren’t you a State Alchemist too? Shouldn’t you know this? Ed and Al get cracking on the decryption, such as comparing a “green tea” recipe to the “Green Lion” of metallurgic alchemy. Other names get thrown around, like Flamel (I recognize that one!) and Lambspring. Brosh clearly is out of his league. But it seems the Elrics may be as well, collapsed on the table with glazed expressions. Al’s even faceplanted so hard his helmet horn’s gone straight through the papers into the table. The suggestion of asking Marcoh about it comes up (yyyeah, don’t think that’s gonna work out), but Ed refuses to admit defeat. Hey, Sheska! She’s stopped by to thank the Elrics for the money. Although they haven’t had any luck deciphering the notes, and she hasn’t found another job yet, she’s happy to have helped out. And Al gives her an inspiring pep talk, nice to see her smiling. Sudden Hughes bursting in to visit the Elrics, admonishes Ed for not saying “Hey” when he came back to Central. Ross and Brosh mutter in shock about how the Elrics chat with Colonel (hey, did he get a promotion?) Hughes like an old friend. Just how high up are these boys? No, seriously, how high up are they? Do they have an official rank, or what? Asking for clarification. Hughes takes a seat, complaining about their case load, and the library burning down as well. Seems all their case reports were… stored in the stacks… Miss Sheska! You’re hired! The Elrics get back to work, delving through notes (Suddenly noticed that Ed’s writing with his left hand. Hadn’t caught that before). Meanwhile, Brosh keeps up on guard duty (“I’m awake!”) and comments that they’ve been at it for ten days now. Man, Doc was pretty thorough in his coding, wasn’t he? But at least they’re dedicated- “To hell with it!” Aw, no! Don’t give up! Ross and Brosh enter to a wrecked room, books and papers scattered everywhere as the Elrics sit on the floor. Come on, you guys can’t give up now. Wait, you did crack it? You cracked the code? That’s awesome! But why the frustration, then? Why does Al sound like he’s crying? Jeez, now Ed’s going on about how it’s the devil’s research, that it should have been destroyed. What on earth was in those notes? “The main ingredient for a Philosopher’s Stone… is human life.” No. NO. You have GOT to be kidding me! Not again. Not again!
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Oh, but it gets worse. Ed’s saying that to make a single Stone takes multiple human sacrifices. Wow. Just, wow. So there we go. Philosopher’s Stones are made with human sacrifice. “For what could equal the value of a human soul” indeed. Stones aren’t about amplifying the power of the Alchemist after all, they’re about drawing on the power of others. Just… using others’ life as a freaking battery! And the Military authorized research into this? They signed off on research into human sacrifice as a power source? First genocide, now this? What the Leto is wrong with these people?! *Sigh* Ok, ok. Calming down, calming down… Ed asks Ross and Brosh to not say anything. Later that night, the two Alchemists appear to meet Armstrong in a hotel, informing him that the Brothers are “holed up” in their room again, and they haven’t been eating either. Well, yeah? I mean, they just discovered that the one hope they had for restoring their bodies could only come at an inhumane cost to others. How do you think you would have reacted in their place? Well, at least Ross and Brosh seem to be keeping their promise to not reveal the secret. Unfortunately, Armstrong catches on and is not pleased with their suspicious behavior. To say the least. Sorry. Trying to be funny, but still reeling from that reveal. Inside a dark room, Al says that Ed really should get something to eat, but Ed just says no. Ed goes on to talk about how they try so hard to grasp the truth, but it always slips away. Or rather, in their search for answers they got the worst possible one. Now Ed’s saying that there’s something he’s wanted to tell Al for a while, but he’s always been too afraid to say it. “I-” *SMASH* “Elric Brothers, I know you’re in there!” Ed decides to ignore him, followed immediately by The Mighty Armstrong completely smashing his way in. Yup, Ross and Brosh couldn’t hold out against the Major, he knows what the notes said. And he’s now Crying Majestically about how the Philosopher’s Stone is built on such a terrible secret. “Imagine the military being behind something like that! Often the truth is more cruel than we bargained for!” But Ed seizes on one word out of that: “Truth.” Is he thinking about the Demon and the Door? No, he seems to be banking on Marcoh’s mention of “truth within the truth”. Ed’s convinced that there has to be more to this. Ed, please. Please don’t take up false hope now. Armstrong’s going over a map, saying there are four Alchemy Labs in Central with ties to the government, and Marcoh worked in the third. So they have a place to look for more information. Wait, hold on. You knew there was a lab in this very city that Marcoh worked at? Why didn’t you go there to look for any of his notes earlier, see if they would help with deciphering the others? Talking about how he’s visited all the laboratories before, Ed points out a crossed-out building. Seems it was designed for a fifth lab, but it currently isn’t in use since the building isn’t structurally sound. Gee, an “empty” lab, classified off-limits? That’s not suspicious at all. As for more evidence towards it, right next door is a prison. Oh, I get it! If Philosopher Stones need multiple human sacrifices to make, you’d need a source of death, which would indicate either a death-sentence prison or… a hospital… Show. Show, listen to me. With all these mentions of Sheska’s mother going to a nicer hospital? Don’t you DARE follow that thread. Ahem. Ed clues them in on the use of “executed” prisoners to make the Stone. Yeesh, “potential to become a political nightmare” is an understatement, Armstrong. He’ll look into it tonight, in the meantime the other officers are to say nothing. And the Elrics are to behave themselves! Armstrong’s in full Scary Superior Mode, knowing full well that they were planning to sneak into the building and look around. The Elrics claim innocence- -before a smash-cut to them doing that exact thing. Yep, a guard posted at an “unused” building? That’s as obvious a sign as any. Since they can’t risk the light from Transmuting a hole in the wall, they have to settle for Ed getting tossed up to the top, and making a barbed-wire rope for Ed. Thank goodness for those metal arms! Door’s blocked, how are they going to get past that. Ed sees… no. Ed, NO. Do NOT go off on your own! Aaaargh! Edward Elric, you listen to me! You suspect that this building is a base for creating Philosopher Stones? Aka that thing that people are KILLED for? You are walking right into a horror movie, DO NOT split up! But of course he does. And he leaves a [DEJECTED] Alphonse behind, crying that he didn’t ask to get too big to fit through the vents. Shame on you, Ed. Shame on you. Inside, among shadows and fog, two voices speak, identified as [66] and [48]. Prisoners? Rather mutated ones, if that’s the case based on their shadowed forms. Ed’s still skulking through the vent, commenting on how small it is… “Oh no! I just called myself a tiny little pipsqueak!” While funny, this is not the time! Be quiet! Breaking out into a hallway, he notes that there are lights on. Yep, definitely “not currently in use”. Outside Al’s worried that Ed’s taking a while. Uh oh, looks like one of the Mutants on the roof, with a big knife. I mean, that won’t hurt Al, right? Right?! Aaaand end credits. Damn it! Ok, well this was one heck of an episode. Learning the secret of Philosopher Stones? The return of “souls as batteries”? That was not a pleasant surprise. If one good thing has come out of this, it’s that I am increasingly convinced this is the prelude to a State Alchemist Revolt. First being used by your government to commit genocide, now learning that the authorities are committing human sacrifice to increase their power? I look forward to Roy, Riza, Armstrong and the others standing up against this injustice. A pity that this is the final nail in the “Fuhrer Bradley is a Bad Guy” coffin, I liked his personality. But I don’t care what kind of excuse he’s gonna use for all of this, this government needs to go down. Should make for an enjoyable fight at least, Bradley’s super-speed against our guys. Post-Credits “There were once two men who knew more of bloody blades than human sympathy. They snuffed out life, laughing as their weapons flew. Now, they guard the darkness, hollow shells of the villains they once were. Next time, on Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood-” Episode 08: “The Fifth Laboratory” “There are those who find pleasure only in battle, who feel alive only during a fight. They are coming soon… with blood on their hands.”
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worseandworser · 5 years ago
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darling
part 1 of “blond, cute, tired” series
Ship: RoyEd
Rating: Gen
Warnings/tags: Plotless & fluff
Roy wouldn’t have found himself in this situation if Maes Hughes was capable of keeping his mouth shut. But of course, Maes wouldn’t let him live through it, nor let the time heal his insufferable infatuations; he had, obviously, forced Roy to endure innumerable talks and unquantifiable pressure. A man can only take so much, Roy reckons, and he caved in after only a month.
Because he is weak, for sure, and also probably because he wanted to very much.
Weakness and frailty of character, both inevitably led to Edward Elric fitting in his routine as if it had been made for the boy. And sometimes Roy feels like his entire existence is dedicated to pillowing the floor Fullmetal will eventually fall onto — Alphonse is there for him already, why would he need Roy too? Such a self-centered, arrogant brat, barging into Roy’s house whenever he feels like, eating his food and stealing his body heat.
Worst of all, Roy lets him. Would beg him to, if it had been necessary, but all it took was talking about books and then life and then may I cook you dinner one of these days.
Now, he has a subordinate on his lap, softly snoring as if he has no care in the world or perhaps Roy’s chest is the most comfortable pillow he has ever lay his head. He just hopes Ed won’t drool on his shirt or that Fullmetal sleeping peacefully and sitting still for more than ten minutes does not equate to the collapse of the universe. Maybe he can even enjoy it for a bit if his back miraculously stops hurting.
One of his hands is slotted between the boy’s waist and a cold steel arm while the other rests on top of leather-clad thighs, and Roy is a bit too delighted about how Ed’s head seems to fit neatly under his chin. He has no idea for how long they have been like this; he was concentrated on their breathing and how they gradually found this shared rhythm — breath in, breath out, like two synchronized melodies.
Roy wishes to touch him — all over. Measure each curve and map the shape of each limb and then keep his object of study safely guarded against harm. Edward’s hair smells intoxicatingly sweet, and he has this faint suspicion Ed begun to care significantly more about it after he noticed Roy’s odd interest in it. And isn’t it flattering, in more ways than one, to be the reason a teenage boy needs to pay more attention to hygiene?
Edward grumpily mumbles a few incoherences when Roy kisses his forehead, hands gripping and twisting the white fabric of the man’s shirt.
“Are you awake, darling? Don’t you think we should move to a more comfortable place?”
The answer is something like a whine, a mix of shut up and bastard that leaves very clear that Ed has no intention of walking to the couch and much less upstairs to the bed.
Roy takes a deep breath, trying his best to shift to a position that doesn’t make his spine ache and ends up disturbingly aware of how numb his legs are. He throws his head back and closes his eyes, because there is not much else he can do.
He is going to hunt Maes Hughes down. When he wakes up.
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alchemic-elric · 6 years ago
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Let’s Talk About Edward’s Trauma 
Death - Trisha Elric || Mom
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I don’t know how many of you have lost a parent, and I don’t know how many of you were very close to that parent, but in the case of Edward his mother was his world. 
Let me explain. 
Edward Elric is the oldest of two children, born to Trisha Elric and Van Hohenheim. He has one sibling, Alphonse Elric.  He was raised in a rural town at the end of of the train tracks called, Risembool. 
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Edward literally comes from the middle of no where. He is a country boy, that lived in a country town, in a country house on top of a country hill.  His life was large fields, farming and laundry on the line. His life was a tree swing and playing down by the river. Edward’s life was simple. 
Even after his father left with no explanation at the age of 4. His life remained simple. He had his mother and his brother and he didn’t really need much else. He had issues concerning his father but that’s a different post. 
His mother however, was the first person to speak his love language.  She showered him in praise, and compliments. She had endearing names for him. She didn’t just call him ‘Ed’ or ‘Edward’. No. She called him ‘Edward Dear’ . She called him ‘sweetie’. She called him ‘sweetheart’. She called him ‘love of mine’.  She called him ‘her little man’.  She doted on him. She built him up. She encouraged him.  She showered him in affection and affirmations. 
She made him feel special. She made him feel wanted. She made him feel loved. She made him feel like he could do anything. 
He became “the Man of the House” when he was 5 years old and he really didn’t care. He’d do anything for her, just to make her smile.  He was already struggling to deal with the abandonment of his Father and he knew it was effecting her too. He wasn’t dumb, he was young and he knew that she loved him and she missed him so he tried to do everything he could to make her happy. 
She lit up so happily when she saw that he’d learned alchemy and as such he dedicated himself to it, even if just to make his mom smile. He’d transmute anything she asked for - and he knew how. He’d even bring her presents, like flowers or trinkets just because he could.  
But what, she needs the fence fixed? Let me read a few books Mom and I’ll get right on it. 
She needs a window looked at. He’ll do whatever he could. He had a skill that not only she didn’t, but he could make her happy with it so it was win-win situation. 
He spent that whole year dedicating himself to being the best he possibly could be just to make him mom happy, and then about 6 months into the next year (1904), an illness struck the country side and took her.
He didn’t have a chance to prepare. He didn’t have a chance to come to terms with it. He didn’t know it was coming. It took her in a flash and left him standing there with only his younger brother and a hole where his heart used to be. 
And what were they supposed to do? How would they live? 
Al was never the one who needed to be in charge of a situation and Edward had just spent the last year and half purposely forcing himself into that spot even if just to make her a little more proud of him. He knew what to do. He knew they needed to act. He knew they needed to do something - but he didn’t know how to cope. 
Alchemy had fixed everything in the past so why couldn’t it fix this?
He’d read about it so it had to be real. 
So he decided that they would do everything in their power to bring her back, and we all know how well that went. 
But he just wanted to see him mom again. He just wanted to see the woman that made him so safe again. Even though Al was there with him, it’s not the same kind of relationship. He was responsible for Alphonse. He became Alphonse’s guardian in his mind. He became the one who was the soul carrier of the Elric Family name and the one who needed to do right by it, even if that meant throwing himself into the military. 
He just wanted to see his mom again.  He just wanted to see the woman who hugged him when he was crying and tucked him in at night. He just wanted the women who kissed his forehead and told him “I love you.” I just wanted to hear her call him “Edward Dear” again. He just wanted to be her “little man” again. She was everything to him and he had no idea how to cope with it. 
Why let her go, when he could bring her back? 
He didn’t need to grieve if she was coming back right?
So he spent the next six years, avoiding grieving for his mother. He spent the next six years convincing himself that it would all be okay, because she would come back to him. He could be her “Edward Dear” again. 
but he failed. He failed so miserably and in turn he almost murdered his younger brother in the process. He’d almost killed them both. 
Almost all of Edward’s nightmares revolve around his mother, her death and her failed transmutation. His mother’s death is one of the cores of his entire personality, because upon failing so miserably he threw himself straight into automail recovery and training to become a State Alchemist.  He tossed himself into the flow of the military at 12 years old and still he hasn’t stopped to deal with the festering wound that is his grief for his mother. 
Certain words just set him off,  ‘Dear’ ‘sweetie’ ‘sweetheart’ mostly terms of affection. He wants nothing to do with them because they make him feel heart in his chest he’s spent so long trying to ice over. They make him feel that longing to be special again... to be someone’s everything....
but he doesn’t have time for that. He’s got a promise to fullfil to his brother. 
But that doesn’t stop the number of times he’s woken up in tears, because he’s still just a teenager and even all these years later. He just wants his mom. 
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tanoraqui · 7 years ago
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you thought I was kidding about making up fictional non-fiction (mostly) books, didn’t you. you fools. you naive fools.
Memoirs Roy Mustang. Central City Press, 1953 Volume 1: War Volume 2: Peace
Dogs of War: The Complete History of the State Alchemy Program A.M. Gallipoli. Sanderson Press, 1975
Dearest, Darling Gracia Bertholdt Strutley, with a forward by MP Elicia Hughes. Central City Press, 1981
“Ms. Hughes’ release of her parents letters to the library archives was truly a boon to historians everywhere, and those interested in the Ishvalan Revolt in particular. The on-the-ground detail they add to our knowledge of the conflict, from the pen of a homesick, lovesick, and heartsick soldier, is incredible, and Strutley expands on it well.” - Carson Armitage, Chief of History, Central City Library Administration
“…Strutley’s decision to keep the letters centerpiece, and fill in the historical context around them, was genius…a beautiful contrast.” - Hana Qumari, author of Fire and Blood: The Ishvalan Extermination
“It’s good to see the old man get some recognition in his own right, not just the ‘first casualty of…whatever’….such a sap, though.” - Edward Elric, Former State Alchemist, Former Professor of Alchemy at Curtis University
Lives of Lust #14: Fascination at the Fort Rosemary Traylor, Lovelorn Books, 1982
The year is 1884 and the devastatingly beautiful and beautifully devastating homunculus Lust has a new mission from her ever-plotting Father: seduce the grizzled, veteran commander of Fort Andover on the eastern border, and either turn him to their side or find someone suitable to replace him and then kill him.
That’s no problem - Lust doesn’t mind a few battle scars. But the commander’s upright lieutenant might be a problem, with his charming smile and too-observant eyes. And those muscles…
Fortunately, Lust knows the way to a man’s heart, or close enough to stop him thinking straight. It’s just between the fifth and sixth ribs…
The Flame Alchemist’s Lieutenant Daughter Tori Whittaker. Keryton Publishing, 1995
Behind every great man, they say, there is a great woman. For Roy Mustang, even the less engaged historian knows that that woman was Captain* Riza Hawkeye: soldier, bodyguard, and, as one contemporary famously put it, “the only reason [Mustang] doesn’t set his own feet on fire, most days.”
Central a figure though she was to the administrative shifts of the early 20th century, much of Hawkeye’s personal life remains a mystery. From speeches, letters, recorded conversations and his own memoirs, we know what drove Mustang’s participation in the 1915 Alchemists’ Revolution, and his later, passionate work on the Ishvalan Reconstruction and demilitarization of Amestris. 
But what of the woman standing one step behind? What drove Riza Hawkeye…and why has history forgotten it?
The Missing Winter: Ling Yao in Amestris Lucy Hong. Curtis University Press, 1999
On September 20th, 1914, the Emerald Emperor of Xing gathered his 50 living children and issued what is perhaps his most famous, and certainly his most seemingly paradoxical edict: whichever of them brought him the secret to immortality would succeed him on the throne.
Two nights later, Ling Yao, twelfth imperial son and prince of the Yao clan, left the capital city under cover of darkness. He took with him only two guards. His destination was the ruins of Xerxes, and then Amestris.
He returned on April 30th, 1915. Four months later, he ascended the imperial throne. In the meantime, Amestris had underwent what came to be known as the Alchemists’ Revolution.
Aside from a few notes from significant personages of the time, history has not known where Ling Yao was during that time, or what he was doing…until now. Lucy Hong, Professor of History at Curtis University, has searched the historical record more deeply than any other. Here, you will find coded correspondence, hotel receipts, and journal entries from citizens across two countries. They spin a story of alchemy and intrigue, loyalty and leadership, and uncover the long-hidden origins of the man who would one day be known as the Dawn Emperor.
Lie Down with Dogs: How Charles Grumman Usurped the State Alchemists’ Attempted Coup and Why Everything You’ve Been Taught About It Is a Lie Alfred E. Kenkel. Atherton Press, 2001
“[C]ontroversial!” - Horus Books Review
“A fascinating read…sure to blow your mind” - Hammond P. Lingburgh, author of The Death of Xerxes
“[C]omplete and utter fabrication” - Priya Rocksdaughter, Chief Curator of the Amestrian Museum of Military History
Through Generations: The History of Amestris as Seen Through the Eyes of the Armstrong Family Eileen A. Armstrong. Sanderson Publishing Group, 2012
“…a fantastic read!…Armstong is a dedicated and energetic storyteller” - Henrietta Heineken, author of #1 bestselling Anthony Lance series
“Certainly a very unique angle of insight…terrifyingly well-researched” - New Central Times
“…a strong voice for the new generation…” - Oliver Erskin-Armstrong, author of Strength in Numbers: The Leadership of Roy Mustang
“General Olivier Mira Armstrong: The Iron Wall of Briggs” rejectedprincesses.com. 2014
“Cry, ‘Havoc!’” Diane Rockbell, Theater Reviewer, New Central Times. November 20, 2016
Here’s the thing about Grand Ave’s newest show: if you aren’t charmed the moment Anton Amari steps into the spotlight, with his cocksure grin and sleeveless, 1910s country shirt, and that signature cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth…well, you still have a chance, because in another moment, he takes out the cigarette and starts singing, and you can be charmed all over again.
Penned by Amari himself, Havoc! runs two hours and 12 minutes. It follows Jean Havoc in his rise from enlisted man to Lieutenant under then-Colonel Mustang to Administrator of the East and one of the most popular politicians of the 20th century…and his marriage to the girl of his dreams. 
The take on history is lighthearted and irreverent, and willing to sacrifice accuracy for drama. Not to spoil anything, but a Philosopher’s Stone? Probably more involved in Havoc than in the real, historical regaining of his ability to walk. 
Roland Chang’s parformance as Dr. Tim Marcoh more than makes up for the discrepancy. The rest of the cast includes…
*The author of this post assumes that she got promoted EVENTUALLY, though never higher than Captain. Would have had to get a different posting otherwise, probably. History remembers the highest title.
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weirdoldmanhoho · 7 years ago
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Headcanon meme: ed, winry, Armstrong & izumi
this is going to be long, so get ready. but thanks for so many, this was fun!
Headcanon A:  realistic
Ed: Ed still loves alchemy after the Promised Day, and he’s still one of the most skilled at alchemical theory in the world, even if he can’t practice it - he writes books on the subject and stays up-to-date with Alchemy journals and scientific publications - but he starts to find other places to put his passion a couple years after the Promised Day. It’s not healthy for him to only dwell on alchemy and what he lost, and he wants to find other ways to do good. Most of all, he still wants to be able to MAKE things.
When he settles back in Resembool, he becomes an apprentice to a carpenter and learns how to build things with his hands. He makes furniture for his and Winry’s future house. He builds his son’s crib. Edward becomes nationally known for his books on alchemic theory, but he becomes locally know for crafting sturdy and well-made furniture. (He never quite loses his terrible sense of style, though. Some of the pieces he makes for himself and Winry still feature skulls and dragon heads. She’s appalled, but used to it.)
Winry: Winry keeps her last name after she marries Edward. The name Rockbell is already famous in the field of automail, and by the time they marry the name Winry Rockbell has become well known - as much as she loves Edward, she doesn’t want to give up the name and legacy she’s proud of or the reputation she’s already acquired. She suggested she take the name Rockbell-Elric at first, but it was Ed who suggested he just change HIS name to Edward Rockbell. (For one, less hassle, he says. And also he kind of wants to distance himself as much as possible from the famous Fullmetal Alchemist after he resigns.)
Armstrong: (wasn’t sure if you meant Alex or Olivier, so I went with Olivier) After the Promised Day, Olivier goes back to Briggs. She would be able to move up the ranks and accept a promotion in Central easily, but she’s more dedicated to her men and protecting the Northern Wall than she wants to move up the ladder - and because she doesn’t trust anyone else to do it correctly. Everyone in Central is a little relieved to see her go.
Izumi: Izumi is an orphan - both her parents died when she was young and she was raised in an orphanage. It’s part of why she was so willing to take in the Elrics after learning about their situation - she understood exactly what they were going through. She’s desperately wanted a family since she was young, and it’s why she takes so much pride and joy in being part of one.
Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious
Ed: I don’t even think this is THAT unrealistic, but Ed basically becomes an Amestrian Cryptid. Nobody even really knew who the Fullmetal Alchemist was when Ed WAS working for the military - and it only gets worse after the Promised Day. The soldiers and onlookers from that day talk about what happened, only none of them actually understand what happened so there are all these crazy, exaggerated, conflicting accounts. 
The Fullmetal Alchemist becomes a legend. Some say he was a real person who helped save his country. Others say he’s just a mythical figure used by the military to make themselves look better. People say he has the power of god himself. Others say he was just a kid with a bad temper. People swear he was half metal. Nobody knows who Edward Elric really was, and years later historians and authors try and track him down for interviews, just to find a disgruntled stay-at-home dad who wants them off his lawn.
Winry: Winry is really, really good at math. She can do crazy calculations in her head without even trying. Edward tried to race her once. Al provided the questions and they raced to see who could solve them all correctly fast enough. Winry won.
Armstrong: Olivier actually has a pretty feminine style (I mean look at that beautiful long hair and pink lip gloss - she definitely takes pride in being tough as nails and still looking pretty and feminine.) If she’s not in uniform, which is rare, she’s been known to actually wear frilly blouses and pink clothing. Somehow it’s more terrifying to see her looking pretty and feminine, knowing she could still kill you without blinking. (She absolutely delights in that.)
Izumi: She absolutely loves and dotes on Edward’s kids and is basically a grandmother to them. She becomes totally different around them - sweet and sugary, always bringing them toys and giving them treats and performing alchemy for them when they want to see it - and Ed (and Al) are slightly terrified of the change. Ed’s kids don’t understand why their dad is afraid of Grandma Izumi.
Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends
Ed: Ed has a complicated relationship with food. He developed an eating disorder during the first year after Al lost his body. He felt guilty being able to eat when Al couldn’t and tended to skip meals, playing it off like he just wasn’t hungry. Really, it was about punishing himself for putting Al in that state. Automail takes a lot of energy and calories to operate, though, so the Rockbells never let it fly. Alphonse picked up on what he was doing to and became just as adamant about forcing Ed to eat.
Winry: Sometimes, Winry’s glad Ed lost his alchemy. She feels horrible for thinking so because she knows how much he misses it, but she can’t help but associate alchemy with the thing that ruined Ed and Al’s life. Alchemy was what stole their bodies. Alchemy was what made them leave home. In a very irrational way, Ed’s lack of alchemy almost assures her he won’t run off again - but she knows it’s irrational and feels guilty every time she thinks it. 
Armstrong: Olivier cared for Buccaneer romantically - she’s never wanted to marry or start a family (her ambitiouns and dedication to her job too great, and the Briggs army is the only family she really needs) but she had loved him, and she thinks it was the closest she would ever get to having a romantic partner. She wouldn’t have pursued anything if he had lived, but she misses him more than she will ever say when he’s gone. 
Izumi: Izumi dies fairly young - late thirties to early forties. Hohenheim managed to make her more comfortable, but nothing could fix the strain not having some of her organs put on her body. She’s just grateful she got to live as long as she did, and she thinks she had a good life all things considered - she got to see the two boys she loves like sons get their bodies back and do great things, she got to watch them grow up and one of them start a family of his own. She got GRANDKIDS, which she never expected. In the end she had the family she always wanted, and she was happy.
Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own.
Ed: Despite loving attention, Ed’s actually more of an introvert (compared to Al being an extrovert.) This seems backwards with their temperaments - Ed loud and outgoing, Al reserved - but while Al wants to meet as many people as possible and thrives on being social, I think Ed would honestly be fine holing up with no company and a mountain of books for weeks on end if Winry/Al didn’t drag him out of the house.
He likes people fine, he just gets really exhausted dealing with them and he’s a bit socially awkward in that he doesn’t really know how to deal with people - which just tends to make him look like a prickly asshole. He’s actually a lot like his father in this way, though not nearly as awkward as Hohenheim was.
Winry: Winry visits New Ishval during it’s reconstruction to meet the people that her parents gave their lives for. She even helps in the rebuilding while she’s there and offers automail, free of charge, for those who need it.
Armstrong: I know I said that Olivier had romantic feelings for Buccaneer, but she also definitely had a HUGE crush on Izumi. She respects that the other woman is in a loving relationship and doesn’t act on it, but she also secretly thinks that if it came down to it, she could probably beat Sig in a fight for Izumi’s affections.
Izumi: Izumi forges an awkward…not friendship, really, but sense of camaraderie with Roy post Promised Day. Roy sends her some kind of letter thanking her for helping him when he lost his sight, Izumi sends back a scathing four-page reply insulting him and everything he stands for after she figures out he was the one who convinced Ed to join the military, (It’s addressed to “Dog”) but at the very end, there’s one sentence sort of thanking him for making sure those boys didn’t get killed during those four years - in a very roundabout way.
They don’t really get along, but their love for the Elrics and their experiences on the Promised Day bring them together. They end up more like weird in-laws than friends.
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winryofresembool · 7 years ago
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Hockey player Ed x figure skater Winry AU chapter 3
i.e. gdi Tia come up with a proper name already. 
Chapter 1 - chapter 2
Next chapter: [x]
Happened in the previous chapter: Winry teaches Ed and his teammates some basics of figure skating, but while doing that, she discovers something’s not quite right with Ed’s right arm.
A/N: thanks again for the feedback I got for the latest chapter, it’s what keeps me writing ♥ This chapter is dedicated to all of you who have supported me in writing this!
Genre: romance, bits of humor, some hurt/comfort later on
Words: 1550ish
@aquietkerfuffle
“Ed, what’s wrong with your hand?”
Ed quickly pulled his right hand from Winry’s and tried to think of a way to avoid answering her question. However, from Winry’s stubborn stare he knew that wouldn’t be easy.
“N-nothing?” he attempted lamely, but Winry didn’t believe that for one moment.
She decided there was no point in tip toeing around the topic, so she asked directly: “Do you… do you have a prosthetic arm?”
What surprised Ed was that instead of sounding slightly scared, like many of those who knew about his automail had sounded when they found out about it, Winry sounded curious. And maybe slightly worried, but that wasn’t so surprising.
Ed lowered his voice so only Winry could hear his answer: “Fine, I do, but please keep your voice down.”
“Huh? I thought your teammates know about it?”
“Yes, but in a place like this you never know who might be listening… Hell would break loose if people found out about this.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, can you imagine what people would do if they heard someone was playing with a metal arm on the national team? They would immediately roast me out of here.”
“Oh…”
Winry hadn’t considered someone could possibly have an issue with an automail, so she was embarrassed she hadn’t immediately realized it. Thankfully, Ed saved her from further embarrassment by continuing: “Yeah. My arm could cause someone some serious damage if I wasn’t careful, and not just that, it’s also a risk to myself. If I hit my shoulder in a wrong way and it got inflamed… that would be really bad.”
“But you’re still willing to take the risk?”
“Hockey is one of the few things that makes me happy, I’m not gonna give up on it just because of this… issue.” Ed looked at Winry darkly. “I feel I owe it to my brother who’s been rooting for me this entire time.”
“You’re doing this for Alphonse?” Winry asked in surprise.
“Mm. He’s the only family I really have left, and he’s reason why I didn’t quit when things got difficult.  He is expecting me to keep doing my best every day.”
“Wow. You know, you keep impressing me. I’m sorry, but my first impression of you was that you are probably someone who’s playing for the money or something of that nature. But sounds like I was wrong,” she added softly.
Ed was visibly flustered. He wanted to say he really wasn’t as noble as he had just made himself sound, but he didn’t have time because Winry asked:
“You know… this is gonna sound weird, but… can I see it? The arm?”
“Uh… I guess. But not here, let’s go to our locker room. It’s OK, no one’s there right now.”
Ed quickly informed his teammates that he’d take a short break and pulled Winry with him.
Back in the locker room, Ed took his hockey jersey off and rolled up the sleeve of his undershirt. A thick layer of bandage covered the arm made of metal, and he removed it too. He didn’t know how he had expected Winry to react to seeing his automail, but it hadn’t been like this: she started clapping her hands and made a high-pitched sound that couldn’t be anything but a squeal of excitement. Her eyes were shining brighter than he had ever seen so far.
“Um, so, here it is,” Ed said awkwardly as he lifted his arm, so Winry could see better.
“It is so pretty! One day I’m gonna build one of these!” she exclaimed happily as she examined the automail.
“Really?” Ed had a hard time imagining someone so graceful as Winry wearing overalls, oil and grease on her face and hands, but on the other hand, she hadn’t liked those stereotypical “girly” things as a child either.
“You’ll see! Oh, but… can I ask you… what exactly happened? Why do you have an automail arm?”
“It’s not something I like talking about… I was 11… and an accident happened. Afterwards I got a blood poisoning and it got so bad the entire arm had to be removed…”
“That… sounds… I’m sorry. I can’t even imagine how awful that must have been. But what made you decide to get an automail arm? I’ve heard the operations are extremely painful and difficult to do?”
“To be honest… It wasn’t really me who made that decision. Or it was, but Mustang helped quite a lot.”
“Your teammate?”
“Yeah, him. His organization had hired him to scout a few promising young players while he was scratched due to a lower body injury… And he came to Resembool. He had heard about me, but he didn’t know about my accident until we met. When he saw what had happened, he immediately told me about a surgeon who had helped one of his old playing mates in a similar situation.”
He stared at something Winry couldn’t see with an unreadable expression and continued:
“I didn’t make my decision right away, but Al encouraged me, so only like a month later I had my surgery, and after that I’ve been the most well-kept secret of the hockey world. There have been a couple of cases where someone has suspected something, but we’ve managed to make them shut up, and here I am.”
“What makes you believe I won’t tell anyone anything? Like you said, it is dangerous to play with that arm,” Winry asked curiously, even though she had no intentions to report him.
“I can’t say I know you very well, although I hope that’s gonna change…” He gave Winry a look that was supposed to be flirty. “… But I still got a feeling that you are someone I can trust. I wouldn’t have told you about this otherwise.”
“You are right, I’m not gonna report you to anyone…” Winry said and smirked slyly, “but on one condition.”
“Oh. What is it?”
“That you are gonna let me ask you questions about your automail – just your automail, you don’t need to tell me what happened to you if you don’t want to – and give it a proper check-up.”
“Huh? That’s an… extraordinary wish.”
Winry shifted uncomfortably on the bench, thinking that she was making Ed think she was a weirdo, but Ed didn’t seem too shocked when she finally dared to glance at him. Even so, she wanted to explain:
“This is going to sound like a very weird coincidence… But I want to become an automail mechanic when I retire from figure skating. You know, a girl’s gotta have dreams off the ice too… but yeah, how about it?”
“Well, if that’s all you ask… It’s a deal! Do you have anything to do tomorrow after lunch?”
Ed tried to not look too eager about this excuse to see Winry again, but couldn’t help but smile a bit when he asked his question.
“No, we always take our naps after the lunch, but if I’m honest, I’m not much of a daydreamer anyway, so that time sounds good to me!”
“Great! I’ll see you then. Oh, and by the way… you are not the only one with… unconventional off-ice interests…”
Ed had no idea what made him confess that, but it was too late to back out now.
“Hmm? What do you like then?”
“Biochemistry.”
“Edward Elric, the famous hockey player and the developer of a groundbreaking biochemistry theory… I like that,” Winry said, and rested her hand on his shoulder for a moment.
“Are you making fun of me?” Ed acted hurt, but Winry could see he wasn’t being too serious.
“Noo! Why would I? Chemistry nerd.”
“Automail freak.”
They both laughed at the names they had just given each other but realized then that they had spent too long in the locker room and decided to return to the ice. Mustang made an inappropriate comment about where he thought the two had been, but other than that, no one else made a scene about their lateness.
Winry continued teaching the guys the basics of spinning, and even complimented Ed a bit (Maes smiled knowingly on the background as she did that), and the duo finished the day by promising each other that after the season they’d have a skill competition at the Resembool rink.
The next day after the lunch Winry found herself in front of Ed’s hotel room. She knocked on the door once, but nothing happened. The figure skater didn’t think much of it; maybe Ed was in the bathroom or had fallen asleep on his bed. But when she knocked again after a minute and still heard nothing, she started getting restless. She was behind the right door, right? And they had definitely been talking about 12 o’clock?
“Ed! It’s me, Winry!” she yelled. Ed’s door stayed closed, but Roy Mustang had apparently heard her voice, and he peeked out of his hotel room.
“Uh, this is Ed’s room, right?” Winry asked him.
“Yeah.”
“Did you see if he came here after the lunch?”
“I was with Ms. Hawkeye so I’m not sure, but I believe he did because he always reads his chemistry books in his room on his free time…” “Oh. OK. Thanks!” Winry said, and Roy turned to go back to his room. But before he had time to close his door, Winry heard a bloodcurdling scream from Ed’s room.
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send-username-suggestions · 7 years ago
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FMA/PJO Fusion/AU Idea
Edward Elric
He was never seen to play music or sing or dance. His skill in archery was non-existent, and his skill in medicine would always be rudimentary at best. He held in common, no ability that could be found among his siblings, and while lacking in common talents, he held a great intellect which he was known for and was often mistaken for a son of Athena. If not Athena, perhaps he was a son of Ares, for he was skilled in battle and belligerent in nature. Even Zeus or Aphrodite could have laid claim to him, and he may be better suited to such roles. There were many who saw there qualities in him and doubted his parentage. Indeed, he was a son of Apollo, and such doubts could not last, not when his hair and eyes glowed like the sun, not when it was so evident that there was fire lit in his soul. His words were often harsh and glaring, but they could also be so bright and beautiful that one couldn’t find within themselves, the will to look away. Then, sometimes, when the nights were at there darkest, his words were not hard and bright but soft. Every word held a second meaning, every phrase reflected off the moon and illuminated the truth of the world. The words he spoke by daylight were as harsh and cruel as they were captivating. By nightfall they were as devastating as they were beautiful, and so utterly undeniable, cutting through both shadow and stone.
Roy Mustang
He wasn’t meant to wield a hammer. He wasn’t built to craft weapons and armor. His fingers would have fumbled, had he attempted to tinker in even simple crafts. If it wasn’t for his mastery of fire, anyone who looked would have thought “there is no child of Hephaestus here, this is a child of Zeus.” He was striking and severe and inspired loyalty in people of all backgrounds. He would work people through his fingers, have them dancing in and out of hoops and thanking him for the honor. They would think “this man could only be the son of a king.” However, those who knew him best would look upon him and see the way he worked. He needed no hammer or anvil, for people were his tools and he, a master smith. Each tool worked under his careful guidance, quickly and efficiently forming masterpieces according to his will. His hands were not calloused, but those who served him knew that he would not need them to craft a new world. He would forge it in fire.
Winry Rockbell
She should have been a daughter of Hephaestus. She was muscular and deeply intelligent, strong of body and mind. She worked with machinery like it was second nature. She could look at any scrap heap, any pile of junk, and she could see what could be made of it, putting machinery together in her head, like pieces of a puzzle. It was her brother who said it best, before anyone else understood. “Your hands aren’t meant for killing people,” said he “they’re meant for helping them live.” It was years before anyone understood what he meant, after the war when she presented her greatest invention. Automail. Though she did not glow with inner light like her father, though she could not hold a tune or play an instrument or dance to a beat, though she could not hold a tune or play an instrument, though she had no passion for medicine, or weaponry of any sort (besides the occasional wrench), she could only be a child of Apollo. She was one who created miracles, one who healed what could not be healed.
Lan Fan
They spoke of a daughter of Hades. Who else could know the shadows and be content to walk among them? Who else could stand in the darkness, among ghosts and monsters, unafraid? Who else could know death so well that she would hold no fear of it? And so it was that she walked in shadow, remaining sullen and silent, a girl who stood apart from the rest. “She could only be a child of Hades” they said. Then they met her Prince. She walked in shadow, beside her Prince, with unfailing loyalty. She would make any sacrifice for him. To preserve his life, she gave herself to death, but did Hestia not devote her life to the hearth? The whispers were irrelevant. She knew the truth of herself. She was not light. She was not warmth. She was not home. She did not need to be, for he was light, and he was warmth, and he was home. He was her hearth, and as her mother before her, she protected him, unwavering.
Ling Yao
He was lighthearted and joyful, always ready with a quip or a joke for his friends, always ready with words of praise or thanks for those who served him. At celebrations he would weave through a crowd with glee and consume twice his weight in food and drink. He was a joy, and it was easy to feel comfortable in his presence, but death followed in his wake. He was surrounded by shadows. As the living whispered their secrets in his ear, unheard, he spoke to the souls of the dead, felt them near. It was only in battle that one might see his true skin, with narrowed eyes and hellfire written across his face. Flanked by his horsemen he would cut through the ranks of his enemies, flitting through the shadows, leaving only death behind. A son of Dionysus, they may have called him, had they not seen the way her wore that crown of rage and fire, had they not seen his walk of death. Jovial though his attitude may be, there was no denying his nature. A true Prince of the Underworld, was he.
Alphonse Elric
Polite and demure, with patience and endless kindness, there was not a soul who did not hold some affection for him. He held deep intelligence, of both the social and the intellectual strains. He was truly good, and well loved for it. His friends joked how their fathers claimed the wrong sons, how he was more the son of Apollo than his brother. It would have been easy then. He seemed to be sunshine, and life. He had more taste for healing and protection than for battle. He was more light than lightning. And yes, the people gathered around him, he held respect, and was deserving of it, despite his age and disposition. He stood firm, with all the ears and eyes that settled upon him, and walked among his peers. He felt no desire to stand above them. He was not thunder. He was not lightning. He did not need to be. He had no need of theatrical intimidation tactics. He never wanted a throne, nor a crown. The son of Zeus was more the King than his father, and he walked among those who would be his subjects, without arrogance or shame, for he was one of them. He had always been so.
Mei Chang
If Artemis could have born a child, it would have been she. Though she could not be a daughter of Artemis, she was a hunter. She had been the perfect candidate, She was as clever as she was beautiful, and she carried herself with a gentle sweetness that did not betray the fierceness with which she could fight. She treated those around her with kindness, she she repaid their loyalty, with loyalty in turn. She was compassionate and honorable in every way she knew how to be. She was passionate about the hunt, and compassionate for the wild and all of its creatures. She fought bravely and ferociously, efficiency written into every movement, knives flying to find their marks, acting as extensions of her being. None would have guessed her to be a child of Aphrodite, so dedicated was she, to her goddess, and her craft. She had no care for beauty, though she was beautiful all the same. Though it flowed through her skin, it was a pale imitation of her soul. She shined with moonlight.
Maes Hughes
The way he flitted about, seeming to befriend everyone and no one, his loud and boisterous mannerisms, the way he could brag and boast without revealing a thing about himself, it was all indicative of a son of the trickster god. But deception is often strategic, as are friends in high places, and being underestimated is an great advantage to anyone who knows how to utilize it properly. His deception was visible for the world to see, and it disguised more subtle truths. No son of Hermes could look into hell without flinching. No son of Hermes could be so prepared for the reality of war, or so capable of coming out of it undamaged. No. Though he could have been a son of Hermes, in truth, he was a son of Ares. It was those who opposed him, and those who fought at his side, who could see it clearly. When he was constructing a plan or following a lead, or digging for information, they saw battle rage in his eyes, just barely concealed behind a thin veil of joviality. When he fought on the battlefield they saw cold calculation, hidden behind a mask of righteousness. Knives flew faster than thought, war and survival of his very breath. A true son of Ares, that one.
Riza Hawkeye
Those who knew her briefly thought little of her: a paper pusher playing soldier, a daughter of Hermes with little talent of her own who only benefited from the accomplishments of the company she kept. Those who knew her for some time might have thought her an excellent marksman, a good soldier, perhaps a daughter of Apollo, or a hunter of Artemis. It was those who studied her closely, or knew her well, who might have noticed a quiet intelligence about her, though it was never among her most obvious or compelling traits. It didn’t need to be. She knew that being a daughter of Athena has never required memorization of facts or the ability to spit out useful information at a moments notice. There is more to wisdom than intelligence, and more to intelligence than book-smarts. She stood firm and watched those around her, those she cared for. She watched for strengths and weaknesses and saw where her friends and allies were lacking. She followed them knowingly, willingly, into folly, in the hopes that she might see something they cannot. She’s always had sharp eyes. But more than that, she hoped that she can save them, and she knew that books do not save lives. Guns do.
Izumi Curtis
She would seem to be a daughter of Athena, taking on only the brightest of students, those most willing and able to learn, but teaching everyone she meets. She holds great wisdom and shares it freely. She knows the truth of the world, and one cannot help but to learn something new about it each time they speak to her. She knows when to be firm, and when to be kind. She keeps no secrets, hides no knowledge. Wisdom belongs to anyone who cares to seek it, and she will tell anyone who asks. As her mind is open to the world, so is the truth of her parentage. She makes no secret of it. A humble housewife. A daughter of Hestia. She has no use for Athena’s battle strategy. War is of no interest to her. She will stay home, and she will love her husband, and she will preserve them both. She will fight in defense of that which she loves. Yes. That is the way of her. She will defend, protect, and preserve. No more. No less. A daughter of Hestia, she will keep her hearth safe for all those who love it, and so all those who leave may have a place to return to.
Oliver Armstrong
To many, she would seem to be an unstoppable force. They would see her victory against the mountain and the wind and the storm, and say “she is the storm.” They would see her rigid command and militaristic exterior and say “this one is a daughter of Zeus. Unmovable, impenetrable, her fort is Mount Olympus and she rules over it with an iron fist, thunder and lightning taken to human form. She commands the mountain. She commands the storm.” The truth of the matter is quite the opposite. While a mountain does not bend or break, it wears down over years of exposure to the forces of nature. While a storm seems unstoppable, it will eventually wane. She does not need to control the elements, such a power would do her no good. Instead, she outlasts them. She is a daughter of Poseidon. As waves wear stone to sand, she outlasts miles of enemy combatants. As rivers cut through miles of bedrock, she cuts through their forces, by bullet or by blade. She can outlast any who oppose her. If not the enemy, then the storm, for even lightning cannot damage the sea. Perseverance and change come easy as breathing to her. They are her birthright. She owns every inch of it, and still grasps for more. That is the way of her.
Scar
Those who know him now, know him as a son of Ares. There is hatred in in his eyes and steel in his heart. War seems to run through his veins, and he has become so very good at it. To those who see him, it seems as though bloodshed is all he knows. There was a time though, when he was young, when it was not so. Those who knew him then are now dead. No. He was not made by war, merely shaped by it. Those who knew him before would have seen the truth of it. He was a priest, one who takes all the good that he sees before him and sows it, distributes it out into the world so that it may grow in others. He was one who saw what was good and preserved it though long winters and dark storms. He rooted out the bad and allowed good to grow. Then war took him in its grasp, and when war became all he knew, it was war that he cultivated and spread. And so it was until he met someone who saw the beauty in him. She allowed him to set aside his war just long enough to see what he had reaped. He made the decision to burn away his crops, his hatred and his anger. He burns away his war and beings again. A son of Demeter may always choose to plant something new.
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vintagegeekculture · 7 years ago
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Oh wise vintagegeekculture, might I ask your opinion on Michael Moorcock's essay "Epic Pooh"?
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I am American as all-get-out. Stranger Things is practically a documentary about my rural childhood;there were a million little sense memory triggers in that series for me. Sothere is probably a cultural context to that very very English essay thatdiscusses a very very English relationship to lulling sentimentality and class and the countryside that I willfully concede that I am simply not grasping. The English seem tothink entirely in terms of debating sentimental imagery: “Mother London” vs.the “Ploughman’s Lunch” and “Little Britain.” Althought it is a serious issue,listening to British debates on Brexit often felt like hearing to the “Darmokand Jalad at Tanagra” aliens from TNG having a loud argument about who’s Momloves them more.
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But…from my perspectiveas an outsider and foreigner, I think the general point Moorcock makes iscorrect: Fantasy was created by men like Tolkien and Lord Dunsany who wereviolently hostile to the modern world and so their work very studiously avoidedtalking about the modern world except in opposition to it (for instance, theonly person to push industrialization and scouring the countryside is anasshole wizard; the only person who talks like T.S. Elliot’s Londoners is the despicableSméagol). Lord Dunsany was a great writer, but seems like a thin-bloodedaristocrat, like a Brit Ashley Wilkes from GoneWith the Wind, who even in the 1970s, wrotehis stories with a quill pen and wore an ascot tie to book readings.
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Moorcock is right whenhe says that fantasy often avoids reflecting the world around us, and thatbeing overly sentimental about the past serves the interest of reactionaries(note that he did not call Tolkien and Dunsany and the rest reactionaries…atleast in a way that was visible in their work – he did say that about Adams andLewis though). The most important quote in that essay is “Ideally fiction should offer us escape and force us, at least, to askquestions; it should provide a release from anxiety but give us some insightinto the causes of anxiety.” I mean, fantasy as a genre was so detachedfrom “real world” issues that when someone like Tad Williams started to includesomething as fundamental as economics into his fantasy worlds starting in the1980s, people treated him like a total genius (Which Tad Williams IS,incidentally - these days, people only really know Tad Williams, if they knowhim at all, as the inspiration for George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones).
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One of the great themesof Moorcock’s work is the way that authoritarians use sentimental imagery ofthe past to manipulate people. If you read Epic Pooh, also read his other book,“The Dreamthief’s Daughter,” the opening third to half is set in Nazi Germany.It’s actually more helpful to understand the point of this essay to read “Dreamthief’sDaughter,” since, in the words of Francois Truffaut, “the only way to critiquea movie properly is to make another movie.” Dreamthief’s Daughter starts with a“Good German,” von Bek, who is horrified that his Germany was taken over byNazism, how they replace “self respect with a kind of strutting self-esteem.”At one point, our hero has to hide in the German countryside, and he mentionshow sinister the small storybook German towns he passes through seem, romanticized by fascists after Hitlercame to power, as they were pushed front and center as the “true Germany.”
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Of all the books everwritten about the Nazis and arch-reactionaries, Moorcock gets it the most rightin “Dreamthief’s Daughter.” They were boring failsons, not supervillains.Rudolf Hess was described as the most irritating person to sit next to on thebus to a con and who believed magic and ghosts were real; von Bek said that “inmy many adventures, I showed true courage only once: in not throwing RudolfHess out of my car.” Von Bek’s comments on Hitler himself: “An evening withHitler was like an evening with an extremely boring maiden aunt.” He was alsothe first person I can think of to point out how reactionary fascists oftenhave really bad taste, too: drawing imagery from bad comic operas and Americanmovies about Rome. That last bit should be all too familiar to people whonotice how many American reactionaries love the hell out of the movie 300 (amovie I really like too, incidentally, but it’s okay to enjoy something if you understand it).
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Also, “Dreamthief’sDaughter” had a great finale: imagine a flight of dragons coming out to fight theBattle of Britain.
The point, that fantasycan be infantilizing, is a good point, but Moorcock is the weirdestpossible person on the face of the earth to make it. Moorcock got famous bywriting about brooding angsty albinos who cry all the time for the benefit ofteenage heavy metal fans and dungeon masters in Reeboks. I love his stuff but that’s who he is,that’s the stuff that pays his mortgage, that’s his audience. His stuff is good but it reminds me ofthose White Wolf games in the 1990s that look silly and dated in retrospectbecause they trowel on the angst and transgression and put on airs (White Wolf,incidentally, was named after Moorcock’s greatest hero, Elric the White Wolf…andin the 1990s, White Wolf’s publishing arm dedicated itself to reprinting someof Moorcock’s less widely seen novels, a service for which I thank them verymuch). I am actually legitimately surprised that Moorcock never wrote a “sad sexy vampire” novel. God, can you imagine the kind of satire that the anarchic MAD magazine of the 50s would do of the Elric stuff? Elric screaming his soul is black at the breakfast table, while threatening to kill himself over a hangnail.
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