#FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: MOTHERHOOD

[rizatouchesthewalls]

Do you ever think that Hawkeye wanted a baby but she never really could so she was eager to take Black Hayate?

She wasn’t necessarily desperate but yk after more variables entered her life than just “Dad” and “Disappointment” (The great staples of childhood) she started seeing more of a future. And while traditional motherhood wasn’t really appealing to her the idea of having a family and a place of belonging does.

Going forward from that, past the war, her plans of having any sort of family life are erased, not only by trauma, but by morals: she finds it wrong for her to create any life after being a killer.

So the years go on and eventually she grows up and of course people have babies and maybe her female friends plan to have their own and the idea pops back into her head but she comes with the revelation that everyone’s definition of family-happiness is so more convoluted than what hers was. (Of course she knew sexism existed, but seriously, are these women really being EXPECTED to have a child rather than be asked?)

So it being a societal standard rather than a choice is a turn off, and she’s nervous to get a husband for that reason (girl ur bisexual js work it out but fine 1920s ig). If she has a partner she wants them to mutually want a family not because its her “duty” but because they both want happiness and love, and she’s not finding that with the one-night date dipshits she’s been taking on Rebecca’s recommendation.

On the opposite side of the coin, Riza doesn’t want to be overworked during it all. Her father was smart, so I’m assuming she’s at least read a bunch of educational books (if not gone to school herself) and she knows how hellish giving birth is on the body and mind, let alone how pregnancy affects it. She doesn’t necessarily want a partner even, rather than someone who can just have her back. But also there’s guilt and I-refuse-to-burden-anyone syndrome so she refuses to entertain the idea to her friends 😭

Overall (and naturally) its all a very difficult decision that has way too many variables: so alternative! Get a dog! I don’t really think this is canon at all by the way I’m just thinking it’d be an interesting narrative if Hawkeye replaced a baby in her mind for Black Hayate.

Hawkeye: Black Hayate is very cute today, no?

Mustang: Yeah… um… why is he in a bib?

[kangdae95draws]

My new fic! I posted it some days ago but I wanted to draw some sort of concept art for it. Summary: 3 years after Ishval rebuild campaign, Riza discovers she's pregnant and her life turns around completely.

This is not a 100% royai fic, I tried to make it as canon as possible, and dig into Riza's emotional journey instead.

[midnightshade]

Kenjaku & His Emotional Attachments: An Analysis

Kenjaku is a character with a lot more emotional depth than a lot of the fandom tends to give him credit for. He's peculiar in the sense that he's an incredibly charismatic and lively character who seems to push back against any notion of being close to someone.

I joke with my friends sometimes that Kenjaku is a Tsundere™ but I do think that holds some weight to it. Not in the traditional meaning of the word, mind you, but I have noticed that his words don't always align with his actions 

In his battle against Choso, he refers to Yūji as a "thing" and claims he doesn't have any real plans for him. Despite this, not only did Kenjaku go out of his way to kill the ones who ordered Yūji's execution, he personally thanked Sasaki for being kind to "his son."

We see the same treatment extended to Tengen. He refers to her as an "it" or a "thing" just as he did with Yūji, but as soon as he's alone with her after defeating Choso and Yuki, he refers to her as a friend

Angel, in a previous chapter, refers to Kenjaku as a social chameleon with a forked tongue —

— and I think that's spot on. Kenjaku is a people person. He's not just the manipulative villain pulling the strings from behind for his own curiosity. He actively enjoys living, and I imagine that same zest for life extends to people as well. He almost reminds me of Greed from Fullmetal Alchemist in that aspect. He isn't a good man, but he is nice and honestly very likable.

He has more layers and complexity to his emotions than people give him credit for, but I think part of it is because he himself is so adverse to getting close to people. He's charming and can be polite, but we haven't seen him make any real, deep connections with his current allies.

I think he's scared in some way. He gets connected to a few people without meaning to, namely Yūji and Tengen (who he obviously has history with) and it seems his knee-jerk reaction is to deny that he actually cares for someone, even if it's a twisted version of love

He may have been burned in the past and, as a result, puts up walls to ensure he doesn't get hurt. That, or perhaps he realized getting attached when you're essentially immortal, is foolish, or maybe he really has lived so long it's harder for him to access those emotions

That aside, you can't convince me that a character who is steeped in depictions of motherhood and fertility wouldn't have an attachment to the one child he personally carried and birthed. It might not be a conscious decision on his part, but he definitely feels something for Yūji

Gege always goes the extra mile to humanize his villains. They're treated as real people who, despite their crimes, are still capable of feeling and of having some positive interactions with others. Kenjaku is no exception.

He's still deeply threatening, powerful, and villainous while showcasing a more human side to himself because at the end of the day, that's what he is: a human.

[ramenuzumaki]

Happy Mother's Day ❣❣❣ 💐💖

[fruitsbasketcase]

Laura Bailey VS Laura Bailey

FMA Brotherhood Vs FB Motherhood

[flourchildwrites]

Untitled

Read on AO3

Length:  901 words

Rated:  T

Status:  Complete

Summary:

A soft touch with a wise man’s frown. A warm grin spreading love all around. A selfless heart where home can always be found. That’s what mothers are made of.

Special thanks to @vino-and-doggos  for beta-ing!

Trigger warning for fertility issues.

The Elric brothers have no shortage of surrogate mothers.  In every season of their lives, there is a new person stepping into the large shoes left empty by Trisha Elric, a woman who, in the rose-colored lens of hindsight, is nothing short of sunshine incarnate.  Individually, no one can measure up, but together the fragmented chain of warm smiles and tough love produces a pair of sons that any person would be honored to call their own.

Izumi Curtis would be proud to call Edward and Alphonse hers, but she doesn’t.  Though from time to time, she thinks it and feels it. Motherhood isn’t a sentimental label to be conveniently tossed around during fleeting moments of self-serving praise.  Or so she tells Sig when he questions her decision to call the Elric brothers “former students” to well-meaning townsfolk who frequent their butcher shop.

And when a pretty invitation arrives at their home in Dublith, trimmed in artfully ragged edges with elegant golden calligraphy, Izumi does not act as a mother would.  She slips the bearer of good tidings back in the envelope and places the fine stationery to the side in stunned disbelief. The news hits her in the stomach like the unexpected roundhouse kicks she lands on her boys when they visit.  She’s breathless and blind-sighted by the news.

Marriage is a familiar beast to the veteran housewife.  Izumi understands it and respects the sanctity of vows and rings, cake and champagne.  And it isn’t that the couple in question isn’t suited for marital bliss; they are. It’s the first line of weighted words displayed in a pretty arch over the names of Edward Elric and Winry Rockbell.

Together with their growing family

Edward Elric and Winry Rockbell

request the pleasure of your company at their wedding

Growing?  Growing...

The ceremony is set a mere month in the future, and not even Sig can miss the subtext when Izumi finally shows him the invitation a week later.  The burly bear of a man cleans his hands between the folds of a butcher shop dishcloth and tentatively straightens out the delicate paper, now wrinkled from being wrung between his wife’s damp palms. The crow’s feet around Izumi’s onyx eyes frame orbs that have lost their ferocity, and she refuses to meet her husband’s gaze for the first time in recent memory.  Izumi turns away so that Sig doesn’t see the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.

Sometimes, it was easy to forget that he has also lost something.  Other times, it is inescapable. Sig is so gentle and kind and undeserving of a home that will always be too big for just two.

“How about that,” Sig says in a purposefully upbeat voice.  From behind her, he wraps his muscular arms around his wife’s slender waist.  Izumi can feel the steady cadence of his breathing as Sig pulls her toward the warmth of his body.  “I guess those crazy kids just couldn’t wait.”

“Don’t you think it’s a little crass to announce it in a wedding invitation?” Izumi asks.  She knows the question is unfair, fueled by a volatile cocktail of emotions. Regret, anger, longing and sadness.  They are old companions, relics of her Truth.

“Would you rather it have been an in-person surprise?”  

Izumi doesn’t respond.  Instead, she swallows the bitter lump in her throat and swipes the delicate skin under her eyes free of salty tears.  Izumi straightens up, propped by a thousand meaningless platitudes, and readies her faux enthusiasm as she reaches for the receiver of the butcher shop’s telephone to make the call that's a week overdue.  Stuck in a disembodied haze, she dials “0” and requests that the operator connects her to Rockbell Automail in Resembool.

She secretly hopes that no one will answer, but a young woman’s cheery voice comes through loud and clear.

“Winry!” Izumi’s greeting is warm, but there is a harsh juxtaposition between the forced levity in her voice and the strained look of her features.  The mood in the backstore of the butcher shop is heavy as Izumi’s knuckles turn white from her firm grip on the receiver. “I’ve just seen the invitation.  Congratulations on the engagement. Sig and I are so happy for you.

“Yes, we wouldn’t miss it for the world.  But we were wondering, given the wording you chose and the date being so close if there was anything Ed forgot to mention to us. If it’s what I think it is, I’ve got a bone to pick with my former student.”

Asking is a faux pas, Izumi knows, but the Elrics are family in every way that matters.  Even Ed, for all his thick-headedness, will understand why she should be certain in advance.  And maybe that was why he hesitated to tell her in the first place.

Winry joyfully confirms Izumi’s suspicion, and the housewife swears she can feel the young woman’s maternal glow radiating over the phone lines.  The feeling is warm and fuzzy, a radiance that curls around Izumi’s ears and exaggerates the cold, empty space where her womb should be. Winry and Ed are expecting, and the child is already four months in the making.

It is unexpected, but they are so very, very happy, and Izumi and Sig are happy for them.  Really.  It’s just the sort of thing you do for family. It’s the sort of sacrifice a mother would make.

A/N:  Thanks for reading.  Likes and reblogs are so appreciated, and I do love reading the tags!

[kingofthewilderwest]

#and that his foster mom is a spy#and a Madame#like#there is so much there#and arakawa gave us NOTHING#and I love her for it

The way brotherhood just went and dropped that one line abt Roy bring a foster kid and never mentioned it again......like they rly said

[cherrystrawberrie]

FM/AM radio just stands for Fullmetal Alchemist MOTHERHOOD

[nightofnyx8]

Thank you so much to @lantur, @roseofbattles, @megthemighty, @fullmetalscullyy, and @lastwagontrainhopper for the tag! Love you all! <3

How many works do you have on AO3? 16 😊 12 are from Fullmetal Alchemist, and 4 are from the Batman/Teen Titans category.

What's your total AO3 word count?

86845

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Someone to Watch Over Me—This one is very dear to me, because it was my first time creating an OC and I just fell in love with Dr. Kallen. I love outside perspectives so much because I get to explore Royai through different eyes and I find it very insightful. It was also fun to research a bunch of medical procedures and the 1900s hospital environment in general!

In My Tender Embrace—This one has my heart, as it took so much empathy and love to write, and it also really helped me explore Riza’s character in relation to motherhood what that meant after Ishval. It was so very very hard to write about her miscarriages and the toll it took on her and Roy, but it was also beautiful to me to help them both heal and strengthen each other with my favorite hurt/comfort.

The Moments to Remember—This is the first Royai fic I wrote (and also my least favorite haha). I mostly wrote it because my family was stressing me out about planning my own wedding, and some of that frustration leaked into the fic haha. I’d probably change a couple things if I went back to it, but it has some nice domestic Royai towards the end.

Hold Me Close—Ahhh this one is such a guilty pleasure! I loved writing these one-bed prompts so much, and it’s also some good practice for me to write some more intimate scenes. I haven’t written full on smut yet, but that might change in the last chapter oooooppppps.

The First Thing He Checked—This was one of my favorite pieces to write! I got to explore Berthold’s character a bit, and of course Roy just gets to save the day at the very end. I’m such a sucker for “Are you hurt?” tropes and this one was such a lovely character comparison piece to write.

Do you reply to comments, why or why not? Yes! It means the world to me that someone took the time to read through something I’ve written, and even more so that they would leave their thoughts on it, and it’s a way I can express my gratitude for that! Plus, I sometimes learn something from other people’s perceptions of the piece and can sometimes inspire new scenes or ideas.

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? Most definitely The Distance Between Us. Not only because both Roy and Riza are, well, dead—but also because that whole fic was just a heartbreak and a half to write.

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending? Probably “I’m Only Me When I’m With You,” because not only were Roy and Riza free of the usual war criminal trauma, but it was also like the most satisfying ending to write ever with that slow burn college dorks in love (ahh look, it’s an AU, go figure).

Do you write crossovers? If so, what's the craziest one you've ever written? I don’t think I will since I like overanalyzing too much. Like my current WIP is all about unfolding the events towards the Promised Day, and Arakawa’s making me read between the lines to figure out what in the actual heck was Roy’s master plan. Adding another fandom into that would probably just make my brain explode.

Have you ever received hate on a fic? I believe I received one comment on my old fanfiction account once back in the day.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I’ve never written full-on smut, I tend to either write it non-explicatively or imply it somehow. I’m trying to decide which way to go on the last chapter of Hold Me Close, and depending on what I decide the rating will have to change. Favorite guilty smut to read: drunken confessions, dom/sub (hi @lantur), basically anytime Roy and Riza go undercover and things…happen, and secret relationships.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? I have not, thankfully 😊

Have you ever had a fic translated? No, but @klainelynch did a podfic of “Endgame” that I still haven’t quite recovered from.

Have you ever co-written a fic before? No, but I’d love to! It sounds fun!

What’s your all-time favourite ship? Roy Mustang/Riza Hawkeye—Such a wonderful dynamic and I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? I might finish I’d Still Choose You someday, but it’s a fandom that I don’t write for anymore unless someone requests it, and I just don’t have the same fervor for it as I used to.

What are your writing strengths? Hmm, I think that I do well conveying emotions in a real and grounded way. Some of my fics deal with some hard topics, and I always want the emotions felt by the reader to be well earned and rich instead of empty or fake. I like my writing style as well, and I feel like I learn something new with each fic I write.

What are your writing weaknesses? Random spelling and tense errors that slip past the editing stage, and it’s something I’m continually working on. I also feel like my prose and flow of the piece can feel a bit mechanical at times.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? I've included words in different languages in some of my fics, but I don’t think I’d be comfortable writing full dialogue unless it was Spanish, the only other language I’m fluent in.

What was the first fandom you wrote for? Percy Jackson, back when I was 13!

What’s your favourite fic you’ve written? I’d have to say Heartbeat, because those two pieces required a lot of empathy and research and love. And though it broke my heart to write that story for Roy and Riza, I put a lot of heart into it and it helped me to grow as a writer. That’s also the fic where the comments have humbled me the most, because it gets into some real-world issues that can bring up some hard emotions that I wanted to treat with the utmost respect.

Tagging @bringingglory @musing-and-music @nightglider124 @lightdusk96 and anyone else who wants to haha :)

[bimboficationblues]

People keep saying they want a more faithful anime adaptation of Promised Neverland in the future, a la Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, because of the bad breakneck pacing and cut content from S2 of the anime. 

But I have only seen one person call this hypothetical production by its correct name, which is The Promised Neverland: Motherhood

[eskalations]

"This is about my pride, Riza." Roy reasoned, taking a few steps closer to her desk. His palms were up, as though it was the simplest explanation in the world. "If Rebecca knew I was incapable of this, she'd never let me hear the end of it."

A series of oneshots documenting the life and times of the Amestrian First Family.

A/N: Alright, fam - this was tough. I don't know WHY this was such a hard chapter to write, but it was. I had a rough week at work, so my writing muse wasn't as strong as usual. That being said, I'm not exactly happy with this chapter. I hope that despite that, and any other mistakes there are, that you still at least find this chapter somewhat readable.

Also, fun fact, that I forgot to tell you last chapter. I've always considered Xingese, the equivalent of Chinese in the FMA universe - so, when Elizabeth refers to her little sister as "Mae Mae", it's actually a reference to the Chinese term "Mei Mei" which means "little sister".

Thank you so much for reading!

~

"Of all the times we spoke of hell, this is not what I imagined – "

At Riza's unimpressed look, Roy clamped his mouth shut. He knew his dramatics were not going to earn him any positive points with his wife at the moment. She was far too tired to deal with his own childish commentary.

" – however, I would do anything to keep my wife and daughters happy." Roy finally finished – a near visible sweat drop forming at the start of his hairline. At the change of conversational direction, Riza gave him a dubious look from over the documents in her hands.

"You're sure you can handle it?"

"No," Roy answered quickly, too quickly for a man who was usually so confident. "But I don't see any other choice."

"I could ask Rebecca – "

"I would rather you didn't."

With a single blonde brow raised, Riza regarded her husband in confusion. "I don't understand why you're so against – "

"This is about my pride, Riza." Roy reasoned, taking a few steps closer to her desk. His palms were up, as though it was the simplest explanation in the world. "If Rebecca knew I was incapable of this, she'd never let me hear the end of it."

"You're acting like a child, Roy."

"No," Roy patted his chest, quite a sight in his military blues. It was almost amusing how seriously the Fuhrer was taking this. "I am acting like a man. A man does not back down from a challenge such as this."

Riza couldn't help the tired smile that appeared on her features at such conviction. "A challenge such as a sleepover?"

Her husband gave her a withering look. "Don't say it like that, you make it sound ridiculous."

His petulant expression had laughter bubbling up in Riza's throat. The sound caused Roy's heart to soar. She hadn't been laughing much in the past few months, so it was nice to hear such a happy sound coming from her lips – even if it was still tinged with exhaustion.

Before Riza could respond, she was interrupted by a cry coming from the makeshift crib that lay in the corner of the room. Without a second thought, the First Lady of Amestris was on her feet and comforting the child that lay within the soft pink blankets.

The scene had Roy sighing in defeat. The main reason for their current dilemma was the same precious bundle that was now being cradled by her mother.

Mae Mustang had certainly turned their lives upside down.

Winter had come and gone, and with it, so had the illnesses that pestered the Mustang household all season long. Following the solstice, it seemed like the girls came down with a new round of sniffles every week. Nothing hit the family near as hard as the flu that had preceded the solstice – however, both Roy and Riza had certainly had their hands full with both their daughters and their duties.

On top of all the sickness in the house, Riza's moods had not improved much over time. With an extremely colicky baby, the woman had felt as though she were doomed to never get a normal night's sleep ever again. She was quick to anger and extremely lethargic – two things that no one who was part of their circle had ever known her to be.

Once she had brought up the issue with her doctor, the woman assured her that it was a normal to feel this way after some pregnancies. Given the fact that Mae was also a very fussy baby, it was to be expected that she would feel like she was at her wit's end for the first few months of her youngest daughter's life.

Though her words had been unconcerned and gentle when she had spoken with Riza, Roy would never forget the serious expression she gave him as she pulled him to the side.

'Keep an eye on her,' she had said with concern evident in her eyes. The soft warning in her tone was enough to have Roy breaking out into a nervous sweat.

He had already been concerned, but after that, he was really concerned.

That was why, nearly four months after their second daughter's birth, Roy insisted that Riza continue to work from home. While Riza normally would have argued against this, wanting to be as close to Roy as possible at Central HQ, she had simply nodded and agreed that this arrangement was her best option for now.

While working from home, the First Lady was able to sleep in and attend to her infant daughter throughout the day. Roy had suggested hiring a nanny temporarily, just to give Riza more time on her own – however, that idea had been quickly shot down by his wife.

'Are you saying I'm incapable of taking care of my own infant daughter?' Riza had snapped at him, absolutely appalled by the suggestion. Knowing that his wife was wrought with insecurities when it came to her parenting, Roy had dropped the subject rather quickly after that.

The man hated feeling useless, but there was only so much he could do to help his wife when he was several blocks away at Central HQ. The woman refused to let him tend to their daughter at night, citing that he needed his rest in order to attend to his duties as Fuhrer. Thus, that left Riza to take care of everything, from night feedings to bathing their young, infant daughter.

In the middle of all this was poor Elizabeth, who was certainly beginning to feel slighted by all the attention that was being given to her sister. Though she had always loved the baby and wanted to be around her whenever she was home, Roy could see that the tolerant child was beginning to grow weary at the lack of attention she was receiving from her usually doting parents.

Hence, the sleepover.

Elizabeth's birthday had always been cause for great celebration in their household. While typically they held a party with both friends and family alike, Elizabeth had requested something different this year. Though her time spent with the Elric and Havoc children had been nice, she wanted to invite her own friends over from daycare for a different kind of party.

A sleepover party.

The idea was foreign to both Riza and Roy. Riza had never concerned herself with birthdays during her adolescence, since her father thought they were nothing more than another day of life and that there was no real reason to celebrate them. Roy, on the other hand, had celebrated many birthdays during his formative years – however, despite having grown up with a multitude of foster sisters, was completely unfamiliar with the concept of a sleepover.

Though both her parents had been quite hesitant of the idea at first, Elizabeth's sweet little pout and tears had finally convinced them in the end. If this was what she wanted, then this was what she was going to get.

However, Roy had not expected that he was going to have to run this gig solo.

Three days before Elizabeth's sleepover – Mae had started showing signs of teething, and suddenly the sleepless nights of colic, became something a little more.

In the past several days, the frazzled mother had maybe gotten a total of three hours of sleep. Between keeping up with Mae's feedings and comforting her as she sobbed from both the pains in her stomach and her mouth, Riza had very little time to rest. Roy could see, as the days went by, that the usually dark circles under his wife's eyes, were continuously getting darker. Not only that, but the healthy glow of her peach-colored skin, had changed into a sickly pale pallor.

It was obvious. She was exhausted.

On top of all that, Riza was still performing her duties as Amestris' First Lady. She continued to move forward with her plans for the new school she was commissioning and had even kept up with the interviews she had scheduled to help with the hiring of its faculty.

Roy had no idea how she did it. He wasn't even sure how she found the energy to dress in the morning with all she was doing.

Hence, why he had offered to take over the planning and execution of their daughter's sleepover party. Though he seriously doubted his skills in this department, he would do whatever it took to give Riza a much-needed break.

Even now, as she cradled their youngest in her arms, Roy could see the weariness in the way she bounced their child in comfort. She had never looked further from her former self than she did now. The formidable "Hawk's Eye" – now beaten down from a rather rough patch of motherhood. It was unfair.

"I want to help you." Roy told her honestly, his voice soft as Mae's cries finally began to subside. He walked over to Riza's side, wrapping an arm around her waist. "If I'm already up with the girls, then that will give you some time to rest without having to worry about Mae."

"So, you're going to take care of Mae, too?" Riza asked, doubt evident in her words. She gazed down at their daughter – all blonde hair and dark eyes, before looking back up at him. "Are you sure it won't be too much?"

"I'm positive." Roy affirmed, rubbing a comforting hand over her back. Even through the thin material of her tapioca dress, Roy could feel the notches of her spine. She had lost more weight again. With this in mind, his resolve only grew. "Besides, I won't be alone. Breda and Havoc are going to help me."

Riza's brows rose to her hairline. "How?"

"I've dismissed my bodyguards for tonight, so they're going to stand in." Roy brought a hand up to rub a hand against Mae's fevered cheeks. "I know it's technically below their rank, but desperate times call for desperate measures."

The Fuhrer rarely made Captains Havoc and Breda his guards, unless there was something really important going on, such as the birth of his daughter. However, he had already asked the men if they could free up their Saturday night to assist him on a 'mission'.

Of course, he hadn't told them what that mission was – but Roy wasn't big on details. Besides, they weren't going to say no to their boss.

Riza shook her head at the idea. "You really think those two will be able to help you?"

Roy shrugged. "Possibly."

The woman rolled her eyes at her husband's answer. "I think you just want them to suffer with you."

"I'm wounded by your words, madam."

This had Riza laughing. Roy's chest puffed up at having made her smile again. Perhaps, this was the exact thing Riza had needed – a night off. Regardless of any of the torture he was about to face in the coming hours, Roy couldn't bring himself to regret his decision. He would do anything to keep that smile alive on Riza's face forever.

"Okay." The woman finally agreed, the grin never leaving her face. "I appreciate it. I hope you know though, that if things get tough, you can come get me at any point in time."

"Trust me," Roy assured her, pulling her close to his side. "Everything will be fine."

~

Everything was not fine.

Sure, things had started out alright – but Roy was pretty sure that he would be completely grey by the end of the night.

For the first hour, Riza had stayed by his side as they greeted the parents of the little girls' who entered their home. Both parents, having always been very involved with their daughter's schooling, recognized many of the adults who usually stood outside Central Children's Daycare. Introductions were made and the children were sent up the stairs to be greeted by excited exclamations from the other little girls who were already there.

That was when things took a turn for the worst.

He had no idea his daughter had befriended a child of Ishvalan descent.

Now really, he shouldn't have been surprised. Elizabeth was incredibly loving and friendly, so any differences between her and others, were usually swept under the rug by the innocent mind of the unprejudiced child. Even after the situation with Miss Abra at the daycare, Elizabeth still knew nothing of the history her parents had with Ishval.

Roy and Riza had just been wishing one of the girls' parents farewell, when a hulking figure of a man walked through the door. His appearance had both the Fuhrer and his wife pausing – though it had nothing to do with his height or the rippling muscles that peaked through the fabric of his shirt.

It was the white hair and telltale red eyes that caused their greetings to catch in their throats. Not only that, but the stern look on the man's face made it obvious that he wanted to be just about anywhere else but there.

From behind his leg – a little girl poked her head out to look up at the parents of her friend. Like her father, the girl's hair was white as snow with eyes the color of blood. They shared the same dark features – except where there was an expression of near hatred on the elder one's face, the little girl's expression held nothing but hesitance.

Riza was the first to recover from her surprise. Behind her, Roy could hear the sound of Breda and Havoc shuffling, as though preparing for a fight.

"Hello," Riza spoke softly, as she crouched down to the young girl's level, Mae still absconded in her arms. The child shrank back a bit behind her father's leg, but continued to stare at the pretty blonde woman before her. "What's your name?"

The girl had just opened her mouth to answer, when a flurried set of footsteps made their way down the stairs.

"Etha!"

From out of nowhere, Elizabeth scurried past her parents, already sporting her light pink pajamas. Disregarding her friend's timid disposition, the Fuhrer's daughter tugged the girl from out behind her hulking father's leg and pulled her into a tight hug.

At his side, Roy watched as Riza stood from her crouched position, ready to reprimand her daughter for being so rough with her friend – however, her words died in her throat.

Etha was smiling.

"Hi Lizzie," The young girl's voice was much quieter than her friend's, but just as excited. "Thank you for inviting me."

Elizabeth pulled back to smile at the girl. Standing together, they couldn't have been more different. With Elizabeth's hair dark as night and eyes nearly the same shade, she was a stark contrast to her white-haired and red-eyed friend – yet, none of those differences seemed to change the way they regarded the other.

The girl's father, on the other hand, seemed almost hyperaware of the differences between the girls in front of him.

At the top of the stairs, the five other girls who had already arrived, called for both Elizabeth and Etha to make their way up to the second floor. They were shouting about something that had happened on the popular children's radio show Roy had already set up for them to listen to.

"Come on, Etha!" Elizabeth tugged on the other girl's hand, dragging her over towards the stairs. "It's the good part!"

The little girl went to follow her friend, holding tightly to one strap of her backpack. Before she started her ascent up the stairs, she turned around to throw her father a quick smile and wave.

"Bye, Daddy!" Etha called as she was hauled up the staircase by her overenthusiastic, newly six-year-old friend. As they reached the top, the other girls squealed before grabbing their hands and tugging them back towards the nursery.

The three parents watched the two children as they were dragged off by the others, an awkward silence hanging over them following the exit of their respective daughters. Once again, Roy could hear Havoc and Breda shift nervously in their boots at the tension that seemed to engulf the room.

"I expect her to be returned in one piece."

The man's voice was deep, the sound of it rumbling in his muscular chest. The threat laced in those words went without being said, and while Roy wished he could be offended by such a vicious accusation, he couldn't say the man's worries were born from nothing. What he had done in Ishval could never be erased from the minds of those who had been made to suffer because of his actions.

"Of course, sir." Riza responded easily, though Roy could hear the tightness in her voice. She too was upset by the man's words. "Etha will be treated just as any other child in our home."

The man glared at Riza, as though measuring her words for any sign of deception. Roy could feel his spine straighten and fingers twitch at such a threatening stare. Although the Ishvalan father had many inches over him, Roy would not hesitate to defend his wife should it come to it.

Lucky for him, such a fight was not to transpire that night.

Without so much as introducing himself, the man turned on his heel and made his way out of the house. The door slammed behind him, causing all four adults left in the room to jump at the loud sound.

"Well, boss," Havoc drawled, walking up to his two old friends with a toothpick between his lips. "That went quite well."

Roy glared at the man, raising a dark brow in challenge. "I would really hate to know what you consider bad, then."

Havoc smirked in Roy's direction. "A pancake-shaped Fuhrer."

Breda tried to hide a chuckle behind his fist, feigning a coughing spell instead. At his two subordinates' behavior, Roy rolled his eyes.

"I know you two are upset that I didn't tell you what was going on tonight – " Havoc gave him a look that clearly said 'you think'. Roy ignored this and continued on. "However, I expect you to remain professional just as always. Keep in mind, this is a very important mission."

"It's a sleepover."

"It's a girl sleepover." Havoc corrected Breda, gesturing wildly at their military blues. "And here we are, decked out as though we're facing ole' Bradley."

Riza butted in, quickly – cutting off her husband's surely snide remark. "If it's really that much of an issue, I don't mind taking care of it."

Both Breda and Havoc went silent at this. From beside Riza, Roy was glaring at the two men, his eyes telling them that they better not accept such an offer. Both soldiers knew better, though. They had seen how different Riza had been upon their trips to the house, they knew she needed this reprieve more than anyone.

"Nah, Riza." Breda finally said, sending a supportive smile her way while shoving his hands into his pants' pockets. "Like I've always told you, we'll do anything for you."

Havoc nodded, agreeing with his friend's words. "Even if it means putting up with a few female brats for a couple of hours – we'll do it if it's for you."

Riza smiled gratefully at the two men, while Roy's expression turned sour.

"Are you saying you wouldn't do this for me?"

"Nope."

"Not at all."

Such insubordination had the Fuhrer's eye twitching – however, a loud bang and a yell from upstairs caused a pause in the conversation. Before any of them could react, a round of giggles broke out, the sound traveling down the stairs. Roy groaned at the thought of what that noise could have possibly been.

Riza was about to say something, when Mae began to fuss from her place in her mother's arms. Roy gestured for her to pass the baby over, but Riza shook her head.

"Let me bathe her and feed her before you take over." The woman bounced her daughter, as her fussing got louder. "That way you'll have an easier time putting her to sleep."

Roy was going to make a comment on how nothing seemed to help Mae sleep, even after four months of life – however, Riza had already started to make her way up the stairs. Even from his spot on the ground floor, the Fuhrer could hear his wife cooing at their daughter as she rounded the corner towards the master suite.

"So," Havoc drawled, clapping a hand on his boss's shoulder. "Is there a reason you didn't employ Becky to help you with this little venture?"

Roy glared at the man behind him. "Shut up, Havoc."

~

If Roy thought that the night couldn't get any worse than the awkward interaction that had kick-started the party, he was sorely mistaken.

The cake cutting had gone alright, besides a few cases of dropped icing and misplaced forks. One of Elizabeth's friends, Grace – if Roy was not mistaken – had shared offhandedly with the man as he passed her a piece of cake, that she was deathly allergic to nuts, causing Roy to pause in his action.

Elizabeth's cake was chocolate with nuts added into the icing of the middle layer.

Narrowly avoiding a potentially harrowing situation, the man had fished out a cookie from the pantry to give the girl instead while the other children enjoyed their cake. The small, blonde girl nibbled on her sugar cookie while telling Roy about the time she had nearly died after eating a sandwich that unknowingly contained peanuts. At the description of a swollen throat and difficulties breathing, Roy could feel himself growing pale.

Havoc simply laughed from behind him, watching as the Fuhrer's face grew more and more horrified. Breda would have laughed, too – however, he was distracted by his own piece of cake.

With that situation successful avoided, Roy actually felt like he was doing pretty good on his own.

After cake had been served, the girls had been redirected to the upstairs nursery. While Breda helped Elizabeth pick up her fallen dollhouse – the culprit of the loud sound they had all heard earlier – Riza entered the room with a freshly bathed Mae.

Upon the appearance of a baby, all the girls immediately turned their attention to the Fuhrer's wife.

"That's my sister, Mae!" Elizabeth told them excitedly, following the girls as they crowded around her mother's legs to get a better look. "I like to call her Mae Mae!"

Riza herself was already dressed in a pair of soft white pajamas with hair wet and cheeks flushed from her recent shower. Roy couldn't help but think she looked absolutely angelic as she began to approach him.

"She's all ready to go." The girl's mother said as she passed him the bundle of blankets. Mae didn't even fuss as she was transferred from the warmth of her mother to that of her father. "I've already fed her, so all she'll need is a good rock before bed."

"I can do that." Roy assured her, noting the worried look in her tired, amber eyes. "Go get some rest. I'll bring her to the cradle by the bed when we're done in here."

Though she still looked worried, Riza could not hide the near visible relief that suddenly flooded her body. Giving her husband one last grateful pat on the cheek, the woman kissed her young daughter's forehead, before taking her leave of the room.

Roy turned towards his men with Mae now cradled in his arms.

"So," He started, wincing visibly as Elizabeth and Etha squealed over something that had taken place over on the other side of the room. "I'm going to go put Mae to – "

"Uh, no you're not." Havoc reached out for the baby, his hands making a grabbing motion as though Roy were about to pass over a weapon. "You're staying here, boss. I'll take baby duty."

"If you hold her like that, you'll drop her!" Breda commented, also moving forward to get in on the action. The auburn-haired man didn't want to be stuck in the nursery with the young girls either. "At least give her to me, so she can rest in peace."

"Excuse me?" Havoc asked, turning to his friend, Mae completely forgotten. "What is that supposed to mean? I have four boys!"

"Which I have never seen you hold!"

"What?! That's bullshit!"

A chorus of tiny gasps caused the men to pause in their argument. Looking over to where the seven girls were crowded around the dollhouse on the opposite side of the room, the men were met with the shocked faces of each and every one of them. Havoc almost swallowed his toothpick in fear, scared to turn and see the dark look that was surely developing on the Fuhrer's face.

"Breda, take the baby."

Havoc winced at the Fuhrer's flat tone, not even turning to watch as Mae was placed in Breda's arms. The man made himself scarce as he opened the door to Mae's small room without even throwing a glance behind him.

While the girls continued to stare, Roy clapped Havoc harshly on the back. To the girls, it would appear to be a friendly gesture – however, Havoc knew better. Instead of retracting his hand after placing it on his subordinate's back, the Fuhrer continued to hold on to the fabric of his jacket.

"Hey, Lizzie?" Roy called out, prodding Havoc to step forward and towards the girls who were still staring in their direction. "Didn't you say earlier that you wanted to play doctor?"

Havoc gulped as a round of cheers erupted from the other side of the room.

He really needed to learn to keep his mouth shut.

~

Roy had thought that forcing Havoc to partake in a game of doctor with the girls would somehow end up saving him from a similar fate – however, he had been wrong.

While he was already worried that all Elizabeth's friends would go home and tell their parents that the Fuhrer had some very foul-mouthed subordinates, he was even more worried that Etha's father would come and pound him into the ground for allowing his daughter to be exposed to such language. After all, the Ishvalan people were very religious, and he couldn't remember a time when he had ever heard any of them curse.

So, to distract the girls from the word that Havoc had let slip, Roy went about helping them create a makeshift "stretcher" to put the very unhappy man on.

Serves him right, Roy thought to himself as he fluffed up Havoc's pillow a bit more aggressively than any medical professional ever would. The blonde Captain gave his superior a withering look.

"Really, sir?"

Roy shrugged, allowing the young girls to take over from there, already having gathered all their "equipment" to perform a successful "surgery". The man found it all very amusing, until a tiny tug at the bottom of his jacket had him turning.

"Mr. Fuhrer Mustang, sir?" A small, black-haired child, who he believed was named Abigail, was pulling on the fabric of his coat. "Aren't you going to play with us?"

Roy opened his mouth to say no, when Elizabeth – appearing out of nowhere – began to tug at him a little more aggressively than her friend. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Daddy come play!"

"Lizzie, I don't – "

"Yeah, Daddy." Havoc mimicked the voice of a young girl from his spot on the floor. Grace was sat on his chest with a plastic stethoscope, trying to listen to the man's heart. "Come play with us."

"Havoc," Roy warned as his daughter continued to tug on his hand, leading him over to a second "stretcher" that the girls had prepared. "I don't ever want to hear those words from your mouth ever again."

The blonde man rolled his eyes, wincing as Grace reached out to hold his lids open to shine a light into them. From behind her, a young Alice scribbled away on a notepad, appearing to take notes as Grace shouted out random observations to her.

Roy was forced to remove his coat as his daughter pushed him back on to the pallet. He was suddenly surrounded by Etha, Abigail, and Lizzie, all who had donned white robes from his daughter's closet to give them the appearance of medical physicians. Two sisters, Helen and Margaret, rushed from the room to go retrieve something from Elizabeth's craft table.

"Hurry!" Elizabeth shouted after them, taking her plastic stethoscope from Grace to listen to her father's own pounding heart. "We're losing him!"

Noticing the wide-eyed stare of her father, Elizabeth leaned down with her hands on her hips. The look she gave him was quite stern. "Daddy, you have to at least act like you're dying."

Having been on the brink of death many times before, Roy had no problem playing the part of a dying patient. After heaving a sigh of resignation, the man relaxed on his back with eyes closed, mentally counting down the hours before he could finally force the girls to go to bed.

Despite the flurry of activity going on around him, and the poking and prodding courtesy of his daughter, Roy was able to get pretty relaxed atop the pallet. After a long week of talks related to a skirmish with Aerugo along the border, the man was definitely ready for a long night of rest alongside his wife.

He almost allowed himself to get lost in the image of her soft, warm body against his – when something cold and wet landed squarely on his forehead. The sensation caused his eyes to pop open, only to be met with a curious blue pair.

Helen had returned with a wet cloth and had been instructed to place it on the Fuhrer's head in an attempt to "lower" his "fever". The girl was the youngest of the bunch and the smallest as well, following the orders of the older children as they continued to move around him in mock concern.

Before Roy could comment on the water dripping into his eyes, another cold, wet sensation made him pause at it made itself known through the fabric of his shirt. From across the room, he could hear Havoc let out a yelp of surprise, as well.

"Lizzie?" Roy asked, as he tilted his head up to see what his daughter had just put on his stomach. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he watched her draw a circle with red paint over the area where his burn scar resided. "Lizzie! Where did you get that paint?!"

"Shhhh," The girl warned him, never pausing in her actions. "Daddy, we have to save you. I'm performing Alkahestry."

Roy groaned, knowing his wife was going to be unimpressed with the state of his shirt when she caught sight of it. "Lizzie – please, be careful. We don't want the paint to spi – "

Before he could even finish his sentence, a gasp broke out from the girl beside his daughter. Margaret, the dark-haired sister to the young child keeping vigil by his head, looked down at the floor in horror. The red paint can that had caused Roy such weariness, was now lying over on its side, its contents covering both the sheets of Roy's pallet and the side of his blue pants.

All the girls went silent as they stared at the mess in shock. Then, suddenly, a wail broke loose from Margaret.

"I didn't mean to Mr. Fuhrer!"

Roy, still surprised by the spilled paint all over his pants, hurriedly sat up to comfort the crying child. "Margaret, it's okay."

"Please don't arrest me!"

"Margaret," Roy reasoned, careful not to shift too much, lest he displace more red paint on to the floor of the nursery. "I'm not going to arrest you."

"I don't know, Margaret." Havoc commented from his spot on the other pallet, looking quite amused by all of this. "He's a pretty mean guy!"

"Havoc!"

The man's words only had the girl crying harder. "I wanna go home!"

While all the girls rushed to comfort their distressed friend – Roy groaned, while laying his head back down on the pallet. He was really starting to consider enlisting Rebecca's help, when the cold, wet cloth from before was placed back on to his forehead.

Looking up, Roy noticed that Helen was the only child who hadn't rushed to help her sister. Instead, she had remained by the Fuhrer's side with a bowl of water and a cold compress.

Wait a minute…

"Helen?" Roy asked, trying to gain the girl's attention. "Where did you get that water from?"

The facets were high in the manor's bathrooms, making it almost impossible for a small child to reach them unless there was a stool present. Even then, Elizabeth still had trouble reaching the knobs of the sink without the help of one of her parents. It made Roy wonder how a child of such small stature could have filled a bowl under one of the bathroom facets.

Unless…

"The toilet."

Times like these, made Roy wish he had birthed boys.

~

Breda returned to the room to find both Roy and Havoc sat on the floor and covered in paint. If he noticed the reddish tinge of Roy's freshly washed face, he said nothing.

The girls had convinced Roy to do "pretty" braids in their hair, after having seen Elizabeth come to school with them on more than one occasion. It was one of the perks of having grown up with a multitude of sisters. It was definitely something Riza was thankful for, since she had little experience with hair that was not her own.

Currently, the Fuhrer sat braiding Margaret's hair, the young girl's tears finally dried after having had her friends calm her down. No longer scared of the man behind her, the girl had agreed to let him braid her hair. Elizabeth, who sat beside her with her dark hair already braided, pointed excitedly at something in the book that lay before them.

Havoc stood from his place on the floor to greet Breda, pointing towards the mess of sheets and paint on the floor. "Want to give me a hand?"

Breda didn't even ask questions as he walked over to assist his comrade.

"I think Felix is really cute." Grace was saying, playing dolls with both Alice and Abigail. Helen scooted over so that she could watch the scene unfolding. "We shared paints last week."

"Ohhhhhh!" The two other five-year-olds giggled, their faces flushed with the idea of young love. Roy couldn't help but hope it would be a few years before he caught his dear Elizabeth saying such things about the males in her class.

As it was, his daughter seemed rather preoccupied with her book, gesturing for Etha to come over so she could show her something as well.

Roy smiled at her actions. His daughter certainly took after both him and his wife – always curious and always learning. It wouldn't surprise him, if in a few years time, she approached him about wanting to learn alchemy. He still wasn't quite sure how to feel about that one.

Once all the girls had their hair braided and their sleeping mats had been set up, Roy employed Breda to read them all a bedtime story in an attempt to tire them out. Though, from the look of their drooping eyes, it didn't seem like the men were going to have any trouble getting the girls to sleep.

While Breda and Havoc acted out the scenes from a bedtime story, eliciting giggles from the young girls curled up on the floor, Roy went to go check on Mae.

The infant was resting peacefully in her room that lay adjacent to the nursery. Roy was surprised that the noise hadn't disturbed her – however, with all the crying she had done over the past few days, the man figured she was just about as tired as her mother was. Careful not to disturb her rest, Roy picked the girl up from her crib to transport her back to the master suite.

After depositing his daughter into the small crib in his bedroom, Roy returned to the nursery, surprised to find it quieter than before.

The sight that lay before him had the Fuhrer nearly bursting into laughter.

Havoc and Breda were sat in two small nursery chairs, snoring loudly with both their heads thrown back. From the looks of it, all the girls seemed to be asleep as well.

Chuckling quietly to himself, Roy made his way over to where his daughter lay in the middle of it all. The man leaned over quick, pressing a gentle kiss to the skin of her forehead.

"Happy Birthday, Lizzie."

Roy was about to stand up once more, when a quiet, little voice had him pausing.

"Thank you, Daddy." Lizzie murmured before turning over, her new doll clutched tightly to her chest. It had been a present from her great grandpa Grumman.

"You're welcome, Lizzie." Roy replied, giving his daughter one last kiss to the head before turning the lights of the room off. With Breda and Havoc watching over them, Roy was sure the girls would be more than okay for the rest of the night.

After washing up and changing from his now ruined uniform, Roy was finally able to make it into bed to join his wife in blissful slumber. She had looked so cozy when he had moved Mae to their bedroom earlier, that all he had wanted to do was forego his nightly routine to join her.

Careful not to disturb Mae where she lay in her crib, Roy quietly reentered the room and made his way to the bed. After situating himself under the sheets, the man turned towards his wife and pulled her close to his chest, nuzzling his face in her hair.

Riza hummed tiredly. "How'd it go?"

Roy was too tired to explain the dramatics of the night. Instead, he pulled his wife closer and snuggled deeper into her embrace. "It went fine."

"Thank you." Riza kissed his chest tiredly, rubbing her nose against the skin there. "I needed a break."

"I know." Roy rubbed her back in comfort. "I certainly didn't mind giving you one."

Riza gave no response, already slumbering once more. Roy was just about to join her, when a shrill sound broke him from his semi-conscious state.

Mae had started to cry.

Fighting back a groan, Roy was just about to lift his head off his pillow when the door to his bedroom burst open and Elizabeth pushed her way through.

"Daddy!" The young girl exclaimed, ignoring the cries of her younger sister as she rushed over to her father's side. "Helen threw up on the floor!"

Now, Roy did groan.

He was really starting to hate sleepovers.

[creative-hanyou-girl]

Your mistaken. It's called Fruits Basket: MOTHERHOOD.

just finished the first season of Fruits Basket: Brotherhood. i missed these kids <3

[disasternoj]

I want a miniseries about Winry being a kickass mom while still being a kickass blacksmith, feat. Fighty Dad Ed and Doting Uncle Al

Fullmetal Alchemist: Motherhood

[flourchildwrites]

Witch, Please!  Fictober 2019  (2/31)

A multi-fandom Fictober prompt compilation.  Your wish is my command, but be careful what you ask for.  You just might get it.

Prompt:  “Nightmare” from Writetober 2019 Prompt List

Fandom:  Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga, Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003) 

Relationship/Pairing:  Gracia Hughes/Maes Hughes

Genre:  Dreams and Nightmare

Rating:  Teen And Up Audiences

Word Count:  724 words

Read on AO3

He leaves his boots near the front door. From the kitchen, his wife shakes her head with a wry expression, miffed but not surprised.

Maes knows Gracia would prefer that he picked them up, tucking the standard-issue military footwear out of sight and mind. But Maes is a creature of habit, and this particular practice has a purpose. It reminds him that the outside world does not intrude on the sanctity of their apartment -- 1,300 square feet where Maes’s past does not exist, and his profession cannot follow. Some skeletons are kept in closets, but Maes wears his sins on the left side of his uniform in the guise of service ribbons. He shuffles that off too, piece by intricate piece, and hangs it on the back of the bathroom door.

“You’re late.”

He turns to find the slim figure of his wife leaning against the bedroom doorframe. Gracia is always congenial, an understanding companion who is wise enough to fill in the blanks when he doesn’t respond. The silences between them are loaded but never tense. Since taking up the mantle of motherhood, she’s noticeably happier, and Maes finds this attitude infectious.

“Work,” he offers simply, scratching at the back of his neck as he closes the space between them. He hugs Gracia tightly, taking in the smell of her shampoo and the size of her frame, so small when tucked into his body. She, as much this apartment, is also his home.

“Is she asleep?” Maes asks, even as his belly growls asking for its dinner. “I don’t want to wake her.”

Gracia chuckles. “She’s pretending to sleep but mostly playing with her stuffed animals,” she says confidently. “Go in and see her if you like.”

With a gentle squeeze of her hand, Maes releases his wife and saunters down down the hall, his socks shuffling against the hardwood floor. He reminds himself that his little girl is almost three now, cataloging her likes and dislikes with each step. She loves bath time but hates the rain. Her first word was ‘dada,’ and her favorite color is yellow. Maes pushes the nursery door open and gazes lovingly at the pastel wallpaper decorated with dancing bears.

“Is someone up past their bedtime?” he speaks into the semi-darkness. His voice is marked by a singsong inflection. In response, the toddler erupts in a fit of giggles. Little feet scamper clumsily across the floor as she flings herself into bed and throws a blanket over her head.

“My precious little girl,” Maes remarks. He pulls the covers back to reveal her sweet, round face; the child’s hair is a mess of fine curls. “Daddy’s sorry he wasn’t able to play with you today. Were you a good girl for mama?”

“Yes!” she exclaims, and Maes smiles like a fool, disregarding his memory of the blocks strewn about the house as well as the stickers stuck haphazardly throughout the hall.

He and Gracia go to bed soon after he’s taken his dinner, and they tuck into the sheets together, bodies folded into one another. Maes is content and happy, relishing the feeling of clean, sandless cotton against his skin. The weight of the day sets in, and his eyes flutter shut.

Maes wakes to the sound of an ill-played reveille. His eyes flutter open, searching his surroundings for mental purchase against the thin beige walls of his tent. A breeze bursts through the entryway’s flaps, and Maes sits up to greet the Ishvalan heat. His feet make contact with the warm sand, and Maes winces as his muscles protest.

Most soldiers sleep with their boots on, but Maes cannot bring himself to do it. He leaves them beside his cot, next to the letters from Gracia and his hopes for the future. His fantasyland sits low to the ground, measuring a meager 75 inches long and 26 inches wide. It isn’t much, but it’s more than most soldiers have.

Calloused fingers lace his boots with robotic precision; restraint keeps his hand from trembling with indecision. Maes wants to run, but there is nowhere for Captain Hughes to go that isn’t fraught with desiccation of both body and soul. If given a choice, Maes knows which side of the divide he would choose to live on. He wonders, vaguely, when, if ever, he will truly wake.

A/N:  I'd say that I'm back on my Maes Hughes bullshit, but that would imply I'd been off of it at some point. Since it's the season for spooky, dark fic writing, do not hesitate to send me pairing requests for particular prompts via my tumblr, flourchildwrites, and if you read something you like, please let me know. Your kudos, bookmarks, subscriptions, comments, likes and reblogs are so appreciated!

[ao3feed-royai]

Mom's Made Fullmetal 2019: A Collection of One-Shots

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2NKspe3

by RealityBreakGirl

Some mothers are natural made. Other mothers are created through circumstance. But all care for their children. A series of one shots based around the theme of motherhood. Featuring stories involving: Riza Hawkeye, Gracia Hughes, Riza's Mother, and Havoc's mother. Also involving: Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Jean Havoc, Roy Mustang, fanchildren and other minor mentions.

Words: 2446, Chapters: 1/7, Language: English

Fandoms: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death

Categories: F/M, Gen

Characters: Riza Hawkeye, Roy Mustang, Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, fan children - Character, Gracia Hughes, Maes Hughes, Riza Hawkeye's Mother, Jean Havoc's Mother, Jean Havoc

Relationships: Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang, Gracia Hughes/Maes Hughes, Edward Elric & Riza Hawkeye, Alphonse Elric & Riza Hawkeye

Additional Tags: Mama Hawk, Family Fluff, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Humor

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2NKspe3

[recentanimenews]

Celebrate Mother's Day with the Greatest Moms in Anime!

It’s that time of year again, folks: Mother’s Day. The time when all of us can come together to celebrate motherhood in all its forms. Mothers come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some have one mother. Some have two. Some are biological. Some aren’t. Who among us doesn’t have “the Mom friend” in their friend group? I once saw a woman who described herself as “a single mom with no kids” in her dating profile and by golly, folks, that one stuck with me.

  It takes a lot to be a mom—and even more to be a good one. And trust me, I know a good mom when I see one. As a fan of both anime AND moms, I feel truly blessed. There are TONS of great moms out there in anime. I’ve already wished my real mom a happy Mother’s Day, so now it’s time to celebrate with my other moms: the best moms in anime.

    Inko Midoriya - My Hero Academia

    A favorite anime mothers list that doesn’t lead with Inko Midoriya is a list I don’t wanna read. Inko Midoriya is who anime moms should strive to be. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this mom. Every step of the way she takes complete pride in her son Deku and his accomplishments. Even when her son faces immense danger and painful injury, she doesn’t waver in her support. At the same time, she never devalues her own feelings. She’s never shy when it comes to voicing worry and concern over her son’s safety. She chastises both him and his mentor for his recklessness when they deserve it. She reminds them that there’s more to being a hero than simple self-sacrifice, because there are people like her who need them to come home safe and sound. She’s perfect, and I want to give her a hug.

  Tosen Shimogamo - The Eccentric Family

    It takes a lot to be an amazing mother, but luckily for this one being human isn’t a requirement. Matriarch of the honorable Shimogamo family of Kyoto tanuki, the untimely passing of her husband made her solely responsible for raising the next generation of Shimogamo tanuki. Luckily for Yasaburo and his three brothers, their upbringing couldn’t be in better hands (er, paws). The Shimogamo family’s pride lies both in their unwavering pursuit of fun and in the close ties that bind them all together. When she’s not dressing up like a prince and dominating the local billiards clubs, Tosen comforts and guides her children with the unconditional love only the best of mothers can provide. 

  Lisa Lisa - JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

    Some moms show their love and dedication by coming home from a long, stressful day at work and still taking you to soccer practice. Some moms show their love by throwing you into a big, oily pit and telling you to climb out or die. Lisa Lisa is the latter. While not a Joestar by birth, their fates became intertwined when she was saved from a boat full of rampaging vampires by Erina Joestar as a baby. She later married into the Joestar family, mothered a son, and ultimately suffered the same fate as Erina—her husband was killed by a vampire. Having learned Hamon from her adopted father, she got her revenge on the vampire who widowed her and gave up her son to go into hiding. She became a master Hamon user, and years later her son Joseph would unknowingly seek out his own mother to teach him. Though her methods might seem harsh, her training gave him the tools necessary to once and for all defeat the Pillar Men menace together. Finally reunited, they could be the family they had always wished to be. Smart, beautiful, and tough to boot, on a scale of one to ten this mom is a fifty. 

  Sakura Uchiha - BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS

    Sakura has a special place in the hearts of many anime fans as one of the only mothers they got to watch grow up and become a mother in front of their very eyes. Though a young girl at the onset of Naruto many years ago, Sakura has since grown into a fine mother raising her own shinobi daughter in the ongoing series BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS. With her husband Sasuke largely absent on secret missions, Sakura is tasked with being one of the villages best fighters, medical practitioners, and sole caretaker for her daughter. She does it well though, assuaging her daughter’s anxieties through her unshakeable trust in Sasuke and doing whatever it takes to defend her daughter in times of need. She’s living proof that shinobi moms can truly have it all.

  Izumi Curtis - Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

    It might seem a bit cruel or ironic to put Izumi—a woman whose greatest weakness was caused by her inability to have children—she is without a doubt the greatest maternal figure in the Elric brothers’ lives. Like the Elric brothers, she had dabbled in human transmutation following the death of her baby in childbirth. As a result, she lost several internal organs and the inability to ever have children. She later took in and trained the Elric brothers, who had undergone a similar ordeal after the death of their mother. Though a tough-as-nails fighter and trainer, Izumi’s naturally caring nature helped nurture the Elric brothers into two of the best Alchemists and fighters in the nation. She’s as much a fantastic mother as any others in this list. 

  Kobayashi - Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid

    Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid is an anime all about a bunch of misfits coming together and forming their own little family in Tokyo, and Kobayashi happens to be everyone’s favorite tired, working-class stepmom. Having already had her loner lifestyle thrown out of whack when a maid who is also a dragon shows up on her doorstep, her life further complicates when a young dragon named Kanna inserts herself into Kobayashi’s life. Despite being hundreds of years older than Kobayashi, Kanna is still very much a child as dragons go, and begins seeing Kobayashi as a mother.

  The show is full of cute scenes between the two, and one of my favorite episodes in the series spells out their mother-daughter dynamic in pretty explicit terms. A harsh crunch period at work means Kobayashi can’t come to the sports festival at Kanna’s school. Kanna gets upset, and Kobayashi struggles to reconcile the way Kanna sees her with the off-hand approach her own parents took raising her. It’s an incredibly touching episode, and watching Kobayashi open up her heart a little more to her newfound daughter solidifies her as one of the best moms a tiny anime dragon girl could ask for.

  Bulma, Chichi, and Android 18 - Dragon Ball Super

    So far I’ve tried to stick to one mom per show, but when it came time to choose which Dragon Ball mom was best, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. They’re all great. As is the tragic fate of great moms everywhere, they never get the credit they deserve. Take Bulma, for example. She took a genocidal villain hellbent on destroying the earth and turned him into a family man. Not to mention the fact she—the smartest person in the world—invented time travel to save not one but TWO timelines from destruction. Speaking of which, without Android 18, Universe 7 would never have been able to win Zen-oh’s tournament and multiple universes would’ve been annihilated.

  Finally, there’s Chichi, who receives the brunt of maternal disrespect. Sure, she nags her husband and kids, but put yourself in her shoes! All she wants is a good life for her family, yet she can only watch as they put themselves in harms way time after time. How many times has she seen her husband die? Too many! Also, let’s be real here, Goku doesn’t know what a freaking kiss is. That woman has had to endure decades married to an absolute beefcake who won’t even kiss her. Who among us wouldn’t have a little pent up frustration after that?

  Of course, these are just a few of all the wonderful moms that the we’ve been blessed to meet while watching anime. I know I’ll be thinking of each and every one of them, and I hope you will be too. So take the time today to wish your local mom a happy Mother’s Day, then kick back and watch some anime together.

  Which anime mom would you most like to wish a happy Mother’s Day? Let us know in the comments below!

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Danni Wilmoth is a Features writer for Crunchyroll and co-host of the video game podcast Indiecent. You can find more words from her on Twitter @NanamisEgg.

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