#I WAS GONNA KILL ROY MUSTANG MYSELF

[waitineedaname]

brosh and ross are my best friends. btw. if they die I'm blowing this whole place up.

[thunderousnipples]

Never got why it was so bad for roy mustang to take revenge on envy like I get that scar and ed explain it as a cycle of violence but in mustang’s specific case it really doesn’t make any fucking sense. Like in Scar’s / Ed’s case if scar takes revenge on state alchemists then their families will take revenge on him and so on and so forth. A cycle of violence yada yada whatever. (still though with a corrupt government what else are they gonna do? Try them for war crimes? yea right, but that’s a whole other can of worms) But with Envy (and the whole homunculus crew) they have no real community that drives this cycle of violence. They’re all justifiably evil. (With some of them having grey area like greed [i mean greed is basically a cool guy man idk] and arguably wrath).

If you take revenge on Envy by killing them then the cycle of violence ends. Envy is dead and the fucked up shit they do for Big boy homunculus can stop. Same with the rest of the homunculi. In fact that’s basically what happens they all get the shit beat tf out of them and then they die (or get babified like pride) and same deal with big boy father at the end.

I get it yea Mustang is poisoned by his anger or whatever tf and can’t be a leader because he kills some fucked up lizard for his buddy. But like come on. There’s a way to be okay about this: - My friend is killed by some fucked up lizard because he almost exposes the government conspiracy - I go and kill the fucked up lizard because it is fucked up that he killed my friend. I am maybe emotional about it because it’s fucked up and then I go kill him in revenge ok now my score is mostly settled time to stop that government conspiracy. - Stop weird old guy’s plan to kill EVERYONE IN THE COUNTRY and eat god or whatever the fuck - Move on from there

Like come on revenge is good in this case and like yea i get it in civilized society we can’t justify vigilantism or revenge or whatever the fuck but THIS SPECIFIC CASE REVENGE IS GOOD FUCK U

[brown-little-robin]

my favorite Funny Anime Names(TM) so far, ranked

Millions Knives from Trigun: nothing can beat the hilarity of the Evil Twin Brother Named Millions Knives, who does in fact have millions knives at his disposal. peak Anime Name. I'd put a blue ribbon on him, but I'd die in the attempt, so let's not.

Wamuu from JJBA: first of all, it's a reference to the rock band Wham!, which kills me every time I think about it. yeah, the guy who beats up the hero is gonna be named Wham!. but what bumped it up into second place is that it's fun to say. "wah-mooo". I mouth it to myself all the time.

Esidisi and Kars from JJBA: they are tied for third place, right below their servant Wamuu, because the fact that they are played so seriously as these menacing 10,000 year old apex predators while being named AC/DC and Cars is simply incredible.

Reigen Arataka from Mob Psycho 100: Reigen basically means "fake psychic" (lit. "spirit illusion"), and Arataka hearkens to his greed (lit. "new prosperity"). so with context from his character, his name reads as "fake psychic in this for the fast money". I added some points for his name unintentionally confusing a bunch of ignorant Americans into thinking he's part white because "Reigen" is a homonym with some white names, but subtracted some because the name itself isn't funny to pronounce.

Ging Freecss from Hunter x Hunter: in a surprise move from my best beloathed deadbeat dad, his name makes 5th on my List of Funny Anime Names by dint of being purely phonetic (spelled in katakana to imitate a foreign name) and extremely funny to say out loud (approx. "jean freaks").

Roy Mustang from Fullmetal Alchemist: this sounds so American and for what?? also, his name has at least two Character Hints / Foreshadowing Things to it, making it clever. but he's only in sixth place because his name makes me smile in pain and not just delight. Roy Mustang. I ask you.

Yato from Noragami: there's. PUNS. there's LAYERS to this name. 夜, ya, the counter for "nights", for a calamity god. it's just a little bit creepy, but also a little pathetic. perfect for him. also I love that the ト (to, phonetic character) is actually a misreading of 卜 (boku, divination). and he doesn't tell anyone. perfection <333

[blackandwhitecircus]

Rant i just sent to my friend:

I am so fucking insane about Riza FullmetalAlchemist like we been knew I am not normal about that woman but also I am watching the show with my dad rn and we are past the first hurtful Flashback episode, nearing the second and then the one my tattoo is from and I am !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! about Riza Hawkeye I am going to kill myself over riza hawkeye I am so insane over her like ?!?!?!

Like she's this kid this tiny kid and her father is an accomplished alchemist and he takes on an apprentice who's a few years older than her and kind of cute also they're both from messed up home situations

And then he leaves and her father gets sick but he finishes his research finally and it is so dangerous and it can kill millions so he TATTOOS IT ON HER BACK and he gives the power to pass it on to this SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL who is all alone in the world

And then the boy comes back and he has just joined the military and he is so idealistic about it he genuinely believes he's doing good and SHE IS SEVENTEEN AND ALL ALONE IN THE WORLD so she GIVES HIM HER FATHER'S RESEARCH and then he gets ordered to do a Genocide and he does it. Roy Mustang burns god knows how many people to death with the power SHE GAVE HIM. And even worse she believed him and now she's a sniper and a killer too and he will never forgive himself for this he will never forget that his idealism is what destroyed her too

So she asks him to destroy her tattoo to literally burn it off her back and he does and she promises to follow him to Hell and back if it means he will make the world a better place and he will make a system that will hold the two of them accountable and he makes her promise to shoot him should he ever deviate from that

AND THAT ALL HAPPENS TEN YEARS BEFORE THE SHOW EVEN STARTS

FOR TEN YEARS SHE LIVES IN THE CONVICTION THAT IF ROY DIES SHE WILL KILL HERSELF AND NEVER LET HER BODY BE FOUND BECAUSE HER

FATHER

BRANDED HER WITH ALCHEMICAL RESEARCH THAT HAS ALREADY KILLED GOD KNOWS HOW MANY PEOPLE

AND THAT'S NOT EVEN GETTING INTO THE THEMES OF FATHERHOOD THAT GO THROUGH THE ENTIRE SHOW OR THE

TWO OTHER CHILDHOOD

CHILDHOOD FRIENDS RELATIONSHIP THEIRS IS MIRRORD WITH OR THE ONE EPISODE WHERE SHE

LOADS SIX BULLETS INTO A REVOLVER

AND ONLY SHOOTS FIVE

CAUSE SHE THINKS ROY IS DEAD

40 EPISODES BEFORE HER SUICIDALITY EVER BECOMES RELEVANT AGAIN

riza hawkeye.

[3 hours later]

Ok I fell asleep but I am not done with this actually cause Roy?!?! has this whole philosophy of "If i protect the people I love and they protectect the people they love we will have a nice and compassionate society" and it is very clear to EVERYONE that at the top of the list for "people roy Mustang loves and wants to protect" is riza to the point where she gets taken hostage/almost killed over it TWICE but she herself does not see her life worthy of protection because of the things ROY DID

So when he almost dies she almost dies cause she's so distressed and he's mad at her about it and and that point the soft first time viewers think "oh she really likes her commanding officer" while I am already actively loosing it cause I know the next thing she was gonna do was either use her final bullet on herself or sacrifice herself to make sure alphonsus survives. You know. The little blonde kid who lost everything to his and his older brothers idealism and wish to bring their dead parent back. Complete coincidence in how the main characters all parallel each other.

Anyway like 40 episodes later roy is now actively loosing and she goes nuh uh and PUTS A GUN TO HIS HEAD cause he has abandoned his compassionate ideals in that moment and he goes "the fuck u gonna do after shooting me" and she goes "kill myself, cause the flame alchemy" and he IS SO SHOOK BY THAT that he immediately goes

"I can't afford to loose you."

?!?!?!?!

And calms down and realizes that he has hurt her AGAIN which is like the thing he has felt immense guilt about (next to the genocide) for ten years and they have the tenderest liddle moment during which in the manga

HE TAKES HIS GLOVES OFF TO TOUCH HER HAND

and then like 10 minutes later the villains are like "hey Mustang u like this woman right" and almost kill her and that's when my tattoo happens which I cannot stress enough is like a split second and the closest they ever get to wach other like

ALL THIS

Just happens strewn over 64 episodes while the elric brothers do their heroes quest thing. First time viewers are not even equipped to get the weight of any of it and in all that time they NEVER EVEN CALL EACH OTHER BY THEIR NAMES

[novelmonger]

For the character ask: 4 for Steve Rogers, 5 for Al, 8 for Winry, 12 for Mustang, 18 for Hawkeye, and 25 for Ed, please?

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in? (Steve Rogers)

A book. Written by me. It would be called Whole Shards :)

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them? (Alphonse Elric)

"Faceless" by Red

I'm not, I'm not myself Feel like I'm someone else Fallen and faceless So hollow, hollow inside A part of me is dead Need you to live again Can you replace this I'm hollow, hollow and faceless

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise? (Winry Rockbell)

Hmm...I can't really think of anything too heinous the fandom does, except maybe forget about her? ^^' Especially when shipping Ed with somebody else. Shippers are gonna ship, but I often feel like there's a gaping hole left behind when they don't account for where Winry is and why she's not upset about Ed going after someone else.

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character? (Roy Mustang)

We're told that he was raised by Madame Christmas, but I like to headcanon that she also adopted all the women who work in her bar and become Roy's intelligence network when they go on their fake dates. So Roy grew up in a highly unconventional setting with a dozen adopted older sisters, all orphaned or abandoned. He goes from a female-dominated living situation to a male-dominated one when he joins the military XD

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire? (Riza Hawkeye)

Royai. Are both Mustang and Hawkeye a bundle of issues? Is Hawkeye in particular perhaps unhealthily dependent on Mustang, to the point that if he were to die, she would kill herself? Yes. But their complete and utter devotion to one another, and the way they show love to each other in a thousand ways without being able to even hint at the way they really feel, is something I've always admired.

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now? (Edward Elric)

Looooool, my introduction to Edward Elric was a fanart depicting him as an angel holding a claymore XD When my brother showed it to me, I was like, "Okay, we have to watch this Full Metal Alchemist thing now!"

Naturally, we soon discovered that particular fanart was more...imaginative than we realized at first. But by then we were hooked anyway. Now, obviously, I don't think of Ed as an avenging angel :P He's still inspiring and heroic, but now I also know him as a total dork with a bundle of issues, but also the biggest heart for his little brother you could possibly imagine <3

Character ask game

[limetameta]

I finished up more fics so I had to edit the MC reading guide:

Metallic Crimson, otherwise known as the Kimblee Never Went to Prison AU that I have been thinking non-stop about daily has many side stories. 16 side stories and 1 main story as of 5th of March 2023!

Some people have asked me about the best reading way lore-wise and I have decided to help!

The reason why these side stories exist is because if I put all of this in the main story line we'd never get anywhere. So to avoid those unnecessary flashbacks you can just hop here and read a fleshed out story for your own enjoyment.

Now what this means is that I have cursed myself with them now because there are a lot and it really does feel like the MCU (Metallic Crimson Universe) has expanded greatly lmao.

Reading guide under the cut:

What do these colours mean, limeta?

RED: LORE, MAIN STORYLINE IMPORTANT, WORLD BUILDING (ALL RED- ALL IMPORTANT; HALF RED - IMPORTANT FOR MAIN STORYLINE AND GIVES U AN EDGE TO SPOT EASTER EGGS; VERY LITTLE RED - YOU'LL GET LIKE A JOKE LATER DOWN THE MAIN STORYLINE BECAUSE YOU READ THIS)

PURPLE: Kimbliza *hearts* same logic for the above little purple little kimbliza lots of purple lots of kimbliza moments etc.

GREY: It doesn't matter if you read it or don't because it doesn't have any significant impact on the MC main storyline (except Elicia which is set after the Promised Day and carries storyline spoilers that are vague but are still spoilers of some kind)

READING ORDER:

You start with METALLIC CRIMSON always, even though it opens In Medias Res. That's the main story and if you don't like the premise then you don't have to read the other side stories at all. But if this premise does tickle your fancy you can move on to the next tier:

THE MUST READS:

Central City Stroll - clues for Kimblee's identity which is a mystery in MC and pretty important for the Kimbliza development.

Swinging Hips and Fists is BOLDED because reading this one not only gives you Amestris lore, but also gives you very important Kimblee family lore.

Maes Hughes and His Onions explains how and why Kimblee is in this cursed friend group of Maes Riza and Roy.

The Alcoholic story is bite sized so after you finish reading Maes Hughes and his Onions hop on and read this one because you get more character building for Maes and Kimblee's relationship. Gives you big pay off later in MC.

Then the lesser MUST READS but STILL A MUST READ:

It's not illegal if you don't get caught is a Kimblee parents story so honestly if you don't read that before chapter 13 you'll be a bit out of the loop and won't be able to point at your screen in glee when something happens. Also homunculi lore ahoy.

The Rebecca story - (ch1 is super important for riza's characterization; ch2 is very cringy because it's all basically a drunk tale but it helps give you a picture of what kimblee was dealing with after the war mental (un)health wise after he returned the ph stone and realised he'd fucked up *snaps fingers*, plus rebecca is wild; ch3 should be read before MC chapter 13 because tbh if you have that lore going into MC ch13 you're going to laugh at a Rebecca Solf interaction, but it's like if you don't read it you'll get it eventually)

Academy Anecdotes is important for Solf's name troubles in the Military - clues for his identity - ties in with Central City Stroll.

THE SECONDARY READS:

Weird Wild West story - Kimblee background lore, but since it's a WIP as of now it's only a read tier and not a must read tier.

Nobody likes Parades - explains why Edward isn't terrified of Kimblee

Heat Wave - heat wave and master class actually set up a joke where mustang has accidentally almost killed kimblee twice and for mc that's gonna be hectic because oh golly third time's the charm, right?

Master Class/Psych Eval - it's a WIP so it's not a Must Read but this fic is pretty important because it does have Kimblee family lore planned for it. Also Kimbliza *hearts*

IF YOU DON'T READ YOU WON'T MISS MC LORE:

Fort Briggs story - tbh all you need to know is that a joke started that nobody will call you a whore in Briggs for flirting desperately, but they will call you a horologist. Don't need to read until we actually get to the BRIGGS arc in MC proper.

12 year old story - Edward's a little menace and not scared of Kimblee anymore.

Tales of Amestris - ch2 is Riza important, ch3 is greed important, ch4 is maes, roy, gracia and olivier mira important, ch5 is solf important

Our ancestors didn't die for this - this is crack. this is so much crack and craic.

Spiders Elicia - set after MC and spoilery for MC because I am KEEPING it as VAGUE as possible - did Kimblee die? Did he not die? Did he transform into an opera singer and go into the wild to live with his musically inclined kind? We just don't know. Well I do but I'm not telling you.

[greed-the-dorkalicious]

Had a dream last night about some sort of FMA/DMC crossover in which the characters were Dante, Al, Roy, Riza, May, and Dr. Marcoh (I think it was supposed to be some point shortly before the final fight probably) and Roy had a Philosopher’s Stone for some reason? And since the Stone has, yknow, Fucked Up Vibes, Dante misinterpreted that Roy was a demon and shot him. Everybody went to make sure bitchass didn’t bleed out

...Except for Al, who was like “What the fuck?? Why did you do that. Apologize to Colonel Mustang right now” and tried to fight Dante. All the adults were like “Al don’t do it it’s not worth it, calm down, it’s ok” and he was like “It is NOT ok you can’t just go around shooting people and expect to get away with it!! It’s RUDE and I won’t stand for it”

Then Dante realized that the armor was empty and was like “Yo goddamn holy shit, what the fuck are you?” and Al was like “None of your business, you shot my friend and I don’t have to introduce myself to you. You’re ugly you’re disgusting I’m gonna kill you give me $200″

[hadesisqueer]

Roy Mustang: I have done terrible things that cannot possibly be excused. I've also realized how fucked up this country really is, so since no one else is going to do it, I will: I'll become Fuhrer, and I'll turn this country into a democracy, and war criminals (myself included) will be judged. To do that, I must be smart and really careful, because I've also realized this army is really corrupt and basically willing to kill everyone in the country. I really have to be careful.

Olivier Armstrong: This corrupt fucker who's also sexually harassing me is really talking about how he and the Central assholes are gonna kill everyone in the country and talking about “the weak who will become the ciments of this country” so I'm gonna stab him in the arm and bury him in concrete while telling him that he will literally be among the weak who will become the ciments of this country, and then I'll tell Bradley at his face. I'll probably stab more of those assholes later idk.

[tundrainafrica]

Hi, i saw some time ago you compared Royai to Levihan, would you mind elaborating more on their similarities? I ship both and looking at they compared blow my mind

YES. Beautiful ask anon! As always, sorry for only getting into this now, my inbox is still a mess I am currently trying to make sense of. But legit, I could talk about this for hours. Cause I’m that fucking simp who just randomly goes on Youtube and watches the Riza breakdown vs. Lust  scene just to see some GREATTT acting and some great crumbs. 

So anyway, will be moving on now to this really long and--mind you--uncurated rant. 

Disclaimer though: Although I have watched all the fullmetal stuff, from the first anime, to brotherhood to the manga and have lurked in the fanfiction sites long before (like fam, this anime is literally my childhood it’s such a big part of my life that when I hear ‘mustang’ I think of roy mustang not the car), but at this point, the main story line for me is a blur and I probably just remember only the Roy scenes and the Royai scenes well. 

I was not a big fan of Edwin for multiple reasons. 

Warning: Spoilers abound for FMA so read at your own risk. And for people who watch FMA but not AOT, spoilers abound for AOT is well.

So there are a lot of similarities between Levihan and Royai and I think this is the reason why Levihan definitely appealed to me a lot as a couple. Royai after all was my OG ‘I think I wanna be in this type of relationship’ type of couple. 

Military Setting

I’ve always found these types of relationships interesting cause I like to think, you’re in such a high stakes and very stringent atmosphere where you could die at any moment and you’re constantly doing such morally grey things. And with that, people have the tendency to either close in on themselves and just keep to themselves or just go crazy over time. Yet you have people who find the time to form CLOSE and almost ROMANTIC bonds with your fellow soldiers

And I just like the process of exploring how this happens. And you know what makes it juicier? 

    2. The commander to the subordinate dynamic (with a twist)

The boss to the follower dynamic because Royai and Levihan are both incredibly healthy and stable relationships but they both come from something taboo right? A commander to subordinate relationship? So we ask ourselves? How did they both make it work? 

Well, what I notice is despite the implied respect Riza and Levi both hold for Roy and Hange respectively, due to their positions in the military, do you notice Hange and Roy still have respect over Levi and Riza’s opinions. I cannot remember all the scenes in both shows but remember that scene where Riza would just stop Roy half way into fighting when it’s raining because sometimes he does forget that he can’t do his fire thing when it’s raining? It shows obviously that Riza could undermine his decisions if she finds them completely idiotic or out of the blue. Or that scene where Roy was curbstomping Envy when he found out Envy killed Hughes? 

So, the thing is Levi and Hange worked like this too. Even before Hange became commander, I think there was an already implied hierarchical difference between being ‘squad leader’ and being ‘team captain.’ Squad leader’s are generally in a higher position and command a much larger group and do you see how Levi approaches Hange? Like when telling her off about risking her life when trying to capture the titan? 

And even when she was commander, that telepathy scene?? Can we appreciate, that when Hange became commander (compared to when Erwin was commander), Levi took the reins of a lot of the leading in the survey corps, as if he understood his job wasn’t just to follow Hange but to take care of her? 

Like I’m sure Riza saw her job more as a caretaker to Roy more than his subordinate and seeing this in Levihan was just fantastic.

And another thing I love about both of them...

  3. They were just the two competent level headed people

This is such a trope for me. I cannot handle couples where someone is just not competent or is so obviously underpowered compared to the other. Like I want them to be able to handle themselves without the other. And even when they’re alone they’re doing shit and you just find out later, by the way I have this bf/gf/partner who is equally competent. But when we’re together we just share one brain cell because we can practically melt when we’re safe with the other. 

And the thing is since they’re in a military setting we don’t see them ‘practically melt,’ we can usually just pick out the crumbs (ehem 126), and the fact that these crumbs are such rare gems, makes it all the jucier. 

And here’s the thing, in animes and in stories, this ‘competent people’ couple is usually supporting cast cause I dunno? Nobody wants to hear about the competent couple who just figured out they like each other and they just like hanging out with each other for some reason? 

And most adventure stories are underdog stories where we watch people start of as dead weight and get stronger which is not boring per se but I dunno, these couples usually dont’ appeal to me fsr because I’m all for the power couple dynamic and the protagonists always have something going on making them doubt their strength so yeah.  And there’s usually this token love interest who’s not as strong and tries not to be useless but is kinda dead weight.

4. Their special abilities? 

Levi and Hange are a power couple the way Roy and Riza are. When these two couples were introduced into their respective stories, they were all well established as bad asses. We have humanity’s strongest, humanity’s smartest then in FMA we have the flame alchemist one of the strongest alchemists and we have Riza who’s crazy good with a gun. 

5. They were never that in your face couple

As said above, I really love competent people ships but nobody really likes reading about people being competent and having their level headed shit together so these characters end up with more of supporting character energy who have their ‘big damn heroes’ moments where they swoop in and save the protagonist. 

And the thing is, since they’re supporting characters, there’s so much more room to move when contemplating such couples because the crumbs are there? But at the same time they’re not there? And since I like exploring my own headcanons about those ‘boring’ yet incredibly stable and mature relationships, these tend to be my favorite characters to shoehorn into my spotify playlists.

Edwin and Eremika respectively have more ‘in your face’ crumbs and I dunno, their crumbs for me always seemed to be too obviously there where I was like ‘okay cute relationship’ but  ‘I wouldn’t wanna be in a relationship like that’  kinda way. 

And since main protagonist romantic subplots crumbs are already ‘in my face’ I end up thinking to myself, what’s there to headcanon?

And like they go through so much more problems romance wise since obviously they are the protagonist. But I guess for me, I never liked those couples who were so obviously together and go through problems that bystanders are aware of. Because I dunno, people might not agree with me but it doesn’t sit well with me when EVERYBODY knows about the problems between two certain people in a relationship. 

I always liked those couples who just start off as two people hanging out together and then like five years you find out, they live together and have five cats and it turns out they’ve been married for two of those three years. 

And power couples just make it work? Because the stories tend to focus on them being competent people more than being in love so when the coupling actually happens it’s like: 

“Wow you live together and have five cats, you worked so hard for it, I’m so happy for you.” 

Instead of you know, watching people go through like 3456 instances of miscommunication drama just to end up in a still seemingly doubtful relationship.

6. Iconic scenes for Levihan and Royai? 

And here’s the beautiful thing about the crumbs of both of these ships, they are incredibly apparent when the stakes are high and this is *chef’s kiss.* This is literally the climax, the peak to such subtle crumbs. Like okay, fine it’s satisfying to see the main protagonist and their main love interest doing shit and loving each other when the stakes are high like in Season 2 of AOT with Mikasa thinking she’s gonna die so she confesses to Eren or maybe that Naruto and HInata scene in the Pain Arc where Hinata just pops in and saves Naruto and kinda dies in the process

But can we all agree that there is something very very very satisfying about seeing two people who are probably not or are probably dating just going crazy for each other when the stakes are high? Like yo, come on. 

My favorite scenes for Royai: The Lust fight scene, the Envy fight scene and lastly, the scene where Roy opens the gates to save Riza and goes blind. Can we just appreciate the fact that Roy risked his Colonel dreams to save Riza by going blind??

And for Levihan? I’m sure Levihans are tired of hearing the chapter numbers but 115? That’s fucking iconic, Hange ltierally jumped into the river with Levi and please tell me that is not a parallel to Roy opening the gates for an already half dead Riza. Mind you, Hange did not even know if Levi would make it or not and she probably didn’t know if she would make it or not either. Any of the soldiers could have literally just shot into the river and nicked them with bullets.  She just literally abandoned everything and wooshed to the river. 

And I had this convo with a few other people and we were thinking about what if it was anyone else who found Levi. And we came to the conclusion that IT HAD TO BE HANGE. Because somehow, I feel like Hange would have been one of the only few, if not the only one who would have gathered up the courage to jump into the river and risk their own life to save Levi. 

And for the next part... Disclaimer: This is just my opinion, please let’s not start a ship war.

Like with the war on twitter “Levihan vs. Eruri,” I started to reflect as well on whether or not Erwin would have saved Levi if he was there instead of Hange but I think it is less likely that Erwin would have saved Levi. Erwin probably wouldn’t have agreed with the rumbling definitely but I cannot help but think, Erwin approached his commander position like a chess master and with this, approached Levi as a superior while Hange approached Levi as an equal and a best friend. 

So if, saving Erwin was just going to mess with plans let’s say to manipulate the Yaegerists for some greater purpose, would Erwin have just let Levi die? 

7. The magic is no one fits Roy or Riza perfectly.

I had these same thoughts with Shikatema vs. Levihan and now Royai vs. Levihan. So comparing their dynamics, I just have to say, that none of them fit each other perfectly. Hange has Riza and Roy crumbs and Levi has Riza and Roy crumbs too. 

Like Roy is some ridiculously strong (Levi) superior (Commander Hange) with a seemingly goofy personality (Hange). Riza is the subordinate (Levi) who’s equally reliable but not as overpowered (Hange) with a very strict but very obviously emotionally constipated personality (Levi) 

Like if you put Levihan in some of the token Royai moments. Like the Lust fight? I think Levi would have done something similar to Riza. Okay, he wouldn’t have broken down right then but he would have done something similar to what Roy did when he found out Envy killed Hughes. 

I’m convinced Hange would have had a breakdown which is more of an in between between what Roy (Envy fight) and Riza (Lust fight) had in their respective fights. I mean 115 is proof enough that Hange ain’t playing when her bebeluvs is in danger. 

8. And towards the end of the series?

Okay this is where the comparisons just kinda diverge because this part makes me sad. In the end game, Royai worked together. Riza became the eyes of Roy when he was making shit explode in the final battle coz he was blind. 

And Hange and Levi were completing each other towards the of the AOT end right? Not just with the jian bird references with having parallel injuries. In the final battle though when Levi was out of commission due to the explosion, Hange was the one fighting with the crew until 132. And the moment she died, Levi stepped up and fought right? 

Like they had something similar going on, where these two were covering for each other and taking care of the kids. It’s just that compared to Royai who were explicitly working together, we have Hange covering for Levi right after he got injured and Levi stepping up to cover for Hange after she died. 

AND I can’t help but think, literally post time skip just could not handle Levihan working together huh? Is that how competent Levi and Hange are as soldiers that Yams couldn’t let them work together just one last time? Like he knew it would mess with the story if he lets Levi and Hange lead at full power?

Which brings me to last point, and the point that makes me saddest.

9. About them being endgame? 

Okay, so it wasn’t confirmed that Roy and Riza ended up together because Roy still had his fuhrer goals but AT LEAST THEY HAD A CHANCE? Like their last scene in the show was still them together? And Riza still at least got to follow him? 

Levihan… They just… shit just happened and we all know what happened and now I’m reading fanfiction and crying over fcitoonal characters to pass the quarantine.

Anyway, if you reached this point, thank you for reading. And thank you for the question anon!

[fluffykitty1999-blog]

Dog of the Military- Chapter 4

Poppa Roy is a' comin'! And don't worry- daddy bear will be plenty angry!

"Wakey wakey, Fullmetal prodigy."

Ed peeled his eyes open from where he laid on the dirt floor. Colonel Banks stood before him, grinning like the cheshire cat.

"You've been asleep for far too long. You have that information- I know you do. I'm only going to ask this once- where is it?"

Ed was silent.

All that earned him was a kick to the ribs. And another. And another. All Ed managed was a pained groan as he tried to curl into himself, trying to protect his abdomen from the savage blows.

"You're such a runt. I think I'm finally starting to get through to you, kid." Banks beamed as Ed struggled to catch his breath.

"I like your spirit, Fullmetal. And I know you have that information somewhere- so I'm going to ask for it one more time before I start to take your body apart and look for it."

Ed looked up, suddenly feeling wide awake.

Colonel Banks laughed. "I know people are mules, Ed. I might be a strict disciplinarian, but I'm not a pervert. I don't want to violate you if I don't have to. Tell me where the information is, and I won't have to bother with checking you... all of you- for information."

Ed swallowed. Was... was he threatening to rape him? Or just... invade him? He was too tired to think. But he needed to lie. And fast.

"T-there is no physical information." he managed hoarsely. "I-it's too important to be kept as physical documents. I memorized it and burned it in the woods."

He couldn't let the man start to search him- violate his body or person otherwise. He wasn't sure how much Banks knew about automail, but if he were to start taking it apart, he'd have to practically dismantle Ed's automail arm to find the compartment, which was behind two panels and deep within his automail. Still, he didn't want to man to bother to look.

"You're a bad liar, Edward. I know your orders. You have a copy of the information."

Ed frowned. His head was so foggy, it took too long to think... but in his gut, he felt the man was lying. The only one who knew his orders was him and Mustang, and the superior who gave the orders... So Banks was bluffing.

"You're the liar." he managed hoarsely. "You don't know what my orders are. If you kill me, the information dies with me- I memorized it." best to double down.

Banks nodded, seeming to take this into consideration.

"So- if I were to give you paper and a pen, you'd transcribe the information from memory?"

"I could. But I wouldn't. Not for you."

"And we're back to the same problem, Eddy."

The toe of Bank's boot made contact with Ed's eye. Ed saw white and was unable to hear a thing for a moment.

When his hearing faded back in, Banks was rambling something about obedience, and he'd rolled Edward onto his stomach and was tugging at the boy's shirt, which was still slightly damp from his ice water treatment earlier, before Ed felt a blade biting into his flesh.

"What the hell are you doing you jerk!?" Ed started to struggle

The knife cut deeper, and Ed fell still, gasping in pain. The blade trailed another two inches down his back before it was withdrawn. But all too soon, he was feeling the bite again as another slice was made down his back, this one four inches long, and another, this one six inches long...

"Oh Fullmetal, don't pass out on me now..."

Ed groaned.

Instead of going slow, the next cut- on the bicep of his flesh arm- was lightening fast. One moment he was catching his breath, and the next his arm was on fire, flesh suddenly split open and blood leaking out...

He grabbed for the wound with his automail arm, pressing the metal fingers to the cut- which was deep enough it might need stitches- and hissed in pain.

"Think about what you want to do, Edward. Because the next time I come down here, I'm gonna start cutting off fingers."

And he was left alone in the cell again.

Ed grit his teeth and closed his eyes, which were stinging with unshed tears. Maybe Banks was right. Maybe no one was coming for him.

LINEBREAK LINEBREAK LINEBREAK LINEBREAK LINEBREAK

At noon, Roy Mustang got off the train at the city of Goldenfield. Part of him was annoyed to have to come all this way- to a backwater mining town in the middle of nowhere- but the majority of him was angry. Angry at Fullmetal, for not reporting in, and angry at whatever was keeping him.

Angry at the higher ups, for giving such a sensitive mission to a child.

And worried that whatever it was Ed had gotten himself into- it'd been too much, too hard- and that Roy might've been too late.

He started for Fort Goldenfield. That was the first place he knew to go. They'd said Ed returned yesterday, but then said he hadn't this morning, and every moment counted.

He stormed into the building, ignoring the wide-eyed look the secretary- Lieutenant Margaret Shaw, he assumed- who looked up from her desk at his entrance.

"I need to speak to Colonel Banks immediately."

The secretary was on her feet instantly. "Do you have an appointment, Sir?"

"No, I don't have a damn appointment. Do you know who I am?" Roy stepped forward. He might've been being unnecessarily harsh- but at the moment, he was too incensed to care.

"I'm afraid I don't know you, Sir." the lieutenant, ever respectful, conceded.

"I am Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist."

Her eyes widened.

"I've come here looking for my alchemist- Major Edward Elric. Yesterday morning, you told me he checked in here for the rendezvous, with highly sensitive information. This morning, Colonel Banks said he never reported in. Someone is full of shit here and a state alchemist is missing. I want you to get your commanding officer out here in two minutes or I will burn this entire damn building to the ground, stone or not. Are we clear Lieutenant?"

"Crystal, Sir." Still, Margaret hesitated before moving.

"What are you waiting for?" Roy asked, annoyed.

Margaret swallowed. "I... I can show you where he is..."

Roy's expression instantly changed. "You've seen him?"

Margaret nodded. "Just.. please... make sure Colonel Banks doesn't know I was the one who did. That boy needs a doctor..."

She led Roy quickly down the hall, looking around anxiously as she did so. She opened a door leading to a stone stairwell, towards some sort of basement. "He's down there."

Roy frowned. "Is this a trap?"

"No. I... I heard him down there last night... I never wanted this to happen, believe me. I have children myself. I couldn't stand it- I tried to help him... but Colonel Banks needs that intel. He said it was of the utmost importance."

Roy wanted to ask more questions- but there was a scuffling sound, a muffled noise from downstairs, and Roy forgot about Margaret entirely, heading down into the darkness of the basement apprehensively.

All the cells were empty- until he got to the last cell. Through the dim metal bars, a small form was huddled on the floor.

Roy's heart jumped to his throat. He was already wearing his gloves, and he snapped- lighting the torches on the wall of the basement. The light did little to ease his fears.

Fullmetal laid on the floor, huddled into a ball- he was so small.

"Fullmetal...?" he didn't recognize his own voice, it was so soft.

Slowly, the figure raised it's head. Messy, dirty blond hair fell over the boy's face, and golden eyes focused in on him slowly.

"Colonel Mustang?" Ed's voice was painfully hoarse. "Is that really you?"

Roy stepped forward, grabbing the bars and crouching down so he was more at eye level with the boy. "Yes, it's me, Edward. Are you alright?"

It was a stupid question. The back of Ed's white shirt was bloody, he sported a black eye and a split lip, and he'd made no move to stand.

"I... I want to go home..." Ed's voice shook slightly.

"I've come to take you home, Ed. But I need to know- who did this to you?"

"Colonel Banks. He... he's crazy. He wanted the information I got. He wanted to take it and take all the credit for it. I wouldn't give it to him. He... he tried to make me talk. But it's okay. I didn't tell him anything, I swear..."

"I believe you, Fullmetal. It's okay. You've done well. I'll be back in a moment- I need to get the keys to this cell and then we'll leave here immediately."

"Okay. I'll wait here." it would've been comical, as Ed laid his head back down in his little heap and made no move to get up. Roy couldn't help but wonder how badly injured the boy was.

He climbed the stairs two at a time, fist clenching and unclenching at the thought of confronting the bastard who'd done this to the Fullmetal Alchemist- to his Alchemist. He never took kindly to someone messing with his subordinates, but somehow, this injury was more flagrant, more egregious, because it hadn't been just anyone they'd attacked- it'd been Ed, Roy's youngest charge, the prodigy he'd been responsible for for these past few months.

Once he'd reached the top of the stairs, a man burst into the room.

"You!" Brown eyes blazing, the man pointed at Mustang angrily. "You break into my military office, violate the chain of command and force my Lieutenant to take you into a classified operation of national security..."

"Are you Colonel Banks?" Roy growled at the shouting man.

"You bet your ass I am! Who the hell are you!?"

Roy punched that bastard in the jaw so hard he was pretty sure he broke one of his fingers.

The man staggered back, surprised, as he pressed his fingers to his mouth and they came back bloody.

He charged Roy, swinging- Roy ducked the blow, pushing the man against the wall and kneeing him in the midsection, delivering another punch to the face.

Colonel Banks landed a lucky shot on Roy's jaw that sent him stumbling back, then shoved Mustang away. Mustang stumbled back several steps, and Colonel Banks drew his pistol and pointed it at Roy.

Roy still had his gloves on. It took one small snap of his fingers for the gun to be engulfed in a small burst of flame- even though the gun went off from the flame, the barrel was instantaneously melted shut, and the barrel exploded.

Colonel Banks screamed, dropping the destroyed weapon and clutching his injured hand, staring at Roy in shock and horror.

"What the fuck did you just do!? Who are you?"

Roy hadn't had someone fear him like that in a long time. And yet somehow, he enjoyed hearing the terror in the man's voice as he looked at him. He wondered if Ed had looked at the man like that when he'd been beaten.

"Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist. You just tortured Edward Elric, a state alchemist; a crime you will pay for in court."

"That's bullshit! I outrank the kid, he disobeyed my direct order to hand over the intel! It was a matter of national security!"

"You'd best pray the court martial sees it that way. I don't take very kindly to people hurting my subordinates." Roy said gruffly, narrowing his eyes. "Give me the keys to the cell, now, or I burn you alive and take them anyways."

Banks frowned, fumbling with his one good hand to free a set of keys from his belt. He tossed it to Mustang.

"You trained the brat pretty damn well. I didn't think you'd care enough to come for him. But you'd have been so proud of him- I've broken men three times his age in half the time. It took forever to even make the brat scream. But he'd just repeat his name and rank over and over again. Such a well-trained little dog. 'I report to Roy Mustang, General Gruman, and the Furher himself.'. That's all the runt would say. Wish I could've had him under my thumb. Brat's stupidly loyal."

Roy frowned. All of this pain could've been avoided if Ed had just given his report to Colonel Banks instead of him. Ed ahd said the man wanted information. And Roy had a sinking feeling that Ed- loyal to a fault had taken the brunt of his injuries on Mustang's behalf.

Either way, Roy didn't have the time to question it. He looked at the keys in his hand and headed for the stairs. "If you're still in this room when I come back with Ed, I'll burn you alive." he said over his shoulder.

He heard hurried footsteps as Colonel Banks, coward that he was, retreated.

Roy exhaled through his nose, heading downstairs, keys in hand.

As Roy strode back to the makeshift prison of sorts, he was surprised to find Ed on his feet, hanging onto the bars.

"You can walk?"

"Yeah." Ed grunted.

Roy unlocked the door and Ed stepped out- he was moving rather gingerly, but he was walking under his own power. That was something.

They left the Fort, stepping into the sunlight. It was in the afternoon, and Roy headed towards the town inn, Ed falling into step beside him.

"This isn't the train station." Ed groused, looking over at Roy as they came to the front door of the inn.

"Perceptive, aren't we." Roy teased.

Ed frowned. "You said we were going home."

"We are. First train in the morning. I have some calls to make tonight." Honestly, Roy didn't think Ed would be comfortable sitting on a train for four hours back to Central City tonight anyways. The boy looked as though he could use a rest. And he wanted to ascertain how serious the boy's injuries were before he decided his next move.

I’d super appreciate it if you guys would drop by my ko-fi. You don’t even have to donate- just leaving me a comment meants a lot. What was your favorite part?

https://ko-fi.com/fluffykitty12

[semicielo]

Hi there :) I've just recently found your blog and love your writing skills! Its absolutely amazing! May I request something with Fullmetal Alchemist where the reader(preferably 'she' pronouns is trapped and slowly losing life until Ed, Al and Roy find her and try to bring her back(sorta like an action movie where the person drowns and they're trying to resuscitate them). How would each boy react to it?

Losing you; Edward Elric x Reader - Alphonse Elric x Reader - Roy Mustang x Reader.

Autor Note: being honest I was avoiding this request :(( I didn’t feel ready to write actions things but finally I give myself a try, and like the result of this! Thanks for complimenting my skills ღ Hope you like it and sorry for make you wait all this time :((

Warning!!: description of blood, reader is dying.

Type: scenarios - Genre: angst;actions themes.

─────── ੈ✩༉───────

general context:

They were near a river in the woods, (y/n) was fighting against Envy, the homunculus had her pissed off, she had it all in control, until the homunculus say the words “maybe I should kill that lame human in front of you? That would make you really miserable” they were laughing at the angry (y/n) and using that vulnerability the homunculus attack her.

(y/n) was on real danger, she was hurt by envy, she had a open wound on her abdomen, losing blood she still tried to fight against that homunculus, but (y/n) was really injured and felt dizzy, taking advantage of her state envy throw her into the river, the coward thing did that to scape after they heard people coming.

Edward Elric

Edward saw the blood on the floor, it was horrible, everything painted with a crimson red, he remembered Al, Nina, the night he tried to bring his mother back, he feel like throwing up, but he concentrate, where was (y/n)?

“(Y/N)!!”

He move his head, left to right to finally see the red on the water, he run approaching them, to see (y/n) breathing heavy and trying to talk, but word didn’t came of your mouth.

He was desperate, pulling her out of the water, he inspect her body, seeing the deep wound, he was getting nervous and nervous, he couldn’t handle losing you.

“(Y/N) WHO DID THIS TO YOU?”

(y/n) open her eyes, Edward saw how tired she looked, he put his head on your chest hearing the weak palpitations of her heart.

“Edward...”

“You’re gonna be ok (y/n) don’t close your eyes” his voice was worried, his golden eyes were looking at her, with fear but hope, because (y/n) was strong, she could do it “you will live (y/n) I promise you, YOU ARE NOT GOING TO DIE”

You were tired, but you believe in the boy’s promises, so you smile at him, you were going to live, Edward wasn’t a liar.

Alphonse Elric

He was afraid for (y/n) he knew you were strong, but he couldn’t help but panic, Alphonse was looking at the girl.

He run through the woods looking for you, because it’s been a long time since he saw you, what if something bad happened to you?

Alphonse arrive to a river, he was stunned to see all the blood on the floor.

“NO”

He screamed your name, looking for you waiting for you to say his name and hoping yo were safe, sadly it wasn’t like that, he saw you body in the river, read all around your body, he run to your body, taking you out of the water.

Opening your eyes you saw Alphonse, the armor, but you could swear you saw Alphonse, his soul, the image of the caring boy with honey eyes.

“(Y/N) TALK TO ME, IT’T GOING TO BE FINE (Y/N) WE ARE GOING TO HELP YOU, MEI IS NEAR, AND DR MARCOH TOO, PLEASE DON’T CLOSE YOUR EYES”

“Al...”

“Please” his voice was broken “don’t die...”

“I’m...not” (y/n) felt really tired, who could say that breathing was really exhausting, but she wanted to tell him “we’re eating Gracia’s food...remember?”

Roy Mustang

You were his subordinate, you two have some goals together, and certainly you wanted him to became the führer.

Roy was looking for (y/n), his subordinate told him she was going to beat Envy, and end a part of all this madness.

But when he got closer to the place where everything happened, he felt nervous, seeing all the blood staining the rocks, the green grass now was crimson red.

He opened his mouth in amazement, his eyes followed the way of blood to the river, he saw a body on it, he runs screaming your name, it was you, weak, laying in the water.

He pulled you out, he caress your hair and went to inspect the body, he could close the wound with his fire, but he didn’t know if you could resist the pain.

You opened your eyes looking at the handsome Coronel that stole your heart, his eyes were drowning in fear.

“Roy...” you said between coughing.

“(y/n) this is an order soldier, don’t you dare to die”

You wanted to tell him how tired you were, you felt weak, dying in this way wasn’t a part of your plan, you looked from strength, for a motivation, revenge...and your promise with Roy.

You knew him too well, he wanted to help you, but he was still hesitating about using his fire to close your wound.

You look for his hand to grab it, you felt weak, but your touch was strong and determined.

“Let’s try Roy...”

“(y/n) you are too weak I’m-“

“I rather die trying and in your arms, that dying because an homunculus...”

The determination in her eyes was powerful, he was going to do it and (y/n) was going to live a long life next to him.

“I still” she cough “need to see you became the fürher”

“You owe me a date, my order is the same soldier, don’t die”

─────── ੈ✩༉───────

[aspoonofsugar]

Hi! How are you doing? Not sure if it's already been asked, but what are your top 10 favourite canon couples?

Hello!

I am doing fine, thank you! How are you doing?

It is alright, nobody has asked this before, so I can answer! That said, I am not really a hardcore shipper, so I am not sure I will come up with 10 pairs :’‘‘). I’ll do my best though! Also I have interpreted the term “canon” very freely.

As usual, here they are in no particular order:

1) Claire Stanfield and Chane Laforet (Baccano!):

I love their dynamic because they are fundamentally two almost opposite individuals who end up together in a surprising way. On one hand Claire thinks that he is the protagonist not only of his own story, but of the whole world. As a matter of fact he believes that the world is nothing more than a dream of his. Ironically, it is because of this selfish delusion that Claire is able to embrace the whole world:

“So what if I'd spare him? In my mind it's the certainty in myself that I possess which allows me to have that kind of mercy or compassion. There's no wavering on that point. It's fixed like the stars. The fact is I'm never gonna be killed! So remember this: mercy and compassion are virtues that only the strong are privileged to possess. And I am strong.”

On the other hand Chane has chosen to be nothing more than her father’s puppet. She is a satellite character in her own life and can’t absolutely think to live as a protagonist. If Claire’s world is too big, Chane’s too little because it has only her and her father in it. What is more, Chane has gone out of her way to make sure that it stays that way. For example, she asked her father to take her voice away and has not learnt alternative ways to communicate (like sign language).

Given this premise, it is interesting that a person so self-centered like Claire puts a person with such a frail sense of self like Chane at the centre of his world. Claire makes Chane, who is not even the lead of her own story, the heroine of his huge world. Claire instead plays a support role in Chane’s story. It is precisely because of this contradiction that their dynamic works. All in all Chane gets to get in contact with the world through Claire. Because of this, she is challenged to grow. This is another interesting difference between them. On one hand Claire is basically like Peter Pan and can’t really grow psychologically. On the other hand Chane is a character who has changed, but who is scared of this change. This is why she tries to actively regress, but she can’t really go back to who she was.

2) Komugi and Meruem (HxH):

I have explained here what I love about them. Their relationship conveys the themes of the chimera ants arc beautifully. I especially like it because it would have been easy to have Meruem grow fond of Komugi because of her kindness and goodness. However, this is not really what happens. The reason why Meruem is so attracted by Komugi is her prowess as a Gungi player. Komugi is not a character who coddles Meruem, but one who challenges him. As a result Meruem’s attraction for her is rooted in respect. Meruem brings out from Komugi her talent and stubborness, while Komugi brings out from him his caring and kind side. Meruem becomes interested in her because of the traits they share and grows to love what makes her different from him.

3) Ash Lynx and Eiji Okumura (Banana Fish):

I like their relationship, but I would have loved for it to be explored even more throughout the story. All in all, they are attracted to each other because they want something the other has. Eiji wants Ash’s initiative and daring personality, while Ash wants Eiji’s freedom and soothing personality. Eiji wants Ash’s ability to fight for himself, while Ash wants Eiji’s talent to heal others instead of hurting them.

Despite this, they are not fully able to grow as they could have because of the violence of the conflict they are in. Eiji makes some steps in the right direction, but the moment a wound incapacitates him he goes back to his more passive behaviour. When it comes to Ash, he is not able to take fligth like he would like because of self-hate. Their ending is tragic, but I wonder if it could have been different. For example, after a meaningful conflict the two of them decide to avoid fighting and to simply enjoy the time they spend together. This is a relatable choice, but a series of things are left unexpressed and because of this they are not really able to overcome their flaws. Maybe, if they had fought a little more and had called each other out more, things could have been different in the end.

4) Claire Nunez and Jim Lake Jr (Tales of Arcadia):

I have talked about them here. They are two very similar people to the point that they have basically the same flaw. They both feel responsible for bad things happening to them and to their friends. This is why they end up trying to fix everything by their own and fail spectacularly. It is nice to see them find help and support by their loved ones. And it is heart-warming that they keep being there for each other.

5) Chidi Anagonye and Eleanor Shellstrop (The Good Place):

Eleanor and Chidi are completely different people and this is why they are perfect to challenge each other. Chidi inspires Eleanor to be more selfless and to open up to others, while Eleanor inspires Chidi to be daring. This is obvious since season 1 and it is a constant throughout the series. Their relationship is a good example of a relationship which is conflictual, but enriching. In order to stay together they (other than escaping hell) must overcome their respective flaws. Eleanor must be vulnerable and let Chidi in her life, while Chidi must be decisive and actively choose Eleanor.

I also like that this is true even in those timelines where they do not develop a romantic relationship. The fact that their relationship is the same, but also slightly differs in each reboot makes it gain a very nice thematic meaning and enriches it. All in all, what Chidi and Eleanor represent for each other is always the same and what changes is the platonic/romantic aspect of the bond.

Finally I like the motif of them leaving messages to their future selves about the other. At the end of season 1, Eleanor writes to herself: “Find Chidi”, while at the end of season 3 Chidi writes  to himself: “Eleanor is the answer”. This is a very cool motif which conveys their respective growth thanks to the other. Eleanor who only trusts herself chooses to trust Chidi’s ability to help her. Chidi who has spent his whole life searching for answers and failing to write them down decides that Eleanor is all he needs to find meaning in his life.

6) Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye:

Their relationship is my favourite of the whole series. Their characters are beautifully intertwined to the point that they can barely function without the other. This aspect of their bond is not excessively romanticized, but it is presented as a dreadful consequence of the traumatic past they share. At the end of the day Roy and Riza are too highly idealistic people whose ideals were shattered before they could evolve in something more than childish dreams. Despite this, they were able to put the fragments of those great dreams back together and have chosen to sacrifice their personal happiness to realize them.

All in all, Riza and Roy want redemption for their crimes and they find comfort in each other while they try to obtain it. In order to make things better they are ready to sacrifice their own existences and they have given up on the chance of living normal lives as civilians. However, they still have each other.

Roy gives Riza someone to protect, so that she does not fall apart and remains functional, while Riza restrains Roy’s most negative instincts. They make each other better even if they can’t completely overcome the pain of their past. They can just share it with the other.

Finally I especially like the scene where Roy chooses not to transmute humans even if it means Riza will most likely die. As a matter of fact, despite it all, that act is not framed as a betrayal of Riza, but rather as the only thing he can do not to betray her. I love both relationships where a character fixated on an ideal lets go of it because of people and relationships which make a person realize the importance of an ideal. They are both beautiful when well written. Here we are in front of a bond where both aspects are present. On one hand Roy must let go of his desire of vengeance not to lose Riza. On the other hand Roy must let go of Riza not to betray the ideals they share.

In the end theirs is a very tragic and strict relationship, but also a very warm and human one.

7) Kokomi Teruhashi and Saiki Kusuo (Saiki Q):

They are not properly canon since they are not together by the end. However, I think there is enough in the series to support the ship. Anyway, it is still a ship I enjoy a lot (and it is one of the few I feel strongly for, so I am adding it to the list no matter what).

I love their dynamic because it is hilarious, but it could also be surprisingly deep if the narrative wanted to explore it more. Teruhashi is my favourite character of the series because she is a nice subversion of both the yamato nadeshiko trope and of the alpha bitch one. She presents herself as an incredibly beautiful and yet innocent girl, but she is actually very aware of her looks and of others’ reactions. Despite this, she comes along as likeable mostly because she often genuinelly means well despite her being self-centered. Saiki instead projects the image of an average person, but he is actually the most powerful being of the world. In short, Teruhashi and Saiki are both opposite and the same.

They are the same because they both wear a carefully crafted mask. They are opposite because the masks they were are opposite. On one hand Teruhashi’s mask of the perfect girl attracts attention. On the other hand Saiki’s mask of the average guy is meant to make him invisible.

The difference between their two personas is the reason why Saiki wants to avoid Teruhashi at all costs. He wants to be average, so he can’t stay close to a person who attracts so much attention. At the same time, it is clear that Saiki grows to admire Teruhashi specifically because of her ability to always keep her mask up. He knows how difficult it is to realize such a feat and he recognizes Teruhashi’s dedication. Basically Saiki is the only person who knows the real Teruhashi and appreciates her for who she is and not for who she pretends to be.

In short, the series could have done a lot with them if it had wanted to go deeper in their dynamic. Saiki ends up coming to the spotlight multiple times to help Teruhashi, while Teruhashi breaks up her image of perfect girl when close to Saiki.

Unluckily this is the end of the list :’‘‘) I tried to think of other canon couples I enjoy, but even if there are some, I would not call them proper faves. At the same time, there are some ships I enjoy, but they are not properly canon/confirmed to be romantic, so I am not adding them.

Thank you for the ask!

[fullmetalscullyy]

the way it was - chapter 20

summary:  what if riza never went to war?  riza hawkeye has just married the man she loves. six months into their marriage, an unexpected surprise stops her from following roy to the military. a canon divergence au that explores what might have happened had riza been unable to join the military. there will be plenty of family fluff, angst, and royai.

rated: m | warnings: no archive warning apply

read on ao3

1914

just because it's pouring down,

doesn't mean we're gonna drown

Roy was gently rocking her in place as they sat, his touch and comfort soothing her instantly. It helped her think more clearly in the emotionally charged room.  He’d hugged her against his chest and Riza cuddled into his torso completely. Her feet were up on the couch, and she was lying against him. Her tea was long forgotten, but at least she’d stopped feeling so shaky. Morning sickness was a bitch.

She’d finally given into him, her need for his comfort. She was tired of fighting and hiding from her husband. They’d finally met on a middle ground after Maes’ death. It might be no man’s land, it might finally be peace, that was yet to be seen. Today’s conversation would decide their fate.

“Even though it terrifies me,” Riza began, breaking the silence that had blanketed over them. “I think… If I share it all now, we can finally air everything out. It was an extremely difficult time for us both and I think we need to discuss it, rather than shoulder it alone like I’ve been doing.” Riza shifted, moving herself closer to him. “I’ve done that since our first argument. I told myself just to get through Maes’ funeral in one piece, then I could deal with it all, but I’m exhausted.”

She was so tired. She’d spent her whole life hiding how she really felt and putting others before herself but now, pregnant and exhausted from her morning sickness, she was tired of it all.

“These past few days… I felt like I’d lost you.” Riza gripped the fabric of his shirt tightly in her fist. “I was…” Riza sighed. “I was upset about Maes. I know how much he meant to you and how close you both were, so I can’t imagine how you must feel about it all, but I was hurting too.” She heard his breathing hitch. “I couldn’t stop thinking about Gracia and Elicia being left alone. I got Mia to school then went right over to see her…” Riza swallowed back the tears, remembering Gracia sobbing uncontrollably as Riza held her, letting her ride it out. “It was horrible. I was there for hours.”

Roy was silent as she let it all out and Riza was grateful. His hands had stopped rubbing up and down her arms in comfort. They remained still as her explanation washed over him.

“And...” Riza sniffed and willed the tears not to fall. “I had to tell Mia what had happened.” Riza swallowed past the lump in her throat. “She couldn’t understand it. She didn’t know what I meant by she’d never be able to see her Uncle Maes again,” Riza’s voice shook. “She asked if you were really sad the night you came home,” she sniffed, “and then asked if we’d be sad if she died.”

The silence was deafening in the room. Riza squeezed her eyes shut at the thought of losing Mia. She’d never wanted to bring that up again. She couldn’t lose her baby girl. Riza would die inside if she did. It would kill her to lose any part of her family.

Roy stood abruptly. Riza was so startled she fell sideways on the couch, needing to push herself up to a seated position to see where he’d gone. Her husband was pacing in the middle of the room, frantically. One hand was gripping his hair tightly, the other on his hip.

“I don’t want that.” His whisper was quiet, but she heard the sob in his voice. “I can’t lose her,” he pleaded, face crumpling. “I can’t – My baby girl.”

Riza hushed him, pulling him into a tight hug. Hands wrapped around her tightly. Roy pressed his face into her shoulder, his head dipped low as she felt his torso shake with his sobs. His knees shook beneath him and Riza had to hold his weight for a brief second. Riza knew exactly how he felt because she’d lost it like this when Mia had asked her the question. But it just showed she was too young to comprehend the concept of dying. She was too young to lose anyone. Too young.

“She’s not going anywhere,” Riza reassured him fiercely through her own tears. “She’s safe and happy with your mother right now.”

“And I left you to deal with all of that. I didn’t even think.”

Riza hushed him again. “You had a lot to deal with –”

“It’s no excuse,” he replied. His tone was firm, rising in volume. The grip on her tightened. “I can’t believe she said that to you.”

“It’s because she’s only young. She didn’t understand.”

Silence enveloped them as they both cried. It was cathartic to do this together, Riza thought. It was finally all coming out and she felt better about it. A weight was being lifted from her shoulders.

“I won’t say I wasn’t angry at the whole situation,” Riza whispered. “Because I was. You were grieving, I get that, but you didn’t need to say those things. That’s when I thought we were done,” she admitted. “After everything happened, I thought you’d finally realised how much I burden you every day.”

His head jerked up from her shoulder, his eyes staring into hers with disbelief in them. It was a comfort, at least. “Never,” he replied vehemently, pressing his forehead against hers, as if it would somehow make her understand better. “That’s on me. You keep me sane. You keep me grounded. You keep me going.” His voice cracked on the last word. “You always have.” He drew himself up to his full height, meeting her eyes. His hands never strayed from around her body though. “There is a plot in the military that we think goes right to the top.”

Riza’s stomach twisted painfully and dread threatened to creep up her spine. She swallowed thickly, letting the weight of his revelation settle over her.

“I don’t have names yet, but I think that was what Hughes figured out. Or, it was just how deep this whole thing ran. Someone is controlling the military. That’s what I’m trying to find out.”

Riza’s stomach continued to churn. “The reason I asked you not to go after the culprit and get your revenge wasn’t me asking you to drop it,” she whispered. “I was terrified of losing you. Whoever is pulling the strings didn’t hesitate to kill Maes as soon as they found out he’d discovered them. I don’t want you to die too.” Riza gripped his t-shirt tighter again, shifting her face so that it was pressed into his shoulder.

“I know,” Roy murmured. “I know that now. I was unfair to you, and if anyone else had been there, I would have lashed out at them too. It wasn’t directed at you for any reason.” Riza felt him hang his head. “I’m sorry. When I found out you were in the hospital that’s when it hit me just how awful I’d been to you. At Hughes’ funeral…” He took a shaky breath, almost stuttering over the last word. “I saw how good you were with Elicia and Mia, cheering them up after such a sad day. You were wonderful with them. You told Elicia about your own parents. I overheard you talking about it and I didn’t think you would share that with anyone, but you did it to show her, and to teach her, that it’s okay to be sad when people leave us like that. All the way home in the car she’d raved about how ‘Auntie Riza had said this, and Auntie Riza had said that’. You were exactly what she needed.” Roy gave her a quick squeeze. “Gracia and I knew you’d helped her understand. When I came home last night, that’s when I realised, I was losing you,” he admitted in a whisper. “You couldn’t even look at me, and I don’t blame you.”

“I was still angry at you but frustrated at myself.”

“Why?” He sounded genuinely curious.

“I obviously didn’t help you the way I should have through this tough time. I never offered help like I should have.”

“You did try to help. I also never gave you the chance,” Roy countered. “I wasn’t exactly the most approachable person. We promised we’d look out for each other and I did the exact opposite. I shouldered it all and pushed you both away and to the side in my grief.”

Riza couldn’t think of anything to reply to that. All her anger had left her now and she was tired. Emotionally and physically. She wanted to put this behind them and move on. There was nothing else that jumped to mind that needed to be discussed, and she felt certain they’d done enough of that for one lifetime.

Now, they could start moving forward.

A short, strangled laugh left Riza’s throat as she thought about Maes. He was probably up there screaming about how they were both so stupid and too stubborn for their own good.

“What?” Roy asked, his tone both curious and surprised.

She shook her head, peeling it away from his shoulder. When she looked into his eyes Riza finally felt at peace. “I was just thinking about how Maes is up there yelling about how stupid and stubborn we both are.”

Roy blinked at her, then his face relaxed. “He was always right about that. And the fact that I’m a colossal idiot. He’s still right about that,” he smiled. It was tiny, but it was there.

“But you’re my idiot, and I wouldn’t trade you for the world.” Riza pressed a hand to his cheek. “I couldn’t. Who would I tease if you were gone?”

Roy let out a laugh then hugged her tightly after pressing a kiss to her temple. “You’re right. Who would keep my sorry ass in line if you weren’t here?”

“To be fair, Mia probably could. She’s got you wrapped around her little finger.”

His laugh was solid this time. “You’re right. We’d be eating chocolate with every meal and there would be ice cream for breakfast if she got her way. I’d be huge in size.”

They both laughed, smiling fondly. When their eyes met again, their faces softened. Roy lifted a hand to her chin, cupping it and lifting it. She licked her lips in anticipation of a kiss.

“I love you so much, Riza Mustang,” he whispered. “I know I can be difficult, and I have a lot of making up to do but know that feeling will never change.”

“I just need you,” she whispered. “I’m glad you’ve come back to us.”

Roy bent his head, his lips pressing against hers so softly. It was a caring and loving kiss. She’d missed that feeling so much. His hand slowly moved so his palm was cupping her cheek. His fingers moved into the hair by her ear as his thumb stroked her cheekbone lightly. It was gentle and hesitant when Riza needed more. She gripped his shoulders tightly, deepening the kiss and pulling his body closer to hers. The two of them moved together, basking in the love they held for each other.

“I’ll always come back to you,” he whispered. He pressed his forehead against hers. “Like I said, you ground me. You’re the one constant in my life I can count on, so is Mia, but I took advantage of that recently.” His head lifted so he met her eyes. “No more.”

She smiled at him. It felt like it had been too long since the last she’d done that.

*          *          *

Riza was stirred from her slumber by the ghostly feeling of fingers brushing over her face. She shifted as it tickled her skin, her face brushing against something hard, but warm. Opening her eyes, she saw Roy’s well-defined chest directly in her view. Glancing up, she saw her husband smiling down at her. He was propped up on his elbow, which rested atop his pillow, while his head leaned against a closed fist.

“Hey,” he murmured, bending his head to kiss her cheek. His fingers abandoned her skin as he did so, but they returned to stroking her face after it. She sighed at his touch, snuggling closer to his body.

“Hello,” she sighed as his fingers made her shiver. “I didn’t realise I fell asleep.”

Roy chuckled. “For about two hours.”

Riza’s eyes popped open. “Really?” she asked in disbelief.

Nodding, he shifted so he could kiss her head again. “You must have needed it.”

After their emotionally charged discussion of what had happened between them, Roy had kissed her softly. Riza wanted – no, needed – more, and dragged him into a deeper kiss, her hands tugging at his t-shirt, trying to get it over his head as quickly as possible. She’d meant it when she said she’d missed him. It wasn’t just his presence and his comfort. She’d missed his love too. She was desperate for the emotional connection they shared. Riza needed to reconnect with her husband. The bond between them was something she’d never experienced with anyone else before. It was so intense, Riza was lost without it during their hard time. So, she’d dragged him off to their bedroom and had apparently fallen asleep for two hours after it.

“I suppose I did,” she agreed. She let her eyes drift closed as she cuddled back into his side. “And I definitely needed that.”

Roy hummed in agreement, bending to kiss her again. “I’m just thankful that was the way things went. It could have gone the opposite.”

Riza’s eyes opened, her smile slipping from her face. “It could have, but I don’t think I could ever leave you, Roy,” she admitted. “We agreed we were in this together. Plus, we have the kids.” Her stomach fluttered at the plural word.

While he’d made love to her, Roy had cupped her swollen stomach in his hands, kissing the skin and whispering about how much he loved their little one already. He made promises and declared vows against her skin, his lips and breath tickling her stomach.

“We do, and I wouldn’t trade them both for the world.”

“Neither would I,” Riza agreed.

“I can’t believe we’re having a second one…” A smile spread across his face as he trailed off. “Sometimes I really can’t believe how lucky I’ve been.”

“Me too. Who would have thought I would fall in love with the scrawny city boy who appeared on my father’s doorstep one day?” she quipped, grinning up at him.

Roy laughed. “Who would have thought the shy, quiet girl who almost made me vomit when she cut the head off a chicken for dinner would fall in love with me?” he retorted. “I’m sure you did that on purpose, just for the shock factor.”

“Maybe I did,” she teased as they laughed together. “You’re the best person in my life, Roy, and always have been. I would never want to lose you.”

“I feel the same way,” he whispered, dropping his joking tone. He gave her a tight squeeze.

Peace washed over her body, solidifying in her mind that she was extremely loved by this man and he wanted her by his side. Her childish fears would not get in her way today, or in the future. She decided there and then, to actually listen to Roy when he told her how amazing she was, and how much he needed her, rather than smile and nod just to keep the peace. She was worthy of being loved, and she was a good person. She helped him, and that was all she ever wanted.

“I’m glad,” she whispered, shifting to press her lips against his.

Roy rolled her onto her back, so he was hovering over her. His knees were on either side of her hips, one hand on the mattress by her shoulder. The other hand lifted to her face, stroking down the side of her face, moving from her temple, down her cheek, to her cup her chin with his thumb and forefinger.

“I love you, Riza,” he murmured, lowering his lips to hover just above hers, but not making contact. “So much.”

“I love you, Roy. Always have, always will.”

They were lost to each other once more under the warmth of their bedsheets.

*          *          *

“Hiya Mummy!” Mia called after they heard the front door to their home open. “Daddy!”

“Shoes off, Mia,” Chris commanded before they saw their daughter. There was a brief pause, then she came barrelling into their living room, Hayate hot on her heels. He looked as happy and excited to see them as Mia did, his tail wagging happily while his tongue lolled from his mouth.

“Hello, Mia,” Riza greeted.

Roy stood from his place beside Riza on the couch, disentangling himself from Riza’s hold. He bent low to scoop Mia up from the floor, twirling her around in place while she giggled happily. Hayate barked at his feet, his paws shifting on the carpet. Riza chuckled at their pup, betting that he probably wanted the same treatment.

“How’s my best girl?” Roy asked once he stopped spinning her around. Her body swayed in his arms, her head still spinning, while she giggled again.

“Good!” she exclaimed happily. “We went on the swings, we got some ice cream, we played fetch with Hayate and he jumped in the pond after his stick,” she giggled, leaning over her father’s arms to look down at their dog. As soon as Hayate saw Mia’s eyes on him, his tail wagged happily once more.

Mia continued to regale Roy with everything they did that day, and it sounded like a lot.

Chris approached Riza, one eyebrow lifted. Riza knew already what her question was.

“We’re good,” Riza told her with a smile, her eyes drifting back to Roy as he began to exclaim his surprise at what they did today, overexaggerating his tone and disbelief.

“I knew you would be,” Chris replied. “But that stuff still needs to be figured out. I saw how much what had happened was affecting him, and I could see it was beginning to tear you both apart.”

Riza felt her stomach twist uncomfortably, knowing that people had noticed their marital problems. However, what was done was done, and they’d made their way through it. That was what mattered.

“I’m glad you worked it out,” Chris added, offering Riza one of her rare, small smiles. “Otherwise I would have smacked him upside the head for being so stupid to push you away.”

“Thank you, Chris,” Riza replied, genuinely.

“Don’t mention it,” Chris replied, her tone gruff.

Riza smiled, noticing how she looked slightly uncomfortable with the gratitude. Despite being Roy’s mother, she still supported Riza wholeheartedly, and that was appreciated. In the past, her father had always taken Roy’s side, even going so far as blaming Roy’s failings or lack of progress on her, stating she was distracting him. It was nice to have a parental figure’s support once in her life.

Chris’ tone softened when Mia squealed loudly as Roy began to tickle her, not letting her escape from his hold. “I’d do anything for you both, you know that.”

A proud smile spread across Riza’s face. “I do. Thank you.”

“And for that little girl,” Chris added. “Even if she does run me off my feet all the time.”

Riza chuckled. “She’s well known for that.”

“Honestly, it was every five minutes. She’s always on the move.”

“Tell me about it. I used to look away for one second when she was a baby and she’d managed to crawl across the room to pick something up to put in her mouth. I needed another set of eyes.” Riza laughed fondly at the memory.

“Come on, Hayate!” Mia beckoned her friend loudly, leaving the room. They both ran up the stairs hurriedly, and Riza noticed she wasn’t limping.

“She’s going to get changed because she’s “all sweaty”,” Roy explained, adding in air quotes.

“I’m not surprised,” Chris snorted. “She ran about all day. I couldn’t get her to sit still for her lunch.”

Roy laughed, slinging his arm around Riza’s shoulders, then pressing a kiss to her temple. “Thank you for looking after her today,” he added, his tone sincere. “We really appreciate it.”

“Of course,” Chris stated, as if it were obvious she would. “I’d do anything for you two. Even if it means I end up in a heap by the end of the day because she’s run me ragged,” Chris added, jerking her thumb over her shoulder, motioning to Mia. Then, Chris narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m glad to see things turned out for the best.”

“They did,” Roy replied, but his tone was slightly solemn.

“Good, because I would have killed you, Roy Boy, for letting this one go.”

Riza blushed lightly at the compliment while Roy chuckled beside her, giving her shoulder a squeeze. Part of her was so close to opening her mouth to protest, but then she remembered her promise to herself earlier in the day. She was good enough. She was worthy of their love and support.

“She definitely is,” Roy grinned, pressing another kiss to Riza’s temple.

[wyrdify]

Anonymous asked: you house a monster. he’s killed once because of that thing, and almost killed again. he’s already falling apart as we speak, or have you grown deaf to his screams? you can’t possibly be so prideful as to believe that you’ll be able to handle this yourself. tick tock, mustang. you’d be better off forcing that child back into his own world at this rate.

Ask Questions | Currently accepting.

Speak of the devil and he doth appear. What large prey the wolf found too---something he could sink his teeth into. Journal closed and pen down, Roy folded one leg over the other as he listened, hands resting on his knee. Curiouser and curiouser. This day only got more interesting by the minute!

“Tick-tock, Mustang,” it taunted once more. Eyes formed from obsidian narrowed. Force the child back into his own world? One that ran parallel to this world, no doubt---or did until they converged. He wasn’t terribly familiar with the theory, and he doubted learning more about it would help in this specific instance. After all, he was only one alchemist, one human being in a sea of millions. There was only so much that he was capable of.

What could he do? Listen as the sun screamed from what he presumed to be a nightmare. Watch as the two of them finally left the bedroom and stayed awake enough to make food. Make note of the moon’s waning memory and the new phase the sun brought him into. Or, was it the demon that lurked below? He spoke to it once, and he hadn’t gleaned much between then and now. If he didn’t learn more soon...

No option. The sun didn’t burn as hot as he did. When he wanted answers, he got them.

“That’s no way to talk about a child.” As if he scolded a toddler after they stole cookies: disapproving with little anger in his voice. “I haven’t grown deaf, no. Despite what I endured in the war, my hearing is fine---as are the rest of my senses.“ All of his senses remained on high alert since they got home from their trip down south. “Even if I somehow had the ability to force Sol back into his own world, I’m not sure I would. I’m missing pieces, and I don’t like acting on a plan without all of the information.”

Like what the demon was, where it came from, how it existed, and how it affected his Edward. Umpteen questions sat between his journal and his mind, and he planned to get answers for as many of them as he could.

“Who said anything about handling this myself?” That disapproving tone again. “I know when something’s beyond me. We haven’t hit that point yet. I’m sure you’ll let me know when that happens. Though, I gotta ask: I better force him back into his world or what? Is that a threat?” He arched an eyebrow, letting his words sink in for a few seconds before he rose from his seat. Edward, Sol, and Alphonse were in the kitchen. “I’ll be back. You can take your time deciding how you’re gonna answer that.”

[novelmonger]

Milly Thompson, Vash the Stampede, Legato Bluesummers, Roy Mustang, Schezka, Izumi Curtis, Van Hohenheim

From this ask game

*shudder* I don't want to go anywhere with Legato! What's wrong with you???? D8

Go grocery shopping with - Milly!!! I wanna go grocery shopping with my sweet Milly! She'd be able to carry most of the groceries herself - most of which would be pudding cups, probably XD But she just seems like she would make anything fun, and she's always so cheerful. We could chat about our families and our jobs, and everything would just be so normal - even though she's anything but.

Have lunch with - I would love to get to taste whatever Izumi Curtis would make for lunch. I'd be a little scared of her, no doubt, but maybe if I just work hard at helping her cook and then wash dishes, she won't yell or anything. After all, I wouldn't be her pupil, so she'd probably be pretty kind. I would totally freak out if she coughed up blood while I was there, though :'(

Have coffee with - Ugh, this is going to sound like worst self-insert fic ever, but...Roy Mustang >///< I would be extremely flustered and tongue-tied, because he would turn up the charm and make it seem like we're on a date in a cute little cafe. But then it would become clear that it's a front for some mission, or the whole point is to pass along information or something like that. Which would be cool enough in its own way. But...you know...it would be really nice to hear his laugh and see him smile, even if he were faking it. We don't see near enough of that in canon.

Go thrift shopping with - I think it would be really fun (and funny!) to go thrifting with Vash XD It would be hilarious to watch his antics, and adorable to watch his fascination with like...children's toys, or antiques that remind him of somebody he used to know. And of course, Vash being Vash, we'd probably end up in a holdup or a shootout or something, which would suck, but at least I'd get to see his incredible gunslinging skills up close, and I know no one would get hurt. Except maybe him :(

Explore a museum/art gallery/aquarium with - Can you imagine going to an art gallery with a man who was alive when most, if not all, of the artists were alive? Maybe he even knew some of them personally! Hohenheim got around! Not to mention, there's probably some artists among the 536,329 souls inside him! He could explain all the interesting backstories and tidbits and artist's techniques that you don't get on the little plaque underneath the frame. And maybe he'd been to some of those places, and he could tell me whether it was an accurate depiction or not. What I'm saying is, Theophrastus Bombastus van Hohenheim would make the best tour guide ever. (This would also apply to a science or history museum, but for some reason my mind latched onto art instead.)

Go the library/bookstore with - Well, obviously I have to go to the library with Scieszka! She would know where all the best books are! Her recommendations would be so good! I bet I could give her a list of my favorite books, and she'd immediately grab a whole stack of books in the same vein that would last me the next year!

Have as a plus-one at a wedding - Okay, okay, fine. Legato would ask me to go with him to a wedding for some unfathomable reason, and I would say yes because I would be terrified not to, and then at the first opportunity, I would make an excuse to go to the bathroom, and then try to climb out a window and escape, except he'd probably figure out what I was trying to do and then kill me. Or force me to kill myself. Either way, it ain't gonna be pretty. Unless Vash gets wind of it and comes over from the thrift store and saves us all.

[limetameta]

here's a lil taste of the tone shift happening in 3? chapters- mc spoilers ahead obviously so skip if you dont want to be spoiled

Before Death of Maes Hughes -BD

After Death of Maes Hughes - AD

********

BD Edward: LIFE IS HORRIFYING!!! KIMBLEE'S OKAY I GUESS. MY GOD I KEEP GETTING TRAUMATISED! IT CAN'T GET WORSE THAN THIS!

AD Edward: ON GOD I'M GONNA PUNCH GOD AND THIS FUCKING FATHER IN THE FACE!!!!!! ALSO FUCK KIMBLEE. IF I SEE HIM IT'S ON SIGHT.

***********

BD Kimblee: I am suicidal, but I don't really want to talk about it. My alchemy research has stagnated without the ph stone and there's truly no way I can find any meaning in life, but I'm still here because in a way this whole community I've managed to insert myself in thanks to Maes Hughes is keeping me afloat. Also, I have a cat.

AD Kimblee: I talk to this rock now because I've lost all of the people I thought were at least friendly with me enough to stick around a little bit. *to the rock* Can I fill this Maes shaped hole in my heart with enough toasters is my question of the day? My other question is how low can I go mental-health wise? We're about to find out! Also, some guy broke into my apartment, ransacked it, and stole my cat. I have seen better days. *eats the rock*

***************

BD Riza: :) Perhaps I really should find a way to live for myself rather than put myself in the service of Colonel Mustang. If he dies, I'm coming right after him. No, this isn't because of the things Berthold Hawkeye has done to me. I'm over that, actually. My entire life hinges on Roy Mustang's success. I will guard his back, uncaring for what happens to mine. This really isn't because of my unprocessed feelings about my father. Drop it.

AD Riza: Berthold Hawkeye left so many deep gashes inside my head and they're going to manifest in the worst possible way. This is fine. I'm fine. (I'm not fine) (I don't think I've ever been fine, but I've always been fine enough to function). I should really find a way to live for myself. But first I'm going to kill my father, who's stopping me from living for myself. No, he's not dead. He's right in front of me. (He's right there and he's set fire to my house, look at him, revelling, enjoying himself - Look at him, so pleased with himself. Look at him. Who else could it possibly be? Just look at him!)

*************

BD Roy: I want to be Fuhrer. Fuck Kimblee.

AD Roy: I am going to burn the person who killed Maes, and I'll take my sweet time. FUCK Kimblee in particular.

************

BD Alphonse: We should really be nice to Mr Kimblee. He's an adult. And he's on our side.

AD Alphonse: I paid a guy to steal Kimblee's cat. Best money spent ever. He doesn't deserve a cat.

************

BD Maes: :D HAVE YOU SEEN THIS PHOTO OF MY LITTLE GIRL?

AD Maes: /