#Originally he was supposed to just have nightshade powers but I realized that would be neglecting his stage magic side

[nari-kami]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GEN ASAGIRI

So to celebrate here is my redesign for Gen in the Dr.Stone magical girl AU

Gen Asagiri aka Nightshade

Gens powers are called “nightshade tarot cards” at the moment but I might come up with a different name in the future.

This is how they work:

• Gen can summon playing cards that have different effects depending on their meaning.

•For example 8 of diamonds means defense or protection so Gen can use it as a shield while Jack of spades means swiftness so Gen could use it to speed himself or an ally up for a couple seconds. •This would give him a lot of versatility in combat •The amount of cards he can summon depends on the ranking of the card so for example he could summon multiple 3 of hearts without breaking a sweat but summoning an Ace twice would be almost impossible without him collapsing.

•With the joker card even Gen himself doesn’t know what it does

[blueikeproductions]

@nukeli Ok so “DEI” refers to Diversity Equity & Inclusion, a relatively new initiative that was designed to show off minorities, women, and people of color more.

Now on the surface, that’s not a bad thing, we’ve had plenty of diverse shows before like Diff’rent Strokes, Cyborg 009, Family Matters, Everybody Hates Chris, Kim Possible, My Life As A Teenage Robot, The Golden Girls, The Magic School Bus, and more.

This includes people behind the scenes like actors, writers and directors. Stuff we’ve had before too.

But the modern version of it, via DEI, has evolved into let’s just trash white people, and to quote the South Park line grifters use annoyingly as their rallying cry “Put a chick in it, make her lame & gay!”

So we’ve gotten stuff like Tee-La from He-Man being the stereotypical butch lesbian with a side shave haircut who just seems to hate everyone now and feels personally attacked, pushing Adam/He-Man aside to be the hero, and similarly Skeletor being pushed side in favor of making a similarly stereotyped butch lesbian Evil-Lyn the main villain. A big complaint among other things was how Tee-La was just incredibly unlikable and hard to root for, along with giving her and Evil-Lyn The Power in a manner that doesn’t make sense for their previously established characters in the 80’s and 2000’s cartoons. Thankfully the sequel show to MOTU: R corrected these problems, bringing Adam/He-Man & Tee-La on equal footing like they always were, and making Tee-La far more likable. Also Tee-La inheriting The Power from her mother The Sorceress, is used much better here and it makes more sense how she uses it here, vs the previous coddled, stereotype “I am woman hear me roar” direction they tried.

DEI has also poorly affected other things, like little people not getting jobs in the Snow White reboot movie to play the Dwarves, both because it was seen as offensive, and also Peter Dinklage running his mouth (somewhat justifiably in areas) and ruining it for everyone. Cleveland Brown in Family Guy being recast because his original voice actor was white being replaced with a black actor who impersonates the voice rather than doing his own thing with it, and DEI informing a new form of segregation, as only black actors can be black characters, whites can only be whites, Asians Asians, and etc in animation. Never mind popular black actors like Kevin Micheal Richardson and Phil LaMarr have done non black characters before with LaMarr famously being Samurai Jack, an Asian character. Some Asian actors who were for the casting changes realized too late it affected what they could do as it meant they can’t do anything other than Asian characters when they wanted to read for a non Asian human character. The point of voice acting is everyone can be anything like how many male characters are voiced by women like Tommy Pickles or Timmy Turner or how some female characters are voiced by men like Linda Belcher.

DEI also tends to over focus on how a show has only diverse actors and characters, and ergo EarthSpark’s marketing was going all in on how it had black characters, putting them as top billing over the Autobots on toy packaging. It also tended to favor its female cast, making the (non Megatron) men look incompetent. Like how GHOST is almost exclusively female, with the few male members being complete idiots. (To be fair, Schloder is supposed to be more of an Inspector Clouseau type but still.)

The more egregious instances to me is despite emphasizing kali, they don’t do anything with it that would make it look cool to all kids watching. Like Twitch using it to fight a Decepticon, outwitting him or her, using a skill she inherited from her adopted human father makes sense! As well as emphasizing the Terrans being Earth natives and learning its culture. Instead it’s just left hanging there, and I feel like someone internally said it’d be cultural appropriation if Twitch or Nightshade used it.

The production notes also intended Robbie to be the leader, something the second season went back to, but the first season emphasized Mo way more leaving Robbie little to do, to the point when he was practically dead, his parents instead showered Mo with affection for her problems when he was laying right next to them barely holding on.

Also Nightshade’s everything, causing the controversy that saw more casuals and parents reject the show hard. Nightshade is another example of DEI, over focusing on their being nonbinary as their sole character trait, despite their geeky, scientific side being just as important. The second season again corrects this, focusing entirely on their personality more and properly showing off their gift of science. It was too little too late though.

Really when you look back on it, the first season, despite its decent ideas, emphasized a lot of the DEI stuff casual audiences hate, with the second season going back to a traditional Autobots vs Decepticons conflict, and using more of the earlier ideas in the production bible. I still believe the more intriguing Megatron steals the Emberstone plot was repurposed into Starscream wanting it, because someone clearly didn’t want Megatron to relapse into being evil again.

This also feeds into another modern problem of not really having true villains anymore, and how due to DEI, most of the villains we get are only entitled white people to antagonize the people of color or female heroes (now we HAVE had this before off and on but not to this extent, and even then it was handled organically and made sense), vs stuff like the modern Invincible adult cartoon having a diverse villain cast like its comics did. A lot of modern stuff similarly tries to paint the Decepticons as being the true heroes despite the writing and the audience not supporting it. It’s why the Micheal Bay films are still popular because despite making the Autobots into more violent 80’s-90’s action heroes, they’re still defending the Earth and humanity from the monstrous Decepticons who intend to blow it up to obtain the trendy MacGuffin of the day. As for the cop/military stuff, one, it makes sense that the Autobots would ally themselves with the Earth military to help humans have a fighting chance, and two it’s not going away, because of the movies shifting to incorporating GI Joe as the human military force over NEST/Sector 7. Even Noah was ex military via RotB. The only bad cop was Barricade, a Decepticon, and any bad faith humans in military power were usually proven wrong for their hubris in thinking they didn’t need the Autobots.

Even TFONE has largely returned to a more simple black and white approach in having proper heroic characters in Orion’s miners turned Autobots, and properly evil villains in the Quints, Sentinel, Airachnid, and Starscream. Even D-16 makes sense as being evil again as he let his frustrations and anger at Sentinel, who he looked up to, consume him in a more believable way than Prime and Cyberverse making it look like he was just throwing a tantrum for 4 million years because Optimus got what he wanted: control.

So ultimately diversity is still a good thing, but the modern approach to it by embittered people who thought they knew better has instead pushed us back a few decades when things were largely ok in terms of diversity and making natural strides in improving.

Family Matters and Static Shock were among my favorite shows growing up, but now, because of current trends, I can’t look at characters like Liko from HZ or Hazel from New Wish without thinking they were the result of DEI and not an organic desire of trying out something else. And that’s not at all how it should be thought of.

[scriberye]

Nightshade (3/?)

         ➥  Ghost x GN!Reader     |     1837     |     Ao3

⚠️ Violence, Anxiety, Comfort, Some cozy smoochin', Medieval AU The danger makes himself known, and Ghost tries to keep you all to himself. a/n: This was originally suppose to just be a Ghost/Reader fic, but then König happened. Then Soap happened. So, here's the deal. Do you want to stay loyal to Ghost, or should we embrace the power of a harem anime and go wild? one - two

Time works its magic. With each passing day, Ghost’s injuries continue to improve, and you forget about the foreboding crows. From your workbench, you watch as he dons his armor. A gentle melody of leather whispers against leather, and the soft clink of metallic buckles as he ties, tightens, and latches everything into place.

The more severe of his injuries is still healing, and one careless movement causes him to flinch. He brings a hand up on instinct, resting it over the tender spot. Progress is progress, you muse, turning your attention back to your work before he can catch you watching him.

Despite his restlessness, Ghost stays at the cottage.

He takes it upon himself to help you with your work. From grinding herbs when your arm grows tired, to tying up bundles and hanging them for drying. Before you realize it, Ghost is becoming a part of your life. He fills the space your mentor left behind with her passing, and soothed the pain that came with it.

Ghost empties the crushed herbs into a jar and seals it shut, just as you taught him.

“Oh, would you mind grabbing some firewood from outside? I think it’s going to snow tonight.” The skies have been gray and overcast since dawn. Experience tells you to prepare for an unforgiving and chilly night.

“Sure,” Ghost rolls his shoulders, making his way toward the door.

“Thank you!” You say with a smile, looking back over your shoulder in time to see him waving as he slips out the door.

Outside, the snow crunches under Ghost’s boots as he makes his way toward the modest woodshed, its thatched roof shielding the logs from the whims of the weather. He stops before he’s halfway there, a sense of being watched putting him on guard. He reaches for one of his daggers, scanning the tree line.

Behind one of the thicker trees, a figure lingers. Impossibly tall, with their face hidden beneath an all too familiar executioner hood. The intruder’s fingers constrict around the handle of an equally imposing axe, the blade sharp and glinting in the sunlight. Their eyes lock. The tension promises violence.

“Shit,” Ghost mutters. Guess you’ll have to wait a little longer for the firewood.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

You find yourself absorbed in your work, unaware of the world around you until an unfamiliar sound draws your attention away — a faint, metallic clanging from outside. You frown, the sounds growing steadily louder as you approach the door. Heart pounding, you nudge the door open.

You gasp at the scene unfolding outside.

Ghost is locked in a fierce battle with an imposing stranger, a black hood obscuring his face. Despite his size, he wields a massive axe with deceptive ease. That hood. You remember the warning from days ago. The chilling realization sends a shiver down your spine. Your heart races and the icy grip of fear squeezes your throat tight.

It’s him — the one who slaughtered an entire village.

Him.

You cling to the door for support, fingers trembling as they dig into the cold wood. Terror and the ferocity of the battle paralyze you, rooting you in place.

“König! We don’t have to do this!” Ghost stumbles back, narrowly avoiding the wide swing of the axe as it slices through the air.

“Nein!” König’s eyes are wide and filled with unbridled rage. This isn’t just a fight between opposing sides — it’s personal. He moves with the momentum of his axe, swinging it back around and raising it high over his head. “There is no other way!”

Ghost raises his sword in defense, the metallic clash echoing through the air as König brings the axe down with brutal force. Ghost struggles under the weight bearing down on him. He grits his teeth and pushes back.

A sudden arrow pierces the crisp air, whizzing past König and Ghost before landing in the snow with a muted thud. The unexpected appearance catches everyone’s attention. Between the trees, a man with a mohawk knocks another arrow onto his bow, the bowstring creaking as he draws it back. His deep blue eyes narrowed and focused on König.

“The next one won’t miss, bastard!”

With a growl, König slams his boot against Ghost’s chest, the impact sending him sprawling backward into the snow with a pained grunt. For a brief, frightening moment, König’s eyes meet yours — he’s seen you. You exist to him now. He takes a step back and retreats, disappearing into the woods, leaving you with a conflicting mix of fear and relief.

“Ghost!” You find your voice, rushing to his side and helping him up from the snowy ground. A sharp pang of concern pierces your heart. You didn’t want to lose him. You frantically brush away the snow that clings to his armor, inspecting him for any new wounds, but all you find is cold armor. No blood. Nothing.

“I’m fine. Look at me.” Ghost’s voice is steady as he grips your chin, tilting your head back and forcing your gaze to meet his. Your breath catches. “I’m fine. He didn’t land a hit on me. Breathe, sweetheart.”

“You’re fine,” you echo, sucking in a deep breath, the frigid air stinging your throat and lungs.

“That’s right.” Ghost tenderly cups your jaw, the cold leather of his glove warming as his thumb caresses your cheek.

“Oi! Get a room!”

The voice startles you both, and you jump away from each other. Flustered, you press your hands over your cheeks, the chill of your bare fingers burning against your flushed cheeks. Ghost lets out a weary sigh, crossing his arms over his chest as if to shield himself and keep any more emotions from slipping out.

“Soap,” Ghost’s tone is unamused.

“Ghost! Where the hell ‘ave you been?!” Soap marches over, each stomp leaving behind an imprint in the snow. “I thought I’d be draggin’ your corpse out of some hole in the ground, but you’re here! In the middle of the damn woods!”

Soap turns to you, his tone and expression softening. “Not mad at you. Hello, lovely to meet ya by the way. I’m mad at this bastard.”

Ghost rolls his eyes. “You would’ve if it wasn’t for this one,” he gestures towards you, “Took me in, kept me alive.”

“No joke?” Soap looks you up and down, appraising you before extending a gloved hand. “Looks like we owe you one for keeping this stubborn idiot alive.”

“Oh, um, I’m happy to help.” You smile, feeling self-conscious as you reach out to take his hand. A rush of warmth spreads across your cheeks. Oh, but he is charming. There’s a playful twinkle in his blue eyes, and his confident smirk makes your heart flutter.

Ghost clears his throat, positioning himself between you and Soap, using his body as a barricade. He stares Soap down. “Right then, you found me. Now go home, Johnny.”

“Not without you.” Soap narrows his eyes, refusing to back down from Ghost’s attempts at intimidation. “It’s getting late, so we’d better be going, eh?”

“I don’t think anyone should travel tonight,” you interject, eyes darting back and forth between the two men. A sudden sharp gust of icy wind makes your teeth rattle. “It’s going to snow. Stay the night, and you can leave in the morning.”

Ghost immediately protests, “No.”

Soap, on the other hand, looks delighted.

“Oh, that’s so thoughtful! Let’s get inside, eh? I’m freezing my tits off out here.” He slaps the other man’s shoulder with more force than necessary, his cocky grin never leaving his face as he pushes past Ghost. Soap knocks the snow from his boots, leaving a small mound by the door, before confidently strolling into the cottage.

Ghost lets out a long, suffering sigh.

You give him an apologetic smile and follow Soap inside. You felt a twinge of selfish guilt. If they were to leave now, the coming snowfall would surely catch them. Yet, deep down, you needed them to stay. König is still out there, and at least with Ghost and Soap nearby, you’d feel a little safer.

The sun sets, and dinner is a simple affair. You eat together, all gathered on the rug in front of the hearth. The crackling flames bathe the cottage in a cozy glow. Soap doesn’t comment when you settle in close to Ghost’s side, a knowing smile on his lips. In between bites, Soap regaled you with tales of his escapades with Ghost — like the time Ghost opened the wrong door.

Your home, a little cottage in the woods — a sanctuary you shared with the only family you ever knew — was overflowing with warmth and laughter, making it feel alive again. Silently, you wish morning never comes. For time to stand still.

Soap is the first to fall to exhaustion after dinner, leaving you and Ghost alone.

Ghost playfully rolls his eyes, watching Soap sleep. “Look at him. Hogging the fire to himself, not a care in the world.”

“Guess he wore himself out telling stories.” You smile, wrapping your arms around yourself, hoping to hide the shiver from the chill of being far from the fire. Ghost notices in an instant.

“C’mere,” Ghost says, his voice low and rough, as he extends his arm and silently beckons you closer. And who are you to deny him? You scoot toward him, sighing as you make yourself comfortable nestled against his side. He drapes his arm around you, enveloping you in his warmth.

“Better?”

You hum in contentment, pressing your cheek against his shoulder. He’s radiating warmth, as if he’s a fire himself. Is it him, you wonder, or perhaps it’s from being so close to him that’s kindling a different fire in you. The cottage falls quiet; the silence is broken only by the occasional snap and pop of the firewood. Ghost’s fingers trace absent patterns on your arm.

You enjoy the comfortable, intimate silence together.

Ghost stirs, his hand drifting down from your arm to rest against the dip of your waist. You lift your head from his shoulder, your gaze meeting his, deeply intense and darkened with unspoken want. The sight of your tongue moving across your lips catches his attention, and his eyes dart toward your mouth.

You reach up, slowly lifting his mask, just as he does when he eats.

His breathing quickens. You can feel it in the rise and fall of his chest. Time seems to slow as Ghost leans in, his lips rough as they press against yours in a feather-light kiss. You can feel his hesitancy. This kind of intimacy makes him vulnerable, and he holds himself back from fulling giving in.

Your eyes flutter open as Ghost pulls back. His gaze meets yours, searching for even the faintest hint of hesitation or discomfort. Any reason for him not to do this. A soft, dreamy smile forms on your lips. You reach up, your fingers brushing against the nape of Ghost’s neck, and draw him back in for another kiss.

[god-hunter]

X-Men Blue #10

This issue is late, but I’ve been so behind on my reviews that I just read this one recently.  That said, I really like what Bunn’s been doing with Blue lately.  His tie-ins for Secret Empire were fun and way more interesting than the ones from Gold.  But now that that’s out of the way, he had time to develop Hank some more.  And share with us that he has a dirty little secret.  One hint:  It has to do with all the Sorcery he’s learned so quickly in the past year.

[SPOILERS]

First off.  Thinking of Hank as a Sorcerer is strange enough in itself.  He’s a Scientist!  But I guess this Hank started turning to that, once Science equations and theories weren’t helping him get home.  Now that he’s been home and realized that time has no place for them, I suppose you could say he’s had a bit of a darker edge recently in these Bunn issues.

Well.  One main reason for that would be that he’s been working with the Goblin Queen!  [What!?]  I know.  But it’s cool.  I like it.

This issue starts with Hank talking to Gazing Nightshade in Madripoor.  (She was one of the blind X-Force members from the Ultimate Universe, or whatever.)  Anyway, for one reason or another, he confides in her.

She’s helpful though and knows that he feels guilty for what he’s done and his secrets.  [I’m guessing we’ll find out more about what he’s done, unless he just means experimenting with sorcery in the first place.]

Hank leaves the library, or wherever they were, and walks out in the streets, thinking that he knows he’s on to something.  He’s about to unlock a big secret, but the rest of the gang would never understand.

Then, the Goblin Queen herself, appears saying that she doesn’t like his little ‘girlfriend’.

He brings up that it’s unfortunate that he needs her to continue being a powerful sorcerer.

Meanwhile, we get to see Iceman training with Danger, which was nice and fun.

Lorna, a.k.a Polaris talks with Magneto about her role in this book, basically.  She’s basically the new Psylocke.  She doesn’t trust her father, but she knows that the X-Men need her.  And Magneto is fine with that.  Frankly, he needs someone to challenge his strategies.  And he says so himself.

Scott and Jean have a new psychic link that they’re dealing with.  Constantly in each others heads.  He brings up her new attraction to Jimmy, or her fling with Hank.  The fact that she knows how he feels.

But then she goes, “It works both ways...”  ‘You know how I feel about you too’.  They’re about to share a kiss, but bad timing.  Boom, something explodes in the Mansion.

But FIRST.

(I skipped a Jimmy & Angel scene, where they fly back to Colorado.)  Jimmy wants more answers of his origins, and Angel is glad to help.  Kira Lee, the sheriff is there, which gets Warren all perked up again.

(I also skipped Goblin Queen training the Beast), which is where that explosion came from.

Beast transformed into his fur ball self, with a massive surge of power.  And he ended up creating/bringing other X-Men from different worlds into this plain.

All sorts of demons too for fodder.

[BOOM].

That’s where that explosion happens, and Cyclops & Jean are the first to explore it.

That’s when Madelyne Prior - The Goblin Queen calls out to them.  “There you are! ...The Gangs all here.”

And we see her team of “Hex-Men”, which hosts Pixie, Colossus with a horned helmet and gladiator themed armor, Bloodstorm - Storm as a vampire, and that Nightcrawler demon/dragon thingie that we’ve seen before.

We can’t forget our Beast, who is rocking some ominous horns, himself.

Danger and Polaris were apparently attacked off screen. [That was probably where the explosion was directed.]

But anyway, thats the new deal.  Hank has been possessed.  And it is ON!

-To Be Continued!-

Hell yeah.  Intriguing and exciting.  I was happy to be able to continue right on to Issue #11.  That’s next.

[i-am-snowils-admiral]

Now I'm curious... what were you thinking for the meta type stuff for that Frozen au?

For the record I may have a vaguely incorrect idea of what meta means and so may have used it incorrectly.

That said, I was mostly going to go on about casting and how the story would need to change, so I’m glad to do that since I didn’t get to put a lot of it into the short thing that I wrote.

Elsa: 

Roy Mustang.  I honestly don’t know if I want him to have ice powers.  I suppose it has to be that way for the plot to work, but for some unknown reason, in a lot of my own personal headcanons and aus, Roy has power over poisonous plants, meaning he’d build a castle made up of...interwoven vines of poison oak, nightshade, etc.  He decorates the castle with oleander flowers, dangerous red berries and mushrooms.  But for the sake of having the story make sense, I’m leaving all that behind (*sigh*) and sticking with ice.

Kristoff: 

Riza Hawkeye.  Kristoff will probably have to change the most because I’m royai trash and need it to happen.  In the beginning of the snippet I wrote for the original ask, I quoted a part of the movie where Kristoff admires Elsa’s handiwork, remarking that the ice is “flawless”.  I’m working off of that where Riza’s initial attraction is to the strange sorcerer who can create ice so beautiful, and then sees him decked out in his icy dress robes and kinda...forgets that the ice is supposed to be the good looking part.  Anyway, though.  Black Hayate would probably take the part of Sven, though he’d have to be enormous.  I can’t really stand the thought of turning Black Hayate into a reindeer, so instead I’m going to turn him into a Miyazaki-style enormous wolf.  Because reasons.  Riza can be a beautiful, Princess Mononoke-type wild child who uses her attunement with nature to get some major awesome cubes of ice.  I love her.

Anna: 

Edward and Alphonse Elric. I’m splitting Anna into two people because of two reasons.  First, there’s two Elric brothers, and second, I think that Anna could have afforded to harbor a little more bitterness towards her sister, and so I’m throwing Edward in to have abandonment issues while Alphonse handles more of the “unconditional trust” type thing.  In this au, Edward received the initial wound from Roy’s ice powers, though it was a little more serious than Anna’s streak of white hair.  He ends of losing his arm and his leg to frostbite when Roy’s magic hits him, and both he and Al are wiped of their memories. He gets automail somehow, but I’m not sure where I want to put Winry in this.  Alphonse is the one injured by Roy’s blast of self-doubt in the ice palace, the way Elsa freezes Anna’s heart in the movie.  The frost spreads throughout his entire body, much the way his entire body is taken away in the transmutation.

Hans: 

I’m using an oc for Hans.  I didn’t necessarily want Hans to have any romantic attachments to any of the characters (real or imagined) so I’m going to call him Ed and Al’s half brother.  In this au, Roy’s mother (Trisha) ends up marrying Hohenheim, who had a son of his own, and then gives birth to Ed and Al, making both Hans and Roy half-brothers to them (though not related to each other).  Technically, I could say that Hans is 03 Envy, but I wasn’t particularly fond of that development, so I’m just going to have him be miscellaneous half-brother Hans, possibly named Skyler (I have a lot of weird aus, and in one of them Ed and Al have a half-brother named Skyler, but he’s nice so idk about using him here).

General plot stuff: 

Hohenheim doesn’t leave, and Trisha doesn’t die of an illness.  They die the way Elsa and Anna’s parents do.  Roy particularly misses Trisha, because though his step-father is kind, Trisha was most understanding about his ice powers, and it was Hohenheim’s idea to “conceal don’t feel”, while Trisha had some doubts about that method.

Hans/Envy/Skyler/whoever is the son of Hohenheim, who married into the royal family after Trisha’s husband and Roy’s father died.  Skyler (I’m gonna use Skyler because using Hans is confusing) wants the throne not because he has a ton of older brothers like in the movie, but because he’s jealous that Roy is the crown prince even though Skyler himself is technically the eldest.  Turns out having a parent marry into royalty doesn’t give you many royal rights.  Skyler shows up at Roy’s coronation, and quickly becomes a bit of a role model to Ed, who sees him as the older brother who did everything he could to be present for him, as opposed to Roy who shut himself away.  Technically Skyler didn’t even show up till now, but Ed just needs support and so doesn’t think much of it.  Skyler’s excuse is that he was away at school and didn’t even realize that Ed and Al were all alone till he arrived for the coronation.  Sketchy but semi-believable.  Unlike Hans, Skyler actually remembers about Roy’s ice powers, because he was there when Ed was injured, and didn’t have his memory wiped.  His plan is to antagonize Roy until his ice powers are revealed, forcing him to flee the country, then to use Ed and Al’s deferment to his judgment to get himself crowned king.

Once Al gets frozen (haha), Ed becomes determined that, per the troll’s instructions (which definitely did not come after a musical number in which a troll who probably wasn’t Maes Hughes tries to get Riza and Roy together), Skyler will be able to un-freeze him.  Ed doesn’t consider himself as an option because he has Issues and doesn’t believe himself capable of the type of pure love that will save his little brother (he is, obviously, but like I said, Ed has Issues).  Once they return, Skyler decides that the death of the younger, beloved prince would be a good way to solidify Roy’s fall from grace, and leaves Al to die by locking him in Roy’s old room.  Edward comes to find him (sorry Olaf fans out there, Ed is not Olaf, and Olaf is not in this au, but someone has to pick up the one piece of plot he’s responsible for) and, after he discovers self-deprecating notes that Roy has written to himself to remind himself to “conceal don’t feel” in order to protect his precious little brothers, becomes convinced that Roy had loved them all along and tries to drag Al back out to Roy in one last, desperate attempt to save his life.  On the way, Ed’s automail acts up because of the cold, and he ends up collapsed on the frozen lake, with Skyler about to strike him down.  Alphonse throws himself in front of Edward, as Roy, who had broken out of prison in an attempt to save the brothers he cares so desperately about, attacks Skyler with his ice powers, immobilizing him (do I want him to die?  I don’t know.  Depends on what you want it to be rated).

Because of the self-sacrifice, Al unfreezes, and Roy is convinced by his brothers that there is still love in their family, and uses it to end the eternal winter that he had unwittingly started.  He and Riza forge a tentative friendship-that-will-probably-turn-to-romance, and everyone lives happily ever after.

This got really long, sorry.  Thank you for the ask, though!  I’m glad I got to expand on it.