#[ he may be fuhrer at that point

[sezez]

I have a confession to make, may I have mercy for what I'm bout to say but uh...

I honestly hate how FMA:B handles Mustang and Hawkeye's relationship. Yes, you heard me right. I hate it.

But this is a personal thing, I'm not saying the show did a bad job at showing it or anything! However, I shall allow you to get your flamethrowers out.

It's just... I'm a big FMA 03 fan, and I just prefer how Mustang is portrayed as this mysterious boss who seems to care about himself and will do what it takes to get to the top. And Hawkeye being his right-hand woman, keeping an eye on him and making sure he isn't making a fool of himself.

And I honesty just dislike how Hawkeye looks in Brotherhood, I- I just don't like how her eyes look because she is meant to be this serious and intimidating character since she is entitled to be "The Hawk's Eye"

But in Brotherhood, her eyes look far too innocent for that to match with her title. And I prefer how her eyes look in 03, having a sharper edge and her eyes being a amber brown then a chocolate brown.

I'm sorry Brotherhood!Hawkeye, I just don't like how less intimidating you are compare to 03!Hawkeye. You can shoot me more times than you did to Lust.

Anyway, onto my problems with the relationship...

I just don't like how much it's presented in the show, like the viewer can see there's something going on between them. Like it's so obvious, it's frustrating to look at and how other characters don't see it too.

While in 03, it's much more quiet and it feels the relationship they have is natural and hidden from everyone, including the viewers with only little hints to them having a deeper connection than we thought.

And the biggest issue I have with this is during the moment when Hawkeye shot Lust multiple times because she thought her boss was dead.

Yeah, I hate how she had a mental breakdown immediately after a Homunculi who's very likely to lie and manipulate her.

I just- I just expected her to handle the situation better, like girl- you know this man for years and there will be times where he might die given his status, position, and power. I know you're whole job is to protect him and follow where he goes, but- just... There WILL be a time where, he just dies.

And just, I expected her to not take Lust's words seriously so soon despite not seeing Mustang's dead ass. And I dislike how fast it was for her to react that way, like there's no slow moment or proof that he's dead to her.

So why did she just... Fired her gun at Lust like a little child throwing a tantrum because she couldn't find her favorite toy?

So, now that I have most likely have tons of people pointing their guns at me, I'll just say one more thing about what I liked in 03 more than in Brotherhood.

The parallel between in 03 where Hawkeye cries over a presume dead Mustang after he got his eye shot and in Brotherhood where Mustang holds a injured Hawkeye.

In Brotherhood, I was really annoyed with Mustang. Cause, dude, your wife is bleeding out and your just being held by some of mindless men that are just HOLDING YOU BY THE ARMS AND YOUR HANDS ARE COMPLETELY FREE for you to snap your fingers and burn them all. And the way he held her after she got saved is cute, but annoying that he didn't do shit and he was REALLY useless in that moment.

And honestly I wished Mustang stayed blind, hell, maybe his eyes could have been taken out all together like how Ed lost his leg or Izumi having her guts ripped out. Also the moment doesn't feel sad or worrying to me, it's just frustration because he can do SOMETHING in that moment.

Now what I liked in 03, I really enjoy that throughout the series, Hawkeye is some distant person who just seems done with her job and the colonel's bullshit. But the moment when she was running up to the Fuhrer's mansion, and seeing him on the ground with a puddle of blood, she goes to him and calls his name out.

And she cries when she didn't get a response, and that's what I liked more. She doesn't immediately cries, she checks to make sure he's with her. That moment felt more emotional and powerful to me than in FMA:B.

And I want to thank you all coming to my personal opinion on a lovely ship, I will gladly take any hits from you all and have a good day, afternoon, and night.

[masha-nikita]

Fedor von Bock's War Diary, a commentary

I have been reading von Bock’s war diary, and have noticed some interesting trends. I tend to agree with the Amazon top reviewer M. G Watson’s opinion, that it is written in excruciating details and professional jargon, and it may pose some problems for casual readers.

To a lay person, von Bock’s diary is heavily bogged down by factual statements and descriptions of the frontline situation, and its lack of sensibility means that the entries do not take the viewers deeper into analyzing a bigger picture nor do they show the colors of the writer’s mind and intentions- yet paradoxically, it is precisely what Bock’s mind is like- soldierly and loyal, to a point that he lacks common sense in basic human relations.

You’d get a sense that, yes, clearly this beauty is a bit off-kilter; no wonder according to E.A. Hart's "Hitler’s Generals", he was a social outcast among the officers, his harsh professional skills have no use in a normal civil society, and in turn, anything or anybody not wearing an uniform does not exist to him. You couldn't get more "autistic" than that.

The diary is clearly self-conscious that there may be readers, and oh boy, does von Bock like to complain to his readers that the OKH commanders are idiots! But not to a point that it attempts to manipulate the readers’ perceptions in order to virtue signal or to back stab, like certain historical memoirs do.

What I do not agree with Watson entirely, is whether or not his respect for Hitler was genuine, as Bock needed to maintain a positive relationship with the Fuhrer to get what he wanted, or else Halder would limit his actions left right and center, which exasperates von Bock.

It is said that Bock was initially heavily implicated in the 720 plot, only to be spared because one of his former staff commented that “Bock has been very respectful of the Fuhrer”—the thing is, that officer cited this according to his older memories, not knowing that in his retirement, Bock demonstrated how hateful he was of Hitler’s guts (source needed).

Personal comments and private sentiments are so lacking in this diary that I believe Bock was secretly socially awkward-- yet he was not afraid to make other generals awkward with him. He only regarded other generals as parts of his professional military machinery. However, he didn’t seem to hold any grudges-- I mean, the Kluge-Guderian kind of negativity, hating other generals and trying on colleagues' career destruction all the damn time.

Basically, people agreeing with Bock = a happy Bock; people not agreeing with Bock = a angry-crying emoji Bock. He also uses simplistic language like “beautiful lads”, “the soldier beamed at me", “the division is good but tired” that gives off impressions of him speaking whatever is on his mind. He keeps his diary content strictly professional, so when emotions do break out, these are oh so simple, pure and raw. Bock uses exclamation marks too excessively, a sign that he doesn’t know how to employ elaborate words to communicate how he feels.

When he laughs, he laughs; he laughs at the paranoid patients' wild antics; when he's upset, he's upset, saying "Schlieffen turns in his grave!" because "I am not allowed freedom further eastward!" It pains me to see he say things like "The misery those fleeing the war is terrible", "frightful misery of the refugees, but what can I do?" The helplessness in Bock's voice is so astounding when his personal interests, his character and the war context are taken into consideration.

It is so beautiful when a butcher knife weeps tears of blood.

If the emotion runs even deeper, he becomes quieter and more reserved. The readers have no chance seeing his softer spots. Who could blame this hardened soul for never writing anything about his stepson, whom he dressed up in little sailor outfit and took to see a military parade, so full of hope that the boy could be like him, or his grief when his family died?

11-9, 1939, Fedor von Bock very briefly and vaguely ordered von Kuchler to convene a court martial. Through the editor's archival supplement, we see that the SS artillery members killed lots of Polish Jews, and Fedi was NOT pleased. This informs me that when Fedi lingers on the "positive notes" about Hitler, it was probably artificial. Either massive Jewish civilian death really shook him, or he deliberately hid this court martial incident from his readers-- of whom there were certainly Nazi personnel.

[qsycomplainsalot]

I want your take on something given your history-tied art (excuse spelling errors, my hands are very cold:) when does alt-history or general historical fiction writing become “inappropriate?” I’m not talking about political LARP but the portrayal and inclusion of real world historical figures. I like the web series “The Monument Mythos” which includes a President James Dean as a satire of cult of personality political worship of especially authoritarians. And my fav episode of Red Dwarf is the one where JFK was on the grassy knoll. However a lot of HOI4 mods (millions of people such as me suffer from Paradox Strategy Game ADHD thots and prayers) have these issues. Pre rewrite, The New Order (made by self identified leftists) wrote Himmler as a cackling fascist-style-posadist supervillain and Fuhrer Albert Speer as a liberal pro democracy human rights reformer. Even post rewrite issues still exist such as portrayal of politicians who were victims of the Lavender Scare now being perpetrators. I also feel Red Flood has a problem with a dictator Antonin Artaud who was portrayed as a futurist schizo madman when IRL I don’t believe he aligned with the futurists and his mental health issues only developed at the end of his life.

Well my stance on this is, if the message is interesting then at least that's a redeeming quality. Like sure you may be using actual historical people in a video game, but a video game can tell an interesting message just like a book can. Maybe flipping the historical narrative gives an interesting point of view. And then like in a lot of what you just described it's just pulp... which, I appreciate pulp, but when you're making a mockery of people linked with genocide I think it's disrespectful to the people still alive to remember it. Conversely it's very much less dicey to do that with older figures, BECAUSE the defining factor of whether you should or shouldn't is very much "does anyone care about this". If you make a cartoon supervillain out of a nazi that's bad and disrespectful of everyone still living in the aftermath of their actual crimes, but you don't have this problem with say Charlemagne or Gengis Khan destroying entire cultures centuries ago. No specifically with HOI I think the issue is that this game's modding community is a hotbed of people trying to make Germany win WW2, which is a huge red flag.

[felixcloud6288]

Fullmetal Alchemist Chapter 97

Hohenheim demonstrates that Ed was right all along when it came to the souls in the Philosopher's Stone. They may no longer have bodies, but they still have emotions and feelings and they can be communicated with.

Father reveals its true form saying it has evolved just like humans do. It likely just figured out how to make a larger container is all.

The middle lady was having lunch with Maria Ross when Ross was arrested in chapter 34.

I guess it just goes to show how thoroughly Central HQ was under Father's control if the President's office was vulnerable to snipers. No one would be allowed to get in Bradley's way and anyone who tried would be swiftly taken care of. The Fuhrer had no need to fear an assassination at his own headquarters.

It makes perfect sense there would be a smaller door by the gate. Why would you want to open a big giant gate for anything except vehicle traffic?

Look at how smug the tank operator is as he drives right past the Central troops.

We get our first full shot of Central HQ. I want to point out how this image doesn't really line up to the two shots when Greed looked out at the plaza in chapters 56 and 63.

Primarily, what we've seen up to this point implied there was only the main building and the President's estate.

No one should be surprised that Wrath survived the train bombing, but imagine if Arakawa actually did kill one of the most dangerous Homunculi in such an anti-climactic way.

What are those swords of his made of and how are they forged? They've cut through tank treads and Buccaneer's carbon-based automail without damage.

The only times he's ever broken a sword are when Lanfan partially parried one with her iron(?) kunai and when Wrath sliced at Greed's hardened skin.

Wrath referred to Falman by name. So I guess he made sure to know the names and faces of all Roy's subordinates.

Behold the face of true bravery (genuine).

This now means that Breda is the only member of Roy's crew who has never faced a Homunculus in battle.

I can think of two reasons why Greed is there. Either he was actively looking for a way to get underground and then decided to head for the gate when he heard Bradley had returned, or he was killing time and amusing himself by watching the fighting going on.

back

[et-ceterra]

this poem but make it royai

I Am Not Yours I am not yours, not lost in you, Not lost, although I long to be Lost as a candle lit at noon, Lost as a snowflake in the sea. You love me, and I find you still A spirit beautiful and bright, Yet I am I, who long to be Lost as a light is lost in light. Oh plunge me deep in love—put out My senses, leave me deaf and blind, Swept by the tempest of your love, A taper in a rushing wind.

Sara Teasdale, "I Am Not Yours"

Obviously there are different interpretations of this text, I'm just going to point out what stuck out to me. Also for anyone curious here's linked below I Am Not Yours arr. Z. Randall Stroope as well as my biased overanalyzed Royai reading of this lol.

Today I was listening to the above choral arrangement with this text and since I happen to be rewatching Fullmetal Alchemist at the same time I couldn't help but draw parallels from this poem and, of course, Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye.

Side note, coincidence but the text was also first published in 1915 which is right after the climax of the FMA storyline. So I imagine this being from both Roy and Riza’s perspectives, after everything has happened and Ed and Al have their bodies back.

In this poem, the narrator longs to be loved so deeply and intimately. And yet this juxtaposition exists in which the narrator cannot allow themselves to be lost in the other person, or perhaps they are refusing to lose all self control. They want to, need to be their own person and their s/o is their own person as well. It paints this beautifully tragic picture of something that the narrator feels they can never achieve. The fact is that no matter how much they want to experience this love, they feel that they never can because of their circumstances.

Taking some of the imagery more literally, let’s talk about the “lost as a candle” line. As the Flame Alchemist, Roy is extremely powerful. On a smaller scale, a candle is powerful in that it cuts through darkness; a spark can start a flame. But a candle's range is limited. For all the light and warmth he can produce on his own, Riza is Roy's true light in his life; she is "noon" in this scenario. So much of what he does, he does for her. She in turn is the light that keeps him from going astray and giving into his burning desire for revenge against Envy. She keeps him from performing human transmutation (of his own free will).

If Roy is warm, burning, charismatic, driven, Riza is cold, calculated steady, and distant, at least on the outside. Her time in Ishval and in the military has left her hardened. She does not hesitate to take others' lives if it's to protect her loved ones. She also does not hesitate to point a gun at her very own colonel when she knows he is doing something he will regret. I find it interesting that the two similes in the first stanza are so opposite, and yet the meaning is the same. Roy and Riza are two different sides, but the same coin. Roy is the hot, passionate fire, and Riza is the cold winter snow, but they equally desire to be loved by each other.

Although both Roy and Riza may wish for something more between them, and they know that the other is a "spirit beautiful and bright," there are all these legal and emotional barriers that prevent them from being together. Roy has dreams of becoming Fuhrer, Riza has people to protect, the military has laws in place preventing any sort of romance between officers. Riza and Roy long to be loved, completely accepted in the face of the horrible burdens that they carry. But even if they acknowledge that they do love each other, there are so many obstacles that they face to doing anything about it.

The third stanza culminates in what the two deep down truly desire - to be completely enveloped in love and companionship and acceptance. And Roy is the only one who can do that for Riza and vice versa, because of this long, scarred history that the two share. This is something so raw and intimate, something that the two feel they cannot admit - have they even admitted it to themselves? But the reality is that they would give up everything for each other. Roy literally did go blind at one point in the story, after an act of immense love and trust for his lieutenant.

This is a final, silent plea to the other to not hold back, seen in the expression (pain? jealousy?) in Roy's eyes when he watches Ed and Winry get happily married. Seen in Hawkeye's stolen glances across the office to her colonel's desk. Yearning silently, yet desperately, for the day that they can unashamedly be swept up in the other's love and desire, but unsure if that day will ever come.

[whatisthismandoinghere]

For the drabbles prompt:

"Haunt Me" - After being killed by Klink (who was protecting his prisoners from harm), Hochstetter haunts Klink. Shenanigans may or may not ensue.

Alternatively, Hochstetter haunting Hogan and seeing proof of the operation. Maybe making himself visible to Hogan in the tunnels, but nobody else can see him.

We're just gonna ignore the fact that this is definitely longer than 100 words 😂 but enjoy salty ghost Hochstetter and Klink who has ran out of darns to give

Klink groaned as he got up for the fifth time to shut the bloody window, which had once again been ripped open even though there was no breeze outside. Papers were scattered everywhere and just as he finished stacking them into a neat pile, his cigars went crashing to the floor. Weird things had been happening ever since the incident involving Major Hochstetter. 

“Unbelievable,” Klink muttered under his breath.

“Is it now?” a familiar voice asked from behind.

Klink looked up from the floor with a start, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw what was in front of him. It was Hochstetter alright, though not as solid and considerably paler. He was still dressed in his black uniform, which was immaculate except for the bullet hole right over his heart.

“Hochstetter?” Klink couldn’t believe it. “But you’re supposed to be-”

“Dead? Ja, you kindly made sure of that,” Hochstetter growled through clenched teeth.

“Well, what did you expect me to do?”

“You could’ve let me deal with Hogan for once! He’s the most dangerous man in Germany!”

“I believe you’re mistaken. That role belongs to our beloved fuhrer,” Klink said dryly as he scooped up the remaining cigars from the floor and sat them back on his desk. “Besides you had no proof of his involvement in the ongoing sabotage, and you never have. Therefore, he’s still under the protection of the Geneva Convention, and it is my duty to give him that protection. You were about to shoot him, so I did the only thing I could.”

Hochstetter was absolutely irate at the matter-of-fact tone Klink was using with him. And his nonchalant remarks against the fuhrer?! He could have him shot for that- well… actually he couldn’t now, so instead he just knocked Klink’s cigars off his desk again.

“Was that really necessary?” Klink sighed as he started to pick them up again.

"Considering the number of headaches you caused me while I was alive and the fact that you killed me? Yes.”

“I gave you headaches? Says the man who constantly came stomping into my office screaming at the top of his lungs ‘What is this man doing here?!’ That’s a laugh.”

“Glad you’re finally comfortable enough to share your real thoughts on me.” Hochstetter rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as he floated just above Klink’s desk.

“Well, you don’t have the power to have me killed anymore, and seeing as I won’t have to worry about what happens to the prisoners if I’m gone, I am finally able to speak freely. It’s quite nice actually. That and I usually have tact and you’re rather lacking in that department whenever we meet.”

“ME? LACKING TACT?!”

“Yes, thank you for proving my point.”

“BAH! Don’t think this is over, Klink! I will haunt you until the end of your days!”

Klink had to stifle a chuckle as he watched Hochstetter angrily float out of the room. Sure enough, two seconds later the window ripped open again, sending his paperwork flying all over the place. 

Oh well Klink thought to himself. A small price to pay for the pleasure of killing that man myself.

[adultswim2021]

Aqua Teen Hunger Force #87: "Der Inflatable Fuhrer" | May 24, 2009 - 11:45PM | S07E09

For a minute there, I was worried this one might’ve been pulled from HBOMax.

I think I said something earlier, about how humor about Hitler and the holocaust trended upwards on the scale of acceptable humor. Weirdly, in the past decade-or-so (goddamn), humor involving Hitler has suddenly become a little more, uh, menacing again. Don’t get me started on even more recent events involving the Israel/Palestine conflict. Airing on the side of safety here. There’s a layer here that I don’t want to peel back, okay? Let’s just all pretend it’s 2009 again and Hitler is funny and non-threatening, and Israel… well, Israel is still evil but I just don’t know it. 

Frylock is working on a secret project for a client. He’s infusing helium with some kind of virus. A mysterious shadowy guy is communicating with Frylock, and the plan seems to involve handing out these balloons to children. Jewish children, presumably. Pretty rude. Frylock is desperate for cash, but when he gets a glimpse of the shadowy figure in better lighting, he realizes he’s talking to Hitler himself, but now in balloon form (and voiced by S&L’s Bill Hader). Frylock’s conscious causes him to pivot by simply having Shake fill the balloons with his disgusting farts instead. 

When they meet in the park, balloon Hitler realizes the ruse and sicks his balloon soldiers on Frylock. At no point does it seem like an actual threat; Frylock simply pops them with one of his sharper fries. A bunch of them further pop after landing on the grass, which I guess is sharp enough to make ‘em bust. Hitler eventually reveals his backstory to Frylock, which is Adolf Hitler tried to smuggle his treasured Nazi stuff in a balloon up his ass. When the balloon got to big, it popped inside him and exploded him, causing his soul to fuse with the balloon. 

This one’s alright. I sorta lump this show in with other funny cartoons that I completely don’t mind it when it sticks to the formula. This one more-or-less does exactly that. The Aqua Teens and a weird guy that shows up be mean to each other. Great. I don’t know if I laughed out loud at this one, but I appreciated it.

MAIL BAG

is squidbillies your favorite show after they replaced that guy who had a name like Crud Mailman with Tracy Morgan from 30 rock?

I never did see any of the Tracy Morgan episodes . They looked way too scary. Saw a promo image and I guess they photo-shopped Tracy Morgan's head onto Early's bod? I was imagining having to see that guy walking around in the episodes and I just got chills. I might have to skip those when I get to whatever year that was.

[limetameta]

Kimblee: Dr Morsels will ask you if you ever considered a different career path - you're obviously going to tell her yes - because nobody actually dreams of being a soldier. I wanted to be a world famous piano player when I was six. People change. That's normal and a part of the human experience. *waves his finger* How-ev-er! You still need to be able to sell that your dream job when you were six does in no way impact your will and desire to do your job properly now. Now let's hear your dream careers. Except for Mustang, we all know he wants to be Fuhrer one day when he grows up.

Fuery: I wanted to be a radio host show. :D

Kimblee: But?

Fuery: I managed to incorporate my love for radio with my telecommunication expertise and further help the military benefit from it. It was a great jumping off point that piqued my interest when I was a kid!

Kimblee: Excellent! Great job, Fuery.

Fuery: :D

Havoc: I almost wound up in the family business with our Havoc general store, but I wanted bigger things for myself and I liked the Military Academy. Lots of girls love a military man. I'm happy with where I am right now. Feel like I can do more good in the military than in a general store.

Kimblee: *proud thumbs up* Breda?

Breda: I joined for the money.

Kimblee, nodding: The most valid reason. She'll respect the honesty.

Armstrong: I joined because it's just what my family does.

Kimblee: This is not a good answer, Armstrong. She'll pick you apart and come to a realisation that the only reason why you're in the military is because you're scared of who you'd be without the status it brings you. Say something else. Okay, Hughes!

Hughes: My dad wanted me to be a lawyer, I didn't want to be a lawyer but I wanted a steady job with benefits so I became a soldier. Plus, to piggyback off of what Havoc said: girls love a military man! And I found my sweet Gracia this way! Then I show like ten photographs of Gracia and Elicia?

Kimblee: I love the photograph lead in, but keep it to four at most. Morsels doesn't care about our private lives and we can't overwhelm her with details. Mustang - wow us!

Mustang: *clears throat* Ahem, so, when I was but a wee little boy *a story that sounds so profound and heart wrenching it makes most of the military men cry*

Kimblee, one of the few people not driven to tears: Did you really lift this from a Dikins novel like we wouldn't be able to tell?

Mustang: You told me to make things up.

Kimblee: Not this much! Tone it down. *turns to Hawkeye* You're up next.

Hawkeye: I've actually been thinking the entire time what I wanted to be as a kid, or if I had any other career paths in front of me and...I didn't.

Kimblee: You didn't want to be an alchemist when you grew up? Or a hunter? Nothing your mom ever did inspired you?

Hawkeye: I just remember this memory from my childhood when I was six where I just wanted to go into the forest and not come out until I died. I realised my presence was just a burden for others and that I'd be better off gone.

Kimblee, blinking: I may need to spend a little more time coaching you. Riza, you can't say these things to a psychological evaluator. You'll be discharged. This is basically suicidal-ideation at age six. A preescholer shouldn't have the capacity for such thoughts. *looking at the only parent there* Right, Hughes?

Hughes: Elicia's two and she wants to be a pumpkin when she grows up! TT-TT Hawkeye, this is alarming!

Mustang: Lieutenant, I had no idea you felt like this?

Hawkeye, crossing her arms, frowning: It doesn't affect my ability to shoot people and do my job correctly. So it shouldn't affect anything. There's nothing to be concerned about.

Kimblee: I'd like to live in the world you live in, but unfortunately we live in a world where people like us need to be actors to get by. So, when she asks you about potential career paths - you tell her you wanted to be a -

Hawkeye: Writer.

Kimblee: Excellent. It fits you perfectly, you're withdrawn enough for it to sell and yet intelligent enough for someone to buy it.

Team Mustang: Can we unpack the bit about Hawkeye wanting to kill herself at age six, please?

Kimblee and Hawkeye: No.

Kimblee: We don't have enough time.

[captain-303]

Metro: Last Light REDUX Review

Yeah, it's pretty good.

STORY

SPOILERS AHEAD

I thought this game was a really good continuation of 2033's story, especially if you get the good/cannon ending in which the Red Line nearly takes D6 and just as Artyom is about to detonate D6 to save the rest of the Metro from THE MARCH OF COMMUNISM the baby Dark One who's been hanging out with you for a while comes back and is like, "hey bud, lemme handle this one" and then the adult Dark Ones turn up and absolutely demolish the Red Line and save the Spartans. I think this was really good because in the first game, Artyom (canon/bad ending, and spoilers) genocides most of the Dark Ones via a missile attack, but in this game if you play to max out moral points Artyom has essentially grown from a soldier that just follows orders to a soldier who thinks for themslves. Which is really neat!

I also liked that in this game instead of Reich and the Red Line just being obstacles that Artyom just has to shoot through they are both given more personality, especially the Red Line. Pavel, Moskvin and Korbut were all excellent antagonists; of the trio Moskvin is the least present, and although you don't interact with him much, you do (with the baby Dark One's help) look inside his mind, a literal corridor of communism - not very subtle, but quite funny! Pavel was also a pretty nice fellow, to quote Artyom, "I never liked communists much, but Pavel acted like a real hero" this made me really mad when he sold me out to his Red Line comrades! I did however spare his life at the end of the game, because although he may have been actively trying to murder me, I'm sure he wasn't all bad. Korbut however is all bad, first he manipulates Moskvin into poising his own brother so that Moskvin can become the new leader of the Red Line, then he blackmails Moskvin into being his puppet, then he embeds Lesnitsky (also a big ol' evil fella) into the Spartan ranks to steal a weaponised version of Ebola, he then orders this chemical weapon to be unleashed on a Hanza station, but in the conclusion he meets his end, fittingly, via the baby Dark One he had been hunting for the whole game.

Oh and Reich are just Nazis. They execute people, they are commanded by their Fuhrer, they measure people's heads to see if they're mutated. They're Nazis.

ATMOSPHERE

So I played the Redux version, which you can tell from the first line of this post, and I assume the graphics are better than the original, I wouldn't know because I haven't played the original! This enhances the graphics to be at points very dull (in a good way!) and others quite vibrant. The lighting especially adds to the sections within the Metro where there is no sunlight, all of it comes from lamps and fires. The audio in the game is also fantastic, what I believe is called Volumetric Audio (where you can pinpoint the direction of a sound by looking around and just listening to how the audio from your speakers changes). This was especially helpful at several points, especially when fighting Pavel as otherwise I think it would be nigh impossible to work out where he was going to shoot you from without his monologuing. I don't really have the words to describe the atmosphere of the game, but if you think about what it would be like to live in the Moscow Metro after a nuclear war, the Metro series nails that feeling.

GAMEPLAY

Usually I like to play games that make you feel pretty powerful, most recently the Crysis Trilogy, where you play as a supersoldier who can run super fast, jump super high, punch super hard, and turn invisible. Metro however puts you in the shoes of Artyom who is admittedly a pretty strong guy, being able to run while carrying a lot of stuff and can take a fair few bullets, he isn't exactly John Crysis though. The first game manages this feeling of weakness by making reloads and other weapon animations pretty slow to emphasise Artyom's inexperience. In Last Light Artyom is now a Spartan Ranger, and the gameplay reflects this with him being a lot better at handling weapons. Another pretty good way the game makes you feel helpless is the lack of hand holding along the way, throughout the game I used the Bastard as my main weapon of choice against human enemies (I reserved the sextuplet shotgun for mutants), I have no idea if the Bastard is a good weapon, it does the job and looks cool while doing it, but I was never told if I should use it over another weapon which I liked, made it feel more authentic than most games that give you funny little bars that go up and down when you switch weapon or change attachments, frankly to this day I still don't know the difference between weapon handling and accuracy - and frankly I do not care.

Similar to Crysis, this game features human and non-human enemies. Unlike Crysis I actually enjoyed fighting things that weren't human, apart from those weird water dwelling giant mantises. I thought the three bosses in the game; giant mantis, giant nosalis, and giant bear were also pretty good!

In conclusion

"Maybe the real Metro: Last Light REDUX were the friends we made along the way"

- John Metro, 2034

Honourable mention; I thought the fight on the moving train in the metro tunnel was so cool. It would be so awesome if they made a Metro game that was centered around a train!

[olivesbest]

Destroying Democracy in Europe in Plain Sight

Just a few days ago, a sensational video titled Destroying Democracy in Plain Sight was released. The video is so striking that I decided to review it.

Many of you may have noticed the recent flood of articles about ALLATRA with ominous headlines. But do you know how many were actually published? In just the first two weeks, 250 articles were released in the media of two countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In just three weeks, the number reached 400. Does this not strike you as unusual? 400 nearly identical articles, seemingly copy-pasted or made to order, published simultaneously with identical narratives and completely aligned with the rhetoric of the leaders of the Russian pro-religious organization RACIRS. Today, I want to explain why these 400 slanderous publications emerged over three weeks and why there is such a targeted attack on ALLATRA.

For those seeking to understand rather than blindly accept disinformation spread by RACIRS agents, our official position and the truth about us are posted on the ALLATRA movement's official website. Feel free to visit, review, and form your own objective conclusions, free from RACIRS's manipulative rhetoric. In brief, the primary goal of ALLATRA volunteers is to study climate change. Additionally, ALLATRA focuses on protecting and preserving human rights and freedoms.

Destroying Democracy in Plain Sight

Let’s address one of the most widespread false accusations against ALLATRA: agents of the pro-religious Russian organization RACIRS, capitalizing on issues resonant with the public, accuse us of being “pro-Russian.” Yet they cynically ignore the fact that ALLATRA members in Russia are currently subjected to severe persecution, initiated by this very pro-religious Russian association. ALLATRA volunteers in Russia are being detained, falsely prosecuted, subjected to violence and torture, and imprisoned. While innocent people are thrown into prisons at the behest of RACIRS, in other countries, RACIRS agents orchestrate public harassment and persecution of ALLATRA members, following directives from their overseers in Russia.

Imagine the extent of cynicism and lack of compassion for innocent people caught up in the repressive machine controlled by RACIRS’s Russian agents operating in our countries.

Destroying Democracy in Plain Sight

The most cynical and vile part of all this is that these agents don’t actually work for Russia—they work for RACIRS. They have their own ideology, their own goals. RACIRS has virtually seized power in Russia, controlling a significant part of it. RACIRS's ideology is becoming not only the official ideology of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) but increasingly, the ideology of Russia itself.

This explains why agents of the pro-religious Russian organization RACIRS are so active in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. They are at a point of exposure and fear that the world will learn the truth. This is why there were 400 smear publications in such a short period. They believe that the more they defame us, the less people will learn about their activities and about how they are promoting RACIRS-aligned information that leads to the establishment of totalitarian Nazism. All of their publications present an anticultism agenda, but this so-called anticultism is merely a cover for the true nature of their activities, hiding their actual goals and motives.

Destroying Democracy in Plain Sight

So, what is this pro-religious organization RACIRS, acting from Russia? Let’s begin with the true identity of this criminal international organization’s leader, who considers himself a “Fuhrer”—Alexander Dvorkin. Credit where it's due—he is quite talented and a genius if he has managed to achieve such results. To fully understand, let’s look at the history of Nazi ideology in Hitler’s Germany.

Few people know that if not for the head of the apologetic center, Künneth, Nazism would not have existed, and Hitler's party would have been just one among many other parties in Germany. Künneth's methods of dealing with dissent were what enabled the rise of Nazi Germany. Not Hitler, but Künneth, with his manic tendencies and drive for total power, was the true architect.

Destroying Democracy in Plain Sight

The key successors in the chain of Nazi ideology are Walter Künneth—Wilhelm Haak and Johannes Ogaard—Alexander Dvorkin.

Screenshot from the video Destroying Democracy in Plain Sight

Be sure to watch this shocking video: Destroying Democracy in Plain Sight.

Tags: #RACIRS #Nazism #Anticultism #History #Protestantism #Blacklists #WeimarRepublic #Germany #Künneth #ApologeticCenter #Dvorkin

[meams4u]

George Orwell letter to Noel Willmett in 1944

I must say I believe, or fear, that taking the world as a whole these things are on the increase. Hitler, no doubt, will soon disappear, but only at the expense of strengthening (a) Stalin, (b) the Anglo-American millionaires and © all sorts of petty fuhrers of the type of de Gaulle. All the national movements everywhere, even those that originate in resistance to German domination, seem to take non-democratic forms, to group themselves round some superhuman fuhrer (Hitler, Stalin, Salazar, Franco, Gandhi, De Valera are all varying examples) and to adopt the theory that the end justifies the means. Everywhere the world movement seems to be in the direction of centralised economies which can be made to ‘work’ in an economic sense but which are not democratically organised and which tend to establish a caste system. With this go the horrors of emotional nationalism and a tendency to disbelieve in the existence of objective truth because all the facts have to fit in with the words and prophecies of some infallible fuhrer. Already history has in a sense ceased to exist, ie. there is no such thing as a history of our own times which could be universally accepted, and the exact sciences are endangered as soon as military necessity ceases to keep people up to the mark. Hitler can say that the Jews started the war, and if he survives that will become official history. He can’t say that two and two are five, because for the purposes of, say, ballistics they have to make four. But if the sort of world that I am afraid of arrives, a world of two or three great superstates which are unable to conquer one another, two and two could become five if the fuhrer wished it. That, so far as I can see, is the direction in which we are actually moving, though, of course, the process is reversible.

As to the comparative immunity of Britain and the USA. Whatever the pacifists etc. may say, we have not gone totalitarian yet and this is a very hopeful symptom. I believe very deeply, as I explained in my book The Lion and the Unicorn, in the English people and in their capacity to centralise their economy without destroying freedom in doing so. But one must remember that Britain and the USA haven’t been really tried, they haven’t known defeat or severe suffering, and there are some bad symptoms to balance the good ones. To begin with there is the general indifference to the decay of democracy. Do you realise, for instance, that no one in England under 26 now has a vote and that so far as one can see the great mass of people of that age don’t give a damn for this? Secondly there is the fact that the intellectuals are more totalitarian in outlook than the common people. On the whole the English intelligentsia have opposed Hitler, but only at the price of accepting Stalin. Most of them are perfectly ready for dictatorial methods, secret police, systematic falsification of history etc. so long as they feel that it is on ‘our’ side. Indeed the statement that we haven’t a Fascist movement in England largely means that the young, at this moment, look for their fuhrer elsewhere. One can’t be sure that that won’t change, nor can one be sure that the common people won’t think ten years hence as the intellectuals do now. I hope they won’t, I even trust they won’t, but if so it will be at the cost of a struggle. If one simply proclaims that all is for the best and doesn’t point to the sinister symptoms, one is merely helping to bring totalitarianism nearer.

You also ask, if I think the world tendency is towards Fascism, why do I support the war. It is a choice of evils—I fancy nearly every war is that. I know enough of British imperialism not to like it, but I would support it against Nazism or Japanese imperialism, as the lesser evil. Similarly I would support the USSR against Germany because I think the USSR cannot altogether escape its past and retains enough of the original ideas of the Revolution to make it a more hopeful phenomenon than Nazi Germany. I think, and have thought ever since the war began, in 1936 or thereabouts, that our cause is the better, but we have to keep on making it the better, which involves constant criticism.

Yours sincerely,

Geo. Orwell

[felixcloud6288]

Fullmetal Alchemist Chapter 52

Parties are beginning to converge. Meanwhile things are getting worse for Roy.

The top of Central HQ are trying to come up with their cover story in case word gets out. They're planning on placing the blame on a dead man who can't defend himself. When talking about candidates, they haven't mentioned Izumi, so they're probably not desperate enought to chase down someone they have no control over. Kimblee gets brought up, but he's quickly dismissed because "he doesn't have the nerve".

Roy and Wrath are having a chat. Roy's eye do the thing when he brings up Hughes's funeral and Selim Bradley. When asked why his hands were shaking, Wrath said they shook with anger from Elicia's crying. When someone dons the military uniform, they may be fated to die in it. As someone with no ideals, Wrath likely sees no point in holding a funeral nor mourning a dead soldier. At best, he was annoyed to be there because he had to be there as part of his 'duty' as Fuhrer King Bradley. And he became angry that anyone would react in any way beyond Hughes being nothing more than a soldier.

When Roy brings up Wrath's child, Wrath says "My child?" with special emphasis on "My" as if he doesn't really consider Selim to be his child. When Roy asks how Selim would react to finding out Bradley is a homunculus, Wrath has to pause before saying Selim can never be his weakness.

Fuery is feeding Corporal Black Hayate when he gets the transfer notice to South HQ. Meanwhile, Breda is sent to West HQ and Falman to North HQ. And finally, Hawkeye is now Bradley's personal aide.

While the primary purpose is to scatter Roy's forces to where they can't work together anymore, I think it's a little more insidious than that. We know from chapter 32 that there are border skirmishes on the West and South. Meanwhile, the North is a future target for the Homunculi's plan. I think the end goal is to get them all killed in combat.

I wonder if any of this was in the works after the Super Heist. Wrath told Father he was going to strip Roy of power. And he said it was the last straw when he connected Roy to Heist 3. One idea I have is the transfers for Fuery, Breda, and Falman might have been for the Super Heist. Meanwhile Hawkeye becoming Bradley's assistant was specifically for Heist 3.

Also, Storch first appeared in chapter 27 alongside Bradley in South HQ.

What could Scar even do to help May find Xiao Mei? Did he walk up to random people, ask if they saw Xiao Mei, and then run for it whenever the MPs came by?

And then he and May find Al with Gluttony. Scar advises they not pursue but changes his mind when he needs somewhere to hide from the MPs.

Gluttony didn't bother to lock the gate behind him.

I think Gluttony might have eaten part of the chain. The two ends of the chain are broken.

Ed is only human, and a young one at that. He's been on a journey for years, but he's only recently uncovered the horrors of the world. It's been less than three months since Nina was turned into a chimera. He discovered the truth of the Philosopher's Stone less than two months ago. He met Greed about two weeks ago. It's been days at most since he learned he didn't transmute his mother.

Ed is not acclimated to the horrors that Alchemy can create. He's created his own horrors, but he regrets his actions. But now he's facing a monster made from hundreds of souls that scream in pain and anguish. And the monster delights in their suffering.

And Ed is a kind person at heart. He can do nothing but hear their screams and remember when he couldn't save a little girl.

One of the souls that dragged Ed into Envy's mouth was the same one that begged him to kill him.

Nina Trauma Count: 7

back

Spoiler Discussion

Selim can't be Wrath's weakness because Selim is Pride.

And Wrath put an emphasis on the idea Selim is his child because that's not the case. They're siblings.

But I'm curious why he hesitated to respond to Roy's question. What would Selim think if he learned the father he idolizes is a Homunculus. It obviously wouldn't have any effect because they're both in on the ruse. But Wrath probably wants to keep his secret for other reasons. If he was found out, he'd have to abandon the human life that he enjoys. He'd no longer be able to be with his wife, the only thing he ever got to choose for himself.

[thefamilyeldritchabomination]

Chapter Twenty Two: Don't Fear the Reaper Pt. 4

 The trip through the gate was short, horrifying, and shockingly missing the horrific void fetuses as Dante’s skeletal hands gripped Sloth violently as both landed in an unfamiliar place that smelled of raw sewage. Dante gazed in confusion with her one good eye, they were surrounded by Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Fuhrer King Brandley, and at the head of his throne, sat Hohenheim in a white gown of some sort. It took a moment to register that there was screaming up above as Dante and Sloth looked at Greed being melted in a giant pot of molten gold. The one that resembled an aged Hohenheim looked at Dante and Sloth in disinterest while the homunculi started circling the intruders in their sewer paradise.

“WHAT IS THIS!? YOU SOLD ME OUT TO MY EX HUSBAND!?” Dante screeched as she gazed at the homunculi circling them.

“What is this disgusting cricket chirping about? Father?” Lust sneered as she studied the skeletal creature in pure disgust.

“It would seem that our guest is very confused about the situation it’s in.” Father rested the side of his face on his hand as he looked on in pure disinterest.

“Father please let me torture it! I want to pull its legs out of its sockets!” Envy the Jealous demanded eagerly as they eyed Dante as though she were a new toy to torment for fun.

“Now my child, we mustn’t get ahead of ourselves. Now speak insect, why are you in my sacred chambers?” Father’s curiosity was mildly perked at how this insect was behaving and just how it got into their main base.

 “How DARE you speak down to me, Dante! I am a god compared to these things you have roaming about and Envy you will obey me, your mother!” Dante swatted her bloodied skeletal hands up against Envy’s thigh, trying to hijack their shape shifting.

“Father, this insect is slapping my thigh. Please let me torture it!” Envy casually kicked Dante out of their way, Dante’s alchemical attempts being in vain.

“I suppose you do have a point there my Jealousy, we may have to torture some information from this insect. As for you, you are not one of my creations, but you are of us my child. Tell me, whose side are you on?” Father’s attention casually shifted over to Sloth who had been silent up until now.

“Father was it? I would have to say I’d join your side.” Sloth walked away from the screeching skeleton, years of not being paid enough finally bit Dante in the end.

“Sloth what are you doing!? You’re going to lose your chances of becoming human!” Dante screamed as she got back up on her horrible skeletal legs.

“I had time to reconsider this and decided, I much rather stay homunculus. Consider this my resignation.” Sloth smiled softly as she left her job with Dante for a much better career with Father.

“What a very wise decision. As for the insect, take it into confinement for study, I do have some interests involving this one.”  Father waved his hand, giving his homunculi the go ahead to brutally take Dante to his dungeon for research purposes.

“YOU WILL NOT GET AWAY FROM ME SLOTH!” Dante raised her boney hands high in an attempt to use her alchemy on all these ill behaved homunculi that wouldn’t bow to her majestic splendor.

With an annoyed sigh that an insect would be so dumb to try this in his realm, Father stood up from his throne and cut off Dante’s Alchemical abilities. Stunned by not being able to use alchemy, Dante slammed her hands over and over liken to a toddler not having their way. The charm being lost now to Father’s dwindling patiences, ordered Lust and Envy to take Dante to a holding cell for studies. The screaming having died down from Greed being melted down, Father sat down on his throne to drink liquified son. Fuhrer King Bradley watched in annoyance of the squawking this worm was making as she got dragged away. Walking over to be by Father’s side, Fuhrer Bradley looked at the new homunculus named ��Sloth’.

 “Father, what are your orders in regards to the new homunculus?” Bradley asked, this day's events being something of a disruption he wasn’t too happy about.

“That is an excellent question, Wrath. Once I rename this new homunculus and gather some information, I want you to tell Pride to come down here. Once that is done, the new homunculus will be under your care for training.” Father instructed, returning his attention towards Sloth who stood there calmly.

“I suppose it was about time I was given a better name.” Sloth agreed, happy to cast away that former title.

“Because I already have a Sloth in my collection, you are to be known as Apathy the Uncaring. As your first order from me, you will reveal to me all you know about how you came to my presence.” Father sat patiently, interested in what the new homunculus, Apathy, had to give. 

 Brandley gripped his sword tightly as Apathy explained how exactly and by what means was done in order to arrive. Father sat in his normal disinterested posture, nodding every now and then to what information Apathy had to offer. Bradley could only stand by and listen to everything Apathy had to say, noticing the gears in Father’s head was turning. There wasn’t any mistake to it, Father was preparing to take full advantage of a parallel dimension for the promised day. Wasn’t it enough for Father to have this one country’s civilian population to sacrifice to turn Father into god? It made Bradley’s blood boil that more was going to be taken into this plan. Was it the reintroduction of Greed into Father’s body causing it? The metal started to bend from how tightly gripped it was in Brandley’s hands, knowing fully there wasn’t a thing he could say to convince Father this was not a wise decision. After being given all the information needed, Father dismissed Apathy into Bradley’s care as he went about organizing a baby selection once again and awaiting for the arrival of Pride for this new mission. The other dimension was now in the power hungry sights of Father and his plans of Godhood.

=======================================================================

 “She’s gone for good, we’re finally free from Dante…” Lust said after realizing that there was no longer a threat of Dante or her punishments.

 “It’s weird, isn’t it? I lived with her for so long and suddenly that hag is gone from our lives. I vote to get drinks to celebrate.” Envy admitted as they got off the stage, ready to get back to Dolly after finally getting rid of Dante. “I’ll go phone up the villa to let Greed and Dolly know that Dante is finished then.” Freddy offered, thinking the ball hall had a phone.

 “But the phones are in the living quarters..” Gluttony corrected Freddy, Freddy not looking thrilled with having to stay down in the pit longer than he wanted. “It’s fine, I need to stretch my legs anyways. I didn’t get to kick Dante around as I had wanted.” Envy smirked at Freddy, wanting to drag the beloved Face Fur around the contaminated underground for the laughs. “We should get the call in, otherwise Greed’s chimeras might mistake us for a retreating Dante.” Hughes said, not thrilled about going into the carbon hellscape of the underground to phone in.

 “Alright, fine, but let’s make it quick. The Elrics, that lady with the kid, and I have very human lungs that can get really diseased stupid fast.” Freddy wrinkled his face, not thrilled with the decision and having to go through with it.

 As the group debated on who was to make the run out to the housing building, the above city shook, debris falling upon the initial tremor. The ball hall was no longer safe to be in as the group ran out of there, ushering Rose and her child. Envy’s once cocky face had fallen upon realizing the fates were in fact contradictory jackasses that like to ruin everything for them. Then again, it was Envy’s grand idea to let Dolly’s two very hyper feral humans loose upon Pride. The Dread Four Horsemen of Bad Decision Making had struck Envy so for their folly with the feral humans when running out of the building with the others as something fell from high above. The others watched in pure horror as a spark was emitted from the falling object that erupted in a blaze of death that was quickly spreading through the carbon based underground city. Dante’s foresight had doomed the capital up above those down below as the Lust took control, leading towards the elevator for the sewer system to escape from. Alphonse, being one of the rare humans in the group that didn’t need lungs to breathe with, shoved his Brother Edward and Freddy into his armored chest before running off with Lust the even minded. 

[heretekadept]

In my reading, the "I have personally experienced" caveat at the front of the post in question joined to the explicit statement that you're seeking a wider sample size tell me what you're doing here.

It scans as vicious and unnecessary to extract multiple rounds of apologies from someone who's very explicitly trying to expand their horizons for making that attempt in a somewhat clumsy way. I'm going to recommend that OP look at some of the old threads @glumshoe on here used to get into where they (I don't know their current pronouns) would repeatedly extend good faith to critics who, from everyone else's perspective, were very clearly just exercising power and delighted to find someone who'd play along. That would sometimes go 5-7 rounds and it gave me a very similar feeling to the exchange here.

To paraphrase some Twitter discourse I've seen going around, "Is it more important to do something right or to avoid doing anything wrong?"

To respond generally to the actual question, I think a lot of what you'll encounter around this issue is fundamentally the same problem we contend with when we try to dig the Harry Potter out of people's heads now that JKR has fallen to the dark side: For a lot of people this isn't a set of conceptual ideas they think of themselves as using or interacting with, it's a system of identity formation that they either see as part of themselves or see as something they were pressured to conform to and have pushed away from.

Neither of these perspectives is conducive to mellow exchange of ideas. The chill people you'll find around this stuff are the ones whose communities and families weren't particularly interested AND who themselves chose different systems for self-definition when they were young.

Globally, that one two punch is relatively unusual.

Finally, my personal perspective on astrology is basically Carl Sagan's:

1) The inverse square law means that the only real force the planets could exert on you from solar orbital distances (gravity), by virtue of being so much closer, the body of the midwife or doctor delivering you would be exerting a stronger pull by virtue of being so, so, so much closer.

2) The night sky has been slowly drifting since the heyday of the Roman Empire when what we think of as the sun signs were first laid down, and has by now actually "drifted" everyone more than halfway into the "next" sign from where the Romans would have put them. If astrology actually had any basis in reality, you'd expect practitioners to have noticed the changes in personality/destiny that this was causing, looked at the actual sky, and updated their birthdate ranges to follow along with the actual constellations the sun is rising and falling in during different parts of the year.

Since this hasn't happened, we can infer that Astrology is primarily a human ideological construct rather than something that actually relates to the stars and/or universe at large.

...but again, just because something is a social construct doesn't mean it isn't "real".

Finally, you may benefit from some one on one dialogue with @cryptotheism or intro resources they might point you towards if you're interested in exploring further. He's a really solid scholar of the history of the occult with what is IMO the most important quality in an intro teacher: an extremely sharp eye for any whiff of later revisionism in general and Esoteric Hitlerism in particular.

Speaking of traps you can blunder into, the historical facts around the state-sponsored project in the mid 20th century to turn this stuff into a state religion for the Third Reich, including most of the people involved having fallen out of favor with the Fuhrer by the end of the war and therefore getting off pretty light in the ensuing crime and punishment era (leaving them free to spew exactly that nonsense all over the post-war zeitgeist) is ASTONISHINGLY under-discussed.

Sorry for the novel. This thread seems to have touched a couple of nerves.

a lot of queer people i know in real life are either into or open to talking about astrology but online i think ive noticed a lot more people who dislike astrology and im super curious to see if that holds up.

please reblog for sample size and elaborate in the tags if you want!

[wyrdify]

@deathleads: I think I already know the answer to this but I'm very curious after seeing that last reblog : would roy ever teach his kids, if he had any, flame alchemy? Or even just Alchemy in general?

This man wants kids. Just gonna start there. He wants to be a dad.

Ed and Al will always be his kids. He just wants more.

And you can bet he will dote on them just like Hughes.

Roy is the type of guy who would plan this stuff out in advance. It’d be included in the, “Do we want kids?” talk. He’d want them to learn alchemy, and not just from him. If his spouse is an alchemist, he wants them to teach the kids too! He’d also rope in Ed, Al, and May at the very least. As soon as Alex Louis Armstrong hears that Mustang has kids, you can bet he’ll be over to teach them too.

Any kids of Mustang are going to have a huge extended family. He wants that for them, and that family doesn’t have to mean blood related. Because guess what? It wasn’t for him.

Flame alchemy deserves its own talk. On one hand, Roy wants to shield his children from it, and uphold his promise to Riza by not having anymore flame alchemists. On the other, he knows full well that he can’t protect his children forever, and they’re going to ask him why he’s known as the Flame Alchemist. They will probably see him use it, and wonder about it. They’ll ask questions. They’ll wonder if they can learn it.

Off the bat, Roy would say no. He doesn’t want his kids following his path. But, here’s the thing: those kids won’t see war. Amestris is going to be incredibly different as they grow up, and changing. Alchemy won’t be primarily used for combat. He’d come around to seeing that Flame Alchemy doesn’t have to be destructive. It never had to be.

I think back to how Avatar: The Last Airbender showed fire. We see it as mostly destructive throughout most of the show. But, then you have people like Iroh, and the Sun Warriors. They don’t use fire as just a weapon. In The Firebending Masters, the Sun Warrior chief says this: “Fire is life, not just destruction.” Later in the episode, Aang comes to that conclusion as well: “All this time, I thought firebending was destruction. Since I hurt Katara, I've been too afraid and hesitant. But now I know what it really is ... it's energy, and life.”

And I honestly think Roy would come to a similar conclusion--or, at least he could. He’d leave the decision up to Riza since flame alchemy came from her father. But, the argument I could see him using in favor of it is, “It doesn’t have to be just our burden anymore. It doesn’t have to be a burden at all. The next generation of alchemists won’t have to go through what we did.”

He also wouldn’t hide his past from his kids. When they’re old enough to understand, he will sit down with them, and go through what he did, and why he’s hesitant to teach them flame alchemy. He’d want them to be fully aware of its history, and what it can do, before even starting the basics for it.

TLDR: It largely depends on if he can get himself to come to that conclusion, if his spouse is okay with it, and if Riza is okay with it.

[oneisallallisone]

Homunculi Don’t Need Sleep

Part 1: These Thin Walls 

Greed x Reader

You and Greed are the only two survivors of the slaughter at the Devil's Nest. While on the run, you have some pretty bad nightmares about the event. Good thing Greed is there.

Read on AO3

_______________________________________________________________________

Homunculi Don’t Need Sleep

Part 1: These Thin Walls

The scent of blood was thick in the air. 

You saw it splattered across the floor. Dripping down the cement walls. Turning the watery sewage red. 

Dolcetto’s head and torso lay at your feet. His legs were about twenty feet further down the corridor. Roa was scattered about in even more pieces. You weren’t sure where Martel was, and you hadn’t seen Bido in a while, but the blood and viscera that stained the tunnels beneath the Devil’s Nest left you feeling less than hopeful. At this point, only one other person you cared about still drew breath. 

“Greed!” you screamed.  

The homunculus couldn’t even turn to look at you, though. Skewered by two of the Fuhrer's swords, Greed lay on the ground dying. It may not have been the first life he ever lost, but you weren’t sure how many he had left. 

Probably very few, at this point. 

Something was holding you in place. An invisible force that pressed you into the floor and made it impossible for you to move. 

The Fuhrer raised one of his swords. Aimed the point at Greed’s neck. 

“No, please! Stop!” 

The Fuhrer drove the blade down. 

“Greed!” 

Greed lay awake on sheets that were too scratchy and a bed that was too stiff. For all his money, he hadn’t dared spend it at a fancier establishment. That would be too predictable. If Wrath the Furious’s name was any indication of how he felt about Greed’s escape from the Devil’s Nest, Greed had no doubt that Wrath would be coming after him soon. 

Be coming after him and you. The only two survivors of the massacre. 

Technically speaking, Greed did not need sleep. He was a homunculus, and his body was sustained by the Philosopher’s Stone and the Philosopher’s Stone alone. But still, it was nice to sleep every now and then. He appreciated the rest. But the fact of the matter was that the sheets were too scratchy, the bed was too stiff, the walls were too thin, and he was hyper-aware of every noise and detail this shitty motel in this backwater desert town had to offer. 

Moments passed into minutes passed into hours as Greed stared at the floor from where he lay curled on his side. Even his pillow felt rock-hard. He was pretty sure the sun would be starting to rise soon. Was it even worth it to continue to chase sleep? 

Just as he was about to give up and go find a bar, he heard it. 

From the other side of the wall, a soft cry. It happened once, and, in the silence that followed, Greed wasn’t quite certain if he’d actually heard anything. But then it came again. A clipped sound, much like a sob, from the other side of the wall. From the room you were staying in. 

The muscles in Greed’s body tensed. The next time your voice carried through the walls, Greed could tell that there was a plea attached to your words though he could not make out what was spoken. It felt like his blood was rushing through his body faster. Was this what humans meant when they said their hearts were pounding? 

“Greed!” 

Your scream was so shrill, so urgent, that Greed shot out of bed and rushed to the hallway. He tried the knob on your door only to find it locked. Raising his carbon shield to protect his torso, Greed squared his shoulders and threw his body against your door. 

You woke up with a jolt, tears running down your face and sweat dripping from your brow. For some reason it was the sweat that caught you more off guard. You’d always thought it was just an expression when people said they woke up sweating, but here you were, sweating and throwing the blankets off you after waking up from the memories your mind had played. 

The door of your room crashed open. You nearly jumped out of the bed in surprise, but you relaxed instantly when you saw it was just Greed. 

Greed looked anything but relaxed, though. His shield peeked out from his loose-fitting tank top and you could see that it covered his neck, shoulders, and arms. The carbon had sharpened his hands into claws, and each one was splayed as if to strike. 

“What’s happening?” Greed’s sharp teeth were bared as he strode into the room. “(y/n), what’s wrong?” 

“Huh?” 

Greed whirled around as he checked the closets, the bathroom. “I heard you scream. What happened? If you were attacked I’ll—”

You felt your cheeks heat up. Oh. Had your nightmare been that bad? 

“Greed, I…” you weren’t quite sure how to explain it to him. Did homunculi even dream? Would he understand what this was? “You can relax, Greed. I’m fine. I promise.” 

Greed stopped his sweep of the room and stood at the foot of your bed. “You don’t look fine.” 

“I am.” 

“You know how I feel about lying, (y/n).” 

Your gaze fell to your hands. More tears welled up in your eyes before you could think to hide them. 

Greed approached your bedside. “I heard you call for me.” His voice was gentle. “You shouted my name. I’m here, what do you need?” 

A few tears rolled down your cheeks. “Nothing. Nothing, it was just…I had a bad dream. I didn’t even know I called out for you. I’m sorry for waking you up.” 

Greed shrugged. “I was awake anyway.”  

“Oh.” 

“Yeah.”

“Uncomfortable beds, huh?” 

“You’re telling me.” 

“Greed?” 

“Yeah?” 

“You’re going to have to pay them for the broken door.” 

The homunculus laughed. “I’ve got more than enough to cover it. You should go back to sleep now, (y/n).” 

“I…I’m not sure how I feel about sleeping in a room with a door that doesn’t lock. Or even close anymore.” 

Greed hummed. “Good point. Why don’t you go sleep in my bed? I’ll sleep in this room for the night.” 

You felt heat creep back into your cheeks again, although this time you weren’t sure why. “Are you sure?” 

“Sure, why not? Between the two of us, I think the one that can turn himself into solid carbon will be safer in the room with the door that won’t close.” 

“Thank you. That’s…very kind of you.” 

“Don’t say I never did nothin’ for ya.” 

As you left the room you closed the door over as much as you could, but it still creaked open a couple inches. “Goodnight, Greed. Thank you again.” 

“Goodnight, (y/n). Sleep better this time.” 

As you settled into the bed in Greed’s room, the sheets were still too scratchy and the mattress was still too stiff. But this time everything smelled like Greed. You had a much easier time drifting off.