#let the stone be used to rebuild ishval is what i say

[snowstories]

So maybe I have 2? ideas for Scar-fic. First one being Mei seeing Scar after Ishval's being rebuilt, second: what if Marcoh had done the Sensible Thing and given the philosopher's stone to scar and let HIM decide what to do with it(we can all probably guess what it would be). Other than that, head empty

oh both of those are GREAT. also I’m not actually entirely sure what Scar would want done with the philosopher’s stone since I’m not sure we ever got his thoughts on it? but I think rebuilding Ishval with it would probably be it. I think there’d be something poetic in using the souls of dead Ishvalans to help rebuild their homeland; personally, if I were trapped in that stone, that’s how I’d want my soul to be put to rest. that or he’d just outright destroy it but I’m not sure if that’d put the souls to rest. I can’t remember much specifics on the philosopher’s stones.

also fun fact: my brain is very bad at remembering story details sometimes (it’s a pain when I like to do analysis) and for a moment I went ‘wait what DID the stone get used to’ and it. it really was just giving Roy Mustang, noted war criminal, his sight back huh. they really did just use the souls of dead Ishvalans to magically heal the guy who aided in their genocide. I mean at least it was done on the condition of giving Ishvalans some basic human rights back but still. what the fuck. why did we even need to bargain for those.

anyway #let Scar have the philosopher’s’ stone 2k21. 

[jostenneil]

Additionally, I also got spoiled with this but the ending was to be expected after watching b*each and naruto, but I can’t believe ametris continues to run as a militant, imperialistic state! I know you talked about the characters and what you wished what was addressed, but is there something you would change with the plot or writing? I think my overall thing among the several other poor plot points, i wished there wasn’t a “big bad.”

i have a few ideas so i'll just bullet point them

have ed and winry be confronted with their racism during the briggs arc and begin to slowly reformulate their stances based on that. with winry esp i think there was a lost opportunity when she was traveling among the slums that ishvalans migrated to bc it would have given her an idea that these were people who suffered far more than she ever did

quit having other ishvalan character patronize scar by telling him he's being too violent or that he can only solve the problem from within the system. acknowledge his agenda as specific and calculated to address state alchemists and their genocidal power, and acknowledge it as a valid one

let riza kill roy in the tunnels lmao! i have meta about that here and here so i'm just gna link it instead of rehashing my thoughts on that

fit hohenheim into the narrative regarding the ishvalan war. this is actually one of my bigger gripes that i think goes pretty unaddressed in fandom bc people are so focused on hohenheim as a father. where was he during the ishvalan war? as someone with such overwhelming power and what with him being intimately familiar with genocide being used to make philosopher's stones, how did he not have a part to play when the ishvalans were dying?

also regarding hohenheim, let him survive another year after the main events of the series are over. i think another big tragedy with him is he has such vast stores of knowledge and a far broader world view than either ed or al possess, and it's like. why kill him before either of them can be exposed to that like i get that it's about him coming home and being prepared to die at trisha's side finally but idk. another year wouldn't have prevented that

OH! also something i've talked about previously but let winry find out her parents chose to stay in ishval and that they treated as many ishvalan patients as they could despite the threat to their own lives. that way she recognizes their selflessness in comparison to her selfishness and can begin to sympathize with the ishvalans the way they always did

an obv progression, but let the war tribunal actually happen after the series is over lol. let the disaster of the coup and the military corruption pave the way for a new form of government to take shape in amestris rather than just propping up another fuhrer with not entirely righteous intentions

make the effort to restore ishval a civilian one. why would the ishvalans ever let the military back onto their land regardless of how sorry they are. let people like ed and winry and the people of liore or other similar slums who also know what it's like to be rendered into collateral damage of war and selfish intentions come together to help ishval prosper again. the military can send their money instead lol

i realize i haven't mentioned al enough but let him actually have more political presence within the story. i love his character and his arc is impt but it's undeniable that he's mostly used to prop up ed and that esp holds for him as a political presence bc he pretty much. . . has none. he obv voices outcry about the philosopher's stones being made from human lives but it doesn't extend much beyond that and idk i think it's such a disservice to his potential bc i think his specific experience lends him the potential to not be nearly as narrow minded in worldview as ed is. also i think it would be interesting to explore another aspect of how al challenges ed to be better

make ed and al leaving the military not just be about the fact that they only wanted peace for themselves but also as part of a stand against what they realize the system has become. also they need to be political activists like i'm sry but the fact that they just retire and get to live their lives in peace is such a liberal fantasy ajkfjgfklh at the least they should be dedicating themselves to helping rebuild ishval or even better to actively campaigning for abolishment of military practices esp those related to alchemy

i probably have more but this is what i can think of for now lol. i def get what you're saying about there not being one "big bad" like obv there had to be given father orchestrated. . . everything but it's definitely true that bc he was so emphasized we lost the plot with the military being a bad, corrupt entity and that was bad jgkdjgljfl

[atamascolily]

lily watches fma:b, eps. 62-64

Okay, when we last left off, the Big Bad was running around half-naked in a bathroom smiting people in a knockoff young!Hohenheim body, and 50 million people in Amestris had a really shitty day being devoured alive for their life energy before being miraculously restored to their still-breathing bodies by a not-quite-deus ex machina.

hohenheim challenges father to create something and he spits out humans from Xerxes--including the asshole king whose greed destroyed his entire country and people who RECOGNIZE HOHENHEIM.

[like, the trauma here!!!]

[I also like JUST NOW REALIZED that Greedling is the same character archetype as Grimmjow from Bleach - an aggressive, hyper-macho asshole who is a surprisingly fun character to watch break things?]

[FURTHERMORE both 03!Greed and Grimmjow had the same Japanese voice actor, LOLOLLOL]

greed and olivier have a pissing contest, lol

al's body is destroyed protecting may - good thing he's got another one waiting in the wings!

and then it's everyone takes a turn at father - first the briggs soldiers, then roy with hawkeye guiding him, armstrong, lan fan,the chimeras, etc,etc,

roy is so weirded out by being able to cast without a circle, LOL.

father tries to eat greed for more stones

ed swooping in in to defend greed is GREAT

so is watching izumi fight!!

anyway, they finally wear father down to the point where God can fight back and Father vomits him back up again.

... which makes him literally a zombie staggering around for "stones"

ed's automail is shattered, and he's pinned down - al, realizing his armor is cracked and his blood seal is about to break, gets May to make a circle so he can swap out his body for Ed's arm.

it works and ed goes absolutely feral on father.

(the fact that he still looks like hohenheim probably helps ed, tbh)

everyone cheers him on and greed is like "oh, yeah, all I really wanted was FRIENDS,"sob

greed sacrifices himself to keep ling yao from being eaten by father and it's so heartbreaking, everyone loves u greed

greed is like, yeah, kid, lan fan has a stone, take 'em and go home and be emperor of xing like a boss

greed: so epic he gets to die TWICE in this show. AND WE'RE SAD BOTH TIMES BUT THIS ONE IS WORSE.

greed transforms father's body into graphite (using his Ultimate Shield ability) but gets crushed by father.

ed slams a hole in father's chest and all the philosopher's stones leach out of him and then... the black grabby shadow hands emerge from the same hole and pull him back wherever he came from...?

[ngl: I don't get WHY that works, but okay.]

and of course, he gets to monologue about how he just wanted to be free without any constraints, which gets hohenheim all emotional.

Father is back to his flash form in the Gate World and he calls Truth "God" and asks why he didn't like him... and truth's like "because you're a greedy little asshole, that's why"

father is sucked back into the open gate by more grabby shadow hands and says "no, I don't want to go back" implying that this is, in fact, where he came from because the Xerxes alchemists were fucking around with stuff they shouldn't have been.

father is screaming and truth's like, "why? this is TOTES what you wanted, isn't it?being one with god?"

meanwhile, hohenheim offers his own life in exchange for al on the grounds that he was  a crappy dad.

true, sir, but also ed is having none of it

anyway, ed offers his own gate and ability to do alchemy as trade for al's body and truth's like "Sure, yeah,why not"

turns out that even once they've won, hohenheim is still brooding and depressed over father - he blames himself because it came from his blood? Like, dude, there are a lot of things to blame yourself for and you pick the one that REALLY ISN'T YOUR FAULT?

armstrong thanks him for ed and al saving the day and hohenheim bursts into tears and walks off... and goes to resembool to die on tricia's grave?

like, did he even say good-bye to his kids? WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, HOHENHEIM?

pinako finds him dead at the grave, and tbh, i'm disappointed she doesn't punch him out anyway like she promised

"goodbye, my weird immortal friend"

Anyway, umm... that's basically the end, but let's wrap up with the "where are they now?" final episode!

somehow ling is emperor because he has magic people juice to give the current emperor, which just... seems like it might lead to problems, given what happened in xerxes? Just sayin’. But he’s going to take care of May and her clan, so I guess the show’s just going to sweep that under a rug and pretend it’s fine!

[ling definitely got the best character development of anybody along with Greed]

marcoh shows up with a philosopher's stone, which Roy agrees to use to rebuild his eyesight and also Havoc's legs, which just feels a little too deus ex machina for me, and also kinda shaky ethics here. but roy's okay with it because he's going to rebuild ishval, so...

and apparently scar is gonna be there, too? still forever grumpy, though.

grumman is fuhrer now (??!!) because roy and company are rebuilding ishval, so I guess all that talk about war crime trials was just for show because that sure isn't happening now that they won.

[I'm still bitter because it should have been Olivier!!]

Mrs. Bradley is raising Pride/Selim, who seems perfectly normal, even though Grumman says they'll have to kill him if he does anything evil. Mrs. Bradley says, "I'll make sure he doesn't show anything," which is kinda ominous to me? Like this woman would do anything for her kid. If Pride DOES get out of hand, she's not going to tell anyone.

[also I'm bitter that Pride gets to live and Greed DOESN'T, sob]

Ed and Al hang out in Resembool with Winry for two years until they get restless and go off on adventures again--but separately. Al goes to Xing with Jerso and Zampano (who have suddenly decided they want their original bodies back after being fine with it for the entirety of the series).

That's fine, since Al and May are very definitely a thing, but Ed goes west--which we've never heard from in the entire series--by himself, to research alchemy after sacrificing his ability to DO alchemy. I CALL BULLSHIT.

Winry goes with him to the train station and Ed is so fucking tsundere, I cringed just watching him.

(but also it was refreshing to see a male example of this trope and it was super-cute when he started blushing)

BUT ALSO his proposal is based on "equivalent exchange" - "I'll trade half of my life for half of yours!" - which is simultaneously the nerdiest thing ever and also YOU'RE NOT AN ALCHEMIST ANYMORE, ED, STOP.

Winry says that's stupid, she'll give him all of it,and then starts negotiating to 85%.

but given that Ed is LITERALLY RIDING OFF here, I gotta wonder how the math works out.

A random woman asks why Ed's leaving if he's in love with Winry, and Winry says something about how men left at home cause trouble (which implies she's fine with a long-distance relationship). THIS FROM THE GIRL WHO GOT MAD ABOUT BEING LEFT BEHIND ON *SEVERAL* OCCASIONS IN THE SERIES.okay.

In the credits, we see Ed and Winry have two kids, so... Ed has LITERALLY BECOME HIS FATHER, wandering the earth while his wife raises two kids alone. WHAT THE FUCK. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK.

I just have... questions.

Like... no. Just no. Ed stayed home and he was a great father to his kids, full stop. He did NOT repeat the cycle; he was a much better person than Hohenheim and he proved it by actually BEING THERE FOR HIS FAMILY WHEN THEY NEEDED HIM.

people say fma03 has a downer ending, but this one bums me out WAY more because it feels so ooc and contradicts a lot of stuff that the show has spent so much time building up to.

i am just left feeling very “meh” and also “what was the point of it all?” which is probably not a great place to be after finishing a story.

[natsubeatsrock]

So, I watched Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and...

Not unlike a lot of things that aren't Fairy Tail, I want to talk about it. In a month, I'm going to spend every day for 4 whole weeks talking about things that aren't Fairy Tail. I will talk about Fairy Tail now and then in some of the posts, but the focus of them isn't Fairy Tail. As a warm-up for that, I decided to talk about Brotherhood.

Recent events in the news have made me think about what I like to call "the Scar philosophy". The name obviously comes from my own reasoning about how Scar ought to have seen his quest for revenge. This is the topic of a lot of interesting and often disturbing conversations between fans, especially in regards to Scar's status as hero or villain, within the narrative. I like to divide things into three categories, based on different groups of people related to this whole situation.

The first category consists of only one person: Solf J. Kimblee. He is the man directly responsible for the death of his family. If all Scar wanted to do was find and kill the Crimson Alchemist, this post would be over. I think most people would be fine with his motive and actions. There might be some debate over if he should actually kill him, but considering this is Kimblee we're talking about, I think it would be fine if he did kill him.

The second category is where things start to get interesting. This is where I put anyone else directly involved in the genocide of the Ishvalans. Remember my wording of this category as it will be important later on. The most obvious people in this group are the members of the military who killed soo many Ishvalans. However, this also includes Envy who started the conflict in the first place.

Now, as I see it, this is a section that requires nuance to talk about. Envy and many of the soldiers and alchemists involved were bad and ought to have been punished for their willful and gleeful participation in the slaughter of a people group. However, many of the people who were part of the army recognized the problems with their actions and those above them. They wanted to change the system that was ultimately responsible for the genocide. 

With the end of the series, Roy Mustang prepares to rule the country by learning about the Ishvalan people. If Scar were to kill all of the people in this group, he would lose out on finding people willing to help sustain the restoration of his people beyond their current state as refugees and wanderers. 

One of the big issues with Scar's plan and goals is that it doesn't do much for his people after he's done. Once the state alchemists are done, then what? His rage is satisfied, but the system that he took issue with doesn't change. If anything, his actions could have been used to justify even more oppression for the Ishvalans. 

Now up to this point, the argument can be made that Scar's actions are justified, at least to some degree. Even though people like Roy and Alex Armstrong are sorry for what they did and would like to change things for the better, they still have blood on their hands. In the eyes of some that might be enough for their deaths to the justified by Scar. Their best attempts can never truly replace what was lost. After all, what can equal the value of a human soul? 

That being said, the third category is where my patience for those who argue that Scar was justified ends. This, of course, refers to everyone else who was caught in Scar's path of revenge. The actions carried out to people in this section are what make Scar, at least for the beginning portion of the series, an antagonist. There are two big examples of characters in this group.

The first is the Rockbells. Even as they were working with the military, they were kind enough to treat people, regardless of what side they were on. Ironically enough, it's because of this mentality they were killed. While I am slightly partial to the 2003 explanation for their death, I can't say it was a bad idea to have Scar kill the Rockbells. While it could be argued that Scar did this in a fit of rage, he's willing to let Winry take out her own form of vengeance on him.

Of course, this goes nowhere because of the next example, the Elrics. Remember how the last category was people who responsible for killing Ishvalans? That wasn't the ultimate target of Scar's revenge. His ultimate goal was the death of all state alchemists. That is an important distinction.

While that goal makes sense considering the war got as bad as it did once the state alchemists were involved in the fighting, Ed presents yet another challenge to the logic of Scar's actions. If his ultimate motivation was revenge, then going after the Elrics was useless. If it was the destruction of a group responsible for killing his people, Ed and Al were training with Izumi Curtis when the war happened.

Even becoming a state alchemist is more of a means to an end for the Elrics. They don't enjoy the system they're a part of. They're only using their status for its benefits to their search for the Philosopher's Stone. If there were other ways to get what they needed, I'm willing to bet becoming a state alchemist wouldn't be a part of their plan in the first place.

To be crystal clear, I am not arguing that Scar does nothing right or that he was totally unjustified. The actions committed against the Ishvalans were devastating and unjustifiable. Knowing as much as we do about what happened to make Scar do what he did makes it hard to say that his rage was wholly unjustified.

However, Scar's judgment was still clouded by his vengeance. He purposefully ignored his cultural and religious teachings to hurt people that, at best, acknowledged their wrongs and wanted to make amends for the actions and, at worst, had nothing to do with his reasons for revenge. Even as I would say that Scar's motivation makes sense, he was far from doing the right thing. And it's ultimately because of people that can empathize with him that real change can happen for his people, outside of his search for revenge.

This is one of the many things that makes Hiromu Arakawa's writing of Fullmetal Alchemist so incredibly masterful. Scar's rage at injustice is still wholly justified by the end of the series and his people can start rebuilding. However, he recognizes that there are better ways to achieve a better state for his people than killing people. 

One of the craziest things about this whole theme I realized reflecting on the situation is that his final fight with him isn't against Kimblee. His fight on the Promised Day is with Wrath, otherwise known as King Bradley. Interestingly, his final fight isn't with the man who's directly responsible for the death of his family. It's with the man who, for most people, would represent the ruling powers during the Ishval Civil War.

We do well to learn from this example. The world is a messed up place. The past events of this year alone have been enough proof of that on several levels. Yet, the real issues are, more often than not, with systems and structures that perpetuate injustices. We do well not to castigate all those in said systems and structures without recognizing the many ways that some work to subvert those systems from within. We also especially shouldn't involve people who aren't part of the real problems we're trying to solve. Doing either is more often than not counterproductive to the end goal of true justice.

These thoughts have been stewing in me for just over two years since starting and completing Brotherhood. Between then and now, I've seen a lot of people talk here about Scar's actions on both sides of the "Scar did nothing wrong" debate. And, under normal circumstances, I’m not sure that I would be inclined to add to this discourse, if I’m adding anything to over a decade of discourse by making this post.

However, the real inspiration for this post has come from the more recent events regarding the murder of George Floyd. The outrage is beyond justified and many have made peaceful protests against his death and the system that caused it across the country and even the world. However, many innocent people have been hurt and even killed during the various riots surrounding the Twin Cities.

If you're interested in specific ways to help, click here for a list of funding drives and charities related to the aftermath of what's been happening. This list includes the official GoFundMe's for George Floyd's family and daughter.

[writingsomestupidshitlovelies]

FMA AU; The Small Difference

I have this FMA AU where Ed saves a town from this whole big conspiracy that involved the town’s local church-- think the whole “Leto” situation except escalated times 100 and with a mini-civil war breaking out across this no-name area that the military has been neglecting. The whole area is kind of barren: food shortages, unreliable water source, crackpot doctors giving incorrect prescriptions, the whole shebang.

Anywhoot, when he’s done Saving Lives he gets up on this stone-pedestal type thing and stands before the crowd of people waiting for answers, and tells them what was happening and things he did/could do to help. Like he has a very basic knowledge of medicine/medical alchemy (he has automail and knows how to do basic maintenance on that, he and his brother had to do some pretty serious research on the human body to do the transmutation, and Ed healed himself after being impaled-- no matter how poorly or enhanced, he still had that basic knowledge.) and changed the acidity of the soil so things could grow better/ grew some of the crops faster, fixed the water filter, etc.

But while he’s giving this speech and telling people what he did and now what they should do, he inadvertently positioned himself so that the statue of their Goddess/messenger of their Goddess is directly behind him, so it looks like he has these huge stone wings. Their Goddess is one of truth and healing, and what has this boy done? He has healed their people from greed and illness and starvation, and he has unveiled the lies that were being fed to them. It helps that their religion has this well-known story of the Sword and his Shield, believed to be two parts of their Godess’ whole: Edward is more abrasive and blunt and honest but also caring and passionate (just like the truth should be); meanwhile, Alphonse is sweet and hopeful and determined (his mere presence can be healing at times). They see Al’s armor and it reminds them of this story: the person made of armor and the person that was completely made of metal/gold aside from his piercing eyes (Fullmetal, anybody?) and how the two were borne from man’s transgressions but the Goddess whispered to them and they became the most human of all. (Sorry for going into a bit of a rant here I am super interested in my made up religion lol)

So it doesn’t change anything. At first.

When Ed is on the run with Greedling they don’t do nothing. Greed does primarily want friends, and he knows Ed has to stay under the radar, but he is still Greed: he still wants power and fuck does he want to thrive after he beats down Father and his so-called siblings. So first they get disguised: Greed just wears his tacky clothes and, when not in their more animal forms, Heinkel and Darius just look like very confused and gruff dads. Ed needs to change: he gets some sort of haircut but Ed is Ed so he gets it in a bob or pixie cut or something super edgy. He disguises his automail by adding unnecessary flourishes to it: snakes or vines with flowers and skulls-- people associate him with the sleekest, newest models, now it looks like his arms are art pieces. Without the cloak and the hair and the different automail, most people don’t recognize him. Greedling’s group ends up saving a few towns and recruiting some more people: Ishvallans from slums, human chimera that are in hiding, hungry children without a home. As much as the entirety of the group try to pretend otherwise, the four and-a-half (does Greed-Ling count as two people??) original members are huge softies. 

And while they’re doing that? The town that Ed saved have been whispering. They see the wanted posters and frown. Because this boy saves lives. Because they’ve been following his misadventures and he’s helped so many people. Word of mouth lets them know that Ed and Al frequently help homeless people, pay off others’ debts, sit down and talk to someone on the knife’s edge, give thieves money and a stern talking to, help rebuild and feed and protect (without alchemy) in the Ishvallan districts. Edward is good, and they won’t believe this bullshit. They don’t believe that Ed is their Goddess, or even that he’s an angel of some sort, but there is this quiet belief that the Goddess crafted the Elric brothers herself, that she made them to save lives and bring goodness. They start rumbles of discontent. Contact people in towns the brothers had saved. It’s a quiet rebellion, but a rebellion none-the-less. People recognize Edward as the Fullmetal Alchemist and turn a blind eye, don’t call the authorities. They protest against more laws and officers than ever before. Something is stirring.

Ed and co. start a smear campaign against military officials they know are in on the whole “immortality” thing. With alchemy, the right lighting, and a camera, there isn’t a lot Ed can’t do. Scandals about officers sighted being at brothels or hitting a child are reported, mostly in gossip magazines, but the talk has started. Ed pays two little thief girls to cry and make say that this officer pushed them or threw their ice-cream money in the sewer or slapped their mother. He starts rumors about Lab Five and greedy old men that would take the lives of a whole country just for power and about a ruthless dictator who only acts innocent.  He encourages haunted ex-soldiers to talk to newspapers about the atrocities they were forced to commit. Anonymous women speak about how often the old men come to “see” them. Ed is thankful that Ling is part of their group because he never could have done this himself. Mustang is thankful because people in positions of power are weakening and he manages to pass a few laws and get a few people fired and get himself lined up for a promotion.

It all builds up when Greed remembers a base of operations full of fake philosopher's stones and chimeras and weapons. In order to take it out, Greedling needs a distraction. Ed, who has been hiding in slums and hanging out with the outcasts of Amestrian society, knows exactly what to do. He makes a monument. It takes a few days to set it up, but then he’s got it. It’s almost in the center of the city he’s in and it is covered in names. Designs of foreign desert plants line the oddly-rounded building. Ed has been speaking to survivor’s for months. He’s asked them if he could do this. It is the names of all the Ishvallan victims he has read and heard about. A statue of the Rockbells fitting a tired man with a new arm, of a now-dead Ishvallan with his arms and mouth open and beseeching eyes, of the real heroes of Ishval are scattered about. There’s a statue of Wrath, pleasant expression on his face and one hand on his sheathed sword and the other holding a leash. Collared to the leash is Kimblee, sadistic elation on his face and one armed stretched, crackling with alchemic energy. In front of him is an Ishvallan priest, face firm and determined, arms linked with Ishvallans that are faceless aside from piercing red eyes. Signs are in front of names and statues, giving estimated death tolls and heroic acts and anti-military sentiment. Of course the place is stormed. But people are already gathered around and inside. Ishvallans link arms just like in the statue around the monument because this is theirs, because they’ve given up so much but to finally see an acknowledgment? To see real stories and real names and the blunt, harsh truth? They won’t give in. They didn’t before and they won’t now. Guns are pointed at them, and the hesitation to shoot isn’t even there. Hate crimes done by the military are a constant, no one will even look twice at this. But then, a woman runs in front of them, eyes hard and mouth thin. She’s Amestrian. “My mother,” she begins, “died for something she didn’t believe in. She died in your dumb war so that my little brother wouldn’t be drafted. I won’t let you kill anyone else. Not again.” And she’s crying, but her arms are spread and she means it.  “Move.” One Amestrian woman could be a scandal, but swept under the rug. The soldiers stand firm. “No.” says one of her friends, standing besides her and linking arms like the Ishvallans behind them. “We let this happen once. We will not let history repeat.” And her friends join. The crowd thins as Amestrians stand in front of Ishvallans, arms linked, a silent but loud promise: You have to go through us to get to them. They use their privilege to protect, this once. They are all scared, terrified, but seeing the names and reading the stories somehow makes it all real: genocide. Not a war, genocide.  One soldier points his gun, finger on the trigger, and Ed decides he’s done hiding. “Instead of killing innocent civilians, why not pick on someone who can fight back? ‘Course, you’ll need a hundred more of you canon fodder to beat me.” He leads them on a wild goose chase throughout the city. He gets hurt, of course he does; they’re going for the kill and, just like with Kimblee, Ed is still going for the mercy blows. People see this. Officers notice. Something, again, stirs.  Greedling gets the stones, recruits the chimeras, and blows that base to kingdom come.  They’ve been destabilizing the military for awhile now, and Wrath has been unable to help in the preparations for the Promised Day because his main job is keeping the military afloat; without the military, the whole plan crumbles.  People rally, calling for officers to be discharged. For Bradley to resign or explain himself. There are riots in the streets and abuse against high ranking military officers by civilians. Ed becomes the face of a revolution. With all this focus on him, Mustang and his team can act a bit more freely, despite being separated. Laws are almost absently passed or remade or taken down entirely. Winry is giving poor people automail those people turn around and help others; they all realize that the military should not have abandoned them, that they have to help each other, and they are all angry and begin planning attacks of their own. Greedling makes several bases of their own, full of “minions” (hungry children and lab experiments and amputees and those with disfigurements. A home for the homeless. A war base and safe place for the oppressed.) and with the focus on Ed, manages to launch attacks of his own. Greed has been alive for centuries, although he has forgotten much of it, and Ling grew up in politics with assassins and war, they fight the government like they were born to do it. 

It’s a civil war; unlike in Liore, it is no longer one sided. The civilians fight their dictator, military officials fight from within the system. 

This is all I have for it, so far. It’s very ramble-y but vgadhbjnfk I refuse to believe that for about 6 months Greedling and co. sat around and goofed off like Ed has a saving people thing and Greed is antsy and wants (to know) things and Ling wants power and he wants it now. Ed is like pure chaos in a five-foot bundle like you can’t tell me he sat around and didn’t even try to do what he could from the outside?? He is a literal genius smh

Also, you might have noticed that I mentioned the Ishvallans a lot and that’s because there needs to be more about and with them. The manga/anime does handle it pretty well but there is so much potential that isn’t used. Also I am a culture-nerd and love learning about different religions and cultures and architecture so I need this ok???

[raendown]

Soooo remember how we talked about the fact that I don’t like to write crossovers but I would try to write one of these? I had zero inspiration for this. I ended up just running with MadaTobi as Royai but something is better than nothing I guess!

Pairing: MadaraTobirama Rated: G Word count: 1568 Summary: Madara finally has a chance to have his eyesight restored after being left blind by the Truth. As he always has been, Tobirama is right there at Madara's side.

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

Break The Dark In To A Sea Of Light

“Are you ready?”

Tobirama’s voice drew his attention to the other side of the room. After months of being blind, his eyesight taken in payment for forbidden knowledge, it was almost second nature for him to catalogue and memorize the people around him, their positions, the patterns of their breathing. Madara smiled at the breathiness in his Lieutenant’s voice. Tobirama sounded more nervous than he felt himself.

“I was born ready,” he boasted.

“No you were born stupid. This Philosopher’s Stone can only heal your eyes, not your idiocy.”

“That is insubordination!”

He nearly broke out in to a smile when Tobirama’s familiar snort graced his ears. “Alright, court martial me then – after the Doc here fixes your eyes.”

“Did she–?”

“Yes,” Tobirama cut him off, relief heavy in his voice. “Gai was transported safely back to Central and we were able to completely heal his legs. There should be just enough of this Philosopher’s Stone left to return your eyesight and if any remains afterwards it will be safely destroyed.”

Madara nodded slowly, letting it all sink in slowly. He noted that Tobirama had said ‘the Doc here’ which should mean that Tsunade had arrived and yet he’d heard not a peep from her. That was unusual. Disgraced and scarred and still too interested in medical experiments for her own good, Tsunade was usually one of the loudest voices in the room. Her silence provoked the first hint of nerves where until now he had been completely confident that nothing could go wrong.

Alright so he was intimately aware of just how many things could go wrong in an instant but surely he had earned some good karma to rely on at this point.

He perked up at the sound of Tobirama’s footsteps, softer than most peoples with the way he precisely placed each footfall. Madara turned his face to where he heard his subordinate stopped and offered a cocky smile.

“Well, it seems like everything has gone according to plan so far. What use is there in worrying now?”

“I hate you – sir,” the other man muttered. Madara’s smile widened, the small flash of nerves completely washed away in the comfort of familiarity.

“No you don’t.”

“Can we leave the flirting for later?” Tsunade threw her two cents in finally. Madara couldn’t see but his eyes still flew wide open and he was damn certain his face had just turned cherry red. He would have paid a great deal of money to see his Lieutenant’s reaction as well but life was cruel and Tsunade always did have the worst timing for everything. She was sort of infamous for her bad luck.

Also for her inhumane-though-well-meaning experiments though he preferred not to think about that. Human experimentation was never the most forgivable of crimes even if she had been acting under duress but Tsunade was doing what she could to make up for the things she had done and that was more than he could say of most criminals.

“Stay still,” her voice instructed him, sharp footsteps approaching the opposite bedside. Madara reluctantly turned his face towards her instead and flinched when she grabbed his face without any warning.

He wasn’t sure what he expected. Using a Philosopher’s Stone seemed like a momentous occasion in itself considering the cost of creating one; he almost thought there should be some sort of ceremony behind its use. Instead all he felt was the press of jagged crystal to his forehead, a massive conduit of human suffering condensed in to this tiny sliver held between two fingers, cool and warm at the same time. Then his body was light and his skin was tingling with something like electricity and it was over before he knew it.

The world came back to him gradually, like blinking away the afterimage of a too-bright light. Madara whipped his head to the other side again and tilted his chin up until something pale and angular sat in the center of his vision. He grinned and reached out to brush his fingertips against the red lines that had been guiding and protecting him for many years. Tobirama’s startled expression was the first thing he managed to see clearly with his newly restored vision and if Madara were more given to romance and poetry he would have thought that quite significant.

“You look terrible,” was what he said instead. “Should try to sleep more, eh?”

“Fuck you, sir,” Tobirama snapped, although he very notably did not draw away as Madara continued to trace his tattoos. His eyes were softer than Madara could remember seeing them and everything about him was almost dripping with relief. It was all the welcome he needed.

Tsunade’s groan of disgust made both of them jump and return all limbs to where they should be. “Well I assume that means it worked. Look, take it easy for a few days. Avoid bright lights until you readjust. I’m sure your partner over there will be more than happy to stay with you until we can be certain there are no lingering effects.”

“But–?”

“Doctor’s orders, Lieutenant,” she declared with venomous cheer. “I’m putting his well-being in to your hands.”

“You’re a stone-cold woman,” Tobirama grumbled.

“And you’re not the first to tell me that. Right, I did what I came here to do. Time for me to get out of here. You still planning on solving the Ishvalan problem all by yourself, General?”

Madara’s spine straightened almost without thought. “We were the ones to break them. It should be up to us to help them rebuild.”

“I didn’t ask you make mushy statements or anything. I just wanted to know if I would see you there. I have my own hurts to make up for, you know?” Tsunade shrugged and turned to leave with as little fanfare as she had entered with.

As soon as she was out of the room and the door had clicked shut behind her Madara felt hands on the collar of his standard issue hospital garb and his startled protest was cut off with a pair of chapped lips. Tobirama swallowed the muffled exclamation of surprise, tilting his head to deepen the kiss until Madara felt his body melting in to it, both hands fisting in the blanket spread across his knees. It ended much too soon for his liking. He would forever deny the pitiful keen that slipped out when Tobirama pulled away, even if it did earn him one more quick peck.

Dazedly, he lifted his chin higher to stare questioningly up at the man who had faithfully watched his back for more years than he cared to count, nary an unwarranted complaint or question, quietly enduring every mess that Madara saw fit to throw himself in to in the name of fixing his beloved Amestris.

He’d thought about this, of course, quite often over the years. Tobirama wasn’t the sort of man you didn’t fall in love with. But there never seemed to be time for relationships and Madara never had liked showing his cards unless he was one hundred percent certain he had the winning hand. He’d always thought someday he might carefully tread this path but only if he managed to crack the other man’s unreadable façade and figure out if he even had a chance.

Apparently Tobirama had been waiting on him all the while. Madara winced. His lieutenant was not patient and he certainly had no qualms about speaking his mind to idiots who wasted his time.

“I was going to do that myself,” he mumbled.

“Of course you were,” Tobirama allowed generously. “Right after you become Fuhrer, fix all of Ishval, and bring this country in to a new age of peace, yes? Lofty goals, general. I thought I would just speed this right along and take at least one worry off your plate.”

“How kind of you.” Not even the dryness in Madara’s tone could hide his delight. He would have been embarrassed if not for the possessive light of satisfaction in Tobirama’s eye, the cat that caught the mouse. If he’d ever thought of himself as the cat before he realized now how wrong he was. Tobirama was no mouse.

If this was how things were going to be between them then Madara felt no shame in allowing himself to openly admire the shape of Tobirama’s lips smiling down at him, staring the way he’d never let himself before. He wasted no time wondering about all the years behind them and the things that might have been. Now more than ever he believed there to be little use in looking back at the past. The world was better served looking forward to the future and all the things still to come, the things he could still change.

Tsunade had changed his eyesight. Obito had changed the world. Tobirama had changed Madara’s world. Now it was his turn to do what he could.

“Well, I was going to offer you a promotion,” he said quietly. “Perhaps instead I might offer you dinner?”

“You’ll have to get out of this hospital bed first.”

“Help me break out?”

Tobirama rolled his eyes but Madara could see the nearly undetectable curl of the man’s lips and he knew, just like always, that his faithful partner would not let him down. Amestris could wait one more night. Madara’s heart could not.

[kingofthewilderwest]

Haddock’s 2003 FMA Liveblog Part 4

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

I went to bed at a nice, normal time. And then 1:30 came around, my brain screamed “SURPRISE TIME TO WAKE UP” and uhhhhh it’s now 3 AM and I need to occupy myself for a little bit of time before I’m sleepy enough to return to the realm of happy unconsciousness.

Episodes 41-42

Ep. 41 Holy Mother

The central theme of this anime: The military sucks.

Yeah. Like that’s actually going to happen. “Don’t fight.” We know how shit like this actually goes down.

Bradley: Kills Martel inside Reverse Pinocchio. Blood splurts. Cut to: Extremely happy, energetic anime opening song with kids playing.

It would be a lot easier on everyone if Mustang knew something of what was going on, ya’ll. I don’t care if Hughes was like “You can reach the top while I investigate this privately.” At this point this is a hazard. A hazard.

There’s caution to keep people safe. There’s caution to keep yourself safe. There’s caution if you’re unsure of information. There’s caution if you’re investigating dangerous information. There’s caution if you’re uncertain you can trust someone. And on and on and on. But then there’s just caution for not the most well-written reason and seriously I keep feeling like this is sort of the latter, a semi-contrived reason for Mustang to be kept in the dark this entire anime.

Indie that’s rude.

Okay so racial relations in FMA 2003 versus FMA 2009. This could be like, a dissertation topic. I’ve been talking a lot about the difference with friends ever since I saw one semi-disrespectful post of FMAB talking about how it handles racial tensions, essentially saying that we’re supposed to believe one random, old woman (Shan) that the Ishvalans know that not all Amestrians are bad... whereas here in FMA 2003 Scar calls out the military’s discrimination against the Ishvalans to Ed in conversation and we’re supposed to understand believe what his point is. I 1000% understand the post, but don’t agree with that post.... but if we went into all the reasons why I don’t agree with its oversimplification of racial representation and voice in the shows, it really would be a dissertation right here and right now. Anyway. Now, while it is true that FMA 2003 shows a lot more of the perspective of the Ishvalans and gives a lot more straightforward of a minority voice, which is damn NICE, while FMAB focuses about the Ishvalan War more from the Amestrian side... FMAB is farrrrrr from without minority voice and complexity and meaningfulness and respect, too. FMAB does a very heavy job of calling out the Amestrians for what they did in the Ishvalan War as wrong and baseless, too - even if upper command (and Envy) started it, Riza points out that she and her fellow Amestrians carried out the bloodshed with their own hands. Watching the fourth OVA gives a lot of voice to people like Heathcliffe and wow. FMAB gives a lot of purpose to Scar’s motivations, too, from the start of wanting to kill State Alchemists out of well-understood revenge... to pulling him into a focus whereby he wants to rebuild Amestris’ Ishvalan population as he can. But where I think the BEST way to talk about the difference between the 2003 and 2009 racial messages in these shows isn’t that the minority voice is or isn’t given respect and time (because really, really, both *do* - let’s talk manga Miles, and Scar, and Scar’s mentor, and...). But what 2003 shows the Ishvalans saying is, “The military is shit. They destroyed us. We have the right to be angry. You can argue we have the right to fight back.” And while there’s a whole, whole, whole, whole, WHOLE lot of truth to 2003 and how things happen irl... there’s something really powerful about 2009. 2009 says, “The military is shit. They destroyed us. We have the right to be angry. But that DOESN’T mean we have the right fight back.” And that wraps into one of Arakawa’s biggest, most widespread message throughout all of her manga, from start to end: All humans are important. All souls deserve to be treated with the utmost respect as human beings. It doesn’t matter if you’re a suit in armor. It doesn’t matter if you’re a frog chimera. It doesn’t matter what your race is. It doesn’t matter who started the bloodshed... you should be the one to end it. You are a human, human is good, and the best thing we can do is help each other. FMAB is about breaking out of the cycle of “an eye for an eye.” Now FMA 2003 is showing, through Ed’s reactions and so forth, the conflict he has with the idea of “Eye for an eye,” suggesting also it’s not a good thing. But it’s really in 2009 where the message sparkles... because Scar becomes not someone with a vengeful purpose who wants to create a pure Philosopher’s Stone from military lives. But Scar is someone who goes from someone with vengeful purpose for what the military has done to him... to trying to be the better person, the HERO, who fights back and gives back when no one else would before. And fuck man. Scar and Scar’s brother are the damndest heroes in FMAB. There’s so much to be said about the pros and cons of racial representation in each show, 2003 versus 2009, but both really try to speak to important messages of minority discrimination, genocide, and the horribleness of what it is. NEITHER ARE BAD!!! XD But damn if 2009′s message of “Revenge is not justified. We will treat all humans as humans” is fucking wicked good. Like. Enormous applause to the Ishvalans for being the better people? They are the true heroes. They are the TRUE heroes of FMAB.

In FMAB 2009, Scar prevents an entire city (entire COUNTRY) from being used as an effective transmutation circle creating a Philosopher’s Stone. In FMA 2003, Scar is the one seeking to make an entire city into a Philosopher’s Stone. Interesting contrast. Sad not to have my hero Scar here. A complex antagonist in the 2003, who, from another framework could act as an antihero (the best antagonists imho are those whose perspectives could be written as “good guys” because they have understandable, human motivations)... but nevertheless, not a hero of the tale as in Arakawa’s final work.

Took fukkin long enough for Heart Eyes Motherfucking Horse Boi to find out. Thank you, Reverse Pinocchio, for acting with more sense than Markiplier and Virility Redux.

One beautiful moment with Al in the manga at Liore is when he pulls stuff out of his loincloth in public in front of his father, much to Hohenheim’s dismay and embarrassment. And here we have Armor stuffing his bro’s pocketwatch into his loincloth. I mean, it’s a fair place to carry things, buuuuut there is something to said it looks bad buddy. XD

I can’t judge talking military cats because we do like, have Jerso in FMAB.

Okay Bishie Boi I give you permission to kill a certain murderous State Alchemist Fucker. Go get Kimblee. Go get him. Martel hasn’t killed him yet. You. Please. Kill him. I don’t like Kimblee. Get Kimblee.

It’s so damn refreshing and applause-worthy to see full rooms of dark-skinned POC in an anime let’s be real.

Also not showing the eyes of ANYONE in the military during these scenes? Really good, chilling effect.

The name avoidance is getting really old homunculi pals.

Also love how many women are very prominent in the 2003.

GO SCAR GO. GO SCAR GO! BISHIE BOY, KICK KIMBLEE ASS!! GO SCAR GO SCAR GO SCAR GO!!!

.....that accidentally almost sounded like a Dr. Seuss book up there. Just need a little meter and rhyming and...

Dude there’s a fucking dragon on the end of that that is LEGIT.

You brought the kid back. You brought the kid messenger back. You brought the kid messenger back to Liore. KEEP THEF UCKI :ENW:EOGIN KEEP THE FUCKING KID IN SAFETY AWAY FROM LIORE IT’S A WAR ZONE YOU IDIOTS

Gotta respect how long Kimblee’s hair is in this anime.

[Camera angle constantly spinning around Kimblee and Scar while they’re talking] I get that you’re trying to make this dramatic but hell if that isn’t too much and somewhat dizzying.

Badass Al and his perfect-and-rapidly-drawn transmutation circles!

This anime had suchhhhhhhhh a slow start but finally we’re getting someplace. Not entirely well-joined together everywhere but we’re finally getting to Serious Shit and I appreciate it.

Al saying he’s hollow and not meaningless is a nice callback to when he was questioning the validity of his own memories, saying that if he weren’t human, then it wasn’t worth living. Exact opposite message here and thank. V good. This v good.

They get a lot more of Al’s intense and very real badass side down in this anime.

Sayin’ it like it is. Bruh, respect.

Yeah there’s lots and lots of good content rn.

“Can you hear it? The countdown to your death?” And this is why nobody likes you Kimblee. Fuck you.

Is this the part where we have Scar use his arm or something to change Al into a Philosopher’s Stone or whatever the hell it is that is the first stage of Al not being armor?

YES.

YES

YES YES YES MY WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED.

Are you.

Are you fucking kidding me.

Die already Kimblee you fuck

Well that’s gotta be traumatic to Ed

Dramatic shots of doom.

This ain’t gonna end well. Also we’re suspiciously close to the end of the episode with no resolution... I planned to watch ONE episode tonight but that might not be what happens eh.

Oh look the episode just ended.

Yeah fuck that we need at least just one more.

Ep. 42 His Name is Unknown

I’m v suspicious Scar ain’t gonna live through this. Hopefully also Kimblee. Kimblee needs to Be Gone (TM).

Aka “This is how the writers don’t have Al die right here and now.”

DING DONG THE WICKED WITCH IS DEEEEAAAAAAD!!!

Okay but Scar. Ishval’s Top Model. Bishie Boi. He’s like. Walking around so calmly with so little sign of pain. BRO YOU ARE MISSING AN ARM. And don’t you DAMN tell me “It’s but a scratch” or “It’s only a flesh wound.” Like I could Monty Python caption you right now you fucker and I shouldn’t be able to do that.

Oh hey look my liveblogging is showing my true swearing colors. Rawr. I’m a swearer. I like swears. FEAR ME AND ALL THE SWEARS.

(I usually censor myself a lot on tumblr for Things Like Swears BUT AIN’T NOT HAPPENING NOW YO).

Is.... is ANYONE going to do ANYTHING about Scar’s recently lost arm?????????? HE LOST A LOT OF BLOOD. LOTS OF BLOOD GUSHED OUT WHEN HE TRANSMUTED IT OFF. AND YET EVERYONE IS SO CASUAL ABOUT THIS. Let’s talk about Al’s survival chances. Let’s talk about how to change Al so he doesn’t go off into a bomb. Let’s talk about the Philosopher’s Stone. Let’s talk about your past history with Lust. HOW ARE YOU CONSCIOUS AND WHY AREN’T WE CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR GODDAMNEDFUCKINGSHIT ARM.

At least have him pass out or something.

Nope we’re just going to stand around and stare at each other and be like “You’re not my brother’s girlfriend” and shit and not care about your lack of armness apparently.

Hey new intro. The music definitely has the same generic rocky upbeat flavor of the other intros in 2003, but I like this one the best. The intro also shows us not one but two separate shots of Roy so that’s even better. And even bestest, we just keep pulling in that photo of Horsing Around in the background again. We just keep sneaking that in. I really wish you WROTE Horsing Around better but HEY we get the PHOTO <3 <3 <3

So all that’s good.

Yesssssss finally in this anime you are having ROY MUSTANG ***DO*** SOMETHING. Finally DO something. (whispers) and yes, of course Riza is here, I love you two together

But seriously how long does it take for you to WRITE MUSTANG DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THE SHIT GOING DOWN IN THIS FUCKING STORY

(whispers) Wife

Good for you, Alex.

“There’s no such thing as a military that doesn’t have corruption or evil in it.” I love when villains have damn truthful lines like that shit.

He’s really pretty in this shot.

Okay for all you mention Roy being the Hero of Ishval in this moment between Archer and Roy, and then there was that one scene waaaay back in Flame vs Fullmetal where we had Roy get a bit of a flashback to the war, and then I guess that ONE scene where he thought about doing human transmutation...... you really haven’t taken advantage. of. this. character. AT ALL. In this anime. You’ve really left him to sit by for dozens of episodes in a row. Develop this shit. Even if you plan to develop this shit down the road, this is just another example of uneven scaffolding in your writing. I went into this anime particularly because I was curious about the interesting Roy shit you were thinking about writing, and yet I feel like you’ve given me very little to work with? I mean. He’s present. We’ve had a FEW interesting moments with him, primarily at the start. We’ve seen him do some things like suppress the Ishvalans before they rebelled, and stuff. It’s not like he’s absent and you could critique my critique. But he still feels sooooo underutilized. He really feels underutilized. Develop all that trauma shit content and his ambition being the Fuhrer and his past with Ishval instead of just touching it here and there and referencing it in scenes and then being like “La la la and now all Mustang is gonna do in this episode is look suspiciously at people but not do anything active about the shit going all around him.”

So we’re SLIGHTLY paying attention to his arm, but still having an extended conversation about Lust instead.

I mean I don’t care if the arm got cauterized and there’s just a stump there, you still lost a lot of blood and there’s shock and trauma and shit. You are hanging in there way too good bud. THAT IS AN ARM.

That looks cool. And we know exactly what those symbols are.

Oh cool another arm gone AND YOU ARE STILL CONSCIOUS.

Now, after just a little gasping in pain and sweating, I’m going to stand up and calmly explain the history of my arm. COME ON SCAR ADRENALINE ONLY GOES SO FAR *YOU* *HAVE* *NO* *ARMS*

No one would even guess this is the screencap of a man who has literally just lost both of his arms.

In 2003, he loses both of his arms. In 2009, he uses both of his arms and destroys Bradley’s.

Yes, Indie. Tell Roy about your mother homonculus. At least do it for the sake of integrally including Horsie IN THE MAIN FUCKING PLOT MORE.

HOW DID SCAR DROP KIMBLEE FROM THE TOP OF THE BUILDING HE HAS NO ARMS HOW DID YOU CARRY HIM HOW DID YOU DROP HIM.

WHY ARE YOU STILL RUNNING AROUND.

Okay seriously how many times are you going to injure this guy and still have him be “relatively” okay? Because several gunshot wounds to his shoulders didnt make him lapse into unconsciousness either? At least he seems to be in legitimate lasting pain now? Not like that’s a GOOD thing to be in pain, but at least he’s not like, running around?

You should be like delirious tho bud

Seriously are these last two episodes “How many times can we injure Scar” like wut

Take that back he’s stood up and is waltzing around again wtf

I hate how the feels you get from this scene are 1). Scar is dying, 2). Scar is doing this for his brother [sob] and not... “we’re mass killing thousands of low-ranking soldiers and turning them into a Philosopher’s Stone.” Like something about that’s just wrong. Feels, good? But....

Power trio

This still is the most badass moment with these blokes tho:

[sigh] Mustang is just such a better character in FMA 2009 / the manga.

[whispers to Al] No it’s not. #1. Philosophers’ Stone. #2. You’re armor.

:)))))))))))

[regnantlight]

▲▽▲ROY

The transition of power from Grumman to Mustang went rather smoothly, all things considered.

After the Promised Day threw the country into chaos, Grumman quickly stepped in as a trusted figure to assume all duties related to the presidency. New senior staff officials while cleanup started in Central. When Roy arrived back in Amestris from his trip to Hyrule, newly restored eyesight got to take in a revitalized city and his former Commanding Officer leading the way into a new era. Eventually, that new era would result in him taking up the presidency, a fresh, young face who seemed to have a knack for leading.

Over the course of the next three years, change happened swiftly. Ishval’s reconstruction started almost immediately after Roy returned. When he wasn’t in the desert working to help rebuild an entire nation, he was in Central driving new policies forward or in Hyrule as an official foreign advisor. Breda and Fuery assisted him with policy changes while Hawkeye worked with him in the East.

Grumman, and many of the citizens of Amestris, had one word to describe Mustang: nonstop. Perhaps that was what led his eventual exoneration after his trial. Even after he laid out every horrible atrocity he committed while at war, his actions up to and after the Promised Day spoke for themselves. He was committed to making the country better, and repurposing the State Alchemist program for research and medical developments was one step among many. Public opinion favored the man who tirelessly worked to make the country better for everyone, not just the select few.

Though, after he ascended to become the Fuhrer in a public election, the first of its kind, the people did have concerns. When Breda, now a Colonel himself, handed him the latest optics report, Roy couldn’t stop himself from raising a skeptical eyebrow.

“I almost want to ask if you’re joking.” After one final scan of the report, he pushed the papers away and pocketed his glasses. “This is what everyone’s concerned about? My personal life?”

“Or lack thereof, sir. Say what you will about our past Fuhrers, but they had families that endeared them to the people. You lacking one has a lot of the public concerned in more ways than one.”

“Let me guess: I’m less relatable in their eyes, a lack of a family shows a lack of commitment, and there are worries about lineage should something happen to me.”

“More or less. Fuery and I are dealing with the press for now, but we can’t keeping them the same spiel about you being married to your job.”

“So I’m supposed to find someone to marry while doing my job as an elected official? I assume Hawkeye’s helped you vet several candidates already provided I agree.”

“Actually, sir, we may be able to kill two birds with one stone.” A pause as Roy tilted his head to the right, allowing Breda to continue. “Your work in Hyrule hasn’t gone unnoticed, and the royal advisors seem to like you. They reached out to us to form an official alliance that would largely benefit both countries. That’s actually the second reason for my visit.” With that, he handed Roy another file for him to peruse. He put on his glasses once more to read, hand to his chin in thought.

This wasn’t a typical alliance formed through diplomacy trade, and such. An arranged marriage. Wide black eyes stared at the file before finally looking back to Breda.

“This is their proposal?” After receiving a nod, he spoke again. “Calling this an alliance is an understatement. It’s unprecedented for Amestris.”

“A little old fashioned, but there are benefits. We’d have to work out the finer details, but each country would still operate independently while mutually benefiting from what the other has to offer. They have resources we don’t and vice versa. Plus, I know you and Princess Zelda got along pretty well both before the Promised Day and when you were her advisor. This wouldn’t be much of a stretch to the public.”

“I suppose not…” Once again, Roy went quiet as he thought this through. He got along famously with Princess Zelda. They were like-minded individuals who respected and cared one another. She essentially became part of his team, and him part of hers, throughout the years. He considered her a valued friend, someone he could talk to with a bit more freedom than most. If anyone understood the burdens that came with leadership and pursuing lofty goals, it was her. Not many people understood him the way she did.

And, had he been more daring and less consumed by grief and anger, he might have considered adding another element to their platonic relationship. Another layer. Perhaps romance…

Which was yet another reason why it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch to the public. They worked so well together, after all. Before he could consider the possibility of this idea, though, he needed to meet with her and learn what she thought. He wanted to believe the both of them had some agency in this whole thing.

“I want to meet with her first before agreeing to anything. Let me make that abundantly clear.”

“Hawkeye’s already arranged your travel itinerary, sir.” Of course she did. “You’ll leave after your last meeting this afternoon.”

Thus began his journey as he returned to the land of Hyrule. Officially, he left for diplomatic purposes in an effort to continue building the alliance between their countries. Predictably, he fell asleep more than once on the way there—his sleeping habits were still horrendous. Arriving in Hyrule, nerves aflutter, he made one attempt to smooth out his hair before this meeting. When that didn’t work, he kept his hands to his sides while he walked. As usual, his gloves stayed in his pocket.

Seeing her again, how she smiled at him, momentarily eased some of the tension in his shoulders. He returned her smile as black eyes met blue, extending a hand for her to shake.

“Likewise, Princess Zelda. It’s been far too long.” Should he sit? Yes, he supposed that made the most sense. How was it that he could meet with leaders from Drachma, Creta, and Aerugo without flinching, but this had his blood pressure rising? Sitting down, he let his hands rest in his lap while he kept his eyes on her. “So… I’m guessing you know why I’m here.”

     A simple handshake, a smile, a moment of slightly thinner air among the usual thick atmosphere that trailed leaders like smog— had it not been for the context of their meeting, it would have felt like any reunion between the two of them. 

     But context was terribly important. 

     “Yes,” Zelda replied, sitting across from him with a small deflation to her smile, brows tilting, hands folded upon her lap in a near mirror of his posture. “I do...” 

     She paused for a moment, collecting the questions she had so carefully curated before his arrival, but which now seemed to scurry just beyond her fingertips. The first meeting between two arranged had never seemed so complicated before. Rather, it had always appeared rather simple; the two would meet, discuss their expectations, their wants, their values, and determine if they would, indeed, be able to take part in a partnership that would last the entirety of their lives. Numerous couples had completed the process successfully for generations, her own parents among them. Surely, she could do the same. 

    Surely. 

    Zelda took a small breath, her hands readjusting themselves into a light clasp of interlaced fingers. The corners of her smile tugged back upward. “I must admit, I was surprised to hear that my advisors had contacted you— but, perhaps, more surprised to hear your response...I know that arranged marriages are not common in Amestris. Truthfully, I’ve been trying to theorize why you would be considering the option.” 

    There was another brief pause, as though second-guessing her own thoughts, but this was Roy, and he was her dear friend, and they had always been honest with one another before. She did not want that to change now. 

    “Roy,” she said, gentling her tone as she spoke his name, so seldom used, “you are a good friend, and if this is about...any concern that you might have, or an attempt to help, please know that, while I am grateful, it is not necessary. I’m aware that the concept of an arranged marriage might sound strange, but I am not being forced. This is something I always knew was a possibility, and now, it is here. Whatever arrangement is made, with whoever it is made with, will be by my consent.” 

    Her green eyes searched him then, taking in his expression and adding, with a sense of curiosity that was hers by nature and could not be restrained, “Unless there is another reason why you agreed to meet...?”