#ling's nothing face

[just-trying-my-best-everyday]

Top 10 FMA manga pages.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

+3 friendship with Jin Ling: He actively tries to dissuade you from further embroiling yourself in the homosexual allegations.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[twistedappletree]

Just had an ‘accidental time travel’ thought where Jin Ling and Lan Sizhui suddenly wake up in present-day China but find out it’s only them who got sent to the future

and while LSZ keeps calm and lowkey gets excited about all the new things around him, JL straight up has a mental breakdown in public and all everyone sees is some weird kid dressed in ancient clothes, strapped up with a bow and sword and curled up in a ball in the middle of the street while screaming and sobbing for his “jiujiu”

[cuchufletapl]

Thinking of epilogue-compliant Edward Elric (i.e. married to Winry, father of two), I still like to think that at some point, either during the events of FMA or shortly after, there was a thing between him and Ling — maybe an actual fling, or an almost-something where they both knew there was romantic tension.

But I also think it would be really funny if Ed realised he liked boys thanks to Ling and then did absolutely nothing about it. Not in an angsty, "I'm not sure he likes me like that and the situation is so complicated anyway" way, more in a "why him" way. Ling shoved a grenade down Gluttony's throat while holding a sword between his teeth and it awoke something in Ed, and it's honestly mortifying.

Ling would never let him live it down if he knew. Ed is taking that information to the grave.

[hoennislands]

K*ta 🤝 Tak*shita 🤝 Y*ta 🤝 Sh*ta 🤝 can’t be discussed without white fave being brought up

[number1greedlingfan]

im all about reciprocated edling (bc im delusional) but i think painfully one-sided edling is objectively funnier. like

Ling: greed let me have my body for a second. it's important

Greed: huh? we're just sitting around. nothing interesting is going on

Ling: i don't have to explain myself to you can you just do it

Greed: ...alright

Ed, the second Greedling's face changes slightly: oh ling is back. hey

Ling: hello have you ever kissed a boy before follow up question would you like to

Ed:

Ed: what?

Ling: .nevermind [immediately recedes back into his mind and shoves greed back in the drivers seat]

[b1wifex]

Sunrise

Billie x fem reader

Warnings: smut, fingering, eating out, hickeys, soft dom reader/sub billie

Overall: Soft morning sex with Billie as a sub, because there're not enough stories with her as a bottom

Warm sun rays were peaking in the window, making your eyes open, looking around the room. The prettiest girl in the world a.k.a. your girlfriend was still sleeping, her chest was slowly rising up and falling with each breath. Shark was quietly snoring while laying in her feet, which made you giggle a little.

A soft peck landed on Billies jawline, causing her eyelashes to move lazily. Ocean blue eyes with a slightly noticable smile were now staring into yours.

"Hi." her voice was still raspy, making you adore her even more. Instead of a respond, Billie felt one more kiss on her lips, this time it was longer and more passionate.

"Oh, so that's what you want to do?" she asked, slightly smirking into you and getting a whispery "uh huh" in the ear, sending shivers down her spine.

You were already too busy to respond, working on her neck and leavind light-red marks.

"Babe, i have an interview tomorrow, don't have too much fun." unfortunatelly for Billie's makeuper, you've alredy done a mess on her neck. Hitting that one erogenous spot of hers with your breath, you hear a quiet gasp coming out of her mouth, which you take as a green light for your next actions.

Your hand slowly wandering on a covered stomach, while your kisses going lower to Billie's callarbones. Your fingers quickly slip under an oversized t-shirt, now drawing on a girl that's under you. You take a moment to admire, when you help your girlftiend to lose her top completely, getting back to her now naked torso.

Your tongue dances around hir nipples, feeling how hard they already are. Billie doesn't hide her whimpers anymore every time you lick her sensitive spots. There's nothing sweeter in this world for you than the melody of moans that's coming out of your girl's mouth.

Your fingers don't waste any time, finding their way to the lacy panties and starting massiging circles around her clit. You cold feel the wetness through fabric, which made you noticably proud and smirking.

"Oh, shut up." catching your facial expressions and knoeing what you're going to say next she moaned, trying to hide her eyes.

"I didn't say anything." you added sarcasticly, coming back to her face and connecting your lips again. Your tongue slid in, exploring her mouth and enjoying all of her flavors. You didn't even have to fight for dominance, this time she was all yours.

Pulling her underwear to the side, you now had full access to her pussy. Ypur mouth caught a moan out of unexpectancy, when you pushed two of your fingers in her. Your kisses going lower and lower again, stopping at the bottom of Billie's stomach, while your fingers thrusting even deeper.

Groans grew louder, which made Shark want to continue his sleep somewhere else, while your mouth was working on your girlfriend's lower belly, increasing her arousal.

Pulling out your fingers, you caught Billie's needy and cofused eyes.

"Don't you look at me like that, that's temporary." you said, while taking of her panties completely and without any warning placing your tongue on her clit, getting the loudest moan so far.

Getting back fingers in your girl's cunt, whimpers started to fill the room more and more. As soon as you felt Billie's walls clenching around your fingers, you knew she was close. The tips started curling inside of her, hitting her g-spot and bringing her orgasm sooner and your whole mouth instead of tongue was now sucking on her clit.

Her pathetic tries to say something were coming out as groans each time. But she didn't have to say she was close, you could feel it by how tight she felt on your fingers.

Her sensation didn't take ling and the next thing you remember is Billie moaning your name and her cum sliding down your fingers. You started slowing down for her to be able to ride her high, while pulling out fingers and putting them in your mouth, licking and tasting every inch of them.

"Mhm, you taste icredible." you said, getting closer to her face and kissing her softly, giving Billie to taste herself.

"And you're just too good at eating me out."

[cottagec0relover21]

Hiii!!! How about Chilchuck teaching you how to pick locks after you got locked inside a chest and the party couldn't find you? This is how he shows that he cares and worries about the reader lol.

With a halfling reader if that's oki with you....

Bonus points if after chatting for a while, they both started talking about locks and keys, not realizing it sounded like a sexual innuendo, then it got awkward lol

"Lost and Found"

[Chilchuck Tims x gn!half-ling!reader]

Warnings: slight sexual innuendo - fluff

You had gone missing. Missing. In the dungeon. From one moment to another you had disappeared from everyone's sight. You had been walking around with the group when you'd spotted a room full of chests and decided to enter to take a look around.

Chilchuck had groaned loudly at all the work Laios intended him to do to open every single one of them.— First of all, what if one of these is a mimic?!— Chikchuck protested, pointing a finger up towards the tall-man's face. Honestly he had a really good point.

That's when from behind them, they heard (y/n)'s voice speak and a sudden slam. Everyone turned around to see they were gone.

—(y/n)?— Marcille spoke up. Calling them a second time, when they didn't speak up everyone started to panic and look around. Were you outside of the room? Maybe on a room next door? but nothing, you had just dissapeared in the blink of an eye.

Groaning in discomfort and some pain, (y/n) rubbed the back of their head, where they had collided roughly against the inside of the wooden chest. Chilchuck fumbled to grab his tools as Laios, Marcille and Senshi looked at him expectantly when they had heard (y/n) knock from inside of one of the chests, making him even more anxious.

—Let's try this one!— pointed Laios.

—No! I think it's this one!— the mage contradicted him.

—Everyone shut up! Let me hear!— Chilchuck yelled, agitated as he stood silently in the middle of the room.—(y/n) can you knock once again for me?— he raised his voice so they could hear, trying to speak calmly, hoping you were still conscious.

When they knocked on the inside of the chest they had fallen into, Chilchuck hurried to help to unlock it and get them out.— It's okay, I'm here! Can you breathe well? I'm going to get you out! Don't panic!— no one had ever seen Chilchuck so... worried before. So seeing him stumble with his words and fumble with his lockpicking tools made everyone stare at him with curiosity and worry for (y/n).

After a minute or two Chilchuck successfully opened the chest to find them curled up inside. He helped them up and out with a worried expression on their face as he looked over their features. Where you hurt anywhere? How had that even happened in the first place? Was it a monster? Did someone accidentally push you? Did you fall??

—Uh– Chil, I'm okay...— they speak softly, reassuring him as he squished their cheeks to move their head to the side.— I saw a chest was slightly open and I wanted to take a closer look, but somehow I kind of fell in...?— they sheepishly admit with a chuckle.

Chilchuck hits their shoulder, protesting that he was worried. The faint redness on his cheeks didn't go unnoticed by the group as he fussed at them. How sweet. And grumpy everyone thought as they watched the scene unfold in front of them. (y/n) couldn't help the giggle that erupted from their lips and hugged Chilchuck by the neck.— It's okay now, thank you for saving me— they speak sweetly, which only makes the half-foot more red in the face as he reciprocates the hugs slowly.

—Don't do that again or I'm not getting you out...— he mumbles, obviously not being serious. They would save them a thousand times if it was ever necessary.

Much later, when dinner was almost served, (y/n) and Chilchuck were sitting aside on the ground, legs crossed as he held up his lockpicking tools for them to see.— Why does the tip look like that?— (y/n) pointed at something the group could not see, for they were sitting with their backs facing them. That made half of the party look up with wide eyes in their direction.

Chilchuck calmly explained— Every keyhole is different, sometimes you need a bigger one, sometimes you need it to curve or to lay flat— he grabs (y/n)'s hand and brings it closer— Here, feel it— as soon as he says that, Senshi coughs loudly, catching their attention.

Both of them turn around— Are you okay, Senshi?— (y/n) asks, noticing everyone's flustered look—...what?—.

—Kids, you should look for some privacy if you're going to be doing such a thing. I understand you're curious, but please respect everyone else in the room— the bearded dwarf speaks, returning his attention to the food. Their cheeks become as red as a pomegranate as Chilchuck protests that, first of all, they're not kids, and second, that's not what's happening at all.

One can't even explain lockpicking in peace anymore, geez.

[radiance1]

Danny:

Pariah Dark:

Fright Knight:

Danny: Look, I can explain-

Pariah Dark places a hand on Danny's shoulder, crouching down to his level (or as much as he can anyway) and giving the boy the proudest, most loving look he is able. "Son. I am so proud of you."

"Hah?" Danny asked, intelligently.

Fright Knight nodded. "I am as well." He even went as far as wiping an imaginary-no wait that's an actual tear. "It is just- It is so beautiful to see my nephew following in our footsteps." He sniffed, taking a handkerchief from... Somewhere, to further dab at his eyes.

"Hah??" Danny, once more, said intelligently.

"It is alright son." Pariah Dark continued, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "You did extremely well. Never let another say you did not. I am sure Time would be most pleased as well."

"What the fu-" Danny began.

"Language." Came the instant reply from them both as Fright Knight casually bisected an alien.

"Funny cheese puffs are you guys talking about??" Danny very shamelessly changed his sentence and went with.

"You started a war-"

"And cultivated fear."

"-Were you unaware?"

Danny blinked. Once. Then twice.

"Nuh uh." He said maturely. "I didn't do shii-" Faced with the glares of two angry parental figures, he very carefully chose his next words. "Ship. I'm innocent."

"He's even denying responsibility." Fright Knight dabbed away a few more tears and sniffed. "Truly, he reminds me of when you were younger my king."

"Haha!" Pariah Dark laughed, standing up and dusting himself off. "Truly! A prince after my own core!" Pariah patted Danny on the head, ruffling his hair. "Yes, my little 'ling is as innocent as he appears." Pariah winked knowingly.

Danny has some choice words for who let him know how to do that.

"Now..." War rubbed his chin as he looked out over the amount of carnage taking place in the city below from the fight between the aliens and the League of Justice. "Fear, do you think they would oppose to us joining?"

"That would depend on which side we fight for." Fear inclined his head, kicking a corpse off the side of the building they stood on. "Though I would rather not have this planet destroyed as we have an arrangement later this week."

"Ah, with Kents, yes?" War chuckled, cracking his knuckles. "Up for a wager, Fear?"

"What kind?"

"Least kills has to attend with no food."

"Hey wait a minute-" Danny tried to interject.

"This is not within my favor." Fear said calmly. "But I shall take you up on this offer regardless, my king."

And just like that, they were off.

Danny stood there for a moment, questioning if he should really step in and try to stop them. What would the Justice League say when the Ancients of War and Fear join in on a totally out of the blue invasion that Danny totally didn't have a hand in. How would the GIW react to this?

Then Danny thought. 'Wait, I have nothing to do with this.' And then decided this... Isn't his problem.

Then went back to sleep.

[peacesmovingcabaret]

It really feels like Hua Cheng’s character was design to showcase just how ineffective and dare I even say useless heavenly officials truly are.

First, you have reports of a ghostly groom who’s really just Pei Ming’s bitter ex kidnapping brides and murdering god knows how many people over the past 100+ years. Yet heaven does pretty much nothing, and dumps the responsibility on a twice demoted scrap god. It takes Hua Cheng showing up, guiding Bride! Xie Lian to the ghost’s domain and destroying the barrier that kept away outsiders for the issue to even get resolved.

When Xie Lian needed to find information about Banyue pass and asked around heaven, they declined to enlighten him on anything. Meanwhile Hua Cheng (while in his San Lang disguise) tells him every detail, helps him on his journey, finds him the antidote for the scorpion snake bite, protects him while trapped in the Sinner’s pit and helps him with exposing Pei Jr. as the culprit.

Oh and then there’s the boy with the multi-faced disease that he asked Ling-Wen to look for several days ago, that took Hua Cheng all of two minutes to track down. Like come on!!!

Then there’s the whole Fang Xin Guoshi/Golden Feast Massacre incident Xie Lian was accused of. That took Hua Cheng only a few hours to uncover the truth and prove Xie Lian’s innocent. A matter that would have taken heaven who knows how long to settle.

Heaven is so bad at their job, Hua Cheng made a jab at them for how they would be dragging their feet when it came to dealing with Qi Rong’s underlings. Then proceeded to highlight that fact by literally making it rain with the blood of said underlings that he’d just slaughtered in that very instant.

[sandu-zidian]

Nothing in the world belongs to me but my love, mine all mine all mine 💛💜

Happy birthday jiujiu!! 🪷

ID written by @princess-of-purple-prose, who kindly allowed me to use it!

[ID: A MDZS lyric comic using Mitski's "My Love Mine All Mine". FIrst, we see Jiang Cheng holding a baby Jin Ling, though Jiang Cheng's face isn't shown. "My baby here on earth." Young Jin Ling holds a lotus to Jiang Cheng, whose face is still not visible. "Showed me what my heart was worth."

Panels of Zidian crackling purple lightning. "So when it comes to be my turn." Jin Ling stands under a pale spotlight, the ghostly figures of his parents smiling and putting their hands on him. "Could you shine it down here for him?"

Jiang Cheng, face still offscreen, picks out lotus seeds for young Jin Ling. "'Cause my love is mine, all mine / My love." Panels of Jin Ling growing up, going from happily calling for Jiang Cheng to tensely firing a bow and arrow to scowling as a teenager. "Mine, mine, mine."

The next page features shots of Chenqing, a golden core, and Zidian. ""Nothing in the world / belongs / to / me but." Jiang Cheng, hair covering his face, holding infant Jin Ling. "My love, mine, all mine."

Finally, we see Jin Ling crying, Jiang Cheng holding him by the shoulders from behind. "Nothing in the world is mine for free / But mine." Jiang Cheng turns Jin Ling around and cups his cheeks, and we finally see Jiang Cheng's sorrowful face looking back at him. "Mine, all mine, all mine." End ID]

[iliketangerines]

HEYYYY!!!! I'm new to your blog and might say I love your work. Anyway, I was wondering if I could make a request for the Lin Kuei Brothers. This one is kind of dark but hear me out.

Okay so what if the Liu Kuei Brothers are obsessive over the reader and so they kidnap her and all that stuff. But then, after years of abuse, she snaps and somehow kills one of them (any one, feel free to pick) and it isn't pretty either, it's completely brutal and disturbing.

I'm sorry if this sounds crazy but I just had this random thought and was like "sure why not?".

all ours pt.2

a/n: my god the jet lag is hitting me. also, i do NOT condone this behavior in real life

pairing: bi han, kuai liang, tomas vrbada x afab!reader

warnings: dead dove do not eat, some violence at the end, yandere behavior

you stare at the child in your arms, face blank as he latches onto your nipple, and you don’t feel anything for your own baby

perhaps in a time long ago you would’ve loved to have your own child, but all you can feel is an empty void of nothing as you stare down at your baby boy

beside you stands Bi Han, looking at his son with his cold eyes, and he mutters underneath his breath how his son will be a great grandmaster

you’re sure that Kuai Liang and Tomas will come by at some point to come and congratulate on yours and Bi Han’s child, but for now, it’s only Bi Han in the room with you and your son

he names the baby by himself, giving you no say in the matter, and a small tear falls down your face as you watch your son’s peaceful face

all your choices and will had been stripped from you, even your choice to name your own baby that you had kept for nine months and then birthed

but you stay silent, afraid of what Bi Han might say if you try to protest against his choice, so you just murmur that the name is beautiful before closing your eyes

you hope that you can fall asleep again soon to escape from this cruel world

when you wake up, your baby isn’t in your arms and a shock of panic rushes through you at the missing weight on your chest

if Bi Han found out you lost the baby, you were sure you would be spared no mercy, but then you spot Kuai Liang in the corner, holding the baby with one arm while his hand traced the sleeping baby’s features

it would be a scene of beautiful domesticity if it weren’t for the fact that Kuai Liang turns back to you, eying you up and down despite the exhaustion in your body

you hadn’t even fully healed and already Kuai Liang wanted his own child, and the assassin walks over to you and hands the baby back over to you, citing that a child needs time with their parent

he pets your hair, kissing your forehead, and says that you look beautiful as a parent

and then Kuai Liang says he can’t wait to be a parent as well, with you birthing him his own child, girl or boy he doesn’t care

you give him a small stiff nod before looking back at your child who opens his eyes blearily and gives a big yawn

it’s almost cute except all you can see in their brown eyes and black hair is Bi Han’s face and how your son will be trained and taught to be like his father

a feeling of anger brews in your stomach at that thought, your son will be raised to be just like his father, cruel and cold and evil

you bring your hand up to your son, and his own small hand lifts up to grab onto your finger, wrapping around it and cooing at you

and then you see it, a tenderness to his gaze and an innocence to the evil of the world, like you were all those months ago

you couldn’t let your son be like his father, you wouldn’t let Bi Han and Kuai Liang and Tomas make him like them

you would get out, even if you were killed, not only for your son but for you, to get closure on what happened in the outside world after your disappearance

for now, you would lay in wait and continue to be their obedient pet until you can get out

the days pass as you heal in your bed and thankfully, Kuai Ling doesn’t try to pull anything, just playing with your son every so often and cooing at him

Bi Han is stuck to your side like glue and making sure you’re confined to the bed to heal faster, and you feel like you’re starting to meld with the bed

Tomas doesn’t hold the baby, rather he just stares at you in wonder as you hold and breastfeed your baby

you spend the days with your son, feeding him, bouncing him, burping him, and anything that required you to stand up, Bi Han would force you to sit back down and would take care of it

as much as you hated it, Bi Han was an attentive father and partner, and Kuai Liang and Tomas were great uncles and partners that bent to almost every single one of your needs

but you didn’t dare to try and take advantage of their obsession with you, not until you watch Kuai Liang and Bi Han squabble over something trivial

Kuai Liang’s weapon hands dangerously low by his side, and you can see frost forming on Bi Han’s hand

you weren’t completely sure as to who Kuai Liang and Bi Han were, but you did know that they weren’t the best at communication and that Bi Han kept his secrets but not his anger

and so, you started to form your plan, listening and watching to the words that Bi Han would relay to Kuai Liang as you sat in the corner of their meetings, holding the baby and rocking him

you had to follow them around the entire time anyway, always needing to be in one of their sights especially after the birth of your son

mostly, you just attended their meeting and watched them train, never cooking or cleaning, and they left you as their partner and breeding whore

you previously hated how you had nothing to do before, but you gained a sudden appreciation for it as you noticed each nook and cranny of the compound

the exits and the connections of the winding pathways suddenly were a lot more interesting to you, and you had time to think about them

you started keeping a close eye on your surroundings as you followed one of the assassins around the compound, and your plan to escape started becoming clear

and you kept a close on Kuai Liang and Bi Han, the slight aggressions between the two of them and the minor disagreements

Tomas didn’t seem to side with either of them in a preferential way, so he was a loose nail waiting to ruin your plans

but you could deal with him later, and for now you focused your efforts on widening the divide between Kuai Liang and Bi Han

it started with some innocent small comments about nothing, trying to trick them all into thinking you had accepted your place as their partner in the Lin Kuei

and then slowly you started to plant seeds in Bi Han and Kuai Liang’s head, about how each of them wanted you all to themselves

in the meantime, you spent a lot of time with your son to try and get him to bond with you the most, and you were hesitant to hand him over to any of the assassins

they chalked it up to parental instincts, and you gladly took advantage of it to make sure your son spent the least amount of time possible with them

and finally, after almost a year of planting ideas in their head, the plan was almost at fruition, Tomas away on a solo mission and tensions high between Kuai Liang and Bi Han after finding out you were pregnant with Kuai Liang’s child

Bi Han had grown obsessive over you, needed to keep you all to himself, and he saw Kuai Liang’s child as a direct threat to his hold over you

and so, you sat at the entrance and made a passing comment to Bi Han about Kuai Liang while rubbing your stomach, and you saw something in his eyes shift

he stalks over to Kuai, ice in his hand sharp as he attacks his own brother, and you grab onto your son and pick him up into your arms as you watch them start to fight

they spittle insults and threats at each other, weapons drawn as they start to try to kill each other, and you take it as your cue to leave when you see blood spill onto the ground

you wind through the small backways where no one patrols, and you pick up the bag stuffed into one of the abandoned closets

finding one of the doorways, tucked behind some shrubbery and foliage, you shove open the door and crawl in with your son, willing him to be silent

it’s a quiet dirty crawl to freedom, the sound of your and your child’s breathing fills the tunnel as you make your way through

but finally, your hands bump into something hard, and you push and prod at it until you feel something give

you push and push and see the light of the outside world as you keep on going, and finally, fresh air floods the tunnel

you dig your way out desperately and start walking as briskly as you can away from the compound right behind you

it towers over you, large and imposing, but you were out and that was all you needed

you start walking, you cannot stop until you reach some sort of civilization, and so you start your trek to freedom

inside of the compound, Bi Han stands with blood dripping down his knife and Kuai Liang howling in pain on the ground

a scar stretches across his face, his eye now gone and spilling blood onto the stone floors

the grandmaster would kill his brother, hands twitching at the thought, and he looks to your spot to show you how he kills for you

and you’re not there anymore

[shanastoryteller]

Hi Shana! Wow, *we* get gifts for *your* birthday? Lucky us! Could I have some more WWX and Jiang Yanli run away please? I hope you have a great birthday and plenty of cake!

a continuation of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Sizhui and Jin Ling are offered separate rooms and he’s not sure exactly what Jin Ling’s face does because he’s too busy trying to keep his own perfectly neutral, but Baba cracks up laughing and leans into Uncle Wanyin’s side to say, “Just like us when we were younger, huh?”

Uncle Wanyin seems a lot less scarier than when he’d pulled his sword on them, but the scowl on his face isn’t exactly friendly. But he doesn’t push Baba away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was thrilled when we got our own rooms.”

“We snuck into the others room at night until Madame Yu found out,” he says to them. Uncle Wanyin elbows him, but not hard enough to cause Baba to wince.

This is a little bit more like the grumpy younger brother Mama and Baba had always talked about, although it’s not coming off as exactly natural. But it also doesn’t feel fake either. Sizhui tries to think about how he’d be feeling and acting if he thought Jin Ling was dead for thirteen years and then he popped up like nothing had happened and decides Uncle Wanyin is doing okay, actually.

Separate rooms sound nice, theoretically, but this place that their parents say is home is still new and unfamiliar and frankly he wants his annoying little brother where he can see him. Just in case.

“It’s alright if you want to share,” Mama says. Jin Zixuan’s arm is around her waist and he’s looking at her with the same faintly adoring expression he’s had since he first saw her. They’re sharing a room too, apparently.

Which is fine. That’s her husband. He’s Jin Ling’s father. It’s just a little odd to see someone putting their hands on Mama, is all.

He’d feel guiltier about this if Jin Ling didn’t keep side eyeing his father too.

[thepeculiarauthor]

we got another two years prob till link click season 3 so i'm gon talk about everything i love about this series thanks

human trafficking rep. holy shit. a more realistic approach to the mental trauma involved for all parties.

the VAs slapped, regardless of what sub/dub you pick, they all slayed

suicide awareness. so many shows shy away from this when trauma/etc are very real and suicide is often faced as an option. link click takes this and goes "hell no. live. FUXKING LIVE NO MATTER WHAT" and it's 11/10. you're loved. please. stay.

the bonds. not a lot of fiction anymore just shows GENUINE relationships. it's either abusive shit or fluffy shit -- neither are 'good' or realistic. but link click comes along and has functioning adult relationships that Still have issues and problems and arguments and disagreements bUT love is still present in those relationships bc they're healthy

it's also a reminder that genuine love / relationships aren't based on what you can give, etc. (as adults i think we forget this often and we feel we have to deserve a relationship; link click says f this)

a big theme of the story is making mistakes!!!!! so many fictional stories either 1) take the 'aw i messed up again:(' approach or 'my mc can do NOTHING incorrect or wrong ever' and they suck, lol. link click is a great balance of yes, we messed up, but we move forward.

link click also is a solid example of "yeah, sometimes life is shit! you try your best! it doesn't always matter!!!" but not in a "so d/e" way but in a "even so, still try, still love, because knowing you can't control shouldn't instill fear but bravery"

LING IS A POSITIVE FEMALE CHARACTER THAT DOESNT CONSTANTLY HAVE TO SHIT ON MEN TO BE IN THE STORY --

death and grief handled in a realistic way tbh

the occasional laugh and smile and just the humor is pure

the tension and intrigue is the best written and portrayed i've seen and i'll die on this hill sorry

the concept of time travel is popular, but i haven't found anything to tackle the emotional / MORAL consequences like link click has. "SHOULD you change the past? IS IT OK to change the past?" we've all seen "oh no we changed the past we must fix it!!!" but I've never seen "the past, the present, and the future are heartbreaking and gut-wrenching and stunning and precious and beautiful as they are" but HUMAN NATURE remains and our desires continue to be to remove the heartbreak and pain. is that morally wrong or not?

ANYWAY this will prob be part 1 of more but please lmk what you think lol

[mediocretosubpar-soup]

Fun idea:

Wei Wuxian gets his own Yunmeng Jiang disciples in disguise squads. This is because one time Jin Ling mentioned that Wei Wuxian was hurt on a night hunt and Jiang Cheng's anxiety levels hit a new peak, so he, in the fashion of people who take their hot iron on vacation, put assigned a squad of Yunmeng Jiang disciples as a protection detail.

YMJ disciple: So you want us to observe Wei Wuxian to study demonic cultivation?

JC (dead serious but also lying through his teeth): Absolutely, WWX is the foremost expert but he'll never tell us his secrets. It is of utmost important that he remain alive and well, so we can study him to ensure we are prepared for new demonic cultivation inventions.

YMJ disciple (not buying this for a second but willing to give the SL some face: Sounds legit.

-

A few months into the assignment.

YMJ disciple A (distressed) about WWX: He totally knows!

YMJ disciple B: He knows nothing.

YMJ disciple C: I've been a random rogue cultivator, a helpful villager and then a conveniently wandering monk on the same night hunt. That man can't remember faces for shit.

[sassydefendorflower]

People love to compare Roy and Bradley or Ling and Wrath, but I think there is a special beauty in the narrative parallels between Riza and Winry.

Because these woman manage to break out of the Shounen mold in a way that reaches beyond the Strong Female Character trope and quickly secures itself as... good character writing. Period.

And they do so in a very clever way. Someone else on here once pointed out that Hughes/Mustang/Hawkeye are the trio that runs parallel to Ed/Al/Winry and while they aren't narrative foils to each other - at least not in the way many of the other characters are - they do present a similar function within the story. The three young people who went on an adventure. Only Hughes died and Riza and Roy were permanently altered - and Ed, Al, and Winry got a chance to save the world.

But especially when it comes to Riza and Winry there is something more to the comparison. Especially when it comes down to the choices they made.

But why are Riza and Winry more interesting?

Because when Roy recruits Ed and Al, Riza tells Winry that she followed Roy into the military because she had someone to protect - and this - in other stories - would clearly be a setup for Winry later following Ed and Al into the military to "protect" them. A direct parallel between the two "girls" in a Shounen trio. We've all seen it before.

And I think we see Winry play with that thought when she sticks around Central with them after her first apprenticeship in Rush Valley - she tries to be the third girl to Ed and Al's action duo… but it doesn't work out.

She - strong, clever, genius, confidant Winry Rockbell - suddenly feels weak. Because she can't punch danger away from Ed. She can't repair Al's scratches and dents. She can't kill Scar to save her friends and avenge her family. She can't learn how to shoot and kill just to protect her friends - no, that's not quite correct, is it? She won't. She won't learn how to kill.

And that sucks. Because Winry isn't used to feeling like that, so lost and insecure, at least not constantly. Yeah, when Ed and Al are away, she worries, and that's part of the reason why she tried to join in, but that is nothing compared to the powerlessness she's facing now. Maybe she would worry less if she could be there when they fight, if she could protect them like Riza does with Mustang… but that's just not who she is.

Her job isn't to protect Ed and Al - her job is to give people arms and legs and good costumer service. I really like that scene/episode (23, me thinks) where she gets a phone call from Rush Valley and all these people ask for her to come back. Because Yes, Ed telling her thanks for helping him is VERY important for her character… and yet I think this phone call is the moment Winry realizes that she's not Riza. That she won't take a gun into her hands and kill for Ed and Al.

She will never be Armstrong or Hawkeye or even Izumi… she will be Winry Rockbell, automail engineer and genius.

And that's the reason why only she could have pulled Scar on their side. Because she chose healing over killing - her telling Scar in Baschool that she'd save his life because her parents would want her to honor their choice? That was Winry following the deeper themes of the show, by adding positive energy to the flow of the universe.

Riza saving Scar? Wouldn't have worked (why would he listen to the woman with a gun in her hands?). Armstrong helping Scar? Wouldn't have happened (what reason would General Armstrong have at this point to spare a murderer?). Mei saving Scar? Would have ended with the Ed/Marcoh/Scar/Al alliance falling apart (it is so much easier to fall apart if no one has been forced to see past the horror yet).

And it's not because these characters were even a touch less well written than Winry - if anything it showcases how unique all of the female characters in FMA were/are.

In this we find Riza again - because Riza chose differently than Winry. She followed Roy into the military, she learned and perfected how to shoot and kill. Their narratives mirror each other - Ed carefully prying a gun out of Winry's hands so she doesn't kill, only to give Riza a bloody gun a few episodes later, knowing she will clean it and use it to kill.

When Riza tells us that she has lost the right to feel squeamish about killing because of often she'd pulled the trigger, she is Winry's foil - Winry who was stopped before she could make a similar choice.

And it's not just that, is it?

Riza let her hair grow because a young Winry Rockbell had long hair and seemed to like it - and Riza needed a change after coming back from Ishval.

Winry got her ears pierced because the strong Lieutenant visiting them had looked cool (and because she needed a place for all of Ed's little gifts) - and Winry needed something steadfast, now that her friends were growing up.

There's just something about the two of them, so similar, so loyal and stubborn and full of love, that fascinates me. Because at every turn they make a different choice, at each turn one walks deeper into hell and the other chooses healing - and yet, while they couldn't be more different, they also couldn't be any closer.

I can't imagine how glad Riza was, when she realized Winry hadn't followed Ed and Al into the military.

I can only guess how happy Winry was, when she saw Riza follow Mustang further if only to make sure the future actually changed.

A mirror doesn't have to be a perfect thing, and if anything I think that is on purpose.