#roy mustang can 100% get it

[inkinthetypewriter]

so, uh...i guess no one was going to tell me and i had to unfortunately find out on my own

saying it because i haven’t seen anyone say it yet

roy mustang in ‘03 >>> roy mustang in brotherhood

[spectra-bear]

To all the fma fans here who have been following me for a while now, I'd like to bring a few chapters to light in consideration to the recent tragic palestinian apartheid

FMA has made sure to speak out about these reoccuring events, and whoever hasn't noticed from reading yet needs a critical thinking class.

Let's start with chapter 90:

Chapter 90 of the series, although censored heavily in the anime (but we'll get to that later), played a HUGE role in establishing what kind of message arakawa was building up to deliver to her audience as a plot B (ishvalan genocide) sided with plot A (the search of the philosopher stones, eventually turned plot A (overthrowing the military), a message meant to awaken her readers to the truth, and one that serves as a warning

Does this not all ring familiarity?

One of the reasons arakawa wrote this story was to bring this side of history into light,

the oppression, the abuse of military power, the imbalanace in arms between two parties at "war", the perfect guise of "protecting the people from radicalized terrorists", and using it to justify the murder of countless lives, committing war crime after war crime, massacring the land and lathering it with the spilled blood of countless innocents and people fighting back for their freedom, for their home. Those that die have their lives tragically cut short, too soon.

A total extermination

And to those that remain alive,

Forcefully immigrated from their own homeland

Or exploited for their bodies, harvested for their organs, abused, tortured and humiliated

Not only that, but the emphasis on making the reason behind starting the war in the first place, being the first bullet shot at a young child by a soldier, and intentionally making it seem "trivial" for the ishvalans to retaliate because of that, and painting them as animalistic

Writing off roy mustang and maes hughes as heroes for doing whats best for their country, glorifying their relationship as war buddies, and believing theyre in the right for putting down the people of the holy land, when they couldve backed down from contributing to this one-sided war,

and when they do step back from the field, theyre labelled as cowards. When they inevitably realize the abnormality and inhumanity of their actions, that theyve been solely used as tools and weapons of destruction, that impact is softened with rewards, of medals and cheers of accomplishment from the population-wide brainwashed by lies spread by the people in power, and if theyre lucky, accomodations for the negative mental effects of being part of a war

(arakawa interview source)

What do I conclude from this?

That the author of your favorite manga does not support genocide and in fact, condemns those who partake in it

If it isnt obvious, She included these stories because they have happened before

She is telling these stories, while not 100% protrayed correctly, to fill the empty gaps in the western perspective that have been contaminated with propaganda and demonization of these indigenous people

The designs of ishvalans and cultural clothing are intentionally influenced by japanese ethnic groups, middle eastern and south asian cultures, and the military intentionally european/western looking as an example for their expansion and dominance in mind

And now we are watching all this happen in reality, again, witnessed live, in much worse conditions, throughout history

Where the heroes arent kids who can sway elements at their command with the flick of a hand, but the people who stand against it in mass, marching in the streets to break the suffocating silence, and spread the voices of those seeking help and demanding their freedom back

Does everyone realize how fucked up that is? That the lines drawn between fantasy and reality blur so much that they become indistinguishable from each other? That is true horror, when the monsters and tyrants in your stories no longer stay on ink and paper, but are on your screens broadcasting their crimes, beyond humanity

You must understand that if these stories are included for you, the reader, they are not written just for the plot, but to bring awareness to you, and avoid history from repeating itself, and work against committing the same irredeemable mistakes as before

(thanks to @borkthemork for the help in outlining this and proofreading)

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

Random Not Sober AU notes I found on my phone after last night that get simpler as they go:

1) FMA/HP Au where Lily is Hohenhiem’s kid and she goes to Amestris to meet her father and half brothers with her husband James. Along the way they hook up with Roy Mustang. Harry is his bio kid. Then of course the Potters die and Dumbledore sucks so much he just drops the baby off at the Elric’s house unaware Trisha died and Hoenheim fucked off. Cue Ed and Al raising their nephew. Then of course we have human transmutation, Roy coming and Al going: oh hey wasn't some of the notes Lily left saying you were Harry’s dad?

This 100% would end with Parental Roy having three gremlin kids, Harry going through human transmutation to get rid of the Horocrux in exchange for Al, and then CHAOS at Hogwarts.

2) A really weird AU where Hoenheim slept with a woman in Xing when he was first there who had a kid she kept secret so no one could worship them or do weird shit. The kid had a kid and so on until they left Xing after their clan was attacked, they got to Amestris, got married and had a son. Roy Mustang.

This also included Hoenheim having another child with an Ishvalan woman before he met Trisha. His daughter went on to have two sons: Scar and his brother.

I have no idea where I was going with this. But its amusing.

3) BNHA AU where Space Orcs tropes happen but I include the period stuff I talked about. Izuku is a trans guy who gets snatched with Jirou. I planned on Quirks being a thing still according to my notes. Izuku has PCOS. Legit ends up passing clots cause its one of those periods. Empathy Alien (Mina) is sobbing.

4) FMAB AU where the Homunculi all murder Father because they hate him and just chill. Greed finds Hohenheim and finds out about the boys. Decides Hohenheim is a bad dad so he goes off to be weird cousin Greed along with the others. They still try human transmutation and get into the military where Bradley is like: why is my baby cousin- Que Ed being known as the Fuher’s cousin.

5) self insert wakes up as Envy. Basically they go fuck the plot turn into a cat and hang around the elric brothers.

6) Like a half page ramble about Girl!Bakugou and how she would be meaner then her canon self to male Izuku and just nasty to a girl Izuku because if we keep her personality then you have society coming down on her for not being soft and shit. I have no idea where this was going.

7) EdLing AU where Ling was disowned for liking men and refusing a marriage with a woman from his clan, so he runs off to Amestris to find a philosopher's stone early and then meets the Elric brothers before canon.

8) BNHA/FMAB AU where Winry is reborn as Izuku, she is now a trans girl and is running around making automail.

9) EdLing share the pair AU. Imagine prince Ling screaming about his arm and leg, and people realizing his soulmate lost theirs.

10) the above but EdRoy. My notes said ‘flip a coin for pla’ which I think means flip a coin for platonic or not.

11) the above a gin for GreedEdLing with extra ‘oh fuck you’ energy because IT HURTS US WHEN YOU DIE GREED

12) Envy/Ed also soulmate au (i read a fanfic before getting high and it stuck I guess)

13) IiDeku AU lesbians where Bakugou is engaged to Izuku but she breaks it off as soon as she can to be with Iida.

14) three selkie au starts

[shybluenight]

Okay... I know this is incredibly random but, I've fallen back down the rabbit hole of an old hyperfixation of mine recently and I need to get this off my chest (sorry, but this is going to be long lol).

Before I got into anime, I never understood the talk of crushes on people in shows/movies/cartoons or shipping culture. I think it might be because I had never been interested in anything like that before along with the fact that I've never been attracted to people in that way. I never understood why people got so passionate about who got with who since, in the end, it didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things (people have their opinions, whatever)...

Then I got into anime. If I'm being honest, even with the amount of conceptually attractive men and women I've seen throughout my time of watching anime, I've never fallen in love with a character like the way people describe their anime crushes. Like, I can look at a character and go, "Yeah, they Hot," but I'm not actually attracted to them, ya'know? I can see the appeal and what make them attractive, but I don't actually think, "I'd mary that person in real life."

HOWEVER

There is exactly one character that made me understand both anime crushes and shipping in one go...

And before we continue, I have to say I've never admitted this to anyone before...

Roy Mustang single handedly sold me on anime, anime crushes, and shipping culture.

Is he my anime crush? Simple answer... no.

I've never been attracted to any anime character before... but he damn well came close. He is just so cool yet an absolute dork with a kind heart and stubborn resolve. He made me understand why people fall in love with characters like they do and while I'm not one of those people... He definitely tops my list of favorite anime characters of all time (And I'm an absolute One Piece Stan so that has to be saying something).

He sold me on why people love anime and why, even though there is a lot that I question when watching anime, I love this medium to death. I had watched quite a few different anime before I hit the Fullmetal Alchemist series, but this series specifically sold me on why people love anime and watch it as religiously as they do.

These two, right here, made me understand why people are so into shipping.

I'm not a shipper and I don't plan on changing that any time soon, but there are sometimes characters that are just have the right chemistry and just work, that I look at them and go, "Oh yeah, I ship it."

These two were the first that made me understand why people get so passionate about their ships. Do I think people go to far sometimes? Absolutely. Do I think it's justifiable for people to attack others for ships they like? No (Unless it's incest or pedophilia, then get the hell out of here). But I've come to understand why people get the way they get with characters. Royai is one of the few ships I'm an active fan of. They just click with me in a way no other ship has really done for me and I'm still not sure why. They just are perfect.

... I don't really know how to end this... I just wanted to gush a bit because I've fallen down the Roy Mustang rabbit trail again, and I wanted to quickly talk about my favorite character of all time. One Piece will forever be my favorite piece of media of all time, and Mob Psycho 100 will be the one that forever sits with me in a way no other show has, but Roy Mustang and FMAB by extension will forever hold an extremely special place in my heart for being the kickstart of my online presence as well as what got me into anime in the first place.

[jotarosexhusband]

ANIME TBOY SWAG BRACKET

alright people. i am going to compile an anime tboy swag bracket. let's find out who has the most tboy swag in all of anime. want your boy in the running? let me know! reply to this post / reblog and put it in your tags, send me an ask, submit a pitch, whatever. i'll be taking suggestions for at least a week! feel free to send propaganda for your boy(s) too. if you could reblog this post to get the word out that would be great!

CONDITIONS:

canon and noncanon trans characters are fine. it's about the swag

"anime" as a qualifier also includes manga and japanese visual novels / video games with an anime art style. special exceptions can be made if it's funny

depending on how many suggestions i get, i may cut characters for whatever reason. no hard feelings!

be respectful etc etc. if you disagree with a character's inclusion, just vote against them!

by nature of taking submissions there will be characters in this bracket from things i know nothing about. just keep that in mind

current (at the time of posting this) list, compiled by myself and a few friends, will be under the cut! Beneath that you will also find a list of all suggestions i will be considering

ones with asterisks are For Sure going on the bracket

reigen arataka (mob psycho 100) *

phoenix wright (ace attorney) *

bakugou katsuki (boku no hero academia) *

trafalgar law (one piece) *

yamato (one piece) *

vash the stampede (trigun) *

roy mustang (fullmetal alchemist)

ling yao (fullmetal alchemist)

shirogane naoto (persona 4) *

higashikata josuke (jojo's bizarre adventure part 4: diamond is unbreakable) *

kujo jotaro (jojo's bizarre adventure) *

nishinoya yuu (haikyuu!!) *

hinata shoyo (haikyuu!!)

kageyama tobio (haikyuu!!)

yato (noragami) *

matsuoka rin (free!)

killua zoldyck (hunter x hunter)

gon (hunter x hunter)

isaac o'connor (paranatural) (included because his parents are sailor moon and irish goku) *

simon (gurren lagann)

soul evans (soul eater)

death the kid (soul eater)

lavi (d gray man)

hikaru & kaoru (ouran high school host club)

megumi fushiguro (jujutsu kaisen)

sumimura yoshimori (kekkaishi)

sanageyama uzu (kill la kill)

lio fotia (promare)

galo thymos (promare)

dirk strider (homestuck) (included bc that's what he would want) *

sasuke uchiha (naruto)

L (death note)

kyo sohma (fruits basket)

kuroko tetsuya (kuroko no basket)

kabru (dungeon meshi)

rin (ao no exorcist)

inosuke (demon slayer)

zenitsu (demon slayer)

shinji ikari (neon genesis evangelion) *

spike spiegel (cowboy bebop)

brock (pokemon)

luke triton (professor layton) *

genos (one punch man) *

apollo justice (ace attorney) *

link (legend of zelda)

ishimaru kiyotaka (dangan ronpa)

SUGGESTIONS:

light yagami (death note) *

dororo (dororo)

portgas d. ace (one piece)

togata (fire punch)

kaoru kurita (wonder egg priority) *

black star (soul eater)

edward elric (fullmetal alchemist)

sigma (bungo stray dogs)

claude (claudine)

yoshioka masafumi (apocalypse no toride)

ciel (black butler)

mafuyu (project sekai)

jesse pinkman (breaking bad) (this was a suggestion that made me laugh out loud. he has to be here) *

sasara nurude (hypnosis microphone)

kamille bidan (zeta gundam)

aki (chainsaw man)

jacuzzi splot (baccano!)

firo prochainezo (baccano!)

miyamizu mitsuha (your name)

casca (berserk)

dazai osamu (bungo stray dogs)

kei kisaragi (black jack)

haruhi fujioka (ouran high school host club)

[lilywave]

so if i were theoretically writing a fullmetal alchemist umbrella academy au. theoretically. definitely haven’t written 1.7k words of pure worldbuilding for it already. which characters would fit which roles.

(i still need someone for five (probably selim) and dave (probably greed) and some way to squeeze in the rest of team mustang (especially fuery my beloved))

(decided roles + reasoning are below the cut)

roy as luther - ok hear me out. the sense of loyalty, the pressure to be the best, the feeling that they have to be the one to lead the charge bc what will they do with themselves if they’re not, do you feel me here?? roy is just more competent. (yes i am a luther apologist. why do you ask)

ed as diego - i wanna make him and roy fight. i think it’ll be fun. and also i think the anger problems and daddy issues line up nicely and i 100% think that ed would end up as a knockoff vigilante batman in a modern au. amputated limbs be damned, my boy can throw a punch /ref (AND it means he’ll get a nice little chaotic romance arc with winry as lila and i won’t break them up bc tua season 4 didn’t exist to me!)

riza as allison - “haha oh it’s so royai can parallel luther and allison” NO. that’s INCEST and that’s GROSS. as much as i love royai, they would be siblings in this universe so there’s no way it would ever happen. no, this is because of the parallel i noticed - both of them had the chance to get out, to save themselves, and both of them ultimately threw themselves back into the fray at their own expense when it came down to protecting the people they considered family. allison was just more reluctant to do it at first. and i found that so interesting. idk there’s thoughts there that i cant express in words

ling as klaus - ok this one i’m not very sure about so if anyone has a better option i’ll take it, but there’s a vision there for sure, especially when we consider lan fan as ben. i think it would be hilarious, and also it would be a cool chance to explore ling’s character which is always something i love to do! also it would mean ed and ling solidarity which i love and it could mean that greed would be dave 👀

lan fan as ben - they could have left. realistically, they probably should have by now. they’re much too rational to still be around these people. but despite that, they’re still around to protect the person she loves (who seems hell-bent on putting themselves in grave danger whenever they turns their back). now am i talking about ben or lan fan.

al as viktor - i’m sorry i don’t wanna put al through all that either but i wanna see him snap. like absolutely lose it. go absolutely apeshit. he deserves to. i promise the others will be at least a little nicer to him than the siblings were to viktor in canon.

i dont have extended explanations for these next ones but you can see the vision right??

winry as lila

havoc as hazel

lust as cha cha

fuery as agnes

bradley/wrath as the handler

father as the head of the commission

[memesmadefullmetal]

10 & 20 for the ask game

10. Fandom that you've spent the most money on?

For me, it’s definitely a tie between FMA, Critical Role and Black Butler 😅

I have all of the hardback ‘Fullmetal Editions’ of the FMA manga which were a FORTUNE to collect (#responsiblepurchases) and are amongst my prized possessions. Otherwise, I also have so much Roy Mustang… just so much

Critical Role / The Legend of Vox Machina is here after I lost my DAMN MIND and queued for 6 hours for 3 autographs and 1 photo from Travis, Tal & Liam… I’m sure y’all can imagine the con cost… 😵 (Travis contributes to the FMA money pit as well…) I also own two of the cursed Vox Machina figures (if you know you know) and I love them (Percy, Vax, my beloveds🫶🏻)

For Black Butler, Mod Hawkeye says I have a Sebastian shrine. I want to be clear that it is NOT a shrine but simply one hell of a collection 🙇🏻‍♂️

- Mod Mustang 🔥

—————————————————————————

…It’s 100% a Sebastian shrine.

Anyway— for me it’s probably between Animal Crossing and Ace Attorney.

Animal Crossing has always kinda been tied to new console releases, I literally only got my own Switch because of ACNH 💀🌺🏝

As for Ace Attorney, the games themselves over the years have definitely added up. Especially if you consider the crossover game (an absolute nightmare to find at the time) and Project X Zone 2. I’m not a fighting game person like that, but Phoenix Wright, Maya and the promise of a Miles Edgeworth appearance sold it ⚖️🌻

Other than that, I have the Nendos and the Pop-up Parade figures of Miles and Phoenix (as does Mod Mustang!)

As you can imagine, I’ve been absolutely losing my mind over finally getting a localised Ace Attorney Investigations!

- Mod Hawkeye 🦅

20. All-time favorite fanfic author?

Honestly, we just go where the tags and cool summaries lead 🤩 But if you have any suggestions, we’d love to hear them!

- Mod Mustang & Mod Hawkeye 🔥🦅

[meliake]

Just finished reading one of the fullmetal alchemist light novels, "The Ties That Bind," and overall I thought it was pretty cute.

I really liked the insight into Roy Mustang's character and the responsibilites he has to his men. There's a whole scene where he's thinkibg about why he decided to go on this mission at all as a commanding officer, and how he feels he needs to hide the inner rank politics from the people under him to protect them.

That and the heavy comparison the narrative places between him and Luon surrounding their methods of attonement following Ishbal lead to me to care deeply about his arc specifically. I was overjoyed reading the epilogue, in which it all was worth it and he finally could move to Central.

Other than Mustang, Kip's struggle between his identity as an ishvalan child and adoptive parents was developed well. Often, I found Kip to be annoying, as happens with literally every child in fiction, but these small moments flesh out his character and struggles in a realistic enough way, that by the end the emotional corr was not drowned out by my apathy towards him.

Edward had a good base of, "If something like the Ishvalan War happened again, could I live with killing someone? Would I give up?" and there are moments that really sold it for me. At one point he states, "I don't think I could ever bear with making kids like Kip orphans." and it stuck.

However- the end drew near and it just like- never resolved. In the last few pages he's still sitting there like 'Would I?!! 🥺´ and I was like I get it Edward you're having a moral crisis you have a page and a half left get over it.

It was unsatisfying.

One major thing I did not like- Luon.

Like bro was the worst. I get he was traumatized by the war and desperate to bring his friends back, but like- it wouldn't have worked? anyway?? He left his baby son and wife alone for months on end to attack people with chimeras for their blood to do experiments, and he justified the attack part to himself because supposedly they were all dicks, but its stated that they also just mawled innocent people sometimes and he just accepted it as 'I'll do anything for them'

All to perform human transmutation in friends he specifically cremated to keep some of their ashes. He was a State Alchemist, he knew it wasn't going to work. And all the while he's lying to everybody.

The worst part is his wife and kid find out and their just like?? fine with it????

Kip's like, 'I can't be mad at him for killing my parents and traumatizing me and lying to me for years guys, hes my dad!!' Not to mention Shelley. And when he takes one sentence to go to federal prison they say they'll wait for him. I want Luon to just sit and think about his actions a ling time. So dumb.

Second worst thing,

It all just felt very, childish?

Like the whole book they generally say all their thoughts and feelings iut loud to the reader and it can get boring. Dell becomes an 100 foot long blood octopus demon and its like, my suspension of disbelief was ruined 20 pages ago. What is even going on. The themes all seem very mature and all the blood and murder would make you think it was for an older audience, but at some points I questioned why I was reading it at all.

Overall fun at times, boring at others, down right goofy a decent portion. I give the book a 6/10.

(The art inside was gorgeous)

front cover ^

bear with me just taking pictures of the book- but you get the drift. Very cute.

[novelmonger]

2-4, 13, 16, and 24 for any fandoms, please?

2. a headcanon you weren't sure about at first but have come to like!

I used to get kind of annoyed when FMA fans would talk about Roy Mustang being Xingese. Like, what, just because Arakawa-san drew his eyes a little pointier than other characters', that means he's from Xing? Some people just have smaller eyes, you know! Yoki looks more Xingese than Mustang, if you ask me, yet nobody talks about him being from Xing!

But I've read some really interesting fics that explore what it would mean if he was Xingese, or half-Xingese. The implications of one or both of his parents being Xingese immigrants, legal or otherwise, can be really fun to poke at.

3. a character that fandom has helped you appreciate

You know, if I'm being really honest, I never particularly cared about Merry from LotR that much. He just didn't interest me, compared to all the other characters. But I have to say that hanging around the Fig Tree Discord server has given me new appreciation for him, because of how much they talk about him in such glowing terms XD He's still probably my least-favorite of the four main Hobbits, but I have to acknowledge that he is one practical dude who can Get Stuff Done, and there's so much courage and angst and hurt/comfort in his scenes in the Battle of Pelennor Fields and the aftermath.

4. say something nice about a ship you don't ship (it can be another ship in your fandom, a mutual's OTP, etc)

Mmkay, so I don't ship Bucky and Natasha (mostly because I don't ship Bucky with anyone post-Winter Soldier), but I will say I can understand the appeal. Two ex-assassins who were turned into living weapons, basically, had their bodies modified against their will, carry a huge weight of guilt for the things they've done.... I feel like, if Bucky were to have a successful romantic relationship with anyone, it would pretty much have to be Natasha. She's the only one who could relate to him on that deep of a level, and she would understand his need to go slowly, know how to help him with PTSD, etc.

13. your favorite type of fandom event (gift exchange, ship week, secret santa, prompt meme, etc)

I think I'd have to say prompt challenges, considering I've done three 100 Themes fics, have an ongoing one-sentence prompt challenge fic, and am currently doing my Let Me Count the Ways dialogue prompt challenge. A really good challenge will have words or phrases that immediately suggest a story, but aren't so specific that you have no wiggle room to fit it to various characters.

16. a tiny detail in canon that you want more people to appreciate

This keyboard thing from Andor episode 7 is made from a steno machine! The little typewriter-ish device court reporters use when transcribing court proceedings! I would recognize it anywhere, and I just want everyone to appreciate the origin of this cool-looking prop.

24. how has fandom positively impacted your life?

The most important thing fandom has given me is virtually all the friends I have today. I've met some of the most wonderful people in the world through fandom, people I probably would never have met because of where they live (@dairogo I'm looking at you), because we wouldn't have much in common without fandom (hi @rainintheevening), or simply because we're enough apart in age and space that our paths would probably not have crossed otherwise (<3 @sergeanttomycaptain). I love being able to connect with so many different people through fandom, like most (if not all) of my mutuals here. Even though we have different perspectives on some things, we can all come together when it comes to love of a great story.

Love Your Fandom asks

[zuzuzuko]

10 characters | 10 fandoms | 10 a negotiable number of tags

tagged by @dangerousdan-dan <3

Damian Wayne: DC (Robin). I adore characters that are rough around the edges but ultimately have a good heart and I just think that's 100% Damian. He was the Robin when I got into Batman comics so he will always have a special place in my heart.

Zuko: Avatar the Last Airbender. Zuko's character arc will always be one of my favorites. I don't even know what to say I just love him so much and I will rotate him in my mind for the rest of my life probably.

Clint Barton and Kate Bishop: Marvel (Hawkeye). I'm breaking the rules because you can't make me choose, I love them both equally. Plus they're both Hawkeye so I feel like it's not cheating. Anyways, please go read the Fraction Hawkeye run because it is fantastic. Like I can not stress enough how good this run is.

Dustfinger: Inkheart Series. This was probably one of my earliest fandoms. I loved this book series with my whole heart. I just thought Dustfinger was so interesting and so tragic (he just wants to go home and will do anything to get there).

Zelda: Legend of Zelda. Link may save her all the time but let's be real Zelda is way cooler.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya: Bleach. Short character with white hair and cool sword. It's that easy to draw me in. But also I love characters that have like a prickly personality.

Roy Mustang: Fullmetal Alchemist. I just think he's neat and also an asshole but also neat. Snap fingers and things go boom??? Yes, tell me more.

Finn: Incarceron Series. I haven't read this book series in so long but I remember being so intrigued by it. I honestly don't remember a lot about this character but I do remember he was my favorite. I can't even like describe this book series to you but it was excellent and you should read it if you like fantasy.

Katniss Everdeen: The Hunger Games Series. She made me want to learn how to shoot arrows. I never learned. But I wanted to. She was honestly the biggest badass.

Near: Death Note. It was honestly hard picking a character from Death Note because all the characters are so important to the story in their own ways. But I just remember being so excited every time Near was in a scene. Sometimes you just gotta stan a little autistic dude who is smarter than everyone in the room.

No pressure tags!! @aingeal98 @lorena-art @transuncletaylor @sukidude @potato-cerealkiller and anyone who feels like playing!!

[awesomedurraworld]

Tangled Fullmetal Au!

TANGLED AU DUMP! ✨

Now I originally reblogged an older blog, but thought that since a lot of people don't usually read the blogs I decided to make this a whole post!

GIF by gurbets-world

As for tangled Au, of course I have a bit more ideas! Nothing 100% decided, these are the random ideas I have been getting!

Been thinking What job Roy has? Like, is he a thief just like Eaugen? Then the idea of him being an outlaw but helping people came to me- maybe he is just like Robin Hood? Maybe stealing from the rich so he could help the poor ordeal? Maybe he has a teacher’s job + this as a secret gig?

And maybe Roy was married to Riza and they had Al as their son ( undecided if I should make Al their bio or adopt a kid.)

Mayliz mentioned the pan ordeal! And I am 100% with the frying pan! Although I am trying to avoid making fun of Ed’s height ( which I will make a post about as soon as I can.) I can see how Frightened Ed is when he sees a stranger man coming to his tower so he would attack him

Still musing if Ed should have all of his limbs, thinking he shouldn't have either his leg or arm. Maybe the arm so that is why he can't take care of his very long hair, so he needs help with it and I love Roy taking care of Ed’s hair. Maybe he was the one to braid it, just like the tiny Girls did for Punzel!

I think Ed would be so skeptical at first, so scared and stuff. Thinking Van maybe wasn't the best dad, ( honestly, my headcanons have him as an abusive man, which would make Roy’s actions mean a lot whole more to Ed and Al.) still thinking if he was abusive in the Au- but locking a child in a tower is pretty hurtful.

And then there is the last bits where in the movie Mother Gothal when she chained Punzel. Tbh, I think that scene is what inspired the whole au.

For how it happened I am thinking something like this,

So Roy took Ed to his home with his wife and kid and for the first time, Ed experienced what family feels like, a mom’s love, and dad’s love, and a sibling’s love. Homemade meals and beds and soft coverings and other beings around him!

But one night, Ho was able to kidnap Ed from the Mustang household and Roy put 2 and 2 together and used his horse and dashed to the tower and got inside and then

Van stabs Roy as soon as he entered the place.

Exactly what happened in the movie happened there, except I think that Roy was able to kill Ho.

Does that mean Alchem is a thing here? Probably. Maybe that is why Ho kept Ed in a tower? Because Ed is so powerful?

These These are my thoughts so far! What do you guys think? I looked around for my sketches, and can't seem to find the rest, I only found a very BAD doodlish sketch

Definitely will draw more for this Au, concept customs, and stuff! I just need to push a little more before I have free time hehe

[beanghostprincess]

Love the new layout with Ed and Nikolai !! 💕 Also the bernadette quote... I see you fyolai (I still haven't recovered from the new chapter)

What did you think about the ending of fmab?? I saw your post about Roy's blindness (which I 100% agree with, he should have stayed blind) but I didn't run into your general opinion, if you made a post about it. It has to be one of my favourite anime endings of all time, it ties everything together sooooo nicely. I cried when I finished rewatching it a few months ago 😭😭

Thank you!!! 💖💖 I will never recover from the new chapter and that song and,,, And they live in my head rent free. Decided to change the layout since now I talk about those animes too 😭💖

I haven't posted about my general opinion, so I'll just use this ask to do it!!

Okay, yes, first of all, Roy's blindness. That's the only thing that bothered me. Like. The ONLY thing. The whole scene hurt so much and felt like something his character would have to live forever with? It was so shocking and well-written, too? And I expected him to be able to work like that and grow up as a character. Learning to live with that and Riza helping him go through that by his side. It was just perfect. I was so satisfied with the angst and the thought of him living with blindness. And then the whole thing is so rushed, too? I understand the point of using the philosophy stone for something good so he can build a better future but, damn, you could've still done it without that. But whatever, it doesn't bother me that much, tbh. It could be worse. Blind Roy Mustang I love you. You will forever be missed </3

And my general opinion? Perfect. I've never seen a shonen ending so perfectly. Wrapped in a beautiful bow. It's written with so much love and care for the characters and the story,, It amazes me. I was hoping for it to be disappointing because building up something like Ed and Al's story for so many episodes is always hard to finish neatly. But??? It was awesome. I spent, like, the last three episodes crying (to not stay the whole fucking show ngl). Usually when you say "The main characters end up married and having kids" it looks like a shitty ending BUT NO! THIS WAS WHAT THEY WANTED AND I AM SO HAPPY FOR THEM!!! Edwin's proposal? Beautiful. Hilarious. Laughing between tears. Al getting his body back? Such an emotional scene. From beginning to end. I was SCARED for them. But the way Ed realizes what the truth is??? The way Hohenheim offers his life for Al's??? THE WAY ED CALLS HIM DAD??? I was losing it. They killed me. It was perfect. What shattered my heart the most was Greed leaving Ling's body and dying right after filling the void inside of him with fucking LOVE BY THE WAY??? LIKE??? This show is so good. And Hohenheim's death. This man. This man is a sweetheart. I called him a deadbeat when I started the show and now I feel bad because I love him. He just wanted to be with his family and now that he wants to stay he has to die?? C'mon. Frustrating but understandable and painful but, like, in a good way. Maybe another thing that bothered me was May and Al? Not that the relationship bothers me, I just feel like they didn't get much romantic development so I am kind of indifferent about their romance. Loved the whole thing with Ling being the emperor but protecting May's clan. Loved the ending scene in general. Loved- Loved everything, really, aside from little things and the obvious.

It's really hard to write a perfect ending but FMAB made me feel so SATISFIED. So well fed. So happy. It's an awesome show. 9,5/10 because Roy should've stayed blind. Otherwise, it'd be a 10/10.

[biteinsane]

Hope you like FMA spoilers cause you getting them cause I have a slight rant that people dont talk about when they state FMA and this post seems to hit a point that does not get said.

TLDR: its about the scarifies you are willing to take to be "normal" again. You know, a normal plot point

One of the first animes people go to for this statement is FMA and yes you 100% should cause look Ed needs a prosthetic, he needs two. He needs them for his work. This world is filled with a type of magic. A science. Its one the main things about this whole story, the alchemy, EQUAL EXCHANGE and he fucked up so him and his brother suffered for it.

Getting their bodies back to how they use to be is one of the main goals of FMA, they want to be "normal" again but they can't because it is forbidden. So Ed joins the military to get access to books and papers that being a citizen would not give him access to.

This information is so forbidden, its written in code and I dont mean zodiac code, I mean recipes. Its made to look like a normal recipe just hidden in the back of a closet library by the creator mind you, so no one can use the information.

Why is it forbidden? Human Sacrifices. The Brothers find out the only way to get their bodies back is to make the Philosophers Stone with human sacrifices.

(but I'm not gonna go more on that we are skipping ahead, I can do a whole essay on this if I tried)

Because of plot reasons, Roy Mustang is thrown into this mix and forced to make similar scarifies that the elrics made and loses his eyesight. (I could go into a whole thing about how he was only forced because he didn't do when they thought he would.)

In the end, Ed and Al would not take the stone. Once they learned the power, they couldn't bare the thought that people had to die for them to have their bodies back, these are children who were living years like this to the point that Al wasn't so sure if he was even who he thought he was. They dont want others to hurt because of their mistakes.

But Mustang, He's older, he saw death first hand. Had a hand in it even, many times would not hesitate. Murdered Lust with so much hatred and almost got to Envy with that same fury. He pushed his way to the top of the military. He lived in slums, he knew what people did when they have the power to hurt others

And when he was given the choice to gain his sight back, he took it.

Just because there is a magic that could fix everything does not mean its right. Does not mean it should. Everything is an exchange.

Be creative if you are so worried about being out of "setting" like fucking hell, this is why people decorate their stuff, you're just boring.

I dont wake up every morning wishing I had magic so I can see without glasses, I want magic so I can teleport. Priorities!

This really pissed me off in twitter recently. Disabled people belong in every type of setting. If we aren't there, your worldbuilding sucks.

[abstractmouse]

Alright, so I finished all the story branches from the FMA mobile Valentine's event, and I've compiled a summary/translation. Now let me preface with this: I do not know Japanese. I can read katakana, hiragana, and a handful of kanji, and I know basic sentence structure. So 99% of this is from Google Translate, and it may not be 100% accurate. It is long. I included some screenshots. With that being said, the summary is under the cut.

Chapter 1

It seems to be a dream sequence. There's this novel called Two Phantom Thieves that has become a sensation across Amestris, and everyone, including Roy Mustang, is reading it. He falls asleep while doing paperwork and imagines himself and Hawkeye as the titular thieves. It seems they have a rivalry, always hunting the same treasure. On their latest heist, they are caught in a trap set by Detective Hughes (with Havoc and Breda on his squad), and instead of fighting for the treasure, they have to work together to escape.

After escaping, Phantom Thief M (Roy) asks Phantom Thief H (Riza) to look at the moon with him and chat for awhile. She expresses her gratitude that their combined effort allowed her to escape. Roy says something along the lines of "We work well together. If we joined up, we could steal any treasure in the world." Riza is not keen on the idea. Apparently, she steals for the poor, while Roy steals for the wealth and fame. He says he has higher goals than wealth and fame and wants to change things from the top. Riza is surprised at the idealism and asks if he really thinks he can do it. He says he would tell her all about it, but the police are coming. Riza remarks that he seems different than usual, but regardless, next time the treasure is hers. She leaves and Roy has a moment where he reflects on her true identity and decides to have some fun with it.

The next scene shows that the Phantom Thieves have day jobs as reporters for the very same newspaper (return of glasses!Riza here). Their boss wants them to cover an event featuring the Eternal Chocolate Heart, but the viewing is only open to couples. Their assignment is to pose as lovers in order to write an article about the treasure. There is also something about alchemical research being revealed at the party and a competition for the alchemists to win the heart or something like that. Set up for the fighting portion of the event. It’s said that whoever touches the heart will be blessed with eternal love. Roy thinks to himself that this will be his next treasure hunt as Phantom Thief M.

Chapter 2

Reporters Mustang and Hawkeye arrive at the party, which is being hosted by Alex and Catherine at the Armstrong mansion. Hawkeye is holding Mustang’s arm stiffly, going over the type of information that they need for their article. Mustang says something like, “I know we’re just acting, but if you don’t seem a little more natural, they’ll find out we’re not a couple.” She ignores that and continues observing the situation.

Detectives Havoc and Breda are there, chatting with Catherine. Detective Hughes is also present with Gracia and Elycia. Hughes wants to get the Eternal Chocolate Heart for his daughter.

Armstrong gathers everyone and reveals the Eternal Chocolate Heart on a small table in the middle of the room, explaining that it has been imbued with alchemy. It’s divided into 4 pieces, and he says whoever eats one will be granted some kind of power, which works best when shared between two people. For that reason, they’ll be giving it as a prize to one of the couples tonight.

On the table, Armstrong is shocked to find that there are two envelopes: a pink one with the letter H and a blue one with the letter M. Notices from the Phantom Thieves. Armstrong then announces that if the thieves are here, stealing isn’t necessary. He invites them to join the competition as well. Mustang thinks to himself that it may be better to just do it fair and square.

Then the chocolate at the center of the table… disappears? Idk this part is a little unclear. Regardless, it was a decoy. The real chocolate is hidden in a labyrinth under the mansion. The winner will be whichever couple successfully recovers the chocolate.

Riza pretends to be dizzy, presumably so she can get away from Mustang and transform into the Phantom Thief. Roy also dons his disguise during this time. 

In the fight sequence, the Phantom Thieves have appeared again, and Detective Hughes and his squad are all over the place. They agree to join up again and manage to lose them.

Chapter 3

Another couple at the party, Bard and Emma, have progressed a little further and are in the gardens, but there’s a puzzle they can’t solve. They hide and try to let someone else figure out the mechanism instead.

Roy shows up and notices Riza has escaped to the same place as him. Annoyed, she says she was just about to stop him with her bullet. Roy flirts and says something like “I wish I had the time to celebrate our reunion.” Riza says she’s got some information to share: they’ll have to solve the mystery together to progress, but “We’re only working together for now! The chocolate is still mine.” Roy notes that the chocolate is in four pieces, and they could just share it. But Riza says that only half of the chocolate isn’t worth as much, and she needs to help as many poor people as she can. Roy agrees, and the matter is dropped as they solve the puzzles.

They notice Bard and Emma are following them. The story branches slightly here depending on player choice:

3A: Pursue Emma and Bard

This leads to a small fight sequence. Emma wants to get the treasure before the Phantom Thieves to ridicule them. After they run away, Riza looks pensive. Roy asks what’s bothering her. She says, “Nothing, I was just wondering if I could use them to get one up on you somehow.” Roy says “Well I’ll just continue to keep my guard up…”

3B: Ignore Them

Nothing really happens during this option. They get through the puzzle and Riza makes some remark about getting the treasure before Roy.

The different paths lead to slightly different versions of chapter 4.

Chapter 4-1 (Choose option 3A)

Mustang and Hawkeye are getting closer to the center of the labyrinth. They seem to be the first ones to get this far. Bard and Emma come up on them again. Mustang asks if Hawkeye is going to launch a surprise attack on him after helping her solve the mystery (?? I think. This could be directed at Bard and Emma). She says “I’ll watch your back. You focus on solving the puzzle.”

Roy goes through the puzzle (following a rabbit through the right flowers). Bard and Emma followed again. Now Bard wants to fight, but they are overwhelmed by the Phantom Thieves' synergy. Bard decides to fight another time and runs. 

Chapter 4-2 (Choose option 3B)

Bard and Emma have reached this point of the labyrinth before Roy and Riza. They are apparently not very good at puzzles and are lost again. They decide to hide again and let someone else figure it out. Roy and Riza arrive on the scene and chase the rabbit together this time. They arrive at the center of the labyrinth and note that it is eerily quiet and that it shouldn’t have been this easy. 

Bard and Emma launch a surprise attack. Roy says, “They seem to be quite skilled. Can I trust you with my back?” Riza says “It’s an honor to have your trust. Let’s win this.” Bard and Emma are overwhelmed by their synergy and run to fight another time.

In either path, the chapter ends by cutting to Detective Hughes with his family. They hear the fighting, so Hughes goes ahead of them to secure the path. He wants to catch the Phantom Thieves and get the chocolate for Elycia.

Chapter 5

Ngl this bit was a little confusing, so idk how accurate this is.

Hughes, Havoc, and Breda are blocking the next section. As they try to get through, Mustang tells Hawkeye that their only goal is the chocolate, so she should go on ahead. It seems the fight can’t be avoided, so they fight together. Roy remarks that it would do the detectives better to just solve the puzzles rather than try to chase them. Riza points out that Hughes’s family seems to have disappeared. The traps in this next section have tiles that make you teleport to another location.

They agree to truce and work together here. Roy doesn’t like the idea of a small child being all alone. 

Chapter 6

Gracia and Elycia were teleported just outside the labyrinth.

Cut to the group inside. The puzzle has a bunch of tiles that all need to be activated. They have to work together. Hughes wishes his family were here to solve it with him. He hears Elycia encourage him from outside the maze somehow??? Riza remarks that she’s just happy his family is safe.

Now that the tiles have been activated, all that’s left are for the 6 remaining tiles to be stepped on at the same time. However, they only have 5 people present. Emma comes out from hiding, saying Bard left because he was sick of losing. Now they have 6. They step on the tiles, and some creatures come out, guarding the chocolate heart that appears in the middle. They all have to fight to reach the treasure.

The ending is determined by which character you let grab the heart.

6-A: Riza gets the heart

Phantom Thief H reaches the heart first, announcing her victory, but Phantom Thief M pulls some trick and manages to snatch it. He says it’s not over yet. They can still catch him as he escapes from the labyrinth.

6-B: Roy gets the heart

Roy says, “The treasure is mine, Phantom Thief H. With this, I can reach the top.” He starts posturing, announcing to everyone that he got the heart. He says it’s not over yet. They can still catch him as he escapes from the labyrinth.

6-C: Any other character gets the heart

Exactly the same as 6-A, but replace Phantom Thief H with Hughes, Havoc, Breda, or Emma.

On a high balcony, Alex and Catherine are watching. Catherine says it’s finally her turn.

The story’s final ending is determined by your choice in this chapter.

Chapter 7

Roy is running away, noting that the party started at night, but it’s already dawn. As he is escaping, he falls into Bard’s trap, where he was waiting for the winner. He releases poison gas, disabling Roy. The fight sequence is against multiple Hugheses, caused by Roy’s confusion from the poisoning. 

Riza runs onto the scene and says she can’t let her partner lose to such cowardly tricks and helps him. Roy asks why she doesn’t just take the chocolate and run. She says she doesn’t want to win with dirty tactics and wants to beat him fair and square.

Catherine appears and determines that the bond between them is real (???) and leads them to the exit. Alex declares the Phantom Thieves as the winners as they emerge, but Roy is still affected by the poison, being supported by Riza. He mentions that the chocolate has the power of healing as well.

Riza lays Roy across her lap on a bench as she feeds him the chocolate.

Havoc, Breda, and Hughes wonder what they were fighting for to begin with or something and says they all worked together to solve the mystery.

Catherine and Alex talk about their intention with the chocolate. Apparently it was designed to make people work together, which is why she held the tournament.

Meanwhile, the chocolate seems to have worked. Mustang says “I feel a lot better. Thank you for your help, Phantom Thief H… or should I say, my colleague, Ms. Hawkeye?” Hawkeye grits her teeth but doesn’t say anything. He asks again if she will be his partner. He says if they work together, they can change the world. “After challenging the labyrinth with you and being rescued so many times, I’m convinced.” Hawkeye still doesn’t give an answer. He says not to rush. She can give him the answer soon.

Cut to Catherine and Alex again. She says the effects of the chocolate are maximized between two people with a particularly strong bond, which was proven by the Phantom Thieves. Alex says something like, “Too bad it only lasts 15 minutes…” lol. Hughes snaps out of it and shouts, “What the hell am I doing?!”

Back in reality, Mustang is woken up at his desk by Lieutenant Hawkeye. She says he must have been dreaming, since he was stirring and making noise in his sleep.

Roy tells her about the dream he had.

Chapter 7-1 (Choose option 6-A)

He says, at the end of the dream, they were able to escape from their pursuers after a fierce battle. It cuts back to the dream sequence.

Phantom Thief M and Phantom Thief H are overlooking the grounds where the chocolate was. Mustang remarks that the chocolate makes people want to join hands together. He says he wants to give Hawkeye the rest of the chocolate. She is a bit skeptical. He says it’s so that he can “join hands with her” and he asks for her to be his partner again. She says that they were only allies temporarily for the competition, and their rivalry stands. She says instead of relying on chocolate to steal her heart, he should try stealing it with his own hands. Roy says he seems to have decided his next target.

Cut back to the real world. (biiiiig question mark about all of this:) Hawkeye remarks that she can’t believe he gave away all the chocolate in the end, but that sounds like him after all. Roy says that his rival was one step ahead a few times (?????), and a woman’s heart is deeper than the sea. Hawkeye says, “Even so, I’m intrigued by the novel that inspired that dream. I might find time to read it.”

Chapter 7-2 (Choose option 6-B)

He says, at the end of the dream, they were able to escape from their pursuers after a fierce battle. It cuts back to the dream sequence.

Phantom Thief M gives Phantom Thief H part of the chocolate. She asks why he would give her some when he was the one who won. He says, “If it’s mine, then half is yours, since you’re my partner.” She says she never gave him an answer. He replies, “But you’re here now. Can I still expect to see you by the beautiful moon?” (not 100% on that translation either) They hold hands in the moonlight.

Cut back to the real world. Hawkeye says that they have to continue to work hard to reach their goal, and she will continue to watch Mustang’s back. “Even so, I’m intrigued by the novel that inspired that dream. I might find time to read it.”

Chapter 7-3 (Choose option 6-C)

He says, at the end of the dream, Hawkeye escaped under the cover of heavy rain, but he was caught by Detective Hughes, who was chasing him. It cuts back to the dream sequence.

Mustang is being apprehended by Hughes while Hawkeye looks on from atop a tall building. She says that even though he may be a perfect phantom thief, his only weakness is water. All this heavy rain was just bad luck. She then says, “It’s sad that there’s no one left to compete with, but I’ll make your dreams come true some day.”

Cut back to the real world. Hawkeye says, “Even in your dreams, you’re useless on rainy days. What a shame.” Mustang says, “Don’t look at me with such pity, Lieutenant…” Hawkeye then says, “Even so, I’m intrigued by the novel that inspired that dream. I might find time to read it.”

END

[clonerightsagenda]

ashe-thedynastqueen

When FMA 2003 was airing this was a question as many including within Japan saw parallels with the Iraq War and Aikawa's actual influence the Russo-Japanese war. Much of this discussion and introspection has been lost once FMA:B/the manga took over as it's focus shifted the systemic issues onto Father so it became a non-existent thought to the point that the tribunals Mustang wanted weren't talked about again nor done. 1/2

Arakawa has Ainu blood but grew up with no cultural ties to them so IMO her handling of Ishval came from being of the Yamato majority, aware of its imperialism but not knowing what reconciliation/restorative justice looks like from the side of the oppressed thus Ishvalans having no say in what Roy/Marcoh do. As a Black American thats a common pitfall of allies where (subconsciously) absolving their complicity feels like the goal vs being oppressed people's megaphone 2/2

FMA 03 has come up a few times in discussion around this post and I do think I'd appreciate its handling of Ishval and the military; unfortunately some of the other stuff I've heard about it is enough of a turnoff that I can't bring myself to invest time into watching it. Re: the tribunals, one could argue that Roy is waiting until he becomes the country's leader so he can force them to happen, but the longer he waits the more it seems like stalling. While I get the desire to not end your children's adventure manga with war crime trials, it is a glaring absence after hearing so much about his and Riza's motivation.

Regarding Arakawa's Ainu heritage, I've wondered if Hohenheim is an attempt to grapple with that. You're from a group of people whose deaths aided the creation of the nation you now live in. You've been cut off from your culture but also benefit in this new society directly from their suffering. He shares blood with the victims and perpetrators of Xerxes' destruction. Of course there's the additional layer of him having been enslaved and accidentally being complicit in Xerxes' undoing, both of which complicate that parallel.

Finally, I'm a white American, so while I find these 'are we the baddies?' stories interesting as something I have to grapple with as a privileged settler, I 100% get that they can come across very differently to people with different positionalities. I enjoy FMA/FMAB (mangahood I've seen it called?). I also think it has flaws and elements I wish it would have delved deeper into, and I can see why it could be offputting or frustrating to others.

[regardingroyai]

I love your comments and tags, @aicasey​, @musing-and-music​, and @dairogo​! Many thanks to you! <3

Wonderful comments and tags quoted under the cut. Some spoilers.

From @aicasey​:

100% I'll add that, the only time Roy gets upset with Riza and legit scolds her is right after the battle with Lust. "Never give up the will to live!!!" he yells at her. And the thing that makes Roy give up on his rampage against Envy in the tunnel is when Riza admits that she has no intention of living on after he's gone. All in all, it's also a very similar message that he conveys to the Elric brothers the first time they meet. The idea that they can either wallow in self-pity, or seize opportunities and move forward, i.e. live on. #team mustang <3

From @musing-and-music​:

#it's a constant order they've been given and they give their everything to respect it #they know roy cares for them and they do the same for him #roy mustang #riza hawkeye #kain fuery #vato falman #team mustang #royai #hiromu arakawa #fma manga

From @dairogo​:

When Roy and Riza looked at the innocent lives they took in the war they really did say, "our lives are not our own anymore - we are beholden to those we killed." #I love how the whole team takes this on

“Live”

Reflections regarding Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye (and all of the other members of the Mustang Unit as well) | Spoilers | Multiple chapters—including Chapters 61, 78, 87, 97, and 101—of Hiromu Arakawa’s Fullmetal Alchemist manga

From the time that he forms the Mustang Unit to the Promised Day, Roy has a consistent core message for the team. 

When Roy first assembles the unit, he says, “No matter what happens, stubbornly cling to your will to survive. Live and help to change this country.” 

When Riza requests his orders for the unit members who meet him in the underground on the Promised Day, Roy responds with “Don’t die! That is all!”

And Roy’s team appears to take his consistent core message to heart. 

While under fire in the Fotset trenches, Fuery declares, “I’m gonna survive!! I’m gonna survive no matter what!!” 

While standing up to a sword-wielding Wrath at Central City Headquarters, Falman muses, “I’m sorry, Colonel Mustang…but I…I think I’ve reached the end of my road...” 

After her neck is cut near Father’s lair, Riza promises Roy, “I won’t die…I’ve been given orders…not to die.” 

And fortunately, the whole team survives.