#when i say oroborus i really mean it

[tallbluelady]

To Obtain a Bird's Eye

2.1k. In an oroborus relationship with these gposes.

Rowan felt the hairs on the back of her neck prick up and slowed her pace behind the twins. They were more than ready to explore the higher portion of Kholusia and had started running ahead in a sort of youthful race. She was easy enough to spot even from a distance, so she wasn't worried that they would lose her.

"Didn't you already say your piece at the base of the elevator?" Rowan asked before Emet-Selch stepped out of the wispy portal entirely.

"Well, I thought of aught else to say. Besides that, I wanted to share the view." He motioned to the cliff edge and started to make his way over there.

Rowan turned and watched where the twins were heading. There was a settlement someway off - obviously they would make their way there. Besides that, she should take advantage of Emet-Selch's chatty mood. While she wasn't much of a conversationalist herself, surely there would be something useful to be gleaned from this conversation.

"So, what is it you want, Emet-Selch?" Rowan asked as she approached the cliff's edge.

"What, I can't have a conversation with a co-conspirator?" He turned up to her and gave that strangely sincere smile. "Good will has to be earned on both sides, and I do believe I've earned a conversation's worth. And it's not like you'll be missed for the moment - there's a minor Sin Eater for those precocious children to deal with. Easily slain, but not something to be ignored. So let's chat."

She turned to go help them, but the Ascian shook his head and tsked.

"If aught goes awry, then I shall be the first to aid them, I promise you." He put his hand on his heart. "They're perfectly safe, and more importantly for our conversation, perfectly occupied."

Rowan glared at him but sat down anyways. He had his legs dangling over the cliff edge, as if it were only a few fulms high. She sat with her legs tucked under her.

"Ah, but to obtain a bird's eye is to turn a blizzard to a breeze!" He gestured grandly to the land below them. He frowned when Rowan had no reaction. "Really, you don't recognize that?"

Rowan shrugged and shook her head. "I'll keep it in mind the next time I try to write a song though."

"I wouldn't have pegged you as a bard, I must admit. But you do have such a lovely voice. And such lovely aim, too."

Rowan gave a small hum in reply. It felt... well, she wasn't really wont to accept compliments from most people, so it wasn't really any stranger to hear such things come from a sworn enemy, actually. She said so to Emet-Selch, trying to see why he was being so liberal with his compliments.

"For as far flung as your deeds are, and all the good you have done... my, my, it seems you have completely over corrected. Much like this light blasted shard."

"Does it... hurt you to be here?" Rowan asked. "I must admit that it stings my eyes if I stare up at that veil of light that covers the sky."

"Much like you, tis only a mild inconvenience to be here. Mild, but noticeable. And worthy of my complaint."

"Well, I don't see you do too much to deal with it. So what's the point of complaining?"

"Tis an art in unto itself, Warrior of Light."

"Darkness," Rowan corrected.

"You seem so ready to take that title."

"It's what the people need me to be." She shrugged.

Emet-Selch gave her a look of... pity? Twas a soft sort of disappointment that made Rowan far more uncomfortable than his compliments on her voice.

"Why should I care about the exact words? It's their way of complimenting me. I'm their bringer of night. It's a title, not my name. It's not like they've suddenly started to call me the wrong plant like 'Mint' or something." She felt herself rambling. Anything to get rid of that look.

If anything, her words imbued more pain to his eyes. Why -?

There was a crash in the direction of the elevator. They must have gotten the thing back down to the lower part of Kholusia and had a hard time settling the moving platform. That's all Rowan could guess. By the time she turned back to say aught to Emet-Selch, he had vanished. Whether it was back to the Void or just some form of invisibility, she had no clue. So she dusted herself off and turned to find her comrades. She hoped she hadn't doomed them.

*   *   *   *

Rowan was surprised at the volume of things that got done while she escorted the Exarch around Kholusia. She focused on the amount of people swarming the place, bringing a large Talos to life rather than how G'raha Tia seemed so intent on keeping his secret.

I'm sure he has his reasons... but with his cousin here on the First... and that story...

"What needs to be done?" she asked Dulia.

"Everything seems to be in order, at least according to my lovely Chai." Dulia beamed. "As you're the one going to storm the mountain, I insist that you take a rest."

"Oh, I've been much more tired when I've faced worse before." Rowan waved her hand dismissively.

There was a special glint in Dulia's eyes after she heard that. "Is that true? Then mayhap I'll have to have a few stern words with your comrades about your work conditions..."

Rowan gulped. It was one thing she took the punishment, but another to have others take it in her stead. "Where should I sit?"

With that said, Dulia's look turned back to her regular sweet self and she guided Rowan to a spare wagon. She was given an apple, and a pat on the hand before Dulia left to "go find the others who were to ascend the mountain". Rowan scanned across the way, finding various Scions handing out supplies or otherwise just delegating to others, which apparently was restful enough to avoid Dulia's ire. Somewhere along the way, Ryne had found some wildflowers and was passing them out to those in rest. It seemed she had inherited that same sort of spirit from Minfilia, or only girls with that sort of spark within them could hold the ability to become the Oracle of Light.

"Urianger, you're supposed to be resting!" the young woman scowled up to him.

"Idle hands are oft not restful hands, my dear," he said, still moving boxes.

"Then keep Rowan company. She looks awfully lonely over there." She handed him a few flowers. "You can hold these for her. Then your hands won't be idle."

Rowan turned just as Urianger turned towards her. She guessed he probably saw her watching based on his reaction. "I do suppose keeping the Warrior of Darkness from exhausting herself doth be a worthy cause..."

"It is!"

Rowan took a deep breath and tried to remain calm as Urianger approached her. She was feeling rather shy again. Which was patently ridiculous, she had been around him before. He was one of the few people she had been most comfortable around! Mayhap all the light aether was affecting her...

"May I take this seat beside thee?" he asked.

"You're always welcome to, Urianger," she answered, "I'm starting to think that question is a game."

He smiled as he sat and handed Rowan a bunch of flowers from Ryne. "A gift from our Oracle of Light. Any sterner, and I fear she'd become a warden ready to carry out punishments for our transgressions."

Rowan gave a chuckle and started twirling the stem. "This reminds me of the flowers my father would tuck into my hair when he'd come home. I wonder if it came by Rak'tika or if the kind of flower on the Source came to Gridania by La Noscea."

Urianger turned the remaining flowers in his hand and considered them. "That, I know not. This particular bloom isn't known for any medicinal purposes, so my knowledge of its attributes are sorely lacking. That it is beautiful I can plainly see. Though I would like to test how it amplifies the beauty of others, if thou wilt permit me."

Rowan gave him a confused look before she realized that he wanted to put the flower in her hair, like how her father would.

"Oh... aye. You can go ahead." She tucked some of her hair behind her ear shyly. She was feeling a little giddy at the type of attention he was giving.

Gentle fingers tucked in the stem into her hair, and trailed whisper soft down her jaw. Rowan had to swallow to keep her heart from leaping from her throat.

Yet Urianger looked slightly vexed. "How strange..."

"What is?" Rowan asked.

"The bloom, while beautiful in of itself, doth very little to improve thine appearance. A man of lesser learning would surmiseth that the flower hath no effect on its environs."

"But you are not a man of lesser learning, oh wise Archon." Rowan tapped his tattooed cheek. She could figure where he was going with this, but waited for the pay off.

Urianger smiled, and averted his eyes from her hand. Rowan could swear that a hint of blush was rising to his cheeks. "Indeed. Ahem. So it only standeth to reason that the effects of the flower must needs be correlated to the environs it effecteth. A grassy knoll, for example, must stand to benefit tremendously from the bloom. But a visage so full of grace and beauty as thine can only standeth to gain little."

She smiled shyly to the ground. "I have to thank your apt reading, ser. What would Ryne think if she was told her flowers brought not one speck of beauty to the world?"

"Oh, perish the thought. Very few can beareth the kind of beauty thou bringest."

Rowan hummed a happy note and let the conversation drop. Had it been any other person making a pass at her, they'd be worried at her silence. They'd assume something was wrong with her and they'd try to fill the quiet space with concern.

Urianger, instead, moved closer. He leaned in such a way that if she really wanted to, she could lean against him.

And she found that she really did want to.

So she let herself.

He didn't wrap his arm around her, though Rowan would have welcomed the gesture. But this was a real, tangible connection and it was enough for her at the moment. She rested her cheek on his shoulder and enjoyed the simple contact between them.

"You're keeping your promise," she said.

"What promise in particular, pray tell? I fear I may be making more promises than I can keep track of."

"That we'd have more moments like we did in Rak'tika. I don't know if I could have gotten so far without you."

It was then his turn to let the conversation lull as he gave a similar hum to Rowan's. She let him think and watched the chaos of hundreds of hands working towards a common goal. Something seemed to want to warn her about his current silence, of his talk of promises. But she felt as though they were both traversing thin ice here. And the silence felt more stable than the stones around them.

* * * *

It almost made him retch to see her being treated so... tenderly. Emet-Selch had to vanish into the Void for a moment to compose himself.

That the Warrior of Light - or Darkness, now - looked like her... past incarnations had some features of her. It was either that they were tall women, green haired, or silver eyed. A few of them - surprisingly mostly the men - walked with the same grace that had drawn his eye since they were young. But this one. Twas almost her splitting image if she weren't blue of all things. She even had that same shy smile.

And the use of her name! Sure, it was clipped at the end... But it was the same botanical that had vexed him for ages. Certainly, she didn't know who she truly was. How could she?

She wasn't even close to her power, her prowess. That Rowan girl could barely cast magic without some sort of crutch. Whether it was having to have a battle high or that... paltry, frankly ridiculous excuse for a wizard paw at her. How dare he -

No.

No.

Emet-Selch drew a shaky breath. Then another. He would not let himself fall to jealousy over that malformed creature that wore her face. Not again. Never again. He had a duty. If she could hold the Light back, then maybe, maybe, she would be enough to...

He didn't deign to finish that thought. He left it hanging, tantalizingly close. His breathing finally steadied enough to return to the wretched light bathed shard. At the very least, those Scions seemed to know how to put up a good show. And if it was up against his pet Vauthry... he might even be entertained for a moment.

[my-little-corner-of-hc]

Ok but tossing some thoughts/hc I have putting them out into the world about touchstarved.

Leander: Has some major greed vibes going on with all the green going on his palette it doesn’t help that he has this way of even if you try to say no such as touching his hand he’ll still make you do it. Man will get what he wants regardless but he doesn’t do it in a scummy way but in a very charming way which is fucking terrifying because something like that takes practice and knowledge and we get little hints that he’s had other escapades before so you know he’s had time.I also took time to look up the Oroborus symbol of his earring because I only had vague memories from FMA about it but some places are saying shape shifting is a key element so makes me think that Leander short of makes himself appear differently for different people. I don’t mean psychically but he short of molds him self to the group he’s in and endear himself to different people. But this is a very shady view of this character mind you take with a lot of salt because we legit only had say with me folks one chapter so it’s easy to make things bigger or smaller in your head when you have little to go on.I might be making mountains out of mole hills here.Try to keep your hype in check so you don’t get disappointed.

Ais : there’s clearly more going on the biggest factor is going to be what happened to his group was the pact he made because they where in danger or killed or were they killed by his pact.Clearly Ais is a character that has a lot of hidden depth as on face value it’s very easy to write him off as but the classical otome bad boy with a heart of gold. When in reality he hasn’t done anything that could be considered bad in classical way. Y e s he has done bad things like threaten us but he doesn’t fit the mold of being a rude or stand-offish. Rather as a man that hurts people he views as deserving of it as he didn’t hurt us even going as far as stoping us from showing him our hands when we really show to be uncomfortable with that but beating up the rough neck that threatened us. In fact I feel it’s a bit of the inverse he wears his emotions on his sleeve but maybe over years or just life learned to ether keep in check or down play them for his own and other’s safety keep people at arms length. I find it interesting that they chose a monster of all races to be the warlock of the group seeing as monsters seem to be more physically capable than humans, but that’s just the vibe it’s not really stated in lore yet or anything just a vibe. And it shows how anyway no matter how powerful can fall for the allure of power or an easy out.

[theagents23]

The Agents 2

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The Rise Of Fat Black - Part 2

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*Along the beautiful sun bathed coast of Bolivia, a village of favelas overlooks an ancient ruin reclaimed by nature and teaming with life and foliage. Fat Black had formed an alliance with some ambitious locals, who'd put together a large team of workers ready to clear the brush so they could raid and remove the stone structures. The plan was to use the land for coca and popeye fields despite the numerous warning from the elders of the village. Fat Black didn't care, his thirst for conquest too great to be warded away by superstition. Upon raiding the site for valuable artifacts, the team of workers came across something they couldn't make heads or tails of. At 23:00 hours they summoned Fat Black to La Botanica De Castanos to observe a glowing golden disc. 

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Fat Black: That's an oroborus.

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Worker: Que eso?

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Fat Black: Usually it's a snake eating it's tail, but this one seems to be a dragon.

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Worker: How much?

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Fat Black: Couple grand, unless we find someone to appraise it, then it could be more but that costs money up front. Is that all you found?

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Worker: Nah, this was just interesting to me personally. What I really wanted to show you is inside.

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*The worker leads Slim past the lanterns and tents pitched outside, through the entrance hall lined with torches and lanterns, past the room where three men were sawing away at the braces holding a large golden idol in place. They Come upon a room with a large stone alter in the center and the worker turns around beaming with excitement.*

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Worker: This was the sacrifice room. Check out the hieroglyphs, they're like instructions on how the ritual was performed.

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Fat Black: You called me out here for this?

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Worker: The people they'd sacrifice would usually have personal affects on them; you know jewelery, ornamentations, trinkets n shit. But they weren't petty thieves so they gathered whatever they had on them once they were done and put it somewhere sacred. 

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*The worker pushes the top of the alter and it slides open. When Fat Black walks around it to see what was inside his eyes grow wide with excitement. It was full of golden jewelry and decorative pieces, it was a real live treasure chest.*

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Fat Black: Why didn't you bring this out of here, you didn't need to leave it in here just to show me, we got work to do. What am I paying you for?

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*The worker snickers.*

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Worker: Cuz yo, none of us are touchin that shit. Do you see what's mixed in there? Those are human teeth and jaw bones. This is a mass grave of all the people who died here's shit. Those are pieces of them or the people they killed. Now we got what we wanted from the rest of the place but we figure fair is fair, this here is yours if you want it. If not we'll find a buyer. But I just figured we let you get a look so you can decide for yourself. 

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Fat Black:  I don't give a fuck, of course I want it. 

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Worker: Yeah, well the elders told us what's happened to everyone who's come here thinking they could take what they want. I'm happy with what I got but if you want all that you're gonna have to haul it out yourself. They're all decided on how they feel about it and I can pretty much say the same. To be honest it kind of freaks me out being in here.

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Fat Black: Whatever, I'll take this piece right here for now.

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*As the boss slid the ring off of the skeletal finger, screams of agony are heard from outside. He drops both and the two men tear from the room. When they reach outside they see a bunch of men crowded around one laying on the ground motionless.*

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Worker: QUE PASO!?

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*A group of frantic men crowd around Fat Black's worker giving their accounts of what had taken place.*

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Fat Black: WELL?

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Worker: They said something big picked this dude up in it's mouth, tore a chunk out of him, and then took off into the woods. 

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Fat Black: What do you mean something big? What the hell could've done that?

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Worker: They don't know.

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Fat Black: Aw hell no, VERNON! GET ME MY RIFLE!

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*Vernon yells back from off in the distance.*

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Vernon: THE BIG ONE OR THE LIL ONE!?

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Fat Black: BOTH!

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*Slim looks back at the worker named Jose.*

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Fat Black: Tell the boys we goin huntin.

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[rideroftheoctocorn]

Thoughts on the FMA live action movie (part 1 of 2) (spoilers)

- is this actually a Netflix original or one of those things that came out in Japan first and Netflix slapped a logo on it when they got it?

- Ed is 1000% angst so far. Nice.

- Al has a man voice. Not a kid voice. I guess puberty even gets suits of armor.

- somehow haven’t mentioned Ed being short yet

- why is everyone so brooding

- the effects are cool so far

- Winry is all excitement with no sass

- OH NO NINA AND ALEXANDER ARE ADORABLE I DONT WANT TO SEE THE BAD THING HAPPEN AGAIN

- they switched around some stuff okay but I can still follow

- a lot of train rides

- I think they replaces the Fhurer with the General?

- Dr Marco!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Lust is confronting Hughes and jejsjfjeieuifsuueue HE JUST GOT STABBED BY HER FINGER AND SHE GOT KNIFED IN THE FACE OH SHIT

- OH NO WERE AT THE PHONE BOOTH IM NOT READY

- HE DROPPED THE PICTURE OF HIS FAMILY

- NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIIIOOOOOI ENVY DISGUISED AS ROY I CANT

- 52 minutes in and I have no idea what they’re gonna throw at me

- Ed was arrested?

- Ed finds out about Hughes really quickly

- Ed has been angst boy for 90% of this movie

- OH THEY HAVE MUSTANG AS THE SUSPECT FOR HUGHES DEATH NOW

- BUT WHAT ABOUT ENVY DISGUISING AS GRACIA?

- Tucker is free?!?!

- oh shit Hawkeye and short boy have teamed up and are going against the system

- now they’re going to lab 5

- MuStAnG hAs BeEn CoRnErEd WhAt WiLL hApPEn nExT? WhO wILL sAvE Him?

- Oh wait it’s Maria Ross

- never mind she’s arresting Roy for killing Hughes

- you can’t shoot Roy Mustang the flame alchemist

- HE ABOUT TO SNAP

- THEN THE SQUAD COMES IN WITH THAT CAR

- HE SNAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

- MARIA IS BURNING OH MY GOD

- HE SNAPP AGAIN

- WAIT THAT GOT A MAN VOICE AT THE END THATS ENVY AS MARIA ROSS

- ENVYYT IS BACK AOIRKEKE

- ROY SAID THE THING ABOUT THE MOLE ON THE CHEEK INSTEAD OF HUGHES

- Envy shops at Hot Topic

- I like the music that goes with lust

- how does Mustang know they’re homonculi just from the oroborus tattoos? Wasn’t there a whole big arc about this in FMAB? I know it’s a movie so they have to condense but AHH.

- There’s a lot being exposed about Maes’ murder right now in front of a lot of people

- OH WE ARE GOING BACK TO THE PHONE BOOTH I THINK THIS IS WHERE ENVY TURNS INTO GRACIAAAAAAAAA

- OH GOD THEY DID THE GRACIA THING I FEEL SO SAD FOR MAES HE JUST WANTS A GOOD LIFE

- I really just had to watch Maes Hughes die again.

- Hughes just revealed lab 5 is an old POW camp, not the cannery!!!! The plot thickens!!

- conveniently lust reveals all her plans

- they mentioned Ishval but there is no Scar yet

- I just noticed gluttony has no pupils or irises

- gluttony is really going all out with his monster stomach, I thought he only saved it for special occasions

- that WADDLE

- Roy just got STABBED by a lust finger

- and she just waltzes out

- what is going oooooon

- they still haven’t gone to the 5th laboratory

- it’s all out of OooooOOoOrder but I’m trying to keep an open mind because it is an adaptation not just remaking the show

- Tucker kidnapped Al?! Whomst?

- AND HE HAS WINRY? WHEN? WHOMST?

- it has also just occurred to be that this is taking place over a very short amount of time

- maybe that’s why all the characters are such an emotional mess

- “REMOVE YOUR ARM!!”

- he RIPPED it off. Wow.

- tucker wants to embed a soul in an object?

- they gave tucker a philosophers stone?

- Ed how are you JUST noticing the giant transmutation circle?

- angst boy is back.

- how does this version of Ed get anything done he’s always so sad (and screaming)

- wow he’s screaming a lot

- flashback to the making of a philosophers stone nbd

- oh that’s A LOT of stones. that’s too many

- I think tucker felt left out for not making stones with the science squad in lab 5

- tucker decided he doesn’t want Ed and Al to have their bodies

- why is Tucker the main villain? I mean, I guess they can take that direction but you can’t have the homonculi without Father? Or at the very least you can use the FMA 1st show method and say human transmutation created them.

- I have a feeling they’re going to kill tucker

- my feeling was correct

- oh those FINGERS impaled him real good

- lust gets shit done

- general hakuro? What are you doing here? You couldn’t possibly be wrath now could you?

- tucker figured out how to use stones?

- I thought the ceiling looked funny. I just didn’t realize it was zombie army up there. Huh. I guess that’s an efficient way to store your undead army.

- are lust and the general putting on a show for Ed because they’re arguing about who can control the zombie dudes (I know they’re not actual zombies but you know what I mean). Unless this movie is going in a different direction with the general than I think it is.... 🍿

- there’s 30 minutes left and I really don’t know how they are going to wrap this up.

- oooooooh the general is sending philosophers stones to the zombie men!!

- he’s very happy with himself

- they’re so uglyyyyyyyyyyyy

- AHH THEYRE JUST FALLING TO THE GROUND IN THESE PILES AFTER BEING DROPPED LIKE BOMBS EW

- general hakuro thinks he can control these guys and NOT get eaten alive by them? Sure, Jan.

- oh god they called him papa now i gotta kink shame the zombies

- wow they IMMEDIATELY ate him.

- naked zombies are on the loose walking at a moderate pace to destroy humanity

- never mind gluttony is just gonna eat everything

- and mustang is just burning them all down

- I feel like Hawkeye hasn’t done anything yet

- why is she found scared face? She’s RIZA MOTHERFUCKING HAWKEYE she can shoot everyone?

- Ed is kicking ass right now but he also left his arm behind.

- oh my god Winry was hiding in Al. That’s a mood.

- when did Ed grab his arm back?

- Roy is doing the thing where he’s gonna kill envy but lust is also there so I guess he’s just gonna kill them both?

- THIS IS THE SCEEEEEEEENE WHERE HE KILLS LUST AND ITS SIMILAR TO THE ANIME AND THAT BRINGS ME JOY