#which is why we ended up getting ''a heart made fullmetal'' instead

[evilkitten3]

you have. no idea how hard it was for me to find this....

anyway, i'm just gonna do the relevant panel, but i can come back and translate the others as well if anyone wants.

shikamaru: (thinking) but that guy, huh... i thought he was an amazing guy for someone in the same year as me and i respected him

so that's all interesting but i think there's a couple things worth noting. first, shikamaru appears to be talking about sasuke's capability as a ninja and acknowledging his strength and talent, not saying he likes sasuke's personality

what i find much more entertaining is what he says after that, which is translated into english here as "i always looked up to him" and by me as "i respected him". that's what makes sense as a translation but it's not actually what he's saying.

what he says, 一目置いてた (ichimoku oiteta), is an acknowledgement of superiority, typically from the weaker player in a game of go who's being allowed to place an extra stone as a handicap. so basically shikamaru is a huge nerd

i feel like a lot of dudebro fans project so hard onto shikamaru that now the entire fandom thinks shikamaru himself always distrusted and resented sasuke when that was,,,, clearly not the case lol

[animeandfilmotaku]

烏は主を選ばない-[A Raven Does not choose its master]: Outside world through Inner lenses (Non-spoiler Free review)

“The world isn't in your books and maps, it's out there.”-J.R.R Tolkien

On the last episode I feel it’s emptiness and yet it’s beauty as we close with Yukiya acknowledging Wakamiya as his master- you may wonder why I chose the subtitle- similar to an episode in the second half of the series, while I praised the first half for its tasty court drama, the second half zooms out to the world of Yamauchi, and it’s conflicts which affect its intriguing characters which made me proclaim the best series I watched to date (well alongside Fullmetal Alchemist, Fruits Basket, Dororo and Mononoke), and since we reached its conclusion, I would love to go to an in-depth review on this hidden gem since I touched it so briefly in my previous review (And yes I get to read the manga so yes, I got a different outlook of that gorgeous series.)

(FYI I am hiding this behind, in case you do not like to get spoiled by the plot points)

The 1st half is painted on the inside world of the Yamauchi-the court; ministers conspiring on court affairs, 4 consorts in their ‘bird-cage’ Sakura palace, fighting with one another to win the Kin’u’s hand. And those close to these noble court feeling the tidal wave of its affections, similar to every court intrigue drama which I thought of The Tale of Genji in my head.

We see two persons that are entwined to the ‘court’ world- Asebi (The Eastern consort); naive and kind- entering a glided world where she unfortunately holding little straws to the cut-throat inner world of Sakura Palace; and Yukiya-a ‘blockhead’ from Taruhi Village- a prominent point in the North prefecture; whom by unusual circumstances is called to serve Nazukihiko (I.E Wakamiya), a true Golden Raven (I.E the Kin’u), which it is emphasised through interactions between the clever Yukiya and the mysterious Wakamiya.

I would say navigating through a complex maze of court intrigue proves to be tantalising to me, because no one expect any moment of each character’s intakes whenever it was the stern Lord Natsuka, the strong-willed nature of Hamayuu or Atsufusa- one of Natsuka’s followers. You are introduced to backthroat court world, at a flip of a coin, he could either be a great ally or a cunning enemy that is willing to stuff a chicken in your robes to pretend you are stabbed by a burly bodyguard (Looking at you Atsufusa), having the two anchors which are Asebi-a kind-hearted consort with no allies holding this line out from Tennesse Williams -'A Streetcar Named Desire' (I will always depend on the kindness of strangers) energy, a moth intrigued by the bright blinding lights.

and Yukiya whose battle with his own conflicts of identity and purpose, both plunged into a world where facades are not what it seems and one must keep its toes up in order to survive.

You may wonder about who shall be his consort, well- it was an unexpected choice. Neverthless that twist of Aesbi on the end of the consort selection contest haunted our minds, which I am still reeling over- a beautiful flower that hid rot within her core (I need to mention that I wish to see the Empress' reaction on knowing Asebi's evil intentions to be animated because when I read the manga, it would be delightful but I see why it is edited out due to pacing purposes)

With the choice of the consort out of our mind, we pave for the second half, which Yukiya went home for a brief moment after a year in service in court. If the 1st half of Raven is about the inner politics; the 2nd half sees a world beyond the confines of Yamauchi- which make the selection ceremony a minor ripple in the pond , as always you are always keep up to your toes with our characters and its motives- expect it is no longer inner conflicts of ladies who desire Wakamiya’s hand with their courtly backstories. Instead we follow a young girl Koume who survived a village massacre and the rumours of a drug that cause its residents to go berserk.

You may think that we, like Yukiya can rest on our laurels on this case- however it went much deeper like the medicine that circulate the veins, this second half is when I fell truly in love with its series- because the real meat is here, a sheltered bubble threatened to burst. It is never what it seen, we explored the seedier areas only briefly explored on the 1st half, where the threat rippled at every crevice, which we hold our suspicions on Koume's truth if she is the carrier of the drug. As always- it is not a simple incident that concidently built up overnight, akin to a full course meal, with intriguing flavours, each moment enchant a truth or hide a lie, and Yukiya despite being jaded from witnessing the court’s cruel acts especially on Asebi, changing from a stubborn boy who desired to protect his small village, to a loyal and steadfast ally to Wakamiya, carrying the burden to protect his folk, his change proves to be gradual which made the last episode which he call himself a 'lowly servant' impactful.

I would say the Wisteria Arrows scenes are my favourite because the choice of music and animation made these scenes haunting, and tangible that someday that bubble could break anytime.

In the end, we no longer see Yukiya as charming “blockhand”, but as a young man with his eyes open upon the world that is beyond, it is a cyclical change for all characters, and in the end, akin to that Tolkien quote; the world is not simply written in books or whispered by scheming court officials but expanded through different lenses, neither good or evil, but layers of grey that one must journey.

If there is a flaw- is that the court intrigue drags a little longer and it may pull people off, which I can guarantee- it is not,it is a pity that it really flew under the radar among the packed anime season (BTW I did not follow much), because the plot and characters proves to be intriguing with unexpected twists and all.

I really hope for a Season 2, with that post-credit scene; I would love to dive to the world of Yamauchi again following Yukiya's devotion to the Prince, in the meantime I am going to try to catch up the manga with the translated scans, as much as I can (I actually finished A Raven of All Seasons Manga which dealt the 1st half of the series, and I tell you, it is soooo good)

[spidermanifested]

remember when i said in my post about how bido is unappreciated that id talk about why greed/bido is a good and important ship but thats a whole other post. well This is that post

the first and most important reason that greed/bido is a good ship is very simple and that reason is Bido Was In Love With Greed The Whole Time And Nobody Noticed?????? how come nobody noticed. i mean SOME people noticed but nowhere NEAR enough people noticed

when greed compliments bido for successfully proving that alphonse is just a soul bound to a suit of armor, he blushes and acts very flustered and happy. unfortunately this scene is not animated in either show (bido talking to greed is changed to be over the phone in 03, and in brotherhood the scene just gets skipped, HOWEVER theres a single shot of bidos face in one of greeds flashbacks that shows him blushing and looking directly at the camera. ie at greed)

also in the manga his first thought when the military shut down the nest was to worry about whether greed SPECIFICALLY was okay (i used this page in my other post as well but its important)

and in brotherhood he was shown to have actually followed greed through the sewers during his fight with bradley but could only watch from his hiding place as greed was defeated and taken away; remembering this is what gives him the determination to hitch a ride to central to look for him

did i mention he went all the way to central to find him!!! clinging to a MILITARY TRUCK no less. as a very obvious chimera if he had been found by any of those soldiers it would have been horrible for him and every other time we ever saw bido faced with danger he ran away from it. but he was brave For Greed. he went into the labyrinth under central For Greed, and didnt try to escape until he was convinced greed wasnt there. and when it turned out he WAS there (and had lost his memory and had been trying to kill him) he immediately dropped his guard and walked closer to him because that was greed and he trusted him despite everything that had just happened. in the manga he grabs onto greeds coat as he dies and it is just about the saddest thing ive ever seen in my whole life

and then of course greed starts physically shaking because what he just did was so awful his body knows he fucked up before his mind even remembers Why it was fucked up and he cradles bidos body in his arms and screams. unfortunately if we are to acknowledge bido as the gay icon he was, we also must acknowledge that he was buried

(by all rights bido SHOULD have survived. where is the fanfiction where he survives fullmetal alchemist fandom or are you too busy writing the same royai-gets-married-and-has-babies fic over and over again. actually never mind i greatly prefer that to all the pedophilia. but thats another Other post, that unlike this incredibly niche topic some other people have almost definitely made before me)

the thing about grido is you could make a huge tragic thing about it being unrequited and frankly thats Fair, greed does not seem one to settle down in a relationship and bido likely has a lot of self worth issues that would prevent him from confessing his feelings. but you cannot deny that greed cared about him. he praises him, he pats him on the head (!!)

he COMPLETELY breaks down after he realizes he killed him. bido was so important to greed, as were the rest of the chimeras of course but i think theres a valid argument to be made that bido in particular was special to him. theyve got a few things in common actually that i find interesting:

both like to just chill on roofs??? when greed is in lings body he sometimes just hangs out on top of a roof. bido does this too

they could have hung out on roofs together.......maybe thats why greed likes to be up there. because he hung out with bido on roofs a lot. please consider this possibility

both of them are accidentally rude to children. the same children in fact

greed is like 200 and looks 30 while bido is middle-aged and people think he is a baby for some reason?????

okay this is just straight up a headcanon and has no actual basis in the text or subtext of fma but I Think Bido Is Trans and was cast out by his family in his youth and greed would understand that experience!!!! having left his own terrible family because they wanted him to be someone he wasnt

and then there are the differences:

greed is very outgoing and bido is mostly pretty anxious, though he has outbursts of confidence; that might be because greed being nice to him has built up his self-esteem (the way he calls himself cool/awesome when he escapes from the elrics, directly followed by greed complimenting his skills, really makes me think this is the case)

one is tall and lean........the other...is short and fat....... i know its cliche but let me have this

bido overthinks things. greed is a jock. with their powers combined they can do things at a mostly reasonable pace (as long as bido doesnt just go along with whatever greed wants which is probably most of the time what happens)

bido is outwardly inhuman and weird-looking but is incredibly caring and hard-working and loyal and sweet. greed is the sexiest motherfucker alive but hes literally the personification of a deadly sin and at his core he is technically just a rock made of pain. but below these layers both of them want the exact same thing which is to care about others and be cared for in return

also you know that post about how ships between immortal people and super young adults (or worse, teenagers) are OUT and instead we should have stories about immortal people dating 40-something accountants. bido is the 40-something accountant. except not an accountant. you know what im getting at though hes an Established Adult 

and bido DESERVES it, he deserves to be loved by the person he cares about more than anything, he has been through so much and gotten nothing but pain and he needs something good for a change!!! and greed DESERVES someone who will love him with all his heart and make him feel wanted no matter what. just, listen to me okay, they would make each other so happy

so!!! there are MANY reasons this ship is interesting and a million different ways you could go about exploring it and there is just NONE of it out there. for some reason the chimera that gets shipped the most with greed is dolcetto (though ive seen martel as well) and i think that is probably because they are more attractive to people (and also id wager more than a few dollars people simply see a dogman and his boss and go wild for the petplay angle). like you dont see any greed/roa either and thats very telling since roa appears with the other two almost every time and nothing about him is different except hes older and not as. pretty i guess???? in my humble onion hes hotter than either dolcetto or martel but thats neither here nor there

the important thing about bidos relationship to greed is that he might not have been transmuted with an animal with a strong sense of loyalty, but he didnt NEED to be, to be loyal to greed. he loved him entirely because he was human. and in the end he did the most for him out of any of the chimeras. unfortunately it was via dying but through the power of imagination we can collectively ignore that and pretend both he and greed survived, and greed went back to his original sexy, sexy body, and they made out on a roof for several consecutive hours. thats how im coping at least. thank you so much for listening to my unhinged rambling about lizard man who dies of fullmetal alchemist (gay edition)

[kitkatopinions]

I know you probably posted about Penny awhile ago, but I’d like to through some of my thoughts into the ring. I wasn’t personally hurt by her turning human, I was more just annoyed that they had an interesting premise because not even Ambrosius was sure what she’d be after that. flesh and blood? A soul made physical? A wireframe aura? A fourth thing? And then just. Kaput, she’s dead, there goes all that. Now watch Winter. The end. It wasn’t tragic. It was annoying.

So I have talked about Penny a lot, but... I can talk about it more.

I’ve talked before about how problematic it was and I’ve shared lots of posts from other people. It’s my opinion that even if people weren’t personally hurt themselves, it’s important to recognize the hurt other people have experienced over these choices. But even outside of the problematic way it was framed and the problematic undertones of it, it’s just not good writing. Let’s get into it.

Trigger warning for death and mentions of suicide

First problem: Ambrosius can’t break the rules, so he can’t break the rules in order to break the rules. So he can’t make a human body without a schematic, and he can’t create something and then have it not vanish when he makes something new. He can’t kill, but a flesh and blood body was not the only option he had and he shouldn’t have been able to make it without a schematic and have it stick around. And before anyone says it, the other conclusion we could come to is that Penny’s soul somehow conjured a physical flesh and blood body, and that is - in my opinion - plain stupid. We’ve never been told auras could even sort of do that, so... Yeah. The use of the magic system is incredibly lacking in either case, no matter what justification you can find for it. Plus, with no in universe explanation of how Penny’s body was made, fans are left scrambling for explanation. Point against their execution.

Now let’s talk about choice of framing. 

From having Penny - the robot body - clutch her head, to framing things from her point of view, to having her reach out, to showing you her perspective as her friends and the new, perfect, flesh Penny walk away and leave her behind to die... Idk how we’re meant to see this as an empty machine, rather than a person in pain, a person dying. But the narrative and the main characters treat this as something easily moved on from, as something that doesn’t matter at all, that they aren’t even really feeling anything about. Even Penny herself just looks mildly disturbed by the image of herself dying, and then is all smiles and joy immediately after. This literally made me wonder if the writers were intending to somehow resurrect the robotic version of Penny as a villain - except that she vanishes with the creation of the bridges. It’s clear they intended for us to see this as nothing more than an empty vessel, but animated the body to act like a person with a perspective that we see out of. That makes their insistence that the robotic body has no humanity incredibly hard to believe. Point against their execution, again.

And, as you point out, there are ways they could’ve made this transformation interesting that they didn’t do. For one, like I said before, it doesn’t make sense for Ambrosius to break his rules in order to avoid breaking his rules. He himself expressed interest over what would be left, so instead of just turning Penny into a flesh-human, they should’ve done something more interesting. The ideas I have for this are Penny being a bodiless spirit (like Tikal in Sonic Adventure,) having her soul have to take refuge in someone else’s heart, inaccessible, but alive (like Kairi in Kingdom Hearts 1,) or having her soul have to latch onto some other non-sentient robotic form like one of the robotic soldiers (like in Fullmetal Alchemist.) All of these things, I think, could be very interesting and leave Team RWBY with a strong consequence to their actions. Instead, the CRWBY writers chose to turn Penny into a flesh person, which not only had some bad connotations, but also was the most boring and pointless transformation. And they also did nothing interesting with it. As soon as I heard about this transformation, I thought ‘they better have her struggle now that she can’t do the things she used to’ but they just had her... Somehow have such complete mastery of the Maiden powers she got two days ago that she’s able to completely recreate the exact same abilities she had in her robotic form as a flesh-human maiden. No interest at all! What’s the point of turning her into a flesh human if it’s not going to provide any struggle or tension? Point against their execution, again. They chose the most boring path and then they didn’t do the only interesting thing they could’ve done with it.

Aaaand then onto the next point, the choice was totally pointless.

Why was her turning into a flesh human completely pointless? Because they could’ve killed her just as easily as a robot. I’m not kidding, this choice is maddening when you get into the various problems. Penny getting hacked contributed very little outside of fleshing out the season, her getting turned into a flesh human didn’t matter, because she just died two episodes later with zero challenge added due to her being human. The only thing her getting hacked did was force our mains to get off their butts, but they should’ve done that anyway and it makes them look selfish that several of them acted like they didn’t have to do anything to save anyone (after directly putting many of them in danger) until one of their own personal friends was in danger. But Cinder attacks Penny and wounds her, and then Penny decides for some reason that there’s no time to heal her, and in order to make sure the maiden powers go towards the girl who was just as bad as Ironwood in V7 and half of V8 her trusted friend Winter, who was slotted to receive the powers in V7 already, so Penny even getting the powers was pretty pointless.

Not to mention, Penny being alive again was treated by the show like it wasn’t that emotional and didn’t need to be gone into - with even Ruby, who was sobbing at the sight of Penny’s dead body in V3 and couldn’t even say ‘combat ready’ in volume 5 without having an emotional reaction

Didn’t really act emotional when Penny came back from the dead. So what was the point of Penny returning?

There’s nothing about Penny getting her new body that was done well. From how it was framed, to how it was executed, to how they chose to phrase things when the characters justified changing Penny’s body, to making Penny an unwilling participant (consent under threat of death isn’t consent,) to not properly setting up the rules, to breaking the rules they just announced, to not doing anything interesting with the transformation, to then making the transformation not matter at all in the end because they just killed Penny off two episodes later.

It’s honestly just bad. The whole thing is overall bad.

[jq37]

The Royal Report– A Crown of Candy Ep 15 The Two Balls

A Hard Knock Life

Welcome back to A Crown of Candy as we march ever closer to the finale which is good because I can only take so much more chocolate coated drama. The party has just killed the SPF and, as Rina and her crew start to exit the temple, she enters a flashback that’s intense enough that they used a CW so, for that reason, I’m going to put it under the cut.

It’s the year 1196 and it’s almost High Frosting’s Eve (read: Bulb Christmas). A five-year-old Rina is being kept at the Abbey of the Shimmering Cream in the Dairy Seas but she’s not being kept well. As she looks out over the sea, waiting for the day her mom will sail back in and realize she made a mistake in abandoning her as she is wont to do, a nun shows up to bring her to the Mother Superior who’s sent for her. 

On the way there, she catches a glimpse of Lazuli in a mirror who comforts her and says that she’s not bad or wrong for being able to do the things she can do and that, “The world is dark and dangerous but there are forces other than wickedness in this world.” Lazuli starts to say that she’s been trying to help but--and she’s cut off as Rina walks into the next room and loses sight of the mirror.

The Mother Superior is waiting for Rina, switch in hand, and says that she’s heard kids talking about some crazy magic stuff Rina can do. Rina lies and says the kids are making it up and the Mother Superior switches her across the face saying that lying is a sin. She straps Rina to a chair and asks if she sees eyes in the mirror. Rina (who is still being played by Emily even though she is five) says, “Doesn’t everyone?” The Mother Superior doesn’t appreciate the line as much as I do because she smacks her again. She says that all she wishes for Rina is obedience and silence and asks what the woman in the mirror says to her. Rina, knowing that whatever she says is gonna get her smacked, says that the woman says that there’s nothing wrong with her and she doesn’t have to hide the way she is. In response, the Mother Superior takes out a holy symbol of the Bulb and starts heating it up in the fire. 

The box the symbol came out of has enough of a reflective surface inside that Lazuli is able to tell Rina that there are people in her corner and she’s suffering now but it won’t be forever but she’s again cut off by the Mother Superior who says that this self acceptance nonsense sounds like Hungry One talk. Rina says she’s not scared of anything physical the Mother Superior can do to her but, unfortunately, she’s not here to do anything to her body. She’s here for her soul. She presses the now heated holy symbol into Rina’s chest, causing her blinding pain and cutting her off from Lazuli who desperately tries to keep the connection open.

When she comes back to herself, devastated and tearful, the Mother Superior pledges to burn the Hungry One out of her as many times as it takes and send her to her room without sans morning breakfast privileges. Before she can go however, the Mother Superior stops her and asks why she’s always staring across the sea. Does she really think her dad is Prince Amethar? Not only is that obviously false but, even if it was true, he clearly doesn’t want her. Not even her mom wanted her. Rina (sounding like she’s trying to convince herself) says that her mom did want her. She was just scared and wanted to protect her. The Mother Superior says that her mom was trying to protect the world from her because she’s dangerous and her father isn’t Amether, he’s nothing. Rina shoots back that if her father is no one, then how come she can speak to the winds and command the waves? And why is she so scared of her? The Mother Superior doesn’t have an answer for that. She sends Rina to her room.

In the present day, Rina descends the mountain, dragon around her neck, followers by her side, and crown on her head. She will never be hurt like that again.

Ruby watches them go (Theo and Cumulus going with her and talking strategy) and then goes to find her dad who is still on the ledge. She asks Amethar how peace happens? How do you keep living once you’ve been through something like this? He answers that he’s the wrong person to ask. He’s just been going through the motions since the Ravening War ended. But they reaffirm that they love each other and hug before realizing they can’t see Liam anymore. And, speaking of Liam…

Gastronomy and Cosmology

Liam feels himself falling through endless fire and he can smell cinnamon and it hurts terribly but almost in a good way because, as we can recognize by the way Brennan describes it, he is essentially experiencing the sensation of being eaten and he knows that he tastes good.

As we heard last week, Liam felt a hand grab him but it’s actually less of a hand, more of a paw--a little chocolate rabbit’s paw. Lapin! He and Lapin are in this weird kinda semi disintegrated part of the Ice Cream Temple that’s continuing to break apart. Lapin is also disintegrating but not fully. It’s like the pieces that are coming off of him flaking off and cycling back continually, like Thanos is trying to snap him over and over. Additionally, the middle part of him is translucent and there are three foil-wrapped, chocolate egg-wishes in his chest. 

Anyway, we learn that Lapin is essentially there to pack up because the party killing the SPF means he and all the other residents of Candy Heaven have been evicted (which, yeah, checks out--you destroy a load bearing boss, her heaven implodes) and have to go to the Hungry One. Liam asks if that’s a bad thing and Lapin says not necessarily but it does mean they won’t be able to communicate with them anymore. But, on a happier note, Preston is there! He’s apparently not stopped following around Lapin since he was told to.

Liam tells Lapin that they’re super screwed and asks what they should do. Lapin in response takes Liam up to a viewing balcony so he can better see the state of the weird extraplanar space they’re in. The illusion-castle is in the middle of the two titular balls--one red, swirling and consuming, the other bright and shining. The Hungry One and the Bulb. And Lapin gets to fully explain his pre-death realization. The Hungry One and the Bulb have no agency. They’re simple light and dark. Creation and destruction. Two sides of the same coin. Cosmic constants. They’re not really gods and neither are beings like the SPF--(spirits like her are more like living spells). Liam confirms that there’s no way to get back the people they’ve lost and asks if there’s any point in killing more people. Should he just be a seed guy again?

Lapin says there’s nothing wrong with being a seed guy and the three eggs in his chest meld with the three peppermint heart seeds Preston coughs up and float in front of him--one is glowing red, one is glowing gold, and the third is shimmering like Lapin’s robes. They represent the power to destroy, create, and change. Lapin offers him one and Liam--unsurprisingly to anyone who’s watched Ally play D&D for any length of time--picks the change one instantly. Lapin says it’s good to see Liam again and he wakes up in the dragon’s nest, Ruby and Amethar above him. He tells them everything he learned and shows them the egg/wish/seed. None of them can tell exactly how it works or what it does so Liam stashes it for safekeeping.

The gang checks out the section of the temple that had the illusion and conjuration magic. The illusion magic has faded and all that’s left is the conjuration so it seems like whatever they see will be true and what they see is scenes of the past in ice crystals on the walls (before they’re whisked away by Lapin from the other side). Everyone rolls to see what they see--and Ruby rolls a Nat 20. Liam sees memories of dragons past, huge and terrifying. He also sees Lapin in his youth as a street urchin, breaking into a druid monastery, stealing a spell meant to summon the SPF and force her to give you three wishes, and having it Fullmetal Alchemist backfire on him so that he instead had to serve her and give her three wishes. Ruby wants to see who’s loyal and who’s not. She sees that there are people in Rina’s camp, Jawbreaker’s crew, and back home who aren’t on the level but no named characters. Cara’s all good. Joren is and the four sisters were all good. Rina and her closest confidants are all sincere in what they’ve been saying. Amethar sees memories of him and his four sisters. Then (on Ruby’s passed on Nat 20) he sees a memory from when he was about 16 of his sisters having an argument with their mom who they did *not* get along with about the war which hasn’t fully broken out yet. King Jadain is in the middle trying to keep the peace but really trying to just escape the conflict. He says he has to use the bathroom and peaces out to sit on the steps where Amethar happens to be.   

Amethar asks if he’s alright and Jadain tries to play it off like he wasn’t shaking and near tears. He says he wishes he was as strong willed and decisive as his wife/daughters. Amethar asks for assurance that he’s going to fight but Jadain says that their motto is In Sweetness There is Strength and fighting wouldn’t be very sweet. He asks Amethar if he’d ever want the crown because he could have it if he did. Amethar says he doesn’t. He’s a war guy like Joren. Jadain says that there may be a time for war guys soon. He then says that he never wanted to be king. It’s too much responsibility and it’s not fair. Young Amethar says that, regardless, he’s king. He has to be king. Words that echo in his head in the present.

Parties and Planning

Rina and crew gather enough weapons to outfit maybe 100 guys and then Rina blows up the entrance to the Temple so the Sanctus Putris (or whoever else) can’t get in but they can come back later to get the rest of the loot.

They go back to Manylicks which has been retaken and is now flying House Rocks and House Jawbreaker flags. One of Liam’s dick older brothers makes the mistake of trying to mess with the newly minted war guy and gets fully shot on sight. 

There’s a lot of partying for them and, at the end of the week, it’s Liam’s 18th birthday. His dad gives him Chillguard--a breastplate that raises his AC to 16. Joren says that since they’re out of the Concord, he doesn’t have to be a ward anymore and he can come back home but Liam says he doesn’t really want to. He says that he’s asexual, he’s gonna find himself a romance partner someone to settle down with, go back to being a seed guy, and move out because Castle Manylicks kinda sucks for him. His dad says he’s super valid and they hug (and also talk about polyamory because when Brennan gets into it, he gets *into it*).

War updates! There are still crusaders in the South but they’ve been driven out of the Mountains. The Imperial force backed out--Ceresian forces along with them--because Primsy wrote a letter saying, “Uh, hey, remember that Concord thing we’re all a part of? That’s still on and you’re breaking it. There’s another heir.” The crusade is still on though and Cruller is still letting it happen. 

Rina has her coronation which envoys from both the Dairy Islands and Meatlands attend. It’s a fully pagan ceremony but there’s just enough of a veneer or Bulbian propriety that they can stamp their approval on it and call it legit. Post ceremony there’s more partying which at a certain point devolves into a Bulb Bible Bonfire which Cara is super not about because she is an actual, practicing Bulbian. 

Primsy, who arrived with the Dairy peeps, swears to Rina and then goes to see Liam who she has a little bit of a flirtatious conversation with. She’s already been married once so she’ll probably end up in a political marriage with a minor noble like a count (what a coincidence, Liam happens to be a count!) and she’s not interested in being slammed down big style. They go to hold hands and take a walk.

Ruby and Amethar get Jack to give them Jet tattoos over their hearts. 

A lot of espionage happens. Rina uses two artifacts from the temple to help here--a crystal milkshake pool and flock of white chocolate ravens--while Liam (who got a Nat 20 +12) is leading a team of rangers to ambush messengers and intercept messages. Cumulus and his order are also getting a lot done now that their magic is coming back online. 

In the Southern Great Stone Candy Mountains, the above group ends up in a burning town where everyone except Bulbians have been killed by crusaders. Jon Bon pulls a bleeding priest out of the church and demands that he produce a letter and he does--it’s from the Pontifex. As Rina is about to read it, Cinnamon clocks the Bulbian holy symbol he’s wearing and snarls. Rina grabs the symbol and Creates Bonfire on it. As she does that, the spot above his heart on his chest starts to glow just as Cinnamon’s eyes do. Rina takes a moment and then says, “Go for it baby.” Cinnamon leaps off of her neck and starts ripping into this guy and all of her men start killing the other priests. The villagers start to run and the marauders are about to chase them but Rina orders they spare them and her men obey. Cinnamon finishes up the priest by eating his heart and Rina swears, he looks just a little bigger. I hear Feed Me Seymour playing faintly in the distance and I don’t like it.

Rina casts Cone of Cold with Winterscoop to put out the fires and looks at the villagers--the villagers who must be having a roller coaster of a week because they are Bulbian but got conquered by Bulbians and then saw a bunch of other Bulbians get absolutely viciously slaughtered. She says that many of them probably went to the Bulb for salvation, but hopefully today, they’ll see who really saved them.

Cinnamon looks at all the dead priests and looks to Rina for permission. Emily, who also clearly hears the Little Shop of Horror music playing, takes a moment and then Rina allows him to feed and feed and feed.

Oh, and the letter! It’s from the Pontifex to Kerradin and it says that the meeting with all their enemies will be in about 2 weeks. 

Gooey heard news that there are Bulbian crusaders hiding in Port Syrup waiting for the church to save them. Rina sends Gooey to go take care of it and, with some hesitation (and with the help of some dragon-puppy dog eyes), also sends Cinnamon who is now the size of a horse (mmm, don’t love that).

All this info gathered, there is a war council. The attitude seems to be that Primsy’s letter is helping for now but they really need an emperor/empress on the throne or else people will be coming for Candia again. The group talks about going to Castle Candy as a small assassination team (with a small contingent of soldiers) and sneaking in the way Theo snuck out with Cara. They can’t teleport there though because the crusaders destroyed all the standing stones close-by. But they can hitch a ride with Annabelle if it’s just a few people. Rina sends her ravens to look at Castle Candy and sees that there are lot of guys surrounding it but they’re un-unified crusaders so as long as they move really fast, retaking the castle is doable. 

They also plan to send some troops to Castle Candy from the North so it seems like that’s the real invasion force while they sneak in from the Cola River (on Annabelle’s ships). Primsy says that she can write to Cruller to say that she’ll finally recognize him as legit so that when three Dairy Island ships arrive, it won’t be suspicious. 

They go to Port Syrup to meet with Annabelle and see that the town has been wrecked. The Bulbian churches are totally destroyed. People are scared. Everything smells like ash and war. Cinnamon, now the size of a house (!!!), finds Rina to beg for pets like a dog.

Amethar, while wandering the city, finds the corpse of Sir Morris Brie who they left in charge of Port Syrup and, as a Bulbian, was caught up in the sacking of the city. Amethar sadly sits with his dead friend’s body, fused into his armor.

Rina goes to Theo and tells him that she loves Cinnamon so much because he’s the only one who’s ever loved her with the unconditional family kind of love but she knows that, for that reason, she can’t be trusted to be rational about him so he needs to tell her if she’s going to far. Theo says that if they’re going to use Cinnamon, they need to be careful and not just send him off. He also says she needs to discipline him which makes her remember all the ways she was disciplined as a child. 

Ruby goes to find Annabelle to try and get some life advice because things are so crazy. Annabelle assures her that things are really bad--she’s not just overreacting--and tells her that when she was stripped of her titles and land, it was a choice she made for freedom over responsibility. She doesn’t know if it was the right choice but it’s what she had to do to be free. Even so, she recognizes that she did turn her back on responsibility. Then she says she has to talk to Amethar.

Annabelle finds Amethar and tells him they found Catherine Ghee’s gravestone. She died in 1196 on the 12th of Harvestdusk. She got really sick after she sent Rina to the Abbey and was really scared of the Rocks family coming after her (or maybe became really religious). Amethar thanks her and goes to tell Rina. Rina accepts the news and asks who sent all the people to threaten her. When Amethar reacts with confusion, Rina explains that when she was a kid, her mom was scared all the time because Candian messengers threatened her. Amethar says that he only sent people to find her which Rina confirms with a Detect Thoughts. He loved her and just wanted to see her again which is news to Rina. Amethar says he’s sorry about the life she’s had and he’s sorry he screwed this up too and Rina says that it means a lot to her that he even tried to find Ghee. Rina also asks if she detected any love for her in Amethar thoughts and is told that there’s a very small part of Amethar that wants to love her. 

Amethar goes back to his quarters and tells Cara the news (and I have to imagine she’s like, join the club buddy). She asks when she died and he says twenty years. Her eyes go wild. When exactly. What’s the exact date? 12th of Harvestdusk, 1196. That’s five days BEFORE he married Cara. Which means he’s NOT an oathbreaker. Which means their wedding was LEGIT. Which means the Pontifex had NO GROUNDS to kick him out of the Concord. He is the RIGHTFUL KING OF CANDIA.     

(”Bastard no more!” Siobhan crows.)

And that’s it for the week!

Things I’m Concerned About

Mmm, ok so Cinnamon. It’s hard for me to imagine a scenario where this doesn’t end in disaster for someone. Like, as the eating and growing was starting, I felt this deep rooted sense of dread and I couldn’t remember exactly what was pinging until the next day and it was, as I’ve referenced twice previously in this recap, Little Shop of Horrors. This is clearly a full Audrey 2 situation except Cinnamon is a lot more ambulatory than a plant. He at least seems like he still recognizes Rina as his mother, which is good but I *really* don’t like where this seems to be going. And listen. If Cinnamon has to go down, you *know* who the person best positioned to do it is. Rina is the most major magic user, she has ice magic which he’s vulnerable to, and he trusts her enough to let his guard down around her. And, most importantly, it’s exactly the kind of mean choice Brennan, “All the Bad Guys” Lee Mulligan would love to foist upon a PC in a season like this. Bad!

And, connected to this, I don’t love how the marauders are handling the whole reverse crusade. Like, not that there’s a perfect way to do this--if someone were trying to genocide me and I had a dragon, I would for sure be deploying the dragon. And Rina did tell them to not kill the people who just happened to be Bulbian in the village but weren’t participating in the crusades so that’s at least some level of care. But what happens when she’s not there to rein them in? Well, we know what happens. Sir Morris Brie. Which is so messed up. You’re a good guy. You stay behind to help with the war effort and protect the town, and then a couple of weeks later you get torched alive by your own team in your armor because it has the wrong symbol on it. It’s messed up. Like, I don’t have the answers on how to wage an ethical war--which sounds like a full oxymoron. I just don’t love what’s happening.

Also, when Brennan said the guy’s chest was glowing before Rina had Cinnamon eat him, I thought it might be that he was unwillingly branded as a child like Rina, but lol guess we’ll never know.

And, addendum, Cara is a devout Bulbian--but obviously a relatively chill one because she’s down with Sweetening Path stuff too because of Lazuli. If she gets caught in the crossfire...like if you’re Ruby and your life just went to hell and your sister is dead and you have a new sister and you’re trying to accept her but you can’t and then her pet kills your mom who you never even really got to make up with? You’re not my queen *or* my sister at that point and it’s instant PvP. I killed a god, what makes you think I won’t fight you? So anyway, hope that doesn’t happen. lol.

So, we now know that the grounds under which Amethar was kicked from the Concord are false which means he is king still and the invasion is unlawful--even without Rina’s existence. But like, a lot of this season has been about political reality, right? So how much utility does this revelation serve? Everyone’s already rallied behind Rina and she has a contingent of very loyal and skilled soldiers who I don’t think would be happy to hear this news (and may think to try and make the problem go away in a stabby way). So if they go out with this info, it calls into question all the work they’ve already built up, forces them to get this new game plan to all their allies, potentially pisses off Rina’s people (and possibly Rina herself depending on how much she’s willing to go with them as allies and without being the lynchpin), and doesn’t give them much more than they’re already getting with Rina on the throne since their goals are mostly aligned as far as we know. And, anyway, Amethar was named emperor which will stand whether or not he’s king. They just need to get his hand on the Book of Leaves and that should be good to go. Rina gets the Candian throne, Amethar gets to be (or has to be depending on your view) emperor. Of course, clearing his name might be important to him and it probably bolsters his position in other ways but I’m just thinking about the big picture politics of the matter. 

Does Ruby keep her Shadow Sorc levels now that Jet is gone? How does that work?

Five More Things

Lol, love how the big twist of CoC is that there are actually no bastards. Only legit children in the eyes of the Bulb. 

Rina as a 5 year old was like that Matilda kind of 5. She was dropping some *intense* lines. Also, imagine having to have your scene right after that one. Yeesh. I recapped that flashback separately from the rest of the episode because it was so much and it was only 14 minutes. Everything else I did in basically one shot!

What did Jadain mean about Amethar getting the crown if he wanted it? What was that about? Brennan gave Lou the Jadain flashback on Siobhan’s Nat 20 so I wonder if that’s a relevant piece of info. Also, the voice for him caught me so off guard. I was like, huh. OK, yeah, checks out. 

Zac, low key king of comedy, in response to Emily/Rina explaining the concept of movie popcorn salad: Are we joining the Ceresians?

Lapin! Oh man, I was so shocked and overjoyed for Lapin to get another scene. I missed that bunny. And to have him kinda allowed out and joking out with Liam (“Are you in pain?”/“All the time.”) was so good. His, “I’m not mad at you,” was so funny and also genuinely emotional? And also, I’m so happy Liam got some closure for Preston. What a banger of a scene. Big props to Ally and esp Zac who also had to give the once per season, “Here is how the universe works,” talk to Ally’s character. 

One More Thing!

Oh man you gotta check out this AMAZING Crown of Candy animatic by @kindlespark. What a killer use of Glitter and Gold. And so comprehensive of the season so far, even recent stuff. So much obvious talent and hard work on display here! 

[kingofthewilderwest]

9, 10, 12, 19, 20, 21 for the fandom asks! (i'm gonna create the question for 21. it is "which fandoms have you inadvertently become a part of through osmosis from friends?" or "which fandoms did you infect your friends with?" whoops two questions, whatever. enjoy, nerdface. my specialty is being a nosy fucker with too many questions)

Love you too, you obnoxious fucker. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Fandom Asks Memes

9. Do you like prequels?

I find absolutely nothing wrong with prequels! My philosophy is that, for any universe that can be cleverly and beautifully expanded upon with heart, doing so is a positive effect. The key to this is that it has to be done with inspiration and good intent. Crappy prequels that have nothing to say are bogus. Good prequels that provide a positive contribution? Yeah, sure, totes, go for it. I’d be interested in checking them out.

There’s lots of inherent dangers to writing prequels that mean some of them can be crappy. But I’ll enthusiastically endorse any contribution to media so long as I think it holds merit to its existence in the broader franchise.

10. Characters that deserved worse? >:]

I don’t believe in “deserves worse” for real life humans, so I think about that even less when we’re talking fiction. So long as it’s written well narratively, I’m fine with villains getting away with anything, antiheroes not being reprimanded for questionable actions, etc.

That said. Watching FMA 2003? I fucking wanted Shou Tucker fucking dead 3,000,000,000 episodes ago. WHY DID YOU GUYS KEEP HIM ALIVE!?!?!?! UAHGHGHGHGHGHghghghghghghg. Every time he was on screen, I was seethingly thinking, “I want that motherfucking thing dead, I am so sick of seeing him on screen.”

12. If you could change one ending to a book/show/game/etc, what would you change about it?

Alright! Let’s see. Can we call “The Hidden World” the “ending” of the broad How to Train Your Dragon franchise? I don’t want to change just the end of HTTYD3; I want to change HTTYD3. I would write a movie in which the villain had more apparent impact to the world around him, I would focus on Toothless having leadership problems with the dragons as a whole rather than centering a plot around him and one female, I would write Hiccup interacting with more sense of leadership over the whole tribe instead of hanging out merely with his group of young buds, and I would axe (intentional choice of words) the will-we-won’t-we subplot regarding Hiccstrid and marriage. For starters.

19. If you could be a part of any story, which story would you want to tag along in?

Take me to Narnia.

20. Name a song that reminds you heavily of a specific fandom or character.

Mars by Sleeping at Last. It describes the Ishvalan War, the fear of the Ishvalans, and the young Amestrian soldiers like Roy, Maes, Alex, and Riza who found themselves, to their horror, on the wrong end of a genocide.

“We were full of life. We could barely hold it in. We were amateurs at war, strangers to suffering. We made our families proud but scared at the same time. We promised we'd be safe--another lie from the front lines. Our backs against the wall, we're surrounded and afraid, our lives now in the hands of the soldiers taking aim. Our questions ricochet like broken satellites... how our bodies, born to heal, become so prone to die.”

21a. Which fandoms have you inadvertently become a part of through osmosis from friends?

How dare you ask me two 21′s. ;)

I’m not sure on this one. Maybe Doctor Who. In high school, a bunch of my friends invited me over for a movie night. Well, when I got there, they were cooking a bunch of foods. They decided to watch The Eleventh Hour, and when it came time for the Doctor to try eating a bunch of foods, my friends started eating fish fingers and custard, like some sort of fucking ritual. And I was like, “What the HECK is happening?!?!” My friends had been talking about how great this show was. This was my first exposure to it. Over the next few years, I did get a bit into Doctor Who, and followed it through the first half of college. XD

Also in the junior high, I had multiple friends who talked about Runescape so frequently that, even though I never even saw a SCREENSHOT of the game, I knew so much about it that I was able to follow along and contribute to their convos. Never played Runescape though. 

21b. Which fandoms did you infect your friends with?

[cackles] now that one? quite a ton!

I don’t mean to. I hate people coming up to me and saying, “You should watch X!” or “You NEED to watch Y!” I don’t like being judged for my tastes instead of letting me decide my own taste. I have so many things I already want to watch and I don’t want someone else trying to change my priorities around, even if I know they’re just trying to recommend something fun to me. I don’t have time for these things and I don’t want people assuming that I have time for those things. I’ll never get to anything someone says. I don’t like recommendations. Especially after this tumblr blog got big and I got a ton of unsolicited recommendations, it became a pet peeve. So I try hard not to force friends to watch anything. I don’t want to annoy them either with unsolicited recs. I want to be nice. <3 But I guess my natural, unending enthusiasm for things has gotten my friends curious and pulled into the same fandoms I love. XD XD XD Whoops! XD XD XD XD XD One second I’m screaming about a fandom... the next, three of my friends are screaming to me about it, too!

I have seen groups of friends follow me into...... Undertale, Voltron: Legendary Defender, Mass Effect, Deponia, Gravity Falls, and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. And I guess also bluegrass. If that can count as a “fandom.”

[fairy-writes]

FairyTailWzard’s New Annual tradition!

2020’s Top 10 List Part One!

So here’s a list that no one asked for of the top 10 anime series I watched this year. I wanted to put this in no particular order but I figured I might as well.  I’ll also be doing my top 10 fanfics from this year and my top 10 books I read this year so stay tuned for parts 2 and 3!

10.) RWBY

Uuuggghhh I really didn’t wanna put this on here… but I really didn’t watch much this year so I had to I guess :(((

I’m really not liking this right now… if my blog wasn’t sort of popular because of my rwby oneshots I’d consider just dropping the anime all together….

(I’m seriously debating on whether to watch the new season or not)

Honestly, the only thing bringing me back is my unhealthy love for Ozpin, Torchwick, and Ironwood.

Honestly, I’d give this show about a 3 or 4/10…

I used to love it so much but I think the quality of writing is going down and the show is trying to be too many things at once that I’m just losing interest.

9.) My Hero Academia

Why is this so low you may ask? Well, cause I think my main hype coming from this is the manga.

Yes I love the show, the animation studio is freaking amazing and the quality of animation never ceases to amaze me. But I love the manga a bit more.

This will probably jump up in rating around season 5 or 6 but for right now I’ll leave it in the 9th spot :)

8.) Sirius the Jaeger

Oh my GOSH, I want a second season so bad. One of my favorite OC’s I’ve ever made was for this anime (it’s Idris Tana btw) and I actually commissioned artwork for her recently and it’s SO PRETTY.

Anyway getting off-topic, the animation of this show and again with the dark and grittiness of it is what drew me in.

Actually, my late grandma and also my great aunt tagged me in a Facebook post with the trailer when it first came out cause they saw vampires and thought I would like it and that's what got me into this show in the first place.

So thank you grandma and auntie!

But I absolutely adore the soundtrack, the mix of orchestral pieces mixed with the more electro-kinda-vibes is my life (seriously go listen to “The Beginning of the Hunting” it changed my life, as an orchestra and cello geek it made my heart so happy)

7.) Tokyo Ghoul season 1-3

Ok, I’m currently reading the manga after I’ve seen the anime and lemme tell you I wish they didn’t censor the anime so much.

I can’t even find an uncensored version anymore and it makes me so upset.

The darkness and goriness of the manga is what appealed to me in the first place (yes I get weird looks for it, no I will not change my mind)

Kaneki is my CHILD and he CANNOT do any wrong. I don’t care who you are I love him

6.) Ajin: Demi-Human

Uuuggghhh to be honest the anime is kinda meh but my love for the manga is so great I am legally obligated to put this here.

Don’t get me wrong, the animation and soundtrack for this show is phenomenal and I think they got Satou down pat.

But they did dumb down and cut out a lot of interesting scenes. Scenes like how Satou takes down some of his opponents (which I can see why... many American viewers would most likely get offended by it… you manga readers know what scene i mean)

Nagai Kei turns into a bit of a whiny character instead of the smart but exasperated teenager I know and love in the manga is the anime version of Kei going to bite off his own fingers in order to climb a wall into a military base?? Definitely not. Would manga-Kei do that? Well, he already did… so... yes..,

Nakano Kou is still kind of funny but he is so much more fascinating in the manga (his backstory breaks my heart).

5.) Bungou Stray Dogs

Another new one that I was actually recommended by my friend @bright-like-the-sun-00 :) I ended up watching it originally in dub but then went back and rewatched it in sub because I love my children so much.

Chuuya is my bean and I love my OC that I created Charlie Dickens :)

(if you guys could go read her story I’d be eternally grateful).

Anyway!

This show has a fantastic cast in both Japanese and English and the music score is one of my favorites. The characters are so wonderfully hilarious and interesting and fhajxbqbaka I love this show okay??

4.) Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

I actually put this off for YEARS because my oldest step-brother kept saying I should watch it. At this point, I was refusing out of spite cause I’m petty like that. But I finally started watching and-

HOLY-

GUYS

I have never gotten so attached to a character (cough cough Giyuu) so quickly.

I have been listening to Gurenge and Kamado Tanjiro no Uta on repeat for literal weeks now and I still grin like an idiot when listening to them. I also have a potential OC/crossover coming out soon sooooo…. stay tuned??

I also broke my sister cause I showed her a post that said national donut day and had a picture of Rengoku on it… I didn’t understand it until she explained it to me and now I cackle every time I think about it.

3.) Jujutsu Kaisen

@plusultranerd​ got me into this blame her for the future spamming of your dashboards

GUYS GOJO SATORU IS MY LIFE NO QUESTIONS ASKED

He could literally murder me and I’d thank him. He is the prettiest anime character I have EVER SEEN and I love him so much.

Anyway anime. The show got my attention from the get-go. Itadori is such a fun main character and Megumi is me cause you know dogs.

I think I saw an ad for it and since I have Crunchyroll I figured why not and fell in love with it

AND THE ENDING SONG

BEST ENDING EVER YOU CANNOT CHANGE MY MIND

I put it on sometimes so me and my sister just start jamming out to it and we get the stupidest looks and it is amazing

2.) Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Another anime that I will rewatch over and over again until literally the end of time. Also, another series that I’ve already read/or am reading the manga.

Alphonse Eric is my cinnamon roll you can pry him from my cold dead hands.

I have cold hands and no heart by holy heck my BOY

I actually am buying the special edition hardback manga covers that are coming out and I LOVE THEM

THEY ARE SO PRETTY

Am I talking about the characters or the manga?

My answer is yes

Anyway, all of the characters in this are so wonderfully complex and have motivations and i fall in love with 99% of the characters (except for Shou Tucker, I even like Father actually)

1.)  Death Parade

This has got to be one of my top favorite anime of ALL TIME.

I rewatched it early this year and this is one of the very few anime that will get me to cry and this makes me cry every freaking time.

The music is stunning, the animation is magnificent.

For being based on an animated short film, this has such potential for a second season and such a complex storyline was packed into 12 episodes.

I will forever recommend this anime to literally anyone who is looking for something new to watch.

I’m also noticing I have a thing for white-haired male anime characters with really pretty eyes….. Kaneki… Gojo… Decim...

Honorable mentions!

Darker than Black

I didn’t rewatch the whole thing this year but this anime is literally my life. Hei is such a bean and I love him.

Hunter x Hunter

Another anime i didn't rewatch completely but still adore :) I heard they’re continuing it and I’m excited for the dark continent arc!

Dororo

Technically i watched this late 2019 but whatever; I do what I want. The animation was absolutely gorgeous and I loved the gritty darkness of it. Mio will forever be my favorite character; you cannot change my mind. Some parts I did find a bit boring but overall I’d rate this a solid 6/10!

The Devil is a Part-Timer!

I rewatched parts of it and not the whole thing, I also have the first two volumes of the light novels and I forget how funny it is until I actually watch it. It has me laughing every time and never fails to put a smile on my face :)

[eskalations]

"I wouldn't tell anyone just yet." The doctor advised her in a gentle tone, seeing the pallor of her skin. The older woman put a hand on her knee in what she assumed was an attempt at a comforting gesture. "Pregnancies at this age rarely make it."

A series of oneshots documenting the life and times of the Amestrian First Family.

A/N: So this idea popped into my head wayyyyy before the events of the first chapter did - however, I held out on writing this one down! I hope you enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

~

"Mama!" Elizabeth shouted as she bounced excitedly down the steps of the daycare. Riza could feel her heart clench as she watched her daughter's delicate sandals slide haphazardly on her feet, the mother fearing the young girl would trip if she didn't slow down in those shoes. However, Elizabeth made it safely to the ground.

Riza breathed a sigh, glad to have her daughter in front of her once again. She had certainly missed the sweet child.

"Elizabeth, you have to be careful." The woman crouched down to meet her daughter's gaze, using a hand to push an errant strand of black hair behind her ear. "We don't run down stairs. You know that you aren't allowed to do that in the house, either."

With Elizabeth's normally demure nature, Riza thought the girl would quiet after being chastised, but that was not the case. Instead of flashing a pout – reminiscent of her father's – Elizabeth smiled even brighter.

"I'm sorry, Mama!" She chirped, bouncing up on the balls of her feet, tiny hands gripping the straps of her little pink backpack. "I'm excited! Miss Helen is so pretty!"

Having met the young girl's new teacher less than a month back, Riza nodded her head in agreement. She grabbed the little girl's hand as they made their way back home. The five-year-old could barely contain her excitement as she talked animatedly about her day.

It had been a hard decision for her and Roy to enroll their daughter into an educational daycare separate from Central Headquarters. Both had always had a certain peace of mind knowing that their sweet girl was being taken care of just a few floors down, but life inevitably had to keep moving forward and Riza was learning that the hard way.

Two weeks after they had decided to allow their child to attend Central Children's Daycare, Riza had received some startling news.

She was pregnant at forty-one years of age.

The doctor had been shocked – she had been shocked – but it shouldn't have been much of a surprise. Due to their age, she and Roy hadn't bothered with any form of protection in the last year. It had taken them awhile to fall pregnant with Elizabeth, so they felt they had no real reason to worry at this stage in their life. Turns out, they were wrong.

Once Riza started feeling ill, the thought never even crossed her mind. The sickness in this pregnancy spanned the whole day, whereas with Elizabeth, she had only had it in the morning. Roy had guessed she had the flu and insisted she visit the doctor, which after a full week of vomiting daily, she finally agreed to.

That's when they received the news.

Riza had been numb – a familiar rushing in her ears blocking out the words of her physician. She could hardly believe what she had just been told. As her doctor listed out the possible risks for her falling pregnant at such a mature age, Riza could feel herself getting more and more nauseous at the thought of it.

"I wouldn't tell anyone just yet." The doctor advised her in a gentle tone, seeing the pallor of her skin. The older woman put a hand on her knee in what she assumed was an attempt at a comforting gesture. "Pregnancies at this age rarely make it."

Would she even have a child at the end of this?

Roy had been over the moon – disregarding all the risks that came along with the unplanned pregnancy. Just as he had been for her pregnancy with Elizabeth, the moment he knew, he became her second shadow. It was annoying, more so than the first go around, but when she caught glimpses of the worried look in his eye, she let him do as he pleased.

Riza watched as Elizabeth very nearly skipped down the sidewalk, going on and on about how Miss Helen's father worked in the hospital and how she had thought it was amazing that Elizabeth wanted to work in the same place. The man didn't practice Alkahestry but apparently Elizabeth's teacher had been impressed that the little girl knew what it was.

"I told her about Mama!" Elizabeth pointed at the woman holding her hand, her grammar and sentence structure not as great as it would be in a few years, but still Riza understood. "I told her about the accident."

The First Lady nodded her head, smiling down at the girl. When the child's attention strayed from her though, she couldn't help the slight frown that made its way to her features.

She still didn't know what to think of the young girl's interest in alchemy.

Riza should have known it would happen sooner or later, given the lineage she came from. Not only was Elizabeth's father a renowned alchemist, but her grandfather had been as well. In some strange way, alchemy must run in their blood. It had certainly skipped over Riza, the woman never caring much for the science, but from the moment she watched her daughter's eyes light up at the doctor's ministrations, she knew Elizabeth had been bit hard by the 'alchemy bug'.

Her and Roy had not discussed it much since they knew children at this age were subject to change. Elizabeth's favorite color changed near weekly, so who's to say this wouldn't change as well. She could end up completely detesting alchemy by the time she hit her teens.

Riza seriously doubted it though.

"Mama?" The girl tugged on her mother's hand, fighting for her attention. Beside them, on the road, a car breezed past, breaking Riza from her thoughts. She pulled the child in tighter, hugging her to her side.

"I'm listening, Elizabeth."

The golden tones of the setting sun fell over her daughter's small features. Riza could see the worry behind the crease in the girl's brow and the pout forming on her pink lips.

"Are you okay?" Elizabeth asked softly, excitement forgotten. Riza's heart clenched once more at her daughter's distraught look. She could hear a slight shaking in her voice, signaling that tears were not far off.

Sometimes she forgot how in tune her daughter was to the emotions around her. If anyone's demeanor changed in even the slightest way, Elizabeth would pick up on it. She was very sensitive to her environment, and though he would never admit it, Riza felt like that was something she had inherited from her father. Both were highly emotional people, just in different ways.

Diffusing the situation, Riza crouched down on the sidewalk, ignoring the looks of the pedestrians walking past them, and grabbed her daughter in an affectionate hug. The girl gratefully returned the gesture.

Snuggling her face into her mother's neck, Elizabeth whispered worriedly. "Is it my baby sister?"

Riza sighed at the question, picking the girl up off her feet and placing her on her hip.

"No, Elizabeth – it's not the baby."

She hadn't wanted to tell her daughter of her condition until she was at least five months into the pregnancy. Her doctor had told her to be cautious for a minimum of twelve weeks, but to take great precaution even after that. Knowing how emotional Elizabeth was, Riza didn't want her child to have to go through the heartbreak of losing a sibling if that's how it all ended.

Roy had agreed – but subconsciously, Elizabeth hadn't.

Their daughter was smart. While her words and grammar were still those of a young child, her emotional intelligence was far beyond her years. She could tell something was wrong with her mother. No matter how many times Riza tried to convince her that she had a stomach bug and was just feeling under the weather, the girl wouldn't buy it.

The situation had gotten so bad that Elizabeth had taken to joining her and Roy in their bed almost nightly. This confused both her parents as Elizabeth had never had much trouble sleeping on her own and rarely caused a fuss at night. When asked why she was fearful of sleeping in her own room, she had asked a question that absolutely broke Riza's heart.

"Is Mama dying?"

She had said it with tears in her eyes, lip wobbling as she curled into her mother's side and shoved her face roughly into her neck. Her behavior had worried her parents so much, that they decided to break their silence on the subject, sharing with Elizabeth that in less than seven months, she would become a big sister.

After that, Elizabeth had no problem sleeping in her room once again.

Now, five months into her pregnancy, Riza was feeling better about things. Elizabeth had enjoyed her first day at her new daycare, the morning sickness was gone, Roy was working on drafting up a new trade policy with Aerugo, things were looking up.

As they sat at dinner that night, Riza watching Roy listen raptly to their daughter's rehashing of her day, the woman couldn't help but think to herself that nothing could ruin this moment in her life.

Unfortunately, she was wrong.

Barely in to her sixth month of pregnancy, Riza retrieved her daughter from school and noticed an immediate difference in the girl's usual happy demeanor.

"Elizabeth?" Riza had asked as they began their walk home. She waved at the little elderly woman who sat on her doorstep, greeting the children as they were released from 'school'. Riza looked down and noticed that Elizabeth hadn't even bothered to raise her hand. Something must have happened, that wasn't like her daughter at all. "Elizabeth, what's wrong?"

The girl was strangely silent, her dark eyes staring at the sidewalk in front of her. Knowing these kind of situations were only made worse by prying, Riza decided to let her decide when she was going to come forward with what was bothering her.

By the time they reached their home, Elizabeth still had not said a word. Looking back at the two guards who accompanied her everyday on her walk – something she had only agreed to due to her pregnancy – she could see they were just as confused by the young child's behavior as she was. They were used to watching the mother struggle to curb the young girl's excitement and now today she had barely bothered to even look up.

More surprising was Elizabeth's reaction when she walked through the door.

It was evening, so Roy was already home for the afternoon. Knowing that Riza's feet had been bothering her, he had offered to start dinner for her so she wouldn't have to stand for long. Hearing his two favorite girls enter the hall, Roy turned the stove down to simmer before poking his head out of the kitchen.

"Hi Lizzie." The Fuhrer called, gifting the child with a sweet smile. Riza knew he still missed having their daughter at Headquarters, the man having made it a habit to visit her every day on his lunch break – however, he had been happy to see how much fun his daughter was having learning at her new daycare. He loved getting to hear about her day. "Did you enjoy daycare today?"

Elizabeth's brows drew inward, her expression growing darker as she continued to stare at the ground in front of her. Riza, still holding her hand, shared an uncertain look with Roy. Neither adult knew exactly what had gotten into their daughter.

Without another word, Elizabeth let go of her mother's hand, trudging up the stairs to her room with her backpack still over her shoulders. Roy couldn't hide his surprise as the sound of their daughter slamming her door echoed through the hall. Riza's face wasn't much different than his own.

"What happened?" There was a certain fire in the man's eyes that the woman recognized far too well. It was the same look he got whenever something – or someone – threatened anyone who was of great importance to him. "Did something happen at the daycare?"

"I don't know." Riza answered truthfully. She moved to free herself from her outer coat, the days getting chillier, but her husband beat her to it. She could feel the tension in his hands as he slid the fabric from her shoulders. "She pouted the whole way home."

Roy's brow furrowed, much in the way their daughter's had. Despite her worry, Riza couldn't help the soft laugh that erupted from her lips.

"She reminds me of someone else I know."

The comment had Roy rolling his eyes as he placed her coat on the rack. When he turned back around, his face softened. Riza imagined it was because his gaze had fallen squarely on her swollen stomach.

"Maybe this one will be more like you." Roy sighed, placing a gentle hand on the crest of her belly. The baby had been moving, but he had yet to feel it. Riza placed her own hand on top of his. "I don't think I could handle another 'me'."

Riza laughed at his lament, squeezing his fingers. "Imagine how I feel!"

"I know." Roy smirked, his thumb rubbing a circle above her belly. "I thank whoever will listen daily that I have you in my life."

Riza gave him another smile before turning towards the kitchen, determined to help him finish dinner. She knew he would argue, saying that he could finish it on his own, but she actually enjoyed the act of getting to cook with him. It gave them some time to talk – alone.

Well, as alone as two people could be with two guards always standing just outside their door.

"She's a very well-behaved child." Riza reminded him, lifting her apron over her head. She reached behind her to tie the strings, but Roy beat her to it. Lifting her hair, she continued as he tied the garment securely around her. "We could have ended up with children like the Havoc boys. Then you would have a little more to worry about than just a few grey hairs."

Roy snorted at the comment. "Poor Havoc and Rebecca. I don't know how they survived all these years."

He kissed the back of her neck as he finished, reaching around her to turn the dial of the burner up once again. Riza leaned back as he brought his other arm to wrap around her. Blame it on her pregnancy hormones, but she found herself craving her husband's touch more and more throughout the day. Roy didn't seem to mind at all – in fact, he was quite happy about it.

"I am worried." Riza admitted, leaning her head back on his shoulder. She could feel him tense at the remembrance of his daughter's sour mood. "I've never seen her so upset after daycare. I hope the kids aren't causing her any trouble."

Roy pursed his lips, trying hard to push down thoughts of showing up to her 'school' to teach said "bullies" a lesson. "I hope so too – for their sake, of course."

Riza rolled her eyes and swatted at his thigh. Roy knew better though; the woman was just as protective of their child as he was.

"Maybe she got in trouble with her teacher?" Riza proposed, giving him a sideways glance. Her amber eyes locked with his own, worry evident in her gaze. "You know how upset she gets when she's in trouble."

"Miss Helen's gone…"

The two adults separated at the sound of their daughter's voice. Turning around they saw her standing in the doorway, the evening sun that poured through the window, illuminating the wet trails that kissed the skin of her cheeks. Already she had changed into pajamas, the shirt not matching the pants, but the little girl too upset to care.

The sight broke her parents' hearts.

"Lizzie," Roy murmured gently, making his way to the now trembling girl. Riza stayed by the stove to keep an eye on their dinner – her mind, however, was with her daughter. The mother watched as Roy scooped the girl up and into his arms, cradling her close to his chest.

With her father holding her like a baby, Elizabeth's composure broke. Wrapping her small arms around the man's neck, the young girl buried her warm face into the shoulder of his button-down. A few moments later, choking sobs could be heard.

There was a stricken look on Roy's face as he patted the distraught child's back, sharing a concerned look with Riza. "Lizzie, I'm sorry Miss Helen is gone."

Turning the burner down to simmer once more, Riza chose to join her husband and child in the doorway of the kitchen.

"She didn't say goodbye!" Elizabeth very nearly wailed, her voice shaking as she turned her dark eyes towards her father, the pain evident in their depths. "She left. She left."

Riza raised her hand and rested it over her husband's on their daughter's back. Roy had already started bouncing the girl, attempting to get her to calm down. Riza could see he was at a loss for words, so she decided to step in.

"I bet she had a good reason for leaving." Riza's hand slipped from Roy's to run through her daughter's dark locks. Her hair was getting so long now that it was almost past the middle of her back. It was tangled from the fit the child had probably just thrown in her room moments before. "The good thing is that you'll get a new teacher who will be just as special."

At her mother's words, Elizabeth's face returned to her father's shoulder and the sobs began again. Roy's eyes widened at her response.

"Hey…" The man mumbled into her ear, continuing to bounce as her trembling returned with vigor. Riza removed her hand from the girl's hair, which was then replaced with Roy's. His fingers gently held the back of her neck, his thumb rubbing comforting circles into her skin. "Lizzie, you need to calm down. You'll love your new teacher just as much."

"She…She…" Elizabeth tried to say, but her sobs were causing her to shake too much. Roy waited as she caught her breath, still shushing her between bounces. "She don't like me."

The adults were too surprised by her words to bother correcting their child's grammar. They shared a look of disbelief before their gazes fell back to their daughter.

Their sweet, sensitive, perfect, daughter. The thought of anyone taking issue with the small child was truly a foreign concept to them. Surely, Elizabeth had misinterpreted something.

"Elizabeth," Riza stepped around Roy, meeting the eyes of her daughter over the curve of his shoulder. The girl's eyes were bloodshot and clear liquid still sat in pools at the bottom of her lids. If Riza wasn't careful, her pregnancy hormones were going to send her into a round of tears as well. "What are you talking about? There's no way your teacher couldn't like you."

Knowing the girl was as well-behaved as they came, and that the Havoc boys had all come out of that school unscathed and liked by each of their teachers, Roy had to agree with his wife. He nodded in a show of support for the statement, pressing a gentle hand to the head of his daughter.

Their agreeance did very little to calm Elizabeth's fears. While her breathing was no longer labored – a new set of tears fell down her cheeks. Propping her chin on her father's shoulder, the girl gazed at her mother sadly with big, black eyes.

"Trouble."

The one word had Riza sighing in relief, her earlier theory proven correct. Now knowing the reason behind the young girl's mood, the mother found herself bestowing a gentle smile on the child. Noticing the release of tension in Roy's shoulders, she could tell he was relieved as well.

"There's no reason to get so worked up over something like that." Riza brushed the bangs back from the girl's face, their tips wet from the earlier round of tears. "That doesn't mean your teacher doesn't like you. If you apologized for what you did, then I'm sure everything will be back to normal tomorrow."

Rather than giving her mother a smile in return, the furrow in Elizabeth's brow returned. Her arms tightened around Roy's neck, drawing herself closer to the chest of her father.

"I didn't do it."

Riza was surprised by this, Elizabeth not normally the one to strike up a defense. Their child was honest to a fault and was rarely able to get away with anything. The Havoc boys once teased that she was a notorious squealer whenever they would try and put their crazy plans in to action.

That's why her denial in this situation was so unusual.

"What do you mean, Lizzie?" Roy asked, turning his head so he could see his daughter's expression. His hand was still on her back, the warmth meant to encourage her to put her trust in him and reveal what was bothering her. "What did you get in trouble for?"

The furrow in her brows deepened, the tears forming in the lower portion of her eyes once more. "Stealing."

To say the two parents were surprised was an understatement.

"Stealing?" Riza asked for clarification. Elizabeth whimpered, nodding her head and hiding her eyes in her father's shoulder. "What did she say you stole?"

"Paper," Elizabeth mumbled, the words muffled by the fabric of Roy's shirt. The man ran his fingers through her hair, encouraging her to say more. "Timothy's paper."

"Did you take it?" The girl's mother asked, shifting closer to her husband and daughter. At her words, Elizabeth shook her head vehemently, looking up at her mother.

"No," Elizabeth answered honestly. Riza could see the genuine hurt in the young girl's eyes at the accusation. "I promise."

Roy patted the girl's back. "We believe you, Lizzie."

Riza nodded her head to show her support for her husband's statement. "We know you wouldn't steal. Your teacher doesn't know you that well, so it was probably a misunderstanding."

Elizabeth looked unconvinced, but nodded nonetheless.

After the discussion, the family went back to preparing dinner, Roy allowing their daughter to assist him in stirring the stew that sat on the stove. As Riza watched her husband and daughter make dinner, she couldn't shake the strange feeling that was nestled in her belly. She tried to brush off the interaction as a fluke, one that wouldn't be repeated in the future.

However, something told her this wasn't the last time her daughter would come home in tears over the actions of her new teacher.

~

Roy walked Elizabeth to daycare the next morning.

It was their daily ritual, since Riza usually finished her duties earlier in the afternoon and was able to do pickup. Besides, with Riza now pregnant, the woman tended to oversleep more often than naught in the mornings, making Roy the obvious choice as Elizabeth's chauffeur for drop-off.

The girl was quiet, gripping his hand tightly as they made their way down the sidewalk. The street was bustling with cars, the citizens of Central speeding down the pavement. There were a few honks and waves, all directed at the Fuhrer, which he gladly returned with a smile. However, once the act was over, his mouth would fall back into a frown as he watched his daughter stare glumly at the laces of her shoes.

Roy remained silent for the entirety of their journey. He knew that when he was down, the last thing he wanted was for people to try and cheer him up. Elizabeth would see, after attending school, that things were different from yesterday. That was the only thing at this point that could possibly raise her spirits.

With his two standard bodyguards behind them, Roy approached the small, white building that was the Central Children's Daycare. Already, there were many parents in the schoolyard, kissing their children goodbye and wishing them a good day at school. A few of the children waved at Elizabeth, to which she raised a tentative hand in response.

Roy smiled. His girl was still in there; she was just a little nervous.

Crouching down to her level, Roy adjusted the straps of her pink backpack over the shoulders of her lavender dress. "It's going to be fine, Lizzie."

His words were meant to be encouraging, but Elizabeth's frown grew. Her dark eyes peered resolutely at the ground in front of her, refusing to look up into the gentle eyes of her father. Knowing that there was little he could say to comfort the girl, he ruffled her hair before standing up, about ready to take his leave.

That's when he noticed something – or someone – from the corner of his eye.

Standing on the porch of the daycare, the door wide open for the children to make their way inside, stood a young woman. It wasn't the button-down or pencil skirt that caught the Fuhrer's attention, it was the piercing gaze and hateful expression.

With eyes as red as blood and hair as white as snow, it was obvious the woman was Ishvalan.

"That's Miss Abra."

The whisper came from behind his leg, Elizabeth having angled herself to hide behind him at the sight of her teacher. With those words, Roy could feel the bile rising in his throat.

Surely, this woman wasn't taking her hatred for him out on his child.

The bell rang out to signal the start of the 'school' day. The other children began filtering in, but Roy could feel Elizabeth's grip tighten on his military blues. Ignoring the eyes he could still feel boring into him, he patted her head in encouragement, trying not to allow himself to fear the worst. Elizabeth could usually pick up on emotions, so if he acted nervous, she would feel that way as well.

One of the other little girl's in her class, came bouncing over, blonde curls flying behind her as she excitedly grabbed for Elizabeth's hand. After sharing a look with her father, she allowed the other child to pull her away and into the school building.

Once all the children were inside, the young Miss Abra glanced once more at the Fuhrer, before following suit behind her students.

'Now this…' Roy thought to himself, slowly turning away from the building to rejoin his bodyguards. The men nodded at the Fuhrer as he once more took the lead. '…could potentially be a problem.'

That thought was the one he brought up with Riza that night as they lounged in bed. While he had told his wife upon arrival at Headquarters about catching a glimpse of Elizabeth's new teacher, he hadn't mentioned her Ishvalan heritage. Once Riza knew of this tidbit of information, her worry mirrored his.

Elizabeth hadn't been upset when her mother had picked her up from school – however, she hadn't been happy either. When asked if she had gotten in trouble again, the girl responded with a quiet 'no', but Riza could tell there was something else bothering her. Given her susceptibility to other's emotions, Riza now theorized that the young girl could probably sense the disdain her teacher felt for her.

"I guess our worries from before have proven to be valid."

Roy spoke quietly, knowing the Elizabeth was asleep just down the hall. The girl hadn't fought against her bedtime, but neither parent wanted to wake her in the midst of their discussion. It was one that they had always feared would come about, but that they hoped against all hope they wouldn't have to deal with.

How foolish they were.

With their bedside lamps still on, the couple regarded each other. Roy was in a pair of sleep pants, while Riza wore one of his larger, cotton button-downs. Anyone who looked in on the scene would see a pair of normal, run-of-the-mill parents – however, that was only half the story. Normal parents would never have to discuss the treatment their child was receiving due to the sins of their past.

Normal parents weren't murderers.

Riza rubbed her belly, feeling the child within beginning to wake with her lack of movement. "We knew this day would come. I think we became complacent somewhere along the way thinking it wouldn't."

Roy turned from his back to his side, reaching a hand out to lay next to Riza's on her stomach. It had become a part of their nightly routine for him to try and coax a kick out of their baby.

"I don't know what the right answer it." Roy admitted quietly, rubbing a thumb into the fabric of his old shirt. Riza's fingertips met his own, giving him the strength to continue. "I can't blame her for the hatred she has."

"No." Riza agreed, flashing a sad smile his way. The blonde fringe that hung over her forehead, drifted into her eyes as she looked down at the sheets between them. "I can't say I blame her either – it's justified."

"But to take it out on a child…"

"Roy," Riza stopped him, her amber eyes lifting and staring into his. He could see the ancient pain behind her gaze. "We killed innocent children in a fight that was meant to be amongst adults. I don't think it's fair of us to judge."

The man knew she was right.

"So what do we do?" He finally asked, rubbing his palm over her belly. He could have sworn he felt something, but couldn't say for sure. Perhaps, the baby was already cursing their parents for bringing it into an existence like this. An existence where they could possibly be hated. "Should we pull her from the daycare?"

Riza gave him an unimpressed look. While Roy would love to have his daughter back within the walls of Central Headquarters, they had sent her to Central Children's to get her ready for Primary School next year. She needed to be exposed to a school structure and to school lessons. It was paramount for her development.

"I don't think that's the answer." Riza voiced dryly, patting the top of his hand when he pouted. "You and I both know that she needs to start schooling. The Havoc children began early and so did the Elrics. I want her to have the best opportunities possible, especially since they're available to us."

Roy understood this since he wanted the same thing. "I know, but that still doesn't answer my question."

Riza sighed, knowing he was right. "I guess we should talk with the headmaster of the daycare and let her know our position. I'm sure they could move Elizabeth into another class."

"Away from her friends?" Roy asked sadly, hating the situation they had put their daughter in. Riza's look mirrored his own.

"Yes, away from her friends. I just don't see any other options. Let's give it a week and then make the decision."

The Fuhrer could agree to these terms, not wanting to jump the gun before giving this Miss Abra a chance. It wouldn't be fair to try and ask for her forgiveness by performing acts of repentance, if he wasn't willing to give her the same opportunity in return.

As if agreeing with the two adults' decision, the baby within Riza's womb kicked weakly against the wall of their mother's stomach. Roy's eyes widened in surprise as Riza's lips grew into a soft smile. He always had that look of wonder on his face when it came to their children.

"Did the baby just…?" The last part of the question drifted off as he stared pointedly at her stomach, his dark eyes practically begging the child to do it again. However, at this stage, Riza knew the baby wasn't going to be noticeably active often. She was happy though that Roy got to feel some of the movement she had been feeling over the past few weeks.

With a hand lain over his, Riza rubbed a thumb against the rough texture of his skin. "I think the baby agrees with our reasoning."

Roy smiled down at her belly. In the dim lamplight of the room, the couple shared a gentle kiss – the beauty of bringing another life into this world hitting them once more. They had never expected to have Elizabeth and now they were getting the opportunity to have another, surely their luck would run out somewhere along the way. After all, neither of them had ever done anything to deserve such good fortune.

After turning out the lights and snuggling down in bed, Roy wrapped his arms around his wife, palms flat on her stomach, trying his hardest to get the baby to kick again.

"The doctor says everything's alright?" Riza smiled at his question, knowing good and well that she had told him exactly what the doctor had said after her visit on Monday.

"Everything is as it should be." Riza assured him, patting his hand in a comforting gesture. "Though she's still cautious given my age, the baby is growing at the same rate Elizabeth did. We aren't out of the woods completely, and won't be until their born, but the doctor seems to be rather hopeful now that we've made it to this point."

Roy smiled into the back of her neck, nuzzling his nose into her skin. When he inhaled, he could smell the mint fragrance that was used in her shampoo. It smelled like her, it smelled like home.

"Are we still good on the names?" He asked, curious if she had changed her mind. From the pat on the back of his hand though, he could tell she was still resolute on what they had picked out only a month before.

"Yes." She answered, twining her fingers with his. "I think the names are perfect."

Roy smiled before drifting off to sleep.

Whatever problems came their way; they would face them together.

[caramelslate]

Day 3 of Moms Made Fullmetal Week!

Prompt: Disappointment or Apologies or Grounded 

AO3 link is here.

Enjoy reading!

“Ed?”

Trisha Elric hated scolding the kids. It is fortunate for her to be given two sons that are mostly well behaved. Although her older one is a bit short-tempered and would throw some tantrums every now and then. But that’s common with kids and it’s nothing she couldn’t handle. Most of the townsfolk often admire her sons for being so mild-mannered compared to other more rambunctious kids.

However, this is clearly a different scenario.

He punched another kid and broke his nose?  Trisha stared at the piece of note asking her to come to school tomorrow and explaining the reason why.

Ed couldn’t do that. Well, he easily gets angry, especially when teased but she has never seen him get at least a bit violent. But now, she really needs to know the truth straight from her son. Trisha crouched, brought her eye level to Ed and stared at her eldest in the eyes, and asked, “Did you really punch him?”

Ed looked down at his shoes then to the side, literally looking anywhere else other than back at her and her heart sank. He always does when he does something wrong. She got her confirmation a few seconds later with a small “Yes.” She sighed in disappointment. What is happening?

Ed spoke up, “But Mom, they were taking Al’s lunch yesterday, I saw it happen.” Trisha’s eyes went wide and her head went flying towards her younger son, Al, who was silently sitting by the kitchen. “Al, honey, come here.” With slow steps, Al shuffled to her side. He is chewing on his bottom lip and burning a hole on the floor. She asked it if it was true and for the second time, her heart sits in the pits of her stomach as Al quietly nods his head.

“For how long?” Trisha quietly asked Al. She knew between the two boys, Al was the more soft-hearted one. He gives tiny pieces of bread to pigeons in the backyard and sneaks little kittens into his room. She was afraid that this personality of his might make him a target at school.

She reached out and smoothed his head to comfort the boy. Trisha sighed and sank down the chair and faced her two boys. “Al, the next time that happens, I want you to go talk to your teachers. If not, you talk to me okay? I don’t want you to be taken advantage of in school or anywhere. It is never wrong to tell someone if you’re not comfortable in a situation. Understood?”

Al nodded and several strands of blond hair fell down his forehead, as his eyes filled up with unshed tears. He needs a haircut soon, Trisha thought.

Now, turning to her oldest, “Edward,” she began and Ed slightly flinched. “You know it’s not good for you or anyone for that matter to hit other people. Even if they hurt someone you love. If someone tries to hurt the people you protect, find another way to protect them. Violence is never the answer. Remember that.”

Ed sullenly nodded his head. “I know you love your brother. But sometimes you’ve got to take the high road and forgive. Find a way to get out of that situation without hurting anyone. You’re smart. You’re the smartest kid I know. You’ll find a way.”

Ed suddenly rushes into her arms and whispers “Sorry, Mom.” in a broken voice, almost crying.

Trisha is taken aback. Ed never cries, he’s usually not comfortable showing emotions, unlike Al who wears his heart on his sleeves. She reaches out to Al, inviting him in their little circle and Al runs and throws his little limbs around them both.

They’re going to be okay.

Trisha pulls away, “Now, I want you both to know that things like these have consequences. No alchemy for a week. You boys go outside and play with other kids or go to the Rockbells. Starting today.” Both boys’ jaws dropped open. It’s hilarious how some parents have to take away toys or make them stay inside during punishments like this. But with two aspiring alchemists under her roof, both boys kind of forget how much time passes when they’re inside their father’s library. She had to sometimes fetch them because they forget to come down during lunch. It’s amazing how much they are similar to Van when it comes to these little things.

Van, look at our boys, they’re getting bigger every day. I just hope you were here to see it.

“If I see anyone sneaking around and doing alchemy, it will be extended for a day for both of you. Understood?” They both nod, shoulders dropped, and their faces dejected.

Trisha stands up, “Now you two, come help me set the table for dinner. Just because you’re grounded, doesn’t mean you don’t get pie for dessert.” Suddenly the twin faces of dejection turn to two bright smiles and arguing over who gets to set the table better. Trisha looks at the brothers and permits her lips for a soft smile.

The next day, Trisha sorted out Ed’s situation at school. Obviously, the other boy’s mother displayed annoyance as she apologized for Ed’s behavior. She told the headmistress about Ed's reason and agreed that it did not (and never will be) justify Ed's actions. With this new information, the other parent’s eyes went wide and directed a glare to her own son, who suddenly became interested in the fraying hem of his coat. At the end of the meeting, the other was alternating between apologizing profusely to Trisha and shooting looks at her son. Trisha assured her that it would be okay and that Ed swears it won’t happen again.

When Trisha was on her way home, she passed by Pinako with little Winry in tow.

“Trisha! How was the school meeting?” Pinako asked as a way of greeting. She was wearing a traveling coat and had a small briefcase with her.

Trisha smiled. “Nothing new. I’m just glad Ed’s not getting suspended or something. He just had to do extra work at school for the teacher along with the boy he punched.” She quickly explained the situation to which Pinako hummed her agreement.

“I am sorry, dear. But I had to leave for Rush Valley immediately.” Pinako explained when Trisha asked where she was going. Apparently, one of her local clients had called for her to fix his automail while he’s in Rush Valley as he’s in no condition to travel to Resembool to get it fixed.

Pinako clasped her hands together, “Would it be too much of a bother to leave Winry with you for at least two days? I can’t bring her with me right now as she just got better from having the flu.”

Trisha didn’t even hesitate to say yes. “It’ll be refreshing having another girl in the house. It’ll be better since both boys are grounded. They have to find something else to do.” Trisha smiled at the little girl, who she just noticed was silently crying. She turned to look at Pinako and the older woman explained, “She wanted to come along but I really couldn’t take her. It’ll be more difficult for both of us if she gets sick again.”

Trisha nodded and then turned to the little girl and said, “You know, I have some extra apples at home. Would you like to help me make a pie? I’d like a little helper with me because Ed just likes to eat and Al makes too much of a mess because he’s still a little boy. You’re a big girl now, right?”  Almost immediately, Winry stopped crying and stared at her with watery eyes. “I am a big girl now.” she hiccupped in the most adorable way and smiled. “I’ll help you!” The girl took off to the direction of her house yelling out that she’s going to have pie for dinner.

Pinako looked after her with a small smile on her face. “She is so full of energy, I can barely keep up. Her parents sent her a letter this morning. She ran around the house almost tearing the letter up.” Pinako’s son and his wife are doctors shipped to the military and left Winry in the care of her grandmother who owns an automail shop. The couple barely had the chance to bid them farewell before both were shipped to the war front.

“Don’t worry, Pinako. I’ll look after her while you’re gone.” Trisha said, resting her hand on Pinako’s shoulder to reassure the older woman.

Pinako smiled, a small weight lifted off her chest. She put her wrinkled hand on top of her hand. “I sent you a batch of stew I made this morning because I didn’t know I would leave. So you won’t have to cook dinner. It’s the least I could do for you. Tell Winry I’ll see her in a couple of days.” With that, Pinako set off to walk towards the train station towards Rush Valley.

When Trisha reached the house, she found the boys had already washed up for dinner. Winry was standing on top of the stool in front of the sink and washing the freshly picked apples. A pot was sitting on top of the table, the stew Pinako was talking about. Together, the four of them tried to make a pie, in this case Winry helped measure the ingredients while the two boys kept getting flour everywhere and settled with wiping the counters instead.

While enjoying Pinako’s beef stew, Trisha listened to the antics the small children got into during dinner. It feels carefree to live as a child again. She was subjected to the stories of who hides the best during hide and seek, which kid scraped their knee at lunch, how the teacher asked them what pet they would have if they don’t have one.

“I’d want a kitty.” Al turned to her with pleading golden eyes. Trisha returned that look while saying “I haven’t forgotten the mess of the last time we had a cat in this house.” Al sheepishly shot her a smile as he proceeded to devour his plate of stew.

Eventually, Trisha went to prepare the spare bedroom for Winry while the kids played downstairs. Just as she was changing the sheets, she heard the door creak open

“Mom?” Ed said by the door. He was pushed further into the room by Al. Both boys had their hands behind their backs. When they got in front of her, they looked at each other first then held out their hands.

In Ed’s hands is a tiny flower, almost as big as her thumb and obviously made with alchemy, the curves of the flowers are too smooth to be handcrafted. “For me?” When Ed nodded, she took the flower from his hands, her heart warm. “We made it last week, so we didn’t do alchemy after you grounded us. I wanted to do a rose or tulip but it was too complicated so I went with a simple wildflower like the ones growing on the street.”

Trisha smiled but before she can even speak, Al holds out his hands. This time, it was a tiny kitten curled in a ball, no bigger than the flower his brother made. “Brother helped me out since it was too hard so I guess we both made it but I wanted the kitty.” Al proudly declared, his smile wide across his face. “Sorry, Mom. I never should’ve done that. I won’t do that again.” Ed threw his hands around her waist and Al followed suit. Looking down at both of their blond heads, she set down the two gifts and smoothed both of their hair back.

See, Van? I told you. We’re going to be fine. The three of us. Don’t worry.

[firedragonx]

Action/Adventure(Fanfiction)

Promise to make this list all the way back in summer but this as longer I thought it would so splitting it into parts now.

This is from site fanfciton there will be more Action/Adventure fanfiction coming out soon but on different site like A03.

Note M-is fanfiction that is for mature audiences and if see this * this fanfiction may trigger you.

Shelter By XxWhispxX(*)

So imagine this: you go on vacation but then your parents die along most of the other adults in the world. Then vampires try to take you and bite and they almost kill you. Then a bunch of people took your sister and left because they thought you were dead. Then you wake up kill a dog and found out that you're a vampire. That's how Maisie is living her life now. Yep is a oc fic but the Maisie is interesting and it how the XxWhispxX writes the canon characters are in character. If you want to read a good oc fic then this one is for you.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12492805/1/Shelter

Poke Wars Universe By Cornova(M and  *)

In this fic, Ho-oh declared war on humans and removed pokémon dampeners. Which makes pokémon's move intensely powerful and most just go on a killing spree. If that summary didn't just give it away this is a dark fic but one more action pack then most other dark. It's like a survival game where almost everything is out to get you. This also have an expanded universe which means more fic that has different pov characters to give the world more flesh out. Be forwarn this fics blood and have character death. So you guys know what to look out for.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4480577/1/Poke_Wars_The_Subsistence

Cat'O'Nine Tails By Kaze and Kiba(M and *)

So Sakura is sent undercover to capture Itachi and any other Akatsuki she comes in contact with. Just one thing tho, she has to be disguised as a cat. If that summary didn't just clue you in this story have some comedy moments. Mostly by playing this situation as straight as it is.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5799290/1/Cat-O-Nine-Tails

Pokemon Cold Gray By Blu Rose

So in this story, White is the daughter of Red and can understand Pokémon but after an accident left her crippling fear of Pokémon. Which is why she going on Pokémon journey to learn to get over it. This story is more about character growth and friendship. If that your kind of story then you like this one.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6974190/1/Pokemon-Cold-Gray

Dragonfall By Storylover Vodhr

So this is a bit of a weird one. In this AU Ash is actually a Latios who brought to Delia after his birth mother was attacked by four different evil teams. One of which is original creation call Team Whirlwind who is after the species of Latias and Latios to control Rayquaza. What I like about this is not only we giving a some really worldbuilding in this au but good character development with Ash, Latias(from the movie) and Pikachu. The ocs in this fanfic is well thought out and really good characters. Check it out if you have time.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11133153/1/Dragonfall

Of Stars and Blood Book 1: The Silver Path By JasperLizard

So this all ocs fiction with clans suffer from huge fire and have to leave for a bit in order to recover. There also problems with Shadowclan leader and deputy, Robinkit  and Smallkit are getting a visit by Dark Forest cats, and Twisttail and Stormpaw are trying their best to make it during this journey. All the ocs are wonderful and LGBT+ themes in it. Check it out if you have time.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12420977/1/Of-Stars-and-Blood-Book-1-The-Silver-Path

Kingdom Shinigami By ElementalL'Cie

Basically Hitsugaya Toshiro is a drop-in Kingdom Heart universe. This is really depends if you like Hitsugaya and Kingdom Hearts characters then you like this fic. I personally do like it for that. I like it when a serious character gets dropped into a weird world or vice versa. Make for some great interactions.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12958144/1/Kingdom-Shinigami-The-Grand-Line

The Legend of Menace By ConmanWolf

So Spyro and Cynder find this portal into an alternate universe where Spyro is evil and Cynder is the good guy. Basically it! If you like alternate universe type of crossover then this one is for you.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12723760/1/The-Legend-of-Menace

The Legend of Cynder By GoldenGriffiness(*)

In Legend Of Spyro, the Dragon temple was attacked by Dark Master and Ignitus save one egg, and others were destroyed but one that was taken. That was Cynder. In this fanfic, Ignitus save Cynder's egg, and Spyro's egg gets taken instead. Yep, Cynder takes Spyro place but the author makes it very clear that Cynder is not Spyro however. So don't think things go like canon.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6782003/1/The-Legend-of-Cynder-A-New-Beginning

The Grizzly Game By Zestylicous(M and *)

So Sakura gets this letter from an unknown source that said, "Hey we going this cool weapon and these other people to fight each other to the death. Ok bye." Which left Sakura in very scared and confuse state to say the less and not only does she have play this game but this also around the time when chuunin exams were starting. So fun times for all. But yeah this is a dark story so if don't like violence then tay away from this one.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4717316/1/The-Grizzly-Game

What Lies Beyond the Walls series By abstow89(M and *)

Ok, so imagine Redwall was written by George R. R. Martin and more of a dark sense of humor. You get this fic. What I like about this fic that there no really good guys or bad guys just people trying to survive this awful place. You got Urthquake and his Long Patrol who hates the vermin and wants to do everything to get rid of them in Mossflower. The you got Kurwin a pirate who wants to control of Mossflower after he and his crew got a shipwreck. I should warn this fic is not for kids. Its violence and sexual situations. And not all the characters make it. You have been warned.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11267177/1/What-Lies-Beyond-the-Walls-Book-II-Betrayal

The Power of Three Journeys By Cabbit and the Weasel

This is Naruto x Pokémon where team 7 become Pokémon trainers for different reasons. But they all come together to travel around the region to get stronger and discover more about themselves. It's a nice fic to sit down and read if you have the chance too. It has nice character development and each of team 7 gets a chance to shine! You read it if you into that sort of thing.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9090449/1/The-Power-of-Three-Journeys

Shinigami Phantom By inukagome15

Danny Phantom and his friends were attacked by Hollow and send to the Bleach world. Where they have figure out how to get home while watching out for Soul Reapers and Hollows. It's true the characters, fight scenes are good and has both dark and fun moments as well. Give it a read if have the chance.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5307215/chapters/12253124

Plegian Queen By C2ii

So in this fanfic where Validar is already dead and Robin still meets Chrom and join the shepherds. That point no one knows what's going to happen because canon already changes. Give it a read when you get the chance.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9708436/1/Plegian-Queen

Expedient By SwiftKick (*)

So Konoha and Iwa sign a truce and agree to an Exchange Program which is like student exchange. And Sakura was chosen for the Konoha side and her sensei is nothing other then Deidara. This is before team 7 and before Deidara joins Akatsuki. I can't spoilers what happens but let's say character's goals change and it happens in way that is in character. I should warn there are some dark moments and while it doesn't go into detail it still happened so keep that in mind.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6004135/1/Expedient

New Reality By noa748(*)

Ok so this is SI and...hey don't runoff. Trust me it's a good one. First off the SI is actually is a character with flaws and she messes up. The other characters do call her out on it and she does change the plot up so it's not just the same story but with another character in it. Give it a read if it sounds like your type of fic.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4772320/1/New-Reality

Gone Batty By Lilgrimmapple

So a human name Medley was helping her friend in bat conservation with experiment. Of course things turn wrong and Medley gets to turn into a bat. And through a series of events she ends up in Tree Haven where she meets Shade. What I like is the friendship between Marina, Shade, and Medley and the other ocs were pretty good too. If you enjoy Silverwing you'll enjoy this fic.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10590553/1/Gone-Batty

Land Before Time Retold series By Elise Lowing

Basically a human from our world gets a drop in the Land Before Time one. Surviving and friendship is the theme in this fanfic but there is a bigger plot point with the stone and predators. Can revel too much so have to read it for yourself.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9479048/1/Land-Before-Time-Retold

The Chakra Alchemist By Miss Comatose

This is a crossover between Naruto and Fullmetal Alchemist where Sakura drop-in FMA world during Ishvalan War. Deciding that using a child for this war the Amestris side. Yeah, it gets dark but Sakura made friends with Roy who has a father-daughter relationship. Which is new for FMA and Naruto. They always ship Sakura with Edward and Roy.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9171994/1/The-Chakra-Alchemist

No One Would Believe Me By onelittlespeck

This another SI but more friendship than anything. Basically Truth is bored and brought a girl Amy to FMA world. She later meet Edward and Alphonse later and they become friends snd willing to helo she gets home. The friendship is believable and there some goo world-building here too. If that sounds good give it a read.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4135721/1/No-One-Would-Believe-Me

Called Out In The Dark By Ironic-Sarcasm

This is AU where Maleficent knows ahead of time that Sora is going to become a thorn in her side in the future, so when he was a kid and she throws him into darkness. Don't worry he meets Aqua and DiZ and they help raise as they trying to survive in the land of darkness. Found families and friendship all around in this fic. Plus it gives Kairi something to do besides waiting for Sora and Riku. Give it a read when you get the chance.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11103097/1/Called-Out-In-The-Dark

Hakumei By Pryotra

Hakumei is Naruto AU after one night Naruto, Hinata, Neji, Sasuke, Sakura, and Sai meet each one night and also watch as Danzo killed the Hokage. They decide to leave the village because they all were afraid they're be next. But they promise to get stronger and take the village back. Found family feelings are in the fic and everyone gets a chance to shine. Read it when you get the chance.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4119917/1/Hakumei

The Land Before Time: the Return of Sharptooth By Red Eyes Black Dragon Master

So remember T-rex in the first movie? Well, he back and he wants revenge. There's no holding back and the only way for Little to defect him is train by Lone Dinosaur to get stronger. It's good little fic with some good action scenes to go along with it, Give it a read when you have the chance.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4164198/1/The-Land-Before-Time-the-Return-of-Sharptooth

The Seven Hunters By The Rhombus (M and *)

Basically Littlefoot and his friends found Stone of Cold Fire and make a wish to be strong enough to beat Red Claw. Well, remember the old saying be careful what you wish for? Well, the gang besides Chomper turned sharpteeth aka Utahraptors. Many of the adults think they ate their children and chase them out. If wonder why they can't just say it was them well Littlefoot and the gang lose their ability to talk to their old language. So now they kick out of the Great Valley, their parents after them because they kill them (their sharptooth forms) kill their children, and they have a deal with the idea of eating meat. Fun times for all.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9990125/1/The-Seven-Hunters

Not Quite as Planned By cerokun

This AU Bleach fic where Ichigo as a bit slow to pull Zangetsu out as his Inner World crumbled and ends up more arrancar then a soul reaper. In change, a lot in plot and I can't explain too much because of spoilers. But it not a dark fic unlike more other fics I list here. Plus as an AU it does take chances to change the plot around which I like. Give you like this kind of fic give it a read.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7462056/1/Not-Quite-as-Planned

Rewind By LittleMissMidnight

So this one is a bit of a weird one. It's an what if Robin didn't come back after the end of Fire Emblem Awakening. What they find is that Robin is not present but in the future. Chrom volunteers to get his wife back but incomes at a cost his memories. But Chrom decides to go along with the children and off to the future they go. What I like about romance/adventure story is how much everyone that is a couple is willing to go far for their loves one. The ending left somewhat of a bad taste in my mouth but it's good noth the less.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9297676/1/Rewind

The Daughters Trilogy By ShoutFinder

A Warrior Cats AU after the Omen of the Stars arc where Dovewing and Bamblestripes have a daughter name Skypaw. Everything was looking good until a kit came intoThunderclan to warn the three that cats of No Stars are planning their revenge. And the three are losing their powers and a new generation of cats will get new power. Of course one of the cats that get this new power is Skypaw so her apprentice because a whole lot more dangerous. It has great characters and great world-building even better than canon. Check it when you get a chance.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8788038/1/The-Daughters-Trilogy-Daughter-of-the-Sun

Bleach: Ultimate Alien Remake By Bigby the Big Bad Wolf

So this crossover with Ben 10 and Bleach. Where Ben is in Hueco Mundo and trick into thinking the arrancars are the good guys and the Soul Society. This fic is about friendship and actions as incomes both shows. It good story and so give look.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11296670/1/Bleach-Ultimate-Alien-Remake

A Game Comes To Equestria By Rainstone56

So this Yu-Gi-Oh crossover with My Little Pony. Weird crossover I know. After Yugi almost loses his soul in the Atlantis filler arc Pinkie Pie made wish and Yugi literally came crashing down. He is pegasus colt in this version because like most mlp crossover. And has no memory, No Cutie Mark, only his name. Both enemies and friends are looking Yugi too but how can they find him? Read to find out.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9222211/1/A-Game-Comes-To-Equestria

Of Princes and Paupers By KiwiWizard

It's kinda like the fairytale but Pokémon Manga characters and with new twists and turns. Instead of a prince being boring of the high life and switch places to a poor person to see what it's like. Instead is about a prince's family being kidnap and team up with a servant, a group of thieves, and stable boy they kidnap along the way. Yeah if this the story that sounds you enjoy then check it out.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7729704/1/Of-Princes-and-Paupers

Just Another Night At Freddy's By DeltaV(*)

So this is a strange one. Yes, even stranger than the crossover I list so far. Five Nights At Freddy's is horror but in this world after Mike's seventh night and visiting the place during the day the animatronics realize that he not endoskeleton but human. This puts them relax state and Mike really doesn't have to worry about his night that much anymore. But everything changes when Foxy finds a way outside... Find out more by reading the first story of this series

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10680061/1/Just-Another-Night-at-Freddy-s-Night-One-Foxy-s-Freedom

Tangled In Time By TwilightFairy928

So after the events of Twilight Princess our good old friend Ganondorf wakes from a coma and Twinrova informs him the old Link die but a new Link is born. So Ganondorf gets idea of kidnapping new baby Link because just killing him will just make new reborn. Ganondorf raise Link as his own son giving the name Siegfried Dragmire and raising him in Lake Hylia with no knowledge of the outside world. But destiny as the funny way of showing up...Read more to find out.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7318363/1/Tangled-In-Time

Amity's Arrancar By Chash123

So this crossover between Danny Phantom and Bleach. Where Danny instead becoming a half-ghost becomes a half-Arrancar. There a lot of stuff happens which is spoilers. But the story blends lore with Danny Phantom and Bleach. Plus some original stories that interesting and fun! Check it out if have time.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7307426/1/Amity-s-Arrancar

Where Even Time Freezes By LavaReefAct4

So in this AU survive Albert the final battle and so did Chronoforce. Using Chronoforce reverse time powers they decide to 'fix' thing aka the mess up Aile and Grey a lot. This is used why Vent is around instead of Aile and how Grey got killed. But things took a turn when Ashe almost time and because Ashe is Albert last bloodline Albert save her by taking over her body. Now Albert has fight himself! If that sounds good to you then go check it out!

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9668864/1/Where-Even-Time-Freezes

The Houseguests By Zilo Sugarpill

So this fanfiction takes the tropes what-if the characters came into the real world but it does take itself serious and funny at the same time. Kina likes anime. The story Melissa Jones along with her two siblings Ricky and Cassie. After there is a way for work for a while Melissa has to watch over her siblings while she away. But things take a turn when with Envy show up in their basement and in character tries to murder Melissa. And not to worry that so far there is no romance if you worry about that and character are in character. Check it out if a chance.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5874851/1/The-Houseguests

Son of Aura By CG07

So in this AU Ash is actually from the past and was send in the future because there's this group for some reason were hunting people with Aura. In order to keep him safe his mom have Celebi bring him to the future where Deila adopted him. But all is not well as the group is still alive and after to kill Ash. If that sounds good to you then read when you get the chance.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5236075/1/Son-of-Aura

Rise of the Chosen By Ainrhyr

So this fic follows Alie as she going through her adventure in ZX. It's sort of retelling the game but with a lot more character driving story, the reference to older games, and we get characters that weren't that focus in original a lot more screen time.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4209994/1/Rise_of_the_Chosen

Remember the Tides By @regiss-tides

In this Kingdom Hearts AU Xion defect Roxas in battle which results in Xion absorbed Roxas and heart. Xion runs away and later join Sora and his group. Axel is after his only friend left and Xigbar plotting something evil. This story does have hint romance but I love the friendship between Xion, Sora, Donald, and Goofy. If that sounds good story to you then give it a shot.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9580894/1/Remember-the-Tides

Dissidia Rebirth By AceArcalas

So this takes after the events of the original and 012 as this fic was made before Arcade so keep that in mind. So after the war, most of all the characters from the game settle down and have kids. The kids each have different personalities and hints that not everything is ok with them or their families. It's good read so give it a shot.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7928417/1/Dissidia-Rebirth

The Hungry Pokemon Games By Windflicker

So it takes the plot of the Hunger Games but adds new twists and turns. Like for example, the capitol have a tribute in N and the pov character is from the 4 district instead 12.  I give it a read if that sounds good to you.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8012435/1/The-Hungry-Pokemon-Games

Crisis on Two PokéWorlds! By PokeRescue18

Hey, want crossover fic between the manga and anime without the needless bashing of the anime because it wasn't as dark and serious as the manga even when it isn't that dark or serious. Well, this fic got you cover. So there are there these two guardians, Solaris and Lunaria who one day were attack by this guy name Odio stole this orb that holds the power of universes. They battle it out but the orbs breaks and two reality are going to crash together. So what can you do but get heroes from both universes to collect the shards before the villains do and save the worlds. If that sounds good to you then check it out.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6608899/1/Crisis-on-Two-Pok%C3%A9Worlds

Hakumei By @pryotra

In this Naruto, AU Danzo had the Hokage killed but 6 kids saw this going down and ran away. These kids being Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Sai, Hinata, and Neji. They leave the village and try to survive the outside world. Despite that little summary, this is not a dark fic. It's more about found family and overthrowing a government. It's a good fic if you have time.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4119917/1/Hakumei

Legacy By Lady Mayflower

This retelling of the first three Sypro games. Trying to make sense for the plot but it doesn't take the tone and fun out of the original. There were a couple of times where laugh out loud at this fic. Check it out if you have a chance.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7280837/1/Legacy

My Life By Berk'sWarrior

So this How To Train Your Dragon Warrior Cats AU. Which sounds like weird AU because how you going to blend those two together. Well changing the dragons into rogues and still have the fic be about friendship and Smallkit(Hiccup)trying to love from his father. If that sounds good then check it out here.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8997114/1/My-Life

Tinyclaw By SplashHart

This what if fanfiction where instead of Tiny chasing away the dog he told them the truth and they chase him out and into Riverclan. Who welcome him with opened arms. If you think it's going to be like how Firestar was like in Thunderclan it isn't. Tiny had his own problems in Riverclan and some will shock. Plus it give Riverclan a chance to shine which if you're a fan of RIverclan will bring some joy because they haven't really gotten a moment in the newer books.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8657366/1/Tinyclaw

RockmanEXE: Operation Black Ace By Azure Euphoria

So this crossover between Megman Starforce and Megaman EXE where after an certain event from the third Starforce game send Subaru back in time to the EXE. What I like about this one is keep the characters in character and has a lot of twists and turns that you won't see coming. Plus some good character development for some of our character including one grumpy Starforce we all know and like. Check it if want to see more of it.  

Link:  https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5994333/1/RockmanEXE-Operation-Black-Ace

Legend of Spyro: Stormfront By marsh166

So how many of you read a fanfic where the main character turns villain? I imagine you at less read one of those. This one is a bit different tho as it keeps everyone in character and it's a tragic story. So make sure you bring some tissues because no one is coming out this in one piece.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7482435/1/Legend-of-Spyro-Stormfront

The Ash Connection By I am Lu

So this story starts off with Ash and co getting ready to go back home for Christmas. But not everything is well because some Pokémon have been attacking Ash's friends that he had throughout the years and G-Men is putting Ash and his friends under witness protection program for the time being. I mean every one of his friends. Every traveling companion and his rivals up to B & W. Everyone has a moment to shine and some really good surprises that you never it coming. Give it a look to find out more.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9103189/1/The-Ash-Connection

FateStay Night: Ultimate Master By Ten-Faced Paladin(*)

So Ben was sent to Fuyuki City because of course what happened during the last Holy Grail War and the killing has been going since then. But here arrive he was attack and accident summon an Averger type servent. Which keep in mind was made before apocrypha or grand order so keep that in mind. It makes good use of the cast of characters and have some good action scenes. Check it out when you get the chance.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6781336/1/FateStay-Night-Ultimate-Master

Wanna Change By daydreamer1008

Another good SI in the Bleach version. Mostly because SI isn't over-power and does have a personality. Has great pacing and dialogue that actually sounds like the show. Of couse most of the characters are in character and the action scenes are good enough. Check it out when you get the chance.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6214127/2/I-Wanna-Change

A Sound Soul and a Sound Heart By Keyblade Guardian

So in this story starts out as it could happen in Kingdom Hearts game. Heartless start to invaded and Sora is sent there to stop it. What makes it good it's the character's interactives and actions scenes. I very much see a Soul Eater world being play out like this is the games. Check it out if you have the time.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9245458/1/A-Sound-Soul-and-a-Sound-Heart

Warriors: Servers of Chaos By Songarri0125

This Sonic crossover Warriors Cats but it's more au Warriors Cats. All the Sonic characters are cats in different clans. Shadow, Sonic, Silver, and Knuckles are a part of prophecy(because of couse.) and have power. What likes how it blend the two series together and characters are use really well.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7293595/2/Warriors-Servers-of-Chaos

The Eyes Have It By Shana the Short

So this is one does what if stories. And this what if story is about what if Sakura development a doujutsu or have one those weird bloodline eye power like Uchiha. What I like about it that it's play more realistic. Like she has no idea how to use them because she just work up and her family has no idea how to help her because it skip a couple of generations. Even her sensei can't really help so she on her own. It's a coming-of-age story with friendship and found family thing put in there. Check it out if haven't yet.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8661803/1/The-Eyes-Have-It

Mega Man Star Force Zero By SapphireLibra3(*)

So this take place after the third game in StarForce. After finding out that the Planet FM has a weapon and sending to Earth Geo and Omega-Xis were send to stop it. That was 4 years ago and they haven't return. Almost everyone thinks he's dead but Luna who find out that weapon is coming back by Wizard name Xerox. They team up to defect new villains and save the planet. What I like most about this game that it took the elements from Zero and make it fit the StarForce universe. Even you know the Megaman Zero games there still a couple of surprises that you won't see coming. Check it out if you haven't yet.  

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5283660/1/Mega-Man-Star-Force-Zero

The Legend Of Spyro: A New Dawn by Kendell

So after the events of the games Spyro and Cynder and now adults and they want to have a kid. Problem is that due dark side flowing in their veins they are afraid it be pass down to their child. So they decide to adopted one. Problem anew villain appear and took some of the eggs in Temple along with Spyro's and Cynder's adopted child. So Spyro, Cynder, and the new Fire Guardian to travel into the Unknown Realms and defect the queen of Nega Deadlock. It's good adventure story with twist and turns. And really good character moments and has a really good villain. Check it out if you haven't read it yet.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6835233/1/The-Legend-Of-Spyro-A-New-Dawn

Falling into the Abyss By Chang-Tong(*)

This one is an SI for Tales of the Abyss but one where the author did it realistic. Like the SI act realistic and so do the characters around her. More in the sense of how they react to her actions. And there no romance so far in this fic so if worry about then don't be. Check it out if haven't check it give it a shot.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5791754/1/Falling-into-the-Abyss

Night of the Shy Revamp By RavenStarfire

In this fanfiction Fluttershy is possessed by evil magic that turn Luna into Nightmare Moon and cause havoc. And yeah it can see as horror because the possessed!Fluttershy is down right cruel to her victims and enemies. To make things worse the main 6 can't use the Elements of Harmony because of Fluttershy and *spoilers* being gone. So they have find a way while Equestria defect itself. And I have to get this out here the author is no longer with us so this story doesn't have an ending but I put this on here to keep RavenStarfire's memory alive. So check it out if have the time.  

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7562952/1/Night-of-the-Shy-Revamp

Mega Man AXL: Zero Era By VirusChris

So this is an what if story where instead of finding Zero Ciel finds Axl instead. I like how the bond between Ciel and Axl. And how different from the game and Axl character development. A lot of twist and turns and love letter to Axl fan. Give it a read if you get a chance.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4483320/1/Mega-Man-AXL-Zero-Er

Land Before Time Twilight Valley By Zarrelion

So this war fic with Land Before Time....I know it sounds weird but go with it. Stone of Cold Fire crushed landed in Great Valley and mysterious sharptooth seeks it out and willing to spill blood over it. The children of the show grow up and willing to fight. The fight scenes are amazing in this fic and it deal brutal actions of war. As well as mental damage that war cause. Check it out when you get a chance.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4044080/1/Land-Before-Time-Twilight-Valley

Jak and Daxter Living in Sin By EcoSeeker247

This is about oc from our world coming Jak and Daxter world. Paige get a job working in the labs where Jak was experiment on after being arrest. What I like about this series is that there is no romance for Paige but her struggles on mortal compress and actually good friendship with Jak. I know in the in summary it looks like Paige has a villain redemption but Paige isn't a villain. She more someone who made a mistake. A mistake she needs to own up too but an mistake non the less. Which I like. While I do like villain redemption stories most of the time they are not well thought out. Even on 'professor' writer can't really write good. So this is better then what we be getting.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6791869/1/Jak-and-Daxter-Living-in-Sin

The Legend of Crystal New Beginnings By SnickerToodles

It's a retelling of Legend Of Spyro but what if Sypro had a twin sister. It expands on the world and add in a couple of twists and turns. Crystal herself is good character as well. She loud and more headstrong then her brother and balance both Spyro and Cynder as well. Check it out if haven't already.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6366414/1/The-Legend-of-Crystal-New-Beginnings

Fire and Shadow By Rowanoak23

I did a review of this fic a while ago. But is what-if story where Firestar join Shadowclan instead Thunderclan. It makes good use for the cast of characters in this fic and have good understand of the world of Warriors that you can see the author did do their research. I would go into more detail but I already did a review so check it out for more informtion or read the story.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4992672/1/Fire-and-Shadow

Broken Bow By Xed Alpha(*)

So this Percy Jackson fanfic about Armani Dove, son of Artemis. Unlike most this well made and oc is well done. If like comedy of the books then you like this. Nothing more to say but check it out if haven't yet.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5673899/1/Broken-Bow

Soul's Fantasy By Grimdivide

So because of Aizen causing the resurrection of the God of Discord and so Warriors of Cosmos have to stop him and Espada. Some of new and old characters from the Final Fantasy characters. Bleach characters are used really good too both the villains and heroes. Check it out if sounds good to you.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5481758/1/Soul-s-Fantasy

Twist in Time By Alisa180

Can this count as a crossover when if it is from the same series but different time lines? Anyway due to some time travel shenanigans our favorite villains from the ZX timeline started causing trouble and what should happen but ZX travel back into the X timeline to stop them. The author know about the in and out Megaman universe as well as the characters. It has good twist and turns. Check it out when you get a chance.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3832375/1/Twist-in-Time

Fate Dissidia by Echo the Ethereal Swordmaster

Not an crossover really more like Dissidia characters in Fate/Stay Night setting. The plot is this Cosmos notice that the Crystals and Planet Earth are in danger. So, she  sent her warriors to Earth to find their masters, find and protect the  crystals, and save Earth from Chaos and his warriors. The cast ismostly ocs at least are interesting to say the less and characters are written as in character. I more surprise don't use this idea more offen really. Check it out if haven't already.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4741236/1/Fate-Dissidia

The Switch Glitch By Zilo Sugarpill

Another oc from our world go in FMA world. The first anime one bot Brotherhood one. This takes kinda realistic and the there so many twist and turns that you wouldn't see coming. It's action and comedy that did have me laugh at certain moments. Check it out if want too.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3791056/1/The-Switch-Glitch

Generations Collide By Crono Candescence

Basically Dr. Wally is at it again and build a new weapon for Bass to use. But during fight and travel forward in time and meet X. Yep in this fanfiction Megaman go forward in time and start meeting other characters from other Megaman games. It play just how I'll picture these characters meeting and add some insight on other stuff that games barley touch on Check it out if haven't already.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4369795/1/Generations-Collide

SECRET OF THE CURSED MASK By Kim Dreamcatcher

So this takes plot of that but with Avatar gang oh and Zuko there too. The author knows about that characters and how to use them correctly. And to make things the character act like how I picture them like actually meet each. And it keeps the tone from both series which adventure with some comedy. Check it out if you haven't already.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2501876/1/SECRET-OF-THE-CURSED-MASK  

Balto Future Shock By Kendell

So this Balto with some elements from Watchers but not really. Like you read this without any knowledge of Watchers and you follow it just find. The story begins at the present day with husky name Tina escape from military base, a genetically engineered Super Soldier named the Outsider chasing her. Turns out the Outsider is to replace human troops in the war on terror, but it turned on its creators and escaped, and being telepathically linked to Tina. So it wants to kill her.However, right as it catches Tina in Central Park, a lightning bolt strikes its extending metal claws, sending both back in time. To where Balto is and Tina is happy because she gets to hang out with idol but Outsider is still out there. Check out it if that sounds up your alley.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3937457/1/Balto_Future_Shock

Lost in Time Found By War By lunateix

So Bass once again attack Megaman but Roll herself step between them and were send forward through time by Wily new weapon. This was during Zero timeline during when Weil working with copy X. This story have a lot of twist and turns, great character moments and development, and there are some lore /background that if you know you get but if you don't then you can still follow it. Give it a chance when have time to read it.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3278280/1/Lost-in-Time-Found-By-War

Bonds By Sol Hiryu

So used Netto accident used Full Synchro with the human hating Forte. So being force to work together in order to stay alive environment while Rock is looking to get Nettoback. It enemies-to-friends fic that I think we should bring back. Yes enemies-to-lovers are good. I like well done fic of that. But I let's bring some good enemies-to-friends fic too. Check it out if haven't already.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2505790/1/Bonds

A Sharptooth's Heart By Sora W.T.K

So this one of the fiction that ask the question what will happen if sharptooth dinosaur that adopted into Land Before Time.(This was before second movie.) It cute and little story that have good characters moments and world building that isn't boring! Check it out if haven't already.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/1583842/1/A-Sharptooth-s-Heart

Price By DarqueDeath4444(*)

This AU where Ochako because a villain to get money for her parents and work with Wolfram(The villain from the first movie.) It'd villain fic that play out well that's not about Deku(I still like those fics don't get wrong) and has good understanding of the characters and good development for them so far. Check it out if haven't already.  

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13594903/1/Price

Pokemon Reset Bloodlines By Crossoverpairinglover(Rated: M and  *)

So some time during the XY anime Cyrus dismantling the universe to create his world without spirit so Arceus send Ash back in time to stop him. But few things change for example: Ashi is 15, kept in contact with Serena, and most important of all he's bloodliner. People with Pokémon-related abilities. This fic was inspired by another fic call Ash but it has a lot of different to make it is own fic. Those reason I listed above and in the fanfic. If you like X-Men you would like this fic because bloodliner are like Mutants in that people hate them for being different. It does have a lot of dark and serious moments so I can't say everyone should read it but it's not as dark as say like the Dark Knight or something like that. Check it out to see it for yourself.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9939848/1/Pokemon-Reset-Bloodlines

Lightning and Death Itself By Cke1st(*)

So in this AU Night Fury have this power to transform humans into other Night Fury.

So when Hiccup and Astrid when to ride Toothless he used this power to tranform the both of them into Night Fury and now they need to adjust to their new lives. The auother does a good job with the characters and world building. It used to this twist of Hiccup and Astrid and has effect their family really well too and as well as how the tribe and the world at large held this. Check it out out if haven't.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9343058/1/Lightning-and-Death-Itself

Loyalty By True Radical Dreamer

So in this AU Sakura was in the wrong place and the wrong time and it's force to work with Kabuto. It about spying, loyal, and war. And this fic dosen't shy away from the horrors of war so if you don't like that stuff then please check away. What I like about this fic is also the characters development that Sakura and the others go through as well and plot twist and turns. If that at all sounds good to you then check out this fic.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5316196/1/Loyalty

Earthborne By Mixed Valence

So this SI where the character is in Fire Emblem Fates and after bond with Nohr family has to make a choice to the upcoming war. What I like about this fic is the worldbuliding as it flash out more about this world. Another thing is the grey mortal that is done well in this fics then most other fic. Because the usually  play Nohr's action while just making just racist. Which come with a whole lot of problems and one them is you just make the game look even better at that part and I don't know how you imagine that. Plus some really good character development and twist and turn that you might see coming. Check it out if haven't already.

Link:  https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12213521/1/Earthborne

Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War By colossalblackening

This is crossover between Bleach and Kingdom Hearts after the events of KH3  Sora wakes up in Hueco Mundo with no memories. Because of that Aizen trick Sora into joining the attack the Soul Society. What I like about this fic is the spot on characterized in this fic and well as really well done action scenes. Throw in some really good characters developments and you have a really good crossover story. Check it out if you haven't already.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12500644/1/Kingdom-Hearts-The-Winter-War

Firelight By Riverstyxx

So this is an story a dragon named Charla who was save from the raid by an ape and raise by Jayce. But due to the even that in the fic they have separated and Charla needs to find him. By traveling through a war torn world and making friends and enemies along the way. What I like about it is that this is a story that does take place during the game but in a different pov so it makes the world flesh out a bit more. And the characters are all interesting and thought out. I like Charla, Jayce, and Silverback they all so good. Check it out if you haven't already.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8259545/1/Firelight

Friendly Foreign Dimensional Exchange Student Spiderman! By Zaru

So this crossover between the MCU Spiderman and bnha. Where after Infinity part 1 where Spiderman turn to dust ends up in bnha's world. After getting into getting some shenanigans he gets into U.A to become a hero. What I like about this story it takes mental problems serious and the characters are use nicly. Check it out if haven't yet.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13187854/1/Friendly-Foreign-Dimensional-Exchange-Student-Spiderman

All the Pieces Lie Where the Fell By forevermagik13

So this take place before Dream, Drop, Distance was out so keep that in mind in this fic. So this is forevermagik13's version of KH3 where Sora, Riku, and Kairi go looking for the missing light instead. What I like about this fanfic for the most part I can see some of the stuff happening in universe and characters have some stand out moments. Check it out if haven't already.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6772185/1/All-the-Pieces-Lie-Where-they-Fell

Burning Thunder By TheDogzLife

So this next gen fic where N's and White's son goes off on his Pokemon adventure. The ocs are well thought out and canon character written in character. I imagine this is how most of the characters would end up when they are older. Plus there so many good mystery in this fic and have to see for yourself. Check it out if you haven't already.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9415859/1/Burning-Thunder

The Tide series By Regiss

So this is a what-if story where Xion won the battle Roxas. Xion won and killed Roxas and to make things worse Organization 13 are after her and DiZ woke Sora with only half of power because Roxas didn't fuse with Sora. As you can see this story have a lot of twists and turns. All the character are used instead of shove a side like in the main games. It's one of my favorite KH series so check it out if you haven't already.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9580894/1/Remember-the-Tides

Dark Legacy series By Dardarax(M)(*)

So the Dark Legacy fic is next gen about a albino dragon, named Lyrith who goes to Temple Academy where dragons learn about fight, the world around them, etc. The problem is that as albino Lyrith has no power and while accepting some of the people around are dislike for being an albino. Lyrith is not the only chatacter that has an arc in this story and ocs cast is pretty good in my option. It also has good world-building without going away from the main story. Check it out but it does get dark at time so be careful.

Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6406803/1/Dark-Legacy

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[forgottenarmstrongsisters]

i'M GONNA NEED SOME STRONGINE AND AMUE HEADCANONS STAT, BECAUSE THOSE POOR GIRLS WERE MENTIONED AND THEN GOT NO DEVELOPMENT IN CANON!!

ALRIGHTY ANON, I’VE GOT YOU THIS MORNING! (or early afternoon, whatever)

So let me preface this by saying that a lot of my headcanons for Amue and Strongine started out being developed because I have an Olivier blog ( @indomitableicequeen​ yes that is a shameless plug) and I was working on headcanons for her and her relationship with her family. In doing that, I ended up headcanoning things for Amue, Strongine, Catherine, and Mama and Papa Armstrong. Those got built on when I wrote this piece for Moms Made Fullmetal Week. (and yes, that is another shameless plug for my writing blog. You can also follow me on AO3 and ff.net under the name RealityBreakGirl). So if my headcanons seem a bit skewed towards Olivier or them as they’re growing up, you know why.

But down to business!

Let’s start with Amue!

Canonically we know that she is the second oldest sister, that her name is Amue, and what she looks like. And that is it. She did get a cameo in Brotherhood, when Yoki was retelling his tale of how he tried to make a life for himself after the Youswell incident. But aside from that and the picture showing the Armstrong siblings, that’s about all we get. So from here on out, the rest of this is pure headcanon!

Amue is three years younger then Olivier.

She enjoys the more feminine side of things. Frills, dresses, curls, the like.

She’s probably the most sensitive out of the siblings, good at reading the atmosphere of a room, and being attentive to people’s needs.

She is compassionate.

She enjoys giving those closest to her thoughtful gifts, often ones that she made herself.

She love singing and dancing--both doing it, and watching it.

She has an appreciation for the arts.

Like all the Armstrong siblings (and whole family, really) she’s received training in some sort of martial art/fighting style

Her specialty in weaponry was archery.

She can be a bit indecisive at times, because she doesn’t want anyone to be hurt.

She likes to be fair.

She has a high interesting in other cultures and speaks several different languages.

Her favorite is Aerugonian because of how poetic it is.

She also enjoys the food and fashion from other countries and likes to try her own hand at it.

She goes to school to study other cultures and international relations. After graduation, her parents hook her up with a friend of theirs who is a respected diplomat so she can do an internship under him. Under Mustang’s leadership, she ends up becoming a diplomat that helps to improve relations between Amestris and it’s neighbors.

She’s closest to Strongine and the two are often a pair. She’s also somewhat close to Olivier, although Oliviers estrangement from the family upset her. She enjoys fussing over Alex, and she indulges Catherine, as Catherine is the baby.

Now let’s talk about Strongine!

So, again, canonically, we’re not given much. We know that she’s the third oldest daughter and the true middle child of the five siblings. We know that her name is Strongine, and what she looks like. And that is it. Like Amue, she did get a cameo in Brotherhood, when Yoki was retelling his tale of how he tried to make a life for himself after the Youswell incident. But aside from that and the picture showing the Armstrong siblings, again, that’s about all we get. So once again, the rest of this is pure headcanon!

Strongine is four years younger then Olivier.

She enjoys being feminine, but she likes a bit more of a sleeker style. Less frills and poof, and a bit more smoothness and edge to it.

She’s got an outgoing personality, the kind that is immensely like able. She’s funny, charming, and engaging, and very personable.

She has a sense of humor and likes to tease those she knows.

She enjoys entertaining people, throwing parties, and having discussions.

She likes to debate people, sometimes even arguing against her own side just see what people say. She finds it’s a good way to flesh out arguments and find holes in reasoning.

She likes to help people, but she doesn’t like just giving people things. She likes to give people a hand up and ways to provide for and help themselves.

She’s got an eye on seeing through to the heart of a person.

When it comes to gift giving, she’s more apt to do something for you or take you somewhere then she is to give a physical gift.

She enjoys going to trendy places, like clubs and dance halls.

Like all the Armstrong siblings (and whole family, really) she’s received training in some sort of martial art/fighting style.

Her specialty was fighting with a bladed spear.

She’s driven in what she chooses to do, which is both a good things and sometimes not.

She likes small instruments that one could put in a pocket or a bag and pull out to play later.

She loves animals, and the Armstrong estate has a small menagerie of animals she’s rescued over the years. Many have been rehabilitated, but aren’t able to be released back to the wild.

She doesn’t go into higher education, but instead goes on a tour of the country. She ends up working with several different organizations over the years to help restore and improve impoverished areas, to do relief work, and to provide opportunities to those that may not otherwise get them.

She is closest to Amue, and the two can often be seen together. She’s also close with Olivier, enjoys fussing over Alex and indulges Catherine.

Aaaand I know you didn’t ask for it, but let’s do Catherine too!

We have a bit more information canonically on Catherine. We know she’s the fifth daughter and the baby of the family. Her full name is Catherine Elle Armstrong. She plays the piano. She’s abnormally strong and also lifts pianos. She’s looking for a man who is strong like her brother. She seems a bit shy and/or timid, but happy enough. She’s somewhere in her late teens or early twenties. We get to see her in both 03 and Brotherhood, 03 being the episode where Alex sets up Havoc with her, and Brotherhood being the episode where Olivier sends her parents and Catherine away and fights Alex for headship of the family. While that is more information then we’re given on Amue or Strongine, it’s still not a lot, so I do have some headcanons of my own.

Catherine was a surprise. No one expected a child after Alex and so it took the whole family by surprise when Mama Armstrong became pregnant with her.

Oliver was in her late teens/early twenties when Catherine was born, Amue and Strongine in their later teen years, and Alex a younger to mid teen.

Because Mama Armstrong was older, the pregnancy and the birth were a bit hard on her. Despite Catherine’s small size, they weren’t sure if Mama Armstrong or Catherine were going to make it. But Catherine, although small, was healthy, and Mama Armstrong just required some extra time to recover.

For the first month of her life, Catherine was surrounded by all her family. All of her siblings, save Olivier, were still at home and at school. Olivier had already been through or was in the the academy and/or specialized training, but was given a furlough because of the danger to both her mother and Catherine. Olivier helped care for Catherine, knowing how from caring for her other siblings, and made sure that the rest of her siblings knew how as well.

Because of this age difference, Catherine is not close at all to Olivier. She’s friendly with Amue and Strongine, but not terribly close with them either. She’s closest to Alex, who she views very much as a good big brother and a protector.

Catherine had been very sheltered due to being the baby of the family.

She has an innocence about her, and comes off as very shy and timid.

She has a natural curiosity about her too, and enjoys listening and learning.

Although she is very polite and kind, when you get to know her Catherine has a wit about about her. She enjoys exchanging idea and gentle teasing, and is easily amused by situations.

She has the typical abnormal strength of the Armstrongs, although for her size, she has more then her siblings.

Like all the Armstrong siblings (and whole family, really) she’s received training in some sort of martial art/fighting style.

Her specialty is javelin throwing. Because of that, she has a tendency to pick up things to throw when she feels threatened.

Catherine is very talented musically, and her focus is the piano.

Catherine had studied under many private tutors when it comes to music and is on her way to a musical career as a pianist.

Each of the girls does have a headcanon page on my blog, Anon, although I haven’t yet had time to put this information in  on them. I also have one for general Armstrong family headcanons, such as, all of the children receiving training, Mama Armstrong’s name being Genevieve and her maiden name being Tallmount, and various other things that might be useful. I’ll update these pages from time to time, so be sure to keep an eye on them!

Thank you so much for your question!

[therainroguefanfiction]

🔥 ℝise Ⱥbove I̾t ◈ Chapter 043 [Karma’s A Bitch]

📑 Table of Contents | ◂Backward

Word Count: 2,939

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

〈“Expired chances, but we gotta make it through again. ‘Cause there’s nowhere else to run. There’s still so much here, a life worth living.” AmaLee, “Again (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Cover)”〉

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

The door creaked out and both Kurogiri and Tomura stepped inside. I glared at them, a bead of sweat rolling down my cheek. Since the day I had arrived at this hideout, I had only seen Tomura once and that was when I landed in front of the fucker. So why is he here now? This ain’t gonna end well, is it.

“Release her,” Tomura’s scratchy voice rung out. Wait, what? His red eyes narrowed between the fingers of the hand covering his face. “Don’t get any funny ideas, Winchester. You remember what my quirk is and what it can do, don’t you?” He held his right hand up, flexing his fingers.

Images of Aizawa’s skin decaying and cracking flashed through my mind. I remember the excruciating pain I felt when my own skin was decayed. I remember seeing the muscle, my heart skipping as panic flooded my senses. My lips pursed as Kurogiri unlocked the chains, letting them fall to the ground with a loud thump, kicking up dust into the air. I stood up on shaking legs – it feels like millions of tiny needles piercing my skin. I stomped my foot, making Tomura’s head tilt.

“Are you throwing a tantrum?”

“No, you fuck. I’m trying to wake up my legs.” I scowled. “You try sitting for a fucking week with your legs chained to a damn chair. Shit ain’t pleasant!”

He humphed, fingers curling around my wrist, his thumb held out and away from my skin. “We’re taking a trip. Be on your best behavior, Winchester, or else.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whateva.”

A warp gate appeared in the doorway and he started toward it, tugging me sharply forward. Kurogiri came up behind me, his arm wrapped around my right. The warp opened up to a water tower on top of a roof, the sky shining a rich, neon red as the sun sunk across the horizon. A man was sitting on the edge of the roof with his back to us.

“Huh, Hosu city looks nicer than I expected,” Tomura commented. “So, what are you gonna do?”

Wait, this is Hosu? My brow furrowed. Why the fuck did he bring me here? I know this is where Iida is interning… could I get his attention and get help from the hero he’s interning with? That could get messy and there’s no way for me to find them. One thing’s for sure though, Tomura just gave me a huge chance to escape by bringing me here.

“I will reform it,” the man answered in a deep voice. “In order to do so, blood must be spilled.”

“You have a clear goal,” Kurogiri commented. “Your dedication is admirable.”

“Ah, finally someone who understands.” The man stood up, his back slightly hunched over.

Tomura raised his free hand to rest over his right shoulder. “I get the feeling you enjoy picking on me.”

I noticed bandages peeking out from the sleeve of his sweater. Is that leftover from the USJ? “What’s wrong, Handiboi? Did the big bad villain hurt your feelings~?” I mocked, making his hand tighten around my wrist, angry eyes boring into my own. That’s gonna leave a bruise.

The man turned his head, red eyes settling on me. “Who is she?”

I scoffed. “You’re supposed to introduce yourself before asking who someone else is you Voldemort’s reject cousin lookin’ ass.” Not to mention he looks like he drowned his sorrows in a Ninja Turtles marathon. And why the fuck is his tongue hanging out his mouth like that? Bitch, are you a dog?

“Winchester,” Kurogiri scolded, his grip on my arm increasing.

“What? It’s the fucking truth.”

“I am Stain.”

My body tensed. Stain… this bitch is Stain? The mother fucking hero killer?? I swallowed hard, glancing at Tomura. They’re trying to recruit him? Wait, does that mean that neither of these dipshits knows that Stain killed my mom? I’ve personally never been in love with anyone that ain’t an anime character, but I’m pretty goddamn sure if the person I loved was killed by someone, my ass wouldn’t turn around and try to fucking recruit that someone. They must not know… should I say something?

Stain smirked, holding his arms out to the side. “Hero is a title for those that have accomplished great deeds. This city is full of false champions. All they care about is money and fame! Until this world realizes its mistakes,” he reached around, his fingers curling around the hilt of the sword strapped to his back. “I will continue my work!” And then he jumped from the roof.

“Fuck,” I muttered. “He almost makes Handiboi look sane.”

“I can hear you,” Tomura scoffed, his fingers squeezing my skin. “He talks all high and mighty and stuff, but he’s wasting his time focusing on a small stage. He’s so noble, I could cry.” He dropped my wrist to scratch at his neck.

“You shouldn’t spurn his methods,” Kurogiri scolded. “The reality is – in all the cities where Stain has appeared, crime rates have fallen. Perhaps because heroes are more conscientious or perhaps out of fear. Regardless, he does bring change.”

Tomura started to monologue about Stain’s actions, stepping away from me. Kurogiri still has his arm around mine, but his grip is looser than it was a few minutes ago. This might be my only chance.

“Kurogiri, bring out the Nomus.”

My eyes widened. ‘Nomus’? As in, plural?? It took everything Toshi had in him to beat that bird brain fuck, now there’s more of them? Fuck.

Several warp gates opened up on the roof below us, three different Nomus stepping through them. One hovered above the ground with discolored bat-like wings. One was huge like the Nomu from the USJ. One was thin and spindly.

Fuck, this is really bad, bro. They’re not attacking heroes in training, they’re attacking fucking civilians! Some of which may not even have a damn quirk. Fuck fuck fuck, what do I do? I have to do something. I took a deep breath, my body shaking as my blood started to boil within me.

Limit release!!

My school shirt shattered as power shot through my body. Before Kurogiri could react, I ripped my arm from him and rushed at Tomura, cocking a flaming fist backward but before I could make contact, I saw a stream of black from the corner of my eye. Something large slammed into my body, throwing me across the alley and to the next roof, my feet sliding across the ground to stop my momentum.

“Don’t kill her!” Tomura snapped. “Kurogiri, why did you bring her here?!”

“I didn’t. She must have come with one of the other Nomus.”

This Nomu is different. My eyes narrowed as it landed on the roof across from me, feet cracking the rooftop. While it had the same black, muscled body as the Nomu from the USJ, it was a bit smaller and its face was covered by what appears to be a paper bag with holes for its eyes. Brown hair fell to its shoulders from behind the mask.

“I order you to return,” Tomura growled angrily, but the Nomu just smirked, teleporting in front of me. I couldn’t react fast enough, its large fist connecting with my cheek and sending me flying back off the roof. It teleported behind me, its knee slamming into my back as it laughed. I cried out in pain, snapping my eyes to the ground below me. I teleported, but it was unstable, my body stumbling as I tried to catch my breath.

The Nomu landed in front of me, the force cracking the cement beneath its feet. “What’s wrong, Tegu? Where is that fire of yours?!”

My eyes narrowed. “How do you know that name?” As far as I can remember, I only used that name once when I first got here, and that was with Gran and Toshi. Had I told someone else?

It smirked. “You don’t remember me? How hurtful!” The Nomu reached up, untying the mask from its face. It slid down, fluttering on the breeze.

My eyes widened and it felt like my heart stopped. “S-Skye? How…” What the fuck is happening right now? Am I dreaming? Is this some sick joke?

She licked her cracked lips, running a hand over the scarred flesh of her face. “I was in the hospital for months because of what you did. When I finally recovered and returned to school, my friends abandoned me. They said my face was too gruesome to look at! Said it made them sick to their stomach! Even Heather betrayed me, fucking my boyfriend!”

I stood up straight, flames engulfing my hands. “Is this the part where I’m supposed to feel sorry for your ass? Don’t fucking count on it, bitch. Everything that fucking happened to you was good ol’ Karma. You got what you deserved.”

She tilted her head and giggled like a maniac. “Karma, you say? Yes, yes, it was karma that stabbed Heather and my ex-boyfriend. They betrayed me and Karma got them~”

“You fucking stabbed them for cheating? What, are you fucking Jane the Ripper?”

“Weren’t you fucking listening?!” She snapped angrily. “It was karma.”

“I always knew you were a fucking psychopath but damn…”

Her anger dropped and she giggled again. “When that shadow man walked in on me while karma was at work, I tried to stab him, but he’s immune to that. He offered me power, offered to make me stronger. How could I possibly deny such a wonderful offer? He brought me to this world, to this man that gave me power. Now, I’m unstoppable!”

My brow furrowed. Gave her power? As in, a quirk? I thought only One for All could be passed down like that. I guess… if there’s one that can do it, there’s gotta be another.

“You look confused, Tegu~ You never were very smart, were you? I’ll just have to show you instead!”

Within the blink of an eye, she appeared behind me, both of her fists coming down hard onto my shoulders. I bit back a yelp of pain as my body hit the concrete, my left shoulder going numb. She’s always been ridiculously strong, but this is just fucking ridiculous.

“Don’t tell me you’re done yet!” She brought her foot down and I rolled out of the way, jumping to my feet.

She’s super fast and strong, plus she can teleport. What is her quirk? I need to keep my distance, I can’t win in a hand-to-hand battle with her.

A scream ripped through the air behind me and I turned my head to see the large Nomu chasing after a woman – and she was carrying a small boy in her arms. I narrowed my eyes, focusing as I teleported between them, holding up my arms as the Nomu slammed into my body. I was able to slow it down, but it didn’t stop, my boots digging into the ground as it pushed me backward.

The woman had stopped in surprise and I groaned. “What are you fucking doing?! Run!”

She snapped out of her shock and began to run again, but Skye appeared in front of her with a maniacal grin. “Look at you, Tegu! Trying to act like a hero, huh? How disgusting.” She held out her hand, lightning crackling across her palm. “Too bad it’s in vain!”

My eyes widened as the lightning shot toward the woman. Damn it! I propelled myself forward with flames under my boots, my shoulder slamming into the woman’s back and shoving her to the side. The lightning hit me square in the chest and a scream ripped from my throat, my heart beating so quick I wondered if it would burst within my breast. My hair stood on end, goosebumps covering my skin. The lightning faded and I fell to the ground, my body screaming at me, begging me to stop fighting back.

I lifted my head, my fingers digging into the concrete. I coughed a few times before managing to bring myself to my knees, glancing at the side. There was a small opening between the two buildings, just barely big enough for a person to slip through. The woman and the child were gone. Good.

There’s a Nomu behind me and I don’t know what its quirks are. Skye is in front of me – super strength and speed, teleportation, and lightning. I can’t beat them, but… if they focus their attention on me, they won’t attack civilians.

“Are you really in any position to be smiling, Tegu?” Skye growled before rushing forward.

“How can I not smile when I’m looking at that gruesome face?!” Fire shot out from my body, wrapping around my torso and jerking my body upward as the flames took on the shape of a phoenix. It dropped me onto the roof before circling above me.

The building shook as Skye landed in front of me. “You won’t escape me, I’m going to rip your body apart and feast on your heart!!” She threw her head back, voice taking on a more demonic tone as she laughed.

Sweat rolled down my cheek as I stood up on shaky legs, forcing a grin. “I don’t think your boss will be happy if you kill me.”

“My boss?” She responded incredulously with a bark of laughter. “That’s hilarious, Tegu! That hand fool thinks he can control me? With these powers? Not a chance!” She lifted her hand and the ground started to shake violently, pieces of concrete broke apart and lifted up into the air, shooting toward me. I swept my arm in front of me, raising a wall of fire to destroy the debris before they could hit me.

How many fucking quirks does this bitch have??

“Skye Atol, calm yourself.” Kurogiri’s deep voice reached my ears and I could see the pulsing purple on the other side of the fire. “We need her alive. By using more than three of your quirks, you risk -”

“Shut up!!” She screamed, the rooftop lighting up as she used her lightning attack. A huge gust of wind put out my flames, pushing me backward. My heels hit the small lip surrounding the roof and I fell backward, my body falling through the air toward the earth below.

What am I supposed to do here? I’m not strong enough to beat her, but if I run away, she’ll attack other people instead! I tilted my head to look at the sidewalk at the end of the alley, focusing on that spot. I teleported, falling to my knees and breathing heavily as a sharp pain shot through my head. Shit, I’m at my limit for porting.

“Winchester?”

My fingers dug into the cement beneath me and I forced my head up. Endeavor? What the fuck is he doin’ in Hosu – A sharp pain rang through my body as something slammed into me from behind, sending me flying across the road. I shielded my face as my body slammed through the glass of the building across the street.

“Winchester!”

I coughed, rolling over onto my side. My stomach throbbed painfully and I glanced down, seeing a piece of glass lodged into my right side, blood dripping down the glass. I groaned. This is so not how I wanted to spend my fucking week.

The crackling of flames made me glance over my shoulder, remembering Endeavor. I clutched the piece of glass, the sharp edges cutting into my palm as I tugged it from the wound with a grunt. Blood splattered to the ground and I placed my hand over the wound. Fuck, this is gonna hurt so bad…

I closed my eyes, focusing my power into my hand as it started to heat up. I pinched the skin together, my teeth burrowing in my bottom lip at the searing pain that shot through my body. It hurts so goddamn bad, but it’s better than bleeding out. Breathing heavily, I forced myself to my feet, limping toward the broken window.

Endeavor is going toe-to-toe with Skye and he seems to be holding up a shit-ton better than I was. As I watched her, my brow furrowed. Her muscles are starting to rip apart, cuts appearing across her body. Is that part of a quirk? She’s not talking, either, instead just making deep, guttural noises like… the bird brain Nomu…

Skye roared loudly, her muscles twitching as they expanded. Sweat rolled down my cheek as I held the building for support. Her power shot through the roof, her aura fluctuating like crazy. Oh, shit sticks.

“Get away from her, Endeavor!!”

His narrowed turquoise eyes glanced over at me and he huffed, holding his ground. Goddamn prideful ass fuckers.

Skye’s muscles continued to expand, her voice deepening as she roared, the sound shaking the world around us. There was a good half a second of dead silence before her body exploded from the inside out with a huge gust of wind, knocking me back against the brick wall of the building. I yeeted myself through the broken window just as a chunk of metal hit the wall where I had been standing.

I waited a few seconds until the howling wind died down before peaking around the broken window. Endeavor had blood sliding down his face from Skye’s exploded form, his eye twitching in anger. I still hate the flame fuck honestly, but at this moment, I couldn’t be fucking happier to see him.

“I told you to get away from her, flame fuck.” I released a shaky breath, sinking to my knees.

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

▸ Forward

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[ravenwolf1132]

They Come and Go

This was just a quick plot bunny that I came up with on the fly while listening to the fma ost and merry go round of life. Shaggy, who as I picture him, is someone who values nature and the prospect of life, comes across someone attempting to do the impossible and breach the laws of nature and the way life flows to try and bring back his dead wife. A woman he loved more than life itself and had a very healthy relationship with, which unfortunately their time together has been cut short due to an untimely death. He's trying to bring her back to life and Shaggy has to talk some sense into him a la Fullmetal Alchemist style. (As in philosophy, heavy topics like death and grief, and trying to move on with one's life. Just a warning to y'all)

Kinda just jumps right into the confrontation between them. No set up what-so-ever as if it's just after the dramatic reveal and you turned on the TV at the end of the episode. So, LET'S-A GO!!

(Oh and Clarence and Myrtle were just names I came up with on the fly, so picture them how you want.)

~•~●~•~

They Come and Go

"Clarence?!" The Mystery Inc exclaimed all except Shaggy.

"But why?" Velma asked she was sure that the sweet and kind man was innocent.

Clarence scoffed, "because of my wife, that's why!"

"Huh?"

"Ugh, guys, like, it's easy," Shaggy drawled in a bored tone, all eyes were on him. "His wife is dead, and he wanted to bring her back to life. Isn't that right, Clarence?" He held up the book the man was trying to steal. "I have to say, all this set up and elaborate planning is a little much for trying to steal a single book. Then again, like, perhaps you wanted to scare everyone away so there would be no witnesses to the atrocity you were about to commit!"

"But how can wanting your loved ones back be an atrocity?!" He shouted in outrage, "Don't you have people you'd miss if they died?! Wouldn't you want to do anything to bring them back again?!"

"Yes, I do have people like that, they're all around me," Shaggy admitted. "But, like, there's a difference between wanting to do something and actually attempting it. There are many people who want to try and bring their loved ones back to life, yes, that's true. Hell, that's a natural part of the grieving process. But, there are few who actually attempt it, and even fewer that succeed. Even then, they're still losing that battle. But that's another story entirely."

"That doesn't make any sense, isn't bringing the dead back to life supposed to be impossible?" Fred asked.

"Exactly my point, Fred," Shaggy said. "It is impossible. The closest we've got is cloning, and, like, even then, those clones are different than the person we initially tried to bring back. There's no bringing the dead back to life, it's just not possible."

"So what?!" Clarence yelled, "just because those people failed, doesn't mean I will too!"

"Oh really?" Shaggy questioned with a quirked eyebrow. His voice was level and calm, and the others knew that Shaggy only ever got like this when he was pissed off. Wisely, they backed off and let him speak. "You really think you are powerful enough to play the hand of God? I'm not a big religious believer myself, but even I know that life is something way out of our human control. Nature is something that cannot be controlled, everything will eventually go back to the way it was, how nature intended it to be. That's the problem we have here. Going against that flow of life, that innate cycle that cannot be changed nor altered is the problem. You have to accept it, not fight against it. If someone were to be brought back to life, it would only disrupt nature's balance and destroy ecosystems. Let's say that the person you brought back was content wherever they ended up, would they be grateful to you and thank you for a needless rescue then?

"What if, even worse, they were brought back immortal? Can you name one person that would want to be physically unable to die? No, I doubt it. Immortality is considered more of a curse than a blessing. Not only would it throw a permanent wrench in the circle of life itself, yes I did just make a lion king reference but it's relevant! But it would also destroy the person who came back, unable to die while they have to watch those around them grow up and pass on themselves.

"How would they feel towards you if you were the reason they were miserable? That they were robbed of that chance of having a happy afterlife by you and as rubbing salt in the wound, would never be able to have that chance again, and would have to watch as other people die and are given it instead, because of you and your selfish desires to have the love of your life back? Well, I'm telling ya now pal, that's gonna get you an eternity in the dog house."

Clarence looked like he had been slapped across the face and it seemed as if he was finally woken up from his delusions. He hung his head in shame and his shoulders started to shake, the others thought he was going to explode with anger, but when they heard soft sobs coming from him, they realized he was crying. Shaggy doesn't usually like to make people cry and would try to make it up to them, but he didn't this time. He couldn't, he was right and he was standing by his belief, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to offer some comfort. He helped the emotionally distressed man out of his costume and binds and the man latched onto him and sobbed. Shaggy didn't say anything but hugged him back and let him pour it all out. When the sobs finally died down, he pulled back.

"Thank you," Clarence said in a quiet voice, "I see my wrongs now, but still. What am I supposed to do now? That hope was all I had left! Please, tell me, what I'm supposed to do??"

He was so distressed, the Gang had never dealt with a case like this, and it hurt them to see him like this and sympathized with him. After all, everyone has people they couldn't bear to lose, he had a point. But Shaggy seemed to know what he was doing.

"Like, I can't tell you that," he said with a sorrowful shake of his head, pulling out of the other man's vice-like grip. "You have to figure it out for yourself. I can't tell you what you have to do with your life as much as anyone else can, only you can make those decisions."

He stood up and turned his back to the man walking forwards a few steps before pausing, he glanced back and saw Clarence sitting there limp as a rag doll and he sighed quietly, barely a sound passing his lips.

"Well, if you want my advice…"

"Yes?" Clarence asked in a hopeful voice.

"You have to move on. Myrtle wouldn't want you wallowing in grief and self-pity, she'd want you to honor her memory by living a long, happy life even in her absence. But not for a second should you forget her."

"How could I? She's- or was- the love of my life, I- I couldn't just, just forget someone like that!"

Shaggy turned and smiled at him, it wasn't a confident grin or silly smirk, it was a genuine smile that had to make him wonder if this kid had been through something similar. "There you go," he acknowledged, "That's the first step to acceptance, admitting that she's gone. It'll be hard, trust me, I know. My dad, someone who I was really close to, was killed on duty. I know what it feels like to lose a loved one, but once they're gone, they're gone. No one can bring the dead back to life, Clarence. Not you, not me. But hey, I got through it. You will too. And anyone else dealing with it for that matter. It's a part of how life goes, and everyone will eventually have to face that same music too. But oh well, I'm just some humble hippie kid riding around in a van straight out of the 1960s with his friends and his dog, so what do I know?" He laughed and even the rest of the occupants in the room shared a chuckle. "Still, you have to keep going, Clare. To quote an obligatory teenage cartoon, 'you have two good legs, so get up and use them.'"

"Heh, you're right," Clarence said, "though I probably would have gotten away with all this if it hadn't been for you meddling kids and your dog."

"Rog? Rhere?"

The room's atmosphere lightened at the familiar quip. Then Daphne spoke up.

"Well, the good thing is," she started, "this whole thing was private and no one but us knows that you were the monster. So how about we let this one slide for once? We'll just return the book and say we found it when the monster disappeared, though we are also going to be sure to explain how the monster won't show up again. Not unless it's someone else doing it, of course."

"We'd let you off with a slap on the wrist, but I think Shaggy has that covered," Velma said.

He laughed, embarrassed, "Well anyway, like, how about we hit the town and get dinner? After all this excitement, I'm starving!"

"Reah! Re roo!" Scooby agreed with a wag of his tail.

That night consisted of returning the book to the museum, explaining to the town how the monster won't come back, then proceeding to hang loose with some fun. Only Shaggy could really turn from any heavy and depressing topic to something light-hearted so quickly.

~•~●~•~

The closest thing we humans have to immortality is human memory. Remembering those who have passed on. As cliche as it may sound, the phrase "those who leave us don't truly leave us, they will continue to live on as long as we can remember them" still has merit. It's the only thing we can hope for beyond our grave that we made a big enough impact on those we love to be remembered for generations to come, that way, we can truly live forever as long as our memory still lives. I hope all those struggling to come to terms with death know that things will get better, and to those of you who are debating whether or not you're worth living, you are. You'll find your acceptance too, you just have to keep living to see the next day to eventually get there.

Boy, that went long, but I'm glad about how it came out. (And don't worry, I'm fine. It's just something I think was appropriate to address after writing a story with such heavy topics.) Well anyway, it's nearly midnight over here and I need to go to bed, G'night!

[rosecorcoranwrites]

Magic by Any Other Name

I, like most fantasy writers, think a lot about magic. I mean, a lot. I love thinking about different magical systems and how they work, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and how they can be employed to make the coolest story possible. Dark magic, light magic, elemental magic, you name it. Magic cast with wands, or words, or motions. Magic that comes from special creatures or from the hearts or minds of humans. I love magic. What I don't love is when writers have weird hang-ups about magic.

The most notorious example of this is when a character says something along the lines of "It's not magic, it's bending/semblance/alchemy/etc." I assume this is an attempt by the writers to make their magic system seem more interesting and original, despite the fact that it's clearly magic with a different name. I wouldn't mind this, except that by coming out and stating "it's not magic", you're acknowledging that your setting has the concept of magic. So... what exactly is the distinction between "totally-not-magic" and, you know, regular old magic?

This distinction is occasionally addressed. Fullmetal Alchemist is very clear in pointing out that alchemy is governed by the rule of equivalent exchange, where you can't get something without giving up something in return, in a sort of mystical balancing of equations. Thus, we can conclude that "magic" would be getting whatever you want without a price. Philosopher's stones appear to do this, but of course are only created by using human lives in their initial creation; there is still an equivalent exchange. I'm also willing to give the "alchemy vs magic" thing a pass because it's based on the real world distinctions between alchemy—which was a mystical form of early chemistry—and magic—which generally involves dealing with spirits and supernatural forces.

But then we have stories where the "totally-not-magic" is blatantly supernatural or mystical, coming from spiritual connections or the souls of those who wield it. Bending in Avatar: the Last Airbender, for example, is when a human controls one of the four elements—fire, earth, air, and water—by doing a series of movements, or by controlling their breathing. There is a clear spiritual aspect to this, as the Dalai-Lama-esque avatar can wield all four elements in order to keep balance between the human nations and between the human and spiritual/natural world. Essentially, bending is elemental magic with somatic components. And that's fine! I love Avatar, and it has excellent world building overall, except for the line "it's not magic, it's waterbending." So, ok, bending isn't magic... then what is? We're never told. I think we might never hear the word "magic" after the first episode. So why bring it up?

More egregious, still, is in RWBY, were Weiss states that they have semblances (essentially, a magic special technique unique to each person) and dust (basically, magical material of different types) but not magic. Um... really? It's even more puzzling in Season 6, when we learn that the world was once crawling with magic wielders, but was reset so that no one who wasn't from that original time can use magic. Or, rather, "magic"; people can use their semblances to create illusions, and summon monsters, and have precognition. So why not call it magic? Why not say "semblances are just a portion of the magic that humans once had"? Or say "people used to be able to use magic without the aid of dust", similar to how humans in Harry Potter can only do magic properly with the aid of a wand?

If you want to fancy up your magic system by calling it something else, that's fine. If you feel a burning need to have someone say, "It's not magic, it's my own original character, Blagic!" then please take the time to explain why it isn't magic, and what exactly people in your world mean by the word "magic". Maybe magic is present in the natural world, and blagic (or whatever) is wielded by humans. Maybe magic can be done with nothing to fuel it, but blagic can only be done through certain rituals or by using special components. Or, why not just never, ever use the word "magic", since people in your setting just call it "blagic". Easy!

Another issue I have is when writers attempt to show that a character is ultra-rational by having them state, "I don't believe in magic!", even in settings where magic is a known and accepted force. In such a world, a disbelief in magic is like being a flat-earther or moon-landing denier in our world. An author could work with that, using this person's magic denial to characterize them as some sort of a tin-foil-hat kook, but I've never seen it played that way. "I don't believe in magic" is used as short-hand for "I'm a rational, scientific person", but does that really follow? As an aside, back in high school, there were some students in my theater class who made fun of me for being Christian, and who considered themselves to be far more rational than I. These same students, I kid you not, did not believe that blood types were real. Blood types! That isn't rational. That isn't scientific, and, in fact, requires the willful ignorance of settled science. It's the same for a magic denier in a setting where magic is a known, understood force. How does the character justify their frankly ridiculous lack of belief?

Both of these issues, I believe, stem from a misunderstanding of magic. The "totally-not-magic" systems always have specific limitations and rules, suggesting that these writers think of "magic" as boundless power. The "I don't believe in magic" stories contrast magic and science, as if magic cannot be studied or quantified. The thing is... that's not how magic works. And I don't mean how it works in fantasy; I mean, in the real world. I'm not saying that magic is real, I'm saying that real people throughout history have believed in magic. Sympathetic magic, hermeticism, witchcraft, and so on all have limits and rules, and can obviously be studied since, you know, people "practice magic". Specific actions are supposed to yield specific results. Even if these results are not supported by science, the idea behind magic is that there is a cause and effect relationship that humans can understand and control.

Thus, magic isn't any phenomena that can't be explained by science and that goes beyond the bounds or limits of the known world. We have a word for that: "miracle". Miracles don't have to follow any rules, and their cause can't be studied (though their results can!). Miracles are generally considered either inexplicable or divine in origin. Writers tend not to include miracles in their settings because it would be deus ex machina, as God is literally breaking into the story to fix things. While miracles are exciting in real life, they tend to majorly undercut the tension of a fictional story!

It might make sense to have a character say, "It's not a miracle, it's magic/bending/semblance/alchemy/etc," since, unlike miracles, the magic system has limits and rules. Even the most mystical magician could say, "I don't believe in miracles" and not sound like a flat-earther, since magic requires rigorous practice and study. Honestly, though, I would rather writers not bring this up at all. If your setting has magic in it, just let it have magic. No one who chose to watch or read fantasy is going to judge you for having magic in the setting, because that's what they signed up for. People like magic, and are more than willing to accept it in a fantasy, so instead of thinking about how much their blagic isn't magic, writers should be focusing on giving us the best magical system they possibly can, whatever it ends up being called.

[fullmetalirin]

Fullmetal Alchemist: Episodes 50-51

Fullmetal Alchemist Episode 50: "Death"

As zeppelins rain bombs upon London during World War I, Edward and Hohenheim flee the city. As they watch the attack from a distance, Hohenheim explains that in this world, on the other side of the gate, the science of physics has developed instead of alchemy but, because Edward's soul was transferred over without his body, the Gate of Truth within himself can be used to return to Amestris. Meanwhile, with Hawkeye's help, Mustang has sneaked into the Führer's mansion to confront him and avenge Hughes. Gluttony, moping over Lust's death, is forced by Envy to begin gradually eating Alphonse's armored body to complete the Philosopher's Stone within him so Dante can use the stone to switch bodies with Rosé. Annoyed with Gluttony still mourning the loss of Lust, Dante alchemically destroys his mind so he can be nothing but an eating machine just as he begins gradually eating Alphonse. Wrath, still moping over Sloth's death, tries to intervene by using alchemy so he can use Alphonse to revive Sloth, but Dante has Edward's original limbs removed from Wrath's body so he can no longer perform alchemy in doing so. After repairing his relationship with Hohenheim, Edward returns to Amestris and tries to stop Dante's plans and set Alphonse and Rosé free, only to be distracted by Envy, who begins tormenting him in battle. When Edward angrily demands to see Envy's true form, Envy gleefully obliges, transforming into Hohenheim and Dante's deceased son, causing Edward to hesitate in sorrow. Dante reveals that Envy was the first ever homunculus, created when Hohenheim attempted human transmutation to revive his son who died of mercury poisoning. As Envy admits this is the reason why he hates Hohenheim for abandoning him to start a new family, the homunculus instantly transforms his arm into a blade and heartlessly kills Edward by piercing him through the heart while a horrified Alphonse, Rosé and Wrath watch.

Hm, I forgot he transferred to WWI London. I thought Amestris was equivalent to Nazi Germany.

Ed is impressed by zeppelins and airplanes. Hohenheim says their mechanical engineering is better than in their world, but Amestris has pretty sophisticated manufacturing too. Trains are apparently about a century old, which is about on par with our timeline. I guess you could presume that technology hit a plateau as people figured alchemy was better for more advanced applications.

Bradley keeps his remains in his house. He's read the Evil Overlord List! Selim saw the safe, so Bradley entrusts him with the key. That's pretty smart, since it's unlikely Mustang will think the kid is relevant.

Riza has dispatched Bradley's guards and is at his door. I presume this is a diversion, because we cut to Mustang sneaking in by… jumping over the wall? I'll presume that was alchemy-assisted.

Archer is still not dead.

We cut to Ed and Hohenheim and get my other favorite scene. Hohenheim explains conservation of energy, explicitly drawing a comparison to our very first example: Al fixing the broken radio. The souls of the dead from Earth pass into their world and provide the fuel for alchemy. This makes perfect sense: we already know the Philosopher's Stone, which amplifies alchemy, is powered by souls, so it's only logical that regular alchemy work the same.

Hohenheim explains he really did love Trisha, but left because he didn't want them to see the rot. I think this is a flawed but reasonable explanation. The rot represents more than just itself: it's a mark of his sin, a reminder that this body is not his own and that he's committed atrocities to obtain it. I see this more as him being unable to bear the answer to the inevitable question, "Why are you rotting, Dad?" It's horribly selfish and cowardly of him, but at the same time, it's understandable. Humanity is flawed.

Back in Amestris, Dante needs Gluttony to eat Al to complete the Philosopher's Stone. Apparently Dante designed him to refine red water. However, Gluttony is still BSODing over Lust, so Dante destroys his mind by removing his ouroboros tattoo.

Hohenheim confirms that Dante can't create a Philosopher's Stone on her own.

Hohenheim leaves us with the bright side of Dante's philosophy: you can gain something for nothing too. When a parent loves their child, he says, there need be no cost or reward.

But Ed still clings to equivalent exchange, admitting his only argument is that he doesn't want to believe a sacrifice could go unrewarded. He believes he just has to keep trying.

And then a zeppelin falls on him! He returns through the Gate just in time, but the poor boy he was inhabiting is still certainly dead.

Back in Central, Riza tells Bradley Mustang is after him… why? To get his family out of the way? Bradley goes into the wine cellar to fight Mustang, and the door is alchemically sealed behind him.

Bradley gives basically the same speech as Dante, saying really he's helping people by keeping the Philosopher's Stones from them.

Bradley explicitly says Mustang's fireballs will be less effective in an enclosed space. Thank you!

The Gate takes Wrath's arm and leg, but not the rest of him.

Ah. Ed realizes he used Earth!Ed's life to make the jump.

And now we get confirmation Gluttony killed Marcoh way back then.

Envy has a lot of fun running through forms to taunt Ed.

Alchemy can't be used because the activation of the Philosopher's Stone makes it too reactive. What does "activating" it really mean, though? We haven't seen alchemists need to do anything special to use it before.

Seeing Envy's true form stuns Ed, but… it doesn't look that recognizable? Ed says it looks like Hohenheim, but Hohenheim had a beard, and we just established he was willing to punch his mom's face. I remembered it as him looking like Ed, which would have made more sense. Still, it's a neat reveal. I've heard Brotherhood fans say it's a worse motivation than the one he has in Brotherhood, but, eh, his Brotherhood motivation was clever in theory but felt totally contrived and out of left field. Daddy issues might be cliché, but it's fitting for the more human homunculi, and it makes for a powerful parallel with Ed – further emphasized by them both being his children. I still think it'd have been stronger if we didn't learn it earlier, though.

Also, I do like that Envy violates talking-is-a-free-action to shank Ed while he's distracted.

Dante says Envy was the first homunculus ever created, so I guess Dante and Hohenheim were the first alchemists?

Rose appears to break out of her trance upon seeing Ed die.

Let's update our homunculi list real quick before the last episode:

Greed is wasted.

Lust defects, and is killed out of vengeance for a loved one.

Sloth is paralyzed.

Gluttony refuses to eat, and is made a slave to base desires.

This one is actual irony. He's spent the whole series only caring about eating things, but now, when he's actually ordered to, his human emotions get in the way. He's killed by an absence of gluttony, and becomes the embodiment of gluttony – a slave to base instincts. I find that a lot more clever than "Gluttony is eaten" – that is just so utterly trite and banal, you don't get points for that.

Fullmetal Alchemist Episode 51: "Laws and Promises"

Alphonse breaks free and attempts human transmutation as he sacrifices himself - using what's left of his Philosopher's Stone within him to revive his brother. Envy appears at the Gate of Truth, having failed to stop Alphonse, and encounters Edward's soul. Learning that Hohenheim is still alive on the other side, Envy gleefully decides to head through to kill him against Edward's advice, disappearing into the distance as a green, serpentine dragon. Edward reawakens to see his body fully healed as well as his right arm and left leg are now flesh and blood. However, Alphonse has been taken by the Gate of Truth as a consequence. After having Rosé take an injured Wrath with her and flee to Resembool, Edward attempts human transmutation, offering his own life, allowing Alphonse to return to his body, albeit his memory is recalled up to when the brothers tried to resurrect their mother. Meanwhile, Mustang successfully kills Führer Bradley with the help of his son Selim, who unintentionally weakens his adoptive father by bringing him the remains of the human from which the Führer was originally based. The Führer responsively strangles his son to death out of anger before Mustang takes his advantage. As he takes Selim's body and leaves the mansion, Mustang is confronted by Archer, who apparently shoots him in the left eye. Hawkeye arrives in time to save Mustang's life and kills Archer. Dante escapes into an elevator to find the Führer to help her exact vengeance, only to be devoured by Gluttony, who fails to recognize her. Alphonse is back in Amestris now and Edward is pulled through the Gate of Truth and is currently in Munich. The brothers both resolve to reunite again someday.

Dante snarks that maybe Ed just didn't pay enough to deserve survival – "We always come just a little short of the price."

We actually see Mustang drawing the transmutation circle with his blood. So much cooler than him doing it offscreen!

Al destroys Gluttony's jaw. Gruesome.

Mustang successfully destroys Pride. Since he didn’t use a sealing circle, I’m guessing he really did exhaust all of Pride’s lives. See, that’s acceptable to do once as a climactic cool moment. Notice also that we skipped straight to the end instead of watching him use fireballs for two minutes straight.

Riza saves Mustang by being the only person smart enough to shoot at Archer's human half.

Envy jumps into the Gate in pursuit of Hohenheim, and even manages to shake off the souls trying to eat him. Hardcore.

After the scene with Dante and Gluttony, we see the elevator open to an empty chamber. Creepy.

Ed's lost limbs are restored when he's resurrected, but it costs all of Al's Philosopher's Stone.

Sheska says Amestris is no longer a military dictatorship, but the current wars will still continue. However, they've become more tolerant towards Ishbalans.

Roy has an eyepatch. Just like Bradley! Riza said her outing him and then doubling back was part of the plan, but I'm not sure how or why.

How did Hohenheim get to Germany? The year is 1921, so he somehow survived 7 years even though his body looked to be at its limit.

Ed thinks Einstein's theories are bunk. Heh.

Ed says he planned to offer his life as the price for restoring Al. The fact that he didn't makes him wonder if he got something for nothing.

The ending spiel is a twist on the standard opening spiel: Al recognizes that equivalent exchange is not the law of the world, but he still hopes that hard work will pay off, and that one day they'll be reunited: a promise, not a law.

Conclusion

I think this is a good finale. The cutting around is a bit disorienting – it perhaps might have been better to resolve Mustang's side of things earlier? – but not uncalled for. I like how Mustang is actually challenged and injured in his fight scene instead of just effortlessly coasting his way to victory; he's cool without being overpowered. The final boss fight with Envy is a bit meh, but huge fight scenes were never what I was watching for in the first place (and Mustang vs. Pride kind of has us covered on that front). In terms of how this interacted with and resolved the story's major themes and questions, I think it was excellent. We learn what is behind the Gate, we learn the truth behind alchemy, we get discussion on the theme of equivalent exchange, and the protagonists' driving motive, the restoration of their bodies, is resolved. It's an open-ended finale, but not an unsatisfying one. The villains are defeated, the characters have learned important lessons, and they're going to keep on living.

Mustang's side is probably the weakest part here – Cyborg Archer is really weird and random and seemingly just there to add more tension and battles. His fight with Pride feels a bit truncated since we keep cutting away from it. I'm still not totally clear what his plan was or if it made sense, and it was very dumb of Ed not to tell him how to fight homunculi. I do like that Riza saves him in the end, though.

Ultimately, this is again the rare OG arc that I feel could have been better spread out over more episodes. Getting all the characters into position is rather rushed and relies on a bit of contrivance, and the finale itself feels like it's trying to say more things than it really has time for. But I'm still happy with what we got.

Now, this is more subjective, but I find the dual sacrifices way more emotionally meaningful here. I plan to do an ending comparison post where I will discuss this further, but for now, I think it's very powerful that Al finally has his moment of triumph. He's spent the whole story as a damsel in distress, even getting literally turned into a MacGuffin for this finale, only ever watching helplessly as people make horrific sacrifices for him while he can do nothing to save them. So here and now, he says screw it, for once he has the power and he's going to use it to save the person he loves more than anything in the world. It's so strong that it's an absolute mirror of what Ed did for him, and extremely meaningful that in a series that started with and revolved around the impossibility of resurrection we end with a true one.

But Ed, stupid, stupid Ed, can't be content with what Al gave him and refuses to learn his lesson, so he puts them back where they started. I'm not sure how I feel about that – it makes him into a very stagnant and stubborn character who refuses to learn the narrative's lessons even when they've been so firmly pounded into his skull. The point of Dante's speech, to me, was that you cannot keep throwing good lives after bad – Ed has hurt himself and so many others on this journey, justifying it to himself with sunk cost fallacy. The correct option is to cut his losses and go home, to be happy with what he still has instead of throwing away even more. Even the very fact he planned to kill himself to bring Al back shows he's still ignoring him – Al has said over and over again he doesn't want Ed to do that. Are these brothers doomed to be trapped in an endless spiral of self-sacrifice for the other? But… I gotta say, Al staying dead would have been too much of a downer. They've been through so much that they do deserve a miracle. (There's that stories-as-just-worlds striking again!)

I actually have never seen the movie, so maybe it resolves some of these things! I shall see. But for now, let's complete our list…

Greed is wasted.

Lust defects, and is killed out of vengeance for a loved one.

Sloth is paralyzed.

Gluttony refuses to eat, and is made a slave to base desires.

Envy kills himself out of jealousy.

Pride is killed by his son.

Wrath outlives them all.

An ironic pride death is easy – hoist them by their own petard. This show takes it a step further, and has Pride undone by his namesake. I'm pretty sure it is said somewhere that Selim is his biological child in this continuity, and that the capacity to sire children was one of Pride's human traits. That makes it deeply ironic that the son is the reason he dies.

I never bought Wrath's Brotherhood death as "irony". Wrath being killed by wrath… I don't even know if that's poetic, it just kind of… is. We say those who live by the sword will die by the sword, and for good reason. Wrath dying to wrath isn't unexpected or at all clever. The volatile, self-destructive sin being the only one to live, though? That's irony.

And oh my god you guys Brotherhood!Envy kills himself out of PRIDE not jealousy, he could not have been more explicit about it! Know your sins if you're gonna be smug about what deep symbolism they are!! This one is still a bit of a reach – wrath is a closer fit – but there is a case to be made that he is doing this out of a desire for the connection and satisfaction that other children have yet was denied to him.

Lastly, I think you could make a case that Dante embodies all the sins and is undone by all of them simultaneously. She believes herself above humanity, yet she is easily frustrated, slothful in her attitude towards the homunculi, envious of others' bodies, and greedy, lustful, and gluttonous for life and power. Wiping Gluttony is an act of impatience, frustration, greed, and arrogance in the assumption she could still control him.

Even aside from that, though, this is such a fitting end for her. She's spent her whole life plotting in the shadows, never allowing herself into a position of personal harm, and just as she tries to slink away to do it again she's undone by her own tangled web. Work behind the scenes, die behind the scenes.

[natsubeatsrock]

The Rewrite of Fairy Tail: Introduction

How bad is Fairy Tail? 

This is a weird question for me to ask after being a fan for so long. Weirder if you consider most of the content I've been making for Fairy Tail up until this point. If you asked me at different points of being a fan, I'd give you different answers. A few days before officially launching my Fairy Tail blog, I said it was my third favorite anime. A year later, I would say that it's pretty bad, but not the worst. At certain points during the last arc, I almost lost all hope that it could be enjoyable again. I figured that I was on a ship that probably sunk not long after leaving port. Now, I'm not sure that it was exactly that bad. 

Almost a year ago, I made a post about an interesting defense for actions done in writing: because it's fiction things aren't going to make the same sense as they would here. My main point was that because something is fiction, the problems are more infuriating because it was made up by someone. The fact that something is fiction doesn't mean logic ceases to exist. While this was partially directed at Mashima, I still had the thought of crazy fanfiction ideas in my mind while writing it. 

As often happens, I got a response to the post. I'm not one for responding to additions to my posts. I made that rule a while ago. But something about this one has made me think about it every now and again. When I first saw it, I saved it onto my computer with the idea of responding to it, but not I'm not sure that I need to. 

I'm going to link it here if you want to see it, but one of the most important takeaways from it is that a lot of the things Mashima does has logic behind them. It just so happens that many analysts make no attempt to understand the reasoning behind it. Often, we've already rejected any explanation that could exist for it. We have concluded that thing in the series can't make sense. 

To be clear, I don't think this is always the case. I honestly think that there are a lot of things about Fairy Tail that happen and don't have a good reasonable explanation for. The exact ratio of sensible to nonsensical isn't something I'm willing to guess on. But I can safely say that the nonsensical side includes decent and important stuff to Fairy Tail. 

Still, I don't think that a lot is actually wrong if Fairy Tail. At the very least, so much that there is no way that it could only work if so much about it that makes it what it becomes unrecognizable to fans of the original. 

So, why does any of this matter? 

In a tradition older and bigger than myself, I've decided to take the series and write a version that I think might be better. Much of the future posts I'll be making here will deal with how I change or enhance aspects of Fairy Tail.  

In my mind, there are two ways to rewrite a series. 

The first way is to change the fundamental fabric of the series into another series. This isn't a terrible thing to do, assuming that the series is fundamentally flawed. However, I don't think that we need to scrap the entirety of Fairy Tail to make a better version of it.  

So I've decided to take the second option: rearrange existing elements of the series to make a better series. This kind of thing is more in line with how good abridged versions of series are written. And, considering I've grown accustomed to multiple elements of the series, I favor this method for rewriting Fairy Tail. 

To do that, I'll need some rules to help me stay in line with how I make changes. 

My goal is not to make a new series that's better than Fairy Tail. My goal is to make a better version of the same series. And with no clear guidelines, that's not going to be easy or possible. 

Which is why the first and most important rule is that I am not allowed to add major events or arcs to the series that didn't come from any chapter or episode of Fairy Tail. I can make things that happen more important or less important than they may have been in the original. I can make things happen in different ways. However, nothing added to the series won't come from the original material in some way, shape, or form. There is one obvious exception to this - the end. By virtue of various different things happening, the ending of my rewrite will look very different from the official ending of the series. 

The second rule is that character motivations and progression has to come from pre-existing material regarding the Fairy Tail universe. Obviously, can mean that if characters had good character arcs in the original, which does happen, they stay in the rewrite. However, other character arcs can come from taking events in the series and making something that would make sense for the character. In some cases, I may also want to use information from statements from Mashima in interviews, afterwords or other special things that have come out with him talking about his characters. 

At the heart of this project is the fact that I’m changing the way things happened in the series to make it more sensical. As such, my third rule is that major and important elements from the original story can be changed or tweaked. However, this can only be done if the original intent behind the events is kept intact or enhanced in some way. This will definitely result in certain elements which were kind of downplayed becoming more prominent. At the same time, some elements which were already good may become better or more expanded on. Of course, there are some elements which will be downplayed or removed. As a general rule, this should only happen if they’re useless or run counter to other elements which may be deemed more important. 

When it comes to arcs, one thing I really don’t want to mess with is the order of arcs the series. There’s very little reason that I see for most arcs to happen in a really different order and trying to change the series so such a thing happens would border making a new series. However, the order of events can be changed, as long as they result in a similar end to the original series. This doesn't just mean events from one arc stay within that arc. Some moments may also need to happen earlier or later depending on how much sense they make.  

Also, arcs that follow each other can be combined with others. This may not seem like a seriously necessary change now considering the length of some arcs. However, coupled with the previous rule on order of events, this can and will lead to some important differences to the original. I'll admit that I've already started to work on changes and many of them are fairly dependent on this rule. 

The last (and by no means least important) rule is that I’m making changes to the story that I’d want to read. That’s not to say that other people won’t find enjoyment in the series. That is to say that many changes I’m making to and things I’m keeping from the original are done simply because, as I stated earlier, I enjoy them from the original. I’m not trying to make a version of Fairy Tail that I wouldn’t want to read, even if it does make more sense than the original. I’m also not trying to write a series on the level of Fullmetal Alchemist, My Hero Academia, Hunter x Hunter, Dragon Ball or some other series. I’m trying to make a version of Fairy Tail that strikes the balance of being a well-written story and a fun version of Fairy Tail. 

There's also that nasty bit about having to rename, if not nickname, this project. I've decided to take a bit of inspiration from the most popular anime rewrite I know of, which is that of the modern Evangelion movies. Instead of the Rebuild of Evangelion, this project will be known as the Rewrite of Fairy Tail. And as (more of) a tribute, the actual title will be "They (Might) Have Tales".  I'm only so creative. 

This will take a long time to make. Consider that I'm adapting a series that's eleven years long, including elements from one-shots and the anime. As I'm getting this ready to be posted, I have a few posts about some of my changes I'm sitting on and, let me tell you, this version will likely be different from the Fairy Tail you know. But the hope is that it won't be so drastically different that you don't recognize most of it.  

If I could make an ideal makeup of this story, most of what will happen should make sense within the original world of Fairy Tail. This is either because it happened in the original or something that was unclear is clarified or because a change was made that works within the series as I see it. I have to put a percentage, it would be about 80%.  About 10% would account for those changes needed to make sense of the series.  The last 10% involves special changes that I want to happen to make this a fun read for fans of the original. After all, this has to be different enough from the original to justify its existence. 

Of course, that's the ideal. I may end up with something that looks too different from the original to seem like it has the same name. I may end up with a version that looks way too similar or not similar enough. My hope is that I'm able to explain my reasoning the entire way along. 

There's one last thing I need to emphasize about this series that I think is important. I don't believe that my way of changing the series is the only way to do it. Plenty of other people have and will make rewrites of Fairy Tail in order to make versions of it that they believe makes more sense and/or is more interesting than the original. Some changes others have made that I haven't or won't make may seem more sensible to some of you. I will even acknowledge changes I could make and see feasible but decide against for one reason or another. 

However, I do think that there are some things that only I would be willing to do in a large scale series rewrite. I also think that in explaining my thought process, a better understanding of why things failed and how they could be fixed will come across that if I were to just stay on the sidelines.