#fma/got crossover

[likesdoodling]

Edward. As an elf. (probably noldor 'cause of the 'into crafting' thing they got going on)-

[caesarinsalata]

Edward the Strimpede

I did a little boredom stream just now on Insta to line and color this guy.

I think he looks kinda cute 🤗💖

[sukalaap]

TW: Traumatic anime reference

Huh. Could've sworn I had posted this one on this site ages ago, but it was nowhere to be found in my account. Oh well, here it is again!

Just some old crossover/parody/AU doodles 'n pieces to show that sometimes, I'm evil.

Man, ain't these two inseparable? Isn't it amazing what forbidden alchemy can do? :)

Extra Stellasha Image

[dragontamer05]

You know if yall really love FMA/Arakawa's writing as much as you do might I suggest her newest on going series Yomi no Tsugai

Supernatural/Horror/Mystery

It's just as good a series, with plenty interesting characters, lots of mystery to unravel a cool magic/power system and just while by no means the same as her previous series it manages to maintain much of the same fantastic writing quality and hallmarks of her story telling.

There are several volumes already out and available in English to be bought (plus can just generally find it on most Manga sites to read it that way)

Idk I guess with how well loved Arakwa is as an author/ Mangaka I would have expected to see people screaming from the rooftops when it was first announced she was going to be putting out a new work. Or see more excited chatter and posting when it did start (I think it was only by luck I happened to come across an article or something talking about it)

Now I'm willing to admit some of this could also be my corner of the internet on one site (and I can't say I know what all things were like for FMA early on in it's run especially before the anime happened) but still.

This also goes for people who have read/are reading it, things just feel way to quiet about it for a series with so much worth talking about

--

There's a great balance with Yuru in him being smart and resourceful but also living up in the mountains with like no contact with the outside world (and all it's modernity) there is a lot of things he doesn't know.

There's some similarities with him and Ed but over all he stands on his own with far more differences.

At present location wise it's a lot more centered /less cross country traveling or at least not as constent on the move going from place to place like Ed n Al were- least for now who knows what the future holds.

But there's still plenty of great set pieces, cool fights and making the most out of what we've got so far.

[worldsokayestdragon]

GreedxLing Week Day 2: Crossover

Read on AO3

Ling had been certain that he and Lan Fan were ready to take down a witch.

They'd gotten the other 99 souls required easily, far faster than any other student at the DWMA had ever managed. (Well, anyone besides Maka Albarn, but she was a freakishly intense prodigy so that was hardly a fair comparison. And she'd had to start over anyway so it barely counted.) Their soul resonance was nearly flawless. When they fought together Lan Fan’s blade was like an extension of Ling's arm. Every strike landed precisely and powerfully, and their special attacks never failed.

No witch should have stood a chance against them.

And they hadn't gone into the fight alone. Ed and Al were with them, and the two brothers were nearly as good as Ling and Lan Fan. The weapon meister combination of a giant suit of armor and a guy way too small to wear it was unconventional, and Ling was pretty sure Ed having his friend make him an oversized prosthetic arm so he could wear one of everything from the pauldron down, then and having Al fight beside him only counted  “wielding a weapon” on the barest technicality, but they made it work. Ed was very good at punching things until they stopped getting back up, and Al stepped in perfectly to watch his back.

And Professor Hawkeye and her meister, Mustang, had accompanied them on this mission, so really they were as safe as could be.

Okay, maybe the adults had less accompanied them and more failed to notice the students sneaking along on a mission they'd been explicitly told to sit out because it was too dangerous. Something something ancient and powerful witch, blah blah dark soul magic, yadda yadda artificially created weapons who could operate autonomously, achieve soul resonance within themselves, and perform feats that no human weapon and meister team could hope to match. Whatever. If anything that was all the more reason for them to come along instead of leaving the old people to try and face all of that on their own.

Really, Hawkeye and Mustang should be grateful they were there, considering Mustang got himself critically injured fighting the first enemy they came across; a beautiful woman who could summon spears to her fingertips that grew to whatever length she wanted and apparently could cut through anything. The man did manage to kill her before succumbing to blood loss, though, which Ling could admit was kind of impressive considering how she shook off what should have been mortal wounds and healed almost instantly from any damage. But still, if the rest of them hadn't been there to provide cover and a distraction Hawkeye never would have been able to drag her unconscious meister to safety and call for more backup.

Hawkeye threatening them all with a “serious conversation” when they got back to school and swearing she'd expel them if she found out they'd stayed to fight if there was a chance of running away seemed pretty rude and uncalled for to Ling, but the woman was under a lot of stress.

So they ran deeper into the witch's compound–a confusing warren of underground tunnels that Ling wasn't entirely confident he'd be able to easily find his way back out of even with his normally perfect sense of direction–smashing delicate lab equipment, yelling for any cowards in the place to come face them, and generally just making a commotion to try and draw attention away from their injured companions.

Ed seemed particularly thrilled at all the destruction they were wreaking. Ling thought it was pretty fun too, but the other meister was delighted in a way that was a little concerning, laughing maniacally as he grabbed flasks of some unidentifiable green liquid off a lab table and flung them against a wall where they promptly exploded. 

Al heaved a long suffering sigh at his brother, but didn't try to stop the rampage, and also shoved over an entire shelf of the exploding potions as they left the room they'd found them in and giggled to himself about it because he was only “the normal brother” in the sense that anyone would seem sane and rational standing next to Edward Elric.

They succeeded in calling attention to themselves.

They didn’t draw out the actual witch, at least not yet, but the two minions who came after them were terrifying enough on their own.

One was a short fat man, who partially transformed into a…meat grinder? Some sort of construction equipment maybe? It wasn’t anything Ling would call a weapon in the traditional sense, but the sight of the man’s abdomen splitting open to reveal rows of spinning metal teeth was more alarming than any blade or hammer or gun could hope to be. Luckily he didn’t seem very smart, and kept stopping to look around and call for someone named Lust who never showed up, so it wasn’t too hard to dodge his attempts at pulverizing them.

The other person was more of a problem. They were taller and much more agile, and clearly knew their way around the witch’s headquarters, which made evading them in the tight corridors a challenge. And they never seemed to run out of ways to transform their body. Ling would dive back to avoid the swing of an arm that had become a blade only to immediately have to roll to the side when that same arm turned into a cannon aimed right at his head. 

They also never shut up. Every attack was followed up with a comment about how “You pathetic humans never should have come here,” or “You’ll never make it out of here alive, you worms!”

And of course, Ed also didn’t know how to shut up.

“I’d rather be a pathetic human worm than an ugly freak like you and your buddy!”

“Who are you calling ugly, you tiny little pest?” 

Their hand turned into some sort of glowing gun that fired a laser at Ed. Frankly, Ling thought turning into a sci-fi bullshit weapon was cheating.

Al just managed to yank his brother out of the way and hold him back from rushing in for an attack.

“Tiny?! We’ll see who’s tiny after I rip your legs off!”

“Oh, I’d love to see you try and–Gluttony, would you focus?”

The fat man, Gluttony apparently, turned back from where he’d been starting to wander away down a cross hall.

“But Envy, I need to go look for Lust. I don’t know where she is.”

Envy shook their head. “We can look for her after we crush these intruders, alright? You don’t need to worry about Lust, she can take care of herself.”

“But–”

“Ling, we should try and get out of here while they’re distracted,” Lan Fan said, speaking into Ling’s mind as she always did in her sword form and drowning out the argument in front of him.

“Right,” Ling whispered back, trying not to draw attention back to them. They were at the junction of two hallways, and there was just enough room that they could slip around their pursuers and go back the way they’d come if they were quick about it.

“Ed, Al, let’s get out of here,” he added only slightly louder. Both Elric brothers nodded their understanding.

Ling led the way, moving as quickly and quietly as he could along the far side of the hall from Envy and Gluttony to rush back past them.

Something slammed into the wall inches in front of Ling’s nose, and he barely stopped in time to avoid running into a giant mess of metal and wires and tubing that was shaped like a crude, nightmarish hand, reaching nearly from floor to ceiling and completely blocking his path.

The hand connected to an equally haphazard mechanical arm that shrank as it got further from the wrist, all the way down to Envy’s human looking shoulder. They’d stopped talking to Gluttony, their focus entirely fixed on Ling and his friends.

“I didn’t say you could leave,” they hissed.

“New plan,” Ling gasped, backpedaling a few steps away from where Envy’s hand was slowly pulling away from the new crater it had left in the solid stone wall. “We run away as fast as we can and worry about finding an exit later.”

“I like that plan!” Al said, already turning back up the hall and dragging Ed with him.

“Very sensible,” Lan Fan agreed.

The following chase was a blur of sprinting over uneven floors and taking corners at speed while ducking out of the way of blades and gunfire and giant mechanical hands, as well as the occasional attempt to grind them into a paste. (Gluttony referred to this as “eating them,” which, bad!) Ling completely gave up trying to keep track of where they were or the direction they were going, just concentrating on staying alive and hopefully losing the monsters on their tails.

It was a surprise when, after darting around another corner and through an archway, they found themselves out of the claustrophobic hallways and in a cavernous room. Tubes wrapped and tangled around each other up the walls and across the ceiling, coming together in the center of the room and trailing down to connect to a large throne, its occupant shrouded in shadows so deep Ling couldn’t make out a single detail of his face. A sense of creeping evil permeated the entire space, and Ling realized that this must be the witch’s inner sanctum.

There was no other door but the one they’d entered through.

The only other occupant of the room was an older man standing next to the throne, unremarkable other than the eyepatch over one eye. He strode forward with a glare as Envy and Gluttony burst into the room behind Ling and the others.

“What is the meaning of you fools allowing these humans to make their way here? You’ve disturbed Father’s work.”

“Hey, these little insects are fast,” Envy protested. “And I didn’t see you helping stop them, Wrath! Or Sloth and Pride for that matter.”

“Our brothers are away on an errand for Father,” Wrath said dismissively. “You shouldn’t need their help to squash a few bugs anyway. Or mine, but I’ll go ahead and lend it to you since it seems to be the only way anything gets done around here.” 

Envy growled, and the growl deepened and distorted as they transformed. 

In the open space of this room they were able to change more than just their arm. Their whole body stretched and twisted as they grew into a giant robotic thing. It looked a bit like a mech suit from an anime, if that mech suit had been welded together from a thousand disparate parts by a madman into a body horror nightmare amalgamation, bristling with every weapon imaginable. They dropped down onto all fours–their new form no longer bipedal–and the impact shook the room so badly Ling nearly lost his footing.

“Fine,” Envy said, in a voice like grating metal. “You take care of the one with the sword, that seems more your speed. I’ll take the armor and the runt.”

For once in his life, Ed didn’t immediately freak out about being called a runt. Maybe even he recognized they were in serious enough danger to let something like that slide. Instead he said, “Actually, I think I’m just gonna leave.” and darted toward Envy’s flank, maybe trying to use their large size against them to slip by them and back out the door before they could twist around for the attack.

Ling wasn’t able to watch and see how that tactic worked out for his friend because, faster than seemed possible, Wrath was no longer across the room but right in front of him, swinging a sword toward his neck. Only Lan Fan calling out a warning allowed Ling to react in time to block the attack, and the force of the blow sent him stumbling back.

Ling could hear Ed and Al fighting Envy, and it sounded like they were struggling (it also sounded like Ed had landed at least one blow because he yelled “that’s for calling me a runt!” So much for letting things go in a dangerous situation), but he couldn’t go to help them or even spare a glance in their direction. It took all his energy to match Wrath, and he spent more time blocking and dodging than making his own attacks, unable to find an opening. 

He didn’t know if the man was one of the witch’s created weapons. He must have been, from the weird name and how unnaturally fast he moved, but he didn’t appear to transform his body in any way. 

But he could pull seemingly infinite swords from somewhere, rearming himself instantly the one time Ling managed to disarm him, and throwing them with as much deadly accuracy as he wielded them when Ling tried to retreat and put some distance between them.

Gluttony, apparently unable to decide who he should be attacking without explicit instructions, just took a swipe at whatever intruder happened to be in range of him at any given time as the fight took them around the room. It was better than having to fight two at once, but the added need to keep track of distance from him wasn’t something Ling appreciated.

He tried to keep circling to Wrath’s left, to put himself in the blind spot created by the eyepatch. His success was limited, but the strategy was letting him keep his head attached so far, and he didn’t see any better options so he kept to it. 

The witch eventually grew impatient with the fight. 

“Enough,” he said, not yelling but somehow projecting his voice across the room and over the sound of fighting. 

Ling didn’t look over, refusing to be distracted.

But then Al asked: “Dad?” 

At the same time Ed snarled: “Hohenheim!” 

That got Ling’s attention.

“Your dad’s a witch?” That was the type of thing he’d hope his friends would tell him before it came up mid-battle.

The witch did look a lot like Ed, an old man with graying blond hair that had probably once been the same shade as Ed’s braid, and eyes the same distinctive golden color.

Whether the Elrics were going to answer him, or keep yelling at the witch that was maybe their dad, Ling never found out. Envy took advantage of the distraction and slammed one giant hand down into Ed and the other into Al, pinning them both to the floor.

“Ling!” Lan Fan yelled, and he jumped back away from Wrath’s sword.

He just barely got out of the way, a stinging cut opening on his cheek instead of the intended decapitation.

Wrath followed up by throwing his sword, and the thin blade slotted cleanly into the loop at the back of Lan Fan’s hilt, ripping her out of Ling’s hand. The sword continued on its path, and buried itself deeply into the wall.

Ling dashed over and yanked on the sword, but it didn’t budge.

“Duck!” Lan Fan shouted, and Ling dropped to the floor right as the blade of yet another sword hit the wall where his head had been with enough force to shatter the tempered steel.

Ling rolled to the side and sprung back to his feet. He and Wrath circled each other again, but this time Ling tried not to let himself be moved too far from Lan Fan.

“Ling, just go,” Lan Fan cried. Her voice, already faded in Ling’s mind from a few feet of distance, sounded desperate in a way he’d never heard her before. “Get out of here, please!”

“I’m not leaving you,” Ling snapped. He wouldn’t leave any of them. There had to be a way to–

Something slammed into Ling’s side, tackling him to the ground. Too late, he realized he’d forgotten to keep track of Gluttony.

As he struggled beneath Gluttony’s weight, watching the grinding teeth of whatever his weapon form was inch closer and closer, Ling really wished he’d been a little less confident in his abilities and chosen not to come here. 

“Wait,” the witch called. 

Gluttony stopped a second short of turning Ling into mince meat.

The Witch walked slowly towards Ed and Al.

“You two are Van Hohenheim’s children?” he asked.

“What’s it to you, you bastard?” Ed growled.

“Yes, we are,” Al, ever more diplomatic, rushed to answer. “You–um well– you look a lot like him.”

“Yes, I suppose I do,” The man muttered. Then, louder, he added, “We’ll be keeping these ones alive, Envy, so do try not to crush them too much if you haven’t already.”

“Um, alright,” Envy said, shifting to put less weight on the Elrics.

“As for the others,” the witch turned back to look at Ling. “We don’t need them. You can go ahead and eat that one, Gluttony.”

“No!” Ed yelled. “No, please, they're our friends!”

“But I have no use for them. A measly two souls aren’t even enough to use in my experiments. Although…” He tilted his head, regarding Ling with a more considering eye. “I suppose it might be time to give Greed another chance.”

The witch stood up straighter and clapped his hands sharply. “Wrath, Gluttony, bring the boy over here. I have use for him after all.”

Gluttony whined in disappointment, but obediently shifted off of Ling and grabbed one of his arms. Wrath grabbed the other, and the two of them began dragging Ling toward the throne in the middle of the room, ignoring his struggling as if it were nothing.

“No!” Lan Fan screamed. 

Ling twisted to look at her.

She’d taken her human form again. The sword that had been harmlessly hooked through the loop of her pommel was now stabbing her arm just below her right shoulder. There wasn’t much blood, the blade completely filling the wound, but that arm flopped limply as she struggled, reaching toward Ling.

“Let him go! Bring him back!” 

“Lan Fan, stop moving,” Ling yelled. “Your arm! You’ll make it worse if you don’t hold still!”

“I don’t care,” Lan Fan reached up to yank at the hilt of the sword. She managed only the slightest movement of the blade, and blood began oozing more quickly from around it. “Let him go! Take me instead!”

The witch and his weapons ignored her. Ling was dragged in front of the throne and forced to his knees as the witch retrieved a small flask of some viscous red liquid from a table nearby.

Gluttony moved to hold both of Ling’s arms, and Wrath took ahold of his chin, forcibly tilting his head up.

“This may hurt,” the witch said calmly, sounding almost like a doctor about to administer a shot.

“Let him go, you bastards!” Ed snarled.

“Please, stop this!” Al begged.

“Ling!” Lan Fan’s yell sounded more like a sob.

And then the witch tipped the contents of the flask into the cut on Ling’s cheek, and he couldn’t hear anything over his own screaming anymore.

—

Ling’s body twisted and writhed in ways it was never meant to, his bones breaking and rehealing over and over, his insides feeling like they were being boiled. 

It was excruciating. 

It was too much. 

Ling retreated from reality into the place inside himself he accessed for soul resonance training with Lan Fan. Not quite inside his own soul, but not in his body either. A quiet and empty void.

Except it wasn’t quiet or empty now. The pain followed him down, though it wasn’t as strong as it had been, and the space was full of a thousand overlapping screams. 

And there was another soul there.

The soul wasn’t normal. Not in the twisted, evil way the kishin eggs Lan Fan consumed on their missions were. It just looked like it had been put together hurriedly from the pieces of many others, somehow coming together into a cohesive whole. 

It was almost beautiful, in an alien way.

As Ling watched, the soul’s shape changed, until he was looking at a large, shadowy face with jagged teeth and glowing white eyes.

“Well, what do we have here?” The voice came from the face in front of him, though its mouth didn’t move. “Am I supposed to be using your body now?”

“What’s happening to me?” Ling asked.

“They didn’t explain, huh?” the thing asked. “Yeah, they wouldn’t. The names Greed, kid, and if I had to guess, what’s happening is they put me in your bloodstream and now your body’s trying to adapt to my power. Probably doesn’t feel too good.”

Maybe Ling was going crazy, but the floating head sounded a little sympathetic. 

“Look, you should probably just let go. Let yourself fade back into your soul or whatever. Only one person’s ever survived this, as far as I know, and it’s not a pretty way to go. I can keep you from feeling it, but not when you're fighting to stay conscious like this.”

“If I die, will they try again with someone else?”

“Huh?” One of Greed’s eyes got bigger than the other, giving the impression of raising an eyebrow he didn’t have. “Yeah, probably, if there’s anyone else around. Won’t be your problem anymore, though, will it?”

Ling thought of Lan Fan, pinned to a wall with a mangled arm and still fighting to get to him, to help him.

He couldn’t let her go through this.

Ling stood up as straight as he could while floating in a void and glared at Greed.

“I’m not going to die,” Ling willed himself to believe his own words as he spoke. “There are people counting on me. I’m going to save my friends, and I’ll take on all your power to do it if I have to.”

Greed stared at him silently for a moment, somehow looking stunned despite being mostly sharp teeth and empty eyes. Then he burst out laughing.

The laugh sounded more delighted than mocking, which was not what Ling would have expected.

“Oh, I like you,” Greed said when he was done with his laughing fit. “This is gonna be fun. Alright then, you take my power, and we’ll see what we can do for your friends. I got a score to settle with the old bastard myself.”

Greed moved closer to Ling, his mouth finally opening, stretching wide enough to swallow Ling whole. A blinding white light shone from between Greed’s teeth as they rushed toward Ling. The screaming around them crescendoed, growing louder and louder until Ling realized he was screaming along with it. Everything became so overwhelming, he was certain he was about to be ripped apart, and then–

—

Ling’s eyes opened, but he wasn’t the one to open them.

His body was still kneeling on the floor, right where it had been, his arms stretched out to either side of him.

Wrath and the witch stood looming over him. Gluttony had wandered away, not in Ling’s direct sight anymore, though he didn’t dare hope he’d gone far.

The pain faded rapidly, energy crackling around him as his body healed, until he felt fine. Better than fine. Maybe better than he’d ever felt in his life.

Ling’s head raised, his eyes looked around, but once again it wasn’t him behind the movements.

“Ling?” Ed asked. “Are you okay?”

Greed looked over at where Ed was still pressed to the floor by one of Envy’s hands. He smiled, and Ling could feel it pulling at his face in a way his own expressions never did.

“Oh, is that his name?” Greed asked. “Sorry, but Ling can’t come to the phone right now. Greed’s running the show from here on out.”

Hey, that’s one of my friends! Ling protested. You said we would–

Shut up and let me sell this, Greed hissed back inside the shared space between their souls.

“Greed,” The witch said. “Welcome back to the family, my son. Your past transgressions shall be forgiven, if you agree to once more work with us for our common goals.”

Ugh, I hate this guy, Greed muttered.

Out loud, he said: “What else could I do, when you’ve so kindly given me a second chance, Father?” He bowed Ling’s head in what might have been a convincing show of respect to someone who couldn’t hear his thoughts. “I promise, I won’t waste my new life.”

“Very good,” the witch hummed his approval. “Then rise, and tell me, how does the new body feel? And what form does the weapon inside you take now?”

“It feels pretty great,” Greed answered as he stood up. 

He raised both of Ling’s hands to eye level, and instead of the horrible twisting transformation Ling had been halfway bracing himself for, all that happened was a coal black something covering the skin to about halfway up his arms. The nails grew a bit longer and sharper, but nothing as dramatic as the woman Mustang had killed. (who Ling supposed must be the missing Lust)

“Still got my shield,” Greed added. Obviously, don’t know what else the asshole expected to happen.

“How disappointing,” the witch said. “I had hoped that combining your melted essence with a skilled swordsman such as this one would allow you to take a more useful shape, something suited to attacking rather than weak defense. Still, it can’t be helped I suppose. I can still find use for–”

“Monster!” Lan Fan shrieked from her place against the wall. “Give Ling his body back! Get out of him!”

Greed didn’t turn to look at her. 

Ling wished he would, desperate to check on her. 

Ling was grateful he didn’t, not wanting to see the pain he could hear in his best friend’s voice on her face.

“Fraid I can’t do that, sweetheart,” Greed drawled. “Not exactly a thing where I can just jump back out of the body once I’m in it, you understand.”

Don’t talk to her like that! Ling snapped, and was surprised to feel his hands twitch in response to his own emotion. 

Greed couldn’t jump back out, but maybe Ling could still get back in control.

Stop that! Greed admonished. I told you, I have to sell this. Just trust me for a minute, would you?

The witch turned to regard Lan Fan. “I’m afraid you’ve outlived your usefulness,” he said. “Wrath, dispose of her.”

No! Ling thrashed where he was trapped within his own body, but before he could make any progress, Greed moved.

Taking advantage of the witch’s distraction, the moment Wrath stepped away, Greed plunged one of Ling’s hands into the old man’s chest.

Whatever his shield was made of, it punched through flesh and bone as easily as a knife passing through butter.

“Like I said, Dad,” Greed spat. “I’m not wasting the chance you’ve given me.”

The witch looked very unconcerned for a man with a hand in his chest.

A wave of force slammed into Ling’s body, throwing him and Greed to the floor.

“So disappointing,” the witch sighed. His chest was healing with the same crackling energy that had surrounded Ling’s body moments before. “You do so much for your children, but in the end you can’t prevent them from making the same mistakes again and again. Oh well. Wrath, leave the girl and kill your brother for me.”

Wrath lunged at them, his movements almost too fast to follow. For the second time that day, Ling was in a fight with the ridiculously skilled swordsman, but this time he wasn’t even able to control his body. He had to rely on Greed to dodge and block fast enough, using his shielded hands to deflect blow after blow in a deadly dance.

Can’t you put that shield over more of my body? Ling asked as Wrath managed to cut his face, again. At least this time it healed almost before the pain could register.

That would take too much energy to power it up in the middle of a fight. Greed answered. Still kinda settling into my new body here, you know? This is what we have to work with for now.

Too much energy… 

Ling knew one way to boost a weapon’s power and allow for high energy attacks.

I’m going to try soul resonance. Ling said.

No way, Greed argued, ducking a slash from Wrath’s sword so close Ling was pretty sure it cut an inch off his ponytail. We don’t even know if you can match my wavelength, and if you do it wrong the distraction will get us killed!

We’re going to get killed eventually anyway if we do nothing. You can’t keep this up forever. And anyway, if our souls weren’t at least somewhat compatible my body would have rejected you, right?

Maybe? I don’t actually know how that works.

I can do it, Ling said. He couldn’t lie to someone sharing his body like this. He had to make himself believe it. I know I can. Just–trust me for a minute would you?

…Fine, Greed said. But hurry up, alright? You weren’t lying when you said I couldn’t keep this up forever.

Even as Greed spoke, Wrath got another hit in. This time it was on Ling's left arm above the shield, and felt much deeper. It still healed right away, but it was clear that Greed was losing ground.

Ling forced himself to ignore the fight, instead turning his attention to Greed’s soul.

The soul was unfamiliar, and reaching toward it felt strange. Ling didn’t know if that was because it was artificially constructed, or if he just wasn’t used to resonating with someone who wasn’t Lan Fan. She was the only weapon he’d ever worked with before.

(Wrath knocked Greed off balance, and Ling distantly felt himself falling. He didn’t let it distract him.)

Greed’s wavelength was much more aggressive than Lan Fan’s. There was a sense of desperately reaching for something to it, whereas Lan Fan felt more grounded and content.

(Greed hit the floor, and before he could try to get back up or even roll away, Wrath was standing over him, one foot on either side of Ling’s torso, trapping them in place. Ling ignored it.)

And yet, Ling discovered that matching this new wavelength wasn’t as difficult as he’d feared. Even as frenetic as it was, there was a clear opening within it. An empty space that Ling found he slotted into nearly perfectly. 

(Wrath’s sword swung down toward their neck.)

Ling’s soul wavelength matched Greeds completely.

The shield spread up from their arms and over their whole body. It reached their neck a millisecond before Wrath’s blade, and the sword snapped on impact.

The shield kept spreading up. Ling felt it cover their head, but he wasn’t thinking about it’s progress anymore.

Wrath stumbled back a step, and they surged to their feet. Ling wasn’t sure who was controlling the body anymore. He didn’t think it even mattered at this point.

This didn’t feel like soul resonance with Lan Fan. 

That always felt powerful in a safe familiar way, a close connection with the best friend he’d known his whole life. They worked together well because they had been close for as long as either of them could remember. It was a comfortable teamwork that Ling treasured.

This was something else entirely. Greed’s soul was unfamiliar, and yet it felt like an expansion of Ling’s own. It was brand new and exciting; a little frightening as Ling felt himself swept along Greed’s wavelength, but exhilarating as he could tell Greed was moving along with him just as much. It was a dance, and a struggle for dominance, and an embrace all at once. Ling didn’t know what they would do–what they could do–together, but the possibilities felt endless.

Wrath backed away as they stepped toward him. He threw more blades as they approached, but Ling couldn’t even feel them when they bounced off the shield.

“Oh what the hell?” Envy yelled from where they were still restraining Ed and Al near the door. 

There was a noise like cannon fire from that direction, and something exploded against Ling and Greed’s back. It didn’t even break their stride.

The clawed tips of their fingers had grown longer than before. Watching Wrath retreat got abruptly boring, and they rushed forward, sticking those sharp claws into Wrath’s abdomen just below the ribs.

“This is for my friends,” they growled. 

Ling didn’t know who’s anger was fueling them more, if they were taking revenge for Lan Fan’s injury or something that had happened in Greed’s past. 

It didn’t matter which it was. 

It was both.

They lifted their arm and flung Wrath over their head. He flew through the air and collided with the back of the throne with a sickening crunch.

They turned to the witch, but before they could take a step in his direction he made some complicated gesture with his hands and an orb of shimmering red force closed around them. 

A soul wavelength painfully disparate from theirs surrounded them on all sides, and the resonance abruptly ended.

They fell to their knees, the impact jarring as the shield retreated to only covering their forearms once again. 

Now Ling could tell it was Greed who clapped their hands over their ears against the onslaught.

“That’s enough of your little tantrum,” the witch said, barely even looking at them. “Gluttony, you can eat him.”

“Thank you father!” Gluttony yelled.

Ling couldn’t move. Couldn’t try to wrestle control back from Greed. Could barely think.

He could only watch as Gluttony leapt toward them, grinning and eager to devour them.

And then a blade passed through Gluttony’s head at the level of his eyes. 

A blow like that must have severed the monster’s brain.

His body fell to the ground, the smile still wide on the lower half of his face.

Lan Fan stood behind him. Her left arm turned into a blade just below the elbow.

Her right arm was gone from the shoulder, nothing but a bloody stump. 

Ling didn’t turn to look, but he was sure the arm was right where it had been, pinned to the wall, and now cut away.

“You will not touch him,” Lan Fan growled. The rage in her voice was like nothing Ling had ever heard.

“Lan Fan,” he gasped out, back in control of his own voice.

“Ling?” Lan Fan’s eyes widened. “You are still in there! Ling, you have to fi–”

“This is completely unacceptable,” the witch said. He was glaring at Lan Fan, showing something other than vague disinterest for the first time since Ling had laid eyes on him. 

Now he looked pissed.

“You break into my home. You ransack my research laboratories. And now you kill one of my children.”

He stalked toward Lan Fan as he spoke. She stood firm, but Ling could see her beginning to sway on her feet, the blood loss no doubt catching up to her.

With his focus on Lan Fan, the sphere of disrupting soul wavelength around Greed and Ling began to dissipate. They struggled to their feet.

“This will not stand!” the witch roared, raising his hands in preparation for some spell.

Lan Fan raised her one remaining arm to block whatever was coming.

Whatever it was, they’d never find out. 

Greed once again punched through his father’s rib cage with one clawed hand. Not willing to leave anything to chance this time, Ling slashed the claws of their other hand across the back of the witch’s neck, cutting through the spinal cord.

His body tumbled to the floor, and it didn’t move again.

A moment of stunned silence. 

Then Envy screamed.

“Greed, you traitor! How dare you side with these worms? I’ll kill you for this!”

They jumped over Ed and Al to rush at Greed.

Before they got there, the wall opposite the door exploded inward, and more teachers from the DWMA poured into the room.

Ling didn’t care to stand and watch the fight that followed. He ran to Lan Fan’s side, just making it in time to catch her as she fell and lower her gently to the floor.

“You idiot,” Ling said, surprised when it came out like a sob. He realized that he was crying. “Why would you cut off your arm for me? You could have died!”

“You could have died,” Lan Fan said. 

Ling pulled off his jacket and pressed it against what remained of her shoulder. She cried out in pain, and Ling felt like scum, but he didn’t let up the pressure.

After a few gasping breaths Lan Fan continued: “And I would have had to watch you die, useless and stuck to the wall. This was the only way.”

Ling shook his head. “Still. Your arm–”

“Well I for one am grateful that you saved my ass!” Greed put in, shoving Ling out of control mid-sentence.

Lan Fan narrowed her eyes. “I was saving Ling, not you.”

Greed shrugged casually, but Ling could tell how careful he was not to let the gesture jostle Lan Fan's shoulder where he was still holding the jacket against it.

“Yeah, well. Same ass, so thanks anyway.”

“I hate you,” Lan Fan said, without much force behind it. “Also, I’m going to pass out now, so don’t let Ling die before I wake up.”

“No!” Ling reclaimed control of their body. “Lan Fan, don’t pass out, okay? You need to try to stay awake.”

“Can’t. Sorry,” Lan Fan murmured, and then her eyes closed and her head lolled limply against the ground.

“Lan Fan!” Ling screamed.

Distantly, he was aware of the sounds of fighting coming to a close, of someone–Professor Stein maybe–trying to tug him away from Lan Fan and saying to let him look, of Greed taking back control to make him obey.

He heard Greed in their head more clearly than the noises around them.

Let the doctor guy look at her, Ling. She’ll be okay. She’s tough, I can already tell.

Ling couldn’t pull their eyes away from Lan Fan. He appreciated Greed trying to comfort him, but he couldn’t answer. 

He wouldn’t believe she’d be okay until he saw her awake again. And until then, nothing else mattered.

—

Lan Fan woke up the next day. 

Ling and Greed were sitting in a chair they’d dragged next to her bed in the infirmary. They’d refused to leave her side since she’d been out of surgery. 

A few times some of the higher ranking meisters and death scythes had tried to draw them away for a debrief, but they’d refused to go.

Surprisingly, Professor Hawkeye had taken their side. Glaring from where she sat in her own chair beside Mustang’s bed, she snapped at the would-be interrogators to have some patience and respect. 

Ling was pretty sure they wouldn’t have been allowed to stay no matter how much he wanted them to if she hadn’t stepped in.

He promised himself to always pay attention in her class from now on, and never let any other students get away with badmouthing her.

Lan Fan woke slowly, and smiled when she saw Ling leaning over her, hovering with indecision between running to get help and staying by her side.

Then the smile fell away, and she looked down at where her arm should be. Where it never would be again.

Ling cleared his throat. “Winry can make you a new one, once you’ve healed. Like Ed’s.”

“Right,” Lan Fan agreed. Her voice sounded hollow.

Greed slid into control of the body, and Ling felt a shit eating grin grow across their face.

“You should have her make you something with spikes and flames and shit. Something real cool, better than the old boring one.”

Lan Fan turned and glared at Greed. “I don’t want your opinion on what I do with my arm.”

She was angry, but Ling thought she might also be glad for the distraction. At the very least there was life in her eyes again.

Greed shrugged. “Fine, do what you want. Get a lame normal prosthetic and waste the chance of a lifetime for badass body modification. See if I–”

“So,” Ling interrupted before Lan Fan could decide to try and strangle Greed one handed. “You’ll never believe what stupid shit I heard Black Star and Kid got up to this time.”

—

They were still talking about nothing important, Ling holding Lan Fan’s hand, a few hours later when the door to the infirmary opened and Stein walked in.

Ling couldn’t say he was a fan of Stein’s bedside manner. The man always gave the impression that he’d rather peel your skin off and look at what was under it than give you a bandaid(not least because he occasionally waxed poetic about the joys of peeling skin off to look at what was under it), but he was the closest thing the school had to medical professional after the former nurse turned out to be a crazy snake witch bent on plunging the world into madness.

And, to be fair, he never actually experimented on any of the students in his care. 

As far as Ling knew.

So he assumed the man was there to check up on Lan Fan or Mustang, and didn’t pay him any mind.

Until Lord Death himself walked in behind him.

It was rare to see their school’s headmaster outside of his office. He only made visits to other areas when something very important came up. And since there wasn’t an imminent threat to existence as they knew it, that could only mean that they were in big trouble.

“Hi, howdy, hello, everyone!” Lord Death greeted them brightly. “I hear you young people have had quite the adventure.”

Ling wished he could take the good mood as a sign he wasn’t about to be expelled, or arrested, or worse, but Lord Death was always like that.

Before Ling could figure out a safe answer, Greed took control again.

“Oh, now what the fuck are you?”

“Shut up!” Ling hissed, shoving Greed back out of the way. “Lord Death, I apologize. He didn’t mean it how it sounded, really! Please forgive–”

“No need for that, Ling,” Lord Death said, waving an oversized hand dismissively. “I know the way I present myself is less than impressive. Don’t want to scare the students, after all! And that little outburst did prove that what the Elrics said was true. You really do have someone else rattling around in that head of yours.”

Ling could feel Greed trying to get control again, no doubt to insult Lord Death again, but he held his ground. That surprised Greed enough that he stopped reaching to take over.

What gives, Ling, he complained.

Lord Death is in charge of this school, Ling explained. He can expel me–or throw us both in a cell–if he wants, so please just stay quiet for now.

That’s in charge? Greed asked. This place is even weirder than the old man’s hideout. But fine, whatever, I’ll be good.

Lord Death turned to Stein. “Is there anything that can be done? I hate the thought of leaving the poor Yao boy stuck like this.”

That was marginally insulting.

Stein shook his head. “Unfortunately, no," he intoned, absentmindedly tightening the screw through his cranium. "As far as I’m aware, there’s no way to separate a meister and weapon who have been fused like this. I’ve been looking into it for Crona, and I haven’t been able to make any progress. It doesn’t help that I can’t experiment on them.” At everyone in the room’s concerned looks, he quickly tacked on: “Not that I would. They’ve had enough experimenting in their life, and respect their bodily autonomy. And Marie would kill me if I tried it.”

“Lord Death, Professor Stein, we don’t want to be separated,” Ling said. 

Everyone turned to look at him like he’d grown a second head.

“It’s–I know I didn’t ask for this,” Ling tried to explain. “But Greed and I work well together. We get along. And, especially if trying to break us apart would be dangerous, I’d rather we stay this way.”

You really mean that? Greed asked. Ling could feel the disbelief coming off him in waves.

With a sinking heart, Ling realized he’d never actually talked to Greed about this.

I do, Ling said because it was true. But I guess I shouldn’t speak for both of us. If you want your own body, we can see if Stein–

“You heard him, we’re staying like this,” Greed said like he was daring anyone to argue with him.

Lord Death sighed. “No offense intended, Greed was it? But you are an unknown entity, one we have no experience with, and it would be irresponsible of me to endanger my students by–”

Hawkeye snorted, which was the most undignified and unprofessional thing Ling had ever witnessed her do.

“Endanger how? With all due respect, Lord Death, he’s been here for over 24 hours already and all he’s done is sit by Lan Fan’s bedside and make a few jokes in poor taste. If he meant to pose a threat, surely he’d have done so by now.”

“Professor Hawkeye is right,” Lan Fan spoke up. “Greed has done nothing to hurt any of us. He didn’t choose to be fused with Ling, and Ling would have died–we all would have died–if Greed hadn’t killed Wrath and the witch. If–” Lan Fan paused, her voice suddenly very watery. 

Ling was alarmed to see tears gathering in her eyes.

Lan Fan swallowed heavily before continuing. “If Ling wants Greed to be his new weapon now that I’m crippled, then–”

“No,” Ling interrupted her. “No, no way Lan Fan! I’d never abandon you like that! You’re my best friend. Greed may have helped me kill the witch, but I got those other 99 souls with you. We started this journey together, and that’s how we’ll finish it!”

“But you said–”

“Death the Kid has two weapons. I don’t see why I can’t do the same.” Ling placed a hand on her hair. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily. I think the three of us could be a really good team. If that’s okay with the two of you?”

Lan Fan sniffled and nodded.

Greed took back over the body, and smiled in a way Ling didn’t trust.

“Fine by me,” Greed said. “I’m always down for a three way.”

Ling shoved him to the back of their mindscape.

“Ew! Don’t phrase it like that!”

Lan Fan just laughed.

Ling was shocked by that reaction, but also grateful to Greed for making it happen. It was the first time he’d heard her laugh since things started going bad at the witch’s stronghold.

“Alright, you’ve convinced me!” Lord Death said. “Greed can stay, and be enrolled as another student of the DWMA. I always do love giving people a chance. Of course you know, Ling, this means you’ll have to get double the souls of all the other meister students. 99 kishin eggs and one witch apiece.”

Ling nodded. “That’s very fair, Lord Death. I can handle that. After all, Lan Fan and I already got her 99, and Greed and I killed a witch.”

“Well, actually,” Lord Death started, and Ling could already tell he would hate the rest of this sentence. “Since you went after a witch and failed to kill him with Lan Fan’s blade, the two of you will have to start over.”

“What!” Ling and Lan Fan screeched in perfect unison.

“Yes, I know it’s no fun, but them’s the rules!” Lord Death said. “The same applies to the Elric boys. Let that be a lesson for you all about stowing away on missions you’ve been told you’re not ready for!”

“Also, not to kick you when you’re down,” Greed put in. “But everyone keeps talking about me and Ling killing the witch, and he is for sure not dead.”

“Huh? But we stabbed in the heart and cut his spine!”

“Yeah, and did you see a soul?” Greed asked. “He figured out how to siphon most of it off for safekeeping in a different container ages ago. That’s what all the tubes were for. You were kind of checked out, but I saw Envy get away with his body and Wrath. They definitely retrieved the soul before they booked it to another safe house. Oh, Wrath also isn’t dead. His brain was still attached and he wasn’t a pile of ash, so he can heal.”

“Oh god, this is the worst,” Ling groaned, putting his head in his hands. 

Lan Fan patted him on the back, and Greed did the mental equivalent of the same.

“We can handle it,” Lan Fan said.

“Oh yeah, it’ll be no problem,” Greed put in.

Ling supposed that, if he had to start from square one on gathering twice the souls he’d thought he’d ever need and eventually deal with an ancient witch’s inevitable revenge plot, he could at least do so with good company.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Ling said. “We’ve totally got this.”

[autixel]

Dungeon Crawler Carl Webtoon life is not real.

[kattythingz]

On the one hand, yes, I want you to keep writing Solaris because it's wonderful and amazing. But on the other hand? This AU is now consuming me, absolute wonderful, I'd be more eloquent but it's 1:15 am for me so I'm forgetting how to speak English, just got the notification and had to read it before I went to bed

I'd like to keep writing Solaris too, sigh. But overall progress has been so slow and I literally blazed through this au instead. I am absolutely insatiable, feel my pain.

Also, what's a little harmless reading at 1:15 a.m., PSHHHHH. 7 hours of sleep? Idk her.

[songsofreason]

hi (waves at you so nicely)(this is a verse tag drop post)

[fwoosheye]

My fmab+loz au :3

"C'mon, let's get some food while Lt.C. Hughes and Major Armstrong are on the phone."

Rough drawing from my AU where Link is picked up at the Aerugoean sea (this is set just after Link's Awakening and just before fmab) by Ed, Hughes and Armstrong and taken to Amestris, where he will be accidentally legally adopted by Armstrong.

I imagine Major Armstrong always have some fibers and blue dye with him so he can repair his uniform when he rips them open (because some pieces probably go missing when he does that) (and also with his size they probably has to be specially manufactured for him anyway). So to help Link fit in at least a little while passing through Aerugo and in Amestris he transmutes him some new clothes, though Link still refuses to use any other shoes than his Pegasus Boots.

Also Ed is really enjoying being taller than someone for once.

FMABruary prompts 1+2: Crossover and travel.

[aliumartifexscribre]

Roy Mustang Underestimated

I’ve gotten back into FMA/FMAB and as I’m reading fanfiction I’ve remembered one characteristic of Roy Mustang I really enjoy. He tends to play the fool to make people underestimate him. He does this in canon constantly where he mainly downplays his intelligence by pretending to be a playboy and a flirt, but it’s really fun when he does so in crossover fanfiction because people underestimate his alchemy. It is so satisfying to see Roy play up his charm and fool people into underestimating both his intelligence and his abilities and then have him bring his abilities out in full force at the opportune moment.

I also like to theorize that he downplays his alchemy ability in canon too because manipulating gases with precise control has to be really fucking hard, even if it is specialized. I like to think he’s got some more alchemy tricks up his sleeve.

[goshen-applecrumbledore]

20 fanfic author questions

tagged by @runawaydr3amerao3 to do this, excited as always to talk about myself, let's gooooooo

1. How many works on AO3?

52 and I can only ballpark how many have been orphaned. probably about 12.

2. Total AO3 word count?

953,146. Jesus christ

3. Top 5 fics by kudos?

all of these are old as hell which is why they're top. they are not all good.

transposition ciphers (9,010) fma, roy/ed

the hang of being alive again (3,600) the raven cycle, adam/ronan

not funny (3,573) check please (eugh), holster/ransom

awful wonderful (3,564) naruto, kakagai

hard reset (3,162) fma, roy/ed

4. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently, technically, just spn, the bear, true detective and house md. but fma is never far from my mind. my otp no matter how much time passes...

5. Do you respond to comments?

Up until very recently I never did because it never occurred to me. I wasn't trying to be a dick, I just didn't know I was supposed to. then I went through a period during spn after learning that where I felt bad and replied to everything. Now I reply to comments that ask me a question or are thought-provoking. I want to answer and to applaud. people leave comments that are more beautiful than the actual fic, you people are very smart and insightful.

6. Angstiest ending?

I'm not good at writing sad endings!! I believe in love! but, for this audience, worthless cartography. sam and dean hook up for the first time right before ahbl pt 2 and then sam dies, so dean thinks it's his fault in a divine retribution kind of way, so when sam is alive again, dean rebuffs him. I always meant to write a second part, but without it, it's pretty sad.

7. Fic with the happiest ending?

I was going to say pine sweat but I remembered it takes place in S5 so sam is dead within a fortnight lmao. it's definitely hard reset, an fma roy/ed fic. it's 15 years post-canon and after a lot of yearning and trying to make it work, they make it work. very blue skies everybody wins.

8. Do you get hate?

Not much these days, but I used to. mostly for writing roy/ed, with a big age/power gap, and for my novel with the same. for writing hockey rpf ships people didn't like, someone threatened to call my office and tell my bosses I was a pedophile. also when I was 13 I wrote a very OOC house/wilson fic and someone said it sucked and I got so mad I started writing original works out of spite (because nobody could tell me they were ooc)

9. Do you write smut?

Very much so, as a treat/reward/resolution to a story, much like sex is irl, lol. I rarely write smut on its own (blood sacrifice sex magic type of thing would be the closest, or middle name) not because I have anything against it but because in my own work I wanna feel very much like it's THE characters, whoever they are, and plot is the easiest way to do that. if I wanna just crank my hog I can do that on my own time.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Nosiree, I'm boring. no crossovers or AUs. barry tells me I will want to write an spn/x files crossover though, and because he's the one that got me into spn I've learned not to tell him he's wrong.

11. Ever had a fic stolen?

Yes actually, someone put huge swaths of one of my yakuza fics into a majima/reader fic. I opened a ticket with AO3 but they said it wasn't clear cut enough. I didn't pursue because I don't care.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, this is my favourite thing!!! such a compliment and a beautiful reminder, in english speaking internet and under the shadow of the US, that there are other folks online. several of my spn fics have been translated into mandarin and 2 of my expanse fics have been translated into russian.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Once, in hockey fandom, with someone I didn't like very much. she wasn't a good writer and it was a disaster. I don't remember what happened to it. I wouldn't do it again lol.

14. All time favourite ship?

If I'm honest it's gotta be roy/ed from fma. what if this very annoying kid sauntered into your life but then he grows up and he's brilliant and noble and beautiful and haunted and also the specialist boy in the world, but you're a decorated military official in a corrupt dictatorship and the kid hates your guts and you will never be able to forgive yourself for your past war crimes so why should this beautiful genius like you anyway?? anyway. im over that now

15. WIPs you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

A wincest john finds out kind of full-house-of-wincest type situation. somebody with a fundraiser fic should email me and tell me to swap their fic to that one. who said that

16. Writing strengths?

Dialogue and canon-complianticity

17. Writing weaknesses?

Nobody tells me what I suck at so I don't FULLY know, but. Speed. Grammar. Flexibility. everything I write sounds like everything else I write and I reuse the same words and idioms, like same song syndrome but for writing. a greatest hits album.

18. Thoughts on mixed language dialogue?

Only thing I've done in my fics is kind of a crossed-out written words in an epistolary fic. I've maybe had a few french lines in a fic but I don't think so because it was referencing subtitles. haven't read much either, so, no opinions. but I will say it's shit to do a weird patois in your English language dialogue

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Naruto baybeeeee. when I was 11 my sister found my scanned fan art of naruto and sasuke kissing on deviantart. I didn't even think she was on deviantart. 

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Hangdog, easily, but I think that's only because true detective s1 is remarkably rich and good so I'm really just drafting off marty and rust's coattails. but also probably Matryoshka dolls for spn, because it feels very well considered and tied together and intentional and satisfying, to me. but it deserves merit because as any spn fan knows, you gotta have a rich inner universe in order to truly play in their space. cw gets no credit.

EDIT: or, actually, my venture bros fic, lol. there was something very lovely about writing fic for a show that in no way makes me horny. Just a show I love very much.

No tags because I don't know anyone anymore but tag me if you do it because of me and I'll read it!

[awoken-artist]

FMAburary Day 1: Crossover

FMA Crossover with InuYasha

im a lil late into joining but I've suddenly got pretty busy so I wanted to at least join of course when I can and I did [Also have a speed paint coming out for this too]. Plus will get with the flow of things. SO - I thought on what Id do for a crossover prompt for Day 1 and went with InuYasha because Inuyasha is the first anime I hype fixated to hell and back [FMA was my second] so I figured why not try a crossover with my other beloved show of all time?

SO lemme give you some ideas for this AU crossover for the prompt cause- i may of gotten some ideas for this~: The Elric brothers are half demons - their mother was a human who grew up in the peaceful village as a farmer girl, Hohenhime was once human but was turned to a full demon so so long ago where he only remembers some part of that life, and got accustomed to being a full demon. He was pretty powerful as one and he met Trisha and obviously fell in love. He would aid the villagers with his work and keep the peace. The elric brothers born to be half demons and Hohenhime left to deal with another matter but never came back and none of them knew why. This left a bitter sour taste in Eds mouth and Trisha then passed away due to an illness. The brothers want answers on where their father is and went on a search, meeting Winry along the way who is a demon slayer. The trio would set off to find the answers on why Hohenhime vanished while also helping others along the way.

Kind of wanna do more of this AU so if anyone's interested in it lemme know even in the asks. .v.)/

----------------------

you a FMA fan and want to join in on the FMAburary month prompt art going on? then check out @hyolks 's Post on FMAburary Prompt List for this month! <-

[littlebigmouse]

I need an Arcane x FMA crossover where it's the Amestrian Delegation Post Promised Day Coup visiting Piltover, maybe for the Progress Day, maybe for other diplomatic purposes, your choice.

Because the Amestrians would just... immediately clock the Hexcrystals. (And according to old LOL lore, they'd be right about them too!)

"Very impressive Hexgate you got there... what does it run on?"

"Magical Rocks?"

"And what do... the rocks... run on?"

"What do you mean? They're magical rocks, they aren't powered by anything."

"Right yeah, we understand this is a matter of state security for you, but you must understand that we take human rights very seriously."

"No, yeah, totally, but they *are* just magical rocks."

"Absolutely, and we're saying, if your magical rocks are anything like our magical rocks, we will have to fight you over them."

"Wait, your magical rocks?"

"Yes, the magical rocks we found which were banned on account of all the war crimes used to produce them. So tell me again, where exactly do you get your magical rocks?"

"We, uh... should talk to our supplier."

"Do that."

Meanwhile, Ed is independently visiting the undercity, arm wrestling Sevika and sharing Winry's number when her arm ultimately breaks by the end of the day (for unrelated bar brawl reasons). Edward would also join the undercity's struggle for rights and liberation in like, 10 seconds flat.

[memesmadefullmetal]

So after seeing your really good Ace Attorney and FMA crossover analysis I’ve got to ask; if you know Spy X Family at all, is Roy Loid and Riza Yor or vice versa? It’s been driving me Insane and I need a professional opinion.

Thank you! We’re glad you liked it! 🫶🏻 And yes, we do know Spy X Family (and have actually thought about this before now with Roy and Riza 😶)!

To us personally this one is WAY tricker as they aren’t as quite as cut and dry (they’re not exact swap outs) but we think that Roy wears his heart WAAAAY too much on his sleeve to be Loid. He’s a lot more like Yor in the fact that he has more strong emotional reactions to things, and he would ONE HUNDRED PERCENT fall in love with Riza first. We also feel Ed would roast Roy for his cooking, much like how Anya roasts Yor for hers 😂😭 But equally he’s a little too loud and obvious to be a successful sneaky assassin 🤔 (he’d absolutely rock that outfit of hers though!)

Riza is very objectives-focused like Loid, and is more stoic in her resolve. Although, like Loid, she does have a true gentleness for those younger than her (especially given her upbringing, like Loid’s) ❤️ Riza is also more guarded with her feelings, so she’s more similar to Loid in that way. Although, we do think she has the subtlety and ruthlessness to be an assassin like Yor.

Regardless, Hayate is definitely Bond 🫶🏻😌🐾

- Mod Mustang & Mod Hawkeye 🔥🦅

[velveteen-vampire]

Okay, so have an idea. FMa AU crossover thing where, yes, the Elric brothers tried to bring their mom back and it went horribly, BUT it's MMX. Al's an immune Reploid. Ed's got the arm and leg. Still looking for a way to get their bodies back. (...Can you draw this or just something FMA/MM❔)

buddy youve got a huge brain

[kattythingz]

YJ x FMA Pt. 8

SIKE! BETCHU THOUGHT YOU SAW THE LAST OF THIS STUPID CROSSOVER FROM ME. However, y'all underestimate the power of 1) the edling brainrot, 2) the edward elric brainrot, and 3) ed & m'gann (and kaldur).

Yeah, I have a favorite trio. What are you gonna do, stab me? >:D

Anyway, Crown is sufficiently threatening to fry my brain again, so here's 2.4k right out the gate.

Ed's design 🧡 Pt. 1 💛 Pt. 2 🤍Pt. 3 🩵 Pt. 4 💙 Pt. 5 🧡 Pt. 6 💛 Pt. 7 🤍 read revamp here!!

The early sun had risen by the time home was finally in distant sight. Superboy squinted against the light glaring straight into his eyes, feeling like he really was about to develop heat vision from the burn. Bialya’s heat hadn’t disappeared from the exhausted corners of his eyes yet (nor had it from anyone else’s, he noted with a glance at his friends), so, really, he was just baking on the inside and outside now. The sand still clinging to his skin didn’t help matters.

He practically shoved his way past his friends as soon as Bioship landed, Sphere following loudly (excitedly) after him. The blast of cool air from the ventilated space swept through his overheated lungs, and he heaved out a reflexive sigh.

M’gann’s giggle from behind warmed Superboy’s ears again, and he twisted toward her with a scowl, where she and Wally were helping Kaldur walk out of Bioship. “Jeez, Superboy,” she said. “Was it really that hot without a shirt?”

His face further warmed at the reminder. After everything he’d accidentally seen of M’gann’s true form during her mind battle with Psimon, he was hyperaware of her… everything. There was much more to her than unfathomable kindness, suddenly, and he—wanted to understand all of it now.

“I thought Kryptonians weren’t bothered by extreme heat,” Wally snorted. “You sure didn’t seem it when you attacked Artemis and—”

“Wally, stairs.”

“Right, right.”

Superboy rolled his eyes at Wally’s complete one-eighty for M’gann. The only reason he’d rushed to help her with Kaldur definitely wasn’t for Kaldur himself. Robin and Artemis pulled similar faces next to Superboy, Artemis’s more annoyed than usual, and they descended the stairs in brief silence, sans Sphere’s “rambling” as she took in the new space.

As soon as Kaldur was steady on floor level, he stood taller in M’gann and Wally’s holds, starting, “I believe I can—”

“You’re still way too overcooked,” Robin interrupted him with a rare sternness. “You look like you’re seconds from passing out. Just let us carry you, dude.”

“Oh, sure, ‘us’. When I’m doing all the work—”

“Uh, I’m here too, Wally,” M’gann said.

“Megan and I! Megan and I are doing all the—”

“God, shut up already,” Artemis scoffed and stalked ahead.

Wally spluttered after her back as the rest of them followed her wordlessly. “Okay, seriously, what is your deal with me suddenly—?” 

“Just walk, kid idiot,” Robin snickered.

The Cave had been silent upon arrival, but their voices eventually began to echo through the halls in a familiarity that Superboy had to admit was a little comforting. As much as he’d hated those initial weeks getting used to the place, the Cave had become home, at some point. He didn’t need super senses to tell his friends felt the same around him.

They paused shortly at the debriefing room when they found it empty like the rest of the Cave. Sphere made a questioning noise at the stop.

“That’s weird,” M’gann frowned at the unlit training circle. “I thought Red Tornado would be waiting for us, at least. We contacted the League as soon as we had radio again.”

“Maybe they’re giving us time to unwind?” Artemis said. “We were gone for twenty-four whole hours.”

“Maybe. I still feel like we’re forgetting something, though…”

Kaldur’s salt water pool was located in the same living area as M’gann and Superboy’s bedrooms, which were just past the kitchen. It was then that they got their first sign of light, from the kitchen lights pooling from the other end of the hall.

Two new heartbeats reached Superboy’s ears as well.

“Wait,” he said gruffly, bringing his friends to a stop. He strained his ears for some sign of familiarity, but nothing rang a bell, and his frown deepened. “I can hear two heartbeats, not from us.”

“What?” Robin tensed. 

“Is it the League, maybe?” M’gann whispered anxiously. “They can want snacks too—”

“Instead of waiting for us in the debriefing hall? No way.” Robin shook his head and, without preamble, drifted a hand to his belt. He signaled for them to take position—M’gann retreating with Kaldur to the back, and the rest distributing against the wall. Robin led them cautiously forward, keeping to the wall adjacent to the heartbeats. 

He risked the barest peek into the living room when he was close enough before nodding to Wally across him.

Superboy heard more than saw the following sequence.

Robin sprung out, birdarang in hand. Wally burst after, ready to zip across to the threat—

And the birdarang was knocked out of Robin’s hand. 

Wally’s high-pitched yelp sounded right after, and Artemis didn’t wait before shooting out of her spot with an arrow drawn.

“OKAY, THAT’S—!”

“ARTEMIS, WAIT! DON’T SHOOT!”

Superboy stumbled where he, too, had frozen from joining, Sphere bumping his back—and it took him a long, bewildered pause to realize what had disarmed Robin and pinned Wally to the wall in one motion.

A sword.

A familiar sword. Like—

“Ling?!” Robin spluttered. 

Sitting up from the couch, true to Robin’s utter bewilderment, Ling had his arm extended from throwing his sword. Superboy almost didn’t recognize him despite eye contact, because, for a split second, those weren’t the eyes of a friend. But a threat. A chilling one, that hadn’t hesitated at all.

The look cleared in a blink, and Ling was furrowing his brows to say, “Robin?”

M’gann and Kaldur perked up in the corner of Superboy’s vision at Ling’s voice. “Oh, hello, Megan!” she laughed eagerly. “I knew we were still forgetting something!”

“What the hell, man?” Wally cried. “Your first instinct when waking up is to toss your sword at people?! You nearly took off my head!”

Ling’s answering grin came unnervingly easy despite his sword still lodged in Wally’s uniform. “Good thing I didn’t, then! I’d hate for us to have waited for nothing.”

“‘Waited’?” Artemis blinked.

“‘Us’?” Robin said. “Who’s—?”

He paused with the rest of them when Ling shifted wordlessly to reveal the object he’d previously been shielding. The object, that was fast asleep.

Ed. Unbothered by the ruckus, and… tucked close into Ling’s side.

Robin and Artemis must’ve seen something Superboy didn’t, because Robin suddenly chuckled, and Artemis was staring at Ling with a new, solemn emotion.

“Okay, that was kinda cool.” Robin smirked.

“The hell it was! Get this sword off me already—!”

“Oh, quit complaining, you big baby—”

“Mmmmmmhg… Greed? F’ck off alr’dy…”

The rest, joined by M’gann and Kaldur, were distracted by Wally’s soap opera in the corner, so Superboy was alone in watching as Ling’s expression spontaneously wavered with a sad smile.

“Wrong one, sunshine,” Ling murmured, brushing a hand along Ed’s face. 

Superboy frowned at the strange words, but he didn’t get to linger on them before Wally was dramatically released from the sword with a great inhale.

Ling’s gaze flicked to them, like remembering their presence, and whatever tone had burdened him earlier was replaced with a warmer one as he tapped Ed’s cheek gently, crooning louder this time, “Ed, wake up.” He grinned when Ed shifted, annoyed. Without anywhere to escape, however, Ed only bumped into the back of the couch and grumbled, eyes fluttering.

Ling raised a hand to laugh behind. “Láiba… nǐ háizimen zài zhèlǐ. Yáng’eeeeer…”

Robin snapped his head toward those words, a scowl pinching his brow. “Hey! Who said anything about—”

He was cut off by Ed’s eyes peeling open at last.

“Wha’zzat?” he mumbled, touched by the faintest twang. He sat up slowly, loose hair a mess in every direction and red hoodie rumpled. He let out a tiger yawn before blinking first at Ling, and then at the team with a nudge of Ling’s finger.

M’gann was outright beaming as Ed took them all in.

He blinked once, then twice.

“… Wow. Y’all look like shit.”

Superboy was only surprised, then, that it had taken M’gann so long. Ed got no warning before M’gann was flying off her feet and launching toward Ed with an overdue laugh. Artemis caught Kaldur’s weight smoothly, smirking to herself as Ed was abruptly lifted off the ground and into a hug with a startled yelp.

“ED! I’m so glad to remember you again! I knew I was still forgetting something important, and we were—!”

Ed squeaked, legs kicking in open air, “Uh, th-that’s great, M’gann, but could you—do this maybe on the ground—!” 

Ling let out a laugh at his fiance’s plight, and that sound was familiar, at least. Superboy wasn’t as close to Ling as the rest of the team had gotten during his initial month with them, but he still liked Ling, he guessed. Ling was fun enough to laugh with Robin and Wally, but he also knew to mind his own business. 

Maybe that was why he’d intended for Superboy to overhear Ed’s words before.

“I hope Superboy’s had a chance to punch his asshole dad yet. If he hasn’t, he should get one.”

“Wait, you guys weren’t actually waiting for us here, were you?” Wally’s bewildered question tore Superboy’s attention back to the living room. M’gann had finally set Ed down to his feet, looking sheepish, but, judging by Ed’s smile and pat on her arm, he didn’t mind the lift that much. “I mean, that’d be pretty ridiculous. Considering how long we’ve been gone…”

He trailed off at Ed and Ling’s matching impassive and amused expressions respectively. Wally gawked.

“Seriously?! That’s, like—twenty-four hours!”

“Well, naturally, we didn’t sit here the entire day,” Ling said. “But, even if we had, why is that so strange?”

It was strange, Superboy thought, because they’d clearly fallen asleep waiting for them. Unless it was Batman needing a report from them, nobody had ever done that for them before. Waited.

The realization clearly echoed across his friends’ faces, as they looked surprised between each other. 

“I mean…” Robin started slowly, “it’s not like we never have our missions handled. You should know that by now, at least, Ling.”

“Did he say you didn’t?”

Robin paused at Ed’s unimpressed interjection.

“Nobody said you didn’t have it handled. Ling’s already talked my ear off with your crazy missions.” Ed rolled his eyes toward Ling, who smiled back innocently. “Though, they’re not nearly as crazy as mine, I gotta say. Seriously, only two blown-up buildings in the span of months? You can do better than that.”

“Ed.” Ling’s laugh bubbled out of him much different than before. Easier, now, with Ed around. “You’re hardly the best influence to speak on this matter.”

“Sure, I am. I got shit done, didn’t I?”

“Extremely violently,” Ling agreed.

Superboy’s eyebrows shot up. “So… what? You want us to go around exploding more buildings? Piss of the League even more than we already have?”

“The ‘league’ can suck my metal dick. Why should you care what they think?” Ed deadpanned—causing Wally to choke on his speed-acquired orange juice. Robin made a noise like a laugh and a wheeze into his fist, where M’gann let out a squeak.

“U-Um—!”

Ed blinked at their collective reactions, before tipping back his head with a groan. “Oh, come on. You can’t actually worship them that much. Listen, they’re a buncha adults that refuse to treat you like fellow adults while still having adult expectations of you. That’s hardly—”

Kaldur was beginning to smile now, as was Artemis. 

Ling chortled into his fist, sidling up to Ed’s scowling side. “E-Ed, that’s not—that’s not what shocked them. I’m certain they’re already aware of what you’re saying.”

“Indeed,” Kaldur chuckled. Maybe it was just the amusement in his voice, but he seemed to be breathing easier. Rasping less, to Superboy’s ears. “We are quite aware of that, Ed. Thank you for caring enough to remind us, however.”

Ed opened his mouth to respond to that, before his eyes fell behind Superboy. 

Sphere had reminded them of her presence again with a cheery beep. Superboy heard the surprised skip of Ed’s heart before he blurted, “What the fuck is that thing?”

Superboy perked up without thinking, and Wally snickered, “Oh, you’re gonna love this. Get this: Her name is Sphere.”

Ed was still staring intently at Sphere, too distracted to push off Wally’s elbow from his shoulder, but Ling’s eyebrows shot up.

Superboy’s face warmed, and he scowled. “It’s a perfectly normal name!” he snapped at Wally’s face. “Besides, she doesn’t seem to mind it.”

“Yeah, ‘cause ‘she’s’ a machine—”

“Holy shit,” Ed suddenly interrupted, eyes going wide. “You’re telling me that thing’s alive too?”

“Well, kind of—WOAH, HEY!”

Wally’s yelp went yet again ignored as Ed surged forward, leaving him to crash. Robin and Artemis burst out laughing at him while Ed already had his hands on Sphere.

Superboy’s scowl wavered when Sphere leaned into Ed’s groping with a chirp.

“Holy shit, you are,” Ed breathed. A wide grin split his face. “How is that possible? Are you like Ship? You don’t feel the same, though—you kind of feel like all that stuff from that shitty lab, actually—oh! You kind of have a heart there, don’t you? Hey, Ling, get over here!”

Sphere was downright preening under Ed’s awe, and he was apparently right about her having a “heart”, because she beeped an affirmative too.

“She just feels like cold metal to me, Ed,” Ling laughed when Ed dragged his hand to Sphere’s surface. “I don’t think I can—”

“That’s not what I’m checking, shut up!”

Ling closed his mouth with a grin—expression infinitely softening as Ed’s sharp eyes flicked between Sphere and Ling’s hand. Eventually, he brightened.

“I knew it!” Ed beamed. “That is a heart—kind of. It feels way too close to your pulse to not be one.”

M’gann floated over from where she’d only been watching before. “I thought the same thing!” she exclaimed. “She doesn’t feel quite like Ship, but—”

“She’s definitely still something,” Ed finished eagerly for her.

Wally and Artemis were looking incredulously between Ed and M’gann (that was right, they hadn’t overheard the two bonding in the kitchen), but Kaldur just seemed astounded at their conclusions. He walked over, curious himself now, and Ed scooted out of the way for Kaldur to get a feel of his own.

He waited for a consenting noise from Sphere before lowering his hand.

“You can feel it, right?” M’gann asked, leaning toward him eagerly with Ed.

Superboy smirked as Kaldur visibly considered his next words. “I… can definitely feel something under my hand. Although, I would hesitate to call it a heartbeat, per se…”

“Good enough,” Ed decided. “And, speaking of, why do you look the worst-off between everyone? You’re pale as shit.”

“That is… a rather long story, that I still do not have a full recollection of yet.” Kaldur grimaced. “Perhaps we can tell it after we have all cleaned-up?”

“That’s an excellent idea!” Ling bounced to Ed’s side, sneaking an arm around his fiance. “While you’re doing that, Ed can finally brush his teeth!”

“Oh, because your breath smells so much better—!”

Ling was all smiles as he led himself and Ed to their bedroom, quipping back something that had Ed’s brow ticking. M’gann giggled at the crude reply that echoed, standing to a hover next to Superboy.

“It’s great to be home, huh?” she said to him.

Superboy’s answering smile had nothing to do with Ed.

“Yeah,” he said, eyes stuck on her profile. “Great.”

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[Láiba… nǐ háizimen zài zhèlǐ — come on... your kids are here]