#Riza: it’s just a scratch

[chrysopoeias]

💀 for FMA, if you don't mind! Thanks!

I said Riza last night, but actually I will take it back. If she had died that late in the game we would all be writing like feminist critiques about how her death was only added as fuel for Roy’s manpain and that there were no episodes left to properly deal with the impact.

But she really did survive with plot armour and the power of love. Once in a blue moon in freak accidents ice skaters get this neck injury. Even when rushed to the hospital for immediate surgery and blood transfusion with modern tools, those who survive it are very, very lucky. All Riza got was the alchemical equivalent of a bandage and she kept walking. The blood transfusion and possible repair surgery was later (manga only). Especially in the anime they make it look like she lost so much blood. How was she not in hypovolemic shock dying from organ failure? Luckily fiction does not need to be realistic and has the power of love and friendship :)

Idunno who else to pick. Maybe Selim? He’s a homunculus fused with a human like Bradley, who has been fused with the baby for much longer than Bradley has been alive. Yet Bradley dies dead and Selim could be separated and lived... why 🤔

[littlewitchbee]

Someday Our Ocean Will Find Its Shore

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fandom: fullmetal alchemist

words: 12,295

chapter: 1/1

rating: E

relationship: riza hawkeye/roy mustang

summary: Riza returns home from the hospital after the Promised Day. A lot has changed, but there's one thing that never will.

---

There are scratches in the entrance floorboards. They're the first thing Riza notices as she steps through the doorway—small, evenly-spaced gouges where a worn old rug used to sit. It was an accidental gift, left behind when the previous tenant abandoned it in their haste to leave. The dusty old thing is still there. It had been rumpled up and kicked aside, and now sits folded into itself in a lumpy heap on the off-white kitchen tile. The shape reminds her of those nasty, flavorless sugar ribbons her childhood neighbors would send around the winter holidays. 

Riza wrinkles her nose, her heart sinking just a bit. It was nice of her neighbor to let him back in, but how long had Hayate been alone in here before Rebecca had been able to come and get him? And with everything that had happened, how long had it been before she’d even thought to ask her about him? He'd come home after everything, just like she'd taught him. Poor thing must have been worried sick about her, about everyone. She'll have to spoil him a little after Rebecca drops him off tomorrow. A lot, even.

continue on ao3 :)

[sassydefendorflower]

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

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

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

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

But why are Riza and Winry more interesting?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And it's not just that, is it?

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

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

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

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

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

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

[poppy-pelican]

Teaser for my Royai WIP

So, I dusted off this baby. I left off a couple years ago and it was 9k of Roy being an ass in denial throughout canon. It's all very, "We are just friends! Why does everyone think we're together?"

Then Riza loses it because she thinks Roy was killed.

"Wait a second. Wait. Does...Hawkeye have feelings for me?"

"Nah. No way. She's too smart for that."

Then she's taken as a hostage under Bradley and Roy is like, "Okay. Fuck. Why does it feel like someone has carved my heart out of my chest? Why do I miss her so much? WTF!"

I love to torture Roy and I don't know why.

#

Untitled WIP snippet

Roy knew from a young age what type of woman he liked—the beautiful girls who worked for his aunt. Willowy and soft, or with plentiful curves in the right places. They had long hair and painted their lips. They wore flowery perfumes.

As an apprentice to Berthold Hawkeye, teenage Roy spent much of his limited free time chasing the experienced village girls who liked the idea of fooling around with an aspiring alchemist.

Riza Hawkeye, boyish in both looks and demeanor, plus much too young for him, wasn’t on his radar. And he wasn’t on her radar at all. When she was fourteen, she accidentally walked out the door right when he was kissing his girlfriend on the doorstep.

Riza turned bright red and immediately retreated back into the safety of the house. She had recovered by the time Roy bumped into her in the kitchen.

“Sorry about that,” he said, scratching the back of his head nervously. He didn’t want to get in trouble with Master Hawkeye for traumatizing his innocent child. “I didn’t mean to give you a terrible memory.”

“Yes, it was kind of terrible. I don’t think you’re supposed to suck both lips into your mouth.”

“Apology rescinded,” he said, tossing a bread roll at her head which she easily dodged. Riza so rarely insulted him, but when she did, she didn’t hold back.

She could tear a man down with just a few words. Roy preferred girls who showered him with flirtatious praise. Maybe it was because Master Hawkeye was constantly dragging Roy’s ego through the mud, but he craved even the shallowest praise from his girlfriends.

Riza clearly took after her father with her barbs.

[by-nina]

How a house becomes a home

AO3 | FFN Royai Week 2024 | Day 5 – Gift Rating: K Genre: Fluff Word Count: 2,910

“Sir,�� Riza manages to say. “What brings you here?”

“Well, I happened to be in the market early, paying a visit to my favorite florist,” he says, “and I remember you mentioning that you had trouble taking care of your flowers. I thought I might help.”

———

On a quiet Sunday morning, months after the Promised Day and perhaps a year or so since moving to Central, Riza draws her curtains open to let sunlight into her apartment and thinks, for the first time, that she is satisfied with the way she has put it together. It took starting the day early and setting aside her other errands for her to finally unpack her things, sort and store them in their proper places, and decorate the rooms, but just the fact of having done it, Riza finds, is already its own reward.

What she truly likes about the place now is the way she has made it truly her own. Her favorite coats hang from hooks beside the front door, and beneath them, her heels are lined up right next to her work boots. On a side table in the living room, friendly faces smile up at her in pictures from her military academy days, birthday parties, and a night out in town. And everywhere, there are many reminders of her simpler childhood days; a lamp from her old bedroom, a set of heirloom silverware, couch cushions her mother had loved.

Black Hayate curiously weaves around the newly placed furniture, poking his nose at all the new items he had vaguely smelled in cardboard boxes for the past several months. Riza chuckles and crouches down to scratch his ear. “What do you think, Hayate? Do you like the house better now?”

His mouth stretches open and his tongue lolls out in an expression that resembles a human smile, and Riza happily takes his word for it. She allows him to continue exploring the living room, up until he comes to the console table by the window and reaches up as if to peek at its bare surface.

“What is it, boy?” Riza asks.

Hayate lets out a short whimper in response before immediately moving on to a different part of the room. Riza looks at the spot that attracted Hayate’s attention, and the longer she stares at it, the more she feels as if something is missing from it. She looks around the room. It certainly looks cozy, but soon it dawns on Riza that the place lacks color. After that, she’s unable to ignore it—the quaint sameness of her old curtains and her upholstery and even her kitchen towels. While it’s lovely, it’s hardly invigorating. She’s sure that something can make it better.

Riza turns back to the table to try and imagine it with some sort of decoration. Before long, the view of the city from her window catches her eye. It’s a lovely day out—the sky is clear and a pleasant shade of blue, and the weekend market must be in full swing now. Riza lights up. A walk with Hayate to the market will be just the thing she needs to find something new for the house.

She hums in thought. “I suppose I could start with a flower vase.”

———

The florist’s stall is easy to find in the market, with its array of blooms in more colors and shapes than Riza can name. It attracts a good number of market-goers—some briefly stop and admire the flowers, some browse the bouquets and other small arrangements for sale—but there are few enough people that Riza is able to stand back and take in the full display. Just looking at them is enough to brighten her mood, and it’s easy to imagine what they can do for her place, all despite the fact that Riza never truly gave flowers much thought before.

Beside her, Hayate wags his tail and sticks his nose up in the air from one flower to another. Riza loosely loops part of Hayate’s leash around her hand to keep him close. “Stay, Hayate. Good boy.”

“Hello there, dear!” A short, elderly lady with sandy hair emerges from behind the stall and approaches Riza with a wide smile that reaches her eyes. Riza guesses that she must be the florist. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Yes, please,” Riza says. “Can you help me choose flowers for my apartment?”

“Ah, you’re decorating, I see!” The florist gestures to a rack at the end of the stall. “These ones over here are quite sturdy, so you won’t need a lot of water and sunlight for them. And right here,” she adds, pointing to the lowest row of buckets on the rack, “these flowers are safe to have around your dog.”

Riza nods thoughtfully. She studies the recommended blooms, comparing their sizes and their shades of mostly red, pink, purple, and yellow. She recognizes some of them, but decides that roses are far too common and sunflowers will not be as interesting as some of the other options against the shades of brown in her house. Then, a ripple of small salmon pink, purple, and blue flowers catches her eye. She reaches for them carefully, noting how dainty they look with their ruffled, papery texture.

“Do you like those, dear?” the florist asks. “They’re called sea lavenders. Very easy to take care of. You won’t need to water them much, and even when they die, they don’t wither and wilt like other flowers do. They keep their color and shape for a very long time.”

Riza smiles. “They’re lovely.”

The florist beams. “Well, if you think so, then these must be the ones you’re looking for! Here, let me cut and wrap these for you.”

———

Delicate sea lavenders adorn the console table by the window at Riza’s apartment for exactly two nights. On the third night after, a Tuesday, Riza comes home from work expecting to be greeted by the same beautiful hues, only for her heart to sink when she finds that the vase has toppled over on the table—thankfully, it isn’t broken—and a large part of the arrangement has been, for lack of a better word, shredded all over the floor.

“Oh, no,” Riza sighs. She crouches on one knee to examine the damage.

As if on cue, Hayate appears and sits next to her. His nose twitches as he lets out a soft whimper, and he avoids looking Riza directly in the eye. Most tellingly, she finds small bits of salmon pink, purple, and blue stuck to his coat, which he seems to try to hide from her by shuffling in his spot. Riza chuckles and gives him an understanding smile.

“Hayate,” Riza croons sympathetically. She brushes off the flowers from his coat. “I don’t know how this happened, but I’m just glad you’re not hurt. Be careful next time, all right?”

Hayate thumps his tail on the floor and rubs his head against Riza’s hand in response. Riza prepares his dinner before sweeping up the mess and rearranging the flowers that remain intact in the vase. Despite being less lush now, the sight of them still makes Riza smile appreciatively. Maybe this is why people give flowers to the ones they care for. 

———

Two Sundays later, Riza comes home with new flowers in her arms. Pansies, the florist told her they were. Capable of lasting indoors, less likely to be torn up by Hayate even at his most excitable, and much more striking in pink, orange, and red, with stains of deeper colors in the middle.

Riza takes her remaining sea lavenders out of their vase and spends the afternoon putting together a new arrangement that combines the older flowers with the fresh pansies. She will miss the blue ones, but the small pink and purple blooms that surround the pansies complement them well. When she’s done, Riza steps back to admire her work and finds that even though it’s simple compared to the arrangements she saw at the florist’s stall, she is proud of what she made.

But the pansies barely last more than a week, to Riza’s dismay. For several days, Central experiences a gradual but unexpected rise in temperature, not high enough to be called a heat wave and only truly uncomfortable by the third or fourth day. Then, Riza comes home from work one day and notices that the pansies have curled in on themselves and begun to droop. This she cleans up right away, thinking to herself that this is another lesson learned.

The following weekend, Riza visits the florist for the third time, surprised by her previously unknown determination to find the right flowers that will make her place feel more like home.

———

A small book catches Riza’s attention at the National Central Library’s natural sciences section sometime in the following week. The Art of Flowers in the Home, Vol. 1. It’s handsomely bound in dark leather and stamped with gold floral swirls, and at the same time, it appears worn, its yellowing pages frayed at the edges and filled with faded watercolor pictures of various blossoms. Riza imagines an author who must have lovingly composed the book after years of growing their own flowers at home for their family. The thought brings a smile to her face.

Riza glances at a large wall clock that hangs not too far away and decides that she has a few minutes to spare before the Brigadier General completes his library errands. Flipping through the book, she recognizes some of the flowers that she has taken home over the past few weeks, as well as a few others on display at the florist’s stall. Opposite the illustrations, the author has typewritten the flowers’ names, care instructions, cautionary notes, and symbolic meanings. Riza raises an eyebrow out of curiosity.

She flips forward and finds the page for pansies first. Symbolic meanings: Thoughts of love, remembering another, missing one’s lover. Riza nods, fascinated. She never thought of flowers meaning any specific thing other than a gift on special occasions. A few pages on, she finds the page for sea lavenders, which she learns are also called statice. Symbolic meanings: Missing another, steadfastness.

“What have you got there, Hawkeye?”

Riza looks up, and she doesn’t know why she’s embarrassed to see Roy Mustang standing there, as if he caught her reading something that she shouldn’t be. She snaps the book shut and puts it back on the shelf. “Just a book that seemed interesting, Sir. Should we go—?”

But Roy appears to not be listening. Something has caught his attention. He lifts his face up and inhales softly, looking this way and that, reminding Riza of Hayate’s first reaction to the flowers at the market. Roy takes a small step in her direction and inhales, and when he looks directly at her, it seems that he’s found what he’s looking for.

“Are those roses I smell?”

Riza blinks and steps back an inch, suddenly overwhelmed by his closeness and the idea of him breathing in the scent from her. “I’m sorry, Sir. I didn’t realize it was that strong.”

“Don’t be,” Roy says. He leans against the shelf behind him, crossing his arms in a relaxed pose. The corner of his lips turns up in amusement. “But now I’m curious, Hawkeye. Why the roses? I thought you didn’t have a flower vase.”

A breathy, suppressed laugh escapes Riza as if he had just cracked an inside joke and not recalled a memory colored by anxiety. “I just found the time to decorate my place. I thought having flowers might be nice, but unfortunately, I’ve been having trouble taking care of them.”

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that. But I guess your roses are doing all right?”

“They are, so far. I was told they’re not difficult to take care of indoors. But I don’t think I’ll be keeping them for long. I’m not sure I enjoy the scent that much.”

“I see.”

One moment, then another passes with just the two of them quietly considering each other, before Riza feels her cheeks turn red at the thought of having discussed her home life with her superior officer and just the fact of him being there, mere inches away and paying attention to what she says and even the fact that she smells like roses. She quickly turns away.

“They’re expecting you back at Command, Sir. Your next meeting starts in fifteen minutes.”

Riza avoids meeting Roy’s gaze for the rest of the day.

———

Sunday morning brings Riza the promise of pleasant weather and another fruitful visit to the weekend market. Despite not knowing what exactly to look for, what else to do, or where to go after, Riza now looks forward to seeing the flowers being sold there, whether it’s to find something new to take home or just to enjoy the sight of them. Today, she gets dressed and prepares Hayate’s leash with the idea of maybe picking a suitable flower on a whim, whatever brings her the most joy today.

Riza stops just short of putting on her shoes when she hears a knock at the door. Before she can ask who it is, Hayate trots up in front of the door, wagging his tail and panting expectantly. Riza blinks; he isn’t usually this thrilled to see just any visitor.

“Yes—?”

When Riza opens the door, she finds Roy standing there, dressed more nicely than she is used to, holding a wide, blush-colored pot with a layer of lush green leaves at the surface and several tall branches with large, full-bloomed flowers in red, purple, and white. Riza’s eyes widen as Roy grins.

“Good morning, Hawkeye.”

“Sir,” Riza manages to say. “What brings you here?”

“Well, I happened to be in the market early, paying a visit to my favorite florist,” he says, “and I remember you mentioning that you had trouble taking care of your flowers. I thought I might help.”

Riza exhales with what feels like great effort, the same amount that it takes for her to try—and fail—suppressing a smile. “I appreciate the thought, but you didn’t have to do this.”

“I wanted to. And I don’t think you have an excuse not to accept these, since they come in their own container.” Roy waits for a couple of seconds, then asks, “May I come in?”

“Oh—of course.”

Hayate barks excitedly up at Roy as Riza steps aside to let him enter. While Roy balances the flowers in one hand to scratch the back of Hayate’s ears, Riza watches them to give herself a moment to collect herself. Just talking about home decoration at work was enough to make her blush. Allowing Roy into her house brings about a confusing flurry of emotions and the physical sensations to match—heart pounding, hands trembling slightly, the pit of her stomach growing warm.

Riza turns to the flowers instead, to give herself something tangible to think about. She knows she has seen them at the market before, and she knows she must have learned their name a long time ago, the way someone picks up on things just because they happen to be there. She asks anyway, “What kind of flowers are these?”

“Orchids,” Roy says. “They’re quite tough; you water them and add fertilizer once a week, and they’ll survive. But I wouldn’t call myself an expert on caring for them, so I asked the florist for instructions.” He stops petting Hayate to reach into the pocket of his coat, pulls out an envelope, and hands it to Riza. “Here.”

Riza takes the envelope and immediately opens it. As she reads the handwritten note, she recalls the book in the library. “And what are orchids supposed to mean?”

Instead of answering her, Roy exhales with a laugh and an evasive smile—almost shy, even. He stares quietly at Riza for a moment, but she isn’t sure whether he means to try and tell her the answer without saying a word or to keep himself from saying anything at all. The longer she tries to decipher his expression, the more flustered she feels.

Riza takes the orchids from him and stretches her lips into a wordless thanks, then goes to place the orchids by the window, on the very spot where her vase of peach-colored roses was before she moved it to the dining room table this morning. By their shape and form alone, the orchids seem to have the greatest effect on her apartment out of all the flowers she has tried. The sight of it is exciting, but at the same time, its presence calms her, as if she’s got something more than flowers on the table to keep her company.

She turns to Roy, meaning to ask him what he thinks. The words get lost on their way out when she sees the way he’s looking at her, like he’s seeing something precious that she cannot. Maybe it’s the flowers, and because Riza has come to appreciate flowers in her own way, she understands the way they can make a person feel. How bright a room can become because of a well-thought out gift, what it means to want to care for something and see it bloom fully, how fulfilling it can be to share something precious with another person.

Or maybe, deep down, it’s something far more.

“Thank you.”

Roy nods in acknowledgment, and Riza swears he has never looked more content than he does now. “I’d better get going now.”

Just as he reaches her door, Riza blurts out, “Wait.”

He does.

“Would you like to stay for a while?”

Roy smiles, and his shoulders relax. “Do you even have to ask?”

[griffinsgate]

Ed is definitely the kind of kid to send this kind of stuff to people. This being said, though. who allowed him snapchat, lol?

Also, I have chicken scratch, so if the writing is harder to read, the text says:

Ed: "WTF are daddy issues, just traumatize your dad back"

Roy: "When are you coming home, Riza made dinner"

[awesomedurraworld]

do you just one day realize that you have tons of ideas and Aus, and half of them- if not 3/4 of them will be forever forgotten?

Like. When I tell you the amount of things that I come up with during one day is... Is unbelievable? Sometimes it is the same plot but different scenarios.

The other week, I was going back to my old chats with my bestie, and I was shocked to find this very old Au that I came up with, ( Papa Royed obviously.) and the fact I drew for it too??

I also Reopned an older Au, called “ Roy Elric.” which, really, Roy in Trisha’s shoes. Does that mean Riza is Ho? No I don't think so. I was inspired by this older fic on Ao3, and kinda doodled for their Au.

Another Au- Tangled. I have only shared this with my bestie, but basically when the “ kingdom dance.” music was trending- which has been my favorite type of music since I watched Tangled which was in 2011 😂 when I heard it again, I realized how much that song ( music.) will fit Fma, and 2 ideas came:

what if Fma had a culture? Like, dances, foods, and Music and clothes?? I started designing Riza’s costume over good 9 months ago, so if you are interested I will love to share

Idea number 2 is basically your classic Fma x Tangled. With Ed as Punzel and Roy as Eugene and Ho as mother gothal. Not that Ed is a prince, but the idea of him being locked and Roy freeing him to show him the world.

There is this other idea, that Roy adopted Ed and Al before they committed the taboo but kept them a secret to protect them?

And the idea of Royai retiring and having Ed and Roy is blind and military comes and Ed learns who his parents are?

Also, I never realized that I have been writing regressed Ed? Like, I never did until I started following Mayliz ❤️ and I was like. “ hold up, this has a name?” and then my bestie pointed it and was like, “ Your Ed always regressed,” and I was like “ oh yeah.” and kinda tempted to write a whole fic with that WITH AL AND ED being regressed

What If the taboo failed BECAUSE Ed isn't Trisha’s biological son?

Like, gah, I didn't even scratch the surface of these ideas. And I want to write after math of Hughes’ death! And OH MY GOD I HAVE THE AU WHERE ROY WAS IN HUGHES’ SHOE!

Okay okay, so instead of Gracia and Elysia, it’s Riza and Ed and Al, but the catch here is that Riza isn't a solider, she is just Roy’s wife, one day when the whole team goes around to fight Envy they find Mrs. Mustang there with her husband’s gloves, KILLING Envy? Like having no shame because he killed her husband and orphaned her kids. This would mean, that Riza is an alchemist too. Roy probably taught her to keep herself and the kids safe just in case

Also, I do want to write a fic where the boys just grief the loss of their dad

😩😩😩 I don't joke when I say this is just a normal day with my brain, haha, I just wished I had more time to draw and write. I am busy currently, but I am hoping and praying that mid of December won't come without me posting something. I want to finish Took my kids? Take my fire now- which, has been on my chest since last year and there is no way we're going to Jan 2024 with this fic unfinished

And yeah I guess this is all have to say today, is there an idea that you liked? What do you think of this haha

[experimentalfma]

Hughes had told her what kind of coffee Roy liked and she made sure to make it from scratch and with a really great coffee brand and made it just for him, she brought her own of course, but she wanted to spend time with him outside while he was at lunch break so she asked to meet up with him outside and that's what she was going to do!

When she sees him on the bench in view she makes it up to him and hands him the coffee that she hoped he would like.

"Hey, I brought you some coffee. I made it myself. I hope I didn't have you waiting for too long."

Considering Roy spent most lunch breaks at his desk - in come cases because his earlier procrastination had put him behind on his paperwork again - it was a welcome change of pace to spend this one outside. When Starla had asked him to come join her, he agreed with a soft smile and promised to meet her on the bench across the street from HQ.

He'd managed to slip away a few minutes early when Riza was delivering a file to another office and was enjoying taking some time for people-watching when Starla appeared with a cup of coffee. He slid over to the left to make space for her on the bench and gratefully accepted the coffee.

"I haven't been here that long," he reassured her, taking a sip of the coffee. She'd somehow managed to get his preferences down to a tee, though the coffee itself tasted like a higher quality than the ones he often got at work or nearby cafes. He blinked in surprise then smiled up at her. "How did you know how I like it? It's delicious. You did a great job with it. Thank you."

[nocturnaltides]

OC Intro Profile: Chains

[Art by @skyplayssplatoon3] Talked about like a ghost story, few dare to mention Chains' name out loud...If you find someone who's brave enough, they'll mention a weirdo that set up a lair, a hodgepodge of trains, cars, traps, and scrap metal marked by large scratches, on the outskirts of town, they'll also mention strange lights in the night sky, maniacal cackling, and the ominous warning not to go anywhere near that place, for people who wander too close go missing for days, only to be found later, running through the desert, babbling about "other worlds", "being watched", and other things that don't make sense...

While the stories may paint her as some kind of boogey man, they are right about one thing: Chains is a bit of an oddball, to say the least. Beneath the "assortment" of rusted rubble, Chains has made a surprisingly comfy home for herself, using her skills as a mechanic. her wild imagination, and a "spark" to create just about anything she sets her mind to, all while rambling about anything and everything, ranging from "what's out there" to that time she had to use a tire iron as a toothpick, again, to various other bits that she scribbles down in a mysterious notebook that she keeps tucked in her coat pocket at all times. Luckily for her, she has her smallfry buddy, Mayday, to keep her company, and a voice that, occasionally, guides her out into the desert, where her story takes a turn in the form of a fateful encounter with Riza, an explosive battle with Nocchan, and the crater that leads to the depths of underground settlement of Alterna...

Finding herself running with a bit of a motely crew, driven by voices and visions calling out to her, and now being granted the title of Neo Agent 3 by Riza, now Captain of the new squidbeak splatoon, Chains is all set for the trials and revelations that Alterna has in store

[To Be Continued...]

[ryanthedemiboy]

20 Questions for fic writers

(I was tagged by @annachibi )

Note: i'm combining answers for all three of my pseuds/both accts

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 56 :)

Ana's response: "18, I'm not very prolific haha"

That's so much! iirc the average person has like 2 fics under 3k total!

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 231,440 :D

3. What fandoms do you write for? Right now it's Fullmetal Alchemist. I may or may not go back to Marvel at some point. And I may move on to another fandom at some point :)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Four of the five are from my Ed is Dying series c: #1, 6, 7, 3. The fifth is an HP fic I wrote in 2016.

5. Do you respond to comments? Yes! It's extremely rare that I don't; only if I have nothing to say.

Ana's answer: "Yes, just about every one! Sometimes I don't if it's been multiple years since I wrote the thing and I don't have much to say back, since I figure some people don't necessarily want the author to respond anyway."

I promise you, almost everyone wants the author to respond! And the ones who don't just aren't going to check them xD

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Oh this is an excellent question. I have to be careful here, because spoilers. The end of the first fic in my spn series ended in a suicide that was unclear that he survived (he did). And then I have the death fic for my Ed is Dying series written, that's angsty af. There's also a fic I wrote recently on my semi-secret AO3 acct that doesn't seem angsty but it really fucking is.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Uhhh... I need to go look.

I forget if Out of the Box (MCU non-sexual age regression) had a happy ending, but basically the whole fic was gentle happiness. Same with Cas and the Bee Bag (spn. This is 9 years old)

I do not appear to have any other fics that are happy. Interesting, neutral, enjoyable, positive, sure. Not happy 😂

8. Do you get hate on fics? Not thus far

9. Do you write smut? Sometimes

10. Do you write crossovers? Not usually. It's very rare that I will. The main one I can think of is unpublished, idk if I even have it tbh — I had to write a crossover fic with A Scarlet Letter for my English class in 11th grade. I chose Doctor Who xD I believe that remains the only fic i've written for doctor who.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that i'm aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yes! It was a blast. I forget why, but I asked my friend not to list me as a co-author.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship? Riza/Al, I think.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? My spn series. I am so many levels of uninterested, and even if I did, i'd have to rewrite it from scratch bc it's not up to par, anymore, and is extremely insensitive in parts (in particular, I have Cas using bible pages as the rolling paper for his weed. He is not xian. That's just what I remember off-hand). All that said, i would love to finish it.

16. What are your writing strengths? Emotion. Hitting the reader where it hurts.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Anything with happiness 😂

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I have done it both ways. And both are kind of cringey for me, when i've written them in the past.

Generally, the best way is to use italics to signify another language, and specify that language, as long as the POV person understands it.

19. First fandom you wrote for? HP

20. Favorite fic you've written? Talk about a good question. Probably one of the kink fics i've written. I love how i've had the characters be with each other, and shown their love for each other. I also love some of the drabbles i've made — it's hard to get a fic to exactly a word count, and getting an entire fic in so few words is a massive challenge, and very rewarding.

I'm not going to tag anyone, but if you want to do this, go for it!

Blank questions to easily copy/paste (incl on the app) below.

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 2. What's your total AO3 word count? 3. What fandoms do you write for? 4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? 5. Do you respond to comments? 6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? 7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? 8. Do you get hate on fics? 9. Do you write smut? 10. Do you write crossovers? 11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? 12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? 14. What's your all-time favorite ship? 15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? 16. What are your writing strengths? 17. What are your writing weaknesses? 18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? 19. First fandom you wrote for? 20. Favorite fic you've written?

[scienceoftheidiot]

▼and ♒ for Royai (so both of them, hehe :33)

▼ - childhood headcanon

Roy : the combo between losing his parents early and being immediately surrounded by a weird family of diverse women from everywhere has resulted in him having no prejudice whatsoever and being used to be surrounded by people/catered to/taking care of others. He takes this very seriously now as a superior officer, both ways : he protects his subordinates at all costs, but he has absolutely no problem with asking them to do things for him, even the most mundane. He's used to be taken care of and will not pass on the opportunity. He's the boss, after all. I think Chris' girls might have spoiled him a little too much, the little brat.

Riza : I think her mom died when she was very young, so at first Berthold must have had someone who came to take care of the house and her. But I don't think she has many memories of it (in the AU I'm currently writing she was basically raised by the Hawkeye estate groundskeeper's wife along with their son)(who is NOT Roy). She had to have responsibilities early, like cooking (see after) and various chores, but I don't think Berthold let her do so all by herself. It's also mentionned in the manga that Riza had a good education so part of her childhood must have been spent away from home, either during the day only or she went to boarding school (probably once she reached higher levels like high school). So when Roy spends time learning with Berthold, she's probably away during the week at the very least. So yeah, in my head they might not have actually lived 24/7 together back then.

♒ - cooking/food headcanon

Roy : absolutely useless at cooking, no matter how hard Chris has tried to teach him when he was young, that never worked. Like it's not he doesn't have interest, but... Yeah. Doesn't stick. Also wherever he's been there's always someone else cooking for him so why bother? (He's great at other chores though. Just not a cook.) Chris or his sisters, Riza, and just. The army. This guy haunts the mess hall at any hour of the day, and doesn't mind the food there (he's mostly interested in the coffee. Which is bad. But he's not drinking it for the taste). Free, warm food. He's been to war, had to eat awful rations that were probably full of sand, so really anything without sand and warm enough will do. Occasionally forgets to eat, also. Especially when concerned about something. As fancy as he is in his clothes, and as much as he would treat his friends/girlfriends (*cough* Riza *cough*) with great food, he's content with just. Food. He's probably an oddity as he climbs ranks and he ends up the highest ranked officer still eating in the middle of foot soldiers there regularly, but he doesn't even notice and the others get used to it.

Riza : food is mostly a functional thing, but she cooks decently enough. Better than what's served at the mess, but weirdly she eats there pretty often nonetheless 🤔 She had to learn early, and to get by with few ingredients, so she's especially good at cooking hearty meals from scratch. She did experiment on her father and Roy when he lived at her place, but he's not really a good indicator because even then he would just eat anything without batting an eye. She tries to eat healthy, and pesters others (Roy) to do so. Or to just eat at all. She WILL indulge in good chocolate though, but that is a secret she will tell no one (but she finds a mysterious box of fancy chocolate in her desk drawers on occasion. Often after the Colonel has done something stupid. There is absolutely no correlation, there)

Thank you so much for asking ! Lol I wrote a lot there 🤣 that was fun !

Headcanon asks

[limetameta]

Based off of an instagram reel I just saw:

Riza, working 911 calls: Hello, how can I help you? What is your emergency?

Kimblee: Yes, so, hello. I have a very particular emergency. Very particular.

Riza: what is your emergency?

Kimblee: My roommates and I are locked inside of my bedroom right now. A cat attacked one of them, he's pretty weak (think returned body Al) so he couldn't fight back properly. It got a few licks in, but it was very hostile. It's a pretty big cat.

Riza: Sir, does your roommate require medical attention?

Kimblee: No, no. He just has some puncture wounds and scratches all over his head. I tried to get into contact with the animal control, but-

Riza: How big is the cat?

Kimblee: Pretty big, around 22 pounds I'd say. But it's very aggressive. Very hostile. We barely escaped into my room. And we can't come out. It won't let us.

Riza: I am sending a dispatch your way, sir.

Kimblee: I do want to stress that this cat has a history of violence. Whoever you send better be equipped.

Riza: Yes... just let the police in and they will handle it, sir. Are you certain nobody requires medical attention?

Kimblee: No. No, he's fine. He just has some puncture wounds on his head from the claws and is bleeding. I think he's fine. But just so you're aware that in order to let the police inside, I will need to fight the cat. And I don't think I'll win.

Riza: Try your best, sir.

[goneadrift]

Find the Word Tag Game

Thanks @scienceoftheidiot for the tag! Hehe, i remember this being ‘ask game’ before 😄

My words were:  smile, dream, tear(s), dark, soft

There were lots of smiles but almost nothing sof 🤣 maybe i should work on that.

Tagging @hanamuri @dragonifyoudare @klainelynch @fullmetalscullyy if you want to 😊

Your words are: glare, rise, stroke, keenly, fire

my result under the cut

Smile and dream (FMAB, mostly me torturing Roy and Riza, 'It hurts to stay silent' wip)

Maybe she spent her days staying till late in the library, so serious and dedicated as he remembered her to be. Maybe she spent her free hours in the park, enjoying the warm and gentle sunlight, which was nothing like the merciless inferno of desert. Those were fantasies that he used to soothe his anxious mind. However, nothing could help him forget her muffled sobs and her tear-streaked face on that fateful evening after the funeral. These days, more often than not Roy thought that her smile existed only in his dreams and not his memory.

tear(s) (AoT, one shot about Annie Leonhart but i'm not sure i'll ever finish this)

Wind whistles in the ears, her eyes are watering but Annie doesn't spare even a second to wipe them off. Tears from wind, tears from ashes when Bertolt transforms — all the same. She never bothers wiping any of them, as that’s seemingly the only time when she can feel something akin to relief and not blame herself for emotional reaction. Every bump on the road keenly feels under her feet, clad in thin sole shoes for stealthy tread (however little good it did for her this night). Her hat has long slid off her head. The only reason it hasn’t flown away  — thin elastic cord that now digs into her neck. Annie barely notices any painful sensations — she runs, as fast as she can, almost flying along with the wind. Finally she reaches the edge of the woods but keeps running to make sure that no one can trace and follow her. She didn't count on that man noticing her. What a stupid mistake.

dark (FMAB, royai; this was intended as sequel to Don’t Say ‘Farewell’ work but i am neglecting it so far)

Riza Hawkeye has never been afraid of the dark. Concealment by shadows has always worked in her favour. Be it for sneaking out from the home or for hunting or for her line of work in the military. Hawkeye liked the power that concealment gave her. Evidently, she was not the only one who felt this way. Walking through that corridor she felt how tables had turned. Now she was hunted. She felt the unmistakable ominous presence in looming shadows. Shadows that worked against her now. She longed for her source of light — the man who could be blinding and dangerous, but never to her.

soft (FMAB, havolina, modern AU that now lives rent free in my head thanks to @hanamuri. This is a very rough draft, hence the bare dialogue)

“What was the first thing you noticed about me?” “Your hair.” “Really?” “Yeah, you weren’t facing me so I could only see your wild curls that stood out in that sea of bob cuts and formal updos.” “You don't like short hair?” “No, I didn't mean it like that. It’s just... The event was dull, I already got all the intel I could and there were you - so striking and refreshing.” Rebecca felt the start of blush on her cheeks and buried her face further in Jean's chest. “And then?” “Your cleavage caught my eye.” She groaned and lightly slapped his chest, “Typical.” “Sheesh, you already knew that I’m a sucker for boobs. And yours were especially alluring.” “Were? They aren’t now?” “And now I'm a gentleman who won’t answer this question. What about you?” “To be honest, that was your hair too. It looked really soft and now I know that the assumption was true,” — Rebecca ran her fingers through his hair to emphasise her point. She didn’t hurry to pull away and scratched his head slightly. Jean sighed at the pleasant sensation and  scooted lower so it was easier for her to reach.

[myrhymesarepurer]

🌹🌹🌹🌹

Thank you <3 You submitted 4 roses, so you get two pieces, one angsty and one lil flashback. If anyone else would like a little exceprt from my WIP, send a 🌹 to my asks. :) I'm trying to kickstart writing this again, so it'll help me.

Again, from my WIP Four. Obviously, a sequel to my goofier fic of Three, based around the Elric wedding. Four was once a short silly sequel but is now my personal love letter to Royai so. we're chipping away at it. --------

“Did I hurt you?”

“No, Sir.” “You’re lying.” Of course, she was. 

Not only had Roy never had the pleasure to be so close to Riza’s heart, but he had only ever once before seen just a glimpse of it shatter, the mask overwhelmed, the dam breaking. Not even when she turned pale before him, gushing blood from her split artery, did Riza Hawkeye appear in such disarray, at a loss, sufficiently defeated. 

Heartbreak even in spite of her renowned resistance.

“Then I have need to apologize,” Roy ran a weary hand through his hair, “about everything.”

“Everything,” she muttered under her breath,  “Everything,” Riza knew exactly what he meant, and she refused to let it happen again. 

Ink, Sand, Blood, Flame,  everything. 

Roy Mustang cared and he cared too much, so greedy for his guilt. She knew what he meant and he knew what he started. He knew he was in for it. No, Riza fought. 

This was a conversation that continuously persisted year after year, simultaneously in past and present, a routine they ran through too many times to waste even one more moment on it now. 

Questions already asked, answers already known. They repeated their argument as they had many times before, behind closed doors, alone in hospital rooms, broken record, scratches and cracks, same old song. Riza started them off, and he fell seamlessly into lockstep. 

“I gave it to you for a reas-” Riza said. “Yes, you’ve told m-” Roy replied. “You are and always were to be the Flame Alchemist. We wouldn’t be here without that.” “Exactly, we wouldn’t be here without that,” Riza pointedly and defiantly ignored Roy’s deliberate double entendre.

Relentlessly, she persisted. 

“Regardless how grave the outcome, Sir, that decision was-” “Yours and yours alone,” Roy rubbed at the pain behind his eyes,“Yes, I know, I know.” “If you know, General, then why are we here nearly a decade after the war, years after the promised day discussing this still.”  --------

“Oh and concerning lunch, Lieutenant Colonel, do stay inside.” Hawkeye stuck up a finger and pointed to the windows behind him. Mustang glanced over his shoulder and grimaced at the rain just beginning to form a downpour. “Not even a quick walk?” Roy exhaled and raised an eyebrow, “Test your response time?” “I assure you there would be no response time, Colonel. I’ll be in here, picking up your slack”

“Ok, ok” Roy surrendered to Hawkeye’s sharp tongue with a soft smile, “Rest assured, I’ll be safe, Lieutenant. You’re dismissed.” 

“Thank you, Sir." Satisfied, Hawkeye pivoted toward Hughes seated across from Roy, clicked her heals and nodded, "Major Hughes" Maes lifted an informal hand in farewell, but the very instant the Second Lieutenant left the room, Hughes leaned in and cut a most dramatic whisper. “What was that!? “What was what?” Roy mumbled in monotone to his forms and flipped the page. “I mean, when you’re not sucking up to the brass, you’re the grumpiest fool I know. You haven’t even looked me in the eyes since we started talking - well, since I started talking. Heavens knows if you’re paying attention, and yet you were so wonderfully nice to her.” “You’re mistaken, Hughes. I’m nice to everyone.” Roy looked up to him, “Idiot.” Hughes ignored his jest altogether, too eager to prove his point, “I mean, you were always rather soft on her in the desert, but now as her boss; If anybody would take the chance to use their flashy new rank to be an asshole for the fun of it, it’s you.” Roy snorted, straightened his stack, and picked up his cold coffee. “You haven’t seen her when she’s angry.” he muttered into the lid idly, “It’s best to keep her onside.”  Hughes barked a laugh, “Well if you want to keep her onside, you certainly shouldn’t tempt flirting with her at work.” Coffee spewed from Roy’s mouth as he fell into a cough, “I’m sorry. Flirt!?”

[justanotherghostwriter]

I'm sending you so many fic titles. You don't have to do all of them if you don't want to. I got them from what my sister and i would have Sims title books they were writing. | (Call Me Innocent) (Walk Softly) (The Benefits of Screaming) (Ghosts I Have Loved) (And the Shadows Wept) (The Stars are Different Here) (Her Name Still Echoes) (Honest Creatures) (Wooden House, Paper Unicorn) (Though All to Ruin Fell the World) (The Echo or the Answer) (Above Us, Only Stars)

Firstly: sorry I answered this so late. Life came and ate me when I thought I'd have time. Go figure.

Secondly: I'm so happy to see that somebody else thought about what to title their books in Sims. I had a list, too. In one game, I had three generations of writers, and they kept writing new books "for the same series". Obviously, the game didn't care, but I had such a fun time seeing them all in the book store xD

Thirdly: Thank you for answering this! <3 And, in particular, answering with so many great titles to chew over. This was a fun mental exercise. I'm still throwing metaphorical salt in a circle around all of this so these silly ideas don't become less silly. I'll need to live another lifetime to finish all the fic on my To Do list, at this point.

Now, onto the actual answers!

Call Me Innocent. Probably something that starts with/includes the Buddy Wakefield poem "We Were Emergencies". I know that thing off-by-heart. In particular: "Make love to me, like you know I am better than the worst thing I ever did." So... Animorphs post-war? Like many years post-war and Cassie and Jake get that second chance. Orrrr Roy and Riza after the events of canon trying to put the world back together, with a healthy side-helping of Ed, whose guilt tendencies didn't just go away after defeating Father. Shocking, I know.

Walk Softly Agent Carter fic. A fix-it for Endgame. It will be Peggysous. There will be Daniel and Jack bromance. And Daniel and Steve bromance. This is all.

The Benefits of Screaming Avatar the Last Airbender. Azula gets love, therapy and a life-changing field-trip with Zuko (and Katara). I don't know the particulars, but I think it would sort of be a community service combined with going out to see the world through new eyes sort of fic. Just letting Azula lose control in safe ways. By that I mean go penguin sledding or run through a field of flowers for no reason. And Zuko and Katara, despite being Fire Lord and Ambassador to the Water Tribe and totally responsible adults, would also have moments of just being able to be kids. Lots of both Zuko and Azula apologising to one another, and starting from scratch to build a proper relationship.

Ghosts I Have Loved An Everlark fic. I'm thinking about Peeta and Katniss more often than even I realise, I think. And, although it's been done a thousand times by very talented people, I want a fic in that space between Peeta coming back to once-Twelve and the epilogue. Possibly even beyond it. I'll always want to go to war with "I didn't want kids but Peeta really did so we had kids I hated it but you know" because it bugs me. It would include Katniss and Haymich and Annie and some other survivors, but would be mainly focused on Peeta as he grieves all the people he lost and how complicated it is. His whole family was wiped out. One of those family members was canonically at least a little abusive. He lost friends. He lost who he once was. He lost the (fake, impossible) ideal of Katniss in his head; his first love, if you will. So it would just be a slice-of-life of Peeta observing and internally commenting and also stepping in to help where he sees he can, with this motif of all the love haunting him. And how he figures out how to let each "ghost pass on", so to speak. While also watching other people around him do the same. Johanna and Peeta friendship, because they rock.

And the Shadows Wept This is such a cool title, but I couldn't think of anything proper to go with it. Only half-baked ideas. And I didn't want to delay this answer for too long wracking my brain for a fic that won't ever exist lol. So I take the L for this one.

The Stars are Different Here Going back to the second fandom I wrote for here on Tumblr for this one. Doctor Who. More Metacrisis and Rose. For the record, in case anybody cares, there will be no calling him John. Or thinking that naming him is like naming a dog. (If you know, you know.) Just the two of them having ordinary adventures. And some not-so-ordinary ones. They're still the Doctor and Rose Tyler, and they have an earth (or two) to defend. Maybe even start with Rose's adventures with that dimension canon, because that's some good untapped writing potential right there.

Her Name Still Echoes Also Doctor Who! All the places people still find Bad Wolf, and variations thereof, throughout time and space. I'd have to actually catch up with things for this, I think, which would take a while (I think I stopped actively watching around season 7 or 8 and just read Wikipedia since then lol). But just letting Rose's desire to keep the Doctor safe be OP across their lives. And, because I'm me, I'd bring in the origins of the Big Bad Wolf and probably seven references to Red Riding Hood and/or The Three Little Pigs. Possibly even a tie-in to number 6, and all the ways the Bad Wolf echoes in all the places Rose jumped with that canon. (Rose and River bff-ship is a strong need for me tbh.)

Honest Creatures I'm forever dying to poke at the Scott and Rachel father-son dynamic. Or even Scott and Laura Kinney. Friendship/adopted dad only; I don't want to think about the direction the comics took with Displaced Scott and Laura, thank you. Either in canon-verse (whatever the heck that means, any more lmao) or trying to do some clean-up with the way Scott was written as he went off the rails... but not really. Anyway. Complexities of Scott Summers, screwed-up leader and oblivious collector of children he adopts.

Wooden House, Paper Unicorn Since this is all hypothetical and I don't ever need to actually write this, this one would be used for a Firefly/Serenity fic. Simon gets captured and thrown into prison on an Alliance prison ship. While there, he starts to doctor the other prisoners. His skill becomes known by the guards. And he gets pulled out to help an Alliance girl's emergency when her parents frantically hail for help from their ship/planet. Only oooooh the Alliance people have guests for their little vacation out in space, and two of those guests are Mr and Mrs Tam. Who have, according to their official records, never had kids. The drama. The Simon Sass. More drama when Serenity tracks Simon down... No, I haven't actually thought of this concept a hundred times in my head, why do you ask? Yes, there would be Simon whump. I'm basic, and you should expect nothing better from me.

Though All to Ruin Fell the World Zutara in an AU where either the war didn't end so nicely, or where winning the war didn't magically fix everything. I'd probably re-use concepts from Battles After War. Try and do something similar to MJ's stunning Ghosts Through The Smoke, but even more hopeless. Fire Nation leveled to nothing hopeless. Zuko failed as a Fire Lord/was never allowed to take the throne hopeless. Or, like, Zuko chooses the Gaang in Ba Sing Se, but Aang still dies and Katara doesn't know she saved him and she and Zuko get split from the others and go into Survival Mode kind of hopeless. Anyway, you get the picture. The world fell to ruin, somehow. :P And, yet, Zuko and Katara protect each other and fall in love. Although it takes a long time for them to be able to call it that. Maybe it will even be a little tragic; they are never able to let love grow past a certain point, because there's just too much to do. And they end up dying as soldiers who help the world limp towards a bright future. But never together.

The Echo or the Answer Okay, but the way I love this as a title? I know it's become slightly... not pretentious, but over-used, but... I will lean into the connotations if I can ever find a thing worthy of this title. I know this isn't an answer, but I couldn't think of anything that I want to "waste" this good title on lmao.

Above Us, Only Stars Animorphs, my beloved. Again, since this is hypothetical, and I never need to actually have the skill to write any of these fic: this one would be a role-reversal where the auxes got the morphing power first. But the OG six get pulled into the war by James and his team, because the Powers That Be nudge James toward Tobias, Elfangor's son. Who has been having strange dreams of the ocean shared with Cassie, even though neither of them know why. I'd be fascinated to see the OG six as team B under James' leadership. I'd not know how to write this fic, but I'd love to read it xD

SEND ME A MADE-UP FIC TITLE AND I’LL TELL YOU WHAT I WOULD WRITE TO GO WITH IT.

[farginen]

"I bought some shoes from a drug dealer the other day. I don’t know what he laced them with, but I’ve been tripping all day."

Yes, she is very pleased with herself.

a displeased frown on her face and lips parting ready to tell off the woman for speaking nonsense. and then... record scratch.

no words come out of riza's lips as her expression turns from serious to dumbfounded and then utterly confused. one could visibly see the lieutenant's expression as she tries to process what katherine just said but it doesn't fully compute.

“ you... ”  she begins skeptically.  “ you got high through your feet? ”  riza pauses again, looking at the immortal woman as if trying to get any confirmation or clues.

it's only a split of a second later that she realizes what just happened... a dad joke!

riza lets out a groan.