#Winry may be more obvious about it than Edward

[titanbabyeams]

I have been trying to stop thinking about ‘oh, but if readers prefer this—‘ or something similar when I’m trying to write, and to focus solely on writing what I want to write.

Which is great, yeah! I love it! I’m trying!

But it also leads to entertaining brainrot (/pos) ideas like Single-Dad Edward Elric moving to Japan and ending up with Hawks and Winry.

It’s the image of Hawks and Edward casually hanging out, getting close, and then Winry appearing. Winry, who unashamedly hangs off of Edward and teases and argues with him, like they’ve been married ten years but they’ve instead known each other their entire lives. The image of Hawks seeing their interactions and simply being… curious about the depths of it, of what exactly he’s missing about Edward Elric.

It’s the image of Winry instantly mothering Edward’s child, and Edward doing his best with said child, and Hawks being able to openly observe the growth of decent parents. Of Winry and Edward having a too-close, not close-enough relationship, that they’re still learning how to navigate the boundaries of in adulthood.

Besides, how do you think Hawks would react to having their overwhelming about of love directed at him? Gosh. I love brainrot sometimes.

[russenoire]

i just finished fullmetal alchemist 2003...

and i have words about this.

while both series have lovely scores, courtesy of michiru ooshima here and akira senju for FMAB, FMAB's OPs and EPs are almost all far too good to skip, ever. (if i have to hear pornograffiti's 'melissa' one more time, i will scream.) both series rely pretty heavily on slapstick humor to leaven the surrounding darkness, and the massive chip on edward's shoulder about his height, grating in brotherhood, also wears on my patience here.

i liked this story's approach to alchemy and how it works. but the creators' vision of homunculi here, where each homunculus arises as a result of a single alchemist's hubris and becomes their sin to answer for? i prefer it a little more than the admittedly more cohesive explanation of a single being splitting off aspects of himself.

we get to spend more time with scar and maes hughes (my favorite character; i adore his hazel eyes in this adaptation and hearing the late keiji fujiwara's silky pipes voice him twice is a joy). i still can't decide which kimblee i like best.

both fullmetals are examples of satisfyingly meaty storytelling and full of awesome animation. i suspect a dislike of canon divergence behind a lot of the hate for the first series, and a preference for deeper character study and pathos behind hate for the second.

i'm usually wary of adaptations continuing after creators run out of source material myself, but the story shō aikawa and seiji mizushima constructed out of whole cloth offers up a feast of philosophy, character study, mindfuckery and intricate military-political intrigue. and for the most part, it holds up under its own weight.

here scieszka, winry and rose are more instrumental to the story's plot. dante the cursed shapeshifting genius alchemist is a brilliant addition to the story, as is archer (more on him below). lust becomes an almost sympathetic character, what with having loved and lost multiple times as she manipulates mankind into seeking knowledge while being only a tool herself. alphonse is a formidable alchemist and a prodigy in his own right. here that's not just hinted at; both boys could have passed the state alchemist exam with ease. i loved seeing the elric brothers use alchemy to squabble with each other, not just fists and limbs. and edward... he's a double amputee, but his prosthetic limbs work well enough to rid him of any real functional impairment (bless winry's fantastic engineering!). i'm not going to get into the fucked-up implications of that in this post, but i will say that FMA '03 makes his disability much clearer. we see how painful attaching his automail limbs is, repeatedly. a character pries them off of him at one point and he's almost helpless until he can get them back. it's now obvious why he wears gloves most of the time.

the brutality and pervasive racism of the military dictatorship running amestris is given far more focus here. (edward himself gets checked on his own racist assumptions quite a few times.) we see more of the armed forces in the act of genocide, not just flashbacks in haunted soldier memories. officers openly call people savages; kimblee is sent in as an exterminator because of his amorality and solipsism; shou tucker's sick research is allowed to continue, even though the military already has a more efficient method to make chimerae. while making the situation the elric brothers left behind in liore worse, the shady lt col archer sustains what would have been fatal wounds. he gets rebuilt into some sort of robocop hybrid sentient killing machine with no qualms about gunning down his own men. rose is traumatized to mutism raped by the military for having led a rebellion and still leads her people.

whether this feels heavy-handed to you may depend on your tolerance for darkness and cognitive dissonance; i'm still processing how i feel about it. both takes on arakawa-sensei's story present their main and supporting cast as capable of cruelty and kindness, but FMA '03 foregrounds that evil a bit more alongside the good. it made the kindness less palatable for me, in a good way.

also i spoiled myself a bit by watching the conqueror of shamballa before finishing this series. when i learned that mizushima-san is a huge fan of hideaki anno's work, FMA '03's 'inconclusive' ending made even more sense.

[asthmaticbee]

Loving Gloria of Rubies and Gold and I have to say this. I hope that Alphonse at some point, hopefully with his two chimeras when they get separated, has a moment like Ed has in canon and in this story with the slicer brothers, about still seeing them as people. Because it's obvious from the gap between them that even though Alphonse says he still sees his brother as a human and not a murderer, the way he childishly admonishes and belittles Edward at so many points makes it clear that he struggles to see Edward as not a monster and a murderer. I think he needs to say it to people who are just as guilty as Edward, but that he doesn't know, unlike Team Mustang, and like have a moment of realization that he may have said that he didn't view his brother differently after the war, but never truly meant it until he realizes it at that moment. I hope he gets such a moment at least because boy, Alphonse, both in Ruby and in Gold, hasn't been that very sympathetic to his brother. It's like he's still in the main Canon verse, and is still 14, rather than 23.

Oh yeah, there will be a lot of introspection on Al's part soon!

He is definitely jaded from living almost a decade as an unfeeling, constantly awake armor, watching the people he loves grow up and live a life he can't, which sort of informs a lot of his bitterness at Ed I feel, especially with Ed indirectly and without meaning to putting the repercussions of Ishval on Al's shoulders, since he did it FOR HIM.

At the same time he is a lot more naive when you compare him to the bulk of the main cast, who are either military/veterans or had to go to great lengths to learn how to live with and love someone fundamentally broken from their experiences (like Winry and Gracia). The thing is that Ed purposefully hid a lot of his damage from Al where he could, which he didn't manage to do with Winry, because she was adamant about helping him, while Al was still grappling with how to properly approach Ed post-war. By the time he came around Ed had already started to compartmentalize to an insane degree, so past isolated incidents Al was spared a lot of Ed's actual struggles, at least first hand. Around Al Ed insists on acting like he used to as well as he can, and Al subconsciously filed Ishval away as something that happened but isn't immediately relevant in day to day life, when for Ed it is an ever-present reality he will never escape again.

Ed is actually making the right call by saying he and Al need to be apart for some time to fix their strange codependent dynamic and find out who they are as individuals and adults, because all their lives have been enmeshed in a weird slurry of guilt.

The majority of it won't happen until after Baschool though!

Baschool my beloved can't wait to inflict ever more pain on my readers hehehehe...

[xoxopandapanda]

Edwin Week 2022: Day 6: Secrets

@503week

(Two in one day because they were both half written)

Day 1  Day 2  Day 3  Day 4  Day 5

Characters: Edward Elric, Winry Rockbell, Alphonse Elric

Fanfiction

AO3

Despite what his behavior might indicate, Edward Elric had never been very good at keeping secrets. He was much more likely to just admit to something than try to weave an intricate tale to avoid conversations. He often operated under the assumption that if he knew it, other people must also know it, since it was so obvious to him.

As children, Al and Winry would often be the ones to pinky-promise or hide things from adults, quick to conspire or build elaborate stories to avoid having to spill their own secrets. They were the ones awake at night, whispering and giggling stories or made up tales to each other, while Ed slept like a log, ignorant of whatever conspiracy was developing between his brother and best friend.

So good at keeping to their chest any details or plots, that Winry and Alphonse would never actually tell Ed what they had done even if he was well wrapped up into it and its consequences.  

The first time Ed experienced this was when he was left standing in front of a sopping wet Granny, hands on her hips and rage burning in her eyes.

“Don’t give me that crap, Edward. You’re the only one smart enough to have rigged the sink to spray right at my face level.”

Ed’s mouth was agape and he wavered where he stood. He had walked into the kitchen right as the mentioned offense happened, the water pressure being strong enough to knock Granny’s glasses right off of her face and knock her backwards.

Ed squirmed under the stern gaze of the older woman. “I’m serious Granny. I had nothing to do with it.”

A finger whipped up into his face, accusations flying behind it. “So you just happened to walk in when I got hit with a water jet?!”

Ed nodded. “I just wanted a snack. I didn’t know that would happen. It could have happened to me!”

“Which is exactly how I know it was you. You are the same height as me and would have used that to develop the angle for the water.”

“No!”

“Yes, you little shrimp. And don’t you blame this on anyone else. You’re the only genius in this house who could have done something to my faucet. Now fix it!”

Ed continued his griping and whining as he spent the rest of his beautiful summer afternoon fixing a faucet he most definitely didn’t mess with in the first place. He didn’t know much about faucets to begin with, and this one wasn’t a simple band trick around the spout. He had to go get tools to pull out a specialized curved rock that had been shoved up it to achieve the perfect face spray.

He was so caught up in the indignation that he was being blamed for the whole incident that he never once thought to consider who might have done it. That ‘who’ being another alchemist and mechanic duo with little fingers but crafty minds.

At dinner the agreement between Ed and Granny continued, causing the two of them to miss the exchanged sheepish looks shared between the actual pranksters.

The whole faucet occurrence was forgotten soon after, the attempted human transmutation taking forefront in their lives and overshadowing any memory of small spats such as that.

Promise day came and went, bringing with it the aftermath of fixing past mistakes and leaving a future uncertain. Ed and Al moved back in with Granny and Winry, working on rehabilitating their bodies and readjusting their minds to civilian life.

Ed had always been so busy and caught up in his tasks while working as a state alchemist that he had all together lost his ability to just evade answering questions.

Was it a byproduct of being forced to answer to higher ups? Or was it just his unwillingness to put brain power into weaving a lie or vaguely answering when he had better things to think about, like all things alchemy? The world may never know.

“Ed!” Winry had shouted at him in disbelief one day when they were walking back from town with groceries in hand. “The least you could have done is lie!”

“Why?!” Ed was flustered and annoyed at being in trouble. “They asked for my opinion and I gave it!”

“You all but told them their design was garbage. Didn’t you see how dejected they looked after that!”

Ed worked his jaw, trying to come up with a retort. He didn’t have one so he just repeated himself. “They wanted to know what I thought.”

Winry huffed loudly, snapping her head to look straight ahead, so angry at his previous behavior and current response. “They are kids, Ed! They look up to and want to be an alchemist just like you. You could have told them what they did right with the circle thing instead of pointing out the lines weren’t sharp.”

“If they aren’t crisp and clean it doesn’t work. It’ll help them in the long run to know things like that!”

“Not everyone is as good as you are with learning. Sometimes focusing on the good helps people more. Even if it has to be a lie at the moment.”

Ed felt bewildered. Winry had stop shouting at him and was now just annoyed in her tone. The walk home was long with the silence that has fallen between them. Ed stopped at the stoop, wanting to say something to Winry, but she spoke first.

“You know, that is why Al and I never included you in our pranks as kids.”

Ed’s eyes shot up to hers, looking down at him from the door way. “What?”

“You can’t ever tell a fib or keep a secret if asked directly. We knew you would indirectly rat us out to adults, so we just didn’t tell you anything. That way you couldn’t get us in trouble.”

All the times Ed had been scolded by adults for the weird happenings as a kid came flooding back into his mind. The school teacher being upset with him for messing up the composition of her chalk. The farmer down the road mad that the fence’s hinges were too tight and he couldn’t open it. The store clerk chasing him down for the soda fountain rupturing from the excessive pressure on the carbonated water canisters.

Granny making him fix the faucet.

Ed reeled back on his heels. He couldn’t believe what was just revealed to him. All those times he was blamed by adults for the shenanigans going on, and it was the always ‘innocent’ Al and Winry at the center of it.

Winry shot him a look that clearly said, “What’s your problem?”, and he was shot out of his internal reeling to drop the basket of groceries, causing a loud “The hell, shrimp?” from granny, and flew his right hand up to point with rage at the woman in front of him.

“IT WAS ALL YOUR DOING?”

Winry, clearly unaware of what caused the outburst and unamused by his action of dropping the produce, rolled her eyes at him before turning around to enter the house. Ed didn’t pick up the forgotten potatoes, broccoli, apples, and other foods, choosing instead to be hot on Winry’s heels into the house. Granny would later pick it all up while muttering about how useless Ed was. Ed’s focus was elsewhere – getting to the bottom of this apparent life-long secret of keeping him out of the loop.

[fullmtal]

once i’m done going through everything i really am going to write about how the mustang squad, roy specifically, really is in a lot of ways without preference or bias, the dad figure edward desperately needed and gave so much to ed and al. and yes, i will be wanting threads with all f.ma people because honestly there is such variety no wonder its a masterpiece. but yeah like...there’s a reason roy is so important? i might reblog my meta on hohenheim but like...i’m a realist so i don’t think hohenheim’s apology came in time. that doesn’t mean ed doesn’t feel things for him and even love too, albeit confused love, not at all. he’s an immensely compassionate boy underneath all that snark and steel. why else is he the one considered a heart ‘unmatched’?

but literally the person who sparked fire back in ed’s eyes was roy and ed’s own will, but ultimately roy’s tough belief and recognition of ‘oh hey you’re not okay just like me and you’re a lot like me’ hit ed hard and got him to rise up again.

 no one else did that. no elric alive or still in contact did that. roy did. and when he joined his branch and his entire career in the military worked under him with reports? i mean i talked to folks and i noted that roy literally goes out in the rain when scar targets the elrics. he’s risking his life and he has a way bigger target on his back than ed does as the ‘hero of ishval’.

so it’s just....while it isn’t very obvious, it’s way more obvious in 03? the shaking of hands, the faith, the ‘why didn’t you ask for my help first?!’ scene? it is there. and i just think roy continued the entire story rocky as they can be, to propel ed in his own way. those two are people who love very, very hard. and ed honestly doesn’t know what to do with roy’s concern and being an actual adult that hasn’t let him or his brother down besides izumi and sieg. 

so yeah, he’s a bit freaked. but roy gave him the push he needed, and frankly i headcanon post pd that ed visits him as he recuperates / gets his sight back before beelining back to resembool to see winry and granny and den, and yes, he absolutely keeps contact with all of them. 

ed needed someone like roy at his lowest point and unlike all the adults who failed before? roy didn’t. it takes ed a long, long time to process that, but it makes it one of the most subtle and most important relationships to me honestly for both characters. when roy goes blind ed isn’t impassive, he’s /freaking out/. 

so yes, i think the two fill in things for each other in a familial, obviously platonic way that others can’t. and they’re so similar, passionate, brilliant, stubborn, and honestly they love intensely. and are willing to die any time for their loved ones. 

so yeah, i think at the end of the story roy is that person ed would call at four am. not by any means gradually. but eventually. at least in my portrayal. and mustang squad? is just all these big brothers / uncles / and a motherly figure that doesn’t detract from trisha. just like izumi / teacher. 

this relationship is just really important to me. it’s just done so well, and i was happy that when roy lost his way it wasn’t just riza there, ed wasn’t there as the token protagonist, he’s proven he is compelling for being ed and beloved for being ed not a shonen protagonist. 

...... ed was there because he’ll also be damned if the person who saw dead eyes in an eleven year old gains those same eyes but with the intent of murder. he may not be hawkeye, but that’s his not so idiotic superior officer and maybe something deeper, something familial that he’s terrified to touch. and he’s willing to risk being burnt by that. 

tl;dr: roy mustang was dad all along once things kicked off and fma is all about the family you find, and the family you learn to let go, hold onto, and accept, but also move forward. because you can’t change it.

[ejm513]

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST BIRTHDAYS AND ZODIACS

Hello my lovelies! So this is a result of me making a timeline and list of people's ages for the story I'm working on, and after I noticed there were no official birthdays for the characters I used my growing interest in astrology to come up with whatever the hell this is.

Just be aware that I am not doing ALL the characters, most of it is random, and with some of these characters I'm just guessing their ages and will probably be WWWAAAYY of but MEH... I tried

Please chime in what you would think and give your opinion if you have one! I'm really curious.

Edward:

February 3rd, 1899:

This was the only technically official birthday I could find. This would make Edward and Aquarius which uh I can attest from having an Aquarius Grandmother is accurate. He's stubborn, extremely hot tempered, extremely intelligent, a big thinker, closed off emotionally... the list goes on.

Winry:

December 3rd, 1899:

Winry just SCREAMS Sagittarius. She is bubbly, independent (I read somewhere about them loving freedom) and optimistic. Obviously everyone is their own person with their own personality by most of the Sagittarius's I've met have been just as wonderful and as she is. Plus fun fact the date I chose is Amanda Seyfried's birthday, who could have pass for Winry when she was younger.

Alphones:

July 3rd, 1900 (side note I didn't mean to pick a lot of threes... just an accident): There is a simple reason I think Alphones is a Cancer, and that is mainly because he reminds me of the Cancers I know if my life-which basically means he is the kindest and softest cinnamon role. He's definitely doesn't fit the stereotype of Cancers bring the cry baby's of the Zodiacs but he is definitely more emotional and just all around softer than Edward. He's also loyal and protective and can be just a moody as Edward. My Grandfather, who I never got to meet was a Cancer and that's where I got the birthday from.

Roy:

April 14th, 1885: Besides the obvious fact that Aries is a fire sign.... I'm just gonna leave this brief description;

"Aries are entrepreneurial, independent and creative. They have the nerve to get things started and can be inspiring leaders. Their crackling energy is infection, and they are children at heart, buzzing with the force of life itself."

I rest my case

Riza

May 13th, 1889

I'm a Taurus myself and the birthday I chose is my own if my user name wasn't a give away (I know I know), but to be frank I do a little Taurus qualities. She's very kind and soft hearted despite being very reserved, very down to Earth, saying she's loyal is an understatement, is a hard worker, intimidatingly angry when provoked, and this is the big one-admittedly stubborn. She is very much a girl after my own heart.

Maes

August 4th, 1889

This man... this beautiful... beautiful man... radiates the best qualities of a Leo. As I did with his counter part and best buddy Roy I'm just gonna leave a brief description of a Leo's personality;

"Like a crackling fire, Leo's tend to be warm, passionate, and dynamic. They delight in opportunities to let their charismatic, inclusive personality shine. And like the lion that represents them Leo's are also strong, brave and ready to dominate everything they set out to do."

And I can't believe I'm saying this but can we get an F in the chats for this beautiful man who deserved so much better.

I wanted to do more but I opened my computer yesterday and saw cracks that weren't there before and I wanted to get this out so maybe a part two?

s

[gamespritearchive]

yes i like fullmetal alchemist brotherhood a normal amount (<- lying) this post is going to be long so open the readmore at ur own risk

ok this is genuinely going to be a mess because im really terrible at summarizing things and organizing my thoughts so if ur actually gonna read through this then good luck!

here are just some short thoughts before the longer paragraphs

- i absolutely LOVE the note that plays right after the alchemists clap their hands together that indicates that theyre abt to use alchemy. the sound of the clap + the note that plays is incredibly satisfying

- the strong and well-written female characters in this show was a really good touch and i loved how they brought them (izumi and olivier) together at the end :') also their beefy husbands together was super nice too

- my favorite part of the story was actually the part where ed and al go to briggs because thats wher they introduced olivier. it was super nice to see her talk about how strong-willed she is and her army and all of that

- lan fan is another example of a strong female character but a little less favorable since she serves ling yao. that doesnt make her any less cool though she was super badass and i definitely cried over her more than once

- the details in this show was really nice. alphonse's body being malnourished was something that seemed really obvious, but the fact that when ed got his right arm back it was noticeably less muscular and had longer nails than his left was such a good detail

- in the last episode there was a scene where alphonse made a dumb face that was animated just like how ed's faces looked and that made me really happy that we finally get to see al emote just like his brother :')

- im pretty sure i cried through the entirety of the last episode because being able to see the characters laugh and smile without feeling burdoned by anything after youve seen them go through repeated heartache and physical pain for 63 episodes is a super nice feeling

- "i'm a terrible father but i want to make you two proud" .

- "i'll give you half of my life and you give me half of yours" UGH

- also right after this when ed was laughing at how flustered winry got because normally hes the one who gets flustered :') that was so sweet

- i literally guessed that it was morse code whenever they showed selim banging on al's head because its like why would they put so much emphasis on that and let it go on for like 10 seconds without any music over it. this happened like multiple times too and i guessed it before they made it incredibly obvious bye im the smartest guy alive

ok heres where i talk more besties lets go

fmab was absolutely worth watching 64 episodes. i was convinced that i probably wont finish it because i have trouble finishing 12 episodes but as it may be obvious i got super invested. fmab being this long allowed there to be enough time to explain aspects of the story separately and to watch them all come together at some point. it also allowed for a ton of details that even though they're small, they're still important to the story. they rehash a lot of points because it was a simple detail that could get lost through the story but when its rementioned and you recall the time, it's such a nice feeling to have that click in ur mind.

also the character development was really good and ill get more in-depth about characters later but the length of this anime also allowed for a ton of really good character development. it ties into the whole thing where you learn about a characters backstory and you don't understand why it's important to the show until later on and then you're like ohhhh holy shit that makes sense now! also all that time for character development also lets you get attached to more than just the main characters and makes you care more about the role they play in the story.

roy mustang. at first i liked him, but when he started to speak about how he wanted to become the fuhrer president before he knew the military was corrupt, i assumed that he would just become as corrupt as bradley was ("starting wars for no reason"). i was convinced for the longest time that he would eventually just turn out to be the second bad guy and that nearly came true whenever he was trying to kill envy but riza helped him :) i loved the entirety of their relationship they're so sweet and compliment eachother so well. the scene where roy demonstrates the sheer amount of trust he has in riza's abilities by blindly (heh. he was blind during this if u didnt know.) following her directions and hitting their target ... it was just so good. also even though i didnt trust roy i thought he was super badass the sound of him snapping was always super satisfying as well

i almost want to rewatch fmab because it would be really nice to pick up on things that were later referenced in the anime. because of how long it is, its super easy to forget about things that happened early on in the anime (especially for someone with memory issues lol) so being able to watch back with the second half of the show still fresh on my mind would be almost an entirely different experience. the first thing that comes to mind is whenever we were shown kimblee in prison super early on. i know he had dialogue but i remember nothing about it because i was focused on thinking "literally who the fuck is this guy lol" but now i know. wow.

edward elric. im aware that this is going to be incredibly biased but i literally do not care. anyways. character development is always important and needed within a story but i genuinely feel like ed's character development was interesting to watch. it was never super obvious and his core values never changed. he did somewhat have a change in attitude when he nearly died to kimblee, but thats like expected you know ... being that close to death and all. i think that event was essentially the beginning of the end of his naivety. he was always consistent with the people he cared about though :) he never stopped calling them stupid and weird and he never stopped threatening to punch hohenheim whenever he was frustrated even if they were like in the middle of like a life or death situation. i just think he's neat

when ed destroyed pride('s vessel) i felt my heart well up with. pride LOL. that was his very first explicit win against someone who has been against him this entire time, and seeing him defeat pride with his own two hands was such a nice feeling. it wasnt technically his own win since he was only able to get to that point because of his friends and family around him

episode 60 was suuper good it was the part where the father was gonna swallow god because of the solar eclipse. its super hard to explain if uve never seen it but basically the scene was super cool simply because of how well the animation showed the sheer scale of what was happening. like this guy was literally reaching to the moon. theres a lot of unnatural things that are shown in fmab and although this scene didnt introduce any new concepts, it was still incredibly captivating because of how well the animation was

aand thats it i think! i regret not writing down how i feel during the earlier episodes but i think watching it with little to no distractions was a better experience. if u actually read this im giving u a kiss on the cheek rn ilu

[heartfeltheart]

Alchemy: Magic Vs. Science

Chapters: 3/25 Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist/Harry Potter Rating: T Relationships: Edward/Winry, Lan Fan/Ling, and May/Alphonse. Primary Characters: Edward Elric, Severus Snape Additional Tags: Crossover, Teacher!Edward, BrOtp Edward/Severus. Sassy beyond measure. Series: Part 1 of 9. Summary: Magic and Science, are they the same or are they completely different? It just takes one person to point out all up and downs. Along with breaking the stereotypes that come up with being a wizard, alchemist and most of all being human. Thank you, @amynchan! D/C: I do not own Harry Potter or Fullmetal Alchemist. Discord: La Red(Mesh Mash of… stuff.): https://discord.gg/KYjmVAb Alchemy Series: https://discord.gg/DejEYNJ

“English and Edward’s accented voice.” “Amestrian or another foreign language.” “Written notes.” ‘Thoughts.’ First Name: Informal Last Name: Formal (Or used to annoy others)

"Dis is amazing..." Edward said in total awe the moment the bricks moved away to show Diagon Alley. He quickly looked over his shoulder to see Severus giving him an amused look. "Hov is dis place been able to keep out of the public eye?"

Severus started to walk forward in a seemingly random direction and signaled for Edward to follow him. "The entire place is charmed, no muggle is able to see it."

Edward pointed at himself. "And I?"

"Another theory, for another time." Severus replied quietly, he weaved through the witches and wizards. Edward followed him while looking around the area trying to take everything in. So many questions swam through his mind Edward wanted to ask Severus but he held back.

The last thing they both needed is someone listening in to them and talk to the wrong people. Even if Edward has full permission from that crazy headmaster to teach at his magical school, he didn't want to make any enemies...yet. There were a lot of kids and teens running about with their parents. All of them had a list in hand, chatting endlessly about the upcoming school year. Edward couldn't help but smile bitterly, he never went to a traditional school per say, he did go to a small school with Alphonse and Winry before his mother died. After that, Granny home-schooled them after Edward got into far too many fights.

"A knut for your thought?" Severus murmured glancing back at Edward who has a distant look in his eyes.

"Are a lot of deze kids go to Hogwarts?" Edward asked offhandedly, pointing at the kids running around Diagon Alley.

Severus glanced around the area before he nodded. "It is that time of year when they come out here to buy their supplies for the upcoming school year."

"...By do I have the feeling I am already regretting dis." Edward sighed raising his arms in defeat.

"You and I both." Severus replied as he walked into Flourish and Blotts. "Keep your thoughts to yourself, Elric. We do not need any unwanted attention."

Edward only rolled his eyes as he followed Severus, in his own pace. Glancing around the bookstore, he took note that the place was filled with more students along with their parents. All of them were in a hurry trying to get their books and find themselves out of the chaos. "Dis place...is rather chaotic."

"You don't even know the half of it." Severus sighed to himself, heading towards the back of the bookstore, where fortunately seemed to be empty except for a couple of random teens or older adults. Not giving any of them a single glance, the both of them walked passes them. The students were giving Severus nervous looks or quickly shuffled away in fear. "It should be over here...Here it is."

Severus stopped in front of a certain bookcase and signaled Edward towards it. "This section has all the alchemy books in this place."

With a grin, Edward started to glance through the titles and recognizing a few from the other bookshop he previously visited. He pulled out a book and began to get lost in the book. Seeing this, Severus turned around and headed out leaving Edward in his own world.

-.-

"Not good enough."

"Total trash."

"This will only get someone killed."

"...This guy is an idiot..."

"This one is...oddly decent."

Edward sat crossed legged on the floor in front of the bookcase with a large book in hand. Multiple piles of books scattered all around him, the piles were all coordinated by decent, okay, nope and just plain trash. There was a small tiny pile of good books, which only compromised three books our of well over several dozens of books he scoured through the area around his current spot.

Edward randomly picked out another book from the shelf and flipped it open on a random page. "This is actually good enough to be used."

Edward grinned as he read the book. He flipped through the pages, he landed on the dedication page. Whose names he saw written there made his blood freeze.

In the loving memory of my wife, Trisha.

To my sons, Edward, and Alphonse...I hope this book gets to you both.

Snapping the book closed, Edward turned the book around to see the spine of the said book. His eyes narrowed at the name of the author of the book.

Von Hoheheim.

Grudgingly, Edward placed the book in a different pile. Personal use. Even if his father was a shitty one, the man is still his father. Even though Edward still hold a deep hatred towards the guy...

"Whoa...look at this?"

"Who would take out this many books?"

"Who knows, George."

"Why don't we found out, Fred?"

"Lead the way, dear brother."

Edward blinked slowly as he heard those voices. It was obvious they were male, ten or eleven, and by their tone, it sounded like they are siblings. Slowly, Edward took a peek over the 'nope' pile of books. He came eye to eye with a two pairs of brown eyes, brown stared into gold. "Hello."

The two pairs of brown eyes widened in a realization that they got caught spying. With a loud oomph, the twins accidentally stumbled forward. They accidentally spilled over the pile of books.

Edward stared at the boys taken in their full appearance. Twins, they were identical twins, they were wearing worn but well taken care of clothes. Hand-me-downs perhaps? They were almost identical. He watched the twins scrambled up and began to take note of their differences. The one on the left had an extra freckle right under his left eye. The other has a bigger nose, hardly noticeable unless you take note of it. "Do you need zomething?"

One of the boys quickly looked around trying to find something to say that would not get in trouble with the stranger. "Alchemy! We were looking for alchemy books."

"Really?" Edward asked in false bewilderment, he inwardly chuckled at the horrible excuse. "Vell, how about dis..."

-.-

The sight that Snape came to see was Elric chatting away with two boys, Weasley's by the looks of it. They were chatting about alchemy while putting away books, each Weasley was holding a small pile of books while listening to Edward with such eager eyes. They took in Elric words about alchemy, they even seemed eager about it.

Snape waited until the last book was put away until he made his presence known. "Did you find everything that you needed, Elric?"

When Snape appeared, the twins paled at the sight of the man. Recalling what their brothers had told them about said man.

"Ah Zefferus, der you are." Elric grinned, not even taking note of the tense atmosphere around his perhaps future students. He saw that the Potions Master carrying a pile of books in his arms. "Done vith your shopping?"

"Done with yours?" Snape remarked, seeing Elric's own pile of books. He took a single glance at the twins, his lips curled back in a fashion he could only do. "Ah, Weasleys... Here I thought we could finally get a bre-"

Snape was cut off as Elric pilled his own books over the professor books. This resulted with the Head of Slytherin view being obscured by said books. "Elric..."

Elric ignored him as he took the books from Fred and George, who all had grins of mirth's, piled them on top of the rest of the book on Snape's arm. "Vu tvo are koing to pe first years, ja?"

"Yeah, we have three-"

"Older brothers and two of-"

"They are going to be at Hog-"

"Warts with us."

Elric's eyes pin pong between Fred and George as they spoke for one and for the other, finishing off each other sentences. He raised his hand to stop them from talking, as they began to get off topic. "Huge family, older broders, one younger broder and zisder. Pranks?"

Elric stared into the twins eyes, almost glaringly. He then pointed at one of them. "Fred..." Then he pointed at the other one. "George."

Fred and George stared at him in bewilderment, he actually guessed accurately right. Not even their own mother could get their names right more than half of the time.

"As much as I enchoy a prank effery once and a file...No pranks in my class." Elric shook a finger at the boys, talking in a reprimanding voice. "Dey tend to get you killed..."

The twins paled at how easy the golden eye teen spoke those last words. It was as if he could care less about it too.

Elric then grinned at the twins and ruffled their hair. "Nov come on, it is time to pay. Come on, Zefferus."

"About time..." Snape growled under his breath, he glanced over the stack of books in his hands. "Now come on..."

Elric only grinned and laughed as he followed him, he signaled for the Weasley twins to follow him. "Do not mind him, he is just being immature."

Snape huffed out but did not respond to the comment.

"Before I forget..." Elric looked down at the twins, brows furrowed. "Do you tvo need help getding your school books? You tvo helped me, I help you in return."

"You are on a limited budget, Elric." Snape said low in a tone, to the Elric wanting to get out of the current situation he was currently in.

"Den I vill uze my perzonal funds then...if I could do dat?" Elric muttered the last part to himself wondering if he could transfer the money he has accumulated for his work in the military. "Could I transfer money from my perzonal account and turned it into..."

Elric trailed off not fully knowing what else to say as he is not familiar with this worlds system works.

Snape took a quick glance at the Weasley twins, they were confused by Elric's words and his own confusion of the Wizarding World. The Potion’s Professor mentally debated if he should stop this conversation as it would lead to unwanted attention but...Seeing as the youth is probably going to make it a point on who he is and what he is not later on...

"We...could have that arranged." Snape said slowly, wondering just how much money the other has. As Elric had told him he was in the military but did not mention what was his ranking or payroll. "How much...?"

Elric quickly scanned through his pockets to quickly take out his notebook and a pencil. He quickly wrote down a number and showed it to Snape. "Vill dis be enough to get me through the year?"

Snape took one quick glance...then another...and another. His eyes widen at the amount on the paper. "In what currency is that in?"

"In bounds. I changed it ven I came to dis country." Elric said feeling unsure if the amount he wrote down is enough. "Vill it be enough?"

"Is this your entire savings?" Snape felt his mouth dry at the sheer amount that Elric presented.

"Just about..." Edward moved his head side to side as he thought it over. "Three months vorth of bay."

'He could buy ¾'s of Diagon Alley with that amount.' Snape thought to do the math in his head. He cleared his throat in trying to clear his mind. "It is more than enough. We'll head to Gringotts after this..."

"Vat is Grinkotts?"

"Are you a muggle?" Fred and George asked, no longer able to hold in their curiosity.

-.-

Mrs. Molly Weasley looked all over the bookstore frantically pulling her two youngest along with her. She looked over every crook and cranny trying to find the twins. One moment they were in her sight and then...they disappeared in their typical fashion only known to troublemakers. Normally it wouldn't have been an issue but Molly mind is on overdrive that day.

Four of her children are going to be attending Hogwarts and this year, money is extremely tight. Charlie and Percy were placed into advanced classes and they require new texts books and the twins, albeit they could reuse other books the other boys had gotten previous years, the required new textbooks are out of the families price range. It is not her year...

Molly ignored her youngest son complaints as she pulled them along with her. Even with Charlie and Percy looking for the twins too, it seemed like they were having the same trouble as her. The twins were nowhere to be found...panic is finally setting in.

"Fred! George! Boys, where are you!" Molly called out, no longer able to hold it in any longer. She took a turn and quickly headed back to the front of the store hoping that she just missed them. "When I get my hands on them."

"Mum, we found them." Percy called out running towards his mother in a frenzy. Molly stopped mid-step and quickly headed towards Percy's direction.

"Where are they, are they are alright? I knew this sort of thing would have happened." Molly prattled on as Percy led her through the shop. "We still need to buy your and your brother's books, among several other things."

"About that...Fred and George already got their books. They already paid for the books."

"How...?"

-.-

"He's going to be the new Professor at Hogwarts."

"He's going to teach Alchemy."

"We saw him looking through books."

"About Alchemy."

"The guy looked like he's Bill's age."

"I wonder if we could get into his class."

"Remember what he said, he gets to pick his students."

"Do you think he might?"

"Pick us? He said he might consider it."

"Fred...George...Do you even know if he actually is a professor." Charlie asked, feeling that a headache is coming in. Out of all the things the twins had done...

"That professor was with him. Nap?"

"Professor Snape?" Charlie asked feeling his blood run cold for a bit. "This guy was with Professor Snape? Getting books?"

"Yeah him, he was with Mr. Elric."

"Mr. Elric needed books for his class.

"We helped him and in turn."

"He bought our books for the year." Fred and George finished, each boy holding a pile of books in their arms. "And a couple of other books too, about alchemy."

Charlie stared at them wondering if he should be glad or angry at this point. Glad that his brothers don't have to worry about their books, as the book list that year is by far pricier compared to other years. Anger at that fact it was a handout, now th-

"I hope we make it into his class."

"Only if we study the books he got us."

"He also bought your other books?" Charlie asked he extended his arm out towards the boys. "Let me see."

Fred and George glanced at each other wondering if they should. Seeing how tense their older brother was, they quietly complied. The each took out four different books from their own pile and handed one to Charlie.

Charlie took the book and scanned it when he saw the tag price on the book his eyes nearly popped out of his head. That single book had to cost about the same as the average cost of a seventh year's book list. When he opened the book, Charlie couldn't make head or tails about it. He flipped the book to show it to the twins. "Do you know what this is?"

"That's a peripodic table...I think?" George's nose scrunched as he attempted to say out the word.

"Periodic table." Fred corrected him.

"Yeah that. It's a table of all the elements."

"Mr. Elric said that learning this would help us understand Alchemy." Both boys continued on in unison. "If we study it, he might consider allowing us to get into the class."

Charlie watched as his brothers spoke to each other excitedly about the subject in hand. The only times he ever saw the twins with that sparkle in their eyes when they talk about their pranks or play quidditch. Let alone something that has to be school reacted. Then again...anger persist.

Charlie was one of many that petitioned for the elective to be open the upcoming school year. Here are the twins... ending up meeting the teacher. The said teacher seemed to already teach them a couple of things on the subject, already received praised along with getting books paid. "And he just paid for your books? This must have cost him a fortune."

Fred and George paused, they looked at each other uneasily. The conversed nonverbally trying to figure out what they should say to their older brother. With a nod of determination, they figured out what to say.

"Mr. Elric is from another country." Fred started off.

"He works for their government." George continued off.

"During his time there, he hardly spent any of his money."

"From Mr. Nape." "It's Snape." "...Mr. Snape's reaction from the number Mr. Elric gave him made it seem like he was rich or something."

"Why did this...Mr. Elric buy your books? All your required books?"

"He said that since we helped him, he helps us." They said trying to figure out what that meant. "We tried to tell him to not to but..."

"It was rather..."

"Difficult trying to get him not to buy our books."

"He wouldn't take no for answer."

"The way he wanted us to repay him is by-"

"Studying and getting good grades."

"That's it?" Charlie asked taken aback.

"That's it."

-.-

"Doze two are the right age to start learning about alchemy." Elric said as he watched Snape shrink all the books and putting them into his suitcase. Once it was said and done, Elric closed the suitcase with a puzzled look as he picked it back up. "You haffe to tell me hov dat...spell vorks."

"Here I thought you would have an episode?" Snape replied dryly at Edward words.

Elric only shrugged, he turned around taking a good like of the area. "Vere to next?"

"Gringgots."

-.-

One hour later...

Snape resisted the urge to groan in annoyance as he watched Elric speak Amestrian to the goblin that is helping the blonde set up his own vault. The moment that Elric found out that he goblin, Kavex, spoke Amestrian, that was the main language they spoke making Snape feel left out.

"I never had any use of it until recently. I got by with what I had on hand." Elric said as he filled out the required paper. "I mostly spent it on...medical bills."

"You've accumulated a fair amount over the years of your military service..." Kavex said looking through a couple of documents. "How long will you be staying, if I could ask you of that?"

"At the most a year." Elric responded without a second thought. "I have other affairs back home...but who knows...I might come back."

"And everything here will be the same." Kavex nodded, he held out his hand towards Elric's direction. "I need your blood and signature to complete the vault."

"It won't be used or stored away...right?" Elric asked hesitantly.

"It will be the binding contract that will allow only you to access the vault." Kavex said, he pulled out a giant tome and slid it over toward Elric. "This is our laws if you wish to look through it before he finalizes anything. It's written in Amestrian."

Elric slid the book closer to him and began to read it, ignoring Snape's look of disbelief that he gave him.

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[petri808]

Promises to Keep

@marveledbytaetae for the server exchange.

EdWin Angst with happy ending.  I hope you like it :)

^^

As Ed stood there staring at Winry’s closed bedroom door, he knew this would be one of the toughest things he would have to do and yet…  Ed hangs his head, letting out a long, drawn out exhale in an effort to calm his nerves.  It was something that needed to be done.  He never wanted to put her through pain, to have to worry about him, and yet it was the one thing he always managed to do to her.  ‘Soon,’ he reminds himself, ‘this will all be over soon…’  One way or another they were ending this battle with Father.

Ed raises his hand to knock, pausing centimeters against the wood.  He couldn’t do it, holding the fist mid-air, and clenching it tighter, with tears threatening beneath his closed eyelids.  She’s been though too much.  Lost, too many loved ones and here he was about to throw himself in front of the fire once more.  It almost didn’t matter that he was doing it for her, for everyone he cared about.  She deserves better, and he knows it.  Maybe someday….  ‘We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.’

The stage had been set, plans long in progress and time was ticking down.  He knew she deserved to hear the whole truth from him.  About what they were doing and when he, they would be leaving for Central.  It was up to him to prepare her for the coming Promised Day to make sure that she and Pinako would be as safe as possible.  He just prayed she wouldn’t hate him for this.

“Win,” Ed knocks lightly, “are ya up?”

Gentle shuffling sounds along the wooden floors are the only indication of movement from inside the room.

“Yes,” he hears her quiet response from behind the door, “did you need something Ed?”

“Could we…” he pauses to gather his resolve.  “I need to talk to you about something.”

The seriousness of Ed’s tone causes Winry to flinch behind the door.  Suspicions had been mounting the entire time she’d made it home to find Ed, Greed, and the others holed up in her home that something was going on.  Not that she didn’t already know, considering others like the Briggs soldiers that had helped her to escape were plotting too.  It had been frustrating to be kept out of the loop of much of what was happening, but maybe it had been to protect her was the only rationale she could come up with.  She sighs, unlocking the door and cracking it before walking back to her bed to sit down.        

Without a word, Ed quietly let’s himself in, noting the forlorn expression already seated upon Winry’s face.  He sits down beside her with his hands folded in his lap.  She was staring at the floor, and that wasn’t helping his nerves.  It was obvious Winry suspected something.  “Win…” he reaches over, placing a tentative hand upon hers.  “Winry I wanted….” He hesitates, sighing with abandon.  “You deserve to know the whole story.  We…. We plan to leave in a week for Central for the fight with Father.”

“I figured as much…” she breathes out.

He glances over, studying her faced down expression.  “You did?” Ed rubs the back of his neck, “I guess it wasn’t too hard to figure it out.  Aren’t you upset?”

“Of course, I am.”  Winry finally turns to face him.  “There’s nothing I can do about it, but it’s okay Ed, I know you have to go.”  She cracks a half-hearted smile.  “You have to save Amestris, I get that.  Doesn’t mean I have to like it, but I understand.”

Ed had been prepared to get yelled at, scolded, maybe even smacked by her and told he was crazy, but Winry was taking it all so well.  “I think you and granny should take the next train and get out of the country.  Head to Xing, you’ll be safer there…”

“No.  I’m not leaving my home.”

“Win, why do you always have to fight me on things?”

“It’s to keep you on your toes,” she smiles.  This time it’s Winry that takes hold of Edwards hand, squeezing lightly in a gesture of reassurance.  “Besides I know granny won’t leave either and I can’t leave her here alone, so... we’re staying put,” adding a sharp nod of her head at the end finalizing her determination.

Why did she have to be so stubborn?  Then again, it was one of the things Ed loved about her.  He looks away, hiding the light flush to his cheeks lurking beneath the surface of his skin.  Her blue eyes would pull him in so easily before he could catch himself when they glinted in a smile or flashed with determination.  But it wasn’t right.  He didn’t deserve her, not yet, and he certainly didn’t want to break her heart.  Because what if he didn’t return?  That was a big what if.  They’d faced Father once and lost, what if he really was too powerful?  What if Hohenheim failed to do his part in releasing the Xerxes souls?  What if the Briggs soldiers failed to take Central’s military headquarters?  What if?  What if?  Too many what ifs, and not enough certainty for his analytical mind.

It would have been easier to let Edward wallow.  Winry knew him too well not to realize he was probably still calculating and analyzing everything in his mind, the familiar furrow of his brows, or slight twitch of his neck vein when he was deep in thought.  And she wasn’t an idiot, part of that equation was their safety, hers and granny’s.  They were far enough and out of the way from Central to be affected by direct military actions, but maybe there was more to the story?  What else could be causing him to worry so much?

“Ed?”          

“Yeah?”

“Are you telling me everything?”

“What do you mean?”  He looks up.  It was true he hadn’t told her about the giant transmutation circle or how Father had planned to kill everyone and take their souls because he didn’t think she needed to know.  It was the whole reason he wanted them out of the country but knew there was no arguing with her once she’d made up her mind.  “You think I’m still holding back?”

Winry simply stares him down, raising an eyebrow for effect.

He flinches, knowing that look could be proceeded by a painful lesson.  “Alright yes, there is, but I’m still not telling you.  All you need to know is that it’s going to be very dangerous on that day for everyone in this country and that’s why I wanted you to leave.”

She takes a few moments to process everything Edward was explaining to her.  Whatever this secret was must be important, and based on his expression, scared him to an extent that he was unwilling to talk about it.  It was hard enough knowing, she may never see him again once he walks out of the house to leave, but at the same time, she’s learned over time, her strength, gave him strength.  

“I’m just scared I’ll lose you Win.”

“Ed, I’m just as scared to lose you too.  You and Al and granny are the only family I got in this world.  But,” she forces him to look at her, placing a hand on his cheek, “I also know how stubborn and strong you both are, and have faith that at the end of the day you’ll win.”

“You can’t know that,” the tears gather at the corners, “Father is strong…”

“And you are stronger!  Edward Elric, I have never seen anything stop you before.  Even when you were scared, you fought through it.  You’re the toughest person I know!”  She looks up holding his amber eyes in a deadlock.  ‘Was he really this much taller than me?’  Banishing those thoughts for the time being, “you’ve come this far Ed, I know you will finish it and come back home to us.”

Somehow, in some way, that flickering flame behind her blue eyes sent a warmth flooding through his frame along with a renewed sense of confidence and hope.  Not that he thought as highly of himself, but Winry was right about one thing.  He wasn’t one to back down from any fight, and this was the biggest to date.  It was time to fight for not just his life but hers, and Al’s, and grannys, and everyone else that meant the world to him.  It was time to protect them.

“Thank you,” Ed leans in, letting his forehead rest against hers.  He places his hand over the one she still holds against his cheek.  “You really are my strength Win, and I promise I’ll come back home to you.”

“You swear?” Win’s own tears threatening, but she holds them back.  She’d promised not to cry until it was over, and she wasn’t about to give in now!        

“With every beat of my heart.”

@kuroshironekoserver

[paragonrobits]

a concept for Ishvalan Elric AUs where, for extremely obvious reasons, Ed does not join the Amestrian military. Ed’s whole character point may be ‘dangerously naive and arrogant’ early series, but he wouldn’t be THAT dense.

How, then, does he be called the Fullmetal Alchemist?

Presumably, at this point, Ed’s activities are actually known by the major players, and tales of his work is known far and wide; as it is far too risky to approach Central or centers of learning, at the seat of Amestrian military power, Edward and Alphonse instead resort to scouring more isolated areas, and get into all kinds of trouble as they do. Edward gets called the FUllmetal Alchemist by people attributing stories to him, in the fashion of the titles of Amestrian alchemists. he takes this with a smug ‘hah hah, fuck those guys’ sense of being an opposite number to the Amestrians.

Greed enters the story earlier, intending to snatch up Ed and Al for his group, and its through him they learn of the nature of the Philosopher’s Stone, though he is reluctant to admit that’s what it is; the homunculi find out his location through them, and its only by sheer dumb luck that Ed and Al don’t get spotted by Bradley. In this version, Bradley’s false demeanor is never even played with, except to other Amestrians; Ed and Al see him fro the beginning for the monster he is.

Scar takes much the same position as Roy and the military adults normally do in canon; the reasonable adult who has done some stuff, but his moral ambiguity is played in a different light than Roy’s status of ‘is he plotting stuff or WHAT’. He is a considerably softer figure than he is at canon in tihs point, with his shock of finding two Ishvalan boys alive... even if one of them is trapped in a hellish prison of steel. Scar and Ed argue about the nature of alchemy. a LOT. he becomes a Dad figure more or less by accident in the same way that canon Ed gets friends, because they are badasses who won’t put up with his bullshit

(winry is probably traveling with them from the beginning, desperate to keep them alive, and more emphasis is put on the guilt Amestrians all have for wht happened to Ishval. her vengefulness for Scar is played as her wanting to make him pay for mrudering her mother and father, and guilt for what her country has done; she feels no different than the men and women who slaughtered children in Ishval. The sympathy would not, on the whole, be with the Amestrians. Because, well, duh.)

Greed’s apparent death is the big ‘fuck no’ moment early on, similar to Hughes’ death, and is a huge tragedy; his obvious goodness is played more openly here, as one of the first times Ed and Al have found community since losing their home. His later rebirth with Ling, but without any of his memories, is horribly shocking and tragic; they have to say goodbye to someone who is already gone, or so they think.

After a certain point, corrosponding to the canonical reveal of Father’s ambitions, the story shifts into paths similar to canon, and the military characters shift as well. Initially played as potential threats and ominous figures (assuming that, in this AU, they opted to STAY with the military and didn’t just leave), as the true stakes become apparent, they start splitting off to do the right thing at last, where they become Elric allies.

Olivier Armstrong and Ed’s relationship is WAY more tense than in canon since she looks the part of the oppressor and the murderer of his people; she doesn’t dispute it. To her, Ed is a living reminder of everything her country has done wrong.

Izumi is still a Mom. Due to their much harsher situation, she is softer towards them, since she doesn’t NEED to be as stern as with in canon. Possibly traveling with them early on as part of the Elric Squad? Sig is friends with Scar. Scar has no idea how that happened.

[drrockbell]

I’m Back + New Fanfic!

Hello! I am back from my hiatus and I wanted to create something special for all of my friends and EdWin shippers to thank them for their support, especially @kittykatz009, who stuck with me through it all.

I really needed to take some time off of tumblr and clear my mind from problematic events that transpired and I apologize for logging off abruptly for so long. I decided that leaving something I love because of some toxicity of a few individuals I don’t even know is pointless and I will always be better than any lie a stranger makes up because it was entertaining to them.

That said, I am still happy I took some time off, because even if nothing is happening, it is healthy to stay away from social media and just focus on yourself for a while and I encourage everyone to do that for themselves if they ever feel flooded by it.

Now, I would want to say that I consider this to be my first real ‘fanfic’ because even though I have written some work in the past, I actually wrote them for my Creative Writing courses and then I based my characters off of FMA and just changed the names.

I didn’t do this for a grade or anything, it was all on my own, so I am happy to say that this is my first fan-fiction.

I have had this concept in my mind for years now and I have never seen many writers indulge in it that much, so I’m excited to write this.

Once again, thank you all so much for your love and support and I want all of you to know how much I appreciate you all. You couldn’t possibly no how much that means to me

______________________________________________________________

Attraction

Rating: T

Pairings: EdWin

______________________________________________________________

Edward watched as Alphonse pushed his hair around, angling his head in different positions to get a better view of himself in the mirror.

Edward was lying on his bed, arms folded behind his head with an unamused expression on his face. Alphonse was about to set off on a weekend trip with that Xingese Princess and he had spent the last two hours picking out his outfit and fixing his hair, growing more and more irritated when a strand from his bangs kept falling out of place.

“You know she will still glomp all over you no matter how neat your hair looks, right?”

“Hey, I’ve just gotten my hair back and I intend to give it as much care as I can,” Alphonse replied, glancing at Edward with a small smirk on his face.

“Heh, well you’ll start losing it if you keep spraying it with that alcoholic mess,” Edward said, now sitting up, feet flat on the floor with a snarky grin.

Alphonse ignored him, standing up, giving himself one last look in the mirror and walked to the closet to grab his coat.

Edward’s eyes followed him, sighing, “I really don’t see why you’re all decked out. How much did that fancy suit cost you anyway? And that cologne is so stro- are you wearing lip-gloss?!”

Alphonse slapped a hand over his mouth.

“It’s just chapstick! And… I like the little bit of color it gives me, alright?”

“Oh okay,” Edward teased, laying back on the bed. “Just wanna make sure that lip locking with Mei is perfect, right?”

Alphonse’s face grew beet red at that statement.

“W-well, just because you don’t care about your appearance doesn’t mean I don’t have to!” Alphonse exclaimed.

“Hey! I make sure I am clean and well kept! And that’s all anybody needs. Who the Hell cares about your clothes and hair styles? Attractiveness doesn’t even exist. It’s all in peoples’ heads, made up by a society who wanted to profit from others’ own insecurities,” Edward said.

Now it was Alphonse’s turn to tease him. “Oh, don’t tell me you don’t think Winry is pretty. I see the way you look at her.”

Edward nearly fell over at that remark and suddenly shot up. “No! I don’t- I never- just shut up! Don’t you have a train to catch?”

“Come on Ed. You say that physical attractiveness is completely made up, and that’s fair, but you can’t honestly expect me to believe you never think about her. You’re way too obvious about it.” Alphonse replied back, now being serious.

Edward had a huge, childlike frown plastered on his blushing face, but refused to say anything.

Alphonse checked his watched, then walked to his own bed to gather his suitcase.

“Well I should be going now. You two kitties have fun!” And with that Alphonse stepped out the room and Edward could hear each of his steps down the stairs and him walking out the front door, leaving him and Winry alone for the entire weekend.

Edward was still sitting on the bed, unmoving. He couldn’t keep his brother’s words out of his head. He wasn’t lying when he said that physical attractiveness was made up. He had meant that.

He just couldn’t understand why certain nose shapes, hair colors, and body types were preferred. Sure, he had spent his entire life insecure about his height, he thought with a grimace, but that had nothing to do with wanting to look a certain a way; he just wanted to be taken seriously and be as strong as he could be. The same thing applied to his sense of style. He never once expected it to attract anyone to him, he just thought red, black, and skulls were badass and reflected his own personality and temperament.

Watching his brother spend an ungodly amount of time worrying about the curve of his bangs drove him crazy. It was just hair! As long as it was clean and neat, did it really matter how ‘done up’ it was?

Edward got up and walked to the vanity mirror Alphonse had previously sat at and took a seat and for the first time in so long, he just stared at himself, taking in every detail of his face.

He thought about the color of his eyes; some kind of golden and amber combination. Was this feature considered attractive to others? The only people he knew who had this same iris was his late father and younger brother. He had heard time and time again that rare looks were adored by people.

His hair was like his eyes, almost exactly the same hue. He liked his hair long, but never did anything special with it and always chose to keep it out of the way in a braid or ponytail. He reached behind his head to undo the tie and let it fall around his shoulders. It had been a while since he had it cut. He would do it himself, by just gathering all of it in his hand and getting rid of what he didn’t want in one quick cut with his scissors. It was usually a bit… choppy, but he kept it up all the time anyway, so did that really matter?

He had to admit that Winry was far better at cutting it than he was. She’d give him layers and did something called, ‘point cutting,’ he believed it was. At least then, her hair cuts made him comfortable enough to leave it down so no one would see the choppy mess that he’d make.

Edward stared back into the mirror, noticing more and more how much he resembled his father.

His nose was longer and it stuck out a lot more and his chin and jaw was becoming squarer.

Was this appearance considered attractive? Mustang used to go on about male handsomeness and how important it was to appear manly. Edward didn’t know what was worse; hearing those monologues from the Colonel or suffering Major Armstrongs’ poetic nonsense about the same thing.

He shuddered at those memories from Central. Those times were definitely more torturous and frightening than any homunculus he had ever encountered.

No woman was really into the stuff that those two were spouting about, right?

His thoughts went back to Winry and the words his brother had left him with.

Edward had admitted to himself a year after they had returned home that there was no way he saw his mechanic as just a friend. He had suffered many sleepless nights, teasings from his brother, and anxiety every time he brushed past Winry to ignore the creeping realization any longer.

He couldn’t admit it out loud, but he had been screaming in his mind about it for so long, and he knew in just a few weeks, he and Alphonse would set off on two separate adventures once again. It felt like he was running out of time and it was killing him.

He buried his face in his hands and ran them through his hair, frustrated with the world. He knew he needed to say something soon.

Looking back up to see his exhausted expression, he thought about himself and his childhood friend.

Edward knew he didn’t care what anyone thought about his appearance; whether they found him attractive or not. As far as he was concerned, his body was serving each of their respective functions properly and he had a clean bill of health. His scars, missing leg, hair, nose, whatever, was not of anyone’s concern if they ever decided to ‘validate’ his physical attractiveness.

Still… he couldn’t help but think what Winry thought of him in regards to his appearance. Did she care about his eye shape or body type? Did she... like it? The only thing he knew for sure about her, was that she liked men taller than her and he would thank Truth every day that he finally achieved that goal.

His childhood friend was so hard to read at times. She wasn’t afraid to show her concern or love for himself and his brother, but if she ever had any feelings beyond friendship for him, then she was damn good at not showing it. Or maybe he was just too stupid to notice that. Edward chuckled at that thought. He could recite the Periodic Table, name all the solubility rules, and name every compound increasing in acidity, but he would never be able to read any thought that crossed her mind by just looking in her eyes.

Her eyes…

They were blue. Some kind of mixture between the color of the sky and the berries they would pick outside. They contrasted from her sandy blonde hair that would glow when the sun hit every individual strand.

That’s what she reminded him of. Spring and Summer. The bright yellow sun in the blue sky.

He may never know what she thought of his appearance, but God, he had memorized every color, scar, curve, blemish, and callous that made up his mechanic.

The older he got, the more aware he became of her physically.

There was something satisfying about the gentle slope of her nose, the curve of her cheeks, and the length of her eyelashes. The top of her head reached his collarbone, and this fact made him feel much more… protective of her. He had always been overbearing in regards to her safety, but since the Promised Day, he became much more aware of her fragility compared to him. She had muscular arms and strong, calloused hands due to her work, but that would never stop him from treating her like glass. He could never imagine doing anything to mare her smooth, ivory skin.

He took a breath in and closed his eyes as he thought of her more feminine features. Her heavy chest and thick hips and thighs had done more than just keep him up at night, agonizing over her body.

He had never once thought of or gave any second glance to other women when it came to this thing. He wasn’t stupid. He was very much aware of the differences between the male and female anatomy and what he was apparently supposed to be attracted to, but he felt nothing when it came to them.

Even as an eighteen year old man, he still never looked at women, no matter what clothing they wore or what their body type was. The longer this went on, the more he realized that he only ever had any kind of physical attraction to Winry.

It frustrated him a bit, that he didn’t understand this kind of thing as well as his younger brother, because he felt like he could never truly know what Winry would want or what he could do to appeal to her, as stupid as that sounded.

He didn’t know if she saw him as attractive, if she didn’t even care, or if she, to his horror, thought he was ugly.

The only thing he knew for sure, was how much he noticed her, how much he thought of her, and how he knew that there was no possible way that his feelings were only of friendship.

He was truly afraid of what would happen to them once he departed for his trip. It would only be for a few months and then he’d be home for good, but that didn’t stop his paranoia. Edward knew for a fact that if someone like himself had these thoughts for Winry, then there would definitely be men who noticed her too, and probably held much less innocent thoughts.

That thought alone mortified him, because he couldn’t stand the idea of losing the one thing he never even had to someone else, all because he couldn’t express himself the way he wanted to.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Winry open the basement door and make her way to the kitchen, opening and shutting cabinets.

He looked out the window and was shocked to see the sun setting.

Edward slowly got up from the vanity chair to make his way to the kitchen to help her with dinner where he stopped at the doorway and gave one last look into the mirror to see his solemn expression, before shutting the door.

[writing-royza]

Royai Week: Day One: Parental!Royai

A/N: Happy Royai Day! So I keep seeing posts for this theme where it’s these two dorks having a kid… but let’s be honest, they’ve had two ever since Roy hoisted one out of a wheelchair by his shirtfront. ;)

I do not own FMA.

Passed Down for Generations

“What disturbs me is that they wouldn't give me any details over the phone,” Riza said, watching as they drew closer to the Ninth Military Police Precinct. Her hands rested on the folder in her lap, fingertips tapping lightly in a random rhythm. “I specifically asked what he had done, and the desk sergeant merely repeated that we needed to come down and hung up.”

“The MPs don’t have a lot of liking for State Alchemists or anyone closely associated with them,” Roy allowed. “We kind of tend to… operate on a different level than they do.”

“Thereby subverting their authority.” Riza smiled; it was a grievance she had heard several times in the past, usually directed toward the man in the driver’s seat. “Try and be at least a little understanding of their point of view this time, sir. I’m sure Edward will thank you for getting him out without charges being pressed for whatever he’s being held for.”

“Not likely. When was the last time the pipsqueak ever thanked me for anything?”

They parked just a few spaces shy of the wide stone steps of the precinct, emerging from the car into the early October afternoon. Riza paused by the hood of the car, waiting until Roy was half a pace past her to fall in behind him. Wordlessly, they mounted the steps to the front doors and entered.

Within was a lone woman in civilian clothes at a reception desk, and beyond that was a hive of activity – uniformed MPs hurried every whichway, calling out to each other as they went. Others plugged one ear while talking into the telephone pressed to the other, and still more scribbled on yellow legal pads. Suspects were marched to and from custody cells, followed by lawyers that added annoyed arguments to the cacophony.

Roy braced himself to have to dive headlong into this human maelstrom, stepping up to the receptionist. “Colonel Roy Mustang,” he introduced himself as she looked up. “I understand that you’re holding one of my former subordinates. I came to retrieve him.”

“Oh – the blond kid with the braid?” The lift of her eyebrows – an obvious, silent ‘yikes…’ – left no doubt what Edward’s impression on the precinct had so far been. “Detective Matheson has him in Interview One; he requested you be sent there right away when you arrived, Colonel. Go ahead.” She pointed to a hallway leading off to the right. “Third door on your left. Make sure you knock first.”

A moment later, a man in shirtsleeves and the black pants of the Military Police uniform admitted them to the small room where Edward Elric sat slouched in a chair behind a bare table. The teenager was scowling, his hands locked into the wooden stocks commonly used in incarcerating alchemists.

Riza took one look at him, then turned to Matheson. “He shouldn’t need those restraints, Detective. Edward lost the ability to perform alchemy following the Battle of Central. He can’t transmute his way out of here.”

Matheson glared at the lack of introduction or any sort of courtesy, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Maybe not, but the kid fought like hell against the arresting officers. Sent one of my men to the emergency room with a broken nose and another with two broken fingers. Those stocks stay on him, for the safety of my officers, if nothing else.”

Edward sat straight, restraints clunking against the table surface. “I already told you, I wouldn't have had to fight if your guys would've just let me explain what I was doing! But they jumped the gun, and I defended myself. Not my fault if they got a little banged up during that.”

“Enough.” Sending a warning look in Ed’s direction – and knowing full well it would go ignored – Roy stepped toward the chair across from his one-time subordinate. “Give us the room for a while, Matheson. I want his story without any of you or your people listening in, and then we’ll see what we can sort out.”

Grumbling something to himself about checking on the status of his injured men, Matheson stalked from the room, nearly slamming the door behind him. All was silent for a moment before Roy dropped into the empty chair with a sigh and a look of strained patience.

“Start talking. What happened?”

“Nice to see you, too,” Ed muttered darkly. “Look, all this is is some kind of misunderstanding. In fact, it's a complete miscarriage of justice. If anything, I’m a victim.”

Riza set her file folder on the table, leaning one hip against the edge. “You’re going to have to explain that. And you didn’t answer the question. What events led to you being arrested, exactly?”

Ed fidgeted restlessly under her steady gaze. “There… may have been some disagreement between myself and a security guard at the First National Branch of the library when I asked him to let me in to the restricted materials section….” His lopsided grin was sheepish. “…I kind of forgot my access would get revoked after I filed for retirement.”

Roy frowned. “What were you trying to find in the restricted materials section?” The teenager shifted again, muttering under his breath too quietly to hear. Rolling his eyes, Roy leaned forward. “One more time for the people in the back,” he snapped, what should have been a joke coming out annoyed.

Cheeks flaring scarlet, Ed seemed to curl in on himself, his eyes clenched shut and shoulders high but his voice loud. “So I could figure out how to alchemize a diamond for an engagement ring for Winry!’

Stunned silence descended on the room. It wasn’t the outburst; Ed had always been prone to those. The confession had left both adults shocked speechless, staring first at the young man in front of them, and then at each other. Riza was the first to recover, giving her head a minute shake to clear it.

“Is… this something you and she have discussed?”

Ed nodded, some of the tension melting out of him. “Yeah, before I left. I mean… I more or less proposed on the spot, but I botched it.” He looked up. “I… kinda want to try it again, like a do-over, you know? And do it right, this time.”

Roy was still sitting stock-still, dark eyes locked on the young man. “…And so, when you tried to get into the restricted materials section and the guard turned you down?” he prompted.

“I kept trying to talk my way in,” Edward admitted. “I’ve alchemised with carbon and stuff before, but not into diamond. So if I’m gonna ask Al to transmute something like that for me, I wanted specific information for him to work from, and the only place with that information is the restricted materials section.” One shoulder raised and dropped in a shrug. “And then there was the stuff the guard said about the Promised Day.”

Suddenly alert, Roy didn’t move so much as a muscle, aside from a visible tensing in his shoulders. “And what might that have been?”

Ed made noise of disgust. “That to get mixed up in that, I had to be on the subversive side, to go against the President like that.” He scowled. “I stuck to the party line you fed the media after the battle, how we were acting in the interests of the Presidency, but he wouldn’t buy it. I got steamed and stormed out, but I guess one of the library staff had thought I’d do something more than get mad. When I got outside, the cops were just pulling up.” He slouched down in the chair, glaring at the surface of the table. “I fought them trying to take me into custody, because I didn’t belong in custody. But they dragged me down here anyway.”

“Your temper can be intimidating,” Riza allowed. Standing straight, she took the folder she’d brought and started for the door. “But it does sound like a misunderstanding. I’ll go talk to Matheson, and see if we can’t sort this out. Colonel, I might need your help. If it comes to pulling rank, you’ve got more clout than I do.”

“Right.” Getting to his feet, Roy started for the door. His tone was cool and slightly distant. “Sit tight, kid.”

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

Two hours later, Edward walked out of the holding area, to where Riza waited in the precinct entryway. She eyed him carefully as he approached. “You didn’t have anything on you when they brought you in?”

The boy shook his head. “Just the clothes on my back and my wallet. And my notebook.” He fished in the pocket of his coat and produced the latter. “They told me they wouldn’t be pressing charges, not even for resisting arrest, and I probably deserve at least that one.” He watched her curiously. “How did you talk them out of it?”

Riza smiled, turning toward the door. “I pointed out to Matheson that bringing charges resulting from a misunderstanding against a young man who has otherwise done quite a bit for the sake of his country would be both a waste of time and resources as well as, as you said, a miscarriage of justice. In the end, he just really didn’t want to deal with the paperwork.”

“I see.” Stepping out onto the front steps, Edward glanced around the street. “Where did the Colonel disappear to?”

“Once your release was secured, except for the formalities, he went to go pick something up.” She nodded to where the familiar black sedan was coming up the street, already signalling to pull into an empty parking space. “He said you might find it useful. Go on.”

Throwing her a puzzled glance, Edward headed down the steps, reaching the passenger-side window of the car just as Roy killed the engine. Bending, the blond boy leaned on the window frame. “Thanks for getting me out,” he said, without preamble. “Especially when you had to take the time to come down here.”

“It’s no trouble. But I figure this means you owe me.” Watching him steadily, with a slight smirk, Roy reached for a pocket. “And there’s one more thing.”

Surprised, Ed barely caught the box the older man tossed to him, briefly fumbling the black velvet. “What the —” Gold eyes widened as he realized what he held, before he carefully pried it open. Inside, was a slim gold band with a single diamond in a raised claw setting. “I — how did — what’s this?”

Roy grinned. “It’s not the stone you spent four years searching for, but this one will probably do more for you in the long run. And will probably prevent you from getting arrested for trying to access restricted materials.”

Eyes wide, Ed looked from the ring, to him… and then turned back to the woman still standing the top of the precinct steps, not paying the slightest attention to him. “But… isn’t this for—”

“The only person it’s for is a young automail mechanic in Resembool,” Roy said firmly. “Don’t get the wrong idea. Since you’ve lost your State alchemist title and the funding to go with it, you’ve had to keep a tighter leash on your wallet and so you can’t afford to go spending a ton of money on a ring.”

He pointed to the box in Edward’s hands. “That was my biological mother’s, and my adoptive mother gave it to me. It’s been lying around my apartment for years.” He shrugged, the pointing hand turning into a ‘what can you do?’ gesture. “I figured you could put it to good use.”

Having mostly recovered, Edward snapped the box shut, sliding it into his coat pocket. “And what about if you find some girl you would have given it to?” He smirked. “Are you going to want it back?”

“Of course not.” The answering smirk was taunting. “I’ve still got my funding. I didn’t retire.” He waved a dismissing hand. “Call Hawkeye over and then get in. We’ll give you a ride back to wherever you’re staying.”

“Sure. But just one more thing.” Ed grinned. “Did you say you’re adopted?”

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

When his phone rang that evening, he wasn’t surprised when the first words after he answered were “You did a very important thing for him today. You should be proud of yourself.”

Smiling, he leaned back on the couch. “Thanks. I wondered if you realized what had happened.” The smile faded. “You think I did the right thing?”

“Of course. With his father gone, you’re the next closest thing to a male parental figure he’s got. Helping him out the way you did goes beyond officer and subordinate; what you did for him shows that he’s more or less family.” She hesitated, then added. “Besides, it’s better that that ring be put to use, rather than hidden away in a drawer for who knows how long.”

“That’s pretty much what I told him.” Roy shifted, uneasy. “With my ambitions… a life like his isn’t exactly in the immediate future.”

“My thoughts exactly,” she said gently. “But maybe one day.”

“One day,” he agreed. He was quiet a moment, then, “Though if I was acting in some kind of parental role, so were you. Swooping in to get him out of whatever trouble he’d blundered into, gently correcting him on where he’d gone wrong, but still being supportive? That takes some doing.”

“I get plenty of practice,” Riza answered dryly. “I work for you, don’t I?”

He couldn’t help but laugh, dropping his head back against the couch cushions. “You wound me, Lieutenant,” he said, grinning wickedly. “Will I at least get a kiss-it-better? That’s motherly, isn’t it?”

He could practically hear her rolling her eyes in time with her smile. “I’ve said what I called to say, sir,” she said, putting sarcastic emphasis on his honourific. “Good night.”

[fullmetalirin]

Fullmetal Alchemist OG vs. Brotherhood: Reconciliation with Al (OG 23-24, BH 09)

OG stretched this into two episodes, adding its own subplot for the second one.

Fullmetal Alchemist Episode 23: "Fullmetal Heart"

Ed, recovering from his wounds from the laboratory, is scolded by Ross for almost dying. Needing his automail repaired, Ed calls for Winry to come to Central. When Winry arrives at the train station, Al still contemplates what Barry had told him. After the brothers refuse to tell her about the events, Winry leaves in a fury and is dragged off by Hughes to his daughter's birthday party. Hughes tells her that men tend to hide things so as not to worry anyone. Al decides to confront Ed about what he was afraid to tell him, asking if he was really an artificial soul.

Ross slaps Ed. During her scolding she continues the "you're just a kid" theme, and asks him to trust her more.

Cartoon face when Winry realizes she forgot the screw. Appropriate, given Winry's established character and the fact this is a breather episode.

The military is investigating the laboratory. Hughes says they're explaining it away as Scar's doing.

Some of the prisoners blabbed that they saw Grand. I again have to wonder what Envy was thinking.

Oh, I spot Izumi in a crowd shot!

Hughes is purposefully keeping Mustang out of the loop.

Cartoon skit where Winry tries to convince Ed to take his milk.

Winry admonishes them for not telling her about the danger they're in.

Hughes explicitly says Winry's like a sister to Ed. Ew.

Gracia made a cake for Ed. That's sweet.

Al sulks because Ed brings up a memory he can't remember. If he really was just constructed memories, surely Ed wouldn't point out the holes? Also why would Ed have made so many personal sacrifices for him. He's so stupid to fall for this.

Ed tells Winry everything, and he thinks Al's mad at him because he didn't make the Philosopher's Stone. Ed admonishes himself for not doing it, even when Winry says obviously Al wouldn't want him to. This is shaping Ed into a pretty dark character.

Winry knows what Ed wanted to tell Al but Al cuts her off. This is so contrived.

And now Al is convinced that everyone he's ever known being in on the conspiracy is more plausible than him being real. Seriously?

Al hits Ed so hard it splits his lip.

Ed plans to jump off the building after Al and has to be restrained by Winry.

Fullmetal Alchemist Episode 24: "Bonding Memories"

Al has run away after not receiving an answer from Ed. He soon runs into Scar, who has been hiding among other refugees from Ishbal as they are terrorized by mercenaries posing as the state military soldiers with Barry accompanying them. After being reunited with his brother, Ed and Al reaffirm their existence.

We open with the Ishbalan camp. It's attacked by the military, including Barry. Suddenly he is being portrayed seriously.

An alchemist uses harpoons to make a transmutation circle that sends electricity everywhere.

Ah, Scar actually is badly injured from the 5th laboratory.

After the OP we get an abridged flashback to last episode's ending, which I don't think is necessary.

Pathetic fallacy: it's raining now, when it was a clear sky last episode.

Sloth picks up the call from the soldiers tailing the Ishbalans. Ominous!

Al thinks about how strange it is that Leo wants to forget his memories, because wow, that's the exact opposite of him! This seems unnecessarily waffling, probably added to fill time.

Al calls Ross, so she continues to be the more important one.

Old dude says Ishbalans value blood above all else.

Ah, but when Leo reached out for his mom when the invaders came, she ran away from him. Wow, that's heavy.

Al uses alchemy to cage the soldiers while he's outside the building. How did he know where to aim?

Al is unscathed after a direct hit by a bazooka. How strong is this armor???

Ed makes a wall to protect them, but it doesn't hold up for longer than a few seconds.

Okay, so the harpoons aren't making the glyph, they just make a circle and the glyph magically appears. I don't think that's kosher, but I believe alkahestry can do that in the manga so what is consistency anyway.

Barry dies, having fulfilled his purpose, instead of sticking around for another arc to stalk Riza and make more jokes about how hilarious murder is, because that would be weird.

The locket protects Rick, and breaks open in the process. They find eye medicine that shows their mom was going blind, so she actually thought she was running towards them, not away. That's sweet, if a little contrived.

The alchemist runs back to Sloth, who drowns him with her liquid body while calmly sipping tea. Our first look at her powers, and nicely creepy to boot.

The Elrics see the Ishbalans off. Scar affirms Al's humanity, which is nice of him. Ed just tries to grill him on Ishbal's Philosopher's Stone, to which he does not answer.

I'm not sure how I feel about the resolution to the mom – I'm generally not in favor of "blood is everything" or "one grand gesture makes up for a lifetime of petty abuse" as tropes. They could have easily just had the mom abandon them and have that be the last word. But this is a nice ending, and it's good that the Ishbalans get at least a little happiness here instead of only being used as a prop for the white characters.

And you know, it actually does strike me how much this episode really is about the Ishbalans. Despite ending last episode implying this was going to be about the brothers, Ed is almost completely absent and Al is a leaf in a river. Leo and Rick drive the plot, and Scar is actually the one who defeats the antagonist.

FMA Brotherhood Episode 9: "Created Feelings"

Edward is hospitalized following the incident at the fifth laboratory. Needing his automail repaired, Edward calls for Winry to come to Central. Winry arrives and repairs Edward's arm, adding the small bolt she forgot to insert back in Resembool. Alphonse still contemplates what Barry had told him about being a doll created by Edward. Hughes invites Winry over to his daughter Elicia's birthday party, where she laments that Edward and Alphonse never tell her anything. Hughes tells her that men tend to hide things to avoid worrying anyone. Alphonse then confronts Edward about whether he is really an artificial soul. Edward storms off and Winry yells at Alphonse, telling him that Edward was terrified Alphonse may have blamed him for getting him stuck in the armor. The Elric brothers then fight, with Edward emerging as the victor. They both reminisce about their past fights, reaffirming their existence. Meanwhile, Scar wakes up in the care of Ishvalan refugees.

We finally stop with the alchemy exposition opener.

Still get a recap of the last episode, though.

Cartoon skit where Ed's angry the laboratory was destroyed.

Ross still slaps and scolds Ed, but it's played for comedy before abruptly transitioning into seriousness because what is tone. She also has Brosh play backup. Her speech is pretty similar. Though she gives the same line about trusting adults, she doesn't call Ed a kid.

Comedy skit where Ross worries Ed would penalize her for slapping him because what is tone. We do get the additional information that State Alchemists have the rank of major, though.

Does Ross have a different voice actor in Brotherhood? Her voice sounds a lot higher-pitched and more childish.

Ed calling Winry is more comedic, and he asks her to do a service call instead of her volunteering.

Oh wait, we do get a flashback to Winry finding a missing screw. Did I forget that? It's hard to keep the two continuities straight sometimes.

Comedy when Brosh calls Winry Ed's girlfriend, followed by him tearing his wounds open, I think? He has to go in a wheelchair afterwards.

Ed generally does not seem to be acting like he's injured or in pain at all. In OG he seemed visibly drained.

Al sees a kid with a windup toy and gets sad. I feel like that's a bit too on-the-nose.

Winry complains the train ride was uncomfortable.

Izumi still gets a cameo, walking behind Winry. We see her face so it's a bit more obvious.

Ed needs to be admonished by the peanut gallery before he comforts Winry for blaming herself. Wow, he's a dick.

Same bit with Ed refusing his milk, but it becomes a full-on skit complete with Armstrong barging in.

Ed's the one to bring up Al acting weird.

We see Winry sneaking the screw out of her bag to put it in, which I think is a nice bit of subtle comedy.

Since Al isn't wrecked here, we spend more time on him walking around and doing stuff while he sulks, which feels like filler to me.

Hughes assumed Ed called Winry over so he could bang her and we get comedy about it. Thank you for cutting that, OG.

Hughes drags Winry to his house without telling her it's Elicia's birthday. It seems like the only purpose is to make a joke when Winry is confused.

Winry is enamored by Elicia's cuteness.

Winry is the one who says they're like brothers. Ewwwwwww.

Hughes' pep talk is similar, so the weird gender thing is here too. It's actually worse – he says it's Winry's duty to be receptive to them when they do open up, not that she should be proud she's the one they open up to when they can't keep it together. Maybe that's just different translations, but…

Cartoon skit where Hughes threatens kids to treat his daughter nicely. Not necessary.

Gracia offers to house Winry as long as she's in Central, which is nice of them, and an echo of their offer to the Elrics in episode 1. This is doing a good job of showing they're good people.

Similar thing where Ed jokes he wishes he had Al's body. Al's reaction is much more dramatic, to the point I can't take it seriously. Less is more.

Cartoon when Al makes his accusation. Seriously?

Ed walks out instead of talking to Al, because the idiot ball's getting passed around today.

Cartoon when Winry smacks Al because lol female on male violence is funny.

Winry does get to tell Al, and we even get a full flashback to Ed telling her.

Winry points out the plot hole of why Ed would sacrifice so much for a doll.

Al runs after Ed and Ed fights him. This is stupid. Al points out he should be opening his wounds, but he does not, which is stupider.

Oh, but I see the real point: Ed beats Al for the first time. Because that's what's really important here, the winning.

The reminiscence scene is similar, but Al adds that they fought over who got to marry Winry, and Al won but she shot him down, thus foreshadowing the Edwin romance.

Ed is more aggressive towards Al, asking rhetorical questions about if he really thinks all his desires are fake.

Then Winry agrees with Hughes that the manly way of not needing to talk about feelings works sometimes too.

Flashback to Kimblee in the war before Scar wakes up.

We end with Scar saying he got the arm from his family; I think that's the first time we've heard that in this continuity.

Conclusion

So as you can probably guess, I like OG better. Brotherhood just can't stop the madcap comedy. Every time it attempts to be sad and somber, it falls completely flat. Al has even less reason to believe this or care without the addition of Tucker literally doing exactly what he fears plus his memories fading, and it's all resolved too quickly and neatly. The drama just feels so manufactured: the author was like "WHAT IF THERE WAS TENSION BETWEEN THE BROTHERS WOULDN'T THAT BE COOL", made everyone hold the idiot ball to contrive it into possibility, then it's wrapped up in one episode and we're done. Like Nina, it's not a thing that builds or goes anywhere or matters.

On the flipside, I think this is a rare instance of OG not spending enough time talking about feelings: Ed's confession isn't engaged with or reflected on at all, it just gets the same "of course I don't hate you!" response seen every time this trope appears. If there was ever a time to throw the action to a grinding halt for some navel-gazing, that was it. And I actually did think Brotherhood's flashback felt more vulnerable and genuine than Ed's confession in OG, though the difference wasn't by orders of magnitude.

On representation: OG is better. Brotherhood says the woman will deal with your feelings, then turns around and has her declare that actually toxic masculinity is great. Her only purpose is to be a plot device and cheerleader. OG actually deconstructs toxic masculinity by having Al spiral so bad he doesn't let the woman deal with his feelings, forcing Ed to actually open up instead of fighting it out because he is a MANLY MAN and that is the only language he knows. In OG, their fight is serious and Ed gets seriously injured. In OG, we have the emotional intensity of Ed nearly leaping off a building because he can only think of Al. In OG, we have the genuineness of Ed spending a whole day trying to rescue Al. Actions rather than words, eh? OG continues to be miles ahead of Brotherhood at the "let's talk about our feelings" genre, even when hampered by the source's utterly moronic plot.

And by God it is moronic. I'm trying to think of a way you could fix this plot and I'm not coming up with much. You could maybe go deeper on the Philosopher's Stone thing, with Al seeing Ed's willingness to kill people for it over Al's objections as proof Ed only really cared about fixing himself… That would fit well with the theme of miscommunication, since Ed sees it in the exact opposite way. I could even buy him working himself into a conspiracy that Ed only made him to carry him back to the Rockbells when he was bleeding out, or maybe, what with Tucker and his Nina clones, he thinks since Ed went there with the intent of getting someone back, he decided to make a doll to keep him company when Plan A failed… but ugh, even that doesn't work because he should have made a doll of the person he was actually trying to get back. Maaaybe instead of thinking he was a total fabrication he might think Ed just made the memories instead of getting the real Al's soul, but that wouldn't actually change anything, ultimately. Ed and the audience are still invested in him, so it doesn't matter.

The conspiracy of everyone they've ever known needing to be in on it is just so absolutely ridiculous. It's not impossible to make someone emotionally compromised enough to believe that, but I can't think of what could possibly push Al that far. Ed would have to be treating him completely differently, like not trying to sacrifice himself for Al every five seconds and constantly fussing over him and just generally loving him 24/7. Like seriously, why would Ed give himself up to Scar for a doll? How did Al just conveniently forget that? And that's not even getting into the fact that Winry and Pinako recognized him even in the armor when there is no way the unconscious kid in his arms could have possibly coached them on his grand conspiracy in advance… None of it makes the slightest bit of sense.

[icameheretowinry]

FMA Live Action Review

As promised!

Hey there! As I’m sure with everyone else in this crazy fandom, I recently watched the Fullmetal Alchemist live action film that premiered on Netflix last week; albeit after waiting two hours for it to download over shoddy hotel wifi so I could experience it offline in the back of a car on a twisty mountain road. Long story… *ahem* Anyway, since I heard that there would be a live action adaptation last year, I’ve been rightly freaking out to see it, so you best believe I took my time, and watched this film like a hawk (see what I did there??) XD Below the cut you’ll find my reviews of characterizations, plot, costumes, cinematography, CGI, music, and a couple of other things I found interesting, or particularly enjoyed. Please keep in mind that I’m not a film critic, but I just wanted to share my observations. I hope you enjoy! Feel free to comment as well! This is LONG btw heh :D

Characterizations:

Edward Elric (Ryôsuke Yamada)

All in all, I found live action Ed’s character to be one of the best in the entire film. Yamada’s interpretation of our favorite angry red bean captured some of the best nuances of Ed’s character. His passion for their quest, sadness, regret, anger, and occasional goofiness were all there. He didn’t just look like Ed, he more or less acted like him too. Yamada’s Ed was emotionally reactive when the situation demanded it (his horrified reaction to Nina being one of the best instances - don’t worry, I’ll be spending time on that arc a bit later on), yet the viewer didn’t lose out on his tender smiles to Winry, or his immense respect for Hughes. While live action Ed’s open displays of sadness, which often had him on the verge of tears or actually crying, were a huge departure from Brotherhood and manga Ed, they felt appropriate within the shortened time frame of the film, and in response to modifications made to canon plot. However, while I did enjoy live action Ed’s character as a whole, he was not without significant flaws. His frenzy of seemingly uncontrollable anger after Al accuses him of fabricating his memories, his over-the top-horrified yelling when learning the main ingredient for philosophers’ stones, and near helplessness when confronted with a roadblock in their quest all felt very out of place. Well, not so much out of place as immature, which gave me serious fma03 vibes.

Alphonse Elric (Atom Mizuishi)

I’ll be talking strictly about live action Al’s character in this section. Comments on his CGI armor will come later. For starters, the biggest flaw in Al’s character was his very limited screen time. While this was. I’m assuming, most likely due to the difficulty in animating his armor, for a story that centers on the quest of two brothers, Al came across more as a background character than a true protagonist. In the few scenes we see a lot of him, Mizuishi did a brilliant job of letting his personality shine through. We see his passion for alchemy when he gets carried away trying to explain it to the citizens of Liore. We see his kind and gentle nature during his interactions with Nina. We see his frustration when he accuses Ed of fabricating his memories (although the rest of that scene was one of the most poorly done in the film - I’ll be touching on that later.) We even get to see some of that sassy nature we all know and love when he asks if his body is taller than Ed. It’s a huge shame we didn’t get to see more of that.

Winry Rockbell (Tsubasa Honda)

As the character I relate to most to in the entire series, I was incredibly excited to see how Winry’s big and dynamic personality would play out in a live action film. As much as it pains me to say, I was thoroughly disappointed. Honda’s renditions of Winry’s impassioned outbursts felt overdone and awkward. The flexibility of imagery in the animated series and manga (such as the running gag of her hitting Ed over the head with a wrench) don’t translate in a live action environment. Without that additional comedic heft, Honda’s Winry came across as obnoxious. Even her tearful lamentations to Al about how much Ed cared about him seemed childish and forced. A majority of her screen time was spent as Ed’s side kick, or as a hostage at the end of film. Hell, the only indication that she’s Ed’s automail mechanic (other than it being said) is prancing around with a toolbox, and dinging up Al with a comically giant wrench. (Which why on earth was she bringing that to Lab 5 in the first place???) Also, Netflix translated her line at the end of the Marcoh arc as, “I’ll clean up the mess.” GURL THAT MESS IS A HUMAN BEING. To abandon all formality, just uuuugggghhhh. The only moment I truly loved her character was when she was on the train alone with Ed before they found Marcoh. That’s the Winry I know, and I wish I could’ve seen more of her.

Roy Mustang (Dean Fujioka)

Live action Roy, let’s be real, is everything I’ve dreamed of. While at times, he’s a bit of an ass, Fujioka does an unbelievable job of beautifully delivering many aspects of his character. It’s obvious that he respects and cares for Ed, especially during the aftermath of the Nina arc. He also trusts Ed enough to go after Envy, and doesn’t give him shit for swooping in to save his ass from Lust. He pushes himself to the limit for those he cares about, even taking a hit from Lust for Riza, and is hellbent on avenging the death of his best friend. Like Ed, he’s emotionally reactive when the situation presents itself, and his ruthlessness is unwavering, and amazing to watch. While I felt that some of the condensation of plot hurt the development of some characters, this doesn’t seem to apply as much to Roy. He was vulnerable, caring, angry, vengeful, and collected all at once. It was beautiful!

Riza Hawkeye (Misako Renbutsu)

Sadly, Riza’s character was another major disappointment. I don’t recall her saying more than two full sentences until she told Ed of Hughes’ murder over halfway through the film despite appearing with Roy in the first fifteen minutes. While he carries on full conversations with other characters, she may as well have blended into the wallpaper. I didn’t even really see glimpses of the badass sharpshooter until the last half hour. Outside the numerous Royai moments, which I will discuss later, that one scene of her directing the assault on the puppet soldiers did a pretty damn good job of redeeming her character in my eyes more so than Winry’s one solid scene. When Renbutsu’s Riza actually had lines and something to do, she was utterly on point and badass. Bottom line, I wanted MORE.

Maes Hughes (Ryûta Satô)

Next to Lust, live action Hughes was one of my favorites in the entire film. Did I need to see more of this man? YES. Did I need to see him die for the fourth time? GOOD LORD NO. From the first moment he comes bursting into Mustang’s office saying, “Yo!” and saluting, I was d o n e. His care and respect for Ed, Al, Winry, and of course, Gracia is beautiful (he also ships edwin just so ya know.) While Satô truely does an exemplarily job of portraying Hughes’ character, I will thank the plot of this film for giving me more things to cry about. Hughes openly involving himself in Ed’s research, his conversation with Mustang in the garden, and *sighes* t h a t  s c e n e. Just Envy appearing as Roy by the phone booth, turning into Gracia to stop his attack, and them back to Roy to kill him. His BEST FRIEND seeming to kill him. AND THIS IS IN TWO DIFFERENT SCENES. But what really got to me was that unlike the manga/Brotherhood, Roy and Hughes spoke while he was dying. Roy knew what was going on, and could only listen, and then, he was accused of carrying it out himself. My angsty heart thanks the creators.

Gracia Hughes (Natsuki Harada)

While she only had a few lines, Harada’s Gracia was sweet, caring, and perfectly in character. The absence of Elicia was disappointing, but the fact that she was expecting a child made Hughes’ death just as tragic. Also, you could totally tell that when Ed and Winry were over for dinner that she shipped it!

Shou Tucker (Yô Ôizumi)

My basic reaction to live action Tucker was, “Thanks. I hate it.” Ôzumi’s interpretation of the worst human ever was a morbid delight. The sadist monster thinly veiled by an awkwardly brilliant researcher and single father was incredible. Of the diverse cast of villains in the film, he proved to be vastly more interesting and dynamic than General Hakuro could ever be. From taking Barry’s place in canon to put the idea into Al’s head that he was artificial, to figuring out how to activate and use philosophers’ stones, this is the most horrifying rendition of Tucker yet, even giving cimera!Tucker a run for his money. To top it off, his desire to crush the Elric’s dreams of ever getting their bodies back has no grounding in reality, other than for his own entertainment. As in canon, his demise was gruesome, rightly deserved, and satisfying to watch.

Nina Tucker & Alexander

I’m grouping these two together because… well… I’M SORRY OK. Anyway, the little girl who played Nina and the very floofy Alexander gave us all the ingredients to once again fall into the deepest pit of despair at the end of their arc. We got Alexander jumping on Ed. We got Nina happily playing for the first time in ages and admitting so to Al and Winry. We even got her being supportive of her father is the sweetest little conversation ever. And then… I wanted to chuck my phone out the window.

Lust (Yasuko Matuyuki)

You’re not going to believe me, but live action Lust was my favorite character in the entire film. I don’t know if it was the graceful way she carried herself, the sultry nature beautifully entwined in her dialogue, or the look of bliss on her face as she was being consumed by flame, but sweet jesus, it was PERFECT. Of all the characters in this film, she was the only one that felt as though she was plucked straight from the manga. Matuyuki did her research, because I was more than blown away by her rendition of Lust. In role that threatened flatness due to the even nature of the character’s personality, Matuyuki let viewers both fear her as a villain, yet fall in love with her at the same time. Just BRAVO.

Envy (Kanata Hongô)

Can I say enough good things about the live action homunculi? Hongô’s take on Envy was spectacular! They’re snarky attitude, disdain of humans, and cunning personality were all there. Although we missed seeing our favorite full-scale garbage lizard, little was left out. However, the character truly suffered due to plot changes. My biggest complaint was that they die without revealing they killed Hughes, or admitting their jealously of humans. Had Hongô had the time frame to do those scenes, we would’ve really been in for a treat!

Gluttony (Shinji Uchiyama)

Uchiyama’s representation of Gluttony, like the other homunculi in the film, was fantastic. His baby-like appearence, clipped sentences, and lumbering gait were all spot on. While I had a good laugh watching him waddle after Amestrian soldiers with an obviously fake set of teeth strapped to himself, his performance was rightly terrifying, as it should’ve been.

Dr. Marcoh (Jun Kunimura)

Despite largely being a character of convenience in the film, live action Marcoh garnered a lot of sympathy from me in the few minutes he was on screen. We saw a man paranoid and terrified of being used, yet still attempting to do good by running a local hospital under an assumed name (although not a very good one lmao). His warning to Ed about the nature of the philosopher’s stone felt genuine, and his quickly manifested respect for Ed during their conversation never felt forced. His ensuing change of heart in providing information on Lab 5 was also appropriate. Despite being on screen for less than fifteen minutes, his death was sudden, tragic, and heartbreaking.  

Father Cornello (Kenjirô Ishimaru)

Live action Cornello, like Trisha Elric, was a minor role that was successful in how close it stuck to canon. While the manner in which his fraudulent teachings were exposed was different, his open disdain for the Elric brothers, thirst for power, and generally unsavory personality were faithfully represented by Ishimaru. He met the same gruesome end, and his downfall was just as satisfying to watch as in the manga and animated series.

Maria Ross (Natsuna Watanabe)

While her role was relatively minor, Watanabe’s Ross was pretty solid. Her insights into the Hughes’ and Ed’s research of Lab 5 were insightful, and I adored that Hughes referred to her as a good friend. There needs to be more fanfiction of that people! Additionally, her transition from Ross to Envy’s character was subtle and unnerving. While I was slightly disappointed to see “her” role as Hughes’ shooter taken away, the fact that we still had an scene with Envy as her was awesome.

Trisha Elric & Young Elric brothers

For the .2 seconds Trisha was on screen, she seemed to perfectly personify her canon counterpart. Even the Anime Mom Hair™ was on point. That’s really all there is to say. On the other hand, the boys who played little Al and Ed did a spectacular job! Their sadness, determination, and child-like innocence were spot on, as well as their sibling dynamic. Little Ed took the leadership role, and calmed Al when he had doubts. Also, the raw emotion they were able to summon during the human transmutation scene was downright incredible for actors so young, especially when the bulk of that scene relied on CGI.

General Hakuro/Halcrow (Fumiyo Kohinata)

To be honest, I didn’t even remember that Hakuro/Halcrow was a canon character. Upon further research, he played a minor role in Brotherhood/manga, and a slightly less minor role in fma03. He was never a villain, but simply a superior officer jealous of Roy Mustang’s rapid ascent to power in the military following the Ishvalan war. Don’t get me wrong, I am ALL FOR taking minor characters with unverified pasts and giving them a larger role. While this film does really throw canon out the window (which I will also discuss later), shoving a sniveling rival of Mustang’s into the villain seat felt like a copout. In a canon universe known for its dynamic and interesting villains, Hakuro’s appearances were painfully convenient. Surprise! I’m going to ask Mustang to introduce the Elric’s to Tucker. Surprise! I walk in just as Ross and Hughes as researching Lab 5 and the philosopher’s stone. Surprise! I’m actually the puppet master and will TAKE OVER THE WORLD. Please. He’s like a goddamn Disney villain, except to the undead, a nice snack.

Plot:

I’m just going to come right out and say that I honestly had more issues with character representation in the film, than I did with changes to plot. I really struggled with the adjustments during the first hour of the film, but once I gave in and just accepted that canon was more or less going to be thrown out the window, I finally started to enjoy myself. Below, instead of going over the plot as a whole (I’ve already burned enough ink on this review as it is, so to speak), I’m going to touch on a few plot points I particularly loved, and other that that should’ve been left on the metaphorical cutting room floor. *cracks knuckles* Let’s do this!

Plot Points I Enjoyed

The first real dialogue between Ed and Roy in his office after the Liore incident was damn solid. It had all the element fans could wish for: Ed’s nearly unbridled passion for getting Al’s body back (SO in character), Roy’s cold demeanor, yet obvious concern for their safety, and finally, the grand entrance of Maes Hughes yelling “Yo!” with a his ridiculous salute that filled my heart with rainbows and added ten years onto my lifespan.

That little moment where Hughes and Garcia were just as big of EdWin shippers are you are. ;)

Like I’ve mentioned before, the conversation between Ed and Winry on the train to find Marcoh was my singular favorite moment of her. Winry was so sweet, adorable, and genuinely supportive of Ed, and his smiles towards her made me blush on her behalf. Just letting their two personalties and pasts bounces off each other in that scene worked perfectly.

ROY TAKING THE HIT FOR RIZA????

RIZA HOLDING ROY UP IN LAB 5????

RIZA LOOKING ALL CONCERNED DOWN AT HER BLOODY HANDS AND THINKING OF ROY DURING THE ASSULT ON THE PUPPET SOLDIERS???

HER SPRINTING AWAY TO SEE IF HE WAS OK???

*ahem* I will also arguably say that Hughes’ death scene was much more tragic in the live action than the other three (why tho) versions of this scene. Make Roy the shooter?? Broke my damn heart into a million pieces, but effective and perfect for my angsty heart?? YES.

Lust’s death scene was beautifully animated. Actually, every scene with her was excellent. Her ruthless, nonchalant attitude was incredible.

Ed’s conversation with Marcoh was ripped straight from the manga I noticed. I’m sincerely glad that some moments weren’t messed with. The little tidbits of powerful, straight-up canon are what held this film together. SPEAKING OF…

I’m not going to lie and say that the best scene in the movie was the reveal of Nina’s fate. It was perfectly dark, stuck to canon, and the emotion was raw and real. Although chimera!Nina’s CGI was a bit iffy, the voice acting ended me. Plus, the additional emotional turmoil Al was going through with Tucker’s claim that his memories were fabricated, plus Ed just having just witnessed the death of Marcoh made this moment a triple whammy in the feels department. Who knew the series could get darker? I LOVED it.

Plot Points I Didn’t Enjoy

In general, I didn’t like how the characters were aged up. The time gap between the Elric’s as little kids trying human transmutation and their current quest feel like too much of a massive time gap. I wish they would’ve honestly used younger actors.

What was with the entire Elric house being ripped apart in an electrical tornado when they tried human transmutation? I know they don’t show them burning down their house, but that was a bit much in the drama department.

Why is Hughes a captain??? It really doesn’t make much sense that he was demoted for the movie.

The award for second worst moment in the movie goes to the scene where Ed faces Truth for the first time and loses his limbs. Why is it a dream sequence? Why is he an adult? I get that that would be a very emotionally raw scene for the young actors to play, but I think it would’ve been incredibly more effective, such as in Brotherhood, to watch. If they couldn’t participate, it honestly would’ve been better to give an explanation and leave the scene out entirely (even though I adored Truth’s performance in that scene).

The biggest offender in this film that legitimately made me cringe, was the scene with the Golden Trio in what they thought was Lab 5. Why was Winry there? Why did Ed throw a complete temper tantrum that lead to him destroying his left hand on Al’s armor? WHERE DID SHE GET THAT GIGANTIC WRENCH??? XD That scene was an absolute train wreck. Ed and Al were being stupidly selfish and immature, Winry was randomly there and beating Al up with this stupidly large wrench and then crying. I cried too wondering where the wheels fell off the wagon…

Costumes:

Like I am no film critic, my knowledge of fashion and costume design is limited, but I couldn’t resist commenting on this aspect of the film. One word: AMAZING. I can’t say enough good things. The Amestrian uniforms were well done, as well as appeared easy to move in. For example, the scene where Riza took off running to find Roy near the end of the film exhibited this perfectly. Dramatic, but functional. I dig it! Winry’s yellow sundress was also a highlight for me, especially during the lighthearted EdWin scene on the train on their way to find Marcoh. In Brotherhood, her fashion choices were a bit on the somber side, so seeing her in bright, warm colors really reflected the kind nature of her character. Finally, I actually loved Ed’s outfit? By some fashion miracle, he actually looked pretty damn cool. I remember a post where someone likened his fashion sense to someone who robbed Hot Topic in the dark. Not here, my friends. Not here. Who doesn’t want that black jacket of his? Let’s be real. Also, bonus points for putting baby Ed in red at the beginning of the film!

CGI:

While I remember lots of fans being concerned over the quality of the CGI in the live action, I must say that I was quite impressed! The time, effort, and budget really paid off. While some of the sequences felt a bit video game-y (read: the chimeras Cornello summons at the beginning of the film and the rendition of chimera!Nina), the alchemy animations felt on par with the nature of the story. While the massive stone pillars and human transmutation scene in Lab 5 were impressive, one of my favorite moments was when Ed used alchemy to quickly fix his clothes after the chimera attack in Liore. After the dramatic reveal of Ed’s automail limbs, the action was incredibly subtle, but beautifully animated. Now, don’t even get me started on Al’s armor! As I mentioned before, it was a shame that we didn’t see more of him on screen, but when he was there, the CGI was a pleasure to watch. While the fight scenes were solid in execution, I loved as natural (well, as a soul bounded to armor can be lol) he looked in the environment of the film. For example, when Winry embraced him after they first reunited, he seemed just as substantial as any other character. As a final note, I will admit that Truth’s animation was my favorite. That wispy, nearly intangible figure coupled with that oddly omnipresent narration was specular to watch!

Cinematography:

CGI aside, the live action actually had some fairly solid filmmaking behind it. While the shooting of difficult scenes in general was pretty tight (see the fight sequences in Liore as a prime example), the use of lighting changes and slow motion shots were usually well-utilized and a pleasure to watch. Homunculi appear? The lighting gets darker. On the other hand, light-hearted scenes, such those when Ed and Winry are together, were lit warmly. In Lab 5, the ominous nature of the scene was highlighted by the blood-red light emanating from the philosophers’ stones. As for the slow motion shots, I was a little worried when the first was used strictly for comedic effect during the Liore battle sequence, but damn did it bring me to my knees during the showdown between Roy and Lust. That vengeful expression on Roy’s face illuminated by flame, coupled with Lust’s near smile at the acceptance of her death was just BEAUTIFUL. We catch both the hero twisted by revenge, and the villain finally at peace. I had to pause and take a break after that one.

Music:

Did anyone else notice the music?! Kitasato’s themes for this film are just wonderful. The upbeat notes during the Liore sequences gave me some serious Fairy Tail vibes (which is always a good thing!) and the dramatic flairs during the Lab 5 arc perfectly piggybacked off the ominous lighting and unnerving dialogue. While MISIA’s op for the film is a departure from normally high-energy ops of Brotherhood that we all know and love, the vocal work and synthesized strings work together harmoniously.

Misc:

This section is just pretty much for additional details I enjoyed about the film!

I loved that the Liore arc was filmed in Volterra, Italy. As I was watching the beginning of the film, I kept thinking how familiar the scenery looked. When I finally searched filming locations, I was blown away! I was just there this summer, and it’s such a beautiful city. If possible, I love it more now that I know it was a filming location!!

For some reason, the conversation between Ed and Roy after what happened to Nina really stuck with me. I don’t know, just Roy’s line: “How long are you going to let yourself be miserable?” was super poignant (more or less along those lines). While Roy never said anything like that to Ed in Brotherhood/manga to my knowledge, I felt the line was truly in line with his character.

I can’t believe Roy’s dumb black coat made it into this movie XD

Conclusion:

I figure that after rambling for so long, I should probably wrap this up! In short, I thought that the Fullmetal Alchemist live action was a solid film. While it did have significant flaws, it did, bottom line, give me more content and further interpretation of characters I positively love. It did a great job of breaking my heart all over again in the best possible way. Was it a faithful representation of the manga as promised? Not at all. Yet again, neither was fma03, Conqueror of Shamballa, or The Sacred Star of Milos. Look at this film like an awesome piece of fma fanfiction? Now we’re talking. If there’s more of this in the cards, BRING IT ON.

[send-username-suggestions]

FMA/PJO Fusion/AU Idea

Edward Elric

He was never seen to play music or sing or dance. His skill in archery was non-existent, and his skill in medicine would always be rudimentary at best. He held in common, no ability that could be found among his siblings, and while lacking in common talents, he held a great intellect which he was known for and was often mistaken for a son of Athena. If not Athena, perhaps he was a son of Ares, for he was skilled in battle and belligerent in nature. Even Zeus or Aphrodite could have laid claim to him, and he may be better suited to such roles. There were many who saw there qualities in him and doubted his parentage. Indeed, he was a son of Apollo, and such doubts could not last, not when his hair and eyes glowed like the sun, not when it was so evident that there was fire lit in his soul. His words were often harsh and glaring, but they could also be so bright and beautiful that one couldn’t find within themselves, the will to look away. Then, sometimes, when the nights were at there darkest, his words were not hard and bright but soft. Every word held a second meaning, every phrase reflected off the moon and illuminated the truth of the world. The words he spoke by daylight were as harsh and cruel as they were captivating. By nightfall they were as devastating as they were beautiful, and so utterly undeniable, cutting through both shadow and stone.

Roy Mustang

He wasn’t meant to wield a hammer. He wasn’t built to craft weapons and armor. His fingers would have fumbled, had he attempted to tinker in even simple crafts. If it wasn’t for his mastery of fire, anyone who looked would have thought “there is no child of Hephaestus here, this is a child of Zeus.” He was striking and severe and inspired loyalty in people of all backgrounds. He would work people through his fingers, have them dancing in and out of hoops and thanking him for the honor. They would think “this man could only be the son of a king.” However, those who knew him best would look upon him and see the way he worked. He needed no hammer or anvil, for people were his tools and he, a master smith. Each tool worked under his careful guidance, quickly and efficiently forming masterpieces according to his will. His hands were not calloused, but those who served him knew that he would not need them to craft a new world. He would forge it in fire.

Winry Rockbell

She should have been a daughter of Hephaestus. She was muscular and deeply intelligent, strong of body and mind. She worked with machinery like it was second nature. She could look at any scrap heap, any pile of junk, and she could see what could be made of it, putting machinery together in her head, like pieces of a puzzle. It was her brother who said it best, before anyone else understood. “Your hands aren’t meant for killing people,” said he “they’re meant for helping them live.” It was years before anyone understood what he meant, after the war when she presented her greatest invention. Automail. Though she did not glow with inner light like her father, though she could not hold a tune or play an instrument or dance to a beat, though she could not hold a tune or play an instrument, though she had no passion for medicine, or weaponry of any sort (besides the occasional wrench), she could only be a child of Apollo. She was one who created miracles, one who healed what could not be healed.

Lan Fan

They spoke of a daughter of Hades. Who else could know the shadows and be content to walk among them? Who else could stand in the darkness, among ghosts and monsters, unafraid? Who else could know death so well that she would hold no fear of it? And so it was that she walked in shadow, remaining sullen and silent, a girl who stood apart from the rest. “She could only be a child of Hades” they said. Then they met her Prince. She walked in shadow, beside her Prince, with unfailing loyalty. She would make any sacrifice for him. To preserve his life, she gave herself to death, but did Hestia not devote her life to the hearth? The whispers were irrelevant. She knew the truth of herself. She was not light. She was not warmth. She was not home. She did not need to be, for he was light, and he was warmth, and he was home. He was her hearth, and as her mother before her, she protected him, unwavering.

Ling Yao

He was lighthearted and joyful, always ready with a quip or a joke for his friends, always ready with words of praise or thanks for those who served him. At celebrations he would weave through a crowd with glee and consume twice his weight in food and drink. He was a joy, and it was easy to feel comfortable in his presence, but death followed in his wake. He was surrounded by shadows. As the living whispered their secrets in his ear, unheard, he spoke to the souls of the dead, felt them near. It was only in battle that one might see his true skin, with narrowed eyes and hellfire written across his face. Flanked by his horsemen he would cut through the ranks of his enemies, flitting through the shadows, leaving only death behind. A son of Dionysus, they may have called him, had they not seen the way her wore that crown of rage and fire, had they not seen his walk of death. Jovial though his attitude may be, there was no denying his nature. A true Prince of the Underworld, was he.

Alphonse Elric

Polite and demure, with patience and endless kindness, there was not a soul who did not hold some affection for him. He held deep intelligence, of both the social and the intellectual strains. He was truly good, and well loved for it. His friends joked how their fathers claimed the wrong sons, how he was more the son of Apollo than his brother. It would have been easy then. He seemed to be sunshine, and life. He had more taste for healing and protection than for battle. He was more light than lightning. And yes, the people gathered around him, he held respect, and was deserving of it, despite his age and disposition. He stood firm, with all the ears and eyes that settled upon him, and walked among his peers. He felt no desire to stand above them. He was not thunder. He was not lightning. He did not need to be. He had no need of theatrical intimidation tactics. He never wanted a throne, nor a crown. The son of Zeus was more the King than his father, and he walked among those who would be his subjects, without arrogance or shame, for he was one of them. He had always been so.

Mei Chang

If Artemis could have born a child, it would have been she. Though she could not be a daughter of Artemis, she was a hunter. She had been the perfect candidate, She was as clever as she was beautiful, and she carried herself with a gentle sweetness that did not betray the fierceness with which she could fight. She treated those around her with kindness, she she repaid their loyalty, with loyalty in turn. She was compassionate and honorable in every way she knew how to be. She was passionate about the hunt, and compassionate for the wild and all of its creatures. She fought bravely and ferociously, efficiency written into every movement, knives flying to find their marks, acting as extensions of her being. None would have guessed her to be a child of Aphrodite, so dedicated was she, to her goddess, and her craft. She had no care for beauty, though she was beautiful all the same. Though it flowed through her skin, it was a pale imitation of her soul. She shined with moonlight.

Maes Hughes

The way he flitted about, seeming to befriend everyone and no one, his loud and boisterous mannerisms, the way he could brag and boast without revealing a thing about himself, it was all indicative of a son of the trickster god. But deception is often strategic, as are friends in high places, and being underestimated is an great advantage to anyone who knows how to utilize it properly. His deception was visible for the world to see, and it disguised more subtle truths. No son of Hermes could look into hell without flinching. No son of Hermes could be so prepared for the reality of war, or so capable of coming out of it undamaged. No. Though he could have been a son of Hermes, in truth, he was a son of Ares. It was those who opposed him, and those who fought at his side, who could see it clearly. When he was constructing a plan or following a lead, or digging for information, they saw battle rage in his eyes, just barely concealed behind a thin veil of joviality. When he fought on the battlefield they saw cold calculation, hidden behind a mask of righteousness. Knives flew faster than thought, war and survival of his very breath. A true son of Ares, that one.

Riza Hawkeye

Those who knew her briefly thought little of her: a paper pusher playing soldier, a daughter of Hermes with little talent of her own who only benefited from the accomplishments of the company she kept. Those who knew her for some time might have thought her an excellent marksman, a good soldier, perhaps a daughter of Apollo, or a hunter of Artemis. It was those who studied her closely, or knew her well, who might have noticed a quiet intelligence about her, though it was never among her most obvious or compelling traits. It didn’t need to be. She knew that being a daughter of Athena has never required memorization of facts or the ability to spit out useful information at a moments notice. There is more to wisdom than intelligence, and more to intelligence than book-smarts. She stood firm and watched those around her, those she cared for. She watched for strengths and weaknesses and saw where her friends and allies were lacking. She followed them knowingly, willingly, into folly, in the hopes that she might see something they cannot. She’s always had sharp eyes. But more than that, she hoped that she can save them, and she knew that books do not save lives. Guns do.

Izumi Curtis

She would seem to be a daughter of Athena, taking on only the brightest of students, those most willing and able to learn, but teaching everyone she meets. She holds great wisdom and shares it freely. She knows the truth of the world, and one cannot help but to learn something new about it each time they speak to her. She knows when to be firm, and when to be kind. She keeps no secrets, hides no knowledge. Wisdom belongs to anyone who cares to seek it, and she will tell anyone who asks. As her mind is open to the world, so is the truth of her parentage. She makes no secret of it. A humble housewife. A daughter of Hestia. She has no use for Athena’s battle strategy. War is of no interest to her. She will stay home, and she will love her husband, and she will preserve them both. She will fight in defense of that which she loves. Yes. That is the way of her. She will defend, protect, and preserve. No more. No less. A daughter of Hestia, she will keep her hearth safe for all those who love it, and so all those who leave may have a place to return to.

Oliver Armstrong

To many, she would seem to be an unstoppable force. They would see her victory against the mountain and the wind and the storm, and say “she is the storm.” They would see her rigid command and militaristic exterior and say “this one is a daughter of Zeus. Unmovable, impenetrable, her fort is Mount Olympus and she rules over it with an iron fist, thunder and lightning taken to human form. She commands the mountain. She commands the storm.” The truth of the matter is quite the opposite. While a mountain does not bend or break, it wears down over years of exposure to the forces of nature. While a storm seems unstoppable, it will eventually wane. She does not need to control the elements, such a power would do her no good. Instead, she outlasts them. She is a daughter of Poseidon. As waves wear stone to sand, she outlasts miles of enemy combatants. As rivers cut through miles of bedrock, she cuts through their forces, by bullet or by blade. She can outlast any who oppose her. If not the enemy, then the storm, for even lightning cannot damage the sea. Perseverance and change come easy as breathing to her. They are her birthright. She owns every inch of it, and still grasps for more. That is the way of her.

Scar

Those who know him now, know him as a son of Ares. There is hatred in in his eyes and steel in his heart. War seems to run through his veins, and he has become so very good at it. To those who see him, it seems as though bloodshed is all he knows. There was a time though, when he was young, when it was not so. Those who knew him then are now dead. No. He was not made by war, merely shaped by it. Those who knew him before would have seen the truth of it. He was a priest, one who takes all the good that he sees before him and sows it, distributes it out into the world so that it may grow in others. He was one who saw what was good and preserved it though long winters and dark storms. He rooted out the bad and allowed good to grow. Then war took him in its grasp, and when war became all he knew, it was war that he cultivated and spread. And so it was until he met someone who saw the beauty in him. She allowed him to set aside his war just long enough to see what he had reaped. He made the decision to burn away his crops, his hatred and his anger. He burns away his war and beings again. A son of Demeter may always choose to plant something new.

[libraryscarf]

happy, happy, happiest of birthdays to my beautiful wife @themusicalbookworm. I wrote you a fic about Riza literally just having a nice time and enjoying herself at the Rockbell-Elric wedding. I hope you like it. <3 <3 <3

charming, in its own way ( ao3 / ff.net )

“Amazing, isn’t it?” Roy Mustang muttered, rather louder than was necessary. “Fullmetal made it through without imploding.”

In front of their gathered friends, neighbors, what seemed to be half the Amestrian military and more than a few rowdy chimeras, Edward Elric and Winry Rockbell shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

“Sir,” Riza said, sighing gently. “Please don’t ruin this for him.”

The ceremony was short, and quickly followed by the sound of multiple champagne bottles being popped open, and the tuning of an unorthodox quartet. Breda carefully assembled a gleaming flute, while Fuery hauled a tuba out of a case twice his size. Sig Curtis tightened the strings of an upright bass, and Garfiel, still sniffling wetly from the emotional turbulence of the ceremony, tested the keys of his accordion. As they began to play, Ed and Winry swept onto the swath of shorn grass that served as a dance floor, and were met with riotous applause

“Don’t trip, Fullmetal!” Roy crowed. Riza put her heel heavily on his instep, and he yelped.

Ed did not trip. In fact, it quickly became obvious that he was unable to hear or see anything else. His eyes never strayed from Winry’s soft, rosy smile.

“Some bubbly, Riz?” Rebecca Catalina asked, appeared at Riza’s side holding two champagne flutes.

“Please,” Riza said gratefully, taking the glass her friend held out to her.

“What, none for me?” Roy asked in a hurt tone.

“Nope!” Rebecca laughed buoyantly, sashaying into the crowd and appearing on the dance floor moments later with Zampano, who looked like he wasn’t quite sure how he had ended up there.

Riza looked at the dancers, her eyes smiling as she found Alphonse and Winry, who laughed as they waltzed, while Ed twirled Pinako around the dance floor like she weighed no more than a broomstick.

Roy turned to her and chivalrously offered his arm.

“Care to dance, Hawkeye?”

A sword materialized between them, smacking Roy’s hand with the flat and sending him stumbling backward.

“H-hey! Olivier—!”

“That’s General Armstrong to you, buffoon.”

The general sheathed her sword, and greeted Riza with a terse nod. “It’s always a pleasure to see you, captain.”

Riza gathered herself quickly enough to return the nod. “Likewise, general.”

Roy slunk around behind Riza, shielding half his body as Olivier Armstrong measured him up and down with eyes as cold as ice chips.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, forsaking any semblance of gallantry.

Armstrong looked at him down her nose.

“I consider the Elric brothers to be the sons I never had,” she said, inscrutably. Riza couldn’t tell if she was serious.

“Oh,” said Roy, at a loss for words.

“Shouldn’t you stop sniveling behind your subordinate and ask me to dance?” Armstrong asked. Riza could only give him a sympathetic half-smile as Roy offered the general his hand and escorted her to the dance floor—looking rather more like he was being led to the firing squad.

Riza finished her champagne, and snagged another glass from the trays traveling among the guests. She skirted the dance floor, avoiding interested eyes as she searched for an empty seat at one of the round, white-draped tables.

“Over here!” someone called to her, and Riza turned to see Alphonse waving at her from a nearby table. She smiled warmly at him as she took the seat he offered.

“This is such a beautiful wedding,” she said with sincerity. White and gold paper lanterns bloomed from wires strung between the trees, bathing the grassy reception in a fairyland glow. After the first few dances, the quartet had disbanded. They were replaced by a gramophone that wafted a soft, yearning melody over the crowd.

“Thank you,” Al said. The tips of his ears turned pink. “I did most of it. They needed someone tall.”

“Well, you have a wonderful eye for decoration.”

The pink spread from Al’s ears to his cheeks. “Actually, all of that was Winry. And Granny. And May. And Paninya.” He sighed. “Actually…everyone else except me.”

Riza chuckled generously.

“Still, they needed someone tall, didn’t they?”

She held up her glass. Al, after hesitating for a moment, grinned and clinked his against it.

“Yes, they did.”

The evening got cooler, and above the music of the gramophone, crickets began to sing. As the champagne flowed, along with other, stronger spirits, the party grew louder. Riza was on her third flute, and beginning to feel quite floaty in the head.

Roy stumbled off the dance floor and collapsed in the chair next to her, which had been left abandoned by Al once May pulled him aside for some “advice about the snack table,” and had never returned.

“It’s a war zone out there,” he wheezed, and slumped against her shoulder. “Comfort me, captain.”

Riza patted him professionally on the back. “There, there, sir.”

“I had to dance twice with Olivier—she led, by the way—and then I ended up having to congratulate Fullmetal for fifteen minutes, and of course to be polite I danced with his wife (lovely young lady, far too pretty for him)—and, Hawkeye, he glared at me the entire time, you’d think I had some sort of reputation—and then Breda spilled sauce down his shirt so I helped him clean it up, and then I looked for you, but ended up talking to Fullmetal again—did you know he’s been compiling some ancient Aerugan and Cretan alchemical records? Turns out their name for human transmutation was something like: ‘really bad idea,’ or maybe, ‘if you enjoy having limbs, don’t do this’—the old translation was kind of tough to parse…”

Riza tuned him out as he waxed on about alchemy for a bit longer. The champagne was making her chest feel very light.

“…And then I finally found you again, all the way here in the back by yourself,” he finished at last. He removed his weight from her shoulder, and Riza found herself missing it.

“I wasn’t alone the whole time,” she said honestly.

“Have you danced with anyone yet?” Roy asked.

“No,” she said.

“Good.”

His eyes found hers.

“I wanted to be your first dance tonight,” he said in a completely different tone: low and secretive.

Riza hoped it was merely the alcohol in her blood making it sing. Before she could respond, Rebecca collapsed without preamble into the chair on her other side, kicking her shoes onto the grass and rolling her ankles rapturously.

“What are the chances I could get either of you to massage my feet?” she groaned.

“Bad,” said Riza.

“I’ll do it,” offered Roy.

“No you won’t,” said Havoc, appearing on Rebecca’s other side. He handed her a glass of water, then sat down to pull her feet into his lap.

“You are the perfect man,” she sighed.

Riza stood up, stretching her spine.

“I’ll leave you two to…whatever this is.” She waved at Havoc and Rebecca. “I think it’s time I said hello to Edward and Winry.”

“I’ll come with you,” Roy said, standing quickly. They made it approximately fifteen steps before Gracia Hughes caught sight of them, tugging a drowsy Elicia in her wake as she came to say hello. Riza, after hugging both of them, excused herself.

Roy raised his eyebrows at her. Running off again?

She shook her head slightly, tilting her chin toward a flash of white in the crowd. Later.

He smiled in understanding, and carried on his conversation with Gracia while Riza worked her way over to Ed and Winry.

“Hawkeye!” said the groom joyfully as she approached. Then, catching himself, “I mean, uh. Captain!”

“Hawkeye is fine, Ed,” she said, laughing a bit as she hugged him. “You might even consider calling me Riza these days.”

Ed shivered at the thought.

“Nope. I’ll stick with Hawkeye. You still scare me.”

“Ed—!” rebuked Winry half-heartedly, and Riza turned to her. She could only assume the girl hadn’t been getting much sleep the past several days, but you would never know it from her appearance. When Winry’s face broke into a huge smile, Riza suddenly understood why Ed had been unable to look anywhere else.

“I’m so happy you could come, Miss Riza,” she said, her eyes shining.

Riza gave the bride a long, tight hug, and for the first time since the wedding had started, tears stung the back of her throat and the corners of her eyes. After letting go of Winry, she looked between the two of them, at their young faces lit from within with impossible delight.

“You both have my deepest congratulations,” she said with utmost sincerity. “I don’t think either of you could have chosen better.”

Ed blushed, and stammered out a thanks. Winry gazed at him fondly, and his stammering got worse.

“Articulate as always, Fullmetal,” said a deep voice from behind her, as Roy came up to her side.

“Shut up,” Ed muttered.

“Good evening, captain,” Roy said. His voice was close to her ear, making her heart slam against her ribcage.

“Good evening, sir,” she said calmly.

“Is your next dance spoken for?” he asked, offering her his arm.

“Actually—” Ed began to extend his hand, but his new wife elbowed him hard, and he swallowed the words. A secret, scheming smile was playing around the corners of Winry Rockbell-Elric’s mouth, and Ed knew better than to get in the way when she wore that look.

“It is not,” said Riza, truthfully.

“Then, shall we?”

They walked together to the dance floor, which was far more empty at this point in the night. Only four or five other couples still swayed to the music of the gramophone. Roy put one arm around her waist, tugging her close as his other hand took hold of hers.

Their dance was silent for a few minutes: a wordless communication of step and rhythm. Riza could feel that her cheeks were flushed from the champagne.

“It’s been a little while since we danced,” Roy said. The hand on her waist tightened as they did a half-spin.

“A few years,” she confirmed. Her hand crept slowly, slowly, from his shoulder to the back of his neck.

“We should make an effort to do it more often,” he said. “I think you might be rusty.”

“That’s entirely possible, sir.”

They circled and dipped, mirroring each other seamlessly. A few of the other dancers stepped off the dance floor, and the lights seemed to dim. The music from the gramophone changed, loosened from a waltz into something freer, sweeter.

Roy dropped her hand, and for a moment she thought the dance was ending. But rather than letting her go, he put both hands on her hips, sliding them up to her waist as he pulled her closer. Riza’s nose touched his shoulder, brushing the rough fabric of his dress uniform. After taking a moment to steady her breath, she wound both arms around his neck.

“You know,” he said. His breath was warm on her ear, and goosebumps prickled along her neck. “This whole ‘wedding’ thing is charming, in its own way.”

Riza shut her eyes. “I agree. Very charming.”

They swayed.

“I’d like to try it myself, if the time is ever right,” he said. His voice cracked, ruining the nonchalance of his words. “What do you think, Hawkeye? Is it a good idea?”

“A lot of people seem to think so,” she said, trying to ignore how she could feel his heartbeat against hers.

Roy chuckled. His arms around her were very, very warm.

“Someday, perhaps,” he murmured into her hair.

She rested her forehead against his shoulder. The music was soft, dying.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Maybe someday.”