#and i want to start watching fma

[mayonnaise-sock]

The fact the people actually fucking think that israel is just defending themselves or that palestine deserves any of this is genuinely fucking insane. Like enraging. How is anyone on israel’s side when the idf shot 300 bullets from a tank into a six year old girl. How is israel the victim when they’re storming hospitals and schools. They do not care if those hostages are alive. They’re just trying to wipe out the last of the country they’ve been trying to steal for 75 years. “It’s complicated” it’s a fucking genocide. If a thousand jews took a thousand germans hostage in WWII would it have been complicated? No, it’s still a fucking genocide. Not to mention that israel has a history with this stuff. Kicking people out because it’s “promised land”??? Just because it was promised to you in a book written two fucking thousand years ago, doesn’t mean the people there don’t matter.

Seeing people say “good, hamas brought this upon themselves” or claiming being anti zionist is antisemetic or even that anti zionists support hamas is just blatant ignorance. You can just say you’re a nazi because you may as well be.

[acidsaladd]

also rlly sorry i havent posted art in a while guys ive been on a haikyuu kick recently and i cant figure out how to draw them so,,, i cant even make art of them

[disappearinginq]

Tagged by @dragonnan:

List 8 shows for followers to get to know you better

Ted Lasso

Magnum PI 2018 (for my love/hate relationship with it)

White Collar

Reacher

Full Metal Alchemist

Blood & Treasure

Julie and the Phantoms (I will die mad about it being cancelled)

9-1-1

Tagging anyone who wants to give me some show recs!

Really. Not subtle invite to rec things to me. :-)

[weirdbabs]

idk if toonami was airing while i wasnt watching tv or what but somehow i never saw anything from it. the only anime i watched as a kid was pokemon which i didnt know was an anime, dragon ball (z?) which i never saw in order and i would just stay up real late and catch it on adult swim, and one piece which me and my sister looked up on the internet and found watchop.com after our new neighbor recommended it

[jewishdragon]

every time i re-watch FMAB i wanna SCREAM ABOUT IT WITH SOMEONE

i need to talk about the complexity of this show, how the heroes goals change as they gain information about the world, how they make HUGE mistakes and we the viewers learn that we made the mistake of thinking that the main characters were important, that this story was about them, when they are simply the vehicle to deliver the story of a war, a conspiracy, MULTIPLE tragedies including genocides. the show shifts halfway through to broaden the viewpoints, we get flashbacks from the genocide that MOST OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS PARTICIPATED IN (yes the fandom favorites), and its horrific. it's disgustingly realistic even in a world where people casually use magic powers. Can we talk abotu Riza? how she learned that the entire "civil war" was orchestrated by one person who wanted to consume god, and the main characters were like "so it wasnt your fault! it was the conspirators!" and Riza said "No, it doesnt matter who started the fighting, we soldiers still pulled those triggers"

there's SO MUCH more to say i have so many emotions and thoughts about this. About how even if shit was mostly going down in one country, other countries were involved. royals from other countries trying to steal taboo magic, conflicts along boarders that arent resolved, and that if somehow this one country didnt get its shit together its founder and secret leader would consume god and wouldnt stop until it consumed the world.

oh and how that monster who wanted to consume god was created? that history and that tragedy? holy shit i have SO MANY THOUGHTS i cannot say more.

i watched the 2003 FMA, in which the conflict was... smaller, between individuals. it was good but it wasn't as impactful, and it's ending soured it for me. (i did like the lore for creation of homunculi better in 2003 though! and I maintain that position)

[graceylacey]

is laios touden happy?

I keep coming back to the question that a lot of Dungeon Meshi (manga) fans seem to be asking: is Laios happy at the end?

My two cents on this is: well, yeah. He actually is.

He’s sacrificed a lot, it seems, far more than all of the other characters. He’s the driving force behind the reason they survived to save Falin - through eating the monsters. Only in the end, he’s not able to explore dungeons, be near monsters (RIP his special interest) or even eat without feeling 30% empty. It’s a real tough bargain.

But that’s the whole point. And that loss makes the story so much more impactful to me.

When talking with the Winged Lion at the end, Laios’ true desires appear. But we can see through Mithrun, Thistle and Marcille’s time as Dungeon Lords that The Winged Lion seems to expose really selfish wishes that, whilst having good intent, don’t end up benefiting others the way the Dungeon Lord wants.

Obvious as it may seem, Laios’ true main wish IS to save Falin over the course of his storyline. It’s what drives him despite having other, arguably impossible, desires that he longs for.

Even though Laios wishes to become a monster, this desire has never overtaken his motivation in any other part of the narrative.

Yes, he loses a lot. But he’s gained Falin.

It seems obvious, but that’s the key to why I think this is a good ending for him. It’s about sacrifice. Itsusumi is a great microcosm for this - you have to do things you don’t want to do, eat things you don’t want to eat. You also have to give up things you don’t want to in order to gain more.

The similarity between Dungeon Meshi and Fullmetal Alchemist (manga) is wonderful to me. Both stories explore the giving and taking of life and the goals of our lives. 

At FMA’s conclusion, Ed sacrifices his ability to do alchemy; the reason the whole story started. It cost him and Al so much, but also helped them recover what they’d lost and literally save the world (are we starting to see the similarity?). Whenever I reread FMA, it’s sometimes hard watching Ed give up all his talent and everything he worked towards. What does he have without it? But for him, in that moment, it’s not such a difficult price to pay to get his brother back.

Maybe Laios is not aware of how much he would lose when he defeats the Winged Lion. But we do know he wants his friends and Falin to be saved, even if he dies. But that’s the thing! Both he and Falin are prepared to die to save their loved ones, but what about being prepared to LIVE to save their loved ones?

In our lives, we won’t often be sacrificing our lives for people, but we might be faced with a choice to give up things we love for people we love. Losing his life would be the easy way out (a great example of this is through Mithrun. It takes conscious effort to live. It seems so much simpler to die). Losing your dreams is hard, but that’s what it ended up costing for the safety of not just Laios’ friends but the world. He made that choice, now he must live with it. Even if he’s not fully happy at the end of the narrative, he still can be. You can be happy without having everything you desperately desire. That’s Dungeon Meshi.

Dungeon Meshi’s theme of neurodivergence fit into this really well. Personally, I think Laios is the perfect person to become King, possibly because he doesn’t think he should be. We know it’s not necessarily what he wants to do most. Heck, we know he doesn’t even like people that much and they don’t even seem to like him. But that’s what will make him the perfect candidate. Unlike others, he doesn’t have some high and mighty vision of becoming revolutionary at the end, nor does he have misconceptions about his abilities. He is genuinely righteous and humble, whilst having his flaws.

Laios knows what it’s like to feel different, outcasted by the world. But despite being awkward, strange, having weird interests and an inability to read social cues; people that once hated him ultimately end up having his back. There are bound to be others like him in his world (and ours), who don’t feel like they belong within humanity. People that would want a benevolent leader who genuinely cares and is enthused about things that don’t fit the norm because he doesn’t either.

It’s not his dream job but I believe he will eventually settle into it. We see this in the extra chapter where he willingly gives up his sword. That hit me hard. It felt a bit like a betrayal, like he was giving up who he was and everything he had worked for. But maybe it just shows that it’s okay that he couldn’t achieve all his desires. At least now Falin can achieve hers, and wasn’t that his fear for so long? That she would be lost and alone without him?

But now, because of Laios, Falin has the ability to choose her own path. She can choose make to leave as he once left her without the fear and guilt that Laois felt with his own departure. It shows both of them that it’s okay for them to take separate paths. They can grow and change and love each other from wherever they are. That protection, that survival and that connection between people is at the heart of Dungeon Meshi to me.

Both Laios and Falin choose to live. When Laios eats the Winged Lion’s appetite and Falin returns it’s down to their own decision. The choice to eat; the choice to experience life the way it was intended, with all its thorns. When they eat the monstrous parts of themselves they choose to be human, they choose the consequences of life, they choose to change and to go forwards. They are two sides of the same coin.

It seems only just that after all Laios has been through and after all we’ve seen him do, he should be allowed a perfect happy ending. But that’s just not Dungeon Meshi, is it?

There will always be sacrifices. Dungeon Meshi is not just about accepting life and death, but also accepting the possibility that you may not achieve everything you want, that things will not always go to plan but that you can always achieve other things despite this. 

Laios has made his choice to become King. Just like the choice to eat, it’s another part of life and of moving forward. Think of all the good he could do. I think he can be happy. That’s life.

[otomiyaa]

Catching up (Tag Game)

Ive been a bit on and off and felt like making a tag game so here's one to catch up on each other's interests and hyperfixations! Answer the 10 questions and tag 5 people. No pressure ofc!

@fluffandgiggles @ppystkposts @crazy-as-a-jaybird @blobbirobbi @kusuguricafe + everyone who wants to join! **edit + everyone who received a notification from when I tried to tag 10+ people and the tumblr post broke 😂

❤️ Newest obsessions: Dungeon Meshi, probably has been clear.. and capybaras. Taylor Swift not very new but refueled obsession since seeing the eras tour concert!

🎥 Last 3 movies I watched and what I thought of them:

Inside Out 2 - CRYING SOBBING LOVING IT SO MUCH

The Parent Trap 1998 rewatch - Still golden fav, one of my guiltiest pleasures

Sous la Seine / Under Paris - Love a good shark movie but thought this was mediocre smh. the ending was cool tho hahaha

🎶 3 songs I discovered recently and love:

Peggy - FEMININE RAGE

Spencer Sutherland - Alive

HOYO-MIX - Interstellar Journey

💘 Newest fav ships: Falin x Marcille , Chilchuck x Senshi, and Laios x Kabru all from Dungeon Meshi!!!

📺 Currently watching: The Apothecary Diaries, Wind Breaker, House of the Dragon, Pokemon Johto Journeys (rewatch), FMA Brotherhood (rewatch), Mushoku Tensei S2 (might drop it)

📖 Currently reading: Dungeon Meshi manga, Define the Relationship manhwa, XXX Buddy manhwa (both manhwas on hold but I'll continue reading soon!)

🎮 Currently Playing: Fortnite, Minecraft, Genshin Impact (haven't played since Cyno story quest tho), Zelda Tears of the Kingdom (on hold), Yakuza 0, Zelda Skyward Sword, Hogwarts Legacy, note: I kinda dropped all mobile games but I'm really considering starting love & deepspace again hmmm.

😍 Currently looking forward to: New Fortnite update, Genshin Natlan update (even though I have to catch up on the previous ones lol), the new Deadpool movie, Blue Lock movie (seeing it this week!)

✅ Recently finished: Kaiju No. 8 (anime), other than that no books, manga, games or shows. All still in progress lol.

💌 Something to Share: I'm glad to see people are enjoying the x reader drabbles and I'm motivated to work on them faster when I can! Thanks everyone for your patience.. T-T

[fairy-writes]

hi! if its no trouble for u, could i request an edward elric/reader fluff with a lot of pining coming from him?? i adore your fma fics so much!! <333

TOUCHY

Reblogs and Comments are greatly appreciated!!

__________________________________________________________________________

Fandom(s): Fullmetal Alchemist

Pairing(s): Edward Elric x Reader

Word Count: 2.4k

Genre(s)/Tag(s): Gender Neutral!Reader, Fluff, Pining, Kind of Oblivious!Edward?

Notes: Thank you for liking my silly little FMA fics! I adore writing them!!

__________________________________________________________________________

You were always touchy. 

Not in a creepy or perverse way. But in the way that you’d always hold Edward’s hand when out traveling. You’d play with his hair whenever he allowed you to. When you’d make dinner, you’d brush your hand across his shoulders as if reassuring yourself that he was still there as he sat at the kitchen table and rambled about alchemy. 

All of which happened more than he liked to admit. 

But he couldn’t bring himself to care. 

1904

It started when you were young.

His mother had just baked an apple pie, but for whatever reason, wouldn’t let him eat some. Nor Alphonse, who was still just a tiny child at only four years old. Ed himself was five, but that wasn’t the point. 

The point was that he couldn’t have any apple pie!

“Get your shoes on, Ed. We’re going out.” His mother called from the kitchen, where she was lacing up Al’s shoes. Ed grumbled but sat down by the front door and obediently started tying his shoes. He looped the bunny ears around one another and tied a sloppy knot, but that didn’t matter. 

Maybe his mother would let him have some of that apple pie when they were done getting back from whatever they were doing! 

His stomach rumbled at the thought, and his mouth watered, but he pushed on and carefully held his little brother’s hand as his mother carried the pie in one hand and held Al’s free hand in the other. 

They stopped at a little house just down the street. Ed frowned and looked up at his mom, but she was watching the people file in and out with armfuls of boxes. 

Maybe someone was moving in? 

She eventually headed up the three steps to the front door and knocked. Al let go of Ed’s hand and clung to her dress. Ed stood a little behind and jumped as the front door opened. It was an older woman, Ed didn’t know her age as he had never seen her before. Her face split into a polite smile, 

“Can I help you?” She asked. Her voice reminded Ed of Granny Pinako’s: kind and welcoming with just a touch of sternness. His mom smiled that winning smile of hers, and she held out the apple pie. 

What was she doing?!

“My name is Trisha Elric. These are my sons Edward and Alphonse. We just wanted to welcome you into the neighborhood.” She said, and the woman’s face warmed like a sunrise. She took the pie gratefully and knelt to greet the two boys. Ed scowled. He didn’t like this lady. She got their apple pie!

“My name is Agnes, but everyone calls me Grammy. It’s nice to meet you both.” She said kindly, and Al peeked his head from where he had been hiding it in the fabric of their mother’s dress. 

“‘m Al.” He mumbled, and at his mother’s insistence, Ed jabbed a finger at his chest. 

“I’m Ed!” He said, still a bit miffed at the idea of not getting any apple pie. Agnes looked behind her and called a name before turning back to the Elric brothers. 

“I have a grandchild about your age. I think you’ll like them.” She said cryptically, and you appeared from around the side of the house. 

You were dressed in a pair of dirt-covered overalls and carried a bug net over your shoulder. You had a grin decorating your features that put Winry’s to shame as you scampered up the steps.

“Grammy! What’s that?!” You chirped, and your grandmother gestured to the boys and their mother. 

“These are the Elric’s. They brought us a pie to welcome us to our new home. Can you say hello?” She said gently, and you turned, dropping your bug net and throwing your arms around Ed and Al with a cheer. 

“Thank you for the pie!”

Ed pushed you off stubbornly, and Al froze stiffly. You stumbled a bit from his push, but your smile didn’t disappear in the slightest. You turned to Agnes and pointed at them, 

“Can they come in and have some pie, Grammy?” You asked, and Ed perked up the slightest bit. (Not that he’d admit it.) 

Agnes hemmed and hawed before looking to their mother. 

“Would it be alright? I don’t want to keep you if you’re busy.” She said, and their mother looked down at the two young children. 

“What do you think, boys?” She asked, and before Al could even get a word in, Ed piped up.

“Yes!” He said, and his mom raised an eyebrow. He deflated slightly at the look. “Yes, please.” He mumbled, and she smiled. 

“If it isn’t too much trouble, we’d love to share some with you.”

And that kickstarted your friendship.

1905

“Ed! Al! There you are!” Your voice carries up the hill where the brothers are reading under a tree. Ed looks up and scowls when he sees you tromping up the hill with a basket in one hand and your ever-trusty bug net in the other. 

He didn’t want to see you right now.

You’d just pull them away from their research. 

From however close they were to bringing their mother back to life.

You made it to the top of the hill and flopped down next to them, swinging your legs over Ed’s as you dug through the basket. Al sat up immediately, his stomach rumbling already as you begin to pull out sandwiches and thermoses of something to drink.

“Granny Pinako said you guys hadn’t eaten yet, so Grammy made you lunch!” You said and tried to hand Ed a sandwich. He pushed it away. 

“We aren’t hungry.” He snapped and looked over to where Al was already stuffing his face with a sandwich. You raised an eyebrow as his own stomach groaned and his face flushed pink. 

Ed angrily took a sandwich and unwrapped it, shoving half in his mouth to your surprised squawk. 

“You’ll choke!” 

“I’m fine!” He garbled out through his mouthful and chewed, stubbornly refusing to look at you. You had adjusted in a half-circle to lay your head in his lap, gently pushing the book he had been reading out of the way. However, you carefully saved his spot with the scrap of paper he had used as a bookmark before pushing it aside. 

At least you didn’t dogear the page. 

“What are you guys working on?” You asked, and Al shut his book quickly before you could get a peek. 

“It’s a secret!” He said quickly, and you frowned, reaching up to poke Ed’s nose. He swatted your hand away. 

“Alright… I won’t pry. It’s probably alchemy anyway, and that stuff makes my head hurt. Just… Don’t get hurt, okay?” You say seriously, and Ed blinks. You weren’t going to pry? You were one of the nosiest people he knew! You were always asking questions, dumb or not. It was one of the reasons he liked hanging around you. 

1910

When Ed opened his eyes, he was met with a familiar ceiling. 

What? 

The last thing he remembered was… What was the last thing he remembered?

A white room.

A set of stone doors. 

Oh… Right…

“You’re awake!” Comes your voice, and he turns to the left to see you sitting at his bedside, a book in your lap and an empty glass of water on the bedside table. You smiled at him, shut your book, and set it aside. 

“Where am I?” He asked, his voice cracking from disuse. How long had he been unconscious? 

“At Granny Pinako’s. It’s been two days. Al brought you here after…” You trailed off, and your expression saddened. 

Al! 

Where was his little brother?!

You must’ve noticed the panic on his face and put a hand on his to keep him from freaking out. It worked better than he would’ve liked to admit. 

“Al’s okay. He’s helping Granny Pinako in the kitchen. I can go fetch him if you’d like.” Ed nodded, and you smiled once again, patting his hand before leaving the room. 

Al tumbled in soon after, the relief evident in his new tinny armored voice. 

“Brother! You’re awake!” He exclaimed. Ed simply grinned, suddenly feeling very exhausted despite having just woken up. He slumped back against his pillows, feeling almost… empty, as memories rushed back to him. 

Human Transmutation. 

Their mother. Or rather what was supposed to be their mother. 

The Truth.

Losing his limbs.

Losing his limbs.

He looked down, spotting where his right arm and left leg used to be. They were really gone…

“Y’know, they stayed by your side the entire time.” Al’s voice breaks him from his reverie. He looked over at his brother with a frown. 

“Who?” Al chuckles and jerks his head toward the door where you had left them. He was mature for a ten-year-old, but then again, he had to be. 

“They didn’t leave your side the entire two days you were sleeping. They even held your hand, too!” He said.

Ed squirmed in his bed, cheeks flushed pink, and avoided his teasing younger brother’s gaze. Al’s tone of voice indicated that he was having fun teasing Ed. He always had way too much fun teasing him when it came to you. 

And Ed could never figure out why. 

1911

“You can’t!” You cried, catching Ed’s arm as he packed his suitcase. He was almost ready. Ready for the State Alchemist’s exam. Ready to get their bodies back. There was only one thing in the way and that was you. 

“Why not?” He snapped back, pulling his automail hand from your grip and shoving his notes in his suitcase. 

“Because you know how I feel about the military! You know what they’ll have you do?! They’ll have you kill people!” You exclaimed, and he scowled down at his folded clothes. 

But he doesn’t say anything. 

Because what can he say? He knew full well how you felt about the military. You had opposed their place in Ishval the moment you knew what was happening, even as a child. You opposed the genocide of the Ishvalan people to the point it would get you in trouble at school. 

Ed knew he wouldn’t be able to refuse if he became a dog of the military. He wouldn’t be able to say no. But this is one of the only chances he has to get Al’s body back. 

So he had to go. 

And in going, he left you behind. 

1911

He did it. 

He was officially a member of the military. 

A State Alchemist. 

A dog.

Ed leaned his head on the train window as he watched the scenery pass by. Resembool was but a few hours away, and then he’d see Al again. See Winry and Pinako. See Grammy. See you. 

Would you hate him for joining the military? He had left early in the morning before you woke up, so he didn’t get to see you one last time before leaving for his exam. Al, Winry, and Pinako had seen him off, and he thought that was good enough. 

So why did his heart ache in his chest?

The ride to Resembool was thankfully uneventful, and soon, he was home. His automail creaked a bit; he had forgotten to maintain it in the few days he had been at Central. But that didn’t matter. He slung his suitcase over his shoulder and made the long walk back to Rockbell Automail. 

Den alerted everyone to his presence by barking. Al came rushing out around the side of the house in excitement as soon as he heard his brother’s voice. Winry peeked her head out her balcony window and waved before ducking back inside to work on whatever project she had been working on. And Granny Pinako came out to greet him.

Ed heard the pattering of feet just as he opened the front door before he was quite literally tackled to the ground. 

It didn’t take much to realize who exactly had tackled him. 

It was you!

He managed to sit up before you were throwing your arms around his neck and nearly knocking him over again. 

“You idiot! You left without saying goodbye!” You whispered, and he just hugged you back in a rare show of affection. 

“Sorry.” That was all he managed. 

You didn’t hate him. 

You still cared. 

And for some reason, that was better than anything else. 

1915

They had done it. 

Father was defeated. 

Al had his body back. Ed had his arm back, but that paled in comparison to the fact that Al had his body back.

Already, his younger brother had quite the appetite but was forced to stick to soups and soft foods while he got used to having a mouth and stomach again. He was supposed to start physical therapy as soon as he was given a clean bill of health. 

There was a knock on their shared hospital door, and he looked up from where Winry was fixing up his automail leg. Who was here? It wasn’t Granny Pinako. She was getting too old to travel now. It wasn’t Grammy. She had passed away last year from an illness. Was it you? Or was it someone from the military?

It was the former. 

You tumbled in with a bouquet of flowers and their names on your lips. 

“Granny said—” You come to a halt when you see Al sitting up in bed, eating slowly with some help from a nurse. Tears well up in your eyes, and the flowers in your hands begin to tremble. 

“You made it!” Winry exclaimed and got up to embrace you. You seemed to be on cloud nine as you gave her a hug, then Al, and then stood before Ed. Your lower lip wobbled, and he vaguely heard Winry and the nurse helping Al out of the room to give you both some privacy. 

“You have your arm back.” You said softly, and he held it up, flexing the nonexistent muscles almost as proof. Your tears welled up once again, and you set the flowers down on the bedside table before you hugged him tightly. He wraps his arms—both of them—tightly around your middle and pulls you almost into his lap. Your head nestles in the crook of his shoulder, and he can hear your sniffles as you cry tears of joy. 

You were always touchy. 

But he didn’t mind it one bit. 

[osspial]

thinking a lot about fullmetal alchemist and due to the power of my adhd being medicated i have a lot to say about it

(i finally started reading the manga after having watched FMA:B a few times)

(spoilers below cut)

i didn't really pick up on this before, it's really hitting hard how the core theme of FMA is Hiromu Arakawa trying to process the trauma of growing up in post-war Japan, thinking as a child that their country is just and right and good, and then slowly discovering the extent of Japan's war crimes and the depravity and evil that the country sunk to during the war. (there are MANY. Unit 731 seems particularly relevant to Marcoh's philospher's stone research). and discovering how, at the end of the war, Japan's leadership was fully willing to sacrifice the civilian lives of the entire country to maintain their own personal glory (lots of similarities to The Father's plan to destroy all of Amestris in order to achieve godhood).

and like, in that context, Edward/Alphonse and Roy Mustang/Riza Hawkeye are such brilliant foils for eachother. both Edward and Roy Mustang are incredibly driven people with no fear of personal pain that are willing to do absolutely anything to achieve their own goals and better Amestris. but Edward is young, and hot-blooded, and a loose cannon, and (at the start) unaware of the evils committed in Amestris's name. and he gets angry when he discovers those. meanwhile, Mustang is older, and more measured and much more constrained by the military hierarchy he's operating in, and he directly helped commit many of the war crimes that Amestris perpetrated. but he's racked with guilt over the innocent lives he's taken, and rather than drifting through Amestris solving problems as they come up (like Edward), he's fully committed to working within Amestris's evil fascist dictatorship and pulling wires behind the scene in order to become the supreme leader of Amestris and make the government more righteous with the full power of an entire country behind him.

I've got less to say about Alphonse and Riza Hawkeye, but they both are committed to Edward/Mustang to the point of death. both Alphonse and Riza are more level-headed than their partners, will do anything to protect them, and have gone through a lot of personal pain in order to help them achieve their ultimate goals. Neither Edward nor Roy would be where they are without Alphonse or Riza's help. Both Alphonse and Riza were active partners in the sins their respective duos committed (human transmutation and war crimes). and, even separated from their partners, both Alphone and Riza are incredibly capable individuals that are more than able to hold their own.

this extends to the character design. look at how Edward and Mustang mirror eachother in their hair (bangs in particular) and angry expression

and look at how Alphonse and Riza mirror eachother -- also in their hair and their large, expressive eyes

what an incredible piece of art. love seeing the amount of love and care that went into this.

(P.S. Royai is like peak relationship goals. i want what they have)

(P.P.S. there's a lot of depictions of common people as honest, good, hardworking, and faithful people that are trapped in horrible machines beyond their control, esp. in the first few chapters (the Leto arc, the mining town arc). i really like how Arakawa goes out of her way to absolve the common people of the sins of their circumstances. it's good stuff)

[gartenofbanny]

I believe Mammon is basic and boring as a Sin and Antagonist in Helluva Boss. But in a series where a portion of the villains are just one-note, Mammon is a really really special case to me.

Mammon is one of the Seven Deadly Sins, and Helluva Boss tends to put their own unique twist regarding them for better or for worse. It really just depends on your preference.

Lucifer, despite being the Prince of Pride, loves his daughter Charlie and his wife, Lilith, presumably putting his family first before himself. Asmodeus, despite being the Sin of Lust, is in a healthy relationship with a Demon that isn't a succubus. Lastly, Beelzebub who, despite being the Sin of Gluttony, was worried about Blitzo's emotional state after he downed an entire gallon of the alcoholic beverage she likely made. Despite embodying sins, these characters moreso embody the more positive aspect of them, which again is for better or worse depending on your preference.

And then there's Mammon. He's the Sin of Greed, and for some reason, he's the only Sin who embodies the Sinful aspect of greediness. Asmodeus proclaims that Mammon has always been like this since the "start of Hell" meaning he has always been a greedy asshole and will always be a greedy asshole because that's what he is.

Excuse my french, but what a lazy ass character Mammon is.

The reason I've really decided to make this post is because a friend sent me a scene from Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood. I haven't watched the anime, but this scene, in particular, really opened my eyes to how the Greediness isn't just about money. How Greed like the other sins have Virtues to them.

Now I'm not expecting Helluva Boss to have FMA: Brotherhood level of writing, but I will ask this. If Vivziepop is able to portray the sin of Lust and Gluttony in complex or somewhat redeemable lights, then why not do so for the Sin of Greed?

This series took the most basic understanding of Greed and just made an antagonist out of it, and that's really why Mammon feels very basic to me. It doesn't feel as if much thought was put into him compared to Asmodeus and Beelzebub.

Mammon is evil because he's greedy and he wants money, so he exploits his cash clown for cash. Now, if he was the only antagonist like that, I wouldn't care, but Stella and Crimson are two villains in Helluva Boss who have basic ass motives with no cause behind them. Stella is a dick to Stolas and wants to abuse him just because. Crimson is a bad father towards Moxxie and treats him like shit..just because (I thought mafias were all about family)

How can I take Mammon as a serious villain when he's just like Crimson and Stella? Well, at least in terms of voice acting and design, he's unique, but in terms of character motivation and writing. Mammon isn't it.

However, critics and fans alike, if you think otherwise, I'd love to read them.

Anyway, thank you all for reading, and I hope you all have a nice day! ❤️

[zaimta]

彡EQUIVALENT EXCHANGE

a/n- this one’s for all my fma baby girls (please tell me yall get it)

˗ˏˋ«────── « 𓆩♡𓆪 » ──────»

you sat on the roof of pinako's house watching the sunset, and you thought back on the times you spent with ed and al. they weren't the fluffiest of memories, but they will be something you will always cherish.

"what's going on in that head of yours?" ed teases you as walks onto the roof to sit next to you he gently nudges his shoulder into yours.

"just thinkin about everything we've all been through, it's crazy to think that it's all over. I'm finally going home" you smile to yourself but ed, on the other hand, can't help but feel sad at the thought of you not being around anymore. despite all the teasing, he endured from winry and al they were right he's fallen for you.

"so what are you gonna do when you get home?" he smiles down at you concealing the fact that he doesn't want you to go.

you lean your head on his shoulder "after all this traveling I'm just going to go home and take the longest nap of my life. not being on the run from people trying to kill you is refreshing." you lift your head off his shoulder to look at him "what about you what are you gonna do?"

he frowns slightly at the absence of your touch but quickly carries on hoping you didn't catch it "I don't think I can stay down for long I'm probably going to travel a little and maybe I'll start relaxing after that."

you raise a brow "'maybe'?" you tease him "ed you've almost died on over twenty different occasions I think you're the first person who needs to relax."

"i guess you're right, i'll take it easy for about a week then I'm off."

you stare at him with an unimpressed blank stare "ed. take a break. please."

he laughed then put his hands up in mock surrender "alright alright, you know i could never say no to you. i'm going to miss you when you leave you, know that?"

you rest your head on his shoulder "i'm gonna miss you too, I don't wanna leave and go home but at the same time..." you sigh "i don't know."

he leans his head on yours and the two of you sit in comfortable silence. your train was stopping in town tomorrow and he didn't want to say goodbye, he stared at you watching the sunset and his eyes softened at the sight of you. it was either now or never.

"hey y/n..." you hummed a response

“i want to thank you for sticking by my side this whole time…you gave your time and i’ll give mine, equivalent exchange right?”

he lifted his head off yours which caused you to lift your head off his shoulder to look at him, he looked you in the eyes with a deep blush coating his cheeks.

“so let me give you my heart in return does that sound fair?”

your eyes grew wide at his confession, you’re speechless you were unable to utter a single word besides his name “edward…” you then composed yourself and smiled at him “you big dummy you know i have to get on my train tomorrow what are we going to do about that-”

“i don’t care!” he shouts his face becoming redder and redder by the minute “i just needed to tell you before you left okay, along the way i’ve fallen for you and i’d rather tell you now instead of watching you go without saying anything.”

you wrap your arms around him squeezing him tightly “we’ll work something out ed i promise…but i still believe in equivalent exchange…so…your heart is in my hands while my heart is in your hands. deal?”

he pulls back to cup your face in his hands “deal.” he seals the deal with a kiss a small moment of bliss that lasted a lifetime.

[goodoldfashionedengineer]

I'm watching FMA and FMA:B for the first time. Yes, simultaneously.

I watched both of their first two episodes already and just started FMA:B's third episode and... not gonna lie... I am not particularly fond just judging from those first five minutes

THAT'S Rose?? What happened to her?!

In FMA she was really nice, and her joke about Edward growing taller if he'd pray was just that, a joke. Here she just comes across as wanting to convert them? Not to mention that she seems to have much less emotions all around

And in FMA, Edward sought out Rose AFTER he found out she was grieving her boyfriend. The meeting was personal, coming from shared experiences.

In FMA:B, the church scene is their first interaction. The warning was turned into a lecture

Maybe some will see this completely different than me and that's fine. Those are just my thoughts and opinions

[ubtendo]

Self indulgent grown up hedgies 🥺 I wuv them so much🥺💞💖

So this would be Soda and Scout when they are back on Mobius (Soda is 22 and Scout is 18 but they get back like 4 years earlier)

And here are some more headcanons (since I can't containe myself and need to yapp about them so much) :

• Back on Earth Soda watched one Episode of fma, saw Winry and decided that that's how she wants to dress now and forever

• Sodas dark red marks stated to form when she was 17, she loves how they look like her papa's (Shadow)

• Scouts back gradually changed from white to blue from ages 14-17, around that time she marks around his eyes also formed

• Secretly Shadow and Sonic adore the change in fur and quills since it makes their kids look more like they actually are their kids, they wouldn't ever admit it tho

• Still both Soda and Scout have little knowledge on how much power they have, since they barely got to try and develop on earth (they barely got out of their temporary home hance the changes only really started to show once they were back on Mobius)

Maybe one they I get to design older AU Sonic and Shadow too (or current Sonic and Shadow, or any other character for that matter 🫠)

[rendy-a]

For the event i was thinking in the self aware au that mc would probably get nervous knowing alot of eyes were going to be on them so they would want to get advice on how not to embarrass themselves and who better to go to then our resident fairest queen Vil

I was starting to think all my requests were going to end up being the “ask to dance” variety but then I thankfully started getting some different types, starting with yours!  This is a fun idea as I feel like Self-Aware AU Vil would somehow be personally invested in the publicity of the Player.  He isn’t just a fan; he is the Player’s agent, stylist, and publicist all in one!

The hot sun beat down on you as you sat in a folding chair on the lawns of NRC listening to Crowley give some sort of welcome speech.  At least, you think that was what it was supposed to be.  Crowley’s ramblings had sort of veered off into rubbing his “Goodwill Dance” success into his rival Ambrose’s face.  For at least the past thirty minutes.  It was not only the NRC students, who were long since used to Crowely’s antics, but even the polite Fair Maiden girls and kindly Royal Sword boys who seemed to be at the end of their patience. 

At least you had people watching to amuse you.  The students of NRC were mostly used to you and you to them.  These newcomers offered you a chance to observe some new things.  You enjoyed seeing how the girls of FMA wore their hair and deciding if you could see any of the trends from your own world reflected in this one.  The RSA students were also refreshing to watch.  It had been so long since you’d seen a boy your age hold the door open for someone that you’d gasped out loud when you saw a polite RSA student grab the door for Professor Trein.  Each a delightful change of pace compared to your average NRC student’s behavior. 

You weren’t the only one people watching, though.  Whatever strange interest the students of NRC had in you extended to these newcomers as well.  You’d smile and they’d panic and faint or trip down a flight of stairs.  It was alarming really, so you’d tried to limit your interactions with them outside of events like this one.  For that reason, the number of students in FMA and RSA that could recognize you was limited.  Many of the eager students were having their first opportunity to see you now, but only if they could find you.  They had a searching gaze that swept over the NRC section, and you could practically imagine the whispered conversations that matched the pointing, ‘Do you think it’s that one?  No, maybe this one?’  You smiled to yourself, there were at least a few more days of anonymity before the big dance where you were sure everyone would discover who you were. 

“And finally,” Crowely boomed out, “I’d like to thank our very special guest who is like a child to me.  I am thankful everyday that such an illustrious person as the Play..err, ahem, as Yourself chooses to call Night Raven home.” You crouch down lower in your seat, hoping the various looks you are getting from the NRC students aren’t drawing too much attention; this wasn’t your plan at all.  “In fact, where…Ah!  There you are!  RIGHT THERE!  Second row, I’m pointing right at you!  Yes, YOU!  How very grateful you are to be witness to my boundless generosity in person.  Ah, I am so wonderful.” Well, so much for anonymity.

The assembly ended and, as you had predicted, a wave of RSA and FMA students swept over to gawk at you.  You forced a polite smile on your face and greeted all your unusual fans.  “Wow!  I can’t believe it’s really you!” one boy shouted while gently patting you on the back.  “Yup, it sure is me, I guess?” you reply.  “Oooh!” cooed a long-haired girl, “I have imagined this day for so long and now I finally get to bask in your presence.  You are just so…so…ahhh…” As she trails off you gaze down at yourself and understand.  Your uniform is old enough that it is more grey than black and the treads on the edge of your shirt are unravelling slightly.  Not to mention that you are so perfectly ordinary and not say, a regal dragon prince, or anything.  “Sorry?” you awkwardly reply.

“Oh! NO! I didn’t…I mean…well your…ah…I mean…you look…hmm…” you try to smile politely at all the not-quite-compliments she attempts, “Oh! Yes, you smell wonderful.”  At this the girl heaves a sigh of relief at finding one thing she could positively focus on.  It was a strange compliment though and it left you momentarily puzzled until you remembered putting on some of the scent Vil had gifted you for your birthday.  Of course, you smell good; anything Vil picked out was bound to be top quality.  In fact, that gives you an idea.

The walls of Pomefiore towered over you as you approached the regal dorm based on the Beautiful Queen.  Inside was its own beautiful queen, Vil, and the students he guided.  You were still embarrassed by the happenings of this morning.  Sure, you’d never really tried before to measure up to the mysterious persona you’d been granted in TWST but the way you’d had to stand there as you underwhelmed everyone excited to meet you…well, you didn’t want that repeated.  There was only one thing they had found impressive and that had been due to Vil’s influence, so you reasoned that if you wanted to change their impression of you, this was the place to start.

When you entered the foyer of Pomefiore, you were touched to find a collection of students waiting for you.  They were quick to criticize the FMA and RSA students who had made light of you earlier.  You were sure this wasn’t a healthy way to address the issue, but you still felt happy to hear it.  “I don’t get where she gets off acting like the fashion police in last season’s lipstick.”  This earns the nods of several angry students.  “And that RSA goon?  He was wearing socks with sandals.  SOCKS!  With SANDALS!”  That elicited a gasp from the outraged students over such an offence.  “Come with us, Prefect, and we will give you a makeover until no one can deny the way you shine!”  The crowd gathers around you and starts to usher you into the lounge when a slow clapping is heard from the stairs.

“Je regrette, mes amis,” Rook begins from the landing of the stairs, “but Vil himself is requesting to personally handle this transformation.” There were sighs of bitter disappointment, but no one dared question the will of the Queen of Pomefiore, least of all you.  You followed Rook up the stairs and down several hallways until you reached an elaborately decorated door that, you assumed, would lead to Vil’s room.  “Would that I could follow you and see you emerge from your cocoon in person,” Rook lamented with a dramatic hand placed to his forehead, “but alas, I must remain out here.”  You give him a wide-eyed look, unsure of how to respond to his dramatics.  “Go Trickster, go and become an even more beautiful butterfly!”  Then he flings open the door and practically pushes you inside. 

You carefully crept further into the room; carefully because it was quite dark inside.  Then, with a sudden dramatic flair, the curtains were cast open and your eyes beheld Vil.  The change in light caused you to focus on the only brightest point in the room and that was where Vil stood.  It was if he’d arranged for the sun itself to be his spotlight just to impress you, but you supposed that was just you being dramatic.  Although, when you calmed down enough to really take his expression in, you wondered if that was the intention after all.  He seemed far too pleased with the way you were gazing directly and only at him.

You force yourself to look away and remark, “That was quite an entrance there, Vil.  I almost thought you were onstage.”  He clucks his tongue at you, “Sweet Potato, for those of us in our position, the entire world is a stage.  You’d do well to realize that.”  You smile sadly, “I think I learned that this morning.  You might say my act bombed.”  He approaches you quietly until he stands right before you, “I heard.  All I can say about that is How. Dare. They!”  The final words were spoken with such a hiss of venom that it took you aback.  “Well, I guess I do understand.  I mean, just look at me,” you say as you gesture to your shabby clothing.

“No.” Vil replies simply, “A star is a star, whether they play the Prince or the Pauper.  I feel personally offended that these simpletons were unable to recognize your appeal.”  It was ridiculous enough that it drags a laugh from you, “I keep my appeal hidden inside, deep inside.” Vil is not amused, “Well then, we will need to force it out and put it on display.”  You wipe the smile off your face, “Yes sir!”  He gets an evil smirk on his face, “You can mock now but you better prepare yourself for my training.  When I’m done with you, no one anywhere will be able to look down on you.” 

If you thought Vil was brutal over the boys at the Fairy Gala, it felt like nothing compared to the regimen he prepared for you.  Clothing, manners, dancing, and socializing; all these topics were part of your time with Vil.  He worked your mercilessly up until the day of the dance.  After your final lesson, he presented you with a gift.  “Heels?” you ask unsure, “I don’t know if I’m exactly the heel type.”  Vil gives you a condescending look, “Heels are for everyone, Sweet Potato, and these aren’t just heels.  They are stilettos.  Do you know what a stiletto is?” 

You take the heel from the box and point to the back of the shoe, “Its this part, right?”  He rolls his eyes, “No Potato, I mean a real stiletto.”  You shake your head no.  “A stiletto is a kind of dagger; the sort you’d pierce someone’s heart with.  Just remember that next time anyone dares insult you.  If that happens, use these heels to grind them into dust.”  You decided Vil was less like your Fairy Godmother and more like your Mafia Godfather, but you weren’t complaining.  Watchout RSA and FMA, the Prefect of Ramshackle dorm was about to make an entrance to this dance.  And this time, everyone would know it was all about you. 

[mixu]

Naruto and H1n0t0's wedding chapter confirms SNS

Today in why Shippuden’s ending actually supports sns case, we’ll analyze the last sequence of the last chapter. (If you haven’t read the previous parts, you can find them here pt. 1&2, pt. 3, pt.4, although it’s not necessary to read them in order.) So, without further ado:

Pt 5. Naruto would rather be anywhere but here

As usual I leave my crappy clip from the scene then we’ll examine the expressions, body language of the characters and some of the editing. There’s very little dialogue but a lot to unpack.

The scene starts with Naruto and Hinata staring up at the Hokage Monument.

Who knows how long they’ve been at it, but Hinata is making the same face I make when I go to the museum and fail to understand why someone takes more than 5 minutes to appreciate a painting (excuse my uncultured ass). She then tells Neji’s ghost she is getting married (as if poor Neji cared) and turns to look at Naruto who is uncannily serious for someone who is about to marry the love of his life.

We get a close off of Minato’s face and Naruto’s profile, still serious. What is he thinking about? I very highly doubt he’s thinking about the honeymoon.

Then we get Hinata true to her stalker self, blushing, looking lovingly, dreamingly at Naruto, when Naruto doesn’t even know she’s there. She’s getting married to the man she loves (if you count that as love) so, acceptable, understandable expressions. And I want to emphasize how many expressions of Hinata they show us in contrast to Naruto’s during the whole sequence (3 is being generous).

One could argue that Naruto is looking back at her, but is he? Then why don’t they show us a broader shot of them staring at each other lovingly? Because that’s not the case. That’s their relationship in a nutshell: Hinata staring at Naruto incessantly while Naruto is barely aware of her presence. Furthermore, when Hanabi and Hiashi enter, making Naruto and Hinata turn around, Naruto first looks at Hinata as if asking “you were here the whole time?” then goes back to serious mode.

The following shots of the Hyuuga give us so much information. Hanabi is excited, smiling because she has no clue of the farce, while Hiashi is stern as he has always been, but he had changed after the Chuunin exams, didn’t he? Why does Hinata suddenly looks so worried? She was smiling a second ago? The transition of Hiashi’s expression reminds me of that meme where the father says “He looks gay to me, but whatever makes my princess happy.” So, with Hiashi’s blessing, Hinata smiles again. Once more, notice how many different expressions she has, when Naruto doesn’t even appear in the shot.

What follows is pure gold.

Is it just me or Naruto takes ages to return Hinata’s handhold?

Next, the first image of this batch is so hilarious to me. Hinata is looking down at their hands as if to confirm it is actually happening. Hanabi is more excited than anyone in the room even when it is Hinata and Naruto who are getting married. Naruto’s expression in images 1, 2 and 6 might have been as well copy pasted. Why? He is your main character, why are you hiding his face on every opportunity. Plus, number 4 is so bad. It looks like he is bracing for battle.

Naruto asks Hinata if she's ready, and off they go into a mediocre, loveless marriage for the sake of Konoha and Kishimoto’s, SJ and SP wallets. Look at Naruto’s half-assed smile.

This clip is 74 sec long and we only get to see Naruto’s face/head during 19 sec. That’s roughly a quarter of the whole sequence, and even when Naruto appears, we rarely get a close off of his face. Furthermore, when we do get a close off, there’s no range of emotion (watch Dragon Ball or FMA Brotherhood’s last chapter and compare Edward and Goku’s portrayal to that of Naruto). Why would the studio hide the main character like this? Why focus so much only in the love interest and not the couple? Because there is no happy ending for Naruto. He got trapped between duty, his promises and the expectations cast upon him, and the worst part is those who were supposed to look after him looked the other way.

You can read this post in which the author analyzes similar inconsistences across Gaiden and Boruto. The conjecture is pretty much the same: Naruto gave up Sasuke and married Hinata because that was what everyone told him, directly or indirectly, he was supposed to do.

None of these choices are accidental. We saw what the studio wanted to show us like we read what Kishimoto wanted us to read. Perhaps those last chapters weren’t as clumsy as we thought, but we were too hurt by the Last, Boruto and chapter 700 to notice the characters were responding accurately given the circumstances they were facing and the values of their world. And, people can say whatever about us sns being delusional, but Naruto didn’t get a happy ending (I won’t even talk about Sasuke because there’s no doubt that he got the short end of the stick). We know how happy Naruto is supposed to look like.

So, this is it. Even this wedding fiasco reinforces SNS and now it hurts a thousand times more. Thanks for reading my ramblings and sorry for the quality of the images and the video. I don’t have time to make better edits but I really wanted to share this. I’ll go back to the fanfic world where everything is right.

[creative-type]

First, I've been loving all of your analyses on One Piece, FMA, and other series. It teaches me a lot about writing and makes me appreciate these authors' skills in ways I hadn't before despite regarding them so highly.

I mainly wanted to ask, how did you get so good at doing analysis?

I want to write stories myself when I'm a lot older and wiser, but I have trouble picking up on the existence of tropes and subtle implementation of various things like foreshadowing, themes, and character development. It also makes me feel really nervous to start writing as a result since I have no idea where to start. I feel like knowing how to analyze as well as you do would help greatly with all that and help me get started on making a story. I really hope this isn't too much. Thank you.

First things first, I would advise you to not wait to start writing. Everyone sucks when they start out at a new skill, and all the preparation in the world won’t do as much good as actually doing the thing. There are way to many people out there who psych them out of trying new things and hobbies because they think they aren’t ready, so they study and read books and watch videos, and at the end of the day never start. Don’t be one of those people. To be good at something, you must first suck at that thing. Embrace the suck, for by doing you will learn how to suck less.

That being said, I have always had more of an analytical mind and was lucky enough that my mom was a teacher who during summer vacations paid me and my siblings a penny a page to read and offered a dollar a page for book reports, and would discuss with us what we were reading. Analysis is a skill that can be developed, and the questions I always start with are “What is the author trying to say?” and “Were they successful in saying it?”. There are others who come at it from different angles and there are many theories of media analysis, but that has always been the most interesting to me. It forces me to pay attention not to what the characters are literally saying on the page, and peel back the layers of process till I reach what I believe to be the authorial intent.

In high school and into my college years I was pretty obsessed with the tumblr @reasoningwithvampires, which ruthlessly dissected the Twilight series on a sentence by sentence scale, both in its offenses against the English language and how it fails to be an effective love story. It was a big inspiration for what I do with my One Piece blog, and I attribute it to significantly improvising my college exit score in English despite never taking an English or literature class while in college. I also listen to a lot of YouTube analysis videos for film, video games, and books. You have to be discerning though, and stay way from reactionary, bad faith analysis. But even bad analysis can teach about good analysis, and if you find yourself reading or watching something you think is fundamentally wrong, build up an argument in your head as to why. In that way you open up a dialogue (even if it’s only in your own mind) not just between yourself and the author, but the greater community as a whole.

Good analysis takes time and thought. Most things I write for I have read more than once. Read initially for pure enjoyment, but if you like something enough to revisit it, take your time to read slowly and critically, and again always ask questions. Why did this plot twist work? Where did the author insert foreshadowing? What themes were introduced in the first act the get paid off in the third? As you become more practiced you’ll pick up on these things even on an initial read through. If you’re interested in a specific genre, try to learn the history and development of that genre. Read the classics and figure out why they’re classics, and see how they’ve influenced whatever came after. In that way you’ll learn more about what you love, because stories are always in dialogue with the past while setting the standard for the future.

But mostly don’t be afraid to suck, because you will suck. My first stories and analysis were bad, shallow, and poorly written. But over time you will find your own voice and develop a style all your own. It’s okay to start small, but don’t ever, ever stop yourself from starting.