#brief appearance of a homunculus

[conchfritters]

last post complaining about genshin's writing for the month Anyway i think blorbofication happening in canon is the best way i could describe a lot of the problems i have with it ex. kaeya's relationship with diluc (or klee) is almost the only focus we get on him now, other than his brief appearance in the sumeru archon quest which was just saying his backstory basically with very little actual reaction or characterization on his part OR dainsleif's (also a problem i have in the albedo homunculus reveal in shadows amidst snowstorms). i haven't done his hangout because i. don't care enough to sit through an hour for each route with the quality of content hoyoverse puts out but looking at the ending options i feel like. they missed the opportunity to expand on things we already had for kaeya in favor of Oh he babysits klee! Oh albedo is here! Spend money to pull albedo!Venti cameo! What do you mean him and amber have a complicated dynamic. What do you mean he's apparently beloved by the elderly of mondstadt and the one who wraps up all the incidents there. What do you mean bennett trusts him as an omniscient big brother according to his official cn character profile. We made him talk to diluc again isn't that enough kaeya for you? and it sucks because kaeya feels like a rubik's cube with an onion's layers and like one of their best character personalities in content where he's actually kaeya and not just diluc's brother who is sad and also pretty! we never see anything about his relationship with jean, who he is the Most Trusted Aide of, or mondstadt at large! because every day we get closer to fanon kaeya being canon kaeya and it's just. You can have canon kaeya and fanon kaeya will follow but if fanon kaeya is at the forefront you're just immediately losing all that depth and it's going nowhere

[wormholy]

Fgo fanservant I’ve been playing around w for a while now. I could go into like a 10 page rant like I have a long explanation for him, keeping in mind fgo is rarely straightforward. But I’ll try to keep it brief

This is Basically a weapons projecting berserker crossed with a support caster, misplaced in the saber class due to it being the bond which ties the 2 as “brothers,” but is capable of self applying the berserker class with one of his skills. He represents mostly “The sword forged by svyatogor.” Sword here expanded to mean any weapon he creates, which here comes from deconstructing his own body. The bigger party is a combination of rusted machine (father) and nature goddess (mother) Having transcended both flesh and machine, but mostly stays in heaven where he was banished both before and after he fell into eternal sleep. the smaller party is a possessed homunculus who was sacrificed when he turned 32, at which point his body was beginning to decompose and the experiment was deemed a failure. He was initially supposed to register to the grail as as Ilya muromets, instead forming this composite because he “hadn’t earned it” by Svyatogor’s standards because he did not come to him willingly, but instead needed to be rescued, this joining of the saint graphs patching his body to match Svyatogor’s “ideal,”. Thus he’s closer to a halfway between Svyatogor’s “wife” and “brother,” or even the son/daughter of Ilya muromets, the point at which one is sacrificed or saved by choice of the narrative, even though they are presented as equals. he is preoccupied with becoming equal to others or beating down other strong people so they become equal to the weak, or taking that which is weak and ordinary and making it shine like it is holy, all the while constantly yearning for its destruction. Even after he earns the name Ilya he prefers you call him Svy, or “fool,” as in, a holy fool who endures suffering, rather than understanding him as what he’s supposed to be, because the original was too precious to him to ever be replaced. Personality wise the big one is a bemused sadist who finds everything horrible that happens entertaining, the smaller party is earnestly dedicated, loyal, honest, perpetually poker-faced and near mechanical fighter, no matter how absurd what he says or does might appear. Because of Svyatogor’s influence is the primary function, he’s a dangerous unit to play with, strong but all his skills potentially cause damage to himself and others on his team.

[felixcloud6288]

Fullmetal Alchemist Chapter 48

Heist 3 is a success, but everything quickly falls apart.

Hawkeye shows off her marksman skills. She managed to shoot Scar while driving a vehicle to a skidding stop.

Lin nearly threw his back out lifting Gluttony.

If the fight with Scar had background music attached to it, Ed and Al's dramatic speech as they prepare to defeat Scar would be accompanied by a crescendo followed by off-tune tuba note when May interrupts everything and helps Scar escape.

Something seems off about Wrath's expression when he sees Hawkeye and Lin traveling together.

It's like he's excited to realize Roy has some connection to the foreigners who he caught hunting the Homunculi.

After it's first mention in chapter 32, we finally see a demonstration of Xingese Alchemy being used for healing purposes. May mentions that she can't heal where the "flow of power" in the human body can't reach, nor can she grow back limbs. So that means she can't give Ed a new arm nor heal Havoc's spine.

And now that everything's calmed down, Scar takes a moment to reflect on what happened with Winry.

Not really sure how Xiao Mei got separated from May Chang. She probably got lost in the smokescreen.

Al tosses Xiao Mei into his armor in the next scene.

Scenes like the one where Winry is sharing a drink with Bradley are so much better due to us knowing he's actually Wrath. We see Ed and Al walk into the room that Winry is in, then turn the page and see Wrath. If you didn't worry the first time you read it, then you've somehow skipped every scene every scene he's been in. We'd spent the last few chapters watching him hunt down Lin and Lan Fan like a monster. Then he suddenly appears in what is supposed to be a calm scene. And even though he takes his leave and tells Ed to take care of Winry, we're left with a sense of unease that Ed and Al are completely oblivious to.

Winry had Ed's jacket in her lap during that scene but when they're all traveling to the hotel, the jacket vanishes. No one is carrying it and Ed is never seen wearing it again.

Winry gets a call from Garfiel and all the clients she's helped since taking on an apprenticeship with him. They all reaffirm what Ed told her. She is someone who saves lives, just like her parents. And there are people waiting for her help.

Meanwhile, Havoc is doing what he can to stay fit despite his condition. He's accepted that he won't be able to stay in the military, and plans to find some other way to help support his team. They're waiting for him to catch up.

Ed promises that he won't make Winry cry again, except out of happiness. And she glimpses his back one last time before the train leaves.

Xiao Mei popped out of Al's armor when Roy picks them up. He's even petting her.

Roy picks up Ed, Al, and Dr. Knox in a new car since Scar destroyed the old one. I have no idea what happened to the one Hawkeye stole commandeered in chapter 45. She drove it into the fight to pick up Lin and Gluttony, but it's nowhere to be seen later.

Also not sure where Lin go the new shirt and jacket. Roy's wearing the same shirt and jacket so maybe Roy has some extra clothes lying around that house just in case.

Roy and Lin's discussion confirms this is the first time they've actually met despite working together for the Heist. I guess this means Roy didn't intend to involve Lin in the Super Heist and Lin decided to inform Al and join in for his own reasons.

There's a jacket laid over Lan Fan's bed. It appears to be the one Dr. Knox was wearing.

During their post-Heist 3 briefings, Lin reveals how he caught a WAY bigger fish than expected when he discovered Bradley was a Homunculus. Roy's eyes did that thing when he got that bit of info.

But things start to fall apart when everyone starts arguing over what to do next since they all have their own separate ideas of what to do with Gluttony. And then things literally fall apart when he breaks free and begins to rampage.

Poor Dr. Knox is another normal person being dragged into the shenanigans and uncovering grand conspiracies, just like Maria and Danny. He has nothing to do with any of this and now he's privy to the existence of the Homunculi and he gets to find out that the President is a Homunculus. And now the poor guy is caught up having to deal with Gluttony going on a rampage.

back

[closedcoffins]

@rhpsdys liked this post to be forcibly given a baccano au!

i do ALSO feel like we've got something nice established with the kate thread, but in the spirit of this post, i will give you a 'what-if-they'd-always-been-in-baccano!' style au as well, just for fun!

originally i was tempted to keep raine as a non-human, but i actually had a better idea story-wise so we're going with that. just for the sake of the vibes, i'd like to put raine among the people in 1711 who boarded the advena avis and became immortal.

Lotto Valentino Alchemists: Largely, the group of people who sailed out of Lotto Valentino on the ship Advena Avis in 1711. Not all of these people were from Lotto Valentino originally, but nearly all of them were alchemists or related to alchemists. A majority of these people are dead. SEE: Huey Laforet, Maiza Avaro, Victor Talbot, Elmer C. Albatross. To be noted that the Perfect Homunculus Ronny Schiatto made an appearance on the ship as well.

i don't think they'd have been particularly involved with the 1700s plots beforehand except for potentially being an acquaintance of maiza avaro, alchemy student and former leader of an anti-aristocrat band of delinquents formed entirely of .... the children of aristocrats ..... i say this acquaintanceship is possible because maiza has a strong stance against an invading family known as the house dormentaire during the later two plotlines in 1710 crack flag and 1711 whitesmile, and i think there's every possibility raine might have tried to take up action from the shadows against the dormentaires' burning of the city of lotto valentino despite mostly just being a musician, prompting the two of them to meet.

this connection alone may very well have granted raine passage aboard the advena avis, whether they were brought along by maiza as the city descended into chaos or they knew of the ship's intended location and stowed away on it. either way, they'd end up joining the alchemists ( + sylvie lumiere and gretto avaro ) in drinking the liquor of immortality for the sake of survival during the voyage and would survive the ensuing murders committed by fellow alchemist szilard quates.

i definitely don't want their involvement to end there, though! they'd already be in america, since that's where the advena avis was headed, and i recall you mentioning that raine has worked at or attended juilliard in every human au you've given them. luckily, since it opened in 1905, there'd be a brief span of about 20-25-ish years between then and the beginning of the 30's narrative where they could have taught there during its early days, if you wanted. if not the timeline literally goes until the 2000s so, like, that's also possible. but i digress.

i didn't WANT to go a similar direction as your pre-existing verse with regard to the 1930's storyline, but... ok, listen, thematically there is NO story that raine fits in better with than 1932 drug & the dominoes. while i'm not going to overtly involve them with the gandors or kate right out of the bat, i am going to say that raine could have encounters with some of the principal characters in drug and the dominos ( namely probably edith, a woman who's overextending herself to just try and help her addict boyfriend roy as he desperately tries to push her away for her own safety. if you see parallels in there it's because they exist ). whether they're a lone musician or a teacher at this point, this could and should happen.

i'm also going to say: i am obligated to include raine in the 1935 casino party at ra's lance, because everyone ever is at the casino party. i think it would be pretty fun if they were hired by the runorata family as entertainment. it's not a traditional crowd, so i don't think it would be as much of an issue for them as a concert hall or something---most people at the casino party will be focused on either gambling or, like, killing/subduing whatever enemies of theirs happen to be at the casino. so the job is really just background music.

[whentvsfly]

He had not been formed of roots or eggs or bones or blood, sand or manure - like his long ago ancestors may have been. He is large, taller than the average human, taller than his master, tall enough that doors are a bit of a hindrance to him.

Rebar is his bones, wrapping around his i-beam spine, skin of concrete and glass and bricks, with wires like veins just below the surface.

Parts of him crumble, leaving jagged holes and exposed metal, but all his master needs to do is down some abandoned factory or building and imbue him with magic and urban decay so he is once again whole.

His master is chaotic, but cares for him, even if he is uncertain of some of the things his master does. Unknown to his master, he cares for the normal humans that walk by, wonders about their lives - sometimes he is caught in his daydreaming, but it is dismissed by his master as a fault of his unusual creation.

He does not think he is faulty, but his master says as much - so maybe he is.

---

He kneels in the wake of destruction, a large office building but a pile beneath him, cradling his master even as the cries of trapped people wail all around.

His master is not breathing - though, do they usually? He does not breathe, and he takes after his master, so maybe that's normal.

His master told him to use his power and strength on this building - said it was empty, said it was due for destruction, even as people bumbled by and the structure stood tall and immaculate against the sky.

His master is bleeding - is there some way he can heal them like they healed him?

His master made him destroy this building - killing and injuring innocent humans - he can't block out their screams, their cries, their moans and sobs.

His master is not moving, they - they are always moving, always mobile, except when they sleep but they never sleep in such an uncomfortable place-

There's a hand on his shoulder,  and he holds still - humans never interact with him, he gets looks but never words, never contact, never-

“The wizard is dead, homunculus. And there are already police sirens. You would do poorly, if the police were to catch you. Let me help you.”

He turns his head to view this human this- no, not a human. His face is too different, features sharp and stunning and so put together, brow bones and cheekbones drawing all attention his way. The man's grip is strong on his shoulder, hair bright, dressed better than the few humans around them escaping the rubble.

This being in front of him is strong, really strong, strong enough to help him from those his master angered.

The man offers him a hand,  and he takes it, standing up as his master lies on the ground at his feet.

“Excellent,” the man grins, teeth sharp like the edges of a broken window.

[narakurosaki]

Edward and Winry: Why They Definitely Dated During the Two Year Gap

Since the end of the manga as well as Brotherhood, I’ve observed a chunk of the FMA fandom adopting the notion that Edward and Winry do not begin their romantic relationship until the exchange at the train station, two years after the Elric brothers have been home. Admittedly, this fanon has always been a pet peeve of mine, and it was one that I actively ignored, even as an awkward high schooler that had not yet been in a romantic relationship.

As awkward as Edward is, it’s odd to me that many people believe that he would skip the process of building a solid romantic relationship with Winry before asking her to marry him. Sure, they’re best friends and have known each other since childhood, but, ask yourself: if you were in love with your best friend, would you propose marriage at random, having never made your feelings known, before? I’m not a betting woman, but I think it’s safe to say most, if not all of you, wouldn’t.

We’re going to take a look at several moments within the manga and Brotherhood that serve to hint towards Ed and Winry engaging in a romantic relationship during those two years spent in Resembool.

I’ll be opening with Brotherhood’s fifth opening, “Rain”. It has always intrigued me that the version of Truth Edward sees takes on the form of Winry. I’ve had many theories regarding this that I’ve shared in the Edwin Discord server, but, recently, while researching Truth for a oneshot I’m writing, I discovered this in Truth’s trivia section:

For some reason, in the fifth Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood opening "Rain", Winry Rockbell appears as Truth. Perhaps Winry is what Ed needed most at the time of the episode in which the opening first aired. Another possible reason for Winry's appearance in the opening "Rain": at this point, the scene is playing a review of Edward's review of his journey to this point. When he faces Truth originally, and is then dragged backward through his Door (his ten year old self), he glimpses an outline of Trisha, the object of his sacrifice that brought him to the Portal of Truth, and also the most important female in his life at that time. But in "Rain", he sees Winry instead of Trisha, the current object of his affections and, after regaining Alphonse's body, his goal. A third possibility, is that Winry-as-Truth, was meant to show what he desired as a trap, fitting the next scene: of him screaming within a Philosopher's Stone, before images of every homunculus except Greed. Winry, his desire that tempts him away from what must be done, and the homunculi, whom he must face to succeed.

When we assess the second theory listed in Truth’s trivia section of its wiki page, it is easy to conclude that Edward, though a typical teenage boy concerning romance (not to mention emotionally constipated), came to some sort of realization regarding his feelings towards his best friend. Alphonse has always been his priority since the night the brothers performed human transmutation; he never thought of his future past that. He saw his goal—get his and Al’s original bodies back—and was determined to achieve it. It was the only thing he saw in his future for years. And, suddenly, his father returns, and the fate of Amestris (perhaps, the world, even) is thrust upon him. This, I believe, is what forces Edward to face the emotions he never bothered to acknowledge. There was always a possibility of failure on the Promised Day—Father could have succeeded, and any future Edward envisioned for himself would be unobtainable. He suddenly saw himself sharing his life with his best friend, the woman he had fallen for at some point in his life. Sure, he denied having feelings for her time and time again throughout the series (Hawkeye, anyone?), but that can be chalked up to being a typical teenage boy. Not to mention, he didn’t have time to think about being with Winry. He acted selflessly, focused on getting his little brother’s body back and fulfilling the promise he made to him.

This is somewhat touched upon in the third theory on Truth’s wiki page—the feelings he has for Winry tempt him away from the task at hand. While it does not tempt him away from the promise he made Al, it tempts him away from saving the country. While Edward is not so selfish as to abandon his friends and family on the Promised Day, he does urge Winry to take Pinako and Den out of the country, saving them from the country-wide human transmutation. Though he does not say he will join them, the request is still selfish on Ed’s part. He cares deeply for Winry, and Pinako has become a found family member for the brothers. While he’s unsure if he will make it out alive, he at least wants Winry to see another day.

At the end of “Rain” we see that the storm has cleared, as shown by the sun shining on Winry. She watches Ed sleep peacefully, a smile on his face. This is what Ed wants, this is the goal he wants to achieve after regaining Al’s body—a happy life with Winry.

This moment will be talked about briefly—in opening 4, “Period” (my favorite), Ed and Al pass through each other and look to their surroundings, noticing that they’re alone. Their world comes back into their view with the assistance of those who matter most to them. Winry is seen smiling behind Edward, reminding him that he isn’t alone. Being the first person he sees (or thinks of, depending on how you look at it), it speaks volumes as to Winry’s importance in Edward’s life. She is so much more to him than his mechanic and best friend.

In a blink and you’ll miss it moment, Edward thinks back to those who have impacted his life in a positive way when facing Truth one last time. Truth asks him multiple times if he’s certain on giving up his alchemy; Edward hears the voices of Roy, Riza, Hohenheim, Armstrong, Izumi, Mei, and Alphonse calling out his name. After a brief pause, he hears Winry, This is when Ed proudly asks, “Who needs alchemy when I’ve got them?”

The pause is significant. Ed is able to think of the others—familial and platonic relationships—without missing a beat. When he thinks to Winry, however, there is a pause. We hear her call out his name as he looks Truth in the eye. His goal has been achieved—he is able to sacrifice his Gate to bring his brother’s body back. With this in mind, and with Father having been defeated, Ed is free to think towards the future, and that is a future involving Winry. The pause symbolizes Ed’s freedom to do so, as well as his next goal, so to speak: live an “ordinary life” with the woman he loves.

There is a time skip of at least two months following the Promised Day. This specific scene is worded different between the English dub and the subbed versions. As shown above, Alphonse asks his brother if he’s “…sure about Winry…” in the subbed version as they return home. While we would expect to see Edward freak out to some degree (i.e. spitting out his coffee when asked by Hawkeye; reciting the periodic table when remembering the conversation in Winry’s presence) he only stares at his little brother questioning my. The question by Al suggests that he and Ed had some form of discussion regarding the latter’s feelings towards their best friend. To ask someone if they’re sure of something suggests that the individual has made some sort of decision. For example, one may ask me if I’m sure about my decision to go to college, something I’ve made known to those around me. During those two months spent in Central, or even during the train ride home to Resembool, the brothers had to have discussed Winry. Alphonse is not only Edward’s little brother, but his best friend and confidant. He can tell him anything without fear of judgment, and he feels safe in divulging what he thought of as selfish desires now that his brother has his body back.

In the English dub, the question is worded differently. Alphonse instead asks “What about you and Winry?” While not entirely the same as the Japanese, this question does continue to emply that Edward spoke of his feelings to Al at some point. This line is Al’s way of asking his brother what his plans with Winry are now that they’re home—how will he go about sharing his feelings with her?

Sadly, we don’t get an answer to either version of the question, as the Rockbell home comes into view and the boys prepare to make their return.

Now, to the most compelling evidence, in my opinion… The white hoodie.

Remember the hoodie Edward returns home in? Just a plain ok’ hoodie, right? No significance whatsoever. Or so we all thought.

Two years after their return, Winry is seen wearing the same hoodie when she sees Edward off to the West (in both Brotherhood and manga!). Now, why would a simple friend have possession of your hoodie? Sure, people share clothing all of the time, but it carries a much deeper meaning when both parties have feelings for each other.

Winry had this hoodie before Ed’s awkward marriage proposal, not after, and while this may be the only canon scene we see her in it, the artists for Brotherhood drew Winry in the hoodie at an earlier time.

Notice how Ed’s and Al’s outfits are different from what we see them in in their final scenes. (Note: It’s easy to argue that Al’s outfit is the same, but he actually lacks the tie he wears in his final scene!) The trio seem to be headed for Trisha’s grave, hence the flowers and the cemetery in the background. Winry is seen in that same hoodie she wears at the train station, and the same hoodie Edward wore home. While her outfit is not different whatsoever from the train station (lazy artists, maybe?) this artwork clearly takes place prior to the seeing the brothers’ off on their journeys. She’s also seen carrying a basket, presumably with apple pie, as the basket has made appearances in other Brotherhood art. It’s clear the trio plan to stay out for awhile, which leads me to doubt that even Alphonse is headed out in this day.

Can we also take notice of the heel on Winry’s shoes? She’s clearly shorter than Ed by a lot. Guess she just can’t handle it.

When you have feelings for someone, you don’t just hand them your hoodie for fun. The boyfriend hoodie, as I’ve dubbed it, is a common thing seen in various types of media. When in a relationship, the other party steals their partner’s hoodie and wears it proudly, even if it’s a bit too big for them (also seen in the manga, as the sleeves reach well past the middle of Winry’s hands). Do you really think Edward would let her steal the hoodie he came home in if they were still just friends? He would freak out to some degree and snatch it back. It’s a different story if the two of them are in a relationship.

With how awkward this boy is, there is no way in hell he let two years go by without confessing, only to propose out of the blue before leaving. While the proposal itself was awkward, what proposal isn’t? Rings are dropped, words are jumbled… Nerves get the better of both parties, and that’s what happened here. It wasn’t a confession of feelings, either. When you tell someone you like them (or love) do you ask for half of their life in return for half of yours? Edward was behaving like anyone would when proposing marriage—even if the love you share with your partner is indestructible, there is always that anxiety nagging you in the back of your mind. What if they say no? What if this is too soon? What if I mess up? What if, what if, what if…

In the timeline provided by Arakawa, Edward leaves for the west in 1917. He also marries Winry in the same year. Again, had the proposal been the beginning of their relationship, I just don’t see them marrying so quickly. Edward most likely returned home after a short stint in the western countries, having his fill of traveling, missing his fiancée more than anything. He rushed back home (within six months is my guess) and neither could wait to start their lives together. They’d been together for two years at that point, and lived without making their feelings known for years. I don’t blame them for rushing into their marriage; it’s actually quite cute to think about! But I fail to understand the idea that Ed and Winry kept their feelings for each other under wraps under the same roof for two entire years. Not to mention, Alphonse and Pinako had to have teased the ever-loving hell out of the two of them. There was no way possible they endured two years of that, mixed with awkward, sexually tense encounters.

[of-love-and-starlight-if]

Hello there! In light of the demo dropping, I thought I would start making posts about within the world of Lucrowes— a world by myself, in which Feywood Academy is situated —so you can imagine your MCs, and fellow cast, a little bit better (given that it's never specified in game, as it does little towards the storyline)

This post, specifically, will be a brief overview of species//races and their main//most noticeable characteristic— of which those that aren't in italics are something that, realistically, MC could be

⋆⋆⋆

Inhabitants of Lucrowes and their characteristics:

Human— just a typical human, they come in all shapes and sizes, as if it were earth

Elves— often tall and slender, the main characteristic of the elven folk is their long pointed ears, many of them choose to line their ears with piercings

Half-Elves— they tend to look like your average human, however with the addition of the pointed ears of their ancestors (if a bit shorter than a pureblood elf)

Dryad//Drus— spirits of nature, they're known for their winding floral and vine marks that run across their bodies; that only cover more as their magyk grows

Dwarf— a craftsman of the earth, they're known for being on the shorter side and incredibly strong, they're often the best blacksmiths in the land

Homunculus— an artificial human, created by a higher mage, they're often quite doll-like and tend to be accidentally apathetic

Vampire— a creature that feeds on blood or magyk, they look eerily similar to elves, and can be sustained by external sources (i.e. bloodbags or potions)

Golem— creatures of rock, they're the more nature based version of the homunculus

Merfolk//Siren— a water creature that tends to be a human torso with an aquatic tail, their ears are often fin-like

Sucubus//Incubus— beings that, once again look similar to elves, and feed on sexual energy or life-force; they're often highly restricted by academies and workplaces, and many need to declare themself in each kingdom (or even town) they enter

Deity— the equivalent of a god, they can essentially appear however they want, but many choose to appear humanoid; so as to blend in to their surroundings

Angel//Daemon— attendants to the deities, being one or the other depending on deity, angels typically have golden or silvery features whereas daemons have bronze or red-ish

[redstringraven]

I’ll go there with You

here it is, dudes! my fic for this year’s @fmabigbangs!! an absolutely massive shout out to @humming-fly for doing the artwork that comes with this fic!! you can find it RIGHT HERE.

I’ll go there with You rating: T+ (violence, language, brief instances of gore, mentions of death)

Greed stuck to the front of the pack with Ed. Guess it was easier to act like you were doing any actual leading up there. Dolcetto stuck as close to the back as possible, and the buffoons occupied the space between. Dol didn’t want to walk anywhere close to the brat. He’d had enough of the glances with a tell-tale sadness; the last thing he wanted was any form of goddamn pity–and especially from him.

None of this was helped by dogs tethered to his own soul. They were restless. Just as wary of this new company–unnerved by the unspoken barriers now wedged between them and the beacon of safety they’d come to know. Greed would look over his shoulder… strike up conversation with Heinkel and Darius with what appeared to be genuine interest. The homunculus hadn’t looked him in the eye once since they’d found each other again. Not even for a second.

Guess that was easier, too. Where he was a prototype of a super soldier–a barely passing grade on some asshole’s science fair presentation–those two were the perfected result. Rather than being a tangled mess of consciousness, their animal splices had likely melded to them without friction. Puzzle pieces; snapped together. The way they spoke, walked… never flinched away from a hand. They were new and unburdened, by their experiences with the alchemists or by history. They weren’t walking reminders of something lost.

continue reading on Ao3

[worryinglyinnocent]

Fic: Haven (39/50)

Summary: They say Resembool is a haven, and they’re right. Lush pastures, quaint country town, farmers’ markets on Saturdays: a bucolic paradise.

But it’s more than that. Resembool is a haven for the runaways, the deserters, the people who don’t want to be found…

The Resembool community knows there’s something odd about Hohenheim, but they’re not going to let that stop them helping him out. This is Resembool after all, a place where no one has to hide and neighbours help neighbours, be they building a fence, chasing a sheep, or trying to save the country from an evil they inadvertently helped release centuries ago…

Or: A series of slices of life in an AU in which Hohenheim never leaves, and several broken state alchemists find hope and home in Resembool.

Rated: T

==

Haven

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [AO3]

Summary: The residents of Resembool hold a crisis meeting and Alchemists Anonymous are reminded that they are not alone in their quest. 

Characters: Trisha, Hohenheim, Ed, Al, the rest of Alchemists Anonymous, pretty much the entirety of Resembool’s population…

==

Trisha’s pretty sure that she’s never had so many people in her garden. There hadn’t even been this many when she and Van got married. Still, they’re all being very polite and they’ve all brought their own flasks of tea, so at least she doesn’t have to play hostess. 

It’s quite a motley crew who’ve gathered and Van has no idea why they’re there any more than she does. He’s just standing at the kitchen sink staring at them all out of the window with a wide-eyed expression of helplessness. 

“Trisha…”

“Don’t ask me, love.”

“Is everyone here?” Ed and Al bound down the stairs and look out of the kitchen window. Ed gives a woop of triumph. “Perfect! It’s a bigger turnout than I thought we’d get.”

“Edward, are you telling me you invited half the village around to our garden without telling us?” Trisha gives her son an incredulous look. Ed has done a lot of weird and wonderful things in his time, but she thinks this one takes the cake.

He shrugs. “You’d have said no if we told you about the plan.”

“Well, you’re right there.” Van looks out into the garden again and lets out a squawk of alarm as there’s a knock at the door. It’s Tim, looking just as confused as Van. Trisha lets him in and he gives Ed a pointed look, shaking his head in despair. 

“Ed, when you said ‘it takes a village’, I didn’t think you meant it quite so literally.”

“Why not? You can’t deny that we need the help, and we don’t need them all to be alchemists. We just need them to be willing to lend a hand, and you know that they all will be.”

“Will someone please tell me what’s going on?” Van pleads. “Edward, what have you done?”

“If we’re going to take on the Homunculus and the entire military, then we need more than just you lot,” Ed says, entirely pragmatically. “Sure, when it comes down to it, it’s probably best to leave the confrontation to the alchemists, but when it comes to preparation, everyone can help. The whole village knows what’s going on under Amestris; they’ve known for almost ten years now, and you know they’ve always been willing to help you out. So Al and I asked them to come and help.” He gestures towards the window. “And look how many people are willing.”

There’s another knock on the kitchen door and Trisha opens it to Fahim and what appears to be the majority of Resembool’s Ishvalan population. 

“Are we too late?”

“No, you’re right on time. Come on, let’s do this.” 

“I still don’t understand what it is we’re even doing,” Van protests as Ed shepherds everyone out of the kitchen and into the garden. Ab, Alex, Roy and Riza are also there among the throng, looking just as perplexed.

Ed waves his arms in the air to get everyone’s attention, and the hubbub of chatter that had been going strong dies down. 

Trisha can only watch in dumbstruck amazement as her eldest son strides out in front of the gathered crowd and begins to speak.

“Thanks for coming everyone. I’m sure you all know why you’re here even if Mom and Dad don’t. Resembool is a village that’s always helped each other out no matter what. We’ve got the craziest mix of people here that would never normally get along, and we have a much higher ratio of alchemists in one village than we’ve got any right to, and we’ve always worked together.”

There’s a murmur of assent, but despite this, Ed falters for a moment, looking over towards Al and Trisha. Even though Trisha doesn’t know exactly where this is going, she gives Ed an encouraging nod. Everything he’s saying is completely true, after all. 

“We all know what’s going on in Amestris at the moment,” Ed continues. “Maybe some of you have only found out recently, maybe some of you have known since you stopped my dad leaving town on a one-man mission to save the world ten years ago. Thanks for that, Joe. I don’t know what we would have done if he’d left. The fact is, the world still needs to be saved and you’re the only people we can rely on to do it.”

Al goes on to give a brief outline of what’s happening with the nationwide transmutation circle and Homunculus’s plans to use the population to power an immense Philosopher’s Stone.

“We have a way to fight back,” Ed says confidently. “Fahim’s created a reverse circle that will neutralise the alchemical null field that Homunculus has laid under the country. Dad can put an automatic fail safe in place that will break the nationwide transmutation circle if he and our friendly neighbourhood former state alchemists can’t take down Homunculus in time. But we’re going to need so much help to put these things in place. This is big, it spans the entire country, and we need to cover that amount of land to make sure we can protect everyone. We’re so good at looking after our own, but now we need to look after everyone else. So, will you please help us?”

Trisha feels Van’s arm come around her shoulders, and she glances sideways at him. He’s looking at Ed with so much wonder and pride. This was a fight that he always thought that he would have to undertake alone, a fight he thought would take him away from his family for years and years, and yet he is still here, and his family is helping him, and not only that, the entire rest of the village is willing to help him as well. Ed and Al are fielding questions left, right and centre, but there’s no hesitation in any of their neighbours’ faces. They want to help; they’re more concerned about potentially doing it wrong out of a lack of centuries of alchemical knowledge. They’re even offering to help out on the Promised Day itself despite Tim urging them to stay safe and out of the way here in Resembool. 

Fahim steps in and starts organising preparations for distributing the components of the reverse circle, and Van gives her shoulders a squeeze before he too goes to get involved in the planning. 

Although not before pulling Ed and Al in for a massive hug, to both of their surprise. Van’s never been the most tactile of fathers; even though he got a lot better with it after his aborted attempt to leave, there’s always been a part of him that still thinks of himself as a monster with the potential to taint the boys somehow. 

He’s only just released them when Trisha grabs them and squeezes them tightly too.

“You’re remarkable,” she whispers to them. “But next time, please ask before you host a town hall in the garden.”

[anthropwashere]

our indestructible days ch 4

ch 1 | ch 2 | ch 3

Al time Al time

(also Mei is sick and tired of these motherfucking homunculi in these motherfucking teenagers)

=

Mei's gotten blood on the splintered ruin of his chest. Her small hands trace the rough edges of his damage with soft and hurting sounds. Alphonse lifts one hand to pass a thumb across her eyebrow, smearing the cut before it can spill into her eye.

"I'll be okay," he assures her. His body might be broken again, but that's nothing to be worried about. Pain has been an absence in him for a long time now, and here she is spilling over with it.

"Lay still!" She admonishes, then whimpers. She's small, smaller than Ed was when he was her age. She must have bones like a songbird’s; easily broken. "Y-you're going to fall apart even more if you aren't careful!"

"I'll be okay," he repeats. Maybe she'll hear him this time. "You need to get out of here. You're too hurt to fight anymore."

"So are you!"

He's not hurt, not really, and as long as the blood seal isn't damaged he'll be safe laying here until the battle's over. He's not sure if there's enough of him left for Ed to transmute without risk, but that's a concern for later. His armor rings with the furious rattle of nearby gunfire, the thunderous booming of mortars. Mei Chang is small and wholly human, and this isn't her fight at all.

"I'll be okay," he repeats again. There's nothing else he can tell her. He's always okay.

"If we're careful, Xiao Mei and I can—"

"Stop," he interrupts, not unkindly. "You're hurt and I don't have legs right now. I'm too big for you to carry."

Her dark eyes are shiny with pain but she still manages an impressive harrumph! "You doubt the strength of the Chang princess? I'll have to prove you wrong on the honor of—oh!"

"What?" She's gone rigid and breathless, hunching over him as she looks at something further off than he can strain to see. "What's wrong?"

"There... there's three of them again," she whispers. "Three homunculi."

"But—" Father's one of them, obviously. And Greed, him and Ling are out there fighting too. The third though, that can only be—

"It's definitely Pride," Mei confirms. She's slipped a hand into her sash, no doubt readying a fresh fistful of knives. Just in case. "But I can't see him anywhere. Can you?"

"No." The last place Al saw him was down in Father's throne room, a ribbon of shadow wrapped brutally tight around Ed's left arm. He strains to sit up, to get a better look, to see— "My brother—do you see him? Is he okay? Mei, please—"

"He's fine! Please don't exert yourself!" Her small hands touch his shoulder, trying to force him down again. He only knows because he happens to see her doing it in his peripheral. "Their Father attacked Edward, and your Teacher too, but the soldiers saved them both! I swear!"

Relief floods him, a tension that isn't exactly tension as he remembers it easing in him. It isn't relaxing, it isn't easing. It's like allowing himself to forget for a moment the enormous weight his small blood seal is carrying. He sinks back, ignoring the scrape and clatter of his pieces. "O-oh. Oh, thank goodness. Thank you. Where are they now?"

"Two soldiers took your Teacher elsewhere for a few minutes. She's fighting again now, and she seems to be doing fine. Edward ran toward, ah, Central Command?"

"Yeah," he confirms automatically, wondering why Ed would run away from the fight. It's not like Ed to run. Does he have a plan, maybe? Something he needs some distance for? Or a better angle? He can usually guess what Ed's thinking, but this is….

This doesn't make sense.

"I lost sight of him in the smoke." Mei hesitates, looking toward the western wing of Central Command that's still standing. "Alphonse, I'm sorry, but that's where I'm sensing Pride too."

It's an easy conclusion from there. "Oh, of course! Pride must have run from their fight, and Brother's making sure he doesn't get away!" Al's relieved laughter is nearly lost in another burst of firepower—literally, as the Colonel's taking point again, Lieutenant Hawkeye directing his attacks. Mei dips low as wind whips her braids wildly, her little hands white-knuckled on his sharp edges. The armor must be getting painfully hot with how close the Colonel's attacks have come. He desperately wishes he could get up and protect her, join in the fight again, something. But he's simply too broken now. 

It strikes him out of nowhere, how absurd everything's become. Barely a year ago his biggest concern had been getting his body and Ed's limbs back, and keeping a running list of tasty-sounding food to try once he could eat again. That all seems so long ago, now.

Mei stiffens, Xiao Mei snarling on her shoulder. "He's getting closer!"

Al doesn't have to ask who she means. Father hasn't moved from the center of the parade field, and Greed's made it clear which side of this fight he's on. "Get out of here! Before he sees you—"

Ed strides out of the thinning smoke, hands fisted at his sides and jaw stubbornly set, and the world makes sense again.

Al struggles to his elbows, wishing he could run, desperate to pull Ed into a brief but fervent hug. "Brother!"

"Look, he's fine," Ed drawls in a tone of voice that's distinctly other in a way Al couldn't describe if pressed, yet all the same dread knocks the joy clean out of him even before ink-black shadows rise, serpentine, behind Ed. When Ed looks down at them his yellow eyes are empty tunnels. Then his face shifts, the shadows twitch, and Ed's rushing to his side. "Are you crazy? He's not fine, he's in pieces! Al, hey, are you—"

One of Mei's knives appears in Ed's left shoulder like a magic trick, its pink ribbon fluttering. 

"Get away from him," she orders imperiously, on her feet with another three knives at the ready. Her face is a wax mask of pain, but her outstretched hand is steady.

Ed looks at her, not surprised but—resigned? He brings his right hand up to touch her knife, a ting of metal against metal. Belatedly, he winces. "...Jeez, Mei. You didn't have to do that."

All wrong. This is all wrong. Ed wouldn't act like this—wouldn't react like this. He'd holler hurt, curse up and down, insult Mei horribly. But he just stays kneeling, a curl of something like—like shame to his mouth. "Ed...?"

Ed's face shifts again, his right hand dropping like dead weight. Ed sneers. "Are you really so oblivious?" He reaches left-handed for Mei's knife, yanking it out without a flicker of pain on his face. Al doesn't see so much as a drop of blood before red light heals the wound like it never existed. The unmistakable crackle of a transmutation, and red light can only mean one thing. Another bizarre expression crawls across his face, settling on a far more familiar sneer. Ed's derision. Ed's disappointment. Ed's bitter laughter. "If this is a win in your book then it's no wonder your Promised Day has turned out to be such a shitshow." 

Ed's voice warps and warbles, gaining and losing an awful, malicious echo. Distantly, Al registers the familiar shapes of Teacher and Major Armstrong giving it their all against Father not so very far away. The outcome of today's battle seems, suddenly, wholly unimportant. "You...? Edward, you're—you're a homunculus?"

Ed's face softens as his hands hover over his armor. "Al—Alphonse. Hey. I'm sorry. I didn't—it wasn't like Ling, okay? Pride forced his Stone into me. I couldn't—I tried to fight him, but—" Ed takes a shivering breath, knocking his right hand's knuckles against the shrapnel of Al's chest. Ting. "Jeez. What even happened while we were down there?"

"He protected me," Mei pipes up, glaring fiercely.

Ed smiles. "Did he? I'm glad." He shivers again, shuttering his eyes. When he opens them again they've gone horribly flat, a mirror to Selim's cold cunning in all but the color, but his voice still sounds Ed-adjacent. "Can you keep an eye on him for me, Mei? There's no time to fix him now."

"I'm not sure I'd let you try even if there were," she retorts. "Not with one of those monsters inside you!"

Another shift of Ed's face, and then thick shadows splash inside Al's broken chest like waves on a beach, skirting his blood seal. He feels the barest brush of tiny claws scratching at the metal around it. It's all he can do to keep from crying out. "Foolish girl," the monster possessing Ed spits. "Do you really think so little of Edward Elric? He's fought me every step of the way. I've had to take a firm hand with his soul to get this far."

Pride gestures. Mei gasps, failing to smother it behind her bloody hands. For a moment Al thinks Pride's hurt her, sunk his shadows into her skin beyond where he can easily see, but she's not bleeding or writhing or anything like that. She's just—staring, horrified, at Ed. Al strains for a better look and feels the world stutter in terrible shock.

Ed has two legs again.

His left pant leg has been cut short, all the way up to his mid-thigh, and the entire leg is just... normal. There's a perfectly normal, flesh-and-bone leg where Al's become accustomed to seeing layered steel. There isn't even a trace of the thick scar tissue that's darkened Ed's thigh since his outfitting.

"He—he cut it off," Ed whispers. "To—stop me from—I mean, I—I kinda woke up, inside the—his Philosopher's Stone, or whatever, and he was.... I heard him and I looked out and he was… he’d killed—" Ed shudders again, gasping. Teeth split the black shadow curling at his knees, and Pride's voice echoes his. "What did you do, Pride? What did you do to them?!"

Al wants to grab hold of Ed, wants to shake sense and sanity into him again, but the shadows pooling inside his armor are circling even closer to his blood seal. Unbidden he finds himself thinking of stories he's read of sailors and pirates on the high seas, of shipwrecks and dark water and sleepless predators circling. He knows that if he moves now they'll all regret it. "E-Edward."

Ed snarls. After a tense few seconds the shadows pull back. "Sorry, sorry, I—I'm sorry." His exhale comes out loud and shaky as he drags his hands over his face. "I asked you a question, Pride." 

A pause. 

"Are you lying? If you are, I swear I'll—" 

A pause. 

"What about him? You think I'm gonna trust anything he says either?" 

A pause.

"Shut up, stop laughing. They went where?"

A final pause, and then Ed sighs heavily, glancing at the hole in the parade field they'd all come out of. "Fine. I'm holding you to that."

Did Greed and Ling ever speak like this? It's frightening, to see Ed clinging to control over his own body. Fresh explosions ring in his broken armor and Al forcibly puts his concerns aside. Ed's alive. That has to be enough, for now. "Pride?"

Ed twitches, his eyes going flat and cold. "What?"

"You—you could have killed Edward, but you didn't."

"Not for lack of trying."

How cruel. How indifferent. Al can't begin to understand this thing wearing his brother's face. He's not sure he even wants to try. "I don't think that's true. Promise me, please—"

Guttural screaming from shockingly nearby cuts him off. Dazzling red light fills his vision briefly; when it clears he catches sight of Teach and Major Armstrong again, scattered like autumn leaves. 

Ed swears, already on his feet and running off, and this time Al can't go chasing after him to make sure he doesn't do anything crazy. "There's no time! Mei, take care of Al for me!"

"Ed—! Brother!"

But Ed doesn't look back.

[wanttm]

🌸 *tip toes to put one in his hair too*

NONVERBAL RP STARTERS.

🌸 Put a flower in my muse’s hair / @deathleads

    The expression on homunculus expression, at least for a brief second, is that of someone completely and utterly CONFUSED with the sudden turn of events.  Is that.... did she put something in their hair? A hand gently reaches up to gently pat at whatever object is threaded between black locks, being careful to pet petals before lips purse into what appears to be the genuine makings of a laugh.

                 “ hmm.   i suppose we are going to have to match, huh? “ they certainly could think of much, much worse fates than to bear a flower in one’s hair with a beautiful lady.

[l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l]

I still exist, though mostly as an idea. We are beings of many masks - so much so that the genuine self appears as a mask too.

If I remove each mask, infinite as they are, am I still man underneath, or am I some twisted homunculus of skin and bone and pain? Is it even worth asking the question?

Like a leopard pouncing this state of being ambushes the mind. The attack is sudden and adrenaline numbs the brief pain before silence. Quickly as it began, it ended.

Then sleep.

[by-nina]

Dissonance

AO3 | FFN Royai Week 2020 | Day 4 – Crackle Rating: K+ Genre: Romance/Angst Word Count: 946

A/N: This is a POV rewrite of Roy's most destructive moment in the series, written about the sounds Riza hears as it happens. I wanted to finally write something light for Royai Week this year, but Promised Day!Royai is way too good to pass up. I promise to go easy on them for Day 5.

She hopes that they don’t hear the desperation in her voice, the plea for him to come back, the fear that she is losing the man she loves to his own flame.

The tunnels turn dark for a moment as Riza hits the ground. There is nothing but sound, too much of it—the stone bricks breaking beneath her, the raucous gloating of the homunculus Envy, even her own heartbeat as she slips away for a moment.

            A snap, a blaze, Envy’s cry of pain, and her own strained voice calling for the Colonel. She hears his slow, careful footsteps—she would recognize them anywhere. And then he speaks, and all the sweltering heat in the tunnels turns into an ominous chill.

            “What in the hell are you doing to my Lieutenant?”

            The inferno is in his voice as well.

            Riza sits up and regains the rest of her senses. The Colonel appears into view; amid her terror she knows it’s him at last and not some shapeshifting monster, but what in the world is this? Who are you?

            “Don’t interfere, Lieutenant.” His voice remains unfamiliar, unforgiving. “I told you I would take care of him myself.”

            She has known Roy longer than she knows anyone else. She knows his voice and how it normally crackles with the warmth of a hearth, how it can become as soft as candlelight when he calls her by name. But she doesn’t know the man in front of her, neither by sight nor by sound. His voice has never burned with this much hatred—not when he destroyed the homunculus Lust, not in the immediate aftermath of Hughes’ death—and it terrifies her more than anything she has faced with him.

            The flames begin erupting again, and the homunculus screams in agony and the Colonel roars as furiously as the inferno he creates. He becomes less and less like himself, and Riza fears he may shatter before the tunnels can even collapse around them, and suddenly it’s over. The brief silence is broken again when the homunculus crawls out of their human body as a small, crying, ugly green thing. He approaches the homunculus, and Riza watches with bated breath.

            He speaks again. Her heart breaks at the venomous sound.

            “Now burn in hell!”

            Click.

            Riza doesn’t know when she got back on her feet, or when she approached him, or when she pulled out her gun and pointed it at his head. When she speaks, she remains clear and steady, even as the fire in his voice flares up with a command—no, a threat—and then the homunculus screams with Edward and Scar’s arrival.

            His voice turns level when he speaks to Edward, but it’s clear that the fire hasn’t gone away. It grows, and then it bursts again, and Edward yells back:

            “Is that what you want to be, Colonel? Another monster?!”

            Scar’s much calmer voice surprises her. He isn’t angry so much as he is disappointed and disgusted.

            “Are you becoming a beast, giving in to its passion?”

            The fire flickers for a moment. Scar continues:

            “I shudder to think what a world created by a man held captive by his own hate would create!”

            Roy’s resolve crackles at last. Riza speaks to him again, and before long she begins to tremble. She hopes that they don’t hear the desperation in her words, the plea for him to come back, the fear that she is losing the man she loves to his own flame.

            “You’re better,” she whispers. “I know you’re better than that.”

            She can hear him struggle as the fire recedes. It turns inwards, no longer fueled by hate and destruction, but by grief and longing and loss. He hasn’t truly let himself feel the gravity of Hughes’ death until now. She wants to save him from it, but it is a fire she cannot reach, a fire that only he can extinguish.

            For a moment, it seems that he has given in to it.

            “If you’re going to shoot me, shoot me.”

            His voice is empty now, hollowed out by exhaustion. “But then, after you’ve done that, Lieutenant, what will you do?”

            Only then does Riza realize how much the fire has burned through her as well. Everything around them seems to disappear for a moment; Edward, Scar, Envy, even the tunnels and the battle that is surely being fought above them. She keeps her hand outstretched, not for the gun pointed at him, but in the hope of still reaching Roy.

            “I can tell you I have no intention of carrying on by myself.”

            Riza allows herself as much honesty as possible in the company of others. It is her last chance to find him and pull him out of the embers now.

            “Once this is over, I’m going to end my life,” she continues, and the hateful fire is inside her for a moment, “and remove the secrets of flame alchemy from the world.”

            She sees a spark—a brief flash of fear and anguish in him—and for a moment he tries to contain it, but he snaps. He swings his hand in the direction of a dark, empty tunnel to his right, and out comes a spectacular final burst of that frightening fire from the depths of him.

            “That can’t happen.”

            The flame continues to burn in the empty space, but at last she hears it. The hearth that welcomes her back home to a Roy she knows.

            “I can’t afford to lose you.”

            Roy speaks to the men before him, and then he turns to her. His hand is warm and soft when he takes hers and lowers it along with her gun. His knees give way. Soon, she falls onto her knees as well, face to face with him.

            “Please forgive me.”

            At last, he is candlelight again.

[scarlet--wiccan]

Feelings/thoughts on Sylvie Lushton?

Well, I haven't read everything she's ever been in, even though it is a pretty short list. The Young Masters turned up a few times throughout the 2010s but I wasn't motivated to follow them very closely because, if we're being honest, Dark Reign: Young Avengers is a really bad comic. I just re-read it tonight and, I gotta tell you, it was a real struggle. Setting aside the very dated, very problematic language used in certain dialogues, the frustrating depiction of urban crime, and, uh, the random neo-n*zi character with an iron cross tattoo??? There are some major story execution problems, and the ending is pretty inconclusive. I realize that it's difficult to balance such a large cast, half of whom are original characters, in a five-issue mini, but the pacing is really whack and Cornell does a poor job of clearly establishing any of the Young Masters' origins.

Sylvie, in particular, is perplexing-- Loki claims that she "created" Sylvie, but it's not clear to me if that means Sylvie's a homunculus with fake memories, or just a human girl who received magic powers. If she is an artificial lifeform, I think that deserves more explanation than the single offhanded comment Loki provides. Also, what was up with the scene where she hits on Billy? It's so awkward, and it adds nothing to the plot. I don't know if I'm supposed to think she's being homophobic, or just super ignorant, and the scene cuts away in a manner that suggests she might have made a very unwanted move, but we just don't know because, again, the pacing is terrible and this confrontation is, like, never mentioned again.

Anyways, I think Sylvie is an interesting character, and one that I would probably want to root for if she hadn't been characterized as ableist, homophobic, and low-key racist for even tolerating Amity's bullshit. The idea of an ordinary girl getting caught up in Asgardian comings and goings on Earth, receiving magical powers and mistakenly believing she's a reincarnated aesir is a really clever concept, but the character is founded on a really weak story and is left kind of directionless at the end. It's no surprise that the Young Masters have remained d-list villains.

Most recently, Sylvie appeared in Illuminati (2016), a miniseries in which she teamed up with some other d-list villains who were trying to steal weapons and magical artifacts from Asgard. She faded into the background halfway through the story and was killed off unceremoniously in the last issue,!following a brief, totally random encounter with the real Enchantress, who, years and years down the road, finally decided she didn't like that this girl was cramping her style, I GUESS. This is exceptionally shitty character treatment, but I think it is, unfortunately, reflective of what a poorly developed character she’s always been.

[celestianvices]

Little Avarice

[tag: little Avarice]

Name: Ciavera Alias/Nicknames: Cia, Ci Ci, Avera, Gremlin Age: ??? (looks and behaves like a 7 – 9 year old child) Species: Homunculus Height: 4'3 Weight: 70lbs Hair: Straight and black by default, fluffy and white when shielded Eyes: Jade green by default, pale gray with red sclera when shielded Skin: Pale by default, coal gray (almost black) when shielded

Background: Coming from a timeline where the seven sins were created in a sort of inverse of appearances, Greed and most of her siblings appear and act as reckless children, save for the oldest daughter Pride who served as the de facto babysitter for the group along with second oldest son Lust. Being a replacement for the missing original Greed (the third child), little Greed's status as the youngest meant that she was often picked on by other sins such as Wrath and especially Lust, who seemed to take a special pleasure in bullying their new attack dog as some kind of punishment for the other one being gone. If their Father knew about any of this he did not seem to care, turning a blind eye to the things the siblings got up to when they weren't being sent on missions.

Her only real friend was little Gluttony, who tended to like everyone. At least, that's what she told anyone who asked anyway.

This was Greed's every day life until an unexpected rescue came. She was out running errands with Lust that day, and he was being about has kind as ever; tugging her hair, pushing her when her back was turned, using his claws to trip her up at inopportune times and then blaming her for the consequences. When he shoved her into a busy intersection and forced her to shield up to keep from getting hurt in traffic Greed was sure that she was going to be taken back to Father by the military police and scolded for revealing herself to the civilians of Amestris. For giving them some idea that things were happening behind the scenes they weren't aware of.

What she found though was that someone was standing between her and the perpetually vicious preteen. The cloaked figure couldn't be much taller than Greed herself, but it was obvious they were much more mature than she was. Just the way they carried themself spoke of age and experience. Turning to glance over their shoulder before Lust could compose himself, the person revealed themself to be a woman with short red hair.

A single feather lying on the asphalt was the only clue where she'd come from. Was she an angel? Were those real? She asked Greed if she wanted to get away from “that asshole” and she didn't even think before blurting out a loud “YES. TAKE ME AWAY FROM THE ASSHOLE ANGEL LADY”.

With a thumbs up and a grin, the woman hoisted the girl up, spreading her previously concealed wings for a quick takeoff. “It's Llyria, by the way” she said, but Greed hardly noticed at first. She was too busy trying to figure out how someone so small lifted her so easily. She asked where they were going, and after a brief pause the woman said “home”.

What was home though? As it turned out, home was a bar in Dublith, where a man who was also called Greed waited there with another little girl, with the same red hair and little white wings. He was surprised of course. But not unbearably so. Like someone who'd been abruptly given a stray kitten. It fell to him to try and explain to the little avarice what was going on. It.. went about as well as expected.

After that home was back in Central. A new Central. A Central without Father but one that had even another Greed. She wouldn't be called that though. She insisted on Avarice and the little Greed understood almost without realizing that this was the best name. So much better than the one her Father had given her. Here she was given the name Ciavera, here she was able to tell them about her secret friend.

She was able to run through the streets and over the rooftops, finding the little differences and the big ones that eased her fear of being found by her siblings again. She tried to chase down a rabbit only to have it rescued by a strange woman. She ended up taking the rabbit home with her (it's name is rabbit). She broke into homes and stole food and demanded candy. But tried to make up for it and protect the people who were nice to her.

She saw Avara brush off another version of her brother, and she chewed on and ruined the makeup of a woman who also said she was Lust. She found out about Avara's littlest brother and took to sleeping at the foot of her new sister Zhen's bed until the adults relented and got the girls a bunk bed.

Now she spends her time either there or in Dublith, running through the forests and playing on Yock Island. Learning what she can from both Greed and Avara about controller herself and becoming better with her own homunculus powers.

And with the way she sometimes roams, who knows where she'll turn up next.

Powers and Abilities: As a homunculus, little Avera has heightened speed, and strength for her size, and possesses keen senses. Even without her shield she is less prone to damage than normal humans.

Ultimate Shield – Like most incarnations of Greed little Avera can cover her entire body in a second skin made of hardened all but indestructible carbon.

Limited Immortality – Possessing a philosopher's stone core, little Avera will be alive as long as her stone remains in tact

Regeneration – At the cost of some energy from her philosopher's stone little Avera immediately heals from any wound. Even those that would prove fatal in normal circumstances. The larger the wound however the more energy is taken, and each stone has a limited number of deaths generally equaling the amount of souls used to produce the stone.

[nightxdeeper]

| Ego!Sans • BackStory |

Childhood

You know Arthur just nickname or Else To “Sans” or “Ego”

was born into a time of chaos and war that began with the demise of the Roman empire. It had been believed to be indestructible, but it was only awaiting its destruction at the hands of invading barbarians. In preparation for the war against the barbarians, Rome deprived he island province of any military forces left there. Once Britannia lost the empire's protection, it could not escape becoming independent, causing it to break into smaller countries soon after. This time of barbarian invasions and self-destructive strife between clans started a long period of war that would later become known as the "Dark Ages".

The king, believing in Merlin's prophecy, yearned for the birth of his appointed successor, but the child born was a—not the one he desired.

It is said in the legend that Arthur was left in Merlin's care as the price for his assistance in ensuring the success for Uther's love of Igraine, saying "I will properly guide this child, one bearing a great destiny, and protect him from the crisis of the royal family."so the king could not make a child that was his successor even if he was fated to one day become a king. He was entrusted to the king's vassals and was to be raised as the child of a mere knight. The king fell into despair at the situation, but Merlin was delighted because the sex of the one to become king had never mattered. He was confident that the fact of the being separated from the castle until the day of prophecy was proof that he would become king. Merlin placed Ego!sans in the care of Sir Gaster , a simple and wise old knight, who raised he as his adopted child and successor. Though Gaster did not believe in the prophecy, he did feel the same air from the that as he did his king. He felt that he must raise her as a knight, and he wished for her to grow. He never needed to wish for such a thing, as she trained day after day to become stronger than anyone. He swore to bear her sword for the only reason that "only a king can save a ruined country headed for death" without ever being told such. During this time, he was raised with Papyrus (maybe) as he brother, but they still loved each other as siblings but Doesn’t undrinkable after he learned the truth of their relationship. He acted as his squire and received training from him, while also doing other chores such as pulling along his horse. He was better than him in terms of swordsmanship, but he never beat him in a fight due to his arguments declaring himself the winner rather than actual skill.

Once the day of prophecy arrived, knights and lords from around the country gathered to be selected as king. Each expected the selection to be through jousting to select the most superior one to become a king, but the only thing prepared at the place of selection was a naked sword stuck in a stone with a golden inscription on the hilt reading "Whosoe'er pulleth out this sword of this stone is rightwise king born of England." While many knights grabbed the sword trying to follow the command, none were able to pull it out. As they began the expected method of selection by jousting, Ego, only an apprentice not qualified for jousting, neared the deserted stone of selection and reached out for the sword without hesitation.

Before grabbing it, Merlin appeared before he to tell her to think things over before taking it. He told him he would no longer be human upon taking hold of the sword, but he only responded with a nod because he has been prepared for the fact that "becoming a king means no longer being human" ever since she was born. He knew that a king is someone who kills everyone to protect everyone. He thought about it every night and shuddered until morning came. While not one day passed where he did not fear that fact, he said that it would end this day. The sword was pulled out as if it were only natural to do so, and the area was filled with light. He became something not human in that instant. The king's gender doesn't matter, and no one will care about the king's appearance or even notice it as long as the king acts like a king. Even if anybody did notice the king was female, it would not be an issue if he was a good king. This started the time of the king who would become a legend. He stopped aging at 15 years old, back when he pulled Caliburn from the stone. Maybe Yeah He’s Not Person it Different?

Kingship

Ego!Sans “Arthur” led Britain from Camelot, and after becoming a feudal lord like his father, he became a king with many knights under he, including the esteemed Knights of the Round Table. He growth stopped at that time he pulled the sword because of its magic, so many knights feared it as ominous. Most instead praised their master's immortality as divine. He battles thereafter were the acts of a god of war. He always led from the front, and no enemies could stand in he way. There was no defeat for a body admired as a dragon in human form. He only knew victory for ten years and twelve battles while He ran through those days as the king. He never turned back and was never disgraced. He was raised as a king and fulfilled her obligations as the king.

Personal affairs

Due to the problem of being able to produce an heir, Merlin used magecraft to turn he into a pseudo-male capable of producing sperm for an unknown duration of time.During this period, he was enchanted by her sister, Morgan le Fay, who took some of Arthur’s sperm, developed it within he own ovaries, and gave birth to the homunculus and complete clone of Arthur, Mordred. He was born and raised without Arthur’s knowledge, quickly growing up due to he accelerated aging, and he managed to join the Round Table through he own efforts and Morgan's recommendation. He worshiped her king while hiding he identity, and he was ecstatic to learn of her heritage. (Bonus : Ha Ha I did say?).

Upon claiming he heritage and right to the throne, Arthur completely rejected Mordred, and refused to recognize he as an heir. Mordred believed the reason that he was not accepted was due to the hatred he father bore Morgan, and that no matter how much he worked to excel over others, she would forever be viewed as a tainted existence. The doesn’t love he had for the king up until that point was so great that her rejection made he hatred burn.

Actually He not Married. (SORRY HA).

Kingdom

Arthur needed to act as the son of the king, as the one to govern the many territories and control the knights had to While some people did grow suspicious of he only he father, Merlin, and Kay knew the exact truth of he identity. He literally covered herself in steel to seal that truth for all he life, and due to he immortality from the protection of the fairies, no one questioned he small body or face that seemed like that of a invincible warrior whose looks or body size had impact on her standing.

During that time, the people living in fear of savage invasions only wanted a strong king, and the knights would only follow an excellent commander. Having met these criteria, no one questioned he He was considered fair and selfless as he always stood at the front of the army while defeating h enemies on the battlefield. While many enemies and civilians died, the king's choices were always considered correct, and he served as the king better than anyone else. No one doubted or had any need to doubt as long as the king was right.

He army reconstructed the lost cavalry, and knowing no losses, they ran through the battlefield while defeating foreign infantries and crashing through numerous ramparts. Many people were discarded for he to join the battles, and all he enemies had to be defeated once he joined. It was common practice for the military to meet its needs by sucking all the resources out of a local village to supply the battle to protect the country. It can be said that no knight killed more people than he, and it is unknown if he ever found such to be a burden.

He did strictly kept to the oath that a king is not human and that one cannot protect the people with human emotions. He never narrowed he eyes in grief while sitting on the throne, and he settled every problem while working hard in government affairs. He managed to balance the country without any deviations, and he punished people without a single mistake. Even after, or possibly because of, winning battles in victory, commanding citizens without disorder, and punishing hundreds of criminals, one of he knights murmured "King Arthur does not understand human feelings."

It is possible everyone felt that way, that the more perfect he became as a king, the more they needed to question her as a ruler. They felt that a human without emotion cannot rule over others, leading to several reputable knights leaving Camelot. He simply accepted this to be a natural event that is part of the process of government, isolating the fair king honored by his knights. Having abandoned her emotions from the start, she did not change her mind even if she was abandoned, feared, or betrayed. There was no right or wrong to someone who saw such events as trivial.

He final battle for he country began in such a way, and the battle at Badon Hill ended in complete victory. The savages sought reconciliation due to he overwhelming results, and her country that was only awaiting destruction earned a brief period of peace. The country finally began to return to the country of which he had dreamed.

Downfall

Mordred being slain by Arthur yeah (Mordred Body’s).

Lancelot's affair with Guinevere was eventually revealed through the plans of traitors who hated Camelot, causing them to stand opposed. Arthur did not see this inescapably unrighteous action as a betrayal Now Arthur Tried Kill Lancelot, but different story actually exactly well he’s Control loss like Saint loss well Destroy him all even he valiant efforts to placate the dissent, he was mortally wounded by the traitorous knight Mordred during the Battle of Camlann. He dying body was But Arthur never Back to City Arthur Was Walk To Found “Flower Like Bluish-Moonshine” He’s Such Stopping Contorl He Was Calm He’s sleeping to years in long.

Years of oldest to Come Important person Did Portal His AU “EgoTale” person walking to Found “Old of White Flor” stop walk Saw Actually Sleeping in Arthur and Person “eh there looks Another sans?” Hear he’s woken eyes Open looks Person Arthur say “. . .who are You” Perosn was quite surprise “wow you got Colder person maybe Are King Arthur”? Arthur “ . . .I longer no Name it now Ego!Sans”.