fullmetal pipsqueak

Here’s my contribution to the Fullmetal Alchemist fandom this Oct 3!

A little warning for prospective viewers: FMAB has some very dark scenes (both blood-and-gore dark and conceptually dark). Although it’s not too bad, I thought I might add a warning since I’ve mostly recommended TV-Y7 shows.

Have fun watching (or rewatching) Fullmetal Alchemist this October 3!

[image description: a presentation detailing reasons for why you should watch Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, interlaced with cute drawings of the characters.

1. “why you should watch Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

a spoiler-free presentation written & illustrated by @magicmooshka”

Drawings of Ling Yao, Winry Rockbell, Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric as armour and Mei Chang in a line.

2. “Exciting and Fast-paced

If you enjoy conspiracies, epic duels, and high stakes, then Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the show for you! FMAB has dozens of plot twists to keep viewers on their toes, so there is never a dull moment. Each episode is an adventure and a delight.”

On the side are Lust, Gluttony and Envy, smiling and posing.

3. “Amazing female characters

FMAB refuses to adhere anime's sexist tropes. Instead, Hiromu Arakawa (the creator of Fullmetal Alchemist and a talented woman in her own right) wrote a wide variety of amazing women and girls. Whether a warrior or a mechanic, a princess or a hardened soldier, these female characters all share the respect and reverence of the male characters who fight by their side.”

Illustrated are some of these characters: Lan Fan, Olivier Mira Armstrong, Izumi Curtis, Riza Hawkeye, Mei Chang and Winry Rockbell.

4. “Iconic Sibling Dynamic

The Elric brothers are one of the best sibling duos in the history of anime. They form a powerful team due to their ingenuity and complementary personalities.

While the brothers share an unbreakable bond, they also have a realistic amount of bickering that gives their relationship a humorous charm.”

Illustration of Edward sitting on the shoulder of Alphonse’s armour, both with smiles on their faces.

5. “Strong supporting characters

Although the Elric brothers are the stars of the show, the story also follows the journeys of several supporting leads. These characters are crucial to the plot, have their own developed arcs, and are written to be lovable favourites”

Roy Mustang is on the left, a flame in his hand, Ling Yao in the right, grinning.

6. “Powerful Messages

FMAB uses a fantasy world where alchemy is revered as science to explore several important questions.

What is the value of a human life?

Where do we draw the line in scientific research?

How can we find compassion and strength in the darkest times?

These questions guide the characters' development, and their answers form the overall message of the series.”

Drawing of Scar and Kimblee looking at each other, Scar with a frown, Kimblee with a smirk.

7. “Epic Sountrack

Openings: Again, Hologram, Golden Time Lover, Period, Rain

Outros: Uso, Let it out, Tsunai Da Te, Shunkan Sentimental, Ray of Light

FMAB has an epic soundtrack to match its action-packed scenes. Its five openings and their respective ending themes are beautiful and catchy. The show and its songs amplify each other, contributing to the story's emotional, adventurous tone.”

In the centre is King Bradley beaming with Pride as with his hands on the shoulders of his starry-eyed, beaming son, Selim Bradley.

8. “Funny Scenes

Although this anime often takes a dark and serious tone, the series is sprinkled with hilarious scenes and playful teasing. Chibi expressions such as Alphonse's classic OWO face and Edward's oversensitivity have been immortalized in meme-worthy screenshots.”

Drawings of Alphonse looking panicked with his O W O face and an angry Winry pulling the cheek of a heavily-bandaged Edward.

9. “Satisfying Ending

FMAB's finale is the perfect end to the series. It concludes the main external conflict and answers the questions that have haunted the main characters since the beginning. The epilogue is bittersweet and heartwarming.”

Drawing of Van Hohenheim looking seriously to the side.

10. “In conclusion… you should watch Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood!

All 64 episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood are available on Netflix!”

Illustrated on the side is Xiao Mei—a smiling panda with a heart by her head. End ID]

[image description: gif from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, showing Mei Chang create her transmutation circle—a circle with a five-point star in it—in the ground using her foot. End ID]

That floral opening for fmab was 👌

[ID: Digital fanart of Edward Elric standing in a field of white flowers. He faces away from the viewer, wearing all black clothing with white bandages around his head and arm. The teal green hills of Resembool rise up in front of him, and the sky above him is a dark, stormy grey. /end ID]

[image description: gif from the first Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood opening, showing in quick succession: Mustang moving backwards as he shoots sparks ahead of him; Hawkeye swinging around and propelling herself upwards, before shooting repeatedly with a gun in each hand; and Armstrong roaring, his fists bared and armed with metal spikes on them. End ID]

—i need the lieutenant to be my eyes.

[image description: gifset from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, focusing on Riza Hawkeye and Roy Mustang, blind, in the final fight against Father.

1. Riza and Roy stand, determined, Roy with his hand raised ready to spark and Riza still bloodied from her shoulder injury. Smoke blows behind them, their clothes and hair billowing.

2. Focus on Riza, fierce, yelling a command.

3. Roy replies, directing a spark towards father, exploding impressively when it hits him.

4. Riza tells Roy what happened, her hand on her shoulder. He grimaces.

5. Roy claps his hand and slams them on the floor, a huge wall raising before him, Riza and Alex Louis Armstrong. As soon as this occurs, a huge fiery explosion blows around the wall.

6. Riza protects herself with a hand before her eye as the explosion continues to rush around her, but she smiles as she speaks. It then pans to Roy, still with his hands on the floor, also smiling as he responds. End ID]

choose your fighter

bonus: 

[image descriptions: edits of the Bernie Sanders “I am once again” meme

1. Maes Hughes, holding up a picture of his daughter: “I am once again asking you to look at pictures of my sweet Elicia.”

2. Greedling: “I am once again asking for money, women, status, fame and everything else in this world! And I want eternal life! Also I want” the final line is half cut off as it reaches the bottom of the photo.

3. Riza Hawkeye, with several stacks of paper edited in behind her: “I am once again asking for you to do your paperwork, colonel”

4. No character edited in, with just the text changed to: “I am once again rewatching fullmetal alchemist: brotherhood.” End ID]

[image description: gifset from Fullmetal Alchemist brotherhood of moments when Edward and Alphonse are drawn in their cartoon styles. They are unshaded shapes—Alphonse a metal blob, Edward a circle, often with one strand of hair—with large circle eyes and no nose.

1. Alphonse grabs the escaping souls of Edward, who lies in a pile of blood, and puts it back in his brother, before dragging him up.

2. The perspective slowly zooms out on the brothers, a shade covering their eyes, with Alphonse repeatedly touching his fingertips on his index fingers together.

3. The two boys lean back, trembling and horrified, Edward with his jaw dropped open.

4. Both looking uncomfortable, a steam of hearts flow around them. One bounces off of Edward’s head.

5. The two boys have their hand thrown in their air, Edward screaming with tears streaming off his face.

6. Alphonse sits on the floor and holds Edward closely, as they tremble, wide-eyed.

7. The perspective pans horizontally across the two boys who stand motionless, looking stunned.

8. The two boys look at each other, holding hands, Edward in a hospital uniform, with tears streaming down their eyes. Alphonse has sweat drops pouring down his head.

9. The two boys trembling again, purple lines forming a shade over their eyes. End ID.]

[image description: gif from fullmetal alchemist brotherhood. Ling sits on a rock, facing forward, looking determined. To his left is Old Man Fu, to his right, Lan Fan, both looking serious. Their hair and clothes flutter in the wind. End ID.]

“It is only normal for us to love and respect our father. Doing as he asks is what children are for, is it not?”

“Get some fucking daddy issues like the rest of us, twerp.”

[image description: screencaps from when Edward Elric fights Pride on the promised day in fullmetal alchemist brotherhood.

1. Pride, covering half his disintegrating face with his hand.

2. Edward Elric, anger on his face, fighting off pride’s shadow arm. End ID.]

Sceenshot redrawing of that scene in ep 44,,,

[ID: A digital drawing of Edward Elric, Darius and Heinkel. It is a redraw of when Darius and Heinkel used Ed as a fake hostage to escape the military. Darius is holding a gun to Ed’s head, an arm around his neck. Ed looks unimpress and bored. Heinkel is threatening Ed as well with some very intimidating finger guns. End ID]

[Gif description: Mei, jumping protectively in front of Scar, tosses knives into alkahestry circles on a train to make them explode. End ID]

I loved this scene so much

fullmetal alchemist: brotherhood + openings & endings

[template]

[image description: gif from fullmetal alchemist brotherhood. Ling Yao happily throws his arms around Edward Elric, and rubs against him affectionately. Edward Elric, holding his detached automail arm, whacks Ling Yao repeatedly with it. The style becomes more comical, Edward being shown with sharp teeth as he yells. Alphonse Elric stands motionless in the background. End ID.]

If you didn't want to be assimilated into my found family then you should have killed me when you had the chance

[image description: screen cap of Edward Elric from fullmetal alchemist edited to have the bottom of a speech bubble coming from Edward. He is shrugging as he talks to Greedling, with Heinkel and Darius standing straight-faced, seemingly annoying, him. End ID.]

[ID: A series of gifs showing Ed and Winry in Dominic’s home in Rush Valley. Ed is carrying Winry on his back, piggyback-style. Winry says: “It’s humiliating, being carried by a man smaller than me.” Ed scowls: “I’ll drop you.” Winry looks away guiltily and confesses: “Ed… I saw it was inside your silver watch.” Ed looks back at her in shock, and the view zooms out to show Ed freezing. The style they are drawn in turns cartoony, and Ed drops Winry on her back. He looks stunned and upset, and Winry looks outraged.

From the floor, she moans: “Ow…!” Ed has not moved since he dropped her. His back is straight and his fists clenched as he asks: “You forced it open?!” Winry looks up at him in surprise, then lowers her head in regret and says: “I’m sorry.” Ed, still facing away, raises his head for a second, then lowers it as if sighing. He turns around, face hard. Ed offers a hand and says: “You dumbass.” Winry takes it, and they go to sit on chairs against the wall next to them. Winry looks subdued, and Ed is still tense.

Ed says: “I haven’t even shown it to Al.” Winry asks: “Why?” Ed’s fist clenches. He looks down, his expression set in a frown, but he is not overtly emotional. He responds: “It’s my resolve, and admonition to myself. I hate to admit what a pansy I am, having to give what happened that day form, so I can carry it around with me.” The view shifts to focus on Winry. She looks down, expression sorrowful and tears silently rolling down her face.

Ed looks at her and looks away, asking: “What are you crying for?” He looks a little uncomfortable or regretful, but his expression is hard. The view focuses on Winry’s eye, still shining with tears. / End ID]

[Caption in plain text for accessibility: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood | Ep 11 | You two brothers won’t cry, so I’m doing it for you. / End transcript]

i have watched one (1) episode of fullmetal alchemist and ed is such a bastard child. i love him. 

“here’s the real power of god!” 

iconic. 

how old is this boy. someone for the love of god pls tell me hes like 14. I really want him to be like. an 8th grader. 

Ed has child dictator energy

“The title of FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST”

“Hmmm sounds oppressive and intimidating. PERFECT”

WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK NINA NO WHAT THE FUCK

I’m deeply obsessed with all the adults calling this fifteen-year-old “FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, SIR!” and being scared of him. He’s like. 5’2

So was I supposed to be surprised that “fuhrer king” Bradley is evil or

A story in 2 parts

@bauliya​ and @agentcalliope​ five minutes after i started watching fmab: 

A list of people I care about:

1. Winry Rockbell

what the FUCK is up w everyone losing their arms

okay YES the Amestrian military perpetrated a genocide but they kinda went off w the cropped uniforms

u know what? Scar Did Nothing Wrong

“I won’t make her cry. Not over something like this.”

Hohenheim:

JEAN HAVOC I LOVE UR LITTLE HIMBO ASS

Mustang: things always seem to get so messy when you’re around. Need a hand……fullmetal?

Me: ….ah okay. You’re one of them hot topic folks. Yeah. I see you.

Okay I know I should be like shockedpikachuface.jpg that Bradley is stil alive but all I could think about when he walked back on screen doing his lil evil soliloquy is how much he looks like Tom Sellick

RIZA OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK

Fuck this gold tooth dude bitch ill KILL YOU

Riza, covered in her own blood and like five seconds from passing out: I’m so glad you got my signal

Roy: are we boutta kiss rn 😳

THIS BITCH JUST PUNCHED GOD IN THE FACE IM-

“50%?? How about I just give you my whole life?”

[image descriptions: several images in relation to watching fullmetal alchemist brotherhood for the first time.

1-2. Text messages between O P and their friend Casey after Mustang pretended to kill Maria Ross.

O P: He killed Ross (written in all caps)

Casey: (sent several eye emojis)

O P: wait, he didn’t, did he? He’s hiding her. That’s why the body is so charred.

Casey: (sent sad face emoticon) I’m so sorry.

O P: I’m really not convinced still.

Casey: you know he participated in like a genocide, right?

O P, after finding out what happened: I fucking knew it you bastard. You tried to fake me out! (Written in all caps)

Casey: ha ha ha (extended, written in all caps)

O P: I fucking knew it.

Casey: I did. Roy boy wouldn’t do that!

O P: I literally knew it! Where the fuck did he get a dead body.

Casey: watch.

3. Meme of a woman with a wine glass, with text edited to say: Royai. Thoughts?

4. Crying cat meme.

5. Meme of “excuse racism, draw the line at animal abuse” edited to say: “I can excuse abandoning my sons and not returning when their mother dies effectively orphaning them and making them desperate enough to try human transmutation and thus lose their limbs and body, but I draw the line at making fun of Al”.

6. Meme of a grey human, putting their hand a glowing gold chest, while heart, rainbow and happy emojis explode around them and in the background. End ID.]

[image descriptions: screenshots of the fullmetal alchemist manga, and sometimes Brotherhood.

1. A direct comparison between the forms to show subtle glamorisation: the manga shows Mei chucking a knife at a man’s head and Mustang slicing their necks. The anime shows the knife in the man’s shoulder, and Mustang slicing their leg.

2. A grinning Hughes hugging Elicia lovingly, used as a comparison to…

3. A complication of four screenshots from manga and Brotherhood. One is him saying “I have no use for a religion that’s been forsaken by it’s own God”; another “I told you, the Ishvalans disrupted national security”; him offhandedly saying “it was a stray bullet” and finally Hughes firing a bullet, a look of disgust and hatred clear on his face.

4. Hughes talking to Mustang: what the heck…you have my support! Let’s see how your naïve idealism can change this country—the country created by king Bradley, a man who fears nothing—not even God.

5. Roy explaining he wants to protect as many people as possible as leader, and the people, even if weak, will in turn, protect others. Hughes replies: “on and on, like generations of rats? That’s a child’s logic! You’re ever the Idealist!” Mustang embraces the name.

6. Hughes responding to the news that Alex Louis Armstrong disobeyed orders: disobeying orders is the smartest way to get away from this damn battlefield. Isn’t that right, Major Mustang?

7. Hughes, dismissing another murder: “it was a stray bullet.” The soldier besides him agrees.

8. Hughes, talking to Mustang about Gracia’s letter as a coping method: this letter is enough to let me dream about tomorrow.

9. Roy Mustang sitting on and looking at the floor, downtrodden: Hey, Hughes, why am I killing the people of my own nation?

10. Hughes: the Ishvalans have disturbed the order in the country. The superiors in central have ordered to ‘eliminate’ them.

Mustang: ‘Eliminate’ huh? What a convenient word to disguise indiscriminate slaughter.

Hughes looks at Mustang, annoyed.

11. Hughes, having cracked slightly: I’ll do anything in order to have that happiness! I’ll survive! What happened here…I’ll take what I’ve done here alone and smile when I’m in front of her!

12. Hughes talking to Winry about Edward and Alphonse refusing to talk to her about their problems: they must have assumed you would understand without them having to explain everything, Winry.

Winry: there are some things that I need to be told in order for me to understand.

Hughes: that’s just the way it is. Men express themselves through their actions more than their words. They would rather shoulder their pain themselves than cause their loved ones to worry. That’s why they won’t say anything about it.

13. Manga panel of Mustang killing an old man. He is deliberately drawn with no eyes as if to signify him repressing feelings, his humanity.

Soldier: Major Mustang. He’s the last one, sir.

Mustang: old man…you’re all that’s left. Do you have any last words?

Soldier: Major…

End ID.]