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thefamilyeldritchabomination · 1 year

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Chapter Twelve: Oily Night Pt. 1

“Ed, you made Ernest look tacky..” Alphonse said as he watched Ernest pose in front of the mirror with his new leather duster with shoulder spikes on each side.

“Ernest looks great! He’ll look even more badass with the skull mask.” Edward said, defending his taste in style as Edward handed Ernest a vaguely skull looking helmet mask.

“I look awesome in this kid. Really brings out the gold in my eyes.” Ernest said as he tried on the skull mask helmet, clearly sharing the same terrible taste in style as Edward.

The Elric brothers and Ernest had been laying low in Resembool in the household of Pinako and Winry Rockbell ever since getting out of Dublith after the lockdown happened. It was a bit of a mixed reaction from Winry and her grandmother when they got introduced to Ernest. Winry had taken a liking to Ernest, mainly because he had a relatively adorable appearance while Pinako didn’t like how the little bastard talked or behaved in general. Edward sat back a bit as he watched Ernest enjoy the outfit, trying to take his mind off something that had been bothersome lately. There still hadn’t been any signs of the homunculi that had been tailing the brothers ever since beginning their journey to restore the bodies they had lost. Where were the homunculi now? What exactly had they been up to? It truly bothered Edward to no end, a feeling of something terrible was truly underway.

“Hey Ed! Grandma won’t cook anything so long as Ernest is around, so I ordered dinner for pick up tonight. Could you and Al go over to pick it up? It’s over at the new tavern that just opened up.” Winry said as she came right on time for Ernest’s fashion show and snapped Edward out of his train of thought.

“Seriously? Granny isn’t going to make her stew?” Edward asked with a dejected expression on his face.

“She would’ve but Ernest keeps on trying to stick his hands into everything during the cooking process.” Winry shrugged before writing the name of the tavern down and the address.

“Fine, we’ll go get dinner then. What’s the name of the place?” Edward relented as he lazily got up from his spot, motioning for Alphonse to follow who quickly stuffed Ernest inside of his chest armor.

“It’s called Devil’s Herd. The name is a bit weird, but the food is pretty good from what I hear.” Winry calmly said as she handed Edward the address.

“Well now I’m picturing demonic sheep with that name, but whatever, we’ll be back soon with dinner.” Edward snidely remarked as he took up the piece of paper and headed out into the countryside with Alphonse.

The starry skies above was something the brothers had taken for granted ever since moving to Central as they walked along to the tavern to pick up the dinner. It had been a while since they last enjoyed getting to see the night sky even though it was an errand. Ernest, on the other hand, was left to rethink his plans for a bit after getting the curveball deal back in Dublith. The news of donuts not being a natural part of the great outdoors didn’t quite sit right with Ernest as a plan formed in his little clay head. Perhaps with some sweet talking and gentle persuasion, Ernest could convince the Elrics to sin against nature once again by creating a vine that produced donuts naturally. There was no way on this green planet that Ernest would live without his beloved donuts even if it meant unleashing an ecological terror. It wasn’t even a terror to the ecosystem in Ernest’s mind, it would be a beneficial thing for everyone. Clearly no consequences to be seen with that plan as Ernest relaxed to that thought and enjoyed the new outfit he got. Sweaters and scarves were never the kind of things Ernest would wear like Dorian would, leather was much more of his style. Fiddling the skull helmet mask, Ernest felt the shift of change from the country road to a wooden floor.

Curious, Ernest cracked the door of the chest armor open to take a peak at where they’re at. The Tavern was a standard one with a pool ball table, a dart board with a demonic face on it, and a fireplace blazing to light the interior. There was certainly a devilish theme to the place as Edward made his way up to the bar to pick up their order. Ernest gained a bit of a suspicious look when he saw the staff, they had looked familiar but couldn’t place a thumb on where he had seen them before. The staff and owner, however, recognized Alphonse right away as they managed to become as pale as snow. The original plan was to lay low and run an honest business in Resembool until they were all in the clear of Wrath and the other homunculus' attention. However, that plan seemed to have gone up in smoke as Edward looked at them in confusion over the reaction. The owner, Greed, stared at Alphonse in pure horror, the vaporization still very fresh in his mind as he held the carryout bag in his hand. It may have been a moment or two when Alphonse recognized the owner and staff.

“Oh! I remember you from last time, Ernest really did use his words then.” Alphonse said, relieved that Ernest didn’t hyper murdered anyone last time.

“Please tell me you don’t have that horrible talking dog with you…” Greed asked if not pleaded in a hushed tone, hoping the little bastard wasn’t here.

“He’s a lion..” Edward stated, weirded out by this interaction as Ernest waved a horrid clay hand at Greed and his Chimeras.

“What is with all the damn talking clay lions that I’ve been encountering then…” Greed handed the carry out bag to Edward wanting to end this interaction.

“Wait, you've seen Ernest’s brother?” Alphonse asked as Edward paid up as he too wanted to end this interaction.

“Shit those two are brothers…look, kid, I'd rather not blow our cover right now since our previous hideout is no longer there. If you want to talk about this, you can come over to the tavern on Sunday. I’ll tell you everything in exchange for leaving us all alone in peace without THAT thing near us.” Greed pointed to the exit, wanting both Elrics out without having to get into a fight with Ernest again.

“What exactly is in it for you? From what I understood, you homuncu…” Edward was about to say before getting cut off.

“Not in here, look, I’m Greed, I get whatever I want and what I want right now is NOT to get exposed in public as homunculus or be near that damned clay asshole. It took me HOURS to regenerate after he vaporized my top half. It was horrific. Now have a goodnight and see you on Sunday.” Greed quietly hissed out as Dolcetto went to escort the brothers out of the tavern to prevent more of a scene being made.

There the Elrics and Ernest stood outside, all three dumbfounded by the encounter and the fact they got tossed immediately. The two only bonuses to this interaction was the dinner and they may get answers on Sunday. Ernest was honestly the most confused, mainly due to seeing Greed alive and not a smoldering halved corpse. No matter, it’ll be corrected some other time, for now, dinner was waiting to be consumed as they headed back down the pathway for the Rockbells’ household. The silence was deafening as they went by with each foot step, the silence being broken by the crunching of the grovel below.

“Brother, we got kicked out of the tavern by a homunculus…” Alphonse finally said as the absurd moment had enough time to sink in.

“That we did Al, at least he didn’t pick a fight, Winry would’ve strangled me if I had broken my automail again.” Edward responded with a grimace, imagining the rage filled wrath of Winry in the back of his mind.

“I’m more confused that he was still alive.” Ernest admitted to his sin as if it was nothing.

“I don’t think they can be killed from what I’ve seen so far.” Edward said annoyed with the situation at this point.

“Nonsense kid, you just have to get a bit creative is all.” Ernest answered, viewing this now as a creative challenge to pursue.

“Ernest, what kind of ‘creative’ are we talking about here? Also remember our no murder spree deal?” Edward wasn’t thrilled one bit with this topic.

“No murder involved Ed, just a creative solution to the problem. Like maybe use cement and encase their bodies in it before tossing the homunculus off into the ocean.” Ernest offered, not flinching at all about how horrible a fate that one would be.

“...Maybe death isn’t the worst thing possible…” Alphonse couldn’t help but shutter at Ernest’s plan.

“Let’s just eat on it..We’ll figure something less horrific and not borderline torture.” Edward concluded the morbid topic as he went to open the door to the Rockbells’ home.

The reaction confused Ernest to no end as they went inside for dinner. The brothers did, after all, propose a unique problem that needed a creative solution. It was only a humble and creative solution to dispose of something that couldn’t be killed. Sure, it had some rough edges, but it would’ve kept the homunculi out of their hair for a good long time. The smell of the shepherd's pie drew Ernest out of his train of thought as he crawled out of the chest with Pinako glaring at him as she smoked her pipe. It didn’t bother Ernest much as he climbed up to sit at the table much to the elderly woman’s disdain. The disgusting, slobbering sounds reigned out as the dinner was served when Ernest went to town on his slice of shepherd’s pie. For a tavern run by a homunculus, it was a pretty damn good pie was the single thought in Ernest’s mind as he ate his meal gruesomely. With the awaited time of Sunday looming, it was the only thing that kept the Elric Brothers from listening in on Ernest’s grotesque table manners.

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#Fullmetal Alchemist #FMA 03 #The Wayfarer #Fan Fiction #FMA Fan Fiction #Writing #Edward Elric #Alphonse Elric #Pinako Rockbell #Winry Rockbell #Greed the Avaricious #Greed #OCs #Homunculus #Homunculi

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werekxnglives · 7 months

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Stephen's Revelation: Agatha & Alphonse

It's been a few good years since he last thought of the elderly human couple, the one pair who loved him enough to give him a head start when he was thrown out of the high community. And yet...it seemed weird?

Why then? Why at the time did they decide to risk it all?

"Your heart be heavy, My Little Tide Dragon. What is on your mind?" Mother Hell's voice was soft and startled her 'grandson' though he calmed the moment he recognized that it was her and not Xentha. "I didn't mean to startle you, Iris." She added as he chuckled and the softer dusty rose colored his cheeks.

Right, in Hell he is referred to as Iris by everyone minus a few select souls. It was a little embarrassing but it felt right too, and he knew better than to lie to the very woman who gave birth to the realm he calls home. "I...I been thinkin' of a human couple who...who loved me. I think they did, in a way." He realized after living on his own in the slums that Alphonse and Agatha had to be careful since he would have been blamed for getting them fired.

"They did." A statement as she looked at her beloved grandchild. "But they could have gotten you out of Druindar's clutches far sooner. Instead, they allowed you to suffer, causing your father to nearly start Armageddon far too soon."

What?

'Wha-wha-wha-what do ye...Máthair Chríona, what do ye mean by that?" He asked taken aback by this. Nae, they had to be careful...I could have gotten them sacked! He knew that Druindar would have seen to it that the human couple starved and their children cast out on the streets.

"My Iris, breathe." She instructed in a calm manner. Of course, he would be shocked! Her Little Iris never faulted the human couple who had been kind to him, but he must learn the truth. Once she had Stephen calmed down, she dropped the bombshell. "They made a deal with The Morrigan in haste. Agatha offered her life in exchange for you to be set free. It was back when you were just a small child, a hatchling as Sai Gong would say. Do you not remember when you first laid eyes on your father in the glen?"

Aye, he remembered that day. He was just a small child, but he remembered the red dragon who called him 'Son'. Who sang softly the words, 'Come my Child homeward bound'. "For I am found." He whispered and fell to his knees as his new tail wrapped around his waist.

"Agatha...Alphonse...they told me to hide what I could see...To not reveal that I dreamed of Papa and Da, of my siblings...that I could hear and see the spirits..." he had thought it was for his own safety, as they all knew that Druindar would have abused him further.

Hell watched him piece some of the truth together, as much as it hurt her. "Agatha could have allowed you to go to your fathers, to live here in the safety of the farm. But instead, she chose to let you suffer til you turned twenty-one."

It made sense now, why the couple had limited their affections, using the excuse of their jobs being on the line. "Then why bother making the deal? Why Máthair Chríona?"

Her eyes revealed the truth as she spoke with a heavy heart. "Because they didn't think it through, My Iris. They were desperate at the time, willing to do anything-Druindar had vowed to kill you to end the embarrassment to his family name. However, upon realizing that Agatha signed away her life, just as humans do with your fathers and the rest of the Demon Lords, they tried to find a loophole; anything to preserve Agatha's life."

A rage he's only felt towards those who caused his suffering flooded his heart and the desire to now hunt down Alphonse to curse him for his part-Agatha was dead and in Morrigan's realm, nothing he could do about that.

Stephen had tried to take the higher road, to ignore the lust for bloodshed because he didn't want to disappoint the couple, let alone Régime who has become a role model. But where had the higher road led him? Beaten, broken-he had been suicidal for the love of the Nine Hells! And they knew it! The human couple knew...

Hot tears rolled down his face as growled and soon looked at his grandmother. "I canna get revenge on Agatha and it no seem right to go after Alphonse..." He will not go for their-a wicked idea came to him and he let out a dark laugh as Mother Hell smiled at him.

"I be no real demon lord, but I am Yun and Beelzebub's son, the grandson of Set and Máthair Chríona. And it be high time I gave me dragon what he desires. It time I started actin' like a Duke of Hell." With that, he vanished back to Earth.

"That really wise, Momma?" Beelzebub asked the primal who turned to face him. He was worried that Stephen was going to become like Yun and do something he'll regret later. "Stephen ain't the bloodlust type, but now with his inner dragon callin' fer it..."

"He won't change too much, Beelze. He's growing and neither Yun nor Hope and you will allow him to make the same mistake." She then smiled softly at him. "Stephen's heart is still kind, Beelze. He has your heart and Yun's sense of justice. He must shed the old so that he can begin anew."

#drabble #tw: mention of suicidal thoughts #guests: beelzebub and mother hell #tw: angst #canon #guest: stephen

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gremlin-elrics · 3 years

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Post 9 of your fave characters and let people guess your type!

og post here.

tagged by: @solborealis and @lordbib and @immagoudaboi and probably 83828282 other ppl too (sorry, i rarely realize i’ve been tagged in things ahhh)

while making the pics i realized how many blonde bitches i stan 😳😳 is that my type?

⬆️ Hange Zoe - Attack on Titan

hange my beloved ❤️🥰😍 lemme kiss. (im containing myself, or else i will literally go off abt hange with paragraphs on end yo)

⬆️ Yamaguchi Tadashi - Haikyuu

my tall anxious son. he is so good. 🥺 ur freckles are perfect my boy! mwah! keep servin em jump floaters baybee!❤️🥰

⬆️ Mob - Mob Pyscho 100

SMALLEST PSYCHIC BOI! CAN NEVER AND WILL NEVER DO NO WRONG!! ALWAYS PROTECT!

⬆️ Toph Beifong - Avatar: The Last Airbender

my most favourite badass bitch in the earth kingdom. lov this bb girl ❤️ she could rip my throat out with her pinky 🥰❤️❤️

now for my small blonde army…

⬆️ Alphonse Elric - Fullmetal Alchemist (2003)/Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

BABY!! BABY BOY!! MUST PROTECT!! (hes mean™️ but only to his gremlin older brother) MY LITERAL SON!! PLEASE GIVE HIM LOVE AND HUGS AND CATS!! HE DESERVES IT!! also dont piss him off or 💀

⬆️ Zenitsu Agatsuma - Demon Slayer

ALSO SOFT BOY WHOMST I MUST PROTECT! loud and annoying and whiny only useful when hes asleep?? MAYBE SO! jdjsksk but i LOVE him he’s hilarious and hard working and literally dont talk to me if u hate him.

⬆️ Kurapika - Hunter X Hunter

ahh… *sighh* yet another blonde twink whose life has spiralled out of control and he is SO far gone. get this boy some therapy yall. i love him.

⬆️ Kise Ryouta - Kuroko no Basket

PRETTY BASKETBALL BOI BUT LIKE HES CUTE AND HES SO GOOD 🥺 AND AND IDK MAN BUT KISE AND KAIJO DESERVED BETTER!

and last but not east...

⬆️ Yato & Yukine - Noragami (I am putting them both down idc. also i spent TIME on that edit gosh darnit)

trash god dad yato and his moody rebellious spirit son (but hes a good boi. hes just a TEEN™️… forever). yet another blonde to add to add my army too. classic. also @ everyone who sees this ur legally required to watch noragami now.

sorry if youve already been tagged in this but lol im gonna tag @smallblip @free-pancakes @faerielleart @fanmoose12 @gracetoldmeto @froglatte @lilnazx @dontatmethanks @mello-jello

#aka: tell me ur a weeb without tellinnggg ur a weeb #alsobwas gonna put ed in alongside al but i was already pushing it w the last one #and i di favour al a liiiitle but more over ed (rare. but we al stans do exist 😔)#also adding ed would add ANOTHER blonde to my army jdjsjdjdj #tag game #if any of u bring up the hange dandruff for no reason i will. i will. idk but itll be gruesome 🤨#also are anime characters AWARE of theur hair and eye colors???#like do bitches with purple hair abd red eyes KNOW that thats their??? their hair and eye color??#i have shower thots sometimes #anyways #attack on titan #fullmetal alchemist #noragami #demon slayer #atla #kuroko no basket #hunter x hunter #mob psycho #haikyuu

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pillow-anime-talk · 3 years

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mistletoe. {pt.1}

synopsis: A little joke on Giyuu, making gingerbread cookies with Edward and a date with Ryouta.

# tags: scenarios; christmas!au; current relationships; romance; fluff; sfw

includes: female reader ft. giyuu tomioka {kny} + edward elric {fma} + ryouta kise {knb}

part two {click}

author’s note: for @yvsevie, my precious smol baby. i love you.

— GIYUU

It was the first Christmas you spent as Pillar, as Giyuu’s girlfriend, and as teacher of your first and also last tsuguko. You didn’t mind spending Christmas like this; frankly, could anyone think of feasting at the moment when bloodthirsty demons and other strange creatures were running around each villages or towns? That’s why you spent your time training in your estate with a young boy who would replace your Ice Pillar position in a few next days, weeks, months or years.

“... We should take a short break, right?” You asked, seeing your successor breathing harder and harder. “I’ll go get something to drink and you can sit on the engawa.” You put your katana into its scabbard and then headed towards your home. However, when you entered the small kitchen, you chuckled at the sight of Giyuu who was sitting at the table, drinking his coffee as if he were at his own home. “Well, hello. Why didn’t you say ‘Hi’ to me earlier?” You asked, taking out two glasses.

“You were training, so I didn’t want to disturb both of you.” He replied calmly, setting the black mug on the wooden table. “Are you two finished yet?”

“We’re taking a break.” You poured cool water and then you stood in front of your dark-haired lover. “You would like to sit with us?”

“Yes, why not.” He smiled gently, then walked with you towards the entrance to the pretty, snowy garden.

When you got outside, however, your frowned as you determined that your heir wasn’t in the garden. Instead of his light blue haori and long blonde hair always pinned up in a ponytail, you noticed a little, white note. So, you picked it up quickly and read the content on the paper:

‘Sorry, sensei! I forgot that I had to help my mom bake a cake for Christmas! So see you tomorrow.

PS. Look up :D’

You frowned, and when you looked up at the wooden roof of your engawa, your cheeks automatically flushed a bit at the sight of a small sprig of mistletoe attached to a wooden beam with a thin string. Giyuu glanced at the same place, and seeing the little plant, he only smiled slightly under his breath.

“Your successor is quite funny, don’t you think?”

“Yes. It is true. He will replace me very well.” You giggled, letting your mouth taste the flavor of coffee and something sweet that you couldn’t identify at first.

Nevertheless, this little joke made you feel the magic of Christmas, despite the lack of a Christmas tree or gifts, and you were incredibly grateful to your beloved student for that.

— EDWARD

“... Edward! Stop throwing flour at me!” You looked imploringly at your fiancé, and he just giggled as he looked away at the huge, metal bowl in which he mixed hot water with powdered sugar to make frosting to decorate your cookies. You sighed softly under your breath, then returned to kneading another dough with your hands. After a while, however, you felt the white dust, commonly known as flour spread around you one more time. “E-Ed! Please!”

“Sorry, sorry!”

“Do it again and I swear you’ll sleep naked outside.” You spoke in a serious tone of voice, even though both of you knew you would never let him freeze to death, much less during the holidays, even more the first holidays that were supposed to be full of guests.

Alphonse and Mei with the smol panda were to appear! Also Roy with Rize and dear major Armstrong. Of course, Winry with her boyfriend, her grandmother and their cute dog were also invited. Gracia with Elicia cannot be forgotten. Mr. and Mrs. Curtis too and even Ling Yao with Lan Fan as well. There were supposed to be many of your loved ones, so you had to make just as many food, cakes and cookies. And Edward didn’t make it easy for you, because instead of helping you, he was throwing flour, sugar, cocoa and edible, colorful sprinkles or glitter at you.

Like for example now; once again you felt something hit your head and it turned out it was a handkerchief, rolled in a small but quite hard ball. So, your hands slowly backed away, then you wiped them on your red apron and you turned just as slowly towards your boyfriend, smiling at him as if you were telling him you were going to break his neck or crush his long legs. Edward, however, only chuckled and then walked closer to you with the same dumb smile he always had on his lips when he knew he had done something silly but funny.

“Sweetheart, don’t be upset. Christmas isn’t the time to fight! Better look up, my pretty angel.” His broad smirk made you sigh again loudly and loosen your tense arms. Nevertheless, you looked up and the first thing you saw was Edward’s hand holding a small twig of green mistletoe. You glanced at him again, laughing to yourself.

“How old are you to still play this?” You rolled your both eyes and was about to go back to your dark dough, but the blonde man grabbed your waist and pulled your body much closer to his more muscular one. He placed a tender, quite long kiss on your lips, and when the caress was over, Edward rested his forehead against yours.

“I’m old enough to still giving you stupid reasons to keep kissing me.”

— RYOUTA

“It’s... It’s so beautiful here.” You whispered under your breath as you looked around. “W-Woah. I...”

Kise took you for a ride in his car, however, two minutes ago he parked the car on the side of the road and then grabbed your smaller than his hand saying he had a little ‘surprise’ for you. Of course you went with him and it turned out to be a breathtaking view of the city, all lit up with colorful lights and sweet decorations. It was also snowing a bit so everything looked even more magical. You were incredibly surprised, of course most positively.

That’s why you turned to smile at the blonde-haired young man, and he only returned your facial expression, but then coughing delicately so that you would open the shiny eyes you closed a few seconds ago.

“You have a gorgeous smile and I love it the most in the world, but I think...” He started quietly, suddenly taking something green from his coat pocket. After a second it turned out to be mistletoe. You chuckled under your nose and your loved one looked at your flushed face again. “I think I deserve more, princess. All the more so because it’s Christmas day... You know.” He said in an amused, but still gentle and emotional voice, at which you only giggled again, standing on the tips of your toes or rather your shoes, to be able to reach his pretty face, and more precisely to his lips which tasted of coffee and chocolate-nut cake.

The kiss was slow, but very warm, and although your lips were cold due to the temperature outside, this peck gave the two of you a lot of heat on your hearts and cheeks. You even smirked during this wonderful caress, grabbing the boy by his soft, pale skin. The fabric of your wool gloves tickled Kise a little, but he didn’t pay much attention to it; instead, he kissed you once more, but this time on the nose that was red from the cold, and on the forehead, covered in the material of the cap, perfectly matching your gray gloves.

“... Thanks for showing me this, Ryouta. It’s really, really amazing.” You whispered, glancing once again at the colorful and white lights that decorated your whole city, including all the trees, buildings and houses. “I didn’t expect to see something like this in my life.”

“Then get used to it, because next year I’m going to take you to many other equally cool places.” The sincere tone of his smooth voice, and another short kiss on the cheek, made you cuddle closer to the side of his massive body.

In meantime, you still watched the magnificent sights and thought about where you both should go next time.

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recentanimenews · 5 years

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Five Anime With Great Sibling Bonds!

Hello everybody, and welcome back to Why It Works. As the spring season moves into its second half, one of the shows I find myself most enjoying every single week is the action-packed Demon Slayer. I’ve discussed before how Demon Slayer’s unique approach to framing combat gives it a strong aesthetic appeal, but one of my favorite things about the show has nothing to do with its action; it’s the charming relationship between Tanjiro and his demonic sister Nezuko. Many of my favorite moments in the show simply depict the two of them being adorable together, their mutual concern clear in spite of Nezuko’s current condition. And that in turn got me thinking about other anime that feature strong sibling relationships, which leads me here. Today on Why It Works, let’s highlight some shows that celebrate the warmth and power of sibling bonds!

First off, I couldn’t run down a list of great anime siblings without mentioning Fullmetal Alchemist. I mean, the show’s second adaptation even has "Brotherhood" right there in the subtitle, and the show certainly lives up to that heading. Though Fullmetal Alchemist is also mostly known for its sprawling narrative and thrilling action, none of that would feel meaningful without the central bond between the proud, hotheaded Edward and the timid, thoughtful Alphonse. The two could not be more different in many ways, yet stand united in their moral code and passion for alchemy, and all of their trials feel that much more tense for knowing just how much they care about each other. Fullmetal Alchemist stands as a clear predecessor to Demon Slayer, demonstrating how much the shonen action template is elevated through a central sibling bond.

For a more recent action highlight buoyed by a strong sibling bond, you could do a whole lot worse than Mob Psycho 100. Unlike in Fullmetal Alchemist, Mob and his brother Ritsu don’t really have equivalent powers; Ritsu is a successful student and easily makes friends, but he has nothing approaching the psychic abilities of his sibling. With each of these brothers desperately seeking something that comes easily to the other, Mob Psycho 100 builds vivid and sympathetic tension through its illustration of the conflicts between them, while still casting each of them as incredibly sympathetic and genuinely loving brothers.

While acclaimed director Kunihiko Ikuhara’s ongoing Sarazanmai has plenty to say about siblings, his fullest ode to sibling bonds remains the incredible Penguindrum. The Takakura siblings Shoma, Kanba, and Himari serve as the emotional heart of Penguindrum, and the two brothers’ quest to save their sister is actually the show’s central conflict. Through a combination of tender, intimately observed family dinners and stark, imaginative flashbacks, Penguindrum builds the Takakuras into one of the most unique and fully realized families in anime, while also reflecting consistently on the very nature of family itself.

Along with Penguindrum, my own pick for the show that best articulates the messy realities of sibling relationships would be The Eccentric Family. Centered on a family of shape-shifting tanukis in modern Kyoto, The Eccentric Family follows four wholly unique brothers as they each try to come to terms with the death of their beloved father. Each of these brothers deals with the long shadow of their father in their own way, but their collective struggles are consistently sprinkled with petty arguments, heart-to-hearts, and silent moments of solidarity that all demonstrate their clear mutual love. Demonstrating both how siblings can make us strong and also our frustrations with them, The Eccentric Family covers it all.

You know, I say “covers it all,” but I think this list so far has been altogether too kind to the idea of siblings in general. In light of that, my last recommendation is Himouto! Umaru-chan, a show about a long-suffering older brother whose little sister is just the absolute worst. Umaru is a terrible gremlin who destroys everything she touches, her brother deserves far better than to serve under a despot such as she, and Himouto! itself should feel like a heavy clap of solidarity to anyone who’s suffered from just how horrible siblings can be. If you ever wanted to pick up your sibling and just chuck them in the garbage, Himouto! is the show for you.

That’s all from me, though there are certainly plenty of other great sibling-centric shows out there! Girlish Number does a terrific job of articulating two young adult siblings working to integrate into adult jobs, March comes in like a lion depicts both the love and hate that can form between adopted siblings… I could go on and on, but I gotta sign off at some point. I hope you’ve found a show or two to check out among my picks, and please let me know all your own favorite anime siblings in the comments!

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Nick Creamer has been writing about cartoons for too many years now, and is always ready to cry about Madoka. You can find more of his work at his blog Wrong Every Time, or follow him on Twitter.

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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