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griseldabanks · 1 day

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34 for Al and Hawkeye, please?

Let Me Count the Ways ask game

Prompt: "I'll keep you safe."

Maybe they shouldn't have stopped for burgers and shakes. It was pouring rain out there, and the temperature was dropping fast. Might turn into freezing rain before too long.

But Five Guys was their tradition. Riza drove Al to speech therapy, and as long as he didn't drag his feet or have a bad attitude about it, they would stop for a late lunch on their way home. They even had a little ritual they ran through each time, just for fun. “Hmm, where should we go for lunch?” Riza would ask, pretending to think. Then Al would hold up one hand, grinning along with the joke, and Riza would say, “Five Guys?” as if she never would have thought of it on her own. Then they would both laugh like it was the best joke they'd ever heard.

The only time Riza got to hear her foster son's voice was when he laughed. It was worth it.

“Got your scarf and gloves?” Riza asked, opening her umbrella before putting one hand on the door.

Woolen blue fingers wrapped around her arm. She glanced down and saw Al huddling close to her as if for warmth, eyeing the door with trepidation. Riza tugged the hood of his blue coat over his head, then wrapped her arm around his shoulders. “Don't worry, Al,” she murmured. “I'll keep you safe. Let's just run, and it'll be over in five seconds, okay?”

Slowly, Al nodded.

It was more of a huddling jog than a run, and it took more than five seconds because Riza had to juggle both the umbrella and the key fob, but they both made it into the car relatively dry. With a relieved sigh, Riza tossed the sopping umbrella to the floor on the passenger side and turned on the car, cranking up the heat all the way. She swiped her damp bangs out of her face and checked on Al in the rearview mirror. He was buckled in and shivering hard, hugging himself and rocking slightly. He looked like he wanted nothing more than to be instantly transported home. How she wished she could spare him the drive.

Riza decided the best thing would be to get home as fast as possible, so she didn't say anything more to him, just started the windshield wipers and eased back out of their parking space. “These wipers are useless in the rain,” she muttered, squinting through the smeared windshield and turning on the defroster. She needed to text Roy and see if he could pick up some replacements on the way home.

As she headed for the highway, Riza mentally ran through her to-do list. Once they got home, she needed to call the phone company to see if the issue with the bills had gotten sorted out. She should peek into the boys' bathroom and make sure they'd cleaned it like they were supposed to, and then she needed to clean her and Roy's bathroom. By then it would probably be time to start on supper, and oh, was today a karate day and had Roy said he could drive the boys or—

The loud blare of a horn startled Riza out of her thoughts. A semi, slipping out of control from the left. Moving on pure instinct, Riza slammed her foot on the gas and aimed for the shoulder. The semi slipped and slid on its way, and they jostled and bumped over the muddy grass. Riza managed to stop before the ground fell away into the ditch. Hands shaking, she pulled the parking brake and turned on the hazard lights before letting out a long, slow breath of relief.

She looked over her shoulder to find Al hunched over in his seat, his gloved hands clawing at his face as he drew in shaky, shuddering breaths. “Al? Are you okay?” No, that was a stupid question. “Are you hurt?” she amended. “Alphonse!”

The twelve-year-old boy peeked over his hands at her, but she could tell that he didn't see her. It was like he was looking through her, to another rainy day in another car with another woman sitting behind the wheel as a truck came out of nowhere....

“Al....” Riza unfastened her seatbelt and clambered over the center console, squeezing between the front seats to get to the back. It was difficult and inelegant, but she managed. Better than opening the door and letting in all that cold wind and rain.

As she settled into the seat next to Al, she listened to his frantic, choked breaths that came faster and faster with every passing minute. He wasn't looking at her, just staring fixedly at the driver's seat. Occasionally, his eyes slid over to the front passenger seat as well.

Riza's heart clenched tightly as she imagined what he must be seeing. Trisha Elric, forehead resting on the steering wheel, blood trickling down the side of her face, her vacant eyes staring into nothing. Ed, trapped under the twisted metal, blood spreading up his left leg. Still breathing, but so shallow, so erratic, eyes closed. No response to Al's screams. The last words Al had ever spoken, a desperate plea for his family to not leave him alone.

She hadn't been there. She'd only read reports from after the fact, and talked to Mrs. Rockbell and the boys' therapists. And yet, she could see it all as clearly as if she'd lived it herself. She could almost hear those screams.

“Mom...Mom...Mom....”

Wait. That voice, ragged and faint, wasn't just in her imagination. Tears sprang to her eyes as she heard that one word whispered in wheezing gasps muffled behind blue gloves.

She could have listened to that voice for hours, but Al was shaking so hard she actually thought she could feel the car rocking slightly. So Riza scooted a little closer, saying as gently as she could, “Al? Can you listen to me, sweetie? I need you to breathe with me.”

His eyes latched onto hers, and for the first time since they'd swerved off the road, he actually seemed to see her.

“That's right,” Riza said, reaching for his hands. “Just like we always do, okay?”

He let her take his hands in hers and pull them away from his face. Riza led him in a deep breathing exercise, and found that her own heart rate eased as well. The adrenaline from their near miss was beginning to wear off, leaving her feeling exhausted and limp. She almost wished she'd brought Hayate with them after all. They both could have used the soothing comfort of his soft fur and warm, wet tongue.

“We're okay,” she whispered, reassuring herself as much as Al. “You're safe now. We're both safe.”

Just like every time thunder and lightning put Ed on edge and sent Al skittering into their bedroom to crawl under the covers. Roy would get up to make everyone hot chocolate, Ed would crank up his music so they could hear it faintly through his headphones, and Al would curl up like one of his cats against her side, and they would all cram into the king-sized bed to wait out the storm.

“Mom,” Al croaked again, his voice rough from disuse. “Mom....”

Tears spilled over his cheeks, and Riza reached over to gently brush them away. “I know, honey, I know.” Hot tears stung her own eyes. “I'm so sorry.”

“Mom....” Al raised one gloved hand and placed it on her cheek. He was looking at her so intently, so earnestly, like there was so much he wanted to say, but he was stuck on that one word, choking on the sobs that shook him head to foot. He put his other hand on her other cheek, as if to hold her in place. “Mom....”

A thought occurred to her, as sudden and shocking as the semi that had nearly hit them: He's calling me Mom.

Tears blurred her eyes till she couldn't even see him. “I'm here,” she whispered.

He flung his arms around her, squeezing so hard it took her breath away. She hugged him back, held him tight, squeezed her eyes shut against the tears. She rocked them back and forth, patting him on the back.

Riza had always known motherhood would be strange for her, who had never known the gentle touch of a mother. When she and Roy had first talked about starting a family, she had been plagued with doubts about whether she would be able to manage it. A thousand times, she'd tried to imagine herself rocking a baby to sleep, kissing the skinned knees and bumped foreheads of a toddler or two...and she'd always drawn a blank, since she'd never had that herself. What if she could never get the hang of it? She was a soldier, not a mother.

And yet, sitting in this car on the side of the road, holding a twelve-year-old boy sobbing his heart out...it didn't matter that she hadn't given birth to him. It didn't matter that they'd only known each other for a little over a year. It didn't matter that they'd never once had a normal conversation.

This was her son. She loved him so much she thought her chest might split open with the force of it. And judging from the way Al kept sobbing that name over and over again, clutching at her like his life depended on it...he felt the same.

#ask and you shall receive #valiantarcher #ask games #let me count the ways #full metal alchemist #fullmetal alchemist #fma #riza hawkeye #alphonse elric #modern day real world au #i've fallen in love with this au and am dying to write more in it <3

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isfjmel-phleg · 16 days

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Tagged by @valiantarcher to post four fictional characters you relate to and let people assume something about you. Thank you!

This is hard, which is why I've been dragging my feet on it. I can empathize with or feel for a lot of characters, but I don't know that there are so many that I specifically relate to. And for whatever reason, not many female characters are very relatable. I don't know if these are the Perfect four for relatability, but they're some of several.

Sophie Hatter (Howl's Moving Castle - mostly the book)

R. D. Sheen (The White Feather by P. G. Wodehouse)

Sticky Washington (The Mysterious Benedict Society - the book's characterization, not so much the TV series')

Grant Emerson (Damage and various other DC titles)

#tagged #valiantarcher #random personal stuff #thanks for your patience with this one!

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novelmonger · 2 months

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For the character ask: 4 for Steve Rogers, 5 for Al, 8 for Winry, 12 for Mustang, 18 for Hawkeye, and 25 for Ed, please?

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in? (Steve Rogers)

A book. Written by me. It would be called Whole Shards :)

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them? (Alphonse Elric)

"Faceless" by Red

I'm not, I'm not myself Feel like I'm someone else Fallen and faceless So hollow, hollow inside A part of me is dead Need you to live again Can you replace this I'm hollow, hollow and faceless

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise? (Winry Rockbell)

Hmm...I can't really think of anything too heinous the fandom does, except maybe forget about her? ^^' Especially when shipping Ed with somebody else. Shippers are gonna ship, but I often feel like there's a gaping hole left behind when they don't account for where Winry is and why she's not upset about Ed going after someone else.

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character? (Roy Mustang)

We're told that he was raised by Madame Christmas, but I like to headcanon that she also adopted all the women who work in her bar and become Roy's intelligence network when they go on their fake dates. So Roy grew up in a highly unconventional setting with a dozen adopted older sisters, all orphaned or abandoned. He goes from a female-dominated living situation to a male-dominated one when he joins the military XD

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire? (Riza Hawkeye)

Royai. Are both Mustang and Hawkeye a bundle of issues? Is Hawkeye in particular perhaps unhealthily dependent on Mustang, to the point that if he were to die, she would kill herself? Yes. But their complete and utter devotion to one another, and the way they show love to each other in a thousand ways without being able to even hint at the way they really feel, is something I've always admired.

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now? (Edward Elric)

Looooool, my introduction to Edward Elric was a fanart depicting him as an angel holding a claymore XD When my brother showed it to me, I was like, "Okay, we have to watch this Full Metal Alchemist thing now!"

Naturally, we soon discovered that particular fanart was more...imaginative than we realized at first. But by then we were hooked anyway. Now, obviously, I don't think of Ed as an avenging angel :P He's still inspiring and heroic, but now I also know him as a total dork with a bundle of issues, but also the biggest heart for his little brother you could possibly imagine <3

Character ask game

#ask and you shall receive #valiantarcher #ask games #captain america #steve rogers #full metal alchemist #fullmetal alchemist #fma #alphonse elric #winry rockbell #roy mustang #riza hawkeye #edward elric

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lover-of-the-starkindler · 4 months

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👗 , please?

#the fairy godmother's wardrobe #valiantarcher

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fictionadventurer · 4 months

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5, 9, 12, 16, and/or 20, please?

5. What genre did you read the most of?

Probably fantasy, but only because there's a wide variety of things that count as fantasy. (Like, A Christmas Carol gets on the list). Most of these reads are more like historical or classic stories with only light fantasy elements.

9. Did you get into any new genres?

This was the year of American history nonfiction. I especially never expected to fall into the world of Civil War nonfiction. (It is a large world. I have not gone far). It's been a fun twist to my reading life.

12. Any books that disappointed you?

Deathmark by Kate Stradling was not what I wanted from "fantasy Blue Castle retelling". On the Blue Castle side, there wasn't that much similarity, and on the fantasy side, not much happened, and I wasn't crazy about the magic system. I know that Stradling's books almost always require rereads to be good, but I'm not sure I want to reread this one.

16. What is the most over-hyped book you read this year?

I didn't read much of anything that had any kind of hype. The Velveteen Rabbit was my first book of the year, and it's supposed to be a heart-wrenching children's classic, but for me, it was just kind of...there. Not very memorable.

I also saw some praise for World of Wonders, a collection of nature/life essays by Aimee Nezhukumatathil, but I was not impressed. Vaguely "inspirational" stuff that didn't leave much impact.

20. What was your most anticipated release? Did it meet your expectations?

Probably The Beggar Prince by Kate Stradling, and I'd say it surpassed my expectations. Usually it takes me two reads to truly appreciate a Stradling story, and I liked this one right away. It also impressed me with some of its choices on how to adapt the story and characters.

#answered asks #books #valiantarcher

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morfinwen · 5 months

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tagged by @valiantarcher

Three non-romantic duos: Peter and Neal (White Collar), Zuko and Toph (Avatar: the Last Airbender), Katniss and Finnick (The Hunger Games)

A ship that might surprise others: I feel like unless you're a person of very specific tastes with an outlier ship, this question isn't going to apply. Check my ships list and let me know if anything surprises you i guess, lol.

Last song: Still, Still, Still (The Piano Guys)

Last Film: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Currently reading: The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst

Currently watching: Youtuber BaerTaffy playing Dredge DLC

Currently consuming: Just finished pizza from Rocky Rococco

Currently craving: Nothing … ?

Tagging @frangipani-wanderlust, @ioannemos, @anyone else who wants to.

#valiantarcher #tag game

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worldwithinworld · 9 months

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For the Book Asks, 1, 3, 5, and 12, please?

Thanks for asking!

(I didn't anticipate how hard this would be. I don't do the weekly posts of entertainment I enjoyed anymore, and I don't use Goodreads or any other book tracking. Never really saw the point before this moment now that I'm having trouble remembering what all I've read this year. I can remember if I've read a book, but remembering when I read it is harder. But I'll try my best.)

#1. Best book you have read in 2023 so far: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (This is one of those books that I'd been meaning to read for many years. I finally got to it and loved it. It's not just a good book; it's a good book for me. Based on what I knew about it, I expected I'd like it a lot, and it totally delivered.)

#3. A new release you want to check out: The Late Mrs. Willoughby by Claudia Gray (It's a sequel to The Murder of Mr. Wickham, a murder mystery featuring a bunch of Jane Austen characters, and a couple of very charming original characters who team up to investigate the murder. I greatly enjoyed the first book. Claudia Gray has never let me down.)

#5. Biggest disappointment: The Easy Life in Kamusari by Shion Miura (This book was about a young guy beginning a career in forestry. It wasn't really disappointing, because I got it for free and went into the book without many expectations. I picked it for this question because it was the book I liked the least so far this year. It was okay though, and I finished it even though I took a break to read a different book. I may even check out the sequel at some point. The characters often felt unrealistic, but there was enough interesting stuff to it.)

#12. A book you need to read by the end of the year: Murtagh by Christopher Paolini (I wasn't quite sure how to answer this one. "Most anticipated book release" was a different question. I have a lot of books I want to read, but this says "need" like it's an assignment, and that's how this book feels to me. Not that I "need" to read it. I no longer feel compelled to finish books and series that I don't even like much, but I did have that problem in the past. It's what pushed me to read all 4 of those stupid Inheritance books even though the series just kept getting worse. The only thing that I liked about the last book was Murtagh's story. So when I found out another one was coming out, my first thought was, "Definitely won't be reading that!" And then I saw the title. That complicated things. Has Paolini finally figured out what was good about his books (what little there was)? Has he improved as a writer? I will find out! I will read this book this year, though I make no promise to finish! In fact, I promise to quit it if it doesn't show promise very early on in the story.)

This was fun! (I hope you don't take offense if you're a Paolini fan.)

#books #valiantarcher

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thisbrilliantsky · 1 year

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Happy birthday, dear! I hope you're having a good day! *hugs*

thank you valia!! 💙 victoria flew up to spend the weekend w me, and my aunt took us out to eat :] i hadnt seen toria in person in more than a year (and before that, another year) so it was really good to have a couple days w her :'|

#valiantarcher #ask

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sailforvalinor · 5 months

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Tagged by @saxifrage-wreath to do this tag game—thanks for the tag!

1. Three non-romantic duos: Ten and Donna Noble (Doctor Who), Harry Potter and Ron Weasley (Harry Potter), and Christopher Rowe and Tom Bailey (The Blackthorn Key)

2. A ship that might surprise others: Harry Potter x Luna Lovegood. Objectively there’s nothing wrong with Harry and Ginny, I just don’t find it all that compelling. And wouldn’t it be cute?? Wouldn’t it???

3. Last song: Autumn Sweater by Yo La Tengo

4. Last Film: Oh dear, I think it was Wild Mountain Thyme. I had a fever and I’d never been more confused in my life.

5. Currently reading: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Susanne Collins, The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands (reread), Sense and Sensibility (reread)

6. Currently watching: Bia, Endeavour, rewatching NuWho season 3 with my roommate, Friends, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (albeit, very slowly), and I’m attempting to watch the X-Files. There’s also a k-drama or two that I’ve been in the middle of for a WHILE that I need to finish.

7. Currently consuming: Lemon Coke (I shouldn’t be, I’m about to go to bed)

8. Currently craving: Creativity, motivation, a back rub from my mom 😂

Gently tagging @o-lei-o-lai-o-lord @kanerallels @accidental-spice @novelmonger @rainintheevening @valiantarcher @braveheartstoryteller @faeriefully @the-tiny-dragons-tea-room

#thanks for the tag!!!

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stingrayextraordinaire · 8 months

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Thank you for the tag, @valiantarcher! I was tagged to explain how I picked my URL.

"Stingrayextraordinaire" actually is a combination of two nicknames I had in high school. My nickname was "Stingray" on my high school sports team (we all had animal nicknames), and I received a special customized award for a secretarial volunteer job I did calling me the "Secretary Extraordinaire." I always liked those two names, and I thought I could combine them for my URL. I've always loved it! :)

I'll tag @moonlightandstarshimmer, @thevintagetiger, @effulgentpoet, @piscesgirl2020, @cozy-possum, @amiablesummer, and @ladyrock18, if any of you would like to hop in!

#this was so fun! thank you :)#challenge #jane talks

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isfjmel-phleg · 5 months

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@valiantarcher asked: (Though, I am curious: is Prince of Arclis a title Delclis should have had instead? Or is it only the eldest son of the currently reigning monarch who is eligible for it? Or is a moot point because Delclis should've gone straight to king if Talfrin hadn't usurped him? I apologise if you've already discussed this somewhere; I still have not read many of your posts about them. :">)

Yes, if Delclis's father had lived longer, Delclis would have been Prince of Arclis. But after Andras's death, the throne went to Talfrin instead of the infant Delclis, so the heir's title no longer applied to him as a mere stepson of the current monarch, no longer in line for the throne.

In the story's present, the position is empty and will be until Delclis has an heir of his own. And who knows when or if that will happen. He's not exactly in a hurry to get married any time soon.

#valiantarcher #thank you for asking!#The Blackberry Bushes #The Blackberry Bushes OC facts #Delclis Phemister

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novelmonger · 10 days

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7 & 9 for Sharon, 2 & 10 for Sam Wilson, and 4 & 5 for Vin (Mistborn), please?

8D Have I told you that I love you?

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

Literally anything the fandom does with Sharon that's not bashing her? ^^' Anything that has to do with pairing her up with Steve because they're one of my top OTPs? I also just like it when she gets to be friends with any of the other characters - Natasha, Sam, whoever. She was horribly underutilized in the MCU, so I always appreciate it when fans bring out some of that wasted potential in fics and art.

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

Absolutely. Maybe it's just because of her age in relation to me or something, but Emily VanCamp always feels like a big sister, and thus so does Sharon. (Which is funny, because we never hear about any siblings in canon and in my headcanon she's actually the younger of two sisters XD) But yeah, she just feels like the kind of person I would warm up to quickly and soon be able to just talk about anything with. And I would also feel so incredibly safe to have someone so skilled and accomplished living with me :)

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

Oh my gosh, how do I pick? Sam is so cool! He's brave, he's smart, he's loyal, great sense of humor, but also amazingly strong and skilled, but also so perceptive.... I think maybe my favorite thing about him is how good he is at making friends. At any given moment, he's like, "I know a guy," and can call somebody up to help them out, whether it's to repair a boat or to fight the other Avengers. And that's so in keeping with the way he almost instantly accepts and befriends Steve, too. He's the kind of guy I think you could describe as "never met a stranger." He even acts that way towards Karli! I love him.

10. Could you be best friends with this character?

YES PLEASE I WANNA BE SAM'S FRIEND ;^; He would be such a good friend! So warm and friendly and inviting - he would make anyone feel welcome, like they belong. Would we have much in common? Uhhhh...maybe not? But his experience as a counselor, and just his personality to begin with, is such that he seems good at getting other people to talk. I think he'd be good at finding a topic of conversation we could both carry on pretty naturally. Also, just look at those arms. Sam would give the best hugs.

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

MOVIE MOVIE MOVIE I WANT A MISTBORN MOVIE

...oh wait, is this supposed to be like a crossover thing? Hmmm...I mean, Vin would make a pretty awesome Jedi, don't you think? She kind of already is - Pushing and Pulling on metals is like a more limited form of Jedi telekinesis, Rioting and Soothing is kinda like Jedi using the Force on weaker minds, and the Force almost works like atium in a way. Besides, Jedi can use the Force to enhance things like their senses and their body's natural healing.

So she basically already is a Jedi, but you know what she lacks? A LIGHTSABER >:D I think her lightsaber would be blue, but that might just be because the Allomantic lines connecting to metal are blue....

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

"Prophecy of Worlds to Fall" by Xandria

This one mostly fits her in Hero of Ages, but...Mistborn is just such a metal story, it requires an epic symphonic metal song like this one, I think.

Character Ask Game

#ask and you shall receive #valiantarcher #ask games #(psst i wanted to address you by name but then got hung up on what to call you because i already have someone else i call 'val' ^^')#mcu #sharon carter #sam wilson #mistborn #vin

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theworldiswhispering · 11 months

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