(no subject)

[skygiants]

Thing the first: I'm offering a New York brunch care package over at help_haiti. Fandom auctions are obviously not the only way to help, but I do think they're a good way to encourage people to actually give that little bit of extra they might have been thinking about without ever getting around to. So if you can offer something - or you see something you like and want to make a bid - it is a good thing to do.

Thing the second: After I leave work today, I will be away until Monday (SEEING AWESOME PEOPLE) and may or may not be checking email. If you need me for something, drop me a comment here!

Thing the third: three more volumes means it's time to dump some more FMA liveblogging on you guys before my files grow too big. Chapter 50 means I'm halfway through, right?


Chapter 38: A Counterattack Signal

- Team Mustang full-panel spread! As always, Riza is by far the badassest
- LAN FAN. How are you so awesome! You have killed Envy like five times already!
- LAN. FAN. The anime did not even begin to convey how badass you are in this chapter
- Ling finds this whole thing very scientifically intriguing!
- . . . Ling's :DDDDDDDD-face is TERRIFYING
- I will never get tired of Hawkeye telling Mustang what a moron he is. Never ever.
- "I'm glad you're alive" means "I looooove yoooooou." *is twelve*
- Mustang does not approve of these shenanigans!
- aw, Al and Hawkeye! They are really cute as friends. His alchemy is very dependable! I want them to hang out more often and be sane and supportive.
- "You must like busty women, isn't that right?" POOR HAVOC. This is so very not the conversation you want to be having with your boss in the middle of a manhunt
- That Mustang was not fucking around, as we like to say. That Mustang was out for VENGEANCE.
- aww, he looks just like a huffy wet cat!
- oh Havoc. :( When I saw this in the anime I totally thought he was a goner, I have to say

Chapter 39: Untitled!

- you know, Lust is a little fanservice-y, but . . . I really appreciate how at heart her competence and her character do not have all that much to do with that, name aside
- "EVERYONE GOES BEFORE ME!" oh emo Mustang. *pats him*
- Barry is like, "I wish my crush did not have to see my rotting corpse. D: Awkward!"
- LAN FAN. LING. I would ship you for the sole reason that you would have SUCH HARDCORE BABIES.
- PRIDE??? Isn't this a little early for Pride to show up? :O :O :O
- and Barry receives the most fitting death for a serial stalker/murderer: killed by a girl who thinks he's annoying
- CRAZY HAWKEYE IS CRAZY
- and Al is just kind of like "UN. COMFORTABLE."
- Al just wants to protect people. :( But he is a hell of a lot more healthy about it than Fakir, I will say
- I kind of love that even in THE MIDST OF INTENSE EMOTIONAL BATTLE, they are "Colonel" and "First Lieutenant"
- hahaha Mustang. "I WILL KILL YOU UNTIL YOU ARE DEAD."
- "thank you for protecting my officer" <33333
- Dang, Barry's death is a lot more sympathetic in the anime

Chapter 40: Untitled some more!

- two shocks: that Armstrong actually looks menacing in this shot, and that he is more discreet than Ed!
- Gluttony crying over Lust is weirdly touching :(
- awww, Al is embarrassed by his - WAIT! MISSING ARM! Okay, it may be hollow and part of a suit of armor, but it still totally counts. 14 severed limbs so far!
- aaand Roy is chewing out Hawkeye for her suicidal rage. Which, I guess turnabout is fair play. *giggling* She takes it with dignity!
- HAVOC-MUSTANG BITCHFIGHT OVER WHO GOT MORE SINGED
- Lan Fan guarding Al on the roof! <3333
- poor Havoc. :( Limb loss for all practical purposes, if not in actuality.
- I continue to love the very real inconveniences of metal limbs. They get overheated in the sun!
- HI MARIA ROSS :D :D :D :D
- . . . threatening to sue shirtless Armstrong for sexual harassment. *_* I KNEW THERE WAS A REASON I LIKED YOU
- tiny Ed is SO ANGRY in photos *fuzzles his head*
- oh hey, I forgot the dog counts as limb loss! 15!
- I hope flashback photos means that we are going to get more flashbacks of young Pinako! *crosses fingers*

Chapter 41: Return of the Son of Untitled

- slk;jdk;ljkMUSTANG. FAKE FLIRTING WITH BARRY IS TEN TIMES AS DISTURBING As FAKE FLIRTING WITH ANYONE ELSE
- and Falman, like a sane person, agrees with me
- . . . so breaking Ross out was Barry's idea? Huh.
- Did Barry just knock poor Falman out? D: Dude really does have the worst job ever!
- poor Ross! She never wanted to get mixed up in any of this. Because she is SANE.
- HAH. And Lt. Breda proves himself to be just as awesome as the rest of Hawkeye's men (by beating up Ed)
- they remembered that Ross has parents. Parents whom it will really suck to be. :( :( :(
- salutes all round! It's like hugs, but more military.
- "do not expect us to simply forgive the Amestrians" = FAIR, I THINK, CONSIDERING
- it's a little crazy to remember that this anime started up right before September 11, rather than right after
- of course Winry's parents were the Super Specialist Doctors Ever
- DADDY ISSUES AHOY

Chapter 42: Father Before the Grave

- oh AL. :( Running out of money AND daddy issues to contend with!
- HAH. Even Ed's absentee father twits him about his height! That is when you know you have issues
- Hohenheim is SO CONFUSED. It is awful, but . . . kind of hilarious, in that Robin Hood Men in Tights kind of way? "My wife is dead! And my son hates me! And my house burned down! And the goldfish was eaten by the cat! And the cat choked to death on the goldfish!"
- dang, I am so expecting Ed and Hohenheim to start up a chorus of "No More" right about now
- "PINAKO, YOU ARE A FINE FELLOW." For she's a jolly good fellow, indeed!
- oh AL. SO MATURE. "I don't really remember my father, and it's all kind of awkward, but . . . he seems like a very capable person!" How much are you repressing there, kid?
- aw dude, Al and Ling and Winry talking about their daddy issues! This is kind of adorable. "STOP YOUR WILD IMAGININGS!"
- okay, I love that we actually get so many scenes of these kids BONDING. And making fun of each other and stuff! It makes the integration of Ling into their group much more plausible. And also, as aforementioned, is adorable (and helpful with the infodumping admittedly)
- of course Lan Fan remembers the actual statistics better than Ling does
- angst, Al! Aaaaaaaaaaaangst!
- I LOVE that panel of Hawkeye at attention
- Breda is trying so hard for Havoc :( :(
- Gluttony, just so you know, sniffing Marco's floor for Lust is a little pathetic
- Breda is quick on the uptake! Shame it will not help

Chapter 43: River of Mud

- oh, Ling. This line of conversation is not going to go well for you
- . . . AL. "I never get a chance to show my anger because brother or Winry always get angry before me." SO PRETURNATURALLY SWEEET.
- THIS FLASHBACK MAKES MY HEART HURT D:
- Granny thinks Winry has leveled up!
- ED. GRANNY IS RIGHT, YOU ARE TRAUMATIZED.
- Oh good, back to Mei Chan! And her TINY ANGRY PANDA <3333
- Comanche is missing a leg! SIXTEEN
- also, Comanche reminds me bizarrely of the Monopoly mascot

Chapter 44: The Nameless Grave

- I think Ed's decision to give the nameless body a grave is one of my favorite moments of him, ever
- HI IZUMI!!!!!!
- . . . oh Ed. "Remember that time you transmuted your kid and lost half your internal organs?" Izumi is like, "UM. YEAH."
- HAH. Winry can't check out of the hotel because Ed forgot to pay! I guess Ed is the only one making money . . .
- HAHAHAHA IT IS ED'S TURN TO FREAK OUT OVER AL TAKING DAMAGE
- it's pretty amazing how well Arakawa can convey Al's emotions while still playing fair with the fact that his face can't change
- . . . huh! Okay, Ed, I guess that is fair logic. Also, OW, that panel with half of Al's real face
- my love for Izumi basically knows no bounds
- also, oh my god, HUGS FOR EVERYONE. DON'T CRY IZUMI. ;_;
- Ed looks so TINY in this scene
- and Al remembering and identifying with the chimeras . . . man, this chapter is heartbreaking
- I do not blame Breda for being weirded out by Envy copying his body! AND he has now used up all his sick days. :( Sucks to be Breda!
- HAVOC AND HAWKEYE. Oh man, you guys: also both awesome, also both breaking my heart

Chapter 45: Untitled

- Scar is like, "I did not sign up for a Morality Pet!"
- "where's your brother now?" "HE'S DEAD." You should always know better than to ask that question of a man with that many angsty scars, Mai Chan!
- hahaha Al is worried he will be ZOMBIE AL
- "a quick temper is a sign of mineral deficiencies!" LOLOL
- the Fuhrer? A homunculus? WHAT A RIDICULOUS NOTION
- LING TO THE RESCUE. I love how he basically just hangs around eavesdropping until he gets a good entrance line
- Winry: "DON'T DISTURB MY BEAUTY SLEEP!" I love you, Winry
- EDWARD ELRIC, YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD ALCHEMIST is pretty damn hilarious
- SELIM. Selim sounds the alert! Dang, now I realize the significance of that :O
- . . . Roy needs a bigger car
- "Are you saying there's some sort of CONNECTION between the military and the Homunculi?" "Yes, but what?!"
- Ed and Roy: *bicker bicker bicker* Hawkeye: *GETS HER GUN* And this is why Hawkeye is best
- for Mustang, messing with the military is not just a tactic; it's a hobby!
- . . . Lan Fan can SMELL homunculi?
- LAN FAN D: D: D:

. . . I forgot to save my liveblogging of Chapter 46! In short: Hohenheim is WAY more hilarious in the manga, Ling is hardcore some more, and Winry's sudden arrival is probably the most ridiculous piece of coincidental timing in the whole anime

Chapter 47: Still Untitled

- HAHAHA. Nice would approve of Ling's arsenal!
- Poor King Bradley. A secretly evil homunculus Fuhrer's work is never done
- Iiiii really wish there was not all this emphasis on "WINRY SHOULDN'T HOLD A GUN, HER HANDS ARE NOT FOR KILLING." In this universe, Winry's ability to defend herself >>>>> Winry's innocence
- ANGSTY ARM FLASHBACK
- "Why is waiting the only thing I can do?" GOOD QUESTION WINRY
- "Don't even think about going into the field!" Hawkeye, I love you and your cunning disguise
- . . . way to be creepy, Gluttony. "Girls are so soft and tasty." D: D: D:
- LAN FAN. HOW ARE YOU SO INSANELY HARDCORE. (limb loss: SEVENTEEN)
- Al, thank you for being relatively sane and well-adjusted
- Al is just like, "Ed, please stop making girls cry"
- HI AGAIN LING. . . . and HELLO ALSO LING'S ARM MUSCLES
- Lan Fan, at this moment in time, you are my favorite. Also: the most hardcore IN THE UNIVERSE

Chapter 48: Titleless!

- I always feel so skeevy when I catch myself thinking underage manga characters are hot. That being said: HELLO LING.
- AND HELLO HAWKEYE, who is at least not underage. :D?
- MEI CHEN TO SCAR'S RESCUE <333333
- "you cannot regrow a lost limb": a.) good to know in this series; b.) since we know later they will be chasing her around trying to get their bodies back, is this foreshadowing that Ed's limbs are non-recoverable?
- AL AND XIAO MEI IS THE MOST. ADORABLE. THING. IN THE WHOLE WORLD. *_* *_* *_*
- I love this cameo scene of Paninya basically chilling and eating popcorn while Winry's boss flails around
- you go, Jean Havoc! I do like the paralleling of Havoc and Winry - physically not super strong, but definitely not out of the fight
- . . . is Al SKIPPING AFTER ED *dying* Is he skipping because he SHIPS ED/WINRY????
- Lan Fan: *is hardcore* Ling: *aaaaangsts*
- . . . oh yeah, I guess Ling and Mustang haven't actually met yet before this!
- KING BRADLEY? A homunculus? NEVER!!!!! . . . .
- ohhhh, you made the baby homunculus angry! YOU WOULDN'T LIKE HIM WHEN HE'S ANGRY

Chapter 49: The Monster Within

- HI PRIDE. Way to be foreshadowingly creepy!
- iiiinteresting, Bradley. So you are bored with the order of things?
- Bradley looks so dignified next to flaily Envy
- Hawkeye is freaked out. AND RIGHTLY SO.
- . . . okay, Mustang is pretty badass going after Gluttony. Even if his efforts totally and hilariously fail.
- HAWKEYE TO THE RESCUE
- HAHAHAHA DOCTOR. "I'm just a civilian! I can't die in these completely random monster battles!"
- "USELESS!" say Ed and Hawkeye. And Mustang grows mushrooms in the car. *giggling*
- Hawkeye is so responsible! "We can't leave the kids on the battleground!"
- tiny panda is like, "you guys may have volunteered for this. I DIDN'T."
- oh kids. NICE PLANNING AHEAD.

Chapter 50: Back to lack of titles!

- Ed. ED. HONEY. PRIORITIES. I very rarely say this, but: poor Envy!
- awesome as Ling is in the anime, he is at least 1.5x awesomer in the manga
- of course Envy takes Lan Fan's form (OTP???)
- . . . huh. In the anime, the doctor's wife and children had just left him, they weren't dead
- Mustang: the man with the plan
- "I am proud of my pigheadedness." HAWKEYE. <3333 Refusing a direct order, no problem! You know Mustang will let you get away with anything. Because you are that awesome.
- SUPER SNEAKY, Mustang. SUPER. SNEAKY.
- And Ed concludes the chapter with a resounding "OH SHIT"

Comments

[spellcoats.livejournal.com]

I can't wait until you find out who Pride is. 8)

[skygiants]

Sneakily, I actually know who Pride is! Because I've gotten to that reveal in the new anime series, if not yet in the manga. AND OMG SO CREEPY @_@ @_@ @_@

[spellcoats.livejournal.com]

He only gets creepier. And. Creepier.

[skygiants]

oh god I believe it. POOR HAWKEYE. D: D: D:

(Now I am just waiting on the reveal that Mrs. Fuhrer President Emperor God-King Bradley is actually the evilest mastermind behind the whole thing.)

[cupenny.livejournal.com]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Oh, that [spoiler] would be awesome.

[skygiants]

AT THIS POINT, I FEEL IT IS A PRETTY PLAUSIBLE OPTION. Seriously, before that episode, I did not see the Pride thing coming.

[jothra]

KING BRADLEY? A HOMONCULOUS? NO.

[skygiants]

Are you saying . . . there could be some kind of connection between King Bradley and the Homunculi????

[jothra]

Oh, look at this! Special Ed remembers!

(Strangely fitting quote. :O )

[skygiants]

Wait wait wait, wait! King Bradley's . . . at the Homunculi's? You mean all this time he's been subletting from them?

(Also not inaccurate! :O)

[jothra]

IS EVERYONE HERE VERY STONED?

[skygiants]

I feel like this is what Hawkeye is thinking about the entire cast 90% of the time.

[jothra]

Hawkeye/Spike is NOT my new OTP.

[skygiants]

There is sort of canonical precedent for Hawkeye/undead stalkers! By which I mean to say, I feel like Hawkeye/Spike would go essentially the same way Hawkeye/Barry does:

Spike: *hits on*
Hawkeye: *shoots at point-blank range, multiple times*

Lather, rinse, repeat.

[ceitfianna]

Rosemary and Rue is wonderful, I'm almost halfway though it. Since it does well a lot of things that some urban fantasy things don't.

Its not perfect but I like the characters and the world and thanks for the recommendation.

[skygiants]

You're welcome! I'm very glad you're enjoying it. :D (Credit should probably go to batyatoon and sdelmonte for reminding me about its excistence.)

[obopolsk.livejournal.com]

Oh, what a fantastic giveaway idea! I was trying to think of something New York food-y to give away, and somehow completely forgot about bagels! I have been toying with making cookies or something for the next round, though.

[skygiants]

Hee - I might not have remembered it if I hadn't been talking about Ultimate Bagels with someone earlier and making myself hungry. (Bostonites claiming they have better bagels than New York! WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO, I ASK YOU.)

You totally should! I was thinking about doing cookies before I remembered bagels. Currently I am basically having to restrain myself from forcibly bidding on every food item offered.

[cupenny.livejournal.com]

I love that you are keeping a severed limb count. <3333333333


Also! I need more FMA icons! (This one is from the first anime, and it sadly does not convey how AWESOME Mustang's team is!)

[skygiants]

Someone challenged my claim that FMA had more severed limbs than any other series! Clearly, a count was in order. *dignified*

Yes you do! I basically went and trolled through the FMA comms on LJ until I found a few I liked. >.> Since sadly I do not have iconning materials of my own (YET.)

Also, Mustang's team INDEED = TEAM AWESOME