skygiants | (no subject)

As a sort of corollary to my last top fives post, I guess,

evil_little_dog asked me for the top five AUs I would like to see for FMA. Which seems a little redundant, but I have valiantly tried to think of new ones!

1. The Musical AU

This one is pretty much a gimme. It is a belief I hold strongly that every show should have a musical episode, or it is failing in its duties. It could be just a matter of giving Greedling a chance to sing Lady Gaga or it could be a full-fledged Broadway AU in which leading man Mustang is secretly plotting to topple the tyrannical diva Bradley in a singing-and-dancing revolution, OR BOTH, as long as there's a back-up chorus!

2. The Terrible Fantasy Cliches AU

ELVES. WIZARDS. ANCIENT PROPHECIES. I can see two ways to do this: either you use the thoughtfulness and story excellence that characterizes FMA to do a really nuanced exploration and deconstruction of the standard Eurofantasy setting, or you just full-on embrace the ridiculousness and give everyone +10 POWERS OF MAGIC MISSILE AND A DRAGON.

3. The Historical Revolution AU

I am not limiting this to the French revolution, it is just that Enjolras is pretty iconic. Any historical revolution would do, really! I love revolutions and am not picky. :D

4. The Wacky Office Hijinks AU

This is sort of cheating because it's basically what Team Mustang does on all their off-days anyway, but I never, ever get tired of stories about Breda cunningly stealing Falman's stapler and could read Murder Must Advertise-ish office hijinks ALL DAY LONG.

5. The AU Where Everyone Is Lions

Basically my feelings are that if it exists for Hamlet, there is absolutely no reason that it shouldn't exist for everything else as well. (I can't decide whether we call him the Hohenhlion, or MUFASENHEIM.)

If anyone is inspired by this to write snippets, I, um . . . will be happy? Will write a snippet back perhaps? SOMETHING.

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I would live in a fantasy world if it meant I got a dragon and these are all brilliant.

It would depend on the kind of fantasy world, for me! I am not sure I would take a dragon, however cool, above NO BATHS EVER AGAIN. Which is not to say that I didn't dream about having a sparkly telepathic soulbonded dragon when I was a kid, because I totally did.

True, difficult choices, but I do love how your summed it up. Since there's the serious fantasy and the not really kind, both are fun. I think I'd rather live in one of DWJ's fantasy worlds than any serious one.

Dalemark - as much as I love it - no; Ingary, though, totally yes.

Yes, Ingary would be fascinating.

either you use the thoughtfulness and story excellence that characterizes FMA to do a really nuanced exploration and deconstruction of the standard Eurofantasy setting

I don't actually know FMA fully (have only seen some of the series), but I would totally read this. Genre deconstruction for the win!

I love genre deconstruction with a passion, especially of genres I know as well as I do cliche-ridden Eurofantasy! Oh, my childhood.

Greed would totally star in a musical. And musicals are the genre of my heart, SO I APPROVE OF THIS AU LIKE YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE.

anfldjafkld Office AU, yesssss. Team Mustang office hijinks. The constant war over who the hole punch belongs to never ends. (Does it involve supply closet makeouts between the boss and his aide? How is that even a question? OF COURSE IT DOES.)

Finally, I vote MUFASENHEIM. Just because it's really fun to say out loud 5 times fast.

Greed would be the GREATEST AND MOST FABULOUS DIVA EVER. Every costume would be covered in sequins head to toe.

Poor Falman just wears his long-suffering-disapproving face ALL THE TIME. Meanwhile, Hughes drops by every other day to steal people's stuff just for the lulz. (Isn't that just basically a requirement of any wacky office hijinks AU?)

It is! And sounds appropriately dramatic. MUFASENHEIM. He lives in you!

MUSAFENSHEIM.

/died laughing.

i would pay big bucks to see that musical.

AS WOULD ALL RIGHT-THINKING PERSONS.

I LOST MY SHIT AT MUFASENHEIM. sdkjfhsdjfhsd.

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Imagine his face forming out of stars in the sky, glowing benevolently down . . . possibly weeping comets . . .

At least until Ed punches it apart, obvs.

j;lkasjfddsI cannot watch, because I am at work right now, but OH WHEN I GET HOME.

AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH.

I wasn't going to read this, because I don't know FMA, but it turns out I do know these genres/sources, some extremely well BRB LAUGHING FOREVER

I was doing so well trying to suppress my giggles so they wouldn't wake up my suitemate next door. And then I reached Scarjolras and lost my shit. TEARS OF LAUGHTER IN MY EYES.

this, too

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/CAN'T WAIT TIL YOU GET HOME <3 lmfao

the eurofantasy one could be really interesting if it was done seriously o: --especially since, really, fma wouldn't be a very far stretch from it already, if you modify a few key elements o:

YOU'RE WELCOME.

I AM SORRY TO YOUR SUITEMATE. *solemn*

(I couldn't find any pictures of Enjolras and Gavroche together, but Mei is TOTALLY his Gavroche.)

Yes! And, I mean, in a lot of ways Amestris can be read as a critique of European imperialism anyway, so you could totally do something with that, and with the standard Orientalist depictions of ~THE EASTERN COUNTRIES~ or whatever that you tend to get in that kind of fantasy book.

Also Ed would totally think having a dragon was COOL AS HELL.

Your dragon can fly you to the hotsprings daily.

But can my dragon also provide me with soap and shampoo?

Fantasyland hot springs have "shampoo-wort" and "soap-fruit" growing on their verdant banks.

Oh, a good point! I can probably even pot a couple of the plants and store them in my sack of holding for use during the lengthy quest sequences, as long as I remember to water them. I am sure dragons provide good fertilizer.

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