Fleeting Fancies - Fanworks Recommendations

- Full Metal Alchemist - I Hear the Thunder of a Distant Storm by Keruri - *happy, floaty sigh* This was a wonderful treat to read for several reasons--it was well-written, I could just see it, I loved the characterizations of Roy and Ed (that they snarked at each other, but that there was also affection there, on both sides, and I loved that you felt that, but never had to be told it), and it was lovely writing. The moment when Al was trying not to blush literally made me squee aloud because it was funny and SO DAMNED CUTE. ♥ Al is the bestest brother in the whole wide world in this fic and I adore him so very much--it also didn't hurt that he was so cute over Winry and eeeee! how I fangirled over that, too. The dialogue was snappy, the characterizations were wonderful, the writing was lovely, and there was a hint of lime to the story. I can't ask for more from a fic. (RoyxEd, some hints of Winry/Al. ♥)

- Full Metal Alchemist - Al/Winly/Kitten fic by Vikki - (For lack of anything better to call it.... >_>) This was just... absolutely wonderful. One of the things that attracts me to the Winry/Al pairing is that I think both of them deserve exactly what they can give each other--Winry is beautiful, intelligent, and spunky and Al would look at her like she'd hung the moon and the stars in the sky. He wouldn't be spineless over her, but he'd treat her like a princess and be open and free with this affection for her, smiling so gently and softly at her that she would blush and smile back and I'll be a gooey mess on the floor from my fangirl wibbling. I adore this story because it taps into that fangirl I have, makes me squee with delight, and is just SO DAMNED CUTE. Plus, the bits of Al being extra tactile after having gotten his body back, combined with the big heart he's always had, were woven beautifully into this story--when he was so often touching Winry (little things like her hand or her face, just soft touches), I could so easily see and believe this. *luffles* (Al/Winry.)

- Full Metal Alchemist - Giving by gisho - ......................................excuse me. I have to go have spastic fits in the corner because this was just so goddamned cute that I could shriek and squee like mad over it. It was just... oh, it was perfect, and it made me fall in love with Al all over again and made me want to just scoop both him and Winry up and hug them into little, tiny pieces. The writing was just absolutely love, but it's the sheer... heart that went into this story that made me adore it. I could just see something like this happening when they were kids, the picture forming crystal clear in my mind. So. Much. Love. (Al/Winry.)

- Full Metal Alchemist - Phoenix by Keruri - ....there are a fair amount of stories that can make me sad or make me hurt for the characters, but it takes a particularily nasty (and by that, I mean it in the good way) story to make me literally hurt or feel like I might actually cry. Maybe it's the late hour as I read/rec this story, but... the gentleness of the story, the simple style (that I get with the series itself, actually), the way the story captured the feel of the anime... it made me see this story and, by god, it hurt. It's just... it's hard to explain why without giving away the ending of the story, but I was left with the feeling like I'd had the wind knocked from my lungs because it made a horrifying sort of sense. Beautifully written, beautiful Al characterization, and heart-breaking. I'm in awe and going to go attempt to drown my sorrows in J-fanart smut now kthx. *cries* (A little Al/Winry, not really the point of the fic.)

- Full Metal Alchemist - Some Small Thing by Moonsheen - This was... wow, I was immediately in such a blissful, happy, sparkly mood after reading this, because Al and Winry are just absolutely adorable together. I love Moonsheen's Winry, I love the little mentions of the current day styles (because it's not something you see too often in FMA fic, that this seems to be set around the 1920s or so) and Winry's thoughts about them, I love her interaction with Al and the way she slid into bed with him and took charge, but not in a dominating or domineering way. It was just... them and their way. The hints of lime were wonderful, the writing beautiful, the details wonderful (Squee! The light mention of the way Al likes to feel the sunshine on him or his sensitivity to contact, but without the hammer coming anywhere near my head!), and I just... wah, so much love. This is why I love Winry/Al, yes, I doooooo~~ (Winry/Al, R-ish content.)

- Full Metal Alchemist - Wedding Belles by Jaelle - This was... well, really, I can't describe the hilarity to you, it's one of those you just have to read, because no matter how much I tell you it's a really funny fic about Ed being in a dress... well, I, at least, probably wouldn't have believed you that I'd be giggling as much as I did. It was just... a fun, sparkly fic that had excellent comedic timing and was written beautifully. I've been really pleased with all the "put Ed in a dress" responses that I've read so far--it's one of those concepts that shouldn't work, but the people doing it have all been so talented so far that it's just fun. There were a lot of things I enjoyed about this fic, little bits of hysterical characterization (I ♥ Winry), but, honestly, it was the parts with Roy that had me doing that laughter that's gone so high that it's actually silent and I'm just shaking a little. Very, very, very funny. XD Plus, I admit to a part of me going "Eeeeeeeeeeeeee!" over the way Al and Winry were getting married and Winry's characterization for that and Ed wanting the best for the two people that mean the most to him. (A little Al/Winry. ♥)

- Full Metal Alchemist - The Path Not Taken by Jaelle - This was... wow, for a story that was only about 30k long, it certainly built up a wonderful little AU world of its own and was beautifully written. FMA is one of the few fandoms where I've liked the AU fics the authors have come up with, because they're not doing bizarre AUs, more like slight tweakings of the current storyline and seeing where things would go from there... and I liked that this particular storyline felt like it could happen, like the author had thought through the consequences of her changes, how just a few pivotal pieces being different could cause such different reactions, and how that affected the characters themselves. One of my favorite things about this story is the effect it had on Al, the way he's different because of the way things played out here and the way Ed still protects him. And, ooh, Roy and his fascination with/interest in Ed was delightfully subtle and the author's attention to detail in here was fantastic, and plus! Plus! Winry/Al! *twirls* The whole thing was really a very nice read and I'd love to see more from this storyline fleshed out, but it also works well the way it is, more of a light "this is the way things could have gone" than a blowing the storyline to hell, if that makes sense? Which is good, because I'm not sure I could have taken a huge cliffhanger. ^_~ Oh, and? The ending. So much love I have for subtle Roy/Ed. (Winry/Al, some Roy/Ed lightly implied.)

- Full Metal Alchemist - Conversations by Maaya - On one hand, I'd like to point (in reference to the author's note at the end) that most Al/Winry is post-Al-getting-his-body-back because, you know, Al's not going home until then, because he has something important to DO. He's not going to leave his brother and Ed's not going to stop until he restores Al. Therefore Al/Winry usually has to be after he gets his body back. .....and, dammit, I hate typing that all out because the fic is really NOT ABOUT THAT. It may have spawned the fic, but it's not ABOUT it, I just had to get it out of my system. Now. What the fic IS about is a cute little conversation between Ed and Al that just... I loved it because they're such brothers and they have such an interesting relationship and this was just ED AND AL, for me, here. Plus, omg, the cuteness of Ed picking up that Al LIKES Winry. Much squeeing and fangirling ensued on my part. The writing is smooth and readable, really contributing to the light, fun, slightly... *waves hand* it's not romantic, per say, more... cute, I guess, in that way that has me squee'ing like mad. Wonderful fic. ♥ (A little Al/Winry, but only referenced.)

- Full Metal Alchemist - A picture of a (mostly) normal sixteen year old boy and his girlfriend by Moonsheen - This is a very short ficlet, not much more than a paragraph or so long, which I usually skip, because in the time it takes a person to read my rec of it, they could have just READ the fic already. That said, I'm going to rec this one anyway. Why? Because... just... it captures that wistful, subtly brilliant characterization of Al and Winry that just... it's... it's happy, but without "cheating" to get there. It created all these fantastic images in my head of Al and Winry being cute and sweet together and just... oh, it fit with what I know of them, with how I see them, and how I want them to be. Beautiful, beautiful characterization and I NEED small spots of happiness for them sometimes. (Winry/Al.)

- Full Metal Alchemist - Morning and The World Apart and Dogs of the Military and Arrangements by WhiteCat - I'm tossing these four drabbles together because they're on the same page. The things that blew me away about these drabbles was that... each idea was different, yet... I don't know how to put it into words, but each little drabble really was like picking up a little gem to hold up to the light and watch it sparkle. "Morning" was sweet, sparkly, clever Winry/Al fic that's just... it's so sweetly perfect because there's so much love there without us having to be hit over the head with a mallet to see it, there are so many little details with Winry's hands worked into the story that don't overshadow the story or feel forced, and it's just so... THEM. Winry's sparkling and teasing, but so THERE and OPEN with Al, who's so THERE for her, too, treating her like the princess she should be treated like. Plus, the hints at more? Yum. *__* "The World Apart" was just... it left me nearly stunned over serious!Armstrong, because you think it wouldn't be able to be done without being forced or awkward or terribly jarring with the kind of person he is, but this fits him, this you can just SEE in your mind's eye. It's not overly-done angst, but it is painful in just the right way it needs to be. And that last line? A killer.

"Dogs of the Military" was just *squee*-worthy for me, for a couple of reasons. One, yay~!, it was the drabble I requested, but I think it IS my favorite because it IS something I wanted to see--Roy and Winry interacting, which isn't something that happens enough in the series or in fic. This one just... it captures my attention for future!fic (with this series, future!fic has to be done carefully, but, oh, this one was) because I found myself WANTING TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED afterwards, but also absolutely fascinated about where it was GOING, too. And the metaphor? Brilliant. Because it FITS--both in that it fits into what's already established with said metaphor and because it genuinely FITS the scenario here. It wasn't just chosen at random because it's one of those overused things in the fandom, it worked here. And, finally, "Arrangements"... shit, I wanted to not like this fic, because genderswitch fics usually aren't my thing, but... but... but... but this is how it would go, I thought, and it felt so freaking NATURAL that it's almost unsettling for THAT. ^_~ But the writing was so lovely and the tone and feel to it just right that I couldn't turn away from it, it roused my curiosity, and OMFG THE END. Ahahahaha, I LOVED THE END. But. You know. I would. XD (A little Winry/Al in the first one, no real pairings anywhere else.)

- Full Metal Alchemist - Proper Maintenance by Moonsheen - You know, I don't always need outright-pr0n to make me all flailing fangirl over characters, because some authors have a way of writing UST that's exactly what I want in and of itself. It's not always the resolution (though I whine like a little baby if I don't get a regular fix of that, too, mind), sometimes it's the tension building between two characters that puts me in raburabu fangirl mode and, ohhhh, Moonsheen does some of the BEST Winry/Al EVAR. They don't even do anything here and yet I'm *___*'ing like crazy, because she just... she GETS THEM and even more than that, she WRITES THEM perfectly. They just... they sparkle in her hands... to the point where sometimes I kinda wish she'd write, say, Roy/Ed, because I love them, too, but then I think about how she writes Winry and Al and I find myself thinking, "No, no, I need more Winry/Al from her, 'cause they're just so damned PERFECT...." Which is a compliment, really, to say that she can distract me that much from my favored pairing. ^_~ The other thing that was so nice about this? It was... not liquid per say, but it had this whole feeling of a sort of liquid grace to the writing and the motions/actions of everything. Not delicate, but elegant and beautiful, even with something so simple as cleaning Al up. Sooo much luff. (Winry/Al hinted at.)

- Full Metal Alchemist - Ozone by Harukami - Have I mentioned recently how much I like Winry and Al? Because, wow, I totally do. ♥ And this was just... this was satisfying in a lot of ways--not just for the light smut (though, man, that helped a lot), but because there's a... a... a... I don't know how to describe it. It's more than just an atmosphere or a feeling to the writing, but that's a lot of it, too. It's one of those stories that pulls me into a lot of the sensations--I could almost feel the cold dampness of the rain on my skin, the sheets around me as they tumble into bed, the flashes of Al and Winry moving together so clear in my head, more than just pictures, in that way the best smut scenes have. Also, I just... I associate these colors with the story, slate gray and blue along with the bright and golden yellows of their hair... I don't always associate colors with fic, but when I do like this... it's hard to describe why I like it so much. Add in lovely, lovely characterization and writing and this has become one of my new favorite Winry/Al fics. ♥ (Winry/Al, some slight content.)

- Full Metal Alchemist - Valentine's Day by Jaelle - This was just... I read this when Jaelle first posted it and I read it again just now when I'm trying to think of what to say beyond, "*giggle* Hee! Funny! Roy/Ed funny and just a hit of sweetness! *fangirl squee* GO READ NOW. +__+" ^_~ Jaelle really does have a terrific sense of comedic timing in novel form, which is really something to treasure in a fic author when they come around to one of the series I'm also into, because her writing just has this smooth... feel to it, the way it's paced and makes it easy to read and just sail right along. Plus? Funny. And I ♥ Ed. So very much. And the joke at the end was great and just... the whole thing was... FUN. I love that. ....I'll stop gushing now. >_> (Roy/Ed, a little Winry/Al hinted at.)

- Full Metal Alchemist - Better Than Drowning by Harukami - ..........*wibbles*heart breaks*cries* Kiiiiiiiiiiiiitties~! When I look back on this fic, the thing that stands out most for me was how much I really felt with Al (despite Al not really being the main character) because... because... KITTIES! Plus, the whole scene popped clearly into my head, was fantastically characterized, and had all these little details (Al agreeing with Winry, but not really paying attention because he was focused in on the kitty was something that just struck me as so HIM, in this situation) and a lovely example of why these two make me sparkle so damn much. The details of Winry remembering, of looking at the kitty being SO DAMN CUTE, all while she's trying to be stern and the kitties keep being SO DAMN CUTE and... eeeee! KITTIES. I want my kitty back now. Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitty. Yes, I'm going to keep repeating that. (Some Al/Winry.)

- Full Metal Alchemist - Janet by Baka Neko - Like the author's other fic (Six Impossible Things), there's a sense of weirdness to the fic, almost random in a lot of ways, but with an internal consistency here that makes it work. Meaning that I get the sense that the author knows what she's doing with the story, even if I don't fully understand what exactly happened to Al, why he's in the park, how he was human, what happened with Winry, etc. But the writing is absolutely lovely, I get a sense of something like an old fairytale off the prose, the imagery and symbolism is also very lovely, and Winry is a delight to read about in this fic. As I said, it's weird, but in such a way that's actually kinda neat. Oh and I thought the surrounding characters that had a hold on Al were REALLY neatly done. (Some Al/Winry.)