FMA 03 Month Day 25
Other Ships! (Part 8)
Hey, I thought I’d do a couple bunch of posts for other popular ships in the fandom. (I may not love them but I’m sure others do!)
Okay this one is more of a rarepair.
So… EDRUSSELL!
Russell is such a jerk and he seems to really enjoy pushing Ed’s buttons. At the same time they have a lot in common, both young, gifted alchemists with a flair for the forbidden stuff and younger brothers that they’re extremely protective of. A lot of ships can be an exploration in contrasts but people with very similar temperaments can be awesome too. While Russell may seek to antagonise Ed, he’s also perfectly happy to steal Ed’s identity which shows a nice bit of respect and perhaps envy for Ed’s talents and success. Ed’s a proud person but all the prestige he enjoys came at a price so it’s an interesting subject to look into.Â
Russell is actually one of the last people to see Ed before he disappears and he has to watch Edward descend into the forbidden city. His last words are him request that Ed comes back alive. Ed... doesn’t. GIven it was Russell who gave him this information, he must be wracked with guilt because they may have only met a few times, but he genuinely cares quite a lot for Ed - there’s all this empathy. He may wind him up but knowing that he sincerely cares for and respects Ed gives them a surprisingly nice dynamic.Â
On Ed’s part I think he likes knowing someone not unlike him. When they’re fighting, Ed’s trading quips and smiling and basically seems to enjoy testing himself against another alchemist (if only to show off his skills). And when they’ve resolved things, Ed and AL are both happy and they’re invited to come back to visit with Russell writing in a letter how he wants to follow Ed’s example in being a good older brother.
Basically they have an underrated dynamic which is equal parts vitriolic and respectful and that can make a fun ship.
