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WIP Loyal Dogs/ Dogs of War by MondayVibes - T - Fullmetal Alchemist

Discussion in 'Anime, Cartoons, and Comics' started by Scott, Apr 4, 2018.

4.538459777832/5, 13 votes
  1. Scott

    Scott Professor DLP Supporter

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    Apr 4, 2018 #1
    Title: Loyal Dogs / Dogs of War
    Author: MondayVibes (formerly xCrimsonxBlackxBloodx)
    Rating: T
    Genre: Adventure/Drama
    Status: Complete
    Library Category: Misc.
    Pairings: None so far. No slash.
    Summary: With all the conflict and tension between Amestris and Aerugo, it was inevitable that a war would break loose. Mustang, though, had always thought that he would be able to keep his young prodigy away from such a nightmarish ordeal.
    Link: FF (original version), AO3 (revised version, under the title 'Dogs of War')


    So this is one of the best, if not the best FMA fics that I've read. I don't want to give any spoilers away but basically Amestris gets into a war that they didn't start and Edward gets deployed.

    It's well-written, maybe a couple typos but they're ignorable. The characterization is pretty good, Ed cusses a lot but considering he's in a war I think it's reasonable.

    I'll give it a 5/5 because the small problems it has are easy to ignore and most stories in the fandom are complete shit or slash.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 7, 2021
    Ched
  2. Nemrut

    Nemrut The Black Mage ~ Prestige ~

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    Apr 4, 2018 #2
    Excellent story. I have read only a couple of FMA stories, mainly because FMA itself was such a perfect and satisfying story, I never really felt the need to look out for fanfiction for it, but this is one of the few ways I can become interested in it.

    Writing is solid, good take on the characters and while I am not 100% convinced by the plot stuff, it is still an interesting and compelling ride so far.

    4/5
     
    Ched
  3. Scott

    Scott Professor DLP Supporter

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    Apr 7, 2018 #3
    That's a good way of looking at it I suppose and I agree about it being a perfect and satisfying story but I just think of all the things that be done and changed in a story-universe and go searching hoping to find something.
     
    asphyxia, Ched
  4. Paradise

    Paradise Paraplegic Dice DLP Supporter

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    Apr 14, 2018 #4
    Read it, fucking loved it. Easily one of the best fanfiction pieces I have ever read.

    +1 It feels like actually FMA, the character voices and interactions are down to a fucking T.

    +1 Introduction of OCs actually feel like characters that could exist in the FMA universe.

    +1 Black Lung was cool as shit and his alchemy made sense.

    +1 Edwards new officer friend is a decent human being while at the same time being a great character, seriously love this dude. This over is easily the best FMA fic I've ever read and probably the best new one I've read this year.

    +1 Character development and the whole Mustang seeing himself in Edward thing is just amazing.

    Eagerly awaiting updates. 5/5
     
    StrawberryPingu
  5. pbluekan

    pbluekan Chief Warlock DLP Supporter

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    Apr 15, 2018 #5
    Alright, I fucking loved this.

    FMA was one of the few anime I ever watched, and the only one I ever completed. The original had an impeccably written story and both had some of the best designed and written characters that I’ve ever seen in an anime. Loyal Dogs takes the visual and illustrated FMA and translates it flawlessly into the written word.

    All the characters are true to form, even the elements that were always inferred. More importantly, the author has done a spectacular job of taking those same characters and molding them as his own story grows. The path of change is believable and is a pleasure to read. Edward’s and Mustang’s development and interactions in particular, are a pleasure to watch play out.

    The OC’s that the author has added aren’t just blank placeholders, but are fully fleshed out characters that feel natural to the source material. I could see any of these characters popping up in the anime.

    5/5 hoping for more.
     
    StrawberryPingu
  6. Zombie

    Zombie Black Philip Moderator DLP Supporter ⭐

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    Apr 19, 2018 #6
    I'm going to mirror everyone else. I had this open in a tab for nearly a month. I've been putting off reading it, but finally finished it. I like the characters, I feel like they're a logical extension of the canon characters. I'm not having to make any leaps of logic to reconcile them to the fic and to the source information I'm familiar with. The interplay between the characters is natural, and in general its more organic than I'm accustomed to in fanfic. I'm so used to stilted writing in regards to dialogue and character interaction, and not encountering it here was refreshing.

    4/5
     
  7. Nicovi

    Nicovi Fourth Year

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    May 28, 2018 #7
    My more esteemed forumites penned the pros and cons better than me.

    So I'll just add some minor flavor to it:
    The character development is realistic and even have a few bumps on the road. A stressful situation can make Ed temporary revert back to what he is used to (aka 'something is going to hell, it must be that bastard's (read: Mustang) fault'), even if he knows better.

    The narration helps settings the tone and atmosphere. Opening a chapter with an official report can not only help setting the tone and atmosphere (army, with its focus on logistics and proper procedure), but also in its clinical way convey the
    sheer horror of the numerous causalities after a massacre.

    5/5
     
  8. Scott

    Scott Professor DLP Supporter

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    Jun 27, 2018 #8
    So she updated and uploaded 2 new chapters. So if for whatever reason its not on your alert list, go read them.
     
  9. Knyght

    Knyght Alchemist

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    Jul 28, 2018 #9
    This story is now complete and has a planned sequel.
     
  10. Nicovi

    Nicovi Fourth Year

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    Jan 31, 2019 #10
    The sequel is named 'A Dog Half-Feral'. The second chapter were posted today.

    It is still excellent.
     
    Ched
  11. Ched

    Ched Da Trek Moderator DLP Supporter ⭐⭐

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    Dec 13, 2020 #11
    Okay, yeah. This is easily the best FMA fic I've read - easy 4.5/5 but rounding down, not up, to a 4/5.

    Characters all feel about right to me. The author did a solid job of both Mustang and Ed, and those two are critical to get more or less 'right' for me. Ed's growth is realistic. The pacing is good. The plot works.

    It's a very solid story that pulled me straight through. I highly recommend it.

    So why not 5/5? Honestly because it's not quite what I personally want out of an FMA fic. When the war starts and Ed gets called to serve Al heads home. That makes perfect sense, but it means there's no Al. Similarly Ed spends most of his time with Hawkeye and an OC or two instead of interacting with other canon characters.

    The story does have a strong sense of camaraderie, but without Al and most of Mustang's subordinate's around it's not focused on characters I enjoy having present.

    There's also not a lot of the research that I think of Ed as always focusing on. He hasn't got time for his own pursuits at all in war, and while he does very much prove that he's a badass alchemist and showcases that he is genuinely a genius... it's all focused on the war effort. Which - again - makes perfect sense. But I still wish it would have been realistic for Ed to try and keep working on his own thing on the side or something, etc.

    All in all... Mustang and Ed were massive highlights and this is a fantastic story that deserves to be in the library. It's a realistic enough take on how FMA could have progressed for a time. But it didn't quite tick off the boxes that would let me rate it 5/5.
     
    Paradise