Name: Wind (zoldyck_fan)
AIM Contact: winddoesitbetter

Character: Ling Yao
Series: Fullmetal Alchemist

I prefer to know who's critiquing me because more often than not I'm thankful for it, but if you'd prefer to be anonymous, I won't hold it against you.

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[Ling is standing outside, forget the weather, and staring awkwardly in all directions. When he speaks, his voice is appropriately pathetic and lonely.]

Where did everybody goooo?

[The view afforded is of a small outdoor camp out. A fire, a large umbrella, and a lounge chair. Yes. A lounge chair. The view pans over the setting to the area around it, covered with discarded food as well as at least thirty bowls and plates, just as many cups, and a good few pots and pans, all filled with various amounts of Friday's edible rain.

Once the sight has been taken in in its entirety, Ling moves the PCD so that his face is in the view.]

Anyone care to join me for a campfire song or two~?

[It takes a special kind of person to see a small child sitting on top of a giant, carnivorous turkey's head and think, "There's only one thing missing from this equation! A harness!"

The feed turns on when the PCD hits a rock with a thud, the view tilted just enough to reveal the reason it had gone flying. Ling Yao is situated on the back of one of the creatures, his hands yanking at makeshift reigns that travel down to a cone-like muzzle that's been shoved over the bird's beak. The animal is kicking and spazzing enough to make a bull proud, and Ling is being tossed back and forth like a regular rodeo clown.

He seems to be enjoying himself well enough until one particular spazz sends him flying forward into a tree. He blinks as the bird struggles to remove the muzzle, pecks angrily at the tree a few times, and then huffs off to find a less troublesome meal.

The feed ends with Ling breaking out into hysteric laughter.]

(( ooc: I probably won't have time to be active in Rui's event plot, but you can assume Ling was there if you'd like and that this was just him being a useful improviser for you all. If Riza does end up sniping anything, he will totally be sitting up there next to her. ))

[The video turns on to one Ling Yao, laying out on the floor of a shop that looks to be stocked with various cooking utensils. His limbs are stretched out wide as if attempting to make a snow angel minus the snow, and he has several pillows beneath and surrounding him. He's staring up at the ceiling with intense concentration, and after a moment, his mumbling voice can be heard.]

...one-thousand eight-hundred forty-four, one-thousand eight-hundred forty-five, one-thousand eight-hundred forty-six...

[And so it continues until the feed times out. Who wants to help him count - and recount and recount and recount - ceiling tiles?]

[Not much but his smiling face can be seen in the video. And smiling it is.]

Oh, Ed~ Eddy, Ed, Ed, Eeeeeedd~
Didja hear me, didja hear what I said?
I gotta talk to you quick;
I'm not being slick!
It's important, I swear.
If you say no, you're not being fair!

Oh, by the way, just so you know,
Neji, I'm sitting in your window!

[The video starts rolling to a skewed view of a table, upon which a large amount of rectangular, wooden blocks is piled. In several spots, wooden blocks have been removed, leaving holes in the structure, some of which cause it to rock dangerously whenever someone puts their weight on the table.

Ling appears in view, leaning over the edge of the table to reach for one of the blocks in the stack. His tongue peeking out from between his lips, he carefully removes the block without knocking down the stack. And he looks incredibly pleased with the development.]

Hahah! We should play that Risk game next, hmm? I think you'd be good at it!

[Have some inaudible grumbles before Ling laughs again, and Kite of the Azure Flames reaches out to remove his own block of wood from the stack.

Well, at least someone out there is enjoying themselves.]

[He's beat up - his clothing torn, hair frayed, and several small cuts and bruises adorning his body - but he's smiling wider than ever, obvious relief written all over his face.]

Hey, look! You're baaack! Ahahaaah!

[Why, yes, he's kissing the fence separating Adstring from the wastes.]

I gotta admit, that was preeetty scary! The city just disappeared! I couldn't find it anywhere! Where'd you guys all go?! How could you leave me alone out there for so long?! How cruel! [Because it's definitely not his fault. He didn't get lost again; everyone else just vanished.]

I demand penance!

I didn't play him much last week because stressful exams don't fit well with his eccentric wittiness. I'm having some difficulty now though, so when I saw he didn't have one of these posts yet, I thought it might be prudent to see if it doesn't help me get back into his head. So just comment with your character, and we'll see where it goes.

( Hello, how are you? Are you immortal today? )

[As soon as the feed turns on, something is shoved into the view, right up close and personal. It just so happens to be page 34 of chapter 32 of the manga, in which Ling is very happily shaking hands with Alphonse Elric. When it's pulled back, Ling's face can be seen in the PCD's view. He's grinning in obvious triumph.]

See this, Mrs. Elric? Aren't your children horrible for not remembering?! We were such good friends!

[He's still grinning as the feed turns off.]

Over here at this little private college of mine, we have a quarterly system, which means more finals more often. And next week just happens to be our latest finals week. Due to two of my classes being insanely difficult this quarter, I ask that you don't expect too much from me until the 25th.

I will still be here posting and I'll be in chad as much as humanly possible, homework be damned, which is why I'm not posting an official hiatus. Please just understand that my replies to things like the picnic log will be extra, extra specially slow.

Please and thank you.

[If you've read FMA, you might remember the part when he clings to Ed's leg and insists he's Ed's friend and won't let go even as Ed tries to kick him into the air. This is exactly how he's acting now. Asking is just a formality. If no one replies, he'll just find a window to sneak into.]

The grumpy lady says there's a meeting, but she won't tell me anything about it! Can I come? Pretty, pretty pleeeaase~?

[Ling is propped up on a dusty window sill. Apparently he's finally managed to find himself a place to stay. He holds the PCD up so that the early morning sky can be seen. It can't be later than two or three in the morning, it's still dark. But the view isn't what's important. Soon enough, the sound of howling reaches the PCD, accompanied by a few sparse screams.]

I can't wait to see what you cook up for Halloween.

[Despite his joking words, his tone is fairly subdued. It doesn't last long.]

Am I the only one who wants pumpkin cookies?

[The view is dark, but it's illuminated by a well-kept fire. The silhouette of a person can be seen, and the light of the flames soon reveals it to be Ling, staring awkwardly at an unidentified meaty substance. There is a similar meaty substance still roasting above the flames, but for the moment he's ignoring it.

There seems to be a steady flow of tears cascading down his cheeks.]

And Amestrian cuisine was soooo gooooood too....

[But only mere seconds after his agonized lament, he starts eating it anyway.]

Frilly pink dresses.

Sassafrass.

Biniki night.

Son of a well-groomed poodle.

Absolutely ravishing.

Cranberry pie.

Dew on flowers.


[ He's just having fun, waiting to see more people slip up. He's leaving it up to everyone else to wonder whether he's trying to curse or just saying the words purposely. ]

(( ooc: Leaving the typo in 'cause Riza's adorable. ))

[ When the feed begins, a pile of deep red cloth, a costume most likely, is taking up about half the scene. A few feet away, Ling is hunched over a small collection of masks. He's obviously in a store of some sort, his side is to the camera, and it's clear he doesn't know it's recording. It is now time for Ling's induction into the "caught by a misbehaving PCD" club. 

After a few seconds, he picks up one of the masks so that it's partially in view. White, black, and red can be seen in varying quantities as he eyes it appraisingly. He does this for a while, just a little too silent when compared to what else he's revealed over the network. Finally, he forces out a small laugh. ]

Oh well. I never was very fond of wearing masks anyway.

[ Despite his words, he keeps the mask in hand as he goes to collect the costume and the PCD. The red fabric covers the view, and the PCD shuts off. ]

[ Ling is sitting cross-legged on the ground, looking surprisingly content considering the mistletoe hanging above him. He's taken this newly found free time to scroll through the PCD's contents and has only just now begun to realize what all is happening with the soldiers and supposed murder. Now that he wasn't so busy with trying not to faint (again), he could focus on politics! Oh, joy! Well, more specifically, how he could get himself involved and gain one or two valuable contacts (and maybe even a place to stay, he was getting tired of camping). ]

Hmmm? Murder and raids and soldiers, oh my!

What all have I been missing since I've been stuck here~?

[  A small thud, as if the PCD was simply dropped to the ground, likely the reason it turned on. After that, a few staggered footsteps and Ling's hoarse voice. ]

...

So ... hungry. Gotta find ... some ... real food.

[ A much louder thud, most likely Ling himself. ]

Nnnnmmmmnnn.

[ Was that him eating dirt? A quickly abandoned attempt at crawling before a heavy puff. ]

...Where's an Elric when you need one...?

[ Silence. And the audio soon times out. ]


(( ooc: It was inevitable, okay? ))

[When the video begins rolling, Ling is watching a still-burning bone torch dance around him in circles, his PCD still sitting untouched to the side. After a moment of staring, he turns his gaze contemplatively up at the higher levels of a few surrounding buildings. It seems he's going to ignore it for now.

He’s covered in blood, but little of it seems to be his own, and he’s wearing no shirt, just an open jacket. One hand is supporting his side which, if one squints, can be seen to be badly bruised, likely several broken ribs. His other hand is absently rubbing his chin as he takes in his surroundings, a small frown lining his lips.]

Okaaaaay… So did we make it or…?

[Another pause as he looks back down at the dancing bone.]

Huh. I would have thought an alchemy rebound would be less ... like this?