Through Fire and Rain is an ongoing Fullmetal Alchemist fanfic by Kemnam. The story begins with Roy Mustang being captured and eventually transmuted into a salamander chimera, which doesn't exactly go right. One of Roy's gloves is accidentally dropped into the circle with him and a salamander and, being an alchemical object, gets mixed in. This results in a deep affinity for flame alchemy and other interesting things.
This fic is on Fanfiction.net
and on AO3.
As major and minor revelations are central to this story, all spoilers will be unmarked!
Tropes used in Through Fire and Rain:
- All There in the Manual: The fanfic states that chimeras can't perform alchemy, as their life forces are "tangled" inside and they can't channel the energy for transmutation through themselves. Guess what this helps to determine…
- Applied Phlebotinum: Discussed by Roy and Ed in-universe; the later states that soul binding seems easier to explain than how Roy's transmutation worked.
- Bio-Augmentation: The captors use their prisoners for human chimeras, aiming for a perfectly human-looking one with no transformation possibility but enhanced and/or inhuman abilities (think Martel).
- Cursed with Awesome: Roy won't ever be able to rise through the ranks to reach his goal of reforming Amestris. On the more urgent side, he's a man on the run. The new fire powers are barely useful in combat. They still feel amazing...
- Defiant Captive: Roy and Doc, of course.
- Eye Color Change: Roy's irises change from black to crimson.
- Fugitive Arc: As of chapter 12, Roy and Edward are men on the run.
- Fiery Salamander: That's what Roy is transmuted with. "Fiery" and "salamander" are two separate parts, but he gets both.
- Healing Factor: Not explored yet, but implied to exist. In real life, salamanders can regenerate whole limbs and eyeballs. Sorry, Edward.
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Hilarious in Hindsight: The fanfic was started before the live-action movie was released, but both make Hakuro one of the major villains. - Kidnapped Scientist: An original character is a textbook example. She even introduces herself as "Doc".
- Made of Incendium: Salamanders secrete mucus from their skin. But how would you like secreting kerosene? That's how the "fuel" part of flame alchemy plays out.
- No Such Thing as Dehydration: Averted constantly. Being part-amphibian, chimera!Roy drinks a lot of water, prefers moist air, and using the new powers leaves him severely dehydrated.
- Playing with Fire: Roy demonstrates his ability to perform flame alchemy to prove he's not a chimera, then loses the ability, and then gets back a peculiar variation of it.
- Power Glows: Proportionally to the amount of heat it produces.
- Power Incontinence: So far Roy only knows one way of using the flames: stirring up his emotions. A few times he had no idea how he did something, and once the power activated while he was asleep.
- Power Tattoo: In a feat of dark irony, the (slightly warped) circle from the ignition glove becomes a tattoo on Roy's upper back.
- Power Makeover: Extensive.
- Rejected Apology: General Hakuro didn't even try to help. General Hakuro attempts to calmly apologize. Roy Mustang is furious. Roy Mustang's optimization kicks in. Ask Hakuro how it went.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning
- Required Secondary Powers: An immunity to fire - the gloves weren't flammable, after all - and smoke.
- Scary Teeth: Also justified, as salamanders have all sharp teeth.
- Saying Too Much: Roy accidentally mentions studying flame alchemy.
- Slow Transformation: Due to a mistake in the transmutation circle, Roy's chimerization is delayed, manifesting in small ways, and then the "optimisation" happens.
- Super Not-Drowning Skills: Downplayed and justified, as breath holding for half an hour is an IRL ability of salamanders.
- Thermal Dissonance: Roy can generate heat from his body: from comfortable to scorching.
- Withholding Their Name: Roy doesn't tell Doc his real name.
