Since we see several alchemists in FMA have alchemy arrays and symbols tattooed on them I don’t think it’s too unlikely that tattoo shops in Amestris would advertise their services by saying they can do alchemy tattoos. And this made me think, what if there’s a thing in Amestris where people who aren’t alchemists get alchemy tattoos the same way people in our world get tattoos of words in a language they don’t speak. (1/2)

(2/2) Some guy gets a tattoo of a random array and tells people its what the Flame Alchemist uses to make fire when it actually makes dirt take the shape of a square or something. Anyone who actually knows anything about alchemy brings their own array for the tattoo artist to use as reference.

EXCELLENT IM SCREAMING

Even better when some of these nonsense formations get super popular and everyone’s buying gear with it. (Which the alchemists don’t stop because people walking around with bullshit alchemic arrays are really no harm)

Except one day when Mustang’s walking through the streets of Central, some teen decked out in nonsense alchemy tattoos stops him like

Kid: “Cool Flame Alchemist costume, but your flame salamander is on the wrong side.”
Mustang: *pointing aggressively to his glove* “The flame salamander is not on the wrong side!”