Yay, I'm so glad that you completed this; I was really looking forward to reading it! Sorry for not getting around to it until now!

Honestly, this whole story is a delight. I love the family dynamics between the homunculi-Lust and Pride being the responsible oldest siblings, Envy being the butt of everyone's jokes, and Gluttony just being adorable.

I really loved how you gave all of the homunculi their own POV sections (except Gluttony, but he got lots of good moments to shine too); it was really neat to see the differences in how they perceived this "vacation." I especially liked your Envy, jealous of Pride and Lust going off alone together and acting like such a child xD. Everyone was super good though, I loved them all.

I also really liked when the homunculi were split up into small groups. Envy and Gluttony's fire-starting adventure was really cute. I loved the little details like Envy whistling, and Gluttony trying to whistle but failing, and after all the trouble of using the flint and steel, there turning out to be matches after all. Lust and Pride's moment together was great as well. It had such a gentle, quiet atmosphere, like they were remembering what it was like long ago when it was just the two of them.

Their moment together honestly is one of the reasons that I like this fic so much. It's so melancholy, and that feeling kind of spreads throughout the whole story, too. On the surface, it's a fun family vacation with lots of cute moment, but in reality, they're in a kind of exile, away from Father, and they're worried about the future of their family. They all miss Greed, I think, but they're angry at him too (like when Envy purposely tried not to think of him), and desperate to prove to him and to Father and to themselves why they ARE a wonderful family, and that they really DO have a strong bond, even if Greed couldn't see it.

Random details I loved:

Lust thinking about trying to make some of the recipes in the cookbook they brought once they got home (Lust, don't!)

Envy becoming the Yock-ness monster (or Yock Island Spider, I loved that) and soaking everyone (it was so cute! I loved seeing Pride laughing and having fun with everyone; it's kind of sad, too, thinking of how cold he is towards everyone in the present day when the Promised Day is so near).

Gluttony's sandcastle! That was so adorable. If I could draw fanart I'd draw that scene with everyone working together to build it. I really liked how it wasn't just for fun, but it was a representation of their family bond/Father's lair.

Pride's feelings of responsibility towards his family, and his happiness when his efforts to keep them together actually work.

Super good job! I loved this story. I'll definitely come back to it whenever I need homunculus family feels. :D

Thanks again for the shout out! I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again: I love this story! It's so nice to see the homunculi (well, 4 out of 7 at least), just having a relaxing time together, even if Envy and Gluttony don't realize the full extent of their older siblings' kindness - that they're hoping Father will spare them the completely unfair "punishment" that they suffered after Greed's abandonment. Envy's "Yock-ness Monster" is really cool too, especially to someone who used to kind of ... obsess over the Loch Ness Monster when she was a kid. :P I wonder what other dinosaur-like forms Envy could take, if s/he ever put their mind to it. I named by rare green Devilsaur (a World of Warcraft T-Rex) after Envy, and I pictured her taking a Raptor-like form in one of my stories. I was always a little disappointed in canon that she wasn't more creative with her shapeshifting, so it's always cool to see when a fanfic author remedies that.

Anyway, thanks for letting me beta for you! It's so much more fun getting back into the fandom with a friend!

I very much enjoyed the story. It was very well written and I would encourage you to write more.