#and knox and marcoh

[randombook4idk]

[silly-ehggy]

I made a visual representation of what's been happening in my head for the past hour

[sassydefendorflower]

Forgive me for having thoughts about Roy Mustang and his role in the war.

I am not a fan of saying a character "deserves" something, because that is a boring and reductive way to analyze media. Instead I want to move within the story and its narrative/thematic beats as I discuss a character and their interpretation. And as such, I want to talk about Roy.

He's a character I greatly enjoy - and how could I not?

The story of Fullmetal Alchemist wants me to be fascinated by this man, his guilt and his love and his dreams. We're being shown again and again that he would gladly die for his friends, that he cherishes the people around him, that he is weighed down by what he did during the war. We see his love and grief for Hughes, see it almost destroy him. We see his dedication to Riza and Havoc and the people of Amestris. We walk alongside him as he plans to overthrow the Führer and change the country.

And all the while... he's still a war criminal.

I'm saying that not to condemn enjoying his character, but to give him more depth. Because I won't lie - I am somewhat concerned by the amount of takes that "excuse" his actions as just following orders. Now, again, he's a fictional character, who doesn't have to be excused for anything considering the crimes he committed are not real... but the story of Fullmetal Alchemist wants us to view him as a war criminal - and it wants us to step away from the explanation that he was just following orders.

Very poignant in that regard is the scene between Hawkeye and Edward, when she first tells him of their goal - being tried for what they did in Ishval. And Ed wants to excuse it, he's the audience stand-in after all, he is us, wanting our favorite characters to have a better fate by claiming it was Envy, who shot the child, Bradley, who ordered the extermination. But Riza won't let him. Rightfully so. Because while Edward's (our) reaction is very natural, very predictable, her reasoning is the actual stance the show takes.

It doesn't matter if they were just following orders, they were the people committing a genocide.

Some of the translations of the manga and show even call it just that: a genocide.

And while a soldier killing in a war isn't condemned by the narrative, the things the State Alchemists did very much is.

But what should they have done instead? Refuse their orders, get court-martialed and executed? Join the war on the side of the Ishvalens?

Maybe.

I am not saying that Roy's inability to act against his orders is bad writing or inconsistent characterization, I simply think it doesn't "excuse" his actions in the story. And the story doesn't want us to excuse it for him either.

If anything, one of Roy's (and Riza's) biggest regrets is probably the fact that they didn't die at the beginning of the war - there is a reason they are implied to be actively suicidal after the end of the extermination, just as there is a reason why they are no longer striving to die quite this quickly by the time Ed is told the truth.

Dying in the war - dying at the start of the war at their own hands - would potentially have saved thousands. Dying as Father is trying to take control, their goals not yet reached, would only pile two more bodies onto a pile already too big.

Part of their guilt is the harsh truth that their death could have made a difference.

(refusing to partake in a genocide is always the right choice, even at the cost of your own life)

People call Major Armstrong a coward because his refusal to follow orders was only an option for him because of his family name - I think he's being called a coward by his sister because he wasn't strong enough to join the Ishvalen warriors. Yes, Armstrong wasn't court-martialed for his insubordination because of his connections but when he broke down and refused to kill, there was no way for him to know that. I don't think that he knew he would be spared when he clung to that child and begged for mercy - he hoped, perhaps, but he couldn't have known for sure.

And, yes, he is a coward - but not for refusing to kill. His cowardice stems from his inability to join the fight on the side of those he wanted to protect. That's why his character arc culminates in him standing up for his believes, in him refusing to back down, in him fighting for those who need protection.

The manga in particular makes it a lot harder to argue that the threat of death is a good enough reason to follow orders. It makes sense for the common soldier, who truly is just trying to survive, but for weapons of mass destruction? Is it really "right" for someone to stay alive if they know they can kill thousands with a snap of their fingers, knowing they will be forced to do just that?

During the Ishval arc in the manga, this very question is asked but not about Roy and Armstrong and Riza - no, we see its direct parallels in Marcoh, Knox and the Rockbells. Marcoh, who did unspeakable things far away from the actual battlefield, creating the very Philosopher's Stone used to kill the people he murdered to create it, and Knox, who is forced to help in inhumane experiments right next to the battlefield, maybe even employing Mustang in some of the unsavory things he does - the two of them talk about the Rockbells, who chose to help the Ishvalens against direct orders, who know they will probably die, who do the right thing even though they were told not to. And what do Knox and Marcoh see in them? They are envious of them for accepting their death as a potential consequence of doing the right thing.

Because Knox and Marcoh are following orders at the cost of their own soul - and they will never forget the guilt of knowing that they could have made a different choice.

Choice.

That's what it all boils down to. All these characters had a choice in Ishval. Not as humans, since they are fictional characters, but as archetypes and metaphors. Arakawa tells us again and again that there is a choice, always. The choice to be merciful, the choice to be kind, the choice to stand back up again.

Defying orders was a choice they could have made. Maybe at the cost of their own life, but then again: they are at war, they must have known their death to be a possibility from day one.

And this is what informs so much of Roy's character: he made a choice back in Ishval, and he's been paying for it ever since. He followed orders, even though he knew it was wrong. He bought into the military's propaganda until it was too late, and he killed thousands upon thousands because it was easier to follow along than to do what was right.

That's the bane of his guilt, the thing that now forces him to keep on living: following orders is never an excuse, especially not if you're a living weapon and you're willing to pull the trigger.

Roy wants to save his country, and then he wants to face the consequences of his crimes - and then, finally, the knowledge of flame alchemy can be gone.

No one should wield that amount of power, is what the story wants to tell us, because what if the person holding that weapon is ready to just follow orders.

It is utterly human how Roy behaved - and as such, it has the potential to be utterly depraved and cruel.

And he knows that.

As a fictional concept he "deserves" nothing as he is not real, but as a character within a narrative Roy carries every ounce of guilt on his shoulders knowing that this is the price he has to pay for being a soldier. A State Alchemist. The Hero of Ishval.

There is no excuse for what he did, which is what makes his character writing so intriguing.

Nothing ever excuses genocide, and Roy knows that - and that's why he's still alive.

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

Why you should read volume 15 of FMA if you haven’t read the manga

Even if you’re not much into manga, I definitely recommend reading at least the volume 15 chapters of Fullmetal Alchemist chapters 58 through 61 if you’ve watched Brotherhood. In the anime, there’s only one episode that covers the Ishbalan genocide and in the manga it takes up an entire volume

Not only do you get Roy’s, Riza’s and some of Marcoh’s perspective but in the manga you get:

Scar and his brother’s perspective and a closer look at Ishbal

Some of Hughes’ own perspective of the war

Armstrong’s perspective and every single thing that led to his eventual emotional breakdown and his own meeting with Kimblee

The perspective of Winry’s parents and their decision to stay in Ishbal and earning the trust of their patients

Dr. Knox’s perspective (you will also get the reason for his divorce if you decide to read chapter 57, but due to his PTSD and nightmares, he mistook his wife for an enemy soldier when she tried waking him up from one and he almost killed her)

An in-depth look at the treatment of Ishbalans who were in the Amestrian military during the time of the war as well as the ordinary soldiers who watched in horror and awe at the abilities of the state alchemists

More insight into Hawkeye’s role in the war and the glaring fact that she wasn’t even a graduate from the academy when she was shipped off to the battlefield but because of her high grades and the need for soldiers, they sent her to fight in it

Corruption from soldiers in positions of leadership even if they weren’t in on Father’s plan

The absolute badassery of Basque Grande killing a corrupt official and assuming leadership

Why Roy earned the nickname Hero of Ishbal

And if you’re Royai trash, Roy calling Riza by her first name

While the Ishbal episode in Brotherhood is good, it barely even scratches the surface of everything that took place in Ishbal and I highly recommend reading even just these 4 chapters 

[qs63]

Amestris Military Uniform

This is the second of my series of long posts about the Amestrian Military. Here, we will be talking about the military uniform, its components and different variations. The information here is mostly coming from the Perfect Guide 3 which has a whole section about the uniform. To see the rest of this meta series check out the Main Post.

The Amestris military requires soldiers to wear a military uniform. The military provides two types of uniforms: regular attire for use during normal times and formal attire for ceremonies and other occasions.

The regular uniform is composed primarily of a jacket, trousers, a skirt, a decorative rope, medals, collar badges, and epaulets.

The Amestris regular uniform. [1]

Collar badges The jacket's collar has two metal badges on the right side: the national emblem and an occupational emblem representing the soldier’s occupation and affiliation.[1]

The Führer-President (both Bradley and Grumman) is the only one shown to wear three badges (Although Bradley is shown wearing two at times). One of them being the national emblem and the other two being unknown (perhaps representing the Führer's role as both head of the state and the military).

Mustang's collar badges. The national emblem on the right and the State alchemist's one on the left.[1]

Grumman's (Left) [2] and Bradley's (right) [3] three collar badges.

Merit badges and medals  Medals such as the Special Skills Badge, Military Badge, War Merit Badge, and Seniority Badge are attached to the left chest as a chest badge. A large number of emblems indicates a person's career and accomplishments. Also, medals are usually omitted.[1]

Epaulets A rank insignia is attached to the shoulder, making it possible to tell the rank at a glance. The Amestris military has 15 ranks, starting at the top with the Führer-President, and is identified by the number of stars and color-coded lines. [1]

The 15 rank insignias of the Amestrian military. [1]

Formal uniform The regular uniform also serves as a combat uniform, and on occasions such as ceremonies, they wear the formal uniform instead. For the formal attire, they wear a long coat (jacket), leather dress shoes instead of combat boots, a formal hat, a saber, and the awarded medals on their chest. A black sash is also worn during funerals.[1]

Amestris military formal uniform.[1]

In addition to uniforms, the Amestrian military is provided with various items. The supplied items have standardized specifications and types, and can be freely combined and used according to individual preference and ease of use as long as it does not violate military regulations.[1]

Among these items you can find: the black coat, the short hats and berets, combat boots, the winter coat, the inner wear, etc.

Different types of shirts and T-shirts are provided, including Hawkeye's black turtleneck. [1]

Uniform exceptions The State Alchemists that haven't joined the military as soldiers, seem to be exempt from wearing the military uniform as we see in the case of Edward Elric, Shou Tucker, and Giolio Comanche, who all wear civilian clothes even when visiting the Headquarters. However, they do seem to be required to wear the uniform when deployed in war, as we see both Comanche and Marcoh wearing uniform during Ishval.[4]

Had Bradley deployed Edward to the South, in the war against Aerugo, we could've seen him in uniform.

Doctors and scientists working for the military also seem to be exempt from the uniform. Knox is always shown in his medical scrubs, even in Ishval. Marcoh is the only exception to this, probably due to his status as state alchemist.[4]

Variations There are a few noteworthy variations of the Amestris military uniform, the Military Police uniform and the snow combat uniform being the most glaring.

Snow combat uniform When fighting on snow, soldiers wear white coats that blend with the snow, winter hats that protect their ears from the cold, thick leather gloves, and even goggles and masks to protect their faces.

Typical amestrian snow combat uniform.[1]

The military police The military police wear black uniforms so that they can be easily distinguished from the regular soldiers. Since they also belong to the military, their uniforms are the same shape and material except for the color.[1] They do not wear epaulets. It's unknown if and how they're ranked.

The military police black uniform.[5]

While this is not explicitly mentioned anywhere, the military personnel in command of the military police are seen wearing an armband on the left arm, seemingly to identify them as belonging to the MP branch of the military.

Colonel Henry Douglas wearing the Military Police armband. [6]

The unnamed 1st lieutenant in charge of Maria Ross' interrogation wearing the Military Police's armband. [6]

Other variations Two other unexplained variations of the uniform are what appears to be the City Troops and the Civilian Employees.

City Troops Aside from the High Command Officers, all the foot soldiers the Eastern and Briggs troops fight during the Promised Day are wearing berets. They're identified by Olivier Armstrong as the “Central City Troops”. [7] Furthermore, throughout the story you can observe a few soldiers wearing berets both in Central City and in East City. These soldiers always appear to be doing guard duty. 

The Central City Troops during the Promised Day. [7]

It seems to me that the soldiers wearing berets belong to their corresponding city's troops and are in charge of the military security of the city (not the civilian one, that is the job of the MP). Thus they are the ones to respond when Central HQ security is breached during the Promised Day. 

Civilian Employees The other unexplained uniform variation is for the division that Sheska belongs to. They wear the same uniform as the regular soldiers with the exception of an insignia on the left arm and a lack of decorative ropes, chest medals, and epaulets (much like the military police it is unknown if and how they're ranked).

Sheska's uniform arm badge. [8]

Arm badge of the Central City telephone receptionist.[9]

The personnel wearing these insignias are all women (that we see on screen). They don't appear to have combat training, we see at least one of them scared and being protected by a female soldier (without the insignia) during the Promised Day.[10]

A regular female soldier protecting another female army personnel with the arm insignia.[10] Credit: @musing-and-music

It is my opinion that these women are civilian employees. Aside from their lack of rank and combat training the biggest hint towards this comes from the real world. The Imperial Japan Civilian Employees wore the military uniform with an insignia on the left arm. A red five points star that Arakawa probably wanted to avoid using, so as not to have it confused for a transmutation circle.

WW2 imperial Japan Civilian Employee jacket.

This is far from the only instance in which the real world influences the story and the symbolism. That's why the next post will be dedicated to the real world references in the Amestris Military.

Source Fullmetal Alchemist Manga

Chapter 14: An only child's feeling [9]

Chapter 59: the immoral alchemist [4]

Chapter 36: Alchemist in distress [6]

Chapter 89: Soldier's return [7]

Chapter 97: The two philosophers [10]

Chapter 108: Journey's end [2]

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

Episode 16: Footsteps of a comrade-in-arms[8]

Episode 17: Cold Flames[5]

Fullmetal Alchemist: perfect guide 3 [1] The complete art of Fullmetal Alchemist [3]

Real World Influence post

[beesbeesdragons]

In the housewife!roy au, I am writing that he does still finish the military academy. he becomes a state alchemist. but he isn't a combat based one. no. he becomes a research alchemist.

he meets riza again, and he learns flame alchemy, and decides "this is my secret to keep, too." instead of demonstrating flame alchemy to the examiners, he shows off his rather impressive knowledge of medical alchemy.

now, the military is aware that he has dependants and is functionally a single parent. they don't wanna have to deal with the mess of paying for a nanny or whoever to take care of a six and seven year old while Roy is fighting in ishval, so instead, he is assigned to work under Marcoh.

now im not done reading the manga (am up to volume 5) so I'm saying that, until order 3066 was signed, marcoh and roy were stationed in central city, working at a lab. marcoh got sent out on field assignments, while roy stayed in central. because roy, who wants to protect the people he loves, who wants to protect his children, is studying medical alchemy.

but when order 3066 was signed, roy got deployed to ishval, where he met hawkeye. riza, who he hadn't been able to talk to in three years. riza, who he believes he failed. and he only finds her again because his alchemy is medically-based, so he's working with doctors and nurses in the hospitals. that's how he meets knox, after all, and maes, and everyone else.

after the war ends, after marcoh deserts, he resigns his post and proposes to riza. he fell in love with her in ishval, and together, he says, they can work towards rebuilding the country. but he can't hurt people anymore.

so riza suggests that, until he can get back on his feet, he stay home. he can take care of ed and al, who were nine and ten by this point. he can teach them alchemy, and he can live. because before? he was just surviving, before.

and he does. by god, he does. he learns to live again, and then he meets a talented alchemist, and decides to do what she does. he's a house-husband first and foremost, but he is an alchemist. and alchemist, be thou for the people.

he starts building up a network of the other parents at ed and al's school. most of them are the wives of military men, after all, and housewives are nothing if not gossip.

and they love him. this twenty-something newlywed with his two nephews who stays home while his wife (riza, beautiful, strong riza) defends their country? how could they not?

and he stays in contact with his sisters, though instead of dates (because he is nothing if not a doting husband and uncle father), theyre his friends. his sisters, his family. as Riza builds her team with Maes, he builds one of the largest intelligence networks in Amestris, big enough to rival even Madame Christmas's, made up entirely of housewives and the working women of amestris, who have always been so invisible that now, now that they're seen by someone? someone who has seen the worst of humanity and can still smile?

of course they support him. why wouldnt they? he's one of them, after all.

[captainofthetidesbreath]

Just thinking about people who get so worked up over Essek and are so angry he was never ~punished~ by the narrative (and, honestly, people who also obsessively defend him in terms of "deserved") would never be able to handle FMA and the fact that Roy, Scar, Riza, Marcoh, Knox, Maj. Armstrong, etc. are all non-villainous characters and get happy endings.

Honestly, some of those people probably did read / watch FMA, given the overlap coming from Roy being a bedrock of Travis's career, and I'm like how.

[felixcloud6288]

Fullmetal Alchemist Chapter 63

End of one arc. Start of a new.

Xiao Mei is farting in Ed's drawing of her.

That cut Ed got from the younger Slicer brother, which has continuously reopened in every fight, is now a scar on Ed's head.

We see some cenz coins. Looks like one side is a multi-pointed star and the other side is a wreath crown with a king's crown in the center

It's resonable to assume these coins are 100 cenz coins since Ed didn't have to pull too many out to reach the amount Roy was asking.

In chapter 56, Ed placed 5 coins on top of the phone booth and those coins appear to be the same size and shape so they likely were the same value coins. So if Ed mugged borrowed 520 cenz from Roy and he had 5 coins on the phone booth, then the cost of a public phone is probably 20 cenz.

How long has Foo been away? Ed spent the next day in Resembool. The next day, he dug up the body then got to Central that evening. The next day, he and Al began Heist 3. After it's success, they spent the whole night and the next day dealing with the Homunculi. Ed returned Hawkeye's gun that same night and the next day, Ed and Al began searching for May.

Meanwhile, Roy implied Ed and Al spent several days baiting Scar and they've been searching fro May for several days as well. So I guess Foo has been gone maybe 2 weeks at most.

This is the first time we learn Lan fan is Foo's granddaughter.

Lan Fan and Foo's departure and Dr. Knox meeting his family make this part truly feel like we are closing a major act in the story. There have been other arcs, but none of them ended like this. Those other arcs were shorter and Ed and Al were traveling. So the departures gave a sense that we might meet them again someday.

But this arc doesn't feel like that. Roy's crew were sent away. Lan Fan and Foo have to go into hiding. Lin Yao is now their enemy. It honestly feels like we are saying good bye expecting to never see these people again, even if they say they'll be back.

In a separate post, I once mentioned trying to figure out what direction Central HQ faces, and it was because I wanted to know where Greed was looking out. He's looking southward, but I wish he'd been looking East instead. Then we could have the little poetic part of Greed looking toward Xing.

There's no way Greed's just been sitting in that spot for several days. Maybe he likes to look out there at night.

How does it feel to exist, Greed? How does it feel to look out and see there's this vast world, Greed? Do you dread when the morning rises and you're forced to return underground, Greed? Do you hear that little voice amongst the sea of souls in you, Greed?

And the second half of this chapter is the start of a new arc. Kimblee is released from prison to help the Homunculi out. His and Envy's conversation implies he's been affiliated with them for some time now. He probably was working with them before Ishbal, hence why he was entrusted with a Philosopher's Stone.

At this point Lust is dead and Gluttony is out of commission. Sloth is away doing a job. Wrath is stuck in Central. Greed is likely being kept on a short leash after the last one went AWOL. So that would leave just Envy and Pride able to pursue Marcoh. Obviously, Pride would never deign to do such a menial task. Meanwhile, Envy's power is likely too valuable and their temperament too volatile to go on a long term mission like this.

Ency drove by the Lab 5 ruins when they told Kimblee his second stone was made from the researchers.

Roy is coming up with a new plan after everything he's learned. Before, he thought he was playing chess. His goal was to take down the enemy king. But now that an internal takeover is impossible, he's choosing to play a new game with a new deck and a new set of rules.

Roy thought his opponent was Bradley, but it turns out he's just a piece on the board. So Roy's new plan is to win not by checkmating his opponent's king, but rather by killing his opponent.

Roy mentioned how Reole fell to riots only after Central got involved. Years ago, he questioned why the military went to such trouble to exterminate the Ishbalans. The dots are literally being connected.

back

[limetameta]

Ok but since its MC canon that kimblee returned the ph stone and then THREATENED THE SHIT out of his commanding officers I finally thought more about it

And have come to the conclusion that this happened around the same time as Roy and Riza did some unsafe fire play wink wink nudge nudge

So. Get this.

Kimblee's in the medical tent. Dr Marcoh is nowhere to be found. Dr Knox is the only one on duty. It's the end of the war they tell him, you won't have anymore medical interventions that need pain killers and anaesthetics. Just knock Kimblee out with some drugs because he's dangerous rn.

What if someone comes in that needs my medical resources more? If you want to knock kimblee out just do it mechanically.

Brain damage, they cite as the reason they can't can't that. Looking a bit oddly at the resident doctor.

It'll do him some good, Dr Knox replies.

But OK. He drugs Kimblee. Who's in those famous shackles that keep his arrays away. He's kinda like an angry chihuahua. But Dr knox isn't deterred.

Now Dr knox has no drugs left. These were his last resources. But get this. It's literally one day before they all go back home. Who the FUCK is going to get injured or maimed NOW? WHAT KIND OF DUMBASS DO YOU HAVE TO BE-

Enter Riza Hawkeye. And Roy Mustang. Who looks more ill than she does and she has burns on her back.

Dr Knox figures it out. They say some stupid shit like Heater explosion. Gas leak? One of those war type thingies that could go boom. Insert half assed explanation here. But Dr knox?? He wasn't born FUCKING YESTERDAY. HE recognises a sex thing when he sees one. And the way Mustang is utterly mortified and horrified with his actions definitely means he was involved.

(this kids is what we like to call dramatic irony at its finest moment, poor roy's never even seen riza's titties let alone had the magnificent pleasure of her company in bed)

Can you give her some drugs please, Mustang is pleading. Riza is delirious with pain. She's one more wince away from falling unconscious from the pain, actually.

Kimblee is so out of it that he hasn't even noticed they're there. Dr Knox just points at him and says that he used his last drugs to knock him out.

Mustang is so done at that point. He tries to needle Dr knox to give Riza some under the table stuff you know wink wink something he hid for himself.

Is that Roy Mustang??? Kimblee is like :D Roy Mustang, I know your voice!! My civil rights are being breached!! Roy Mustang!

Roy just sighs. Riza is in pain. This nutcase is drugged out of his right mind. Yeah Kimblee?

And then this following scene remains in his memory forever. Kimblee is trying and failing to sit up. He gives up on that. Then tries to swing his feet out of the bed but doesn't realise he's been tied to the bed so it's a struggle. It's like a beached whale trying to get back in the water. It's not working. Roy pities him. He goes over to him. Yeah Kimblee? He repeats.

Kimblee just winks at him ;)

It's not even a flirtatious wink. Kimblee's trying to make it flirtatious, that's obvious. But it more comes across as something getting in his eye. Or a spasmic twitch that he can't control because he winks multiple times and switches an eye. Then closes one. Then closes both. Mustang's just staring. He's speechless.

And then Kimblee begins giggling. It's not like a cackle or a loud laugh. It's when you want to start telling a joke but can't because u find it too funny to properly start.

So he manages to wheeze out ;) Hey good looking *insert pause for laughter and wheezes and some kicks because he's still trying and failing to get free* What's - *voiceless laugh* what's coo - what's

Roy Mustang is just horrified, standing there over this mess of a man, thinking about Riza and how he shouldn't have tried dissuading her so much from going through with this because if they'd done it earlier she might have been able to get some drugs

Hey good looking, what's cooking? - Kimblee ;))

Nothing, Kimblee, just get some rest man. - Roy :/ Mustang

Dr Knox is like trying to guerrilla salvage the situation with Riza. Kimblee is DESPERATELY trying to get Mustang's attention. Mustang's absolutely devastated with himself and how now due to his actions Riza is in unbearable agony. Commanding officers are dragging Mustang away to interrogate him about this situation because it's SUSPICIOUS.

(WHAT IS WRONG WITH OUR HUMAN WEAPONS???? HAVE THEY ALL BECOME LOOSE CANONS???

Perhaps it's because we've dehumanised them that they've decided to unionise and cause havoc????? Should we investigate this behaviour??

Maybe it's just shell shock????

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT IS, BUT IT HAD BETTER STOP WE CAN'T LOSE TWO OF OUR BIGGEST HITTERS IN ONE DAY - LET'S JUST FORGET TODAY EVER HAPPENED. Maybe tomorrow after they've had some rest both Kimblee and Mustang will calm down.

OK. TOTALLY COOL BY MY STANDARDS)

Riza's unconscious. Perhaps it's for the best.

[that-catholic-shinobi]

Who's your favorite Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood character?

How dare you make me pick! I can do like top 6 in no particular order

1) Riza Hawkeye

2) Dr Knox

3) Mei Chang

4) GreedLing

5) Alphonse

6) Winry Rockbell

Not even mentioning honorable mentions like Kimblee, Olivier, Mustang, Hohenheim, Ed, Scar, Lan Fan and Dr Marcoh

[mocha-cola]

this was hilarious to me at 2am

[equivexpod]

Edward returns Riza’s gun and asks her about what happened in Ishval. Through a series of flashbacks we learn more about Riza and Roy’s intimate past, Armstrong, Roy, Hughes, Riza, Marcoh, Knox, and Kimblee’s roles in the extermination campaign, and the Rockbells’ clinic in Ishval. We see the impact of the destructive power of alchemy on Scar and his brother, what happened in his brother’s last moments, and what happened in the clinic when he awoke.

Thank you for listening! ❤️ See you next time!

Remember to send discussion questions for our mid-series recap special by April 3rd.

You can send us a lil’ tip on our Ko-fi if you want: https://ko-fi.com/staytogethernetwork 

[mandareeboo]

Surprised you didn't talk about Marcoh begging Scar to kill him or Dr Knox throwing away his family picture, not that you have to! Just surprising. Also there are certain lines by certain characters in that episode you might want to remember for the later events

Honestly I kind of coined Dr. Knox as a bitter gay man in the 1910s until I saw the photo lmao, and after months with just Envy for company, I can’t say as I blame Marcoh for being like “dude just do the Esplodey Thing”

[everyenvy-fma]

[ruinsofxerxes]

What bothers me about Mei is that she never even tried to get to know Ed as a person. She goes from objectifying him to villanizing without 0 input from Ed himself. Like when Mei sees him as the Fullmetal Alchemist for the first time Ed just had a really rough few days: the fight with Scar, Winry's breakdown, the fight with Gluttony, Winry's departure, Lan Fan's injury, another fight with Gluttony and Envy, getting stuck in Gluttony's stomach and starving, fight again with Envy, the revelation about Xerxes and the Ishvalan war, finding a solution to a supposedly unsolvable problem, human transmutation of himself using human souls, being deconstructed and getting knowledge crammed into his brain again, seeing Truth and Al's body, realizing his dad's twin is the evil behind all the horror, his evil uncle turning off their alchemy, seeing Greed taking over Ling. That is a huge amount of physical and emotional stress with little or no rest in between. He's hurt and tired, he's being pinned by giant Envy and in comes this girl he's only seen once before defending Scar and starts screaming at him about breaking her heart and physically attacking him. I know it was supposed to be funny and we should think that her selfish and toxic behavior is cute, but I could never see it that way. She decides in this moment without actually talking to him that Ed is worthless, because his appearance is dirty after going through all this suffering and he's not as tall as she assumed, so she treats him as trash from then on and refuses to take her filter off for even a minute. This is a pretty big character flaw of hers for me.

I just hope Alphonse will put her straight at some point on this, since he knows and loves his brother. I'm missing the resolution / exploration of this from fanfictions and I'd like to see Mei admitting to this, maybe saying sorry to Ed and actually getting to know him as a person. If you or anyone knows a fic about this topic, I'd be very thankful for the suggestion. I hope you have a nice day!

I don’t think she really villainizes him or thinks he’s worthless. Yeah, her reaction to him being “ugly” was definitely over the top and it definitely crushed her fantasies about him, but as the series goes on, she DOES see Ed as a person, not just her ruined fantasy, and they become allies. Ed has definitely moved past it, he barely knew what was going on to begin with, I don’t think he really cared what some random 12 year old girl thought about him because we never see him bring it up, he kinda had bigger things to worry about.

They weren’t exactly friends, all things considered, she was sided with Scar and Ed and Al were still against him. I’m the beginning, yeah, she does call Ed “It” when talking to Al at Dr. Knox’s which is savage and sees him as an evil little thing but it was only a day or two after she first truly met Ed, she was probably still scorned and it wasn’t enough time for her to mature. At the same time, Ed and Al were still referring to her as “that girl” so I think they just....didn’t even think about her much until they needed her alkahestry

Weeks if not months pass before they meet again. When they do, all Mei does is tell Ed he “isn’t her type” which isn’t a bad thing for her to do?? She doesn’t call him ugly or worthless or anything.

And Ed doesnt seem to care either what she thinks of him, he just wants her knowledge. There doesnt seem to be any animosity from him about what happened (and he finally started calling her by her name lol)

After this, they don’t interact again until the promised day. Months have passed, Mei has grown and matured. We see her begin to form a real friendship with Al and not just have a crush on him. She definitely grows as a person, and she never treats Ed poorly or says anything bad about him again, she hasn’t really since the few days after their interaction in father’s lair.

Let’s not forget SHE saved Ed’s life with Alphonse. And then vehemently apologized to Ed afterward for helping Al. Ed comforts her by saying it wasn’t her fault. If she thought Ed was worthless, she wouldn’t have sacrificed Al, who she loved so much, to save Ed’s life.

Again, no animosity or villainizing between either of them. Even from Ed after what she helped al do.

She even cheered him on when he fought father!!!

And was sad to leave them, saying they’d meet again someday (this might have been directed toward Al, but she didn’t specifically say Alphonse, so think it was toward them both, but more for Al haha)

So idk where you’re getting that she’s toxic and treats Ed like he’s worthless. They might not be friends but by the end they have some sort of respect and allyship. They definitely traded some slight insults during the beginning of the series, but it was mutual, and seems to be only surface level, and they can work together and respect one another when it really matters. Additionally, if she really DID treat Ed badly, I don’t think Al would put up with that, be friends with her, and visit her when he goes to Xing.

Yeah, she definitely could have and should have apologized for freaking out on him when she found out who he was. But I don’t see any evidence that Ed even had that much thought about it after it happened. I think by the end they’ve both grown past that. Mei saw him as evil little caricatures like once or twice offhandedly, but the majority of the time she doesn’t treat him poorly?? She just treats Al with much more affection and respect. And I think as the series goes on, she matures and treats Ed with respect as well.

Idk any fics about that, sorry!! But I hope you have a nice day as well!!!! Also, unrelated, but while I was looking at manga pages, I found the cutest panel of Xiao Mei clinging to Dr. Marcoh

[dario-el-estupido]

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood/South Park Crossover AU

Inspired by @aquajuliee 's MHA/SP au, here's my what the title says

Alchemists

Edward Elric-Kyle Broflovski

Alphonse Elric-Ike Broflovski

Roy Mustang-Craig Tucker

Alex Louis Armstrong- Scott Malkinson

Solf J. Kimblee-Pete Thelman

Military

Riza Hawkeye-Tweek Tweak

Maes Hughes- Kenny Mccormick

Jean Havoc- Jimmy Valmer

Heymans Breda-Token Black

Vato Falman- Clyde Donovan

Kain Furey- Butters Stotch

Maria Ross- Red Macarthur

Denny Brosh- Kevin Stoley

Dr Knox- Christophe DeLorne

Olivier Mira Armstrong- Shelly Marsh

Buccaneer- Terrance Mephesto

Miles- Kevin Mccormick

Rebecca Catalina-Bebe Stevens

Xingese

Mei Chang- Tricia Tucker

Ling Yao- Stan Marsh

LanFan- Wendy Testaburger

Fu- Jerome McElroy

Homunculi

Lust-Liane Cartman

Gluttony- Eric Cartman

Envy-Nathan

Greed- Michael

Wrath/King Bradley- PC Principal

Sloth-Mimsy

Pride- Georgie (Firkle) Smith

Father- Stephen Stotch

Chimeras

Darius-Jimbo Kern

Heinkel-Ned Gerblansky

Zampano- Thomas Tucker

Jerso- Steven Black

Misc.

Winry Rockbell- Rebecca Cotswolds

Scar-David Rodriguez

Izumi and Sig Curtis- Carol and Stuart Mccormick

Van Hohenheim- Randy Marsh

Trisha Elric- Sharon Marsh

Truth- God

Yoki- Kyle Schwartz

Madame Christmas- Grandma Tucker

Shou Tucker- Richard Tweek

Dr Marcoh- Mr. Mackey

Garfiel- Mr. Slave

Elicia Hughes- Karen Mccormick

Nina Tucker- Pip Pirrup

Paninya- Nicole Daniels

Mrs. Bradley- Strong Woman

Rose- Heidi Turner