#I just get annoyed bc I feel like Hughes is interpreted as this perfect guy

[clonerightsagenda]

I rag on Maes Hughes for being chill with genocide but to be *entirely* fair upon a reread, it's not like he's loving it, he's just not particularly haunted by it either. Roy rants about how this is a betrayal of how he joined the military to protect people (mistake number one, dude, seriously) and Maes calls him naive. His reason for fighting is to stay alive. While Roy talks about his dreams of a better future, Maes refers to letters from his girlfriend as his brighter future. He's willing to support Roy's ambitions because Roy's his friend, but he thinks they're childish.

The impression I get is that Hughes has decided he can tolerate atrocities as long as he stays alive and can go home to his loving family, so he leans into that loving family really hard. That's his reward. That's what makes it worth it. Which adds a layer to Envy killing him while disguised as his wife. You can't hold those things separate. If you're a collaborator propping up an awful regime, your family (and you) will still eventually become its victims. The rot at the heart of the nation is wearing your loved one's face.

[heinkelfingerguns]

Hmm it’s been a while but my read on their conversation at the end is that Maes does not find Roy’s ambitions childish. He supports them because Roy is his friend, but also because he thinks Roy has the drive to make it happen. A kind of “I can’t imagine this working but you can so I’ll help you make it happen” deal. Naive?? maybe, but as you pointed out in other parts of your reblog it’s pretty much in step with what you’d expect for a battle shounen adventure story.

#I just get annoyed bc I feel like Hughes is interpreted as this perfect guy

re: this -- maybe i've just been in the more critical corner of FMA fandom, but i feel like i've seen a nice amount of perspective here. That said, I do see where you're coming from , there is a broader meme about Hughes the loving dad who was tragically murdered that doesn't account for his complicity in Ishval at all. (Partly b/c memes are short, partly b/c I think '03 tied that way less to him than the manga did, and the meme dates from teh old anime fandom)

I rag on Maes Hughes for being chill with genocide but to be *entirely* fair upon a reread, it's not like he's loving it, he's just not particularly haunted by it either. Roy rants about how this is a betrayal of how he joined the military to protect people (mistake number one, dude, seriously) and Maes calls him naive. His reason for fighting is to stay alive. While Roy talks about his dreams of a better future, Maes refers to letters from his girlfriend as his brighter future. He's willing to support Roy's ambitions because Roy's his friend, but he thinks they're childish.

The impression I get is that Hughes has decided he can tolerate atrocities as long as he stays alive and can go home to his loving family, so he leans into that loving family really hard. That's his reward. That's what makes it worth it. Which adds a layer to Envy killing him while disguised as his wife. You can't hold those things separate. If you're a collaborator propping up an awful regime, your family (and you) will still eventually become its victims. The rot at the heart of the nation is wearing your loved one's face.