#ishvalan culture

[guardianspirits13]

As an avid fan of Fullmetal Alchemist for nearly twelve years, I am intrigued by how differently the story hits me as an adult.

As a kid, it was a story about alchemy and homunculi and defeating the literal, physical evil of false humans named after the seven deadly sins.

Looking back as an adult, I am cognizant of the overt fascism present in the government of Amestris.

The fictional Ishvalan war was awful from any angle, but as a kid I saw it mainly as a backstory for character development. In the modern day, with all of the daily horrors shared from Gaza, I am striken by the reality of those scenes.

This show was one of the ways I processed my understanding of the world as a kid, and it is deeply engrained into my personality.

I say this to preface the horror I feel looking back on these scenes which were drawn from the author's culture, and the history of the Ainu Genocide.

I think of that panel of Major Armstrong crying and holding the body of a child, the panels showing piles of bodies barely covered by white sheets. And I see those same images in photos and videos from now.

In the same vein, I remember the discomfort I felt as a kid discovering that in the context of our world Maes Hughes, a lovable and popular character, would have been a Nazi, as depicted in the Conqueror of Shamballa.

At the time it was almost a joke, to say to friends who loved him "hey he's a Nazi in this movie!" and laugh at their surprise.

But as an adult, I understand why. The adults in this story are members of a fascist, militant government. They are lied to and manipulated, yes, but they also uphold the system. The important part though is that they come to realize this.

They look at Ed and Al, these young hopeful teenagers who are one bad day away from being coerced into enacting war crimes, and they do their research. They realize that the government is fucked up, and stage a coup.

Aside from all of the fantastical alchemic elements, it is a wonderfully grounded story that is painfully reflective of both historical and modern systems of corrupt power.

[azula-hates-men]

i recently finished watching fullmetal alchemist: brotherhood and it gave me ideas of how caitlyn could've had a better resolution to her character arc. the show definitely has its problems. for example, scar wanting to kill the soldiers responsible for the genocide of ishvalans is portrayed as just him wanting revenge or how the ishvalan genocide is mostly told from the perspective of war criminals, the conflict in fma has a better conclusion compared to arcane.

in fma, characters like roy, riza, and alex all express guilt for what they did during the ishvalan campaign of extermination and believe there should be consequences for what happened. by the end of the show, roy becomes the leader of amestris and talks about helping ishvalans return to their homes and restoring their culture.

what should've happened in arcane was caitlyn feeling guilt over oppressing zaunites and at least try to use her wealth to alleviate the poverty in zaun. caitlyn losing an eye is similar to roy losing his eyesight but the latter is more powerful as symbolism since he acknowledges his role in the genocide of ishvalans and is remorseful about it, the same can't be said for caitlyn.

this is why i don't think caitlyn losing an eye is redemption and is meaningful symbolism. roy becoming blind symbolizes how he was blind to the corruption of the military. in comparison, caitlyn losing an eye doesn't feel substantial since she's never confronted by anyone for what she did to zaun.

[spectra-bear]

To all the fma fans here who have been following me for a while now, I'd like to bring a few chapters to light in consideration to the recent tragic palestinian apartheid

FMA has made sure to speak out about these reoccuring events, and whoever hasn't noticed from reading yet needs a critical thinking class.

Let's start with chapter 90:

Chapter 90 of the series, although censored heavily in the anime (but we'll get to that later), played a HUGE role in establishing what kind of message arakawa was building up to deliver to her audience as a plot B (ishvalan genocide) sided with plot A (the search of the philosopher stones, eventually turned plot A (overthrowing the military), a message meant to awaken her readers to the truth, and one that serves as a warning

Does this not all ring familiarity?

One of the reasons arakawa wrote this story was to bring this side of history into light,

the oppression, the abuse of military power, the imbalanace in arms between two parties at "war", the perfect guise of "protecting the people from radicalized terrorists", and using it to justify the murder of countless lives, committing war crime after war crime, massacring the land and lathering it with the spilled blood of countless innocents and people fighting back for their freedom, for their home. Those that die have their lives tragically cut short, too soon.

A total extermination

And to those that remain alive,

Forcefully immigrated from their own homeland

Or exploited for their bodies, harvested for their organs, abused, tortured and humiliated

Not only that, but the emphasis on making the reason behind starting the war in the first place, being the first bullet shot at a young child by a soldier, and intentionally making it seem "trivial" for the ishvalans to retaliate because of that, and painting them as animalistic

Writing off roy mustang and maes hughes as heroes for doing whats best for their country, glorifying their relationship as war buddies, and believing theyre in the right for putting down the people of the holy land, when they couldve backed down from contributing to this one-sided war,

and when they do step back from the field, theyre labelled as cowards. When they inevitably realize the abnormality and inhumanity of their actions, that theyve been solely used as tools and weapons of destruction, that impact is softened with rewards, of medals and cheers of accomplishment from the population-wide brainwashed by lies spread by the people in power, and if theyre lucky, accomodations for the negative mental effects of being part of a war

(arakawa interview source)

What do I conclude from this?

That the author of your favorite manga does not support genocide and in fact, condemns those who partake in it

If it isnt obvious, She included these stories because they have happened before

She is telling these stories, while not 100% protrayed correctly, to fill the empty gaps in the western perspective that have been contaminated with propaganda and demonization of these indigenous people

The designs of ishvalans and cultural clothing are intentionally influenced by japanese ethnic groups, middle eastern and south asian cultures, and the military intentionally european/western looking as an example for their expansion and dominance in mind

And now we are watching all this happen in reality, again, witnessed live, in much worse conditions, throughout history

Where the heroes arent kids who can sway elements at their command with the flick of a hand, but the people who stand against it in mass, marching in the streets to break the suffocating silence, and spread the voices of those seeking help and demanding their freedom back

Does everyone realize how fucked up that is? That the lines drawn between fantasy and reality blur so much that they become indistinguishable from each other? That is true horror, when the monsters and tyrants in your stories no longer stay on ink and paper, but are on your screens broadcasting their crimes, beyond humanity

You must understand that if these stories are included for you, the reader, they are not written just for the plot, but to bring awareness to you, and avoid history from repeating itself, and work against committing the same irredeemable mistakes as before

(thanks to @borkthemork for the help in outlining this and proofreading)

[sometimesiwritetoo]

Back to working on my Ishvalan AU (very intermittently) and as I'm going through it reminded about how much I liked the world building I did for this AU. For reference it vaguely Christian/Jewish/Muslim but also not at all those things bc it's a queer/sex positive society with Amestris being closer to culturally Catholic.

Like I didn't think about how fun it is to write a character who cannot fathom a strict gender binary. Or how fun it is to assign different parts of Ishval different traditions. It's fun.

[fairy-writes]

ok so quick question about fma/fmab

who are the ishvalans based off of? like how amestrians are vaguely based off of germans and the xingese are based off of the chinese if i remember right?? i need to come up with names for a story i’m working on and want to come up with names that would be accurate to the culture if that makes sense.

i’m just getting conflicting answers from the internet 🫠

[patron-saints]

🧣 and 🍓 for antoinette 😘

hi ana these are such good choices i love you thank u

🧣(scarf) - What comforts your oc? Is it an item? An action? A person? Whatever it is, how any why does it comfort them?

at the point she's at in her life right now i think she's able to get comfort from a lot of things! mainly miles, and probably snuggling with her kids, but i think she's worked really hard to build in little things through the day that make it easier too. like the new much better coffee machine olivier recently installed in the engineering dept. when she was younger i think she probably had a lot of stims, and a lot that weren't great, but she's figured out other ways to get her nervous energy to go away And much better stims. i feel like she made herself a lil gadget she keeps in her pocket too, like a tiny lever or a switch she can fiddle with without people noticing.

🍓 (strawberry) - Does your oc believe in anything? Are they superstitious? Religious? Atheistic? Has anything in their past made them this way?

religion is always such a challenge for me in fma because of how little of it exists in canon, or how complicated it is for some of the cast who have met god, lol. i think growing up, antoinette was influenced by her mama, evgeniya's drachman stories, and probably superstitions, and i think her papa, hannah, also had a Different set of superstitions so hers are a weird mishmash of the two. getting to know miles and his family was her introduction to ishvala and ishvalan culture, and i don't know if she would necessarily convert, i haven't fully decided that? but i think she absolutely celebrates holidays with him and wants to help him preserve and educate his cultural practices whenever possible.

[maxarat]

Guys I'm in FMA it's totally canon just like manga only

This is Conrad Curtis, nibling of Sig and Izumi Curtis. They're part Ishvalan on their mom's side, and though their family is pretty assimilated, the eyes and knowledge of the culture remains.

Connie's parents both fought in the Ishvalan Civil War, and were killed in it, so they were raised by Sig and Izumi, and learned alchemy from their aunt, with the Elrics when they were there. Connie took to it like a duck takes to water, along with history, and at 12 started to get suspicious of the Amestrian government. They home soon after to see if there was a resistance to join.

In the course of the story, Conrad keeps running into the Elrics and other members of our main cast, and helps them turn on Bradley faster.

They're ADHD and Autism coded with mobility issues. They use they/he pronouns and are rather irritable but it's fine lol

[clonerightsagenda]

ashe-thedynastqueen

When FMA 2003 was airing this was a question as many including within Japan saw parallels with the Iraq War and Aikawa's actual influence the Russo-Japanese war. Much of this discussion and introspection has been lost once FMA:B/the manga took over as it's focus shifted the systemic issues onto Father so it became a non-existent thought to the point that the tribunals Mustang wanted weren't talked about again nor done. 1/2

Arakawa has Ainu blood but grew up with no cultural ties to them so IMO her handling of Ishval came from being of the Yamato majority, aware of its imperialism but not knowing what reconciliation/restorative justice looks like from the side of the oppressed thus Ishvalans having no say in what Roy/Marcoh do. As a Black American thats a common pitfall of allies where (subconsciously) absolving their complicity feels like the goal vs being oppressed people's megaphone 2/2

FMA 03 has come up a few times in discussion around this post and I do think I'd appreciate its handling of Ishval and the military; unfortunately some of the other stuff I've heard about it is enough of a turnoff that I can't bring myself to invest time into watching it. Re: the tribunals, one could argue that Roy is waiting until he becomes the country's leader so he can force them to happen, but the longer he waits the more it seems like stalling. While I get the desire to not end your children's adventure manga with war crime trials, it is a glaring absence after hearing so much about his and Riza's motivation.

Regarding Arakawa's Ainu heritage, I've wondered if Hohenheim is an attempt to grapple with that. You're from a group of people whose deaths aided the creation of the nation you now live in. You've been cut off from your culture but also benefit in this new society directly from their suffering. He shares blood with the victims and perpetrators of Xerxes' destruction. Of course there's the additional layer of him having been enslaved and accidentally being complicit in Xerxes' undoing, both of which complicate that parallel.

Finally, I'm a white American, so while I find these 'are we the baddies?' stories interesting as something I have to grapple with as a privileged settler, I 100% get that they can come across very differently to people with different positionalities. I enjoy FMA/FMAB (mangahood I've seen it called?). I also think it has flaws and elements I wish it would have delved deeper into, and I can see why it could be offputting or frustrating to others.

[kizzer55555]

Fullmetal Alchemist Time Travel Part 1

Part 1

Inspired by ‘Make a Deal to Fix your Mistakes’ by Lunatic_Shipper

Based on the fanfiction ‘the third toll’ by IStillPlayWithLegos, Ishvalan culture was based on Hebrew and Judaism culture. The names for Ed and Al (who are ishvalan in that fic) were called Ezequias (Ed) and Aziel (Al) which I could make them the names of Scar and his brother. The older one Ezequias being Scar, the younger one, Aziel (or was it the reverse with younger being Scar? I’ll look it up later). Maybe they could change their names since by following alchemy (and the mysterious alchemist who saved them) they had to give up their names or maybe they were banished.

Timeline

1908 end of Ishvalan war and a year before Ed and Al attempted human transmutation 

1916 year of the promised day and Ed is 17/18

In this story, Edward Elric goes back in time for some reason. Maybe they failed on the promised day and all the souls were consumed or maybe something else happened where maybe a fail safe from father activated or Truth needed Elric to go back in time. Maybe after Father consumed Truth, it destabilized the planet’s gate and suddenly, Typhoons, hurricanes, earthquakes and all kinds of natural disasters were happening. It was destroying the world and so many people were dying. Alchemists were working around the clock to fix things as it appeared as if parts of the world were just disintegrating as if in an alchemical array for no reason and they were desperately trying to pull the world back together. Meanwhile, the military was trying to help the people evacuate unsafe areas. Somehow, Ed gets trapped in some sort of array. Maybe another alchemist was doing it or he was caught in a part of the world that was disintegrating (as if small dark hands were reaching out and destroying everything), it grabbed him and he had flashbacks of his time back when father tried to sacrifice him and the others. Anyways, he is brought to truth’s realm (maybe he was saving someone else and got caught) and he yells at truth, asking why he is doing this and Truth explains that he’s not the one doing it. The planet’s gate had become unstable from Father’s plan. Because of this the world won’t last much longer. It is then that Truth decides to make a deal with Ed. He wants to stop father as well and restore balance so he asks Ed to go back in time to prevent the whole thing from happening in the first place.

What if Truth gave a gift to Ed to help him. It could be like saying this is the equivalent exchange for Ed traveling back in time. He gets his gate back but he also can access Truth’s dimension whenever he wants. Maybe his gate is always open because of this. The gift would be to keep his gate open. Because the gate is how he is connected to truth, because it is always open, he is able to go there any time he wants (maybe this is also to have Truth help him and for Ed to ask for advice although Truth is still cryptic) and because his gate is open, he has access to all the knowledge which might make his alchemy stronger. He’s not all knowing since he can’t physically go through the gate without the onslaught of knowledge. Or maybe it’s that his gate is only opened a crack. Enough for him to ‘peek’ and get more knowledge as well as access truth’s dimension but not open enough to go through without activating human transmutation. The only reason this is possible is because of the number of times Ed has been through the gate before and survived. His mind has adapted and Truth needed a champion that he could contact and this is the only way. Maybe that was why he chose Edward (besides the fact that he is one of the only humans left). 

I could also make it so that after the whole thing was over, after about a year, people in Amestris started falling sick. (I like the idea of the story starting with them telling the ending of full metal alchemist and the lives of its characters and how they were happy or at least, that was supposed to be the case. It all started with a cough and then it goes on to say how soon everyone started getting weaker and weaker until they could barely move and the only people unaffected were Ed, Alphonse, the colonel, and their teacher. (It could start at right about the time of the ending of full metal alchemist where Winry, Ed, and Al are at the train station right after Al got his body back) and it is revealed that although everyone’s souls did return to their bodies, their link to their bodies had become weakened as they had been separated for too long. Because of this, everyone in amestris who had their souls stolen by the philosophers stone was dying. Ed somehow finds himself in a human transmutation circle trying to stop it (but he still doesn’t have his alchemy). If Truth was given a reason to stop this then it would be that their souls are not returning to what was all. All was one and one was all, that was the most important rule in alchemy. Father’s plan disrupted that flow and now, as more and more people are dying, their souls are disappearing into nothing. At least when they were in a philosophers stone and their souls were used up, they would return to him. Here they are just gone and it is greatly disrupting the flow within the world. Even if he killed them all it wouldn’t work. (Maybe what happened is that Edward goes back to the place where father had opened the array to trap everyone’s soul in an attempt to find some kind of answer and something happens. Maybe truth activated the array or maybe someone else did. Maybe someone who was loyal to father set a trap for the Elric or something. Maybe it was the array that Mustang was forced through and was still active (maybe activated by blood) or maybe the whole area was just unstable as a result of the massive unbalance due to the souls being lost and that caused the portal to open and Ed fell through). Anyways, Truth wants this problem taken care of but there is no way to do it. The only way would be through going to the past. When Edward Elric comes into his domain (and makes some sort of comment about how he didn’t think he’d see him again or maybe Ed made the comment) he offers Ed a deal. He can’t do anything at the moment however he can go back in time to prevent Father’s plan from succeeding in the first place. The reason Ed was chosen if for a few factors. For one thing, Ed has spent the most time in Truth’s dimension so when Truth uses his powers on Ed, he will be the person most likely to remember the future while most people would lose their memories from the shock of it just like Alphonse did. Another reason is that Ed is one of the few people that could actually make a difference. And finally, Ed had given up his gate for his brother which meant he was one of those most trustworthy to complete the task and willing to give up anything to do so. He also holds the most understanding about equivalent exchange (I could also make the reason just being that he was at the right place at the right time). Anyways, Ed is asked to go back in time and truth even sweetens the deal by saying he will help him out sometimes, equivalent exchange. Ed helps Truth now Truth helps Ed. He also entices Ed saying that he could prevent many of his mistakes that he made and he would be saving a lot of people. Ed thinks about Winry on her bed sick as well as almost everyone else in all of Amestris besides him, his brother, his teacher, and Mustang. 

[littlebear1537]

Please tell more about Sam Olivier and Ivian’s time at the academy :D

RUBS HANDS TOGETHER: THANK YOU ANON FOR THIS ASK :)

Ahem - They were unstoppable LKGJFLKDJ

I am writing something that explains how they met and a bit more of their dynamics but since you asked so nicely I will give you some interactions of the three of them :D!!

Sam and Olivier really pushed the system of the military mainly because of their gender!! Sam being somewhat open about being non-binary and Olivier being a woman made them stand out a lot! Ivian saw how brave they were and how neither of them stood down when faced with a problem. This led Ivian to talk with them more!! Ivian confided in them about how he is Trans which led all of them to be closer!

Some interactions between them:

Sam teases Ivian about the different guys he likes. And then Ivian brings up the fact that they haven't even told Olivier about having a crush on her- They go back and forth like this LMAO

Ivian was VERY scared of Olivier (and Sam but Sam was more friendly after getting to know him). After a little bit, He felt a lot more safe than scared around Olivier!

Ivian was the person who helped Olivier and Sam get to know the Ishvalan culture! He is not a strong follower nor believer of the Ishvalan faith, yet he loves and cares about the people who do and finds beauty in them! Olivier loves to sit down and read with Ivian and talk about different historical moments because of this!

Ivian is great with artiliery yet struggles with hand-to-hand combat - So Olivier ends up doing sparring matches with him when they have freetime!

The three of them LOVE music/singing, so late at night they tend to sing randoms songs that they've made up or heard a tune somewhere!

Ivian was very timid when joining the military, but seeing Sam and Olivier ,they made him realize his true potential! Sam usually is giving pep talks to him which made him more confident!!

I COULD GO ON AND ON ABOUT THIS!!! I love their dynamics so much!! I really enjoy the concept of Ivian and Olivier being History Geeks together,,,,,,,

[flameleads]

When Roy says he wants to make Amestris better, he has specific ideas in mind, not vague notions. He’ll be vague when asked about it, but his plans are written down, heavily coded, and ever-changing.

Step one is taking over as Fuhrer in a democratic election. Since Ishval, Roy hasn’t trusted Fuhrer Bradley, particularly after Order 3066. It was excessive, unnecessary, and it could never happen again. His plan to get to this position is gradual and multi-pronged.

- He needs to garner trust from others, particularly those in places of high authority. To that extent, he has to show a willingness to follow orders, not step too far out of line, and that he is more than capable of any task given to him. However, his rise through the ranks can’t be too conspicuous lest he draw too much attention to himself. Being underestimated is just one part of ensuring that.

- Under that same premise, he needs to garner loyalty out of those who serve under him. In his mind, loyalty is earned, and should never be expected. The work he does to gain trust from his superiors doubles as his work to gain loyalty. Anyone who serves with him knows that their loyalty is mutual, and he will never give an order he wouldn’t obey himself.

- He needs information. The corruption in the military is widespread, and dates back to before he was born. Regularly, he gathers information using covers, and from gaining the trust of his superiors.

Step two involves dismantling military control of the government, and limiting the power of the Fuhrer. This step will undoubtedly take longer, but he believes it to be necessary. No one person should have all of the ruling power in Amestris.

- Thorough inspection of all military affairs. That widespread corruption mentioned previously? With more authority, and access to information, he can find its sources, and deal with them. Much of this work will be done by eliminating Father and the Homunculi, but cleanup will be required Post-Promised Day.

- Reevaluating present wars with other countries, and working towards diplomatic options. Amestris has been at war in some way, shape, or form for decades. While dealing with the corruption in the military, and finding the causes and reasons behind each war, Roy aims to end all wars, and usher in an era of diplomacy and peace. This will involve a lot of negotiations from both parties.

- The fact that no one had the authority to debate Order 3066 bothers Roy to this day. He plans on limiting the power the military has in regards to politics, moving from an autocratic government to a more democratic one. This particular part of step two is incredibly involved, and will take the most time to establish. It will also be part of every other step he needs to make. The first part of it, though, is to start severing the power the military has over the government.

Step three is focused on rebuilding, restructuring, and rebirth of a nation. A nation that’s been constantly at war needs time and space to heal. Parts of Amestris have also been neglected due to the wars, and need attention.

- Reestablishing trade with Xing. This will involve rebuilding the railroad, and establishing a diplomatic relationship between the two countries. Eventually, Roy wants to do this with all surrounding countries, but Xing is his starting point.

- Rebuilding Ishval. Out of all the causes close to his heart, this is the one Roy plans to be involved in the most. He plans to rebuild Ishval to its former glory not just through physical buildings, but giving Ishvalans a place for their culture to be reborn and thrive. He also plans to have them directly involved in government affairs, Scar and Major Miles the first among many he’ll call upon.

- Rebranding the State Alchemist program. Roy plans to completely sever its ties to the military, and have it be more focused on research to better the lives of all Amestrians. He wants the unofficial motto “Be thou for the people” to mean something. His hope is that this will allow for further advances in medicine, technology, and science in general. It will also be heavily monitored.

- Put himself and others on trial for war crimes for what happened in Ishval, particularly those who obeyed Order 3066. Apologizing for his actions in Ishval isn’t enough for Roy, and he knows it’s not enough for many Ishvalans. Helping rebuild their culture and cities helps, but he also truly believes that the war was unjust, and deserves to be treated that way. This will also establish that the leaders of a country are not exempt from the law.

-

It’s a long, complicated plan with many moving parts that are constantly in flux. Adding Father and the Homunculi to the mix furthers those complications. Roy is well aware it’s not perfect, he may fail on multiple fronts, and that he can’t do it alone. But, his ultimate goal is to ensure that Amestris is safe, prosperous, and at peace. He won’t rest until he sees it happen.

Any plans for himself, or personal desires, are on hold because of that. While he wants to eventually have a family and all that, he doesn’t feel like he deserves it until he’s put the work in. That, and he also doesn’t feel worthy of love, but that’s another story.

[mkefig]

Analysis of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (FMAB) is an anime adapted from the manga “Fullmetal Alchemist” written by Hiromu Arakawa. The story is based around two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who grow up practicing alchemy. Once their mother has passed away, they attempt to use alchemy to bring her back to life. Due to this being a forbidden practice in alchemy, Edward loses his arm and leg, and Alphonse loses his entire body, but he keeps his soul bound to a suit of armor. As they are determined to restore their bodies back to normal, the brothers go on a journey to find the Philosopher’s Stone, which is a power tool that can enhance their powers.

One of the ways the show explores themes regarding race, ethnicity, and cultural diversity is through the Ishvalan Civil War. The plotline surrounding the war covers the Ishvalans and their genocide at the hands from the people of Amestris. The relationship between the people Ishvala and Amestris was already tense, as they were both culturally very different. The people of Ishavala have different religious practices, values, and customs that are distinctly different from Amestris. The reason the war started was because a soldier from Amestris shot an innocent Ishvalan child in broad daylist. This caused riots to ensue, which then lead to the beginning of the civil war (Anderson, 2020). Many of the protagonists that we get to know during the show participated in the genocidal acts, and they come to reflect on the consequences of their actions. Scar, a survivor from the war, is a character who seeks vengeance for these crimes and is initially portrayed as a villain. Scar develops a friendship with Winry Rockbell, a woman from Amestris, and through their conversations they demonstrate the ability to understand and respect different cultures. Winry’s empathy towards Scar enables her to overcome her own biases towards the Ishavalan people.

When I think of the Ishvalan Civil War, I think of the Wounded Knee Massacre. This event occurred due to tense relationships with the United States and the Native Americans. The Sioux tribe had different traditions and participated in the Ghost Dancing ceremony that they learned from Wovoka of the Paiute tribe (Takaki, 2012). This led to severe misunderstanding in which the army was called to their reservation, which later ensued to violence at Wounded Knee. The reflections of the characters in FMAB from their participation in the genocide of the Ishvalan make me wonder of the soldiers who participated in Wounded Knee. Were they able to live with their actions of that day? The Ishvalan Civil War and the constant massacres that Native Americans had to endure feel like a parallel to our real-world history. I believe it also brings up the responsibility that individuals and governments have in preventing discrimination, and addressing injustices that are being committed to people of different cultures.

References:

Anderson, I. (2020, June 13). Fullmetal Alchemist: The Ishval Civil War, Explained. CBR. Retrieved from https://www.cbr.com/fullmetal-alchemist-the-ishval-civil-war-explained/ ​

Takaki, R. (2012). A Different Mirror for Young People. Random House Publishing Services.

[fullmetal-scar-simping]

Miles is literally so delusional for thinking he can single handedly change the entire country from his far off nowhere posting when every single ishvalan in the army has been killed. When he himself barely escaped death and i'm pretty sure he will be killed if the gov is suspicious of any actions on his part I don't even know where to start with his mind. And somehow I don't think Olivier or any of her soldiers will even bat an eye if that happens. Afterall, they have let their ishvalan colleagues be "purged" before, what makes him any special? They believe in "survival of the fittest" after all🙄 if the ishvalans died, they were probably not "fit" to begin with. So much for their fanatic loyalty to Olivier. So much for the comradeship and team spirit that exists between the briggs team BH keeps telling me about. Yeah fuckers lets ask your ishvalan comrade's ghosts what they think about that. Because from what it sounds like, Olivier either tried to save all of them and miles was the only one she could from who knows how many, or she found only miles to be "fit" to try and save and she shrugged her shoulders and went on with her career. Either way, she's a very, very fucked up woman. Not to mention how literally every other military character in the series, including ed & al knew about the "purge" that happened in the military ranks before the genocide? during? after? I don't think we know the exact timeline of it, and I'm still somehow supposed to believe they want the best for ishvalans😬. Sorry for the rant lol. I'm sure you already have a lot of asks to get to. But I have been watching BH again and well, it's been infuriating me in a way It didn't when I watched it as a teenager. No need to hurry in answering👍

Genuinely, how do you write a character that's meant to singlehandedly counteract any argument about destroying the military or taking genociders to task for their atrocities, and bungle the execution this badly?

(Mind you, even if it had been done well I would fully disagree with any notion that militaries are anything beyond the violent arm of the state to maintain borders and power, as well as pilfer land, resources, and people (or wholesale demolish those people and their lands) for the state's benefit. Digressions are my hobby.)

It's almost masterful tbh. Arakawa really needed a token brown guy to puppet on about why being a paid boot in the very institution that eradicates people is a necessary 'good' in order to make a pro-military reformist argument. And she did this while having already established that Ishval was thoroughly genocided while he and some other Ishvalans were already serving the State (so that's a flop). AND that those Ishvalan personnel were not only systematically removed from the military ranks, but imprisoned and even executed (so that's a mega flop).

I'm left stumped. This feels like the perfect set-up for the narrative to slowly unravel what would have been pro-militarism into an indictment of these institutions to begin with (even if done subtly), but no. It's all in service of boldly supporting the military and government under "correct leadership". Which itself contradicts Miles' stated goal in remaining in the anti-Ishvalan fascist Amestrian military, because actually what needed to be done was to overthrow the government itself. Need it be said that even this alone does not lift racial supremacy from a culture, but it does generally accomplish far more material change in that direction than keeping your head down in a border fortress, hiding your Ishvalan eyes behind goggles even amongst your oh-so accepting squadron.

Of course even the coup was all for the purpose of, once again, reforming and maintaining a military government under slightly new leadership, rather than abolition. So that's a giga flop. That's no surprise though, since by the time you're at the Briggs arc you know this series has no teeth whatsoever.

Olivier makes this all a much more baffling headspin. She keeps Miles on board because she sees him as an asset to... Improve their military might and stratagem. Which is...? Just. Such a bizarre angle on why embracing human variance "allows us all to become better thanks to the diversity of experiences" and the the innate value of your fellow people. Take that truth and contort it into a militaristic asset, in order to better protect borders against the wrong types of people, expand borders in order to broaden your hegemony over others, and slaughter those who will not obey (which will naturally incur racist and xenophobic propaganda because bigotry is a fantastic tool for manufactured consent and voluntary conscription).

Big progressive Olivier over here having the same social darwinist fascist beliefs as fucking Kimblee, who as you surmised must have seen the fall of Ishval and the arrests of even her fellow militarymen for being Ishvalan as "survival of the fittest". Except for Miles, because she probably realized she wasn't going to have her token if she passively allowed ALL Ishvalan boots to get the axe.

I'm personally not even convinced by the notion that she might have tried to save more people but could only succeed in saving Miles. Given her place as nobility in a generational noble military family, and all the stops she pulls for her guys, and her fascist beliefs (especially basically disavowing Armstrong as her brother because he disobeyed orders so as to stop murdering Ishvalans), it feels like she would let most of it happen even in cases where she could have extended her reach.

At least based on Brotherhood alone we don't know the timeline for those arrests, but it wouldn't be hard to guess that it had to have roughly coincided with the genocide. If a state is going to flush out the unwanted Other that thoroughly while ethnically cleansing that Other's homeland, they're not going to wait to rid their ranks of them until after the war has subsided. Unsure if the manga clarifies, but I suppose I'll find out soon enough.

It's batshit in the worst way possible. Love the fascist who operates violence on behalf of those who will eventually turn on him. What a compelling character for us to uncritically view as righteous and correct! Scar badman because he kill (for free, not paid for by the State, and also killing State guys).

Broho has to be the kind of show that's bleak to revisit when you used to enjoy it, upon returning with a more solidified political and critical eye.

Thanks for the rant! I live for these asks and the sense of vindication I get that others see the fucked nonsense being peddled under its bombastic shonen package.

[transmogrified-in-the-void]

every time i see a "these characters from fullmetal alchemists are war criminals and awful people" take i know that those people didnt actually watch the show because a major plot point is that the multiple genocides that happen under fuhrer king bradly are situations that are entirely manipulated, fabricated, and sold to people who grew up in a militaristic government that has been built and grown for centuries. and most of the characters we focus on in some amount in a positive light are sickened by what they did and want to change the entire system that caused such a tragedy in the first place, and they take over the government in a way to not cause a power vacuum and they makeplans for intense efforts to give the Ishvalans their land, livelihoods, and culture back.

like babe idk how you watch a show about how governments that do those sorts of things are corrupt and evil and anyone who wants to escape the system OR is figuring out just how bad it really is are either killed or have to topple the entire thing from the inside out and come away with the take that "oh they're just as evil as the antagonists" SHUT UP!

[roobylavender]

Yeah with ishval and resembool being neighboring areas you’d assume things would be more blurred with housing. Like wouldn’t there be ishvalans and mixed folks living in resmbool. The same for culturally resembool people in ishval. Even if ed and al never went I think they’d have some better knowledge through osmosis

EXACTLY! it doesn't make sense at all for them to be so disconnected

[miniongrin]

Okay first of I am so sorry for such a delayed response, school is kicking my butt! It’s totally cool to post stuff, idc. I guess my first big thing is like, what’s the social hierarchy in Ishval? Like, religion is a big part so I’m guessing priests are on top, but what abt the rest? Also, myths. Gimme all the myths u can think of. (Aka my fav part of any and all cultures-myth and religions!)

*lays on the floor* This was sent like a month and a half ago?? I’m sorry???? Literally all I can say to that is: depressive episodes suck, kids, don’t do it.

Anyway, Ishval social hierarchy. This is going to get kind of rambly, but bear with me:

Religion seems to be the only part of Ishval really fleshed out in canon, so at least these are two things we know: the political leader of Ishval is also the religious leader, and the priests in Ishval are also its best warriors. Historically, the people with power are a) religious people, b) political people, and c) fighting people, so Ishval went ahead and combined them all into the same area, I guess. Also in canon, I look at Scar, the younger brother becoming a priest. Now, that was common in historical Europe—eldest was the heir to a kingdom, second eldest went into religion for that kind of power—but that reasoning doesn’t stand up to and Ishval where religious figures are the power of the country, in just about every sense of the world.

Ishval is a theocracy, is what I’m saying. Technically at the top: Ishvalla. But no other country is going to accept Ishvalla as their genuine ruler, so as far as mortal matters go, the current head priest and/or prophet of Ishvalla (which can get complicated since there can be more than one prophet at a time) is the leader of Ishval.

Besides the religious people, you’ve got: merchants (with which I’m including shopkeepers and skilled workers), farmers, and herders. Farming is possible in desert regions, since it doesn’t all look like sand dunes and pictures of the Sahara. You just can’t grow water-intensive crops. Herders and farmers aren’t a mixed bunch like in classic farms you hear about, because in a place like Ishval, you can’t just fence in your animals, you have to herd them from place to place or there’s just not enough for them to eat. And if you have animals that can eat desert plants that humans can’t, you might as well keep the human food for yourself. Anyway, herders and farmers are a step below the merchants who are a step below the scholars (who are often religious) who are a step below the organized religious… clergy, I guess.

And below all of these guys are the… gutter life, I guess? Homeless people, unemployed people, and then criminals, because there are always criminals. Of course, you can’t be rude to the people who are just down on their luck, like the homeless and unemployed, you still offer them hospitality, because they’re still Ishvalla’s children—and they might actually be a priest returning from a pilgrimage, or even Elozhih the Trickster, shapeshifting to search for kindness in Ishvalla’s people. (Criminals, though. Criminals you can be rude to. If you’re brave enough to risk getting knifed, I guess.)

Aaaaand I’m gonna go ahead and include gender politics in here: a lot of it is typical of the time period, with the glaring exception that there are plenty of female priestesses running around and Avayut’ishval wouldn’t even blink if a female prophet showed up. Other countries would probably side-eye a female leader a lot, but in Ishval, Iesha, one of the first generation of humans, is regarded as the first prophet and generally very important, so having female priests and prophets is kind of “go figure” for most of them.

I have not actually decided whether Ishvalan priests and priestesses are gender-separated or not. Kind of leaning towards not, because I actually like the idea of Scar meeting back up with a priestess he grew up with who could kick his ass and immediately becomes Al’s new hero because cats, but that’s another story. At the very least, the teacher-student relationships are always gender-separated, so Scar’s teacher is male and this hypothetical priestess OC who may or may not actually exist has/had a female teacher.

(As for priest and priestess celibacy, I haven’t decided about that either, mostly because my Scar is very asexual and would not give a shit either way.)

As for Ishvalan myths, the ones I’ve got now are mostly based around Elozhih the Trickster, and the first myth I came up with for him, “How Elozhih Stole Fire From the Sun,” can be found here, which is a scene that is going to show up in the fourth part of the series, and is actually the first thing for this ‘verse that I wrote. Other myths involving Elozhih are: “How Elozhih Learned to Change His Shape,” “How Elozhih Stole Seeds From the Wind,” and “Elozhih and the Kahiribla,” the last of which translates to “Elozhih and the Priest.” I don’t have any of these written yet, but they’re going to show up in the series too! As for myths that aren’t about Elozhih… Besides the creation myth in the second installment of the series, there is one about a prophet and a burning ashtal, which is the Ishvalan name for a plant called tamarisk or salt cedar, but we’ll actually be hitting that story in the next installment, which is coincidentally called Ashtal.

(P.S. patches i love your icon)