Fic: Wrong Turn, Chapter Three of Three
Last chapter of my fma_ihop kinkmeme fic for sara_rojo. First chapter is here, second chapter is here. I had a ludicrous amount of fun writing this, so thanks for the prompt, Sara! I've ended up having so much fun with these versions of the characters that I'm very tempted to get to work on a sequel - in which of course I'd be honour bound to resolve some of this
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Your argument for the electric guitar in Amestris has totally convinced me! The student political societies were happening in the 20s as well as the 60s - both eras when lots of young people were very involved in radical politics. You're also right about Ed's way of dressing and how totally un-20s it is. I do like the vaguely 20s/30s flavour of NSI, though, so I think I'd probably want to find ways to integrate alt-punk/Goth with that feel. It helps that a) Gothic stuff was totally fashionable in 1920s and 1930s movies - German Expressionism and American horror films spring to mind. Also that b) the 'machine aesthetic' of Futurism and the 20s in general totally influenced later electronica. And now I look it up, I find that there were experiments with electronic music in that era. I found this fantastic quote on the wikipedia entry for electronic music, from Balilla Pratella's "Technical Manifesto of Futurist Music":
"To present the musical soul of the masses, of the great factories, of the railways, of the transatlantic liners, of the battleships, of the automobiles and airplanes. To add to the great central themes of the musical poem the domain of the machine and the victorious kingdom of Electricity."
How FMA is that? Very. I think whatever Ed would listen to would involve a lot of industrial-sounding noise, which he would defend as "awesome" and "kickass" when questioned.
So yeah, thanks for the ideas, yet again! I'm hopefully posting NSI Ch 4 today - have a closer look at the main illustration for a hint at Ed's taste in music. XD
You're also right that Amestris is canonically quite sexually liberated and tolerant. Garfiel's flamboyant presence and the level of acceptance towards him in the manga (Ed and Al are scared, but he's also blatantly teasing them) liberates me from having to turn my slash into a clunky and depressing exploration of 1920s homophobia. Hoorah!
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Glad I convinced you! Maybe I discuss in English better than I think? (or maybe I was pretty inspiredXD)
I didn't know the 20's were also a very radical generation of youths. Interesting. I suppose it explains a lot of the awesome things going on then in my countryXD
I think you make a fantastic argument about electronic music and experimentation. It's completely believable that it should develop earlier on than here, given that background (possibly, our culture didn't develop as fast because of the drepression, but it was going that way). Since Amestris is very rich and has no apparent financial troubles, and is just culturally blossoming, it would make sense. And goth! Of course it was in fahsion, how could I forget German Expressionism? (huge cinema nerd here)
How FMA is that? Very. I think whatever Ed would listen to would involve a lot of industrial-sounding noise, which he would defend as "awesome" and "kickass" when questioned.
I couldn't agree with you more. I now want to read an argument between him and Roy about musicXD
Garfiel's flamboyant presence and the level of acceptance towards him in the manga (Ed and Al are scared, but he's also blatantly teasing them) liberates me from having to turn my slash into a clunky and depressing exploration of 1920s homophobia. Hoorah!
Thank god for that, too!! I can't read more depressive fics, lately. And I don't think a very macho manly chauvinistic culture would have made short, pretty and blond Edward the self-assured man he is and we love.
Also, talking about Garfiel made me realise Xing is also very sexually liberated, and quite unlike China, even nowadays. Ling is the only one to flirt back with Garfiel (which also says a lot about his overwhelming self-assurance and comfort in his own sexuality, even at fifteen), Ran Fan is a kickass bodyguard, Mei learnt the high art of rentanjustu and is, in her own right, a fantastic fighter who seems to think she has possibilities for the imperial throne and is even at that age (what age is Mei, anyway?) quite determined and clear in her ideas of a romantic partnerXD (she also likes the exotismXD)
have a closer look at the main illustration for a hint at Ed's taste in music. XD
I feel like an idiot, but I don't place itXD
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I read far too many depressing emo angst novels about homophobia (The Well of Loneliness springs to mind) when I was an emo teenager and it has put me off the genre for life, I think! You're right that Xing is very different from China in this regard and in terms of gender roles (and I should totally direct enemy to this thread as it's relevant to her Xing-set Big Bang fic).
And about Ling's insane confidence. It's funny, the surface joke of that scene is "Ling will literally flirt with anyone to get what he wants", but you're right that the joke can't exist without the implications that a) there's nothing taboo in Xing about what he's doing (and that it's accepted enough in Amestris for Ed to be irritated with Ling's craziness rather than panicked) and also b) following on from that, Ling would totally do a boy if he felt like it. Awesomeness.
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So in terms of Ling and his open sexuality I don't think it would be that uncommon, especially given Ling's manipulative nature and how he'd do anything (even bow to a commoner like Ed) to get what he wants. He'd so do a guy if it struck him to.
As for Xingese women, there definitely seems to be a big difference between Xing and China here. The Xingese women do seem more empowered and educated. You do have to wonder if men are still given preference though, as there is an emperor, and I don't recall Mei actually vying for the throne so much as she's looking to increase her clan's favor. There is the added variable of her clan being so weak/poor in relation to others though and not jsut her being female. I am interested to hear others' take on this, as it would certainly help solidify Xing for my fic.
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When you say, "if it struck him to", you of course mean, "if he could manipulate the situation to get information on the Philosopher's Stone". Right?
Btw, sara, I think Mei is about ten or eleven, as I recall - ridiculously young, I know, but hey, Ed and Al still out-prodigy her.
Doesn't Ling mention the Emperor's daughters early on? I got the impression Mei is officially a candidate for the throne, just a highly unlikely one since her clan is so weak. I still find it utterly lol that she's Ling's half-sister.
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I know he mentions the daughters, but I'd have to go back and look to see if they are actual candidates for the throne, or if they are just royal heirs. Of course, Mei's clan is so poor it drops her likeliness as a candidate anyway.
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Interesting. But then, the girls are really liberated, and chinese men probably didn't get involved with foreignersXD (specially male foreigners)
You are right that Mei seeks immortality to risk her clan from poverty and anihilation (the last one, I always took to mean more absorbation by another clan, rather than actual massacre; and that would mean she honours her traditions and ancestors, and doesn't want her clan to be integrated into another)
Again, I aks your opinions on Mei's age, it's never explictly mentioned in the series, and these are pretty mature and abstract concerns. She's probably orphaned, but someone must've taken care of her, someone who was ok with her coming to Amestris by herself, or perhaps she escaped home. It's my personal theory that Mei is quite older than she looks, actually, but I wanna read your thought on this
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But yeah, Imperial China was an interesting place. I've been doing a lot of reading on it lately, and am always open for more views on it (not that Xing is an exact replica of China, but it does draw heavy influence from what I've seen).
I always thought of Mei in the 8-10 range, but then some Asian girls seem a lot younger than they are (recall on of the more recent Chinese Olympic teams where everyone believed they were 12 instead of 16...not sure if that was ever confirmed, but still).
I confess I am not a fan of Mei's and haven't paid as much attention to her story as I should have. That is bad of me. XD
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Yeah, I think Mei is like those girls (or the japanese girls I got to meet in my trip there). Not only because of the way she interacts with others and her inner thoughts and worries, but also the fact that Ling is taken to be older...would totally make sense that, in a scene similar to the train Ling scene, someone would ask about Mei's age and it would be revealed that she's, like, 16 or smthXD
You're a Xing freak and don't pay attention to Mei? tsk tskXD. I think she's interesting as a free woman (Ran Fan is not free, the way she speaks she belongs to Ling in a master-servant relationship). And she's the only link we have to rentanjutsu, besides Scar and his bro. And she wants some Elric assXD. And she has a freaking diminute panda with growth problemsXD
and she's in love with Al ^^
Her "sibling" relationship with Ling is also potentially very interesting. So far, they haven't been forced to interact, but after the Promised Day, if all goes well...they'll have to. At the very least, when the good guys are all reunited and celebrating and/or deciding what to do with their lives, if they both go back to Xing, they'll have to interact. Even if one of them stays, they'll have to interact.
I've been having this crazy idea about the good guys post-Promised Dya staying together for a week in a big house/manor, till things settle down, and in my mind, Ling is totally walking over the walls from frustration with Mei, and viceversaXD.
But they also have some common ground: neither like their father, both are proud and strong (physically and mentally), both are interested in alchemy and immortality; both like the Elrics, but not the same (so, no conflictXD). Both are cheerful, optimistic individuals, loyal to their loved ones, they both form strong bonds very quickly, and their morals are pretty similar. They're courageous and adventurous (embarking on that quest itself is quite the adventure). Presumably, both wanted to see the world, and both are attracted to exotic foreign looks ^^
Have I interested you in her, even a little? ^^
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You've been to Japan? How cool! I've only ever left the US once to go to France. I wish i wasn't so rooted here so that I could travel abroad again. I was lucky enough, though, that the private high school I went to had a large exchange student program (roughly 35% of the student population actually...though it was a tiny school XD) where we hosted students from Japan for a year. For them to come and study in the US for a year, maintaining a very high GPA, they received ONE ENGLISH CREDIT at their school! Very strict schooling there versus over here. So I was lucky enough to hang out with a lot of Japanese students (I was one of the assigned tutors to help them with their English). Anyway, yes Asians (especially girls) really hold onto their youth better than other cultures! In high school I thought it was so cool that I could buy cigarettes at 15 without ID because I looked older....now it's not so cool, LOL.
Very good points all about Mei...still don't feel connected to her. XD I will likely go back and reread her parts though, to try and get a better feel for other aspects of Xing as we know it for sure.
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US citizens rarely go out of their country, I think. Very few north americans have a passport, not even ex-president Bush had one (god, how we europeans laughed at him for itXD, he was so provincian -I don't even know if that's a wordXD-). You were indeed lucky; but most of those who do travel abroad go to either Australia, France, Italy or UK. How unoriginalXD
When you say "strict" you don't even know how right you are. Japan has the second highest suicide rate in the world, and it's partly due to the extremely severe social rules and strict schooling they receive.
Do tell us, if you feel closer to Mei after your re-read! It's so sad that a great author like yourself doesn't feel close to her...specially consider the Xing megafan you areXD
Do you like her, bob-fish?
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I like Mei okay - most of all, I find her fangirling of Scar hilarious, the way she completely destroys his attempts to look like the dark avenger of doom.
Oh yeah, and if you're bored, enemy and I are RPing filth again in the comments thread to her "Do It [Click on a Dragon Egg] for Ed" post. *cough* Don't know how that got started.
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Obama didn't have a passport before reaching presidency? 0_0 Don't tell me that, dude, you'l destroy the illusionXD
I haven't seen the technique, but I'll be looking it up after lunchXD
Haha, that's one of my favourite Mei things too. But I think Xiao Mei does it even betterXD (I love the fact that Scar just barely controls his urge to pet herXD)
Thanks for the tip. Just reviewed the Insane and Hot RP of Sex (and DoomXD)
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The bulk of the population here has the least amount of disposable income because the middle class is squeezed on both sides: one's income is too high to receive any subsidized government benefits (the biggest one is Medicaid, aka nearly free health care) and the increase in wages over the threshold for qualifying for government benefits does not cover the cost of what one then has to pay for one's self.
The second thorn is vacation time. There is a strong undercurrent in American culture where it is frowned upon if you actually take advantage of and use your vacation time. Many companies allow people to "bank" their vacation days, or, receive pay-outs of their vacation time. Meaning, a company would rather pay you double or pay you later at the end of your career than have you miss any length of work at present. I think it could be found that on average, American companies are run on a skeletal amount of staff, and having someone out of the workplace means a hole in how the place operates. Most places, it takes awhile (several years) to earn more than 7-10 vacation days per year. Some companies have weird rules with how they handle absences at the workplace, even sick absences. There's a trend now where instead of labeling the "type" of time it is, they just will say "you have 80 hours of leave time" (10 working days) and any time you spend away from the office, e.g. an hour for an appointment, a half day for seeing your kid's school play, a day out sick, etc. all count towards diminishing the balance of leave time.
I think international travel not being a priority to most Americans has stemmed from the fact that most employers do not want to be paying their employees for time where they are not seeing any productivity from that employee. And such, leave and vacation time have historically been set up in a very tight-fisted manner for the majority of the American population (middle class). And from there, because of the sheer logistic impossibility of it, extended world travel has not been a cultural priority.
Now, all that I've said can be largely ignored if one is an employee of any government branch (not the military, but local, state, and especially, Federal, Government). Their rules typically make sure that one actually needs to use their vacation time, and, there's usually a bit more redundancy in workload sharing (which, many like to pick on and say the Gov. is wasteful in the number of employee it keeps, but, I like to think that things run more smoothly when there's a little redundancy built into a system, rather than leaving gaps for the ball to drop).
And as for cultural variety, those of us Americans on the Eastern Seaboard are pretty spoiled. No, it's not the same and being able to go and immerse oneself in a culture and really see it's people, but, I live about 3-4 hours from Manhattan and an hour from Washington, DC . . . and even out here in suburbia there are a number of not only eateries but cultural organisations that put themselves out there to share what they have. So, we have a Cliff Notes version of the Globe around these parts.
Believe me, if I had the means, I'd be globe trotting. Maybe someday, I will get to that point. Right now, I've got to be contented with the internet, trips to the cities, learning from my friends of other origins. Being able to stream keyhole knocks the socks off of VHS fansubs acquired from Manhattan street vendors . . . and a heck of a lot cheaper, too! What a difference 10 years makes . . .
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I would have to agree with you about Americans. Though in our defense, it's a bit more involved for us to leave the country than it is in other parts of the world, and I'm not even referring to the security or anything, just the fact that we have to fly a good ways for most trips. I drive all over the place around here. So if I lived in France did the same amount of driving, I'd be all over Europe in a heartbeat!
I about fainted when I learned that an entire year of 4.0 or higher (out of 4.5) only earned them an English credit. XD God, we are so lazy about education here. I really wish they had taught me Spanish when I was in grade school. It would have really benefitted me, and would have been so much easier to learn then as opposed to now.
I'll be sure to let everyone know if I feel connected to her. I may have to try writing her for the fic_contest or something. Hm. But yeah, it's kind of like you and RanFan I guess. You just don't feel that love that you do for other characters (like LING).
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