Or maybe Mei's taken Al on as a student (which also destroys my Al-in-Xing novel, argh!) and gotten over her crush on him and they're just good friends (and Ed thinks it's ridiculous that All calls Mei sensei and keeps snortling every time it happens and has to have his foot stomped by Winry to keep from being insulting. Yeah, I can see that ...)
It occurred to me on the bus going home yesterday that maybe Roy's personal plotline didn't have as much to do with his feelings for Riza as hers did with her feelings for him. I'm going to have to reread to confirm this, but I'm wondering if Roy's personal plot was about resolving his guilt and anger over Hughes's death; going by that last chapter, his relationships to his subordinates, even Riza, are part of his political plotline (the whole "Tell them to follow me!" thing in the medical tent). After all, her personal plotline had a lot to do with NOT allowing her feelings for him to get in the way of the military/political work that needed doing, and arguably the apotheosis of their relationship takes place as a working one on the battlefield, rather than an exchange-of-care off it (compare Ed and Winry). If that's so (more reasons to reread!), the slashers will probably have a lot more justification for Roy/Hughes and swoopy "I'll never love another as I loved you" 'fic, canonically, than they would for Roy/Ed. That said, canon doesn't stop 'ficcers -- they march right past while it's reloading. :-)
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branchandroot
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Date: 2010-06-11 10:33 am (UTC)It occurred to me on the bus going home yesterday that maybe Roy's personal plotline didn't have as much to do with his feelings for Riza as hers did with her feelings for him. I'm going to have to reread to confirm this, but I'm wondering if Roy's personal plot was about resolving his guilt and anger over Hughes's death; going by that last chapter, his relationships to his subordinates, even Riza, are part of his political plotline (the whole "Tell them to follow me!" thing in the medical tent). After all, her personal plotline had a lot to do with NOT allowing her feelings for him to get in the way of the military/political work that needed doing, and arguably the apotheosis of their relationship takes place as a working one on the battlefield, rather than an exchange-of-care off it (compare Ed and Winry). If that's so (more reasons to reread!), the slashers will probably have a lot more justification for Roy/Hughes and swoopy "I'll never love another as I loved you" 'fic, canonically, than they would for Roy/Ed. That said, canon doesn't stop 'ficcers -- they march right past while it's reloading. :-)