whee and some thoughts about Amestris

[cornerofmadness]

the whee is I just paid off one of my school loans. it was the small one and it only took nearly 20 years...but it's paid damn it.

The thoughts. I'm in the home stretch of one of my FMA stories and Roy just promised Riza he'd take her and the baby somewhere nice. And it occured to me, where in the hell WOULD that be?

Amestris is landlocked so there's no going to the beach.

All the countries around them hate them currently

In this story Xing is out since it's on the brink of civil war

We've never heard of a sin city. We've never heard of a vacation spot. We actually have NO idea what these people do for fun. Are there circuses? zoos? amusement parks? granted we've all given them these things. I think I've done all three at this point.

What do you guys think? What constitues a nice place in Amestris? My default has been the lake areas in the foothills before you get to Briggs but mostly because i'm fond of mountain lakes.

Comments

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

I designed a garden city for Flower Dude's story.

[enemytosleep]

We never hear much about the west. Maybe there is a big touristy spot outside of West City (casino, camping cabins, carnival spot).

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

that's a possibilty.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

this is also true

[a-big-apple.livejournal.com]

YAY PAYING OFF A LOAN! That must feel good.

Hmm, vacation spots in Amestris...maybe they have resorts? A pool and activities and lots of good food sort of place?

[randomcheeses.livejournal.com]

I'd go with a lake area.

[ghostfriendly.livejournal.com]

There was the city built on a lake in the first anime. The east would be quite a warm place for a holiday as well.

[bob_fish.livejournal.com]

Woohoo for paying off a loan! It might be a small one but it always feels good.

I like the idea of the South. Brits favour sunny spots, and at times when foreign travel is difficult (economic crunch or, uh, WWII) people love the sunny, nearly-abroad South. The sunniest bits of Amestris are Ishbal, Rush Valley and the South. I imagine Ishbal is not popular as a holiday spot, and Ed and Al comment on how much hotter Izumi's place is when they both go there for training as little puppies. So I bet if Aerugo is out, the South might be a bit like Cornwall in offering pseudo-continental fun. People create beaches sometimes in cities by importing sand, especially on islands/riversides. They've done this in Singapore (Sentosa Island) and Kiev (Gidropark - much nicer than it sounds). So maybe there's some city (South City?) with a riverside/island man-made beach, a sunny climate and lots of Aerugan restaurants (immigrant population - economic migrants or political refugees from a generation or two back?).

I can see Rush Valley as a good destination for pleasure driving and that some people who got their automail there might make a bit of a vacation of it. There certainly seem to be a ton of restaurants from what we've seen of the storefronts, and I always imagine it's a cosmopolitan little place.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

I put the Amestrian film industry in West City (complete with a replica of Mann's Chinese Theatre), but spent most of my time in the working-class bits last time I was there. Still, it doesn't seem unlikely that it would also have an active restaurant/theater/casino/bar bit, particularly if the weather is fairly benign (usually why film industries develop where they do). I've also used the mountain-lake-resort idea in another story (the one where all Riza's junior colleagues speculate about the cut of her swimsuit. Good thing she never heard about that ...)

[flybynight00.livejournal.com]

Dude. There IS a tourist city. Aquroya!

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

BUT IT'S SINKING. And you have to deal with the thieves....

[sp23.livejournal.com]

\o/

Paying off loans, even smaller ones, is a wonderful thing.

[raceulfson.livejournal.com]

There are cities that are mentioned but not visited, like New Optain. It would have to have something to commend it since the General is stationed there. On the other hand, he was heading towards East City to take his family on vacation, so...

Based on what I remember from the various covers, etc in the manga, they do have festivals, local fairs, parks and I seem to remember a hot spring. Bicycling seems popular.

From what I remember from what my great-grandmother said, a train trip of a few hours was a major adventure for most people in the early 20th Century. Often Sunday afternoons, between Church and Sunday dinner, the family piled into the car and just rode around for a hour or so. Assuming they were rich enough to own a car. So maybe they don't really go anywhere. Resorts are more for the very rich, like the Armstrongs?

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

I've used fairs and festivals too. I think they're a natural. There's a festival in the heart of my fmabigbang

And you do have a very good point. Traveling like we do now is pretty much a post 1960's thing. Often I've had Roy and Maes considering trips to Central/Eastern as a vacation.

[havocmangawip.livejournal.com]

I second Bob Fish's ideas! AND YAY for paying off a loan!

Perhaps near Izumi, since she DOES have a big lake and there may be more, could it be like Lake Arrowhead, The Dells or Lake Tahoe?

Or what about Aquroya?

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

oh yes it is

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

haha i totally expunged that horrible eppy from my mind. I forgot about Aquroya.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

I rememeber the swimsuit story.

In Sorrow's Dark Array, Roy's sister is in the film industry but i never did say where she did most of her work

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

yes Dublith does strike me as being hotter (which is probably why I never send anyone there unless they're visiting Izumi)

You're right. Rush Valley does seem to have a lot of shops. Reminds me of Tijuana

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

Yes someone came up with the name of that city on the lake.

True. see to me warm = run the hell away which is why I never think of it as a holiday place

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

that is my favorite, yes

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

it does feel good

They probably DO have resorts, at least for the rich and frankly even though you rarely see it and he whines about being broke, Roy HAS to have money since he's a state alchemist unless he's giving a lot away to charity (which i often have him doing)

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

thanks

Like I said, I erased Aquroya from my brain entirely until now.

But I LOVE the idea of a tacky-assed resort area around Yock Island.

[ladystarlightsj.livejournal.com]

Congrats on paying off the loan!

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

thanks

[bob_fish.livejournal.com]

Hee hee, sounds like you prefer mountain holidays over bake-in-the-sun holidays. Me too but I'm married to a sun worshipper?

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

I definitely do. I would cry being married to a sun worshipper or at least hiding inside

[flybynight00.livejournal.com]

Oh right. I guess that was the ENTIRE POINT of that episode, huh? Ok, new suggestion: when Ling tells Ed and Al about crossing the desert, Al mentions that it would have been easier to take "the sea route." So Amestris itself has coastline somewhere. There could be some nice coastal towns.

[mzzgoddessblue.livejournal.com]

congrats on paying off the loan! such a great feeling!

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

it is. thanks

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

you know I remember that line but I've seen the map. Amestris is landlocked.

[bob_fish.livejournal.com]

It's not so bad - I sit in the shade with a cold drink and a book, and wear a hat out and about.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

My problem is if the temp is above 75 I begin to get nauseous

[bob_fish.livejournal.com]

That doesn't sound fun at all. Nice mountain/lake vacations instead, then?

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

that's me or at least if I'm at the beach I need to be in the water