Portes App

[funwithknives]

Character: Maes Hughes
Canon: Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
Version: Brotherhood series
Canon Point: Right before he gets shot
Age: 29
Gender: Male

History: http://fma.wikia.com/wiki/Maes_Hughes

Personality:

At first blush, Maes Hughes is not a man that belongs in the military. He is compassionate to a fault - always seeking to help those closest to him and anyone who hits his considerable soft spots. Tall and clean cut with a welcoming smile, his easy demeanor puts others at ease and often gains him their confidence within hours (or less) of meeting the man. Those he cares about, Hughes backs without hesitation. He'll do anything he can for them even if it means putting himself in danger. The biggest draw backs to having him as a friend are that viewing the pictures of family whenever the mood strikes him is mandatory (he will shove them in anyone's face), and enduring jibes about marriage. Maes can be rather pushy and will herd others verbally and physically, giving them little opportunity to interject an objection. However, when the chips are down, Maes isn't the fair weather sort.

His laid back attitude often makes others question his suitability for the rank and position that he holds, yet the discerning mind understands the method behind the smile. As head of the Investigations Office in Central, it is necessary for Hughes to easily and quickly gain peoples' trust, and not offer the perception of an immediate threat. However, underneath the love of family friends is a shrewd man who understands what it means to be in danger and get his hands dirty. In fact it is that love for the people closest to him that often guides Maes' actions - he doesn't want them exposed to the world he has lived. He understands the danger in Amestris and the risk it poses to all the people that he cares about and will do whatever it takes - helping the Elric Brothers find the Philosopher's Stone, aiding Roy in climbing up the ranks, and going off on his own. Maes views his position in Central as the perfect spot for him to help advance Mustang's goal of one day becoming Fuhrer and he often cautions Mustang against taking any action that might threaten that goal while feeding him information.

Maes is not blindly devoted, however. With a shrewd mind that has a keen understanding of the intricacies of politics Maes is a realist and will actively countermand his closest circle when it seems they're taking off on the wrong path. He has no problems inserting himself into delicate situations through the use of his charm and easy smile in order to learn something useful or exert subtle/not so subtle influence. In fact Maes' mind is his most valuable attribute. He is able to dissect a situation and strip away the unimportant parts without letting his emotions get the better of him, and is often the voice of reason in volatile situations. Maes almost always maintains his calm and changes his tactics at a moments notice when necessary.

A bit on the lazy side, Hughes internal strength and drive were honed in the military Academy. It was there that he met Roy, his long time best friend and one of the only people Hughes completely trusts. Their relationship is one of the foundations upon which Maes stands. It was during Ishval that their relationship grew even tighter as both men struggled to survive the horrors of war, atrocities committed by their own hands. In Ishval Hughes also discovered a very useful yet frightening talent; the way he was able to simply shut things down in order to get the job done - even if that meant taking a life and crossing lines that he never thought himself capable of crossing. It made him more ruthless, but it also made him appreciate the people in his life and those he'd sworn to protect as a soldier. Still it's never easy looking at yourself in the mirror and wondering if you're staring at the face of a killer.

While Maes is generally well liked with a wide circle of friends and colleagues, there are not many people that penetrate his inner circle. He's also the type to keep his anxieties to himself, seeking to project an aura of calm decisiveness even when he might be unsure of the path in front of him. He's not one to sit around. His mind is always working even if he's not in uniform. Maes' biggest worry in life is that he might fail those he loves. It's why he drives himself as hard as he does to meet problems before they becomes problems and to steer his friends away from avoidable trouble.

It would be easy to think that Hughes remained untouched by Ishval or that the man doesn't pose much of a threat. However, it would not be an accurate assumption to make. While he is very much the doting father and loving husband that he seems, he is also a man on a mission to change his country for the better. It's a strong desire in him and one he did not relinquish even in face of very real danger, and something that ultimately got him killed.

Fears:
Amestris falling apart - Ishval was a horrendous war. It was called a civil war, but really once the State brought in the Alchemists, it was nothing short of slaughter. It was in Ishval though that Hughes got the first hard look at the military he served. Later in the series, Hughes put together the pieces of the mystery of the Philosopher's Stone and the various battles and wars in which Amestris had been embroiled for years. What he knew then was that whatever was going on went high up into the ranks. He realized that there were those for whom Amestris and the lives of her citizens did not matter in the least. He died trying to get this information out. This is not a fear that would directly express in the house. However being immersed in a place where his life and those of others seem very much dictated by forces that don't much care will likely tap into both that fear and anger.

Losing his family - During and after Ishval there were two things that helped Hughes keep it together: Roy, his best friend and a man in whom Hughes believes can change things for the better, and Gracia, his future wife. When Elicia came along, Hughes had never had so much to love and so much to lose. Being in the house after realizing that he pretty much died will cause a certain amount of anxiety within him just because he knows his fate. Seeing what has happened to other parents and children in the house will exacerbate that for him.

Roy breaking down - If Ishval was hell for Hughes, it was ten times that for Roy, and Maes was only too well aware of how close Roy was to the edge. After the war, Roy seemed as okay as one could be after seeing and doing the things that they had. Still Hughes wondered how much fragility Roy's demeanor hid, and deeper down he wondered just how all right he really was as well. Again this isn't something he will likely confront directly within the house. However when the nights drag on and he starts to question his own sanity...

Failing the people he cares about - This is different from losing them to death or insanity. Hughes is a duty driven person and he takes his personal responsibilities (though he would never call them such) even more seriously than his professional duties. The promises that Hughes made to the people in his life are not things he ever wants to fail in delivering. Especially when you consider Amestris' climate at the time, the goals of the corrupt, and that failing could very well mean that those he loves are dead this is a very deep fear for him. Hughes is a nice guy, a friendly guy, so he will probably make friends in the house and, as with all his friends, he will see their safety as his responsibility both because he cares and because he believes in his duties as a soldier. The house has a way of harming not only oneself, but also those a person is close to. That will not go over so well.

Hughes came through Ishval weary, worn out, and heart sore. There is no doubt about that. However he didn't develop any unique or specifics fears from his experiences there; gunshots will not make him jump, he doesn't flinch at dead bodies. That's not to say it didn't affect him. He still has nightmares about it and there are odd moments when he will recall the terror of the battlefield, and the horrible loss of life littered all around him. So while he doesn't have any specific fears or phobias (spiders, being confined, etc), the house itself is it's own beast. Even the sanest of people will start to crack under enough pressure. A person with high mental fortitude will eventually break if left in a dark closet long enough. For him, the worst aspect of house probably won't be a single experience (though that cannot be ruled out either) but rather the grind of getting through, keeping other people safe against something that he has frighteningly few ways to fight or prevent. Forcing a man like him into a position where he feels helpless is the ultimate in suffering. He's too much a soldier, too duty driven, with a side helping of deep obligation to not be hurt by that and that's even if he doesn't experience things directly.

Weaknesses:
Hughes is 100% human. This, when surrounded by ‘super-powered freaks’, and homunculi, puts one at a distinct disadvantage. He’s also the type to go all out for those he cares about when necessary, even putting himself in harm’s way. He also needs to wear glasses (damn being near-sighted!).

Mundane Strengths/Abilities:
Expert with push knives
Military trained with hand guns, rifles, and hand to hand combat
Investigations is his specialty
Keenly Observant
Above average intelligence.

Sensitivity/Magical Ability:
None

Supply List:
Uniform and four push knives

Game Transfers: None!

Sample RP post:

Frozen in time at the worst possible moment, Maes Hughes stared at the thing with his wife's face; the thing lifting a gun, preparing to end his life. He knew he should strike. Damn well knew that whatever was standing in front of him, it wasn’t Gracia.

But the image was perfect, down to the way her hair fell and even the curve of it towards her face. How did it know? How could it possible know?

He couldn't move. Not one bit even with the knife in his hand and knowing what would come. Impossible to strike out at the false Gracia no matter what his head tried to tell him.

’Move damnit! Do something!’

In that moment one inescapable truth seized Maes Hughes: he was about to die and he could not (perhaps would not) stop it.

'Gracia... Elizia... I'm sorry.' He expected gunfire – one single shot - but instead the world went black and spun of its axis. The darkness was ice cold, knife sharp. He couldn't make sense of it because there was nothing to make sense of.

Just nothing - was this death?

But then there was something rough under (against?) his cheek, and he was lying (standing?) against something solid and cool. The darkness retreated and the first thing he realized was his feet were under him, holding him upright. The second was that he wasn't in a phone booth anymore. The third and fourth were the abrasions on his cheek where he'd crashed into the door (?), and his arm still bled. The wounds hurt, but they weren’t his primary concern at the moment.

There was light and grit and somehow he knew he wasn't dead. But if he wasn't dead, then where in the hell was he?

He blinked, clearing his vision, which still swam between the sudden change from darkness to light. An entryway to a house? Confused summed up his state of mind far too mildly. Alarmed and panicked might have come closer to the truth. The handle of the push knife still rested in his hand and Hughes looked around, slowly, cautiously before pushing off of the door.