reset. reset. reset.

roy’s gate has nothing to do with flame alchemy and everything to do with the “red king” and “white queen” i’m losing my marbles

Ed’s sudden growth spurt at the end was a sign that his connection to Al’s body was failing and Al was getting dragged back to the gate.

Like I knew this, but it just dawned on me that Ed getting taller in the last part of the series is not just a visual representation of his character growth and his maturing as things creep towards the finale, but it’s LITERALLY the most obvious sign that Al’s time in the armor is running out.

The context of why Ed is shorter than average and his connection with Al’s body and soul manages to make Ed getting taller - and finally getting taller than Winry, something he’s wanted for the whole series, something that should seem like a victory for him after all the teasing people have done - almost bittersweet. Maybe even ominous if you think too hard about it.

And maybe that’s why there’s never a moment where people point it out, why it’s never played for a joke, why there’s never a moment of victory for Ed when he realizes it. I’d always attributed the lack of reaction to Ed finally getting taller to the rising tension and the foreboding tone of the last part of the story. No one comments on Ed’s height, because things are THAT BAD. Ed doesn’t notice because he’s THAT WORRIED about the Promised Day.

But it’s not just that things are Serious with a capital S and most of the running gags have been abandoned at this point, it’s also that Ed getting SIGNIFICANTLY taller very quickly is a very bad sign for Al and the state of his soul.

this is especially noteworthy given the prevalence of secrecy among alchemists (the emphasis on hiding all information in code, and refusing to reveal any research if possible); Ed has no problem telling trade secrets to a layman when that seems to be a huge deal among non-military alchemists.

Considering that Ed’s biggest issue is his own pride and arrogance, this is a huge character detail for him. Compare him rattling off the chemical composition of the human body in chapter one, seemingly just to make a point to Rose, to how he carefully explains complex technical details as simply as possible to his friends and allies.