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Oh for sure, "surviving" and "living" are two VERY different things. I'm sure the Truth was a big part of why they decided to burn down their home. And yeah the mutual trauma, like, Winry got affected too! She saw her friends at the worst time of their lives and she wasn't spared either. It screwed everybody up and that's something they have to live with, forever - the weight of that knowledge they never wanted in the first place. You could argue that they got lucky that they lived to tell the tale at all. You could also argue they were even worse off than those who died or whose minds simply broke under the strain: they were left alive and totally aware of the full horror of what they'd done. Something so insidious and terrible that they couldn't even bear to look at the research it had stemmed from or the house it had taken place in.

The Elrics burned down their house so they wouldn't have a home to go back to. Maybe it was because that house had stopped being a home a long time ago.

I think people don't really appreciate how young Ed and Al were when they attempted human transmutation. Not just on an emotional level, but on an intellectual level.

I mean, aside from Father's awful planning skills, there's a reason there were so few candidates for human transmutation: it's stupidly hard to do. It requires intensive knowledge of biology/the human body, medical fields, and probably a ton of other stuff. Anyone who attempts it would have to know EVERY SINGLE bone, muscle, and part that exists in the body in order to accurately create it. Not to mention there are no books on this, since it's illegal; the researchers are completely on their own.

To actually get to a level where you could even try human transmutation would take a genius-level intellect, the prodigal alchemical skill needed to not mess up the transmutation itself and cause a rebound, and enough determination (or bullheadedness) to break the law by pursuing forbidden research.

And even if you have all that... good luck undergoing the invasive mindfuck that is having all the knowledge of the universe poured into your head, paying whatever toll is required of you, and surviving the physical and mental trauma of the ordeal with your sanity intact.

Honestly? That would be an achievement in and of itself, considering that experiencing the Gate and its eldritch horrors is basically The Most Traumatizing Thing in FMA. This is something that has driven grown men to insanity and despair. It's the punishment for those who dare trespass onto god's domain.

Ed and Al survived it before they hit puberty.

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So Google does math for you??

division

square roots

dividing percentages

IT EVEN FOILS

beautiful.

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like. Can we just address this?

Three years is a long time. It is a LONG time for an eleven year-old child to be carrying around that kind of soul crushing guilt and terror. It was so bad that he couldn’t even bring myself to ask. The worst fear of Edward Elric, youngest State Alchemist in Amestrian history, survivor of human transmutation and the Truth, is BEING HATED BY THE ONLY FAMILY HE HAS LEFT.

HE HONESTLY BELIEVED THAT. FOR THREE YEARS.

I mean, can you even imagine??? Every single failure, setback, and dead end - and there must have been countless of those - the self-hatred would have only gotten worse. All he could do was throw himself into finding the next lead, because even if Al hated him, he couldn’t just leave things as they were. He has to fix things. And if Al hates him… well, he deserves it, right?

And the fact that he only admits this while in delirious pain from the automail surgery and his fever - even back then, the fear ran so deep that he had to be dragged THAT low to ever admit it. Maybe he doesn’t even feel like there’s a point to asking, because he already knows the answer (or at least he thinks) but if he hears it out loud, he wouldn’t have the strength to go on.

Reminder: this kid is eleven. The Elrics have barely been alive for a decade.

And I know this whole post is basically only restating what the manga is telling us, bUT I JUST FEEL LIKE WE DONT TALK ABOUT IT ENOUGH. THREE YEARS IS A LONG TIME GUYS. ITS A REALLY REALLY- is dragged offstage by security guards

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Ack, I always respond to your posts late-

But never apologize for having word vomit, because in case you haven’t noticed, MY ENTIRE BLOG IS FMA WORD VOMIT. This show just makes me want to scream into the void about my feelings.

Anyway - you’re right, Amestris is just… strangely chill about everything, huh? A giant suit of armor and a twelve year-old soldier is business as usual in East City, apparently. But even in Resembool, I always did wonder why they were so okay with leaving the boys on their own. I share in your headcanon that the Elrics continued living in their own house even after Trisha’s death, but the idea of someone else trying (and failing) to take them in is so interesting! I’d never thought of that before. Head canon accepted.

The callback to Riza’s childhood is also something I never considered, and that is very very clever. I feel like she’d definitely have some sympathy for the Elrics because of that. But if anything, I think this would make her even more motivated to take them under her wing, to make sure no more children suffer like she did.

As for Hughes - I’m sorry, Brotherhood, but I REFUSE to believe that the second he read in the newspapers that Roy Mustang had recruited the youngest State Alchemist in history, he wouldn‘t have marched himself over to Eastern Command, slapped Roy in the face, and then started showing Ed pictures of Gracia like nothing had happened. Even before Elicia was born, Hughes strikes me as the type who react strongly to a child in the military. He wouldn’t wait three years to even meet the kid. And he would ABSOLUTELY give Roy a Very Firm Talking To about remembering how Ed was still only twelve.

Which is honestly a necessary talking to, because so many adults have failed the Elrics over the years. Pinako did her best (and she did a damn good job) but she still has an automail shop and her own grand-daughter to look after; she can’t afford to devote all of her time to two kids who dont even live with her. Izumi was also a great influence on the Elrics, but they had her only six months. From the ages of five and four, Ed and Al have never had any constant parental figures in their lives. Ed, being the kind of person that he is, saw fit to try and step into that role for Al’s sake. But he was just a kid, too, and he made bad decisions, because he was a KID.

But in the end, there’s no one left to pick up the pieces but himself and his brother. And so they do. Pinako and Winry are amazing and that can never be said enough - but at the end of the day, it’s usually Ed and Al, on the road with nobody but each other. Just like always.

Roy. Roy please be better with children I am begging you

Roy stop yelling at crippled eleven year olds

ROY STOP PUNCHING FIFTEEN YEAR OLDS WHO ARE JUSTIFIABLY ANGRY ABOUT YOU HIDING THE DEATH OF A FRIEND OF THEIRS AND THEN BURNING ALIVE (OR SO HE BELIEVES) ANOTHER FRIEND OF THEIRS

ROY S T O P

Just your daily reminder that ed elric was a child soldier and everyone was okay with that for some reason

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never be sorry for this masterpiece

Im sorry

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Yeah, high command makes sense to me for sure - but I feel like Hawkeye and Hughes must have given Roy some shit for this at some point. “Seriously, Roy? A twelve year-old?” Or even just some townspeople from some random place that the Elrics are passing through… it’s kind of insane how chill the entire country is about this. Though living in a place like Amestris, I guess it makes sense…

And yes, Roy probably DID expect Ed to take the test at closer to fourteen - but that’s pretty much still a child soldier. And he RECRUITED Ed at eleven. I adore Roy Mustang but that’s still all kinds of messed up. Never ever let this man become a child therapist. Or a grief counselor.

That WOULD be an awesome scene. I loved his “I’ve already been through hell” line!

Just your daily reminder that ed elric was a child soldier and everyone was okay with that for some reason

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Just your daily reminder that ed elric was a child soldier and everyone was okay with that for some reason

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Reblogging this a year later just so I can stop thinking about this post:

In defense of FMAB, Brotherhood/manga canon begins when Ed is 15, not 12. We don’t actually see any of his military experiences from the start of his career. By 15, I think it’s safe to assume he’s grown “used” to death, in the way a police officer would after investigating murder cases for years. It’s not that he’s NOT upset by them, but we’re not seeing the point of canon where he would clearly be showing that. I do agree that this wasn’t necessarily a good decision on the story’s part - I for one, would have loved to see more of younger!Elrics in Brotherhood - but I think it does make sense.

I’m with you on the character weakness thing, though. I think Brotherhood is just so fast-paced that it doesn’t have TIME for Ed to have an off-day. There are so many plot threads and characters that everyone always needs to be doing something in order for things to keep on track. It’s probably the only anime I can think of with practically zero filler - but sometimes anime could use a bit of filler. Just a little bit.

I really have to watch FMA03 don’t I

A short defense on 03!Edward Elric and why I prefer his characterization over Brotherhood.

First I’d like to point out: Not every story has a stereotypical happy ending. Not every story should. 03, in it’s own way, has a happy/hopeful ending. Even when things looked bleak in the end, Ed does not give up. That is much more powerful than just saying he won’t give up, it shows he is willing and able to act on it.

It is also realistic, normal and healthy for Edward to experience some kind of depression. So normal, in fact, that one of my issues with Brotherhood is the fact that how he’s feeling through all of this is never fully explored without the use of fighting. He is never really shown as unmotivated, never shown on an off day other than with Nina Tucker, and it would’ve made more sense if this was shown. It would make him more of a character.

Then there’s the matter of character design. In 03, Ed looks like the short child everyone calls him. His eyes are larger, he’s more scrappy, and he has more emotional reactions to death. There is a scene where he goes to a murder and reacts to a death that reminded him strongly of his mother, causing him to go into a panic attack and faint. Meanwhile in Brotherhood, Ed is never shown having that strong of a reaction to death, despite preaching the importance of human life.

So Brotherhood Stans, don’t come at me. Brotherhood isn’t perfect, and 03 has some really good and realistic points to it.

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I came to have a good time and I honestly feel so attacked right now

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this picture gives me the ouchies

but it's also one of the reasons why I adore chapter 3 of the FMA manga (besides the fact that it's absolutely hilarious). This page in particular gives us perspective on not only Amestris itself, with some world-building of the relationships between the military and the people, but also what it's like to be a CHILD in that military.

And yeah, Ed probably stopped being a child the second he saw the Truth, but he and Al are still ridiculously young for their circumstances. They're too young to be travelling nonstop around the country, looking for something they may never find and chasing a hope that may not even exist, selling themselves out to the state because THE ONLY OTHER OPTION was to spend the rest of their lives in abject misery with no hope of restoring themselves.

The townspeople don't know any of that. They have a right to be mad at the military. Of course they do. But in the end, the situation just seems so unfair to everybody involved. The citizens of Youswell, Ed, Al... everyone.

And the way Ed can't even say anything to defend himself... because he knows what he signed up for. He knows exactly how low he's stooped and that it's his own fault. And he knows he's dragged his brother down with him, but he still wants to spare Al whatever pain he can, however little that may be.

If that means bearing the brunt of the choking leash of the military, then so be it.

(Also I really doubt this is the first time something like this happened??? Ed was w/ the military for three years before canon even started, he traveled around the east a lot, and he has a temper, so I feel like he got run out of town once or twice. Which just makes me even sadder-)

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This is the title image of that chapter. You know the one.

For context, Ed has just stopped a train hijacking, only for the leader of the terrorists to escape captivity - and immediately be struck down by Roy Mustang's flames.

Havoc explains the mechanics of Mustang's gloves to some shocked non-alchemist MPs. They look over at the two State Alchemists and, disturbed by the display of unnatural power, remark:

"They can't be human..."

And this line is just so chilling to me. Because this is that chapter, and we all know how it ends, but until now we really had gotten the impression that alchemists were more than human, in a way. They wielded a power that set them apart from others, drawing the fear and awe of the common people. Even Ed, while in Liore, remarked that alchemists were perhaps the creatures closest to god. And then - then we met Nina, and then we lost Nina, and right along with the Elric brothers, we were reminded:

They're only human. Even if they have the ability to commit miracles like Cornello, or atrocities like Tucker, they're only human, and the power comes with a price: arrogance.

Both of these images come from the same chapter. Both are incredibly terrifying in different ways. When put together, side by side...

Bravo, Arakawa. You taught us a lesson at the cost of a little girl's life, and that lesson was that some costs - like this one - are simply not worth paying.

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That's a very good point, thank you for explaining it to me. I also felt pretty miffed when I first watched that scene where Hoho puts Ed down for burning the house, because I felt the same way about Ed accepting responsibility for everything. It's something I find interesting about his character: I do believe that burning his house down was, in part, an act of running away, and part of the date of his watch is a reminder to never run away again. He naturally displays avoidance, but he consciously fights against it. He doesn't let himself forget. I think that makes him really strong.

I do still think he practices avoidance here and there - don't get me wrong, though, there's no shame in it. It's a normal response to trauma, not something he should be put down for. LOOKING AT YOU, HOHENHEIM. (I do know that scene was tough love, but dang...)

Also, another good point about Hohenheim running away! I'm sure a lot of that coldness he had towards Ed was actually anger at himself for running away that he was projecting onto his son. To be fair to him, I'm not sure he actually knew about Father's plan to sacrifice Amestris until he started researching at home, then left to go stop it... and before that, there wouldn't be much of a point staying near Father. Not when there was nothing he could do for the souls of Xerxes. Father's presence would only be a reminder of that. The thing about running away: it's one thing to run away forever, which is unhealthy, but it's okay to distance yourself from a mentally harmful situation. For example, removing yourself from a toxic relationship.

Ed wasn't ready to fully face his trauma yet until he got the push he needed from Hohenheim and dug up the remains of the transmutation. Because of that, he was able to stop running away from something he hadn't even realized he had been running from. That's how I see it, anyway... honestly, the dynamic between Hoho and Ed is a whole different can of worms and a big debate in and of itself.

But yeah, I do agree with you on most counts. Ed is only human and occasionally needs an extra nudge in the right direction, but the amount of responsibility he willingly takes onto himself is both very admirable and very worrying. This is exactly what makes those occasional displays of avoidance so interesting, imo! The two traits should be paradoxical, but somehow they both manage to fit within his character. That's good writing.

It's always SO NICE to see mental health depicted with care in fiction. Especially in war stories. I've read so many stories that have the characters have traumatic backstories and/or experience traumatic events but seem unaffected by them from a mental health standpoint, and it's always irked me. FMA was such a breath of fresh air. And the characters actually had character outside of their traumas, though those were still shaping aspects of their lives. It's a very respectful and humanizing take. <3

Edward Elric Has PTSD

I mean, we all already knew it, this is just hard evidence of it.

Ed is a character who not only has a very traumatic past, but also experiences a variety of traumas throughout the actual series. Because of this combined with his young age, it's pretty easy to come to the conclusion that he would have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (a mental condition that arises from extremely stressful and emotionally overwhelming situations).

I did a bit of research and found that PTSD is generally characterized by three main symptoms: intrusive memories of the trauma, avoidance of triggers related to the trauma, and emotional dysregulation/negative changes in mood.

Let's see how each of these applies to Ed, shall we?

Intrusive memories: These often manifest themselves in nightmares or vivid flashbacks. Ed has multiple nightmares and flashbacks throughout the series.

Avoidance: Basically, this is avoiding people, places, and things that remind you of the traumatic event, in order to distance yourself from the pain as much as possible. Ed literally burnt his own house down to achieve this. (There were other reasons he did so - I believe him when he says he did it so they couldn't turn back - but Hohenheim wasn't wrong in his claim that Ed ran away.)

Emotional dysregulation: This is a broader symptom that manifests in things like self-destructive behavior, overwhelming guilt/fear/horror/anger/shame about the event, irrational outbursts of anger and aggressive behavior, hypervigilance, and exaggeratedly negative perceptions of oneself and/or the world. Sound familiar?

It's an easy enough to conclude that Edward Elric has PTSD, but it's amazing to actually see that illustrated accurately by the manga/anime. Arakawa did her research, and I did a lot of crying while watching the show :"D

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Edward Elric Has PTSD

I mean, we all already knew it, this is just hard evidence of it.

Ed is a character who not only has a very traumatic past, but also experiences a variety of traumas throughout the actual series. Because of this combined with his young age, it's pretty easy to come to the conclusion that he would have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (a mental condition that arises from extremely stressful and emotionally overwhelming situations).

I did a bit of research and found that PTSD is generally characterized by three main symptoms: intrusive memories of the trauma, avoidance of triggers related to the trauma, and emotional dysregulation/negative changes in mood.

Let's see how each of these applies to Ed, shall we?

Intrusive memories: These often manifest themselves in nightmares or vivid flashbacks. Ed has multiple nightmares and flashbacks throughout the series.

Avoidance: Basically, this is avoiding people, places, and things that remind you of the traumatic event, in order to distance yourself from the pain as much as possible. Ed literally burnt his own house down to achieve this. (There were other reasons he did so - I believe him when he says he did it so they couldn't turn back - but Hohenheim wasn't wrong in his claim that Ed ran away.)

Emotional dysregulation: This is a broader symptom that manifests in things like self-destructive behavior, overwhelming guilt/fear/horror/anger/shame about the event, irrational outbursts of anger and aggressive behavior, hypervigilance, and exaggeratedly negative perceptions of oneself and/or the world. Sound familiar?

It's an easy enough to conclude that Edward Elric has PTSD, but it's amazing to actually see that illustrated accurately by the manga/anime. Arakawa did her research, and I did a lot of crying while watching the show :"D

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potential things the J in Solf J Kimblee could stand for:

-Jolf

-Jimblee

-Jake

-Joe Mama

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I think people don't really appreciate how young Ed and Al were when they attempted human transmutation. Not just on an emotional level, but on an intellectual level.

I mean, aside from Father's awful planning skills, there's a reason there were so few candidates for human transmutation: it's stupidly hard to do. It requires intensive knowledge of biology/the human body, medical fields, and probably a ton of other stuff. Anyone who attempts it would have to know EVERY SINGLE bone, muscle, and part that exists in the body in order to accurately create it. Not to mention there are no books on this, since it's illegal; the researchers are completely on their own.

To actually get to a level where you could even try human transmutation would take a genius-level intellect, the prodigal alchemical skill needed to not mess up the transmutation itself and cause a rebound, and enough determination (or bullheadedness) to break the law by pursuing forbidden research.

And even if you have all that... good luck undergoing the invasive mindfuck that is having all the knowledge of the universe poured into your head, paying whatever toll is required of you, and surviving the physical and mental trauma of the ordeal with your sanity intact.

Honestly? That would be an achievement in and of itself, considering that experiencing the Gate and its eldritch horrors is basically The Most Traumatizing Thing in FMA. This is something that has driven grown men to insanity and despair. It's the punishment for those who dare trespass onto god's domain.

Ed and Al survived it before they hit puberty.

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"Now, let's go home. Together."