sig curtis is painfully underappreciated, this was so good

wow, that last line was really powerful

submitted ao3

Oh eerie! Noah is a very underused character. Curious to see what you’ll do with her

submitted:ao3

This was an good chapter.

Don't worry about what is happening whit Noah, I think you're doing it right.

I always thought that Riza and Winry had a mother-daugher relationshipt too.

Hi there! Mei is such a great character. So wonderfully warm and giving and supportive. Wants to see the best in people and wants to do what is best for people. Despite what Noah did to Winry she still wants to help her. She doesn’t want to see her incarcerated in a prison and forgotten about, not if they can find an answer for what pushed Noah over the edge. I’ve never agreed with dumping Noah into a prison and forgetting her existence as you know. Finding what is wrong and seeing if it can be fixed is more prudent to me. Especially since having a doppelgänger in the same world could cause a slew of other problems that they just don’t need.

I thought the way you explained Noah’s chi being off worked perfectly. Course, maybe I’m not the dumbass that Roy is or I’ve just watched enough supernatural and ghost adventures shows to know how serious doppelgängers are. This theory has been used in many movies and tv shows. Many with disastrous consequences. Noah not belonging to their world and slowly rotting because of it shows how you shouldn’t mess with things like portals. Ed was trying to help Noah. He was trying to give her a better life. Sadly, the phrase “hell is paved with the best intentions” applies here. His intentions were good but it has had hellish repercussions on Winry.

Learning from Ed how he lost years on his life by using his soul to heal a part of himself explains why he can’t use alchemy. I gotta admit that I’m with Ed in that this chi test could be dangerous for Mei in that same way using his own soul was for him. I give Mei credit that she’s willing to do this for someone she doesn’t know and has no reason to help. It’s again a credit to her and the person she is that she’s willing to take such a risky chance to help figure out what is wrong with Noah.

Excellent job as always!

I just wanted to let you know that I completely agree with your assessment of Noah. I just watched the movie the other day, and I was stunned as to why they elected to have Ed stay with her instead of with Winry and the rest of his family and friends in a Amestris. It just makes absolutely no sense to me.

Yes, Roy! I am excited about his presence, and the reunion scene was very well done! I'm glad that with the years Ed learned to trust others other than himself, because otherwise this situation would have been a mess.
I agree with you about Noah and the bedroom scene. All in all, I think the idea behind CoS had great potential but a single movie couldn't bring out it all. There was enough material for another series.
Thank you so much for writing and sharing!

Hi there! The flashback gives context to what Noah did but also why. Ed’s memories of home became like a drug to her. A beautiful, wonderful drug that she couldn’t get enough of. His world clearly was opposite of hers. Brighter, full of life, and a freedom that she has never known. That’s highly addictive and corrosive at the same time. She became addicted to what his memories offered and sacrificed integrity and respect to get them. She didn’t account for Ed’s feelings in the matter or what he didn’t feel the same about her as she did him. She viewed what she was doing as necessary, as the only way she could finally escape the nightmare she was living. Does it make it right? Absolutely not. It makes her human. Flawed, desperate, imperfect, selfish even. Human.

Noah also has no right to blame Winry for what happened. Granted, I do still blame a lot of this on Ed but as we learn through Mustang’s eyes, Ed is still really young despite all he’s seen and done. He missed that Noah wasn’t completely mentally stable or that she had developed feelings for him. He didn’t realize that bringing her home to Winry could be problematic or that it might cause her to break psychologically and actually physically attack Winry. That is something he has to work through and acknowledge. To accept his part in. He did play a part in that happening but he couldn’t predict it happening. Nobody could really. I don’t even think Noah could.

Mustang comes in and fills the role that is missing here: the unbiased outsider. He doesn’t know Noah and can’t judge her based on past exploits. He can only judge her based on what has happened and what events led up to the event itself. He’s impartial in a sense and hopefully will see to it that Noah gets the help that she clearly needs. Is she a danger to Winry? Yes, definitely. She feels that Winry is the one preventing Ed from falling in love with her. She’s keeping her from having that perfect life she allowed herself to want. She could try and attack her again should they not keep an eye on her. Getting her somewhere where she can’t cause Winry harm is the best for all involved. Especially Noah who needs to be treated by someone who can figure out what is going on with her and act accordingly.

Another great chapter!

Oh man. Oh MAN. You really nailed this one, from Noah's twisted sense of entitlement to Winry's panic to the ROY HUG (!) and drawing the parallel between Hawkeye's near-death and Winry's. Really stunning-and I loved the bit about Ed never lying to Riza. So delicately handled and really well-written. I think you're doing such a good job with all the complexities at work here. Thanks for the update!

Oh, this was SO sweet and sad. Mei being there for Al, and SIG BEING THERE FOR ED. Oh boy. Ed breaking down like that hit really hard.

Excited to see how things turn out once Roy and Riza step in!

Hi there! I feel for Ed, I do, but Noah is getting a bit of a bad deal. Is she culpable? Totally. She did stab Winry. She did intend her harm. However, there just seems to be something driving what is going on with her. Prison isn’t the answer in my mind. What the answer is, I don’t know. The pieces haven’t all fallen into place yet. It’s not clear what the problem is. It’s not all jealousy or her being a cold-blooded murder. She’s damaged in ways that haven’t been explored yet. I’m kinda hoping that with Roy showing up that we might get some answers and see some other options presented.

Sig is really a giant teddy bear. It’s clear that he cares about Ed and Alphonse and Winry and Mei. Same as it’s clear that he loved his wife, Izumi. However, don’t mess with him. He’s clearly a bear that can carry a helluva wallop. Something that Ed recognizes as he clearly doesn’t want to get his bells rung a second time. Sig doesn’t BS with Ed. He pretty much lays it all on the line and lets Ed makes the decisions for himself. Through Sig we also get that Ed is only eighteen. He’s seen a lot in his years. He’s been through more than most kids his age. However, just because he’s seen a lot for his age doesn’t make him mature enough or wise enough to come up with the answer for what to do about Noah. It’s a complicated situation and one that requires careful thought and consideration.

I really do like Mei. She’s such a sweet girl. She doesn’t like what Sig and Alphonse have planned for Noah but doesn’t want to step onto toes by expressing her feelings and thoughts. When she does do so in private and sees how it makes Alphonse feels, she instantly is contrite and apologizes to him. She’s generous and caring and giving. The kind of person that Alphonse and Ed need in their lives. She’s supportive but also tough and honest.

Another really great chapter!

Hi there! I like Sig already. He’s a big ole bear but there’s a gentleness in him that says he’s less of a polar or grizzly bear and more of a brown or black bear that isn’t in hunt mode. There’s a gruff hardness to him but it’s clear he cares about Al and Ed and Winry and Mei. He doesn’t take no guff but he also doesn’t hold Al’s hand. He lays it on the line for him: they have to make Noah disappear to punish her. That is harsh. Turning her into a nothing, a nobody for what she did. Was what she did wrong? Oh hell yes. However, the fact that Mei has said there’s something not right inside of Noah and that Al can see she’s troubled says that prison is a bit harsh. There has to be somewhere else that will work better for Noah. Somewhere that she can get the help she desperately needs and pays for the crime that she committed.

Mei really comes off young when she’s pouring the water from the kettle into the mugs and twirling her hair. She’s clearly a compassionate soul. She knows that Noah is not okay. She knows there’s something wrong with her. That she isn’t right. That there’s something broken inside her. That coming through the Gate might be having an effect on her and exacerbating what was already broken. She wants to speak up in her defense but refrains, out of respect for Ed and Winry.

I feel for the position Ed is in. He wants to take care of Winry and do what is right for her but he doesn’t know what the answers are. It’s not a simple situation and solutions are not easy to be found here. It’s a difficult situation because Noah isn’t from their world and putting her in prison when he brought here there isn’t fair or right. It’ll be interesting to see what happens and what they decide to do.

Awesome job!

I think Al is the right one to take this decision, as Ed is too much involved with both Winry and Noah.
On the other hand, one would argue that yes, with their connection to Central they can male her disappear easily, but what about a trial? And if, as Mei suspects, she isn't entirely responsible, does she have to pay anyway?
I think these are interesting, morally challenging questions that have parallels in the real world, so I'm curious to see how you'll deal with it.
Thank you for writing and sharing!

And now Winry knows what is going on, too. Even like this, it will take a lot before she can forgive Noah, and I doubt she ever will. After all, as Al said, there's always another choice.
I love what you said about Winry owning her emotions. It's good that there are works of fiction that don't despise basic emotions in favour of heartless protagonists.
I am really curious to see what will happen next, keep it up and take care!

Hi there! I do feel for Ed. I do. He thought he was helping Noah by bringing her home with him but it actually has hurt multiple people here: Ed, Winry, Alphonse, Mei, and especially Noah. This is a case of good intentions leading to bad outcomes. The world is having an adverse effect on Noah and amplifying problems already there. Does it excise what Noah did? Absolutely not. It just explains that she’s not an evil person. She’s a horribly damaged one who finally snapped.

Sadly, her target ended up being Winry because Ed couldn’t see that she was in love with him. That is where he’s at fault. He didn’t realize he brought a seriously disturbed woman back with him who was in love with him. Winry does deserve answers, Ed is right about that. However, there might not be any that will make sense beyond what they have told her. Noah stabbed her in a psychotic state because Ed loved Winry and couldn’t see her because of it. Something that Ed isn’t completely putting together just yet (though he is close).

I give credit to Alphonse for trying to talk with Noah. She’s in a pretty fragile state. She’s not there mentally. Right now, I’d say she’s in a shutdown state. She’s not mentally there. She’s fragile at this point. Any little thing could snap her completely and send her into a complete disassociated state. It’s unfortunate that things have come to this. I’m hoping that going forward that Noah will get some sort of help/redemption. She’s not a bad person. She’s just someone who did bad things.

Heh and I like the way Ed exits the room when Mei helps Winry change because he knows he and Winry are not ready to see each other in a naked state. It shows he has class and moral integrity ;)

Another brilliant chapter!