After watching FMA03 and getting to see the glorious sight of Winry pick locks in a matter of seconds (as well as the empowering duo of Winry and Sheska), I absolutely delight in headcannoning that Edward has no idea that she can do any of her neat tricks. More than once on their trips Winry has shown herself to be true MVP by fixing busted up vehicles and rigging up devices to fix situations that Ed's fists won't fix. Cue a situation (that's 110% Ed's fault, thank you very much) in which Winry and Ed are being held captive, chains and all. Ed doesn't have his alchemy anymore so he can't just bust through the chains, and it's tearing him up that he's putting Winry through this, especially after what happened at Briggs, she must be so scared and-- Meanwhile off to the side, Winry has already wriggled her tools from her sleeves, picked her locks, and is currently delightfully going through the dangerous materials the bad guys so stupidly left for them beside a bunch of scrap metal. A matter of seconds later, Winry has busted a shellshocked Ed from his chains and is shoving him up the stairs, nervously yet gleefully laughing all the way. "Winry, what the hell is going on?" Ed splutters as Winry uses her bare hands, toughened by years of automail work, to rip boards from the wall to make their exit. "How'd you get out? What's the rush? What the fuck, Win?" Winry giggles. "The bombs about to go off Ed. We gotta go." "BOMB? What bo-!" (On that day Ed was reminded of how terrifyingly brilliant his wife was, and how glad he was she had never been his enemy.)
Okay so one thing I get really frustrated with in post-canon FMA fanfics is how Winry always gets portrayed as frustrated, or even downright hating the fact that Ed is very much a wandering soul.
Disregard the fact that her last line in FMA:B is literally along the lines of “men who stay still are boring”.
Disregard that Winry always supported Ed and Al’s decisions to travel because she knew how much they needed to get distance, and later supported it because she knew that they just wanted to see the world.
Disregard Winry instantly jumping on the chance to travel whenever offered, including yearly travelling to Rush Valley and a clear enjoyment of her trip north before everything went to shit.
Just know that Winry, seven months pregnant and struggling to get around, just starts shoving shit into suitcases cause there was a skirmish to the west that resulted in plenty of casualties, including amputees, and fuck if they don’t need the greatest automail mechanic there to help them out. Es gets a few words of protest in before unceremoniously getting thrown into the train, Winry eagerly jumping in behind him cause she’s needed elsewhere and nothing will slow her down, not even pregnancy.
Down the line, family trips are common. Only they aren’t trips into Central like most country folk take. No. The Elric-Rockbells are wanders at heart, and the people on the railroads know each of their faces intimately due to their yearly trips to Xing, and their constant roaming across the country offering automail and handyman services.
They miss home on the road, but wouldn’t give up on seeing the world for anything.
Okay so I just started watching FMA03 after finishing brotherhood, and while the plot line is one of the most clearest differences between the two, the characterisation is another distinct one. Namely that of Ed's characterisation. Don't get me wrong, he's still short, short-tempered about his shortness, and devious as hell. However, FMA03 really does emphasise how much of a kid he is, and with that comes a more....hmmmm...quieter charm to him? He is much more approachable and earnest to please than the other Ed, and one of the best results of this is his relationships with others. In Brotherhood, people remarked how his determination and loyalty earned him their respect, despite his shitty attitude. He also showed no interest in anyone but Winry, and no one showed interest in him bar her. Edwin will always be one of the best romances ever written, but it still is slightly unrealistic that not a single person Ed met his age didn't at least get a little crush on him. May doesn't count as when she actually met him she was severely unimpressed, but aside from her no one showed interest in this absolute golden beauty. That's when you jump to 03 and get your absolute fix of a wild range of teens meeting him and basically low key falling in love. Clause (who I firmly headcannon as gender fluid or non-binary, rather than brushed over as a cross dressing girl for no apparent reason??) is enraptured after she gets to know him, Rose is amazed by his bravery and perseverance, and Russell literally writes him the gayest note declaring he admires Ed. Basically, what I'm getting at is FMA03 gives us Ed the golden bisexual icon we all need. Amen.
Okay so one thing I get really frustrated with in post-canon FMA fanfics is how Winry always gets portrayed as frustrated, or even downright hating the fact that Ed is very much a wandering soul. Disregard the fact that her last line in FMA:B is literally along the lines of "men who stay still are boring". Disregard that Winry always supported Ed and Al's decisions to travel because she knew how much they needed to get distance, and later supported it because she knew that they just wanted to see the world. Disregard Winry instantly jumping on the chance to travel whenever offered, including yearly travelling to Rush Valley and a clear enjoyment of her trip north before everything went to shit. Just know that Winry, seven months pregnant and struggling to get around, just starts shoving shit into suitcases cause there was a skirmish to the west that resulted in plenty of casualties, including amputees, and fuck if they don't need the greatest automail mechanic there to help them out. Es gets a few words of protest in before unceremoniously getting thrown into the train, Winry eagerly jumping in behind him cause she's needed elsewhere and nothing will slow her down, not even pregnancy. Down the line, family trips are common. Only they aren't trips into Central like most country folk take. No. The Elric-Rockbells are wanders at heart, and the people on the railroads know each of their faces intimately due to their yearly trips to Xing, and their constant roaming across the country offering automail and handyman services. They miss home on the road, but wouldn't give up on seeing the world for anything.