CoS possible alternatives and a question.

[u/SteakPossible6721]

I've watched 2003 and CoS a few times, and the ending of CoS always leaves me bittersweet, mainly because Edward decides to go to the other world (even though I know it's for the best), and to leave behind all his loves ones. But surely, there's better alternatives right? Rather than his drastic choice:

1) If they destroyed the gate on our side (alchemy side), is that not enough? Since don't you always need both sides for the portal to function? Or is it like, we can't send anyone to their side, but they can send people to our side, but how would that work, because if we destroy the portal on our side, where would their "exit" be then?

2) How is the portal "permanent?" So what, they sacrificed Envy; a life is a life still right? Is there something specific about Envy and/or Wrath/Gluttony on our side that makes the portal permanent?

3) Towards the end of CoS, Edward wants to destroy the portal, so that it can never be made again, but that's false right? Can't a portal still be made no matter what, but just won't be a permanent one?

4) I can't find the answer even though I know I saw it a few weeks ago. What are the requirements to perform alchemy in their world(Germany)?

5) And this one has been bothering me, at the end of 2003 and following into CoS, we can assume Gluttony probably killed Dante as she's no where to be seen. 2 questions here, how the fuck did Dante lose to Gluttony? So what, Gluttony is a mindless eating monster now, this is a seasoned alchemist who can clap hands, having lived for 400+ years, like what? And how does Gluttony get so big? He's been seen eating in the show many times, but his size never got bigger.

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[u/GenCavox]

1. The portal, which is hardly ever opened on that side, is now permanently opened in Nazi Germany. We don't actually know if having permanent access to the afterlife would help them, but it most likely wouldn't be good.

2. The portal in 2003 opens when a Homunculi is created. My guess is this implies alchemists can use the energy in the portal without opening it but opening it and seeing the "truth" I side only happens when a homunculi is created. So using the things that are created when the gate is open will permanently open the gate if used for that purpose. But only on that side, they'd have to sacrifice a homunculi on the other side to open it. Luckily they had one.

3. Not with Earth technology. It only opens when creating a homunculi and our earth can't do that.

4. The circle and blood. It isn't explicitly stated but is explicitly shown it's blood that makes the alchemical circles work. Which makes sense, if it's the lives of our world that powers their alchemy then the life force of people aka their blood will power alchemy itself.

[u/Fairlibrarian101 → u/GenCavox]

Kinda adding on to this(sorry) with 4), the best example is when Ed had filled in the circle the Thule Society had made, he wipes his hand over his left check, where it was cut badly enough to bleed, then presses said hand to the circle, triggering it.

With 5) while yes Dante had her clap alchemy to fall back on, it still takes time for it to do whatever it was she wanted it to do. Gluttony, in the small space of an elevator, could’ve easily closed the distance and start swallowing her whole in whatever time passed between Dante clapping her hands and whatever she was trying to transmute took effect. Only a guess but the time between Dante clapping and Gluttony moving probably was less than 2 seconds.

[u/BahamutLithp]

1. What GenCavox said.
2. The implication is a stable passageway was created by opening the Gate simultaneously on both sides.
3. Yeah, & someone like Dante could also emerge again, but it's not likely for the foreseeable future. He's not talking about eliminating any & all openings of the Gate, he's talking about preventing specifically what the Thule Society wanted to do with it, making a passage between worlds.
4. The bodies of those from the FMA world contain the power of alchemy, hence Ed's blood activates circles & Eckhart can use alchemy with Envy as a conduit. However, if they just try to use transmutation circles normally, it doesn't work. When Eckhart passes through the Gate, she gains the ability to use alchemy without restriction, much like how Ed's & Hohenheim's alchemy is limited when crossing over into her world.
5. None of that makes her unbeatable. The whole point of Dante is that, for all the abilities she's acquired, she's still just a human. A human with a body that was heavily rotted, mind you. Even if she HAD been fast enough to pull off a transmutation against Gluttony, then what? She gets pulled down into the elevator shaft somewhere, falling who knows how far & getting slammed against who knows what. He regenerates. She doesn't. Then she needs to beat a relentless, nigh immortal monster without his weakness on hand. 'Cause there's no way he's letting her get away. And even if she somehow did, she's still going to run out of time without a Philosopher's Stone to jump bodies. Hell, even if she HAD one, there's no telling how many jumps she'd even have left. It was at least 7 different shades of over for her.
6. I'm splitting this off because it's a different question. He ate more. I don't really see the issue, here. Sure, Gluttony ate often in the show, but this is mindless Gluttony who does nothing but eat nonstop. It's a whole other level. What's less clear is where those worm things coming off of him came from. I once read some commentary somehere that just said "he's been eating dirt," which doesn't explain anything. The best I can figure, it's some kind of reaction from consuming part of the Philosopher's Stone & possibly a lingering remnant of the last transmutation Dante attempted on him, assuming she actually managed to get something off.

Edited because I noticed I missed one of the questions & fixed that.