Alchemists full of meta. Or rather, non alchemists full of meta. Or rather, non alchemists full of bullshit. Whatever we are, we're full of bullshit.
In other words, in deference to the philosophy of equivalent exchange, we (the authors) have decided to give back to the FMA and FMA:B community (which we're admittedly VERY late in coming to) we will be posting our meta, thoughts, ideas, headcanons, some fic, and what ever other dumb things we come up with.
Enjoy, read, ask, whatever....
Understanding Transmutation Circles:
Because this stuff is so super interesting, I had to share. I’m am not a very scientific person, so this is mostly copy & pasted from here (x).
Perfect Polygons Polygraphs
Circle - Base Representing a Whole
Triangle - Air
Square - Earth
Pentagon - Fire
Pentagram - Gate
Hexagon - Water
Hexagram - Human Transmutation
Heptagon - High Energy Transmutation, Ether
Heptagram - Ether
Octagon - Life
Octagram - Soul
Other Shapes:
Isosceles Triangle - Compression in Air, Alchemical Symbols Signify Elements
Hook - Symbol Representing Attachment
Wing - A leaving, release, or return of ethereal energy.
Examination: Uncompleted connection to the gate, this is a one way transfer. 2 elements, these are arcane elements, body, and mind. Cross representing a higher power, in this case the gate. Wings representing a return of energy. 2 Rays pointing away from a central point, toward the sides of both body and mind. Hook represented by a snake, give both attachment and evil.
Final Effect: - A being is split both mentally and physically, to return to the gate. After the return the connection to the gate is broken forever, and I higher power will do something. They will be attached to the higher power forever.
Anyway, thought this would be interesting to share with you!
By the way, question: What sorts of things would you think alchemy should be used for in different areas (for story purposes)?
Mystery breeds curiosity. It’s better to exactly know the price before you try something so foolish as human transmutation. This information is dangerous, but it’s better to teach the whole truth of alchemy rather than let people remain ignorant. It’s like teaching a child to walk. They could use that information to hurt others or themselves, but it’s necessary to the life they want to live. They choose for themselves how to use it. No more secrets.
Probably Ed at some point, explaining why he’s putting human transmutation into his lesson plan.
Another sketches post because I’m too lazy to digital anything at the moment *shrug*
I feel like I should explain the context of the last one, as I do not ship these brothers…just no. Not a fan of incest. It’s a scene from a fic arisprite wrote,(which has not been published, I just beta-read) where it’s right before Ed and Winry’s wedding and Al is talking to a nervous Ed. He tells him “You and Winry deserve every happiness,” kisses him on the cheek. My headcanon for Al is that once he got his body back, he tries to convey his feelings for his loved ones through more than words (as that’s all he had for years.) He’s probably pretty clingy and touchy. And I love it. So that picture happened.
Sketch dumps of this trio of dorks. I love them so. Ed is my favorite, but for some reason Al and Winry come so much easier. Oh well, Ed just HAS to be difficult.
After I saw this picture, I got inspired. What an interesting idea, for Alphonse to sit down and give up because Ed disappeared. I don’t believe Al would ever do that, as he is the poster boy for hope. But it’s intriguing, and old suit of armor seemingly discarded sitting alone as the forest grows through it.
This is that practice I was talking about a while ago… gaah… but forest tutorials! What would I do without them?!
Where Hohenheim isn’t a buttface and doesn’t leave his kids in the hospital (again) then die. Instead, he goes to the hospital and spends his last day or so with his living family. Has a heart to heart with Ed and Al. Then he can sit on a bench outside with the grass and trees, have that lovely conversation to Trisha with that picture he’s got. Then he can die.
I’m working on this, and it’s *almost done. Just a post, in case y'all really wanted..
The fic is coming! Don’t worry! I’ll actually finish this one, I promise!
At the moment, I’m writing a fic about both Ed and Al’s separate travels across the countries. It’s a lot more than I had expected, but I’m trucking along. Got a lot of the plot figured out and some first draft. So in my excitement, I’m gonna share with you some random stuff that’s happening:
Alphonse is asthmatic and fatigues easily. But he doesn’t let it stop him from learning various martial arts and swordplay
Edward finds out he’s slightly seasick
Zampano also finds that he’s more than slightly seasick
Edward breaks his automail leg and has to be rolled home in a wheelchair, much to his dismay and Winry’s ire
Alphonse gets kidnapped by pirates
Whom he then befriends (they’re the ones who teach him how to sword fight)
Edward outs a scamming alchemist and nearly gets his nose smashed in for it
Jerso eventually gets to see his wife and daughter
Edward returns to Resembool 3 times in less than 2 years (Al returns 0 times in that time span)
We will see Roy and Riza and possibly others of Team Mustang
Also Scar
Al vs. a volcano
Edward finds a traveling buddy
CAMPING!
Edward nearly drowns in the ocean because of the weight of his automail
Mei has a step-father and 4 half siblings and they are adorable
Alphonse gets the flamel symbol tattooed on his shoulder where it had been painted on his armor
Ed and Al will meet up again! Eventually…
So, there’s a bit of what I’ve got planned. Stay tuned, I will finish someday!
Summary: ‘The feeling of the rushed breath pulling and pushing in and out of his lungs was amazing. A little painful, but in a good way. He could feel. And that was all that mattered to him in these moments. He was weak, and fragile, and so much more human than he’d felt in so long.’ Oneshot set a couple months after returning to Resembool.
Hello, dear followers! I just wanna say thanks for following our blog. Y'all are super great! Hugs and cookies for all of you. And here’s a happy halloween from our favorite people!
Roy’s gate is inscribed with the Flame Alchemy array, similar to what’s tattooed on Riza’s back.
According to the wiki, the Gate of Truth is source of all alchemical knowledge, and serves as the entrance into the domain of God, where men are not meant to tread. The engravings reflect each person’s innermost self, and their understanding of “The Truth” i.e., the Universe and all contained within it. (does this mean that Roy’s perception of reality is only viewed through the lens of Riza Hawkeye and/or Flame Alchemy? Maybe. Maybe not. Up to you to determine if that makes them soulmates. MOVING RIGHT ALONG.)
What I found really interesting about this is that while every gate IS truth, a person’s perception of the universe will change how they view it. Understanding Ed’s gate through this light is fundamental to his character and how he perceives the world around him. And that’s the ride we’re going on today, because Ed’s gate is FASCINATING.
Ed’s gate is the Tree of Life. Versions of the Tree of Life can be found in practically every religious tradition from ancient Assyrian religion to modern-day Christianity. Most commonly, the Tree of Life is a symbol of knowledge, connecting heaven to the underworld and connecting ALL forms of knowledge together.
Ed’s gate isn’t just a bastardization of any Tree of Life. It’s specifically the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, called Eitz Chaim, from the Jewish tradition of Kabbalah.
Kabbalists believe that that Tree is a representation of how the universe came to be. Branching out from the Tree are words for God (Elohim, El, Eloah, Adonai, and so on). The Tree ALSO represents where human knowledge of the origins of the Universe END. The tree flows from pure nothingness and energy to actual physical universe, in the roots, and then this process is thought to reverse itself. “Thus, the Kabbalist seeks to know himself and the universe as an expression of God and to make the journey of return by means of the stages charted by the spheres, until he has come to the realization he sought.” (source)
even MORE interesting, The Tree of Life can be interpreted as the very same tree that Eve ate the apple from, became “knowledgeable like God”, and was thus kicked from Eden.
So, what does this it mean for Edward “I don’t believe in God” Elric that the very essence of his being is tied to knowledge as an expression of the very divinity he refuses to acknowledge? Especially when we think about Al’s gate which is simply about the nature of alchemy, just knowledge for knowledge’s sake, what does it mean that Ed’s perception of Truth is indelibly intertwined with Faith, with God?
We know that Ed views himself as Icarus and that his attempt to bring his mother back was flying too close to the sun. That he’s bitter over having bitten the apple of Knowledge, and thus been kicked from Eden. The fact that his gate insists on there being a natural stopping point to what can be known by man, and it all flows back to God, seems almost antithetical to Ed’s character.
However.
I posit that it’s not. It’s not, at all. All gates are truth. The idea that energy is not limitless, that it starts from one place, intangible, flows to become physical, and then back again, losing none, only being transformed, is EXACTLY what Ed believes:In order to obtain or create something, something of equal value must be given up in exchange.
Ed’s belief in equivalent exchange is so strong that it bypasses a simple alchemical truth that must be learned to perform transmutations and becomes his very perception of the universe- his truth, or perhaps you could call it his faith. Whether or not this faith is “true” in the way one could evaluate religion is irrelevant; we know equivalence is a law of the universe, and Ed’s belief in it is what matters.
So, with this in mind, remember what Ed does to retrieve Al?
He gives up his gate. He literally destroys how he perceives what Truth is. I don’t think this means that Ed no longer believes in equivalence, but that he understands that there are powers that supersede conservation of energy.
After all, the Tree of Life is not only about energy changing forms, but about God creating the universe out of (in many interpretations) love. And when Ed destroys his Tree, destroys his ability to manipulate matter and participate in this great exchange, even destroys the natural stopping point that protects him from flying too close to the sun, does he not do that out of love, too?
