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[milkisgross]

[Edward's been seeing all of these different posts come up. It's obnoxious to him, but he can see the potential of being able to communicate with so many like this, so he decided to give it a try.]

It's come to my attention that there's a few people here who use "magic." From what I've seen, there's nothing like it where I come from and I have a few questions for anyone who's willing to answer.

In science, you've got different laws that everything follows. Is that the same for magic? Does some magic have laws while others don't?

Are there different fields of magic? What are they?

Where does the energy or power come from?

What makes it "magic" and not a field of science?

Comments

text.

[madannoshashu]

Man, you’ve really opened a can of worms with this one.

Getting enough answers to your questions, or do you still have more?

[milkisgross]

Right now I'm too busy trying to sort everything I've been told to ask any more questions. I didn't expect so many people to jump in on this, and everyone's experiences with magic all seem to be really different.

I do have a question for you now that I think about it.

Got any suggestions on how to organize all this stuff? I'm swamped in notes.

[madannoshashu]

Honestly? You might wanna break this down by 'world'.

What makes sense to one dude isn't gonna make sense to another because every world's got its own rules for how and why things work.

You're not gonna find universal answers to your questions, only variations on a theme, so you might as well chart it out like that.

[milkisgross]

I was afraid you'd say something like that. I was hoping to streamline at least a little bit of it but I guess it can't be helped. Thanks anyway.

[madannoshashu]

Anytime, dude.

Kinda fond of both magic and science myself so don't feel intimidated. It's just gonna be a lot.

[milkisgross]

Yeah, I've noticed.

You're a scientist? What do you study?

[madannoshashu]

[ You’re probably going to regret asking him this question. Sorry, Ed. ]

Oh, a little of this, a little of that. Was into tech for a while, got side-tracked into studying the heart, and well, BOOM, here I am.

I get more mileage outta magic these days, but you can apply scientific thought to just about anything. It just depends on what you wanna do.

You got a specialty of your own there, friend?

[milkisgross]

[Wait a second. This wasn't the first time 'heart' was mentioned to him...]

What you say 'heart,' are you talking about the cardiovascular system or something else? Someone else seemed to use the word as another way of meaning a 'soul.'

[Which he might have some problems with.]

I'm an alchemist.

[madannoshashu]

[ Ed is going to regret ever making this post, isn't he. ]

Oh, something else, most definitely. I see Helmet Head's done a good job of muddying the waters, so to speak, but a 'heart' is most certainly different from a soul in our neck of the woods.

[ Which makes things everything better, right? ]

And what do alchemists do, where you're from?

[milkisgross]

[He already is. He started something he probably can't even begin to finish.]

What's the difference then?

[Ed's not so sure he wants to explain himself to this guy anymore, but what's the harm in giving him some information that's considered common knowledge back home? Besides, why would the other guy open up if he was unwilling to do so?]

It depends on the alchemist. Most offer their knowledge and services to assist the community. "Alchemists be for the people," is how the saying goes.

Then you've got State Alchemists, like myself. We're a part of the military, and since we don't follow the saying above, people tend to refer to us as "dogs of the military." We're expected to provide our expertise to the state without question. In return, we're given a large research grant and access to research that are off limits to civilians.

[madannoshashu]

Quite a bit, actually. The soul is like your ghost, spirit, whatever you wanna call it. It's your consciousness, the thing that keeps the body living.

The heart, though, is different. That's the part that lets you feel. A sort of metaphysical seat of emotion, if you will. You can lose that and live, but it ain't exactly a picnic.

[ He most certainly isn't speaking from experience there. As for the rest of it... ]

Ohhh, snazzy. Sounds like a cozy sort of gig.

Just gonna make sure I'm clear on my definitions, though; your alchemy is science, and you convert matter, is that right?

[milkisgross]

I never thought one's consciousness and emotions were really separate. I don't know if that line of thought would apply to the soul where I'm from, but it's still something to think about.

So, if a person loses their 'heart,' are they just wandering around as emotionless shells or something? Is it possible for people to get it back after they've lost it?

[A cozy sort of gig, huh? The only guy he knew who would call it that is Kimbley. Hm.]

I wouldn't call it cozy. State Alchemists are human weapons to be used by the state as tools for destruction. There are a lot of people who look down on them for that. I've come across a lot of flack because of my license.

That's right. It can be applied to just about anything, so long as you follow the laws of Equivalent Exchange.

[madannoshashu]

It's kinda tricky sometimes, and there is a little overlap since the two belong together, naturally, but that's the best way to think about it.

Generally, the state of a person who loses their heart is pretty sad. The shell that's left behind very rarely keeps a human shape or memories so you're left with a spindly sorta critter called a 'Nobody'. Not real bright and generally sorta aimless.

It's reversible, if certain conditions are met, but I wouldn't wanna bore you with so many technicalities.

[ Xigbar and Kimbley would probably hit it of, lbr. ]

Yeah? If it's so bad, why do it at all, then?

[ Simple enough solution, no? ]

Interesting. I'd like to see that sometime, if you're ever up for a demonstration. I could show you a little magic, too, if you're interested in that.

[milkisgross]

[And it's this description of a Nobody that Ed starts having trouble following this.]

The physical body actually changes when you remove a heart? Is there something else I missed that explains that?

[They probably would. I'd pay to see some CR between those guys.]

Personally, I enlisted to gain access to the research. I can't deny that the money and influence haven't been helpful at times despite the misgivings a lot of people have about State Alchemists though.

I wouldn't mind giving a demonstration. Just give me a time and place.

[OoC: Just let me know if you want to play this out. We can toss it up under Ed's catch-all or if you'd rather post it elsewhere, that's fine too.]

[madannoshashu]

Sure it does. If somebody came along and ripped your physical body apart, you'd look like a mangled mess, wouldn't you?

Same principle applies. If you rip apart the metaphysical elements that make somebody a whole person, you're gonna wind up with a nasty result.

There are ways to do it more precisely, but most of the time when it happens, a person's heart is violently ripped away by critters that eat them. So all around, not very pleasant.

[ They'd have way too much fun, and it would be terrible. ]

Fair enough.

[ He knows enough about morally ambiguous choices that he's not about to rib on Ed for it. Or at least, not at the moment. ]

Tomorrow evening sometime work for you?

[ ooc: Oho, I would love to! c: I'll hit up your catch-all!!! ]

[milkisgross]

I guess that makes sense. Are these creature that eat hearts a common problem where you're from? It sounds like they could do a lot of damage.

Tomorrow evening is fine. Does the Greatmoon Groves work for you. There's planty of open space there where we shouldn't bother anyone.

[madannoshashu]

It's been an ongoing problem for a while now, and the thing is, you can't really ever entirely get rid of them.

They're not too bad if you just find batches of 'em here and there, but it can get real messy.

[ He's just gonna conveniently not mention his own part in Heartless spawning all over the place over the last ten year, yep. ]

Sounds like a plan to me! The name's Xigbar, by the by. You?

[milkisgross]

Maybe containment would be a better solution? Then again, if they were all kept together and managed to get loose, that'd just lead to a whole new mess...

[That decision is for the best. Ed's not as annoying if you stay on his good side. Usually.]

Edward Elric. I'll see you there. I'll be the guy with the blonde braid and the red coat.

[madannoshashu]

A nice idea in theory, but since they can spawn in just about any world, that's pretty hard to do.

[ He's not dumb. No need to have more altruistic sorts on his case, especially if they don't know him. ]

Nice. I'll be the dude in a black coat with an eye patch. See ya, then.