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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

[milkisgross]

Right now I'm just trying to familiarize myself with what I might run into while I'm stuck here. Someone made a point that I'd have to adapt, and this is my attempt to do that.

At most, I intend to see if anything I learn here might be applied to my alchemy. Since you asked, it's the science of analyzing, deconstructing, and reconstructing matter. It has a pretty wide range of uses, from fixing stuff to making new things, to warfare, to medicine.

[schmisse]

It's wise to adapt. I'm doing the same.

I've never heard of such a science before. But it sounds very useful.

It also sounds like a kind of study that can be easily abused. How is it regulated?

[milkisgross]

It can be immensely useful, but you're right about it being abused too.

In Amestris, there are laws in place to prevent people from going overboard. For example, it's illegal to transmute gold because it would screw up the economy. There are also laws against human transmutation which is considered taboo by larger society.

Though in the case of human transmutation, the resulting rebound that the alchemist would experience would likely kill them anyway.

[Though that obviously doesn't stop everyone from trying...]

[schmisse]

What happens to the people who break the law?

[milkisgross]

They're usually sent to prison. In more serious cases, the death penalty might even be used.

[schmisse]

What sort of prison do you have that can stop alchemists?

[milkisgross]

There's no specialized prison to deal with alchemists that I know of. So long as you take way their ability to draw or use transmutation circles, most alchemists aren't any different from locking up anyone else.

I guess it gets more complicated when you have people like Kimbley. He's an alchemist who has a part of a transmutation circle tattooed on the palm of his hands. When he brings his hands together, it completes the circle so he can transmute. There are hand cuffs that are used to keep people's hands apart though, so he'd be pretty defenseless if those were put on him.

[They're also effective to keep Ed from transmuting, but he's not about to spill all his secrets.]

[schmisse]

So alchemists can't just perform alchemy willy-nilly. It's good to know that there's a limit to something to powerful.

My questions might have been weird, sorry about that. They're what I'm curious about, rather than the science itself. It's not possible where I'm from, and I feel it would change so many things about Remnant if it were.

[milkisgross]

Considering your from a completely different world I don't think your questions were weird at all. It's only fair I answer a few of your questions since you answered mine.

[schmisse]

What's the weirdest question you've received so far?

[milkisgross]

Through here? Probably the question you just asked. Even in my world there are people who don't have a good understanding of alchemy, so I'm used to people asking questions about it. There was this one town my brother and I passed through where people mistook it for miracles.

A lot of the people I've spoken to here seem to think it fits under magic though. I guess it does for some worlds, but in mine it's considered a science.

[schmisse]

If there's a study to it, then I suppose it's science. We have Semblances and Dust, and we control them and we use them by making use of other factors. With magic, you can do things with just a wave of your hand and by thinking it.

But maybe one's understanding of magic differs from one world to another. Or magic in general could be different in another world.

I'm glad I was able to provide answers to your inquiry, though.

[milkisgross]

I wish I could do things just with a thought and a wave of a hand. They way magic works for you seems to be easier than it is for a lot of other people I've spoken with so far. From what I can tell magic just seems to be different from world to world, though maybe the different approaches people have taken to understand it might also be a factor.

I appreciate it. I'm glad I could teach you a little bit about alchemy in return.

[schmisse]

If you'd ever like to exchange information, I'm just a text away.

[milkisgross]

Likewise.

[OoC: If you ever wanna play out anything with Ed, you can catch me on earthykitty or PM this journal.]