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Thoughts on FMA 57
All right... I decided that, before I get thoroughly sick of all this speculation on 57, I should get down my own. Unfortunately, being scatterbrained and nuts in addition to being lazy, I'm going to do it in a way that will make it very unlikely that anyone will bother reading it. (Safer that way...) So, here we've got a transcript of everything I dumped on ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sketchyheart last night... exactly as it was, including the random segue from anime canon and back that had nothing to do with anything, save for Scar and Wrath (who, as far as the rest of the conversation goes, have nothing to do with anything).
(21:30:27) Me: uahh... I'm still trying to figure out what that tattoo means
(21:30:35) Me: evil LJ!
(21:30:39) Shlee: *decided it was easier not to think about it*
(21:30:49) Me: it all hinges on whether or not Roy knows about it...
(21:31:01) Me: it was obviously done before the war, or at least early in it...
(21:31:06) Shlee: hmm o_o
(21:31:20) Me: and as far as I can tell, none of the alliances that are around now were around during the war
(21:31:48) Me: from what I've seen of people talking, Roy was even formal with Hughes. So whatever everyone's saying about Hawkeye getting it for Roy is pretty baseless
(21:31:56) Me: though it rather obviously has something to do with Roy
(21:32:16) Me: so, either it's to do with the military, and whatever she had to do by watching over him during the war, or there's a third side to things that she's a part of
(21:32:32) Shlee: hmmmmmm o_o
(21:32:45) Me: I like the third side thing, but the fact that the tattoo's been scarred over means that this third side wouldn't really be active anymore... or at least, Riza wouldn't be active with it, which means it doesn't share Roy's goals
(21:33:48) Me: and it probably would've come up as another secret trump card the two of them had if it was relevant at all
(21:33:59) Me: so, it's probably a backstory thing...
(21:34:06) Shlee: ... yay backstory :D
(21:34:10) Me: ::nods::
(21:34:23) Me: you know, I think it's amazing how much I trust Arakawa right now that I'm not flipping out about this
(21:34:36) Me: because there are so many terrible places this could lead in the hands of the wrong writer
(21:34:37) Me: (-;
(21:34:49) Shlee: hehehe
(21:34:59) Shlee: oooh, translation. *nabs*
(21:35:02) Me: that is one freaking gaudy array, and it's so easy to go "Hay, sekrit alchemist, zomgah"
(21:35:12) Me: or "Royai, squeeee"
(21:35:19) Shlee: or both, really.
(21:35:22) Shlee: =_=
(21:35:27) Me: ::nods:: for the most part, I keep seeing both
(21:35:44) Me: I think, however, this will push us away from Royai.
(21:35:53) Shlee:yay
(21:36:01) Me: but perhaps I'm being overly positive in putting my own anti-pairing, noromo, evil heartless spin on things
(21:37:15) Shlee: kekeke
(21:37:52) Me: and I can't help that one of my favourite roles for Riza has always been double agent
(21:38:16) Me: everyone knows Roy isn't the best judge in the world... after all, look what happened when he decided to tell someone else that the Fuhrer was a homunculus
(21:38:27) Shlee: *nod* >>
(21:38:41) Me: though, on the whole, I'm totally going for the Scully way of things. In that she was stuck there to keep an eye on him, and just got caught up in things in the end.
(21:38:52) Me: (which is really what it looks like right now, anyway)
(21:38:59) Shlee: dundundun
(21:39:17) Me: and I'm going to trust Arakawa not to go "Omg, Roy is dead but wait, no he's notZOMBIE!, and hey, look, Riza's preggers with his baby!"
(21:39:46) Me: because, really, no one should have ever trusted most of the writers the X-Files had with anything resembling a good partnership
(21:40:31) Shlee: hehehe
(21:41:42) Me: there... I think that's all out of my system
(21:42:02) Shlee: :D
(21:42:09) Me: but dude, that's such a complicated array. and Hawkeye knows what it is for. I want to know what it's for, too. Because you need some really handy alchemists for something like that
(21:42:21) Shlee: *nodnod*
(21:42:33) Me: wtf was going onnnn
(21:42:59) Me: unless she doesn't know it's there
(21:43:38) Me: I dunno how that would get there without her noticing, but if this human sacrifice thing goes really super deep, there's probably a system designed to have hostages that can be used against them
(21:43:53) Me: so Hawkeye would be Roy's weak point. And this would mean something similar has been put on Winry to use against Ed and Al.
(21:44:02) Shlee: :o
(21:45:06) Shlee: (Freaking Jack. I loveth him. I hate him for having 15 freaking million more facial expressions than Havoc, though, as I could have used some of those. But they make me love him even more, too.)
(21:45:14) Shlee: (*has that out of her system now too*) ... :D;
(21:45:25) Me: (hehehehe)
(21:46:38) Me: then again, there's no way Hawkeye wouldn't know about it... she's had it for over ten years... no way someone doesn't see their back for ten years
(21:46:42) Me: plus she's always wearing the high collars
(21:47:00) Me: so she's hiding it... which reminds me that's why I figured Roy didn't know about it
(21:48:18) Me: and what was Bradley talking to Winry about in chapter 48??
(21:48:32) Me: (that really has nothing to do with anything)
(21:48:42) Shlee: uhhhhhhm
(21:48:51) Shlee: I don't remember o_o
(21:48:56) Me: so... Riza knows what the tattoo is for, and that it's there. (this is sounding suspicously like where I started from)...
(21:49:08) Me: We don't know, unless I skimmed the chapter wrong
(21:49:25) Me: unless she just knows it's there, and doesn't know why... but feels compelled to hide it anyway
(21:49:52) Me: I'm sure she would've asked Roy about it, though... so if it had anything to do with the military, they would've figured out different parts of the conspiracy earlier, non?
(21:50:03) Me: ahhhhh, wtf
(21:50:32) Shlee: *lets people that are intelligent ponder all this out* 8D
(21:50:48) Me: ::should totally be pondering other things::
(21:51:13) Shlee: kekeke
(21:51:42) Shlee: *debates fulfilling the urges to make Jack icons* >__>
(21:51:42) Me: ahhh, but it has to do with Roy... so if she hasn't told him, she's still working a different side
(21:51:59) Shlee: hummm
(21:52:10) Me: she's hiding it, but whether it's from the rest of the military, or Roy is totally up in the air...
(21:52:58) Me: okay... so, there was a third side that... no, that just doesn't work
(21:53:07) Me: I can't see a third side here anywhere, aside from Xing
(21:53:14) Me: but Xing's not going to have anything in Latin written on their arrays
(21:53:28) Me: okay... so the array is alchemy...
(21:53:53) Shlee: *watches*
(21:54:52) Me: there's no way Hawkeye doesn't know that's Roy's array... but Roy's made no mention of it being useful at all in their questy-thing, so its use is obsolete (unless he can't figure out the rest of the array, but if that was a problem, he'd have been seen putting some sort of research into it, ja?)
(21:55:04) Me: gaaaah, what is going on here?
(21:56:40) Me: okay... if I were a useless alchemy array on Roy's right-hand-woman's back, would he know about me?
(21:57:02) Shlee: I would like to say that the answer is yes.
(21:57:09) Me: currently-useless... I am currently useless. And an array for alchemy. Am I useful in the past, or will I be useful?
(21:57:36) Me: if I was useful in the past, am I still useful, if reconstructed? If Roy knows about me, does he know how to reconstruct me?
(21:57:51) Me: I am a very curious array.
(21:57:57) Me: Pun intended.
(21:58:09) Shlee: kekeke
(21:58:31) Me: okay, so if Roy knows then the array is of no import save for as backstory
(21:59:09) Me: which really pushes me back on the track of believing it was some sort of cautionary measure to keep him in line during the war or something. which would mean there are likely others to keep the other alchemists in control? that makes no sense...
(21:59:21) Me: so, Roy must've been highlighted as a potential sacrifice early on.
(21:59:55) Me: and wait, Marcoh created the actual Philosopher's Stone? Or was he just trying not to confuse Scar?
(22:00:54) Shlee: I'm thinking he might just mean that prototype deal. But... who knows, it could've been the real thing.
(22:00:55) Me: And it still bothers me that Scar suddenly understands alchemy because of his brother's arm. And Wrath knows alchemy because of Ed's arm. (since the leg came off pre-Gate-infodump).
(22:01:07) Me: (jumping to anime canon, yay)
(22:01:13) Shlee: (yayyy)
(22:01:18) Shlee: (..... *regrettably being busy fangirling Jack* Jack = Havoc so much. Havoc's VA plays him on the drama CD thingy. ....Buh.)
(22:01:29) Me: It makes a plotpoint I want to play with, though.
(22:01:33) Shlee: :D
(22:02:00) Me: I mean, is it the exchange of blood? Or is it the physical limb itself? How much would have to be borrowed in order to exchange knowledge?
(22:02:17) Me: (that's probably better for you than giving my rambling your full attention anyway. (-; Hee, Jack)
(22:02:28) Shlee: (kekeke)
(22:02:50) Me: Wouldn't that make blood transfusions crazy in Amestris? Do they have to sort blood types by O, A, B, and Alchemist-O and Alchemist-A?
(22:03:03) Me: or maybe there's a trick to it, that you have to switch limbs using alchemy.
(22:03:30) Me: but, does this mean alchemical knowledge is contained in the blood? something in the dna?
(22:03:44) Me: couldn't be DNA, because after a while the blood would be replaced by your own.
(22:03:56) Me: it is safe to say none of Scar's brother's blood is in Scar anymore.
(22:04:16) Me:omg how am I still rambling about these things?
(22:04:33) Me: so it has to do with the limb... somehow. like maybe a bit of the soul is there with it?
(22:04:44) Shlee: *hums* It might be something else that's a kind of permanent alteration. That might help explain the whole "CAN'T USE ALCHEMY EFFING EFF" bit.
(22:05:01) Shlee: but, I'd have to reread those chapters before I try to say anything. ;D
(22:05:15) Me: kind of like how after Sarutobi stole Orochimaru's arm-part of his soul
(22:05:40) Me: Oh, the CAN'T USE ALCHEMY EFFING EFF field affected all the alchemists everywhere... it was weird
(22:06:06) Shlee: yeah, I couldn't remember if it was everyone in that little general area of the city or Everywhere.
(22:06:14) Me: or at least, it seems like that was implied at the end of 56 or whenever Ed was doing cleanup duty
(22:06:31) Me: could be general area
(22:07:42) Me: I need to remind myself to stop questioning Roy's merit as a sacrifice. I keep forgetting that he's actually a useful alchemist in the manga, unlike in the anime where he only uses non-flame alchemy once.
(22:09:09) Shlee: hehehe
(22:09:36) Me: <3 Manga!Roy... because if it wasn't for him, I'd probably still not care about Roy at all
(22:09:54) Shlee: X3
(22:10:04) Shlee: yay Manga!Roy!
(22:10:14) Me: yay!
(22:11:00) Me: all right... I think I might be done with my rambling ^_^
Also, it's finally raining! Yay! And by all means, if you get through that, argue with me. I'm bored, and thankfully it'll be thinking that doesn't involve the incestuous themes in Chateaubriand's René.
P.S. [9:16] You know... to keep myself from making like, fifty billion entries today, I have one more thing to ask. It has come to my attention that once upon a time I owned the Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? cassette. Every once in a while, I tear my house apart looking for it, but I'm never successful. It's such an important part of my early life that nostalgia commands that I find at least the music. Anyone happen to have it handy? Or not-so-handy, but know where to find it? It started with Capital, and ended with Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? And in the middle, there were songs that were not all Rockapella, but were also quite good (like Brian Dewan's The Violin). And all the copies I can find are not only CD-format, but freaking expensive. This makes me sad. This is kind of like the situation with my Fight the Future soundtrack, which disappeared after I discovered years later that I actually liked most of the artists on it (though that one's way easier to replace). Sigh.
sketchyheart last night... exactly as it was, including the random segue from anime canon and back that had nothing to do with anything, save for Scar and Wrath (who, as far as the rest of the conversation goes, have nothing to do with anything).(21:30:27) Me: uahh... I'm still trying to figure out what that tattoo means
(21:30:35) Me: evil LJ!
(21:30:39) Shlee: *decided it was easier not to think about it*
(21:30:49) Me: it all hinges on whether or not Roy knows about it...
(21:31:01) Me: it was obviously done before the war, or at least early in it...
(21:31:06) Shlee: hmm o_o
(21:31:20) Me: and as far as I can tell, none of the alliances that are around now were around during the war
(21:31:48) Me: from what I've seen of people talking, Roy was even formal with Hughes. So whatever everyone's saying about Hawkeye getting it for Roy is pretty baseless
(21:31:56) Me: though it rather obviously has something to do with Roy
(21:32:16) Me: so, either it's to do with the military, and whatever she had to do by watching over him during the war, or there's a third side to things that she's a part of
(21:32:32) Shlee: hmmmmmm o_o
(21:32:45) Me: I like the third side thing, but the fact that the tattoo's been scarred over means that this third side wouldn't really be active anymore... or at least, Riza wouldn't be active with it, which means it doesn't share Roy's goals
(21:33:48) Me: and it probably would've come up as another secret trump card the two of them had if it was relevant at all
(21:33:59) Me: so, it's probably a backstory thing...
(21:34:06) Shlee: ... yay backstory :D
(21:34:10) Me: ::nods::
(21:34:23) Me: you know, I think it's amazing how much I trust Arakawa right now that I'm not flipping out about this
(21:34:36) Me: because there are so many terrible places this could lead in the hands of the wrong writer
(21:34:37) Me: (-;
(21:34:49) Shlee: hehehe
(21:34:59) Shlee: oooh, translation. *nabs*
(21:35:02) Me: that is one freaking gaudy array, and it's so easy to go "Hay, sekrit alchemist, zomgah"
(21:35:12) Me: or "Royai, squeeee"
(21:35:19) Shlee: or both, really.
(21:35:22) Shlee: =_=
(21:35:27) Me: ::nods:: for the most part, I keep seeing both
(21:35:44) Me: I think, however, this will push us away from Royai.
(21:35:53) Shlee:
(21:36:01) Me: but perhaps I'm being overly positive in putting my own anti-pairing, noromo, evil heartless spin on things
(21:37:15) Shlee: kekeke
(21:37:52) Me: and I can't help that one of my favourite roles for Riza has always been double agent
(21:38:16) Me: everyone knows Roy isn't the best judge in the world... after all, look what happened when he decided to tell someone else that the Fuhrer was a homunculus
(21:38:27) Shlee: *nod* >>
(21:38:41) Me: though, on the whole, I'm totally going for the Scully way of things. In that she was stuck there to keep an eye on him, and just got caught up in things in the end.
(21:38:52) Me: (which is really what it looks like right now, anyway)
(21:38:59) Shlee: dundundun
(21:39:17) Me: and I'm going to trust Arakawa not to go "Omg, Roy is dead but wait, no he's not
(21:39:46) Me: because, really, no one should have ever trusted most of the writers the X-Files had with anything resembling a good partnership
(21:40:31) Shlee: hehehe
(21:41:42) Me: there... I think that's all out of my system
(21:42:02) Shlee: :D
(21:42:09) Me: but dude, that's such a complicated array. and Hawkeye knows what it is for. I want to know what it's for, too. Because you need some really handy alchemists for something like that
(21:42:21) Shlee: *nodnod*
(21:42:33) Me: wtf was going onnnn
(21:42:59) Me: unless she doesn't know it's there
(21:43:38) Me: I dunno how that would get there without her noticing, but if this human sacrifice thing goes really super deep, there's probably a system designed to have hostages that can be used against them
(21:43:53) Me: so Hawkeye would be Roy's weak point. And this would mean something similar has been put on Winry to use against Ed and Al.
(21:44:02) Shlee: :o
(21:45:06) Shlee: (Freaking Jack. I loveth him. I hate him for having 15 freaking million more facial expressions than Havoc, though, as I could have used some of those. But they make me love him even more, too.)
(21:45:14) Shlee: (*has that out of her system now too*) ... :D;
(21:45:25) Me: (hehehehe)
(21:46:38) Me: then again, there's no way Hawkeye wouldn't know about it... she's had it for over ten years... no way someone doesn't see their back for ten years
(21:46:42) Me: plus she's always wearing the high collars
(21:47:00) Me: so she's hiding it... which reminds me that's why I figured Roy didn't know about it
(21:48:18) Me: and what was Bradley talking to Winry about in chapter 48??
(21:48:32) Me: (that really has nothing to do with anything)
(21:48:42) Shlee: uhhhhhhm
(21:48:51) Shlee: I don't remember o_o
(21:48:56) Me: so... Riza knows what the tattoo is for, and that it's there. (this is sounding suspicously like where I started from)...
(21:49:08) Me: We don't know, unless I skimmed the chapter wrong
(21:49:25) Me: unless she just knows it's there, and doesn't know why... but feels compelled to hide it anyway
(21:49:52) Me: I'm sure she would've asked Roy about it, though... so if it had anything to do with the military, they would've figured out different parts of the conspiracy earlier, non?
(21:50:03) Me: ahhhhh, wtf
(21:50:32) Shlee: *lets people that are intelligent ponder all this out* 8D
(21:50:48) Me: ::should totally be pondering other things::
(21:51:13) Shlee: kekeke
(21:51:42) Shlee: *debates fulfilling the urges to make Jack icons* >__>
(21:51:42) Me: ahhh, but it has to do with Roy... so if she hasn't told him, she's still working a different side
(21:51:59) Shlee: hummm
(21:52:10) Me: she's hiding it, but whether it's from the rest of the military, or Roy is totally up in the air...
(21:52:58) Me: okay... so, there was a third side that... no, that just doesn't work
(21:53:07) Me: I can't see a third side here anywhere, aside from Xing
(21:53:14) Me: but Xing's not going to have anything in Latin written on their arrays
(21:53:28) Me: okay... so the array is alchemy...
(21:53:53) Shlee: *watches*
(21:54:52) Me: there's no way Hawkeye doesn't know that's Roy's array... but Roy's made no mention of it being useful at all in their questy-thing, so its use is obsolete (unless he can't figure out the rest of the array, but if that was a problem, he'd have been seen putting some sort of research into it, ja?)
(21:55:04) Me: gaaaah, what is going on here?
(21:56:40) Me: okay... if I were a useless alchemy array on Roy's right-hand-woman's back, would he know about me?
(21:57:02) Shlee: I would like to say that the answer is yes.
(21:57:09) Me: currently-useless... I am currently useless. And an array for alchemy. Am I useful in the past, or will I be useful?
(21:57:36) Me: if I was useful in the past, am I still useful, if reconstructed? If Roy knows about me, does he know how to reconstruct me?
(21:57:51) Me: I am a very curious array.
(21:57:57) Me: Pun intended.
(21:58:09) Shlee: kekeke
(21:58:31) Me: okay, so if Roy knows then the array is of no import save for as backstory
(21:59:09) Me: which really pushes me back on the track of believing it was some sort of cautionary measure to keep him in line during the war or something. which would mean there are likely others to keep the other alchemists in control? that makes no sense...
(21:59:21) Me: so, Roy must've been highlighted as a potential sacrifice early on.
(21:59:55) Me: and wait, Marcoh created the actual Philosopher's Stone? Or was he just trying not to confuse Scar?
(22:00:54) Shlee: I'm thinking he might just mean that prototype deal. But... who knows, it could've been the real thing.
(22:00:55) Me: And it still bothers me that Scar suddenly understands alchemy because of his brother's arm. And Wrath knows alchemy because of Ed's arm. (since the leg came off pre-Gate-infodump).
(22:01:07) Me: (jumping to anime canon, yay)
(22:01:13) Shlee: (yayyy)
(22:01:18) Shlee: (..... *regrettably being busy fangirling Jack* Jack = Havoc so much. Havoc's VA plays him on the drama CD thingy. ....Buh.)
(22:01:29) Me: It makes a plotpoint I want to play with, though.
(22:01:33) Shlee: :D
(22:02:00) Me: I mean, is it the exchange of blood? Or is it the physical limb itself? How much would have to be borrowed in order to exchange knowledge?
(22:02:17) Me: (that's probably better for you than giving my rambling your full attention anyway. (-; Hee, Jack)
(22:02:28) Shlee: (kekeke)
(22:02:50) Me: Wouldn't that make blood transfusions crazy in Amestris? Do they have to sort blood types by O, A, B, and Alchemist-O and Alchemist-A?
(22:03:03) Me: or maybe there's a trick to it, that you have to switch limbs using alchemy.
(22:03:30) Me: but, does this mean alchemical knowledge is contained in the blood? something in the dna?
(22:03:44) Me: couldn't be DNA, because after a while the blood would be replaced by your own.
(22:03:56) Me: it is safe to say none of Scar's brother's blood is in Scar anymore.
(22:04:16) Me:
(22:04:33) Me: so it has to do with the limb... somehow. like maybe a bit of the soul is there with it?
(22:04:44) Shlee: *hums* It might be something else that's a kind of permanent alteration. That might help explain the whole "CAN'T USE ALCHEMY EFFING EFF" bit.
(22:05:01) Shlee: but, I'd have to reread those chapters before I try to say anything. ;D
(22:05:15) Me: kind of like how after Sarutobi stole Orochimaru's arm-part of his soul
(22:05:40) Me: Oh, the CAN'T USE ALCHEMY EFFING EFF field affected all the alchemists everywhere... it was weird
(22:06:06) Shlee: yeah, I couldn't remember if it was everyone in that little general area of the city or Everywhere.
(22:06:14) Me: or at least, it seems like that was implied at the end of 56 or whenever Ed was doing cleanup duty
(22:06:31) Me: could be general area
(22:07:42) Me: I need to remind myself to stop questioning Roy's merit as a sacrifice. I keep forgetting that he's actually a useful alchemist in the manga, unlike in the anime where he only uses non-flame alchemy once.
(22:09:09) Shlee: hehehe
(22:09:36) Me: <3 Manga!Roy... because if it wasn't for him, I'd probably still not care about Roy at all
(22:09:54) Shlee: X3
(22:10:04) Shlee: yay Manga!Roy!
(22:10:14) Me: yay!
(22:11:00) Me: all right... I think I might be done with my rambling ^_^
Also, it's finally raining! Yay! And by all means, if you get through that, argue with me. I'm bored, and thankfully it'll be thinking that doesn't involve the incestuous themes in Chateaubriand's René.
P.S. [9:16] You know... to keep myself from making like, fifty billion entries today, I have one more thing to ask. It has come to my attention that once upon a time I owned the Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? cassette. Every once in a while, I tear my house apart looking for it, but I'm never successful. It's such an important part of my early life that nostalgia commands that I find at least the music. Anyone happen to have it handy? Or not-so-handy, but know where to find it? It started with Capital, and ended with Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? And in the middle, there were songs that were not all Rockapella, but were also quite good (like Brian Dewan's The Violin). And all the copies I can find are not only CD-format, but freaking expensive. This makes me sad. This is kind of like the situation with my Fight the Future soundtrack, which disappeared after I discovered years later that I actually liked most of the artists on it (though that one's way easier to replace). Sigh.