Tenth Transmutation [Video]

[sonofgold]

Who: Alphonse Elric and YOU
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: The Vanquish if you wish
When: October 23rd

[Al smiles bashfully as he addresses the Fleet.]

Clay asked me to be the First Mate of the Vanquish, and I've accepted. It seems fitting that it happened so close to my first anniversary here, doesn't it? I'm honored, and I'll do my best to keep supporting my shipmates.

I'm glad to have been on such a great ship and met such great friends, and I wish all of you who are working on the shipwreck the best of luck. And if you're staying closer to the Fleet and are able to scavenge any usable ship parts, I'd be happy to fix them up with my alchemy.

Comments

Video

[sonofgold]

I offered to make him some, or a set of stilts- but he wouldn't hear of it. Said he didn't want to look TOO ridiculous... you know, he said that to the walking suit of armor.

Video

[alwayscomeback]

...Not a big fan of tact, is he?

Video

[sonofgold]

Not especially... though in his defense, he WAS used to seeing me every day, so he thought of the armor as perfectly normal.

Video

[alwayscomeback]

I guess that's something. But still.

Video

[sonofgold]

Brother definitely has a tendency to open his mouth before he thinks- even around his superior officers.

Video

[alwayscomeback]

That doesn't surprise me. Like, at all.

Video

[sonofgold]

Yeeeah... I lost track of how many times I had to remind him to mind his manners. Colonel Mustang didn't mind, thankfully, as long as he got the job done.

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[alwayscomeback]

He your leader? The Mustang guy?

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[sonofgold]

Yeah, Brother reported directly to him. The Colonel is someone I have a lot of respect for- he's got a good head on his shoulders. And he's a dangerous fighter, he uses fire as a weapon.

Video

[alwayscomeback]

[Okay this, this is something he's more familiar with. ]

Oh! You mean like a firebender? Fire from his fingertips, and all that?

Video

[sonofgold]

Like Zuko could do? Kind of. The Colonel wears special gloves that spark when rubbed together, and alchemy does the rest- separating the hydrogen and oxygen in the air, and... kaboom.

Re: Video

[alwayscomeback]

Not bending, then, but science.

[Sokka brightens considerably. This he can get behind. ]

That sounds amazing. Like, actual science to make basically a flamethrower, right? Awesome!

[sonofgold]

Yep- and science is kinda your thing, right? It's very interesting when you think about it. Alchemy involves a lot of knowledge about chemistry and how things are put together. Like water, for instance- the Colonel thought for a long time that he was useless if he got wet, but then he figured out that he can transmute water into hydrogen gas. Highly flammable. He once used the flint on a cigarette lighter to make a spark.

[alwayscomeback]

You better believe it's my thing. It's right up there in Sokka's Top List of Things along with meat and sarcasm.

[He listens, rapt. This is the best. ]

That's amazing! Now see, these sort of powers, I can live with. They're grounded in reality and how the world works and not...well, magic.

[sonofgold]

Meat, Sarcasm and Science. Three of the best intersts, as far as I'm concerned.

[Al nodded.]

As a scientist and an alchemist, I like to seek the truth. Magic is useful, but I like knowing how things work, too.

[alwayscomeback]

I know right? Who'd want anything more than that?

[CRAZY people, that's who. ]

It's so important to know how things work. Then you can fix it if they go wrong- or if they're used against you.

[sonofgold]

Exactly. Even good things like alchemy can be used for bad in the wrong hands... we saw way too much of that back home.

[alwayscomeback]

Hmm. Bending was sure used for ill back home.

[He'll never forget watching the Earth Kingdom burn. Never.]

[sonofgold]

We saw alchemy used for war and bloodshed- far too much of it. Alchemy can be used to destroy just as easily as it can be used to create, and our military employed alchemists for that purpose. One man can hold an army back, if he has the will and the skill. It's why I tried to help people when I could. Brother and I are trying to put a net gain of good back into the world, and we hope it catches on.

[alwayscomeback]

Yeah, I get that. It's important to use your powers to help people, instead of hurting them.

...Or lack-of-actual-powers, in my case.

[sonofgold]

We also had so many people helping us on our journey, we're trying to pay it forward, and learn new things so we can continue helping. I was headed to the country of Xing when I was brought back here. They have a form of alchemy that was originally used for medicine, and I wanted to learn.

[alwayscomeback]

Us too! We made so many friends, it was pretty awesome.

...Huh, so you can use it like healing? That's pretty neat. Katara can do that with water.

[sonofgold]

It was a long, difficult journey... but it was worth it in the end.

Oh, really? I wish I could have seen it. I kinda like the idea of being able to heal people. My alchemy works well on inanimate objects, but fixing people is another thing entirely.

[alwayscomeback]

Yeah, it's a waterbending thing. Only a few of them can do it, but it's pretty neat.

[Also with that comes bloodbending, but let's not talk about that, tra la la. ]

[sonofgold]

That's so cool. I'm sure she was great at it, too.