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[scanninggaydis]

Who: Felix Gaeta
Broadcast: Video, Fleetwide
Action: Vanquish Cargobay
When: Now!

[When this video starts, Felix is standing over two boxes stacked on top of one another. The top one is open, and he's pulling....books? out of it.]

If anything was going to convince me that these sponsor drops are pointless, it would be this. Our fleet is attacked, and this is what someone thinks to send?

[He glances at a title, frowns, and then holds it up to the camera. Dating Advice from a Manwhore: A Guide to Overcoming Self-Doubt, Relationship Struggles, and Finding Your Authentic Self. After a second, he puts it down, and takes out another one: It's Just a F***ing Date: Some Sort of Book About Dating.]

I'm really not sure what to make of this particular interest in my dating life.

[Or lack thereof, but he doesn't need a man, thanks.]

Anyway. There's more where these came from and I sure as hell don't need them. If anyone's interested, let me know. You can contact me privately too. Just in case, you know, you feel the need for privacy.

[He pulls another book out of the box at the same time that he goes to end the video and...looks vaguely surprised and confused for a second. Just before the video cuts out, there's an image of a different kind of book on the screen.]

Comments

[sonofgold]

Yeah. Who would've thought that anybody would like dating advice HERE?

[He then nodded.]

I could also try and transmute them into blank pages. Have some scrap paper or makeshift notebooks.

[scanninggaydis]

[Felix eyes Alphonse with that first comment. Sarcasm? It's hard to tell definitively.

He actually looks interested in the second part.]

Makeshift notebooks would actually be pretty useful.

[sonofgold]

[Al caught the look and grinned.]

Well- some people have chosen to date and just let things happen here. Which I never would have imagined, mostly because I never thought I'd be stuck here long enough.

[Al grabbed one of the books and tore a page out, clapping and trying to separate the ink and the paper. It- didn't work well, with most of the ink ending up in a single black blob on the page.]

Hmm. It might take some practice.

[scanninggaydis]

I'm not questioning anyone choosing to date, just their judgement if they want to use these books.

[He looks on curiously as Al performs his alchemy. He has a passing knowledge about it (if only from Camp, and the fact that a less flesh-and-blood version of the boy had been there for a while). He hasn't had a chance at front row seats though.

His eyebrows raise a little at the result.]

I guess. What's the process like, exactly?

[sonofgold]

True. I tend to automatically distrust anything that's had Atroma's hand in it, and if they of all people are trying to give out dating advice...

[His smile then brightened as he turned to the subject of alchemy- one of his favorite things.]

Basically, alchemy involves deconstructing and reconstructing matter into new forms. There are some rules and limitations, and a lot of it is just knowing chemistry. I couldn't, for example, turn this paper into a rock, but knowing the chemical properties of the paper and the ink means that I could theoretically break a printed page back down into the separate components of ink and paper.

[scanninggaydis]

[That's...really cool, actually. Felix goes from looking minorly curious to well and truly engaged.]

So, the fact that it didn't really fully separate this time...why do you think that happened?

[sonofgold]

Most likely I got the chemical composition wrong on some level. I had a similar problem when I first got here- I couldn't do much when it came to, say, ship repair, because a lot of the metals used in the ships are foreign to me.

[scanninggaydis]

Was it just trial and error until you figured out the components? Or did you have to ask around?

[This is basically science and it's fascinating.]

[sonofgold]

Little of column A, little of column B. It did take a lot of experimentation, but I was so glad when I was finally able to have something to show for my efforts. It's been a boon to be able to repair and create around here.

[scanninggaydis]

I can imagine.

How do you...knowing the composition of the materials, is that just a mental thing that translates out into the action?

[He's trying to figure out how that corresponds with the gesture that Alphonse made. He didn't say anything, write anything. He just...did.]

[sonofgold]

Well, normally, when someone does alchemy, they have to draw a circle. [Alphonse takes the page he just tried to transmute and draws a sample.] The circle contains the power of the transmutation, and the runes around the edge are a bit like instructions for whatever's inside the circle. I simply have to clap to transmute, with my hands symbolising the circle, but that's an exceptionally rare ability.

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[Felix peers at the sample, and then looks back up at Alphonse.]

Your hands symbolize the circle...then where do the instructions come from? In your case.

[sonofgold]

... well, uh... we're not sure. [He laughs nervously.] It's SUCH a rare ability, it's not fully understood. Brother, Teacher and I are the only ones I know of that can do it.

[scanninggaydis]

Well, I guess as long as it works, it works.

Is alchemy learned, or inherent?

[Sorry, he's just going to keep asking questions until he runs out of them. Intellectual curiosity.]

[sonofgold]

It's a little bit of both. Everyone has the potential to do alchemy inside of them, but some people just never develop a talent for it... kind of like how everyone can cook, but some people burn everything they touch while others can cook gourmet meals, and everything in between. And you definitely need to be taught to hone your skills.

[scanninggaydis]

[Felix nods, absorbing that. But okay, actually he's done with his questions, as it turns out. For now.]

Interesting. Thanks for indulging my curiosity.

[sonofgold]

No problem. I'm happy to talk about alchemy, since it's one of my passions in life. It's not always so easy to explain if you're not from my world and exposed to it every day, though.