Forum - View topicPlease explain FMA episode "Created Human"
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totalgeek
Posts: 307 Location: Raleigh, NC |
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Okay, the first half is pretty straightforward, but spoiler[the scene where Ed is about to create the Philosopher's Stone] confuses me.
So Ed spoiler[claps his hands together to form the stone, but he has a conflict of conscience and doesn't complete the transmutation. Scar saves the day by destroying the lab and causing the red water to spill all over the floor. Then, Ed steps into a pool of the red water] and that is where I get lost. The thing I don't understand has a few parts: 1. spoiler[Lust comments that exposure to that much red water could turn Ed into a god. Clearly, that didn't happen. But why weren't Ed's alchemic powers increased noticeably as a result of the experience?] 2. spoiler[What WAS happening to Ed while he was in the red water?] 3. spoiler[Since Armstrong is an alchemist I guess I can understand why he didn't go in to get Ed, but how did getting hugged by Lt. Ross cause him to stop whatever was happening?] 4. spoiler[Would Ed still have had such a severe reaction to the red water if he had not begun a transmutation (and left it unfinished) earlier in the scene?] Any help you can give is appreciated. |
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Ohoni
Posts: 3421 |
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The red water enhances alchemic reactions, kind of like running too much power into a lightbulb, causing it to glow too bright. This potentially allowed Ed to manage much more complex transmutations on a much larger scale, without equivalent exchange. Ed couldn't control that much power flowing through him, so it shut down his coscious mind, in an experienced similar to shock. Lt. Ross hugging him just broke him out of that shock, allowing him to be removed from the water.
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Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6897 Location: Kazune City |
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I happened to catch the end of that ep for the 2nd time last night; I would add that there seemed to be implied maternal overtones in that hug, which fits with other themes of the series.
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totalgeek
Posts: 307 Location: Raleigh, NC |
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I guess my biggest problem with it is just that I figured the effect would have been longer lasting (ie., permanent) than it was shown to be.
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abunai
Old Regular
 Posts: 5463 Location: 露命 |
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Not "without equivalent exchange", no. Consider that spoiler[the source material for the red water is human life], and you will see that an equivalent exchange has taken place. The red water shouldn't be viewed as an enhancer of alchemical processes, but rather as a "liquid battery" or "fuel" - in effect, similar to adding an accelerant to fire. - abunai |
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Ohoni
Posts: 3421 |
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True, true, but it at least "seems" to give you power without equivalent exchange. Like you can easilly create large, elementally complex objects without needing equivalent mass of elemental content. That was my point.
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