Combat alchemy!
Here's a fun way to pass the time, if you're stuck at work or in school and looking for something to do!
We all know that Ed is very adept at integrating alchemy with fighting. He can make weapons, build shields, destroy a floor or bring down a ceiling, call missiles out of the wall, and even make decoys. Other alchemists carry array-imbued items with them, or mark it permanently on their skin, but their capability, while it may be destructive, tends to be very limited. Ed, with his no-array technique, has a much wider range of flexibility.
But is he using all he's got? We see near the end of the series ( Collapse )
Ed, in contrast, seems to be a very concrete-minded boy; he thinks in terms of solid objects and direct motions. He can't transmute an object unless he's touching it, and even when he does, his transmutations are usually very simple and overwhelming. "Make a wall here," "make a door here," "floor rise up and hit them," "give me something to fight with." Most likely, there's nothing inferior about Ed's alchemical technique; the only limitations are his own expectations.
If he studied and trained himself out of these expectations, so that he no longer needed direct contact with an object to transmute it, and he could make anything so long as the elements were there, what sorts of handy tricks could he do? How would he be able to manipulate the environment to his advantage? What new techniques would he adopt?
So yeah! If you can think of something interesting, post it here! The more arcane, the better! :)
We all know that Ed is very adept at integrating alchemy with fighting. He can make weapons, build shields, destroy a floor or bring down a ceiling, call missiles out of the wall, and even make decoys. Other alchemists carry array-imbued items with them, or mark it permanently on their skin, but their capability, while it may be destructive, tends to be very limited. Ed, with his no-array technique, has a much wider range of flexibility.
But is he using all he's got? We see near the end of the series ( Collapse )
Ed, in contrast, seems to be a very concrete-minded boy; he thinks in terms of solid objects and direct motions. He can't transmute an object unless he's touching it, and even when he does, his transmutations are usually very simple and overwhelming. "Make a wall here," "make a door here," "floor rise up and hit them," "give me something to fight with." Most likely, there's nothing inferior about Ed's alchemical technique; the only limitations are his own expectations.
If he studied and trained himself out of these expectations, so that he no longer needed direct contact with an object to transmute it, and he could make anything so long as the elements were there, what sorts of handy tricks could he do? How would he be able to manipulate the environment to his advantage? What new techniques would he adopt?
So yeah! If you can think of something interesting, post it here! The more arcane, the better! :)