video } crash sites keep me up at night impact division it splits in two

[transmutate]

[There's a teenage boy staring at the camera for just a fraction too long before he starts to speak. Ed's a smart kid, and while he doesn't have any kind of phone remotely like this back home, he figured out how to use it pretty quickly. Still, he's done a lot more listening and watching and reading than actually communicating with other people through it. He wants to make sure he understands it fully before he uses it.

But he's ready now. Once he's satisfied that it's recording, he nods, then sits back.]

Hi. I'm Edward Elric. I'm an Alchemist. But from what I've heard, that doesn't mean anything to most of you. But even if you don't have alchemy, you do have science, right? What do the scientists of your worlds study?

[There, question posed successfully. He's mastered this fascinating device. He turns it off, and waits for people to reply.]

Comments

video;

[beatupgrass]

This is gonna open up a can of worms real fast, kid.

video;

[transmutate]

Come on, I'm talking to scientists. They'll be able to handle topics rationally and calmly.

[Sometimes Ed still has a bit of naivety. Sometimes.]

[video]

[voiceinthedark]

I mean, I'm not a scientist but... Everything. They study everything.

Medicine, genetics, physics, biology. I mean, before the apocalypse, there were people studying what happened if you smashed a couple of particles together.

[video]

[transmutate]

Of course they study everything. That's how science works. I suppose I should have been more clear. I'm looking for methodology and any particularly interesting recent finds.

[He shrugs a shoulder.]

But I guess that's about what I should expect from a non-scientist.

[video]

[beforeblue]

Couldn't speak to all of them, but I know a few people who were researching AIs and super soldiers.

[video]

[transmutate]

Artificial Intelligence? [Well, that's interesting.] How does that work?

Video

[forwearemany]

Greetings, Edward Elric.

(The name is familiar: They recognize him as one of the 'guests' at a previous event. However, data suggests that many who return to Wonderland do not remember. They decide to wait. If he does not recall their previous encounter, the revelation could be... distressing.)

The scientists of our universe study a range of topics, though alchemy is not one of them.

Video

[transmutate]

[Ed gives the strange figure a flat look.]

Wow, that's enlightening. What's in the range? And what are you?

[video]

[punful]

[Hey Ed, do you want a tired skeleton? Of course you do, who doesn't want a tired skeleton?]

science, usually.

[He's a helpful tired skeleton.]

[video]

[transmutate]

[........huh.]

Is that what made you like that?

[video] as ever our characters must get off on the wrong foot

[wriggedywrecked]

We study plumbing, w-we study how to make people's shit go from ass to shittank in the fastest and most efficient manner, what the fuck do you think we study?

[video] this is going great idk what you're talking about

[transmutate]

[Ed scowls. This could be the point where he clarifies his question, but why would he do that when he can be a shitheel back?]

Plumbing, huh? Yeah, that seems like it must be your field. That where you got that shitty joke?

Video;

[exceedinglybright]

Oh! My world has alchemy!

[It's not often that Lily hears that word tossed around here, but it quickly catches her attention and has her eager to respond and engage.]

I don't have much experience with it firsthand, as it's not taught where I go to school, but I'm curious to hear what it's like where you're from. Is it considered magic or science, or both?

Video;

[transmutate]

[Ed scoffs.] Magic's what ignorant people would call it. It's a science.

video

[miss_brilliant]

[for once, Amanda is very glad her grumpy scientist not-boyfriend isn't here. He would be a lot snarkier about this than she is]

Well, that's a very broad topic. I personally studied computer science and engineering, primarily aeronautics and alien technology.

video

[transmutate]

[See this is why he's asking. He barely knows what any of those are.]

You have aliens too? Aeronautics... is that space-related? What's a computer?

[Video]

[didntknowbest]

From my understanding, scientists study a great variety of things. Back where I come from, I believe that they mostly studied technology, ways to generate energy, and the nature of the SOUL.

I have never been terribly gifted in science myself, however, so I do not believe I would be able to tell you much, small one.

[Video]

[transmutate]

[Anything he might have been about to say vanishes at the last word.]

Small? [He leans forward, teeth bared as his face screws up in anger.] Are you calling me a midget? A runt? Are you saying I'm smaller than a grain of sand?

video

[sciencelizard]

[She squints a bit, considering his question before she realizes what he's asking. It's like magic in her world- there's always going to be an understanding of the universe, like physics and engineering, but from what she knows, alchemy is a myth. Or like that old anime about the girl and her sister trapped in a golem. But that's a whooole other story.]

Well, uhm, there's the n-normal stuff, like physics and engineering. But in my world t-there's also the study of magic.

video

[transmutate]

Magic. [He scoffs.] I've never seen evidence it exists. We found a priest once who claimed to be performing miracles, but it was just alchemy catalyzed through a fake Philosopher's Stone. I've yet to find any instances of magic that I find convincing.

video;

[watchmaker]

Personally, I was very good friends with a geneticist back home.

[like ... if you broaden your definition of friends. and include "people who are waiting in line to murder you."]

video;

[transmutate]

[I mean, what's a little murder between pals?]

That sounds interesting. What kind of genetics?

[video]

[adaptiveimmunities]

[Hey, new guy. Welcome to the madhouse.]

No alchemy where we're from, but plenty of science. The main area of study in our world is virology and epidemiology--actually, it's basically the only area of study that gets any funding these days. They're working on curing the worldwide zombie pandemic.

...And considering they're still diving into ever-replenishing swimming pools full of money, you can imagine how well that's going.

[video]

[transmutate]

Zombie pandemic? What's that? [Ed tilts his head curiously.]

[ Video ]

[luckynumberthree]

[ Simon squints at the screen for a moment. ]

Does this mean you turn stuff into gold?

[ #most helpful ever. ]

[ Video ]

[transmutate]

Making gold is a taboo. But that's the general idea.

audio

[saved]

They study a lot of different subjects. Depends on their interest.

My father studied biological engineering. They were trying to figure out ways to take traits of animals and give those to humans.

audio

[transmutate]

[Ed makes a sharp little exhale sound.] Human chimeras....

[The chimera that was Nina swims in front of his face.]

They shouldn't do that!

[mourning_ghost]

[A rather large bird surrounded by bookshelves answers.]

Chemistry, physics, biology. Pathology is common now days. ['Now days' being the late 22nd century.]

[transmutate]

[What the fuck. But after the skeleton and the raccoon, this isn't that weird.]

I know what the different fields are. Why is pathology common? What are they studying specifically?

[audio]

[battlefront]

You don't wanna know.

[audio]

[transmutate]

Of course I want to know. If I didn't want to know, I wouldn't have asked.

audio;

[breacher]

That's a broad question. [ a beat. ] I'm a physicist, though.

audio;

[transmutate]

Yeah, I wish I'd been clearer. I'm looking for more methodology and specific findings of interest. Everyone seems to want to tell me that scientists study lots of things, which obviously I know. I want details.

What sort of physics?

video;

[plutonicideals]

Everything.

[She starts counting some off on her fingers.]

Astronomy, chemistry, biology, physics, geology, meteorology, physiology... I'd be here awhile if I listed off everything.

video;

[transmutate]

[He gives her a look that's entirely unimpressed and replies dryly.] Wow, you're the first person ever to point out that science is a broad subject and start naming fields. Amazing. Are you proud of yourself?

[He wishes he'd worded his question better, but he was proud of himself for figuring out the communication device at all.]

[Video]

[morethanasidekick]

[Squints.]

An Alchemist?! [You had to see this coming from somebody.] Sure. Okay. Do you like, spend your free time kicking it with Merlin and a Dragon too? [A beat.] Does that mean you can turn lead into gold?

[Funny how there's less mockery when she hear's a ca-ching in her head.]

[Video]

[transmutate]

[Ed already hates absolutely everyone here thanks you aren't helping at all.]

I've never heard of Merlin, so probably not. Dragons, as far as I know, don't exist. And lead and gold are entirely different elements, so of course not. Equivalent exchange. To obtain anything, you must first lose something of equal value.

[A beat.]

Besides, transmuting gold isn't allowed. It would collapse the economy.

video

[mcgucket]

[... Ford is probably the better person to talk alchemy with than we are, because the first thought that came to mind was "witchcraft but with science??", as people down south might have described it.

Still, he actually makes an attempt at answering the kid's question.]

Ah, well, there's a lot of fields that one can get into, so if there's a specific subject that strikes your fancy, that's what you work towards earnin' your degree in. Like in hyper-advanced engineering and fifth dimensional calculus, for example.

[Hint, that's what Fiddleford studied when he was in college.]

video

[transmutate]

[Ed nods, looking interested.]

What are those? How do they differ from normal engineering and calculus?

video.

[quickgenius]

[Jesse gives him a friendly little smile.]

Listing all the sciences studied on my Earth would take a really long time. But my studies mainly focused on biochemistry, a few different branches of engineering, and a few different branches of physics. Quantum mechanics, too.

How does alchemy work in your world?

[Her face is alight with interest. Always interested in learning, is Jesse Wells.]

video.

[transmutate]

I'm glad you didn't. Some people did list every subject. Like a list of fields really describes what science is.

[He rolls his eyes, taking a moment to be scornful before moving on to her question.]

It's the science of altering matter. The important part is to follow the rules of Equivalent Exchange: You can't create matter, only change it.

What's "quantum mechanics?" I haven't heard of that one.