skygiants | (no subject)

Yes, a week later I am still thinking about the FMA finale. WHO IS SURPRISED?

Anyway, something has been puzzling me that I would like to discuss with people. (I promise it has nothing to do with anyone's personal grooming and facial hair decisions.)

I have read plenty of discussions of Ed losing his alchemy at the end of the manga. HOWEVER. I am surprised I have seen no discussion of what seems to me to be something of a more significant question (if only for the sake of the Armstrong family traditions): can ANYONE in Amestris still use alchemy?

[ETA:

aamalie has explained in comments that I am indeed completely off-base, and this was in fact addressed at the end. So basically you can ignore the rest of this if you want! It is an OUDATED QUERY.]

I mean, I could be fundamentally misunderstanding something here. But it seems to be pretty strongly implied that Amestrian alchemy has been powering itself off of millions of Xerxian souls since the founding of the country, yes? I mean, every time we see a flashback of Scar's brother he's fretting about how the alchemy of this country feels weird and off, Father can turn Amestrian alchemy on and off like a light switch, and then there is this conversation (paraphrased) between Marcoh and Mei:

MEI: So that is how alkahestry works! What about alchemy?
MARCOH: Oh, alchemy is powered by the energy of the shifting of the earth's crust!
MEI: . . . I am pretty sure that is not the energy of the shifting of the earth's crust you're using, dude. Have you ever considered the possibility that in fact you are drawing on creepy undead soul energy?
MARCOH: Huh!

And then it is not brought up again, but I feel we are possibly intended to draw conclusions from that! Conclusions like the fact that every alchemist has in fact been drawing on creepy undead soul energy! And now that all of the Xerxian souls have either been used up or been freed - I am pretty sure that this means that there is no more alchemy? Or at least, not alchemy as any Amestrian alchemist knows how to use it.

Of course it is very possible that I am completely wrong about all of this, which is why have brought my questions to you, in handy poll form. What do you think?

[Poll #1592193]

Show your work in the comments!

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I seem to remember there being a part where that was addressed? I can't remember exactly what happened (and can't look it up right now, dangit) but wasn't that part of the massive counter-array thingy - where the ~power~ was released and Father was no longer able to hit the alchemy switch whenever he felt like it anymore because it wasn't the philosopher's stone anymore? (Or maybe Scar had something to do with it after his fight with Bradley? THE DETAILS ARE FUZZY.)

Anyway, my impression was that that was dealt with and they can use alchemy with energy actually from the earth's crust. Like they thought before, but only for reals now!

I know Scar did SOMETHING with the massive counter-array, but I figured that was just to release the trapped souls in the earth - I don't remember the actual earth's crust stuff being addressed at all. But I was also reading those chapters very fast and late at night, so it is very possible that I missed something! (And can't look it up right now either because I am at work. *sheepish*)

Haha, I just went and looked because I hate not knowing. Scar does it in the beginning of chapter 106 - talks about negating the "cushion" that is made up of the souls and freeing the energy of the earth's crust.

So there were two counter arrays - one by Hohenheim to counter the making of the Amestris Philosopher's stone, and one by Scar/Scar's bro to free up the energy. Considering the alchemists fighting Father had no issues with the transition, I don't think any other alchemist would have problems either.

Aha, okay! That explains a lot. Way to go, Scar! (Most of the alchemists fighting Father at the end have seen the Truth, so they would probably be able to do alchemy anyway, but we do see Armstrong flinging things around so this is probably proof enough!)

The impression I got was that they had been using the seismic/tectonic energy all along, but that it was "filtered" through the Philosopher's Stone shield both to limit the amount of energy they could access and so that Father could turn it on or off at will. The counter-array removed or neutralized that shield -- Ed's comment about how he'd never had so much power to work with before or something similar supports this, I think.

This makes perfect sense! I think I'd been sort of assuming that the seismic energy thing was all a comforting lie that alchemists were told to disguise the CREEPY SOUL ENERGY thing, and nobody knew how to actually use the tectonic crust shifts at all, but it seems I was totally crazy (which is a thing that often happens, so.)

I always thought that Father had put a barrier between the techtonic energy and the surface, so that Amestrians couldn't access it. Instead, he fed them with Xerxian souls? IDKK. xD

I think my main puzzlement is that if you're used to using creepy soul energy, it should be as weird shifting to tectonic energy as to whatever it is that Xingians use for alkahestry, wouldn't it? Or so I would think! But apparently that does not seem to be the case. (Though I am still a little wistful for the mental image of hordes of very confused alchemists.)