015 | Mustang | August 28, late morning | Video
Public;
[There's a Mustang, seated at his desk in his office. He's looking better than he has in a while, and as serious as ever.]
I'm nearly done compiling my notes. Apologies for the delay on posting the information I've managed to gather so far.
For those of you who are hearing this for the first time: Roy Mustang here. Meister, partnered to Ryotaro Dojima. I'm attempting to compile lists. Weapons, Meisters, abilities, dates of appearances and disappearances. The records are both for my personal reference, to have something to cross-check against any other lists in existence, and to see if there is some sort of pattern to everything.
If anyone wants to take a look at it beforehand, feel free to ask. Thanks, as well, to everyone who's been open about sharing the information we've been asking for.
Filter | Practically Unhackable | Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Winry Rockbell, Ling Yao, Ran Fan, Maes Hughes, Riza Hawkeye;
[And this is where the srs cool act sort of drops. Roy takes a moment to look at the screen a little with a rather odd expression on his face. He eventually turns away for just a moment, to light up a cigarette.]
With the arrival of Hawkeye and Hughes, I find it may be necessary for us to reiterate, once again, what the exact differences are between our two versions of our world. Of course, I can only do things most accurately from my end of things, but I'm sure the rest of you will have things to say after this transmission is done.
[Another pause. His lips purse. It might actually be clear, for once, that this is difficult on him. When he talks again, his voice is quieter, and not in the pleasant way.]
...I also think that I may have been silent for too long on the events that occurred after the assassination of King Bradley, and the disappearance of Edward Elric in my world.
[Recovering, recovering. Or attempting to.]
I've attached a file that... well. Has everything so far, I think, from my own experiences, and from what I managed to gather from others who dared to try and find answers. I might add to it at a later date, if something comes to mind.
[...He's totally all right, and totally didn't just refer to you Hughes, THEREFORE HE IS ALL RIGHT.]
Feel free to ask me whatever you want to, once you've read it. I might not be able to answer everything, but I will certainly try to.
...I also want to make a personal request that none of you filter your questions solely to me. The rest deserve to know, as well.
ON THE ALTERNATE AMESTRISES
Principle Similarities
People. While personal decisions and external events will inevitably effect how events have unfolded and therefore how one version of a person may be different from his alternate, it has become obvious that as a general rule, there exists an exactly similar version of every person in the world. For example: as I have 'my own version' of Edward Elric, Edward Elric in your version has 'his own version' of a Roy Mustang.
Alchemy. The governing principles of alchemy remain intact, in both versions of our world.
The Philosopher's Stone. It is still made of the same components, and still constructed in the exact same manner.
Ishval and the Ishval Campaign. Details are different, but the country and religion existed in both versions of our world. Amestris also waged war against the country, as well, in both versions.
Principle Differences
Homunculus. The creation of a Homunculus in my version of our world is through the failure to successfully transmute a human being. A Homunculus, then, is an soulless, empty shell that subsists on Philosopher's stones, and wears the skin of the subject that the original alchemist was attempting to transmute. I suspect that the 'personalities' they possess are residual memories of their original combined with an almost bestial instinct that best suited the flaws of their original or the circumstances of their creation (hence, the peculiar way they are named?), and are in no way equivalent to the person whose components they are made from.
The method of killing a Homunculus is also different. To my understanding, destroying Homunculi in your version of the world is a matter of killing them until they run out of the 'lives' they possess through the the Philosopher's Stone that powers them. Destroying Homunculi in my world, however, involves recovering some piece of their original - a skull, for example, or a lock of hair - and placing it on their person in order to immobilize them. One then needs to use an alchemic array that will cause them to regurgitate all of the stones and borrowed 'lives' they possess, rendering them mortal.
I have also been made aware of the fact that some of the Homunculus are different between your version of the world and mine. Greed is my main example.
Primary Conspirators Behind the Military Operations of Amestris. From what I have gathered, the shadow behind Amestris - and by extension, the rest of our world - is different in my version of the world and in yours. I have read reports and received firsthand accounts of a woman known only as 'Dante', who was apparently responsible for forming Amestris in the militaristic image that we know today. Her sole motivation was to infinitely extend her own life - she used Homunculi to accomplish this for her, by sending them out across the world and instigate conflict or personal disasters that would then compel alchemists to pursue the creation of the Philosopher's Stone.
Hohenheim. Hohenheim, in my world, was apparently once involved with Dante, and also 'immortal' in the same fashion that she was. I am under the impression that the Hohenheim of your world is entirely different.
Information As Of Yet Unaccounted For
People. While there are exactly similar versions, it is actually hard to see if there are truly some people who exist only in my version of the world and not in yours, or vice-versa. It is entirely possible, after all, that people like Archer, for example, do exist in your version and he is simply involved in a life totally different from what I knew of him.
The Exact Points of Divergence. It is clear that beyond the external differences, events between our worlds unfolded in two totally different directions. I have no access to my other self, and therefore no way of confirming things completely, and in spite of the fact that we all come from different timelines, I'd appreciate some output from this direction.
One of the main ones I would like to share, at this moment, would be that I am responsible for the assassination of the King Bradley, the Homunculus Pride. While I survived the fight, I was shot through the eye by a man known as Archer shortly after escaping from Bradley's mansion.
The next point of divergence that has become obvious to me is the disappearance of Edward Elric in my world. Reports on this are sketchy, as the Alphonse Elric in my world has no memory how things unfolded and the one other witness in the area - Rose - has a very faint recollection of things, but I suspect that he disappeared in an attempt to resurrect his brother.
Edward Elric from my version of the world was apparently in Death City for a time - I was unable to speak with him at length, however, and therefore have no way of knowing if he truly survived, or if he was simply brought in from an earlier point in time than I was.
EVENTS FOLLOWING BRADLEY'S ASSASSINATION
I spent about six months recovering from my injuries. As such, some of this information may be secondhand.
Alphonse, Wrath. Alphonse was apparently restored, and, as mentioned above, had no memories whatsoever of the events that transpired. The Homunculus Wrath was under the care of the Rockbells for a short period of time before he disappeared. His whereabouts, as of my disappearance, remain unknown.
The Collapse of the Chain of Amestrian Military Command. Through the assistance of Maria Ross, Schiezka and a number of others who picked up Brigadier General Hughes' work after his death, I was able to start uncovering the conspiracies and corruption that ran rife through the military. Things eventually came to a head, with a camp clearly aligned with surviving associates of Bradley's and supporters of the current status quo, and a camp under my name.
The Trials. Although it was generally acknowledged that I had assassinated the Fuhrer, the court declared Bradley as an enemy of the state. As such, the charges against me were lightened, and I retained my position within the military.
Of course, that did not remove the stigma attached to my name, nor the suspicion. Furthermore, Bradley's remaining supporters would continue to make my life, and the lives of those supporting me, difficult from that point on.
Civil Unrest. The open doors policy on information, of course, made he public painfully aware of the evils of alchemy. As such, there was a general outcry against the military, against State Alchemists, and perhaps against the art in general.
The Demilitarization of Amestris. ...Although, that may not be the proper term for it. Rather, government structures were completely rehauled, removing the central power of governance from the military and placing it in the hands of a Parliament formed by the people, for the people.
Ideally, this could have fixed things and began proper reforms. The reality of it, however, was that some of the key members of the Parliament were actually former supporters of Bradley and backers of the power structures Dante had installed, over the centuries.
My camp eventually came under fire again, this time on several fronts outside of our own institution. It became evident that the best move I could make, at the moment, was to step down from my position to appease the ruling power at the time, and to prevent any further damage to my associates.
Until I arrived in Death City, I was assigned as a guardsman at an outpost overlooking the Drachma-Amestris border. Anything that might have happened before BREW took me here remains unaccounted for.
Filter | Winry Rockbell;
I haven't been able to ask you this for a while, since I've been... occupied.
How are those training sessions coming along?
Filter | Greed;
You probably know this by now, but the world you know is different from the one I know. The Homunculi are different as well.
I can tell you how different, if you're interested.
[ooc: Note that Roy's taken from between the first season and the movie, so a lot of the last section there is headcanon based on the discrepancies between the way things ended in the first season, how things are initially presented in the movie, and the idea that a lot of the details presented in the manga still remain canon in some way in the animu even if they're not mentioned.
Much later: Oh yeah. Edited post to prevent playercesting stuff. o_o]
[There's a Mustang, seated at his desk in his office. He's looking better than he has in a while, and as serious as ever.]
I'm nearly done compiling my notes. Apologies for the delay on posting the information I've managed to gather so far.
For those of you who are hearing this for the first time: Roy Mustang here. Meister, partnered to Ryotaro Dojima. I'm attempting to compile lists. Weapons, Meisters, abilities, dates of appearances and disappearances. The records are both for my personal reference, to have something to cross-check against any other lists in existence, and to see if there is some sort of pattern to everything.
If anyone wants to take a look at it beforehand, feel free to ask. Thanks, as well, to everyone who's been open about sharing the information we've been asking for.
Filter | Practically Unhackable | Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Winry Rockbell, Ling Yao, Ran Fan, Maes Hughes, Riza Hawkeye;
[And this is where the srs cool act sort of drops. Roy takes a moment to look at the screen a little with a rather odd expression on his face. He eventually turns away for just a moment, to light up a cigarette.]
With the arrival of Hawkeye and Hughes, I find it may be necessary for us to reiterate, once again, what the exact differences are between our two versions of our world. Of course, I can only do things most accurately from my end of things, but I'm sure the rest of you will have things to say after this transmission is done.
[Another pause. His lips purse. It might actually be clear, for once, that this is difficult on him. When he talks again, his voice is quieter, and not in the pleasant way.]
...I also think that I may have been silent for too long on the events that occurred after the assassination of King Bradley, and the disappearance of Edward Elric in my world.
[Recovering, recovering. Or attempting to.]
I've attached a file that... well. Has everything so far, I think, from my own experiences, and from what I managed to gather from others who dared to try and find answers. I might add to it at a later date, if something comes to mind.
[...He's totally all right, and totally didn't just refer to you Hughes, THEREFORE HE IS ALL RIGHT.]
Feel free to ask me whatever you want to, once you've read it. I might not be able to answer everything, but I will certainly try to.
...I also want to make a personal request that none of you filter your questions solely to me. The rest deserve to know, as well.
ON THE ALTERNATE AMESTRISES
Principle Similarities
People. While personal decisions and external events will inevitably effect how events have unfolded and therefore how one version of a person may be different from his alternate, it has become obvious that as a general rule, there exists an exactly similar version of every person in the world. For example: as I have 'my own version' of Edward Elric, Edward Elric in your version has 'his own version' of a Roy Mustang.
Alchemy. The governing principles of alchemy remain intact, in both versions of our world.
The Philosopher's Stone. It is still made of the same components, and still constructed in the exact same manner.
Ishval and the Ishval Campaign. Details are different, but the country and religion existed in both versions of our world. Amestris also waged war against the country, as well, in both versions.
Principle Differences
Homunculus. The creation of a Homunculus in my version of our world is through the failure to successfully transmute a human being. A Homunculus, then, is an soulless, empty shell that subsists on Philosopher's stones, and wears the skin of the subject that the original alchemist was attempting to transmute. I suspect that the 'personalities' they possess are residual memories of their original combined with an almost bestial instinct that best suited the flaws of their original or the circumstances of their creation (hence, the peculiar way they are named?), and are in no way equivalent to the person whose components they are made from.
The method of killing a Homunculus is also different. To my understanding, destroying Homunculi in your version of the world is a matter of killing them until they run out of the 'lives' they possess through the the Philosopher's Stone that powers them. Destroying Homunculi in my world, however, involves recovering some piece of their original - a skull, for example, or a lock of hair - and placing it on their person in order to immobilize them. One then needs to use an alchemic array that will cause them to regurgitate all of the stones and borrowed 'lives' they possess, rendering them mortal.
I have also been made aware of the fact that some of the Homunculus are different between your version of the world and mine. Greed is my main example.
Primary Conspirators Behind the Military Operations of Amestris. From what I have gathered, the shadow behind Amestris - and by extension, the rest of our world - is different in my version of the world and in yours. I have read reports and received firsthand accounts of a woman known only as 'Dante', who was apparently responsible for forming Amestris in the militaristic image that we know today. Her sole motivation was to infinitely extend her own life - she used Homunculi to accomplish this for her, by sending them out across the world and instigate conflict or personal disasters that would then compel alchemists to pursue the creation of the Philosopher's Stone.
Hohenheim. Hohenheim, in my world, was apparently once involved with Dante, and also 'immortal' in the same fashion that she was. I am under the impression that the Hohenheim of your world is entirely different.
Information As Of Yet Unaccounted For
People. While there are exactly similar versions, it is actually hard to see if there are truly some people who exist only in my version of the world and not in yours, or vice-versa. It is entirely possible, after all, that people like Archer, for example, do exist in your version and he is simply involved in a life totally different from what I knew of him.
The Exact Points of Divergence. It is clear that beyond the external differences, events between our worlds unfolded in two totally different directions. I have no access to my other self, and therefore no way of confirming things completely, and in spite of the fact that we all come from different timelines, I'd appreciate some output from this direction.
One of the main ones I would like to share, at this moment, would be that I am responsible for the assassination of the King Bradley, the Homunculus Pride. While I survived the fight, I was shot through the eye by a man known as Archer shortly after escaping from Bradley's mansion.
The next point of divergence that has become obvious to me is the disappearance of Edward Elric in my world. Reports on this are sketchy, as the Alphonse Elric in my world has no memory how things unfolded and the one other witness in the area - Rose - has a very faint recollection of things, but I suspect that he disappeared in an attempt to resurrect his brother.
Edward Elric from my version of the world was apparently in Death City for a time - I was unable to speak with him at length, however, and therefore have no way of knowing if he truly survived, or if he was simply brought in from an earlier point in time than I was.
EVENTS FOLLOWING BRADLEY'S ASSASSINATION
I spent about six months recovering from my injuries. As such, some of this information may be secondhand.
Alphonse, Wrath. Alphonse was apparently restored, and, as mentioned above, had no memories whatsoever of the events that transpired. The Homunculus Wrath was under the care of the Rockbells for a short period of time before he disappeared. His whereabouts, as of my disappearance, remain unknown.
The Collapse of the Chain of Amestrian Military Command. Through the assistance of Maria Ross, Schiezka and a number of others who picked up Brigadier General Hughes' work after his death, I was able to start uncovering the conspiracies and corruption that ran rife through the military. Things eventually came to a head, with a camp clearly aligned with surviving associates of Bradley's and supporters of the current status quo, and a camp under my name.
The Trials. Although it was generally acknowledged that I had assassinated the Fuhrer, the court declared Bradley as an enemy of the state. As such, the charges against me were lightened, and I retained my position within the military.
Of course, that did not remove the stigma attached to my name, nor the suspicion. Furthermore, Bradley's remaining supporters would continue to make my life, and the lives of those supporting me, difficult from that point on.
Civil Unrest. The open doors policy on information, of course, made he public painfully aware of the evils of alchemy. As such, there was a general outcry against the military, against State Alchemists, and perhaps against the art in general.
The Demilitarization of Amestris. ...Although, that may not be the proper term for it. Rather, government structures were completely rehauled, removing the central power of governance from the military and placing it in the hands of a Parliament formed by the people, for the people.
Ideally, this could have fixed things and began proper reforms. The reality of it, however, was that some of the key members of the Parliament were actually former supporters of Bradley and backers of the power structures Dante had installed, over the centuries.
My camp eventually came under fire again, this time on several fronts outside of our own institution. It became evident that the best move I could make, at the moment, was to step down from my position to appease the ruling power at the time, and to prevent any further damage to my associates.
Until I arrived in Death City, I was assigned as a guardsman at an outpost overlooking the Drachma-Amestris border. Anything that might have happened before BREW took me here remains unaccounted for.
Filter | Winry Rockbell;
I haven't been able to ask you this for a while, since I've been... occupied.
How are those training sessions coming along?
Filter | Greed;
You probably know this by now, but the world you know is different from the one I know. The Homunculi are different as well.
I can tell you how different, if you're interested.
[ooc: Note that Roy's taken from between the first season and the movie, so a lot of the last section there is headcanon based on the discrepancies between the way things ended in the first season, how things are initially presented in the movie, and the idea that a lot of the details presented in the manga still remain canon in some way in the animu even if they're not mentioned.
Much later: Oh yeah. Edited post to prevent playercesting stuff. o_o]