025 | Mustang | September 21, 9:15 AM | Video

[thewarisover]

[Busy, busy, busy as ever~ he does look like he's slept properly, though. Congratulate him!]

Public;

Roy Mustang here, head of Death City's Office for General Security, as some of you already know. I haven't been able to keep as close an eye on the network as I ought to these days, but thanks, nonetheless, for those of you who have told me about the latest round of disappearances, BREW-related, or otherwise.

...On that note, I'd like to extend my thanks to those of you who have expressed interest in joining the Watch. Furthermore, if any of you are considering it, please: feel free. We're always looking for new members.

[He links the site in the next moment.]

Anyway. BREW was a popular topic of discussion some time back, and I have promised more than a few times to post my observations on the issue in the past. So, here we are. [Swift smile, small but genuine.] All I can say is, sorry for the delay.

[The next parts are TEXT.]



BREW’s Modus Operandi: What It Can Do, What It Can’t

• BREW is capable of both transporting people from other realms to Death City, and from Death City. It does this whenever it wants to, from the looks of it, as people have, in the past, been returned home for as little as a day before winding up back here. They often return 'changed' (i.e. returning as Weapons rather than Meisters, or vice versa).
  
• BREW does not discriminate. Man, woman, human, humanoid, machine, animal, child… for so long as the individual is capable of some form of intelligent communication, the machine will draw him/her/it in.
  
• BREW does not appear to be infallible. See also: Tohru Adachi, Jonathan Crane.
  
• BREW removes the abilities inherent in the individuals it takes, replacing them with the soul-based abilities that Shibusen’s Technicians and Weapons possess.
  
• …It might also be good to know that BREW is indestructible, so don’t try and break it.
  

Noted Patterns

• The numbers of people brought in by BREW were on a steady increase, and now appear to have stabilized to what may be a 'controllable' number in BREW's own parameters. The disappearances that can be attributed to BREW are generally random, although a large wave of disappearances does appear to occur at around the same time as a large batch of new arrivals.
  
• There is an oddly large number of Japanese individuals, humans, and/or outsiders from timelines exactly equivalent to or similar to the current time and level of technology in Death City.
  
• Individuals from some worlds are likelier to show up than others.
  

Possibilities

• BREW is ‘sentient’, in the sense that it appears to work with some inherent form of logic. What complicates this, however, is that it also appears to possess a set of primal instincts that it does act upon. We’re unsure about whether it’s incapable of communicating with the rest of us, or if it simply chooses not to.
  
• It is possible that the steady increase in numbers has to do with “need” - it is only logical, for example, to bring in more soldiers if a great threat is on the horizon.
  
• Is the stripping of powers an inherent defense mechanism, or is it a necessity? Abilities possessed by individuals do appear to emulate whatever powers or skills that the individual originally possesses for Meisters; Weapons, on the other hand, take a form that either reflects their original skill set, their personality, or is directly equivalent to the weapon they specialize in wielding.
  
• While BREW’s selections might not make sense to the casual observer, it is possible that it zones in on a particular set of characteristics that is not dependent on gender, race, ethnicity or age. Might it have something to do with “ability”? Could it be, for example, that the children it draws in are people of potential, of they are given the proper amount of training and experience?
  
• BREW might actually be sensitive to the individual needs of the people it brings in - hence, the individual disappearances. It can’t be about removing troublesome elements. Maybe the people who disappeared wished to return to their own homes in a fashion that resonated with BREW’s goals? This is not to say that the others in Death City at the moment do not want to go home - simply that there may be some other determining factor that separates the lot from the majority. Either way: at the moment, there is no explanation for it at the moment.
  
• If BREW is following Shinigami’s unconscious wish for the war to end, then it is possible that it interprets “ending” in a very different way from how Shibusen views it. It is possible, for example, to interpret the “ending” of a war as an elimination of Death City itself.
  
• …Then again, whose wish is BREW really catering to, in the end? Can it grant several at a time? Does it resonate with individuals or find some way to compensate for everything?
  

[And back to VIDEO.]

Questions, comments and observations are welcome. Can't quite say that what I've got is accurate, but it's what I've taken note of ever since I came here.

Filter | The Agency;

Some of you likely aren't familiar with me, but to those who still remember... it's been a while, hasn't it?

I've spoken to Kuzunoha about this, and I have his permission. I'd like to ask if any of you are willing to help us out with your abilities in the future.

You will be paid, of course.

Filter | The Watch;

We've got a whole bunch of new recruits, folks. Make them feel at home.

To those of you who just signed up: let me know immediately if there's anything you need. Since a lot of you came in at the same time, I'm considering doing another large briefing to get you all up to speed. Would that be good?

For the rest of you: I've finished the new shift list. [link here!] Let's see how that works out for a bit, shall we?

Zone Leaders, Hawkeye, Hughes: you may have noticed that you've been signed up for shifts, as well. This is to make sure that we keep security tight, and have everyone fielded as much as possible. Let me know if you've got issues with that.

Filter | Dojima;

How are you holding up?