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[ Player Name ] : skarme
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blitzente
[ Age ] : 19
[ Timezone ] : GMT
[ Other Characters ] : N/A
[ Character's Name ] : Edward Elric
[ Character's Age ] : 18
[ Series ] : Fullmetal Alchemist
[ Canon Point ] : 2003 anime canon, shortly after the movie Conqueror of Shamballa.
[ History ] :
Wiki page summarising the whole series.
[ Personality ] :
There are a lot of things you could say about Edward. Many of them aren't particularly flattering. He's brash, stubborn, arrogant, bad-tempered and frequently violent, with an impulsive streak only matched by the depth of his cynicism. Even ignoring his tendency to fly into berserk rages on little to no provocation, his poor social skills make him hard to hold a conversation with; he's unfailingly rude to more or less everyone, and that goes doubly for any kind of authority. He notably breaks the shounen protagonist mould by being genuinely intelligent, but his hot-bloodedness tends to undermine that - although when it doesn't, expect him to be insufferable about it. None of these traits are what defines him, though - in fact, after two years of being stuck in another world and steadily losing hope of seeing anyone he knows again, he's toned a lot of them down.
What hasn't changed is his sense of responsibility. His worldview can be summarised by the Principle of Equivalent Exchange, the basis of all alchemy and a rule Ed takes very seriously even though it isn't always strictly true: nothing can be gained without losing something of equal value, but conversely, anyone who sacrifices something will obtain something of equal value in return. Translated into a way of life, this means never dodging your obligations and earning your own happiness. Moreover, since Equivalent Exchange is meant to be a universal principle, those obligations aren't solely to yourself or the people in your immediate experience - you're never completely extricable from the rest of the world you live in, so you'll always bear some responsibility for it. It took him a while to refine his philosophy to this point, but it's working out for him so far.
His outlook has two notable consequences. The first is his determination. Ed has bottomless reserves of the stuff. If he decides he's going to do something, then come hell or high water he will; if anything goes wrong, it's his mess to clean up, and nobody else's. This approach tends to get him into more trouble than it gets him out of, but that hasn't ever stopped him. The second is his kindness - the guy's a lot nicer than he first seems, and certainly more than he'd like to let on. He'll gripe about it and maybe try to pass it off as something else, but if it's within his ability to help someone out (and often even when it isn't), he'll almost always try. He sympathises especially strongly with outcasts, having lived as one in a couple of different ways. As you might expect, conflict arises when his altruism interferes with his other goals; generally, though, it's the other goals that will slide.
This says more than you might think, because in general, Ed is intensely goal-driven. He'll completely restructure his life around them if necessary (an extreme example would be his joining the state military at the age of twelve just so he could use their resources), and take personal offence when anybody suggests he can't achieve them, even himself.
His top priority has always been Alphonse, his younger brother and sole surviving blood relation. What began as an ordinary older sibling instinct was cemented after the two of them were effectively orphaned by their mother's death, then further ingrained when their failed attempt to bring her back (which was initially Ed's idea) cost Al his body. Compared to that, Ed's own well-being takes a definite back seat, and even his empathy for other people will struggle a little - he proved himself perfectly willing to sacrifice his life for Al's, and almost failed to balk earlier when the price was instead the lives of a crowd of death row inmates. Al was even Ed's main reason for wanting to leave Earth after being trapped there; once he finally ascertained that Al was still alive, he lost most of his interest in returning home.
However, he does have other motivations, and over the years he's become more comfortable with admitting them. His moral sense, deriving from his abovementioned empathy, is a big one. Back when he was a State Alchemist, he quickly gained a reputation as a champion of the people due to his compulsion to right wrongs wherever he saw them. These days, though he no longer has any stature or much in the way of resources, he's resolved to continue doing much the same thing on Earth; at the point he's taken from, he's chasing the inventor of the atomic bomb to make sure nobody uses it for war.
Of course, this kind of lifestyle takes its toll, and Ed does harbour a tendency to brood about it. To be fair, he's lived through a lot, and he's not the most balanced person when it comes to dealing with it. Though he's mellowed out about some things such as his parental issues, he has plenty of others that he's still working through - among them are his difficulty being candid about his emotions, a habit of viewing other people as less than himself despite intellectually knowing better, and a heavy inclination towards guilt. It's these issues, probably more than his lack of social grace, which will complicate any close relationships with him for the foreseeable future.
Still, rough patches aside, he's a pretty heroic character. He just needs to be given a while in order to show it.
[ Strengths/Weaknesses ] :
Overpowered lead character ahoy!
Ed's most prominent special ability is right there in the series title: he's an alchemist. That is, he can reshape or alter the composition of pretty much any matter he can touch. Unlike most alchemists, he doesn't need to prepare an appropriate transmutation circle beforehand; all he has to do is mentally picture the circle and clap his hands. The main limiting factor on alchemy is equivalent exchange - he can't create matter out of nowhere. On top of that, some materials are almost impossible to transmute into anything useful, such as humans.
Almost as prominently, and also referenced in the series title: his right arm and most of his left leg are advanced steel prosthetics called automail, attached directly to his nervous system. For the most part, they're a strength - they're just as mobile as his original limbs, much tougher, and he can transmute them into different shapes without affecting their internal workings. They do have downsides, though - they're heavy, he has no tactile sensation in them (although in some situations this can be a positive feature), they need maintenance work every so often and they make him more vulnerable than the average person to extreme temperatures.
Both of those things have obvious uses in combat, and he's adept at applying them to terrain or the materials in his environment. In particular, he prefers to transmute whatever weapon will give him an edge rather than carry one around; his favourite is a blade on the end of his automail arm, but he's used knives, polearms, hammers and even firearms on occasion. Still, even without these abilities he wouldn't be a pushover. He's athletic, resilient, extremely agile, a competent fist fighter thanks to his martial arts training and not at all averse to taking cheap shots.
On the more mundane side of things, he's... an alchemist, and a prodigy at that. He has an extensive (if decidedly classical) knowledge of chemistry, physics, geology and other natural sciences. He isn't restricted to book smarts, either - he's remarkably quick on the uptake in general. For example, Earth's technology was between years and decades ahead of what he was familiar with when he arrived there, but within months he was studying rocketry at university level and by all accounts doing just fine.
His biggest weakness would probably be his own rashness. While it's not as much of a liability as it used to be, it still gets him into trouble, especially when there's someone around to push his buttons. He isn't gullible by any means, but it's fairly easy to emotionally manipulate someone with so many issues and such a short fuse - and you may not even need to, since in most situations he'll predictably find some way to take the heroic option.
[ Other Important Facts ] : He's short. Actually only slightly shorter than average these days, but it's still a sensitive topic.
[ Sample ] :
[Sprawled on a cobbled surface and completely drenched in water from coat to undershirt is not a pleasant position to wake up in. Hell, if Ed had to rank every unpleasant position he's ever found himself in, this one... probably wouldn't make the top ten, to be honest, but top twenty seems plausible. Yep, that's exactly the kind of stupid thought he needs to hang onto so he can distract himself from the aching in his, well, everywhere. Especially his back, for some reason.
It's a temporary measure, though. He groans and weakly lifts a hand to rub his eyes. Since his glove is just as soaked as the rest of him, it doesn't improve things.]
See, Al? This is what happens when you don't just let me drive. I told you, I felt fine.
...Al? Hey, you there?
[There's no response. But now that he's properly listening, he can hear a whole lot of other noises, and they add up to the soundscape of a bustling city - a city he's pretty damn sure he was nowhere near before he lost consciousness.]
Al! [Pain forgotten, eyes springing open, he sits bolt upright.
And stares.]
This is... No, there's no way. Not again.
[The coral, the water overhead... if this is anywhere on Earth, he can't even begin to imagine what could have brought him down here. And he has the nagging feeling it's not. But where else could it be? Can't be the other side of the Gate - he would've heard about a place like this, surely - and it doesn't have more than two sides... does it?
Plenty of questions. None that he'll find the answers to by sitting here forever.
He gets to his feet, extracts himself from his sopping wet coat, slings it over his shoulder and, for a second, looks back up at where the sky is supposed to be. Then he picks a random direction and starts to walk. If he doesn't run into anyone who can fill him in, he can at least get his bearings. Or a drink. Whichever comes first.]
[ Questions? Comments? Concerns? ] : Just one nitpicky thing: is it okay for him to regain his alchemy here? Technically he never lost it in this continuity - he just went to a world where using it was impossible, and that wouldn't apply any more in Vatheon... I think. |D I'm happy to be corrected, though!
[ Personal DW ] :
blitzente[ Age ] : 19
[ Timezone ] : GMT
[ Other Characters ] : N/A
[ Character's Name ] : Edward Elric
[ Character's Age ] : 18
[ Series ] : Fullmetal Alchemist
[ Canon Point ] : 2003 anime canon, shortly after the movie Conqueror of Shamballa.
[ History ] :
Wiki page summarising the whole series.
[ Personality ] :
There are a lot of things you could say about Edward. Many of them aren't particularly flattering. He's brash, stubborn, arrogant, bad-tempered and frequently violent, with an impulsive streak only matched by the depth of his cynicism. Even ignoring his tendency to fly into berserk rages on little to no provocation, his poor social skills make him hard to hold a conversation with; he's unfailingly rude to more or less everyone, and that goes doubly for any kind of authority. He notably breaks the shounen protagonist mould by being genuinely intelligent, but his hot-bloodedness tends to undermine that - although when it doesn't, expect him to be insufferable about it. None of these traits are what defines him, though - in fact, after two years of being stuck in another world and steadily losing hope of seeing anyone he knows again, he's toned a lot of them down.
What hasn't changed is his sense of responsibility. His worldview can be summarised by the Principle of Equivalent Exchange, the basis of all alchemy and a rule Ed takes very seriously even though it isn't always strictly true: nothing can be gained without losing something of equal value, but conversely, anyone who sacrifices something will obtain something of equal value in return. Translated into a way of life, this means never dodging your obligations and earning your own happiness. Moreover, since Equivalent Exchange is meant to be a universal principle, those obligations aren't solely to yourself or the people in your immediate experience - you're never completely extricable from the rest of the world you live in, so you'll always bear some responsibility for it. It took him a while to refine his philosophy to this point, but it's working out for him so far.
His outlook has two notable consequences. The first is his determination. Ed has bottomless reserves of the stuff. If he decides he's going to do something, then come hell or high water he will; if anything goes wrong, it's his mess to clean up, and nobody else's. This approach tends to get him into more trouble than it gets him out of, but that hasn't ever stopped him. The second is his kindness - the guy's a lot nicer than he first seems, and certainly more than he'd like to let on. He'll gripe about it and maybe try to pass it off as something else, but if it's within his ability to help someone out (and often even when it isn't), he'll almost always try. He sympathises especially strongly with outcasts, having lived as one in a couple of different ways. As you might expect, conflict arises when his altruism interferes with his other goals; generally, though, it's the other goals that will slide.
This says more than you might think, because in general, Ed is intensely goal-driven. He'll completely restructure his life around them if necessary (an extreme example would be his joining the state military at the age of twelve just so he could use their resources), and take personal offence when anybody suggests he can't achieve them, even himself.
His top priority has always been Alphonse, his younger brother and sole surviving blood relation. What began as an ordinary older sibling instinct was cemented after the two of them were effectively orphaned by their mother's death, then further ingrained when their failed attempt to bring her back (which was initially Ed's idea) cost Al his body. Compared to that, Ed's own well-being takes a definite back seat, and even his empathy for other people will struggle a little - he proved himself perfectly willing to sacrifice his life for Al's, and almost failed to balk earlier when the price was instead the lives of a crowd of death row inmates. Al was even Ed's main reason for wanting to leave Earth after being trapped there; once he finally ascertained that Al was still alive, he lost most of his interest in returning home.
However, he does have other motivations, and over the years he's become more comfortable with admitting them. His moral sense, deriving from his abovementioned empathy, is a big one. Back when he was a State Alchemist, he quickly gained a reputation as a champion of the people due to his compulsion to right wrongs wherever he saw them. These days, though he no longer has any stature or much in the way of resources, he's resolved to continue doing much the same thing on Earth; at the point he's taken from, he's chasing the inventor of the atomic bomb to make sure nobody uses it for war.
Of course, this kind of lifestyle takes its toll, and Ed does harbour a tendency to brood about it. To be fair, he's lived through a lot, and he's not the most balanced person when it comes to dealing with it. Though he's mellowed out about some things such as his parental issues, he has plenty of others that he's still working through - among them are his difficulty being candid about his emotions, a habit of viewing other people as less than himself despite intellectually knowing better, and a heavy inclination towards guilt. It's these issues, probably more than his lack of social grace, which will complicate any close relationships with him for the foreseeable future.
Still, rough patches aside, he's a pretty heroic character. He just needs to be given a while in order to show it.
[ Strengths/Weaknesses ] :
Overpowered lead character ahoy!
Ed's most prominent special ability is right there in the series title: he's an alchemist. That is, he can reshape or alter the composition of pretty much any matter he can touch. Unlike most alchemists, he doesn't need to prepare an appropriate transmutation circle beforehand; all he has to do is mentally picture the circle and clap his hands. The main limiting factor on alchemy is equivalent exchange - he can't create matter out of nowhere. On top of that, some materials are almost impossible to transmute into anything useful, such as humans.
Almost as prominently, and also referenced in the series title: his right arm and most of his left leg are advanced steel prosthetics called automail, attached directly to his nervous system. For the most part, they're a strength - they're just as mobile as his original limbs, much tougher, and he can transmute them into different shapes without affecting their internal workings. They do have downsides, though - they're heavy, he has no tactile sensation in them (although in some situations this can be a positive feature), they need maintenance work every so often and they make him more vulnerable than the average person to extreme temperatures.
Both of those things have obvious uses in combat, and he's adept at applying them to terrain or the materials in his environment. In particular, he prefers to transmute whatever weapon will give him an edge rather than carry one around; his favourite is a blade on the end of his automail arm, but he's used knives, polearms, hammers and even firearms on occasion. Still, even without these abilities he wouldn't be a pushover. He's athletic, resilient, extremely agile, a competent fist fighter thanks to his martial arts training and not at all averse to taking cheap shots.
On the more mundane side of things, he's... an alchemist, and a prodigy at that. He has an extensive (if decidedly classical) knowledge of chemistry, physics, geology and other natural sciences. He isn't restricted to book smarts, either - he's remarkably quick on the uptake in general. For example, Earth's technology was between years and decades ahead of what he was familiar with when he arrived there, but within months he was studying rocketry at university level and by all accounts doing just fine.
His biggest weakness would probably be his own rashness. While it's not as much of a liability as it used to be, it still gets him into trouble, especially when there's someone around to push his buttons. He isn't gullible by any means, but it's fairly easy to emotionally manipulate someone with so many issues and such a short fuse - and you may not even need to, since in most situations he'll predictably find some way to take the heroic option.
[ Other Important Facts ] : He's short. Actually only slightly shorter than average these days, but it's still a sensitive topic.
[ Sample ] :
[Sprawled on a cobbled surface and completely drenched in water from coat to undershirt is not a pleasant position to wake up in. Hell, if Ed had to rank every unpleasant position he's ever found himself in, this one... probably wouldn't make the top ten, to be honest, but top twenty seems plausible. Yep, that's exactly the kind of stupid thought he needs to hang onto so he can distract himself from the aching in his, well, everywhere. Especially his back, for some reason.
It's a temporary measure, though. He groans and weakly lifts a hand to rub his eyes. Since his glove is just as soaked as the rest of him, it doesn't improve things.]
See, Al? This is what happens when you don't just let me drive. I told you, I felt fine.
...Al? Hey, you there?
[There's no response. But now that he's properly listening, he can hear a whole lot of other noises, and they add up to the soundscape of a bustling city - a city he's pretty damn sure he was nowhere near before he lost consciousness.]
Al! [Pain forgotten, eyes springing open, he sits bolt upright.
And stares.]
This is... No, there's no way. Not again.
[The coral, the water overhead... if this is anywhere on Earth, he can't even begin to imagine what could have brought him down here. And he has the nagging feeling it's not. But where else could it be? Can't be the other side of the Gate - he would've heard about a place like this, surely - and it doesn't have more than two sides... does it?
Plenty of questions. None that he'll find the answers to by sitting here forever.
He gets to his feet, extracts himself from his sopping wet coat, slings it over his shoulder and, for a second, looks back up at where the sky is supposed to be. Then he picks a random direction and starts to walk. If he doesn't run into anyone who can fill him in, he can at least get his bearings. Or a drink. Whichever comes first.]
[ Questions? Comments? Concerns? ] : Just one nitpicky thing: is it okay for him to regain his alchemy here? Technically he never lost it in this continuity - he just went to a world where using it was impossible, and that wouldn't apply any more in Vatheon... I think. |D I'm happy to be corrected, though!