Asylum Project RP//Character Info
Teachings that do not speak of pain have no meaning...
For humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return.
☆ Character: Edward Elric
☆ Series: Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)
☆ Character Age: 15 (almost 16)
☆ Special Abilities/Powers: Ed is a genius - a prodigy, if you will - in the field of alchemy (the science of transforming one object into another as long as it retains the same mass and chemical properties as the original object). Unlike most other alchemists, he is able to transmute without having to draw the necessary transmutation circle first. Instead, he merely claps his hands together, essentially forming the circle with his hands and channeling the energy through that. Canonly (manga), due to the fact that the energy source for alchemy is essentially drawn from the earth's crust, Edward has completely free range on how much energy he can use during a transmutation. He could make anything from a small pure gold statuette to a skyscraper if he so wanted to. It is also possible for him to use his own life force energy to do a sort of medical healing alchemy, but that is very risky as it supposedly shortens his life span.
In addition, thanks to the brutal and intensive training endured under his teacher, Ed is quite proficient at hand-to-hand combat. He’s not as good as his younger brother has proven to be, but he’s definitely one of the toughest opponents you’ll meet.
☆Timeline: manga-based, middle of chapter 77
☆ Character's Personality: Ed is extremely hot-headed and temperamental, and any insult to his height is met with loud yelling and, more often than not, violence. He tends to speak bluntly to people, and maybe a little too bluntly sometimes. He often comes off as aloof and brash, a stubborn, headstrong, impatient, arrogant brat with a harsh tongue, a serious potty mouth, and an impetuous nature. But beneath this tough exterior, Ed can be very kind and giving. He will often help people in need, usually through indirect means (or otherwise doing his best to make it as not obvious as possible). He’s loving and compassionate to those important to him (especially his little brother) and will protect them at all costs. He’s very passionate about what he believes in and will not hesitate to stand up for those beliefs. While he has come very close to killing once or twice for such reasons, he was never able to go through with it (he values human life far too much to do something like that). He works hard toward his goals and is easily absorbed completely by his work or research, oftentimes to the point of excluding any other sort of activity and forgetting to do mundane things and basic necessities like eating or sleeping. He has an astounding ability to focus. Edward truly is very smart for his age and while it’s understandable for him to be proud of his abilities, sometimes his ego gets a little out of hand.
In a sense, despite his exposure to the world’s harshest realities, he can be very naïve. Ed believes that the whole world follows the rule of Equivalent Exchange, that to gain means to sacrifice and sacrifices merit rewards. He practically lives by this rule; when receiving something from someone he will insist on paying that person back one way or another, but sometimes forgets to expect the same from them (unless he doesn’t like them, in which case, pay up, bitch!).
Ed also has some major guilt issues. When something he is involved in has gone wrong or otherwise not according to plan, chances are he’s going to blame himself no matter what and will not rest until he’s found a way to set things right. He’s made a lot of mistakes in his past, all of which he works very hard to make up for, and because of this he tries to make sure that no one else will make similar ones if he can help it. Ed takes on some heavy burdens for someone so young, and does so (for the most part) in stride. As the inscription in his pocket watch reminds him, he believes that there is no choice but to move forward, learning from the past and working to rise from its charred remains.
☆ Character's Background: (as spoiler-free for recent chapters as possible)
Ed was born and raised in the small town of Risembool, into a small family unit of four; mother (Trisha Elric), father (Van Hohenheim), and two sons (Edward and his younger brother Alphonse). When Ed was about 2 or 3 years old, his father simply packed his things up and left without really offering any sort of explanation. Because of this, Ed has come to hate and resent his father with a passion, and any mention of the man is likely to set him off. Their mother did her best to raise the two boys without their father around.
Edward and Alphonse began experimenting with alchemy from a very young age and - perhaps because their father was a skilled alchemist himself - found that they had quite a talent for it. This made their mother very proud of them, and so they continued to study and practice it, learning from books that had been left behind in their father’s study.
When Ed was 10 years old and Al was 9, their mother fell ill and eventually died of what was speculated to be some sort of plague. Their guardianship was more or less taken over by Pinako Rockbell, a long-time family friend. So distraught over the loss of their mother, Ed and Al decided to try to revive their mother through alchemy; the dangerous and forbidden act of human transmutation. For a long time they tried to figure out the method by themselves, but eventually found a teacher/mentor in alchemy (Izumi Curtis) and went along with her. They endured brutal training and studied under her for less than a year before coming back to Risembool to continue their research on resurrecting their mother.
At the age of 11 and 10 respectively, Ed and Al deemed themselves ready to attempt human transmutation. They gathered up the necessary materials and drew out the array, and for a little while everything seemed to be going just fine - but then everything went wrong. Al had his body taken away and Ed was allowed through the Doors of Truth. A huge amount of knowledge (mostly in regards to alchemy) was crammed into his mind, and in exchange Ed lost his left leg above the knee. When he came to, Ed found that the transmutation was a failure and his little brother was all but gone. Consumed by his own guilt and fear and in a desperate attempt to get Alphonse back, Ed bound Al’s soul to a nearby suit of armor. In exchange for this, Ed lost his entire right arm.
Not long after that, the Elric brothers were approached by a military man by the name of Roy Mustang, who offered them work as state alchemists before taking his leave. Ed, fueled by the desire to restore himself and his younger brother, chose to accept. He was fitted with automail, full-steel prosthetic limbs, and spent a year in rehab getting adjusted to it. When he was 12, Ed and Al (now in a lumbering suit of armor) burned down their old house and went off to join the military.
Now nearly 16, Edward still holds a place in Amestrian history as being the youngest ever to enlist in the military force. He was given a second name and became the Fullmetal Alchemist. Ever since first joining up, he and his younger brother have been on a long quest to restore their bodies to the way they should be. For a long time, their only real lead on finding a method through which they could accomplish this was the legendary Philosopher’s Stone, but after much toiling and research they discovered that obtaining the stone was not only near impossible but completely unethical. Not selfish enough to compromise their morals and endanger the lives of others in order to reach their goals (after finding out what happened to Hughes), the Elric brothers chose to find an alternative method.
And on that train of thought, forward they marched into the abyss, fighting homunculi, meeting new people, and endangering their very lives…