[ooc: background information]
Character Name; Alphonse Elric
Series/Fandom; Fullmetal Alchemist
Personality;
One thing to remember about Alphonse Elric is how much he cares. He often extends a hand of friendship to strangers, even if they seem untrustworthy. He cared so much about his older brother that he willing committed grievous sin--human transmutation. When his brother died, Al gave up his own life to save him. Even when he is not around his brother, whom he cares for (arguably) more than life itself, his kindness and eagerness to help shows through. This is most show in his demeanor. Alphonse is incredibly polite, going so far as to use suffixes with his enemies (ie Greed-san, Scar-san). He is known to put his own life at risk to aid those he does not know well. This is perhaps because Alphonse knows completely how valuable life is. For four years of Al's life, he lived as an empty suit of armor. He was unable to eat, sleep, or breathe as most humans did. Quite possibly because of this, when Al was returned to his body, he garnered the habit of touching, feeling, and just experiencing life. Though he knows that scalding tea will burn his tongue, he'll drink it anyway, because he can experience that feeling of the burn.
Al is also very affectionate, willing reaching out to others to hold, or touch. He also has a weak spot for anything small and fluffy, usually along the feline variety.
Strengths/Abilities;
Primarily, Al's strength is his ability to preform Alchemy. In his world, this is the "science" of changing one item to another item. Rules and stipulations apply to this, including the fact that anything changed must have the same mass and elements. Still, within this field, Al is exceptional. He is exceptionally strong in the area of soul alchemy. Because his own soul was bound to a suit of armor for so long, Al has gained the ability to transfer part of his soul to other suits of armor, thereby controlling them. Al can also manipulate certain weather conditions by using alchemy.
Aside from alchemy, Al is very skilled in hand-to-hand combat. When he was young, and going through training, one of the first things that his teacher taught him was how to fight. She told him that Alchemists should not rely on alchemy alone. Because of this, Al has learned to fight well, easily being able to disarm an opponent within seconds.
Weaknesses;
Because of Al's caring and kind demeanor, Al is not predisposed to use his gifts. Given a choice, Al would rather use alchemy to help others and fight to protect those he loves. He does not usually like the idea of fighting, and this can be used against him. Also, because he is kind, enemies could use his emotions, which has happened on occasion. Also, Al's alchemic power, while contained, needs a "spark" of sorts. To preform alchemy, a transmutation circle is usually needed. This means that Al may sometimes need to keep tools to draw a circle, or what he more commonly uses: his gloves. While not absolutely necessary, these white gloves have half the circle on each palm to make transmutations stronger. Take these tools away from Al, and it becomes more difficult for him to preform alchemy, but he is never helpless. Having come to know the "Truth," Al can still preform alchemy without a transmutation circle.
Background;
The story of Alphonse is quite a long one, but also contains a certain key character. For, without this key character, it is certain that much of what happened in Al's life would not have occurred. We start in a small village called Risembool where two young boys live with their mother. The boys are Edward and Alphonse Elric, and their mother is Trisha. Little do they know, the boys' mother is ill, and has been for some time. Eventually, she passes away, leaving the boys distraught and orphaned. It is at this time that the eldest brother, Edward, makes a decision that will affect their entire lives. Sitting before their mother's grave, Ed turns to Al and says softly, "Let's bring mother back." Now, it is important to know that in Ed and Al's world a series of laws dictate nature. The most prevalent of these is called the Law of Equivalent Exchange. You see, in Ed and Al's world, there are a select few that can preform an astonishing feat called "alchemy." It is not the alchemy that we think of, but the ability to change one item to another. These seemingly magical exchanges must be conducted in a certain manner, however. This is the Law of Equivalent Exchange. An alchemist cannot make something out of nothing, nor can change anything into whatever he wants. Materials must have the same mass and elements to be exchanged. Because of this law, it was impossible for Ed and Al to revive their mother. In their world, the only exchange equivalent for one human soul is another. At the time they make their decision, however, Ed and Al do not know this. It is without this knowledge and a small amount of alchemic talent (inherited from their estranged father), Ed and Al take on a teacher, becoming apprentices for a very talented alchemist. After a year of training, the brothers return to their home, preparing for their attempt at reviving their mother.
But something goes wrong. The attempt fails horribly. Through the transmutation (or, the alchemic exchange), Edward loses a leg and Alphonse loses his entire body. The result turns out to be nothing more than a mass of pulsating organs without a soul. Distraught, Ed reaches for the only person he has left: Al. When he cannot find him, Edward sacrifices his right arm to restore Al. A right arm is not enough to restore a full human body, of course, so Edward affixes Al's soul to a suit of armor. It is this suit of armor that allows Al to remain in the world for four years. Once the brothers escape the terror of their former home, and find help, they rest and recuperate. Without an arm and a leg, Edward feels hopeless. Especially since he is now determined to return Al to his original state. Desperate, Edward demands that he be given auto-mail. In their world, auto-mail are types of prosthetic limbs that function much like normal human limbs yet are made entirely of metal. It is a painful process to adhere them to human and most adults end up screaming in pain. Ed endures the process without so much as a whimper, believing that what Al has had to suffer has been much worse.
After being given the automail, Ed and Al return to their home. They burn down the remnants and begin a new journey: a journey to find a way back to their original forms. It is this journey that leads Ed and Al to the capital city of their country, Central City. Edward applies to the military, and soon becomes the youngest Nationally Certified Alchemist in history. This means that should the army be called to war, Ed would have to use his alchemy to hurt the enemy, a concept contradictory to the ideas of alchemy, which are to use the talent given to aid others. Despite this, Ed and Al continue working to return to their own form, meeting many adversaries on the way. After three years of fighting, and traveling, Ed and Al finally obtain what they had been looking for: The Philosopher's Stone. This legendary stone has the power to allow alchemists to bypass the Law of Equivalent Exchange. There is a catch, however. Al, still embodied in a suit of armor, has become the stone. When his brother is murdered by one of their many enemies, Al is forced (by his own choice), to sacrifice himself along with the stone to revive his brother.
Once Edward awakens, he discovers what has happened and decides that Al's choice was the wrong one, so in turn, Ed sacrifices himself, reviving Al and is forced to live in another, alternative world. Still in their home world, Al is revived, but without any memory of the journeys he had been on with his brother. Yet, in his heart, he feels the ache for his missing brother and vows to search for him.
Two years pass, with each brother trying anything they can to find each other. Alphonse has once again become a formidable alchemist, though one who only uses his strength to help others. Meanwhile, Ed is forced to search for his brother using other means than alchemy, since it does not exist in the world he lives in. It is not until a war erupts between their two worlds are they united. After defeating the force that threatens to destroy both worlds, Ed and Al return together to the other, alternative world.
Series/Fandom; Fullmetal Alchemist
Personality;
One thing to remember about Alphonse Elric is how much he cares. He often extends a hand of friendship to strangers, even if they seem untrustworthy. He cared so much about his older brother that he willing committed grievous sin--human transmutation. When his brother died, Al gave up his own life to save him. Even when he is not around his brother, whom he cares for (arguably) more than life itself, his kindness and eagerness to help shows through. This is most show in his demeanor. Alphonse is incredibly polite, going so far as to use suffixes with his enemies (ie Greed-san, Scar-san). He is known to put his own life at risk to aid those he does not know well. This is perhaps because Alphonse knows completely how valuable life is. For four years of Al's life, he lived as an empty suit of armor. He was unable to eat, sleep, or breathe as most humans did. Quite possibly because of this, when Al was returned to his body, he garnered the habit of touching, feeling, and just experiencing life. Though he knows that scalding tea will burn his tongue, he'll drink it anyway, because he can experience that feeling of the burn.
Al is also very affectionate, willing reaching out to others to hold, or touch. He also has a weak spot for anything small and fluffy, usually along the feline variety.
Strengths/Abilities;
Primarily, Al's strength is his ability to preform Alchemy. In his world, this is the "science" of changing one item to another item. Rules and stipulations apply to this, including the fact that anything changed must have the same mass and elements. Still, within this field, Al is exceptional. He is exceptionally strong in the area of soul alchemy. Because his own soul was bound to a suit of armor for so long, Al has gained the ability to transfer part of his soul to other suits of armor, thereby controlling them. Al can also manipulate certain weather conditions by using alchemy.
Aside from alchemy, Al is very skilled in hand-to-hand combat. When he was young, and going through training, one of the first things that his teacher taught him was how to fight. She told him that Alchemists should not rely on alchemy alone. Because of this, Al has learned to fight well, easily being able to disarm an opponent within seconds.
Weaknesses;
Because of Al's caring and kind demeanor, Al is not predisposed to use his gifts. Given a choice, Al would rather use alchemy to help others and fight to protect those he loves. He does not usually like the idea of fighting, and this can be used against him. Also, because he is kind, enemies could use his emotions, which has happened on occasion. Also, Al's alchemic power, while contained, needs a "spark" of sorts. To preform alchemy, a transmutation circle is usually needed. This means that Al may sometimes need to keep tools to draw a circle, or what he more commonly uses: his gloves. While not absolutely necessary, these white gloves have half the circle on each palm to make transmutations stronger. Take these tools away from Al, and it becomes more difficult for him to preform alchemy, but he is never helpless. Having come to know the "Truth," Al can still preform alchemy without a transmutation circle.
Background;
The story of Alphonse is quite a long one, but also contains a certain key character. For, without this key character, it is certain that much of what happened in Al's life would not have occurred. We start in a small village called Risembool where two young boys live with their mother. The boys are Edward and Alphonse Elric, and their mother is Trisha. Little do they know, the boys' mother is ill, and has been for some time. Eventually, she passes away, leaving the boys distraught and orphaned. It is at this time that the eldest brother, Edward, makes a decision that will affect their entire lives. Sitting before their mother's grave, Ed turns to Al and says softly, "Let's bring mother back." Now, it is important to know that in Ed and Al's world a series of laws dictate nature. The most prevalent of these is called the Law of Equivalent Exchange. You see, in Ed and Al's world, there are a select few that can preform an astonishing feat called "alchemy." It is not the alchemy that we think of, but the ability to change one item to another. These seemingly magical exchanges must be conducted in a certain manner, however. This is the Law of Equivalent Exchange. An alchemist cannot make something out of nothing, nor can change anything into whatever he wants. Materials must have the same mass and elements to be exchanged. Because of this law, it was impossible for Ed and Al to revive their mother. In their world, the only exchange equivalent for one human soul is another. At the time they make their decision, however, Ed and Al do not know this. It is without this knowledge and a small amount of alchemic talent (inherited from their estranged father), Ed and Al take on a teacher, becoming apprentices for a very talented alchemist. After a year of training, the brothers return to their home, preparing for their attempt at reviving their mother.
But something goes wrong. The attempt fails horribly. Through the transmutation (or, the alchemic exchange), Edward loses a leg and Alphonse loses his entire body. The result turns out to be nothing more than a mass of pulsating organs without a soul. Distraught, Ed reaches for the only person he has left: Al. When he cannot find him, Edward sacrifices his right arm to restore Al. A right arm is not enough to restore a full human body, of course, so Edward affixes Al's soul to a suit of armor. It is this suit of armor that allows Al to remain in the world for four years. Once the brothers escape the terror of their former home, and find help, they rest and recuperate. Without an arm and a leg, Edward feels hopeless. Especially since he is now determined to return Al to his original state. Desperate, Edward demands that he be given auto-mail. In their world, auto-mail are types of prosthetic limbs that function much like normal human limbs yet are made entirely of metal. It is a painful process to adhere them to human and most adults end up screaming in pain. Ed endures the process without so much as a whimper, believing that what Al has had to suffer has been much worse.
After being given the automail, Ed and Al return to their home. They burn down the remnants and begin a new journey: a journey to find a way back to their original forms. It is this journey that leads Ed and Al to the capital city of their country, Central City. Edward applies to the military, and soon becomes the youngest Nationally Certified Alchemist in history. This means that should the army be called to war, Ed would have to use his alchemy to hurt the enemy, a concept contradictory to the ideas of alchemy, which are to use the talent given to aid others. Despite this, Ed and Al continue working to return to their own form, meeting many adversaries on the way. After three years of fighting, and traveling, Ed and Al finally obtain what they had been looking for: The Philosopher's Stone. This legendary stone has the power to allow alchemists to bypass the Law of Equivalent Exchange. There is a catch, however. Al, still embodied in a suit of armor, has become the stone. When his brother is murdered by one of their many enemies, Al is forced (by his own choice), to sacrifice himself along with the stone to revive his brother.
Once Edward awakens, he discovers what has happened and decides that Al's choice was the wrong one, so in turn, Ed sacrifices himself, reviving Al and is forced to live in another, alternative world. Still in their home world, Al is revived, but without any memory of the journeys he had been on with his brother. Yet, in his heart, he feels the ache for his missing brother and vows to search for him.
Two years pass, with each brother trying anything they can to find each other. Alphonse has once again become a formidable alchemist, though one who only uses his strength to help others. Meanwhile, Ed is forced to search for his brother using other means than alchemy, since it does not exist in the world he lives in. It is not until a war erupts between their two worlds are they united. After defeating the force that threatens to destroy both worlds, Ed and Al return together to the other, alternative world.