edward "tiny bara" elric. (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
equivalences) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
hnnrgh2015-02-21 07:01 pm
equivalences) wrote in hnnrgh2015-02-21 07:01 pm
Entry tags:
APPLICATION: TANAGURA | EDWARD ELRIC (FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST)
OOC INFO
_NAME: CAPS
_PLURK: capsu on plurk
_AGE: 21
_CONCURRENT CHARACTERS:N/A
IC INFO
_CHARACTER'S NAME: Edward Elric
_CANON: Fullmetal Alchemist
_CANON POINT: Chapter 84 of the manga.
_CHARACTER'S (ACTUAL) AGE: 16
_CHARACTER'S (APPARENT) AGE: 16
_CHARACTER'S HAIR COLOR: Blond
_TANAGURA (elite) OR MIDAS (mongrel)?: Tanagura (Elite)
_HOUSING PREFERENCE: None.
_HISTORY: Here.
_ABILITIES:
☼ Alchemy (power)
☼ Fighting (skill)
☼ Intellect (skill)
_PERSONALITY:
Edward Elric is ... a plenty lot of things. It may not be possible to describe this boy in any brief, concise way. He is short-tempered (aha, 'short'), quick to irritate at the slightest offense and quick to flip out and yell when somebody angers him. He is bold, fearing seemingly nothing and very willing to challenge authority when the situation calls for it. He is hard-working, rarely seen complaining about work or lazing around. He is smart, frequently engaging with professional adults on an intellectual level despite being only a kid. At first glance, there might actually be too much to take in about him, because he's truly quite ridiculous with his wild, animated responses to the world around. Under all that comedic anger, the bountiful energy and the complete stubbornness lies the heart of a good kid, though.
The most notable part of Ed, the thing everyone he meets seems to register immediately (well, after his height), is his short fuse. I'm not joking when I say he's 'quick to anger'. An overtly reactionary creature, Ed can go from calm to exploding in boiling anger at only the flip of a switch. There are plenty of things that irritate him; if it could feasibly miff a regular person, there's always the opportunity that it can make Ed fly off the handle. Perhaps the one thing that sets Ed off the most, though, is any mention of the word 'short' or its variations. His adversity for that word is so strong that he'll go into a loud frenzy when he picks up on it, even if the word had been used innocently ("Just who are you calling a pint-sized grain of rice too small for the eye to see?!?"). His mad temper, usually used for comic relief, can turn him into a somewhat ridiculous, maniacal figure; hurling death threats at his objects of irritation or cackling loudly when he somehow manages to dish out payback.
This isn't as true for situations with very high stakes (those, he deals with with a clear head), but logic seems to be lost from Ed when he gets pissed off. If the right nerve is snapped, he can become highly destructive, once tearing up a large part of a town just trying to stop a thief (he went back to fix everything, though!). Furthermore, while Ed is usually the kind of person who thinks beyond, who accepts that things are rarely black-or-white, he seems to throw this aspect of himself out at times when you rile him up enough. In these moments, good is good, bad is bad, and assholes deserve a metal fist in the face. Upon the knowledge that the first Greed had kidnapped Al and marginally harmed Izumi Curtis (that injury was actually more self-inflicted), Ed went into a complete rampage, completely rejecting the peaceful, reasonable deal that Greed that offered him -- a deal that could work to both their benefits. To him, Greed was now a villain, and 'villains deserve no equivalent exchange' (he even threw out his understanding of equivalent exchange, wow). Basically, Ed may be a state-accredited scientist, but if you piss him off enough, he can devolve into nothing more than a ridiculous thug.
Ed would be the kind of person who wears his heart on his sleeve. While he does have the ability to use trickery (usually on a person who deserves it), he's a really honest person at his core. He rarely lies unless it's a practical decision (A lie to protect someone, for example. Or a small part of some plot he's hatching.), and he definitely doesn't do it because he enjoys it. Most of the time, everything that he's feeling can be seen right on his face. In fact, he's quite reactionary in this aspect, if the many times his face has turned sour in the presence of Roy Mustang is any indication. This aspect of him makes him vulnerable. It's very easy for the enemy to pick up on what's important to him, who's important to him, and use that against him.
Ed is, for his small stature, remarkably bold. While he does have things that he's apprehensive about (and usually for very good reason), he's very likely to still face them head-on, even if the act could spell his demise. In the beginning, he was kind of apprehensive about fighting Scar again, the serial killer who had destroyed his automail and nearly killed him in a previous encounter. Even so, he still hatched a plan to lure him out, using him as bait to lure out the homunculi. It's a really long story. The point is, Ed deliberately lured out two seemingly unbeatable and ruthless foes - a serial killer with the power to kill with a touch of his hand, and a group of artificial humans with the ability to regenerate every injury - and put himself in the crossfire, despite how completely dangerous the whole thing was. 'Daring' is a word that describes him well. It's why he's always a cause for worry for Winry. Throughout the series, Ed has had so many scuffles with people aiming to kill him. His willingness to take dangerous routes is usually what puts him in those situations. Plus, as I've already mentioned. Ed is not a person who fears authority. A status, to him, means very little if the person's character is left to be desired. In fact, after the realisation that Fuhrer King Bradley was actually a homunculous, Ed changed his tone around him, speaking very bluntly and with little respect. He was even blunt to Father, who was easily the most powerful being in their world at that time.
That isn't to say that Ed has no respect for others at all, of course. Quite the contrary. Though he's frequently rude to Roy, he's remarkably civil with his subordinate, Riza. He never shouts at her, always remembering to carry himself in a polite manner when they speak. This is how he is with several other adults like Dr. Marcoh and Gracia Hughes. If a person doesn't rub him the wrong way or piss him off for whatever reason, Ed remains subdued, putting away the abrasive and outrageous sides of himself for that time being. With such people, he's been shown to be very capable of holding a sincere, respectful conversation. This was evident when he made the decision to let Gracia in on the details surrounding her husband's death -- the details that Ed had known, anyway. Though the Elric brothers were not the direct cause, Ed still felt like Maes Hughes died while trying to help them out. He felt a responsibility to Gracia, and laid all his cards out for her, revealing all the secrets the brothers had been hiding from almost everyone. He also apologised profusely, and was completely genuine in it.
While he's never regarded himself as anything that remarkable, Ed is considered a prodigy in his own world. He's actually quite renown, being the youngest person to ever get accreditation as a state alchemist (he was only 12 at that time, by the way). Even in the most remote of countrysides, his moniker - the 'Fullmetal Alchemist' - is something that people seem to recognise immediately. He really does have quite a reputation, and it's earned. Alchemy is, first and foremost, a science. It requires a deep understanding of chemistry, of the elements, and it's really not something that the layman can grasp. To fix a crumbled house with alchemy (which Ed has done countless times), for example, you not only need to know what materials were used to build it, but you also need to know the base elements they comprise of and have some understanding of the architecture that held everything together. Ed can do all of this, good as new, in only milliseconds. It's true that some of his alchemic prowess can be attributed to the fact that he has been through the Gates and seen the Truth, but even before that, Ed was intelligent in his own right. At the tender age of about 7, he and Al were able to decipher the complex academic texts that their father kept in the house, teaching themselves alchemy. At about 10, he and Al were able to perform Human Transmutation after much research into anatomy and physiology, a feat that only the real experts are capable of. Then, there was already evidence of Ed's impressive ability to process and retain the information he gathers.
Not only does he have his book-smarts, but he's pretty street-smart as well. Ed has displayed an ability to think under duress. He fights with alchemy, after all. That requires him to both pull information on the compositions of things out of himself at rapid speed, and have the tactical genius to construct something effective. He's also displayed a cunning several times in the series. In his earliest appearance, for example, Ed managed to trick a corrupt priest into revealing his ways to the entire town, defeating him without even having to hurt him. He's also managed to con a corrupt military officer out of his property, handing it over to the residents staying in it instead (he really only ever does this to the people asking for it, okay ). Perhaps the most impressive thing about Ed's intellectual capacity is his ability to formulate theories. Even with the dozens of alchemists running around and doing their research, so much about alchemy remains unknown to the world. What Ed has is the ability to think beyond what is written in the books. Throughout his journey, he frequently analyzes the events that happen to him, finding deeper meaning and piecing together what he analyzes into a theory. He theorized, from digging up the remains of the thing that he and Al created in place of their mother, that recreating a dead person was impossible. That somehow led him to form the theory that Al's body was still alive somewhere beyond the gates, as Al had never died. It's another long, long story. The point is, Ed does not shy away from asking abstract, existential questions on the mysteries of alchemy and pursuing his answers. His theories have also been shown to be right most of the time so far.
Even with his good reputation, with all the people waving the word 'genius' around at him, Ed has never thought of himself as such. Alchemists are said to have an egotistical side to themselves. They are, after all, scientists who bend the rules of nature and shape matter to their liking. Some even use alchemy to toy with the lives of others, 'playing God'. Ed, however, remains extremely grounded. There's a kind of humility to him. When people praise his ability, he actually starts to feel awkward, sheepishly waving the compliment off or attributing his talent to the fact that he has been through the Gates. He very readily admits that there is a lot that he does not know and he's also willing to sit down and be taught. Actually, because he knows he's still ignorant about many things, he has a kind of thirst for knowledge, frequently found reading in his downtime. A lot of Ed's humility, his conviction to not let himself overstep the boundaries of nature, is a result of that one incident many years back -- that failed attempt to recreate his mother. That incident more than drove the point home that he shouldn't be playing God, and every time he sees his own missing limbs or his brother's armored body, he's reminded once more. Ed actually fashions himself after Icarus, a figure in Greek Mythology who flew too close to the sun and was cast into the sea. It's a cautionary tale of the dangers of over-ambition, and nothing describes Ed's story more.
Ed is basically a child who was made to grow up too quickly. He sees the world through the lenses of both. On one hand, he's lost the freedom that comes with youth and the innocence that a lot of people his own age still possess. From travelling so often, Ed has become well-seasoned to the world, not so easily giving his secrets out to complete strangers. He's developed an ability to see beyond what people say and do, reading their underlying intentions. He's developed an understanding of how things are; the flow of life that governs nature. (Animals eat plants, other animals eat those animals and when those animals die, their bodies are returned to the earth, entering the cycle once more. This helped him realise what an insignificant existence he is in the grand scheme of things.) He's also developed ... a strong sense of responsibility. So strong, in fact, that it can become burdensome on him. While a lot of teens his age are still dependent on their guardians for support, Ed very notably tries to do everything by himself -- to the point where Maria Ross once pleaded with him to "put your trust in adults more". He looks small, but he really carries himself like a tiny adult, capable of engaging with other state alchemists on a professional level. Of course, though he acts like an adult, there are times where his age really shows. His ridiculous reactions to things are an example. Another example would be the times he goofs off in the omake pages, once reenacting a soap opera scene with Ling even though they were both trapped between dimensions at that time. Ed usually has a realistic take on life, but sometimes, the more idealistic side of himself peeks out. While he isn't so deluded to believe that everything can be resolved peacefully with no bloodshed, that killing never happens on the battlefield, he certainly doesn't want it to, and the fact that the people around him may die has always been difficult to accept for him.
A bit of a workaholic, Ed is almost always seen doing something. Whether it's reading a book, exploring his surroundings or sparring with Al, it's very rare that you'll find Ed taking a rest or engaging in some leisure activity. Rather, working to better his skills or increase his knowledge is his "fun", and he's almost never seen doing anything else. Taking breaks - the concept of actually stopping and refraining from doing anything - is something completely foreign to Ed. The inertia actually appears to unnerve him, if his groaning and moaning while locked in a Briggs' cell was any indication. As already mentioned, Ed has a thirst for knowledge. Books honestly excite him, and he's frequently seen reading himself into an exhausted but peaceful slumber. He'll even travel far distances - across harsh terrains - chasing the most smallest of leads if it meant the possibility he could find out what he wants to know. Though he's rarely ever seen playing, Ed isn't completely devoid of the ability to have fun. He enjoyed his time with Nina Tucker and her dog, for example, and was even willing (though begrudgingly) to halt his studying for that moment to play with them.
It's clear that there is something that he is working toward, but what is it? Ed has one very simple goal: To undo the effects of his most grave mistake. Everyone already knows the story. In an attempt to revive their dead mother, Ed and Al - only children at that time - attempted to recreate her with Human Transmutation. The results, suffice to say, were disastrous. Ed forfeited an leg - later, an arm that he had exchanged for Al's soul - and Al forfeited his entire body. The memory of that incident remains fresh in Ed's mind to this day, and a lot of his motivations in the series are centered around restoring Al's body.
If there were any quality most suited to describe Ed, it would be 'unerring'. In truth, most people would give up hope after a traumatic incident like what he went through. Something like 'restoring a person's entire body' and 'restoring an arm and leg' isn't so easily achieved. He's really chasing the wind, because no alchemists before him have successfully found the answer and passed it down. There are no books he can consult and no people he can ask. Such a thing may not even be possible. Still, not once did Ed give up hope. Throughout the series, Ed is seen grabbing onto any small, passing lead that he comes across in search of the answer he wants to find, travelling far distances if he has to. To give an example, Ed and Al traveled across the country, to the North, and crossed a harsh blizzard on foot just because they heard something about being able to learn alkahestry from Mei Chan, who was heading there. There was no guarantee that she would be there, and a smaller guarantee that they would be able to find her (they were not in direct contact, after all). There was also no guarantee that alkahestry would have helped them at all. This should be evidence of their determination to find their answers. They're also willing to break the law if it means they get what they want (well, wanting to do a human transmutation already is breaking the law). It was dangerous, but Ed and Al broke into the abandoned Fifth Laboratory in search for answers on the human transmutations that used to go on in there.
Furthermore, Ed is willing to endure a lot of pain and suffering to reach his goal. This was a fact true of him even at the tender age of 10. Shortly after he had lost his arm and leg, Ed agreed to replace them with automail prostheses. Automail surgery has a reputation of being both highly expensive and exceedingly painful; grown adults in the series have been seen forgoing the upgrade to automail, choosing to stick to regular prostheses in fear of the pain. It usually takes an estimated 3 years to fully recover from the procedure. Ed, despite being both a child and a double-amputee, made it his goal to recover in one -- and he did, despite the tremendous amount of pain and stress he had to endure. It's a display of his will to overcome almost anything to reach what he wants. To him, there was simply not enough time to wait another two years. He had to restore Al's body as soon as possible. Ed is even able to pull himself together on the brink of death, handing the reaper a gracious 'fuck you' and willing himself back into consciousness for the sake of continuing his search for answers. That was exactly what he did after the fight with Kimblee, where he somehow forced himself to survive an impalement right through the abdomen. It makes sense that with all the things he's willing to endure, something like having to bow to a higher authority or earning the disdain of the public is nothing. That is why he become a State Alchemist, a faction in the government not-so-affectionately known as the 'dogs of the military'. Alchemy is, according to several members of the public seen in the series so far, supposed to be an altruistic science; a science pursued and practiced to help the common man. State Alchemists are quite the opposite -- a weapon, utilized by the government to suppress the factions opposing them. It's understandable that State Alchemists are sometimes met with disdain, that Ed has been criticized in the past for his employment by the government. It's a 'bed of thorns', as he puts it, and one that he must lie in, because the benefits that come with working for the government - an open access to past research and the money to fund their journey - have been helpful to them so far.
As already illustrated, Ed is highly committed to his goal. So committed, in fact, that he and Al decided to burn their old house down - despite all the fond memories shared in it - at the start of their journey. The thought process that led to that is very simple: Now homeless, there was no feasible way for them to turn back. It wasn't a feat done with no heart, however. Even though Ed doesn't outwardly show it, losing his home did have some impact on him. Because he has no place to return to, he very easily empathizes with others about to lose their homes, sometimes helping them even though it's really not any of his business. Ed also keeps a physical reminder of the day he burned his house down in his pocket watch: An untidy carving that reads 'Don't forget, 3 Oct 11'. He's very private about this memento, flaring up at anyone who pries open his watch without his permission. It symbolizes everything he's given up in exchange for his goal and serves to remind him that he has nowhere to return to, that there's nowhere to go but forward. Losing his home did bring him some pain, and he needs to make his journey a fruitful one or it'll all be for naught. There are also other things motivating him to achieve his goal. Honestly, Ed just wants a happy ending for his brother and everyone around him. He doesn't actually think about what he'll do with his own restored limbs (which is typical of Ed, who never puts himself first); what he really wants is to see Al's smiling face again.
Even for a resilient person like Ed, you can't come out of a traumatic event like that without some scars. As much as he'd like to write them off, Ed has shown symptoms of PTSD several times throughout the series. It's not uncommon, for example, for him to get vivid nightmares of that incident, of the being he created and the mother he failed to bring back. On those nights, he always wakes up shaken and in cold sweat. He has also been seen reacting physically to his trauma. While digging up the body of the being he had created, Ed was visibly triggered by being near it. He broke out into chills, vomiting in response to the surge of anxiety and panic that overcame him. For most of the series, Ed has been submerging himself in guilt. Though Ed and Al had decided to revive their mother together, Ed had always taken full responsibility for the incident, blaming himself for the state of Al's body. There was also an insecurity that he carried with him for a very long time; an insecurity that Al may blame him for what had happened, that Al had contempt for him in that aspect. It's an insecurity he couldn't bring up to Al for years because he was afraid that it may be true. The state of Al's body is something that brings Ed a lot of pain; his brother cannot eat, sleep or feel, and the burden of that knowledge weighs heavy on Ed's conscience. It's the main driving force that pushes him forward in his pursuit of answers. As already mentioned, Ed frequently forgets himself - that he too needs to be restored - in his determination to restore Al's body.
Ed is a good kid, even if his occasional death threats or generally loud and stubborn demeanor may suggest otherwise. His moral compass appears to be in good, working order. He is a responsible person, taking care not to involve others in problems that are his own and always going back to fix the things he's broken. He's also displayed a remarkable compassion, able to sympathize with the people around him -- even willing to help them out if he's able. Honestly, he's just a guy who really seems to care, even for complete strangers. In any dangerous situation, the lives of the ones around him always take priority in his eyes. He will readily forgo tempting opportunities to get what he's looking for if it means a lot of people will be hurt in the process.
Friendship is a thing that comes remarkably easily to him. He may not get chummy with anyone (and he's definitely not a hugger), but that's a fact. Ed is a person who builds bonds quickly. Honestly, all you really need to do to be his friend is to show him that you're not some kind of bloodthirsty psychopath. He's a good friend too. Helpful, protective and kind, Ed is the kind of person who would do a little more just to help out someone he cares about. He will take care of them (when he's not the one being cared for himself, of course), pulling them out of danger and tending to their needs despite his own. He spent the majority of their time in Gluttony's stomach caring for Ling, putting food together for the starving prince and personally carrying him when he was tired. Ed also worries a ton for his friends and family -- Winry and his brother in particular. He will flare up at whoever endangers them, sometimes abandoning reason in his complete bluster. There's a kind of self-sacrificial aspect to Ed, an aspect that's still very much there even if he's gotten much better about it. It should say a lot about him that he rarely ever thinks about himself and the state of his own well-being, that he always talks about restoring Al but never mentions his own predicament. Ed just has a tendency to put himself second to his loved ones. For the sake of a person he cares about, he will jump headfirst into danger, once even resigning himself to death if Al could be spared in his place. Really, he's actually gotten much better about this. In the very least, he's come to realize that his loved ones worry about him just as much and now takes bigger steps in considering their feelings.
What sets him apart from the others his own age is his propensity to ponder deeply into the implications of his actions; his willingness to assess if his decisions may implicate others and address that fact. As much as Ed wants to restore his brother's body, he will not do it at the expense of other lives. This, to him and Al, is a problem they had created themselves and it would be selfish to hurt others while looking for what they want. They've actually had many opportunities to restore their bodies in the series. The Philosopher's Stone, the artifact they were desperately seeking at the beginning of the series, has been right in their grasp several times before. After learning about the raw materials needed to create one, however - that living human souls are what powers a stone - Ed and Al had vowed never to use it. There is only one time Ed has used a Philosopher's Stone and that was in a truly dire circumstance (to save both his and Ling's life). It appeared to have a profound, lasting effect on him. Watching the soul he had used as energy disappear into the air very visibly shook him and Ed can still remember the feeling of transmuting life to this day. Also, as already mentioned, Ed does not want others to get hurt because of his actions. Upon the realization that Maes Hughes had been assassinated while helping Ed and Al find more information, Ed took complete responsibility, personally apologizing to his family. Ed and Al even considered giving up on their journey altogether because they did not wish for anyone else to be implicated (even if Hughes' assassination was really no fault of theirs).
Ed will not, under any circumstances, kill another human being. This is his resolve; if there's any value he pledges to uphold, this is it. Obviously, killing others in exchange for something that he wants is very, very out of the question for him. Killing innocents is something disgusting and absurd as well. Those acts would just make him the kind of person he disdains. Ed's resolve to not kill extends to everyone that he knows, however; friend and foe alike. Throughout the series, Ed has had too many people out for his blood. He's been in too many fights - very frequently with people who can and will kill him. He rarely ever aims for vital areas (not unless he's fighting a being that regenerates itself) or delivers killing blows, however. Even when asked by the enemy to end their life, Ed will brush them off, remarking that he doesn't want to be "made into a murderer". It doesn't mean that he forgives them, and it definitely doesn't mean that everything is fine and dandy. He just has this value that he lives by and he doesn't intend to go against it. Ed is even uncomfortable with the idea of his allies killing their common enemies; he was visibly unsettled with the fact that the Briggs' soldiers were planning to take down Kimblee (a known mass-murdering psychopath) and even requested that they used less lethal means. Very green to a real battlefield, Ed has an idealistic side to him. If possible, he doesn't want anyone to die at all. He will even save enemies, if the situation calls for it. Despite being on the verge of death himself, he saved the trapped Darius and Heinkel who were attacking him only moments before. This is how far his compassion extends.
Ed has a very, very wide definition of what a 'person' is. A person, to him, is any sentient being that presents itself as one. If it has (or had) a personality, if it has emotions and preferences and motivations, then it's a person to Ed. (A being deserving of the same rights handed out to every man, a being that he can sympathize with. ) What their actual body make-up is is of little importance to Ed; a mere triviality, since he has a tendency to treat everyone in an equal way anyway. He has demonstrated his willingness to sympathize with beings that others write off or dehumanize several times. He spared the lives of the Slicer Brothers, for example, recognizing their humanity and remarking that killing them would be akin to murder (which he wants no part in). This honestly surprised the older Slicer Brother, because both brothers were existing as souls bound to armor plates. Ed was also highly reluctant to use the Philosopher's Stone in Envy, as already mentioned. Envy called them 'raw energy', but to him, those souls were people, even if they had long lost their individuality and capability of autonomous thought after centuries of existing in a stone. It actually makes sense that he would be overly willing to acknowledge the personhood of so many unconventional beings. His brother is an unconventional being as well. Ed has admitted in the past that denying the personhood of a chimera or bodyless soul would mean denying the personhood of his own brother, and that is the last thing he ever wants to do.
_ITEMS:
x 1 the clothes on his back
x 1 state alchemist pocketwatch
x 2 automail prostheses
WRITING SAMPLES
_GEN SAMPLE: A network thread that becomes action stuff later on.
_SMUT SAMPLE: Musebox thread. The arousal starts from my second comment onward. If it doesn't count, I have more samples to offer.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT MY CHARACTER IS THE FOLLOWING:
_SENTIENT: YES.
_MENTALLY ADULT: He is mentally 16.
_CAPABLE OF CONSENT: Once again, he is 16, so legally it depends? But mentally he is able to make autonomous decisions.
_CAPABLE OF SEXUAL AROUSAL: YES.
_NAME: CAPS
_PLURK: capsu on plurk
_AGE: 21
_CONCURRENT CHARACTERS:N/A
IC INFO
_CHARACTER'S NAME: Edward Elric
_CANON: Fullmetal Alchemist
_CANON POINT: Chapter 84 of the manga.
_CHARACTER'S (ACTUAL) AGE: 16
_CHARACTER'S (APPARENT) AGE: 16
_CHARACTER'S HAIR COLOR: Blond
_TANAGURA (elite) OR MIDAS (mongrel)?: Tanagura (Elite)
_HOUSING PREFERENCE: None.
_HISTORY: Here.
_ABILITIES:
☼ Alchemy (power)
Alchemy is the science of transmutation. The study of the elements and how to manipulate them. With alchemy, a practitioner is able to reshape or destroy matter at a molecular level. The process of alchemy is as follows:
1. Comprehension. The understanding of the matter to be transmuted. To perform the transmutation, the practitioner must have a clear picture of the molecular makeup of the matter, right down to the elements it comprises of, its structure and how much potential energy is stored within it. This means that practitioners must be familiar with the object they are transmuting before they can move on to the next step.
2. Deconstruction. Energy is used to break the molecular bonds within an object and it is, essentially, destroyed. Some alchemists (like Scar) are able to stop at this step, opting to only destroy the matter and not reconstruct it.
3. Reconstruction. The object is reshaped into something else. Either its physical shape is changed or the elements within it are tampered with. Once again, it takes an understanding of what the alchemist intends to create for this step to be successful. To build a cannon, for example, you need to have a blueprint of how you want it to look like in mind beforehand.
There is also one limitation to alchemy that all practitioners are very aware of. It is bound by the law of Equivalent Exchange. The two components of Equivalent Exchange are as follow:
1. The Law of Conservation of Mass. Energy or matter can only be converted; it cannot be created from nothing nor can it cease to exist. Therefore, to get something, you need to give something of an equal value. Similar, if something is destroyed, it will continue to exist in smaller parts that will add up to a mass that equates the object it originally existed as.
2. The Law of Natural Providence. An object can only be transmuted into another object comprising of similar elements or a similar molecular makeup.
As shown, alchemy is a very conscious "power". It requires active thought, a good memory and a lot of general knowledge. Ed is a highly-skilled alchemist; not only does he have a natural knack for it, but he was trained by one of the best alchemists in the series. Ed is very able to create giant sculptures of his own design and mobilize them with his alchemy. He's also able to fight with alchemy, turning the matter in his surroundings into offensive weapons that he can use. All of these are feats that he can do in mere seconds. Furthermore, besides the basics, Ed has dabbled into other forms of alchemy and mastered them to varying degrees.
○"Clapping" Alchemy: As he has been through the Gates of Truth, Ed is able to perform alchemy without the use of a transmutation circle. All he needs to do to transmute something is to clap his hands and touch it.
○"Destruction" Alchemy: Picking up the trick from Scar, Ed is now able to halt the natural process of alchemy halfway, deconstructing but not reconstructing an object. With a touch of the hand, he's able to completely destroy something on a molecular level. It's not a skill he uses very often, however.
○Human Transmutation: Ed has performed several Human Transmutations in the past, so he has some knowledge on it. While he cannot raise the dead (because it is impossible), he was able to momentarily give life to a creature. He's also able to perform a Human Transmutation on a living human. The payoff for a Human Transmutation is very, very high without a stone. The outcome, outside of his world, is also uncertain. There's a low chance of him ever performing one in game.
○Soul Transmutation: Ed has some experience transmuting souls. He once bound a soul (his brother) to a steel armor, knowing enough that he had to complete the process with a blood seal. That soul continued to possess that armor for the rest of the series, speaking and moving about as if in his natural body. Ed is also able to tap into his own lifeforce for an emergency supply of energy, using that as material in his transmutations (at the cost of some of his natural lifespan). For the same reasons above, there is a low chance of him ever performing a Soul Transmutation in game.
○Medical Alchemy: To a very limited extent, Ed has some knowledge on medical alchemy. In the very least, he knows how to stop his own bleeding after an impalement injury with alchemy. It's very likely that this is the only thing in this field that he knows, however.
☼ Fighting (skill)
Ed is pretty darn good at fighting, whether it's fighting with alchemy or simple hand-to-hand combat. He's able to take out a group of soldiers single-handedly and has held out on his own against more powerful opponents like chimera or homunculi. He learned to fight from years of surviving his master's frequently violent teachings and sparring with his brother (both of whom are better than him), so he has a kind of 'anything-goes' style. His small stature also gives him an advantage over the ones who aren't used to fighting shorter people. Without the help of alchemy, though, he's really only as good as any other hot-blooded guy who's been in a lot of scuffles.
☼ Intellect (skill)
Ed is vastly knowledgeable. The fact that he can perform alchemy, which requires a great deal of understanding of the matter around you, and do it at such ease should speak for just how learned he is in his chemistry. He has also demonstrated some understanding of architecture and weapons technology, as he's able to fix houses and construct large weapons with his alchemy. Furthermore, he also has some understanding of anatomy and physiology, as he was able to perform a Human Transmutation. He ... seems to know a little bit about everything, actually. It's because he spends most of his free time reading.
Ed is a critical thinker. He rarely accepts answers as they are, always pondering alternatives and possibilities. He's also able to piece together the things that he has learned and give birth to a theory (most of his theories about the world being accurate so far). There's a lot about the world you cannot read in a book, a lot about the world that even the experts have little clue on. Most people would give up on seeking that knowledge, but Ed never considers an answer impossible to obtain.
_PERSONALITY:
Edward Elric is ... a plenty lot of things. It may not be possible to describe this boy in any brief, concise way. He is short-tempered (aha, 'short'), quick to irritate at the slightest offense and quick to flip out and yell when somebody angers him. He is bold, fearing seemingly nothing and very willing to challenge authority when the situation calls for it. He is hard-working, rarely seen complaining about work or lazing around. He is smart, frequently engaging with professional adults on an intellectual level despite being only a kid. At first glance, there might actually be too much to take in about him, because he's truly quite ridiculous with his wild, animated responses to the world around. Under all that comedic anger, the bountiful energy and the complete stubbornness lies the heart of a good kid, though.
The most notable part of Ed, the thing everyone he meets seems to register immediately (well, after his height), is his short fuse. I'm not joking when I say he's 'quick to anger'. An overtly reactionary creature, Ed can go from calm to exploding in boiling anger at only the flip of a switch. There are plenty of things that irritate him; if it could feasibly miff a regular person, there's always the opportunity that it can make Ed fly off the handle. Perhaps the one thing that sets Ed off the most, though, is any mention of the word 'short' or its variations. His adversity for that word is so strong that he'll go into a loud frenzy when he picks up on it, even if the word had been used innocently ("Just who are you calling a pint-sized grain of rice too small for the eye to see?!?"). His mad temper, usually used for comic relief, can turn him into a somewhat ridiculous, maniacal figure; hurling death threats at his objects of irritation or cackling loudly when he somehow manages to dish out payback.
This isn't as true for situations with very high stakes (those, he deals with with a clear head), but logic seems to be lost from Ed when he gets pissed off. If the right nerve is snapped, he can become highly destructive, once tearing up a large part of a town just trying to stop a thief (he went back to fix everything, though!). Furthermore, while Ed is usually the kind of person who thinks beyond, who accepts that things are rarely black-or-white, he seems to throw this aspect of himself out at times when you rile him up enough. In these moments, good is good, bad is bad, and assholes deserve a metal fist in the face. Upon the knowledge that the first Greed had kidnapped Al and marginally harmed Izumi Curtis (that injury was actually more self-inflicted), Ed went into a complete rampage, completely rejecting the peaceful, reasonable deal that Greed that offered him -- a deal that could work to both their benefits. To him, Greed was now a villain, and 'villains deserve no equivalent exchange' (he even threw out his understanding of equivalent exchange, wow). Basically, Ed may be a state-accredited scientist, but if you piss him off enough, he can devolve into nothing more than a ridiculous thug.
Ed would be the kind of person who wears his heart on his sleeve. While he does have the ability to use trickery (usually on a person who deserves it), he's a really honest person at his core. He rarely lies unless it's a practical decision (A lie to protect someone, for example. Or a small part of some plot he's hatching.), and he definitely doesn't do it because he enjoys it. Most of the time, everything that he's feeling can be seen right on his face. In fact, he's quite reactionary in this aspect, if the many times his face has turned sour in the presence of Roy Mustang is any indication. This aspect of him makes him vulnerable. It's very easy for the enemy to pick up on what's important to him, who's important to him, and use that against him.
Ed is, for his small stature, remarkably bold. While he does have things that he's apprehensive about (and usually for very good reason), he's very likely to still face them head-on, even if the act could spell his demise. In the beginning, he was kind of apprehensive about fighting Scar again, the serial killer who had destroyed his automail and nearly killed him in a previous encounter. Even so, he still hatched a plan to lure him out, using him as bait to lure out the homunculi. It's a really long story. The point is, Ed deliberately lured out two seemingly unbeatable and ruthless foes - a serial killer with the power to kill with a touch of his hand, and a group of artificial humans with the ability to regenerate every injury - and put himself in the crossfire, despite how completely dangerous the whole thing was. 'Daring' is a word that describes him well. It's why he's always a cause for worry for Winry. Throughout the series, Ed has had so many scuffles with people aiming to kill him. His willingness to take dangerous routes is usually what puts him in those situations. Plus, as I've already mentioned. Ed is not a person who fears authority. A status, to him, means very little if the person's character is left to be desired. In fact, after the realisation that Fuhrer King Bradley was actually a homunculous, Ed changed his tone around him, speaking very bluntly and with little respect. He was even blunt to Father, who was easily the most powerful being in their world at that time.
That isn't to say that Ed has no respect for others at all, of course. Quite the contrary. Though he's frequently rude to Roy, he's remarkably civil with his subordinate, Riza. He never shouts at her, always remembering to carry himself in a polite manner when they speak. This is how he is with several other adults like Dr. Marcoh and Gracia Hughes. If a person doesn't rub him the wrong way or piss him off for whatever reason, Ed remains subdued, putting away the abrasive and outrageous sides of himself for that time being. With such people, he's been shown to be very capable of holding a sincere, respectful conversation. This was evident when he made the decision to let Gracia in on the details surrounding her husband's death -- the details that Ed had known, anyway. Though the Elric brothers were not the direct cause, Ed still felt like Maes Hughes died while trying to help them out. He felt a responsibility to Gracia, and laid all his cards out for her, revealing all the secrets the brothers had been hiding from almost everyone. He also apologised profusely, and was completely genuine in it.
While he's never regarded himself as anything that remarkable, Ed is considered a prodigy in his own world. He's actually quite renown, being the youngest person to ever get accreditation as a state alchemist (he was only 12 at that time, by the way). Even in the most remote of countrysides, his moniker - the 'Fullmetal Alchemist' - is something that people seem to recognise immediately. He really does have quite a reputation, and it's earned. Alchemy is, first and foremost, a science. It requires a deep understanding of chemistry, of the elements, and it's really not something that the layman can grasp. To fix a crumbled house with alchemy (which Ed has done countless times), for example, you not only need to know what materials were used to build it, but you also need to know the base elements they comprise of and have some understanding of the architecture that held everything together. Ed can do all of this, good as new, in only milliseconds. It's true that some of his alchemic prowess can be attributed to the fact that he has been through the Gates and seen the Truth, but even before that, Ed was intelligent in his own right. At the tender age of about 7, he and Al were able to decipher the complex academic texts that their father kept in the house, teaching themselves alchemy. At about 10, he and Al were able to perform Human Transmutation after much research into anatomy and physiology, a feat that only the real experts are capable of. Then, there was already evidence of Ed's impressive ability to process and retain the information he gathers.
Not only does he have his book-smarts, but he's pretty street-smart as well. Ed has displayed an ability to think under duress. He fights with alchemy, after all. That requires him to both pull information on the compositions of things out of himself at rapid speed, and have the tactical genius to construct something effective. He's also displayed a cunning several times in the series. In his earliest appearance, for example, Ed managed to trick a corrupt priest into revealing his ways to the entire town, defeating him without even having to hurt him. He's also managed to con a corrupt military officer out of his property, handing it over to the residents staying in it instead (he really only ever does this to the people asking for it, okay ). Perhaps the most impressive thing about Ed's intellectual capacity is his ability to formulate theories. Even with the dozens of alchemists running around and doing their research, so much about alchemy remains unknown to the world. What Ed has is the ability to think beyond what is written in the books. Throughout his journey, he frequently analyzes the events that happen to him, finding deeper meaning and piecing together what he analyzes into a theory. He theorized, from digging up the remains of the thing that he and Al created in place of their mother, that recreating a dead person was impossible. That somehow led him to form the theory that Al's body was still alive somewhere beyond the gates, as Al had never died. It's another long, long story. The point is, Ed does not shy away from asking abstract, existential questions on the mysteries of alchemy and pursuing his answers. His theories have also been shown to be right most of the time so far.
Even with his good reputation, with all the people waving the word 'genius' around at him, Ed has never thought of himself as such. Alchemists are said to have an egotistical side to themselves. They are, after all, scientists who bend the rules of nature and shape matter to their liking. Some even use alchemy to toy with the lives of others, 'playing God'. Ed, however, remains extremely grounded. There's a kind of humility to him. When people praise his ability, he actually starts to feel awkward, sheepishly waving the compliment off or attributing his talent to the fact that he has been through the Gates. He very readily admits that there is a lot that he does not know and he's also willing to sit down and be taught. Actually, because he knows he's still ignorant about many things, he has a kind of thirst for knowledge, frequently found reading in his downtime. A lot of Ed's humility, his conviction to not let himself overstep the boundaries of nature, is a result of that one incident many years back -- that failed attempt to recreate his mother. That incident more than drove the point home that he shouldn't be playing God, and every time he sees his own missing limbs or his brother's armored body, he's reminded once more. Ed actually fashions himself after Icarus, a figure in Greek Mythology who flew too close to the sun and was cast into the sea. It's a cautionary tale of the dangers of over-ambition, and nothing describes Ed's story more.
Ed is basically a child who was made to grow up too quickly. He sees the world through the lenses of both. On one hand, he's lost the freedom that comes with youth and the innocence that a lot of people his own age still possess. From travelling so often, Ed has become well-seasoned to the world, not so easily giving his secrets out to complete strangers. He's developed an ability to see beyond what people say and do, reading their underlying intentions. He's developed an understanding of how things are; the flow of life that governs nature. (Animals eat plants, other animals eat those animals and when those animals die, their bodies are returned to the earth, entering the cycle once more. This helped him realise what an insignificant existence he is in the grand scheme of things.) He's also developed ... a strong sense of responsibility. So strong, in fact, that it can become burdensome on him. While a lot of teens his age are still dependent on their guardians for support, Ed very notably tries to do everything by himself -- to the point where Maria Ross once pleaded with him to "put your trust in adults more". He looks small, but he really carries himself like a tiny adult, capable of engaging with other state alchemists on a professional level. Of course, though he acts like an adult, there are times where his age really shows. His ridiculous reactions to things are an example. Another example would be the times he goofs off in the omake pages, once reenacting a soap opera scene with Ling even though they were both trapped between dimensions at that time. Ed usually has a realistic take on life, but sometimes, the more idealistic side of himself peeks out. While he isn't so deluded to believe that everything can be resolved peacefully with no bloodshed, that killing never happens on the battlefield, he certainly doesn't want it to, and the fact that the people around him may die has always been difficult to accept for him.
A bit of a workaholic, Ed is almost always seen doing something. Whether it's reading a book, exploring his surroundings or sparring with Al, it's very rare that you'll find Ed taking a rest or engaging in some leisure activity. Rather, working to better his skills or increase his knowledge is his "fun", and he's almost never seen doing anything else. Taking breaks - the concept of actually stopping and refraining from doing anything - is something completely foreign to Ed. The inertia actually appears to unnerve him, if his groaning and moaning while locked in a Briggs' cell was any indication. As already mentioned, Ed has a thirst for knowledge. Books honestly excite him, and he's frequently seen reading himself into an exhausted but peaceful slumber. He'll even travel far distances - across harsh terrains - chasing the most smallest of leads if it meant the possibility he could find out what he wants to know. Though he's rarely ever seen playing, Ed isn't completely devoid of the ability to have fun. He enjoyed his time with Nina Tucker and her dog, for example, and was even willing (though begrudgingly) to halt his studying for that moment to play with them.
It's clear that there is something that he is working toward, but what is it? Ed has one very simple goal: To undo the effects of his most grave mistake. Everyone already knows the story. In an attempt to revive their dead mother, Ed and Al - only children at that time - attempted to recreate her with Human Transmutation. The results, suffice to say, were disastrous. Ed forfeited an leg - later, an arm that he had exchanged for Al's soul - and Al forfeited his entire body. The memory of that incident remains fresh in Ed's mind to this day, and a lot of his motivations in the series are centered around restoring Al's body.
If there were any quality most suited to describe Ed, it would be 'unerring'. In truth, most people would give up hope after a traumatic incident like what he went through. Something like 'restoring a person's entire body' and 'restoring an arm and leg' isn't so easily achieved. He's really chasing the wind, because no alchemists before him have successfully found the answer and passed it down. There are no books he can consult and no people he can ask. Such a thing may not even be possible. Still, not once did Ed give up hope. Throughout the series, Ed is seen grabbing onto any small, passing lead that he comes across in search of the answer he wants to find, travelling far distances if he has to. To give an example, Ed and Al traveled across the country, to the North, and crossed a harsh blizzard on foot just because they heard something about being able to learn alkahestry from Mei Chan, who was heading there. There was no guarantee that she would be there, and a smaller guarantee that they would be able to find her (they were not in direct contact, after all). There was also no guarantee that alkahestry would have helped them at all. This should be evidence of their determination to find their answers. They're also willing to break the law if it means they get what they want (well, wanting to do a human transmutation already is breaking the law). It was dangerous, but Ed and Al broke into the abandoned Fifth Laboratory in search for answers on the human transmutations that used to go on in there.
Furthermore, Ed is willing to endure a lot of pain and suffering to reach his goal. This was a fact true of him even at the tender age of 10. Shortly after he had lost his arm and leg, Ed agreed to replace them with automail prostheses. Automail surgery has a reputation of being both highly expensive and exceedingly painful; grown adults in the series have been seen forgoing the upgrade to automail, choosing to stick to regular prostheses in fear of the pain. It usually takes an estimated 3 years to fully recover from the procedure. Ed, despite being both a child and a double-amputee, made it his goal to recover in one -- and he did, despite the tremendous amount of pain and stress he had to endure. It's a display of his will to overcome almost anything to reach what he wants. To him, there was simply not enough time to wait another two years. He had to restore Al's body as soon as possible. Ed is even able to pull himself together on the brink of death, handing the reaper a gracious 'fuck you' and willing himself back into consciousness for the sake of continuing his search for answers. That was exactly what he did after the fight with Kimblee, where he somehow forced himself to survive an impalement right through the abdomen. It makes sense that with all the things he's willing to endure, something like having to bow to a higher authority or earning the disdain of the public is nothing. That is why he become a State Alchemist, a faction in the government not-so-affectionately known as the 'dogs of the military'. Alchemy is, according to several members of the public seen in the series so far, supposed to be an altruistic science; a science pursued and practiced to help the common man. State Alchemists are quite the opposite -- a weapon, utilized by the government to suppress the factions opposing them. It's understandable that State Alchemists are sometimes met with disdain, that Ed has been criticized in the past for his employment by the government. It's a 'bed of thorns', as he puts it, and one that he must lie in, because the benefits that come with working for the government - an open access to past research and the money to fund their journey - have been helpful to them so far.
As already illustrated, Ed is highly committed to his goal. So committed, in fact, that he and Al decided to burn their old house down - despite all the fond memories shared in it - at the start of their journey. The thought process that led to that is very simple: Now homeless, there was no feasible way for them to turn back. It wasn't a feat done with no heart, however. Even though Ed doesn't outwardly show it, losing his home did have some impact on him. Because he has no place to return to, he very easily empathizes with others about to lose their homes, sometimes helping them even though it's really not any of his business. Ed also keeps a physical reminder of the day he burned his house down in his pocket watch: An untidy carving that reads 'Don't forget, 3 Oct 11'. He's very private about this memento, flaring up at anyone who pries open his watch without his permission. It symbolizes everything he's given up in exchange for his goal and serves to remind him that he has nowhere to return to, that there's nowhere to go but forward. Losing his home did bring him some pain, and he needs to make his journey a fruitful one or it'll all be for naught. There are also other things motivating him to achieve his goal. Honestly, Ed just wants a happy ending for his brother and everyone around him. He doesn't actually think about what he'll do with his own restored limbs (which is typical of Ed, who never puts himself first); what he really wants is to see Al's smiling face again.
Even for a resilient person like Ed, you can't come out of a traumatic event like that without some scars. As much as he'd like to write them off, Ed has shown symptoms of PTSD several times throughout the series. It's not uncommon, for example, for him to get vivid nightmares of that incident, of the being he created and the mother he failed to bring back. On those nights, he always wakes up shaken and in cold sweat. He has also been seen reacting physically to his trauma. While digging up the body of the being he had created, Ed was visibly triggered by being near it. He broke out into chills, vomiting in response to the surge of anxiety and panic that overcame him. For most of the series, Ed has been submerging himself in guilt. Though Ed and Al had decided to revive their mother together, Ed had always taken full responsibility for the incident, blaming himself for the state of Al's body. There was also an insecurity that he carried with him for a very long time; an insecurity that Al may blame him for what had happened, that Al had contempt for him in that aspect. It's an insecurity he couldn't bring up to Al for years because he was afraid that it may be true. The state of Al's body is something that brings Ed a lot of pain; his brother cannot eat, sleep or feel, and the burden of that knowledge weighs heavy on Ed's conscience. It's the main driving force that pushes him forward in his pursuit of answers. As already mentioned, Ed frequently forgets himself - that he too needs to be restored - in his determination to restore Al's body.
Ed is a good kid, even if his occasional death threats or generally loud and stubborn demeanor may suggest otherwise. His moral compass appears to be in good, working order. He is a responsible person, taking care not to involve others in problems that are his own and always going back to fix the things he's broken. He's also displayed a remarkable compassion, able to sympathize with the people around him -- even willing to help them out if he's able. Honestly, he's just a guy who really seems to care, even for complete strangers. In any dangerous situation, the lives of the ones around him always take priority in his eyes. He will readily forgo tempting opportunities to get what he's looking for if it means a lot of people will be hurt in the process.
Friendship is a thing that comes remarkably easily to him. He may not get chummy with anyone (and he's definitely not a hugger), but that's a fact. Ed is a person who builds bonds quickly. Honestly, all you really need to do to be his friend is to show him that you're not some kind of bloodthirsty psychopath. He's a good friend too. Helpful, protective and kind, Ed is the kind of person who would do a little more just to help out someone he cares about. He will take care of them (when he's not the one being cared for himself, of course), pulling them out of danger and tending to their needs despite his own. He spent the majority of their time in Gluttony's stomach caring for Ling, putting food together for the starving prince and personally carrying him when he was tired. Ed also worries a ton for his friends and family -- Winry and his brother in particular. He will flare up at whoever endangers them, sometimes abandoning reason in his complete bluster. There's a kind of self-sacrificial aspect to Ed, an aspect that's still very much there even if he's gotten much better about it. It should say a lot about him that he rarely ever thinks about himself and the state of his own well-being, that he always talks about restoring Al but never mentions his own predicament. Ed just has a tendency to put himself second to his loved ones. For the sake of a person he cares about, he will jump headfirst into danger, once even resigning himself to death if Al could be spared in his place. Really, he's actually gotten much better about this. In the very least, he's come to realize that his loved ones worry about him just as much and now takes bigger steps in considering their feelings.
What sets him apart from the others his own age is his propensity to ponder deeply into the implications of his actions; his willingness to assess if his decisions may implicate others and address that fact. As much as Ed wants to restore his brother's body, he will not do it at the expense of other lives. This, to him and Al, is a problem they had created themselves and it would be selfish to hurt others while looking for what they want. They've actually had many opportunities to restore their bodies in the series. The Philosopher's Stone, the artifact they were desperately seeking at the beginning of the series, has been right in their grasp several times before. After learning about the raw materials needed to create one, however - that living human souls are what powers a stone - Ed and Al had vowed never to use it. There is only one time Ed has used a Philosopher's Stone and that was in a truly dire circumstance (to save both his and Ling's life). It appeared to have a profound, lasting effect on him. Watching the soul he had used as energy disappear into the air very visibly shook him and Ed can still remember the feeling of transmuting life to this day. Also, as already mentioned, Ed does not want others to get hurt because of his actions. Upon the realization that Maes Hughes had been assassinated while helping Ed and Al find more information, Ed took complete responsibility, personally apologizing to his family. Ed and Al even considered giving up on their journey altogether because they did not wish for anyone else to be implicated (even if Hughes' assassination was really no fault of theirs).
Ed will not, under any circumstances, kill another human being. This is his resolve; if there's any value he pledges to uphold, this is it. Obviously, killing others in exchange for something that he wants is very, very out of the question for him. Killing innocents is something disgusting and absurd as well. Those acts would just make him the kind of person he disdains. Ed's resolve to not kill extends to everyone that he knows, however; friend and foe alike. Throughout the series, Ed has had too many people out for his blood. He's been in too many fights - very frequently with people who can and will kill him. He rarely ever aims for vital areas (not unless he's fighting a being that regenerates itself) or delivers killing blows, however. Even when asked by the enemy to end their life, Ed will brush them off, remarking that he doesn't want to be "made into a murderer". It doesn't mean that he forgives them, and it definitely doesn't mean that everything is fine and dandy. He just has this value that he lives by and he doesn't intend to go against it. Ed is even uncomfortable with the idea of his allies killing their common enemies; he was visibly unsettled with the fact that the Briggs' soldiers were planning to take down Kimblee (a known mass-murdering psychopath) and even requested that they used less lethal means. Very green to a real battlefield, Ed has an idealistic side to him. If possible, he doesn't want anyone to die at all. He will even save enemies, if the situation calls for it. Despite being on the verge of death himself, he saved the trapped Darius and Heinkel who were attacking him only moments before. This is how far his compassion extends.
Ed has a very, very wide definition of what a 'person' is. A person, to him, is any sentient being that presents itself as one. If it has (or had) a personality, if it has emotions and preferences and motivations, then it's a person to Ed. (A being deserving of the same rights handed out to every man, a being that he can sympathize with. ) What their actual body make-up is is of little importance to Ed; a mere triviality, since he has a tendency to treat everyone in an equal way anyway. He has demonstrated his willingness to sympathize with beings that others write off or dehumanize several times. He spared the lives of the Slicer Brothers, for example, recognizing their humanity and remarking that killing them would be akin to murder (which he wants no part in). This honestly surprised the older Slicer Brother, because both brothers were existing as souls bound to armor plates. Ed was also highly reluctant to use the Philosopher's Stone in Envy, as already mentioned. Envy called them 'raw energy', but to him, those souls were people, even if they had long lost their individuality and capability of autonomous thought after centuries of existing in a stone. It actually makes sense that he would be overly willing to acknowledge the personhood of so many unconventional beings. His brother is an unconventional being as well. Ed has admitted in the past that denying the personhood of a chimera or bodyless soul would mean denying the personhood of his own brother, and that is the last thing he ever wants to do.
_ITEMS:
x 1 the clothes on his back
x 1 state alchemist pocketwatch
x 2 automail prostheses
WRITING SAMPLES
_GEN SAMPLE: A network thread that becomes action stuff later on.
_SMUT SAMPLE: Musebox thread. The arousal starts from my second comment onward. If it doesn't count, I have more samples to offer.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT MY CHARACTER IS THE FOLLOWING:
_SENTIENT: YES.
_MENTALLY ADULT: He is mentally 16.
_CAPABLE OF CONSENT: Once again, he is 16, so legally it depends? But mentally he is able to make autonomous decisions.
_CAPABLE OF SEXUAL AROUSAL: YES.