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[sculpted]

Player
Name: Typhie
Livejournal Username: typhlogirl
E-mail: typhlogirl@gmail.com
AIM/MSN: AIM: typhlogirl
Timezone: GMT 10 (NE Australia)
Current Characters in Route: Emmy Altava | Professor Layton (snapandscoot)

Character
Name: Major Alex Louis Armstrong - The Strong Arm Alchemist
Series: Fullmetal Alchemist
Timeline: Before his battle with Sloth
Canon Resource Links: http://fma.wikia.com/wiki/Alex_Louis_Armstrong

Personality: At first glance, Alex Armstrong cuts an intimidating figure, standing head and shoulders above the average man. Approach him, however, and you'll probably see a rather friendly twinkle (sparkle?) in his eye. He is a kind and compassionate man prone to bouts of overdramatic emotions complete with rivers of tears, dazzling displays of masculine flair and spontaneous removal of his shirt. All for the benefit of you, the viewer, of course! Why wouldn't you want to gaze upon his magnificent physique? The Major firmly believes that a beautiful mind should be hosted within a beautiful body, and if his bulging muscles are any indication, things are looking rather pretty.

Armstrong is an unusual specimen for both a military officer and a State Alchemist; he prefers not to use violence whenever possible, and cannot stand the murder of innocent people. It brings him to tears, to the point where he had to be dishonourably sent home from the Ishval frontlines due to the fact that he couldn't bring himself to obey the genocide orders any more. This retreat, despite having occurred close to a decade ago, still burns at him. Armstrong is a man who sticks to his values, and the fact that he couldn't bring himself to fight for what he believed was right stings quite badly.

He uses his failure at Ishval as inspiration to keep himself in uniform; the next time he is caught up in a battlefield, he won't let cowardice or fear stop him from fighting for his morals.

Despite his soft heart, Armstrong is an excellent soldier, a firm but caring boss and a loyal subordinate. His fighting techniques and alchemy (passed down through generations of his family!) are incredibly powerful, and he possesses both the ability to strategize whilst in combat, and light and quick movement on his feet despite his heavy build. He enjoys a good sparring match, particularly against an equal and worthy opponent; he gains no joy from defeating those too weak to stand against him. The major part of his alchemy is based around the linked concepts of creation and destruction; he cites them as two sides of the same coin, and it is reflected in his work. Whether this is a true mantra or just an excuse for the rather destructive nature of his technique remains to be seen, but you can guarantee that he'll stand behind his opinion! This beautiful and artistic technique has been passed down in his family for generations, you know (if you didn't get that the first time)!

He has an indomitable fighting spirit, and won't give up a fight until he's completely incapable of returning blows; in the latter part of the manga he continues to fight the Homunculus Sloth despite having a dislocated shoulder and being constantly beaten. But in his sister's words, he's well trained enough to handle it; it would be disgraceful if he wasn't! On the battlefield, he watches out for his allies and will gladly put himself between them and danger, even if it means injuring himself in the process.

Overall, Major Armstrong is a kind and sensitive gentleman more than willing to fight for those he cares about, and for the causes he believes in.

Strengths/Weaknesses:

Great physical strength: Rather self-explanatory! Armstrong is a force to be reckoned with even without his alchemy. He's capable of stopping a massive Homunculus in it's tracks purely with the strength of his (beautiful) body and will, and his strikes will leave most men unconscious.
Kind hearted: Armstrong is, at heart, a very kind and gentle man, easily brought to tears. It was this kind nature that caused him to be so distressed at the conflict in Ishval, and his part in it. The deaths of innocents hits him hard, and he became unable to handle the reality of what the military was doing to the people of the area. Even now, he's easily brought to tears from scenes of suffering, particularly children.
Talented sketch artist: One of the Armstrong family techniques passed down from generation to generation, the Major is very competent at sketch drawings, with some of them being used by the military to aid searches.
Excellent at hand to hand combat: The Major's skill at fighting is unprecedented, and quite the sight to behold; he manages to stand up to the revenge killer Scar and remain equal with him, fight off the homunculus Sloth using a combination of strength and wits, and constantly strives to better himself as a fighter. He's also very quick on his feet, which often throws his opponents off guard.

/- Merciful: While possessing mercy is in no way a negative thing, it's the main reason why the Major is yet to be promoted. Instead of killing his defeated enemies, he prefers to let them live, even when this goes against orders.

- Overbearing: The Major's personality, while not malicious or vitriolic, doesn't make him all that popular with those around him. He's rather universally considered to be annoying, and his presence isn't always appreciated, particularly if one would like some peace and quiet! He is capable of remaining serious when the situation calls for it, but he feels a duty to show off his flawless muscles whenever humanly possible! For some reason, however, this isn't really all that appreciated by his friends and acquaintances.
- Impatient at times: The Major isn't an overly impatient man, particularly with friends or fellow officers, but he's not the sort to be satisfied just waiting around for someone to make their mind up. Dr Marcoh earns a rather heavy crate to the face when he refuses to listen to Armstrong's repeated demands to put his gun down.
- Reckless: It's not uncommon for Armstrong to greet someone he hasn't seen in a while with a rather overenthusiastic hug, usually resulting in the recipient receiving some sort of injury. Hospitalised people aren't exempt, either; he treated Edward Elric to a few more injuries when he was bedridden! There is nothing malicious about it, however; the majority of the time it's the Major's attempts to comfort the subject. How comforting he manages to be is...rather in the eye of the beholder.

Pokémon Information
Affiliation: Trainer
Starter: Geodude
Password: Taco Bell

Samples
First Person Sample: [[Should you have your Pokegear on today, you'll be treated to the sight of a massive, muscular military man peering solemnly into the camera, a Geodude floating behind him.]]

This is Major Armstrong reporting in; could I get a status report? Do you copy, Central HQ?

[[He'll furrow his brow when he gets no response, folding his arms.]]

Quite odd, quite odd. I suppose the connection is broken.

[[He looks around briefly, appearing to fiddle with some buttons on the Pokegear while doing so.]]

I've never seen this map before....hmm.

[[Shaking his head, the man turns back to the feed.]]

Should anyone be receiving this, I'm going to explore this unfamiliar landscape and search for personnel. Over.

[[Having finished with his report, the man closes his eyes for a moment, before turning to the Geodude floating behind him.]]

Dear fellow, I don't suppose you could point me in a good direction?

[[The Geodude nods happily, before pointing.]]

Then that is the direction in which I shall travel...!!

[[And suddenly, he's whipped off his shirt, to reveal a dazzlingly masculine physique....!

...but there's no one here to appreciate it.]]

...ah.

[[Suddenly...the Geodude also flexes and strikes a pose?!]]

....!!!

[[And wordlessly, the feed disappears, the last image being that of the duo silently sparkling at one another.]]

Third Person Sample: It would be a lie if Major Alex Armstrong said he completely disliked this Johto place.

At present, he was sitting underneath a tree filled with strange spherical fruit, sketchpad resting on his knee as he drew. The air and landscape was beautiful here; in a way, it reminded him of his childhood in the spacious Armstrong estate. Thoughts of home combined with nature's striking beauty caused happy tears to flow down his face. Such majesty! Such tranquility! This untouched landscape was truly a jewel to behold. His pencil strokes grew more energized, the trees and bushes quickly taking shape on the paper.

How long had it been since he had done this for fun? Just sitting outside somewhere quiet and drawing...work had taken up so much of his time, lately. Even though he was still dressed in his uniform, being here felt...like a true disconnection. He realised, with a mild amount of shock, that he felt more relaxed here in this strange new world than he had felt for...well...a long time, back in Amestris.

His chimera companion, noticing that he was drawing, struck a dramatic, bold pose with it's rocky arms outstretched, causing him to chuckle. The wildlife here was certainly unique! Some of the creatures looked like birds and bugs, but others, like the one constantly following him, looked like no creature Armstrong had ever seen before. It was nice to have some company, though, so Armstrong made no move to shoo the creature away.

The drawing was almost complete. Adding a few final touches to the grass, Armstrong signed his name at the bottom, in beautiful flowing script. The chimera floated over to him and peered over his shoulder, appearing satisfied with how he had been rendered on the paper. However, it still pointed at the space next to it, before pointing back to Armstrong and nodding.

"You...want me to draw myself next to you...?"

A sharp nod, accompanied with a solemn thumbs up.

Well. Thank goodness he'd brought some spare handkerchiefs, because if he kept crying like this the drawing would be ruined.