User Profile

Character Name: Ling Yao
Series/Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)

Age: 15 years old, appears possibly early twenties. It's nothing supernatural, just his rugged, handsome looks.
Gender: Male, studly?
Species: Human, and proud of it!
Sexuality: Heterosexual

Appearance: Of eastern descent, Ling's appearance seems both typical of
his ethnicity and at the same time not. His cheekbones are high as is
expected, his face long, with a strong, square jaw. His eyebrows, thin,
sit perched high over thin, slanted eyes. Their angle gives him something
of a harsh appearance, his eyes a steely silver-- when they can be seen.
More often than not, however, a broad, if not goofy smiling expression is
what he wears, which softens the sharp, catlike expression to be seen when
he is not keeping up such appearances. His hair is thick and black, pulled
back into a long ponytail at the base of his skull, and an unruly fringe
obscures his forehead, direly in need of a trim as it obscures his eyes.
Though young in age, his unusual height-- just over five and a half feet--
as well as his well-toned, muscled body gives the impression of one nearly
ten years older.

Personality: One cannot summarize Ling Yao's personality in brief terms,
for it is as complex and layered as an man's may be, and then twice over.
Raised to know and understand the intricacies of the Imperial court, and
with high ambition, the prince is constantly thinking-- appraising a given
situation and figuring out the best way to turn it to his advantage. To
say he is manipulative is quite rightly true, though the negative
connotations are unecessary, as while he will use words and wit against
another, he is a man of strong morals.... overall.

Most that meet the twelfth prince of Xing are treated to what could be
considered a default exterior-- a goofy, smiling, friendly, and awkwardly
irritating bottomless pit of a man who seems to have little consideration
for the personal space and posessions of others. It is a disarming
appearance, and one used quite to his advantage, as he is often and
foolishly underestimated, for his mind is sharp and ever watchful. Armed
with an obnoxious laugh, a casual manner of speaking, and as many smiles
are there are stars in the sky, Ling has little trouble or reservations
about getting himself involved in whatever has his interest, no matter
what foolish and childish behavior he must employ to do it. Still as
un-princelike as he may seem, like all great illusions there is a large
amount of truth to it-- this carefree freeloader is the irresponsible
wanderer that all young men that carry heavy responsibility wish they
could be forever.

And the responsibility that Ling carries is one that weighs heavily upon
him, impacting many of his decisions-- he keeps not only the ambitions,
hopes, and dreams of his family in mind, but the well-being of a nation
that needn't be thrust into a civil war. This is not something he carries
lightly, and though in this strange world other priorities may demand his
attention, it is hardly something he could simply forget. His duty is as
much a part of him as his blood and his bones.

Though one could consider that such a heavy burden would be the driving
force behind such ambitions as, well, becoming the crown prince of Xing
and eventually Emperor, there is of course a natural element to it. Power
is something Ling has known most of his life, having come from a rich
family in good standing with the Emperor, and so he understands its uses,
its value, and also its tendancy to corrupt. His desire for it is strong,
but is also righteous-- it is not for petty reasons that he seeks power
both social and otherwise. His role in life is that of a ruler, and power,
he knows, is a tool to be used to maintain order and happiness for those
he must protect. It is something he seeks actively, for the best and most
worthy of reasons, with the skill and social agility of one at ease
wielding words as weapons. He is appreciative of bluntness as much as he
is of misleading statements, considering both appropriate in different
circumstances-- true skill, he knows, is understanding which to use and
when.

But he is not perfect-- he is quite human, and prone to mistakes,
misjudgements, and moments of weakness in personal integrity. He succumbs
to the allure of his personal pride-- in his heritage, his station in
life, his humanity, and his abilities. He can be insufferably arrogant and
egotistical at times, though it is sometimes softened by his smiles. At
times he is selfish, particularly when faced with repeated failures and
disappointments. Though he fully understands the value of sacrifice and
can even assure himself that he is capable of giving up something of value
for the greater good, when it comes down to the moment where such a
decision must be made and carried out, he tends balk and freeze up. In
these times he feels particularly weak and selfish-- the most telling
reminders of his own humanity.






Abilities/Strengths: As a martial artist of remarkable prowess, Ling
possesses both great speed and agility, as well as no small amount of
strength to be able to pull off impressive feats of physical ability. He
is heavily trained in weapons-style fighting as well as unarmed combat,
though he specializes in swordsmanship and the use of explosives. With a
keen wit and judgement on top of this, he is a fearsome opponent who makes
use of his environment and takes no issue with using somewhat underhanded
tricks to survive should his life be in danger. On top of this he has some
amount of spiritual awareness-- the ability to sense the flows of the
world around him, from air to water and even to the 'chi' in the human
body. This is a sixth sense that is as natural as his five others ones.


Weaknesses: Ling's metabolism is insane. He has the appetite of ten men,
needing to eat large amounts, and fairly often, to keep up his strength,
otherwise he tends to faint or at least become terribly, terribly weak. He
often has trouble focusing on certain tasks, particularly if he's tired or
hungry, and can suffer from extreme lack of motivation in circumstances
that aren't dire. Though well educated for his era, he has little
understanding of science and his grasp of mathematics beyond everyday
basics is extremely lacking-- mostly due to an avoidance of study and an
extreme lack of interest. Due to where he's from, too, he has absolutely
no understanding of really modern technology, such as computers, and may
in fact have some real, unjustified fear and mistrust of complicated
machines and robots.

Notable Possessions: An ugly scimtar made of iron with snakes, spikes, and
skulls on the pommel is all he would have, other than his clothes and
grenade pouch/bandolier (without the grenades). Ugh.

History: The twelfth son of the Emperor of Xing, Ling was born into the
difficult Imperial world. Though not in immediate reach of the throne, as
part of the large and powerful Yao clan, he grew up understanding he was a
very important person. His mother, though only fifteen when he was born,
was an extremely strong and wily woman, proud to be part of the Emperor's
harem. Though somewhat disheartened at not bearing a son as quickly as
others did, she nonetheless raised Ling with great care, teaching him the
values of intelligence and clever subtleties. She taught him of duty and
of honor towards the family, and the sense that the greatest things done
are done for the sakes of the many. And yet, as he grew older, she grew
more distant, tempering that desire to please her into the hardened
determination to carry the Yao clan's heavy burdens on his own shoulders.

Being a prince of any clan of Xing, but particularly one as well known and
well-to-do as the Yao clan, meant that the boy was ever under threat of
assassination. For this reason he was trained from the moment he could
hold a blade how to use it, and use it with deadly force. He also learned
to do away with some measure of pride when it came to fighting-- for
assassination threw away all traditional rules of honorable combat in the
first place, and his top priority was, of course, to survive. He was also
tutored and educated traditionally, in history, strategy, and some manner
of musical and artistic training-- a staple education for nobility. But
beyond that, there was little in particular in his life-- what time he
spent not being refined he spent being as unrefined as possible, with
frequent vanishing acts to avoid any manner of proper behavior.

Unfortunately, times change. The Emperor fell ill, and having not chosen a
crown prince, the 50 clans of Xing began to grow restless. The elders of
the Yao clan decided it would do to have the young prince Ling do his part
to earn the favor of the Emperor and of the court. This, they felt, could
be done by traveling to the west and finding the legendary secret of
immortality-- the Philosopher's Stone-- as such a thing would raise his
favor in the eyes of the court and give them enough leverage to seize the
throne by peaceful means and spare the empire of Xing the hardships of a
succession war. And while it could be said that it was Ling's choice to
go, and he certainly did agree to do it, the sheer weight of necessity
thrust upon him made it not a choice at all-- it was something he was born
and raised to do. For that reason there was no hesitation for he and his
two strongest, most trusted retainers to begin a taxing journey west to
the country of Amestris.

Upon arrival things were difficult, but though a fortuitous change meeting
with the Edward and Alphonse Elric, Ling's task became much easier-- no
longer would they have to search for fleeting rumors and clues, but they
happened to have come across two who seemed to know something of what they
were seeking. But rather than simply use them as guides to find the
Philosopher's stone, as was the plan, it ended up that Ling became just as
tangled in the dark happenings of the country. It was a mix of loyalty to
his new friends and the desperate need to acquire that which he came to
the country to find that kept him from fleeing despite the constant risk
and danger-- this was not a path he could abandon for any reason. It was a
path that required great strength and sacrifice-- something he knew on
some level when he began his journey, but something he realized quite
clearly when his retainer, Lan Fan, cut off her own arm to allow them to
escape pursuit from the homunculi-- part of the group that that very day
they had set out to capture one of.

In the end they succeeded in capturing one of them, but while Lan Fan was
being medically treated for her injury, it managed to break free.
Gluttony, though simple in mind and sometimes in ability, possessed a
power that was both frightening and devastating. Though the homunculus
Envy appeared to attempt to calm him, things predictably dissolved into
violence, and in the confusion, both Edward and Ling were 'eaten' by
Gluttony-- in that they were sucked through an artificial 'gate' in the
homunculus' stomach and deposited in a shallow sea of blackness and blood.
They wandered, and eventually came across Envy who had been devoured as
well-- who informed them that there was no escape. The truth surrounding
past events of Amestris was revealed in their following conversation, and
after a harrowing fight that nearly killed the both of them a means to
escape was discovered. It was a gamble, and Edward used the treasured
Philosopher's Stone inside of Envy to transport them all back to Amestris.

And yet, for some reason, Ling awakened in a small room on board an
airship...

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