eugalB

The Season of the Enlightened

"Wait a moment, did I mix the order of events? From which year did they start enforcing this law?"

The pile of documents was growing steadily as Edmund lost himself in the depths of legislative History. Which wasn't even the subject he was preparing. However, he consumed knowledge like a starved man would eat fresh bread. In more than one sense, this was the kind of attitude which got him to his current position.

It was then that he noticed two voices comming from the hallway. A feminine one and a masculine one. What he could hear seemed like a lover quarrel. The only romance he studied was Romanticism. And besides, even if they didn't care to keep their matters private, he certainly didn't care for scandals. Choosing to ignore the commotion, he grabbed a book which should have contained the answer to his question.

And immediately dropped it as he heard a sudden shriek. In an instant, the assistant teacher was out of his chair and walking towards the door in a quick stride. The manner in which one intervenes matters most of all. After all, it is what determines the result. Urgency had to be mesured, calm and decisiveness ensured control in those situations.

As he got out of his room, his eye quickly caught the situation. The two student were next to his wall, the man pressing the woman against the wall. Edmund slammed the door shut and exclaimed :

"Good morning!"

"Wh-what?" The student turned toward him, startled.

"Ah yes, sorry, it is getting a bit late for morning."

The assistant approached the students. The man released the woman and turned fully toward the disturbance. She backed away as his attention fully shifted targets. Edmund, as usual, seemed perfectly calm, unmoved even. In truth, he had to suppress his rising anger to prevent himself from making the wrong move.

He was struggling to remember the man's name. Nolan Kurth? Not quite. Edmund knew he was a minor troublemaker, but not quite a rebel either. Maybe a bit gutless? Well, that would become clear soon enough.

"Is there a problem?"

"What's your problem?" The fright was morphing into anger. Nicolas(?) was already agitated and now this meddler had the balls to ask that. And getting uncomfortably close too, so much so that the student felt the need to take a step back to regain his personal space.

"I was just asking about that." Edmund said while closing the distance.

Anger was overtaken by confusion. No matter what expression arose on the man's face, it found neither reflection nor contrast on the assistant's. It was a still façade, giving no push or pull on anger, fear or awkwardness. Nathan(?) tried to recede again and, this time, it was his back which found the wall.

"You can confide in me, you know. I can listen whenever it is needed." He had no intention to enter the boy's rythm. He would not give him strife, nor would he leave him alone. Edmund intended to force him to react, to show his hand.

But Noah(?) looked to the side and saw that the woman had already left. He let out a sigh and his shoulders collapsed.

"OK, OK, fine. What do you want to talk about?"

"... Come with me. We'll have a chat around a cup of tea."

His hands were cold, ready to freeze. In a way, he was hoping the man would react violently. He wanted that excuse. He already planned which moves would incapacitate him.

But it wasn't happening.

Edmund opened his door and invited Norman(?) in. A good lecture would probably make for a better medicine anyway. And he had plenty to say, on good behaviors, on consent, on respect, on the values of the school, etc.

---

Alphonse was getting embarrassed by Big Bulma's attention. She was almost too sweet.

"Oh shush, there's plenty of people who juggle much better than me in here. And I'll be fine anyway, I won't feel anything in just a few hours, for sure." He flexed his body into a confident position. It was mostly bravado and it became apparent when his headache made him grab his forehead due to a burst of pain.

"Ugh. It should calm down soon enough. That being said, well maybe I could assist someone today, rather than take the center role. I bet there's plenty of people who would like an opportunity to shine. Actually, I kinda missed the morning bustle here, so how's the family feeling today?"

Alphonse was looking at his show weight. He wasn't happy with the idea. Stepping to the side like this felt like a failure to him. But he knew it was better to take some rest than risking an error in front of the audience. Especially since it wasn't just a matter of pushing through this one day, they were starting a performance of undetermined length.

And anyway, he knew better than to look down on the supporting roles. He played it plenty of times before, especially as he was starting out, and he saw how important it is. There is simply no true one-man show, all performances depend on helpers, on or off stage.

Maybe the right thing to do was to go see those who were busy practicing and who he could lend a hand to.

The Season of the Enlightened

"Alphonse, let me help ya with that, love. We're kin, after all."

Bulma's smile was warm like sunlight. Alphonse always admired her kindness and the attention she gave to the circus family. She was akin to a mother or big sister for many. He was also a bit envious of her strength since he saw it as the genuine article, whereas his displays of physical prowess relied upon the trickery of his ability. Overall, he looked up to her as an example. So the current situation was a bit bittersweet, as he clearly was the one receiving help.

"Ah, thank you. My head gives me a bit of a bad time. Oh, but my body is fine."

Alphonse flexed his arms, as for to confirm his good health. He was wearing a "tiger fur" jacket. In truth, it was cheap fur dyed to look the part, which was good enough considering most people had never seen an actual tiger. It was sleeveless and was only attached with a loose string, so that it couldn't fully close. It was his show costume, showing off his body and helping him to create the persona he presented to the public.

"Are ya excited for the show today? Seems like a real good'un. I tell ya, lovey, as much as I feel exhausted afterwards, there's something about this that moves ya, eh?"

"Of course! We sell dreams, here. Got to give people something to remember, right? Ah, I never got to see a circus show as a kid, but I bet it would have changed my life."

Alphonse looked to his weights resting on the ground. Two 180 pounds balls of cast iron with handles to grab them. Lifting both of them at once would be a serious struggle even for someone as strong as Alphonse if it wasn't for his ability. Once their weight was halved, they were still heavy but it became much more manageable. He would also double their size to make them appear much heavier, so in practice they only had a quarter of the weight they appeared to have during his show. Alphonse was also holding the steel bar he used in combination to the weights. It had hooks on each end to attach to the balls. Finally, he had a crate of cannonballs. Their weight weren't as impressive but juggling those was very popular with the public.

"Well, I can't really say no if you offer to help me. I'd like to use my trick as little as possible until the show starts proper. I might drop the cannonball juggling for this evening if I can't keep my focus straight."

Alphonse put the bar under his arm and carried one of the large balls in his arms. While he was just about capable of lifting it in with a single hand without his ability, carrying it around was a different matter.

---

"Aaaah, which one, which one..."

Back in his room, Edmund was slouched over books and scattered papers. It was notes for various classes.
So far, he had mostly assisted the teenagers' classes. He didn't mind it as he did believe their education was of the utmost importance. But those new students interested him and the least suspicious way to approach them was simply to do his job. Or rather, that was the strategy he was most confident in since he lacked the subtility needed for a different approach.

But, of course, the curriculum for adults was a completely different beast from the kids'. He was well aware since he still occasionally took some of these classes. It was a lot more freeform, the basics were assumed to be acquired and the classes were typically chosen with specifics goals in mind.

They most likely were here to attune their enlightenment, so this training was a given. But there were quite a few talented teachers he had to compete with. Well, if his hunch that the noble youth also had a frost ability was right, Edmund had good odds to be assigned to him. But that left the other two.

The young man was most likely not nobility but he was well clothed, so most likely bourgeoisie. Those typically tried to figure how to climb the social ladder through their newly acquired powers. If he was any smart, he'd try classes on politics, law and economics. Maybe also history, medecine or mathematics. Edmund only hoped for any other than the last one, as it was his greatest academical weakness.

The lady was the troublesome one. He had nothing on her. Not only that, but it was pretty likely she'd prefer being taught by a woman if given the choice. It was common. And perfectly reasonable.

He lounged into his chair. This was looking to be tough. But it was a good test. If he could surpass this self-imposed trial, then he would grow further. After all, he did desire mastery of many academic fields. And he did also want to be able to help any student. This was becoming less about satisfying his curiosity and more about establishing new goals for himself.

"Well, I'll just learn as many as I can, then."

And so, Edmund started reorganising his notes. As long as you have a clear goal, you can plan a course. And with a proper course, what seemed like an impossible task can be executed through efforts and dedication. It was a philosophy he inherited from his father and it had served him well so far.

Pokémon: Professor's Academy

Cora

"Now, it may be scary but that doesn't mean it's dangerous. Well, it might be dangerous. But aren't you curious?"

Full Name: Cora Pomme (father's name) Granate (mother's name)

Age: 23

Year at the Institute: First Year

Favorite Color: light purple (DF73FF)

Thesis Subject: The taxonomy of ghost type pokémons. Some of them are akin to specters while others are more animalistic. So, what makes them all ghost types?

Appearance: A small and thin woman. She doesn't care much for appearances and so qhe rarely put on makeup or brush her hair. Her clothes are often messy. On the other hand, she does care a lot about hygiene and body odor in particular, though it has more to do with how pokemon react to it. Her baggy eyes and pale skin show her nocturnal lifestyle.

Personality:
First and foremost, she is obsessively passionate about ghost-types. She loves to talk about them, to the point that the conversation will become completely one-sided. It is not helped by her difficulties with reading other people's feelings. She can come off as overbearing and has had plenty of difficulties making friends in the past. At this point in her life, she came to accept it as an aspect of her life and she rarely makes efforts to sociabilise. She tends to keep to herself as she prefer the company of pokémons to humans.

If you get to know her, she turns out to be a lot more energetic than her gloomy exterior might lead you to believe. Her curiosity knows no bound. She is easily distracted and tends to follow her whims without a care. Her sense of danger seems a bit defunct, but maybe she just really enjoy th thrills.

Bio:
As a child, she really wanted to become a spirit medium. However, as she grew up, she lost interest in the profession. The reality simply didn't live up to her fantasy. Not only that, but she developped a very cartesian mindset. The supernatural lost all interest to her. But ghost pokémons are (mostly) tangible beings. They are real and she wanted to know their secrets.

So, as soon as she finished school, she set out to become a trainer and show what ghost types could do.

That didn't work out well.
She could manage pokémon training well enough, but directing them in battle was very difficult. So she thought she would become a gym trainer to slowly learn the ropes, but she lived in Paldea. The local ghost gym leader was simply not someone she could get along with. After much effort, she just accepted this wasn't her path and came back home.

Her father was a professor whose work focused more on plants than pokémons. He never really understood her fascination with ghosts but, seeing how passionate she was even after these setbacks, he told her that she might want to try research. She was hesitant at first, she never considered herself to be the studious type after all. But as she went through the curriculum, she grew more and more interested. Pokémon biology, ecology, behavioral study, etc. Surely, even if it also ended in failure, at least she would learn something interesting, right?

Eventually, she decided to throw herself into this new adventure.

Pokémon:

Pokémon:

Charles, Haunter (male)
Cora's first pokémon. It was just a gastly she found while walking around in the forest at night when she was 9. She successfully hid him for a few days in her room before her parents found out. They didn't knew whether they should be more mad at her hiding a ghost in her bedroom or sneaking away during the night for walks in the forest. She still got to keep him in the end.
He is very obedient to Cora and likes to assist her in her task. He is rarely inside his pokéball and usually hides in her shadow, acting as a second pair of hands whenever she needs it.

Igor, Houndstone (male)
A pokémon she caught and trained for combat. By far her most capable at this task, but mostly because he doesn't need much direction and usually handles himself well on his own.
A gentle and playful pokémon, but completely unaware of his strenght.

Lucia, Litwick (female)
The latest addition to her team. Cora got her not long before giving up on her trainer career, so she hasn't been seriously trained for battle. Cora enjoys reading books under her dim light.
A sleepy little girl. Cora still doesn't know her too well.

Quirks:
-She is a self-described "nocturnal being" and prefer to sleep during the day. Adapting to campus life is not easy for her.
-She is very bookish and particularly like old books.
-Her greatest passion after ghost types are mushroom. Mostly for culinary reason, in good part because they're stranges lifeforms and a bit because of the thrill of the risk of the poisonous ones.

Here we go

Pokémon: Professor's Academy

@RisingRobin I got my idea and found my faceclaim, should be able to get the sheet done tomorrow.

A bit of a weird girl with a fascination for ghosts. Thesis is on the taxonomy of ghost types.

The Season of the Enlightened

In the backstage of the circus.

The morning was fresh, but not cold. A pleasant treat of early autumn. The sun had well risen and so did most of the circus staff. But in one of the caravans, someone was still sleeping. And so, a conscientious soul knocked on the door.

"Eh, Alphonse, you should get up already. Someone's gonna notice if you don't."

He opened his eyes. He closed them. He groaned. Alphonse was suffering from a nasty headache. His body was sore too. Had he drunk too much last night? He did often enjoy a bit of beer before bed, but usually in a reasonable amount. It was hard to think.
But then he noticed his throat was fine. And he had no nausea either. Alphonse blew into his hand to smell his breath. No scent of alcohol.

He massaged his temple while sluggishly extracting himself from his bed. What did happen on the previous day?

---

On the previous day.

The circus was bustling with activity. Multiple showmen were already demonstrating their talents in the streets to spread the word of the circus opening. As a consequence, those who were left to finish setting up the circus strongly felt the pressure to get done as quickly as possible.

Among them was Alphonse, seemingly calm despite the agitation. He was carrying things around where they where needed while taking the time to give friendly light taps to his coworkers.

"Don't push yourself too hard, pal. We'll be done soon enough."

But in fact, he was using his power. There was no visual effect whenever he diminushed the weight of an item, so it was easy for him to stealthily lessen the burden of others. As for why he did it this way, there's simply was no particular reason behind it. Alphonse didn't benefit from this in any way. Rather, he really wanted to help but was uncomfortable at the idea of making a show of his power. Was it because he wasn't truly boastful by nature, despite his acting during his shows? He had no real reason to fear rejection from the circus people, so that surely couldn't be it.

And yet, here he was, lending invisible helping hands all around. And those were starting to grow bothersome to him too. Suddenly letting the items regain their true weights while people were carrying them could be dangerous, so he had to maintain the effects until he could confirm they had arrived safely. And as he multiplied the targets of his ability, the mental strain would only get worse.

From time to time, he got to see how far things had advanced. But he had his own things to do and could only check on so many things at once, especially with how large of a space the circus was occupying. The number of objects to keep track off simply increased faster than he could let go of them.
And yet, Alphonse simply didn't consider to stop his efforts.

The work finished towards the end of the afternoon, and so the strongman could finally let go of the mental pressure. By this point, he was thoroughly exhausted. Still, his fellow were going into town for a bit of fun while they could. After all, the true circus work would start on the next day as the visitors would flock in.

It would have been smarter to skip and lay down. Alphonse could already feel the headache from the mental exhaustion he accumulated.
But he went along.

---

The day of the circus opening, on the cooking area.

The teapot whistled. Alphonse poured himself a cup. He brought it to his lips. Blew on it. Took a sip. And finally, the strongman sighed in relief.

It wasn't the fancy tea popular among the aristocracy, rather just a simple herbal infusion Alphonse learned to make on his travels. It was meant to help with hangovers, but it turned out to be very effective against the headaches he suffered from overexerting his mind while using his ability. It rarely happened, but the strongman had a tendency to ignore his limits.

On this day, he had no choice but to be careful however. He was still recovering and this was only the start of a long show. The reasons behind this didn't matter to him, Alphonse didn't concern himself with the management of the circus. But it had a certain underlying pressure. Mr Maleficar had always been a mysterious man of impenetrable thoughts, but that didn't make the mystery of the situation any less of a worry.
Still, to the strongman, what mattered was to do his job well. He mesured the quality of his work to the smiles he received.

Alphonse got up. He had a show to prepare and his weights would not not lift themselves on their own.

---

Well, things were certainly lively. Silas was taking care out of a student. Edmund knew him just well enough to trust his judgement. That student was probably one to keep an eye on, so he made a mental note to search for his name later.

His attention was quickly drawn elsewhere however. Three new faces had shown themselves.

A young man in white, more noble than noble. Edmund had to make great efforts to not jump to conclusions on his
character. He also felt a literal cold coming from him. Most could easily missed this without coming close, but Edmund's ability made him adept at noticing temperature changes. It was surely the trace of a similar enlightenment to his own.

Then, a young woman. Elegant and reserved, as one would expect from nobility. There wasn't much he could guess at a glance.

Finally, a young person, probably a man. He wore fine clothes, but didn't have the attitude of nobility. Rich bourgeoisie? He certainly didn't seem at ease.

They seemed to be all new students. Entering the school a bit late wasn't so rare, after all there was no telling when Enlightenment would manifest. Still, it was interesting to see three of them appear at once.

He turned around, walking the hallway without a precise destination in mind. It would become suspicious if he stuck around to observe further.

"Humm, let's see... he mumbled to himself. A white swan, on a north wind. A mysterious crane. And an anxious mouse?"

He was already fully absorbed into whichever code he would use to consign this sight. It was important to note this and make further research on who they were. After all, there was always a chance one of them would turn out to become a person importance.

Pokémon: Professor’s Academy!

@RisingRobin Yup, I just haven't been very available this week-end, sorry about that.

The Season of the Enlightened

"Yes, I think this should do."

The teenage youth stared intently at the sheet in front of him. It was a relatively short text, but it was the result of arduous effort. Over a few days, he had combed through the history of the failed assassination of the Queen in 1562, picking the important events and trimming the superficial information to write down this much more digestible synthesis. And in front of him sat the man who guided him through the process.

"The requirements to pass your history class are not too harsh. As long as you know how the events unfolded, you should be fine. But, if you desire to impress your teacher, it would pay to analyse a bit further the speech the Queen gave, so that you could formulate on opinion on her logic and intent."

"Oh. No worries, this will do. I won't bother you any further, Mister Wright."

Edmund was somewhat disappointed. He understood well enough that not every student would aim beyond what was asked of them, yet the sight of such a lack of academic ambition always saddened him. Especially on such an important subject as history. How were they, the natural outcasts of society, to build a future without understanding the complexities of their past?
Well, he knew that his advice might not have helped this youth with getting an award. After all, his opinion on this period of history did not align with the youth's teacher's own view. But maybe that made it all the more important to offer his lessons?

"I'll study in my room. Thank you for your help."

"Ah. Go on then. But come back if you have any questions."

And just like that, the teen had left. Edmund let out a quiet sigh. The start of the scholarly year was quite calm to him. As an assistant, he didn't have a course to prepare and give. And with the students only just starting the year, they were unlikely to have already fallen behind.

Of course, a lack of workload is far from the biggest problem one might have, but he did like his job. And not just for the advantages, though he did like those too. To be fed and lodged while keeping plenty of free time for his own studies was perfect as far as he was concerned, even if the pay was meek.
He did find fulfillement in pursuing the same path as his father and was eager to help students. However, the empty library he was left in did not lie. At the moment, the students were more worried with socialising than diving in their studies. This would change soon, but not soon enough to Edmund's taste.

He got up from his seat and headed out of the library. Perhaps he might be able to make himself useful elsewhere.

Pokémon: Professor’s Academy!

Well, if you're gonna pull my heartstrings, sure, I'll come.

Man, what a great concept.

The Season of the Enlightened

_{Alphonse the Strongman
Alphonse the Strongman}

^{“All dream of my strength!”}

C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ C H A R A C T E R I N F O C H A R A C T E R I N F O _________________________________________________________ | Alfons Ziegler | 42 | _________________________________________________________ | Cisgender male (he/him) | 192cm/95kg | _________________________________________________________ | Aro-ace | Working class | C H A R A C T E R N O T E S C H A R A C T E R N O T E S _________________________________________________________ [+] - M I S C E L L A N E O U S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Character Info Birthday: 25th of july Country of Origin: Germany Languages Spoken: German, English and some bits of French and Spanish Affiliation: The Circus Motivation: The longing for a family Habits: He regularly twirl his moustache. He tries to keep a proud, straight posture in front of everyone, wether it is visitors or circus colleagues, but when he rest alone, he lie sprawled over anything that looks comfortable enough. Whenever and whatever he drinks, he always empties his glass in one go. Hobbies: Embroidery, which he picked up when learning to fix clothes. Gardening, but he doesn't get much opportunities for it since he joined the circus. ► Fears To lose people he got close to, to see his persona unmade, blood. ► Skills Grappling, feats of physical strength, acting, sewing. ► Shortcomings Boxing, acrobatics, academic knowledge, resisting to the pressure of authority. ► Likes Beer, fruits, music, his appearance after years of training. ► Dislikes Wine, meat (which he has to eat to maintain his muscle mass), the silence of night, those who take advantage of others' trust. - R U M O R S R U M O R S _________________________________________________________ [+] - S E C R E T S & L I E S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Rumors Some say he accumulated many lovers and sired just as many children along the circus' travels. As with all circus strongmen, there are all sorts of stories on whatever tricks he might be using to fake his strength. Only a portion of them includes enlightened abilities. A few believe him to be a criminal on the run, hiding behind the circus. Usually those rumors don't just concern him but are instead aimed at most of the circus staff. ► Secrets He never had any sexual relationship. However, because many associate manliness with sex drive, he lets people believe he is sexually active to maintain his image. This often leads to awkward social interactions. He never talked about his family to his colleagues, but he still sends letters home occasionally. -

E N L I G H T E N E D A B I L I T I E S E N L I G H T E N E D A B I L I T I E S ________________________________________________________________________________________ Mass alteration : Alphonse can double or half the size and/or weight of any non-living solid object he touches. The effect last as long as he wants but it requires concentration to maintains so it will always deactivates if he loses consciousness. He needs physical contact to apply his power but it remains even if he is separated from the item and it can be stopped from anywhere. Aplhonse is very strong. This has nothing to do with his Mass alteration, rather it's a result of thorough training. However, it is very important for how he uses his ability. B A C K S T O R Y B A C K S T O R Y ________________________________________________________________________________________ Alfons was born in a small unassuming German village. He was a big brother who liked to look after his siblings. He was kind and caring. He had a simple and merry childhood. Then, at thirteen, his normalcy went away. It started with heavy things getting lighter in his hands. Then tools he'd use would change sizes. His parents understood what was happening before Alfons and urged him to hide it. They were afraid of what could happen to him. Even if he were to avoid ostracization, there was the risk he would be conscripted. And they knew he was too kind for such a world of violence. Germany had been at peace for a long time, but the country was ready to throw itself in a war if it seemed profitable enough. That was simply the way of those things. So, he kept living in this little village while hiding his nature. But no secret last forever. Rumors accumulated over the years. The neighbors could tell they were hiding something and the mystery only grew the tension. He was 22 when he left for the city. He just couldn't take this life anymore. However, he didn't have an easy time elsewhere either. He kept hiding what he could do and had trouble building relationships. He moved to other jobs. He moved to other cities. Eventually he moved to another country. It was then he found the circus. Or rather, the circus found him. To this day, he doesn't know how Mr. Maleficar found out he was enlightened. But when he was offered not only a job, but an opportunity to be accepted for who he was, he couldn't help but accept. And so, he became Alphonse the Strongman. E X T R A S E X T R A S ________________________________________________________________________________________ Theme song

The Season of the Enlightened

And here's my second boy.

Strongman

_{Alphonse the Strongman
Alphonse the Strongman}

^{“All dream of my strength!”}

C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ C H A R A C T E R I N F O C H A R A C T E R I N F O _________________________________________________________ | Alfons Ziegler | 42 | _________________________________________________________ | Cisgender male (he/him) | 192cm/95kg | _________________________________________________________ | Aro-ace | Working class | C H A R A C T E R N O T E S C H A R A C T E R N O T E S _________________________________________________________ [+] - M I S C E L L A N E O U S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Character Info Birthday: 25th of july Country of Origin: Germany Languages Spoken: German, English and some bits of French and Spanish Affiliation: The Circus Motivation: The longing for a family Habits: He regularly twirl his moustache. He tries to keep a proud, straight posture in front of everyone, wether it is visitors or circus colleagues, but when he rest alone, he lie sprawled over anything that looks comfortable enough. Whenever and whatever he drinks, he always empties his glass in one go. Hobbies: Embroidery, which he picked up when learning to fix clothes. Gardening, but he doesn't get much opportunities for it since he joined the circus. ► Fears To lose people he got close to, to see his persona unmade, blood. ► Skills Grappling, feats of physical strength, acting, sewing. ► Shortcomings Boxing, acrobatics, academic knowledge, resisting to the pressure of authority. ► Likes Beer, fruits, music, his appearance after years of training. ► Dislikes Wine, meat (which he has to eat to maintain his muscle mass), the silence of night, those who take advantage of others' trust. - R U M O R S R U M O R S _________________________________________________________ [+] - S E C R E T S & L I E S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Rumors Some say he accumulated many lovers and sired just as many children along the circus' travels. As with all circus strongmen, there are all sorts of stories on whatever tricks he might be using to fake his strength. Only a portion of them includes enlightened abilities. A few believe him to be a criminal on the run, hiding behind the circus. Usually those rumors don't just concern him but are instead aimed at most of the circus staff. ► Secrets He never had any sexual relationship. However, because many associate manliness with sex drive, he lets people believe he is sexually active to maintain his image. This often leads to awkward social interactions. He never talked about his family to his colleagues, but he still sends letters home occasionally. -

E N L I G H T E N E D A B I L I T I E S E N L I G H T E N E D A B I L I T I E S ________________________________________________________________________________________ Mass alteration : Alphonse can double or half the size and/or weight of any non-living solid object he touches. The effect last as long as he wants but it requires concentration to maintains so it will always deactivates if he loses consciousness. He needs physical contact to apply his power but it remains even if he is separated from the item and it can be stopped from anywhere. Aplhonse is very strong. This has nothing to do with his Mass alteration, rather it's a result of thorough training. However, it is very important for how he uses his ability. B A C K S T O R Y B A C K S T O R Y ________________________________________________________________________________________ Alfons was born in a small unassuming German village. He was a big brother who liked to look after his siblings. He was kind and caring. He had a simple and merry childhood. Then, at thirteen, his normalcy went away. It started with heavy things getting lighter in his hands. Then tools he'd use would change sizes. His parents understood what was happening before Alfons and urged him to hide it. They were afraid of what could happen to him. Even if he were to avoid ostracization, there was the risk he would be conscripted. And they knew he was too kind for such a world of violence. Germany had been at peace for a long time, but the country was ready to throw itself in a war if it seemed profitable enough. That was simply the way of those things. So, he kept living in this little village while hiding his nature. But no secret last forever. Rumors accumulated over the years. The neighbors could tell they were hiding something and the mystery only grew the tension. He was 22 when he left for the city. He just couldn't take this life anymore. However, he didn't have an easy time elsewhere either. He kept hiding what he could do and had trouble building relationships. He moved to other jobs. He moved to other cities. Eventually he moved to another country. It was then he found the circus. Or rather, the circus found him. To this day, he doesn't know how Mr. Maleficar found out he was enlightened. But when he was offered not only a job, but an opportunity to be accepted for who he was, he couldn't help but accept. And so, he became Alphonse the Strongman. E X T R A S E X T R A S ________________________________________________________________________________________ Theme song