Matthew Fenn

Matthew Fenn (マシュウフェン, Mashū Fen), known better as simply Matt and also by his moniker "The Soul Binding Alchemist" (霊拘束の錬金術師, Reikōsoku no Renkinjutsushi), is the secondary protagonist of Ten Tailed Fox's stories. The younger cousin of Ryan Blackwood, the "Bullet Proof Alchemist", Matthew is a well known user of Soul Binding alchemy. He, like his cousin, was taught alchemy at a young age and joined his older cousin on his journey as a wandering alchemist in the nation of Arcadia. His goal is to become a State Alchemist for Arcadia and one day become president.

He suffers from cystic fibrosis, a terminal illness involving his lungs, that could end this goal before he completes it. Because of this, his cousin Ryan is constantly searching for a cure via alchemy.

Appearance
Matthew is a teenager of average height. He has long raged black-colored hair, very much unlike his older cousin's spiky blond hair, and cold onyx eyes like his father and also like his cousin; being the only physical trait the two share. In school, Matthew wears the school uniform along with a tie, while when he became an alchemist he typically donned white robes with black trimming that flared out at the very edge. Once his older cousin heads out on his journey as an alchemist, his uniform becomes modified once more. He now wears a black robe. His robe is hooded, with red trimming on the inside, and ragged edges towards the bottom, where the robe flares out. He also wears long, black boots.

Personality
Matthew is portrayed as wise and calm in most matters, and fond of testing his cousin, Ryan, in unusual ways, many of which have a purpose completely contrary to Lucas' stated goal. In battle with opponents other than Ryan, Matthew seems to portray the same cool and calm collectiveness as he would when in battle with Ryan, however, he is far more aggressive. Matthew is fiercely patriotic to his country of Arcadia, and it is extremely proud of his status as an alchemist as well as being incredibly loyal and dedicated to his cousin and friend, Ryan. Matthew can be very cocky at times, wanting to believe that his powers are better than other's. This can lead to misjudgment in combat situations. Nevertheless, he is very good at what he does, shown by his want and striving to become a State Alchemist.

He has a strong moral code that he follows, part of which aids him in his job as an alchemist. For one, he refuses to fight a kid younger than twelve, he will not fight an unarmed woman, but he will not tolerate criminals. He believes that criminals are scum that should be rid from society for their crimes. The worst of these criminals, according to him, are traitors. Upon his becoming an alchemist, he made an internal promise to the nation of Arcadia to personally execute anyone accused of treason within it's boarders. Matthew, being an alchemist from Arcadia, believes fiercely in the philosophy of "fighting for the country and protecting one's friends" and uses it as his reason to continue fighting, even when the situation looks bleak. It is because of this belief that he always puts the lives of his comrades before himself. and does whatever he can to protect them.

Abilities
One of the most noticeable traits of Matthew is his tremendous intellect and knowledge of alchemy. He is well-versed in the history, strategy, tactics of his country, and is privy to knowledge previously unknown to many, such as the knowledge of the existence of the Homunculus, as well as being well versed in Ishval and Amestris philosophy and teachings, despite not being from Ishval or Amestris himself. He has an innate knowledge of alchemy such as Soul Binding and Human Transmutation, which helps him assess his rival and cousin, Ryan's, abilities.

As an alchemist aspiring to be a State Alchemist of Arcadia, he is required to be highly proficient in hand-to-hand combat, which he has been training in ever since he first began learning alchemy and got increased training upon joining hos cousin on his journey. He can sufficiently block and attack others and is hard to actively lay a hand on him unless he allows it. Matthew is also one of the foremost masters in the art of assassination. He is known to be skillful in staying hidden. Using his speed combined with his stealth, he has disabled the opponents or targets he is after without them being able to see him coming. He has studied all the disciplines of the interrogation squad segment of the army, despite not being a member yet, since he first became an alchemist, including poison. Because of this, over the years he has developed a resistance to nearly every poison there is.

Alchemy
Matthew is highly proficient with alchemy, having studied it from a young age. He has sewed a Transmutation Circle onto each of his robe's sleeves, allowing him quick and easy access to alchemy whenever he wishes to use it. Like his cousin, he commonly uses alchemy to alter his immediate environment to give him the edge in battle, or will use it to create weapons for melee combat. He is well known for his Soul Binding alchemy knowledge. As a form of Human Transmutation, Soul Binding is illegal in many Alchemy-using nations, however, Arcadia has yet to pass legislation banning it's practice, however horrible it is. Matthew rarely uses this power, but when he does, he has shown immense speed and cleanness in his transmutations. By drawing a blood rune on an inanimate object, he can call forth pieces of his own soul and place them into the objects, allowing him to manipulate them. When a rune is destroyed, that piece of his soul returns to his body.

He has also been shown to transmute water or liquid into various liquid poisons to use against his enemies with lethal precision. Matthew has demonstrated the ability to use his cousin's electrical alchemy with the same deadly results. Like Ryan, Matthew's alchemy has also been shown to have healing properties. As long as he has one of his Transmutation Circles still intact, he can heal minor wounds with ease. Though it is illegal, he does have the skill, like all alchemists, to create gold out of other stone-like substances. He will only break this rule if the situation absolutely demands it and if he knows he can get away with it at the same time.

Swordsmanship
Matthew is masterful at swordsmanship, capable of flawless precision and lethal attacks without much effort. Matthew's skill with his sword was honed to a master level, due to the lawlessness of the many locations he's been too during his beginning years as an alchemist, letting him strike multiple times with changes of attack type, from slash to pierce or to circular motions, without any difficulty. His polished skills and strength with his sword make it so he fights with one hand free. He only uses both hands when faced against opponents he feels will beat him otherwise. His insane cutting strength is also evident as he is capable of easily cutting through an earth wall made from alchemy, as well as slicing apart a water wall, made the same way, with a mere flick of the wrist. He does this by creating a sword with alchemy and then using alchemy techniques that enhance his blade skills.

Gunslinger
Matthew possess a revolver pistol which has a Transmutation Circle inscribed on it's side. He can use this gun like a normal gun, with surprising accuracy, or he can use alchemy to enhance his gunshots.

Behind the Scenes
Samuel's appearance is based on Tensa Zangetsu from Bleach.

Trivia

 * Matthew's character was once named Samuel Blair, but due to the immense hatred I had for that name, I changed it completely.