Loa (comics)

Loa (Alani Ryan) is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. A mutant, Loa is a student at the Xavier Institute. She made her debut in New X-Men: Academy X #5.

Fictional character biography

Before Xavier's

Born in Maui, Hawaii, Alani Ryan quickly developed a talent for surfing. One day whilst surfing, she and her father wind up in the middle of an ambush by the villain Great White and a pack of trained sharks as he lays claim to the area. Alani's mutant ability is activated in this heated situation and she uses her ability to kill some of the sharks and save her father. In the nick of time, Namor arrives and saves the day by defeating Great White. Following the battle, Alani's grandmother Alice Ryan is revealed to be a former acquaintance of Namor's from the 1940s and a close friend of Namor's former lover Betty Dean.

Alpha Squadron

After arriving at the Xavier Institute as a student, she adopts the codename Loa (named for a type of worm that moves the same way she does when she uses her powers), and along with fellow students Anole, Rubbermaid, Kidogo, Network, and Indra, is assigned to Alpha Squadron, the training squad advised by former Alpha Flight member Northstar. When Northstar is apparently killed by Wolverine, advising duties for Alpha Squadron are taken over by Karma. Of her classes at the Institute, she dislikes chemistry the most and is voted "Most Laid Back" in the New X-Men: Academy X Yearbook Special (2005).

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Loa

Loa (also spelled Lwa or L'wha) are the spirits of Haitian Vodou and Louisiana Voodoo. They are also referred to as Mystères and the Invisibles and are intermediaries between Bondye (French: Bon Dieu, meaning "good God")—the Supreme Creator, who is distant from the world—and humanity. Unlike saints or angels, however, they are not simply prayed to, they are served. They are each distinct beings with their own personal likes and dislikes, distinct sacred rhythms, songs, dances, ritual symbols, and special modes of service. Contrary to popular belief, the loa are not deities in and of themselves; they are intermediaries for, and dependent on, a distant Bondye.

Syncretism

The enslaved Fon and Ewe in Haiti and Louisiana syncretized the Loa with the Roman Catholic Saints—Vodoun altars will frequently display images of Catholic saints. For example, Papa Legba is syncretized with St. Peter or St. Lazarus. Syncretism also works the other way in Haitian Vodou and many Catholic saints have become Loa in their own right, most notably Philomena, St. Michael the Archangel, St. Jude, and John the Baptist.

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List of Fullmetal Alchemist characters

The Fullmetal Alchemist manga and anime series feature an extensive cast of fictional characters created by Hiromu Arakawa. The story is set in a fictional universe within the 20th Century in which alchemy is one of the most advanced scientific techniques. Although they basically start the same, the first anime, midway through its run, begins to differ greatly from the original manga; characters that are killed early on in the manga survive to the end of the first anime and vice versa. The second anime's (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) events, however, faithfully follow those from the manga.

The story follows the adventures of two alchemist brothers named Edward and Alphonse Elric. While trying to revive their mother, the brothers lost parts of their bodies, with Alphonse's soul being contained in a suit of armor, and Edward replacing his right arm and left leg with two sets of automail, a type of advanced prosthetic limb. Advised by Roy Mustang, an alchemist from the State Military, Edward becomes a State Alchemist, and starts traveling with Alphonse through the country of Amestris in order to find a way to recover their bodies. In their search, they hear of the Philosopher's Stone, a powerful alchemy artifact that the brothers can use to recover their bodies. However, after becoming a State Alchemist, Edward discovers that several members of the military are also attempting to get the stone, most notably humanoid creatures known as homunculi, who start chasing the Elric brothers.

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