Hydrogen

“Who’re you calling SHORT?!”

Ambitious Hydrogen just has to be number one! She’s currently president of the Academy 118 Student Council, and someday she’ll be president of the country too! Yes. Yes she will. Stop laughing. Just because she’s SMALL doesn’t mean she’s powerless, for the love of the UNIVERSE.

Likes: swimming, stargazing, suntanning, and hanging out with her best friend Carbon. Dislikes: being handed the kids’ menu at restaurants.

Helium

Vice-president of the Student Council, somehow.

Lithium

A technology expert and child at heart. Loves building drones, remote-controlled cars, and toy guns. His phone never seems to run out of battery.

Beryllium

An alkaline earth metal who might seem small and sweet but is actually quite toxic. Likes wearing emeralds and aquamarine. Surprisingly strong for her size.

Boron

A strait-laced, hardworking student who can be quite abrasive and is a bit obsessive about keeping things clean. Has heard way too many jokes about how his name sounds like "boring."

Carbon

“Aww, look at her widdle mandibles~!” —Graphite

“AAAAAAHH! IT’S A SPIDER! KILL IT!!” —Diamond

To Carbon, all living things are precious! The “Element of Life” wouldn’t hurt a soul, human or otherwise, and just wants to stop climate change, restore the rainforests, and save all endangered species (not too much to ask, right?). Having dissociative identity disorder, she’s also known as Graphite and shares her body with her allotropes Diamond and Graphene, among others.

Nitrogen

“Seriously, chill out.”

Calm, cool Nitrogen always seems to have it together. He gets good grades and his levelheadedness makes him a wise decision-maker. But he insists on dealing with problems all by himself…and having to constantly put out fires (both figuratively and literally) for people, he’s worried that someday he’ll straight-up explode.

Favourite food: ice cream.

Oxygen

“Whoa! I get to do a quote? Okay how ‘bout this! Hi I’m Oxygen and I’m element number eight! I’m a nonmetal and a gas and I’m in the same group as Sulfur Selenium Tellurium Polonium and Livermorium! I like swimming scuba diving and mountain climbing! Hey is there a character limit for this thi”

Energetic Oxygen is always searching for a new adventure, whether it be scuba diving or mountain climbing! He makes friends easily with his spontaneous, you-only-live-once outlook on life…though he tends to talk a little too much. Okay, maybe a LOT too much. But who can blame him for having so much breath?

Fluorine

This toxic gas is even more destructive than her fellow halogen Chlorine. Though she has a fluorescent smile, she’s super negative and never passes up the chance to bad-mouth her peers. She’s the school’s biggest fan of the Electrons trading card game, always on the hunt for the rare 2P6 Electron to complete her second set.

Neon

“uhh hi nice to meet i’m neon my name is you. i mean i’m neon nice to meet your name. i mean my name is neon how to meet you. i mean uh bye”

This blushy noble gas loves bright, glowing colours and is a talented dancer. She’d be the life of every party…if only she could get over her CRIPPLING SOCIAL ANXIETY. Even ARGON is better at interacting with others than she is.

Likes: admiring the city lights, reading trashy romance novels.

Sodium

Often found hanging out with Chlorine and the other halogens. Has good reflexes. Likes eating chips, pretzels, beef jerky, and anything with salt on it. Gets angered quite easily. Loves the ocean. Good at cooking.

Magnesium

Likes going go-karting, playing racing video games, and relaxing with an Epsom salt bath. Not a half bad gardener.

Aluminium

An expert badminton and tennis player. Kinda skinny and weak and has no endurance, but makes up for it with his incredible speed and agility. Was even richer than Gold once, but hardly remembers that time now. Likes building model airplanes. Wishes he could become stronger.

Silicon

“3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679821480865132823066470938446095505822317253594081284811174502841027019385211055596446229489549303819644288109756659334461284756482337867831652712019091456485669234603486104543266482133”

This blue-grey metalloid is a programming prodigy, to say the least. She’s the president of Academy 118’s Computer Science Club and brings home neckfuls of medals from international computing and math olympiads every year. And she does that while effortlessly maintaining a 100% GPA…if you don’t count her Biology mark, that is. She’s never understood that class.

She’s probably not literally an android, though her uncannily smooth skin and hair seem to suggest otherwise.

Phosphorus

“Light it up!”

This rebellious nonmetal is FIRE, and she knows it. That hairstyle? It’s FIRE. That outfit? FIRE. Those Visibly Cool Chemical Properties? DEFINITELY FIRE. I mean, how many other elements can spontaneously combust in air? Just Lil’ Match Girl over here! (And a couple of the alkalis, but Phos likes to think she’s the only one.)

Can be a bit toxic sometimes.

Sulfur

“Hey, whaddya get when Helium farts? A NOBLE GAS! HYUK HYUK HYUK HYUK HYUK”

This curly-haired nonmetal has bad taste. And smell. He calls himself the class clown, but his prank repertoire consists entirely of stink bombs, whoopee cushions, and stink bombs inside whoopee cushions. And his joke repertoire consists entirely of…well, things only eight-year-olds would find funny. Nevertheless, he usually means well. Just don’t eat his cooking. The way he burns things, they could give it as a punishment down in the netherworld.

Favourite food: eggs.

Chlorine

A snarky student with bleach-blonde hair and a corrosive attitude. The school’s star swimmer, spends most of her time near the pool. Loves the Electrons card game, just like Fluorine. Her favourite colour is green.

Argon

“like i care”

This poker-faced loner doesn’t care about anything other than reading. They volunteer at the school library, making sure the most precious documents are kept far, far away from those students who just don’t know how to handle them properly (cough Oxygen cough). Unlike the other noble gases Helium and Neon, they’ve actually been dragged to parties a few times (by Hydrogen and Fluorine), which just intensifies their dislike for social interaction. But does their emotionless exterior hide a brave, selfless element jUST WAITING FOR THE RIGHT MOMENT TO EMERGE???

…nah, probably not.

Potassium

An energetic, reactive student much like the rest of the alkalis. His favourite food is the banana.

Calcium

Calcium is an expert sculptor who can build anything from a skeleton to a scale model of the Colosseum. She loves milk, seashell jewelry, and the colour white.

Scandium

Has been described by various sources as “a metal that’s not very interesting” and “the first of the elements you’ve never heard of.” He plays on Academy 118’s tennis and badminton teams, and although he’s stronger than Aluminium and faster than the school’s star athlete Titanium, nobody ever seems to remember his name.

Titanium

“Only 500 kilos? Don’t you have anything heavier?”

This five-foot-tall amputee is Academy 118’s star athlete. No, seriously. “The Titan” is only half the size of Iron, but she’s just as strong and much faster than he is. Though she may have lost her leg in a cycling accident, her prosthetic fuses directly to the bone, is durable and light, and does not make her any less scary. And she makes the best of her situation. If you ever get into a fight with her…you’d better hope she kicks with her left.

Likes: tennis, bike riding, and bench pressing a gazillion times her own weight. Favourite colour: white.

Vanadium

Loves working with cars and aspires to be a mechanic.

Chromium

A flashy student who’s always showing off her new motorcycle. Wears lots of leather and rubies.

Manganese

“You callin’ me PARANOID?! You must be one of THEM!!”

Manganese is convinced somebody’s out to get him, so he’s remodelled his room accordingly. Those bars on the windows? CAN’T CUT THROUGH THEM. Those plates on the walls? CAN’T DRILL THROUGH THEM. Those valuables inside a safe inside another safe inside another safe inside the closet? CAN’T GET TO THEM. There’s just one problem: with so many locks on the door, leaving his room is kind of a hassle. Oh well, he was planning on skipping class anyway.

Home place: Magnesia, Greece.

Iron

A tough, determined athlete who enjoys weightlifting. Has incredible strength and endurance, though he isn’t quite as agile as the other star athletes Titanium and Magnesium. Plays all kinds of sports and practices constantly as he doesn’t want to get rusty. His favourite colour is red.

Cobalt

“you can’t spell PAINT without PAIN”

Cobalt may have a bit of a goblin-ish reputation due to past dealings with Arsenic, but nobody can deny his talent for painting. He tends to be pretentious about his works and plays the brooding, tortured artist type…which is well-reflected by his choice of colours. Picasso had a Blue Period? My LIFE is one big Blue Period.

Favourite colour: um, isn’t it obvious?

Nickel

“I wanna be a noble metal!”

Nickel is definitely not a noble metal. She only has a few coins to her name. But she lives just two doors above super-wealthy Platinum, and somehow that’s gotten to her head. She tries to imitate Platinum and Silver with her cheap plated jewelry, but it just isn’t the same, and some people find her really irritating.

Copper

“Dos moi pa sto, kai tan gan kinaso.”

Give her a multitool and a roll of wire, and this green-ioned, redheaded circuitmaster will build anything from a robot arm to a coil gun. Her flexibility allows her to MacGyver herself out of any situation with her improvised electric inventions. If her tool belt ever runs out of materials (hah), her bracelets and hair clip will work in a pinch. And if you’re wondering how she manages all that hair every morning…she uses her cable-untangling machine. Duh.

She and her boyfriend, Tin, make each other stronger; they’ve been together since literally ancient times. Home place: Cyprus.

Zinc

A total mom. Caring and protective, especially towards his friend Iron. Always telling people to take their vitamins and wear enough sunscreen.

Gallium

One of the only two students who have ever managed to beat Silicon in a programming contest (the other being Arsenic). Has designed her own dress, embedding it with shimmering LEDs. Can’t stand hot weather, which often causes her to have meltdowns. Her native language is French.

Germanium

Was the best programmer at Academy 118 before Silicon learned how to code. Native language: German.

Arsenic

“Me? Exploit web security vulnerabilities? Now how would I do THAT, love~?'); DROP TABLE Quotes;--”

You can trust this guy. NOT. He’s one of only two students who have ever managed to beat Silicon—yes, Silicon—in a programming contest, and he uses his skills for much less honourable purposes than she does. When he gets bored of hacking into others’ computers, he can be found helping Lead win shooter game rounds…by giving him auto-aiming cheats, of course. Or acting as technician for Lead and Mercury’s band, The Heavy Metals, because those two DENSE MORONS can’t figure out how to plug in the guitars themselves.

Favourite food: chicken and rice. Favourite colour: green.

Selenium

Good at cutting down bullies. Many of the heavy metals are scared of her, especially Mercury. A bit loony.

Bromine

An apathetic halogen who wears really strong perfume.

Krypton

A comic book nerd.

Rubidium

Strontium

Yttrium

Zirconium

Niobium

Molybdenum

An athletic student. Collects samurai swords.

Technetium

Ruthenium

A noble metal. Home place: Russia.

Rhodium

A noble metal.

Palladium

A noble metal who’s much wiser than the rest. Crushing on Hydrogen.

Silver

“Never settle for second best.”

“Second-Place Silver” is completely fed up. She’s been viewed as Gold’s slightly less rich, slightly less glamorous sidekick since pretty much forever. And things just got worse after Platinum joined the noble metals. Like, who is she now? A shorter, less pretty, tarnish-prone Platinum knockoff?

Oh no no no, Silver ain’t taking this lying down. She’s a crack shot with a camera, and now that she’s the photographer-slash-videographer for the 118 Periodical, things are going to get interesting. After all…history belongs to the ones who record it.

Likes: photography, videography, playing the flute, and going to the movies. Dislikes: being called a “fake noble metal.”

Cadmium

A heavy metal whose preferred form of troublemaking is graffiti. Favourite colours: red and yellow.

Indium

A member of the Technology Club who’s especially interested in solar energy and touch screens.

Tin

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Copper! I got you a new soldering iron~!”

Soft, humble, and kind…you just can’t hate Tin. He’s really good at tinkering with electronics and building things (meaning he gets on well with his girlfriend, Copper), but he prefers to stay out of the spotlight. He doesn’t have a lot of money and his meals usually consist of cheap canned food. To be honest, he’s a bit bland otherwise, so I’m not sure what else to say…

…Wait, what’s that sound?

HOOOOOLY CRAP this guy can SING!!

Antimony

“Liking these smoky eyes, hon~?”

Antimony is…well…just very Antimony. I mean, who else could pull off an Ancient Egyptian dress with camouflage prints? And she really heaps on that kohl eyeliner. But don’t let her raccoon-eyed look fool you—she’s sneaky, not too bad with computers, and just a little bit toxic. And as we saw with Arsenic…that’s a combination best avoided.

Tellurium

A member of the Technology Club.

Iodine

“if i don’t study i WON’T GET INTO MED SCHOOL”

Iodine is the school nurse’s assistant and an aspiring physician, always with her nose buried in some medical textbook. Though she’s kinder than the rest of the halogens, she can be pretty irritable sometimes. Especially when she’s busy memorizing symptom charts and drug names and muscle groups and virus strains so she can TEST DIRECTLY INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL. She is FREAKING OUT right now.

Favourite colour: violet. Favourite food: seaweed. Personality: hyperthyroidic.

Xenon

“zzz”

Noble gas Xenon has big dreams—both figuratively and literally. He wants to become an astronaut, travelling to distant galaxies in an ion-propelled spacecraft, but he’d probably have a better shot at that if he didn’t keep FALLING ASLEEP IN CLASS. Seriously, this guy spends more time unconscious than not.

He can’t see very well, especially in low light, so he carries a high-powered flashlight to help find his way around after dark.

Caesium

A reactive student who collects watches.

Barium

Lanthanum

“You don’t see me…but I see you.”

Quiet, unassuming Lanthanum always seems to escape notice…making her a perfect gossip-gatherer. With her array of SUPER-TELEPHOTO ZOOM LENSES, she documents all drama at the Academy from a healthy distance, then promptly sells her findings to Erbium.

Seems to have some sort of grudge against Phosphorus.

Cerium

“Hi, Iodine! I got the burn treatments you ordered!”

Cerium enjoys baking and sometimes helps out in the nurse’s office. She’s usually pretty sweet…but don’t get on her bad side, or sparks will fly.

Favourite colour: red.

Praseodymium

“M-me? Magnetic personality? You must be mixing me up with Neo…”

Neodymium? Nope, it’s Praseodymium, his twin brother! The two look so much alike that they pretended to be the same element, “Didymium,” when they first arrived at Academy 118…but their ruse was eventually uncovered by Professor Welsbach, who noticed their different ion colours. Neo’s pretty popular now, but Praseo hasn’t been so lucky. He has yet to find a unique talent of his own and usually just goes along with whatever his twin’s doing at the moment.

Favourite colour: green.

Neodymium

“Turn up the volume!”

Unlike his twin brother, Praseodymium, Neodymium has a magnetic personality, often acting as the DJ for school dances. Also unlike his twin, you’ll know when he enters the room…because he LOVES blasting music from his boom box 24/7. Fortunately, he’s kind enough to switch to his headphones when the other students are trying to sleep or study. But even if he didn’t, you’d probably still forgive him. Good vibes!

Promethium

“FOR SCIENCE!!”

Promethium just wants to contribute to the advancement of society. Which is why he spends all his free time in the radioactivity lab, trying to unlock the secrets of the atoms…even though he has absolutely no regard for safety and the teachers have had to kick him out multiple times. But nothing’s gonna stop him from creating the WORLD’S FIRST NUCLEAR…something, I guess? Whatever it is, though, he’s certain it’ll bring good rather than destruction. PROGRESS!

Samarium

A student who likes playing electric guitar.

Europium

“[sigh] Nickel, this OBVIOUSLY isn’t real money.”

Europium dreams of becoming a Secret Service agent, catching fraudsters and counterfeiters…but she’s rather reactive, and she hopes she isn’t too short-tempered for the job.

Favourite colour: red.

Gadolinium

A student who’s interested in medicine.

Terbium

Dysprosium

Holmium

Erbium

“I promise I won’t post it online~!”

Don’t tell this lanthanide any secrets or they'll be all over the Internet within milliseconds. She’s the editor-in-chief of Academy 118’s online newspaper, The Periodical, recently taking the post from Copper. But although she’ll bring you the news much faster than Copper can…she won’t bother to check if it’s true. And though she may see the world through pink-tinted glasses, much of the gossip she posts is far from rosy.

Favourite colour: pink.

Thulium

Ytterbium

Lutetium

Hafnium

Tantalum

A member of the Technology Club.

Tungsten

An athlete with incredible strength. Can touch a hot stove without burning.

Rhenium

Osmium

A noble metal who collects fancy pens and is a bit dense.

Iridium

A noble metal and a member of the Art Club who loves all things colourful. Has an interest in space science.

Platinum

The richest and bossiest of the noble metals and their self-proclaimed leader. Enjoys shopping in the highest-end jewelry stores and eating out at expensive restaurants. Has lost count of how many credit cards she owns. Was once very poor, even being called “Little Silver” as she was following Silver and Gold all the time, but she seems to have forgotten this now. Calls everyone “cheap metal,” even those who are neither cheap nor metals. Finds her groupie Nickel extremely irritating.

Gold

A flashy noble metal who hangs out with Silver and Platinum. Insists on being the centre of every conversation, but has a good heart. Not very athletic. Spends way too much time on his hair.

Mercury

“WE’RE THE HEAVY METALS!!! WE PLAY HEAVY METAL!!! [frenzied drumming]”

Unpredictable “Quicksilver” may be the star of the Academy’s track team, but when it comes to school, he’s anything but swift. He has a short attention span and would much rather be drumming with his Heavy Metals band than doing his homework. But since his music (and track, and life) philosophy happens to be “FAST EQUALS GOOD,” he never plays in beat, and his drumming style could charitably be described as…well, a little bit mad.

Likes: practicing for the 100-metre dash…in the hallways. Favourite food: tuna.

Thallium

A heavy metal. Likes reading murder mysteries, but I really hope they don’t give her any ideas…

Lead

“d’oh”

When they were handing out smarts in the Carbon Group, Silicon must’ve taken this guy’s share, because he seems to be missing more than a few brain cells. Once he ate an entire can of white paint. Another time he somehow got his hand stuck in the bathroom plumbing. He’s the bass guitarist for the Heavy Metals because he can’t play more than one note at a time, and to top it all off, he’s slow and unathletic. The only thing he’s even remotely good at is shooter games, which he plays while eating sweets and skipping class.

Personality: dull.

Bismuth

An artistic student and aspiring makeup artist who loves adding shimmer to her works. Enjoys eating spicy foods and never seems to get stomachaches.

Polonium

“Nie wywoluj wilka z lasu.”

It’s a good idea to stay far, far away from Polonium. She’s the stealthiest, deadliest member of Plutonium’s Radioactive gang, and she’s rumoured to have a side job as an assassin.

Home place: Poland.

Astatine

Radon

The only radioactive member of the noble gases, making him a double loner. The rest of the radioactives don’t fully accept him as he’s a bit quiet, so he usually spends his time wandering the school basement.

Francium

A student who absolutely hates the Electrons card game.

Radium

Radium was once the most popular element at Academy 118. She sold “Radium Water” in the cafeteria, advertising it as a cure-all for everything from headaches to broken bones. Unfortunately, “Radium Water” turned out to be dangerously radioactive, so her little business eventually got shut down, and now she just hangs around in the south stairwell with the rest of the radioactives.

Actinium

Thorium

Protactinium

Uranium

Uranium might be tough enough to bounce a bullet off his chest, but he’s actually the least dangerous of Plutonium’s gang. Radium, Polonium, and Plutonium himself are all more radioactive than him, and sometimes he just gets in their way. Nevertheless, he’s still a formidable opponent, especially with those armour plates sewn into his shirt.

Neptunium

Plutonium

“Back off, lightweight, or I’ll go nuclear on ya.”

Plutonium. His name alone strikes fear into the hearts of all but the bravest elements, and for good reason. The leader of the notorious Radioactive gang, this actinide spends most of his time beating up any weaker students who dare come near him. Once, he and Uranium got suspended because they tried to build a BOMB for their science fair project. Despite all this, Professor Seaborg insists that Pluto has the potential to do good as long as he keeps his psychopathic tendencies under control…which is probably the only reason he hasn’t been expelled yet.

Americium

A student who’s especially sensitive to smoke and can always tell when something has gone wrong in the chemistry lab.

Curium

“If you are going to be kind enough to give me [a dress], please let it be practical and dark so that I can put it on afterwards to go to the laboratory.”

Professor Marie Curie is Academy 118’s chemistry teacher. She’s a kind, honest, and humble person and an expert on radioactivity. However, she favours those two delinquents Polonium and Radium and never gets them in trouble since she was the one who invited them to the school. Her husband sometimes subs in for her when she’s sick.

Berkelium

Californium

Einsteinium

"I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.”

Albert Einstein, the Academy’s music teacher and a brilliant violinist.

Fermium

“If I could remember the names of all these particles, I'd be a botanist.”

Enrico Fermi, the Academy’s charismatic physics teacher.

Mendelevium

“Science, which deals with the infinite, is itself without bounds.”

Dmitri Mendeleev is the headmaster and founder of Academy 118. In his free time, he likes playing solitaire and crafting leather bags.

Nobelium

“If I have a thousand ideas and only one turns out to be good, I am satisfied.”

Alfred Nobel, the Academy’s business teacher. Pretty darn rich.

Lawrencium

Rutherfordium

Dubnium

Seaborgium

“…[S]cience is inherently neither a potential for good nor for evil.”

Professor Glenn Seaborg invited Plutonium, Americium, Berkelium, and Californium to Academy 118 (although that first decision was quite controversial given Pluto’s dangerous nature). He also granted permanent teaching positions to Professors Curie, Einstein, Fermi, Mendeleev, Nobel…and himself. Which he really shouldn’t have been able to do, but naming rules are tools for fools, amirite?

Bohrium

“Oh, what idiots we all have been.”

Niels Bohr, the Academy’s gym teacher. Used to play professional football.

Hassium

Meitnerium

“Science makes people reach selflessly for truth and objectivity; it teaches people to accept reality, with wonder and admiration…”

For a long time, Professor Lise Meitner was overshadowed by Professor Otto Hahn, who took all the credit for their discoveries…but she had the last laugh. Hahn’s application to permanently teach at the Academy was rejected, and the rules say he doesn’t get another chance. But Meitner’s was accepted, and she now has her very own place at Academy 118!

Darmstadtium

Roentgenium

Copernicium

“Those things which I am saying now may be obscure, yet they will be made clearer in their proper place.”

Nicolaus Copernicus, the Academy’s astronomy teacher.

Nihonium

Flerovium

Moscovium

Livermorium

Tennessine

“Hey, y’all! D’you know where I can find the Halogen Group? I’m new ‘round these parts…”

The newest student at Academy 118, Tennessine is still getting used to the school’s quirks and oddities.

Oganesson

(When asked how he makes superheavy elements) “With great difficulty.”

Professor Yuri Oganessian invited Hassium and Darmstadtium to the Academy and granted permanent positions to Professors Bohr, Meitner, Roentgen, and Copernicus.

Benzene

Molecular formula: C₆H₆

This adorable little ring loves munching on his own tail. He’s one of Carbon’s many pets, and she thinks he’s the sweetest thing ever…but to everyone else, little Ben-Ben is a TERRIFYING MONSTER with a toxic bite. So unfair.

Acetylene

Molecular formula: C₂H₂

Who’s a good girl? ACETYLENE IS! She’s one of Carbon’s pets, but she’s more often found hanging out with Oxygen. She’s just as hyper as he is, so the two get along well and he often takes her for walks…which, given both of their dispositions, usually end in something being destroyed. But who can blame her for being such an energetic little compound?

Formaldehyde

Molecular formula: CH₂O

This gator lives behind Academy 118 and has taken a liking to Carbon. The pond she calls home smells awful and seems to have no other life in it, but she apparently prefers it that way. Once, she somehow managed to get into the biology lab and eat ALL of the dissection frogs. Normally, though, she moves so little that she’s often mistaken for dead.

Acetone

Molecular formula: (CH₃)₂CO

This big ol’ bird circles the skies above Academy 118 and has, like many animals, taken a liking to Carbon. She loves collecting brightly coloured things, so if you ever lose a bottle of paint or nail polish at the Academy, it’s probably in her nest.

Aramids

Kevlar, Nomex, Twaron, and friends

W-where did Carbon even GET all these spiders?! And why are their webs so hard to destroy?!

Antimatter

Antihydrogen, Anticarbon, Antinitrogen, Antioxygen

Step through the looking-glass to meet the students of Antimatter Academy, Academy 118’s rival school! These topsy-turvy versions of the elements get along with each other just fine, but they really don’t play nice with ordinary matter. And for good reason: though the two schools are theoretically evenly matched, Academy 118 always ends up on top somehow, which the Antimatter students find exceedingly frustrating.