*pokes head in*

Well, this seems interesting.

[hider=Simon Everett][b]Name[/b]: Simon Everett

[b]Age[/b]: 21

[b]Height[/b]: 5'10"

[b]Weight[/b]: Hard to tell, considering how often he lightens himself. It's a lot.

[b]Appearance[/b]: [url=http://www.zerochan.net/1725600]Click here[/url]

[b]Race[/b]: Human

[b]Nationality[/b]: Amestrian

[b]Personality[/b]: People who know of Simon tend to have one of two impressions of him, both false. Those who know him only by rumor and reputation tend to only know of his more spectacular fights, and believe him to be some kind of crazed berserker who leaves nothing behind but rubble and collateral damage. However, those who meet him in person form quite the opposite view, seeing him as little more then a dim-witted, sleepy layabout who coasts through life on his reputation. Neither impression could be further from the truth. While Simon is generally calm and easygoing, and has a habit of keeping his eyes closed whenever they aren't needed, he's always alert and listening to everything going on around him. He is highly aware of the destructive power of his alchemy, and so prefers to think carefully before unleashing it. Once he's decided that it's time for violence, however, he holds very little back. He carries this philosophy over into everything he does - he gathers information, waits for the appropriate moment, then moves like a blitz to get everything done at once. When not in a situation that requires immediate action, he prefers to relax and listen to music, and rarely speaks. When action is required, he reacts with incredible speed and force.

[b]Background[/b]: Simon was born to a family of mechanics. His father was a talented automail mechanic from Rush Valley, while his mother was a tinkerer who experimented with circuitry and electricity. Even as a boy, Simon shared his parents' fascination with all things mechanical. Most amazing to him was the electricity which powered it all, dancing about as if it had a life of its own. As he grew older, he sought for ways to control electricity himself. When mechanical pursuits failed to yield the results he wanted, he turned to Alchemical methods of harnessing lightning. He studied Alchemy for nearly a year before he was able to develop a circle capable of ionizing the air and generating lightning, but in his hurry to test it he accidentally burned down his house. Thankfully, nobody died in the resulting fire, but his mother was badly burnt and lost her arm. Thankfully, Simon's father replaced the arm with automail and both parents eventually forgave him, but Simon never forgave himself for almost killing his family through impatience. As a result, he vowed to never act without careful consideration of the consequences first. With this vow in mind, he headed off to join the State Alchemists, in hopes of learning discipline. It has been three years since then, and Simon, also known as the Lightning Alchemist, has become a respected combatant, well known for careful planning and brief, destructive attacks.

[b]Profession[/b]: State Alchemist

[b]Art[/b]: Alchemy

[b]Specialty[/b]: Electricity and Magnetism - Simon's famous technique of super-charging the air around him is the basis of the majority of his abilities. Using Alchemical circles carved into the palms of his gloves (and tattooed on the palms of his hands, for redundancy), he can generate electricity more or less at will. Controlling it, however, is something that requires careful forethought - lightning doesn't often listen to orders, but rather follows the path of least resistance. Preparing that path ahead of time is the key to controlling lightning. Furthermore, applying a slightly-altered transmutation to metallic objects can cause powerful magnetic effects, which he employs through transmutation circles carved into his bracers and the back of his armor. Electricity is a powerful force; however, water tends to interfere with many of his techniques.

[b]Techniques[/b]:[list]
[*] [b]Electric Aura[/b] - Simon's standard technique, upon which most of his other techniques are built. It allows him to protect himself with a crackling field of electricity, which extends less then an inch from his body. Any living being contacting this aura receives a painful electric shock, sufficient to cause a brief muscle spasm. This electricity is unusual in that it is 'stuck' to his armor, and doesn't transmit along metal unless he wants it to (the armor is of course insulated, to protect Simon form the effects of his own technique). However, water will cause it to 'short out' and deliver a mild shock to Simon. Simon requires at least one hand free and not doing anything else to maintain this aura, as it is the circles on his hand that control the electricity.[/*]

[*] [b]Lightning Bolt[/b] - the signature from which Simon draws his title, this is a dangerous and devastating technique. By charging his Electric Aura with enough power, he causes the lightning to break free of the alchemical effect keeping it contained to his armor. He can then direct this massive bolt in any general direction simply by pointing. However, lightning is difficult to aim, and without preparation it will undoubtably go astray, striking wherever it pleases. To direct it, Simon first 'tags' his target with a special alchemical circle that lowers the electric charge of an area, making the target a sort of Alchemical lightning rod. The lightning he fires is invariably attracted to these circles, allowing him to strike with unerring precision once the target has been tagged. Simon carries numerous throwing needles with the correct circle on them for this very purpose, as well as chalk to draw it on other circles (and to transmute more throwing needles from the surroundings, if needed). The bolts vary from 'stunning' bolts, which cause excruciating pain, to 'killing' bolts which can cause death if it passes through the heart or brain, and temporary paralysis in the affected body part otherwise.[/*]

[*] [b]Magnetic Aura[/b] - by applying a slightly modified version of the Electric Aura directly to his armor, Simon can magnetize it and any other metal he comes in contact with via the transmutation circle on his back. This allows him to projective an attractive or repellant magnetic force around him, pushing or pulling at small metal objects, or being pushed away from or drawn towards larger ones. He can even use this technique to attract or repel the magnetic field of the Earth itself, effectively making his armor lighter or heavier at will. He often lightens his armor to avoid restricting his movement, and can jump impressive heights when assisted by magnetism, but he rarely reverses the charge to make the armor heavier for fear it would crush him. [/*]

[*] [b]Railgun Blaster[/b] - Despite his title, firing lightning bolts is not the pinnacle of Simon's alchemy. He has a much more fearsome technique, one which he uses only in desperate situations. Those who are unfamiliar with him know of him only through the spectacular aftermath of this attack, which is where he acquired his reputation as a violent berserker. First, he acquires a heavy metal shot, typically about the size of a bullet; he carries a few of these on his belt, magnetized to reduce their weight, but he can also transmute them from his surroundings if needed. Then, he places his arms near each other and uses the circles on the bracers to generate a magnetic field which levitates the shot. Then, by rotating and expanding the field, he causes the shot to rapidly accelerate forwards at hypersonic speeds - roughly five times the speed of sound. This attack is very powerful, capable of piercing through metal shielding, but requires several seconds to build the magnetic field to appropriate strength and is painful to use, as the recoil and excess heat generated from the blast are absorbed by Simon's arms. He has been experimenting with ways to mitigate the pain, but as-is it causes mild burns and soreness. It is theoretically possible to use a larger shot, which could cause devastating damage, but increasing the size of the shot would also increase the damage done to the guidance rails - ie Simon's arms.[/*]
[/list][/hider]