News Guy

### Affiliation

Aberrant News, Tea Club, Hexophilia Wizard Academy. Formerly Reality Check and NG&F.

## Physical Information

### Origin

Human, although this is not known in character.

### Unique Features

Gray mask which covers face below. Distinct blue and white cloak.

## OOC Information

### Discord Username

cysm #3072

News Guy is a true-neutral entity that has recently appeared on the Aberrant. He seems to be quite friendly with simple intentions of capturing and sharing the "Real News" for the people. When asked why he doesn't fight, or farm, or any other task, News Guy just responded that he's good at one thing, and that's his job. News Guy writes and creates the Aberrant News

Also, he's got to work for the non-existent retirement.

News Guy is an average height with no notable mutated features, however all of his skin is hidden by fabric or armor. His typical outfit is black clothing with dark, cool gray armor in the form of boots, knee pads. gloves and a chest piece. It appears he has a white dress shirt under that all, topped with the signature blue and white cape which has seen better days and appears to be made from some sort of fireproof material. News Guy is only seen with his mask on, another covering of fabric below it to ensure his privacy. He typically carries around several books, some for article-related information and others for who knows what.

When he's working at the casino, he dons a greenish blue vest-style suit, with the same boots and whatnot. The cloak is abandoned, but the mask is left on.

Wizard Guy, his more recent persona, wears a large trenchcoat styled cloak with plenty of pockets, a vest suit, and dress shoes with slight heels. On his head is no longer a hood, but a wizard hat to fit in with the Hexophilia Wizard Academy that Count Jefferson runs. Wizard Guy's magic is typically a blue color, as is quite a lot of things that relate back to him.

Under the suit, News Guy is heavily scarred with pale skin, ice blue eyes and white hair. The lack of pigment was due to his undernourishment and his body being unable to sustain itself as well as it did Pre-Aberration. The radiation caused his skin to burn and blister, and it's certain there's some damage to his organs. The cancerous nature of it all has began to grow worse and worse, making his diet much more selective than before. News Guy has some sort of cloudiness over his pupils, almost like radiation cataracts. Due to the heavy use of magic, or general shenanigans, News Guy's skin has starting glowing in the dark. Faint, of course, but it does. Good thing he covers up!

## Childhood

It's been what felt like a decade. Two at most- although that feels like a stretch. In some sort of sickening reality, he might be the oldest one left- the last of a dying kind. Those who are from, and remember, the land of Terrian.

Alexander was born to a middle class family in Terrian. Nothing abnormal, and in all honestly, a boring childhood. His mother was a stay-at-home parent, Alex's father a lawyer at his own small law firm. It was a profession that provided to them well, and ████ and his older sister, Juliette, lived the suburban lifestyle. They were a perfect family- his mother wore dainty heeled shoes, cooked dinner and folded the laundry. Juliette was skilled with the piano and violin- a master at creating enchanting melodies which lured people in like a siren's song. She had easily been rewarded scholarships and offers for internships, careers, and the such. Alexander, her younger brother, wasn't nearly as gifted with instruments as she was. He was fairly pale and most sports he played gave him an atrocious sunburn. Also, he got terrible acne from sunscreen. His mom didn't believe in the regular spray and lotion, and all of the homemade ones gave him harsh reactions.

Doing good in school, ████ was quite charismatic and had a decent crew of friends. He took up photography and writing as a hobby, joining the school clubs and making money with a side job of wedding pictures and such. ████, during his last few years of high school, decided to look into being a journalist. He got an internship with a nearby news station, and begun to go to school for a journalism degree. He moved on from random freelance gigs to a part time job with Sunshine News, a much larger station as a small-town reporter. ████ was about 19 when he finished his four year degree in Journalism, and a minor in Psychology that he added on for fun. It always seemed interesting to learn about the mind, and helped him create a bit of a shield against the toxicity of the media.

## Sunshine News, Reality Check

Sunshine News was ████'s first major job. In charge of keeping track of the small town he was in, ████ worked hard to keep the cog of information flowing in. It paid comfortably- they were more than willing to award his potential and efforts with a living pay, housing and travel allowances when they wished for him to cover certain topics. He was a growing star in the field, able to get nearly anyone to talk and give their side of the story, weaseling his way into the hearts of viewers and funneling more into the pockets of Sunshine News. No one else was willing to go as above and beyond as ████, risking his time and life to pursue people and try and get their word on things. Plus, Sunshine News paid for the remaining years for his degree, and likely would have paid for more if it wasn't for the obvious issues down the road.

In all honesty, Sunshine News should have seen it coming. Their loyal worker, grinding away at papers and content, deciding to dig into the group he worked for as the months drifted by. Most big groups aren't exactly... keen on sharing the internal workings. As ████ climbed up the ranks, became more and more known for his work, he was granted access to talk personally to some of the more notable staff. When ████ joined the group, it seemed quite lovely and friendly with no issues with upper management. However, once he got to really... talk to people, it was farther from the truth of that. Quite shocking that the stories they had been publishing were altered from the truth, sponsored by various companies and political figures to skew the public's opinion on the topics. With money, you could even get the press to shush, hide away any controversy out of light and out of the sight of the people. It was wrong, this bribe money being used to manipulate and control the truth and reality. ████ was there to get the real news out there, not for more money to line his pocket or be some dog for the government and politicians.

████ begun to work on his side project, gathering evidence and interviews, putting together footage and compiling it all together. Reality Check was born- ████'s own personal group of one to share the raw news and not whatever filtered garbage was given to the public. Each article he found to be wrong, each lie covered up, things hidden away were all documented and published on this currently unknown sight.

And then, one evening, after what would likely be his final shift, ████ published Reality Check, sharing it on his own AND Sunshine New's media platforms. He had gotten the password off an intern, and with some talking was able to get into the account just for this purpose.

The outrage was insane. ████ didn't know what to think as he showed up for work the next day, eyes staring him down as he passed through and was sent straight towards the CEO's office. The big dogs. He had not just bitten the hand that fed him- no, ████ full on ripped it off and tore it to shreds. The CEO sat him down, before asking for his reasons and if he was really the one to blame-

"Of course. I was clear a year ago where my loyalties lied, and that was with the people."

"So even after all we have done, you go about spewing these lies? Do you understand the damages done? Our legal wing is over-"

"You dug your grave when you let these get published. Things getting put aside and ignored. I know you fired those interns because you were paid to, all you want is more money to line your pocket."

The man abruptly stood up, towering over ████- he wasn't exactly a tall fellow, or the strongest. He walked around to the other side of the desk where ████ sat, before lunging forwards to try and slam his head into the wooden desk. There was a thud as ████ dropped down out the side of the chair to get away, rushing towards the office door to get the hell out of there. As soon as his hand reached for the doorknob, something slammed into the back of his skull with a blistering of searing pain.

The CEO had launched, and smashed, the wooden chair off the back of ████'s head. The warmth seeped into his dark hair, as he whipped the door open and stumbled into the hallway. There was shouting, screaming from behind him, but ████ did nothing but run as instincts clicked in.

There was a few moments where the CEO nearly caught up, trying to rip him back before he could get into a more public area, but ████ wasn't planning to slow down and pick a fight. He knew he would lose, get torn apart, his weapons were his words and never his own fists. ████ stumbled into the waiting lobby, tossing himself over the receptionists desk and hiding under the counter while the poor woman stared in shock. The CEO stormed by, assuming that ████ had continued to run, while ████ beckoned for the receptionist to call the police, the ambulance, something. Following that, in the least glamorous action, ████ lost consciousness and slumped over from where he was hiding on the ground.

A few days past since the incident, everything a bit of a blur. He had to get several stitches in the back of his head, and had a minor concussion from the impact. His boss was arrested, Sunshine News put under investigation for fraudulent behaviors. However, the actions of the CEO alone- and people speaking out against his behaviors in the workplace- was enough to execute the company from where it stood.

From there on out, Reality Check became ████'s only focus, a job where he was the boss, in control, and with this sudden rush to fame, had an audience of people who felt assured that he spoke the real truth. And, well... he did.

## Reality Check, News Guy and Friends

The boom in attention, rush of fame and his notorious work against Sunshine News had made Reality Check from a spur-of-the-moment idea into an actual, reputable source. ████ was behind the wheel, of course, but Reality Check would hopefully never have his name or face on it. There was some suspicions, but the amount of people fired and the overall discourse of the incident helped to keep the spotlight from totally shining on the poor guy who got a chair tossed at him. It could be chalked up simply as the wrong time and anger issues on the CEO's behalf, and that's what ████ would run with if asked.

Reality Check reported on regular news, of course. Small articles here and there, things people would send in or request through the little submissions box in the bottom of his website. However, the solo-ran project would also focus on more niche or under reviewed situations. Cover ups to scandals, Reality Check was a master at ripping apart people and companies bit by bit. Trying to hide a lawsuit for a dangerous product? Reality Check would somehow get an insider view on it and bring it to light. Sketchy incident involving some big politician? ████ should have really checked out taking a future in investigation, for it was a bit terrifying how well he was at what he did.

Over time, the group began to make money and progress. People buying or subscribing to memberships to read or share articles, sponsorships through some of the more honest companies, everything that allowed ████ to make a quite comfortable career out of what he did. However, with more and more fame came a bigger headhunt for who exactly was behind Reality Check. Some companies knew of his name, ████, but had to sign heavy paperwork that restricted his name from being mentioned. It was easy to understand why- he was a person messing with some of the most dangerous people in the world, sharing dark secrets while hiding behind a false identity. He was a threat to anyone who had anything to hide, and/or lined their pockets with stolen valor and cash.

A bit funny, but on the side, Reality Check had a small TV show project for kids- News Guy and Friends. ████ created and ran his own children's show to help explain things like emotions, how to report something bad, and just to be a good person and look out for others. News Guy and Friends was a bit silly in comparison to the darker tales that were reported on in Reality Check, however a lot of parents were trusting of ████ to not try to manipulate or brainwash their kids. It was just a genuine show, that allowed ████ to still give back and hopefully help raise the next generation to not be... as terrible.

On the same breath, after the third close-call while traveling and nearly getting murdered, ████ decided that he genuinely couldn't hold off on finding some sort of protection or otherwise he'd be dead on the streets in likely a week. Insert Ashton Maller. A military sort of for-hire guy, willing to keep his mouth shut and prevent ████ from dying some unsightly death in a back alley. At first, it was just here and there that he would call in for Ashton's help, since it wasn't exactly cheap either. Things like international jobs, suspicious cases, the works. However, over the first year of working with him, the two started to steadily make their way to a path of friendship. It was, of course, very one-sided at first; ████ thought of anyone strong (~~and edgy~~) to be the kind of intimidating person that he was determined to befriend. However, over time, the cold and icy shell between the two began to break. The duo was best described as a black cat and golden retriever relationship- ████ with his bright personality, and insane intelligence, contrasted Ashton's more reclusive and cautious behaviors. Ashton was one of the few people who knew the face behind Reality Check, and not just from working for him, but eventually at a more personal level.

Whenever Ashton wasn't horribly busy with other jobs or work, ████ would find time to have little hangouts between the two. Dinner, amusement parks (which went poorly, ████ tripped down a flight of stairs and broke his nose) to Ashton even offering to train ████ in some combat so he wasn't totally useless in the incident he was attacked, the two became tight knit. If Ashton needed a place to crash, ████ nearly always booked his apartments or hotel rooms for two people instead of just himself, in the incident they were both in an area. Neither of them exactly had normal jobs that allowed them to settle in one place, so it wasn't too uncommon for paths to cross here and there. ████ took a lot of advise from Ashton, often asking him about the safety of jobs and if he could tackle them alone, and typically agreed with Ashton on these sort of things. However, ████ was never good at exactly following the rules, or instructions, and once or twice the two would have a mild dispute over something but make up in a day or two.

The worst was yet to come.

## News Guy and Friends

Both projects, Reality Check and surprisingly News Guy and Friends began to grow more and more. He was getting offers nearly every day for projects, and began to add things in science, historical, and other fun fields to turn into episodes on NG&F. It was something that kept him human, kept him in touch with the good in people and not just dwell on all of the awful things he had to dig up and witness.

One day, NG&F was proposed an offer. Something he could never really quite imagine coming out of the side project, but an absolute win in his books. An international science group wanted to sponsor him, and a crew, to go up into space for an extended period of time. The ship had all sorts of fun odds and ends, from a full hydroponic gardening system, to different robotic machines that could be programed to print new parts right then and there, and all sorts of other fun odds and ends. It would, of course, be a long trip - an entire year if all went well in space- but it gave him a sort of vacation from Reality Check and some new, fresh content. Plus, what's more fun than watching Terrian spin around from the stars, seeing all the sky formations and storms, all of the things that had been created by people alone?

Alex knew he wanted to say yes. However, he still wanted to talk with Ashton about it, as that was the closest person in his life outside of his family. His sister and parents absolutely loved the idea- ████ took the "shoot for the stars" a bit too literal as his mother said, but Ashton was going to be harder to deal with.

He saved that conversation for last. Then, finally, the days ticked closer and closer, training to be in space grew more and more important and he couldn't just keep his mouth shut any longer. ████ sat down at dinner with Ashton, before explaining what had happened with NG&F, how he would be in space, and still able to communicate of course, but not in person.

Ashton was livid, to say the least. It was a huge fight between the both of them, ████ trying to explain that this was a huge opportunity for him, while Ashton was focused on the dangers. What if there was an accident, and he was up there stranded? Well, that's what the crew was for- he just had to do what he was good at, and they handled the rest! But he was going to be gone for months and months- ████ could still video call and such, it wasn't like he was completely isolated.

By the time they had gotten to the breaking point, Ashton stormed out, ignoring all of ████'s calls for the following weeks. Eventually, ████ gave up, and put his head down before barreling through the rest of his training.

Finally, the day came. ████ had done all of his fittings, everything he had to prepare for, the basics of the ship, the works. He had basic knowledge of everything there and could operate and fix it on a mild level, although he shouldn't HAVE to unless there was some crazy reason. He took some pictures with him, a little photo album that his sister gave him as a gift, along with some music discs. Other odds and ends went as well, and plenty of journals and pens. He could NEVER have enough of those, of course!

They boarded the ship, locking themselves all in the giant vessel, and braced for takeoff. He could feel the pressure build up as the engines roared, faint warmth along his back while he stared towards one of the crewmates on the ship- a lovely lady named Angelia Renolds. The two shared a soft smile, comforting, as they took off into the sky above. Everything was perfect, all was going to plan. The weather was clear, the ship cruised along, and no one seemed to have a fret. Soon, the pressure dwindled down as they began to leave the atmosphere, and he could hear one of the ship crew, Joshua Mikeal, unclip his buckles. He had done plenty of flights before, so he was confident to free himself from the restraints, though ████ still felt uneasy and sick from the takeoff.

And maybe, that uneasiness was actually the feeling of impending doom. Because as soon as Joshua opened his mouth, he was deafened by the roar of a blast and a blinding, burning light that slammed through the ship.

## News Guy.... ~~and Friends?~~

### ***TW FOR THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH: DEATH, GORE, DETAIL OF BOTH, MENTAL ILLNESS***

***BECAUSE YEAH YOU WOULD BE TOO !! DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO THIS JUST SKIP UNTIL I SAY IT'S GOOD***

It was **blinding**, everything felt like it happened all at once. Heat rushed through the ship, and ████ instinctively brought his hands up to cover his own face. All he could hear was bloodcurdling screaming- was it his, was it anothers? He wasn't too sure at this point.

As soon as the flash of light came, it left, though the searing pain in his body continued to burn. It felt like he was dying- the stench of burning human flesh, searing skin and melting hair filled his senses with such a toxic sort of fear. The rattling wouldn't stop in his head, like he was in some sort of steam pressure vat. Blood and sweat both stained his clothing, the suit he wore to protect himself from some of these damages which had burned and melted in some spots from the sheer heat and temperature.

Slowly, he forced his eyes to open, vision filled with floaters and dark spots while he scanned down to his own body. The pain wasn't a joke- the adrenaline and shock kicking in probably helped. The metal along the arms of his suit cooked into his skin, melting into his suit and flesh. The gloves had entirely meshed in some sort of disgusting amalgamation of fabric and his own palms, fingers, nails- they trembled with every breath and wouldn't **stop shaking.** Was his hands only shaking, or was the rest of him as well?

Hesitantly, he took a sharp, shaky breath and ignored the way the air felt blistered and sour, the burning in his lungs like inhaling saltwater. ████ lowered his arms, trying to take in what was going on as lights flashed on and off in the large machine they sat in the belly of. His eyes turned before resting on Joshua- what was LEFT of Joshua.

He must have slammed forwards on impact, the closest to the outside from where he was standing after deciding to get up. The bubbling blisters of his face stuck to the control board, and he could see the way the skin simply was tearing off and sticking to the melted surface like fish skin sticking to a pan. He was clearly dead, the lack of breathing wasn't the first thing that told him so, but instead the way his neck and body hung at such an unsightly angle. The way he could see some of his facial structure had caved in, jaw hanging open as boiled blood trickled down and stained the surface below. It was much thicker than normal blood, sticking and leaving a residue on anything it touched.

████ felt sick. He couldn't draw his eyes away, even as they burned from the flashing lights and his own body ached with agony. His breath caught in his throat, suspended in place. Was the others going to be like this? What would happen to him- if he was to get up, could his own matter be completely melted and gone? **Was he dead??**

## Fuck Man the Tube Didnt!!

### ***TW FOR THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH: DEATH, HEAVY!! MENTAL INSTABILITY AND BAD THOUGHTS !! GORE, THE WORKS !!***

LOOK I LOVE YOU BUT FOR FUCKS SAKE DON'T READ THIS EITHER IF YOU CAN'T JUST KEEP GOING I PROMISE IT WILL BE FINE !!

anyway imaghine being in a stupid,, spaceship,, for like idk 10 years if i feel mean,,, and you're alone,,, and sad,,, what a FUCKING LOSER get GOOD

## like everyone else he then crashes on chorus

HEY I AM HERE TO SAY IT IS SAFE !! YOU CAN READ NOW GO AHEAD THERE IS NOTHING BUT SERVER-RPED BULLSHIT HERE ON OUT BABY!!

fucking loser be original smh

## he does a dancy dance whow wwowowowoow

look I KNOW what's going here and you don't haha loser !!

## Returning, Landing, ~~A Job Well Done.~~

Quite literally, out of the blue, News Guy appeared on Aberrant. No one's quite sure where he's from, or how he got here, but the elusive masked man charged in head-first to begin reporting on the latest in this wasteland right then and there. He showed up on the brink of the Blight and Keeper war, just in time to begin doing interviews before the battle begun. He was able to interview several people, including Ophelia, a playwright at the Theatre ran by Willaim.

Between the interviews and the war actually taking place, News Guy was able to somehow swindle a job at the Curious Casino. Not because he needed some money- in this wasteland world, he didn't exactly need to pay for rent anymore- but because of the owner himself. It was his former, pre-Aberration partner Ashton Maller, except with burns across his face and plant-like physiology. The Casino was an interesting choice for Ashton in News Guy's opinion, since pre-Aberration Ashton would have likely not sat still long enough for such things and despised Capitalism. During his time working there on the side, Ashton's vines decided to bond to News Guy's arm, refusing to let go and be removed. They both sat there for about an hour trying to tear them off, before Ashton thankfully gave up and they left the vines alone.

During the Blight v. Keeper war, News Guy stood mostly on the side lines to keep a close eye on the fight. Neither side seemed to care that he was present, and he had several shirts he would flip to while running back and forth depending on the side he was trying to NOT get stabbed by. 13 shirts later, a LOT of walking, watching some cool funky portals open and WOAH BETRAYAL BY AI (kind of?) and Blight just Becoming Earth (???), he had some quality content to report on.

## thats the tea sis

this shoudl be called "we get possessed for like a month challenge" or something holy shit yall

## harry potter and the guy who really should be dead

and tbh yeah he kinda would like to be dead but it's a Bit Too Late now he's COMMITTED