[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/70os985.jpg[/img]

Edward Samick
26|5'10"|Male[/center]

[ S Y N O P S I S ]

[indent]Edward is an enthusiastic reporter hailing from an island within the Ventuian airspace. He currently lives in Edgenook on Ventui's main continent, under the employment of the Winged Gazette (a large news firm in the city). After several years of cajoling his boss, Ed was finally allowed to accompany an expedition beyond the Ring of Thunder, for what Edward promises will be the "story of the century".[/indent]

[ A P P E A R A N C E ]

[indent]The Winged Gazette has a very stringent dress code: no piercings, visible tattoos, or dyed/long hair is accepted at his workplace: only clean, contained haircuts are allowed. There is no rule against facial hair, however, and Ed, having recently learned he can finally grow a full beard, has started to let his hair grow out. He likes the scruffy look, although more importantly he likes not having to shave as frequently.

He stands tall and with his shoulders back most of the time: his boarding-school upbringing was sure to keep slouching out of his life, but now he likes to relax as comfortably as possible when working. Slouching, recline, or flat out laying down are all positions he enjoys, but that militaristic-level of straight-backed standing has never truly gone.[/indent]

[ P E R S O N A L I T Y ]

[indent]Edward is fairly extroverted, with a talent for asking questions and getting answers. He likes talking to others, but he also enjoys his alone time, to recharge his batteries and take deep breaths before the next round of socializing. As a reporter, the line between what is acceptable and what is necessary has become somewhat blurred to him, and Ed has no trouble asking uncomfortable questions if he thinks it will bring him closer to a story. Blunt and to the point is as easy as tactful and roundabout questioning for him.

On the flipside of that same coin, Ed also knows that there are times to be silent, and he is more than willing to keep his mouth shut and listen as well. While notetaking or thinking, he is far less amiable, answering questions or comments with short answers and little focus. He doesn't mean to be rude, but Ed knows that none of the great questions of life were solved by yammering about stupid topics.[/indent]

[ H I S T O R Y ]

[indent]Edward Samick was born with an inquisitve pair of eyes. His mother and father called him "the little hawk", on account of his sharp eyes staring at anything and everything with hunger and obssession, like a tiny litle baby crazy person trying to drink up the world with his eyes. Not that it mattered to him: he was a baby and didn't care about trivial things like being crazy.

As he grew, the little hawk slowly refined his gaze: no longer did he stare with a crazed need. Instead, he gradually transformed the look into one of interest, intensity...query. For many years, he spoke not at all: his parents were worried he had some kind of mental illness, as his eyes bugged out at everything, but his lips remained sealed.

He was four when he started speaking: the doctors had dubbed him a "mute of unknown reasoning", but Ed had simply been biding his time. When he spoke, it was in full sentences. And once he started, Mr. and Mrs. Samick could not get the little hawk to shut up. His first word was "why". In an effort to teach Ed some self control and get some peace and quiet for themselves, his parents sent him away to a boarding school as soon as he was allowed to leave.

Teachers were delighted by Ed's questioning, when compared with the surly little monsters who were his peers. This resulted in a kind of feedback loop where, being rewarded for being talkative, Ed developed into an extrovert slowly and surely. He was generally well-liekd by his peers, although his penchant for asking questions got him in trouble on so numerous an amount of occasions, that he was once nearly expelled when a well-placed question at the wrong time started a riot in the school cafeteria.

Still, Ed was bright, quick to smile, and good at managing his time. His father gifted him with an old pocketwatch when he was 16: it was a family heirloom passed down at the 16th birthday for generations. With the help of that watch, his parents, and a keen mind, Ed graduated school with flying colors, and went on to pursue a degree in Journalism at the prestigious University of Gelbek, a regional university of great renown within Ventui.

College went about the same as his early schooling: he got on well enough with his professors and his peers, despite his absolute need to know all sorts of answers to all sorts of questions. Journalism came easily to Ed, and by the time of his graduation, he had worked several internships with the Winged Gazette in Edgenook, Ventui. He graduated to a well paying job in one of the most exciting cities in the known world, and for several years he worked with an enthusiam that led to quite a bit of success.

It was the discovery of the second obelisk outside the Ring of Thunder that got Ed on the hook. Suddenly there were hundreds of questions pouring into his mind about the outside world, and he really had no way to answer them where he was. So he bgan badgering his boss to let him join a trip down below. He bothered and bothered and bothered until finally his boss he could go and that he'd better get a fucking scoop or so help me god Edward I am going to jam a spoon down your throat--

His path was set. Ed got in touch with the UINC, explained the situation, got the proper clearances, and packed his bags. He said goodbye to his parents, smiled at his scowling boss, and headed out for the biggest story of the history of the world.

[/indent]

[ N O T E S / O T H E R I N F O ]

[indent]Edward carries a very old pocketwatch; it is a family heirloom, passed down to the eldest child of the family on their 16th birthday. Through a strange twist of fate, almost all of the generations have been single childs.

He also carries a notebook of waterproof paper and a pen. He has an excellent memory, and will often write down the important details of an event that night, long after they have occured.[/indent]