Benedict

Edgar Terrance

Alabaster

"The term 'useless' is a word lazy people say when they give up..."

CHARACTER

FULL NAME: Benedict Edgar Terrance Alabaster
PREFERRED NAME(ALIAS): Ben
JOB: Mechanic
LEVEL: 1
AGE: 18
DOB: 30th May
Gender: Male
Orientation: Pansexual
Place of Origin: Presumed Earthborn; Martian Biome

CAPABILITIES & SKILLS

Primary Class: MechanicSecondary Class: N/ATraits:
- Pumping Iron +5 to strength rolls for lifting, throwing, pulling, pushing; results in -2 to speed rolls
- Hotwire: +4 to successfully break in and hotwire a vehicle. Can only be attempted twice per vehicle, thereafter, if still unsuccessful, the vehicle is rendered beyond repair.If the vehicle is an in-operation Martian vehicle and the Mechanic fails to hotwire it, the emergency defence will be signalled (i.e. any of the following can occur: Alarm, notification back to base, GPS tracker activated, locked in, remote guidance activated). If the mechanic succeeds, these defences are deactivated.The vehicle rolls 1d20 against the mechanic's roll each time (must be rolled by someone else).
- Boom boom baby: +4 to successfully hitting a target when a Mechanic deliberately sabotages or explodes a device. The Machine is permanently unusable thereafter.
- Kick Start: +4 to the success of getting a machine working in the mechanic’s favour when giving the thing a good whack. Works once per object.
- Kick the tyres and light the fires: Any vehicle with this mechanic on board has +3 to speed and manoeuvrability rollsAdditional special training or skills:
He’s trained in Martian Electromechanical Engineering with a subspecialty in Nano-Electromechanical Systems (NES)

EQUIPMENT & WEAPONS

  • Ben carries around way more ‘useful things’ than he should. His pockets are always full, and his bag, which too big for him, jingles with every step, some joke this is what keeps him short. In these bursting seams he carries a multi-tool, nano socket kit, rags, adjustable wrench, soldiering iron, duct tape, nails, bolts, batteries, torch, lighter, mallet, wires, aerosol can, voltage tester, texters, silver-ink pen, a crowbar, digitised goggles and any bit of rubbish he can salvage ‘just in case’.

  • But not all things are work and no play, Ben’s prized possessions are his hover board, a pair of huge noise canceling headphones and a old scratched ring.

PHYSICAL PROFILE

Height: 5’2 / 160cmWeight: 156lbs/ 71kgBlood type: UntestedAppearance: Mesophic with a tight wirey muscley build much like a lightweight weightlifter. Benedict insists he’s still 3 more years to grow but unfortunately, at 5’2 he gives the impression of a stump. Hispanic in appearance Ben has dark skin, a short crop of untameable curly fluffy dark brown hair, and unusual bright blue eyes. The youthful look often makes him mistaken for a 15-year-old but his ever-present scowl is reminiscent of an old grumpy man.Medical Notes:

  • Occasionally gets a sugar high and coffee quakes

  • Lactose Intolerant

  • Benedict shows typical signs of a laborer including thick calloused hands and feet and work-related scars over his hands, arms, feet, and legs.

  • Broken bones included two broken fingers (left hand) and a nose.

Additional notable scarring includes…

  • A large puncture scar in the anterior left thigh

  • A puckered bullet wound in the right posterior shoulder inclusive of the anterior exit wound

  • Large pale and a jagged 9-inch scar across the abdomen below the navel

  • Clean scar located across the apex of the scalp

PSYCH PROFILE

  • Binge’s alcohol in moments of unhappiness

  • Dissociative Amnesia - Ben does not recall any memories before 4 years old

  • Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

PERSONALITY

[+] Clever - One doesn’t get to be this cocky without being clever; Ben believes it’s the only strong trait he has and the only quality that makes him valuable enough to others not to be thrown away. This often gives himself an inflated sense of self when it comes to his intelligence comparatively to others though. Furthermore, he would much rather live life smart than die stupid.[+] Always willing to help - The world Ben lives in never gave him the chance to become a people person, but that never meant he couldn’t enjoy the feeling of helping people. Despite all the grouchy complaining, Ben is always willing to put in the extra time and effort without being asked too.
While never developing that rare skill of articulating how he feels verbally or physically, Ben also expresses how he cares through physical labours. Sometimes this can lead others to take advantage of his ‘can do’ attitude, and while often or not he knows this, Ben brushes it off. At least he can justify to himself “Doing something good is better than doing nothing at all…”[+] Easy to anger, easier to forgive - Like a firecracker Ben goes off in a ‘bang!’ but fizzles out just as quick. As if he vents all his frustrations in one terrible spitfire second, forgets or forgives the next. Just as easily, if one were to ask for forgiveness, his wild temper is defused like a flick of a switch.[+] Loyal to those Loyal to him - While incredibly hard to earn his love and respect, once one has fought and clawed their way in, Ben’s loyalty is iron clad and will never falter. Ben will work tirelessly to ensure they are well and looked after. Perhaps because these few become family, not just friends though he calls them “my idiots, not yours.”[=] Too ambitious - When a shark stops swimming it dies, and the same goes for Ben. His work ethics are fuelled by his mad dash of ambition almost as if he would be afraid of losing that spark of creativity the moment he stops. Which is fairly true, his great propensity for a vivid imagination and always needing a resolution for any annoyances makes him switch between projects very quickly. One can see the most joy in the young lad when making things more effective not just for himself but for others. His desire to be recognised, praised and maybe even cherished for his grand works keeps him pushing the boundaries or what should or shouldn’t be done.[=] Too-honest - Both good and bad Ben’s fearlessness with being too honest makes his opinions awfully trust worthy but just as equally get him into an awful lot of trouble. He’s no interest in wasting time beating around the bush and rather gets to the point at hand, after all, he’s a very busy man.[=] Soft-hearted - Perhaps the trait Ben had wished he himself had a little less of, Ben is a bleeding heart, emotions leech over to him like ink on paper. Perhaps that is why he’s so guarded. Helpless to the emotional plights of others nearby, Ben is more likely to end up crying when someone is crying, sad when someone is sad, miserable when others are in pain, and quietly, happy when another is happy. This empathetic nature of his often is what kicks him into action to do something about it or gets him into trouble.[=] Old man, young body - The oddest trait is his terrible habit of acting old when he’s very young. Raised by a woman in her 70’s with little contact to the youth, Ben’s attitude tends to reminisce of a 70 year old man in desperate need of retirement. He is grouchy on the best of days, grumbles at his aches, cuts and bruises, stubborn and sticks to his guns when he believes he’s right. He’ll lecture the ‘naive’, rant at anyone who listens, groan about the stupidity of youth and complain about his eternal lack of time. But of course, there is nothing more confusing (and perhaps a little insulting) than a 18 year old 5’2 kid addressing the first person that annoys him with “Look here son…”[-] Too wary of others - People, at times, are worse than hardware, after all, people lie. One too many close calls with people (both Earther or Edenite) have made the young lad wary of others. Ben keeps everyone at arm's length, even those he cares about he never truly lets in on the full picture. He believes it’s often safer to brace for disappointment than lose what you invested in another. He guards himself with his sharp tongue, temper and criticism usually leave Ben out and alone. Even if, controversially, he just craves to be around people.[-] Vengeful - He doesn’t just get mad, he gets even. The most unfortunate thing about being blessed with mad mechanical genius and mad tireless ambition is that one gets very very creative in conjuring ways to return the favour. Just like his many checklists, Ben also has a mental checklist of ‘who to return the favour’ back as if being a small rage ball is simply just not enough at times. Not to say he isn’t forgiving, he simply doesn’t take pranks all that well, but boy he does seem to enjoy dishing it.

LIKES:
- Puzzles, riddles and brain teasers
- Sour foods, icy deserts, peppermint, cherries, chewing gum and especially noodles
- Animals of any kind
- Bowties, heavy boots, hoodies and chunky headphones
- Obnoxiously loud music
- Skateboarding
- Fixing any and all broken things and giving them away
- Sweet brightly coloured alcoholic beverages with little umbrellasDISLIKES:
- Sports and cardio
- Taking medication
- Meat (he’s vegetarian) and asparagus
- Hurting animals, creatures, and robots
- Scary stories (big chicken)
- People that cry or vomit around him
- Deep water (cannot swim)
- Being ignored
- Calling something ‘Useless’
- One-sided Edenites and Earthers
- Smelling medical-grade disinfectants found in medical and science areas. He is more likely to be harsher to those that smell of this.

INTERESTING FACTS

  • Will eat a bowl of noodles when he has done something he believes he earned

  • Has a habit of talking to his inventions, sometimes they talk back

  • Often whips out a fresh 5000 piece puzzle to calm him down and keep his mind busy

  • Doesn’t call Marree ‘mom’, he calls her by her name or just ‘Old Lady’

  • Easy to sneak up on - Because he enjoys making a LOT of noise and getting immersed in his work Ben is incredibly easy to sneak up on, this is usually followed by high pitched screams, jumping 2 foot in the air, throwing things and then of course angry yelling

HISTORY

TL;DR

WARNINGS: Child abandonment, neglect, violence

  • At four, abandoned at a Martian ‘orphanage’ Ben is adopted by a cranky but brilliant 70 year old Engineer, Marree En. The two don’t get along at first, but eventually grew close over the mutual love of fixing things.

  • Marree wanted to return to Mars with Ben and retire. Antares didn’t want her to retire, she was too valuable, so the Antares gives her a ultimatum. Either return to Mars without Ben or continue working in the biome with a penalised income. Marree chose Ben.

  • Ben starts showing exceptional skills in engineering, Marree is fears this will hurt his chances to go to Mars. She convinces him to act ‘unremarkable’ in public while she teaches him privately.

  • Marree grows older, iller, and 11 year old Ben steels medication for her. But he is unaware that the only person within the Biome that knows how to dismantle and re-assemble the medical locker is Marree… and secretly now Ben.

  • Marree goes with Martian authorities to try strike another deal but warns Ben to escape if she’s not back in 4 hours. He waits 25 hours before breaking out.

  • Martian raised Ben is quickly hardened by Earth’s rough terrain and its people, often nearly killed. He learns to tell no-one he’s Martian born and floats between settlements, using his Mechanical prowess to survive. Eventually he finds his way to Vulcan where he hones his skill and develops a reputation.

  • Vulcan gets destroyed.

EXTENDED HISTORY

WARNINGS: Child abandonment, neglect, violence

One person’s trash was another person’s treasure… if you know how to fix it.Whatever memories he had before the age of four had hurt, he knew that much, but he certainly can’t remember them. As far as he knew Benedict Edgar Terrance Alabaster’s life started at the ripe age of four at the closing doors of home for discarded unwanted things. You in the 21st Century might know them as Orphanages…It wasn’t a lovely young couple that came to take the young Benedict’s hand like one would expect. Martians weren’t commonly charitable to ‘accidents’ that came out of the biomes. No, the type of person that hoisted the young Ben’s hand from the bin of society was the grouchiest old lady he’ll ever have the honour to have met. Her name was Marree En and Ben eventually came to call her lovingly ‘My Old Lady’.She wasn’t at all what you’d expect to be the type looking for motherhood. Marree was old, too old with more wrinkles than an elephant’s hide, you know, those extinct things. She was bitter too, with few words that weren’t a command or complaint and she was not at all sociable. She wasn’t motherly, warm or soft but as hard and rough as her calloused hands and the steel monstrosities she’d make or fix. Marree was an engineer, and rather well off working for each of the Antares major new Biome projects.
Perhaps she’d gotten clucky and regretted missing her prime child rearing years. Or she simply needed company in her empty home and had wanted something warmer and more interesting than a robotic dog. Or maybe she regretted whatever she worked on for the Antares under sworn to secrecy and decided to pick up after their leavings. Whatever the case, Marree En was keen to raise the boy with the big blue eyes.It was fine for a few years, but the Antares wasn’t fond of the idea of her retiring. When she’d requested to return to Mars with her ward she was promptly refused. Either she return to Mars alone or she must continue working in the biome with a severely penalised income, after all, she was working for two.Marree chose Ben and the Antares grew bitter, after all, he wasn’t entirely a Martian citizen, not truly. But Ben was not much of a Earthling either.Unsurprisingly the two didn’t get along well, Marree was never short of work and the boy had never talked. He didn’t trust her. Often days passed without a word exchanged between the two and their humble home had felt cold and uninviting. Except… Benedict enjoyed watching as Marree worked on fixing broken things… from afar.“Why not just throw it away and get a new one?” He had asked as she insisted they stopped by a trash yard to pick through unwanted pieces before they got hoisted out to R-001 (Earth). It had been the first full sentence he had uttered to her. It seemed like far more effort to fix something than to get a new one “It’s useless.”“Useless is a term people give when they are too lazy to try.” Marree had said unremarkably loading it even as it fell apart in her hand “Broken things can always be fixed. My job is to find it a new life.” She had eyed the small child “And maybe make a profit hocking it off.” And winked “Now are you going to keep yapping at me Boy or help me pick up her parts?”So he watched her pulled it apart, swearing as she cleaned it out, complaining as she popped in some new parts, stuck out her tongue as she painted it an unsightly lemon yellow and sold it at a premium as a ‘vintage piece’. That night had dinner together for the first time since he’d moved in with her, she said they’d earned it and it was special, even if it was just noodles and it tasted amazing.So he kept watching her work, at first, he did so quietly, hiding behind the door or furniture. It fascinated him, nothing was broken forever to Marree and everything seemed to have an opportunity for a second life…Just like him.Watching from behind things turned to standing on the far side of the same room. Then in the furthest seat. Week by week he got closer and closer until finally Marree had enough and held up to him a tool. If he was going to watch he was at least going to learn something. Marree says that was the spark that set it off at 5 years old. But Ben said it was the ugly lemon yellow toaster and a cheap bowl of noodles.Benedict fell in love with all things mechanical and Marree was surprisingly patient, her new apprentice had small hands to get into places she couldn’t. It began to destroy the void between them and their icy home began to warm and fill with chatter over the dinner table, arguing and eventually laughter. It brought them together. How terribly unexpected that Ben would be so gifted.By the time the boy was 8 he presented his first grand design ‘The Ringer’ to Marree for her birthday. The small ring came as a pair and Marree found when she and Ben wore the matching pairs they could feel the heartbeat of the other. What more, when the boy tapped his in morse code her ring pulsed.‘So I can give you a ring!’The boy was particularly happy with his creation, and chuffed at his bad pun, but Marree wasn’t. It was smart… too smart. She never thought it was possible that one could very well be too good at fixing broken things.“Benedict…” she had started “… you’re not allowed to be this extraordinary.”The harshness had hit him like a freight train “Why?”“Because THEY will take you away.”‘They…’ he had had an inkling what that was but Marree never described it in full, not to a child. All Ben wanted was to learn, he was stubborn just like Marree, perhaps even more so, she knew she wouldn’t be able to take it back from him. Perhaps it was safer to have him closer, under careful watch and raise the boy to be outwardly unordinary while he could explore how extraordinary he could be with her. Might have worked if she had been younger…They made a deal, Ben will be unimpressive in his studies, never get recognised by an institution, he was to be perfectly average in every way but in here? In the workshop and at home, he would be taught by one of Mar’s best. It was atleast until he was old enough, at least till they could get to Mars, till he’d be recognised as just another unremarkable Martian, then and only then can he be remarkable to everyone else too. And Ben was happy with this.During the day he studied and at night he was in with the work shop. He devoured all the information he could from her ravenously and Marree enjoyed it. But Marree was old, as the years went on she got slower, weaker, often falling asleep during her work. So as she slept Ben took over, covering more ground so she could rest longer. While it was exhilarating it was undercut with the subtle fear that came with the more frequent it got.Then she got sick.The medicine was expensive, and restricted but as she grew more and more ill, Ben became petrified, she was all he had. So he did the one thing he shouldn’t do… be extraordinary.Locks were useless against a seasoned Engineer. Breaking into the medical distribution centre? Piece of cake! Getting away with it? Not so much.“Where’s this from?” Marree had woken up angry with him “Boy you better tell me now— who gave you this? We don’t lie in this home Son.”“No one did Old Lady, now take your damn medicine already.”How was Ben to know one of the few people who could break into the centre, undetected, dismantle the system and put it back together had been his own mentor.Suddenly the home grid shut down and the doors and windows locked. Their devices demanded compliance.“Benedict… what did you do?”His confession was responded too swiftly, they weren’t going to run, they couldn’t, she couldn’t, Marree was simply too old and too unwell to survive on the run and to give up this little slice of life was just too much. Their best chance was for Marree to handle this, strike a deal, after all it wasn’t as if this one unremarkable unwanted child could feasibly do the things he did. But she did warn him.“If I don’t return in 4 hours. Leave.”He waited 24 hours.Packing everything he could, he’d piggybacked in the trash collector’s ‘junk’ down to earth where ‘They’ was less likely to find him. So Ben had come full circle, he started as trash and now he was trash again.He found the world outside of the Biome was even harsher and Ben was dreadfully underprepared, the tiny Martian kid was an easy target. And worse, a hated Martian one. He couldn’t fight, he couldn’t buy his way out, he couldn’t bargain when they could just take what they wanted. He was beaten, swindled and thieved of every inch of worth he had except the little ruddy ring he’d hide in his mouth. Surely he’d die or be eaten.But Ben had few things that couldn’t be taken away, he could see the treasures in the trash and he could fix it. Starting small, Ben survived by fixing things for Earthers for a meal, then a roof over his head and eventually selling them for a profit, scratching through the waste of old cities as a Scrapper. But he was scared to set up shop in one place for long. He travelled on a solar powered hoverboard painted an ugly Lemon Yellow.Eventually he found himself at Vulcan.Vulcan’s hard won people had reminded him just a little of Marree and under the war monger colony he thrived. He got better at making mechanical monstrosities and weapons as they sold the most and bludgeoners and thieves stopped coming at him once he’d figured out how to automate them...But as successful as he was he hated life outside the Biomes, Ben felt alone. He spent every spare moment staring at the ring on his finger, hoping for a tap or a beating heart. He made few acquaintenances, but never dared invest deeply into friends, hoping an angry old Martian would pull him from the abandoned again.But three years passed on, Vulcan fell and the ring…?It remained silent.

RPER INFORMATION

Name: DBP (Deathy or Papers is also fine)AGE: 29PRONOUNS: She/herDISCORD: Death-by-Papercuts#3212DEVIANTART: Death-by-PapercutsCOMFORT LEVELS:
[+] Silliness, bad jokes, crude humour and general humour
[+] Gore, horror, NSFW themes
[+] Swearing (probably worse than most people)
[+] Fighting between characters - Physically, emotionally and mentally
[=] Shipping... I don't mind this if I am consulted and explicitly agree. I do not ship fast, I enjoy slow burns and seeing if characters work together through RP not OOC or speculation.
[=] Themes of racism, sexism, prejudice etc. - While I can handle some dark themes, if it is too heavy I will let you know if we can change the RP or I will quietly step out.
[-] Torture
[-] Graphic content involving animals
[-] Being expected to provide responses ASAP - Please understand I'm Australian, my time zones are completely different to the majority of the group. I also work full time and cannot address rp while at work.
[-] Very slow rps - Admittedly I will loose inspiration to continue rp's if responses are 3 or more days apart. I will let you know if I've lost inspiration though.INTERESTING FACTS
- I’m Australian! So you Northerners will see me at odd times
- I’m a Landscape Architect so I love the built and natural environment
- I’ve RPed for 12 years
- My cleverness doesn’t extend further than fart jokes
- Want to DM me about random shit? Cooking, plants, board games, DOGS OR CATS?! Freaking get in here!