Post by benvolio on Apr 11, 2010 13:50:49 GMT -5
Hi, my name is Liv and this is my first character. I found this site through an ad on a forum. Something you should know about me is I'm a broadway freak to fangirl-ish extremes, and I subscribe to the Les Mis church of Apollo ^_~.
Canon: Romeo and Juliet
Custom Title: The Peacemaker
PHYSICAL
Age: 22
Gender: Male
Appearance:
Benvolio despairs of being called "cute," but that's always how he ends up being described. He envies Romeo's somewhat more angular features and Mercutio's charismatic charm: pretty girls never seem to compare either of them with spaniel puppies, as an embarrassing number have done to him. He's actually much more attractive than he thinks- or at least, he is when he forgets to feel self-conscious. [However, when he is feeling particularly self-concious, one feels a great instinct to give him a big hug. Or if you happen to be Mercutio or Romeo, rib him mercilessly.]
Eyes: Big and green
Height: 5'11''
Body: Unremarkable; on the skinny side.
Other distinguishing features:
+Romeo and Mercutio convinced him to get his left ear pierced in one of their many "it sounded like a good idea at the time!"-type schemes. He's still not sure what he thinks of it; he's glad that he at least held out for a silver stud instead of the gaudy diamond monstrosity Mercutio wanted him to buy.
+He has glasses, but prefers contacts[/ul]
Wardrobe: Benvolio's clothing tends to fall under the heading of "expensive, decently casual for top designers, and tasteful enough that it was obviously picked out by somebody else." He dresses a bit more formally than his cousin Romeo's James Dean flashback, and is generally more comfortable in a suit than more casual attire. Another staple of his wardrobe is the solid-color silk t-shirt paired with dark jeans. He has only worn sweatpants in public once, and was mortified the entire time. His friends tease him for being so uncomfortable in casual clothes; he blames his mother for handpicking his wardrobe for the first eighteen years of his life, and gently informing him that his fashion sense was terrible, so please leave it to either a woman or a professional, and preferably both. Come to think of it, Romeo and Mercutio teased him about that too. He also likes weird socks. Usually nobody notices under his pants, but occaisionally somebody- usually Mercutio- sees them and has to quickly stifle a snort.
Play By: Hunter Parrish
PERSONALITY
General personality:
Ben has grown up with two bombastic and charismatic best friends. Instead of trying to compete with that, his personality grew in the other direction: attempting to be some sort of voice of reason. By the age of ten, you could already tell that he would end up as the "designated driver" when he grew up and his friends started drinking. That's not to say that he's dull; he's just always the one with the nagging sense that perhaps it's not a good idea to steal an elephant and set it free, however cruel that made-for-tv documentary made circuses sound. He often finds himself playing moderator when people around him start arguing or fighting; he's good at defusing tense situations.
The fact that he's a hopeless worrywart aside, he's actually not regarded as such by very many people. He has very shrewd business sense, and all of the logic that spending hours arguing with his lawyer father entails. He's also a good public speaker (once he stops feeling self-conscious and just gives in to instinct, anyway) and can even occaisionally fool somebody into feeling intimidated by him. He's usually fairly laid back- he only turns neurotic when he gets pulled along for the ride with a spectacularly bad idea. He's loyal to his friends, though; no matter how much "I told you so!" material they give him from not listening to his advice.
His sense of humor is such that while he gets jokes and is quick to laugh at them, he can never repeat them in a way that's still funny. The only times he's genuinely funny are completely by accident.
He gets flustered easily, which makes him an easy target for good-natured ribbing from friends. However, he's quick to turn cold and close off if the person teasing him crosses a line.
Quotes, frequently used expressions:
+"There is no way I'll agree to doing that!"
+"Okay, but just this once..."
+"Shittlesticks!" and other comical not-quite-swearwords
+Long, convoluted metaphors
[/ul]
Likes:
+ Marzipan (always)
+ Chess (a game in which there is no chance of accidental debilitating injury)
+ Little kids (though keeping his friends from corrupting them is an uphill battle)
+ Brunettes (he's always been partial to them)
+ Weird socks (the only part of his wardrobe that's not 100% conservative)
+ To read
+ Fencing (the only physical sport he really likes, save maybe swimming)
[/ul]
Dislikes:
+ Confrontations in general
+ Idiots (he does not suffer fools gladly)
+ Ridiculously naiive people
+ Being interrupted while he's trying to read (something Romeo and Mercutio do constantly)
+ Football (he has never seen its point)
[/ul]
Strengths:
+ Moderating (e.g. defusing awkward or potentially violent situations)
+ Driving (he refuses to drive like a maniac like some people he could mention)
+ Highly intelligent
+ Chess again (he's won a few minor tournaments, though he refuses to tell Romeo and Mercutio that)
+ Almost never loses his temper
+ A good orator
+ Gives great advice (so why, why, why do people never realize it until after they've ignored it?)
[/ul]
Weaknesses:
+ Worries over things to the point of being neurotic
+ Despite being excellent at handling other people's problems, he gets flustered as soon as someone so much as mentions his own
+ Terrible at making decisions (about anything: even picking what he wants in a restaurant takes forever)
+ Flirting (he's yet to do it and not make a fool of himself)
[/ul]
BACKGROUND
Family:
+ Father: Lorenzo Montague, 65. He opted to become a lawyer in his younger days, but took over the family business when his father died. He's never been one to jump into the political pool; he leaves those machinations to his brother Edward: Romeo's father, whom he also lends a hand to whenever he's in a tricky position. He's a brilliant thinker, but has trouble relating to his son and daughters at times.
+ [Noncanon] Sister: Bianca, 29. Following her mother's example, she became a model. She's pretty successful, too, but she's had some issues with eating disorders.
+ [Noncanon] Sister: Carlotta, 27. She's currently attempting to break out on broadway as a singer. She hasn't been remarkably successful yet, but she thinks she's about to get her big break; she's understudying under a major star. She was quite the spoiled brat when she was younger; Ben just hopes that success won't drive her back into that frame of mind.
+ [Noncanon] Sister: Frederica/"Freddie", 16. She's sweet, but rather shy. Ben has always been rather protective of her.
+ Cousin: Romeo, 21. His best friend since he was old enough to walk and talk.
+ Uncle: Edward. A senator. Romeo's father.
[/ul]
Education: Hideously expensive private elementary, middle and high schools, then even more hideously expensive Ivy league college education
Occupation: Med student at NYU
Worst past experience: The incident with the airplane peanuts and the Moroccan bodybuilder. (Don't ask.)
Best past experience: Either Mercutio's welcome-back party five years ago, or else getting into med school.
Image: He tends to be somewhat dwarfed by the images of Romeo and Mercutio, but he's generally regarded as sensible, intelligent, and all-around a good guy. Despite his wealth and status, he's considered fairly approachable by just about anyone.
History:
Benvolio grew up in a world of opulence and splendor. His sisters shaped a lot of his early years; he was the only one who could break up Carlotta and Bianca when they started going at each other. Having such immature older siblings helped him develop much greater maturity... until the two of them were old enough to set aside their differences and gang up on him in true older-sibling fashion. His maturity was further boosted when Freddie was born- the six-year-old Ben immediately knew that he would protect her no matter what. Currently, at age sixteen and already a bit shy, she finds him ridiculously overprotective. That, he constantly tells her, is what brothers are for.
More importantly, he was introduced at the tender age of one to his cousin, Romeo. It wasn't long before the two were as close as brothers; to see one of them was to see the other. The two were not particularly similar, but their differences in personality made them all the more a cohesive unit. Then, they entered primary school and discovered Mercutio.
Mercutio was what Ben would often call a "bad influence" on Romeo, shaking his head and laughing. Mercutio was, in a word, wild. The three boys got into tons of trouble at times; usually with Romeo or Mercutio leading the way, with Ben left to follow along and attempt to clean up whatever mess they left in their wake. At times, they tried with a certain degree of success to get him to admit that he secretly enjoyed all of the trouble. To this day, they have yet to force the answer from him.
It was a real blow when Mercutio went off to boarding school. In his absence, Ben and Romeo were introduced to the social scene. Ben found that good manners came naturally to him, and took naturally to the upper class parties. His father started grooming him around then as his future heir to the business, as neither of his older sisters seemed inclined to take uo the position. That too came naturally to him; he was always at the top of his class- extra work was more fun for him than it was a chore. Around this time, his father started to also tell him a few choice details about the shadier parts of the family business, and about his Uncle's political career. Ben wasn't exactly shocked by the mob connections, but he didn't approve either. He managed to keep it from his mind most of the time.
College was a mixed experience. On the one hand, Mercutio had come back, completing their trio once more. On the other, their escapades were more adventurous than ever, some of them downright illegal. Benvolio didn't like the "Gods of Verona" business; he really only stuck it out because friends were friends, and he wanted to try and keep his out of jail if not out of trouble.
College was also the first time he was able to take classes that really challenged him. He started off as a business major, like his father wanted. Soon, though, extra classes snuck into his schedule, until he realized that what he really wanted to do with his life, more than anything else, was become a doctor. He graduated with a double major- and went to NYU to study medicine. His father still thinks he's studying business- of his family, only his mother and Romeo know he isn't. His mother urged him to do what would make him happy, and Romeo just gave him that half-smirk of his and promised not to "tell Uncle Renzo that you're just as big of a nerd as you've always been." Mercutio had given him an equally characteristic lopsided grin, and announced that Ben would be an excellent doctor-on-call if ever a drug escape went too far south. Ben had tried very hard not to think about that. Mercutio's dabbles with hallucinogens scared him a bit; at least Romeo never touched the stuff he dealt.
Now, Ben cycles through school, parties, and the inevitable escapades with Romeo and Mercutio.
THE SAMPLE
In Character Sample:
Ben let his hand slip off the phone. "Curse the stupid battery!" he muttered, shaking his head. Trust his phone to give out on him just at the most inconvenient moment...
His mind jumped back to the message Mercutio had left. He knew that his friend had some sense, it was just hard to believe it after listening to his latest scheme.
Mercutio was one of the "in" crowd. Ben knew this; after all, so was he. They both were always invited to any party worth going to, with one exception: those held by the Capulets. Of course Mercutio was invited; there was no reason not to invite him. But Ben and Romeo, as Montagues, would never in a million years be invited. Such was the way of things. The Capulets were equally excluded from Montague parties. Ben personally found the emnity between the two families to be somewhat ridiculous- his 'peacemaker' nature talking, he supposed.
Still, there was a difference between thinking of a rivalry between two families as pointless and looking for trouble by crashing a Capulet party...!
He flicked his phone open again, speed-dialing his voicemail and half-consciously punching in his passcode. The proposition sounded little better the second time around. Were they supposed to wear masks all night? What about the midnight unmasking that tends to be a main event at a masquerade? What if they were caught?! Ben and Romeo would be as good as dead, considering the hatred between the families! And here Mercutio was, assuming he'd be in on it!
Ben sat down, massaging his temples. He was going to get a real headache from this, that was for sure. Romeo, he knew, would be all in for going unless he was still hung up on his latest girl. If Romeo went, he certainly had to go, if only to keep his cousin from doing something stupid.
That wasn't quite fair on Romeo, he reassured himself. And Capulet parties really were supposed to be incredible. The nagging part of his brain that had been corrupted by his friends wheedled, come on... it might be fun...
He sighed, flipping open the phone and speed dialing Mercutio. The bastard had known when he called that Ben would agree. He sighed again. Having fun should never be this stressful.
Benvolio "Ben" Montague
| High Class |
| High Class |
Canon: Romeo and Juliet
Custom Title: The Peacemaker
PHYSICAL
Age: 22
Gender: Male
Appearance:
Benvolio despairs of being called "cute," but that's always how he ends up being described. He envies Romeo's somewhat more angular features and Mercutio's charismatic charm: pretty girls never seem to compare either of them with spaniel puppies, as an embarrassing number have done to him. He's actually much more attractive than he thinks- or at least, he is when he forgets to feel self-conscious. [However, when he is feeling particularly self-concious, one feels a great instinct to give him a big hug. Or if you happen to be Mercutio or Romeo, rib him mercilessly.]
Eyes: Big and green
Height: 5'11''
Body: Unremarkable; on the skinny side.
Other distinguishing features:
+Romeo and Mercutio convinced him to get his left ear pierced in one of their many "it sounded like a good idea at the time!"-type schemes. He's still not sure what he thinks of it; he's glad that he at least held out for a silver stud instead of the gaudy diamond monstrosity Mercutio wanted him to buy.
+He has glasses, but prefers contacts[/ul]
Wardrobe: Benvolio's clothing tends to fall under the heading of "expensive, decently casual for top designers, and tasteful enough that it was obviously picked out by somebody else." He dresses a bit more formally than his cousin Romeo's James Dean flashback, and is generally more comfortable in a suit than more casual attire. Another staple of his wardrobe is the solid-color silk t-shirt paired with dark jeans. He has only worn sweatpants in public once, and was mortified the entire time. His friends tease him for being so uncomfortable in casual clothes; he blames his mother for handpicking his wardrobe for the first eighteen years of his life, and gently informing him that his fashion sense was terrible, so please leave it to either a woman or a professional, and preferably both. Come to think of it, Romeo and Mercutio teased him about that too. He also likes weird socks. Usually nobody notices under his pants, but occaisionally somebody- usually Mercutio- sees them and has to quickly stifle a snort.
Play By: Hunter Parrish
PERSONALITY
General personality:
Ben has grown up with two bombastic and charismatic best friends. Instead of trying to compete with that, his personality grew in the other direction: attempting to be some sort of voice of reason. By the age of ten, you could already tell that he would end up as the "designated driver" when he grew up and his friends started drinking. That's not to say that he's dull; he's just always the one with the nagging sense that perhaps it's not a good idea to steal an elephant and set it free, however cruel that made-for-tv documentary made circuses sound. He often finds himself playing moderator when people around him start arguing or fighting; he's good at defusing tense situations.
The fact that he's a hopeless worrywart aside, he's actually not regarded as such by very many people. He has very shrewd business sense, and all of the logic that spending hours arguing with his lawyer father entails. He's also a good public speaker (once he stops feeling self-conscious and just gives in to instinct, anyway) and can even occaisionally fool somebody into feeling intimidated by him. He's usually fairly laid back- he only turns neurotic when he gets pulled along for the ride with a spectacularly bad idea. He's loyal to his friends, though; no matter how much "I told you so!" material they give him from not listening to his advice.
His sense of humor is such that while he gets jokes and is quick to laugh at them, he can never repeat them in a way that's still funny. The only times he's genuinely funny are completely by accident.
He gets flustered easily, which makes him an easy target for good-natured ribbing from friends. However, he's quick to turn cold and close off if the person teasing him crosses a line.
Quotes, frequently used expressions:
+"There is no way I'll agree to doing that!"
+"Okay, but just this once..."
+"Shittlesticks!" and other comical not-quite-swearwords
+Long, convoluted metaphors
[/ul]
Likes:
+ Marzipan (always)
+ Chess (a game in which there is no chance of accidental debilitating injury)
+ Little kids (though keeping his friends from corrupting them is an uphill battle)
+ Brunettes (he's always been partial to them)
+ Weird socks (the only part of his wardrobe that's not 100% conservative)
+ To read
+ Fencing (the only physical sport he really likes, save maybe swimming)
[/ul]
Dislikes:
+ Confrontations in general
+ Idiots (he does not suffer fools gladly)
+ Ridiculously naiive people
+ Being interrupted while he's trying to read (something Romeo and Mercutio do constantly)
+ Football (he has never seen its point)
[/ul]
Strengths:
+ Moderating (e.g. defusing awkward or potentially violent situations)
+ Driving (he refuses to drive like a maniac like some people he could mention)
+ Highly intelligent
+ Chess again (he's won a few minor tournaments, though he refuses to tell Romeo and Mercutio that)
+ Almost never loses his temper
+ A good orator
+ Gives great advice (so why, why, why do people never realize it until after they've ignored it?)
[/ul]
Weaknesses:
+ Worries over things to the point of being neurotic
+ Despite being excellent at handling other people's problems, he gets flustered as soon as someone so much as mentions his own
+ Terrible at making decisions (about anything: even picking what he wants in a restaurant takes forever)
+ Flirting (he's yet to do it and not make a fool of himself)
[/ul]
BACKGROUND
Family:
+ Father: Lorenzo Montague, 65. He opted to become a lawyer in his younger days, but took over the family business when his father died. He's never been one to jump into the political pool; he leaves those machinations to his brother Edward: Romeo's father, whom he also lends a hand to whenever he's in a tricky position. He's a brilliant thinker, but has trouble relating to his son and daughters at times.
+ [Noncanon] Sister: Bianca, 29. Following her mother's example, she became a model. She's pretty successful, too, but she's had some issues with eating disorders.
+ [Noncanon] Sister: Carlotta, 27. She's currently attempting to break out on broadway as a singer. She hasn't been remarkably successful yet, but she thinks she's about to get her big break; she's understudying under a major star. She was quite the spoiled brat when she was younger; Ben just hopes that success won't drive her back into that frame of mind.
+ [Noncanon] Sister: Frederica/"Freddie", 16. She's sweet, but rather shy. Ben has always been rather protective of her.
+ Cousin: Romeo, 21. His best friend since he was old enough to walk and talk.
+ Uncle: Edward. A senator. Romeo's father.
[/ul]
Education: Hideously expensive private elementary, middle and high schools, then even more hideously expensive Ivy league college education
Occupation: Med student at NYU
Worst past experience: The incident with the airplane peanuts and the Moroccan bodybuilder. (Don't ask.)
Best past experience: Either Mercutio's welcome-back party five years ago, or else getting into med school.
Image: He tends to be somewhat dwarfed by the images of Romeo and Mercutio, but he's generally regarded as sensible, intelligent, and all-around a good guy. Despite his wealth and status, he's considered fairly approachable by just about anyone.
History:
Benvolio grew up in a world of opulence and splendor. His sisters shaped a lot of his early years; he was the only one who could break up Carlotta and Bianca when they started going at each other. Having such immature older siblings helped him develop much greater maturity... until the two of them were old enough to set aside their differences and gang up on him in true older-sibling fashion. His maturity was further boosted when Freddie was born- the six-year-old Ben immediately knew that he would protect her no matter what. Currently, at age sixteen and already a bit shy, she finds him ridiculously overprotective. That, he constantly tells her, is what brothers are for.
More importantly, he was introduced at the tender age of one to his cousin, Romeo. It wasn't long before the two were as close as brothers; to see one of them was to see the other. The two were not particularly similar, but their differences in personality made them all the more a cohesive unit. Then, they entered primary school and discovered Mercutio.
Mercutio was what Ben would often call a "bad influence" on Romeo, shaking his head and laughing. Mercutio was, in a word, wild. The three boys got into tons of trouble at times; usually with Romeo or Mercutio leading the way, with Ben left to follow along and attempt to clean up whatever mess they left in their wake. At times, they tried with a certain degree of success to get him to admit that he secretly enjoyed all of the trouble. To this day, they have yet to force the answer from him.
It was a real blow when Mercutio went off to boarding school. In his absence, Ben and Romeo were introduced to the social scene. Ben found that good manners came naturally to him, and took naturally to the upper class parties. His father started grooming him around then as his future heir to the business, as neither of his older sisters seemed inclined to take uo the position. That too came naturally to him; he was always at the top of his class- extra work was more fun for him than it was a chore. Around this time, his father started to also tell him a few choice details about the shadier parts of the family business, and about his Uncle's political career. Ben wasn't exactly shocked by the mob connections, but he didn't approve either. He managed to keep it from his mind most of the time.
College was a mixed experience. On the one hand, Mercutio had come back, completing their trio once more. On the other, their escapades were more adventurous than ever, some of them downright illegal. Benvolio didn't like the "Gods of Verona" business; he really only stuck it out because friends were friends, and he wanted to try and keep his out of jail if not out of trouble.
College was also the first time he was able to take classes that really challenged him. He started off as a business major, like his father wanted. Soon, though, extra classes snuck into his schedule, until he realized that what he really wanted to do with his life, more than anything else, was become a doctor. He graduated with a double major- and went to NYU to study medicine. His father still thinks he's studying business- of his family, only his mother and Romeo know he isn't. His mother urged him to do what would make him happy, and Romeo just gave him that half-smirk of his and promised not to "tell Uncle Renzo that you're just as big of a nerd as you've always been." Mercutio had given him an equally characteristic lopsided grin, and announced that Ben would be an excellent doctor-on-call if ever a drug escape went too far south. Ben had tried very hard not to think about that. Mercutio's dabbles with hallucinogens scared him a bit; at least Romeo never touched the stuff he dealt.
Now, Ben cycles through school, parties, and the inevitable escapades with Romeo and Mercutio.
THE SAMPLE
In Character Sample:
Ben let his hand slip off the phone. "Curse the stupid battery!" he muttered, shaking his head. Trust his phone to give out on him just at the most inconvenient moment...
His mind jumped back to the message Mercutio had left. He knew that his friend had some sense, it was just hard to believe it after listening to his latest scheme.
Mercutio was one of the "in" crowd. Ben knew this; after all, so was he. They both were always invited to any party worth going to, with one exception: those held by the Capulets. Of course Mercutio was invited; there was no reason not to invite him. But Ben and Romeo, as Montagues, would never in a million years be invited. Such was the way of things. The Capulets were equally excluded from Montague parties. Ben personally found the emnity between the two families to be somewhat ridiculous- his 'peacemaker' nature talking, he supposed.
Still, there was a difference between thinking of a rivalry between two families as pointless and looking for trouble by crashing a Capulet party...!
He flicked his phone open again, speed-dialing his voicemail and half-consciously punching in his passcode. The proposition sounded little better the second time around. Were they supposed to wear masks all night? What about the midnight unmasking that tends to be a main event at a masquerade? What if they were caught?! Ben and Romeo would be as good as dead, considering the hatred between the families! And here Mercutio was, assuming he'd be in on it!
Ben sat down, massaging his temples. He was going to get a real headache from this, that was for sure. Romeo, he knew, would be all in for going unless he was still hung up on his latest girl. If Romeo went, he certainly had to go, if only to keep his cousin from doing something stupid.
That wasn't quite fair on Romeo, he reassured himself. And Capulet parties really were supposed to be incredible. The nagging part of his brain that had been corrupted by his friends wheedled, come on... it might be fun...
He sighed, flipping open the phone and speed dialing Mercutio. The bastard had known when he called that Ben would agree. He sighed again. Having fun should never be this stressful.
