Username : Tekkianna
Time Zone : EST
Journal Type : [I-J]
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Character Info
Name : Benjamin Burrows
Age : 18
Gender : Male
Appearance :
Benjamin is a physically healthy lad of average height and weight. His skin always takes a nutty brown color due to his love of the outdoors, but is likely a fair shade of pink under all of that tan. His hair, on the other hand, is a light blonde, and cut very short. His appearance is often described as rugged, or perhaps weather-worn. In either case, he carries himself with plenty of confidence and liveliness.
Spending his entire life at sea has left him rather inattentive when it comes to fine fashion, of course. His clothes are downright raggedy; even the blue overcoat coat that he was given for special occasions has seen far better days. Most normally, he sticks to loose, comfortable clothing. Basically, if it fits and hides the essential bits, he will wear it. However, he has been provided with a few more presentable outfits since his arrival on shore. On rare days, one might see him without the slightest tear in his pants, and even with an unwrinkled shirt! Chances are, he won’t like those days one bit.
Personality :
Benjamin is, first and foremost, a confident young man. He likes for his opinion to be heard, and will never let something he disapproves of slip by without some sort of comment. This bold behavior also puts him into a fine social position. He is an extrovert and, despite a general lack of trust towards others, tends to make friends quickly in comparison to his quieter peers.
However, such behavior does have its downsides. Self-control isn’t exactly Ben’s strong point. He has noticable trouble keeping his mouth shut, and often insults and taunts others without a second thought. And even when he was a young boy, he had the awful habit of jumping into more trouble than he could handle. Having a crew to back you up is always helpful, but one must wonder if this risky behavior will ever catch up to him.
As one might guess just by looking at him, high-class behaviors are nothing that he’s largely familiar with. Of course, he knows the basics, such as “please,” “excuse me,” and “thank you,” are in order. However, he will give quite the funny look to anyone asking him why he is using a salad fork on his entrée. However rude he may be, though, he does try to make up for with his sense of humor and sea tales. Overall, he isn’t too bright, as might be expected by someone raised by a crew of sailors that weren’t really known for their minds.
While he’s on shore, it’s not too uncommon for folks to forget that Ben’s a pirate, if they even figure it out in the first place. To clarify, he is indeed a sailor of fortune, and so he is used to taking what he wants, when he wants it. There is a part of him that is filled with greed, viciousness, and an adventurous spirit. Unfortunately for some, this will likely remain for the rest of his life. But, others do come to like his mischievous nature after they come to know him.
Keywords [5 Max]: Bold, Impulsive, Sociable, Impish, Thick-Headed
History :
Benjamin’s story began in a sea port town somewhere in Eurlak. He, himself, isn’t quite sure where he’s from, despite his Captain having mentioned it several times. Since he was a young orphan of five or six years when his crew found him and picked him up, and he has known nothing but the sea for all of his more memorable life, there isn’t really a reason for him to care. All he needs is the sea, an able ship, and the fatherly old Captain to get by. That’s the way it has always been for Ben, since his earliest memory.
Unbeknownst to the boy, this ship, named the White Gull, was not a vessel on the up and up. Instead, it was filled with the scourge of any honest sailor: Pirates. Still, it soon became clear that these were, for the most part, pirates capable of compassion. Captain Lee Burrows was the main hand in raising the young child, who took to calling him Cap at an early age. Having lost a son earlier in his own life, the bond between them was instant; the two were inseparable, even if the entire crew contributed to teaching their youngest member about the pirate way of life. When the Jolly Roger flew above the deck, the child was always put into a safe place in the hold until the trouble was over. Much to the crew’s disappointment, the red flag was no longer raised. And while Burrows never said a thing on his reasoning for this suddenly more peaceful stance to piracy, the answer was clear; Ben’s safety was on his mind, and a merciless raid would do no good. This continued even after the boy was well over the age where such violence was acceptable. In any case, Ben’s younger days went as well as a child of the sea’s life could go. He is rough around the edges, and didn’t really get much of an education, but he never went without someone looking out for him. Perhaps the old man’s special treatment towards the boy was one of the contributing factors to what ended Benjamin’s sea adventures.
Not long ago, when Ben was freshly eighteen, an uneasy feeling began to settle about the ship. The eldest buccaneer aboard, his beloved Cap, seemed to sense it as well. Their keen perceptions were realized when, in the middle of a journey, the first mate announced a mutiny and took control of the ship. Captain Burrows was locked in the bowels of the vessel, to be marooned as soon as a suitable place could be spotted. Now, Ben could easily have gotten out of this unscathed and, had he not stuck up for Burrows, he would still be on the water to this day. However, the brazen and bold young lad did end up in the brig with his mentor soon enough, after spitting and drawing a knife on the treacherous first mate, Jenson Harding. The two were roughly tossed upon the sandy shores of a deserted island and left for dead, little more than a bucket of water, a few apples, and a bit of rope between them.
Ben isn’t sure how long they were on that island. Being with Cap and his unspeaking Daemon was better than being alone by far, but he likely would’ve lost his mind had his own Daemon not begun to manifest. Conversations with “himself” were a common thread during the time on the island, but the wise captain was sure that madness had not taken his lad, and assured him of what he already knew. But even with a father figure to hang onto and a Daemling speaking to you from time to time, one can understand that this event was traumatic for the both of them. In fact, their scavenged supplies and sanity were wearing thin when a trading vessel happened to venture close enough to see the signs of abandoned sailors. They were saved at last, and took the ship back to a port in Brittanica.
Luckily for the both of them, the Captain Burrows had a home not too far from the port town, where his wife lived. Ben recovered from the ordeal there, discussing with both of the old folks his strange experiences with the Daemling on the island. It was Mrs. Burrows’ idea to send the lad, by then adopted by her as well and using the last name Burrows, to Jaradin College nearby. At first, Ben rejected the idea. His brain, addled enough as it was from the marooning, was not exactly the brightest candle in comparison to most college students. But with some reassurance and tutoring from the senior pirate, he reluctantly accepted the offer to invite a scout for a discussion.
