SHAW, benjamin

[attr="class","hdtitle"]PERSONALITY

[attr="class","hdinfo"]  Ben seems pretty childish - after all, he is very impressionable , easily influenced and worries about how his peers view him. In some ways it's obvious that he's pretty insecure, yet the fact that he's foolhardy and resilient, combined with little regard for genuine authority figures, makes him appear pretty daring and confident - on the surface at least.

Underneath his bravado, he's pretty much an over-protective and attentive teen who just desperately wants to fit in. But he's not overly-generous - he can be pretty rigid about how he deals with others, and likes to be frank and up-front. Quite simply, he's only nice when it benefits him in some way - whether that's seeing someone smile, or having a favour returned. He's not the most intelligent guy around, but he knows when his kindness is being abused and he doesn't take well to that. Relationships to him mean mutual benefits and he can be rather picky about who he spends time with.

Although he likes things to be crystal clear when dealing with other people, he can be incredibly secretive and will rarely voice his genuine thoughts. He is used to lying and making stuff up after all - and will always try and swindle his way out of talking about himself too much.
When it comes to those who respect his oddities and need for personal space, he can be incredibly caring and affectionate - though this is usually reserved for more honest friends, and his family.

Benjamin tends to appear energetic no matter what side of himself he shows to others.


Likes: being relied on, cheesy jokes, contests, and literally anything lemon flavoured.
Dislikes: mornings, pessimists, noisy eaters and disorganisation.

Dreams: To actually be the best at something without faking it - something he's never achieved.
Fears: being sent to hospital and having to explain himself ...he's done both a fair few times already and it's the most embarrassing thing. He might seem to be a good fighter, but honestly his physical strength is about average on a good day.

[attr="class","hdtitle"]HISTORY/MISC.

[attr="class","hdinfo"]Dear Mr & Mrs A Shaw,

It is of great concern to note that you failed to attend our recently arranged meeting regarding your son's behaviour.
We encourage parents to get involved with their child's education and to take an active role when it comes to the decision-making process following incidents such as those which have occurred over the past several months. 

As a result, the school board has come to a conclusion in your absence. I regret to inform you that your son, Benjamin, is to be suspended for two weeks. This will be followed by a gradual return. As I'm sure you can understand, your co-operation will be imperative and --

Aaron Shaw's reading was promptly interrupted by the screams of his youngest child, as a pool of orange juice flowed over the remaining half of the letter. His wife only had the chance to gasp, his eldest son hadn't even looked up from the dinner table, yet Ben was already there with a kitchen towel and a silly face to distract the bawling 3-year-old.

Well whatever, it didn't really matter that the letter was ruined. As if he'd believe that condescending twat of a teacher over his perfectly responsible son anyway. And how does he get off with having a go at him for his absence at the yawnfest that is parent-teacher meetings? Did they not get the message the last time one of their sons got into trouble? Their grades were fine and their attendance rate was pretty good, so what the heck did they have to complain about? It was tough working a full-time job, with three kids, and a lazy wife that only loved to gossip.

The enraged middle-aged father figured enough was enough, and after his regular dinner table ranting, he'd reached a conclusion. Why not move his sons to another school that won't give a damn about contacting them?


Benjamin's ability to turn things around for others had already made an impression on his otherwise irresponsible parents. What they didn't know was that this just so happened to extend to a pretty sketchy crowd at school.
Ben was always the scapegoat, the one that covered things up and took the blame (and even a few punches) on behalf of his peers. It wasn't like he didn't receive any benefits from this kind of role - the group treated him good, almost too good. In a way, Ben had become a fake ringleader with the amount of respect he received from the others and his eagerness to claim responsibility for things he had little to do with. Yet pretty much everyone within the group knew who the real leader was - someone much more quiet, secretive and unsuspecting - the polar opposite.
The last incident was almost too funny. One of his juniors had trashed and gratified the school gates - supposedly emblazoning it with Ben's name in an agreed cover-up. Yet the kid didn't even know how to spell, and their spray-painting skills were...stupidly lacking. Yet despite the lame effort, the school wanted to suspend Ben for it anyway. Genius.

He wasn't expecting to have to move schools as a result. He was leaving behind so much respect, so much history. Now he had to start from scratch.
If he did the same thing again then surely it'd all be fine, right?