BENJAMIN TOWNSEND

the basics

full name ♦ Benjamin "Ben" H. Townsend

nicknames ♦ Ben, Benny, Benji, Bonehead

age ♦ Eighteen

birthday ♦ October 19, 2000

occupation ♦ Unemployed

school ♦ Monroeville Asylum

species ♦  Human

ability/power ♦ Osteokinesis

how the ability works ♦ Benjamin possesses the disturbing ability to grow, fuse and mentally manipulate the form and density of bone. He has shown to be able to remove bones from his body, showing no lasting long-term effects, his power creating a replacement as the old is removed. The hole made during the extraction process is surprisingly neat, blood free and closes with a sickening squick. Despite this pseudo-healing factor, the act is still excruciatingly painful.

Being something of an artist Benajim cannot help but utilize this macabre medium, creating curious constructs from bones. In the confines of Monroeville Benjamin practices the painful process of removing his bones and shaping them into all manner of sculptures. If so inclined these artistic sculptures can be formed into bludgeoning or piercing weapons. The larger the object he creates the more calcium and more time he needs to prepare it. He does not need to be stationary while conjuring these objects but he must remain focused. He is limited in the size of his constructs, his largest being eight cubic feet but taking nearly twenty minutes to make. 

A more simplistic use is strengthening his bones to inhuman levels. By increasing their density Benji can make his skeletal structure harder than tungsten steel. Those who have struck Ben while in this state have said it was like punching a steel plate. Ben, though he denies it, has used this branch of his abilities to jump from the top of Monroeville in an attempt to escape. While strengthening his bones Ben is unable to make anything as all of his excess calcium is indisposed. 

During episodes of hypnogogic and hypnopompic hallucinations Benji's powers tend to run amok. This expresses itself by fusing all of his bones together in a horrifying mimicry of sleep paralysis or by twisting his skeletal form into inhuman shapes. It is during these semi-conscious states that Ben's powers show their true might and begin to influence the skeletal structures of those around him. Ben is able to manipulate the bones of others much like his own though, their's don't grow back. The range is limited to thirty-foot radius and he's unable to utilize this branch of his ability consciously. Ben must be able to see the target of his powers in order for it to work.

One particularly haunting episode had Benji breaking the bones of several other patients at Monroeville after experiencing a more vivid nightmare during his first week. Other incidents include causing the density of his sister's bone to diminish and impaling a female "friend" when awoken from a microsleep episode. She got better.

Due to the curious nature of his ability, Benjamin requires nearly ten times the amount of calcium that the average human needs. If Ben fails to consume enough calcium his powers become greatly diminished. He loses the ability to replace bones and his constructs become limited in size, limiting themselves to the size of a regulation softball. Ben does not possess a healing factor despite his body allowing his bones to pass through his flesh. When injured he requires the same length of time to heal as the average human. Breaking bones, however, is a minor inconvenience since he can simply replace them. Ben cannot or will not alter his spine out of fear of ruining his nervous system.

Lately, Benji has begun toying with modifying his skeletal structure to sprout horns, claws, and other oddities. He's had mixed success.

Ben's favorite way of taking in calcium is milkshakes.
gender ♦ He/Him/His

sexuality ♦ Heterosexual

the appearance

face claim ♦ Zayn Malik

height and weight ♦  6' 176 lbs

identifying features ♦ A jumbled assortment of tattoos running up both arms creating haphazard sleeves. Most of these tattoos were done by fellow patients of Monroeville.

overall appearance ♦ Benji is a gaunt young man with a healthy olive complexion. His wardrobe seems to consists of nothing more than band t-shirts, flannels, ripped jeans, and a pair of worn out work boots. Most of the time Ben's hands and clothes are covered in clay from whatever sculpture he was last working on. Due to his bouts of insomnia dark rings are everpresent under his bloodshot, brown eyes. He tends to speak slowly due to overtiredness and often loses focus. 

the personality

likes ♦ Coffee | Marlboro Reds | Obscure bands | Horror novels | Sculpting

dislikes ♦ Alarm Clocks | Hard Liquor | Pop music | Reality Television | Pills

strengths ♦ Immense threshold for pain | Artistic

weaknesses ♦ Reckless | Narcoleptic episodes

dreams ♦ Leaving Monroeville

fears ♦ one plus

overall personality ♦ Benji is a whimsical, artistic soul who thrives in environments without boundaries. He chaffs under the rules and watchful eyes of Monroeville and has earned something of a reputation as a troublemaker. While not violent, like some of his other 'inmates' Benjamin is confrontational when it comes to the staff. His mouth tends to land him in more trouble than any rule he eventually breaks in Monroeville. Towards his friends, Ben is still scathingly sarcastic but prone to physical displays of affection. Whatever odd idea he comes up with he assumes his friends are willing accomplices and often drags them along despite their protests. When asked to do something he is unwilling to do he'll constantly gripe about it but ultimately come through.

Spending most nights in a state of terror Ben has chosen to live his waking moments as fearlessly as possible. He embraces life with reckless gusto, rarely worrying about the consequences of his actions of the possibility of bodily harm. 

It's near impossible to talk about Ben's past or condition as he stonewalls all attempts. He makes off-handed jokes or fabricates outlandish stories in an attempt to downplay just how severe and deadly the combination of his powers and illness are. Most have surmised that he believes if he avoids the problem than it isn't there. His past with medications has soured him on the prospect of using them to help with his situation and it takes a lot of coaxing to get him to even take something as simple as aspirin. When pressed too far on speaking about his narcolepsy Ben breaks down and shouts that if it wasn't for his powers it wouldn't even be a problem. Not much can be gleaned after that as the boy often skulks off swearing up a storm and causing collateral damage with blows from a bone enshrouded fist. 

Whenever Ben is able to get a night's sleep it's never quite restful.  Nightmares of all sort haunt him and when he awakes he's still a slave to them, hypnopompic hallucinations and sleep paralysis force him to experience the terror once more in the waking world. Few have ever seen a case as a severe as Ben's and they've begun to study if Ben's powers are agitating the condition. While not as awful as most experiments Benjamin is routinely hooked up to all manner of instruments in order to measure his vitals and, unbeknownst to him, exposed to abilities that magnify his own. Ben often leaves these sessions more agitated and confrontational than usual. 

Ben finds the best way to escape the crappy reality that he's a slave to is through reading or creating. His favorite medium is sculpting with clay though anything will do in a pinch. He'll often lose himself in an artistic fervor forgetting the passage of time and regular human needs. Even his illness does little to stop him as automatic actions take over when he experiences an attack. This only adds to the individuality of each piece. Ben is fiercely protective of his creations and displays them proudly in his room. Many times his collection has been confiscated, much to his ire. Rarely does he ever choose to gift anyone with one of his sculptures. Only those closest to him have received a Townsend Original, as he likes to call them.

Ben dreams of leaving Monroeville and pursuing a career as a sculptor. That dream seems far off as the rate of his episodes seems to have only increased with each passing year.

the history

father ♦ Marcus Townsend, 42, Automechanic

mother ♦ Vanessa Townsend, 40, CNA

siblings ♦  ------- Townsend, sister, 20, Student

important people ♦ anyone else important, from family to close friends

hometown ♦ Detroit, Michigan

overall history ♦ Benjamin Townsend spent a majority of his adolescences like most children. He grew up in the Midwest of the United States, went to school, wasn't terribly popular but had enough friends. At least, that's the line he'd feed you. He refuses to mention his severe narcoleptic episodes, bouts of insomnia, sleep paralysis, or the hallucinations that occur betwixt waking and sleeping. Even as a child he chose to downplay the severity of the illness. His family was well aware of the situation. 

Pills and medications of all sort were thrown at the child in order to help him better acclimate to the neurological disorder. For a time it would help but Ben would often find his new, groggy state reprehensible and refuse the treatments. Needing an outlet to deal with the terrors that plagued him nightly Ben took to art, specifically sculpting. With clay in hand, he would recreate the creatures that appeared to him. His work was profound and rather mature for a child of eight and it served to further ostracize him from children his own age. 

It wasn't until his powers came about that his illness truly began to take a toll on the boy. 

The manifestation of his powers happened in his pubescent years starting around the age of thirteen. He discovered it purely by chance when he fell out of a tree and broke his collarbone. Terror seized him as his body innately removed the old and grew fresh, unblemished bone. He told his parents of the occurrence and the wrote it off as one of his many fabrications. No stranger to facing fear, Benjamin decided that he would replicate the phenomenon. Several months of trying eventually yielded results and Ben, in his words, discovered he was a 'superhero'. Being a hero hurt way too much though and he decided that it wasn't for him. The power would just be some silly parlor trick.
 
It was then that his episodes intensified. The uncommon sleep paralysis came about more often and the hallucinations became those of twisted beasts of bone. When he finally came out of the paralyzing episodes he'd find his pajamas and bed littered with holes. He was forced to reveal his abilities to his parents. Once more they strode to find him help and their search eventually pointed them in the direction of a special school in New Orleans. In the four years it took for them to find Primrose Academy, Benjamin had begun to practice with his powers in order to gain some semblance of control. It did little to help and when he demonstrated his unique powers to the review board he was turned away. His tales of injuring others and himself as well as his academics prevented him from joining. They did, however, recommended that he be admitted to Monroeville Asylum. A place for young adults with difficulties controlling dangerous abilities. 

Just after his seventeenth birthday, Benji was admitted to Monroeville. His episodes have not lessened and seem to grow worse with every passing month. While at first he was voluntaritly admitted his outbursts have seen to it that he cannot leave the facility until cleared by their specialist. Something Ben doubts will happen anytime soon.

the role player

alias ♦ Silence

age ♦ Twenty-six

pronouns ♦ he/him/his

code ♦  ADMIN EDIT

other characters ♦n/a