application: ataraxion

[alldamned]

P L A Y E R   I N F O R M A T I O N
Your Name: Christine
OOC Journal: lukoi
Under 18? If yes, what is your age?: Nope! Well over 18.
Email + IM: myyahelle @ gmail . com | circusofthedamned @ AIM | hufflepuffed @ plurk
Characters Played at Ataraxion: None.

C H A R A C T E R   I N F O R M A T I O N
Name: Benny Lafitte
Canon: Supernatural
Original or Alternate Universe: Original Universe
Canon Point: 8x19, "Taxi Driver"
Number: Randomize me, please! (assigned » 032 » 069)

Setting: Supernatural Wiki
History:

Little is known about Benny's life before he was turned. He originated from a small town in Louisiana, where his grave is now located, and previously worked at a local cafe, a job he'd return to later when trying to play human. The existence of his great-granddaughter is evidence that he had a family, though beyond that, there are no details. He was turned by a vampire who is only ever referred to as 'The Old Man,' known for being particularly cruel on top of being ancient. Benny, like the other vampires in his nest, came to revere his maker as though he were some kind of god, each and every one of them doing their maker's bidding without question. Together, the inhabitants of the nest ran a successful pirating operation, with Benny quickly working his way up through the ranks and becoming the Old Man's favorite as well as second-in-command. Targeting yachts and other small pleasure craft that wouldn't be missed, the nest ran smoothly for decades, with the vampires boarding, taking the passengers and sinking the ships so that no evidence was left behind. The operation was considered perfect by all involved, until Benny decided to stray.

A Greek heiress by the name of Andrea Kormos was responsible for sparking a change in him. Benny was charged with boarding her yacht and killing her, like he'd already done with so many other victims, but instead, he chose to join her. He was honest with her from the get-go, and despite his revealing who and what he was, they became lovers. Rather than return to the nest, Benny turned his back on his maker, having seen something in humanity that he thought was worth preserving. No longer interested in killing in order to feed, he and Andrea settled in Louisiana and Benny began to use blood banks to obtain what was necessary, rather than drinking from people. He loved Andrea dearly and did his best to blend in and live as human so that they could spend their lives together quietly -- and for awhile, it worked, until the Old Man managed to track them down, intent on making Benny pay for his betrayal. Benny was held down by other members of the nest and forced to watch as the Old Man tore Andrea's throat out. Only after watching the woman he loved die was he beheaded and sent to Purgatory.

Benny spent the next fifty years in Purgatory. Despite the fact that the realm itself was where all monsters were said to go when they die, life still seemed to hold some meaning there -- it was very possible to be killed, and the only way to survive was to arm himself for near-constant combat and be prepared to defend himself against all comers. Where monsters who die in Purgatory went, nobody seemed to know, but Benny wasn't much interested in finding out. He spent decades fighting to survive, but it wasn't until he met Dean Winchester that things changed. Rumors of a human fighting his way through Purgatory had spread, which was all Benny needed to seek him out, having heard of a portal that was meant to take humans who had been wrongfully trapped there back topside. After saving Dean from another vampire, Benny offered him a deal: if he helped Dean find his angel pal and then lead him to the portal, Benny got to hoof a ride to the other side when he went home.

Though Dean was skeptical, they struck a deal and sought out Castiel. After interrogating a number of monsters, they located the angel, though Benny warned that he didn't know if the portal would do Castiel any good, seeing as it was intended for humans. Benny and Castiel proceeded to butt heads as the three of them made their way through Purgatory; Benny accused Cas of abandoning Dean. Cas admitted that Benny was correct on that front, but insisted that he wanted to make amends by staying close and protecting Dean from the creatures that were hunting him there, the Leviathans first and foremost. Benny was outspoken about wanting to leave Castiel behind, citing him as a liability and pointing out that his presence drew monsters to them like a beacon, but Dean was firm on the terms of their deal and said that without Cas, Benny wasn't getting his ride home. Benny later saved Castiel from a Leviathan during an attack, letting his actions serve as an apology. After Dean had been in Purgatory for a full year, the three of them located the portal. Using the ritual Benny had found, Dean was able to make his way through the portal with Benny's soul in tow, but Castiel was left behind.

Topside, Dean made his way to Louisiana and found Benny's grave, completing the ritual and thus resurrecting him. The two of them embraced and parted ways, and for awhile, the contact between them was sparse, limited to the occasional phone call. Dean encouraged Benny to keep his nose clean, while Benny reminded him to do the same. Otherwise, they both went about their own business, and Benny made an effort to blend in among humans as he had before his death.

His first order of business was to find his maker, intending to kill him and burn the entire nest's operation to the ground, not only to keep the Old Man from coming after him, but also as revenge for what had been done to Andrea. After a violent encounter with a former nest-mate, Quentin, Benny was forced to call in a favor from Dean, asking him to deliver enough blood to allow him to heal up. Benny revealed his plan to destroy his maker to Dean, and after hearing about Benny's history of piracy -- as well as what brought it to an end -- Dean helped him track his former nest to Prentis Island.

It was on Prentis Island that Benny was taken captive and discovered that Andrea had not been murdered, as he'd been lead to believe. Though the Old Man had torn her throat out, he had turned her immediately after Benny's own death. She later took Benny's place as their maker's second-in-command, becoming his most trusted follower, which Benny proceeded to criticize her for, saying that "sleeping with God must have its perks." Once they were alone, however, Andrea kissed him, insisting that she still loved him and didn't have the same loyalty to the Old Man that the others did. Giving him the key to his handcuffs along with a knife, she encouraged him to kill their maker, for revenge as well as in order to free her so that they could be together. When Benny confronted the Old Man himself, he revealed that he turned Andrea for revenge, seeing it as a more fitting punishment for Benny's betrayal than simply killing her.

After successfully killing their maker, Benny made his way back to Andrea, who told him that rather than run away together, she wanted to take control of the piracy operation and continue to run it as they always had. Benny told her that he came to Prentis Island with the intention of leaving a crater behind, and realized that the woman he loved was long gone, replaced by something else upon being turned. Though Andrea proceeded to attack him, Dean appeared after slaying the rest of the vampires in the nest and killed her from behind, saving Benny and freeing them both to head back to the mainland. There, they were met by Sam, who recognized Benny for what he was, something that immediately caused tension between the two Winchester brothers. Spotting the opposition, Benny left them to their own devices, and didn't see either brother for months to come.

With Andrea dead and Dean gone, Benny headed back to his hometown in Louisiana. Going by the name of Roy, he started living in a beat-up RV and managed to get his old job back at the local cafe, which was now run by his great-granddaughter, Elizabeth. Though Elizabeth herself was unaware of their relation, the two of them became close (evidenced by the number of photos of them together on the back wall of the restaurant) and for awhile, it seemed like living a normal life was in the cards. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before a rogue vampire named Desmond turned up and started chasing what Benny referred to as a "memory," having heard about the type of vampire Benny used to be and trying to get him to join his newly-formed nest to try and gain himself some cred. Benny refused, and Desmond proceeded to strategically kill locals and leave them in Benny's path, hoping that if he made the senior vampire look suspect, he'd be able to force his hand. Meanwhile, Sam had asked an old hunting friend, Martin, to track Benny during his downtime and report back if he saw anything suspicious. When Sam heard that Benny was supposedly killing humans again, Dean intervened and insisted on talking to Benny and investigating himself. Upon meeting up, Benny explained the situation to Dean and the two of them went after Desmond together, though Desmond managed to cut Dean during the fray, awakening Benny's hunger.

Once he had regained control of himself, Benny told Dean he knew he would have to leave town and, unfortunately, Elizabeth: more vampires would be coming after him, not to mention more hunters now that a trail of bodies had been left behind. They said their goodbyes and parted ways again, though Benny went to get one last look at his granddaughter before leaving. Martin, believing that Benny was still dangerous despite Dean's claims to the contrary, proceeded to take Elizabeth hostage to lure Benny back to town. Once again, the sight of blood -- this time Elizabeth's -- caused Benny's hunger to surge. Rather than let Martin kill Elizabeth, Benny offered himself in her place, laying his head down to give Martin a clean shot -- but when the hunter moved in to swing, Benny fought back instead. During the struggle, his hunger spiked beyond his control, and he killed Martin by ripping open his neck and feeding before disappearing, leaving Elizabeth behind to call Dean and ask him to come to the scene immediately.

Sometime after, Benny called Dean from the Catskill Mountains to explain what had happened, but Dean informed him that he'd already heard the story from Elizabeth and that explanations weren't necessary. Feeling he was running out of reasons to keep his will strong and keep from feeding on humans, he asked Dean to meet him, which he agreed to do when the case he was working was over. Dean, however, never showed, having been forced to make a decision concerning his friendship with Benny, and instead of a visit and the promised supply of blood, Benny received a phone call. Dean told him that he felt they shouldn't stay in touch, but that he would always appreciate what Benny had done for him. Benny understood and said what he was sure would be his final goodbye, saying he would toss his cell phone. With no friends or family left, he had nothing left to keep him on the straight and narrow, and became anxious about finding a way to survive topside without reverting to his old ways.

Despite the break in their friendship, Dean had one final favor to call in. Upon finding out that Sam was stuck in Purgatory, he managed to get in touch with Benny, asking him to venture back in and lead Sam and Bobby Singer, who had just been pulled from Hell, back to the real world. Without hesitation, Benny agreed to let Dean behead him and send him back to Purgatory, confessing that he no longer felt like he fit into the world as it was. With a tearful goodbye and an embrace, Dean decapitated him, leaving Benny free to locate Sam and Bobby in Purgatory and lead them to the exit portal after saving them from a pack of vampires. Before they could escape, another group of vampires attacked and taunted Benny, labeling him a traitor for falling in with hunters and helping the Winchesters. Though Dean believed Benny would hop a ride back to the other side along with Sam, just like he'd done with Dean, Benny revealed that he had never intended to go back. Purgatory was simpler. He knew how to survive there. Telling Sam to leave, he proceeded to fend off the vampires that were trying to desperately to keep them from escaping, keeping them busy long enough for Sam and Bobby to make their way through the portal. The last we ever see of Benny is him being overwhelmed by the other vampires in Purgatory, no longer having a reason to fight back and preserve himself.

Personality:

At first glance, Benny is presented to the audience as an opportunist, someone whose loyalty can be bought. Dean questions how trustworthy he is when they first meet; Benny is quick to decapitate a fellow vampire who had been attacking the aforementioned hunter, and upon being questioned about why he would kill his friend just to get Dean's help, he simply points out "He was my friend. Now you are." As things progress, it becomes more obvious that Benny isn't your average switch-hitter, but someone who is pursuing a set goal with single-minded determination, willing to do whatever it takes in order to escape Purgatory. While that makes his friendship with Dean start out as an alliance of convenience, he reveals as time goes on that his own views are more in line with Dean's than he realizes -- he openly hates his own kind and respects humanity, sees human life as something to be preserved rather than snatched away. He'd changed his ways long before finding his way into Purgatory, weaning himself off live blood, and makes a point of insisting that he "drinks blood, not people." Dean observes on more than one occasion that Benny has never once lied to him, always been open and up-front about his intentions, on top of being dependable -- something he points out that his other allies are often lacking.

Even in Purgatory, Benny was seen to be a relaxed, easygoing sort of fellow, all smiles with a smart remark tucked away for every occasion. He's quick to correct people who are slow on the uptake, but manages to do so without being unkind. He's blunt, rather than insulting, and prefers to lay the facts out as he sees them, remaining as neutral as possible rather than twisting the words to do harm, with very few exceptions. He's even-tempered and slow to anger; even when fighting he shows that he has incredible control of himself, making him a capable and precise combatant rather than someone whose rage can be used to blindside them.

Topside, when he makes his way back to Louisiana, he's known by his coworkers and the locals for being cheerful and laidback, despite his mysterious origins. He's somewhat domestic, shown by his working alongside Elizabeth as a cook at the cafe she runs, and is said to enjoy fishing as well as hunting. He seems to have been something of an outdoorsman in life, and even as a vampire he prefers a quiet life on the fringes of a small town rather than carving out a place for himself in some big city. While he enjoys being around people again and trying to blend in, he doesn't quite trust himself, and being able to take his RV and escape into the woods for a day or two in order to clear his head appeals to him.

For all his smiles, Benny's struggle with his vampiric nature is constant. He takes his reform seriously, hellbent on keeping himself on the wagon when it comes to treating people like people instead of food, but resisting his instincts is much easier said than done. Early on, he doesn't seem to waver much, but as time goes on, one by one he loses his reasons to be accountable and to keep moving forward: Andrea, Elizabeth, and finally Dean, the one and only friend he had going to bat for him. While he doesn't exactly give up, each loss hits him hard, and without some kind of anchor, he finds himself deteriorating -- it's difficult to feel alone in the world, and before his return to Purgatory he points out that he doesn't fit in among humans, that he doesn't belong. He doesn't trust himself to be able to stay clean, not with everything he cares about lost to him, and throwing himself back into the pit seems like the better option -- easier than continuing to wrestle with himself, and far better than inevitably snapping and killing to feed all over again.

When he does have an anchor, it's the most important thing in the world to him. Before his first trip to Purgatory, Andrea had been his world; falling in love with her and wanting to live a quiet life had been more than enough to inspire him to keep his nose clean. He took death over giving her up to return to the nest, though his sacrifice hadn't been enough to save her. Upon his return, Elizabeth became his something to hold onto. She was family, the only bit of family he had left, and he wanted nothing more than to keep watch over her, stay close as best he could -- something that was used against him, exploited by a hunter who was determined to see his head on a stick, knowing Benny wouldn't be able to turn his back on his only remaining family. That same incident showed us that Benny has a great deal of shame over what he is -- he didn't want his granddaughter to see, didn't even want her to know who he really was, and it pained him to be goaded into baring his fangs. Killing in front of her was even worse; he's not proud of what he is or his nature, and he hasn't been for a long, long time.

Still, as much as he respects humans and wants to live among them, the fact of the matter is that there will always be a divide between him and the living. He's begun to resign himself to the fact that he'll never be anything but a monster again, and seems to think that withdrawing from people is the only way to keep himself from deteriorating and going back to being his worst -- but he's always been at his best with a friend to hold himself accountable to. The problem seems to be finding one that won't get ripped away.

Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations:

✔ Abilities & Strengths:

Superhuman Strength & Speed: Even the lowest vampires on the totem pole are considerably stronger than humans. Their strength isn't unlimited, but they can lift heavy objects and overpower most humans with ease. Against other vampires or supernatural creatures, Benny is likely to be on equal footing. As vampires go, he's not terribly old (a century at best) and therefore his powers are pretty standard. He is also quicker and more agile than your average human, with excellent reflexes and impressive stamina, meaning he can hold his own in a fight for a good long while before he tires.

Heightened Senses & Tracking: Benny's senses of sight and smell are both enhanced, in addition to his having excellent hearing. Vampires have great night vision, and their sense of smell is almost entirely responsible for their ability to track. It's said that once a vampire gets a human's scent, it's for life: they never forget, and can track the source just about anywhere once they get a whiff. Benny has more practical tracking skills, as well -- it's implied that he enjoyed outdoor activities like hunting and fishing in life, but on top of being an experienced outdoorsman, he's spent decades in Purgatory, where tracking and learning to disguise signs of his own presence were vital for survival.

Regeneration: As long as human blood is available to him, Benny can regenerate almost any non-fatal wound, though there are exceptions. There's nothing that can be done about amputation, for instance, and tainted blood is guaranteed to complicate things as well.

Immortality & Invulnerability: Potentially, vampires can live forever, if they avoid fatal injuries. They don't age, and are unable to contract conventional diseases. Most injuries can be healed and standard bullets or blades do very little to harm them, though it's entirely possible that there are other methods of seriously wounding a vampire that haven't been discovered yet. In sum, Benny is much hardier than any human, and eternal youth is a go.

Combat Prowess: Having spent the last few decades fighting for his un-life in Purgatory, Benny is well aware of how to defend himself. He's geared for survival, able to hold his own with or without a weapon, and has been seen to be ruthless and driven when pursuing enemies. Even before Purgatory, he and the rest of his vampire nest ran an operation that essentially made them pirates. Combat is old hat to him, though he no longer has any interest in taking human life.

Willpower: Strength of will is necessary to do what Benny does -- abstain from drinking live blood when everything in his nature tells him to indulge. He's got willpower in spades, but he's not off human blood completely; he drinks donated blood rather than turning to animals.

✘ Weaknesses & Limitations:

Bloodlust: The other side of the willpower coin. A vampire's thirst for human blood is constant, and fresh is always better. Forcing himself to see humans as people and not as food is a constant struggle. He appreciates humanity, but instinct is difficult to fight against day in and day out.

Dead Man's Blood: Poison for vampires. It weakens them and saps their strength, making it possible for them to be overpowered by humans. Most vampires become sluggish or lethargic when dosed with it, usually via injection or injury from a weapon coated in dead blood. Vampires who drink donated blood are as healthy as those who drink from live victims, so it's safe to assume that as long as donations are fresh, they don't qualify as toxic Dead Man's Blood.

Sunlight: Sunlight won't reduce a vampire to ash, but it will cause them pain and give them a nasty sunburn, as well as weaken them. Most vampires prefer to sleep through the day as a result, and Benny himself doesn't go out into the sun without a hat and sunglasses on if he can help it.

Beheading: The only sure-fire way to kill a vampire. There are other methods, but this one is tried-and-true, guaranteed to do the job. Severing a vamp's head from its shoulders will send them straight to Purgatory.

Family: Easily Benny's own personal kryptonite. Upon returning from Purgatory and destroying his maker, he immediately made his way back to his hometown, changing his name in order to get close to and keep an eye on his great-granddaughter. The girl in question was able to be used as leverage by a hunter trying to call Benny out into the open, and he was willing to offer his own head up to be taken in order to ensure her safety. 'Family' extends to close friends as well; the only person he can call a friend these days is Dean, but he was willing to go to extremes for him all the same, right down to going back into Purgatory despite having fought long and hard to claw his way out.

Other: Various other vampire foils show up in canon, and in a place outside of his own universe, there are bound to be other ways to injure or otherwise hinder a vampire that Benny may not have seen or heard of back home. Two things to note from canon, however, are vamptonite and scent-blocking. Vamptonite is human blood altered with the Leviathans' modified corn syrup; once ingested, it quickly burns the vampire from the inside out, killing them as though they've swallowed acid. Scent-blocking is a viable way to keep a vampire from tracking you: a mixture of saffron, cabbage, trillium and other ingredients thrown into a fire will cover the scent of any human, or even other vampires, rendering tracking by scent useless.

Inventory:

☑ One black overcoat.
☑ One pair of black trousers, complete with suspenders.
☑ One gray button-down shirt.
☑ One pair of black work boots.
☑ One black cab hat.
☑ One pair of sunglasses.
☑ One large bowie knife.
☑ One wallet with roughly $40 in cash and a fake ID.
☑ One photo of himself with Elizabeth.

Appearance:

Played by Ty Olsson.

Standing at about 5'11", Benny is on the tall side with a stocky build. He's broad-shouldered and muscular rather than being overweight, the build of someone who's always been large as well as someone who's spent time pushing their body to its limits with the knowledge that they'll need to depend on their strength. His movements are usually slow and easy, just like the way he talks; he's rarely ever in a hurry to get anywhere and his posture is relaxed, just like the rest of him -- save for when in combat. In combat, everything is tense with quick, precise movements, a stark contrast to how he usually carries himself.

He dresses simply, with an affinity for black. He's often seen wearing an overcoat and a brimmed cap pulled down over his eyes, especially when outdoors, and though what he wears beneath it varies from day to day, it's not by much. Trousers, a button-down shirt and suspenders seem to suit him just fine. He's blue-eyed with light brown hair he keeps cut short, along with a beard he has absolutely no intention of shaving anytime soon. To the untrained eye, he looks like a normal human, but when challenged or baited into being aggressive, he sports fangs that betray the fact he's anything but.

Age: His exact age is unknown, as there is no concrete date linked to his being sired, but he appears to be in his mid-thirties. He's old enough that his great-granddaughter is a grown woman by the time he makes an appearance in the show.

AU Clarification: N/A

S A M P L E S
Log Sample:

Day by day, it was getting harder to keep his promise to himself.

Andrea was gone, long gone, dead years before he ever got back. It was better, he thought, when he'd believed that the Old Man had put her in the ground. He'd been angry, and he'd been heartbroken, but it had been better than knowing what had really happened. Death would have been better than what she became, twisted and hungry like the other monsters he'd worked with side-by-side for so many years, like the beast he himself used to be before she'd sparked a change in him. His revenge had been bittersweet, the feeling of victory fleeting as he realized that the one thing that had kept him going, the need to kill the man who had taken his happiness away from him had been for nothing.

He'd asked Dean why he'd bothered bringing him back. He'd wanted to know why he hadn't just hit the ground running as soon as he made it out of the portal, leaving Benny himself to rot in the ground. It would have been better than what he'd found upon making his way to the nest -- but here he was, all the same, and he'd managed to find something else to hold onto. Another person to serve as his anchor, whether she realized it or not.

He wasn't sure he'd ever smiled as much as he did now, working alongside Elizabeth, despite the fact that she hadn't the slightest idea who he really was. It didn't matter. She was family -- all he had left, and that was enough to make him want to keep on the narrow path he'd set for himself, drinking from bags instead of from open veins and serving each and every customer that came in with a smile, rather than labeling them as potential prey.

Some days were harder than others. Some days, he had to take a minute to head out back, breathe in the fresh air despite the fact that he had no need for breath, get the heady scent of blood out of his nostrils before it came too much, but more than that, it was remembering he had someone to live for that kept him from going over the edge. Someone to look after, someone to protect.

It wasn't the family he'd imagined himself having when he'd been young, no. It was just one person -- but the fact that she trusted him was enough. She was family all the same. For that, he could keep his promise a little while longer.

Maybe if he kept it long enough, it would start to get easier with time, instead.

Comms Sample:

[It had taken him longer to get the communicator working than he was proud to admit. During his recent months top-side, he'd seen people using phones without keypads here and there, but never had the opportunity to monkey around with one on his own. The cheap gas-station cellphone he'd grabbed for himself had been a pretty standard model, all basic buttons clearly labeled and obviously meant to be pressed.

For a few minutes, he hadn't known what to do a device that appeared to be all screen, but after some experimental poking, he managed to get the hang of the menu and the options it offered -- he might have been decades behind the times, but he wasn't stupid. He bypasses the text option and manages to open up the audio feed, and for a moment there's nothing but silence -- until he leans in close and decides to test the damn thing, eyebrows drawn down and pulled together.]

... hello?

[He's not sure who might be out there hearing it -- not like he dialed anyone in specific, but he'd fumbled his way this far. Might as well roll with it. He lets out a single soft chuckle as he turns the device over in his hands, letting it come to rest screen-up in his palm a moment later.]

Nifty little toy they've left us here. The times, they sure are a-changin'.

[His voice has a slow, thick Southern drawl to it -- distinctly Cajun, to anyone who might recognize it.]

They hand these things out to just anybody? People in charge must have more money than God himself. Was under the impression gadgets like these didn't come cheap.

If anyone's hearin' this, I'd appreciate a little direction, if you don't mind. Take pity on the new guy in town, lend a hand? Afraid I'm out of my element -- but I'm gonna be needin' to talk to someone about some dietary needs.