HOLT, BENJAMIN LEE

[BENJAMIN LEE HOLT]

&&. PLAYER INFORMATION:

Nickname:

: Quill, T, and most certainly not 'peanut'.
Gender:: Female
Contact Information:: PM me if you really need to know.
Years RPing:: Hmm. 6-ish.
[/blockquote]&&. CHARACTER BASICS[/b]:

Character Name:

: BENJAMIN LEE HOLT
Nickname:: Ben; Holt
Birthday ;; Age:: June 11 ;; TWENTY-TWO
Gender:: Male
Sexuality:: Heterosexual
Ethnicity:: German + English + Irish
Persona:: Patrick Fugit (See House ep. "Whack-a-mole",)
Animal Shift:: Tragelaphus strepsiceros; GREATER KUDU
Residence:: Dorm
[/blockquote]&&. CHARACTER APPEARANCE[/b]:

Height:

: 6' 1
Weight:: 170.3 lbs
Body Type:: Muscular and lean.
Skin Tone:: Pale-ish, though with a slight tan in the summer.
Hair Color:: Brown.
Eye Color:: Hazel.
Other:: n/a
[/blockquote]&&. CHARACTER MENTALITY[/b]:

Personality:

:

Benjamin Holt is one of those people that gives off that vibe that says "I'm smart". It's a rare thing to have, and a rarer thing for it to be true - which, in Holt's case, it is. His mother read to him often when he was a child, and he grew up fond of the activity. Almost every subject came easily to him - if not, then there was nothing a good study session couldn't cure. Holt is a very inquisitive person, and isn't one to accept the 'just because' reasoning.
Holt is also fiercely loyal to anyone who earns his respect. This isn't the easiest of tasks, but once you've managed it, he's just about unwavering, and will defend almost any position you take.
Devoted and strong-willed, Holt isn't the type to back down from a challenge because 'it's too hard'... For him, it's a matter of pride (especially if someone expresses the idea that he can't accomplish something) and he'll pull out all the stops to do what he needs to do.

Benjamin Holt is one of those people that gives off that vibe that says "I'm smart... And I'm better than you." He's ridiculously egotistical and if someone doesn't give off the immediate impression of maturity or intelligence (or even if they're chewing gum), he'll write them off as morons and discount almost anything they say. With his huge ego comes an equal amount of stubbornness -- he doesn't want to seem weak, thanks very much, and will do things his own way... Even if that means getting hurt in the process.
He's rarely open to new ideas, especially when presented to him in a hostile tone. Submitting to those he doesn't respect is one of his greatest fears; he doesn't want to appear timid or weak.
This, however, brings us to our next point: Holt's insecurity. Despite the ego, he has near-crippling low self-esteem (fueled by his massive amounts of cynicism). He always assumes that when people are whispering, they're making fun of him; when people smirk, it's directed at him; that people don't want him in their conversations or social groups. Because of this, Holt is something of a loner... But, thanks to his pride, he wallows in this loneliness -- telling himself he's perfectly happy.
This insecurity also leads to another aspect of Holt's personality: His anxiety. Though he wishes to appear bold and unmovable, inwardly, he becomes very nervous in new situations or when meeting new people. He makes up for this by reacting in a sarcastic manner... Which people never fail to read as rude. (Which, in Holt's point of view, is better than shy.)

Likes:: Warm, sunny days; Calming music (Enya, anyone?); Puzzles; Learning (especially biology; Showing off; I-pods; Hospitals; Code Blue (TV Show)
Dislikes:: Being cold; Stupid people; Gum; Reality TV shows; The meat industry; Public bathrooms; Hand sanitizer; Most children; Useless confrontation
Strengths:: Creative (from painting to lies); Intelligent; Hiding; Physical strength; Strong willed
Weaknesses:: Uncontolled shifting, especially when upset; Egotistical; Difficulty trusting others; Horrible organization skills; Running
Fears:: Bridges; Uncontrolled shifting; Lions; Stinging insects
[/blockquote]&&. WELCOME TO THE VARIEL ACADEMY![/b]:
Introduction::

Benjamin Holt grew up as a mostly normal boy. His parents were loving and provided for him (even if his father was a little harsh – he couldn’t help it, he was in the military), his little sister looked up to and adored him, and he had lots of friends, no matter where he lived.
He was born to Julie Carolyn Holt on June eleventh, 1986 – at exactly three in the morning, if you must know. He was a happy, healthy baby boy.

Elementary school went by happily – despite having to move almost annually thanks to his father’s job in the army, he never failed to make friends. During the summer between fourth and fifth grade, just after Holt had turned ten, his sister, Sarah Lynn Holt, was born – another happy, healthy addition to the family.

Like most middle school boys, Holt soon reached puberty – an awkward age, to be sure. It was right around this time that his father, for unknown reasons (or perhaps reason he didn’t wish to disclose, which was Benjamin’s guess), was discharged from the military. He seemed bitter about it, and sometimes vented his rage through arguments with Julie, but life went on as normal (mostly). The only immediate change that Holt noticed was that the family no longer moved – and that was a good thing, because Holt had finally established a solid group of friends (and had something of a reputation as the ‘smart kid’, which he liked quite a bit).

His freshman year of high school, about a year after his father had left the military that everything took a turn for the worse. His mother fell ill with breast cancer, despite her healthy lifestyle and a lack of family history, and his father announced a shocking fact right before leaving the family: He was a shifter (like they’d heard about in the news – all those people that could transform into potentially dangerous animals), and that was the reason he’d been kicked out of the military. He was ashamed (despite supportive words from both his wife and kids – Benjamin though it was pretty cool, actually) and was never heard from again. These events left Benjamin very addled; he became more cynical and less outgoing, and became depressed. He received the medication he needed, thanks to his mother, but felt guilty – depression meds were expensive enough, but when added on top of chemo, hospital trips, and the general weakness that comes with being an oncology patient… Benjamin saw himself as something of a burden.

It was nice, warm spring evening when it first happened. Benjamin was a senior in high school, studying diligently for the AP biology test (his frequent trips to the hospital with his mother, now in remission, had spurred him to pursue a career in the medical field) -- he was getting tired, and decided to step outside. It was raining lightly, but Holt wasn’t one to care (it was snow he couldn’t stand), and he decided to take a lazy walk around the pond towards the back of his neighborhood.

The sun was just setting, creating the nicest orange-red tint that bathed the entire sky – something Benjamin certainly wanted to paint later, once he’d finally managed to buy some good acrylics. He was about halfway around the pond (now at the furthest point from the road, and half-shielded by trees, when he started to feel… hot. Uncomfortably so, almost feverish – he decided to sit down, and leaned against the trunk of what he believed to be a maple tree. (He wasn’t too good with plants.) His head was killing him; he had a headache worse than any he’d ever experienced, and he found it hard to keep his head up, as though some weight was pushing it down. His joints felt like they were on fire – like someone had broken them… The pain was excruciating. Holt took off his jacket, and, using it as a pillow, lay down under the tree.

He must have drifted off, because when he opened his eyes it was dark out; the moon high in the sky. Not wanting to worry his mother, he tried to stand – and promptly fell over. He stood again, legs shaking – wait, why was he standing on four legs? Benjamin, panicked, looked down… to find long, brown-furred, hooved legs. He swished his tail in irritation – tail? Walking on unsteady legs (he’d never learned to walk on four before, you see) he managed to sidle over to the water’s edge – he wanted to get a look at himself.

Well, this was odd.

The first thing he noticed were the great, twisting horns (that was why his head had felt so damned heavy). He was a… cow? He was a strange looking beast, in any case, with giant ears and thin, white stripes down his muscular back. And, for some reason, he had the strongest urge to start chewing on… grass. Yum.

He walked around the forested path some more, learning to be steady on his hooves (and trying to ignore the strangeness of it all), chewing on some leaves – he even tried some of the pond water, which wasn’t half bad… And then he’d changed back. Confused, Benjamin retrieved his jacket and returned home. His mother had gone to sleep, but left him a note: Lock the doors when you get back. (:

----------

It had been a few weeks since the incident, and nothing else strange had happened. Holt figured he’d inherited his father’s… gift, and so, trying not to freak out too much, researched the animal he’d seen reflected in the pool. It was an interesting creature – had his father shifted into the same thing? Could his sister do the same thing?

He kept these questions, and the fact that he was a shifter, to himself. Media coverage left those with the ability a bad reputation for being dangerous, and they were generally unwanted. His mother didn’t seem to be fond of them either, since his father left. And… perhaps it wouldn’t happen again. But, of course, it did, and he had no control over it. Usually when he was stressed, and, thankfully, always when he was alone.

Until one day, standing in the kitchen with his mother, a few of his friends, and his sister – his mother’s cancer had come back, and, upset… he became the Kudu.

His friends were shocked and stopped talking to him – he was “dangerous”, after all – and he was soon the school outcast. He continued on, despite the new reputation, and succeeded first in his class. He was accepted into a good college, and for a few years, never shifted. No one knew of his secret, and it looked like he was going to go on to medical school –

Until he shifted, again, during a study session with fellow biology majors. While he wasn’t kicked out of college (he’d heard some horror stories about other shifters), and lost relatively few friends, his advisors announced that it was impossible for him to go on to med school.

”You want to be a surgeon, don’t you, Ben? Hospitals don’t want giant cows in an operating room! There’s no way you’ll be accepted, mate, we’re sorry to say…”

Heartbroken, and with nothing left to aim for, Benjamin almost fell back into his depression. Being a loner wasn’t so bad when he’d had a goal in mind – but now, there really wasn’t any point. It was at this low point that he heard of Variel Academy. Only shifters were accepted there – people that would understand him, he hoped. (Some intelligent discussion wouldn’t hurt, he decided, but he was under the impression that mostly runaway kids wound up there… Either way, it was a place he felt he needed to go.)

And so… he went.

Animal Shift::

Thanks to his shift as a Greater Kudu, Benjamin finds himself (generally when upset or irritated) avoidant of confrontation and more withdrawn -- something about shifting into a prey animal. This doesn't always sit well with his "I'm always right, get the hell out of my way" attitude, and he can be embarrassed of his shift. Other times, however, he can be quite excited about the form passed down to him from his father -- it is quite the impressive creature, with massive horns, and, while it's not the best when it comes to endurance, it can jump quite high -- suiting Holt's need to be a bit of a show-off.

Benjamin’s Kudu shift, despite being more timid than the young man’s human form, keeps many key aspects of his personality. He is still creative and inquisitive, has a driving need to be better, to be the best -- who he has to prove himself to, he’s still not entirely sure. His shifted form is still cynical, mistrusting, and occasionally deceitful – this, however, is amplified around predatory shifts (as well as regular predatory animals), and he’s been known to spook. (Something about that prey instinct to flee…)

This “flee” instinct, however, sits reasonably well with Holt – as a ‘human’, he was never one to get too close to people, especially after his father left. Getting close means pain – and so he would ‘run’ or ‘hide’ from any real relationships. (True, he’s trying to get over that, but as a Kudu, every action is literal.)

The shifted form, when not ‘threatened’ tends to be relaxed and more tranquil, and Benjamin almost feels happier as such – until he remembers that it cost him his life dream.

Make sure you read the rules![/font][/b]:

[MELODY RAE OLSEN]

Accepted! And welcome to the Variel Academy!

BENJAMIN LEE HOLT has been assigned to Room 210 in the Male Dorm.
His roommate will be CHASE RICHARD HARRIS.
Feel free to decorate your room.

Please be sure to also sign up for a
Phone Number, Email, & Screen name.

Finally, make sure you request a 3-Image Header that is needed for certain boards.