Post by Lori on Dec 7, 2016 4:29:54 GMT
Full Name
Bentley Brooklyn Ban
Nicknames
Though he will answer to Bentley, he almost always prefers Benny. Ben is an option as well, and a lot of kids growing up thought it was funny to call him BB because of his initials.
Age/Birthday
17/February 28
Zodiac
Pisces
Reputation
Benny is a very good kid. He follows the rules, cleans up the park and volunteers. There is hardly a bad bone in his body and while they is a very good thing, it drives his peers crazy that he and his girlfriend are such goody two shoes.
Job
Student/Part time volunteer
Class
Senior at Salem High
Grades
Benny is an excellent student. He gets good grades overall and tries to do as much extra credit as possible when he has the free time. Though he has little time to participate in extracurricular sometimes he will assist with volunteer opportunities through Key Club.
Friends
His best friend is also his girlfriend of two years, Rachel Griffon. He loves that he never has to do too much to impress her nor be the perfect guy. They can just have fun together whether it's doing good deeds or watching Netflix. He is very much loyal to her and will almost always be seen with her. He has every intention of keeping their relationship long term, staying together through college and eventually settling down together.
Enemies
It's probably very easy for Benny to annoy people, especially those who don't understand why he has to be the good guy all the time.
Interested in
Girls
Relationship Status
Very much happily taken by Rachel Griffon
Body
Benny stands just short of six foot and weights about 155 pounds. He appears a bit more on the lanky side, though he does have some muscle to him. He could potentially pass for just old enough to order a drink or buy cigarettes, but he would never really think to.
Eye Color
Brown
Hair
Benny's hair is short and brown. He gets it cut every few months, as it grows fairly quickly. When it does get longer he could brush it back, but it feels almost like a mohawk to him which he hates. He'd prefer to part it more to the side.
Style
Benny describes his style as preppy good boy. He doesn't show off his chest or really wear tank tops or shorts. Polo shirts, bow ties, jeans, khakis and sneakers are mostly his go-to items. Once in a while he will wear a hat and he does have reading glasses.
Ethnicity
Japanese American
Playby
Ryan Potter
Positives
Friendly; Hard working; Dedicated; Smart; Generous; Polite; Well-rounded; Punctual
Negatives
Shy; Yes-man; Pacifist; Soft spoken; Naive; Wishful; Takes on a lot; Bad time management
Likes
Rachel; Volunteering; Netflix; Tuna pizza; Chinese food; His prized stuffed animal; Spending time with Rachel; Making a difference; Sushi; Doing the right thing; Digimon; Modern Family; Helping; Naruto; Fish
Dislikes
Plain pizza; When people are mean to Rachel; Failing; Disappointing people; Bacon; Saying no; Tank tops; Flip flops; Having no time; Skinny jeans; Meatballs; Spiders
Family
Father - Daichi Ryo Ban, Accountant - Born and raised in Kyoto, Daichi came to California on a student visa for college; he studied math and eventually became an accountant. He has many clients and is obviously most busy during tax season, causing him to spend time away from his family. A mutual friend introduced him to Crissy, which is how they eventually got together. Though it was a bit unconventional to Daichi's family that he date a white Jew, the two of them were a good match and both were very respectful of each other's cultures and beliefs. When they welcomed Benny, Daichi had a lot on his plate so he wasn't able to bond with his son as easily. He attempted to change that when they relocated to Japan for a couple of years for family. Though they have since returned to California, Daichi has continued to teach Benny about his background, including teaching him Japanese.
Mother - Crissy Penelope Ban, Insurance Agent - Crissy was born a small town girl who had always stayed very close to home. She grew up in a somewhat religious household and had not had the chance to get away from it and breathe until graduating from college. She has since bounced around between a few insurance agencies, but always kept one day open during the week for fun and friends. That was how she met Daichi. She was very open minded and enjoyed listening to him talk of Japan and his family. When they found out they were having Benny, the two of them agreed to give him the best of both worlds. Daichi would teach him everything he knew about Japan from the history to the language while Crissy would take him to Hebrew school and allow him to be the perfect mix of two worlds. Living in Japan for a few years was a huge adjustment for her, as she knew next to nothing about the language, but stuck it out for her family. She was happy when they returned to California and they were able to focus on the most important thing - their son.
Backstory
As far as Benny is concerned, there's not a lot to say about his history because so little happened. He was born in Brooklyn during a business trip, hence his middle name. While his parents began to raise him in California, they had to spend a few years in Japan due to health issues with Daichi's mother. Benny lived there from the time he was about four until six, shortly before starting school. It was a bit of a culture shock for him because to a little kid everything seemed so different and scary.
From kindergarten until third or fourth grade he would always walk around with his most prized possession, a blue and white badger plushie. If he wasn't carrying it around it was always sticking out of his backpack. He had gotten made fun of for it a few times, but it was a comfort item to Benny. He never really thought much of it.
Daichi and Crissy tried their best to raise Benny to be the most well-rounded boy he could be. When they found out kids were making fun of him, they attempted to enroll him in martial arts, but it didn't last too long. Benny wasn't the type of kid to pick fights, or even raise a hand to defend himself. It was probably for the best; and once he stopped carrying his plushie to school it didn't seem to matter as much.
While Benny was never raised too strict in one culture or the other, his parents tried to make sure he fully understood both sides of where he came from. His father would teach him Japanese while his mother taught him Hebrew. He had a Bar Mitzvah at thirteen like most Jewish boys, though it was a fairly small affair. The Bans weren't big on attending temple every Saturday nor following every rule of the Torah. The one thing they try to keep consistent is to eat Kosher. Six nights of the week (save for when they order in) they have Kosher meals in the house and attempt to fast on holidays when needed. However when Benny eats out he eats almost anything he wants; the rules are not as strict.
One of those nights he happened to stop by a Pizza Place in Salem to eat alone. He and another girl reached for a tuna slice at the same time, only to realize they had both ordered the same thing. They sat down and started talking, realizing they had gone to elementary school together and remembered each other. Rachel had been Benny's best friend since. Although sometimes they can be about as different as Benny's parents, they have the same desires and morals. They both volunteer, care about other people and are very good in general. Neither of them would think to cause any sort of trouble.
Most people at Salem High now simply know them as the couple. Specifically the goody-goody couple who have to do everything good in the world and make other people sick. Benny doesn't really pay much attention to them; he just wants to focus on the things that matter most to him. He wants to continue making Salem a better place, focus on Rachel and maybe one day do something meaningful with his life whether it's working for a non-profit or becoming a social worker.
Random
¥Benny prefers Digimon to Pokémon. While most people think Digimon is a rip-off of the latter, Benny believes one series of Digimon had more character development than Ash Ketchum did in over ten years.
¥He knows very basic Japanese.
¥Benny did martial arts briefly in grade school, though it didn't last.
¥Instead of taking a typical second language class like Spanish or French, Benny has a second free period where he takes an online class for Japanese to satisfy the credit.
¥He just earned his license over the summer and drives a Volkswagon which his parents got used for apparently a good deal. He hopes it'll last past college and into his first real job.
¥While Rachel volunteers at soup kitchens, Benny is volunteering at the local animal shelter. He wants the animals of Salem to be as supported as the people.
¥Like his playby, Benny is of Japanese heritage on his father's side and his mother is Caucasian and Jewish.
Music
¥Treasure - Bruno Mars
¥Any Digimon Theme Song
¥You've Got a Friend in Me - Toy Story
¥My Life Would Suck Without You - Kelly Clarkson