NAME Benji
AGE Late 20s
ZODIAC Aries (4/17)

OCCUPATION Adoptions specialist at animal shelter
PARTNER Jazz
STORY TIME PERIOD: 1996-1997
LOCATION: New Orleans, LA
PLAYLIST HERE

LIKES

Comic books; miniatures; crafts; sci-fi; fantasy; Dungeons and Dragons; video games

DISLIKES

His mother, sometimes, for leaving him and the rest of the family; harm to animals; morbid things (though he is inexplicably drawn to Jazz, who has a deep-seated interest in death and all things morbid)

Opinionated. Shy. Self-conscious. Curious. Humorous. Loyal. Friendly.

Benji meets Jazz one night at a grocery store while buying wine. Benji has a passion for collecting and painting miniatures, as well as playing D&D with his father and siblings. His musical tastes range from his dad's CD collection (The Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Bob Seger) to his own curated interests (Weezer, Pixies, Foo Fighters, Jane's Addiction). As a shy and self-conscious person, he has considerable difficulty not being embarrassed around his sister Jules, who is the total opposite in terms of shyness. Jazz is also somewhat of an extrovert with zero social anxiety, so Jazz and Benji are somewhat of an opposites-attract couple.

Benji's childhood was remarkably average until he found his mother dead from suicide when he was twelve. He bears an equal amount of grief and anger towards her, though he buries those emotions down deep. His father and sister are his closest confidants, at least until Jazz comes along. Benji's older sister Jules is his best friend.

• He is incredibly skilled with technology/computers; when he was young he often took apart his mechanical toys to see how they worked.
• He is passionate about animals and animal welfare.
• Though he has never smoked pot until meeting Jazz, he's all about that dank herb.
• The first time he attends a live show of Jazz's band, he hates the lead singer's screeching vocals. This sets the stage for some awkward small-talk when Jazz later asks, "So what'd you think?"
• Though shy, he is very charismatic.