Ben Thomas // Casey at Bat // fairlytales
Basics.
Name: Benjamin Arthur Thomas (known as BAT since he began playing ball but usually Ben to the fairer sex)
Age/Birthdate: 22 / April 13
Sexuality: Straight
Occupation: Assistant Manager of the Plumbing Department at Home Depot .... he knows his excrement?
Tale Business.
Fairytale: Casey at Bat
Ability, if any: No, but in his first reincarnation, he still has a tendency to, how shall we say, strike out.
Status: He's incapable of keeping secrets, thus his tale is widely known.
Casey vs Ben: Like the character in the poem Casey at Bat, Ben has a cocky streak a mile wide. He's convinced of his invincibility and that no one will ever beat him, though it should be obvious by now that this isn't quite the case. In the poem, Casey passes up two perfectly good pitches so he can hit a home run on the last pitch, but instead strikes out, and that's sort of a metaphor for Ben's life - he's always striking out. His decision making abilities aren't always the best, thus he's always passing up good chances in hopes that something better will come along. He's also always down for making the biggest show out of things as he possibly can.
Personality.
When it comes to most things, Ben is really an overgrown frat boy. The only thing in his life that he's ever taken seriously was baseball and, with that behind him at the moment, he's sort of drifting through life. He's the sort of boy who likes to take the 'work hard, party hard' adage and cut out the first part. When it comes to partying, Ben is a master. That is, if you like keggers, jell-o wrestling, and beer pong. His years living in a frat house have also instilled in him a complete love of strip joints and the girls within. There's nothing quite like fake boobs, the bigger the better, and he's got more than enough advice for any man on the positions that work best with the assets of a butterface.
In most other areas of his life, Ben is a complete slacker. How he's managed to be an assistant manager of any department, no one knows, but he has actually managed really high sales during his time at Home Depot. Why? Because he can bullshit like no other. He actually has limited knowledge of both plumbing fixtures and the actual mechanics involved, but he can convince anyone that he has exactly what they need. He's a charming guy and sales makes use of his natural cockiness. Not only that, he's managed to have more than a few flings with customers (usually divorcees learning their way around home repairs for the first time) and considers the job a veritable goldmine in terms of social interaction. And when he says social interaction, he means it horizontally.
But when it comes to his actual job, Ben is rarely around. It's only because he buddies up to the General Manager that he gets on so well. He spends most of his time talking to the guys about sports, television, and video games and, when actually needed to work, has a pesky habit of being untraceable. In actuality, Ben has no problem using 'Big Joe' (the electric pallet jack) to get into top stock and take a lengthy nap. When he's in charge of scheduling, his department is usually the last to be turned in and the hour arrangements leave something to be desired. But he's become a master of playing the 'hey I'm learning' card and asking for advice.
In terms of his own romantic life, it's only been a string of one night stands. Whenever Ben actually likes a girl, he blows it. Somehow, even when the opportunity presents itself, he lets it pass, only to completely shoot things down in some spectacular way just when things start to go right. As such, you can find him at home on most weekends, sitting around in his boxers and drinking a beer while playing Halo with his roommate, Jesse. While he likes girls and may be (very) deep down a bit of a romantic, he's learned that his crushes just never work out. It's the girls that he doesn't want that seem to stick around.
Ben LOVES video games. He could spend hours playing them without even realising any time has passed. In addition, he listens to what his older sister calls 'frat boy rock' at very loud levels. It's basically anything he can play air guitar to, which he often does. Unless, of course, there's someone around who's down with a guitar hero match. Then it's ON!
He's a casual sort of guy, by his own definition. Others would say he's a slob. Pizza is perfectly find left on the counter and you may not want to examine his part of the fridge too closely. The last time he ironed a shirt, he was still playing ball and the coach required it. In fact, it's rare that you see him out of jeans and a t-shirt, unless it's summer. Then it's time for the shorts and birkenstocks. The one thing that's essential to him would be t-shirts and he has a plethora with 'catchy' phrases, mostly regarding sex. He's also extremely slack in the hair-cutting department, thus his hair is perpetually shaggy.
Overall, he's a laid back guy's guy sort. He's never really grown up and never really gotten over himself. After all, why should he get over himself when there's something so perfect right before his very eyes. Provided he's looking in a mirror, of course.
History.
When Kelly Shields and Jacob Thomas met, it was love at first sight. She was a freshman at Georgia State and he was a junior, but in the grand scheme of things, it was only a small difference in age and, by the time Kelly graduated, there was a ring on her finger, followed soon after by an elaborate wedding at the Marietta Country Club. Both native to Atlanta, they settled and made their life there, Jake working at his father's company and Kelly living the life of a southern society wife, exactly what was expected from her débutante upbringing.
Within two years of marriage, their first child was born, a daughter named Matilda Grace. She was a difficult, precocious child, but loved completely by her parents. What Matilda didn't love was the arrival of her younger brother when she was three. From the very beginning, Ben was a blight on her perfect life, something that wouldn't change until well into their teens. Where Matilda had been a smart child, Benjamin lacked. In fact, his late development concerned his parents. He was late to crawl, late to walk, and rarely seemed concerned with anything other than staring at the tv or playing with his own fingers and toes. It turned out he was just lazy.
It wasn't until he was a bit older that his father finally found something to interest him - T Ball. It turned out that Ben wasn't lazy, as long as athletics were involved. He had a natural competitive streak and a need to be the best. His father encouraged him in this and, rather than anything dealing with school, most of his youth was defined by sporting moments. Academics were never on the front burner, just something that had to be passed. And passing was about all he did.
By the time he got to high school, he discovered a very important fact - if one was attractive and athletic, he didn't have to work as hard. His homework was usually copied from others, glad of the attention from someone as popular as himself. And, as for his teachers, they didn't dare fail the starting shortstop after he helped Marietta High School bring home their first State Championship. So, while his high school career was full of stunning athletic achievements including several state records, his academic accomplishments were mediocre at best.
Still, it was enough to get him a baseball scholarship to the City College of New York and, with a smirk on his face, he set off from Georgia to New York, ready to join the Mighty Beavers. He settled in comfortably, joining the Phi Chi Chapter of Tau Epsilon Phi Fraternity. Between that and baseball, his life was pretty much set, leaving little time for academics. Never let it be said that being in a fraternity isn't helpful when it comes to academics. Recycling papers amongst members is extremely helpful!
All was going well. Life was sports and parties and, when he wasn't in season, everything blended into a drunken blur. Then the unbelievable happened. It was during a home game (and after a killer party the night before). During the second inning, someone hit a pop-up fly that should have been an easy catch. But when he turned, something in his knee snapped and so did his ball career.
Life after that went haywire. It wasn't long before his grades dropped and he was on academic probation. And then he just gave up and quit. School was never his thing. It was always sports. And if he couldn't play, he saw no reason to be there. He found his first job in NYC, working at Best Buy in the Home Entertainment department. The only two good things that came from this were his big screen tv and his roommate. In the end, he had to tell Best Buy to take their S.O.P. and shove it up their A.S.S. because he wasn't going to be held down by all their rules and regulations. He wasn't going to put on some pony show every time they wanted to parade district through.
And so, just a few months in, he left, finding a working atmosphere at Home Depot that was much more conducive to his slacker lifestyle. Through lots of schmoozing, oodles of charm, and a bit of luck, he's quickly risen through the Home Depot ranks all the way to Assistant Manager of the Plumbing Department. And really, who can beat that? The pay is decent enough that he can afford the piece of crap apartment that he and Jesse live in and the necessary rat traps and roach bombs to make it occupiable. And, for the dump that it is, their apartment is high tech. Both boys have pimped out computer systems, not to mention their video game systems, plethora of games, movies, and music, and all the impulse purchases from Home Depot. What New York boys don't need a laser level and a power saw? All in all, life isn't so bad.
OOC.
Name: Mary
OOC Journal: kissableme
Icons and graphics: Made by me
Disclaimer: I really don't know why you'd have need to, but please don't steal. This is an original concept made specifically for this game and I don't like my stuff jacked. If you want to use the icons, feel free, but please credit my OOC journal. Graphics are not up for grabs. Sorry.