Nikolai scoffed, “Don’t insult him like that. Can’t plants hear you? You’re going to make him as depressed as me,” he said. Nikolai brushed back his bangs he hadn’t styled, “I don’t know what tlc is, but anything to keep my little baby alive. He likes being named after the Matrix.”
“I don’t think that’s possible.” Benji smiled at him as he moved to rest his arm on the back of the couch. “It means tender love and care, he’s clearly in desperate need of it.” He said then raised his eyebrows, “Did you ask him if he likes being named after the Matrix?”
Nikolai frowned pushing his way into Benji’s flat. He trudged into the other’s living room and plopped on the couch, placing the plant he had in his hands on Benji’s coffee table. “I killed him. I killed Morpheus.”
@benji-bulstrode·
Benji jumped in surprise when he heard the door open but instantly relaxed once he noticed it was only Nikolai. He sat up on the couch and stared at the plant on the table. “Well, it’s not too bad maybe he can be resurrected with a little tlc...or maybe he died because he didn’t like being named after a character in the Matrix.”
The club was packed when Nikolai finally came. He had missed the ball drop due to being with his family, but it was fine. This was the part that was really fun anyways–when everyone finished their pictures and their family and time and just wanted to party. He took some shots at the bar to loosen himself up before walking towards the mass of bodies that were on the dance floor. He blinked when he bumped into someone, “Sorry–I’m so sorry!” he called over the thumping base. “Wait–Benji?” he recognized his pink haired friend. “Hey,” he grinned. “Are you alone?”
@benji-bulstrode·
Benjamin had been at Amortentia for a majority of his night, he had come with Vincent but had lost track of the other man not too long ago. He was currently trying to wiggle his way out of the bodies crowding the dance floor to get a drink (that he definitely didn’t need) but it seemed borderline impossible at the moment. Once it felt like he was finally out, he felt himself get jostled by another person. “No, no it’s fine! Don’t even worry about it.” Benjamin waved a hand, he squinted at the person in front of him quickly realizing that he most definitely knew this person. “Nik, happy New Year!” He grinned and pulled him in for a quick hug. “Well, I’m not alone now you’re here. You want to go get a drink?”
Vincent thrived on a night that was all about partying, where it was the normal to get carried away and make some questionable choices. It was one of the few times he felt like he could do so without people judging - not like their opinions ever bothered him either way. He’d made plans for his evening, consisting of ensuring that he had multiple people waiting on him across the different venues so that he had options depending on what mood he was in. The night was still fairly young but Vincent had already made a fair dent in the wine he’d started on and he’d just left a stranger in the corner of Amortentia with a memory he was sure they’d treasure well into the new year so that he could hunt down the man he’d arrived with. Thankfully Benjamin’s pink hair made him rather easy to spot in the crowd and Vincent approached from behind him, snaking his arms around the other’s waist and pulling him close so that he could whisper in his ear. “You know you look rather wonderful in that shirt if I do say so myself.” Vincent peeled away before Benji could say anything, moving from behind him to stand in front of him with a mischevious smile on his face. “I hope you missed me while I was gone and that you told anyone around here who has their eyes on you that you were waiting on someone.”
@benji-bulstrode·
Benjamin wasn’t much of a partier, not that he was against it or anything he was just more of a homebody. So, being in Amortentia on New Years Eve, no less, he felt pretty out of his element which had lead to him shooting back drinks at a pace that was definitely way too fast for him to keep up with. He looked around the crowded club, Vincent was nowhere in sight and Benjamin didn’t really know why he expected anything less, he knew the other man was way more social than he could even fathom. He took a long swig of his drink then jumped when he felt an arm make its way around his waist, only relaxing slightly when he heard Vincent’s accent in his ear. “I think it’s more the shirt than me in it but thank you.” Benjamin could feel his cheeks burn either from the alcohol or from the compliment but he wasn’t in the right head space to try to figure out which it was. “Don’t worry nobody had their eyes on me but yes, I did miss you...I don’t like drinking alone.”
“Personally I would say start on the second because you might not be in a fit state to work on the first but I know what you are like. Exactly so don’t make me have to do it.” Vincent could see Benji’s reaction and it angered him a little, no matter how much he had tried nothing seemed to be getting through to him about his horrible taste in clothes. “I do not say things to butter people up, I only say what I mean Benjamin. I will not be seen without you on New Years Eve and there’s nothing you can do about it.” He jumped up from his seat with a wide grin, moving to grab the other and pull him up as well. “Wonderful! That means we can go right now and find you something suitable to wear - my treat before you complain!”
“Just how much am I going to be drinking if I’m with you?” Benji smiled to himself as he moved to run his hand over the top of his head. “And you’ll have me on your arm the entire evening, I hope you’re prepared to deal with that.” He let the other man pull him up, his eyebrows raising in surprise. “Something tells me you already have some ideas on what you want me to wear.”
“Well then you can start on the first then Benjamin but you are not skipping out on the celebrations to make potions that won’t be used for another month. I know where you live, I will bring the party to you if you’re not careful and I do not think you want that?” Vincent made a noise of disgust at the mention of Benji’s wardrobe, he knew that whatever the man was thinking that it would not be good. “I would never want a situation where you are at home instead of out with me, you know that I like it when I have a pretty man on my arm, but I do have to agree that the chances of me liking the shirt are probably minimal. What are you doing just now?”
“Ugh, fine, I’ll start on the first. My place is not suitable for any kind of party you’d plan on bringing to me.” Benji bit down on his bottom lip to keep from laughing when he heard the noise that Vincent made, he knew his wardrobe was a sore subject with the other man. “I know you’re just saying that to butter me up and it’s kind of working...I’m not doing anything important, why?”
♕ —- Greer’s brows rose. “Can someone order something to counter act an Amortentia potion,” she asked with a soft chuckle. “Quidditch fans can be… fanatic sometimes,” she added.
Benji grinned. “Why of course you can that’s, like, up there on the list of potions I make around February.” He scrunched his nose up, “Maybe I can make you a few just in case.”
“That’s just sad. No, you’re not working on New Years. You have to come get drunk with me. Otherwise I’ll probably do something stupid alone. We have to do something stupid together.“
“What’s so sad about being proactive? I think this is one of my better ideas.” Benji let out a deep sigh. “Fine, fine, I guess we can do something stupid together but we have to agree on what alcohol to drink.”
“I’m just going to pretend that I did not hear you say that Benjamin because I do not believe you want to hear my response to such a preposterous idea. You have to know there is no world in which I allow that to happen right?”
“But that’s my busiest time of year.” Benji frowned then crossed his arms over his chest. “You might let it happen if you see what my only nice shirt looks like, you’d honestly probably prefer it if I stayed home.”
The devil will find work for idle hands to do, I stole and I lied, and why? Because you asked me to.
basic information
Full name: Benjamin Charles Bulstrode
Nickname(s) or Alias: Benji
Gender: Cisgender male
Species: Pureblood wizard
Age: 25
Birthday: May 3rd
Zodiac Sign: Taurus sun, Libra moon, Cancer rising
Sexuality: Bisexual
Nationality: British
Religion: Agnostic
City or town of birth: London, England
Currently lives: Castle Combe, Wiltshire
Languages spoken: English
Native language: English
Relationship Status: Single
physical appearance
Height: 5′6
Hair color: Naturally black currently bleached and dyed pink
Hairstyle: He always has a buzz cut, sometimes he’ll let it grow just long enough to run your fingers through then he’ll buzz it off again
Facial Hairstyle: None
Eye color: Brown
Tattoos: The Dark Mark on his left forearm
Piercings: His ears are pierced
Scars/distinguishing marks: N/A
Preferred style of clothing: Benji always chooses comfort over style, his typical outfit is a pair of straight leg jeans and a large sweater that he’ll have to roll the sleeves up on because they go over his hands and a pair of sneakers. He likes to shop second hand so a lot of his tops (especially his button ups and sweaters) are entirely too big on him but he doesn’t mind. It’s rare to see him put effort into an outfit or dress in any kind of formal wear.
Frequently worn jewelry/accessories: He’ll switch between studs and hoops in his ears and will sometimes wear rings if he’s not working.
health
Smoker?: Yes
Drinker?: Occasionally, sometimes he’ll have a glass of wine with dinner or go out to a bar with a friend. It’s hard for him to not drink until he’s extremely wasted if he’s out at a bar.
Recreational Drug User? Which?: If he’s particularly stressed he’ll smoke or have an edible but it’s very rare
Addictions: Caffeine and nicotine
Allergies: None
Neurological conditions: None
Sleeping habits: He’s an extremely heavy sleeper, he’ll fall asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow and it takes a lot of effort to wake him up. He has to set multiple alarms in the morning so he’ll actually get up. He usually has very vivid dreams and will write them down once he’s awake.
Eating habits: He’s a pretty slow eater, he’s a vegetarian and has been since he was ten. His grandparents used to tell him he ate like a rabbit, it annoyed him greatly.
Exercise habits: He tries to exercise at least three times a week, he’ll usually end up going for a run.
Emotional stability: 6, not the worst and not the best it’s usually hard for people to know how he’s feeling or what he’s thinking since he’s not one to talk about his feelings much. He’d rather write down anything he’s feeling than tell someone.
Sociability: He’s not exactly a wallflower but he’s not the most social person in the world either. He can keep up conversations with new people but can sometimes come off as stand offish if he’s not into the conversation.
Body temperature: Very cold, his hands feel like ice.
personality
Positive traits: Adventurous, hardworking, intelligent, loyal, passionate
Negative traits: Calculating, deceitful, escapist, impatient, obsessive
Character Alignment: True Neutral- A true neutral character does what seems to be a good idea. He doesn't feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good vs. evil or law vs. chaos. Most true neutral characters exhibit a lack of conviction or bias rather than a commitment to neutrality. Such a character thinks of good as better than evil after all, he would rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. Still, he's not personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way. Some true neutral characters, on the other hand, commit themselves philosophically to neutrality. They see good, evil, law, and chaos as prejudices and dangerous extremes. They advocate the middle way of neutrality as the best, most balanced road in the long run. True neutral is the best alignment you can be because it means you act naturally, without prejudice or compulsion. However, true neutral can be a dangerous alignment when it represents apathy, indifference, and a lack of conviction.
Likes: Journaling, lavender tea, cats, successfully brewing a complicated potion, peonies, magnolias, rainy days
Dislikes: Slow walkers, the winter, being interrupted, getting back tracked while working, being spoken down to
Fears/phobias: House fires
Favorite color: Slate blue
Hobbies: Gardening, journaling, and reading
Habits: He usually scratches the top of his head if he’s confused or feeling uncomfortable during a conversation. He also actively avoids eye contact when talking to people.
Taste in music: He loves The Smiths, The Cure, and Jeff Buckley, he definitely leans towards more alternative music.
house and home
Describe the character’s house/home:
Once Benjamin had taken the Dark Mark and left Hogwarts, he was gifted the Bulstrode home in Castle Combe. He’s lived there alone since he was eighteen and it is absolute pride and joy. It’s a two bedroom semi-detached house that is warded off from muggles. He doesn’t really have neighbors anyway but it’s nice there won’t be people poking around. The home itself is very bright with lots of windows and plants covering almost every inch of the interior. His favorite part of the house is the backyard which has a walled garden wall and all of his flowers, this is where he plants his normal plants without magical properties he is very meticulous with caring for them. He also has a green room which is where he has all of his magical herbs and plants, he does most of his potion making there as well. That’s the only place in his home where his cats aren’t allowed.
His bedroom in the house is relatively spacious with white walls and a large window facing the backyard. He has a queen sized bed (that he’ll sleep right in the middle of) with blue sheets and a white comforter, his bed is never made the comforter will usually just stay crumbled up in the middle of the bed until he comes back to sleep. The rest of the furniture in his room is a light golden oak color, he has one night stand that has multiple half filled journals on top of it. His home has a lot of clutter just around in general, it’s not messy just very well lived in.
Do they share their home with anyone? Who?: No, he’s lived alone since he was eighteen. He wouldn’t mind a roommate however they’d have to mind his stuff ...everywhere.
career
Level of education: Hogwarts
Current Job Title: Potioneer and freelance Herbologist
Name of employer: Self employed
Boggart: Being told he’s a disappointment over and over
Patronus: A fluffy cat
Amortentia: The fresh smell of rain, lavender, and nicotine smoke
Animgaus: N/A
family, friends and foes
Parents names: Lucas DeLa Cruz and Millicent Bulstrode
Are parents alive or dead? Alive
Is the character still in contact with their parents?: He’ll frequently speak to his mother, at least a couple times every few months. Their relationship is still very much strained. He hasn’t seen or spoken to his father since he was eight.
Siblings? Relationship with siblings? N/A
Other Important Relatives: His grandparents, Charles and Victoria Bulstrode
Partner/Spouse: None
Children: None
Best Friend: N/A
Other Important Friends: N/A
Acquaintances: N/A
Pets: Two cats, one fluffy black one named Matilda who’s seven and the other an orange tabby named Juliet who’s a year old
Enemies? Why are they enemies?: He doesn’t feel strongly enough about anyone to have enemies
backstory
Describe their childhood (newborn - age 10):
When Benjamin was born he was definitely the apple of his parents and grandparents eye. He was absolutely spoiled rotten, especially by his maternal grandparents. He was surrounded by a lot of love when he was young but he, of course, wasn’t aware of anything going on behind the scenes with his parents. Millicent Bulstrode and Lucas DeLa Cruz had a very whirlwind romance, Millicent took their relationship a lot more seriously than Lucas did and when she fell pregnant with Benjamin she thought that they’d eventually end up being married and stay together until they were old and gray like her parents.
Lucas did not feel the same way but once Millicent was pregnant, he knew he couldn’t just abandon his new family. Which worked out fine for a few years but he found himself getting extremely overwhelmed by Millicent and especially her parents. All he heard about day in and day out was the importance of blood purity, continuing the Bulstrode blood line, and how him and Millicent had to have at least three more children. Eventually, Lucas had enough of the overbearing Bulstrode’s and told Millicent that he couldn’t do this with her anymore. Millicent was livid it seemed as if that angry little girl she used to be was resurfacing with this breach of her trust. She told Lucas that if he was going to leave her that he’d be leaving Benjamin as well since she’d never allow him to see her child again. They fought and fought which ended up in Lucas leaving and never coming back to the Bulstrode family home again.
This happened shortly after Benjamin’s eighth birthday although he was still young at the time he could tell there was a major shift in their home. Once his father was gone it felt like all of the warm and loving energy also left with him. His grandparents still tried with him but it just wasn’t the same and it felt as though his mother couldn’t even look at him. During that time Benjamin took to being out of the house as much as possible, just playing outside in their backyard being out with nature always made him feel better.
Describe their teenage years (11-19):
Benjamin had started off on a rough foot when he got to Hogwarts when he first got his letter it seemed as though that was the first time his mother was happy to be with him again. She would go on and on about the great friends he’d make and the wonderful experiences he’d have if he was sorted into the right house, the underlying tone of that was that the right house was Slytherin. His mother, grandmother, and grandfather’s former house. Benjamin had his heart set on getting into his family’s former house and in his mind, there truly wasn’t any other option for him. Which was why when he was sorted into Hufflepuff it came as such a devastating blow.
To say that his family was disappointed would be an extreme understatement, they took it more as a personal attack rather than something that genuinely couldn’t be helped. Benjamin was extremely upset, of course, he felt like a disappointment and there wasn’t anything he could do to fix or help his situation. It was definitely difficult for him to enjoy his first few years at Hogwarts without feeling this itching feeling of guilt. There was always a tiny voice that would ask him how he could possibly be happy when he was causing such distress to his family. The only time he truly felt happy and could ignore that voice in his head was when he was in Herbology or Potions class, it completely cleared his brain and all he had to focus on was the task at hand. He really excelled in those fields and was a generally pretty gifted wizard, although he would end up keeping these accomplishments to himself.
It was difficult for Benjamin to make friends within his own house because he never really felt like he belonged there. He had a few people he spoke to on occasion but he didn’t consider them close, they were more like acquaintances. He always felt like he was on the outside looking in when he was at Hogwarts as if everybody else knew something that he didn’t about fitting in and making friends. Benjamin was fine with being on his own most of the time but some days he just truly did feel very lonely. He spent almost every single Christmas at Hogwarts since he didn’t really feel welcome at home anymore. There was such an obvious strain on his family and he would have done anything to fix it, just so he’d at least have them back in his corner again.
During his seventh year, he returned home for Christmas for the first time he knew he needed to really talk to his family and that this would be the best time. He was almost done with his time at Hogwarts and if there was ever a time to bury the hatchet this would be it. His grandparents were much more receptive than he thought they would be, his mother was trying her best but he could tell that she was still very clearly unhappy with the situation at hand. His grandparents told him that he would be accepted “back into the family” if he joined the Death Eaters. Being told this it felt as if the floor had fallen out from underneath him, this was bigger than he had anticipated as he wasn’t even aware that his family were affiliated with Death Eaters in the first place. His grandfather let him know that he and his grandmother had been members a long time ago but Millicent had never gotten the mark or joined. Benjamin had known that they had always been big on blood purity but he had figured it was just because they were part of the Sacred Twenty Eight. He knew he was probably just turning a blind eye on purpose since he didn’t want to see the people who raised him in that way. His grandfather told him that if he joined the Death Eaters he would be restoring the Bulstrode name to what it could truly be and it would make them all extremely proud. Benjamin was tired of being lonely, feeling ostracized, and for once just wanted to make them happy so he ended up agreeing to their deal.
Describe their adult years (20+):
After leaving Hogwarts, Benjamin took his Dark Mark and was gifted his current home in Castle Combe by his grandparents. He moved out almost immediately after that, despite the fact that they were now on good terms he just couldn’t be under the same roof with them anymore. He needed his alone time just to think, he felt overall very confused by the current state of things. His grandparents told him everything would go back to normal once he took the mark but things felt worse. At least for Benjamin, it just felt so hollow and it was hard for him to just push these feelings away. This was around when he began making use of the green room in his home and his back yard. Just being in nature again felt very rewarding and helped clear his head.
Which was how he ended up being a Potioneer and Herbologist, both of his favorite things that he could simply do from his own home. This is truly his time for peace when he’s working on a new potion or trying to grow a new plant or fungi, this was easy to him and just made sense. Despite his relationship with his family being “fixed” he still very rarely returned home. It was just hard on Benjamin to see them for more than a few hours at a time, they were just extremely overwhelming. It’s much easier for him to just call or write home than actually see them in person. Especially since his relationship with his mother is still not as strong as he’d like it to be but he figures, it’ll never get to that level so what’s the point in trying anymore.
Benjamin honestly doesn’t take his role in the Death Eaters all too seriously, he doesn’t feel strongly about muggles and muggle borns one way or the other. He knows that this isn’t an organization that’s easily left but he can’t say he minds that he’s part of them seemingly for life. At least he has somewhere he belongs.
