( Â wolfgang novogratz , cis man , he/him ) Â i think i just saw BENJAMIN âBENJIâ ISLEY down by the shore. i know the TWENTY TWO year old MECHANIC / MUSICIAN has been in oceanview point for TWENTY TWO YEARS , but theyâre family nonetheless. iâve noticed theyâre pretty PROTECTIVE, but itâs rumored theyâre a little IMPULSIVE. guess it makes sense after all theyâre a ARIES. they always remind me of THIS YEAR - THE MOUNTAIN GOATS and WOVEN BRACELETS, GREASE STAINED JEANS, AND IMPROMPTU LATE NIGHT DRIVES. ( kenna , 21 , cst , she/her. )
hiii !!! im kenna and iâm super excited to be here!! bear with me if this intro is a little messy.... iâve had this character in the works for a while but iâve never actually played him before!! on that note, hereâs his pinterest board if youâre interested in things like that haha.
( tws: car accident, death of a parent, drunk driving)
basics
full name: benjamin gray isley
nicknames:Â benji, ben, benny, anything u wanna call him honestly
siblings: madeleine isley (11), oliver isley (14), theodora isley (18)
background
benjiâs parents were fresh out of high school when he was born, the pregnancy came as a shock to everyone but his parents handled it surprisingly well. while delilah studied for her nursing degree, levi got a job at her fatherâs auto repair shop. within a year, the family of three were living on their own (with a lot of support from their families, of course). and next thing they knew, the family of three had turned into a family of six. and while trying to keep up with the schedules of four different kids proved to be difficult at times, they wouldnât have it any other way.
it was no secret to anyone that benji idolized his father - he was the one who introduced him to his love for music, who taught him how to play guitar, who encouraged him when he expressed an interest in music as a career. he could spend hours talking to his father about anything. so, when his father was killed by a drunk driver when he was seventeen, it hit him pretty hard. he managed to hold it together for a few hours after he found out but that night, after everyone else in the house had gone to sleep, he took off in his car. he just felt an overwhelming need to get away, from that house, from that town, from everything. he didnât say a word to his mother before he left and didnât answer any of her countless calls or texts during the time he was away. the error in this decision didnât quite hit him until he returned home the next afternoon to his mother hugging him in tears (leading him to break down in tears himself, apologizing profusely). itâs not a memory he enjoys looking back on, it just reminds him of how much of a selfish asshole he was then.
benji had big plans for himself his senior year. he was going to move out to los angeles, start a band, and make it big! he was going to be a rockstar! he would show everyone that he could make it, he would make his parents proud someday. these dreams were quickly discarded after his fatherâs death, once he realized that his mother was suddenly left alone with three minors to care for. she never asked him to stay and in fact, tried to convince him not to when he told her his intentions to do so. nothing she said convinced him and so... he stayed. he got certified as a mechanic after graduation and went to work at his grandpaâs auto repair shop (the same one his father worked at before his death).
he still has a passion for music and an interest in maybe someday turning it into an actual career - he knows itâs a bit of a longshot though. heâs happy enough just playing for his friends and family now. is sort of thinking of starting a band here in oceanview but is not entirely sure yet....
headcanons
has a box full of woven friendship bracelets that his little sister has made for him over the years... is always wearing at least one. thinks theyâre pretty cool. likes to give them out to his friends too and he will judge them if they donât wear it. like, you think youâre too cool for a friendship bracelet? no youâre not put it on right now
tries his hardest to be the rational and responsible one in his friend group.... tries to talk his friends out of doing dumb shit but usually ends up doing it with them in the end.... heâll say itâs just to make sure they donât die but he actually enjoys it.Â
very much the type to put other peopleâs needs before his own. heâs allergic to doing things for himself and needs to be pushed to actually do so. isnât very open about his feelings :// tends to keep things bottled up. and it honestly has a lot to do with him being embarrassed about the way he acted when his dad died.Â
honestly really likes cooking!!! is usually the one cooking dinner at home (especially if his mom is working a late shift at the hospital), has a list of recipes to try out, and usually tries something new at least once a week.
really likes puns.... dad joke extraordinaire. will laugh at his own jokes even if no one else thought it was funny.
loves to go stargazing, especially with other people. he likes to flex his knowledge lol. is definitely known as the âcool guy who knows a lot about starsâ among some of his siblingsâs friends.Â
wanted connections
i will make an actual somewhat detailed list later but for now... honestly down for anything!!! best friends/childhood friends, neighbors, exes, family friends, etc. anything and everything!!
â  i  dare  you  to  jump  in  the  water  ,  no  cheating  either  !  â  arms  are  crossed  over  her  chest  ,  a  wide  grin  plastered  across  her  face  as  she  watched  her  friend  ,  brows  arched  high  on  her  forehead. it  wouldnât  be  a  real  party  if  truth  or  dare  wasnât  involved  ,  even  in  your  twenties. â  the  waters  not  that  cold  and  i  doubt  thereâs  anything  scary  that  close  to  shore  ,  so  i  see  no  excuse  unless  youâre  deathly  afraid  of  the  ocean  !  â
"how do you... cheat at jumping in the water?â benji questioned, an amused smile creeping up on his face. âare there rules to it that i donât know about?â he slipped his hands into his pockets as he moved closer to the water, peering into it as he slowly started emptying his pockets of anything that he wouldnât to lose or get ruined. ordinarily, he would have been a little more resistant to any dares thrown his way but... he had already been expecting that heâd end up in the water sometime that night. he was well aware of how these nights usually went.
Where: Oceanview Point beach ( at the Bonfire )
Who: Anyone! @oceanstartersâÂ
Any excuse to party and get drunk was a good enough excuse for James. He LOVED hanging out with his friends, especially on the beaches because there was just something so soothing about being on the beach when it was late at night. This town was his heart and soul and he felt like he truly belonged here. Or maybe it was just the alcohol that was giving him these corny thoughts right now but either way, he was having the time of his life. âIâm not on duty tonight so if anything happens to that bonfire, it is NOT my problem,â he joked, a laugh leaving his lips as he did. Honestly, his hero complex would probably get the better of him and heâd try to save the day, not matter how wasted he currently was right now. âIâve already drank so much vodka that Iâll probably set on fire if I go anywhere near it.âÂ
benji couldnât help but linger around the bonfire, not wanting to stray too far from it just in case something happened. and he couldnât keep his eyes from lingering on some of his more intoxicated friends, already breaking the promise he had made to himself that he wouldnât spend so much time worrying over them. he glanced over at james when he spoke up, cracking a smile at his joke. âyeah, you probably would. i can smell the vodka from over here, dude.â he teased. âyou try to go anywhere near that fire and i will tackle you.â he paused, looking him over to try and ascertain just how much he had drank already. âhave you had any water like, at all?â
   from a distance, sage is all bare skin and shaggy, dark hair crouched down in the sand. he digs his toes in deeper as he leans himself forward, pale eyes caught on a starfish moving ever so slowly from the shoreline, leading legs curling up and back down as they go. âwhat are youâcome on dude, you know youâre going the wrong way,â sage addresses the starfish as if heâs known the creature his whole life. heâs been watching, curiously, for a good five minutes, unsure what of he should do, if anything at all.Â
   confident he wonât lose track of his newfound friend, sage tilts his head up and scouts the beach for someone that might be able to help, or at the very least provide some insight. âhey!â he calls out, straightening his body as he lays eyes on someone a little ways away. âhow long can starfish survive outside water? d'you know? this guyâs just heading toward i donât know where, but itâs definitely not the right way.â
benji couldnât help but stop and stare when he spotted the figure crouched on the beach. his amused expression at the sight turned into one of surprise once the male turned his attention onto him. was it that obvious that he was watching?
âuh-â he exhaled, puffing out his cheeks as he made his way over to examine the creature in the sand. âi mean, it looks fine to me...â not that he was really an expert on starfish behavior.. he scratched the back of his head, crouching down to get a better look. âbut that doesnât really mean anything, i guess. i donât know a whole lot about starfish. have you tried... nudging it in the right direction?â he tentatively and gently poked the starfish, furrowing his brows. âyou good?â
hazel took the big van from her parentâs house. and no, this time she would not be leaving anywhereâ well, she would go downtown to her very own shop. she had gotten a bunch of new stuff to sell, mainly clothes, and she was already late to open that morning, so she had to hurry up.Â
once there, it was pretty much clear she would not be done any time soon if she had to bring everything in to herself, so she approached the first person passing by, stood right in front of them and showed her very best innocent smile. âif you help me with all that stuff, iâll give you something very, very special. are you in?â
"something very, very special huh? i donât know... iâm a pretty busy guy, itâd have to be something amazing to make it worth my while.â benji teased, already moving towards the van. he was technically supposed to be meeting up with his grandfather for breakfast before work but... he could wait a few more minutes right? it wasnât like the old man was ever on time anyway. âso, what would you have done if i hadnât shown up?â he questioned, taking on a more serious tone. âjust do all of this by yourself?â
