Benjamin Latimer (art by Little Boy)
Name: Benjamin Latimer
Gender: Male
Age: 16
Hobbies and Interests: Marching Band, The Military, joking around in class, comedy movies, and working at a local burger joint.
Appearance: Benjamin is a bigger guy, standing at 6'1" and weighing 210 lbs. A fair amount of his weight is muscle, but he has quite a bit of fat, due to the cheap snack foods that plague his families' apartment. He tries to hide this by keeping good posture at all times.
He has dark brown that is cut short and shows his ears. His eyes are a deep blue. He has a relatively clear complexion that is a distinct improvement over the skin of his early teenage years. He has round cheeks with large dimples when he smiles. He has thick sideburns, but the rest of his face is clear of facial hair, as he has to keep clean cut for his job. He has slightly crooked teeth, as his family couldn't afford to get him braces.
On the day of the lottery, Benjamin was wearing an olive green U.S Army T-Shirt, a pair of pale blue jeans, and a pair of worn hiking boots.
Biography: Benjamin was named after Benjamin Franklin, as his father was a very patriotic man. A week after Benjamin's second birthday; his father was called in for his first term in the military, and was killed in combat a month before his third. Benjamin's mother had little time to mourn, being a single mother with no high school diploma. She had dropped out of high school when she married Benjamin's father, a man two years older than her. She found work at a thrift clothing store where she has worked ever since. Benjamin doesn't remember his father, but on the rare occasion he was able to get a little bit out of his mom about him. He didn't listen very well to the less redeeming qualities, only listening to the good, and has idolized his father, and by extension, the military,
Benjamin's mother wasn't around much when he was growing up, usually having one of the neighbors babysit. Benjamin starting school was a blessing for them, as no one would have to watch him during the day anymore. He was initially picked on for his size, but the other kids stopped when they realized how funny he was. He started getting in trouble in class for talking too much, and he eventually learned to keep his jokes for recess.
Late in elementary school he started playing the bass drum in band class, a hobby he decided to keep after he saw a military parade. In high school he entered the marching band, a highly approved activity by the military, as it encourages discipline and cohesion as a group.
Recently he got a job at a local burger joint, to help his mom with money problems. This led to a further rise in his popularity, he had been known for being funny before, but now they could add him as the guy who took their order at the local hangout.
Despite not having too much time out of school where he isn't working, he manages to fit some time in on weekends to see a cheaper afternoon movie with some friends. Usually they go to see comedies, but occasionally they'll go and see an action flick.
His grades in school are mediocre. He often doesn't turn in homework, since he spends a lot of his time working. He manages to pass all his classes, so he isn't worried.
After high school he plans to go into the military on the front lines to follow in his dad's footsteps. His mom protested, having wanted him to try to get in a supporting role, like mechanics. They still haven't come to an agreement about it.
Advantages: He's a bigger guy and could do a lot of harm to someone if he had a large hand weapon. He's relatively popular with the other students and could probably count on someone helping him out. He's used to hard work so exhaustion is less likely. He's got some weight to spare so hunger is less likely to plague him.
Disadvantages: He doesn't have anything against his classmates and wouldn't want to hurt them. His size might work against him as he wouldn't be able to hide easily, along with his weight slowing him down when running. He doesn't have any close friends so he's unlikely to have anyone he could trust to the end.
Designated Number: Male Student #5
Designated Weapon: Kimber Desert Warrior
Conclusion: Intimidatingly large, with a very nice weapon. M05 may be going places if he can overcome the admittedly small disadvantages he has.
The above biography is as written by bacon. No edits or alterations to the author's original work have been made.
Evaluations[]
Kills: Harris Van Allen
Killed by: Bryant Carver
Collected Weapons: Kimber Desert Warrior (assigned weapon, to Johan Luther )
Allies: Johan Luther
Enemies: Matthew Gourley
Mid-Game Evaluation:
Post-Game Evaluation:
Memorable Quotes:
Other/Trivia[]
Coming soon...
Threads[]
Below is a list of threads that contain Benjamin, in chronological order.
Your Thoughts[]
Whether you were a fellow handler in SOTF or just an avid reader of the site, we'd like to know what you thought about Benjamin. What did you like, or dislike, about the character? Let us know here!
- Ben was a fairly low-key character during most of his time in The Program. He spent a lot of time with other people, but I feel like that wasn't always for the best, since it could lead to really lengthy exchanges that didn't really do much for character or story (his multi-page discussion with Johan, for example, goes a little further in depth than the situation really merits). The other little bone I have to pick with Ben is that he actually does kill someone, but it does very little for his character or story, which is always an uncomfortable state of affairs.
That said, it's important to remember that bacon was a really new handler at the time, and there's a lot of evidence of her growth as a writer even just in Ben's story. In particular, I feel like Ben finally its his stride in his last thread. He gets a chance to be a more active participant, and really develops a lot more of a voice. In the end, that's a good way for things to be; I think it's best if a character's last moment can be their finest, because it leaves the reader with a good taste in their mouth. - MurderWeasel