#benjal used to be a skinny little thing but i made him rounder and

[fatal-blow]

“Did Orden ever think about ending the war?” Benjal demanded.  “Your country had an embargo put in place on us.  You killed wildlife in your oceans by putting in mines, you were so obsessed with keeping us down here.  By Sol, Orden forced their prisoners of war to fight in gladiatorial matches, and you can't deny that because Eli fought in those matches!

“I know there were things wrong with Solvan,” he continued, “but Orden wasn't a pillar of morality either.  No one's a winner when it comes to the war.” He looked away with a shake of his head. “It doesn't matter anyways. Solvan's gone.  Orden's won now.”

Name: Benjalidius-Veen Nivul

Gender/ Sexuality: Trans man/Bisexual

Race: Human

Nationality: Solvani

For someone so young, Benji’s achieved a lot in his life.  He started out an orphan, adopted by his father back before he’d transitioned.  His prodigious talent with magic pushed him ahead in school, but when he came out as trans--a brave thing to do in Solvan--he switched schools and was allowed by his father to transition.

Still, Benji’s father wasn’t very supportive despite allowing him to do what he wanted, using the right pronouns, everything.  He stopped talking about Benji outside of the home, and often outright ignored him.  Fortunately, around this time Benji met Eli, an old war veteran turned shop owner who was vastly more supportive of him.

Eli became a father to Benji, helping him with schoolwork and pushing him to be the best he could.  Benji graduated at young age with a shocking five schools of magic under his belt.  It wasn’t long after that he was welcomed into the Akatan Council, becoming their youngest member and a voice that chose to speak up for all the values that Eli taught him.

It was probably Eli, and his own gender identity, that made Benji as open minded as he is, a precious skill after the World Goes Quiet and he’s forced to work with people from so many different walks of life.  He helped balance out the more conservative side of the Council, advocating for progressive laws that could have changed Solvan for the better.

Overall, Benji’s got a lot of potential as a leader!  He’s a good speaker and an empathetic person, but his insecurities hold him back from being more.  It takes a lot of prodding from Eli to step up.  Benji needs to be more confident in himself, his abilities, and the things he likes (especially when the things he likes involve a certain Ordenian couple).

Benji’s just as determined to restore Solvan as the next guy, but he also sees the potential the world has if it were forced to start anew.  He’s acutely aware of Solvan’s failings, how they were a long way from being solved, and his ability to see both sides of an issue is rather invaluable.

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