Benjamín Rodríguez-García
Benjamín Rodríguez-García is a human reincarnation of Bill Cipher. His soul is not properly tethered to his body, and wanders into the Mindscape whenever he goes to sleep.[1]
Physical Description
Ben is a very tall and broad-shouldered man. Before age fourteen, he was a teenager with acne, short black hair, and dark brown eyes.
After being attacked by demons, his body was mutilated with claw marks and burn scars. He was blinded and also lost his foot, requiring him to wear a prosthetic one. He lost his hair, but grew a short beard.
As an adult, Ben often dresses in suits for his job as a lawyer. He uses a cane whenever he travels outside his house.
Personality
Ben is thoughtful and quiet. He speaks very little and is not very outwardly emotive, and this with his large stature can make him an intimidating presence to some people.
However, Ben is an incredibly passionate and clever person. He cares very deeply for his family, and has a strong sense of justice: when President Chancellor's pro-nat administration begins persecuting magical creatures, Ben uses his experience as a lawyer to offer legal advice and defend them in court.
Powers
When Ben's soul reincarnated into him, something happened that caused it not to attach itself properly to his body. This left him free to wander the Mindscape every night as a pure soul - an amalgamation of himself and all his previous lives, including Bill Cipher.
As a soul, Ben was not entirely himself. His personality could vary wildly as aspects of his past lives came to the surface. Decisions he would consider morally reprehensible were not in the moment, and that was why the dreams from the Midway Bar - which often included his soul doing things like drinking blood - became a source of comfort instead of one of constant trauma.
This power also left him extremely vulnerable, as any demon could easily devour an unprotected soul. The only reason Ben survived is because other demons were not aware Bill's soul was human, and feared his reputation.
After he was attacked, he took to wearing a bracelet that directed his soul to Alcor's section of the Mindscape, where it would be safely contained every night.
History
Ben was born in 3466 to parents Marie García and Santino Rodríguez-Hernández. Ben's father died when he was three, and he was raised by his mother in Southern Arizona.
From the beginning, his soul would separate from his body every time he went to sleep. It went to the Midway Bar and attracted considerable attention from other demons. Bill's fearsome reputation was the only thing keeping it safe. Ben, unaware of the true circumstances, experienced these as pleasant, if often gruesome, dreams which he took to drawing during the day. His soul continued to visit the Midway Bar until he was fourteen, and his dreams became an important coping mechanism to him.
During his Sophomore year at high school, Ben's soul was approached by Tortugagger, a torture demon and loyal servant to Bill Cipher. Tortugagger was initially unaware that Bill's soul had reincarnated into a human body, and upon finding out he turned on Bill's soul and started to torture Ben every time he went to sleep.
In Ben's attempts to save himself from the demon, he attracted Alcor's attention. Alcor was terrified to find out Bill's soul was capable of leaving his current body, and forced Ben to wear a necklace that would keep him anchored while he slept. This would ease Alcor's fears about his soul, and keep Ben safe from demons that were angry Bill's soul had shown weakness by 'siding with Alcor' to get Tortugagger destroyed.
However, Ben did not enjoy wearing this necklace, as he was deprived of an outlet for his stress at a very difficult time in his life. He lost interest in drawing and became very depressed, spending almost all his time lying in his room. After a couple weeks, a hurtful conversation with his mother caused Ben to accidentally break the necklace, and despite knowing the dangers of going back to the Mindscape, he went back to sleep again.
Once back in the Mindscape, angry demons discovered Ben's soul was human and attacked him. He was viciously mauled in the attack, losing a foot, several digits, and both of his eyes before Alcor decided to intervene. Alcor was initially furious with Ben for disobeying him, but quickly realized this had not been a plan gone wrong by Bill's soul; this had been Ben attempting to end his own life. Alcor brought Ben's soul back to his body in the hospital, and stayed away during the majority of his recovery.
Ben began talking to a therapist, and told his mother about Alcor and the true nature of his dreams. Alcor made Ben a new necklace that would keep his soul inside Alcor's domain of the Mindscape.
He met his husband Matthew Lackson in college, and the two shared an apartment together as Ben worked on his law degree.[2]
Appearances
Gallery
References
- ↑ ToothPasteCanyon (mod T). "Ben Can't Sleep" (2019). [Archive of Our Own] <https://archiveofourown.org/works/17050277>
- ↑ ToothPasteCanyon (mod T). "Dreams That Talk, Nightmares That Walk" (2019). [Archive of Our Own] <https://archiveofourown.org/works/18118274>
