That which does not kill me...

Er, hi. [waves shyly] Ben's mun here. This, I guess, will be the Official Contact Post if you want to yell at me about something. If I do something egregiously wrong or stupid, please let me know. Or, you know, if you've got kudos, I love to hear that too.

That being said, IP tracking is off, comments are screened, and anon is enabled.

I really enjoy these long, plotty, arc-driven things. That being said, even if it seems like I'm online 24/7, I'm not, actually--and I'm more likely to be around in the afternoons during the week. Depending on my Spousal Unit's schedule, I'll be around some evenings as well. So, if I don't answer for awhile, it's not because I abandoned the thread, necessarily--it's because I do have a flesh-and-blood family that I need to interact with on occasion.

Also, I'm good with back-tagging and will love you forever if you pick up a dropped thread days later so we can continue it.

Anyway, I love you all. Happy RPing.

And the A-Team stuff goes in here too, because it, amazingly, tied in. This is why I love free-form RP. You never know what will happen.

( Under the cut, because holy cow. )

When last we left our heroes, Guriel got reassigned. Ben's response to that is to go on a bender, while Guriel goes out and relandscapes a park.

The next morning, Razas tells Ben that there's a third verse to the prophecy, which makes Ben grumpy. Ben takes Steven to the park, where he has a talk with Raph -- and Ray, who has a message from Guriel.

Ben goes out for groceries and ends up getting ambushed again. In the meantime, Razas gets a visit from Simon. And then Lucifer shows up. How is this Razas's life?

And Ben decides that, since Steven is getting bigger and bigger, a rabbit-breeding operation might not go amiss.

Ben and Raz go out drinking, and run into Simon, who pushes him to tell Ben what Lucifer's plans are. And the night ends in disaster when Ben beats the absolute shit out of a guy who (probably) deserves it, but (probably) didn't deserve to be put in the hospital.

And Ben really thinks that Lucifer should put the crack pipe down, because there's no way he's going to go Fluffy the Angel Slayer for the Other Side, you know?

Ben wakes up hungover and cranky, hacks into Hell's website, and poses as Raz. Which backfires spectacularly when one of Raz's brothers decides to play a practical joke and sends them a venomous spider the size of a Pekingese. Raz makes him a list of magical items to obtain, and he goes out after them, only to run afoul of Simon again, who drugs him and hands him over to the tender mercies of Will's Pack. Which Simon then taunts Guri about.

And Ben wakes up in Gerard Wynter's basement, chained to the wall, and discovers that he's the newest (and unwillingest) member of Wynter's Pack. Razas is worried when he doesn't come home, and disguises it badly while Simon taunts him.

Will is a bit cranky about the whole situation, but at least Ben finally eats after three days. Simon gives Guri a little more insight into his motivations.

Raz gets a bit broody about redemption, and then Simon decides that it'll be a good idea to steal the grimoire and give it to Wynter. Razas and Giborel, Ben's new Guardian, have a long-ranging conversation while Ben's in an involuntarily-drug-induced sleep.

Guri wonders if he's being tested, and both Simon and Dad pay him a visit. Ben, in the meantime, doesn't particularly want to spend the full moon with his new Pack, but at least he wins a dominance fight and isn't the "Omega Pup" anymore. Giborel is beginning to realize what an "interesting" assignment this is. And Ben thinks he lives in "interesting times" and is unamused. Especially when he finds out that their demon prophet is a Fallen Seraph. But then Raz draws the protective circle on his chest that should stop demons from killing him, so Ben thinks all's right in his world, or as right as it can get at this point. Which, you know, it's not, actually.

Guri gets some time off and comes by for a visit, which goes about as well as it always does. Raph visits Ben in a dream about the gate and gives what comfort he can.

Will and Ben go on a field trip to Father Leo's church, where Will tells him he needs to fight smarter, not harder. Gib sees a light at the end of the tunnel and wonders if it's an oncoming train. He has a conversation with Michael that gives him a little more insight as to why Ben would trust a demon.

Wynter finally lets Ben go home, making it plain that he still considers Ben "his." And then Ben finds out that the sigil on his chest won't actually protect his life from demons. And, so, naturally, he confronts Raz about it. Which actually goes better than expected. Raz gives him a new sigil, and Ben verifies with Simon and Bel that it actually does what it's supposed to.

He makes a new friend (Siobhan) when he's locked in a cage with her. She finds him in a coffeeshop contemplating his new chest sigil. And then she's down because her demon boyfriend has to go into hiding. But then he's back and they're getting married and his wings have grown in! Ben falls afoul of some misguided Hunters, and Fran gets him cleaned up. And a demon comes after him, and Bel helps him out.

Siobhan has wings, and she asks him to look for Fran, whose shop has burnt down. Ben asserts that missing-persons cases are the worst, but tells Lester and Ghost that he'll do his best to find her.

Raz helps Ben clean house, and they enlist Simon's aid in getting a message to the Asylum. They also banish Nybbas, so maybe Ben can get some actual sleep. Ben talks to Guri, who tells him where he dropped Fran off, and also tells him more details about Jaf. Ben gets Siobhan in touch with Fran. He sees her later and she catches him up on the news, which is as good as can be expected.

Raz talks to Dad, with a little prodding from Jaf and a whole lot of WTF from Simon. And Janni comes home to find they've added a Hellhound to their household.

Siobhan has a birthday party, and Ben garners a new case. And Raph is excited that Dad's doing a new thing, but Simon's not as happy, and tries to get drunk, with minimal success. He gets to talk to Raz, finally, and decides he's happy for him. Gib and Guri are pretty pleased too, but Ben is a little freaked that both the grimoire and the sigil on his chest are glowing. But Raz finally comes home and tells Ben what he did. There is much rejoicing.

Ben gets stuck in elevators with Siobhan and Lester, and vows to take the stairs from here on out.

Simon gets a pet snake and shows him off to Guri. Ben meets Grace, a servant of Dad's. Simon gets think-y about traitors, which leads to Lucifer telling him to kill Guriel within two weeks, or else.

The Asylum brings the gate to LA, and Ben gets Fran to pray. He and Guri go to face off with it, and have a fine old time. Meanwhile, Simon admires Raz's new feathers, until Sahaquiel crash-lands in Ben's apartment and tells them that a spiritual gate has to fall before the physical one does. Simon goes haring up the hillside to tell them... well. Everything.

And then he repents. Which knocks down that spiritual gate.

After that, Ben and Guri kick down the physical gate. Guri nearly dies, but Simon pours out his newfound Grace and saves him. There is much rejoicing. Ben and Guri get Orders, and that's the end of the Prophecy Arc.

Gib is concerned that things are too quiet. Simon runs into Uriel, who tells him he needs to talk to Michael. Raz is encouraging, Liwya is bitter, Belial is mocking, and Julie is out of her timeframe. The conversation with Michael goes... fairly horribly, but at least Simon still has his head at the end of it. He's a little disgruntled about his reception, all told, but gets some insight from Gabriel and a hug from Guri, while Belial is enigmatic and Julie is sympathetic. And he works on his Purpose by telling Rob how much Dad loves him.

Ben takes Steven to the park and doesn't end up bleeding for once. Simon goes to the mall to spread some joy and runs into Sariel. And he drags Raz along too, which ends in disaster when he forgets that this is the mall that Namtar hangs out in and Raz nearly gets his wing cut off. He talks to Ithuriel about killing and armies. Simon and Mammon both think that Belial's plot against Lucifer is a dumb idea. And Simon helps Liwya pick out a dress. Ben runs into a talking angelic guinea pig and tells Fritz about it. He also tells Luke the truth about Santa.

And then it all goes to shit in a spectacular fashion. Morrigan and Lucifer take Simon and have their brand of fun with him, tearing the wings from his back to make an example of him for the other anahim. Meanwhile, Raz realizes something is terribly wrong, and Sariel joins him in a fruitless search. Belial taunts Raz. Ben comes home for lunch to find Raz frantic, and they conduct their own hunt. Belial grabs Simon from where Morrigan's minions dumped him on a pile of garbage in an alleyway. Ben detects Belial's scent near a literal puddle of Simon's blood and hares off to confront him.

Belial drops Simon off on Ben's front porch, where Liwya finds him and tends him until Raz appears to take over. Ben comes back from his battle with Belial, battered and bloody, in the midst of Raz and Raph tending Simon's wounds. He can't stay because the smell of Simon's blood is sending him into Rage Overdrive, so he hits his favorite bar, only to find that Morrigan has gotten there ahead of him. He manages to escape her intact.

Ben rants that the Fallen are a bunch of assholes. Guriel tells him that Iona is going to be a haven for them until this all shakes out. Jaf is looking into wards, which Simon tells him will be fruitless against Lu and Morrigan. Simon goes to the park and talks to Sariel about it, and is ordered to Iona by Gabriel. He lets Robin know that he'll be incognito for awhile.

Gib gets Orders from Michael, and talks to Seth about what's going on as the plot moves to a new community. Simon's out and about on Iona, continuing his healing process, talking to his more welcoming brothers, and greeting new arrivals. Another talk with Uriel goes fairly horribly for Simon, but Jaf makes him feel better.

Janni makes pie, among other things. Ben and Guri arrive on Iona. Simon watches Guri fly. Gib reports to Michael, and so does Simon.

Ben has a talk with Gabriel. Raz flies for the first time in forever, much to Simon's delight. And then the battle happens, and it goes... well. About as well as can be expected. Simon is upset about all the death. And thus ends the "Lucifer Rising" arc.

Ben is kidnapped by Elle Bishop's dad and becomes the star attraction of his illegal fighting Pit -- or he would be if he hadn't refused to fight. Bob accidentally figures out the trigger for the Predator, however, so the next fight should be a little more exciting. Ben also meets Gavriel, a fellow captive.

In the meantime, Guriel is frantically hunting for him. Unfortunately, he doesn't find his Packmate before Ben ends up back in the arena, and this time the Predator practically eats his opponent. Charlie tries the "let's be friends" approach with minimal luck.

But Guriel gets a tip from their cop friend, and he's haring off to the rescue with Castle and Elle Woods and Saha.

Several days later, they venture out of the house for the first time to visit Ben's Mom's grave, which nearly ends in disaster when they get pulled over for a seat belt violation and Ben has a pretty spectacular meltdown. When they get home, Zev makes his first appearance since the kidnapping.

Elle's father is killed. She suspects Ben, but in a bid for normalcy, she visits him and they make plans for a trip to that beach in Baja.

Ben hasn't been able to sleep much, so he and Guriel head to the park and see if a nap in the open will help. Ben ends up with a severe head injury when a guy clocks him on the head with a tire iron. And he visits Tziporel, who fell out of a tree and broke his arm. He also helps Cap'n Murdock put some flags up for Memorial Day.

Elle Woods comes over with a news article painting her as a hypocrite, and they give her what encouragement they can. A couple of days later, Guriel decides to take a huge step... and flies. Best. Day. Ever.

They take down another Black Market operation, but it don't ever go smooth. Neither does enjoying a day in the park. Maybe a day at the beach with Elle B. and Zepar will go better.

Elle W. comes by and finds Ben freaking out because he can't find Zev. They manage to get that straightened out, only for Guriel to be ambushed by the Suit from their most recent Black Market takedown.

Tziporel wonders about his mom, and Ben finds her in the database. So he and Guriel make a deal with the evangelist who owns her.

Elle Bishop comes over and meets Ben's new puppy. And Ben and Guriel find out what's happened to Tziporel's dad. They rescue him, reunite him with Tziporel and Zivael, and add a new member to their Pack -- Rachmiel. The three of them go shopping, which could have gone better, but also could have gone worse.

Ben gets stuck in an elevator with Tziporel and introduces him to the Jungle Books.

Ben's doing recon and finds out that Elle B. has inherited Daddy's business. He is displeased, but she's going to help him take it down. Later, he has a nightmare about her.

Ben and Guriel celebrate the anniversary of the day they met. Ben and Elle go on a real date. Kissage ensues, and Ben has to tell Guriel that he and Elle might be an item now, which is all kinds of fun. Especially when she's late for their next date (because she's been taken by her partners) and Ben has to tell Guriel that she inherited everything when her dad was killed. In the process of rescuing her, she gets accidentally wolferized, and she's unhappy about it. Guriel tells him why he was so upset with Ben not telling him, and they go out for pie. And he's still really pissed at Elle. Ben and Guriel save the angels and torch the Pit, but Ben's taken. A few days later, he shows up on Elle's doorstep, starving. She feeds him, and he goes home, much to Guriel and Rachmiel's relief.

Castle shows up again, and Guriel vents at him while Ben is a bit more pensive. Ben helps Zethel make cinnamon rolls and meets Lester, a half-demon kid who's taken refuge at the safehouse.

He talks with Sariel about the Guriel&Elle situation. And then he has it out with Guriel and assures him that what he fears won't happen, along with getting some insight as to why Guriel fears this as much as he does. Ben and Guriel rescue Tabris from frat boys and a demon. Elle's first full moon arrives, and he's there to walk her through it.

Guriel and Elle have another conversation and possibly hash out some of their differences. Guriel encounters one of his Fallen brothers and exchanges snark. Ben, Rachmiel, and Guriel decorate the Christmas tree. Ben feeds Elle a steak. And then they all have a yoga session.

AU threads in general:
04/26/11 Ben dies in front of Guri. Click this for the setup post.
08/13/11 Ben joins Guri on a rooftop in a noir setting. HATS FOR ALL.
11/17/11 Ben dies in front of Raz.
11/17/11 Hiroshi helps a dying Ben.
11/19/11 Guri dies in front of Simon.
01/25/12 Ben is blinded.



THE AU OF THE Enslaved/chains_of_grace AU:
01/20/11 Guriel has broken the bathroom mirror in the aftermath of reading his big brother a well-deserved Riot Act
04/24/11 Guriel dies in Ben's arms. (Hit this for the setup post on that thread.)
04/27/11 Ben dies in Elle Bishop's arms. (Hit this for the setup post on that thread.)
04/27/11 Ben dies in Elle Woods's arms. (Hit this for the setup post on that thread.)
07/13/11 Ben is shot in the head and has lost his memory
11/20/11 Elle B. dies in Ben's arms

Three weeks. It ain't seven months, but twelve insurgents ain't eighty-seven demons, and the insurgents couldn't get into his head, not like this. Guri rescues him over, and over, and over. And over.

And it ain't never, ever him. And, gradually, Ben stops believing it's him, or that he'll ever come at all, and he prays for death instead.

Death, however, is hidin' its face. The wolfsbane netting sprouts flowers, but right before it goes to seed and dies, takin' him with it, Shaitan removes it and replaces it with a fresh one to start the process all over. Laughin', and askin' him if he really thought it would be this easy. Ben is silent; he'd stopped talkin' about a week in. Savin' his strength for silent prayer instead. Prayer aloud brings a choke-down from the collar, and he learned early on not to do it.

He can't move. Can't sleep. All he can do is endure whatever fresh torture Shai and his demons devise. Day, after day, after day. And they don't have to sleep. The only relief he gets is from the heroin. He knows, deep down, how very bad that is, that they can and will take it away from him at any time and leave him beggin' for the needle like the addict he's become, but it feels so. Gorram. Good. To just lose himself in the numbness for awhile.

Three weeks. Eighty-seven demons. And he prays for death.

Writer Info
Name: Julie
Age: 40mumble
Contact: werewolfhacker on AIM
--------------------

Character Info
Name: Ben Lockwood
Age: (barely) 20, but looks about 35 or 40, due to genetic burning.
Status: Shapeshifter
Occupation: Private investigator
Personality: Sarcastic White Knight in Tarnished Armor. Ben was designed for speed and agility rather than brute strength, so his height is less-than-impressive and he's built more like a runner than a wrestler. He's a pretty mild-mannered guy on the surface, which he kind of has to be if he wants to keep his (human) cover intact. He is generally polite, especially to women and people older than he is. However, he despises people who think their money makes them special and other pompous jerks, and has a tendency to mutter sarcastic remarks under his breath around them. Doing it aloud has gotten him in trouble, more than once, and he's been conditioned hard to keep his disrespectful thoughts to himself.

He won't start a fight, but he will by-God finish one if you push him hard enough. Threatening a woman in his presence is right out. Don't even go there. This has been known to backfire when the woman in question didn't care for his interference, but he can no more not step in than he can stop breathing. In keeping with the lycanthropy, he has a hell of a temper and tries to keep a tight rein on it at all times, because if he lets go of the bridle, then people end up bleeding -- or dead. Under stress, he starts chopping his sentences and emphasizing words. If he's under a lot of stress, he completely loses his comma function and talks in long run-on sentences instead.

All he really wants in life right now is to live it in peace and keep his head down. He fears, more than anything, being caught and dragged back to that place to face whatever punishment fucking demons would dole out -- and he's seen some doozies, back before he knew demons were involved. In fact, he'd rather die than be caught. However. . . if he can find a way to take down the demon organization that created him? He'll grab that opportunity with both hands.

History: Ben Lockwood, deserter.

Not how he likes to think of himself. He showed early aptitude for the military, and he's been groomed for this his whole life. It is his life, has been since puberty hit.

His unit commander called him his "pet hacker," and Ben can crack most systems with a little effort and sometimes does so just for the hell of it. What he didn't count on was finding out that the Lycanthrope Division was funded and run by demons, which will teach him to poke around servers he's got no business sticking his nose in. He covered his tracks, shit his pants, and hoped like hell he wouldn't get caught.

Military installations are legitimate targets for his unique talents. But he doesn't remember signing up for taking out a busload of civilian kids, even if they're the kids of politicians and other powerful people. And then there was the sixteen-year-old girl, hiding her younger sister behind her with their backs to the overturned chassis, who lifted her chin and actually took a swing at him before he tore her throat out.

So Ben, at the tender age of 20, helped neutralize the objective. He said nothing, drank the celebratory toasts after it was done with the other (older) members of his unit, and seemed to go on like it hadn't affected him. But that girl's defiant face haunted his dreams, and he couldn't meet his own eyes in the mirror anymore when he shaved. The next time they sent him out, he rabbited. Picked up and went with the clothes on his back and the money in his wallet and not much else. Now he's on the run with a new identity in a new city.

Part of his MOS was forging documents -- and he's good enough at it that he's got a PI license and is making a fair living. These days, he mainly uses his skills to check on the financials of cheating spouses, and hides in plain sight among the humans, who have no idea there's a predator lurking among them. He just hopes he can keep it that way.

Skills, Talents, Abilities: As a trained soldier, he's proficient with most firearms, as well as bladed weapons and hand-to-hand combat. His favorite gun is a Micro Desert Eagle .380, which he's hardly ever without. He's also got quite a bit of skill with computers and is able to hack into servers, mess around, and cover his tracks effectively.

Icon: http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/105382870/30111166

So, yeah, the mun has this thing called a "family," and is hieing off to Colorado for a few days. And the mun's mother-in-law has no internets. How she survives, I will never know. We'll be out from tomorrow through... Tuesday, I think, back to regular posting and adventure-having on Wednesday if all goes well.

Try not to let anything earth-shattering happen without me. And if it does, then leave me linkage.

EDIT: Back!