Benzaiten Steel

—Benzaiten Steel[src]

**Benzaiten Steel**, also known as **Benten** or **Ben,** was the twin brother of Juno Steel. Like Juno, Ben is named after a goddess. Benzaiten's namesake is a Japanese Buddhist goddess. As opposed to his cynical and pessimistic sibling, Ben is bubbly, optimistic, charming, funny, and described to lighten up any room he enters.

## History

*Proceed at your own risk if you have not yet listened to Season 2 and beyond of the Penumbra Podcast.*

### Early Life

Ben spent the first four years of his life living in Halcyon with his mother, Sarah Steel, and his twin, Juno. According to an old co-worker of their mother's, Polaris Park engineer Lorenzo Vega, they were widely regarded as "charming children."  After his mother lost her job and "got bad," his family moved to Oldtown, a derelict area of Hyperion City.

Benzaiten and Juno were both enormous fans of Northstar Entertainment's "Andromeda" franchise as children. Ben's favorite episode of *The New Adventures of Andromeda* was "By Captain Cancer's Claws," which was a source of disagreement between him and his twin. As children, Ben would play the Draco to Juno's Andromeda.

In the third grade, Ben received the title of "Galaxy's Best Smile" from his classmates, something which irritated Juno because, as they were twins, they both had exactly the same one.

In the seventh grade, Ben wore "weird contacts" and styled his hair in an unspecified but apparently notable manner.

### Adulthood

Although Juno left Oldtown to go to the Hyperion City police academy, Ben stayed with their mother in Oldtown. He was a dance instructor prior to his death, which he said he liked because dancing made him feel like he was flying.

### Death

Benten died around the age of nineteen at the hands of his abusive mother, still able to see the good in her where Juno could not. On the day he was killed, Sarah thought that he had taken her pills and, upon being asked about them, Ben replied that he didn't know what she was talking about. Sarah interpreted the reply as having "attitude" and, for a moment, thought that Ben was Juno. She then shot Ben, killing him. Later, she found her missing pills at the bottom of her purse.

20 years later, Benzaiten appears to Juno in Dr. Hanataba's clinic, presumably as an illusion of Juno's mind while he undergoes the surgery to remove his cybernetic eye. Nevertheless, he acts as himself and is able to help Juno solve the case of the robbery that led to their mother's downfall.

## Personality

As a child, Benten always wanted things to be fair: for example, although he was generally too happy to start a fight, he would fight back if provoked. While Juno was good at planning trouble, Ben was better at getting into trouble. He was charismatic, optimistic, and funny. Ben had a habit of turning things into a joke and would take smug delight when Juno had to admit he was wrong. Unlike Juno, he had a tendency to see the best in other people and what they could become. As a result, he couldn't view Sarah Steel as anything but a human being struggling with her own problems, whereas Juno could only see her as an abusive monster. It is implied that this was Ben's way of coping with his mother's abuse.

## Abilities

Benzaiten is a talented dancer, and taught dance for a living.

## Episode Appearances

* Juno Steel and the Case of the Murderous Mask (Part 2) (mentioned)
* Juno Steel and the Case of the Murderous Mask Update (Part 1) (mentioned)
* Juno Steel and the Case of the Murderous Mask Update (Part 2) (mentioned)
* Juno Steel and the Day That Wouldn't Die (Part 1) (mentioned)
* Juno Steel and the Day That Wouldn't Die (Part 2) (mentioned)

Season 2
* Juno Steel and the Kitty-Cat Caper (Part 2) (mentioned)
* Juno Steel and the Promised Land (Part 2) (mentioned)
* Juno Steel and the Monster's Reflection (Part 1)
* Juno Steel and the Monster's Reflection (Part 2)
* Juno Steel and the Monster's Reflection (Part 3)
* Juno Steel and the Long Way Home (Part 1) (mentioned)

## Trivia

* Benzaiten (弁才天, 弁財天) (Benten for short) is a Japanese Buddhist goddess, who originated from the Hindu goddess Saraswati. She is worshipped in both Buddhist and Shinto traditions as a deity of wisdom.
* In official art, Juno appears to have a sleeve tattoo of the goddess Benzaiten on his left arm[source needed]
* His favorite board game was Cred Creeper.

## References

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzaiten
2. ↑ Juno Steel and the Dragon's Den (Part 2)
3. ↑ Juno Steel and the Kitty-Cat Caper (Part 2)
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Juno Steel and the Monster's Reflection (Part 3)
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Juno Steel and the Monster's Reflection (Part 1)
6. ↑ Juno Steel and the Promised Land (Part 3)
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Juno Steel and the Monster's Reflection (Part 2)