POWER Benjamin possesses the power of indoctrination. Those who are near him will find themselves inexplicably attracted to Benjamin (platonically) and begin to see him as a great person, someone who is incapable of doing evil or bad things. They begin to like him more as a person, and want to spend more time with him. The longer they spend with him, the more prone they become to his suggestion, eventually to the point where anything he says is taken as a fact no matter what. He could tell someone that the sky is green and the grass is purple, and they'd not only believe it, but preach it to others, and get a negative view of those who go against this new wisdom. There's no physical manifestation of this power nor is this something that is controlled. It simply happens passively, with or without Benjamin's wishes for it to be so.
It could easily be argued that this power is a direct manifestation of Benjamin's desire for friendships and social contacts, let alone people that agree with his every word and want nothing more than to spend eternity with him. How or why this power manifested like this is a mystery to everyone, including Benjamin. In a way, even the lack of control he has over the power is easily attributed to the lack of control he feels in his own life; nobody ever asked him what he wanted to do, they all just assumed he'd follow in his fathers footsteps. All he needed was the power to do so.
And with this new power, surely he'll dwarf his fathers footsteps. ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ | - ▼ STRENGTHS
► The indoctrination is very hard to notice until it's too late; indoctrinated people do not behave any different from normal aside from a very sudden approval of Benjamin. ► Given enough time and proximity, the effects can be very strong. A cashier at a store he visits just once will probably not feel the effects strong enough to change her behavior much more than offering him a smile where they're otherwise grim. But someone who spends long times close to Benjamin would, in a literal sense, die for him. ► The ability to indirectly steer people's behaviors is not the same as mind control; where mind control overrides the victim's will with that of the user and requires direct control, indoctrination takes a more subtle approach that allows the user to utilize the victim's strengths, knowledge and personality. They are still able to act independently and make their own informed choices. ▼ WEAKNESSES
► Not everyone can be indoctrinated. Those with a strong enough mental resistance are able to resist the indoctrination completely. Should this ever change and their resistance weakens, they may begin to feel the effects, of course, but the inverse applies as well. Furthermore, long(er) periods of being away from Benjamin will also slowly wear down the effects of indoctrination, and leave the victims confused (but cognizant) on the situation. ► The fact that indoctrination is not the same as mind control means that the indoctrinated people are not thralls; they retain a modicum of free will and while the power of suggestion is very strong in the late stages of indoctrination, it is merely limited to suggestion/orders and not direct control. ► The power is very subtle and passive, and as a result cannot be summoned at will to help in a situation. The fact that the power does not grant the user any specific powers himself also means that, in certain scenario's, he may be left defenseless. ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ |