Erik Strauss, D12

Name: Erik Strauss
Age: 17
Gender: Male
District/Area: District 12
Appearance:

Upon entering district twelve, most people wouldn't give any of the denizens a second glance. Actually, they wouldn't be in twelve in the first place, but that's a whole other can of worms that deviates from what I am currently attempting to convey. The matter in question is the appearance of a young adult most commonly referred to as Erik. Let's begin shall we?

The first thing you'll notice about Erik is his eyes. Or more specifically, the wild "Deer in the headlights" look that crosses his face whenever he is faced with something that is in his opinion, particularly daunting; Or whenever he has to deal with people he considers unscrupulous. Above these brown eyes are a prominent brow which raises when he is amused or frightened.

Farther above that is his hair, which he keeps in a rather geeky bowl cut. At least, that's what others say about it, but he likes the way it looks and darn right if it isn't good enough for him. The rest of his features aren't really anything to look at, what with his ears and nose being quite normal. He does have a philtrum that is deep enough to be noticeable. For the plebeians out there not in the know, the philtrum is that little indentation above the lip and under the nose. Erik's lips are full and always chapped as he's developed the nervous habit of chewing on them.

As for his body, height, weight and all that, i won't bore you with the details.

...

What's that? It's recommended? {Audible Sigh}

Very well.

Erik is at a good height for his age, standing at five foot ten the last time he checked. Concerning his weight, while he has a fondness for sweets, they aren't all that easy to come by in his district and so, while he has a cavity or two, his weight is kept at a manageable 145 pounds. The rest of him is in neat proportions which border on average length of limbs and size of shoe.

[/color] [/blockquote]Personality:

As I mentioned above, Erik has developed the habit of chewing his lips when something is not going the way he thinks it should, or when faced with an objective which he finds hard to overcome.

I wouldn't say that he's a odd fellow, but he does have some quirks like that. Growing up as a "normal kid" can do that to a person. By normal, I mean that Erik belongs to the perennial family. Stay at home mother, always at work father, 2.5 children in the house. (Actually its just him and a little sister, hard to figure where the .5 comes in. Perhaps it's the dog. )

School was much the same, with the usual amount of friends and the occasional bully. Throughout this, he has developed a small tad of an inferiority complex. Whereas he views himself as a rather boring sort of lad, as he sees much of the rest of his district as living far more interesting lives. Like everyone in his district is special, except for him.

He feels like he can hardly turn around without bumping into someone whose parents died in a mining accident, which led them to developing some form of psychosis which they take out on themselves or on other people. With so many orphans making a better life by various legal and illegal means, it's a wonder there's any adult supervision at all.

Erik doesn't know quite how he's supposed to compete with that. With nearly everyone in the district managing to be both extraordinary and exemplary with just a dash of strong political views; and this despite their unbelievably harsh living situations, his life just seems... uneventful by comparison and it makes him feel small.

History:

Like everyone in his home district, Erik was born to a miner and his wife. There's really no room for other jobs when the other eleven districts and the capitol depend on you for coal to use as fuel. (Which bothers him as he knows another district supplies electricity for energy, so what do they need coal for? Weenie roasts?)

At the age of six, Erik started school quickly establishing himself by staying put in the rank and file and not failing miserably nor doing inexplicably well. If he had to pick, his favorite subject would have had to have been English, as it was straight-forward and to the point, unlike say.. math, which started out with numbers and eventually became letters.

When he turned ten, his mother received a letter from his father's boss. Given the mines propensity for caving in and blowing up, she naturally feared the worst, ripping the envelope open with shaking fingers and teary eyes as Erik watched her apprehensively. But, it was nothing more than a note detailing the surprise party being planned for Erik's dad. This was heartening to Erik, as it seemed dozens of death notices were sent out daily. The cake was delicious.

When he entered highschool, he found it easy to make friends; all he really had to do was be nice and friendly. He was bullied every now and then, and upon learning why certain folks acted the way they did, Erik began to feel far less interesting than the people around him.

At the age of seventeen Erik finds himself wanting to go into the games. Which some view as odd, as they would only ever go into the games as a last resort, or to save someone they love. Erik has no such qualms. All he really wants to do is set himself apart; To be more memorable in a district full of those who don't want to be put on a pedestal, but wind up being put on one anyway.

Codeword: <img src="http://i41.tinypic.com/16h2ibt.png">
Comments/Other:

Going for the Lemony Snicket vibe when writing this guy.

FC is Keir Gilchrist