Lyta Hopeflame, District One

Tall and slim, muscled from Career training. She has waist length red hair which she ties up in a ponytail. She gives off an air of command, and carries herself very proudly with a long, confident stride. Her hair really is fire-engine red. She has tilted, large emerald green eyes, set in a pale high-cheekboned face. She has a fine-boned face and could be called pretty, I suppose.

The overall impression of Lyta is not weird, and her hair does not clash with her pale skin as much as you might expect. She does look a bit like a firebrand, and is someone who if you had to go by looks alone, you would trust.

She hasn't got very many obvious flaws, but there aren't that many good points either. She's okay in terms of looks. Her face is a bit pointed, though, and her features look harsh and sharp at first glance. She is also pale and kind of aloof-looking. She has this permanent little frown...

She is kind of messed up and a little emotionally damaged, in that she doubts everything. She is convinced Fate hates her and the world is an evil messed up place, and really isn't quite sure why she stays there... (well, she is, but it's impossible to explain because the only analogy that I can really identify with and that's the beautiful-mask-sharp-world one, which you won't understand unless you've read Lyta's Story. Yes, I am sad enough to write fanfics about my charries). But she tries not to show it and she always stays strong, not letting herself show it on her face. Probably the thing she thinks most often is 'I will not cry'. 'Cause she thinks it's a betrayal of herself to cry, and let it all in. She has to let the good times rule her or they aren't worth having anyway.

She loves fire and wolves, and listening to wolfsong outside the walls of her District pretty much keeps her sane, because wolfsong is beautifully mournful but at the same time strong, powerful and full of hope- just like the person she hopes she is. She has an awful past (see History) and a pretty awful present, too. She's a little broken inside, but always brave and kind when she can be, because she views her whole life as one big battle and every time she does something which isn't necessarily directed at her own survival, constantly battling fate, as a little victory.

She can be reckless and impulsive, but it pays off in bravery and courage. She rushes headlong into things without thinking about them, and even when she DOES stop to think about stuff she does it anyway unless it's obviously a trap. She's selfless and a natural born leader, always thinking in terms of tactics and strategy. She doesn't think, "Let's go to the market square," she thinks, "What would the eventual outcome of going to the market square be? What do I aim to achieve? How am I going to achieve this?" and makes a little web of actions and consequences in her head. Of course, there ARE times when she forgets the whole web and just does what the moment seems to be telling her to do- that's where the impulsiveness comes in.

She naturally has some flaws. For one, she's reckless, like I already said. She'll risk herself or others' lives if she thinks something good will come out of it. For another, she doesn't stand fools gladly and will snap at people when they mess around and loses her temper with people quite easily. She can also be spiteful sometimes, especially when she's upset or stressed over something, and is often contemptuous of those who aren't necessarily as brave as her. She thinks cowards are pretty much useless idiots, when they can't really help being born cowards, right? She just judges people's entire personality on courage.

For all that, she is friendly enough, valuing other people as a way to get through yet another day, and once you have gained her trust (takes a long time but possible), she will be loyal until the last. She considers betrayal the ultimate crime and honour the law above all.

She is a pretty messed up person (see History) but outwardly she is normal. It takes a lot out of her to do that, but she likes to do stuff that takes a lot out of her. When she challenges herself and wins, it's another little victory against the world, which she is determined to beat. One day, she will control her destiny.

She can't stand someone else being in charge and is a natural born leader. She gets really annoyed when other people are in charge and keeps suggesting that 'really, so-and-so plan would be SO much better than this rubbish you've just suggested, and there are SO many flaws and ways that could go wrong, like _____'. She really can't stand it when people use plans and tactics which aren't up to her perfectionist standards and has an obsession with controlling her own destiny, if not necessarily others. She's not a control freak, she just HATES being told what to do. Perhaps a bit bossy, but will always take others' opinions into account, because she knows how it feels to not be in charge and resent others for it.

She was a mistake on the part of her parents. She had one older brother, Kietin. Because her parents were so poor, they forced Kietin to train as a Career, and used violence against him whenever he displayed reluctance. They wanted the money for themselves, far more than they wanted the children they'd never meant to have. And eventually, when Kietin flat out refused to train any longer, they killed him and started training Lyta instead.

A girl called Ayi, who after failing the reaping had her legs broken by her parents and was cast out onto the street, trained her. She turned out to be a natural at twin swords and judo, and will probably be volunteering for next year's Games. Her parents are going to force her to volunteer, and she knows if she does not she will probably follow Kietin's fate.

For being such a softie as to care about killing someone, she was repeatedly bullied by other Careers. Despite this, she has grown up to be one of the strongest Careers in District One, though she doesn't know this and is convinced she's useless.

A natural at twin swords and judo, plus eight years of training = spectacularly good.

So sorry about the codeword mix-up! I read the rules the minute I came on the site like a good girl, and then forgot the pluralisation by the time I came to make the charrie, which was half an hour later if not more.

Also... there is a fanfic written about her which I think really illustrates the finer points of her character. It's Lyta's Story on the official THG website forums, and, well... I dunno, I've had people telling me it's beautiful and whatever, but the main point was to build up Lyta's character. Mission accomplished absolutely! So if anyone wants to know more about Lyta... go read, especially the black-white-grey-silver analogy and the beautiful-mask sharp-world analogy.