Skiff Oarman {District 4}

Name: Skiff Oarman
Age: 17
Gender: Male
District/Area: District 4
Appearance:

Especially considering the bronze tan that is typical of District Four residents on account of the amount of sun most receive, Skiff is one of the paler citizens of the fishing district. Complexion pallid enough to reveal whenever the fish packer is seasick, Skiff is sunburned quite easily, and, especially during the summer months, often has a pinkish hue about his face. His skin lacks the ability to turn even a fraction of a shade darker, but, fortunately, does not freckle.

The awkward dimensions of Skiff's face give him a somewhat goofy, gentle appearance. His nose is on the larger side -- not beak-like, but with more a more rounded prominence to it -- and is considered to be somewhat bulbous, siting smack in the middle of his face. This makes his muddy-colored eyes, which are narrow and beady in their own right, look even smaller by comparison. While this might make some people look villainous or rodent-like, for Skiff, they simply make him look happier, squinted as in laughter or a broad smile.

Fortunately, the rest of his facial features manage to retain some suggestion of proportion. His forehead, which is on the large side, is counterbalanced by the considerable width of his head, while his average-sized ears and mouth add a much-needed hint of normalcy to his countenance.

In slight contrast to his pale skin, Skiff's hair is a full, dark brown color. He keeps it fairly short, off his large forehead and for the most part above his ears. Of his appearance, Skiff pays the most attention to his hair, fretting over the damage the salty air of the district causes it. He trims it regularly, and obsesses over its style for half an hour before leaving the house.

In terms of build, Skiff is not as well-advantaged as many of the other Career tributes of District Four. He has a reasonable amount of muscle mass, but his height (or lack thereof) makes him appear generally scrawny. Standing about five-foot-six, he's not a particularly imposing figure -- especially since his face and personality prevent him from ever looking mean.

Personality:

As his goofy facial features suggest, Skiff Oarman is an upbeat, optimistic person, and it takes a lot to drag him down or get the grin off his face. If something manages to severely dampen his mood, however, Skiff will be off-color for weeks, unable to lift himself from his depression. It usually takes someone else to cheer him up again, as he is incapable of raising his own spirits and is somewhat people-dependent.

To that end, Skiff is highly social and extremely talkative. He's very over-the-top, and full of energy at all times, especially when interacting with others. He's a people-person and a pretty good conversationalist, even though he can sometimes get carried away and take control of the exchange. From time to time, he can be a bit rude and snappy regarding certain people, but rarely is irritated enough to do so. He's charismatic and a good speaker, and has no trouble in front of crowds.

Despite his Career training, he would much rather be well-liked than well-respected or well-feared. Because of this, Skiff is quite helpful and doesn't need to be bullied or manipulated into doing favors for people. If it's not a whole lot of trouble, he'll help, even without the full details of the task. This can get Skiff into some trouble, but has garnered him a reputation for being responsible and hard-working.

History:

From an early age, Skiff has been looking to be the center of attention. The younger of two fraternal twins born to a nineteen-year-old dock worker of a mother, he has always forced his older brother to take the back seat while attention was focused on him. This, of course, was until they were -- at the insistence of the parents of Skiff and Dredge's deceased Career Tribute father (he was eighteen and the District Four contender in the Hunger Games when he died) -- entered in a Career training program at the age of six. Dredge excelled at combat, defense, survival, and Hunger Games skills of all kinds, while Skiff was mediocre at best, based on his smaller size. He took more delight in socializing with the other children than actually participating in training.

Of course, as he got older, he had an easier time focusing on training, vying for the attention of his grandparents, who loved their more serious and goal-oriented Dredge while they simply liked Skiff. He'd already accepted that his brother was the better Career tribute, and would make a better tribute than he, but it didn't stop him from trying. Besides, he still enjoyed the opportunities to socialize with the others who were training, even though not all took kindly to his chatter.

Currently, Skiff works a not-so-glamourous job of packing a large amount of the fish that are caught for shipment to other districts. The packing facility is freezing and always reeks of fish, brine, and metal, but he doesn't mind so much, because it's a job that doesn't take too much effort or attention. This in turn allows him to spend much of it chatting with his coworkers, even though most are not the conversationalists that Skiff is. Even so, he enjoys his time off work, which he spends sitting on the docks or looking for new stories to hear from the people on the wharf.

Codeword: muttations