Dandy Gordon ~ District 12

Being from the Seam part of District twelve, you're going to look a lot like everyone else that occupies that part. Olive skin, skinny enough to count your ribs and wavy, black hair that is usually full with tangles. However you pride yourself in the one part of your appearance that sets you apart from the crowd. You have merchant eyes. Blue eyes that are bright with hope every time you look in a mirror. With those eyes it doesn't matter that you're missing two teeth or that your eyebrows are too small for your face because you have merchant eyes and that makes you special.

Framing your eyes are a thick layer of lashes, stark black either by genes or coal dust. Your lips are a little different with the top lip significantly smaller than your bottom one. All your nails are caked with dust and dirt, and no matter what you do the creases on your palms have the same problem. Hunger has starved your body so that it isn't as developed as it should be meaning you're on the short side, 5'5" at best. Despite your stunted growth, your mother's larger genes have paid off giving you hips to find pride in.

There are the little things that make up for the negative parts of your appearance. They balance each other out and you focus on the better parts. You've lost your sense of smell, but you have muscles for running and climbing. There is just enough weight on each scale to balance it all out. Of course even if it was uneven you wouldn't mind. No one will be looking at your freckles when your smile gives them hope. Smiling. Now that's an art you have mastered. Even at your young age, creases have been etched into your face from chronic grinning. Why do you do it? Because it helps you get through the day and when people see you living through another day they can to.

You smile. That's your thing. That's what people expect you to do. You smile because it's all you can do. Your life is completely horrible and there is no way out of it so what can you do? Pretend like nothing is wrong. You're very good at pretending. You've faked for sixteen years so far, you can do it.

Underneath that smiley exterior you're just as scared as anybody else out there, probably more. You wear the optimistic mask but you know how bad things are. It's just a shell, a thick one but still a shell. Sometimes you convince yourself everything is going to be okay when you realize how bad of a hell hole you live in. Nothing is okay and smiling is useless but you do it anyway.

To put it simply, you know there isn't any hope for another day, but you put up the face anyway. That's not all you like, oh no, you're a big believer in romance. Romance romance romance! You're the girl who does nothing but day dream during class. You have your preferences, but they usually change from week to week. Currently? Well, tall lanky guys are the objects of your affection. Being a romantic, the 57th Games was the perfect thing to watch. You complained whenever they cut away from the two girls and when the exciting climax came you cried. Of course only briefly, before putting the smile back up.

Now, because all you do is stare at the guys, and maybe an occasional girl, during school you do horribly on your work. It isn't like grades really matter, everyone just goes into the mines anyway. You don't need to know a whole lot to pound on rock with a pickaxe.

Brought up in the Seam, you were born to a nice couple name Maryanne and James Gordon. Your mother named you Dandelion, and of course you couldn't go around being named after a weed and shortened it to Dandy. You have siblings, but have never been particularly close. Each of the Gordon children deal with the world in different ways, yours doesn't seem to click with their's. However, you're still kin to Ash and Magnolia. (That's right they're named after flowers and trees and you're named after a weed.)

As a child, you spent time with your grandmother a lot. You don't remember her name- it was just Grandma. Whenever you felt sad, or had fallen and skinned your knee you'd go to Grandma and she'd always comfort you. It was one of the many talents parents have, calming children. There is one day that you'll remember even after you're dead. It was raining buckets outside and you wanted more than anything to go out and stretch your limbs. With your bottom lip stuck out in a pout you had gone over to Grandma and told her of your troubles. "Well, Dandelion," she had said, kneeling down to your level. "Why are you frowning when your smile is bright enough to clear the clouds?"

This, of course, brought a grin to your lips. Turning and smiling like crazy, you had run back to the window where the rain had stopped. Mystified by your "ability" to stop the rain, your smile became your weapon. Often, you'll look back on that day and find the strength to smile through the worst of times.

Ash and Magnolia, they didn't spend much time with Grandma. Both of your siblings find your smile irritating, Ash more so. Ash is just a "The world sucks and so does everyone on it" kind of person. No matter how hard you've tried, you can't change his mentality. Magnolia is a bit more malleable, but is way to shy to be as smiley as you. With due respect to your younger brother, Magnolia is your favorite. She's very easy to get along with most of the time once you coax her out of her shell. You're good at that, bringing out the best in people (unless you're Ash Gordon, then you can just go be emotional somewhere else).

Odair