Valentine Konstantine, District 8

Valentine wears his hair rather long, but it never goes past his shoulders. It is a dark underneath near his scalp and near the top of his neck while blonde streaks the top layers, a weird mix that he got from his father and mother. It’s just long enough to pull in a very small pony tail at his neck so that is won’t get in his eyes while he is working. While one of his greatest features is his cheekbones, Valentine also has small ears that poke out a bit. He is very sensitive about them so any comment or joke about them would cause him to be very defensive. Valentine has a freckle that is between his left eyebrow and temple, but he has no other freckles any where else. His chocolate, honey colored eyes are set apart because of his wide nose. His lips are small, but are almost always curled into a smile whenever he is seen.

Valentine has milky skin that tans easily in the summer because of the amount of time he spends outdoors. He has a small scar over the top of his right thumb from working in the factory when he was little. He has never injured himself further after that incident- and seeing others injuries as well. His fingernails remain rather long because of instances where he would have to pick the wool from the machines in their monthly cleaning. Valentine is very sanitary so he constantly washes his hands whenever the opportunity is given. His build is average, standing at 5’8’’ and weighing at 145 lbs. He is the shortest in his family, which causes a great deal of damage to his self-esteem when he is around his older brothers.

Being the youngest and shortest in his family, Valentine is the most susceptible to mockery. Any fault or joke that is directed towards him, Valentine takes offense to. It is his defense mechanism with being around his older brothers, since he is not as strong as them. He usually is backed up by his mother, but Valentine gets frustrated whenever someone comes to his aid when he is determined that he must fight for himself. He usually relies on his wit in order to get back at his brothers, arrogant with the knowledge that he is smarter than them. But in most cases he just has a big mouth, which lands him in trouble with his father. As sensitive as Valentine is, he usually escapes his home and walks around the district in his free time to cool down. It is only until after that does it come home and apologize, a bit shameful of what he has done.

When he is off on a walk, his boyfriend, Milo, usually accompanies him. Milo is one of the few people in Valentine’s life in which he is very protective over. Not being able to truly connect with anyone in his family, Milo is someone who Valentine can tell anything to without shame. In fear of losing his best friend, Valentine becomes easily jealous and protective over Milo. Even if a girl from school is asking Milo a question on some homework, Valentine would be near Milo, glaring daggers through the girl’s head. It would only be until after the girl disappeared would Milo scold Valentine for acting so cold. That’s another thing about Valentine, any scolds or punishments from his parents’ just pass through him like air. But when Milo scolds Valentine, he actually listens.

But Milo isn’t Valentine’s only friend. In fact, Valentine is very liked among the other kids in school. He isn’t the most popular or the smartest, but the smile that always stays on Valentine’s face gives him a rather magnetic personality. He never is loud or overbearing because of his baby sister at home and because he doesn’t want to get in trouble with the teachers. Valentine, over all, is a rule follower- unless he deems the rule ridiculous or not life-threatening if broken. But he fears that if he disappoints anyone, he would disappoint his parents, who are the top two people he wants to please.

Valentine lives in the middle class region in District 8 with his father, mother, five older brothers and baby sister. All men in the family work in the factories, usually until late hours. Valentine, being eighteen, just started working in the factories and has shorter work hours than his family. His mother is exempt from working because of their baby sister. Valentine usually enjoys the time he has when he comes home from the factory because his brothers aren’t there to tease him. He also loves to play with his baby sister, Antoinette, and spend time writing in his journal with his grey cat, Ashe, curled up next to him.

Valentine has lived a modern life. Nothing has gone extremely wrong or fabulously right for him. Everything is normal and Valentine is perfectly content that way. However, his father is not too happy about Valentine having a boyfriend. But that subject is commonly avoided in the household for it would only cause drama and stress, which is something that is banned from the Konstantine household. His mother aimed for a life that would be as stress-free as they could make it. Because he loves his mother dearly, Valentine goes out of his way to do so, although his mother has nothing against him being homosexual. His oldest brother, Ezra, is the most supportive out of his whole family because he can read Valentine’s emotions better than anyone else in the family.

The only difference between him and his brothers is that his brothers enjoy watching the Hunger Games. This is because they seem to have a morbid fascination with surviving as where Valentine couldn't stand to see a paper cut. Valentine's mother says that they enjoy watching it because it gives them an alternative to entertainment outside of the factories. But Valentine thinks that his father usually likes to watch the other Districts suffer, mainly the Careers, because they are suffering His father and brothers usually watch it in one room, while Valentine, his sister and mother go outside and sit. Valentine clearly remembers his mother saying that she wouldn’t be able to live if one of her children were reaped. So this year, Valentine is especially happy because he knows that this is the last year his mother will have to worry. And when his sister is old enough, then Valentine will worry in the place of his mother because of her poor health after having Antoinette. And he knows that if he does enter the Hunger Games, his whole family would fall apart. His father would be shamed because he has no confidence in Valentine to survive. And because his father has no faith, neither does Valentine.

Face Claim: Rollo Weeks