Thomas Cardinal- District 2

Slender and wiry, Thomas’s build is far from what one would typically expect from the men of District 2. He stands at 5’7; not necessarily short, but not particularly tall, either. His build fits with his posture; he’s relaxed, and has a slight slouch that’s extremely difficult to catch. Aside from his mother, it’s rarely been noticed except when he’s informed people of it. With his head slightly forward, he has the capacity to move in strange patters- namely walking rather quickly or diving at the ground to roll for the sake of moving more ‘efficiently’.

His brown hair is somewhat wavy, and always clean. How well-kept it is, much to his chagrin, varies; with half an hour of time poured into an effort to tame it in the morning, the result becomes pure chance- there almost always seems to be a section left flat. His eyes, which he doesn’t particularly care for, either, are a deep brown. Whenever he engages someone in conversation, he looks straight into their left eye, in an attempt to make his eyes appear more intense.

Not dyed like a Capitolite’s or torn like a worker’s, Thomas’s complexion is naturally fair. Smooth as it may be, he is somewhat susceptible to blemishes, never having been completely clear. He has a few freckles on his arms and back, which he doesn’t mind as much (in fact, he appreciates the one on his right wrist, which he used to tell left from right as a child). In the way of clothing, he appears to favor button-down shirts in combination with dark pants (unless he’s given the opportunity to be more eccentric and wild with his clothing choices, which his parents rarely allow for). Whatever he wears, he sees to it that it looks passable before he so much as takes his eyes off of his dresser.

Eccentricity and Theatrical Flair
Thomas’s personality is as complex as any other human being’s, but one unifying theme seems to permeate most of his train of thought: he believes that life should be as much like a good story as possible. This leads him to be theatrical and optimistic, but also wild and judgmental.

Typically smiling, Thomas comes off as an outgoing boy who, upon closer examination, is a classic eccentric. Thomas will often pick small things up that no one else would think to, from near-worthless coins to a beat-up desk that could look fine with paint.
His intellect is very erratic, ranging from areas where he excels to areas he struggles (arithmetic being a prime example). Raised in wealth, his etiquette is top-notch during formal occasions, but usually he’s more relaxed and outgoing.


His District
Though abnormal in too many ways to count, Thomas is still a citizen of District 2, and takes pride in his heritage. “Who better to be the hero of a tale than a member of a proud warrior race?” he says. Thomas enjoyed his training for the games, swordsmanship especially. He doesn’t have the powerful build that most of the male tributes of his district are known for, but his speed and agility allow for excellent control over mankind’s iconic weapon of war. In his wealth, he has little reason to dislike his surroundings.

Judging Others
Appearances make all the difference to Thomas, both physical and social. His obscure take on eugenics makes him judge people quickly, and often either very well or very poorly. Privately, he’s harshly superficial, and forgives people inconsistently.

In his mindset, physical attractiveness is a virtue. He hates his own faults; namely his inability to keep his hair as he’d like it and the relatively few blemishes that remain on his face. Upon examination of Capitol media, he sees the same double standard as feminists do; women are expected to look after their appearances a lot more than men are. Even though he acknowledges the same problem, however, his solution is the opposite; he doesn’t believe that the standard should be dropped, but instead that the media should be just as hard on men as they are on women.

Socially, the same applies; it’s often quite simple to tell whether or not an individual is intelligent at a glance, and that glance is often necessary to check whether or not to work closely with a person. Still, he can be patient with people, more than happy to watch them prove themselves as long as it’s of no risk to him or the group as a whole.


Positive Outlook
Thomas tries to be an upbeat, genuinely-caring person. He treats people with respect upon meeting them, whether he speaks formally or informally (and whether he likes them or not). He dislikes using foul language himself unless he feels there’s a legitimate reason to use it, but rarely ever holds the way a person speaks against them. He learned from a young age to judge individuals, not groups- though judgmental, race or upbringing holds no negative meaning in his eyes.

He is also highly appreciative of what he has- often running instead of walking in hopes to maintain his agility, and allowing himself to be proud of his country even after a look at its flaws. He will appreciate even sights he sees every day without having been on the brink of death the day before. He does have a tendency to linger on memories of being mistreated, but will also cherish and recognize happier thoughts as well.

Extroversion and Romance
By nature, Thomas finds that he functions best with others. When stuck at home at the end of the day, he makes a habit of sneaking out to roam the streets until he knows he’s tired enough to fall asleep. He needs friends around him when he’s upset- whether it’s to console him or take his mind off of life for a while can vary, but the presence of others is a must. He dislikes those who solve their problems by being alone. Not only do phrases like “I just need some time to myself,” make things terribly un-theatrical because of a lack of resolute dialogue, but hearing it from someone close to him makes him feel insufficient.

The dramatic air of his storybook philosophy makes romance important to him. Tying into his positive outlook, he likes to encourage others. He enjoys receiving compliments, but absolutely loves giving them when he feels they’re deserved. He’s heard that women in the Capitol occasionally wish the men around them were as caring as the sort of men one would see on a good soap opera; being a sucker for drama himself, Thomas tries to make a point of acting like one such romantic lead (in the rare, rare event that he finds a girl to spend time with).

He’s never been in a proper relationship for more than two months, despite his attitude toward romance being at the height of adolescence. His peculiarity tends to drive more decidedly-normal types away, but that peculiarity can also work in his favor. It would be more fitting to blame his ongoing loneliness on his melancholically high standards. “They aren’t so ridiculous,” he’ll say, “There are plenty of women even in District 2 who live up to them… they just don’t seem to be the ones that are interested in me.” He maintains that if his story is going to be a compelling one, settling isn’t an option; precisely why the fact that he remains unattached doesn’t bother him unless the thought is provoked.


Final word
Overall, he finds himself stranger than most- maybe even bordering on crazy in the eyes of some. Though feverishly judgmental, he gives everyone a chance. Though trained to fight, he strives to make those around him happy. Though he seeks to achieve goals, he also seeks to enjoy the moment. He may very well be the epitome of contradiction, or just terribly misinterpreted. Whether speaking to his closest friends or his worst enemies, finding someone who will call Thomas Esemplare ‘run-of-the-mill’ is a task that borders on impossible.

Walking among the upper class of a district widely considered to be among the upper class of Panem, the [conventional] end of growing up was easy. Thomas never shied away from company, but he took a liking to books from a young age and had access to them in no short supply. Food was never an issue, and warmth wasn’t hard to come by in winter. Not everything about growing up, however, was conventional.

Like many children in his district, he went through his share of training for the Hunger Games. Because of his father’s perfectionist ideals (something Thomas feels he may have inherited part of) and the amount of property his family had access to, his training for the Games, however, was slightly more… complete than most of the career districts’ training. He did have some of the same run-of-the-mill swordsmanship lessons and such thrown in for good measure, but his mentors also delved into survival. He was locked in outdoor labyrinths and gated habitats – sometimes alone, and other times with a few other children whose parents held similar philosophies to his own – and forced to find his own water, cook his own food, and navigate difficult terrain. Looking back, he sees most of his training as a waste of time; in District 2, it was difficult to get into the games even if someone wanted to volunteer. What’s more, he was already seventeen; his odds of ever being thrown into the games were hysterically low. The training, in short, was dull.

To take the edge off the dullness, he began to look toward a very Capitol school of thought. Stories seemed far more interesting than reality. In stories, death meant something; here, it was pointless. In fiction, love was a driving force; reality made it weightless. Such tales were unrealistic, so should they change? “No,” Thomas would insist, “Reality should change.” Still clinging to fantasy, he didn’t reject the world and lock himself in his room- his plans were somewhat more extreme.

If anyone’s life was going to be the way a life should be, he would make an example of himself. In his later teen years, he began to style himself as “A flawed, but compelling protagonist.” Panem is rarely a place that welcomes those who like to start their own fire; he remains careful and accepting of that fact. He wouldn’t opt to make an enemy of the state by doing something as extreme as inciting rebellion, but dropping in on parties under pseudonyms? Fair game. Offering the less-fortunate food if they could beat him in a sparring match? Fair game. Spreading rumors in the hopes that they’ll reach the ears of a Peacekeeper and start a more impressive chain of events? …Daring, he’ll admit, but definitely fair game. How would he know how long he had to live? Even protagonists die; in fact, many would argue that it’s a habit of theirs.

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