Rye Flanaghan , District 4

Rye is medium height, and slightly stocky, but fit and sturdy from years of working outside. Since his family lives on a craggy cliff face, and most of their fish gets sold off to the Capitol, they mostly live off of shellfish gathered from a cove in the cliff, accessible only by climbing down the side, and then climbing back up, laden with buckets. They don't have any dirt to farm, but they manage to scramble enough together for some light gardening by crushing rock up by their house with a pick-ax. They're too far up the coast line for the Peacekeepers to bother noticing. His body is strong, as a result, and while they don't luxuriate in splendor or anything, they have enough to eat. His skin has a leathery quality from years of sunburns fading to tans, with so many freckles that they've basically blended together into large patchy dark spot. He'd probably be pale skinned, if he'd lived anywhere else.

Beyond all of that, the most noticeable thing about him is his sandy red hair, which nearly blends into his skin color, and always sticks out in a rumpled mess, starchy from too much salt water build up. He's an affable boy, though, and has a winning smile. That, combined with a healthy build, is enough to make someone look attractive in the districts. Even with his big teeth, square jaw, squinty eyes, and persistently flushed cheeks, his confidence and pleasant demeanor make him generally likable and pleasant to look at.

Most of his good looks come from his personality. Rye is outgoing, and beyond all else, wants to like people - he's almost like a puppy that way. In the same vein, he's loyal, hardworking, full of energy, quick with a joke or a kind word, eager to please, and always looks on the bright side. He likes to sing folk tunes, and always volunteers for more work. He'll even joke around with the Peacekeepers on occasion.

On the other hand, he's not ambitious, overlooks flaws, and lets things slide when he ought to take a stand. He's happy to be a fisherman and to help take care of his family, preferring not to focus on negative things - he like simplicity: hard work, songs, jokes, and the bare necessities. He doesn't think too far ahead though, and while he's clever enough, he's not an innovator.

All of this combines into a character that's easy to like, easy to fool, and easy to dismiss. He's not the brightest crayon in the box, but he's ok with that. Rye is a solid, salt of the earth (water) kind of guy, and while people may have an easy time laughing at him, he's happy to laugh with them. A gullible sort, people like to play practical jokes on him, and he doesn't ever mind.

When heartache hits, though, it hits Rye hard. Grief causes him to shut down, as does open unkindness. He's fiercely loyal to his family, and the discovery that someone he previously liked has gone beyond the level of jokes crushes him. He's surprisingly sensitive, but reacts not with tears, but with cold, hard anger - he doesn't yell, or fight, but his disdainful silent treatment says more than any words could convey.

Rye is the oldest son of his parents - both of whom are still living. So too, in fact, are his mother's parents, and they all live together in a small cottage at the top of a hill, outside the main town of the district. Rye has two little brothers - Finn and Danny - and the seven of them are joined by his father's brother (Uncle Jim) and his wife (Aunt Sally). They are childless, leaving the small cottage at a maximum occupancy of 9 people. It's entirely too many people for the stone building, which consists of three rooms - a main room, with a hearth and some chairs, a back bedroom for the adults, and a loft space for the children. The house is perched at the top of a cliff, too remote and undeveloped for the fisheries to take hold of, and which grants them peace and privacy that's rare for the Districts.

All of the adults work - the men are fishermen, Rye's mother a cook in town, and Aunt Sally spends her days cleaning the fish brought in by the boats. The elderly folk watch younger children for their neighbors, a pair of young healers, who repay them in kindness.

Rye spends his days always in the same way - he wakes early, and climbs down the cliff face to empty the traps he layed out the night before, and then climbs back up - it's usually a few trips, and a solid morning work out. Then it's off to school, and then after school, he works a few shifts doing some coastline fishing with other boys his age. Then it's home for dinner, some gardening, and then back down the cliff to set the traps. He keeps busy, and sleeps well at night.

His relationship with his brothers is nothing short of close - though there's a bit of an age difference (Finn is 11, and Danny only 5), they're practically as close to him as his own appendages. He's teaching Finn to rock climb, and Danny to sing. In the evenings, the family settles in together around the fire (because it always gets chilly at night) and spins yarns - as fishermen do - and sing songs. This is when Rye is happiest, and so he tries not to dwell on anything else.

I'm not sure how other people are going to react to Rye - he might be too eager and optimistic to be popular in District 4, but I think anyone that positive and steady has to be attractive in some way. I don't know what he'd do if he got reaped - I think he's pretty confident that someone else will volunteer for him if it does happen, so he doesn't dwell on that either.