Re: Vivian Atlas [District Eight]

Name:
Vivian Sorrento Atlas

Age:
Seventeen

Gender:
Female

District:
District Eight

Appearance:
Vivian is a beautiful young woman, though that isn’t the first word she would use to refer to herself. In fact, until late it had not even been an option in her mind when she looked at her reflection. Her surprisingly thick, brunette tresses spread over her shoulders and hang to her mid-forearms in gentle waves; her grandmother used to say that her hair took on a reddish glow in the sun, but she isn’t around to say that anymore. Vivian’s smooth, pale face is the frame for her pale blue eyes. They are quite emotional, but she feels that she can manipulate the emotions that she outwardly portrays very easily – not to say that hiding herself from others doesn’t take its toll.

With a body mass index of 18, her build is slightly more slender than the norm (likely due to her statuesque height of 5’8”) but one look at the more impoverished parts of Panem would dispel that thought in an instant. She would be classified as bordering ‘underweight’ to those in the richer districts or, as the Capitol’s appearance-obsessed horde would call it, ‘model-esque perfection’. Vivian takes care to make sure she looks her best, which often includes braiding back her long hair and spending time trying to create original outfits with the limited clothing she owns. When she was younger she would spend her spare time sewing elaborate clothes for herself, but as she matured she realized with stern words from her mother that her time would be better spent sewing more for the Capitol. Her family needed the money and her frivolous, young dream for fashion was not that big a price to pay. She is quite weak in the physical sense, having never needed to do much manual labour, but she is extremely precise and efficient with her handiwork.

Small cuts on her hips and onto her thighs mark a period where she used to want to escape… Her fifteen-year-old self had lived in a blur from day to day, and wanting to feel something other than her life going in circles, her rationality had fled. She has an inch-long scar on her left arm from having a rock thrown at her by a classmate when she was young, but it was bandaged by her mother and was kept free of infection.


Personality:
Vivian has trouble keeping herself away from people who seem like they need help; though she usually respects when she is not wanted. Care and compassion flow seemingly selflessly from her words and actions, though beneath them is an underlying resentment for the people that she wishes would treat her with the same type of devotion. She is not one to back down from an argument and takes strength from feeling different and more “real” than other brainwashed members of District Eight.

The young woman prides herself on her ability to make her own decisions; “think for yourself” is something her father still tells her. She creates her own opinions, is curious about the world outside of District Eight (“Why would the people of the Capitol willingly dress like that?”) and loves to have heated debates with him over how the world works… Yet Vivian is close to convinced that rebellion against the Capitol is a horrific, far-fetched idea that would not catch on and thus end in failure. That does not stop her father from trying to keep her optimistic.

Nerves can overwhelm her; she is extremely shy when being prompted to make decisions or rehearse anything in front of crowds but on her own terms, Vivian is quite a spontaneous, flirtatious (even seductive), outgoing person. She likes (you could even say she has a need) to please everyone though many of her own issues do end up holding her back, creating feelings in her of selfishness and futility.

Through trying to understand and create her own untainted vision of the world, her thought process spans miles - the past, present and future are all constantly swirling in her head. Learning to control her negativity has been a struggle for her, especially after her father had remained in a lethargic state for over five years. As he grows to overcome his mental barriers that hold him back, she finally has someone to look up to and help her in letting of her feelings of worthlessness and truly coming into her own.

It is one simple thing that Vivian was always able to take solace in, and that is music. Her greatest wish is to own an instrument, any one would be just as amazing as the others, and hence she sings. As a little girl she used to sing openly but like with much, time has changed that. She sings mainly when she is alone but occasionally will provide music for her parents and those who happen to be close by.

Her immature, conflicting past of trying to find herself in every direction has taught her to become a very understanding, accepting person of those around her and she actively reminds herself to take the time to get to know a person before judging. Vivian is finally in a stage where she strives to acknowledge her faults and discover herself.

History:
She was born in District Eight and has lived in the same house for all of her life. No, it was not a choice.

Her father’s parents, both now deceased, had bought a small but sturdy house together when they were merely young adults. The house had then been passed down to her father. Him and her mother, who was already living there, waited a while before giving birth to the girl they named Vivian Sorrento Atlas. Her middle name was given by her father, a reminder of a small city in the world that used to be, now lost in the wilderness to the North.

Vivian is an only child. Her mother and father both wanted a child but knew that more than one would possibly be bringing a child into the world that they would not be able to properly care for. From an early age, her mother taught her how to knit and sew so that she could begin aiding the family in their business. Her father trades and works to get rolls of refined fabrics and her and her mother produce the final product of clothing to be sent to the Capitol and sold in the District Square market. She is of the middle class compared to the other District citizens, though her and her family must work hard for it.

She attends school and has few friends; she would never admit the fact but her lack of many close friends is directly related to her subconscious fear of losing people, mainly to the reaping. She is almost finished her formal education and then will be able to help her mother full time with the business, which she would not mind. She would be able to spend her time with her mother and that would greatly lessen the repetitive nature of her work. Her life has not been terrible from the outside, and though Vivian had suffered through more mental anguish by the age of sixteen than a lot of girls her age had, she knew that she was very lucky.

Due to controlled participation and exposure to the Hunger Games from a young age, Vivian has seen many children who are desensitized from violence, although she cannot bring herself to feel the same. She tries to forget and ignore the reality, as she was trying to do when she gave herself the scars on her hips. But she can’t. None of them can.

Codeword:
<img src="http://i41.tinypic.com/16h2ibt.png">