Saffron Morningside | District 1

Standing at 5'10" tall and weighing in at 125 pounds, Saffron Morningside has spent the majority of her life being told how she would make the "ideal career tribute." Slender and toned yet tall, she has all of the makings of an imposing yet impressive physical specimen with the ability to grab the attention simply by walking into a room. She possesses a natural beauty, although she does little to enhance her skin tone or accentuate any of her features with makeup, traits that have caused the 16-year old to be shunned by the wealthy boys with whom she mixes among the rich Panem residents living in District 1.

The most striking aspect of Saffron's look is her hair. The daughter of a successful stylist within the District, she has not only the money but also the easy access to a number of different hair dyes, meaning that she changes the colour of her hair on a regular basis, often favouring bright oranges, brilliant reds, and other striking colours that allow her to show off her slightly rebellious teenage side. Her hair is long and flowing, the most eye-catching element of her look. The downside is that her inability to stay with one look has often seen her treated as somewhat of a geek or outcast among her pristine preened peers who are scarcely seen out looking anything other than their instantly recognisable selves. Saffron has large dark brown eyes which her mother always tells her to accent with some eyeliner (a request she blatantly ignores) and naturally full lips. Her changing hair colour and her natural prettiness mean that she can be teased by those who are in her school classes. "Capitol reject baby" is an insult she has often had to face from peers, given her propensity for the absurd in her choice of hair and her refusal to beautify her other features (the primary reason for her alleged "rejection"). Thinking of herself as a strong young woman, Saffron tries her best to ignore such comments, but often admits to herself privately that her changing hair is something of a cry for attention and a desire to find affection.

Given her slender frame and long legs, Saffron is a quick and graceful runner. This is another element that has seen teachers and family members alike comment further on her ability to train as a career tribute, focussing on her agility and pace to evade the blows of others in the Games. Her only weakness brought on by her reasonable height can be the inability to hide sufficiently. While she is quick and can easily avoid attacks, her inability to blend in with her surroundings when tired and in need of a rest can leave her open to engagement at any time.

Being born to a hair stylist and a dealer of luxury spices, Saffron is able to afford some of the best clothes outside of the Capitol. She likes to wear dark coloured shirts with elaborate designs that display her individuality and unique style, as well as brightly coloured jeans. Saffron can also frequently be seen sporting elaborately coloured and decorated wristbands and hair bands, often designed with spikes that represent an element of danger and a desire to not be like anyone else, standing out from the considerably flashy District 1 crowd. Her outfits are almost always topped off with a pair of small gold looped earrings that were passed down from her maternal grandmother, to whom she was very close.

Unlike many within the District, the main element that makes Saffron stand out from the crowd is her conscientious objection to the Games themselves. Despite possessing what many believe to be an almost ideal physique for a female career tribute, she has despised the Games from an early age, refusing to watch them when at all possible, and rejecting the plentiful attempts from her father to get her into training to become the pride of District 1 and a famous victor. Despite her family's tireless attempts to put a smokescreen over Saffron's refusal to accept the majesty of the Games and the honour of becoming a career tribute, it is not something she has ever tried to hide, often telling her friends in no uncertain terms how she feels about the annual event, finishing with her favourite description of them: "A travesty of muscle flexing and ritual sacrifice". Like elements of her look, Saffron's opinion of the Games themselves are often a source of condemnation and teasing from her peers. Unlike her physical appearance though, the fact that classmates and adults alike are not keen on her views leaves her feeling secretly proud and accomplished.

Saffron is very academic, often focussing more on her school work than she strictly "needs to". Many with her level of wealth would see the ability to focus on training or socialising as a bonus, but she has a want to learn and a need to know as much as possible about the world outside the electric fences of District 1. Her favourite teachings come in the form of history classes that tell of the formation of Panem and the Capitol, as well as the uprising. She keeps a secret notebook that she uses to note history teachings, before reading between the lines and trying to work out the reality behind the uprising, along with other elements of the history of the land that she believes the Capitol does its best to keep from residents. This also shows her risk-taking capability, as she always keeps the small book concealed on her person, in spite of the knowledge she will be punished if the Peacekeepers should ever discover it. In her younger days, she used to toy with the idea of running away and escaping the District fence. However, even her fanciful mind knew that this was largely fantasy confined to the stories she would invent in her head, starring Gem, an alternate version of her own personality.

In spite of her rebellious nature and her desire to single handedly oppose the Game though, Saffron conceals the fact that she loves her lifestyle. Privileged greatly, she has often been seen attending social events with her parents since turning 16, where she does her best to hide her love for the lavish lifestyle that she has adopted through birth.

Her one true love in life is fashion. With her elaborate clothing designs and her constantly altering hair styles, Saffron likes to exude an element of individuality. Despite the fact she dislikes conformity, she still treasures her own style and the ability to express herself in an oppressive world through the clothes she wears and the styles she adopts. Despite her family's wish for her to make use of her stunning physical attributes, the teenager has only ever expressed desire to follow on from her mother and become a District 1 hair stylist, making this her one true goal in life when she should leave school.

Saffron's personality means that she has considerable strengths and weaknesses when it comes to the Hunger Games themselves. Should she be entered into the Games, her ability to prove impervious to the pressures exerted on her by others would mean that she would be incredibly unlikely to fall under the influence of a stronger and more manipulative individual who may look to lead a troop from the career Districts. However, she is also likely to become isolated and paranoid. Her lack of trust would mean that she would be more likely to reject the chance to join the relative and temporary safety of a larger career group, leaving her lonely and more open to attack from others who opt to stick together for the hunt of weaker opponents.

On top of this, she is one of the most likely to stand up and speak her mind on the Games in the week leading up to the entry into the arena. This would potentially leave her as unattractive in the eyes of potential sponsors, as well as making her a target for the other more willing and ready tributes who would see her lack of conformity as a disrespectful slur on something they have spent large swathes of their life preparing for.

Saffron is the eldest child in family of four. She is the daughter of Elm and Lily Morningside. Her father (Elm) is a trader in luxury spices, specialising in some of the most exclusive treats around. In his younger days, he wanted nothing more than to become a career tribute, but an injury in training when he was in his early teens left him sporting a pronounced limp that made running and fighting a near possibility, meaning he had to give up on his dream to fight in the Hunger Games. His own failure is the reason he pushes his two daughters Saffron and 12-year old Emerald to train hard and be the pride of his family and the whole of District 1. He is the archetypal "pushy parent", although he sees nothing wrong with pushing his girls to enter something as dangerous and life threatening. Saffron's mother, Lily, is a hair stylist and owns her own salon. She is quiet and dislikes arguments and violence. Her own opinion of the Games is similar to Saffron's although she would never dare air her grievances with the Capitol. She is the main influence for Saffron, and the reason her daughter is so against the annual violence. She also taught the youngster all about hair styling from an early age, piquing her interest in the trade by promising her the salon if/when she reaches adulthood.

Her only sibling, Emerald, is 12-years old, and fiercely follows in the footsteps of her father. She and Saffron share the same eyes, but they are one of the only things they have alike. Emerald has an intense desire to become a tribute, and has been training with her father, learning how to fight and use a sword since she was very young. In spite of their differences, Saffron and Emerald are very close, and the elder sibling attempts to look after her little sister where possible, begging her never to volunteer for the Games. Emerald makes her father far prouder than Saffron ever has, although he would never admit that to either daughter, purely because of her desire to enter the Games and prove herself to be a worthy opponent for anyone that she may meet in there.

In her early years, Saffron was very close to her father, being a daddy's girl and looking up to him in everything she did. It wasn't until she started getting closer to her mother and saw the Hunger Games that she decided she hated the atrocity (in her own mind) that she saw before her. Her early school years also saw her become very popular given that her hair colours were forever changing, catching the attention of everyone around her - very impressive in the eyes of most kids. However, as everyone else became more inclined to look up to Hunger Games winners or strive to be a victor themselves, she became more and more of an outcast among her peers. She has managed to keep a number of her friends from your childhood however, and even though she is treated as something of a geek, she still has the ability to make friends and charm people, if she likes them.

Saffron's largest driving force in her life is her grandmother, to whom she was very close as a young girl. Her grandmother was the only person who ever told her to be herself and not conform to life the way other people wanted her to act, i.e. the way District residents are expected to treat the Games. In everything she does, she strives to make her late grandmother proud, and her desire to make a success of herself as a business woman and a stylist is to prove that she has an artistic and individual style.

Her family are largely respected in the District because of the high-profile jobs they hold, and the fact they are reasonably wealthy, giving them a very positive way of life. However, they are occasionally the object of mild ridicule from people among the career fraternity, who believe that Saffron's refusal to play ball is an indication of her family's attitude as a whole. Will she get a chance to prove them wrong? Only time will tell...

Face claim - Demi Lovato