Xokok Izar, District Eleven

Standing at 5’8” there is nothing particularly unique about Xokok. He has thick black hair, full lips, and a thin frame typical of those who live in a District like Eleven where food is not meant for them. There are two things that distinguish Xokok from others: his decently big ears, and his dark caramel skin. The same tone as burnt cajeta.

From a young age his brothers would tease Xokok about his skin color, because he was darker, and everyone else in the immediate family had been ‘blessed’ with a lighter color. By the time he was five, Xokok had been convinced by his brother Mesotl that if he scrubbed himself hard enough during bath time the dirt that had attached itself to his skin would fade off and he would be light like them. On the other hand his brother Nochtli had fully convinced him his darker skin was because their parents had found him out in the fields and taken him in. A story Xokok had believed up until the day his mother had overheard Nochtli and knocked some sense onto him with a swift chanclazo. But even after Nochtli’s apology tour, Xokok could not help the feeling of being an outsider, or the hatred that came everytime he would scrub his skin in the bath and the color would not change.

Truth be told, Xokok always walks around with his head held high, and will be more than happy to let people know what his achievements are or why he is better than others. Many view this as arrogance, though if you look deeper you will realize that this is a very clear case of overcompensating due to having very little sense of self-worth. Perhaps because of this Xokok has a hard time making friends, or not pushing the ones who he already has away.

Like many people in District Eleven, Xokok works out on the fields breaking his back for minimal pay that barely brings any food to the table. People might assume due to his last-name that money is easy to come by, as if they did not realize that the Izar’s were a huge family, almost the size of those strange cults that praised some rat… if there were any benefits to having a second cousin once removed who was the mayor Xokok did not get to see any of them first-hand, nor was he interested in them. He was hard-working and he had been raised to be proud of what his hard work would produce; “Mijo, mira, women like a man who can bring food to their table,” his father would say, and Xokok always believed it.

Not like any girls showed any interest in Xokok, not when Mesotl and Nochtli both had lighter skin, more charm and less of a temper. It was hard to believe he had a lot to offer to a future wife when his brothers were constantly ragging on him. He loved none the less though, because they were blood and nothing was more important than family. After all, had Xokok not been the first one to jump in to fight Plow Applecore when he had called Nochtli out of his name? And had both Nochtli and Mesotl not gone at it with some other idiot who had mocked Xokok for being darker than the rest of his family? There were some things that were only okay when said by each other.

Short-tempered and defensive, it has taken some hard-lessons for Xokok to stop himself from throwing a fist at any güerito who decides to mouth off at him. But now he is able to keep his cool or at the very least not resort to breaking noses. If anything, this new version of Xokok is more likely to puff out his chest and try and intimidate someone than to actually get into a fight.

With his temper, it is easy to think of Xokok as a brute of sorts. But he applies himself to his studies as much as he can. He is certainly not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he is also not the dullest. If he succeeds academically it’s more due to hard-work and determination rather than natural gifts. Unlike others, though, Xokok has not allowed himself to dream of any job more advanced than working the fields though. He is content where he is at, and he does not understand the idea of doing otherwise. Why would he want to be a medic or a teacher when those jobs did not come with the incredibly satisfying pain of hard manual labor?

Deep down, Xokok is someone who just wants to be accepted and loved, though he would never speak such words aloud. He is the type to ride-or-die though his insecurities make him try to push people away before they do that to him first. He is protective of those he cares about, and is a firm believer that blood comes first. Those who had messed with his family have been the recipients of a quick one-two and had lost a few teeth to Xokok’s fists.