application ;; somarium

[ignites]

[Player name] Awbrey
[Age] 24
[Personal Journal] musically
[Other characters currently played] --

[Character name] Katniss Everdeen
[Age] 17
[Canon] The Hunger Games trilogy
[Point in time taken from canon] Mockingjay, chapter 11, when she is sitting with Finnick tying knots after lights out in the bunker.

[Background]
Katniss Everdeen @ hungergames.wikia

[Personality]

The most noticeable trait Katniss possesses at first glance is a cool indifference to the world around her. She has been hardened by loss and many years of distancing herself from people emotionally, and that is something that has only changed very slightly in the whirlwind of the 74th Hunger Games, the Quarter Quell, and the fallout that has come afterward. She is not an overly social creature – in fact, she is hardly social at all save a small handful of people. When she does interact with others not in this tiny handful, she tries to keep things as logic-oriented as possible, avoiding making connections or attachments too swiftly if she must make them, but more often avoiding them at all. She's not a nice person; she's not accommodating, she's not friendly, she's not warm and fuzzy. She tends to be downright inept at social concepts such as overly warm friendliness, though that has improved during the rapid torrents of change swirling around her beginning with the 74th reaping. Her losses, dealing with her mother's nearly catatonic depression over the years, and becoming the sole provider and caretaker for her family since the age of twelve has greatly decreased her ability to see the importance in superfluous human interaction. She's not friendly or warm, she isn't cute, she isn't bubbly like some other girls her age might be – she's hardened, she's matter-of-fact, no bullshit, straight-shooting, and she doesn't particularly feel like that needs to, or would ever need to, change. She has a handful of people she keeps close to her heart, and the rest is business. No questions asked, no harm done.

Speaking of that handful of people – it really is just a handful. The end. Her mother, Prim, Peeta, Gale, Cinna, and Rue, who is dead. There are others about whom she does care, but none so deep as those previously mentioned. She does not easily connect with people due to her bristly nature, and even less so finds herself able to be burdened with affection for them. She associates most deep feelings as liabilities.

She does have difficulty taking social cues because of this, however. She was almost completely oblivious to Gale's feelings for her, assuming that their relationship was simply based around hunting and a platonic, though deep, friendship. They looked out for each other; together, they made certain that neither one of their families would starve. They were like coworkers, essentially, but with a deeper understanding of one another. Katniss, however, was wrong about this; Gale loved her, or at least cared very very deeply for her, and she just… did not pick up on that at all. It took her life changing to realize – Gale is mine; I am his. Anything else is unthinkable. And even with that realization, it's still not really… displayed well. She deals with conflicting between those feelings that are uncharted and practicality. She tends to err on the side of practicality.

Despite her inability to be social or friendly, Katniss has a very, very strong moral compass. She goes with her gut and does what's right, no matter what consequences may happen because of it. She feels guilt, sometimes more than she should, when she kills someone… Even though the games force her to do so. Some of the other tributes are brutal and bloodthirsty, but that doesn't make them any less of a life she extinguished. She also protects the people she cares about. She never leaves anybody behind if she can help it. She's a caretaker, even if her methods are a little… well. Unconventional. She's resourceful and she's good at making sure the people close to her aren't going to go without. She protects people with all of her being and considers herself a failure if she's unable to go through with it. She even protects people she doesn't know personally on a fairly regular basis. Her survival instincts are strong and she uses that toward helping others, even inadvertently, as well.

Speaking of her survival instincts. She's an incredibly resourceful and self-sufficient person. She's the reason her mother and sister didn't starve, she's emotional support for her sister, and she's most of the reason why Peeta lived… She was forced to grow up much faster than anyone should ever have to be, but because of this, she is incredibly resilient. She's even been stubborn about taking help or handouts from other people because she is a bit prideful about being able to handle herself, even to the point of nearly starving or being caught by Peacekeepers. Unfortunately, that stubbornness is kind of a… well. It's definitely a flaw.

She doesn't take crap from people. She does what she has to in order to survive much of the time, but she can be defiant and stubborn and extremely lacking on the tact front. Haymitch once said she had about as much charisma as a dead slug. She's not pleasant and her stubbornness is a big part of that. She'll butt heads with other people, especially if she has a belief or an opinion about something that she absolutely refuses to back down or compromise on. She doesn't know how to sweet talk; as mentioned previously, she just… doesn't have people skills. She's inept at people. She's inept at letting them push her around, too. She's a rebel through and through – not just against the capitol, but… against pretty much anything that she disagrees with or anyone who crosses her.

She really is a mostly good person, though. Even with her less admirable traits and her abrasiveness and the fact that she can be downright scary, people look up to her. People admire her and see her as a beacon of hope in a dark and terrifying time. She is the Mockingjay. The face of the rebellion against a tyrannical and unjust government. Her gut decision to not allow herself, or Peeta, to be used as pawns and toys for the Capitol anymore, at the end of her first Games, led people to believe that if one girl could make a difference, they could. She is hope. She doesn't know it, and she might not even care if she did, but with one action, she's changed everything in the world she knows. The fact that she has that sort of influence just by being herself speaks volumes of how people truly view her – and that is, again, as a symbol of hope and justice.

At the point from which she is being taken, she is not quite the strong girl she used to be, however. She still possesses her base personality traits, but being put through the taxing hardships of two Games, being underground with the rebels, losing Peeta, seeing him so destroyed on television… It's shaken her. She barely sleeps, and when she does, her nightmares usually end up in her waking with screams. She is an individual barely being held together. People she loves, or loved, are being or have been tortured, maybe killed, because of actions she took. There are times when it is simply unbearable and she meanders about in a semi-catatonic state, shirking all semblance of duty in lieu of huddling in some dark, quiet place to be alone with her thoughts and try to sleep. She has sustained physical damage, as well, but her psychological damage is where the truly fragile parts of her lie.

Her dependence on Peeta has become incredibly large at this point in her life. She has learned that Snow is using him to break her, and in talking to Finnick, realizes it's working. She's been damaged physically and psychologically in ways that may never really repair themselves. She does what she has to in order to survive, as she always has, but there is a part of her missing and a numbness to her that makes her difficult to recognize at times. The people she's had to kill haunt her nightmares, as well as others that have suffered because of her either directly or indirectly. She finds it nigh impossible to get any truly restful sleep and spends much of her time secluding herself from other people.

[Abilities]

HUNTING/GATHERING/SURVIVAL/RESILIENCE/OUTDOORSWOMAN'S FINESSE;; Katniss has spent the majority of her life being the sole provider for her family. Unfortunately, in her District and with their poverty levels, all that means is being able to find ways of keeping herself, her mother, and Prim alive. She is an exceptional hunter, being most gifted in the ability to use a bow, and arrows. Over time, she's also learned the art of some traps. She is able to make clean kills when hunting animals, that she may trade the meat in for other means of survival, or take home to cook for her sister and her mother. Because of her father's tragic death and her mother's inability to cope with it, she has often gone without and been backed against a wall in desperation to make sure she and Prim do not starve. She has an expert aim and a keen eye in her hunting; she's rival even to a boy slightly older to herself (her friend Gale).

She also has a very thorough knowledge of naturally growing plants from her area in District 12. She can spot edible plants versus poisonous ones, and though she herself has no medical background, she also knows how to identify plants that can help with certain ailments and injuries. There are several plants she knows automatically, on sight, without needing to investigate further – from the katniss plant she was named after to the poisonous Nightlock berry. She is a true outdoorswoman and can navigate heavily wooded and forested areas, as well.

During the 74th Hunger Games, she also learned a great deal about fighting and keeping herself alive against human foes. She learned more about precision in her arrows, as well as the ability to keep herself alive even when forced to hide up a tree. She's a very good climber and was able to harness herself into a treebranch bed successfully, as well. She also learned more about using her natural surroundings as camouflage, weapons, and distractions, and how to build fires that would create heat with minimal obviousness for cooking in a wilderness environment.

VOCAL ABILITY;; One of the many traits she inherited from her father was the ability to set a lively area still with her voice. She doesn't sing often as it reminds her of her late father, whom she misses terribly, but when she does, even the birds around her – even the Mockingjays – go still and silent, just to listen to her – something that happened when her father sang, as well. She can command the attention of an entire forests' worth of feathered creatures should she so desire, as well as captivate an audience of people given the right situation. She was involved in singing in the music class portion of her schooling, and was one of few children who seemed to know every little diddy native to their area, which led to her being asked to sing at large gatherings of the students.mShe has a fairly extensive library of songs tucked away in her mind, thanks to her father having sung them to her when she was a young girl.

GAINING TRUST;; While she is not personable like Peeta in any form, she is very strong about her opinions and very strong in her abilities. This makes her a good potential ally, and though this has not happened to her more than once, she is able to draw the trust of others who are similarly minded to herself simply by her actions. This is shown most pointedly when she and Rue form an alliance – which eventually turns into an actual friendship of sorts, however short-lived. She is not a friendly person, nor is she charismatic in any way, but she is strong, and she is smart, and this can lead to many an advantage to her in a sticky situation.

[Other important stuff] At one point, Peeta Mellark says "She has no idea, the effect she can have." Katniss is accidentally influential. Her actions, simply taken for her own motivations to survive, provide the spark to ignite a massive rebellion among the districts. Whoops.

[Sample post]
[First Person]

someone comes to you to ask for the time. how would you respond?
I don't look at clocks… [ There's a sort of distance to her tone, and her gaze drops. She's trying to ground herself, wringing her hands, introverting. ] It's hard to keep track of time anymore.

there is a cake in the rain. what do you do?
I couldn't leave it there. Peeta would – [ Again, her gaze is cast downward. ] – He would want me to save it. And we have minimal food. It could keep the kids around here happy for days…

what disgusts you the most?
The Capitol. [ Her voice is icy cold and full of daggers. Her eyes match, and her fists clench. Then the ice is replaced with fire and one name bubbles up from within her, erupting like a volcano from her lips. ] President Snow.

what pleases you the most?
Being out in the open air, in the woods. My woods. [ A rope in her hands, she begins to knot and unknot, just like Finnick showed her. ] The lake. The little house… [ She trails off and focuses on her knotting, too pained by the loss of these things to continue. ]

You have two options: either save your friend who is hanging from a cliff, or chase after the bad guy who put them in a position. If you choose the former, the bad guy will get away and it will be hard to catch him. If you choose the latter, the cliff will crumble and the friend will fall to the spiky rocks below. What do you do and why?
I would – I would save him. I made a promise, to protect – [ She stops. This didn't ask Peeta specifically. But still her mind goes straight to him. Then to Prim. Then back to Peeta. Prim is safe now. Peeta is the one in danger. ] – saving his life is more important than revenge. [ These questions are so hard for her to answer without crumbling into tiny pieces. 8( ]

Your country is in the middle of a war. What do you think of it? Do you support it or try to solve it yourself by going on an epic quest? Explain.
Panem is in the middle of a war. And I'm – I am the face of the rebellion. I am the Mockingjay. The districts rising up against the Capitol is the best thing the people of Panem could have done. To stop the cruelty. The injustice. Murderers! All of them! [ She feels like she's back in District 8. Fire is catching. If we burn, you burn with us! ] – I will kill Snow.

Am I asking too many personal or strange questions?
Yes. [ The answer is simple and quiet and said with force, but at an emotional distance. Her eyes remain fixated elsewhere. ] Stop.

the blue pill or the red pill?
The purple pill. [ Spoken plainly, almost strong. ] I won't let them get to me.

[Third Person]

You've been in Somarium for some time and are out exploring. Choose one (or more) of the following settings: 1) a field full of aggressive scarecrows, 2) the forests of the floating mountain, 3) down by the lake, 4) somewhere in the streets of Somni. Remember to use the setting and the NPCs to your advantage. Have the character interact with the environment, or be reminded of home.

It's beautiful here.

She's glad she found the water when she did. It's not her lake, not like in the woods outside of twelve, but it serves as a reminder that there are places in the world which can still retain their sense of serenity and calm. She comes here often. It helps to take her mind off of things; off of the Capitol, off of home, off of what may become of those she cares about while she is in this strange place. Still foreign, still stranger to her than any other place she's been. It rivals even the Capitol for oddities. And yet, it is not entirely off-putting.

She chooses the lake when solitude is what she craves most. She leaves Finnick behind, tells him she needs the time. He usually understands. She carries a small length of rope to practice her knots, for when things are too difficult for her to fathom. It chains her to reality, keeps her from being trapped in her own mind. There are no tranquilizing medicines here, no morphling awaiting her should she begin to act violently and scream. She has to find a way to ground herself all on her own. Finnick helps, sometimes, but when her mind truly begins to wander the only way she can find any semblance of peace is by remembering who she is, reciting her mantra, and getting to a place that's as close to tranquil as she can get.

Katniss sits on the bank, gingerly twisting and turning her fingers through the grass, toes squirming in the water and soft mud. She wonders if there are any of the roots she was named for here. It reminds her of her father. Sometimes, thoughts of her father help ground her. Other times, they fuel her anger and her fear. For now, they're comforting. 'So long as you find yourself, you'll never starve.' She can hear his voice in her mind, hear the words he spoke and the songs he sang to her. She can see his face, clear in her mind as if she'd seen him only moments ago. She can feel his guidance. But she cannot feel him. Her mind begins to wander; to take off of its own accord, running in all directions, confusing and hurting her. She wishes her father could be here. Better, she wishes he could be at home. With Prim and her mother and Gale and the rebellion, alive and well, protecting them where she no longer can. In her mind, her father's face begins to age, his hair to whiten, and the stench of roses permeates her nose – though she knows there are none nearby.

All of a sudden, the comfort of remember her father gives way to nightmarish images and scenes. Depictions of violent deaths. Rue's lifeless body still wrapped around the spear. Rue's face warps into Prim's. Into Peeta's. Into Gale's. President Snow smiling that snake's smile… Her fingers dig into the grass and moist dirt, and she clenches her eyes shut. "My name is Katniss Everdeen… I am seventeen years old… My home is district twelve. There is no district twelve. I was in the Hunger Games. The Capitol hates me. They have Peeta. I cannot save anyone anymore. I am in another world…"

The sobs take over her body and before she can stop herself, she's doubled over, arms wrapped tightly and locked around her knees as they tuck to her chest. She buries her face against them and sobs loudly, not bothering to stifle her cries. Breaking into millions of pieces is the only thing she can think of that could hurt this much. This must be what Finnick was talking about.

"It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart."

Know she knows what he meant.

[Why do you want to play this character in Somarium?] Because I've wanted to play her from a point in Mockingjay when she's a little more independent of Peeta, but not without the emotional connection. I've also been looking for a place that wouldn't be a complete emotional detriment to her while being separated from him, but where she would have some ability to survive and maybe even be repaired. Having Finnick around won't hurt, either. I like the setting and I think she'll do well here despite the fact that her brain is basically an eggshell waiting to be crushed at this point.
[Which rule was your favorite and why?] Stay in-character. Because being IC is one of the most important (and most fun, truthfully) things about RP to me! What fun is playing them if they aren't them anymore? That's just how I feel about it. Also the being nice thing is a tie. Because being nice is. Nice.
[Where did you hear about Somarium?] Various friends that play here, and I was enabled by Lulu!
[Any questions?] How much wood WOULD a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?