Syrian Delamine

Background
Syrian is the only child of a family in the upper class of District 8 - the designers. Since birth he was exposed to colors, to cloth samples, and to drawing. Fortunately he took to it like a duck to water. He's been drawing since he could hold a pencil, and his talent is only improving. Despite loving designing and fashion in general, he has always hated living in District 8. However, this hatred did not extend to the people of District 8.

Syrian made a point to get to know everyone. After all, his dream was to one day work in the Capitol, and being friendly with the people making your cloth was never a bad thing. Although not entirely altruistic, his friendliness and willingness to help was genuine. This got him in a sizable amount of trouble when he was 12.

It was the Reaping, and it was Syrian's first year in the pool. His parents were on edge, and he was nervous as well. However, he figured he didn't have much to worry about considering his name was only in there once. A benefit of being in the upper class and an only child was that he didn't need to take any tesserae. The ball was spun, the name was called, and Syrian realized - to his horror - that the girl next to him was going up, blue eyes filled with tears. She was a slip of a thing, tiny and frail, and he'd been friends with her for a year or so. The full horror of the Hunger Games hit him then. True, he'd watched the games and remembered the crying in his District, but he'd never personally known the tribute.

From that day on he began nursing a hate of the people who would do this. That didn't stop his dream of working in the Capitol, but he vowed he would be a designer for the tributes. At least if they had such a horrible fate ahead, he could be some comfort. Maybe the resentment was why, a year later, he threw a rock at a Peacekeeper roughing up some kids. A stupid decision, and one he paid for with seven lashes of the whip. He never rebelled again.

Now Syrian is 18, almost too old for the Reaping. Although he doesn't dare hope too soon, he cannot help himself from feeling optimistic about his future. He trains with the others, appreciating the exercise it gives him, but doesn't think too seriously about the games. After all, he's never had to apply for tesserae, so the odds are astronomical that he would be chosen.

Personality
Syrian is obsessed with fashion. Rightly so, being from the fabric district. He is aware that not many of his peers like the colorful, inventive cloth they produce, but he cannot help himself. There's nothing he loves more than thinking up some new patter or design, then running it through his fingers when he is done. For his own sake he tries to keep his affections a secret from his friends - no one would like him if they knew he enjoyed what they were forced to do. Like his cloth designs, Syrian is a vibrant, alive personality. He cannot help but be friendly to everyone he meets, and this at times can get him in a load of trouble. A good friend, he likes helping out where he can and finding others to help when he cannot. Generally he considers himself well liked.

The one thing that you can get Syrian into a blue funk about is his looks. Being a short male at only five foot six, he is quite sensitive about his stature. To compensate, he makes sure to get plenty of exercise. As such, he is a good powerhouse of muscle. However, he doesn't really like fighting and doesn't do well at any covert training events. Still, being 18, he's confident that in another couples months he'll be out of the Reaping for good.

One thing Syrian dreams about, but doesn't tell many people, is that one day he can move to the Capitol. While his parents are great people and he loves them, he also would not pass up an opportunity to get out of District 8. He's always wanted to go to the Capitol, to see if maybe someone is wearing his clothes. Personally he would like to be a designer for the Games - although of course he doesn't agree with them, it wouldn't hurt him to have his work out there for everyone to see.

Likes

 * Looking his best
 * Designing
 * Drawing
 * Watching someone try on something he helped with
 * The color blue

Dislikes

 * Anything Khaki
 * Scars on his back
 * Dirt
 * Dye stains on his hands
 * District 8