Writer Games | Death Wish & 51

District Nine Male: Aster Wheatleigh [5]

Author: theravensdiadem [5]

Name: Aster Wheatleigh

Age: 17

Sex: Male

District: Nine

Physical Description:  Just tall and thin enough to be blown away in a harsh breeze, Aster  bears an uncanny resemblance to the weeds that inevitably grow in the  sunny fields of Nine. Despite this, he's always impeccably dressed in  the best his district can offer and can almost conceal the complete lack  of muscle and weight that most of the usual tributes earn through  tough, daily labour. However, the veteran Games viewer might note the  tiniest hint of malnourishment - no one from Nine can escape it - when  it comes to the awkward jutting out of bones every time he moves. Aside  from that, a healthy crop of golden hair falls in the way of his left  eye and, coupled with the piercing blue hue of his eyes, his chiseled  features create the image of a perfectly innocent young man, though he  is far from any of the sweet, drawling angels the Capitol has come to  expect from Nine.

Personality:  Aster has always held the popularly unpopular opinion that he has a  natural superiority which separates him from the commonfolk of his  district, whom he chooses to avoid when possible. It's not so much that  he believes he's better than everyone else, rather, he thinks he is  essential to the future of his district and is an asset that can't be  replaced by the likes of the working population. For reasons unknown to  him, the people of Nine don't appreciate snide remarks about their line  of work - especially when it comes from a boy who's never lifted a  scythe in his life. Despite an omnipresent superiority complex, Aster is  not completely friendless and frequently interacts with the more  affluent families who treat him with mild amusement from time to time.  He's a socialite, he insists, as long as you place him among the right  kind of people. Quite affectionate with those he deems worthy enough,  his vanity is not all that defines him. Rather, he's a passionate boy  whose emotions frequently rise to the surface should someone or  something give him reason, though this also gives him an impossibly  destructive temper and an unhealthy craving for revenge.

Background: The  Wheatleigh family come from old money; if true wealth was ever really  known to Nine, they were the ones who prospered. Somewhere back in his  family history, one of Aster's ancestors helped to invent the first  mills in Nine, which some Capitol officials paid for generously in order  to develop the district's now-renowned efficiency. One of the  wealthiest heirs in Nine, the merchant families have always had some  business with him and as a result, he's never been reduced to the harsh  manual labour out in the fields. His father has spent every minute of  Aster's life preparing him to lead in one of the highest managerial  positions in the district and always did well to keep his son away from  the commonborn lest they fill his head with false ideas. Never quite  hated as much as the Capitol officials, the Wheatleigh family are the  next worst thing. His mother is fond of reading, a trait she passed on  to Aster and the two proudly boast a private library in their home. As a  result of this, Aster has always been literate and able to chase the  intellectual pursuits available, so his family's wealth is perhaps the  cause of his arrogance.

Reaped/Volunteered: Reaped.

Reaction/Reason:  It began with disbelief and every semblance of blood seeping out of his  face, but he comforted himself with the idea that someone would  volunteer for him - it was a particularly generous Games for the victor,  after all, so some fool would come to take his place. When the chance  for volunteers passed with smug silence, his cheeks flushed with a  seething rage caused by the cruelest betrayal from the district he  always thought had needed and loved him.

Strengths: He's  intelligent from being brought up with the chance to attend school  year-round instead of the common families who are forced to take part in  the yearly harvests. After an upbringing like this, he's sure he knows  how to avoid unwanted accidents in the arena and he's eager to solve any  riddles the Gamemakers might present to him.

Weaknesses: His  arrogance can lead him to be fooled easily, should someone with  intelligence know exactly how to manipulate him. Apart from that, he's  got next to no experience with weapons and won't fare well in combat  without a miracle.

Weapon: Hopefully  he can win without much conflict, but he figures that he may as well  try his hand at a scythe or the other standard weapons that tributes  from the lower districts have had success with in the past.

Token: A daisy  chain given to him by a childhood friend, Elysia. Once, he might have  dismissed it as worthless and completely unimaginative, but now  something as cheap as a flower bracelet has started to feel priceless.

Wish: When Aster made his wish, he never actually believed he'd get the chance for it to come true. It went as follows:
"On  the completely impossible occasion in which my name is drawn for the  Reaping and the even more unlikely event that no one should volunteer to  save me, I wish to ensure that anyone within my age group eligible to  take my integral and exceedingly valuable place are punished for their  negligence towards their district and their future.
Signed: A. Wheatley"
He  had smiled to himself at a delightful joke. Might as well come up with  something daring as they would never let him go into the arena. After  all, he's much too important for that.