The Fifth Annual Writer Games: The Fall

District One Female: Venus Iridium [adonian]

Name: Venus Iridium

Age: Eighteen

District: One, Luxury

Sex: Female

Physical Appearance: Despite looking exactly like at least thirty other girls in her age group, Venus is someone who makes heads turn. Her dirty blonde hair has mixes of platinum and brown, with dark roots that she doesn't bother to touch up—it's one of the few things that makes her stand out—and it neatly surrounds her head, reaching almost to her abdomen. Her striking green eyes are always lined with some type of makeup, wanting people to focus on her face rather than her figure. And her lips, naturally a light shade of pink, are enhanced with small blotches of lipstick, oftentimes shades of purple rather than red. She stands quite tall for some girls, her height of five foot eight coming mostly from her long legs, and her physique is willowy and slim. She lacks freckles and other beauty marks—things that would add to her appeal—but she's content with what she has, believing that if she looks like her version of a star, people will take her skills seriously.

Personality: If Venus could sum her entire personality into one word, it would be charming. She can talk her way out of any situation, bat her eyes at anyone who catches her slipping—she has people wrapped around her finger, and she wouldn't change that for anything. Her polite manner—often laughing at jokes that aren't that funny, nodding encouragingly when people are in fits—adds to her intrigue. This is the personality she puts out when she wants people to notice her, the girl who is sometimes in the background of a pleasant memory, but when she wants people to remember her, she can be whoever she wants to be. She can be dim, she can be bright; she can be the loudest voice in the room, or she can be the person who remains coldly silent. She plays the part she needs to play, and she plays the people who think they can be center-stage of her show. Sadly, people tend to forget this, but she engages with everything and everyone to her advantage. She's an actress, darling; and this is her discretion.

Background: Venus doesn't remember much from the time Before, maybe just a year or two before the rebellion fell apart and her and her people were forced into servitude and subjugation. She remembers the way the sun would burn her skin if she stayed out too late—not that she would dare break curfew and suffer a fatal wound, if not worse, at the hands of a rogue Peacekeeper—and she remembers the tall, scratchy grasses that would leave bits of themselves in her clothes. She remembers playing with children from all parts of the district at school, the way they would share their plethora of secrets and their miniscule amounts of food. She remembers the coveted knocks her family rehearsed, the drills they practiced, the strategies they passed on to other families who suffered worse fates than theirs. She remembers the unity, the hope that tomorrow would be another day—but tomorrow came, and tomorrow went, and everything changed with it. She remembers her father's fiery spirit, a leader with the perfect opportunity to make a name for himself, and she remembers her mother's talent for words, always at the ready to aid her husband in his act, and she remembers her older sister's heavy-booted trot, rallying in the streets with the few insurgents brave enough to continue fighting. She remembers these things less vividly, her parents and her sister falling into line when the Capitol promised to give District One a life of peace and luxury, partially exempt from the horrors that would come the year following victory. She remembers only a few years before the Games began, but she doesn't reflect much on the past; she's a realist, she knows that the past can shape a person, but that doesn't necessarily mean a future is predetermined. If there is one thing that is engrained into her mind, it is that she is a maker of her own destiny. When her parents, at the request of a sister who maybe didn't give in that easily, enrolled Venus into the "additional" schooling that was a privilege for her district—this being the promise from the Capitol that her district would suffer less than others—she agreed, so long as she could also take acting lessons from the community theater that surprisingly remained. When she was encouraged to pick a specialized weapon, she agreed, so long as it would be long-ranged and multi-purposed, just like herself. When she was pushed into doing anything—not that she hadn't been considering these things before—she agreed, so long as it aided her in the long-run, and so far, everything has. She has let people think they have influence over her life, but the only person who can delegate what she does or does not do is herself. She's an actress, darling; and her life is at her discretion.

Reaped or Volunteered?: As if she would let herself fall victim to something as ridiculous as this! Venus volunteered on the grounds that she couldn't stand the fact someone would potentially step in to take her place should she be reaped, so she volunteered. Besides, her face being broadcasted across every television in Panem is her dream: the arena will be her stage, the Games will be her plot, and the other tributes will be mere footnotes in her drama. Venus is ready to face every single climax the game has to offer, and she is ready to handle the falling action. She's an actress, darling; and the Games are at her discretion.

Weapon of Choice: Venus is a fan of throwing knives and stars alike.

Token: She doesn't like gold, that Venus Iridium. No, she is a lover of silver. With her, she brings a felt-tip tube of silver taint, ready to decorate any part of her face.