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Name: Lettie
Age: 26
Contact: Lettie347 (AIM)
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Character Basics:

Character Name: Haymitch Abernathy
Journal: hungover
Age: 41
Fandom: The Hunger Games
Canon Point: The end of Catching Fire, just after Katniss has blown up the forcefield surrounding the Quarter Quell arena.
Debt:

Class A: 11 years
Class B: 75 years, 6 months
Class C: 42 years, 4 months
GRAND TOTAL: 128 years, 10 months
Detailed breakdown: Over here!

Canon Character Section:

History: Haymitch comes from the nation of Panem, established after the destruction of modern civilization. Panem is divided into 13 Districts and the Capitol; 12 of the districts are recognized as functional, while the 13th is officially inactive as far as the Capitol is concerned. District 13 was supposedly destroyed during the Dark Days. The Captiol rules with an iron fist just as it did before the Dark Days – an attempted rebellion by the 13 districts – in its fortress like city, where the inhabitants are wealthy and want for nothing. The unsuccessful rebellion 75 years before the books take place was punished by the Capitol with the Hunger Games, an annual competition that serves to remind any rebels that the Capitol is in absolute control of the Districts' lives. Two children aged 12-18 from each district, a male and a female, are selected as tributes to fight to the death in a fully-televised event which leaves only one victor. That victor is given riches and wealth as a supposed gift from the Capitol, although not is all as it seems. The selection of the children is called the Reaping, and is done at random by drawing the names of the children from a large ball. Childrens' names are put in once per year unless the child wishes to take tessera, a very meager portion of oil and grain. They are permitted to take tessera once per year for each member of their family in exchange for having their name put into the Reaping draw additional times.

Haymitch himself is a victor of the 50th Hunger Games – the second Quarter Quell, where instead of one male and one female from each district, two of each are chosen. At the age of sixteen, he participated in the games on behalf of District 12, which specializes in the production of coal. District 12 is one of the poorest districts, with even its richest inhabitants being no more well off than some of the poorest in Districts 1 or 2. During the preliminary interviews that happen before each Games, Haymitch was asked what he thought about having twice as many people to defeat and insisted there wasn't any difference, since they would all be just as stupid. He proved to be a smart boy when he managed to gain a knife from the Cornucopia of weapons without being killed in the initial slaughter that usually happened when the Games started. He allied early on in the games with one of the District 12 females, Maysilee Donner, after she saved him from certain death by shooting a boy about to slit his throat with a poison dart. They managed to make it to the last handful of tributes and reach the edge of their arena, where Haymitch accidentally kicked a pebble into the forcefield surrounding the games. The pebble bounced back toward him, pleasing him immensely. Now worried they would have to kill each other, Maysilee called off the alliance and headed back to the main area of the arena. Maysilee was killed by a flock of vicious pink birds who speared her throat with their beaks, dying in Haymitch's arms. He had rushed to her side as soon as he'd heard her cries, but was unable to save her. Shortly after this, he ran into the only other remaining tribute and struggled with her – he sliced her in the eye, but she cut him so badly with her axe that he was forced to run toward the border of the Games holding his intestines. She threw her axe at him and it toppled off the edge, eventually getting launched back at her and burying itself in her head. Haymitch, seizing from his blood loss, was crowned winner by way of his cleverness.

This turned out to be a dangerous thing, however – two weeks after his Games, Haymitch's family and his current girlfriend were killed by President Snow, the ruler of the Capitol. The deaths were meant to be both a warning and a punishment for Haymitch out-smarting the Capitol. Consumed by the grief of his family and the gruesome images of the Games, he began to drink. This drinking only worsened when, over the next 23 years, each and every tribute that Haymitch mentored from District 12 were killed in the arena. He isolated himself even from his district, living in a decrepit house in Victor's Village where he slept fitfully and with a knife in his hand.

The books give us no more information on Haymitch until the 74th Hunger Games, when he is introduced as the drunken mentor to the tributes ... by falling off the stage during the Reaping after hugging Effie Trinket, the District's escort for the Games. His alcoholism more often than not puts him into a near-comatose state, and he is often found on the train to the Capitol in a puddle of his own vomit. To his credit, once Peeta and Katniss, his two tributes, show more spirit than he has seen in years, he begins to take them more seriously. He attempts to sober up at least a little and begins to formulate a plan for them. He proves to be a surprisingly competent mentor, giving the tributes tips on how to act in order to line up sponsors and stressing that they need to make an impression on the Gamemakers in order to survive the Games. Once he finds out that Peeta is deeply in love with Katniss, he advises the two of them to protect each other and act as a team. Although it seems that he plans eventually to split the two of them up, it becomes obvious the longer the Games go on that he wants to keep them together – even if he shows this by trying exclusively to save Katinss. He knows that Katniss, by extension, will save Peeta.

He spends time with the Head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane, and convinces him that the Games need to have a love story in order to be truly gripping. Seneca concedes and changes the rules of the game to allow two victors so long as they are from the same District, allowing both Peeta and Katniss to survive. He also spends time charming the people of the Capitol into sending Peeta and Katniss gifts in small silver parachutes, communicating to Katniss with the gifts exactly where he wants her to go with Peeta in order to survive. Seneca attempts to rescind the new rule at the last minute, when Katniss and Peeta threaten to kill themselves by eating poisonous berries, he gives in. Although he is elated when they both live, Haymitch knows from personal experience that this rebellious move is going to cost them all dearly. He warns Katniss before her victory interview that President Snow will not take such rebellion lightly, and that she must convince the Capitol viewers without a doubt that she is in love with Peeta (even if she is not so sure of this herself). After interview, when he is convinced for the moment that both his tributes will be safe, Haymitch once again begins to drink heavily. For all the good that he's done for the first time since his own Games, he still cannot escape his fears.

It isn't until Katniss comes to his home in Victor's Village to tell him that she has been personally threatened by President Snow that he smartens up any – he accompanies Peeta and Katniss on their Victory tour in hopes of keeping them safe. This proves to be a pointless endeavour after the team's first tour stop, District 11. Katniss and Peeta both ignite the crowd's fervour and cause a Peacekeeping officer to shoot an elderly man. Haymitch and Katniss finally come clean to Peeta, who had been previously left in the dark about the problems their victory had caused in the Capitol, and together they survive the rest of the tour. Once again, Haymitch's drinking worsens until another horrific event forces him to his feet: the third Quarter Quell tributes are going to be reaped from the existing pool of victors. This means that Katniss must be the female tribute for District 12, and either Haymitch or Peeta will be the male. Haymitch and Katniss get drunk and discuss how Peeta will inevitably become tribute, since even if Haymitch's name is drawn, Peeta will volunteer in his stead. This turns out to be true, and Haymitch promises Katniss that he will attempt to protect Peeta this time around. While he appears passive, this is actually the point at which Haymitch begins planning a rebellion with the rest of the surviving tributes who will join him: the victors from Districts 3, 4, and 7. He urges his team to make alliances with the other tributes while this behind-the-scenes planning is happening. It turns out that the Head Gamemaker for this year, Plutarch Heavensbee, is an important part of this rebel plan. The victors from the rebellious districts help Katniss to destroy the forcefield surrounding this year's arena, although half of them end up dead. When Katniss is rescued by hovercraft, Haymitch is inside of it and conversing with the other rebels. He reveals that District 13 is functional, and that they have joined the rebel cause to overthrow the Capitol. Overwhelmed with anger, Katniss scratches Haymitch's face deeply. She is enraged by the fact that he once again kept his true intentions from her and broke his promise to help protect Peeta, as he was left behind when the rescue occurred. It's at this point that he'll be entering the city.

Personality: The first thing to understand about Haymitch is that he is much more clever than people seem to remember he is. He's able to figure out how the force-field can be used to his advantage during his Hunger Games, and manages to keep it to himself. He's also able to secretly plan a revolution that centres around breaking out Katniss from her Quarter Quell games without alerting any authorities while under the direct supervision of the Capitol, which is quite a feat. He manages to convince tributes from 3, 4, and 7 to work with him in order to break Katniss out of the Quarter Quell arena, so he's obviously manipulative and convincing when he has to be.

When he's at his best, he is focused and vicious enough to defeat a hoarde of other tributes when the odds were very much against him. He is determined, refusing to give up and die even when he is quite literally running away with his intestines in hand. Hell, even when he has forty-six tributes die under his watch, he doesn't give up and throw himself off a building. He self-medicates with alcohol heavily, yes, but he doesn't dare end his life: this would mean that his future tributes would have to deal with their Games alone, and that isn't something that he wishes on anyone. He is a product of twenty-three years of failure after winning his Games: having his family and girlfriend killed for his rebellious action during the Games is what likely started his drinking, but having dozens of his tributes fail to win their own Games worsened his habit.

At the point when he starts tutoring Katniss and Peeta, it's seems like he's close to giving up. He tests the two of them during their first breakfast meeting, though, challenging Peeta to attack him. When he finds that Katniss is the one who becomes aggressive (with Peeta following behind), he's actually impressed and pleased: he stated during the Reaping that he thought Katniss had spunk, and she proved him right. He's happy with this, and manages to pull himself out of his glass to help her in any way he can. Together with Peeta, he comes up with a clever scheme to win the sympathies of the Capitol people. Years of interacting with the Capitol people and also the Gamemakers has given him insight on how to manipulate the crowd's feelings to Katniss and Peeta's advantages. He spends time during the pair's game schmoozing with sponsors in order to keep Katniss and Peeta alive. He even communicates with Katniss using his gifts, knowing that she is smart enough to figure out what he wants to say with them. Their personalities are quite similar, in fact: she's just as stubborn as he is when it comes to not giving up.

When he drinks, Haymitch is surly and unkind: he speaks before he thinks, and this ends up getting him into trouble more often than not. His depression and personal problems make him drink, and his drinking makes these problems worse. He often drinks himself into passing out in a pile of his own vomit in order to quell the nightmares that surely haunt him from his own Games, the death of his family, and the deaths of countless tributes. He covers his affections for Katniss and Peeta by being sarcastic to them more often than not, but when Katniss seeks him out for comfort, he doesn't deny her. He holds her and tells her that things will work out, letting her cry on him as much as she wants to.

Peeta and Katniss are infinitely important to him because they represent his hope of the revolution and of the future. Working with them is what sparks him to seriously consider starting the revolution after so many years of the Districts being in unrest. When District 13 tells him that they want Katniss for their revolution and that Peeta isn't important enough, he's distressed: he feels guilty enough for leaving Peeta alone after promising Katniss he'd protect him this time that he doesn't resist Katniss slashing him across the face with her nails once she finds out he'd been keeping the revolt from her.

Powers/Abilities: Haymitch has a hell of an alcohol tolerance, a sharper mind than most people would expect, and a talent for living just to spite people. He's good at using his environment to his advantage, and can be a master manipulator of the stupid over-fed rich kids, when he needs to be. Other than that, though, he's an average human.

Appearance: Haymitch is described as paunchy and middle-aged in The Hunger Games. In Catching Fire, he is described as formerly being young, strong, and "something of a looker" 25 years ago when he won the games. Kind of like this.

CR AU

Game You’re Transferring CR from:

How has your character changed from their canon self?

Are they gaining any abilities from their time in game? Did the game setting take something from them?

Samples:

Actionspam Sample: [There is the tell-tale sound of heaving in the background. The communicator is on its side, camera facing a cup of some clear alcohol on ice that's swirling in a tumbler. Shortly after, arguing in the background about the vomiting and about the lack of real money for a tab – something is slammed on the table and footsteps walk away ... before walking back, a thick hand swiping up the communicator before retreating out into the night again.

He had spent exactly sixteen minutes in the room that he'd woken up in before heading out into the street to find the bar he's just been kicked out of.

His cheek still stings where Katniss has gouged him, but it is now a dull thrum that doesn't seem so bad when he can't see straight. Eventually, he manages to get the camera upright and gives it a winning grin – or it would be winning, if there wasn't the telltale glisten of vomit on his lower lip. Some might not notice that.]

So, we're in for another Game. Different rules, sure, but – [and he waves his hand toward the camera,] – still. I should introduce myself, if that's the case.

[He makes a mostly-unsuccessful attempt to straighten himself up a little, leaning heavily on the outside wall of the pub.]

Haymitch Abernathy, victor of the second Quarter Quell. I come from District 12, where you can starve to death in safety. This place is at least less of a violent assault on the senses than the Capitol – nobody's hair has made me shield my eyes yet. That's something.

[He produces a flask from his jacket pocket and places it to his lips, tipping it completely upside-down to suck the last few drops from it.]

I'm guessing this place has got more robbers, though. Thieves. Rapists, maybe?

Well. Whatever surprises this place has in store, I'm sure everyone here is just as stupid when it comes down to it. Come on, then, let's give the people a show. That's all they really want, anyway.

[And with that, the feed clicks off.]

Prose Sample: He wakes up with his head throbbing – it's a familiar sensation by now, a near-daily ritual. The side of his face isn't wet with vomit, however, so he'd had a better night than he'd guessed from the pounding in his skull. He pushes himself to his feet and swaggers over to the sink, placing his hands flat on the cool marble counter.

The previous night is coming back to him in bright, painful bursts – it had marked yet another day of the Quarter Quell, and another day of talking in hushed tones to people whose Capitol couture sported subtle mockingjay pins or necklaces or earrings. Most people assumed that the pins were simply a way to show that they wanted the District 12 tribute, Katniss Everdeen, to win – but it was much more complicated than that. These people wanted to stop the Games, to overthrow the Capitol because of what it had been doing to the Districts for years. He'd quickly grown too overwhelmed with the weight of the situation, knowing that Katniss' daring escape was approaching far too quickly for his liking. He couldn't help being concerned that something would go wrong, that they'd change their minds at the last moment and he'd be left to watch Katniss die.

The other tributes who he'd recruited to the cause – he trusted most of them implicitly, but he knew better than anyone that once they were back in the arena all bets were off. The Games changed people, and there was no real going back from that. Annie Cresta had been one of the only ones to go outwardly mad, but the rest of them were just as screwed up as her on the inside. It was that worry that had prompted him to drink that night – never mind that he always found an excuse to drink – but it was also what had made him dump at least a half-bottle of clear liquor down the bathroom sink.

Ah, well – that explains that. He splashes cool water on his face and glances down into the sink. Broken glass tinged with pink is pooled near the plug, rinsing clean with the fresh water from the tap. Haymitch, out of habit, looks down at his hands – sure enough, there are a few cuts in his palms that weren't there the night before. Does blood-loss make a hangover worse? It must.

He sighs and reaches out to turn on the television in the bathroom, forcing himself to fix his eyes on the screen. Sure enough, Katniss and her band of would-be rebels are fleeing from another hourly disaster: this focuses him, moves him to action. He pours some rubbing alcohol over his palms and barely winces at the burning sensation, toweling his hands off once they're cleaned off. A moment later he calls for an Avox to clean up the bathroom and moves into the common area where he knows he'll find Effie and a cup of coffee. There's much to be done, after all, and people are depending on him. Katniss and Peeta are the only tributes he's ever managed to save, and he's not going to let them go without a fight. He'll burn down the whole Capitol before he lets them both die, no matter what he told Katniss about only saving Peeta.