Finnick Odair, District 4

PLAYER INFO

PLAYER NAME » sAmmii
PLAYER JOURNAL » finnick_odair
AGE » 33
EMAIL » sammii.mun@gmail.com
INSTANT MESSAGING » AIM: sammiiwinchester
OTHER METHOD OF CONTACT » n/a
HOW MANY CHARACTERS DO YOU CURRENTLY PLAY? » n/a


CHARACTER INFO

CHARACTER NAME » Finnick Odair
FANDOM » The Hunger Games
CANON-POINT » About halfway through Mockingjay, before Annie's rescue
HISTORY » Wiki

AU SETTING/PAST GAME HISTORY » This isn't really AU or past game, per se, it's more where I've filled in the blanks on his history, since we don't really get much in canon. :)

~~~~~~~~
Finnick was born in District 4, one of the richer Districts in the world of Panem. His father owned a fishing boat and a very successful fishing business, and Finnick grew up happy and comfortable, wanting for nothing. A bright and confident child, Finnick also showed a great deal of physical ability at a young age. Strong, with an athletic build and competitive spirit that manifested early, he was a natural choice to someday represent District 4 in the Hunger Games.

Training nearly all the time that he wasn't at sea (his truest love was always the Sea, and being at sea, something that nothing could ever force out of him, even the opulence of the Capitol), he gained lethal proficiency not just with spears and swords - the more traditional weapons of Career tributes, but also with his personal weapon of choice - the three-pronged trident.

Although nobody was surprised that Finnick volunteered as Tribute, there were many surprised that he chose to do so at such a young age - he was only fourteen when he volunteered in the place of of a twelve year old from the inland (and considerably more impoverished) area of District 4 for the 65th Annual Games.

Already incredibly attractive, fit, and with a confidence and already developing sensuality that far surpassed the rest of the Tributes that year, Finnick wanted for nothing in the Games, even receiving a trident from a sponsor - Katniss comments that it was probably the most expensive sponsor gift ever given. He won the games rather easily, with his natural talent and support from sponsors, but the aftermath was not the glorious and easy life he had been raised to believe.

For two years, Finnick was left to enjoy himself and his winnings in District 4. But days after his sixteenth birthday, when the Capitol judged him old enough, Finnick was visited by President Snow, who let him know in no uncertain terms that he was expected to do his part for the Capitol by letting them sell his body to the highest bidder. Horrified at this idea, Finnick rebelled at first, refusing to be complicit in such a thing. Snow responded by having his parents executed, and after that there was no more protest from Finnick. Sold into sexual slavery then at the age of sixteen, Finnick fell into despair. Losing his sexual autonomy and control over his own sense of self led him to self-medicate a la Haymitch, especially when he was forced to mentor the confident and ignorant Tributes from District 4.

He drank to forget, but nothing could wipe the horrors he faced from his mind, or free him from the guilt he felt over his parents deaths, or the disgust he felt towards himself for Volunteering for all of this. In public, he put on a devil-may-care persona; a sensual and seductive mask that protected the tender person within, and that was also demanded by the Capitol who controlled him. Those who bought him used him without thought, seeing him as a status symbol and proof of their wealth - that they could afford a liason with Panem's most attractive victor. The non-consensual part (and the monetary part) were conveniently left out of public discourse. Finnick, however, mentally catalogued all of the secrets that were told to him by his string of lovers - the sick and perverse things they did to him, or the things they told him because they saw him as little more than an Avox - not perceiving the threat that he posed them.

Finnick's downhill spiral was stopped when he met Annie Cresta, the tribute from District 4 for the 70th Hunger Games. A lovely young woman (although not more so than many of the others girls he had been with), her gentleness touched something deep inside him, and as he mentored her, his heart began to soften. This terrified him, and he was likely more harsh with her at times than he had been with many of the other tributes. But what had begun could not be stopped, and by the time the Games began, he was completely in love with her, although he would not admit it to himself until the Games had ended and she had survived.

The Games had not been easy for Annie, leaving her mentally damaged and suffering from extreme PTSD, but if anything, this just made her more dear to Finnick. She understood, and in her he found someone in whom he could confide. She became in every way his soulmate. He confessed to her everything that had happened to him, cried on her shoulder, listened to her stories of horror, and comforted her in turn. They developed an intense need for the other's company, becoming almost dangerous codependent, as is shown by Finnick's mental collapse when she's taken prisoner in Mockingjay.

Of course, the addition of Annie in Finnick's life was not something the Capitol appreciated in the least, as it undercut their presentation of Finnick as a most eligible bachelor and possible lover for the rich residents of the Capitol. Finnick stepped forward to protect her, agreeing to things he had never agreed to before, and agreeing not to mention her or have her in the Capitol during the Games, as long as she was left alone. It was an agreement that Snow reluctantly agreed to, but the threat on her was always there, eating at the pit of Finnick's soul.

When he Volunteered again for the 75th Hunger Games (as part of a rebellion that had already begun in Four), part of his motivation for fighting at all was the hope that he and Annie could finally be public and free with their relationship, and that everything that had happened to him, and the threats on Annie, would finally and completely end.

When they broke out of the arena and found themselves in 13, he was horrified to find that they had not been quick enough to save Annie from 4 - she had been taken prisoner by the Capitol. This led Finnick into a complete mental breakdown, one from which he would not pull himself until she was rescued by the team from Thirteen that also rescued Peeta.

At the point I am bringing Finnick into the Land of Make Believe, Annie has not yet returned to Thirteen, and he's in the middle of a complete mental breakdown. Crying nearly continuously, distracted and unable to think of little more than what's happening to Annie in the Capitol, he's a shadow of the man he is when she's there.

PERSONALITY » We are first introduced to Finnick when he is reaped for the 3rd Quarter Quell, as the male tribute from District 4. We are told of his strings of lovers that he loves and leaves, and Katniss speaks about his extreme sexuality. One is given the impression that he is little more than an incredibly sensual and deadly jock, but a very shallow young man.

This turns out to be far from the case. As we learn more about him, we learn that Finnick is an incredibly complex, and even tragic young man.

After his victory in the 65th Hunger Games, Finnick, because of his extreme beauty, was forced into sexual slavery by the Capitol - sold at exorbitant rates by President Snow and others in charge, to visiting VIPs. Unable to resist because of the threats they have posed against those he loves, Finnick plays along, burying his traumas under a mask of superficiality.

While in the Arena, we constantly see examples of Finnick's bravery and strength, but there are also startling images of his vulnerability and compassion. For example, after Mag's death, Finnick takes guard duty so that he can mourn for his friend, and we are told that in the morning, his eyes are still "puffy" from weeping. In another example, in the woods with the Jabberjays, Finnick loses all reason when he hears the bird mimicking the screaming of his beloved Annie.

Once the Rebels break out of the Arena, and are taken to District 13, from where the Rebellion will be staged, Finnick falls into a deep depression and mental breakdown. Annie, the love of his life, and the rock on which he leans, has been taken prisoner by the Capitol, and thinking of her being tortured and possibly killed is more than he can bear. Katniss describes how he spends most of his time weeping and tying knots to distract himself, and at times is nearly catatonic.

Far from being 'devil may care' and lackadaisical in his love life, Finnick is deeply and almost co-dependently in love with "mad" Annie Cresta, to the point that being without her robs him of all of his strength to deal with his own traumas. It is only with Annie's presence that he is able to find peace, and show himself as the man he truly is.

While physically strong, he is mentally weak and prone to breakdowns if his connection with her is cut. In an essay I read about the character, it posits that Annie is the rock he needs to keep him from falling into the pit of his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and without her there is nothing to keep him from falling into the abyss. This is what we see at the beginning of Mockingjay, when Katniss describes his mental breakdown.

Aside from this, he is also intelligent, loyal, brave, and when in control of himself possesses an easy-going sense-of-humor.

ABILITIES/WEAKNESSES » He's very physically fit, absolutely lethal with a trident. He's good at anything to do with swimming, diving, fishing or boating. His biggest weaknesses are mental - his own PTSD from years of sexual slavery and his love for Annie Cresta.
DREAM POWER » Finnick's dream power is going to be an ability to improve upon his physical skills while sleeping. Meaning that, for instance, practicing throwing his trident in his dreams will translate to actual improved throwing when he's awake. Or learning to tie a new knot in his sleep means he will be able to do it when he awakens.


CHARACTER SAMPLES

NETWORK SAMPLE »

VIDEO

[Finnick is looking into the communicator, his sea-green eyes slightly haunted, although he also appears outwardly pleased with himself for figuring out how to get this thing to work.]

Um. Yeah, so. This is working?

[He turns it sideways until he sees the little red blinking light, and turns it rightside up again, with a little smile]

Yeah, so, this place? Not so sure about it. Looks like a desert. Don't like deserts much. The lady at the hospital seemed nice enough, but...yeah. Not quite thrilled about being somewhere I didn't choose to be. Again. Is the Capitol behind this? Or am I just going nuts?

[He sighs slightly, realizing that he's rambling, and the haunted look strengthens]

Look, to be honest, I'm not sure if this is real. Maybe I've snapped or something. I wasn't feeling myself, and then I wake up in this place...if there's anyone out there who knows me, I'd really like to talk to you...or anyone out there who can prove to me that this is real, and not just me having totally lost my mind. I don't do well without Annie, so I'm afraid that's rather possible...

[He starts to turn it off, but then remembers something]

Oh! And has anyone seen my trident?

LOG SAMPLE »

Finnick sat on the floor of his room, his hands frantically tying and untying the length of rope in his hands. It was his distraction, the way he relieved stress, but it wasn't working as it usually did. Ever since he had arrived here, in this place that he didn't truly understand, he had kept himself locked away in his room, hiding from the world, trying to find solace in the usual places.

It wasn't working.

It was becoming harder and harder to distract himself with the rope, and his eyes kept flicking towards the window, to the strange landscape that existed outside of it. This wasn't District Thirteen. That, he was sure of. District 13 was underground, a bunker safe from the bombs of the Capitol. There were no windows to the outside world, and the outside world around District 13 didn't look like that.

And then there was the woman who had greeted him when he had awakened in the hospital, and the words that she had spoken to him, which he forced quickly from his mind. They were too...frightening to process right now, at a time when his normal methods of relaxing himself were...insufficient, at best.

If this wasn't Thirteen - and he was sure it wasn't - then how was he supposed to find Annie? And if he didn't find Annie...

He left that question open-ended, because he couldn't bear to finish it. There was no question of finding Annie. He had to. Things would just get worse until he did, and he couldn't bear that thought.

He looked at the messenger on the floor again, the thought flashing through his mind that perhaps he should try to work it, to reach out and try to contact someone who could tell him what was going on. Maybe there was even someone here he knew.

He tied a few more knots while staring at the device, then bit his bottom lip, dropped the rope and reached for it.

He had to do something, and there seemed few other options.



ANYTHING ELSE? » Nope!

I hope I'm doing this right - new here. :) If I'm not, please let me know and I'll fix whatever's wrong.

Player Information
Your Nickname: sAmmii
OOC Journal: sammii
Under 18? Nope, not by a long shot
Email/IM: email: sammii.mun@gmail.com AIM: the_point_man
Characters Played at Singularity: This would be my first

Character Information
Name: Finnick Odair
Name of Canon: The Hunger Games
Canon/AU/Other Game CR: Canon
Reference: Here.
Canon Point: After his death in Mockingjay.

Setting: Finnick's world is a dystopian future version of Earth. After the world as we know it was destroyed by wars, environmental destruction, plagues and famines, the surviving peoples struggled to rebuild a new world in its ashes. What came was the world of Panem, which consisted of a centrally located Capitol in the Rocky Mountains, ringed by thirteen districts. Approximately eighty years before the canon begins, the districts of Panem rose up against the oppressive Capitol, and in the terrible war that followed, District 13 was completely destroyed and the other districts were brought to heel with great violence and loss of life.

As a reminder to the districts who is ultimately in charge, the Hunger Games were started. Once a year, two children between the ages of 12 and 18 are reaped (i.e. drafted) to participate in a televised fight to the death, of which there can only be one winner. In the Capitol, this is a time of great entertainment and celebration, and the same could be said that there is a certain enjoyment to those known as the "Career Districts" - 1,2 and 4. In these districts, boys and girls are trained from a young age to participate in the Games, and it is a great honor to be reaped, unlike in many other districts where it is basically considered a death sentence.

Every twenty-five years, there is a "special" Hunger Games - known as a Quarter Quell - in which the rules are changed. In the 25th, districts had to vote in their Tributes, in the 50th, twice the number of Tributes were selected.

The canon of the game starts immediately prior to the 74th Hunger Games, one year from the third Quarter Quell. Circumstances are ripening for another Rebellion, and when we first meet Finnick, Katniss and Peeta's personal rebellion at the end of their Games has caused several districts to fall into Revolt.

Finnick Odair, who is 23 years old at the opening of the Hunger Games canon, and 24 when we meet him in the second book, was the victor from the 65th Hunger Games. A career tribute from District 4, he began training at an early age. His district specializes in fishing and sailing, giving him special skills at anything to do with water, fishing, knots, and in throwing his signature trident.

Personality: We are first introduced to Finnick when he is reaped for the 3rd Quarter Quell, as the male tribute from District 4. We are told of his strings of lovers that he loves and leaves, and Katniss speaks about his extreme sexuality. One is given the impression that he is little more than an incredibly sensual and deadly jock, but a very shallow young man.

This turns out to be far from the case. As we learn more about him, we learn that Finnick is an incredibly complex, and even tragic young man.

After his victory in the 65th Hunger Games, Finnick, because of his extreme beauty, was forced into sexual slavery by the Capitol - sold at exorbitant rates by President Snow and others in charge, to visiting VIPs. Unable to resist because of the threats they have posed against those he loves, Finnick plays along, burying his traumas under a mask of superficiality. Along the way, however, he collects a great deal of secrets from those who use his body and assume him to be little more than a harmless slave - secrets that he will use later to discredit many in the government that enslaved and essentially raped him.

Unbeknownst to Katniss and Peeta, but known to Finnick, the Tributes for the 75th Hunger Games (the 3rd Quarter Quell) have decided to start the rebellion once and for all.

To earn Katniss's trust, Finnick is given a bracelet to show Haymitch's support that she take him as an ally, and she reluctantly does so. As the Arena of the 75th Games is a very sea-based Arena, Finnick's skills with fishing come in very handy, as do his advanced swimming skills. Time after time, he risks his own safety to save Katniss and Peeta, even to the point of saving Peeta over Mags - his fellow District 4 Tribute who was both a mentor and a mother to him - who had volunteered to save the life of Annie Cresta, the only person that Finnick truly loves.

While in the Arena, we constantly see examples of Finnick's bravery and strength, but there are also startling images of his vulnerability and compassion. For example, after Mag's death, Finnick takes guard duty so that he can mourn for his friend, and we are told that in the morning, his eyes are still "puffy" from weeping. In another example, in the woods with the Jabberjays, Finnick loses all reason when he hears the bird mimicking the screaming of Annie Cresta.

Once the Rebels break out of the Arena, and are taken to District 13, from where the Rebellion will be staged, Finnick falls into a deep depression and mental breakdown. Annie, the love of his life, and the rock on which he leans, has been taken prisoner by the Capitol, and thinking of her being tortured and possibly killed is more than he can bear. Katniss describes how he spends most of his time weeping and tying knots to distract himself, and at times is nearly catatonic. During this time he forms a deep friendship with Katniss, who understands his pain since Peeta has also been taken.

When the captives are rescued and Annie and Finnick are reunited, he changes completely with her presence. Happy and confident, he is said never to let go of her hand, even at meals or meetings. The two are quickly married, and unbeknownst to Finnick, Annie conceives a son.

Finnick is part of the sniper unit that stages the assault on the Capitol, and helps Peeta on the road to recovery by telling him of Annie's "Real or not real" game which helps her keep a grasp on her own reality. He is killed by Lizard-mutts in the tunnels before they reach the end of their mission.

It is easy then, to see that Finnick is an incredibly complex character. Appearing at first as a shallow Career tribute with a string of lovers, we find quickly that it is nothing more than a mask to cover the crimes that the Capitol has committed against him.

Far from being 'devil may care' and lackadaisical in his love life, Finnick is deeply and almost co-dependently in love with "mad" Annie Cresta, to the point that being without her robs him of all of his strength to deal with his own traumas. It is only with Annie's presence that he is able to find peace, and show himself as the man he truly is.

While physically strong, he is mentally weak and prone to breakdowns if his connection with her is cut. In an essay I read about the character, it posits that Annie is the rock he needs to keep him from falling into the pit of his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and without her there is nothing to keep him from falling into the abyss. This is what we see at the beginning of Mockingjay, when Katniss describes his mental breakdown.

Aside from this, he is also intelligent, loyal, brave, and when in control of himself possesses an easy-going sense-of-humor.

Abilities, Weaknesses, and Power Limitation Suggestions:

Abilities

*Fishing
*Tying Knots
*Swimming
*Being in prime physical shape with enough upper body strength to effectively wield a trident.

Weaknesses

Mainly mental. His biggest weaknesses are his own PTSD from years of sexual slavery and his love for Annie Cresta.

Power Limitations

I don't think that Finnick has any powers that need limiting. They're pretty much just physical strength and the skills learned from growing up in a fishing District.


Inventory: Finnick will have the Trident made for him by Beetee, which basically is a regular trident with the added ability of being able to return to him by pressing a button on his wrist guard. It is in no way a power that needs to be limited - probably less dangerous than many guns. He'll also have a couple of feet of rope stuck in his pocket. That's about it.

Appearance: Finnick is described as being almost preternaturally attractive, tall and fit with "bronze" hair, tanned skin, and stunning sea-green eyes. I'm using Matt Barr as his PB - here is a picture.
Age: 24

OC/AU Justification
If AU, How is Your Version Different From Canon, and How Will That Come Across? N/A
If OC, Did You Run Your Character Through a Mary-Sue Litmus Test? N/A
And What Did You Score? N/A

Samples
Log Sample:

With a cry, he awoke from another nightmare in the hospital wing of District Thirteen, his eyes darting around, trying to free himself from the horrors of the dream. In it, Annie...his Annie, had been crying and screaming behind a door, and he couldn't get to her. With all his strength, all the power that people thought he possessed, the one thing that mattered had been outside of his grasp.

He'd pounded on the door, raked at it with his fingers, speared it with his trident, and still her cries continued.

At the end, he had been able to hear her whimpering his name through the door, begging him to help her, and wondering, if he truly loved her, why he wouldn't help...why he had left her vulnerable; abandoned her.

And it was true, all of it. Why, God why had he not provided for Annie's safety before he had left Four? Why had he not sent her away, to somewhere where the Capitol had never found her? He had heard only rumors of the plot, but Four had been in revolt, and he knew that it was only a manner of time.

It was partially because she had not wanted to leave. Four was familiar, and in her mental state, she craved the familiar. He should have insisted, argued with her, but she had looked at him with those weeping eyes and he had fallen under their spell again, unable to do anything but give his poor damaged love exactly what she wanted.

Damaged. They were all damaged, weren't they? All the victors, in one way or another. Nothing had made that more obvious than the Games, where it had been laid out for the world to see. Annie, his Annie, as damaged as she was, had understood him on levels that nobody else could, and she had looked past the man who had already been hardening from the pain when she found him, to the frightened boy within, and had held him to her heart. And in that, for the first time in his life, Finnick had found peace.

And in loving her, he had exposed her to the Capitol's torture experts. It would be a blessing if she were already dead, free from this world, and all the misery it had given her.

Suddenly, he felt someone else in the world, and turned his head rather blankly to see Katniss. He hadn't heard her come in, and she was looking at him as if she'd asked him a question and was waiting for a response. As if any answers could be found here. As if any questions mattered when Annie was a captive of the Capitol.

But Katniss was hurting too, so he sighed and tried to bring himself back to the miserable confines of District 13.

"What?" There was apology in his voice, but also tiredness and deep sadness.

Network Sample:
VOICE:

[He can be heard fiddling with the device before he realizes it’s on, then he blows on it, beats it on something for a second, before finally deciding to talk into it. His voice is deceptively calm, as are his words, but there’s a lot more simmering beneath the surface]

Is this thing working? Yeah...guess it is. Wish Beetee was here to show me how all these buttons worked...Um...just wondering if anyone knows where I can find Katniss Everdeen? I saw she was on the manifest here, and I’m hoping she can clear a few things up for me. But without the stars, I’m completely lost on how to navigate this place.