My First Pre-Games Interview
Name: Sebastian Septimus Smythe. I’d prefer it you didn’t use my middle name though…not that I usually have a problem with that. The people I hang around with are far more likely to end up calling out God’s name than my middle name when I get to work.
Age (12-18): *laughs* Depends on what I.D. you look at. *wink* I’m 17
District: District 2, the home of all good soldiers *sarcastic salute*
Strengths (3+): I’m fast. I’m flexible. *Looks like he’s about to make a tasteless joke but reconsiders* I know my way around most weapons; my father made sure of that. I’ve been trained for this. I have a good feeling about this year…and my hunches are not usually wrong. What more do you need to know? Oh, I almost forgot. I am very good at making new friends. *suggestive chuckle*
[Fast. Flexible. Fairly well trained with a variety of weapons. Good instincts. Seduction techniques which may translate into alliances in the arena]
Weaknesses (3+): *considers question for a long moment* * speaks slowly and carefully at first, then words all come out in a rush* I’d say none, but I’ve been told by some people that I can be a bit overconfident and that it’s going to be my downfall one day. I don’t trust people. *bitter laugh* I don’t even trust my own family…with good reason. I don’t see that as a weakness though. Alliances are sure to be temporary things and I don’t need to trust people to ally with them, right? Oh, I don’t do the whole hand-to-hand combat thing. One, my training didn’t extend that far. Two, I may be stronger than I look, but…well, have you seen some of the other careers? I’m definitely not tackling someone to the ground…unless it is in the sexy way of course.
[Sebastian is overconfident, has trust issues that are going to make alliances difficult to maintain, fails at hand-to-hand combat/ isn’t strong compared to some of the other guys, and—though he didn’t mention this part directly—may not be as well trained as he thinks since he never actually sparred with other Careers. He just trained with his father.]
Bio: *closed off body language* Pass. Let’s save the sob story for the on camera interview, okay?
[ Sebastian is the son of a former District 2 Victor and a Capitol woman who was one of his stylists assistants. Sebastian has heard the rumors that his father “played nice” after he won his Games—though he doesn’t know and knows he probably doesn’t want to know what that entail—and that his mother was his reward and he has no reason to think the rumors aren’t true, though he can’t imagine his father being nice to anyone. His father was certainly never nice to him.
Sebastian’s father has anger issues, post traumatic stress episodes, and a host of other problems that made him a difficult person to grow up with. He was never warm or loving, but his insistence on training Sebastian just as if he were a Career (Sebastian didn’t need to volunteer, and his father never wanted him to volunteer, but Sebastian grew up with the mumbles and justifications of “just in case”) perhaps shows that he really does care for his son.
Sebastian’s mother has a wounded bird and martyr mentality and a problem with alcohol. Perhaps she loved Sebastian’s father once, but she is very vocal about not being in love with the man he has become. She misses the Capitol. She misses the glitz and the glamour. She misses the fashion. She’s not cut out for life in any of the Districts. It’s a mystery to everyone why she stays with Sebastian’s father, but she does. She spends his money and drinks away her pain, but she stays. She dotes on Sebastian…when she remembers and isn’t caught up in her own melodrama—which isn’t often.
Sebastian has never really known a happy, stable, traditionally loving family. He doesn’t really even realize how much his parents care about him—and each other—in their own way. He pretends like it doesn’t bother him. He puts on a careful mask of not caring. He pretends like he doesn’t need or crave love, and a lot of the time it isn’t all pretense. Where did love get his parents? How does love help anyone really? It’s better just to have sex without the emotions. Emotions just cause problems.
As a Victor’s son, Sebastian has never needed for anything material and as an only child he is used to getting his way. His parents are inattentive at the best of times, so—other than training with his father—he comes and goes as he pleases. He spends his father’s money just as freely as his mother does and he has known where his mother hides the key to her liquor cabinet since he was eleven—though he doesn’t drink alone because it’s tacky and sad and reminds him of his mother.
He was never supposed to volunteer for the games, but he did. He says it’s because he was bored and because he has a good feeling about this year and his chances of winning—which isn’t entirely a lie. He really does think he has a chance at winning…at least until he arrives at training. The real reason he volunteered though is because it was finally all getting to him. He couldn’t stand his father’s yelling and the way he would punch the walls—or other things that got in his way. He couldn’t stand taking care of his mother instead of it being the other way around. He couldn’t stand pretending like everything was okay. He couldn’t stand the emptiness of his own lifestyle of partying and casual sex. He needed an escape greater than his usual escapism technique. Thus, he decided on the spur of the moment to volunteer for the Hunger Games.
It seemed to make sense at the time.
It wasn’t the best decision he ever made.
He tells himself that it is better to go out in a blaze of glory than not to live at all.]
RP Sample:
Sebastian squeezed his eyes shut tightly and tried to regulate his breathing. He hadn’t expected this. He was supposed to be the top dog. He was supposed to be better than all of them. He was at least supposed to easily outstrip those that weren’t from Career Districts. He was Armand Smythe’s son for goodness sakes! He had practically been born with a knife in his hand and had learned to wield a quarterstaff while most of these jokers were still playing hopscotch in the street or whatever it was that boring children from poor Districts (Or kids with actual friends a bitter part of his mind chimed in) did. Why did he feel so intimidated?
He forced his eyes open and adopted a condescending smirk even as his stomach roiled. Cocky was always a safe emotion—one of the few safe emotions—to go with. Could you count cocky as an emotion? Sebastian certainly did.
“Am I supposed to be impressed?” he chuckled. “It’s cute that you think I can’t see though that pathetic display. That may work to strike fear into the heart of Joe Yokel, but I’m not your District drunk. You’re going to need to tighten up your form if you want to play with the big boys, sweetheart, though, I must say parts of your form are looking quite tight already.” He gave his soon to be rival a lingering once over. “I guess I am impressed by some things. Care for some private lessons to whip you into real fighting shape? I promise I’m a good teacher.”
Preferred Ships: [Seblaine. Sekurt/Kurbastian. Sambastian. Sebtana. Sebastian/Harmony. Sebastian/Anyone really (mainly males, but Sebastian isn’t one to limit himself when opportunity presents itself) . Sebastian isn’t picky, at least he won’t be unless he finds someone worth changing his manwhoreish ways for.]