Aspen Ives

Name: Aspen Ives

Age: 16

Member of: District 7

Appearance: Aspen is 5’ 11”, and is very handsome. He has chisled facial features, and his lumberjack training has left him with extremely carved muscles. He is the embodiment of physical fitness; he swims, runs, and can lift large amounts of weight. His longer dark hair is usually tousled, but styles easily. He has pale grey eyes, and often wears a brown hat that his mother knit for him. He dresses extremely well, for his family’s economic situation. He has a scar on his right bicep from when he was accidentally cut with a saw.

Personality: Aspen is a person that doesn’t like to take “no” for an answer. He is slightly introverted, but when he’s passionate about something, a fire starts inside him. He is a slight perfectionist, taking extreme caution to make sure things go perfectly. He can be very impulsive, and cannot resist competition. He is a great friend, and would be a strong ally to anyone that needs him. He doesn’t like to leave anyone behind, despite his competitive nature; why leave the competition in the dust, and take the easy way out?
He loves the great outdoors, and spending as much time as he can in the woods (when he’s not cutting it down).
He can also be quite the ladies' man.

History: Aspen was born on June 12, and is 16. He is an only child; his father is a lumberjack, and his mother is a carpenter. He had a relatively normal childhood, and is now attending school and being trained by his father for his future position as a lumberjack. He enjoys his current life, and doesn’t really want to change anything about it. The Ives’ have enough money to ensure that there’s food on the table every night, and that’s good enough for him.

RP sample: Ten-year-old Aspen Ives was a curious little boy. So, when he saw his father’s tool shed open, which was usually locked up beyond entry to anyone but his father, he jumped at the chance to see what was inside. He pulled one of the heavy wood doors open, and marveled at the contents.
Sunlight glinted off of the perfectly crafted saw blades and axe heads that belonged to his father’s tools. He recognized a lot of them; the red-handled axe that he saw his father use countless times to chop down trees, the two-person saw that he watched his parents use to trim down a log they used to build the very shed he was standing in. He stood in the center of the shed, just looking at the tools in wonder. He would probably get to use some of these someday, and the idea made his mouth water in anticipation. Aspen reached out his hand and touched the head of the red-handled axe; the cold metal stinging his warm hand.
“Aspen, what are you doing?! Get out of there!” He heard his mother shriek from the house. She startled him, causing him to jump backwards and fall towards the wall behind him. His arm hit the shelf where an especially terrifying-looking saw was perched. The saw teetered on the edge of the shelf, then came crashing down onto Aspen, leaving a long, deep gash in his right bicep. Mrs. Ives screamed in horror as the blood started gushing out of Aspen’s arm. He howled in pain as she picked him up and hauled him to the town healer. He knew he would have a scar long after he was stitched up, and idea which seemed kind of cool to him.

1. How does Aspen feel about the Hunger Games? Why?
He thinks they're not a great thing to have around, but he knows there's no way he can avoid them. He takes on a neutral mentality with them, so to speak. He hasn't personally known any of the tributes that have been selected, so he can't really say that he takes them personally.

2. What made Aspen decide he wanted to become a lumberjack?
He wants to be a lumberjack because of adoration of his father, which he's harbored since he was a kid. He loved seeing his strong father come home with sawdust caked to him with sweat, his clothes wrinkled due to exertion. He always viewed being a lumberjack as a symbol of strength and power.

3. What is Aspen's most prized possession? How did he come to possess it, and why is it special to him?
Aspen's most prized possession would probably be a hand-drawn book of trees that his grandfather made, detailing the name, uses and characteristics of the wood of different trees in Panem. It was passed down through the last couple generations, and it's special to him because it represents his future; he will have to know all of this information for his career, and he will be able to pass the book down to his sons.

((Great answers! I come with more questions~))

1. How does Aspen feel about his scar? Does he ever try to cover it up?

2. If Aspen could change one thing about himself, what would it be?

3. What is Aspen's relationship like with his mother? With his father? What kinds of things do they do together?

Thanks! Great questions!

1. How does Aspen feel about his scar? Does he ever try to cover it up?
He wears his scar like a war wound. Especially since he's a ladies' man, and it's quite the conversation starter with them.

2. If Aspen could change one thing about himself, what would it be?
He would like to become a better drawer, so he could elaborate on his grandfather's tree book.

3. What is Aspen's relationship like with his mother? With his father? What kinds of things do they do together?
He isn't a mama's boy, but he loves his mother. He holds her in the highest respect, and when she asks him to do something, he always does it.
He has a hero-worship of his father, and looks up to him highly.
He likes to just listen to his parents tell stories about his grandparents, and older ancestors. He also likes to be in the woods with his Dad, training for his future career.

Awww, thanks~

1. How did Aspen learn to swim? Where does he practice swimming?

2. You said that when Aspen is passionate about things, a fire lights within him. What kinds of things are Aspen passionate about?

3. What kinds of things does Aspen do that bring out his competitive side?

1. How did Aspen learn to swim? Where does he practice swimming?
Aspen is a self-taught swimmer; there is a river near the woods where he learned to swim. He's not the greatest swimmer, being self-taught, but he can at least do some basic strokes.

2. You said that when Aspen is passionate about things, a fire lights within him. What kinds of things are Aspen passionate about?
Aspen is a skilled axe-thrower, a talent he gets to show off at festivals that District Seven hosts. He also is passionate about his work, as well as any physical activity he practices on any given day.

3. What kinds of things does Aspen do that bring out his competitive side?
Well, he competes with other boys for the attention of the ladies, lol. He also throws axes in competitions at festivals, like I mentioned, and will never turn down a race.

Sorry for the late questions, I somehow managed to miss your thread <3

1. What motivated Aspen to teach himself to swim?

2. A ladies' man, hmm? How many girlfriends has Aspen had? How long does he usually keep them for? What kinds of things has Aspen done to impress girls?

3. Has Aspen ever won one of these ax throwing competitions? If so, how did he react to winning? If not, how does he handle losing? Would you say that Hatchet is a sore loser?

Sorry for the late questions, I somehow managed to miss your thread <3
Haha, that's okay...I've been kind of slacking on answering them.

1. What motivated Aspen to teach himself to swim?
He figured it was a good skill to have if he was ever Reaped, or in a situation where he needed to know how to swim. He's not too keen on the idea of drowning.

2. A ladies' man, hmm? How many girlfriends has Aspen had? How long does he usually keep them for? What kinds of things has Aspen done to impress girls?
He may be a ladies' man, but he certainly hasn't gone exclusive with anyone.
Oh, he's done quite the dorky thing; flexed his muscles, thrown some horrible pick-up lines, turned on the cheese, and generally been a flirt since reaching adolescence.

3. Has Aspen ever won one of these ax throwing competitions? If so, how did he react to winning? If not, how does he handle losing? Would you say that Aspen is a sore loser?
Yes, he is the victor of many competitions. He's a perfectionist, and can be competitive, so he hates anything less than first place. He can be quite the sore loser, especially if the competition is close.

Slacking? Pssh, not a problem at all!

1. Would Aspen ever consider going exclusive with someone, or does he prefer to be single?

2. What were Aspen's general feelings towards girls when he was younger, before he started flirting with them?

3. How does Aspen react to winning? Does he brag? Stay quiet but feel good about himself? Do a happy dance?

1. Would Aspen ever consider going exclusive with someone, or does he prefer to be single?
Yes, he would go exclusive with someone. He's not that much of a serial bachelor. He's considered going exclusive with a lot of different girls over time, but he's only done it once when he was 13. It lasted a grand total of five days.

2. What were Aspen's general feelings towards girls when he was younger, before he started flirting with them?
He wasn't all "ahhh, cooties!" like most kids, but he DID prefer the company of other boys, because he could play sports with them. Of course, the only exception was his childhood friend, Marlena Sherwood. (Their relationship is touched on in my RP with Orissa Maddox). She went missing when they were 10, and Aspen's the only one that knows what happened to her. (I'm not going to say because of spoilers with my RP).

3. How does Aspen react to winning? Does he brag? Stay quiet but feel good about himself? Do a happy dance?
He's a modest winner, only being a slight braggart. When he wins, he can't wipe a smile off of his face, and if any pretty girls want to gush about it to him, he won't say no.

So sorry for the late questions! Enjoy!

1. Why did Aspen's first relationship last such a short amount of time? Who ended it, and why?

2. How did Aspen deal with Marlena's disappearance? Does he still hope she will turn up?

3. What is Aspen's earliest memory?