Cutting out a heart makes it that much harder to replace.

★Name: Josef Thomas

★Gender: Male

★Age: Thirty-four

★District: Ten

★Physical Appearance: It's been over fifteen years since the man was last in the spotlight. He no longer has such bright ginger hair, the curly locks now trimmed down and shaded brown. Stubble has finally learned how to grow on a face that used to be nothing but baby fat. His jaw has grown far sharper, his height managing to increase enough that he now can finally claim to be over 5’ 5”. The only thing that hasn't changed is his eyes. They still remain deeply set, icy blue and piercing even with the dark circles that have become a constant beneath them.

★Personality:  Time changes people. Ruthlessness can become kindness. Sharp edges can become heavily worn away into soft corners. Things that used to be meaningless can begin to mean the world. Josef is no longer the reckless, hot-headed, fiery boy he once was. The fire has cooled to burning embers, leaving someone more level headed and experienced. They say the games change people, and after so many years it's hard to say they're wrong. The nightmares never changed, but the man did. He no longer would paint the walls of the living room, yet he’d spill blood to pay rent. Each footstep is now calculated, all plans thought through and diagnosed at every step. If it wasn’t for his family, it would be hard for Josef to admit he still cares at all.

★Past: Blood has covered Josef’s hands since the age of nine. Growing up, he helped his father slaughter cattle regularly, learning all about dealing with sharp objects and the swiftest way to put an animal down. Of course, he never thought those skills would be of use beyond his family farm. That is, until the reaping. The moment his childhood friend, Molly, was marched up to the podium, his heart was set. Volunteering had never been part of the plan, leaving his parents and his sister Emma behind had never been intentional, but it was that young recklessness that sent him spiraling into the arena. And in there, there are things you can never forget seeing.

When the victory tour finally ended, Thomas was met with a surprise at home. He told himself over and over again that his mom’s pregnancy had not been a way of replacing him, that it wasn’t because they thought he would never return. Yet the idea never fully disappeared, even after Kenny was born. Since then, he had moved into Victor Village anyway, his parents staying at home to tend to the livestock. Over the years, he got married, had two kids, Ben and Eliza, and took over the butcher shop from his parents. It was never ideal, but it was enough to placate him until the reaping came back for him a second time.

★Strengths: He’s not afraid to split someone down the middle to stay alive, not that he thinks any of the victors will be in a different boat. Josef might actually be more fit than his first time around, and even though he’s a little older, that’s only given him more time to become best friends with every type of knife in his butcher shop. Unlike his younger self, he’s ready to think things through and keep a level head.

★Weaknesses: It’s been a long time since the man has had to go face-to-face with another person, which makes it easy to say he’ll certainly be rusty. Alas, Josef also trusts very few people, his initial instinct being to turn as cold as ice. I won’t mention the nightmares.

★Other: His trinket is a brass chain anklet.