welcome to dauntless

ARE YOU WILLING TO DO WHAT IT TAKES TO SURVIVE?

After a war that destroyed most of the world, here in Chicago we have to live to survive. With a huge fence build around the city, we can’t afford to find out what’s behind and what happened to the others. To keep the peace and order, a system has been set up. Everyone lives and works in their faction. There’s five different factions; Abnegation (the selfless), Erudite (the intelligent), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), and most importantly, Dauntless (the brave). Each faction has their own role in Chicago’s society. At the age of sixteen you are ordered to take a test. This test will let you know where you truly belong before you can decide to stay in the faction you were born in or to transfer to a new faction. Once you decide, you can’t go back. So we have to ask you, do you have what it takes to be Dauntless? Your only get one chance here, so make it the best you've got.

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

ARE YOU WILLING TO DO WHAT IT TAKES TO SURVIVE?

After a war that destroyed most of the world, here in Chicago we have to live to survive. With a huge fence build around the city, we can’t afford to find out what’s behind and what happened to the others. To keep the peace and order, a system has been set up. Everyone lives and works in their faction. There’s five different factions; Abnegation (the selfless), Erudite (the intelligent), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), and most importantly, Dauntless (the brave). Each faction has their own role in Chicago’s society. At the age of sixteen you are ordered to take a test. This test will let you know where you truly belong before you can decide to stay in the faction you were born in or to transfer to a new faction. Once you decide, you can’t go back. So we have to ask you, do you have what it takes to be Dauntless? Your only get one chance here, so make it the best you've got.

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

ARE YOU WILLING TO DO WHAT IT TAKES TO SURVIVE?

After a war that destroyed most of the world, here in Chicago we have to live to survive. With a huge fence build around the city, we can’t afford to find out what’s behind and what happened to the others. To keep the peace and order, a system has been set up. Everyone lives and works in their faction. There’s five different factions; Abnegation (the selfless), Erudite (the intelligent), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), and most importantly, Dauntless (the brave). Each faction has their own role in Chicago’s society. At the age of sixteen you are ordered to take a test. This test will let you know where you truly belong before you can decide to stay in the faction you were born in or to transfer to a new faction. Once you decide, you can’t go back. So we have to ask you, do you have what it takes to be Dauntless? Your only get one chance here, so make it the best you've got.

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

ARE YOU WILLING TO DO WHAT IT TAKES TO SURVIVE?

After a war that destroyed most of the world, here in Chicago we have to live to survive. With a huge fence build around the city, we can’t afford to find out what’s behind and what happened to the others. To keep the peace and order, a system has been set up. Everyone lives and works in their faction. There’s five different factions; Abnegation (the selfless), Erudite (the intelligent), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), and most importantly, Dauntless (the brave). Each faction has their own role in Chicago’s society. At the age of sixteen you are ordered to take a test. This test will let you know where you truly belong before you can decide to stay in the faction you were born in or to transfer to a new faction. Once you decide, you can’t go back. So we have to ask you, do you have what it takes to be Dauntless? Your only get one chance here, so make it the best you've got.

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

ELEANOR MONTCLAIRE

DAUNTLESS LEADER 28 YEARS OLD DAUNTLESS - BORN RACHEL MCADAMS

Grace and dignity would be the two main definitions for Eleanor. She’s somewhat petite, but she’s earned her position as leader just as much as all the others had. What comes with her grace is beauty and love for nearly everyone within Dauntless. There isn’t really anyone who gets on her nerves; and she will always go out of her way if anyone were to come to her for any issues. Eleanor may be nice, but she also has what she would call “righteous fury.” She doesn’t care for those who don’t treat her with anything but respect. She seems to be one of the few that would not fit as well into Dauntless as they would like to believe, especially since one of her passions is dancing. A soldier is supposed to be brave and fearless, and while Ellie is all these things, she’d much rather take a dance out somewhere peaceful.

The idea of fitting into Dauntless is one that Eleanor doesn’t try to do anymore. She knows how it runs, which is why she was made a leader, and she also has the skills to back up her position. However, the leader once tested Abnegation all those many years ago. While her mind may be within Dauntless, her heart never really was to begin with. It’s somewhat unusual for Dauntless borns to even think about changing factions, and it was the love of her mother that stopped Eleanor from ever leaving. 

Eleanor would do nearly anything to show that she does indeed belong in Dauntless, simply because she couldn’t bear to lose anyone’s respect. If it wasn’t enough that she loves all the members of the faction, including the transfers, she also would do anything to protect her home. Abnegation was her fantasy, simply because it was always out of her reach, even after she tested for the faction. She is the definition of selfless, but the one thing she probably could not live without would be her mirror. And that’s one of the few things that keeps her mind on the right track. 

IMPORTANT CONNECTIONS

♦︎  Tris Prior: The young girl reminds Eleanor of herself, except nearly opposite situations. Tris was from Abnegation, the one place Eleanor wished she had gone to. She tries to stick up for the young girl as much as she possibly can without playing favorites, and the last thing she needs is another leader to call her soft, specifically Carmen.

♦︎  Eric Matthews: Eric has been someone Eleanor has had a soft spot for. Ever since he lost to Four, she couldn’t help but pity the younger man. That pity quickly changed into respect when he was made leader, and if there was anyone she let call her Ellie, it was Eric. She admires the way he is, seeing through the hard gaze he usually gives others, especially the initiates. There’s an unspoken attraction between the two, despite the fact that there was such risk with such things within Dauntless. Ellie tries to remain as casual as possible, yet it always seems to prove difficult.

CAMERON VERONESI

DAUNTLESS TRAINER 26 YEARS OLD AMITY - BORN TYLER HOECHLIN

Cameron had always been a loose cannon. Being born into the peaceful faction of Amity, he was taught how to act from an early age and was only let off with a warning when he acted out of turn. He realized from early on that he could use Amity’s peacefulness to his advantage — if he caused damage, all he got was a simple talking-to from his mother and father. When he grew older and didn’t grow out of his troublesome phase, however, the leader of Amity started questioning his parent’s abilities to raise a child.

As a last resort to keep their child in check and to stay within the faction, the Veronesi’s were forced to give Cameron peace serum every couple of hours to maintain his reckless behavior. For those couple of hours everything washed away and was replaced with happiness for Cameron, and until it started wearing off, he was naive about his actions and the thoughts that came with them. Once the serum was out of his system, he was back to being the cruel teenager who picked fights with other Amity boys and manipulated the Amity girls to fall for him despite his reputation in the faction.

Amity was forced to up their doses for Cameron when time came closer and closer to his sixteenth birthday. It was common knowledge by now that the Veronesi boy would not be returning to Amity once the Choosing Ceremony had concluded. To say that the faction as a whole was overjoyed would be an understatement — the teenager had caused enough harm in the sixteen years he’d been there than any other rebellious boy. It was that fact alone that he was told when he went to the Choosing Ceremony, by the leader herself, that he would not be allowed to return to Amity under any circumstances.

It wasn’t a surprise when Cameron chose Dauntless. They had expected it, Cameron had expected it, and even some of Dauntless expected it. Amity had sent them a heads-up about the boy, knowing fully well that he would choose the strongest faction, and Dauntless had been waiting eagerly for the new initiate to show them just what he was capable of.

The first year in Dauntless was easy despite everyone else’s difficulties with learning, and it was there that Cameron’s true nature was able to roam free. Without the aid of peace serum to keep him in check, his sadistic tendencies grew stronger and stronger until they took over him completely. When he gained the status as trainer, he knew that letting his bad habits go unleashed wasn’t wise, and swore to the idea that when he was teaching in front of the leaders, he controlled the urges that powered through him. His true nature would be one that would get him kicked out of Dauntless for good.

Cameron seldom looks back on his old faction, shoving it from his thoughts unless he really wants to get fired up. He blames most of his problems on his parents and Amity, knowing that if they hadn’t forced him to be someone he was not, he might’ve turned out different. He might’ve actually been a decent human being. If there was ever a hope for Cameron to turn out different, it had long since passed.

IMPORTANT CONNECTIONS

♦︎  Rhea Bryn: Rhea is nothing more than an annoyance to Cameron. While he somewhat enjoys working with the other trainer and likes his connect with her, he can't stand the girl outside of the training room, and he's fairly certain that she feels the same way. Rhea is all but nothing once they leave that room, becoming invisible to Cameron unless it's a matter of importance.

♦︎  Scarlet Stark: Scarlet has always been someone interesting to Cameron. There's a great punishment for trainers falling for their initiates, and while he keeps his attraction towards the girl to a dull ache, it's hard to deny it when the girl is just as twisted as he is. It doesn't help the fact that she's underage. If Cameron's job wasn't everything to him, he would've blown it and shacked up with the girl the second he saw her.

SCARLET STARK

DAUNTLESS INITIATE 17 YEARS OLD DAUNTLESS - BORN LIZ GILLIES

Going by Scarlet since she was ten, Scar has made it her business to be who she was born to be: Dauntless born, through and through. At a certain point in her life, she found she was thinking more logically about situations than her peers. She wanted to know how things worked – why bones bent and cracked instead of just laughing along with everyone when it happened. Blood in particular tended to fascinate her on a whole other level. The anatomy and biology of blood drew her attention as much as spilling it from dangerous stunts did.

Her testing didn’t need to prove what was happening to her: she was divergent, testing for Erudite and Dauntless. Bravery and Knowledge seemed to be more intimidating than most would assume, as her testing supervisor could only look at her in fear from her results.

Being Divergent, as all know, is not smiled upon. No, it would cost her her life if anyone were to find out. She kept it quiet. Due to her figuring out what she was from a young age, she’s had years of practice. She can be as brutal and reckless as a true Dauntless member, never flinching or failing a stunt. She fights with all of her strength, rarely losing and joining the top ranks of her trainee sector. A solid actress. Perhaps it’s because of her ability to think so quickly, or maybe it’s just raw talent. She’s never known, and she’s never cared. She does not fall into the hands of emotions – she often refuses to show any at all. Fear testing has been something she’s always been curious about, seeing as she’s nearly positive she has no fears to begin with. Some call her a bit crazy for her lack of attention towards pain and gore, but she does not care. If it will hold her place in Dauntless, she’s not afraid to shed a little blood.

IMPORTANT CONNECTIONS

♦︎  Monty Moran: The only friend she’s ever had. The two have always known each other, and he’s the only person she has ever trusted with her secret. Perhaps because they both share the Erudite traits. She’s stood up for him on more than one occasion – the only person she’s ever protected. She tries her best to help him get through, as she doesn’t really like anyone else in Dauntless – feeling their idiocy is below her most of the time.

♦︎  Cameron Veronesi: If there’s one person in Dauntless Scar looks up to, it’s Cameron. She’s always wanted to be a leader, and it’s her goal to get there with her skills. She admires his fierce ethics and sadistic spirit, as it often matches her own. She’s one of the few to not show him fear. She has a hobby of people watching – him in particular. It’s not uncommon to hear her laughter after watching him put an initiate in place.

RILEY O'CONNELL

DAUNTLESS TRAINER HEAD TRAINER 26 YEARS OLD CANDOR - BORN ZAC EFRON

Born a Candor, Riley has never been taught to keep his opinions to himself. An asshole in every sense of the word, the trainer has never been one to remain kind to anyone. When he tested Dauntless, it didn’t take a second thought for him to change factions in a heartbeat. Truth was, Riley had never fit in as a Candor. His parents frowned upon him for not being as great a Candor as his sister, but Riley could not care less. He felt like a part of Dauntless even before his sixteenth birthday, and when he finally got into the faction, it didn’t take more than an hour for him to fit in. 

During his initiation year, he came out on the top. It wasn’t unheard of for a transfer to gain the number one spot on the scoreboard, and Riley had managed to do it all. His fighting style is ruthless, something he had learned from his own trainer back when he was an initiate. It wasn’t a fair kind of fighting style, but then again, nothing was fair when it came to being in Dauntless. His trainer was borderline cruel, and Riley had changed from being the happy young man he used to be. His entire attitude had shifted, and unfortunately, too much of his trainer had rubbed off on him. Riley’s optimism turned into self-hatred, and it’s a place he hasn’t been able to recover from.

He was a trainer for the transfer students right off the bat, not minding the responsibility that came with the job. Riley knew what he was doing, and he liked getting the best out of his initiates, no matter how young he seemed compared to the others. Riley has trained for longer than he’d like, still waiting for the day that they’ll finally make him a leader.

The only thing stopping his promotion is the fact that his attitude and reckless behavior would never fit the qualities that it took to become a leader. His overall anger for nearly everything is only masked by the charm that he puts out towards everyone. Riley may come off as someone who could be trusted, but the trainer is far from that person. He’d use anything and everything against a person who pissed him off, and if that meant digging into their past, he’d have no qualms about it. Not only does he have issues when it comes to people, but it wouldn’t be too far to say that there was something wrong in that head of his. 

IMPORTANT CONNECTIONS

♦︎  Faith Morgan: Riley has always been an asshole, and even one of his former initiates could tell you that much. Faith trained underneath Riley as well, also having come from their home faction of Candor, and she learned the same way Riley had. He wasn’t overly hard on her, but the bright initiate with the heart of gold has always rubbed Riley the wrong way. He sees it as a weakness, and until she can prove herself, he’ll see her that way.

♦︎  Eric Matthews: Even the leaders have their trainers, and Riley couldn’t be more proud of where Eric has managed to land in Dauntless. It didn’t matter to him that his former initiate is now a leader, and he definitely has no problem ordering Eric around just for kicks. Riley doesn’t have many friends, nor does he care for anyone, but Eric is one of the few he tolerates and would actually step up for if something was to go wrong.

ERIC MATTHEWS

DAUNTLESS LEADER HEAD LEADER 18 YEARS OLD ERUDITE - BORN JAI COURTNEY

Eric was always the one to strive for something greater. With an absent father who left when he was young and an overbearing mother who treasured his every step, being the only child of his family had a few perks. Eric could have anything he wanted — new textbooks that his mother could only obtain, a higher respect when around teachers, and friends that would put him on a pedestal for being the only son of their great leader, Jeanine Matthews. With his perks, it seemed like Eric lived a life that people envied. Behind all of the easy-going smiles and carefree attitude he showed outside of his home, however, it was much different when he was around his only family.

Jeanine Matthews was a tough leader of Erudite and an even tougher mother. Study time was tripled rather than doubled than that of a normal student, and grades were of the utmost importance. A bad grade was anything lower than the highest percentage. Eric was expected to be at the top of his class and no teacher would ever dare change a grade to please the boy when Jeanine was the one in charge. The constant pressure of being the best was what made the young Erudite tick, the slow burn of his demise building and building inside of him.

It wasn’t until the Choosing Ceremony when he lost control of his temper. He was infuriated by Jeanine and her overbearing companionship that she forced, but even worse, he was infuriated by Erudite itself. He was sick of all the nervous stares he got when walking down the halls as he grew older, sick of the constant put-downs by his mother when he didn't do well in a subject, and sick of his lack of friends when they no longer found him to be all that interesting. Dauntless was a new start. It was what he needed — the power, the brute force, the control that they had over most of what went on in Chicago — and the faction was something that had never crossed his mind. It was exactly what Eric had been looking for. So with a drop of blood, he left his mother and joined Dauntless with one thing on his mind: rise to the top. He was born a leader and he deserved to be one.

Unfortunately for him, Eric had played right into Jeanine’s trap.

The initiation went perfectly. Eric grew to be one of the best at what he did. Fights were easy when he had the best trainer in all of Dauntless, guns were simple to understand and due to that, he could shoot as if he’d been doing it his whole life. Like all things, however, there was one person in the way of his accomplishments: an initiate named Four, who was equal in strength and skill. His new rival had made it difficult to place first during each weeks end, and if that alone didn’t frustrate Eric, then the fact that he had eventually placed second to him after their last initiation test did. When the position of becoming a leader was offered to Eric, he took it without a second’s hesitation — only to realize that Four had been offered the position first.

Everything that Eric had worked for, everything that he’d strived to become, he’d been second place. The once-Erudite promised himself that he would make damn sure that everyone knew that he was the best choice, the top choice, and that they wouldn’t make a mistake with him. He was one of the youngest Dauntless leaders of his time, and he enforced his status as much as he could. It was his right, and he’d be damned if he didn’t show everyone just how much of a leader he could be.

IMPORTANT CONNECTIONS

♦︎  Riley O'Connell: If it weren't for Riley being Eric's trainer during his initiate days, the two most likely would've never spoken. Witty banter tossed around on the ring and late nights filled with laughter and drunken slurs were what formed a bond between the two — and looking back on it now, Eric wouldn't change a thing about it. Riley is always there for him no matter what and because of that, he became one of Eric's closest friends in Dauntless.

♦︎  Eleanor Montclaire: Eleanor has always been an equal to Eric, like all leaders were. There weren't many female leaders, but of the ones that were, none had quite caught Eric's attention like her. She was beautiful and smart and Eric would've guessed that she had been an Erudite if not for the fact that it was common knowledge she was Dauntless-born. Despite his interest in the leader, Eric stays true to his job and has vowed that nothing will happen between the two of them — mostly because he knows that his feelings are unrequited.

♦︎  Four: Four has always tested Eric's abilities. Being his equal in most of anything that happened in Dauntless, the two have always butted heads against each other, increasing even after Eric gained the leadership status. While Four would generally be beneath him, Eric can't quite control his tongue around the guy, and he resents him for that. In truth, Eric is jealous that Four was offered all of his positions first, and jealous even more that he was somehow able to place first for the last serum testing. If Eric could get rid of Four without causing suspicion, he would've done so years ago.

FAITH MORGAN

DAUNTLESS WORKER CHEF / WALL GUARD REBEL 22 YEARS OLD CANDOR - BORN SEYCHELLE GABRIEL

Faith has known her purpose in life since day one. She was raised right, as she likes to say, going through the truth and justice way of life. Growing up in Candor wasn’t difficult for her, but unlike those girls that “dream of other things”, Faith was completely content with her life. She even tested Candor, and she fell into the average that test their birth faction. One would always ask her, “Why on earth would you go to Dauntless?” And truthfully, Faith would never be able to give a straight answer.

Ever since she was little, there had been people that hadn’t rubbed her the right way. Kids were mean, and they always were going to be. She was called every name in the book growing up, and those that she called her “friends” were everything but. Faith had been stabbed in the back one too many times, and the taste that Candor left behind was one full of rejection and bitterness. She was not one to stand her ground when it came to the relentless teasing of those in her faction. Those who called her the worst kinds of things shot up in the Candor ranks, while Faith was left with her choosing ceremony. Nothing felt better than to give her life to Dauntless, where she knew that everyone was going to start fresh.

The young woman earned her place in Dauntless. Though she didn’t come out on top, she managed to stay above the red line and become a true warrior of Dauntless. It was Carmen who had recruited her to the rebels. A former Candor who now had to fight for truth and justice would always be key in an effort like Carmen’s. Faith prides herself on her duty, knowing that if she could be a friend to as many people as she could, it would save them in the end.

IMPORTANT CONNECTIONS

♦︎  Jay Chand: Jay’s lack of social skills has always been a source of joy for Faith. The man never fails to make her laugh, though she has to say it’s probably because she hardly leaves him alone. Her joyous personality is albeit odd for Dauntless, but when she’s set her mind on something, it’s always hard to make her stray from her goal.

♦︎  Cameron Veronesi: Faith prides herself on her ability to make friends, and the prickly trainer has unfortunately caught her sight. She wonders what makes him tick. The bitterness and sadistic side of the trainer frightens her, but Faith would never back down to a man like him. She wants to take whatever pain away that he has, in order for him never to feel the way she did back within Candor.

VERONICA SULLIVAN

DAUNTLESS WORKER HAIR STYLIST 23 YEARS OLD ABNEGATION - BORN EMMA STONE

Veronica Sullivan was born as Grace Sullivan in the faction of Abnegation. If her name hadn’t been a dead giveaway, her selflessness was definitely the one that was. Veronica was grown up to be a perfectly polite woman, who was excellent at school work, charity work, and helping around the house. She was the picture perfect daughter in her parent’s eyes, and it was easy to see why. On top of her parents admiring the woman that she had become, Veronica’s younger sister idolized everything that she did. Of course, the declaration of Veronica choosing Dauntless over Abnegation on Choosing Day came as a shock to the whole family and the community as a whole. She had been Abnegation through and through.

And while she wished that was true, Veronica knew that her choice was correct. She hadn’t been able to see herself as Abnegation fifteen years down the road. The other factions hadn’t been right for her, but Dauntless was. And while she should’ve regretted leaving her family (which she did, for a brief second), she was happy that she had chosen correctly. She hadn’t been the first to jump, but as soon as they asked her name, she knew that she couldn’t have been Grace any longer. This was her home now. So she chose Veronica, and lived her new life without a worry. Initiation had been difficult, but she had passed enough to stay above the line.

Hair styling had become a natural thing for her. A week after arriving in Dauntless, she had dyed her brunette locks to bleached blonde ones, needing the change in her life. It was there that her passion for hair dying sparked, and when the time came for her to pick a profession, it was clear which she was going to choose. Veronica is skilled in every aspect of the hairdressing business, from coloring to cutting, and she takes pride in her work. Thinking back on her life, she knew that if she hadn’t chosen Dauntless, she would’ve been miserable for the rest of her life.

IMPORTANT CONNECTIONS

♦︎  Raphael Cross: Veronica considers herself lucky to be able to maintain the leader's hair. Trimming only lasts a few minutes at most and while it would be a job that anyone could do, the hair stylist takes pride in herself that Raphael only chooses to come to her. While the other workers may get jealous, Veronica is never one to boast about their friendly acquaintance. A humble work environment is the best environment.

♦︎  Tris Prior: If there was one thing that had Veronica envious, it would definitely be the initiate's hair. The color is to die for and the length is every hair stylist's dreams, and Veronica would be lying if she said that she didn't want to work on it. With Tris being an initiate, however, and putting her interest in other things besides getting a trim every now and then, Veronica never has a chance to introduce herself to the girl. If it ever came down to it, she likes to think that she and Tris would make great friends.