&Leonidas Rex <D1>

[weep for yourself, my man
you'll never be what is in your heart]


Leonidas "Leo" Hunter Rex.
Seventeen.
Male.
District One.


[weep little lion man
you're not as brave as you were at the start]

With his tanned skin, defined muscles, and expertly chiseled features, Leo is quite a looker and he knows it, and you can bet he uses it to his advantage. Probably the only thing he dislikes about his appearance is the countless freckles that cover his body; they're the signature mark of a Rex, of course, but that doesn't mean he has to like them. He knows he should count his blessings, though, because there was a very real chance he could've ended up a ginger like Tig, and he didn't know if he'd ever have been able to bear the shame.

He stands at a towering 6'1, about the same height as his elder brother, but Tiger sports a broader and stockier build; though Leo does have plenty of muscle he's a bit slimmer and has longer legs. His face is oval shaped with a flattened out chin, and is, of course, peppered with freckles. His features sit best in a stern, neutral look, though his smile is incredibly suave and persuasive. Eyes are a hazel-brown and set rather small in his face, and his eyebrows don't arch much; they mainly stay in a straight line or tip downwards in a scowl. He keeps his dark brown hair cropped fairly short, so it doesn't get in the way while he's training.

When it comes to clothing, Leonidas takes care to look polished and put together; that is, when he's not in the training gym. Because his family is well-off he can afford pricier garments, and since one of his aims in life is to impress and make an image for himself he decided long ago that it wouldn't do to dress like a slob. He doesn't try too hard; just some collared shirts here and there, with suede jackets and the like. It does allow him to stand out, which is what he likes.

[rate yourself and rake yourself
take all the courage you have left]

Leo's intelligence and natural charisma is the main thing that shines through immediately; his vocabulary is top-notch and he speaks with the air of someone who has gone above and beyond when it comes to mastering his language. His confidence and self-assuredness shines through in his voice, as does his effortless ability to charm whoever he's speaking to. Despite his strong ability to connect with others, Leo chooses his friends carefully; he isn't a trusting person, and in all honesty he finds most of those he associates with in his district to be beneath him.

The next aspect of Leo one would come to notice is his ambition. Leo plans ahead, thinks big, and keeps himself on track to his number one goal: winning the Games, making history. Ensuring that his name is remembered for generations to come. With this ambition comes organization; he is far from a slob, keeping everything in order and, though he doesn't like to admit it, he keeps diligent to-do lists. And lastly, his manipulative nature is another component of his extreme motivation; he knows how to use his wit to his advantage, and you can damn well bet that he harbors no remorse for doing so.

Leonidas Rex is practically the definition of a chick-magnet; he knows how to charm the opposite sex and doesn't hesitate to do so, although it rarely ever goes farther than that. In truth, though he has had his eyes on a number of girls in his teenage years, he fears commitment, fears letting his mind get clouded with love or lust and the like. Perhaps if there were someone he could truly let his guard down for he'd feel differently, but for now he prefers being alone. Besides, if those girls are anything like his sisters - and most of them are - he's better off staying away.

[wasted on fixing all the problems
that you made in your own head]

Leonidas is the second oldest Rex, born just after his elder brother, Tigerius. The two got along famously as children, initially getting into scuffles because they were the only two kids in the household but eventually banding together in certain situations when the twins Tarquin and Tyrannus, who were about one year younger than Leo, came into the picture. The Rex children were extremely privileged, their father having inherited a small fortune, so the fact that more and more kept coming along did not matter: their parents were able to feed, clothe, and house every one of them adequately and comfortably, so long as they lived up to the Rex name and trained to become competent and competitive Careers.

It was clear from a very young age that Leonidas excelled intellectually; before he could even lift a dagger properly he was reciting his ABCs forwards and backwards, and his vocabulary soared high above that of his siblings'. "Hey Tig, wow! That block tower is humongous!" "Humongawhat? Ma! Leo's callin' my block tower names! Tell him to go away!" Even Tiger's, who was a year his senior and already proving to be more brawn than brains. For a while his parents were a bit afraid that he would be more of a braniac and less of a strong fighter, so as a precautionary measure they started his training earlier than was the norm; at five years old he was using a sword specially crafted for a boy his side to shakily slash off the heads of kneeling dummies (because if they had been propped up to their full height the little boy would not have been able to reach them, of course). It was a load off of the Rex parents' shoulders when they realized their son was plenty capable when it came to fighting; maybe not as strong as he was smart, but he would have no trouble when it came to training. And he didn't.

But as he grew older, though he very well could've, Leonidas chose not to waste his time concentrating his smarts in bookish subjects such as math or english. Instead he learned everything he could about practical matters, such as the history and inner workings of the Hunger Games (it was a favorite topic of his) and, particularly, weapons. He could tell you how every single weapon in his training gym worked, how it was made, the best way to use it to kill someone. "Cutlass, based on a cavalry sabre and adapted for use primarily at sea, though lately it's become a favorite weapon for use in the Hunger Games. One of the less effective swords, but still lethal nonetheless. We've got about seven varieties of this particular weapon over in the gym." And as he broadened his knowledge of each he became proficient with every one of them as well, though his special favorites were pole swords such as glaives and voulges. They required accuracy and precision more so than strength, which was important because strength was the one thing his elder brother bested him in. And while he and Tiger were a team through and through, Leo's careful pride required he have some advantage.

In addition to this, he began to use his wit as a mechanism of manipulation to feed his cunning and tricky nature; his favorite target was his siblings, who fell for his techniques rather easily. He could rope them into doing his household chores, taking the blame for something he did, passing along credit to him for something good that they did. "Hey look, Ver, you've got to clean the bathroom for me." "Why? Dad told you to do it." "Yes, but I did some tests the other day and found out I'm allergic to the bacteria streptococcus, which is often found in bathrooms, so I can't do it. I'd get awfully sick." "But then won't I get sick?" "No, you'll be fine, just remember to wash your hands after. Thanks a lot, Ver!" Some of them saw through it, but most continued to be fooled, and all knew he didn't mean it maliciously; while he wasn't particularly warm to outsiders, Leo was protective of his family and truly did like most of them, even when they got on his nerves. The one thing he never tricked them into doing was his homework; it was easy enough for him to do by himself, and he even did some of theirs for them. But for a price, of course. Always for a price.

As for the Hunger Games, Leonidas is nothing but certain that should he be lucky enough to secure himself a spot, he'd win for sure. After all, he had the whole package: brains, skill, strength, and a charismatic attitude to gain him sponsors. While he may not be as brawny and vicious as other Careers he was sure his cunning wit would propel him far above the rest. Then he would move on to do great things with his fame and fortune and make a name for himself that would last forever. He, Leonidas the lion, would go down in history as the best of the best. And he would settle for nothing less.

[your grace is wasted in your face
your boldness stands alone among the wreck]

[now learn from your mother
or else spend your days biting your own head]

actions. DOB56C
words. 8e571b
thoughts. italics
others' speech. 493b2c