Hammer Roos

Hammer Roos is a 17-year-old from District One. He grew up in a career family that centered around the Hunger Games. He is the son of Serendipity Roos, the victor of the 126th Hunger Games, and a younger brother to Jasmine Roos, the recent victor of the 145th Hunger Games. He aspires to be a career in the Games, but has grown tired of his family forcing the goal upon him.

Background
In the 126th Hunger Games, after eight days of harsh combat and conditions in an arena based on the Arctic taiga, an 18 year old career tribute from District 1 by the name of Serendipity Underwood came away victorious, punctuating her victory by brutally beating her fellow District 1 tribute Flash Jansen to death with a club. She became a hero in her homeland, overcoming a streak of ten games without a District 1 winner. It was even better that Flash was Serendipity’s cousin, making her victory even sweeter for the blood thirsty Capitol. She returned to District 1 a hero and almost immediately married Haddon Roos, a Capitol resident who was a major supporter for her during the Games. The Roos family became a major focal point of District 1, and Serendipity became a keen mentor for a string of District 1 victors – all the while pregnant with a string of hopeful winners.

Hammer was the second child after older sister Utopia, with younger sister Jasmine and brothers Flame and Indus. From the time they could walk and hold objects, they were immediately in training, born and bred to become future Career Tributes to carry on the legacy of their powerful, legendary mother. There was plenty of money to finance the training of five children, as well as the medical bills incurred by five year olds slashing one another with knives and swords. Hammer and his siblings lived and breathed the games, and this was forced on them whether or not they liked it. They would never be anything less than victorious, or else they would go down swinging like proper champions.

Trained to be smart, ruthless, and a champion, Hammer never had time for games with other children, much less friends. When school was over, he was immediately whisked home to his mother’s training studio, where he sparred with his siblings, becoming a master with the dagger and throwing knives and adept at almost everything. He was fifteen when his sixteen year old sister Utopia volunteered for the 144th Hunger Games. She made it to the last day, the final three, before a twist in the game claimed her life. Utopia Roos was killed by a rockslide while attempting to track the others remaining, leaving her body mangled beyond recognition. Hammer’s mother reacted with guffaw, then grief, and then anger, not at herself but at her daughter for failing miserably. That was the day that any discussion of Utopia was banned from the home.

The 145th Hunger Games were punctuated by the actual Reaping of his younger sister Jasmine. Instead of allowing someone to volunteer in her place, and knowing full and well that it was the Capitol playing games with Serendipity as a legendary victor with a good number of children left to spare, Jasmine was entered. It was thought that Jasmine, of all the Roos children, was the least able – she was a Career Tribute by training, but Serendipity doubted that her last remaining daughter would ever have a chance. During the Bloodbath, she did as she was told, grabbing supplies and killing anyone in her way. The fifteen year old girl took out for others just during that first day, proving her worth and her mother’s training methods.

Hammer was always raised to slash and maim and brutalize anything that stood between him and victory. Serendipity always favored Hammer as her best shot at the infamy she so desired, but when Jasmine came away victorious after only five days, her favor turned away from her son and to the daughter she had always doubted. When Jasmine toured the Districts during her victory celebrations, Serendipity was there, always speaking for her child and never letting the girl get in a word edgewise. Nineteen years after coming away victorious herself, it was clear Serendipity still lived for the games, and lived vicariously through the children she so willingly sacrificed in the pursuit of even more glory.

When all was said and done, Serendipity returned back to District 1 and to her three sons. Hammer, Flame, and Indus were pressed harder than ever to produce victories for the family. Their lives became focused on being natural born killers, able to kill without remorse and live for nothing other than success. What Serendipity never expected was that Hammer, her self-proclaimed favorite son, would always loathe his mother’s greed for more. Jasmine’s victory saved her from her mother, allowing her to go out and pursue her dreams, her mother finally satisfied, but for Hammer, his sister’s success just made him hate the life he had even more.

Serendipity has told Hammer that if he is not reaped for the 146th Games that he will volunteer for the 147th, even if she has to push him on that stage herself. District 1 has always been hungry for power and glory, with Serendipity at the forefront, and there is a lot of money resting on his shoulders for when he enters the arena. The problem is, Hammer has no desire to win.

The dream of victory is not his own, and he is sick and tired of his mother forcing her dreams on him.

Personality
Hammer has never been able to have the life he wanted for himself. If he had his way, he would be an artist, sculpting and painting and making pottery all day. Instead, partially out of fear and partially out of loyalty to his mother, he has ended up being the quiet, obedient son that he was raised to be. Unbeknownst to the world around him, though, Hammer has always harbored resentment, loathing, and anger about the life he has been given. Hammer has never lived the life that he has wanted to live, instead given only one choice – let his mother rule his life and his ever breath. He might be an expert at weapons, survival, and manipulation, but none of this is by choice.

He lives his life in silent reverence of his mother and her wishes, mostly because he knows just how bad she can be. Hammer has seen firsthand what she can do when she is angry, even at her own flesh and blood. When Utopia died from her own “stupidity”, as Serendipity puts it, his mother went on a rampage. He has not inherited his mother’s bloodthirsty nature and his father’s need for power and prestige, instead having his own dreams and goals. He is much quieter than his parents, much more reserved and peaceful. In a sense, he is a pacifist, but he knows that is a pipedream with his mother looming over his shoulder. Long has he accepted his fate – either he will die an early death or he will be forced to put aside everything that he holds dearly in order to appease the demands of his family and of the Capitol that is everpresent.