black fins ; Murdock Family Plot

The Story of Four's first victor is far from told, but for now we focus on the legacy he left behind. It is not a kind one - unfortunately for the little Olympian, his desperation to become something better only served to lead him further into ruin. That of himself and all those burdened by loving him. His children - now approaching their sixties and settled with families of their own - bear these scars one way or another.

It's a tale of two brothers. Blair's sons - a set of identical twins named Oleander and Nathaniel - have hated each other for as long as either can remember. There is no love in the blood they share, just venom and vitriol. The eldest, Ollie, is intent upon expanding the wealth and influence their father so clumsily stumbled into and Nicky seems just as set on destroying it. Only time will tell who will emerge victorious - and just how many will be caught in the crossfire in the meantime.

IMPORTANT FIGURES

*people the children would have knowledge of, even if they are not currently alive / involved with the families

Blair Murdock [deceased] - The only thing the brothers have ever agreed upon is that they don't talk about their father. Pieces of him linger around their houses, letters penned by his hand and old pictures gone yellowed with age but even they are shoved off into shadowy corners. Inquisitive minds were promptly dismissed if their questions strayed too far toward their grandfather. Most can glean that he remains an open wound, even after all these years.

Love Buchanan [deceased] - Her relationship with Blair was not overtly romantic, in spite of the fact that they'd chosen to raise children together. She was, overall, a good influence on Blair and was responsible for much of the family's happy memories. Love was an outspoken advocate for the districts, which was unfortunately thrown into the spotlight thanks to her connection to Blair. Her arrest and subsequent avoxing are what most blame for the family's immediate downfall.

Lennon Buchanan [deceased] - Blair's one and only victim, the boy he'd accidentally drowned before he was reaped. They had been best friends all their life, and planned to run away together before the accident. How fucked up it is that he ended up also being his children's uncle is not lost on anyone involved.

THE FAMILY

A stereotypical victor family, spearheaded by a charming socialite - they boast a shockingly spotless record after all these years. Though the family has had no Games related acclaim for some time, they are picture perfect philanthropists. The family is tight knit and are only ever seen in the the public together, with their father leading the charge. He's everything a family man should be, media claims. They've attended many publicized charity events - from cleaning up the beaches to passing out sandwiches in the slums. Oleander's family is the very ideal of one, and seems confident one of his children will soon reclaim the crown his father so clumsily stumbled into.

Sure, every now and then there are whispers of something sinister beneath this perfect facade. Of strange baptisms in acrid saltwater, or a collection of severed tongues sitting under the floorboards of their basement. All unfounded rumors, of course. That one of their children has suddenly gone mute is entirely unrelated, and a personal matter at that.

No more questions, thank you.

Oleander "Ollie" Murdock [63] | @fabulousraven - A charismatic, dominating figure. Oleander goes to great lengths to maintain complete control over his family, and thus his children as afforded very little privacy. Their rooms are subject to sudden searches and their 'interests' carefully curated. He's far from the perfect man he presents himself to be, with a cold, cruel rage that seems to always be at a slow boil. There's also the matter of holding his reaping age children underwater every year until they lose consciousness or the fact that he flew into such a blind rage that he cut the tongue off one of them. To send a message, to teach a lesson - he didn't want to do it and it was a shame that they had brought him to that point. It's stressful, leading a family. And he's doing the best he can.

Elaine Murdock [59] - She could probably speak up on her children's behalf, hell her husband might even listen. There is little in the world that Ollie loves more than maintaining his status but Elaine is a close second. She is comfortable in her position at her husband's side, and the security that it provides. She's distant from the children she bore, it's hard to grow attached to somebody else's playthings after all. She is certainly not cruel, she keeps the family presentable which is all that was asked of her.

Era Murdock [18] | [nyte] - He inherited his father's silver tongue and none of his wit. As the eldest son, he's had the pleasure of sitting back and watching the skin on his father's palms form calluses. The first to be subjected to every new cruelty he learned to perform. He's his father's first true disappointment.

Laurence Murdock [17] | gamemaker kelsier - Local problematic half-brother, now with 100% less tongue.

Blyth Murdock [17] | eulalie blake 1a 🍒 tris - You've got a good heart and a will to make a change, dangerous things to have in this house.

Cade Murdock [17] | mat - I bet you thought you'd be included in the other list. Too bad you're not his son anymore.

Rafferty Murdock [16] | dars - He's a swimmer, he's a sport star, he's died once before

Circe Murdock [15] | minie - Split-custody with her mother and Ollie is absolutely pissed about it

Darcy Murdock [15] | ryan - Here to cause problems on purpose.

Hudson Murdock [14] | josh - He deserves so much better than be born into this family.

Lottie Murdock [12] | d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel - Probably responsible for my broken heart at some point in the near future.

[remaining spots: 13 year old]

THE FAMILY?

Yes, Nicky Murdock has had a few kids of his own but it's a stretch to call him a father.

He wasn't there when his first set of twins were born. Their mother hadn't been able to track him down. He doesn't remember where he was, so much time is lost to him. The first year of their lives he saw them a handful of times. They don't always feel like his flesh and blood and he knows that means there's something wrong with him.

Another woman, another not-quite-love story, another set of children. He swore he'd do better this time and it stings because he actually meant it. He was there when they were born, he saw them take their first breaths. When he realized their mother needed help he even offered to take the boy off her hands.

But this is Nicky Murdock we're talking about, and his love is ruin. Sometimes, it's not enough to want to be better. Cade was with him when he relapsed and his brother is a sick fucking opportunist. It's a miracle he didn't lose the other three - but he hasn't thought too hard about how all that happened.

They live along the coast, of course, they're Murdocks but in a decidedly poorer part of town. Their house plays at something grand but is full of rotten neglect, the basement has been flooded for at least a month now and the lights go off at inopportune times. Nicky doesn't know that because he hasn't been home. In the years since Cade was taken he has given up playing pretend at a family man.

He sends home money. Sometimes.

When he remembers.

Nathaniel "Nicky" Murdock [63] | [nyte] - A deeply troubled child all his life, Blair was forced to pull strings to keep him out of the detention center most of his life. Hot headed and passionate in opposition to his brother's clever calculation, he often found himself shunned by everyone but his father. Nicky today is a mess of a man, no one is even exactly sure of his whereabouts though there are rumors he's living in a fisherman's boat just off the coast.

Attis Murdock [18] | tick 12a / calla - x

Ariadne Murdock [18] | napoleon, d2m ₊⊹ 🐁 ɢʀɪғғɪɴ. - x

Virginia Murdock [17] | gamemaker tallis 🧚🏽‍♂️kaitlin. - If you pretend you don't care hard enough no one will see you caring.

[spots are probably closed for these guys, but you can fight me for one if u really wanna]

SOME NOTES!

Some men will really turn their family units into weird drowning cults instead of go to therapy.

Character creation is entirely open, I have no set idea of how many siblings there are or their dynamics so feel free to take what I've given in this little blurb and tone it up or down to your liking.

The set in stone bits are:

-There is no privacy in this house, rooms are open to search at any time and items will be taken without permission. If you want to keep a secret, you're going to have to be very smart about it.

-They are not allowed out of the house without permission, save for school and training. If you want to sneak out, you're going to have to be very smart about it.

-Image is everything, Ollie wants to appear perfect and put together no matter what the truth might be. They are the family of Four's first victor after all. Disobeying might leave you subject to... extreme punishment. As someone found out recently.

-Swimming is a key aspect of their training regimen, and conditions they are forced to endure are outright dangerous and border on torture. Think freezing temperatures, against strong currents, trying to out swim the tide coming in. He's got quite the fixation with water it seems.

-To prove you have been putting work into your training, every year the kids are held underwater for an increasing number of minutes depending on age.

- No one has died yet, but there have been close calls.

All of these children are victims of narcissistic control and abuse, though it is possible that some have managed to thrive within this environment while others have been completely crushed underfoot - feel free to elaborate on that as you will! Are they looking to escape? Doomed to follow in their father's footsteps? Do they turn toward their siblings for support or shun them in hopes to gain safety for themselves? Tell the story you want to tell, I'm just along for the ride!

Blair is white, as are both Elaine and Ollie so most of the biological siblings will also fall into that category. (Though if you want a child of an affair, an adopted kid, or something like that hmu - we have some wiggle room!)

Thank you for spending time reading this silly little thing!

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