Queen's Court

Grayson has never felt as close to his family as he should; being the middle child, he wasn’t ever as “special” as the other two, always in the shadow of Isaac and never the baby who could afford to make mistakes. But that also meant he wasn’t exactly expected to do anything great, which really gave him some much needed freedom.
Gray spent that freedom in arguable methods, for the most part just hanging around in the district, looking for sources of entertainment until he was old enough to actually work on the boats. That’s pretty much how he came into the company of certain people who like to do stupidly dumb stuff for the thrill. And yeah, he joined them.
When he finally got old enough to go out on the boats, he worked for free. Not because he had to or it was slavery or anything illegal; he just felt like he had enough money from his father to support him. Grayson didn’t need to take money from anyone who was struggling as it was. So he often helped the poorest fisherman, rotating who he worked for from day to day. He liked to think he was helping them, anyway. But as he soon found out from his first venture into the seas, Grayson sucks at fishing. He could help in other ways, of course, but it was a bummer.
About a month after that first trip, the universe decided it hated District Four. Or at least the boat Gray was on. A pretty rough storm came along; not too bad, but enough to send everybody back to shore. Little 13-year-old Grayson, in the tiniest boat on the water, with almost no experience in the ocean, had a rough experience, aided by the fact that he got tossed rather violently into a net. Yeah, he didn’t have a fun time. But he survived, so naturally he was back on the boats as soon as his back was healed from the vicious net attack.
After he’d been doing this for a few years, one of the fisherman got fed up with not being able to pay the boy for his efforts. This fisherman’s dog had just had puppies at the time, and he’d been planning to sell the pups once they got old enough; he gave one to Grayson for free. Gray named the thing Grizzy, and loves him to death. Grizzy’s only two now, but he’s already huge and messing with Grayson’s siblings.
Now, for recentness, Gray still hangs out with those thrill-seekers, but he’s been a bit distant as of late, partially due to his working on the boats, and partially because he doesn’t exactly feel like getting himself killed on accident.

Born the baby of the family, Ori had a bit of a pampered lifestyle. She's had various reptilian friends in the past, all bought willingly by her father; Salsa, of course, is the only surviving "friend" at the moment. For most of her life, Ori made friends everywhere, her happy aura resonating with others and making them feel better. Recently, she's started hanging out with a few peacekeepers, preparing for a future career and picking up a few tips from them as well.

Millie was born into the family as a surprise baby. Her parents had intended to only have three children, but stuff happens. They loved her all the same, though, and she got a bit of attention as a Victor’s Daughter, just like her older siblings. It’s funny though, because a lot of kids didn’t exactly realize who she was or why she didn’t live in the residential area, so a lot of her friendships are genuine and non-handout-seeking.
Most of Millie’s life has been easy-going and care-free. Her father did teach her a bit of weaponry, but she never took interest, nor did she wish to practice on her own; all she could really use were throwing knives anyway.
The most significant events in Millie’s life all occurred when she found a lost puppy or kitty and took them home, begging her father to let her keep them. Yeah, she’s pretty care-free.

Storm never could remember his father’s face. The man had died when he was too young to remember him. Lupa, just a year older than him, she remembered, but she didn’t like to speak about Elliot. It was painful for her, something that kept her secluded from people. Storm was the only person she got close to, but that was okay by him. For the rest of their lives, they relied on each other; food, money, clothes on their backs, it all came from their own effort. The siblings stuck together through it all, supporting their mother as well, and protecting each other. Well, Storm did most of the protecting. Even in the grain fields, when they could work for their money, they stuck together like glue, each trying to take the older-sibling role despite the true age gap.
But that all ended when a name was called. “Lupa Avian.” The words were spoken by a Capitol woman who didn’t care. But that name destroyed Storm’s life. His sister’s Games were the shortest in history, but she didn’t come home. The Final Two, so close to the end, and she died. Storm changed that day, being forced to watch his sister die the way she did, killed by a boy younger than he was.
The next few months were the hardest; Storm had only himself to support his mother and he now, so he stole, worked, and ran about twice as much. His down time usually was occupied with training. He’d learned that the Reapings could take anyone, no matter how much they were needed; and his mother certainly needed him. So if he did get taken, he knew he had to make it home.
Storm’s friends grew distant during this time, partially because he pushed them away. But how could a normal person deal with someone who’d lost such an important person to the Games? The boy grew to being alone then, though he still managed to be nice to people; it was just different without his sister there, the girl’s quiet always having to be made up for.
After the few months of struggle and distance, someone came to the Avian family’s rescue. Or at least, the guy thought he was their savior. But Storm had too many questions his father couldn’t, or wouldn’t, answer. Why did he pretend to be dead? Why not show up again for years? Why after Lupa died? Where’d he been all this time? Elliot Avian had no answers, and Storm was unsatisfied. But the boy couldn’t argue with his mother; the woman was so elated at the return of her husband after the death of her daughter that she didn’t care.
It wasn’t long before a baby was on the way.
Kaden Avian was born just after the end of the 33rd Games, in October, and their mother became homebound. That was perfect, having the crazy lady home all day with the newborn. Storm had lost faith in his mother’s judgment, so he stopped his weapons training and spent his free time with Kaden, trying to protect him in as subtle a manner as possible. This, of course, has brought an even further divide between Storm and his mother, but this time the son doesn’t really care about crossing it.
Two years after Lupa’s death, Storm himself was reaped. But there was a volunteer. That made him think. What was so special about him that someone would sacrifice themselves for him? The boy died in the bloodbath, a tragic death really. But Storm knew he’d die. The kid didn’t seem like a surviving type. Still, he never got to ask why. He was just as likely to die by the hands of a peacekeeper someday as in the Games.
This point was emphasized one day soon after when he nearly got caught in his thievery. Storm, in his older self, had gotten a bit slower than he used to be, apparently, and well, that sucked. But one good thing did come out of it. He ran into a girl there. Fallon King. And well, let’s just say the rest is history.

Kaden was born just recently, so he has no real past. He was the product of Storm's mother and father suddenly reuniting after Daddy was thought to be dead. Naturally, this is confusing as hell. So, because there is no real history, I'll tell you of the future. Storm will love this little guy and protect him with all of his heart, and try to make sure he never has to go into the games. The end.

For the better part of his life, Jack enjoyed life. A carefree kid, he had lots of friends and was never alone, despite his tendency to be a jerk to people. Of course, he always steered clear of the rich kids, per the directions of his mother. They were “never to be trusted” and “The most unhelpful hellions short of the Capitol”; Jack learned quickly that she was absolutely right.

Despite living in the Seam, for about eight years, the Daniels family was well off; Brandy provided a substance that was in high demand, and his father was a high-standing coal miner. Naturally, they could support the two children they had. It all ended when Jack was eight. It was in the middle of the school day; the sirens went off as a mine collapsed. Everyone ran to help; well, everyone except Jack and another boy. Jack, naturally, was paralyzed with fear of the possible, but the other boy; he just sat there like nothing was wrong. Alexavier Fuchs, the butcher’s son, never left Jack’s mind after that.

Terrence Daniels died in the coal mines that day, trying to save as many people as he could. Jack never understood that; why did he have to die and those others got to live? Not to mention, his family needed him. Sure, his mother could support them for now, but what about the winter? When there wasn’t enough food to get even with the whiskey? That’s when Jack taught himself snares. Every time his mother took him out into the forest for the still, he’d experiment, trying different things and leading animals to the traps he’d set. The boy got pretty good at it, and soon his mother didn’t have to trade whiskey for fresh meat. That right there is Jack’s greatest pride.

Now, throughout his life, Jack got into plenty of fights. When you’re an asshole, it’s hard not to get into fights. Mostly it was with the rich kids, when they’d make a joke about the mines or the “poor Seam” kids, but sometimes you’ve gotta knock a beggar’s lights out. Anyway, most of these fights were with the butcher’s son, because two assholes have to clash constantly for any life to be interesting. Jack always lunged at the opportunity to mess with the guy, but Xavier couldn’t have cared less about him. That’s gotta be Rich Kid Syndrome or something. No matter what the reason, though, that’s part of the reason Peace Keepers love to pick on him. Also because his mother does illegal crap, but we’re not supposed to speak of that.

So, obviously, when this Alexavier kid got reaped, Jack could’ve leaped for joy. He didn’t, cause it was the Reapings and you’re supposed to be scared, but it was enough just to see the kid’s face. Hi-lar-i-ous. Of course, Jack’s now a bit ticked that the guy’s made it so far, but hopefully he won’t be the same if he makes it back. Either way, Jack’s mother seemed a bit happy too, for whatever reason. Maybe she just hates the boy as much as Jack, or is there something else?

So we don’t end on a negative note, I’d like to inform the readers of a few other things. Jack has essentially taken over half of the moonshining business while his mother does other things, and he’s teaching Samuel both how to distill and snare, because who knows when the Games will call you? It was about three years ago when one of Sam’s snares caught a wild bobcat, injuring its leg for quite a while. Jack took in the little critter, which was pretty young at the time, and raised him back to health. Puma hangs around the still now, guarding it from curious passer-by, as well as nabbing a snared rabbit every once-in-a-while.

Chicken Count: 125, 5 are roosters, those are named below:

Tailless:

Tweaky:

Pokey:

Fiesty:

Big Boy:

She also has 2 dogs

Bruiser:

Doodle:

And 3 cats

Fudge:

Gadget:

Little Man:

And 5 sheep

Mary and her lambs (Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup):

Samson:

Born in a large family, her childhood was hard, as her older siblings were still too young to help support the family. However, they were kept afloat by selling sheep wool, sheep milk, chicken eggs, and vegetables from her older sister's garden. They still are mostly self-sufficient, living off their farm with enough left over to sell for a good profit. It certainly helps that Danny and Emiry have both moved out (Stacey now maintains the garden along with Cattie) and Jamie has taken up a job elsewhere, pulling in more money and bumping their status to Middle Class. This way, the younger kids don't have to do much but help with the chickens. Stacey is raising her own lambs, in order to sell their wool and milk for herself; she hopes to buy a horse one day, as she loves the animals and has only been able to ride one once or twice.
Well, that used to be the case. Until, of course, she met Travis. Stacey was honestly in love from first site. Maybe it was just because he let her ride his horse, Blitz, or maybe there was something more. Either way, eventually they were a couple, and they took things a bit far. Then Travis was reaped. There were no volunteers. And Stacey was pregnant. Go figure.

Smaug Orrin Salazar was born the baby of a well-off family in the Capitol; his father had a high-class job and his mother need’nt work. From the time the Games began, Smaug aspired to become a Gamemaker, taking interest even at his young age at the workings of a tribute’s mind. When he was younger, he often secluded himself to watch the Games re-runs and wonder how it was done; this tendency pushed his family away, but he was alright with that. At the age of 18, he found his way onto the board of lower GMs. Ever since, he has been slowly working his way up the ladder, eventually becoming head Mutt manager. It was only recently that he was asked to take over as a Head Gamemaker, temporarily. He looks at this as an opportunity to prove his worth to the Capitol.

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For the first few years of her life, Stella enjoyed the blessings of an only child. Her family wasn't too poor, so they were quite well-off compared to the rest of the district, though still much lower than some. Of course, her father was an overseer in the fields, getting paid more than field hands, and her mother was a seamstress, a talent she would pass on to her daughter. Then, at the age of four, her siblings were born, twins on the night of New Years. Complications with the birth led to their mother becoming unable to have more children. At least, Biologically. Life went on normally for a bit, until her parents decided they wanted another child. Wealthy enough, they adopted. By this time, she was eight, and well into her life in District Eleven. She made many friend in school and loved to hang around everybody, though she did pick on her siblings quite a bit. Then, they hit reaping age, and while she survived, most of her friends did not. So, she fell deeper into herself, becoming more of a recluse with each death, until she finally decided to train herself. And her family. It was about this time that the youngest child, Axel, started school. It took a while, but she finally realized how he was being treated, and continuously stepped in when she could. Stella soon realized the issue could get worse, so she taught him how to defend himself. And she also taught Mac and Jac. And then, life went on and Stella survived the Games and took up a job helping her mother as a seamstress

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At the age of seven, Gabe's parents were taken from him. He doesn't remember the incident well, only that his sister had made it to the final five of the Games and was killed by a mutt. At some point his mother decided it was solely the Game Maker's fault and her daughter would've had a chance otherwise, so she did something rebellious. She died, and Gabe's father was arrested. Gabe never saw him again.
He was originally placed in the orphanage, but the kids there were always so gloomy, he could barely stand it. Maybe it was because he never witnessed the events personally or that he blocked it from his mind for a while, but Gabe was almost overly cheery. Naturally, he soon had enough of the place and bailed, foregoing school and any connection to anyone else. The first few years or so were rough, avoiding Peacekeepers and learning how to steal on his own.
Eventually, at some point he met up with others who lived on the streets. The two girls were younger than him but they worked well as a team and he soon grew to care for them like little sisters. Of course, he does a sucky job of keeping them out of trouble... and there's no way to protect them from the worst threat of all, the reapings.

Regan was born six years before the Games began, when the revolution was still struggling on. He was the youngest in his family, a family of ten sons, but they loved him equally. Well, his parents did; his brothers were pretty rough. Most of his older brothers aided in the rebellion, as did his parents, but they did it subtly, so no one would actually suspect them. So when the rebellion failed, they were safe. Well, they were supposed to be.
The Games didn’t reap any Barwets the first year, which was a blessing. But they had so many sons, it was inevitable. Rhett died fairly quickly in the Second Games, not even surviving the bloodbath that no one had the sense to avoid. The Barwets grieved, but their sons still had to stand in the square on Reaping day. Lauren and Xander then tried to train their sons to fight, so the Games couldn’t take their lives again. But they failed another, Robin, four years later. He lasted longer, of course, but the 16 year old wasn’t exactly ready.
Grief again, but they made it through. Then Regan was reaped. His parents had lost hope, but still they tried to be supportive in the goodbyes.
Then he survived. Regan Barwet made it home. A few years after his victory, when he was used to the nightmares and failing his tributes, he fell in love. Rosaline was just a year younger than he, so they fit together quite nicely. They were married quickly, at the ages of 19 and 20, and had a few years together, marred of course by Regan’s constant departures to mentor two more tributes who failed. Before he left for the 17th Games, Rosaline discovered that she was pregnant. Regi didn’t want to leave her, but the Capitol of course forced him to. Thankfully, that year a new District Nine victor was made, so Regan gave him the job of mentoring the next Games; he of course wanted to stay with his wife, since she would have a three-month-old to take care of then.
The next few years brought a new baby, so Regan stayed away from the Games for a bit longer. Regan now had two kids and a wife to occupy his time, so his thoughts didn’t go there either; he barely let himself watch the Games except when it was required. He focused on making sure his daughters could defend themselves as well as making sure they were well educated; these were things that had gotten him allies, and he just naturally thought they were important. His children were raised well, he hoped, and now one has survived the reapings.
The day of the 36th Games, Regan was asked again to mentor. He obliged, obviously; after all, this was Hannah’s last Reaping and Abigail Jane was getting close to the end as well. Plus, you can’t refuse the Capitol. So he has returned to the Capitol, a bit rusty but still ready to train his tributes into Victors.