Marlin Malraux, Victor of the 3rd Games

## Background

In the Dog-eats-Dog world of Panem, the Malraux family was the average victim of foul play. Malik Malraux, the father of the esteemed victor Marlin Malraux, was grandson to a wealthy shipowner from District Four. Malik’s grandfather had two sons to whom the inheritance would be evenly divided. However, when he died, the scheming younger son bled dry Malik’s father’s half of the business. The boats sank, the business deals dried up, and the rest of his estate eventually passed over to the younger son. Finally, Malik’s father was found dead of alcohol poisoning in the gutter.

Malik was raised without a penny, but did inherit an inflated sense of self-worth. The grandson of a very important man, he was the slum’s arrogant big shot. With the mentality that "any woman in 4 could be his," he seduced a pretty young woman, Marina, without a second thought. However, this impoverished woman became pregnant with a boy, and the pair were forced to marry under District 4 law. Enraged at the situation he felt "dragged into," Malik was abusive to both Marina and their son Marlin. Malik would show up after his long days working at the docks only to drunkenly beat his wife and son. Marina was Marlin’s only comforting relationship through the hardships. However, from her constant wounds, Marina developed gangrene. Diseased and slowly growing insane, she began wracking up medical bills. The sight of a “corpse wife” drove Malik himself mad. She disappeared one night during a powerful storm, and Malik gained sole custody of Marlin.

But, Marlin Malraux was raised by the streets. At the age of ten, Marlin was completely homeless and alone. His no-good father had lost their housing rights after taking on too much debt and was forcibly chartered into a years-long fishing contract. Malik was gone, an indentured-servant at sea, and Marlin was forgotten by the government. Malik served only as a catalyst for Marlin’s anger at and distrust for people, and he used that anger to fight his way to his next meal. The poor kid was kicked around like a small dog until he was “adopted” by a local street gang. It was lead by a stalky kid with a long scar over his face called “Bran,” who always had a small but tough child trailing behind him known as “Little Man.” Little Man’s real name turned out to be Duncan, but he preferred his nickname. He couldn’t have been more than four years old, but he was Bran's fearless bodyguard.

When not engaging in gang fights over food, an increasingly distrustful and stoic Marlin stuck to himself. When he shot up to the intimidating height of 6’ 1” by the age of 13, Bran called him his “good luck charm.” He began training him to fight more harshly using his height to his advantage. While they never considered each other friends, life on the streets was too practical for many emotions, they were the closest thing a pair could get. One evening, however, when a drizzle drew Marlin to a shanty hidden amongst some fallen trees, he found Bran looking out at the ocean fiddling with an old banjo. Marlin was stunned to find Bran doing something other than fighting. Almost luxuriously, his guard was down! With awkward hesitancy, Bran motioned for Marlin to enter. They hardly ever spoke, let alone share their interests with each other, but after an hour of silence, Marlin told Bran that his playing was surprisingly good for a fellow street rat. Bran with a gruff chuckle let out that his father taught him before drowning at sea. Beginning to get comfortable with the situation, Bran began to play again while the two just sat in silence watching the soft rain pour over the ocean.

Months later, after showing Marlin how to use a fisherman’s trident, he brought him back to the beach shanty. Softly strumming his banjo, he explained to the perpetually straight-faced Marlin how the rest of the gang were the children of his father's drowned crewmates. They were far from a family but were undeniably woven together by that tragedy. Like a net, tied together they could function. Bran had let Marlin get kicked around on the street before inviting him into the group to watch his temperament, especially since they didn’t trust outsiders. But, he was glad he finally "adopted" him. Bran wasn’t angry at his own circumstances, and he was doing the best he could hope watching over the children of his father’s friends. Investing in their poor lives helped him make peace with his rough circumstances. He was depended on, and that was enough for him. Marlin didn’t speak that whole time, simply listening to Bran's unwavering voice. Their hardened hearts could never form a truly loving friendship, but Marlin did gain respect for Bran that evening.

Only a few weeks later, Bran was stabbed to death in a brutal gang fight. It was the law of the street, and the gang had to move on. But, the now 7-year-old Little Man started to follow around Marlin like he’d followed Bran. As much as Marlin tried to shake off the kid, Duncan kept following. In some sort of natural progression, Marlin was now pack leader.

Distraught, however, and angry at life, he volunteered for the Hunger Games. He wasn’t Bran, and Marlin refused to get caught up in the baggage of running the gang. All he wanted was himself, and if he couldn’t have that, he’d rather be dead. Amidst the groans of the career academy students, he confidently walked up to the stage. Looking back at the raggedy group of kids that constituted his gang, and at Duncan’s surprised, confused eyes, he immediately felt regret.

## Games

The second the cannon announced the start of the games, Marlin was already mid-air diving toward a neighboring tribute. The fume intoxicated Marlin shoved the tribute into the lava burning them alive, while the other tributes watched in dazed horror. Even the bravest tributes feared for their lives as the brutish Marlin, unafraid of death, slaughtered his way towards the cornucopia with his bare hands. He was basically avoided during the bloodbath as he nonchalantly gathered supplies from the mouth of the cornucopia.

In a psychotic daze, he seemed to feed off the fumes as he jumped dangerously across the lava. No tribute could get their hands on him or outsmart him. No lack of food or physical pain could dishearten him. Roughened up on the poor streets of Four, this was a vacation. He let his anger at the world out on the tributes that crossed him, and he was ready to bring down as many people to death with him. However, the last half of the games began breaking through Marlin's spirit. The sudden, eerie loneliness in that bubbling hot wasteland as he waited for his death was maddening. Desperate to find a way out of that arena, he risked his life jumping rock to rock over the lava pool to finally spear his last victim.

## Life as a Victor

After returning from his victory tour, he found himself completely alone again, but in a stunning house. The depression of an abusive childhood and killing other children trapped Marlin in a gilded cage. Desperate to find closure, he resolved to confront his living inner demon: his father. Conflicted, Marlin broke into Malik’s house stumbling across torn and blacked out pictures of his father’s new partner: a woman that only a few weeks ago was found dead in a storm drain. Marlin, enraged but unsurprised, immediately found confidence in his resolve. Malik killed his mother, and this poor lady’s similar demise was the evidence.

Marlin was only 16 by this time, but his difficulties gave him a sharp wit and the wisdom of an old man. Towering over the pathetic, raggedy figure that was his earthly father, he demanded to know what happened to his mother. Marlin wasn’t just angry at his father, but he was disgusted at himself. For years, he allowed a drunkard lying in trash to have psychological power over him. But, that’s how it was.

The grimy man straightened up in his pile of filth at the sight of the boy as if remembering in his insanity that he was from a wealthy family. He looked him up and down with his one working eye and cackled. “Disposed of the b\*\*\*\*.” Malik cackled even harder until Marlin shoved the boney creature against the wall demanding answers. Malik’s temperament eerily changed back to a semblance of sobriety. Tears filled his eyes, and he choked out “She was disgusting . . and was pregnant again. I didn’t deserve having to put up with another bottom-feeder child like you. The day she gave birth, I knew the universe sent that storm to save me from that street woman and her child. I drugged her and chucked her and her parasite into the ocean.” He grinned his toothless grin. It’s a shame you were handsome like me, or I would have just killed you off too. Big mistake-” Marlin interrupted him by grabbing his head and smashing it into the wall. He’d heard enough. The filthy body shriveled up, and Marlin threw it off the nearby pier. No one questioned that Malik went missing. If anyone bothered to think, let alone care, it seemed obvious he drowned in a drunken fit. Marlin found a little bit of peace that day, but the scars of the games left him just as broken as his father.

Years ago, Bran taught Marlin that investing in the lives of others was worthwhile. Otherwise, Marlin would have slid down the slippery slope with his new money. Marlin, while still depressed and constantly questioning his life, invested in stabilizing his family. The people of District Four always say: "Good is coming for the good, and justice is coming for the evil." Marlin's dying uncle, Tibur, reached out to him to offer him the family estate and what remained of the shrinking inheritance, not out of warmness necessarily, but out of a feeling that it was his right. Long ago, it was stolen from his Marlin's family line, and the old Tibur was afraid of dying as an "evil" man. Marlin turned it down, not wanting a penny from anyone, but was forcibly granted the assets at Tibur’s death. His own pride aside, it helped make his younger brother Kai’s life easier. After Malik's revelation, Marlin was able to find out that his half-brother had survived his fateful birthday and was reunited. A few years later, Marlin helped the reaped Duncan "Littleman" Bridgewater survive the Hunger Games. Marlin eventually died around the 29th games, not happily, but at least in peace knowing that he helped improve a few of the lives around him.