Peggy's Binder on District 10's Table

[impaledqueen]

Hello, and welcome to Panem.

If you are reading this, then you are a new Tribute of District 10. You are likely confused and disturbed by your sudden change of scenery; this is perfectly normal, and this binder is here to explain where you are and why you are here.

You have been pulled from your world and placed into our own. The process by which this is done is a secret. Do your best to remove any expectations that you may carry over from your own world; chances are that this one is very different.

Panem History

Panem is the only country in this world. There was a great Cataclysm five hundred years ago where natural disasters rocked the earth and the water levels rose. It killed any human civilizations that may have lived before, and out of the ashes rose Panem.

Panem is divided into thirteen districts and the Capitol, which is where you are. The Districts supply the Capitol with materials, and the Capitol provides order and stability to the Districts.

The Districts are defined by the materials they provide. District 1 provides luxury goods, District 2 provides peacekeepers (our police force) and stone, District 3 provided electronics, District 4 provides seafood, District 5 provides power, District 6 provides transportation, District 7 provides lumber, District 8 provides textiles, District 9 provides grain, District 10 provides meat, District 11 provides fruits and vegetables, District 12 provides coal, and District 13 provided nuclear power.

Many years ago, the districts rose in rebellion against the Capitol. We call this war the Dark Days. The war ended 77 years ago when the Capitol destroyed District 13; to this day, the land it once was settled on is uninhabitable due to radiation.

In order to punish and remind the Districts of their treachery so that our country would never be divided by war again, the Hunger Games were instituted. Every year, one boy and one girl ages twelve through seventeen would be chosen by lottery in every remaining District, and those would be Tributes for the Hunger Games. They would be put in a televised arena where they would be asked to survive and fight until there was only one left alive. The winner of these Games would then be declared Victor and would act as Mentor for future generations of Tributes from their District.

The system of the Hunger Games has since changed. Every twenty-five years of Hunger Games, there is a Quarter Quell, where the terms of Tribute selection will be tweaked to celebrate another quarter century. On the 25th Hunger Games, Districts had to vote which children they would use as Tributes. On the 50th, the Districts had to send two boys and two girls. On the 75th, it was decided that the Hunger Games would never end. Since it is unsustainable to have a constant stream of Tributes from the Districts, it was decided that Tributes would be Reaped from different worlds, and you are one such Tribute.

As a Tribute, you are a new part of a proud peacekeeping tradition in Panem, and you are integral to the stability of our country. You are honored for it with various luxuries and an adoring public, and your sacrifice is appreciated.

Since the beginning of the Neverending Quell, District 3 has been destroyed. While what remains of District 13 does not have any representatives within the Games, District 3 still does.

Panem Society

Classes within Panem
While Panem as a land is divided into fourteen pieces, Panem as a society is divided into four distinct classes. We in Panem are conscious of class, and it would behoove you to understand where different people stand in our society so you may treat them properly.

There are Capitolites, who are the people you are going to speak to most. Capitolites are native to the Capitol; in order to qualify as a Capitolite, you must have one or more Capitolite parents. They have the most rights and privileges under the law; they pay taxes, are allowed to vote in elections, can petition the government for special privileges, and can run for office. President Snow is currently the president of Panem, and he is in charge of picking out the ministers of his Cabinet, but more minor politicians are elected.

There are naturalized citizens: people who are not Capitolite but have proven themselves worthy of living within the Capitol. They are afforded some of the legal protections of Capitolites, but not all of the privileges or status.

There are Districters, who make up the majority of Panem’s population. They are the people who live in the Districts, who you will see very little of. They have no legal rights or protections, and any money, food, or education they may have is by the grace of the Capitol. Different Districts have different levels of wealth and different qualities of life. Capitolites and naturalized citizens can petition for the right to visit any of the Districts, and if their petitions are approved, they may visit either as a tourist or to begin a business there that uses Districter labor. Any mentors you have that won games previous to the 75th are Districters who are treated as naturalized citizens.

Finally, there are Avoxes. Avoxes were once Capitolites or naturalized citizens who were convicted of serious crimes, so records of their existence have been destroyed and their tongues have either been paralyzed or cut out entirely. They have been conditioned to be subservient, and you will see them waiting on you in the Tribute Center and at parties. You don’t recognize any Avoxes and you are to acknowledge them as little as possible. To do anything else can lead to punishment for the Avox and a loss of status for you. They have no legal rights or protections, but they all belong to someone, so abuse of an Avox can lead to fines and reprimand.

You are part of an emerging fifth class: offworlders. You are treated as a naturalized citizen, with certain rights and privileges (including the right to a trial if you are accused of a crime, and a trial for anyone who is accused of a crime against you), but you are considered a Districter by the Capitol. Districters themselves do not consider you a Districter because you have never lived in the Districts, but you are nonetheless considered analogous, since only Districters are Reaped for the Hunger Games. After you have played through one arena, you may petition the government to take you out of the Reaping pool and make you a full naturalized citizen. Speak to Peggy for more details if you are interested in doing this. If you don’t know who Peggy is, refer to Your Life in Panem.

Law and Order in Panem
Due to your bewildering situation at present, you may be tempted to buck against Panem’s authority, possibly by running to the nearest native and ranting about how horrible you think this world is. This is a terrible idea. You are likely to say something very illegal during your rant.

In Panem, there is no higher crime than treason. Treason includes but is not limited to: giving aid and comfort to enemies of Panem, plotting against Panem, inciting rebellion or riot against Panem, unconstructive criticism of Panem (and our idea of unconstructive likely doesn’t match yours), and unconstructive criticism of representatives of Panem. Treason is punishable by avoxing or public execution. In short, criticizing our way of life can lead to very severe consequences.

It is also illegal for Tributes to form any romantic or sexual relationship with Stylists, Escorts, or any Tribute Center staff beyond Mentors. It is illegal to physically assault a Capitolite, naturalized citizen, or other Tributes outside of the arena. It is illegal to damage the Avoxes. It is illegal to carry any weapon outside of the Training Center. If you would like a complete list of our laws or any clarification, contact Quintus Falxvale, the Security Coordinator of the Tribute Center, or Cyrus Reagan, the Minister of District Affairs.

If you commit treason or any other crime against Panem, the Peacekeepers will know. This is not hyperbole or a scare tactic; Panem makes use of a massive surveillance system that covers the entirety of the Capitol and throughout populated areas within the Districts. The system makes use of agents, cameras, and recording devices. For those of you from worlds without either of the latter, cameras are devices that can see what happens within their range and then carry and save that information elsewhere. Recorders are the same, except they hear what happens instead of see.

You have no right to privacy. If you petition to be a naturalized citizen, you have the right to petition the government to remove surveillance from your private restroom and bedroom. Barring that, you are constantly watched and listened to, and any crime you commit will have evidence.

A personal note from your Mentors: please don’t do anything stupid. If you do, you reflect on the entire District. District 10 can suffer for the mistakes of its representatives.

Your Life in Panem

The Basics
Our world, your new world, is comprised of humans, animals, and genetically engineered organisms called ‘mutts’ that the Capitol creates. We don’t have elves, walkers, aliens, or any intelligent creature other than a simple breathing human. Some other worlds have these things, but ours does not.

If you were far enough from being human, you have possibly found yourself in a new body. If you have any power beyond that of an ordinary, non-magical human, you may have found that these powers have been dulled or taken away completely. This may change in certain arenas, but for now, you are at the level of the average Panem citizen, and it will stay that way until such a time that the Capitol chooses to change it.

You may also find that you are speaking and writing in a strange language that you didn’t know previously. This is English, the language spoken across Panem. You will find yourself unable to speak or write in any other language. This will remain the case until such a time that the Capitol chooses to change it.

It is possible that you will also meet a stranger who heavily resembles you or someone you know. This is not unheard of. Some people have counterparts in different worlds, and these counterparts may know a different version of you as well. Do not be alarmed. These people do not know you and share none of your memories; they have lived entirely separate lives from you and your world. They are effectively any other stranger.

Yelling at the Tribute Center staff won’t change any of this, so please don’t.

The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games are significantly less violent than they once were. There can be anywhere between five and nine Tributes in each District at any time, and most of them are reluctant to fight. You are given a couple months between arenas to train, then you are put in the arena for another couple of months to play.

Unlike in the previous system, if you are killed in the arena, you can be brought back to the Capitol in the same state you were in when they took you from your world. This is up to the discretion of the Capitol, but you are more likely to come back than not.

Your fellow Tributes can be any age, from any place. Some of them are dangerous, and some are not. For every one of them you kill, you are given 100 assi. More on assi later.

If you win the arena, you become a Victor. This means you are going to Mentor future Tributes and you no longer have to regularly play in the games. It also means that you have earned a gift of essential food, medicine, teachers, and other supplies for the people in District 10. Without a win, most of the District is starving.

While you are in the arena, sponsors can pay to send you gifts and notes inside. Sponsors often mean the difference between life and death, because access to food and water is not a guarantee within the arena.

Sponsors choose to pay for you, usually because they are intrigued by or invested in you in some way. The ways you gain sponsors can be as simple as dressing well while going outside or as complicated as traversing Capitol politics. You are not expected to find sponsors or prepare for the Games alone; you have Stylists to dress you, Escorts to act as your ambassador to the Capitol, and Mentors to guide you in and out of the arena.

In District 10, your greatest resource is your Mentors. You have Peggy Carter, the winner of the 67th Hunger Games, and Clara Murphy, the winner of 11th arena in the Quell. Clara is an offworlder like you, while Peggy is a Districter. Peggy will coordinate your transition, your training, and the budget. Peggy and Clara both work together to earn you sponsors. If you have questions or concerns, talk to them.

This has been edited to add: as of the 14th arena in the Quell, Black Tom Cassidy is also a Mentor of District 10. He is a naturalized citizen who works with the peacekeepers as the Officer of Tribute Supervision and Control. He is another resource available to you and a valuable part of the District 10 staff.

Money and Finance
Panem uses currency called ‘assi.’ Every District within the Tribute Center has a budget to deal with basic expenses, like food and accommodations. The budget can also be used to support you and your fellow District-mates in the Games and take care of unforeseen expenses you may encounter. Escorts are usually in charge of budgetary concerns, but Peggy is largely in charge of District 10's.

You have been provided a credit card. Do not use this credit card except in dire emergencies. Things like feeling hungry when you’re out or wanting to party for a night are not dire emergencies. These cards are directly paid for by the people who live in District 10. For them, one Capitol latte can be over two weeks' wages, and they don't have much money to spare.

If you would like to make non-essential purchases, speak to Peggy and she’ll make arrangements that do not affect the Districters. Stylists and other Capitolites may encourage you to use the card, but they by and large have never been to the Districts and don't understand the economic realities there, so speak to Peggy.

If you do not want to depend on the Tribute Center, there are jobs available. If you would like to have a job, there is a pile of printed wanted ads in the living room which is updated every Wednesday. For further guidance on job hunting, speak to Clara or Peggy.

Edited: Since writing this, the system has changed. Offworlders' food and purchases are no longer subsidized. If you don't want to starve, you need to get a job.

The most recommended job would be one with the Peacekeepers, our policing force. Other occupations will have 80% of the wages garnished in order to pay back the Districts for what they have paid previously. If you want a job, there is a pile of printed wanted ads in the living room which is updated every Wednesday.

For guidance in applying for a job with the Peacekeepers, speak with Black Tom Cassidy. For guidance in gaining sponsorships and job hunting, speak to Clara or Peggy.

During your hunt for income, you will be given access to limited rations of food and Peggy is available for lessons on how to prepare your own food. For more details, speak to Peggy.

Education
In the Districts, children are expected to go to school until they’re thirteen, but in the Capitol, children are expected to go to school until they are eighteen. Many Capitolites will go to school after they have turned eighteen to earn skills they will use in the jobs they would like to have.

If you are eighteen or below or at the equivalent age, you are automatically enrolled in the Tribute Youth Program. You will find your uniform in your room, and you will be picked up by a bus every weekday morning to go to school.

If you do not qualify for the Youth Program but would like to take part in the Capitol’s educational opportunities, you can apply for classes or hire a tutor. Speak to Peggy for more details.

Important Contacts

Black Tom Cassidy - Mentor and Officer of Tribute Supervision and Control - Personal Number

Clara Murphy – Mentor – Personal Number

Cyrus Reagan – Minister of District Affairs – Personal Number

Peggy Carter – Mentor – Personal Number

Quintus Falxvale – Security Coordinator of the Tribute Center – Personal Number

Instructions

This binder includes a map of Panem, of the Capitol, and of the Tribute Center. Refer to those if you need to orient yourself.

Every electronic in District 10 has a little sticker on it with instructions on its usage. Refer to those if you’re confused.

Once you have become familiar with your surroundings, contact Peggy so you can set up an appointment and begin preparation for the next arena.

Panem today, Panem tomorrow, Panem forever.

Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor.