welcome to panem

Ordinarily, Games have 12 tributes each year, one from each district with no distinction based on gender; Decade years (10, 20, 30 and so on) as well as Quarter Quells have 24 tributes (or more, in the case of year 50), still with no gender distinction.

All Tributes choose an arena name to reinforce their brand and gain the favor of sponsors.

The pre- and post-Games ceremonies have been somewhat changed. For a full overview of the pre-Games timeline, read Worldbuilding: The Novel by WreakingHavok.

All tributes are mentored by the latest Victor from their district (if one exists).

The system surrounding the Gamemakers has been substantially expanded upon by KenkuKry. You can see this information in this document, and also feel free to ask Kenny any questions you may have.

The history of the Games described in the Hunger Games prequel novel “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” does not really apply here, as the Games have stayed in essentially the same form since their inception.

All Victors of the Hunger Games are required to live in the Victors’ Tower (see below).

The Victors are not allowed contact with their home district besides controlled and monitored video calls; all communication with Capitol citizens and other floors of the tower is heavily monitored as well.

All Victors are expected to stream on Twitch and create video content on YouTube for the entertainment of the Capitol; all funds received from this go back to the creation of the Games.

Post-Games, all Victors are assigned a brand (a costume style and distinct persona) based on their chosen pre-Games persona, arena name and method of victory; they have very little control over their own brand, but have to keep it up for events such as Galas, Games-associated work, and the content they produce. Each of the Victors is assisted by their pre-Games stylist in the upkeep of this brand for events.

Events the Victors are required to participate in include: The ceremonies surrounding the Games, if they’re still acting as mentors; the Victors’ Welcome for each new member of their floor and the next decade Victor; the New Year’s celebrations; the Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring solstices; Twitchcon, a yearly event where fans get to meet the Victors; and a video filmed on a Victor’s own floor on the day of their birthday every year.

In addition to regular Victor duties, a Career district from each floor is chosen to be the next Head Trainer, and each victor of a Quarter Quell becomes the next Games interviewer.

As Victors fade out of relevance with time, the number of events they’re asked to attend and the amount of content they produce decrease, until they’ve Faded from public consciousness completely.

The Victors of floor 0 were erased from history by the Capitol due to acts of rebellion; their identities are no longer widely known, and they no longer participate in public events or reside in the Victors’ Tower.

The Victors have a substantial fanbase on Twitter.

The Victors’ Tower (after which this universe is named) is a skyscraper located in the Capitol. The Tower is split into floors, each representing a decade of Hunger Games and inhabited by ten Victors (with the exception of floor 0, which had nine).

The Victors are generally not allowed to leave the Tower except for Games-related events or a few yearly occurrences like Twitchcon, but have every luxury they could want provided for them within their floor.

Floor 0, formerly inhabited by Victors 1 to 9, has been converted into spaces used for interviews, video production, and a Ballroom for events such as Galas and Solstice celebrations.

The Tower has no windows with the exception of the entrance hall of each floor.

Travel between floors is only possible through an elevator, and heavily restricted.

Each floor is fairly large, as it’s meant to host ten people for the duration of their lives; they include ten bedrooms, a kitchen, a common area, a pool, a Games viewing room, various other rooms not mentioned in fics such as a gym, and one balcony.

The Victors are heavily monitored through cameras and microphones throughout their entire floor; the only exception to this is the pool room, which only has one camera and no microphones.

The Capitol (and by extension Panem) are governed by a President, who is chosen from the Senate.

Senate members come from all 12 districts and the Capitol, but senators from lower Districts have less power and are much less likely to be chosen as President.

There’s a complex system surrounding the stylists of the Tributes and Victors; this system has been created by Charlize (sapphicist on ao3), so she’s the best source to ask about it if you’re interested.

The industries of the 12 districts remain the same as they are in the original Hunger Games books.

We’ve developed a more distinct culture for all of the districts, seen in the works us, beyond words, to destroy people is to deny, and are you losing any sleep? (there’s a lot of nuance that can't be described to its full extent here, but these three fics explore it very well)

Travel between districts is generally not possible for district citizens; however, some exceptions include the Games and Twitchcon (where a few lucky District citizens can travel to the Capitol to meet the Victors). Senators can travel to the Capitol for work purposes, and rarely, it’s possible for a District citizen to gain a work position in the Capitol as, for example, a Games stylist.

Religion does not exist in Panem as it does in the real world.

Most citizens of Panem celebrate the four Solstices (Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring); expressions and exclamations such as “for god’s sake” are replaced accordingly with “solstices”, and celebrations and galas are held both in the Capitol and Districts during these days.