"We need these decisions now," fussed Deputy Gamemaker Junia Arnaud.

"Don't you think I know that?" Scelestiber growled back at her, "I made the deadline, I am well aware of it. These choices are above your pay grade." He waved her away and continued to scrutinize the twenty-four bodies standing in their neatly organized semicircle. Which would be the best selections for narrative structure? Which would teach the best lessons? Which were truly exemplary of a stereotypical tribute? What concepts would be redundant?

They didn't even have names yet. Scelestiber frowned. He put in so much time building the concepts that he hadn't come up with names. And the arena! The Games were coming up fast and the arena wasn't even finished. I don't have time for that right now, he thought, I have to finish the tributes first. The arena can wait until tomorrow.

"Junia! Didn't I tell you to come up with names for these fillers?" He called, retroactively delegating the task and shifting away the blame. He knew very well that just last week he had told her specifically not to name them, because he wanted to do it himself.

Junia, too afraid to contradict the Head Gamemaker, went pale as a ghost. "Sir- I- no, I don't think- uh- I'll get right on it!" She pulled up the diagnostic sheet for one of the bodies on her holo tablet and opened the name input wizard. "… Sir?"

"What now?"

"What kinds of name are appropriate for District Ten?"

"As long as you don't name it Cow, you're probably fine." Junia frowned and looked down at her screen again, and Scelestiber noticed her hesitation. "What is it now? Just pick a name."

"I don't know what'll sound good or believable, sir. The citizens in the district… they don't name their children like we do in the Capitol."

The Head Gamemaker held himself back from rolling his eyes. "Do you think my name is really Crispus Scelestiber?"

"Um… yes?"

"You really think that, my parents, when they brought me into the world before the Dark Days, looked at me and said 'Crispus Scelestiber is the perfect name for our infant child, who we love and think is the most precious being on the planet?'"

"Umm…"

"Junia, you are fortunate that you were born after the official formation of Panem- probably right before the rebellion, I assume?" She nodded in response, but Scelestiber didn't really care. "By the time your generation was born, the Capitol had established itself as a place of culture and taste, and names from the ancient Greek and Roman were in fashion. You don't even know what those are, I'm sure. But I remember. Many of us older folk changed our names to fit the times, because they suited us better. The districts don't have that kind of capacity."

"Your name isn't really…?"

"That's aside the point, Gamemaker Arnaud. What I am trying to communicate is that a good name is representative of the person to whom it belongs. For many in the districts, that correlates to having some connection to the work they do, although I don't see why that's necessary. I'm sure in the years to come, we'll see children of bakers named Pita and Dough, and other silly things like that. I want you to avoid silly names."

They turned back to their separate tasks for a moment, but Scelestiber couldn't get the concept of naming out of his head.

"Furthermore," he continued, startling Junia so badly she almost dropped her tablet, "a good name is a name that is not overused. Back in the day, there were so many people named John. Isn't that a boring name? John. Jack. Luke. Emma, for girls. Elizabeth. Those times have changed, of course. You don't see many Johns anymore, because people find those old names boring. You see a lot more nature-based names- things like Finch and Asher and Willow- especially in the lower districts like Seven, Nine, and Ten. For several years, I think every third child in the districts was given a three-letter name that ended in 'X'. We see a lot of heavy district based-names. Boys in Two named after types of stones, Three named after technologies, Eight named after fabrics. Girls in One are given all sorts of fashion names, emulating the Capitol."

"So you're saying I… shouldn't do that?"

"No, Junia, keep up! Those are popular trends among naming. It doesn't make them bad or good. Names are fickle. Obviously, if you name this District One filler tribute something like Gem Elitist, that's boring. It's too obvious. It's overdone. You can choose district-based names, but they'll fit in better if they're subtle. People like that."

"Maybe I should stay away from district names, just to be safe. You know a lot about names, you've clearly studied a lot of demographic information. Can you give me some more normal names from the old days? That might work."

"That's not a guarantee either. I gave you basic names, people don't always like those. Names fall out of fashion… just like clothes. And people."

"Should I just make a name up, then?"

"Only if it sounds like a real name and not something that aliens sneezed out."

"Sir, please! If you've given me this task, I need parameters!"

"Junia, I won't hold your hand and coddle you. Names are tricky because the choices are so varied and expansive. I might not approve names you like, and you may cringe at names I find appropriate. My major piece of advice is to do your research. What names are available? Which have you heard before, and which are unfamiliar? Find some options that have a good sound and flow to them. Look up their ancient meanings, if you want. Symbolism never hurts. You won't be able to please everyone, but you're building a character, not naming your own child."

"What about the surnames? Do surnames work the same way in the districts that they do here?"

"They can, sometimes. Sometimes, they're district based- I don't know why, maybe the lower classes wanted their names to represent where they exist now. I think that, as districts formed and citizens traveled to new areas, officials may have changed names or provided names for those without family groups. Surnames can also be more traditional, since they're passed down rather than chosen."

"Oh, I think I've noticed that! Sometimes, surnames sound like they're almost in different languages!"

"Yes- the remnants of cultures that Panem no longer acknowledges. Those exist. One tip, Gamemaker Arnaud- try to be sure names are pronounceable when reading them. Capitol escorts in the districts, as well as Capitol citizens who keep up with Games content via virtual blogs or betting sites, should be able to tell how to say a tribute's name. It's easier for everyone that way. Sometimes confusion is unavoidable, but it should be lessened if at all possible."

"Okay… okay. I think I understand. Will you be approving the names after I come up with them?"

"Of course. Did you really think you'd be able to complete this task unsupervised?"

At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Junia rushed over to open it, and in strode young Senator Coriolanus Snow. Junia looked ready to faint in the presence of the sleek young politician.

Scelestiber grinned. "Welcome, Senator."

Snow responded with a reptilian smile of his own. "Hello, Head Gamemaker. I must say, thank you for the mention in your interview last night! I was truly honored. As the youngest Senator in Panem, any publicity is welcomed."

"Of course, Senator. Proud to acknowledge a rising star in Panem's political world. Can I help you?"

"I'm just here to see how the filler tributes are coming along." Snow glanced at the row of bodies and raised his eyebrows. "There are certainly more of them than I expected."

"Not all of them will be going out into the world. Only eight to twelve, depending on who we choose."

"Then why prepare so many? It seems like excess work. And excess work means excess cost."

Scelestiber bristled at the criticism, but rasped back calmly, "We had to make one for each slot just in case. We couldn't be sure which would succeed, or if plans would change. This was the surest way to prepare the filler tributes."

Snow nodded, appeased. "They've turned out beautifully. Will you tell me about some of them?"

"Certainly. Which one would you like to meet first?"

Snow took a moment to examine the line of potential tributes. His gaze settled on a sad-faced girl in the middle of the line. "That one."

"That's one of the lower-district females. Here's what her form says about her: her mother died in childbirth, and her father descended into alcoholism and abuse. She was impoverished and bullied her whole life, and has turned to unhealthy coping mechanisms in her teenage years. Her father died a few years ago so she is now a homeless orphan living on the streets and being picked on. She resorts to eating scraps and nothing has gone right for her, ever. Her best friend died from an overdose and her other friend was murdered."

"That's sad for her, I suppose. The districts are so pitiful. What does she act like?"

"Under personality it says 'see backstory'."

Snow scoffed, "That's it?"

"Correct."

"Why not add something else? Say she experienced that hardship, but tries to lift herself out of it for the future? Does she distract herself? Does she lash out? Has she become a bully herself to fend off the cruelty of others?"

"Well, sir," Junia tentatively piped up, "if we added all of that she wouldn't be a filler tribute. The backstory is what's important for this one. If she had a full personality that was affected by her experiences but not dependent on them, she would blend in too well with the real tributes."

"I see. Clever."

"Junia is right, Senator," continued Scelestiber, "and there are many teenagers in the districts who have suffered hardship- their stories, all mashed together, gave us the data to create this tribute prototype. However, if they have a multifaceted personality on top of the tragic history, they can still be realistic and unique. Life experiences cannot stand alone to create a person, they simply help develop the personality and moral code that the person follows. There is lots of variation in personality among tributes with sad histories. That's why we took away this one's personality, so the backstory would be forced to stand alone. She's a filler tribute, not a real teenager. That's why she's all history, all the time. It's making a point."

"Very informative, Head Gamemaker. What about this one?" Snow pointed towards a teenage boy.

"He simply wants to kill everything."

That garnered a laugh from Snow. "Well, that's almost relatable! What makes him one of your fillers?"

"There's nothing else to him. He's just hell-bent on destroying others. No reason, just bloodlust."

"I can see how that could get old quickly. I don't like underdogs, like your sad girl there, but the ones who are too excited to kill bore me just as much. My favorites are the strong ones who bend nearly to the point of breaking, and then pull through. They make good political allies."

"Yes, we're hoping this one would provide some good entertainment value, since he certainly doesn't have much potential for a developmental narrative arc. That is, if he goes into the Games."

"You haven't decided yet?"

"We're almost done."

"I certainly hope so, Head Gamemaker. I've heard the Arena is still being worked on, as well. I'd hate for tardiness to affect the Games."

"It's nothing you need concern yourself with, Senator. Our schedule is perfectly on track. Thank you for your time." Scelestiber's anger was palpable as he directed Snow towards the door. Junia shrank back from him as he watched the Senator leave.

"Sir-"

"Fuck." Scelestiber slammed his fist into one of the screens lining the walls of the room. Junia flinched. "Finish naming these tributes, now! We have to get them out into the districts by tonight." He marched to his office, mind awash with stress and ideas. It was time to make the final decisions about which of the artificially created tributes would be entering the Games. Scelestiber had not worked this hard, removed his competition, and come up with genius concept after genius concept just to let an upstart Senator question his timing and work. He would not fail, and he would not be late.

Prologue part 2: a continuation of mostly Guide information!

I know it can be a little scary to submit a tribute when the author is essentially writing a whole story about making good tributes. The stress to be creative and original while also making an authentic character can be overwhelming! I promise, I'm not going to be mean about it!

Here's a tip from me personally, not through the eyes of a Gamemaker. There's a difference between archetype and stereotype, between trope and cliche. An archetype is a model or pattern on which a character can be based; a stereotype is a collection of over generalized or one-dimensional beliefs about a person/a category of people. A common archetype in this community is the aggressive, rebellious outer district girl. This can be a stereotype if that's all there is to her personality, or it can be a fully realized character if she has another angle to her identity. Variations that I've explored in the past include caring for a sibling or a loved one, dealing with an internal battle that makes her act out, etc. Creativity comes in all forms, and there's so many ideas out there!

Tropes and cliches can also be very different. For example- a trope among SYOTs is the tribute that has a child of their own. This idea can either be a cliche (flat, one-dimensional tribute whose identity revolves entirely around the idea of being a parent, doesn't have a personality outside of that) or a normal character (as long as they have more to the personality and character than the concept of parenthood).

Often, people avoid using tropes and archetypes to make characters because they are afraid of being unoriginal, or alternatively they are afraid of doing something that will overpower the personality and become a gimmick by being the only part of the character that stands out. My advice is, feel free to use archetypes as bases to create deep, nuanced characters by adding layers on top of the general idea. It may have been done before, but it hasn't necessarily been done in the same way that YOU'RE doing it now. Ask yourself questions like 'how do these aspects of a personality work together?' and 'what can I put in the personality to help an author figure out the depth of my character?'

When you're making tributes, you're only building the character enough to give the author a foundation. Complexity helps authors write characters that will develop and change over the course of the story while also catching the interest of readers, but there is such a thing as 'too much'. It can be overwhelming to receive a tribute submission that gives a whole essay on the tribute's personality, because that's a lot of information to process as a writer. It takes practice, but finding a balance between 'nuanced personality' and 'too much detail' is an important skill for creating characters.

Okay, I hope I haven't rambled too much! Submissions are still open, y'all are sending in some fantastic tributes, and I can't wait to see who else you will come up with!

And, as always, review if you please. :)