The Fiefdom of These Hands is a mammoth, orderly nation, notable for its public floggings, frequent executions, and irreverence towards religion. The cynical population of 7.231 billion These Handsians are ruled by a mostly-benevolent dictator, who grants the populace the freedom to live their own lives but watches carefully for anyone to slip up.

The medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Healthcare, and Education. The average income tax rate is 19.1%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The These Handsian economy, worth 326 trillion runes a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Door-to-door Insurance Sales industry, with major contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Woodchip Exports, and Automobile Manufacturing. Black market activity is notable. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 45,191 runes, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.8 times as much as the poorest.

Marine biology students are shocked to discover that a whale is a mammal, the mentally ill are given high powered automatic weapons for "catharsis therapy", lawyers turn down litigation cases and corporate work in order to focus on lucrative public defence work, and These Hands has designated These Hands City as its capital city. Crime is relatively low, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. These Hands's national animal is the lion.

These Hands is ranked 227,743^rd in the world and 51^st in Paperwork for Largest Publishing Industry, scoring -2.05 on the Bella Potter Productivity e-Index.