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SYSTEMWIDE | INFO ([personal profile] unplug) wrote2015-04-07 03:15 pm

REALITY: CULTURE

REALITY: CULTURE ◀
BASICS
01 - Premise
02 - Rules
03 - FAQ
04 - Taken List
05 - Applications
06 - Reserves

OOC
07 - Calendar
08 - Mission Control
09 - CR Meme
10 - Hiatus/Drops
11 - Player Contact
12 - Mod Contact

WORLD
13 - History
14 - The Matrix
15 - Reality
16 - Zion Defence Grid
17 - Uploads
18 - Recruitment
19 - NPCs

COMMS
20 - Info
21 - Network
22 - Logs
23 - Memes
24 - OOC

▶ MEDICINE

The medical sophistication of Zion society is on par with contemporary Earth in terms of availability of supplies, ethics, and ability. There are multiple clinics scattered across Zion, including a larger hospital established by Councillor Chiron.

However, it is important to note that Zion lacks capacity to produce the range of medications needed to match this demand and expectation, and so regularly, ships will conduct raids on Machine medical supplies -- their docbots come equipped with a sophisticated array when it comes to tending to the human fields and can be stripped of their resources. These missions are regular but not without risk, and only ships and crews skilled in direct combat with Sentinels will carry these missions out.

(This is an RPable assignment, with sign ups and information available here.)

Alternative medical practices are popular amongst the Zion civil population, involving herbal therapies, prayer, and faith-healers. One can assume the influence and presence of any medical practice hailing from a variety of Matrixes, but these do not have dominant roles in common Zion society.

Long term healthcare as well as mental healthcare often falls to the more religious sections of society, although the main temples do not shun modern medicine -- an integration is often needed. For example, those with ongoing or chronic illnesses that need exclusive care will not generally be found living out their days in clinics and hospitals, but will instead be cared for by religious practitioners, with housecalls by doctors as needed. Those in need of ongoing therapy or are struggling to adapt to Zion life upon unplugging will, similarly, be recommended to live and practice in the temples. See more details on these practices under the Religion header.

▶ POLITICS

The Council of Twelve is the civil leadership of Zion, who also dictates the Zion Defense Grid's activities with regard to protecting the city. This Council is made of individuals who have been nominated by the public as well as chosen by their peers. Political term is ongoing until voluntary resignation or the individual is voted out of the room by a unanimous vote of the remaining eleven.

The Council does not enjoy special prestige or lifestyle privilege, only afforded extra space to do their jobs, with living quarters much like everyone else. By law, they receive nothing in the way of extra luxury, or exemptions from legal policy that affects other citizens; however, in practice, corruption and internal conflict have periodically posed problems in Zion history. Councillors also do not have the individual right to enact power over other individuals, technically, although it is common practice to develop leaders amongst the community who may do their bidding, such as captains of ships, managers of businesses, and so on. Ultimate military command lies with the Commander of the ZDG, but due to the autonomous nature of ships, it is impossible for the Commander to overrule or even always to be made aware of requests made directly from Council to ships.

That said, individual Councillors do not hold power to command the entire fleet to a single operation, unless United in their twelve voices to impose their will. When unanimous decisions are made, the Commander must adhere to their will, and thus so must ZDG, and all of Zion. Smaller, less impactful decisions only require a majority vote.

ZDG captains and first officers are often invited to attend chamber discussions, whether it pertains to them or not. They can also often request direct communication, or even call a full meeting if the topic is especially critical to Zion. Other ZDG recruits and civilians can also appeal to the Council, but generally through political aides who will manage communication themselves or escalate if required.

(You can find the profiles of the Council on our NPC page. Discuss with mods if you would like to request interaction.)

▶ RELIGION

Zion possesses a strong religious presence, although due to the massive influx of unplugged people from all walks of life, it is not necessarily a dominant one. Nonetheless, there is a spirituality in the common way of life that resonates in cultural charity, brotherhood and kinship, and other unique evolutions of existing religions of Earth before the war.

There is a strong influence inspired by more non-Western concepts, with varying levels of specificity, from Buddhist monks creating traditional sand mandalas on the floors of their temple, through to a more generalised hybrid of thought and practice involving meditation, labour, peace, and contemplation. It is not unlikely to find even smaller sects hidden away throughout the massive hive that is Zion, such as spaces set aside that observes Christian or Islamic traditions, among many others, including faiths that are not strictly of Earth as we know it.

Zion also possesses its own unique doctrine, steeped in its personal history. Believers in the One and followers of the Oracle are generally people of faith, with discussions that revolve around concepts of fate and destiny. There is a practice of idolatry in the form of honouring Neo, the One that brokered peace between mankind and machine, as well as other figures in his story, such as Trinity and Morpheus.

The military side of society is frequently (but not exclusively) secular. Certainly, the use of “luck charms,” ship blessings, and other minor superstitions is common.

As mentioned in the Medicine section, religious groups will take responsibility for those that need ongoing medical care, or therapy. This is exclusively reserved for more structured, Zion-specific faiths, featured in the main spiritual spaces in Zion. Those that need ongoing medical attention will still be visited by doctors, with their daily needs met by religious practitioners.

Others who suffer from depression, frequent bouts of reality sickness, or are unable to cope with their new unplugged existence, may find solace here too, although 'therapy' as recognised in contemporary Western culture is not the first line of treatment. Instead, they are gently encouraged to integrate, to help tend to indoor gardens, or cleaning the grounds, assisting in food courts and kitchens, gathering flowers or participating in simple crafts of aesthetic or practical use, and so on.

▶ RESOURCES

Below are separate lists of the resources available in Zion. We can only cover so much, so we seek to hit the major needs and expectations. If an item is not listed below, feel free to extrapolate based on what else is available, or ask mods if you are still unsure.

The following items are widely available, and feel free to assume your character has access to these items at all times:

  • FOOD: unleavened bread, vegetables, fruits, legumes, tea, protein soups that taste like chicken, spices, herbs, sugar, hard candy, prepared meals based on these items in communal public kitchen settings
  • CLOTHING: organic cotton, wool, linen fabrics, unisex and generally sized, browns/greys/dull greens/burgundy, shoes and boots made from barkcloth, glazed cotton, and so on
  • MEDICINE: herbal remedies for small aches and pains, birth control and protection, bandages
  • TECHNOLOGY: communications network devices, clunky looking desktop computers, basic living appliances (refrigerators, stove-top ovens, showers and baths, sewing machines, etc.)
  • WEAPONRY: knives, slingshots

The following items exist in Zion, but require trading or request, such as visiting the bazaar or clinics:

  • FOOD: prepared meals from available ingredients but done fancier/in individual servings, alcohol (beer, wine, moonshine spirits), tobacco
  • CLOTHING: fitted custom-made garments, bright coloured dyes, jewelry (stone, glass, steel, tungsten carbide)
  • MEDICINE: painkillers, first aid kit type supplies, adhesive bandages, splints, crutches, etc.
  • TECHNOLOGY: paper, holographic devices (recording and projecting)
  • WEAPONRY: tasers, bow and arrow (sporting useage)

The following items exist, but require enterprise and determination to get a hold of, or otherwise are available through limited access:

  • FOOD: pastries, coffee, chocolate
  • CLOTHING: jewelry (gemstones, precious metals), synthetic fabrics, lace
  • MEDICINE: surgery grade materials, IV fluids, antibiotics
  • TECHNOLOGY: contemporary-Earth levels of specific, non-essential machines can be commissioned, especially if mechanical (the schematics of which may need to be fetched from Matrix code)
  • WEAPONRY: firepower exclusive to the ZDG (energy rifles, mounted machine guns, etc.), specific kinds of primitive weapons like swords or crossbows

Completely unavailable items and categories are as follows:

  • FOOD: meat, honey, dairy, basically anything produced by an animal, leavened bread, specific kinds of alcoholic spirits
  • CLOTHING: any silk-based fabric, leather
  • TECHNOLOGY: nuclear power, anything more advanced than contemporary-Earth (that is not depicted in the Matrix series), contemporary-Earth style music and media appliances like television, radio, and other such devices
  • WEAPONRY: handguns, other kinds of personal non-ZDG projectile weapons

▶ SOCIETAL ATTITUDES

Here is a broad list of cultural concepts that might be addressed and can be used as a guideline. Obviously, there are exceptions to every rule, but these should be considered majority attitudes amongst the NPC population.

  • Marriage exists, without standardised ceremonies or paperwork involved. They are usually customised, from highly secular gatherings between friends only, through to more general, public celebrations; from self-declarations, to well respected religious practitioners hosting their union. Or no ceremony at all.
  • There is no stigma surrounding race, sexuality, or gender. These are constructs from other worlds, and although people may bring their prejudices with them from the Matrix lives, they are not cultivated amongst the free-born. Efforts to reconcile these attitudes with the letter of traditional scriptures (e.g., in Hinduism, Christianity, etc.) are the subject of debate and discussion that rarely devolve into heated personal conflict.
  • Zion is built on a strong work ethic, but with a belief in that work ethic takes different forms. Although Zion society supports a strong military class, and there are critical life supporting jobs to be done and skills to learn, cultural practices like art, education, oration, and music are all considered worthy pursuits, for virtue of representing and preserving humanity.
  • There is no animosity between the unplugged and free born, possessing instead a real sense of human unity. However, there is a cultural rift against the unplugged refusing to integrate into Zion culture, and other signs of dependence from their fictional lives, such as banding together with the people they were once friends, romantic partners, or family with. Although no one will take true action against this behaviour, there might be action taken if it starts to influence things like Matrix missions and military structure. The Council or Command may go so far as to reassign hovercraft crewmembers if there are too many from the same Matrix in one ship.