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:
The following items exist in Zion, but require trading or request, such as visiting the bazaar or clinics:
The following items exist, but require enterprise and determination to get a hold of, or otherwise are available through limited access:
Completely unavailable items and categories are as follows:
▶ 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.
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