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Futuristic [OOC & Lore Discussion] No Strings Attached - A Dystopian Soulmate AU

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Hey everyone! So sorry for dropping off the face of the earth for a bit. I didn’t mean to leave anyone hanging, but I am still planning on trying to make this a fun story for everyone, so here are those character questions/feedback I was working on. An In-Character post is in the works as well. :3

TheMadIceCreamMan TheMadIceCreamMan
Konrad does perfectly fit into the fairly sizeable population of Heartlanders who outwardly seems to support their governmental and societal structure. There would definitely be high-level scientists and doctors much like him in the Ministry of Knowledge, so I think the ministry did a good assignment there. With botanical and mycological specializations, it is possible that the Ministry of Agriculture might have contacted him over the years with special projects, if that was something he would be open to. Overall, I think the only thing I would request you also add are ‘known associates/associations’! If Konrad does not have any to mention, feel free to note that as well.

StrixDesmodus StrixDesmodus
Definitely loving the direction you took Therese! I think that thon is going to be a very interesting character to watch over the course of the story. Would the falconry work be primary duties at the Ministry of Knowledge, or would that be a sort of ”after hours” type of position? There would certainly be avian scholars (ornithologists? I’m too lazy to look up what they are actually called haha) within Knowledge, if that was the route you intended. I know we discussed potentially having Therese in Agriculture as well. The main difference would be that a position in knowledge would be more just to understand the falcons in general, while agriculture would be about how best to utilize the animals in a husbandry/manufacturing sense. The children’s book might not be state-approved since it was not produced in the ministry of culture, but it wouldn’t be seen as this huge illegal thing unless it was subversive in nature. So it would be seen more as like… a pamphlet or a piece of ‘craft’ rather than of literature on the state level.

November Witch November Witch
I love reading characters who really help to round out the roster, and having a young woman who grew up surrounded by privilege is certainly one way to do that! While the New Heartland isn’t outwardly corporatist, there are some remnants of elitism and classism that persist into the postapocalyptic age. The botanical naming convention you took with the rest of her family is fun aesthetically as well. One question I do have, and you don’t have to answer this right away, is whether or not her family runs enterprises “unofficially” outside of the Ministry of Culture. Even in a society that touts efficiency, there is certainly a level of nepotism that children can be given, if needed. Another question I have is if Petal was born in the DDZ while her parents mostly lived in New Nashville, if they had the resources to go to the finest medical facilities and take a ‘leave’ from their Culture work to give birth to her. This would indeed be feasible.

BlossomBunniess BlossomBunniess
Haha, I love the doobusgoobus video! And winnie the pooh, of course. I definitely adore Olivia as well, you can tell that you put a lot of heart into writing her character sheet. The primary clarification I need from you, is whether you see her farming or her store as her primary ‘ministry’ job, or if they are both fairly linked. I am supportive of whichever direction you choose. From a worldbulilding perspective, I do see the Archiplex as being an ‘agricultural sprawl’ with many urban sort of blurbs but the majority of it being greenhouses and farmland. Potentially, there would be the option for home unit gardening and selling that produce as well if you wanted to make Olivia’s store more of an independent venture.

kakemha kakemha
Clara is such a sweet character- it is good to know (maybe) that even those without nuclear families might have found a way to be taken care of in the New Heartland, as long as they’re willing to be threaded. Working at the Heartland Harvest Hub is the main focus for most of the Ministry of Agriculture when they’re still starting out, so there’s a lot of room for growth (pardon the pun!) throughout their careers. I did notice interestingly enough she helped a ‘Threat’ as well, and the state is aware of that. One question I had for you is how you see the ‘state mandated‘ classes. I think that could be a very interesting aspect, do you see that as being part of the greater curriculum, or something that the state specifically does for children in its facilities?

Cave_Town234 Cave_Town234
Even in the post apocalypse, there is always room for librarians! While the New Heartland is very technologically advanced, since these people have withstood an entire societal collapse just a few generations ago, you do find extra value placed in physical texts and archives. With the amount of bibliophiles in the current cast, I think Hazel might be in good company. One question I had was how closely attached the Little Blossom Library was with the Ministry of Knowledge. Does she also have librarian duties at the main Summit Scholarium, or do they pretty much leave her to her own devices? Even branch libraries might be secret archives for hidden records, though.

Genuinely loved reading through everyone’s characters! I do think it’s fascinating that despite the world having this sinister technology and authoritarian theme to it, most of the characters seem like normal and well-adjusted people. But I suppose that’s partially because if they weren’t, they might not really qualify for the retreat…

Anyways! I hope you are still with me, I can’t apologize enough for not managing my time properly for this rp. If you’re still down to clown though, here’s the plan for the first IC post so everyone can start thinking:
- The matchmaking Retreat is going to be held in a mountain resort near the Denver Demilitarized Zone
- Current events: Most people are wary of another war with the West Coast Technocracy, since they’ve recently started to declare war on free cities to the western border. There aren’t many refugees that successfully crossed the border into the New Heartland. However, information is tightly controlled so if people know about this, it’s just through word of mouth.
- StringCo was meant to announce a new model of NeuroThreadbut this announcement got postponed for unknown reasons.
- If your character tried to report ARACHNE, or if they tried to find out more, they would find that there’s almost no way to trace the message back.
 
Good to hear from you Skybreaker Skybreaker ! I think it would be interesting if the Dianthus family did unofficially have control over various other enterprises outside the MoC. I think it is something Petal wouldn't know about, however. I also think that works to explain why she was born in the DDZ!

Also, don't worry about it! I'm just glad you're back and hope you aren't as busy anymore lol. Take some time and relax!
 
Hey everyone! I'm so sorry for dropping off the face of the earth for a bit. I didn’t mean to leave anyone hanging, but I am still planning on trying to make this a fun story for everyone, so here are those character questions/feedback I was working on. An In-Character post is in the works as well. :3

TheMadIceCreamMan TheMadIceCreamMan
Konrad does perfectly fit into the fairly sizeable population of Heartlanders who outwardly seems to support their governmental and societal structure. There would definitely be high-level scientists and doctors much like him in the Ministry of Knowledge, so I think the ministry did a good assignment there. With botanical and mycological specializations, it is possible that the Ministry of Agriculture might have contacted him over the years with special projects, if that was something he would be open to. Overall, I think the only thing I would request you also add are ‘known associates/associations’! If Konrad does not have any to mention, feel free to note that as well.

StrixDesmodus StrixDesmodus
Definitely loving the direction you took Therese! I think that thon is going to be a very interesting character to watch over the course of the story. Would the falconry work be primary duties at the Ministry of Knowledge, or would that be a sort of ”after hours” type of position? There would certainly be avian scholars (ornithologists? I’m too lazy to look up what they are actually called haha) within Knowledge, if that was the route you intended. I know we discussed potentially having Therese in Agriculture as well. The main difference would be that a position in knowledge would be more just to understand the falcons in general, while agriculture would be about how best to utilize the animals in a husbandry/manufacturing sense. The children’s book might not be state-approved since it was not produced in the ministry of culture, but it wouldn’t be seen as this huge illegal thing unless it was subversive in nature. So it would be seen more as like… a pamphlet or a piece of ‘craft’ rather than of literature on the state level.

November Witch November Witch
I love reading characters who really help to round out the roster, and having a young woman who grew up surrounded by privilege is certainly one way to do that! While the New Heartland isn’t outwardly corporatist, there are some remnants of elitism and classism that persist into the postapocalyptic age. The botanical naming convention you took with the rest of her family is fun aesthetically as well. One question I do have, and you don’t have to answer this right away, is whether or not her family runs enterprises “unofficially” outside of the Ministry of Culture. Even in a society that touts efficiency, there is certainly a level of nepotism that children can be given, if needed. Another question I have is if Petal was born in the DDZ while her parents mostly lived in New Nashville, if they had the resources to go to the finest medical facilities and take a ‘leave’ from their Culture work to give birth to her. This would indeed be feasible.

BlossomBunniess BlossomBunniess
Haha, I love the doobusgoobus video! And winnie the pooh, of course. I definitely adore Olivia as well, you can tell that you put a lot of heart into writing her character sheet. The primary clarification I need from you, is whether you see her farming or her store as her primary ‘ministry’ job, or if they are both fairly linked. I am supportive of whichever direction you choose. From a worldbulilding perspective, I do see the Archiplex as being an ‘agricultural sprawl’ with many urban sort of blurbs but the majority of it being greenhouses and farmland. Potentially, there would be the option for home unit gardening and selling that produce as well if you wanted to make Olivia’s store more of an independent venture.

kakemha kakemha
Clara is such a sweet character- it is good to know (maybe) that even those without nuclear families might have found a way to be taken care of in the New Heartland, as long as they’re willing to be threaded. Working at the Heartland Harvest Hub is the main focus for most of the Ministry of Agriculture when they’re still starting out, so there’s a lot of room for growth (pardon the pun!) throughout their careers. I did notice interestingly enough she helped a ‘Threat’ as well, and the state is aware of that. One question I had for you is how you see the ‘state mandated‘ classes. I think that could be a very interesting aspect, do you see that as being part of the greater curriculum, or something that the state specifically does for children in its facilities?

Cave_Town234 Cave_Town234
Even in the post apocalypse, there is always room for librarians! While the New Heartland is very technologically advanced, since these people have withstood an entire societal collapse just a few generations ago, you do find extra value placed in physical texts and archives. With the amount of bibliophiles in the current cast, I think Hazel might be in good company. One question I had was how closely attached the Little Blossom Library was with the Ministry of Knowledge. Does she also have librarian duties at the main Summit Scholarium, or do they pretty much leave her to her own devices? Even branch libraries might be secret archives for hidden records, though.

Genuinely loved reading through everyone’s characters! I do think it’s fascinating that despite the world having this sinister technology and authoritarian theme to it, most of the characters seem like normal and well-adjusted people. But I suppose that’s partially because if they weren’t, they might not really qualify for the retreat…

Anyways! I hope you are still with me, I can’t apologize enough for not managing my time properly for this rp. If you’re still down to clown though, here’s the plan for the first IC post so everyone can start thinking:
- The matchmaking Retreat is going to be held in a mountain resort near the Denver Demilitarized Zone
- Current events: Most people are wary of another war with the West Coast Technocracy, since they’ve recently started to declare war on free cities to the western border. There aren’t many refugees that successfully crossed the border into the New Heartland. However, information is tightly controlled so if people know about this, it’s just through word of mouth.
- StringCo was meant to announce a new model of NeuroThreadbut this announcement got postponed for unknown reasons.
- If your character tried to report ARACHNE, or if they tried to find out more, they would find that there’s almost no way to trace the message back.

Hi! Yeah, im glad you're okay!

I was thinking her farming and her store would be both fairly linked also I feel like her store would be connected to her house I dont know how to describe it like she lives above it or to the side of it like those half cafe half house kind buildings maybe or like a farmhouse where she lives on a farm and her store is on her farm so she can easily get to it. Or like a combination of both.

Whichever works best.

Hope you have a good night!
 
kakemha kakemha
Clara is such a sweet character- it is good to know (maybe) that even those without nuclear families might have found a way to be taken care of in the New Heartland, as long as they’re willing to be threaded. Working at the Heartland Harvest Hub is the main focus for most of the Ministry of Agriculture when they’re still starting out, so there’s a lot of room for growth (pardon the pun!) throughout their careers. I did notice interestingly enough she helped a ‘Threat’ as well, and the state is aware of that. One question I had for you is how you see the ‘state mandated‘ classes. I think that could be a very interesting aspect, do you see that as being part of the greater curriculum, or something that the state specifically does for children in its facilities?
Thanks a bunch for the feedback! I'm so glad you liked Clara haha, she's a bit different some some characters I'm used to playing so this will be a new experience for me. But to answer your question, I see the state-mandated classes as something that the states do for children in the facilities. It could be because they want these children who have nothing, to feel indebted to them. It is a dystopia after all. But through that debt, I think the children would be much more obedient to the system of the government. Hope that answers the question!
 
Hey everyone! I found the time to make a post! Given my own sporadic posting frequency, everyone please just post as you feel comfortable. Moving forward, I think we’ll just try to play it by ear and wait for the majority of us to post before moving each scene along, though I am open to working with everyone to find a frequency that serves the group well. This post serves as the main ‘opening’ for the setting and general premise all of our characters are thrust into, but feel free to approach however you would like. I will post again later using my ‘characters’ and not just to move the plot along. As usual, if you have any questions or just want to chat, feel free to let me know in this thread!

 
This was probably asked already, but I can't exactly remember, as it's been a hot minute. But are any sort of sexual orientations seen as obtuse, weird, or abnormal? Would a heterosexual relationship be seen as normal as well as homosexual ones? Are certain ones discriminated against? Thanks for the answer in advance.
 
This was probably asked already, but I can't exactly remember, as it's been a hot minute. But are any sort of sexual orientations seen as obtuse, weird, or abnormal? Would a heterosexual relationship be seen as normal as well as homosexual ones? Are certain ones discriminated against? Thanks for the answer in advance.

Sure! There’s no official/state-sanctioned discrimination towards any sexual orientations or attractions. Theoretically, the NeuroThread is meant to inhibit most intense attraction and romantic attachment anyway (which may or may not actually be the case) so most conventional “attractions” where someone is so smitten it affects their decision making process is seen as something of the past. More specifically, the warring eras of their past.

That being said, the New Heartland is a massive cultural patchwork and it would be fair to say that communities have their own feelings on sexualities. So while they’re not discriminated against (or even recognized really, since they can theoretically be matched with someone incompatible with their own preferences) on a governments level, personal opinion is more up in the air.
 
Gotcha! Are there any maids/butlers/attendants at the retreat who do things for those participating? Like serving food, taking luggage to the rooms, doing room service, etc?
 
Gotcha! Are there any maids/butlers/attendants at the retreat who do things for those participating? Like serving food, taking luggage to the rooms, doing room service, etc?
Yes but more just general staff to help with questions, directions, also filling the role of service people by bringing out the food and cleaning the retreat as well. There wouldn’t quite be enough staff to attend to everyone personally though, so it’s more that they’re just part of the event itself.
 
Would they help her move her luggage to her room when she arrived?
 
Wonderful post! I’ll be able to post soon with my characters.
 
I think I'm going to have to drop out of this one. My inspiration has shifted to another project, but I hope everyone else has fun with this rp!
 
If we want another, I may be able to invite a friend, if you're willing to accept another, that is.
 
Hope everyone is doing well. I'm still very interested to see where this goes.
 

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