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PUBLIC DRESS CODE
The law of decency and etiquette decrees that all unmarried women are prohibited from wearing pants and shoes without a heel while in public. Boarding schools across the country typically adhere to the same rule at all times outside from exercise and sleep times. What an unmarried woman wears at home is up to her parents, though if she is presented in public without the proper dress code she will be promptly returned to school and will endure long lessons regarding proper dress and care for clothing and hygiene.
Married women and men share a similar code. Upon a woman's marriage, she may wear flats and pants unless her husband declares otherwise. Both men and married women must wear clean, appropriate clothes that show no sign of extreme wear (such as holes and tears). Failure to adhere to the dress code lands both men and married women in the Correctional Facility for long classes regarding proper dress and care for clothing and hygiene.
IN SUMMARY
All citizens are expected to dress properly. For unmarried women, this means no pants or flat shoes. Married women may wear pants and flat shoes and men have the most control over their attire. All worn clothing in public must be clean, free of holes, tears and modest.
INCOME
Every man will make the same amount of money which wipes out all social classes. Budgeting for food, clothing, hygienic products, new furniture and other extras is essential. A percentage of the husband's income is put in a separate account that the wife will use for groceries and household supplies. Unmarried women are given an allowance to take care of their basic needs. A man's wages will increase slightly once married and for every child he and his wife have. Upon marriage, man and wife are given a basic furnished house and two cars.
IN SUMMARY
Income levels are static and there are no wealthy and no poor, eliminating social classes entirely. Once married, a husband and wife are granted a basic furnished home and two cars. A percentage of a man's income goes to an account, allotting his wife money to shop with for household necessities. Any additional money for married women must come from her husband with his permission. Unmarried women are given an allowance for basic needs.
CONTRABAND
Drugs, alcohol and tobacco
A majority of drugs are still illegally manufactured and distributed, much like today's society. However, it is difficult to produce and acquire, not to mention incredibly pricey and dangerous.
Tattoos
There are no tattoo shops or even proper equipment distributed to the public. A few people might know how to preform "prison style" tattoos, but it will be a painful process.
Pornography
While there might be a few reckless people making shoddy homemade amateur movies in the privacy of their own home and a handful of pictures circulating, it's very rare. Most women aren't willing to risk execution to pose nude. If a husband takes nude pictures/naughty videos of his own wife, he ought to hide them well.
Uncensored literature, films and music
Any works that oppose the government's ideals and goals has been banned from reprint, distribution and possession. Working artists only produce work that supports government propaganda. Much like other contraband, old works of fiction are rewritten by hand or ancient copies are passed from person to person though tracking down such works is difficult and incriminating and could deem a person a traitor if caught.
Any form of birth control
There are none aside from [usually failed] homemade attempts.
Weapons
No citizen may own or purchase a gun. Police officers are able to carry weapons, though thanks to advanced technology a gun is assigned to him and will only fire if the officer's DNA matches what is on record. DNA is collected via blood sample with a barely-noticeable prick throughout the day to keep it active.
IN SUMMARY
Holding contraband can be a dangerous and oftentimes lethal activity. Most criminals are dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Some examples*:
Pornography is intercepted. The seller and buyer are executed. The person exploited will be tracked down and also executed.
There's a drug bust. The seller and buyer are executed.
A person is caught with an underground anti-Draft newspaper. The paper is confiscated and destroyed, and the person is executed under the premise of being a traitor.
A woman is caught with an old book that preaches about the suffrage and rights for women. The book is destroyed and the woman is sent to an 8-or-so hour "refresher" course that explains the benefits of the Draft and explain the "rights" women do possess.
A married man and woman have an affair, using Seran wrap as a condom. It fails. She turns of pregnant and her husband turns her in. She is executed and if her lover is discovered, he is as well.
A tattoo peeks out underneath a man's long sleeve. Law enforcement notices it. He is sent to an 8-or-so hour "refresher" course that explains the benefits of a dress code in their society and how appearance effects the daily lives of individuals.
*Note: these are basic examples, for any further questions, contact an admin.
SENSOR BRACELETS
All women aged 6 and over are issued a basic sensor bracelet in a default design. Other designs may be purchased as gifts in the future for the woman. They cannot be tampered with as any attempt to do so sets out a signal. For unmarried women, it tracks location and can sense proximity when her and a man (who is not of relation) are too close after 10 seconds. Law enforcement in the area are alerted and will promptly assess the situation, either merely asking the two to separate or investigate further. A man might receive a small amount of time in solitude and a long class in the Correctional Facility if he is caught seducing or being inappropriate toward an unmarried women.
Upon marriage, a woman is no longer tracked by the state and are instead, if he elects, tracked by the husband. However, the proximity indicator is shut off and inactive.
All bracelets record basic health information and will also alert the health department of a woman's pregnancy, who then sends out a letter to the household of congratulations and appointment dates.
IN SUMMARY
All women are fitted with a sensor bracelet at age 6. Unmarried women are both tracked with location and proximity, meaning she cannot be in close contact with an unrelated man without her bracelet sending out a signal to alert nearby law enforcement. Husbands have the option to track his wife and a married woman's bracelet will no longer have the proximity indicator activated. Bracelets also keep track of basic health and HCG, the pregnancy hormone.
PREGNANCY + CHILDREN
Upon pregnancy, the sensor bracelet will pick up the hormone excreted while pregnant. A signal is sent to the nearest health department who will mail a congratulatory letter and set all appointments for the woman at once, dates included in the letter.
It is up to the writer as to how complicated or effortless the pregnancy, labor and giving birth is. All we as staff and fellow writers do is ask that 1) all ailments are properly researched, and 2) remember, medicine and health care have improved but humans aren't invincible, either. For example, it's illogical to give a character gestational diabetes, give her one shot and she's magically cured from it all together.
All babies are delivered by midwives with doctor supervision and intervention when necessary. All labors and births are natural, meaning no drugs are given to easy the pain. The only exception is when, of course, a cesarean section is required and the woman may not elect for a c-section.
Remember, all women may only give birth to three children in their lifetime. Upon her third child, she is sterilized right after birth.
Multiples are rare in any day and age. Please keep this in mind. If a mother has two children and is about to give birth to twins, one of the babies will be taken from her, oftentimes executed or sold out of the country. Male babies are favored over the female.
IN SUMMARY
The sensor bracelet announces/confirms pregnancy via letter. The difficulty of the pregnancy is up to the writer, though it is asked that any and all ailments or issues are properly researched and realistic. Labor and birth is natural and drug-free, of course unless undergoing a c-section. A woman may only give birth to a total of three children in her lifetime, period.
Q+A
MY CHARACTER IS A REBEL.
No they aren't. Really. Rebels are killed. If your character has thoughts that do not agree with the government's general way, that's perfectly fine. He or she cannot be killed for their thoughts. If your female, however, refuses to do what she is told during school (in other words -- if she refuses to become a good little house wife), she is deemed unsuitable for marriage and she is executed. If your male character is rioting or trying to defile other women for fun, he will be executed. The government does not tolerate rebels.
CAN THESE CONSEQUENCES ACTUALLY HAPPEN TO MY CHARACTER?
Yes. To keep the integrity of the setting, if [logically] your character is caught doing something illegal, they will be punished. For example, if your character's wife proves your character was having an affair, they will be put to death. There is no fun nor point to writing in a setting where society has these rules yet characters get away with breaking them.
HOW CAN MY CHARACTER BE CAUGHT?
There are a couple ways. If your character is in a public setting, regardless of whether or not the thread is marked "private", law enforcement and the general public can still see and hear you. If it is seen that your character is involved with an illegal activity in public and logically would be caught, there is a chance that they might.
Another way involves one character ratting another character out. If they have proof presented or their claims go beyond a shadow of a doubt, your character will be dealt the consequences. This includes married couples -- spouses can turn their significant other into officials. Watch out for nosy neighbors peeking in your window.
THE SECOND MY CHARACTER DOES SOMETHING QUESTIONABLE, THEY'RE CAUGHT, EXECUTED AND THAT'S THAT?
Not necessarily. At times, the most the "consequences" account will post will be a friendly, ominous reminder that people are around you and able to see you. Sometimes, it might go completely unnoticed, deeming your character lucky. It's all a stroke of luck and, more or less, common sense. If your character is doing something obviously illegal or questionable, they're more likely to be caught.
YOU CAN'T JUST KILL MY CHARACTER.
In order to preserve the integrity of the game, it is possible for a character to be executed with or without permission. Typically (again, unless blatant obvious actions are happening) the "consequences" account will post, 'tipping' you and your posting partner(s) off. However if the characters continue, actions by NCP law enforcement will be taken.
For a simple example, if a married man is getting close and acting 'questionable' toward a woman that is not his wife in a public setting, the account might post "someone approaches, you're never safe." If your character acknowledges that someone (in this case, it is up to your character just who that is) is approaching, they might choose to back off. Or they might be so into their conversation and actions that they fail to notice. That is up to you. They could continue and nothing will happen, or they could continue and be caught. It's completely random.
PLEASE NOTE
Do not take this as a threat because no one really wants to have to tell you that your characters have been caught and they can now be executed. That is a possibility, but we do not want to have to do that. We simply want you to play within the parameters of the game. Your characters can be caught. They are not invincible. And really, what fun is a board where your characters live in a society where doing things are so dangerous, but yet not dangerous at all?
Many thanks to Niki and Tiff for compiling this for the board! <3