(no subject)
.F.A.Q.
1. Does my character have to be Japanese?
2. Can two characters know each other, but be on different factions?
3. What are the Prima Luce like, in general?
4. What are the Penombra like, in general?
5. What are the city people like?
6. Can my character be ex-Prima Luce/Penombra?
7. How long have the Prima Luce been around?
8. What kind of jobs are available to city people who aren't Prima Luce?
9. So what do the Prima Luce do?
10. And the Penombra?
11. What about crime?
12. Okay, so what are the IC laws of the land?
13. Is "hacking" allowed between networks?
14. What does it mean if a character is "wanted?"
15. What exactly happened with the explosion and magic? I don't get it.
16. Can fandom characters ever get their powers back?
17. What if characters die?
18. So NYC has a standing army. Can my character start off in it? What if they're not Luce?
1. Does my character have to be Japanese?
No. However, no matter what ethnicity, most characters will have been born and raised in New York. There are no "new arrivals" or "tourists that got stuck" in NYC; all the sea-and-airlines have been shut down for years. There are other civilizations climbing back up elsewhere on Earth, but none of them are very friendly to each other. There are of course, exceptions, but those come with heavy repercussions: a character may be from a surviving city elsewhere in the world, but since (as said), all the sea-and-airlines have been shut down for years, said character is going to have to be traveling, on foot, probably for months, through barren, lifeless wasteland. Insanity, illness, injury, probably rejected and untrusted in New York when they arrive -- there's got to be consequences.
2. Can two characters know each other, but be on different factions?
YES. Friends and families split between the Prima Luce and the Penombra? Go for it! Also, while running around the city, Prima Luce and Penombra are definitely going to run into each other at some point, anyway.
3. What are the Prima Luce like, in general?
The elites, the businessmen, the slick smooth mafia. However, there are no thugs and brutes and brainless grunts here: down to the most minimal security guard, all of them must have applied and passed the entrance requirements (think of it like this: a college degree is a must; it's like applying to a top-tier graduate school). No matter how good or evil they are, they're all classy and intelligent -- or at least, they can act it when they have to. Many are known to have two faces: a polite, subservient one used when faced with their own, and a crude, condescending one when facing anyone outside the Prima Luce.
They are structured like so: Prima Luce to Decima Luce, one through ten in order of influence, with Prima Luce being the head and Commander in Chief of the Luce themselves. Most of these are famous and known, some more than others; all the OCs will be expected to recognize most of them.
4. What are the Penombra like, in general?
That's a harder question to answer. The pacifist Penombra are your ordinary, normal if a bit frightened people, just like you'd see every day on the streets. The warlike Penombra? Oh boy. Most people's conception of them are the scum of the city streets, gangsters, thugs, violent terrorists. And they often aren't wrong. These are the people sick of Prima Luce rule, wanting to take over for themselves, or maybe just wanting to blow shit up; some are crazy, some genius, some plain stupid. Order and leadership is kept by whatever means possible, which doesn't result in much order at all.
5. What are the people in the city like?
Well, they're your ordinary city people. Some people love life, some people hate it. Everyone is looking for something different. Also, while it's fairly easy to spot one of the Prima Luce, it's near impossible to tell whether or not someone is part of the Penombra. Most people in the city are part of neither faction, although they may have leanings toward one or the other.
6. Can my character be ex-Prima Luce/Penombra?
Yes and no. Being ex-Penombra is easy, because they're not very organized to begin with, but ex-Prima Luce would be rare, unless something drastic happened (i.e. they would carry marks and also would have changed their appearance and taken a new identity) and the Prima Luce believes that your character is dead. Otherwise, you'd be ICly being hunted down. If that's your thing, though, go for it.
7. How long have the Prima Luce been around?
About 140~150 years, enough to have gone through 4-5 full generations. It began as a normal yakuza mafia after the rebuilding of NYC began, then became the Prima Luce when the first Primus took control and reorganized the group. Since then, it's evolved more into a militaristic corporate government than the mafia from which it began.
8. What kind of jobs are available to city people who aren't Prima Luce?
Almost everything -- as long as the jobs aren't corporate OR requiring an extensive education (beyond college). Pretty much blue-collar jobs, here. Shop owners, restaurants, landowners, teachers, taxi drivers, plumbers, police, construction work, martial arts dojos? Whatever the hell you want. Some non-Luce do work white-collar jobs, but these are mostly cubicle drones: you won't see any CEOs that aren't Luce.
9. So what do the Prima Luce do?
Everything the "elites" in today's society do. White-collar jobs. The politicians, the lawyers, the businessmen, the doctors, the professors -- all of them are at least nominally Luce. Also: they are the government. All the hospitals and law firms and most industries are run by the Prima Luce.
10. And the Penombra?
The Penombra are a mix of the other two. Some are white-collar but most aren't, just like normal society. And there are of course some ex-Prima Luce doctors and professors around willing to teach the society skills necessary for its survival.
11. What about crime?
What about it? Crime is always a popular option. However, no real "organized" crime other than small gangs exist outside of the major factions.
12. Okay, so what are the IC laws of the land?
There aren't many. The only formal laws are these:
1 → Do not harm a Prima Luce, unless you are another Prima Luce with good reason or orders to do so from a higher-up.
2 → None other than Prima Luce may carry firearms of any sort.
3 → Everyone must carry an ID card at all times. Impersonators and those without cards will be imprisoned without question.
13. Is "hacking" allowed between networks?
Yes. Basically, we roll dice. No, you don't get to see them.
14. What does it mean if a character is "wanted?"
They're sexy. No, but seriously, it means the Prima Luce have put a price on their heads. Find them and turn them in, and the reward will probably be very nice -- maybe even an invitation into the Prima Luce, if you aren't part of it already. Hopeful bounty hunters, this means you.
15. What exactly happened with the explosion and magic? I don't get it.
The Luce were testing a new weapon, something that would let them utilize the power of "magic." However, magic cannot exist in this world, and the weapon failed, causing a massive explosion of light -- which they then blamed on the Penombra. It was assumed there were no side effects, but soon, certain people began going slightly insane and claiming to be from other worlds... and guessing that this is some sort of effect of the weapon, the Luce have started to gather them up.
16. Can fandom characters ever get their powers back?
No and yes. By themselves, no, and there's absolutely no way around this rule. With others, yes: the rule here is that if five or more people from the same fandom gather AND this is more than 50% of the current population from that fandom, they regain their powers for the duration they are together. However, as soon as they split up, the powers fade -- why do you think the Luce are collecting them? Belief is a powerful thing, but just your own isn't enough, get it?
17. What if characters die?
OCs die normally and do not come back. Fandom characters disappear upon death -- right before your eyes -- and then are considered "dead" within Ex Somnia's world and cannot be apped again.
18. So NYC has a standing army. Can my character start off in it? What if they're not Luce?
Yes, your character can start off in the army -- but, all officers lieutenant and higher must be Luce-affiliated (here's a handy chart of ranks and approximate area of command). So, want a random ex-soldier or ex-sergeant or something? Go ahead!