Embassies

Some thoughts on embassies;

I usually assume that my RP nation has embassies with every other nation that itself enjoys widespread diplomatic recognition; while I like embassy threads sometimes, especially as a catalog of active ambassadors, I usually prefer to avoid RPing establishing them as it can get a bit tedious. In addition, to me it doesn't always make a lot of sense for countries that have existed for centuries to suddenly start building embassies with their neighbors all at once.

Is this something other people do? Or would people prefer to actively RP the establishment of every embassy and if they haven't been explicitly established, to assume they don't exist?

I don't see Sadakoyama setting up embassies; for one thing we don't have a government structured the way most countries are and we don't have career politicians; diplomacy would be handled by the person most qualified to do the job, and that might rotate between departments, depending on the circumstance.

Most of our "government" work is done electronically anyway, so I see international diplomacy being handled the same way; our idea of an embassy would be to give the other country a special set of phones or laptops, maybe a satellite uplink tower, with personal visits by a Sciencemaster or a deputy director reserved for extremely formal or important issues; like summits and treaty negotiations.

Also; I don't see us giving up acres and acres of land to build the palaces most embassies are. Sadakhan live in very close quarters, and I don't see some other countries being happy cramming their rich, fat, elitist ambassadors into an Academy City capsule room or micro-apartment. Let alone where they would put their personal armies or the armored SUVs they so love; we don't even have roads. Are they going to lower themselves to take public transportation, or ride a bike?

I think it's best we assume all recognized nations have embassies.

Embassies rarely come into play, and when they do, it's easier to assume one has always existed, without worrying about whether you happened to file an application or not.

plembobria:

I think it's best we assume all recognized nations have embassies.

Embassies rarely come into play, and when they do, it's easier to assume one has always existed, without worrying about whether you happened to file an application or not.

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No complaints from me. I concur with what's been said so far.

I like having the thread for organisational purposes, I guess. Particularly being able to locate the embassy of a particular nation based on their culture or friendship with my government.

That said, I wouldn't assume I have an embassy with every nation in Eras. Some of them are apparently still emerging after centuries of isolation, in that context it makes sense for them to apply.

My suggestion would be to simply backdate Embassies applications.

I like RPing mine out (not that I've had time to do so for like, months), for two reasons. One, embassies are a big form of stable income in SS, and are one of the ways we encourage tourism from participating nations. When they rent a whole hotel, they can offer incentives for their citizens to stay there, and SS profits when those tourists eat, shop, etc. Two, because SS is so small and has such a unique shape, I can actually physically place embassies on the map in specific locations, and I think that adds a potential element of flavor in RPs.

But I do assume that we have embassies with most nations.. or at least, those nations who can afford us.

I view that nations without an embassy probably have some sort of diplomatic relations with other nations of which they're on good terms but these relations are most likely considered minor until the establishment of an embassy. Establishment of an embassy can be backdated to fit story line / history. Establishment of an embassy is also a sign of friendship and closer ties between the nations. You probably don't build an embassy in a war zone, or in a new nation you have no contact with, and you probably won't build one in a nation your people or you diplomatically do not travel to ever or do so rarely. I think they're good for organization as McMasterdonia said, and that they can play a part in RP. You could RP interaction between your embassy and neighboring embassies in a nation. Plus the formal application allows you to get a glimpse of the nations you'll be RPing with, at times what they think of you, and basic contact information for characters they can interact with in RP.