If you’re going with the idea that wherever characters are gathered is a utopia, remember there is no such thing as a utopia. It usually takes an outsider to see it. The insiders love where and when they are. And even if they don’t, they have put themselves – or one of their own has put them – into the mindset that whatever sacrifices are required to create what appears to be a utopia is worth the price.
The outsider needs to experience the world before denouncing it. It has to be a place they’ve always known in their heart they NEED to (actually, THINK they need to) explore and be a part of. It has to look so good, better than they thought it would be even. They need to see the flaws emerge, though, and be torn by them. Conflict of the heart. All of that needs to happen in a perfect, utopian story of experiencing a utopia.
Or, it doesn’t. 🙂
-nm