PLOT ENGAGEMENT

[larkers]

> PLOT ENGAGEMENT

What is Plot Engagement and how does it work within Meadowlark? This is the page where players can come discuss with us how to facilitate plots within the setting. However, there will be occasions where a plot doesn't work within Meadowlark's world, and we'll suggest alternative routes. For small worldbuilding or gameplay details, please direct your question to the FAQ. If you're ever not sure if you're at the right page, don't worry—we'll help you get it sorted out. We know we have a load of info!

In addition, you do not need to have a complete plot in mind when you come to us. We aim for plot engagement to be more of a conversation between us and our players. If we propose a plot angle and it's not to your liking, we're more than happy to work with you to come up with something more to your tastes.

WHEN WILL YOU HEAR BACK?

◉ All Plot Engagement answers go out on Sunday, except during events.
◉ The deadline to submit a question and ensure you'll hear back from us on Sunday is 11:59 PM UTC on Saturday.

PLOT ENGAGEMENT INCLUDES

◉ Player plots! If you'd like your character to become a mafia boss, this is your place to start. Typically, this involves anything that could impact the setting or other player characters.
◉ Character career advancement that gives the character additional power or status within the setting.
◉ Metaplot exploration and information! We plan all events to give characters something to explore after the event ends. This is the place to do it!

SUBMISSION TIPS

◉ Specify what your character is looking for when they're investigating. What questions are they asking and what angle are they trying to explore?
◉ If you have a specific goal in mind but don't know how to reach it, please let us know.
◉ If you link a thread to us, please summarize it! That helps us process the plot in question.
◉ Don't worry about not knowing the setting like the back of your hand before you submit the plot—that's up to us! We're here to help you with any adjustments to get you on the right track.
◉ Plot engagement is meant to help with IC play so that characters can continue to interact. If you're not sure how to loop in others, let us know so that we can work with you on it! While this page is meant to be a conversation between players and mods, we know that the fun part of a plot is how it can change character arcs, spice up CR, and more.

NOTES & THINGS THAT YOU CAN HANDWAVE

◉ Characters always start out in entry level positions. Characters can update their skill sets to the 2512 standard through paid apprenticeships or internships.

◈ If a character is advancing within a major corporation (as noted on the Setting or Locations page) or one of its subsidiaries, we will need to approve this advancement.
◈ If a character becomes a supervisor at a local bar or other small business, we do not need to approve this advancement.

◉ Joining the police force within a city requires three months of IC training (six months OOC). There will be instances where this changes, and we'll keep you looped in on that.
◉ We'll approve whether someone has social media fame, but we will not be providing social media follower counts. Once you have a plot for how to use those followers, that's where we step in!
◉ All Morningstar business goes on our Morningstar page. Please feel free to discuss specific plots here (including joining), and go there for signups and anything else.
◉ Characters getting jobs, finding apartments, participating in the fighting rings, getting married, making workplace friends, the creation of minor NPCs, etc. do not need to be run by us. Please let us know if these expand into player plots or other plot bits!

QUICK LINKS

◉ Archived Plot Engagement: Previous Plot Engagement.
◉ FAQ: For small worldbuilding or gameplay details.
◉ Setting: Our setting page! We'll update as needed.
◉ Jobs: A reference for who's working where!
◉ Locations: Both major and minor locations within New Amsterdam, as well as outlines for other megacities.
◉ Mod Contact: For wider game concerns.
◉ The Story So Far: Gamewide plot events up to current (your CTRL+F best friend!).
◉ NPC page: Includes NPC blurbs and inboxes.
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> NAVIGATION

Comments

[larkers]

Hi Ame!

For your first question, we updated the Setting to cover more of this in detail. If you head over to our Setting page and CTRL+F "Animals" you'll be brought to the right header! If you need additional information, let us know! We just wanted to let you know about the resource we have in place to get you started.

[personalwar]

Another Kestral player reporting in who's curious about these mysterious dreams! What's the lowdown?

[coalitions]

HI OKAY we chatted,

They are still working on it yes! Glimmer's focus was on getting the warehouse set up and potential sponsors since she's the friendliest of them (that was based on the initial post from Clarke/Stephen about the warehouse Stephen got them, back when it may have been easier to get sponsors haha). Lexa has been focused on the actual lesson plans and Roy Harper got them non-lethal and safe 'weapons' to train with. Castiel's been involved in all the options.

We discussed and thought we'd rather like this to go smoothly if at all possible. Or any roadblocks be not super hard to overcome if that works for you.

[lifetothefullest]

• SO, SAFEHOUSE NONSENSE, I actually had an idea based on this comment of Clarke's about scrambling the IDs. This made me wonder a few things.

- First would be if this scrambling tech would work with an unregistered implant (my guess here is no, because of how scramblers generally work.)

- Second would be if it's possible to spoof IDs (my guess here is yes, again because of how scramblers work, since they're typically about generating similar signals to whatever is being altered.) I presume these, if they did exist, wouldn't stand up to any scrutiny, but maybe (especially with help from a Displaced who's good with tech, or one of the AI?) they would be good enough for incidentally passing a police officer on the street. If this is a potential option, it might also be a fun player plot thing to try to develop the tech!

- Third is only adjacently related and presumably a no-go but I figured it was worth asking anyway, which is if it would be possible to just change the registration of an implant? If there were, for instance, 'stock' IDs set up to be temporarily loaded onto new arrivals' implants, which would later be swapped for the new ones once El was done with them.

• Not related to the safehouse: also cooltalk. I saw your answer to Em above about the numbers thing, but I'm here to ask for just some general popularity approval (which I would plan to icly be something that develops over time, with just an initial boost from the Aerie stuff.)

[insect]

sorry for the delay and thank you for the response!

i actually have one more thing: based on el's most recent network post, i'm interested in starting an official welcome committee with shinobu, with the idea that she can help settle new arrivals and also try to help flush the compliance drug out of their system/explain things to make it easier for them to adjust while they wait out the 4 days for their new IDs. eventually, she'd like to create something that can be administered to new arrivals to counteract the compliance drug depending on whether or not she (or another PC) can talk James out of administering it in the first place. i realize this second part will take time since she's still very new + she's still learning about all the new technology.

i think my main concerns are if any of these things could be doable, and if there's any ic requirements she'll have to fulfill first before i go forward with making it happen. i also don't want to step on anyone's toes, so if i'm getting too far ahead of myself, please let me know!

thanks for your time!

[voicelog]

hi modlies! so, i'm just here for two things for the time being.

one, tony would like to build his own spacecraft. after his convo with cassius during the whole moon debacle, he sort of came to the conclusion that he should simply build one from scratch, so that the displaced won't be completely dependent on morningstar or public transport if they ever need to go on an impromptu space trip. so, i wanna know if this is plausible. i'm sure it'll take time and honestly it can be a lengthy ongoing project for him.

two, he plans to start his own freelance, commission-based business, so i'm wondering what might be the steps for something like that and what difficulties might lie ahead for him since he was a cardinal. he just needs to start earning his keep. lol.

[ofmyth]

hey mods heyyyyyy! i come bearing gifts questions

1. having accepted that the people setting up shrines to the displaced are here to stay, thor wants to try to engage with those people directly(knowing that as a former cardinal he won't necessarily be viewed well). this will involve putting information out there about himself and the myths around him back home, and over time engaging more directly with the worshipers and finding out who they are, why they're interested in worship, what they think the worship will achieve, if there's any help they need.

he's very cautious about making promises to help because he can't do all the things he used to, but if he's going to be worshiped here he wants it to be done right, and for people to know who it is they're setting up shrines to. what will the response to this be? are people amenable to one of the displaced reaching out to them?

1.5 thor's interested in learning about the gods of this world, and he'll use any connections he makes this way to learn what he can or find where more information can be found! will the approach above lead to any information or people to talk with?

2. HE WANTS TO GO HUNTING and also to figure out what animals now exist and where, but mostly hunting. he's willing to travel on foot for up to a week in any direction outside any of the major cities, and he has a number of friends who'd join him on various trips. what kind of animals would be find? what's edible? is there network coverage out that far??

3. thor's keen to go to north america!!! if a hovercar/bus will get him there he's keen to try it, but otherwise he'll get a boat and sail over because if there's anything he should good at, it's sailing to north america from europe

will this be possible? he'll be reaching out to see if there are others interested in joining him for the trip in case there's a better way to get there.

[evasives]

zooms in here, hello mods!!

1. ok a spine question first! since henries is revealed to be the one experimenting on the displaced/project meadowlark boss i feel like... that's the big end answer here on that front, but cassian was in the au till the end and so i missed the initial reveal icly, and it thus felt a little lackluster potential conclusion to all my plotting so my question is basically a) is there more to dive into here? henries and lynch maybe? corporate connections? god things?? b) i would like cassian to talk to henries one day, but i know that is dependent on moon developments, so this is just me noting that for the future, not really a question there (jyn can possibly facilitate this bc she is on the moon list?)

2. north 👏🏻 america 👏🏻
cassian, jyn, and tony watched cassius get WHISKED AWAY and given the geographic location, cassian and jyn are assuming he is now somewhere in north america. perhaps with el. combined with the tidbits about the exploratory drones being shot down over the continent, they wanna go? and figure out what’s there? what are their options? where should they start looking to find out more deets to set them on this path? (i am commenting on this venue for both me and emma bc her wrist is still a mess)

where (if anywhere) was the xelkov corporation headquartered before it was dismantled (aka absorbed into all the other corps)? where (if any) do current status updates about north america come from?

2a. the september 2510 earthquake was the death of the blue god, but cassian’s research put the epicenter in north america - am i correct in assuming now that this was simply a cover up to take the focus away from the marianas trench? or was there actually an earthquake there too?

3. a new theory for cassian is massive global earthquakes = god shit. he knows the spinetail earthquake was killing a god and the antartica one was waking up a god, so now he is wondering after other seismic activity. is there anything to find in this avenue, before i start thinking too hard on it? (*as an aside i might have more about this later too depending on how cassian's thread with jpg goes)

4. one more sign up for kestrel dreams, as cassian is also keeping his kestrel tattoo

[selfimage]

hey mods!!

1. it's rather obvious that loki's going to get fired from his job at pulsar upon arrival, so in the time he has some wiggle room from between when the aerie was still going on and everyone came back, and when the aerie ended. in that time, he's going to nab whatever highlevel schematics he can for different weapons, as well as take note of independent manufacturers that make specific types of parts that may be needed to build them. i'm figuring it would be more hand held/explosives/high tech guns and possibly stealth stuff. let me know if this sounds alright, or if you need something else from me. xoxo

2. i'm also wondering if it's ok that ren has a little curry following? i figure since he already works at red wings, he has a little boost on cooltalk.

3. aaaand signing ren up for kestrel dreams!

[laserbeams]

Hi mods, a couple things I'm interested in looking at:

1. I just want to check and see if it's alright that he has a social media following/celebrity status! In the aftermath he'd be trying to feel out if any of his former "fanbase" is left so he can try to utilize them, and moving on from that...

2. I'm very interested in exploring the religion/cult angle. Once Homelander realizes that corporations want nothing to do with him so he can't be his usual corporate sellout self, he'll be leaning hard into the religion angle instead (because why work on your emotional issues when you can just feed your pre-existing god complex). He was already a pseudo-religious figure back home because The Boys universe is weird like that so he'd be playing up the same angle here: that he was chosen by the gods to save the people of this world, with a hard authoritarian bent to try and soothe those poor confused souls looking for a strong leader that will look after them.

[larkers]

Hi Em!

So, the biggest thing that Ian will need to do is impress upon everyone the significance of technology like this. Privacy isn't something that's as equally respected in 2512 as it is today, so wanting to conceal your face in society feels shady, even if it's universally known that this wouldn't work to get by any UN-sanctioned parties or the PDs in respective cities.

Basically, Ian would need to come up with test cases for this and pitch them to his bosses to get it working, as well as explain how this technology would be managed on other neural implants. Right now, projections on that level would involve permissions for each user, unless it's an advertisement (see: Meadowlark's world is a corporate hellhole). For our purposes, we figure that projections of that type are on a case-by-case basis. A visitor to Red Wings isn't forced to see all the games projected and can, in fact, turn off that feature and just quietly stalk the Displaced in peace. (As an example, haha.)

Obviously, we don't need a super concrete business plan or anything, just how Ian would ICly pitch and go about this. It's a super neat idea that we're not opposed to, but he needs to sell it to his bosses to get them to do the permissions/marketing work for him, since that's where other departments would step in.

Let us know if you have any questions about this. We're happy to help!

[larkers]

Hey Gee!

Is there anything specific that you're interested in exploring here? Cassius would support Laura in whatever that she felt would redeem herself in this respect and aid her with resources. He's particularly sensitive to this, having the feeling that he has to redeem himself to the Displaced as well, for separate (and personal) reasons.

Would Laura be interested in going after Johann still, as referenced in the thread? If that's the case, we'd like to make this a much wider player plot, as there are other people who are interested in going after him too! Let us know what direction you'd like to take this and we'll help you get it going.

[larkers]

Hi Alex!

So, this is what we've cooked up. Let us know how this sounds to you and if these options seem fun to play with, but we're figuring that Nate stole from a wealthy stock-holder / member of the board of Giles Bell, a man by the name of Connor Langley. He was aware of Nate's original theft and was curious about him as a result, but didn't have all of the details. Now, after the AU wherein Nate was something of a public figure, Connor Langley has pinpointed who he is and put together that he's likely a Displaced.

Basically, he doesn't really see Nate's action as anything other than unacceptable theft. As a member of the rich and powerful elite, he doesn't take kindly to people taking his things, figuring that he's earned all of it through his own hard work and pulling himself up by his bootstraps. Whether this is actually true, it's hard to say. Likely not, because Meadowlark's corporate world is all about nepotism and corruption. But he would view his own actions in hunting down this thief as the just and correct thing to do.

We went for Giles Bell because we know Nate has a plot there and thought this could tie in somehow. He'll likely end up being tailed by some of Connor Langley's hired hands, and this could overlap with Nate's interaction with the mob as well. Maybe his role there gets found out, for instance.

Let us know if this setup works for you so far and we can keep going with it if so!

[larkers]

Hi Pana!

While Riverstone won't be upset with Murphy, they will be irritated with what he did as a Cardinal. They'll ask him to outline what he knows about the creation of the Aerie, what it was like to experience all of that, and what he knows about the process of first being chosen by a god and then trapping the gods themselves. Essentially, it's an intel-gathering discussion where they want to make sure they got the full story since it's apparent that the leak of this information came from a rebel inside of the Aerie. If he knows who the rebel was, they'd ask that, too, and whether he knows if that person is a member of the Displaced. Let us know what he'd say to that.

Otherwise, they'd set up a private and secure line for him to provide updates for them. For instance:

• Their own eyes on the ground have reported back that it seems like some newcomers came in while people were back in the Aerie, which is strange! What does Murphy know about these new people? How were they managed and set up?

• What does his group think of the god business? Do they seem eager to pursue it? Keep tabs on that.

• Has more come up with Jimmy Henries?

• Has he experienced any visions like the one that everyone experienced coming out of the Aerie? Since Murphy died before that, they'd give him a full explanation of it.

They'd also give him leave to ask questions, too, but their big goal is to have him spy for them, as well as see what information he'll give. Over time, they'll start wanting to know who he thinks might be interested in helping him in this task, but that won't be set up this early.

[larkers]

Hi Dee!

Much like with many plots, we're not going to split hairs about where relics are or whether they were sold, but we do think it would be cool if players continued to make return trips to the ruins as new characters came in to pick up new relics to expand their reach in the world. Think of this like padawans going to harvest their kyber crystals from Ilum. We figure that this is probably feasible. We're happy for past players who didn't turn in for relics to have picked up one even if they didn't sign up (in the end, we're happy with it being one-per-character, unless characters drop and they're left to other characters).

From there, we could easily expand to them having to find means of getting them from museums and private collections. That would involve building relationships with Joseph Lynch and other philanthropists around the city, since they'd have the records on hand.

As we mentioned during the moon business, we're fine if the Displaced pick proxies to take their stuff into space, to North America, or even to Antactica to create a constant path. They can also build permanent gate platforms like the ones visible in each of the cities and have it installed permanently at a location, drilling it into the ground or attaching it to a tree, or what have you. As that gate platform traveled, if it was activated, it could be opened up to allow people to sneak onto transports, into offices, and the like—we've always intended for this to be a flexible means of getting people in through back doors, just so long as they got in there somehow in the first place.

In terms of all of this, we're playing fast and loose with this. Let us know if this seems workable and fun for you, and if you have any questions!

[larkers]

Hi Iddy! Here you go:

Content warning: Body horror, violence.

It feels like a free fall, but you can’t remember what the tipping point was. Above there’s nothing but darkness, and below is a gaping void. A gold, glowing eye opens in a long, vertical sliver. The pupil rolls around the socket, then dilates as it focuses on you. The gaze is piercing, as if it’s studying each and every cell of your make up. Other eyes open around it much like the first, one by one, rolling and focusing until they surround you, staring at you.

Suddenly, they all close at once, and below you a gaping maw made up of rows and rows of broken, crooked, human-looking teeth opens below you. There's not even time to scream as it swallows you whole.

Then you’re fine.

In fact, you’re sitting at a small table with your favorite meal in front of you. It’s a lavish restaurant with a view, though the location is hazy: first it’s the ocean at sunset, then ice-capped mountains, and then a beautiful temperate old growth forest. It rotates depending on the mood, though no one seems to find it odd. There's a pianist playing some light dinner music. Sitting across from you is Johann Grey. He no longer resembles Jimmy Henries, instead looking more like himself. His real self. He’s eating a steak with an eccentric flair, cutting into it and going mm-mm! mm! every time he takes a bite. If you say anything, do anything, or ask any questions, he doesn't seem to notice. Instead, he only says one thing.

"The weather in New Moscow is lovely this time of year."

[larkers]

Hi Laws!

Going through El is definitely the easiest way, as ze has actually set things up for vampires in the past and made it so that they can get a steady supply of blood. Generally, hospitals aren't going to release blood to someone unless there's a reason they need it, such as a medical record of a hematological condition that requires frequent transfusions, or something along those lines. If Kai goes the stealing route, El is likely to find out about it and then reach out for some wrist-slapping / discussion, so we could go that route as well if Kai wouldn't go to El directly at first.

As for the snipe stuff, we are fine with him capitalizing on this! If you want, you can assume that he had some relationships with crime-related people in the Aerie that can now transfer over into the real world. Even for world NPCs, not everyone's roles would have always been one-to-one. Some mob people might have been in Parliament, while others maintained their status as criminals; it just depends! Someone he worked with in the Aerie might be part of the corporations in the real world, too. The possibilities are endless here.

Can you let us know what sort of role you'd like Kai to take in the criminal underground, specifically? What would he do with these inroads? That would make it easier for us to guide you!

[larkers]

Hey there Dee,

Most of the Kestrels weren't known to the public at large, so even with her tattoo visible she wouldn't be widely recognized, especially considering the circumstances that surrounded the end of the Aerie. The people of New Amsterdam don't hold any animosity against the Kestrels, so there's no need to worry about roadblocks in consideration with the training hall!

Let us know if there are any other questions on this.

As far as the Kestrel dream goes! Here you go:

Content warning: Body horror, violence.

It feels like a free fall, but you can’t remember what the tipping point was. Above there’s nothing but darkness, and below is a gaping void. A gold, glowing eye opens in a long, vertical sliver. The pupil rolls around the socket, then dilates as it focuses on you. The gaze is piercing, as if it’s studying each and every cell of your make up. Other eyes open around it much like the first, one by one, rolling and focusing until they surround you, staring at you.

Suddenly, they all close at once, and below you a gaping maw made up of rows and rows of broken, crooked, human-looking teeth opens below you. There's not even time to scream as it swallows you whole.

Then you’re fine.

In fact, you’re sitting at a small table with your favorite meal in front of you. It’s a lavish restaurant with a view, though the location is hazy: first it’s the ocean at sunset, then ice-capped mountains, and then a beautiful temperate old growth forest. It rotates depending on the mood, though no one seems to find it odd. There's a pianist playing some light dinner music. Sitting across from you is Johann Grey. He no longer resembles Jimmy Henries, instead looking more like himself. His real self. He’s eating a steak with an eccentric flair, cutting into it and going mm-mm! mm! every time he takes a bite. If you say anything, do anything, or ask any questions, he doesn't seem to notice. Instead, he only says one thing.

"The Four Horseman has a great reputation."

[wittingly]

With the absolute chaos in the streets right now + the leak of information in the aerie and some very public noteworthy figures having been in it, one of the angles Ian would take is that they could upsell it for a shitload for wealthy or political/famous clientele. With law enforcement so overworked and the new Shrike inspired uprising, it's dangerous to be a famous face. Hiding it would be an extra layer of personal security right now for people who are forced to travel through streets / crowds / public lobbies or businesses for any reason.

It could work on the same kind of wavelength as an advertisement, and could probably even use models or existing ad campaign actors/actresses as the face cover -- it would be obvious with any prolonged interaction that it's a projection when the face doesn't visibly react, or move with the wearer's mouth when speaking. When noticed, viewers can mute/turn off the projection at will on their end and the display would disappear for them until the next time the wearer turns it off and back on again generating a "new advertisement".

Other uses include situations where embarrassment or discretion is key -- patient confidentiality, witness protection, facial impairment due to wounds/injuries/augmentations gone wrong leading to a general discomfort presenting bare-faced in society.

[larkers]

Hi there Roy!

Thanks for bringing this to us, we've got a few follow-up things!

For Gene:

• Could you give us a little more information on what direction Gene is going to be taking with the hospital initiative? Would he just be helping out with the understaffing in New Amsterdam at a single hospital by offering his experience, or would he be actively looking to help out with organization in this regard? Would he be working with the sparse staff?

• Based on what's decided from above, there's definitely an opportunity of including more people in on this to secure the hospitals! There are several different pathways to cover (staffing, supplies, etc.) which might be easier to tackle with more PCs. We know that the doctors in game got a head start in Nicky's post, but let us know where that stands. There's a few angles you could play here.

• Since the Kestrels weren't very public, Gene would definitely be seen more as a Rook. His reputation, even as low key, might not terribly work in his favor. Depending on who he's dealing with, there may be some suspicion there, but they'll know that Gene is experienced. This is definitely an opportunity to improve his reputation.

For Jai:

• If he's going to take his own angle where he's hiding his blue power and affiliation with the Displaced and their other philanthropic projects, how is he going to appeal to this band of hooligans he wants to wrangle? What qualities will he use to not only appeal to them, but also to keep them?

• Groups like this aren't running around leaderless! There'd most likely be a pecking order that's been loosely formed. Jai would most likely need to show that he's a valuable member before he's considered what they'd like to see in a leader. (Though we're open to other alternatives of him seeking leadership here too!)

• On that point! What kind of resources is he offering them to make sure that they stick around? This would be part of how he'd appeal to them as a leader. Can he appeal to them monetarily, or perhaps some access to weapons or personal supplies that they might be interested in? This is where other players may help Jai out in some respect. He'll especially need supplies depending on how he wants this group to function in the greater community.

• What is the expectation that Jai wants to have the group function as? Is it a gang, or does he want to direct it more into community service? You mentioned superhero team-ups: is he going to use this to start some vigilantism? If he's looking to protect people, who exactly would appeal to him to protect in this sense? It would need to appeal to the group at large that he wants to form as well!

As a little note, we're concerned about the longevity of this plot because it doesn't include a wider net of other player characters, and is limited to some NPCs. We want to make sure that you can flesh things out the way you want and also keep things interesting. There are a few opportunities here to work with other characters to get things moving, but feel free to let us know if there's a piece you feel you can connect with other players and characters for!

[larkers]

Hi Alison!

Yes, this all sounds feasible. We've already told Laws that Kai can assume some criminal connections based on Kai's role in the Aerie, so Kai would definitely be more easily given an in into this dive bar, and him vouching for Sam would be enough to get him set up with a more mundane position there, like one of the ones that you listed. Sam wouldn't get much insight into what was going on beyond that, but he could start to establish himself as trustworthy, the sort who'll just look the other way if it seems like shady stuff might be going down at the bar.

We're not sure what kind of position Laws had in mind for Kai. Maybe something to do with overseeing some of the deals that happen there to make sure that they go off without a hitch / that no one who isn't supposed to be a witness to it is present. A bouncer of sorts? Laws can chime in about that!

As a final note, if one of you would submit this on the locations page, that would be awesome! Let us know if you've got any other questions.

[larkers]

Hey Ame!

1. Some of the easiest plants for Shinobu to get a hold of would be plants that are generally grown for food, but have poisonous or medicinal components. For example, raw nutmeg can induce hallucinogenic effects, and cassava can contain cyanide. She'll also be able to find other common plants, such as monkshood and nightshade. We're fine with you doing some of your own research on this and deciding what plants and insects Shinobu would or wouldn't be familiar with!

2. We don't really police jobs for characters in terms of age! The best way for Shinobu to manage this would be to start at the ground floor, so to speak, and work her way up through taking online classes and gaining certifications. Essentially, she'd likely start in a position much like a CNA or a pharmacy tech and then need to pursue further education from that point. Unfortunately, there's no real way to rush the process of becoming a nurse or a pharmacist—much like in our world, they're professions with a lot of responsibility and thus require a lot of education. However, sometimes events or plots will allow for characters to speed up their career growth, and we'll usually make a point of that if it comes up!

3. As for the welcome group, that's something we'd leave up to player organization and be pretty hands off with! Essentially, the main thing is that the players involved would need to figure out a way to maintain the group/system from arrival log to arrival log, even if some of the characters involved drop. One of the easiest options here might be to tie it to Red Wings in some way, as the bar has become a sort of unofficial headquarters for the Displaced.

Since we'd like a group like this to be open to the playerbase at large, Shinobu would have to make a network post discussing it! Once that's done and the details are hashed out, come back to us with a plan and we'll help facilitate from there, including adding it to future arrival logs.

As for the compulsion drug, you're right that they'll need Jimmy's involvement in that. Gene, Nate, Jyn, Stephen and Jason are all options for her to reach out to about Jimmy/the drug itself. That line of contact to Jimmy will open up in February!

[larkers]

Hey Em!

Dean can absolutely have a thirst following! Let us know if there's any way he'd like to leverage or use it at any point.

[larkers]

Hi Court!

Here's your Kestrel dream:

Content warning: Body horror, violence.

It feels like a free fall, but you can’t remember what the tipping point was. Above there’s nothing but darkness, and below is a gaping void. A gold, glowing eye opens in a long, vertical sliver. The pupil rolls around the socket, then dilates as it focuses on you. The gaze is piercing, as if it’s studying each and every cell of your make up. Other eyes open around it much like the first, one by one, rolling and focusing until they surround you, staring at you.

Suddenly, they all close at once, and below you a gaping maw made up of rows and rows of broken, crooked, human-looking teeth opens below you. There's not even time to scream as it swallows you whole.

Then you’re fine.

In fact, you’re sitting at a small table with your favorite meal in front of you. It’s a lavish restaurant with a view, though the location is hazy: first it’s the ocean at sunset, then ice-capped mountains, and then a beautiful temperate old growth forest. It rotates depending on the mood, though no one seems to find it odd. There's a pianist playing some light dinner music. Sitting across from you is Johann Grey. He no longer resembles Jimmy Henries, instead looking more like himself. His real self. He’s eating a steak with an eccentric flair, cutting into it and going mm-mm! mm! every time he takes a bite. If you say anything, do anything, or ask any questions, he doesn't seem to notice. Instead, he only says one thing.

"Next time, let's make it a table for five."

[larkers]

Hi Ami!

Just to be clear before we begin, a lot of what you've brought here depends upon Morningstar resources and technology. At this stage, Lance has done a number on his reputation with the organization.

We wanted to use this chance to make it clear that Morningstar is not meant to look like a powerful organization in Meadowlark's world. Even if they're doing work around the world, they do it in chapters, keeping to their own megacity (there is a chapter per megacity). Gaby's firm hand is uniquely requested and applied to the situation with the Displaced because there have been a few bad seeds along the way. While Morningstar has a lot more support than ever before, their movements are quite conservative in nature. There are members of the organization who may be corrupt, but they're not likely to be anywhere that Lance can see them (as they'd be located in other cities). All of the agents in New Amsterdam proper came because they knew they'd have to work in tandem with the Morningstar-affiliated Displaced members. They also came to the city because they were impressed by the Displaced. Lance's actions have threatened this arrangement, and could lead to the city not having a chapter again (which is why Gaby is so terrified and rash—she considers New Amsterdam her city, too, and knows that when Morningstar isn't there, it doesn't have the same support).

That said, to clear some things up:

1. Identity scrambling tech is proprietary Morningstar technology. It is known to only be affiliated with Morningstar, and schematics are only given out on a case-by-case scenario. Jason Todd worked with El for a long period of time in order to earn the schematics. Other schematics happened to be given to Morningstar-affiliated Displaced (IE people who joined the organization itself).

This technology is very, very obvious in its usage. It doesn't only stop someone from seeing their face in real time, it also prevents surveillance from picking up their implant. When it's on, it's a mask that covers the person's entire head. (Thus why Jason could adapt it to his Red Hood mask.)

Overuse of this technology has led to Morningstar being blamed for Displaced actions in the past. That's why people who are doing Morningstar or El's bidding get the masks. Newcomers can't wear the masks because it's basically announcing that they belong to Morningstar.

2. Identity spoofing is not possible in Meadowlark's world! Otherwise, it would be much less of a surveillance state.

3. Temporary IDs can be issued, but therein lies the problem. While minor adjustments can be made and certification retroactively added, the neural implant itself still needs to be activated. Software needs to be installed, and it needs to be given the standards of permissions. This is because these implants are basically just an empty hard drive in someone's head. Once that stuff is installed and a life is created on that ID, it begins to cache information, so to speak.

Then there's the matter of security. El's IDs are flawless. There are people in the world who do have a means of tracking the Displaced as a whole, but how they do that is up in the air. Is it because of Cassius telling Johann how to do it? Is it because they've figured out El's signature? Do they just stalk every person who signs onto the connection at Red Wings for the first time? Will those people always have a means of tracking the Displaced? If a bunch of Jazzercise Instructors appeared in New Amsterdam, it'd probably set off a red flag—especially if they all had their names changed within a few days, started a Cooltalk account at such a late stage in life, etc.

The Displaced aren't in witness protection. They aren't given a new life. They're sliding into their life in New Amsterdam as if it existed the entire time. El's means of helping refugees fleeing from their lives isn't to give them a new identity, but to help them start out anew. We'll add that there is still a mystery behind what this means!

4. Finally, we're cool with Lance having a following!