larkers | PLOT ENGAGEMENT (ARCHIVED)

PLOT ENGAGEMENT (ARCHIVED)

> PLOT ENGAGEMENT (ARCHIVED)

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!

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.

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).
◉ 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

◉ 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

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Thanks so much!

Paid training is awesome and will let him narrow his focus, so that's wonderful. If he started this month and needs several to complete, just for a sense of my own idea and how to handle networking and other things I'd like him to accomplish- would say, IC Dec/Jan be roughly around when he'd be finished? Networking is the largest portion (amongst other players) Dick has been doing so far, and would be very interested in continuing that on a professional level.

As well, Dick would try to make himself stand out during the training process. No more than he had at home- because he's always leery of giving people cause to see how good he is. So he'd come across as someone v. passionate about the job, eager to learn it, a very good instinctive eye for key details, and willing to put in extra hours or take on other extra menial tasks in his spare time that tend to fall to the way side.

In canon, when he had access to files, he spent his on off time going through cold cases and solving them, because he doesn't have an off button. I know it'd be awhile before he can have access to the databases and records, but once he does, is going through them something that would be frowned upon or can he? He'd like to do it as a sense of figuring out what counts as standard crime for the city- and look for anything that stands out as truly bizarre, and see if there's anything that predates the people working with him in the immediate as well. Of course, I'd contact you for specific details closer to a time when he could do that- just trying to figure out what's feasible.

And ooo hot gossip, my favourite. Is there any gossip surrounding this detective that he would hear? Old partner drama, etc?

Thanks, you guys are wonderful!

hi all! a daisy-specific question (or two) and then a game-wide question set for you!

daisy-specific:
daisy's been practicing her hacker skills since arriving in new amsterdam around july 15, both on her own time and during her work hours over at vyonation subsidiary #281292. i personally don't want to say she's at the same level in NA technology as she was back home (because that's less fun to play with), but would it be fair to say after approximately two months of focused ic practice and relevant work experience in digital security that daisy would be capable of the following:
— accessing a civil works office for the local government, with at least enough leeway time to digitally review and download a small selection of files, without being caught?
— (if the above is successful:) accessing the security footage for the NYPD precinct where the new arrivals are being held and downloading a short timeframe of footage (audio & video if possible) from the interrogation room and adjoining hallways. daisy understands there is heightened security here and would take precautions, but i'd like to know if she'll be successful in this endeavour or would fail (and potentially put risk on morningstar/her comrades) before i move forward with it.
— are there any restrictions to her hacking capacity that you'd like me to honor? (ie are banking institutions unlikely to be accessible even by talented hackers, are certain industries less likely to be well-guarded, is there anything that's common knowledge about digital security that daisy should definitely know as an industry professional?)
— as a note: if this NAPD op is successful, she will definitely be moving forward with being hands-on with the upcoming event.

game-wide
as discussed recently on the network, PCs have noticed that the recent drop-offs have followed a somewhat predictable schedule (big events open to the public that would be planned and advertised well in advance, happening approx every two weeks). would it be possible for PCs to access some kind of public list of events happening in the city, with some details in regards to the events themselves? they'd be looking for information like the expected size/scope of the event, general location, and details on past experiences. would this be a plot mechanism we could get more information from you on?

1. Makes sense! Thank you!

2. Perfect, I will hit you up for any and all blood tests.

6. Prompto will be so happy to hear that :D

Thank you so much, mods, this is awesome information! I'll work on getting the wheels in motion on this front; I'm super pumped for this.

Hello hello! Continuing from here and putting this in the right place, a few things!

So Hei and Jake have been arrested and are currently being held by the NAPD, who have their hands tied by the UNA when it comes to investigating or intervening in their current affairs. Depending on what they learn about the attack on Morningstar as it's happening (or after the fact), I'm thinking it'd be mutually beneficial for Jake to arrange a meeting with the NAPD and offer his (and by bullied extension, Hei's) assistance in serving as spies to go where the NAPD potentially can't. Considering that he has plans to get involved with the drug trade and other illegal activities, he'd possibly try to work in some level of immunity -- asking the NAPD to turn a blind eye, if you will -- with the argument that small crimes aren't what their focus should be.

He would intentionally seek out Riko for this, since they at least have some establishment of rapport (whether for good or bad).

Thanks so much, mods! This is very helpful.

lmao god ok.

Trash for trash people, it is. Thank you mods! Clarke will most likely follow up on this.

Hi Froot!

Jake and Hei were released in our event log under the "interlude" header! They still won't be able to participate for reasons apparent in the log itself, but we felt the plot offered an opportunity for us to get your things moving forward. The same restrictions are in place timewise for them to get IDs, so they'll be free to move on September 13.

That said! Since questions have come up about whether they intended to kill those men, Gaby will be willing to hear what they have to say and what actually went down. They may not be barred from the safehouse after all. If you'd like to log this, let us know! Otherwise, we're happy to follow up with you here.

we're good with handwaving that (also approved by emily), but omgggggg safehouse access. way to bring it home, gaby.

anyway, thank you for all your guys' help — we'd love a follow-up here whenever you guys are able.

Hi again! Can you let us know how they'd explain what happened? Gaby would let them know about the drugs, and would ask about how much influence they had over their actions. She wouldn't say why she's asking, however!

"Jake would definitely tell the truth... outside of the mugging part. So like 'I got approached by somebody that was giving me a hard time, this guy (hei) suggested I knock him out, and I was too rough. thanks drugs..." —from Emily

as for hei, he'd say something similar. "got off the bus disoriented and was in the middle of puking my guts up on some graffiti when a guy accused me of ruining his artwork. he ordered me to fight him and i did. things got out of hand. this was all witnessed by the albino (heine)."

they wouldn't even be aware of the current climate re: everyone's opinions on them or whether it'd allow them access to the safehouse, but they're definitely gonna give their versions of the truth........ such as they are.

Hey mods! I hope this isn't too late as a submission.

Clarke would have made a video of her standing in front of a mirror cutting herself and revealing her black blood. It would be a small, necessary cut on her right palm. Once the blood came out, she would have drawn an infinity symbol on the mirror in front of her before explaining that the black blood has a lot of unique qualities that also helped some of the space expeditions ... where she comes from, basically putting herself out there entirely.

hello!! re: jobs i was wondering if you could let me know if this was still a thing in this time.

vanessa was/is a spiritualist ( day to day usually doing tarot readings but, when she had her powers, could contact spirits etc ). is spiritualism/tarot readings/those kinds of shops still available and if so could vanessa apply to one? she's still skilled at tarot ( and has a good sense of reading people ) even without her canon powers

Hi again, Gaia! Thanks for this follow up.

We'll address the points in order for organizational purposes!

1. He would be done by the end December! That's when he would begin his training on the job - essentially working as a partner on the streets, but not having any high-level discretion. His research skills would begin to shine here, as well as his keen eye.

2. In terms of going over old files and cold cases, Dick will find that there are a lot less. This is partly because of the surveillance and security cameras throughout the world - and partly because the more suspicious cases are wiped away (not unlike what happened to the nurse). That's not to say that there aren't any leads, and down the line, we'll be happy to work with you on this!

3. Most of the gossip involves Riko overworking! She's in a committed relationship with someone who worked as a resource on a case five years ago, basically helping find out who was selling some drugs near her bar. Riko is very ambitious and good at her job, but that means she has a hard time leaving her job at home. Some people suspect that her relationship isn't as perfect as it seems - and this is partly because the woman she's with is also overworking, evasive and distant. Riko is Fine with this, but given that her partner is a Morningstar agent, this will create some strain on the relationship.

Hi Jenna! Thanks for the questions.

First, for Daisy alone:

Can you please provide more information about what she's seeking in the civil works files? We're not certain about what she's looking for here. Additionally, the NAPD files would be on a different system and far more encrypted. We hope this means that she doesn't give up, but her first big project is a rather large one (on both sides - civil works or NAPD).

Secondly, we'd prefer that most or her hacking plots are run through us. Given the build of the world, we'd like to know about what projects she's doing so that we can work with you on them! This will also help you with leads and direction as she really begins to dig in.

Can you let us know if she'll have any kind of hacker handle or identity?

Second, for game-wide:

These events are definitely something that characters could search for, going through city-wide social events websites to find out the ones that are more likely to get traffic. Things like NA's version of Facebook will give them an idea of what might get more or less foot traffic, especially in comparison to previous year events. They can use NA's version of Instagram and Twitter to see what got more attention. It's safe to assume that going by these algorithms, they could figure out a pattern of behavior for what events have been chosen since Daisy's drop off. While they first started with subtler events, they began to use busier places with more traffic.

Given the last events - the pool party, the ball and the festival - it's safe to assume that they will continue to use places with high foot traffic.

As a point of full disclosure, we don't plan these events far out in advance.

Hi Emily!

Riko would be interested in cutting a deal with Jake and Hei. The conditions would be clear: no killing. But she could definitely spin him as a resource and would be willing to turn a blind eye to things so long as people aren't getting hurt. The moment people die or are close to dying, the deal would be off. Sometimes Riko can only help people on a smaller scale than a larger one, especially given the powerful people in the city.

The fact that Jake practically has immunity and wants to help her would mean that he'd have access to her resources, albeit with her demanding something in return. She'd like to know more about the drug trade, albeit with the indication that she won't move on anyone that could implicate Jake and Hei's activities. This would obviously act as leverage against Jake and Hei - she's willing to be transparent about it.

Over time, we believe that this plot could intersect with Dick Grayson's plots, as Gaia has him training as an officer.

for the civil works office, her intent is mostly to verify access capabilities. she wouldn't be looking for anything in particular, but rather to verify that she would have the ability to "read the room", so to speak, and choose the appropriate paths for back-door entry. as an example, she might access the equivalent of a tax collector's office to pull records of who paid property tax in the last month. not useful information, in her eyes, but just any kind of information to prove that she's capable of doing so.

my expectations were that she would be successful in this operation, which would give her the ic confidence to move forward with the NAPD plot discussed with connor and other pcs.

however, based on the information you've provided, i feel she may be likely to gain access to NAPD servers but may hit roadblocks in actually accessing the raw data itself from their files. if the encryptions on this sort of information are a more advanced sort than standard civil files (which would make sense), daisy may not be yet talented enough to hack that kind of encryption, so any data located in such a retrieval would be essentially useless to her. please let me know if this is off base.

since the pc's are being sprung from the jail during the event, this plot may not happen after all -- but i'm glad i reached out to follow up.

as for future plots, i don't have any major hacking plots for her moving forward beyond that. she's doing some minor tech stuff in the current event with the gps, but nothing beyond what someone computer savvy could do today in google maps. i can absolutely run any hacking-based player plots through with you all, though, in the future!

Hi mods!

I have a question about some long term projects. Sniper's from a very technologically advanced society. While no engineer themself, they know enough about basic principles to get a real engineer started on some tech form their own world. They're going to be doing some market research to see what they might get a patent for and make a buck of off. My main question is which of the below would sell best, so they know where to start to focus on.

I also just want to make sure if there would be significant barriers to breaking into the market, or, if it comes down to it, starting a corporation. This would be way WAY in the future of course. Most likely they will start by selling patents for small things.

A couple of things:
1. Meat synthesizer! What it sounds like. In Sniper's world it's a standard kitchen appliance and it can make meat.I don't know how. But Sniper does!! This is one thing they'd be interested in releasing as a full product at some point very far down the line.

2. Trackers! This is a communication device that does a lot of the same things as implants, minus the VR stuff. More than the tech qua its capabilities Sniper would probably focus on the tech qua its hardware, since trackers are extremely small for being such a sophisticated device.

3. Cars and transit systems: Because it is the family business, Sniper knows a shit ton about flying cars and traffic control systems. In their own world, one of these cars can go anywhere in the world in 4 hours or less. Like the tracker, they'd focus on smaller pieces of the picture like parts of the engine or the design rather than the whole picture.

Hi Leigh!

Loki and Sniper would receive invites to the ball for the following year. These are metallic, with notes commending them on their attempts to pass themselves off as the ball's patron. They would be advised to hold on to these invitations.

For OOC purposes, there will be a future plot opportunity linked to these invitations.

Hi Jen!

Markus would receive an invite for the ball for the following year. These invites are metallic, with notes commending Markus on his death-defying act, as well as his thoughtful commentary. For IC reasons attached to timing - as Aranea was new, and therefore not allowed out of the safe house - only Markus is eligible for this invitation.

For OOC purposes, there will be a future plot opportunity linked to these invitations.

Hi Alison!

Clarke would receive an invite to the ball for the following year. These invites are metallic, with a note expressing interest in what her blood can accomplish once more worlds are terraformed. She would be advised to hold on to this invite.

For OOC purposes, there will be a future plot opportunity linked to these invitations.

How exciting! Thank you very much, modly ones!

Hi Froot!

Gaby would let this go, but she'd let both of them know that this would only fly the one time. Any other "accidents" will bring this situation to light, and they won't be able to call on Morningstar for assistance. This is a shaky thing to say, but if pressed, Gaby will point out that Morningstar is still an organization around the world, and they can recover from what just went down.

So, no ban from the safehouse! They can thank the number of people who repeated the point about the drugs (if they care to).

Thank you for getting back to me!

Given the direction of some ic conversations--Jason's going to go after getting into the Warlocks, if possible. He spends a decent amount of time at local bars looking for any frequent faces, gang connections, and has been fairly involved in the fight rings.

His initial intention would be just to get in regardless of at what level, and go from there depending on information he's able to gather. He's been involved in underground gangs back home (took over Gotham's main drug rings at one point, among a few other activities), so he has a bit of background re: how to respond to things, even if he'd have to adjust his approach a bit.

Hey mods!

Apologies for the late response -- this sounds amazing! Jake and Hei would act on this very quickly so there's less risk incurred against their fledgling business in case she's not agreeable. Finding out that she is will be a great help, however, and they'd have zero problem slowly giving up names and information first on other low-level drug runners. A solid way to earn some clout with Riko and take care of some of their competition all in one fell swoop.

Jake would suggest that they come up with a low-key meeting place for whenever they require check-ins, with long-distance forms of communication still being preferred for obvious reasons. We're happy to handwave these interactions or alternatively thread out any that require a little extra attention!

rip Riko and Dick, they don't deserve this

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

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PLOT ENGAGEMENT (ARCHIVED)

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