PLOT ENGAGEMENT (ARCHIVED)

[larkers]

> 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

Comments

[rehandle]

Hello mods, it's been a while since I last stopped by!

Just a couple of things, likely to be followed up by a few more at another point but these first because they're all Gaby-chat related:

1. Now that he's spent some time unpacking the last few weeks, Stephen'll approach Gaby regarding the general attitude of Morningstar agents towards the displaced after the event with the UNA.

As we was witness to all of those thoughts, he'll approach her to find out if she's any idea quite how much anger there was following the event, and if she knows if it's still floating around in the ranks/how deeply it runs/if it poses a risk either to the displaced or to Morningstar (from an agent loyalty perspective). He's keen both to make sure Gaby and El aren't putting themselves in a dangerous position with other Morningstar agents given how they've offered to continue to support future safehouse ventures, and to know if there's a risk that the anger will translate into resentment/retaliation against the displaced going forward. So the question itself is what'll be Gaby's intel/thoughts on the above? And is there anything he could do to help her out at all? She must be Struggling by this point and he'd offer to do what he can to support.

2. He'll also try to follow up with her on jake and hei of sergei and seojoon fame. Was she responsible for getting them out? Is there anything she can tell him about them since they've not been very forthcoming themselves? He's mostly interested in the nature of their release, he trusts she and El's judgement on granting them IDs but the fact that they got out at all is Interesting.

and thirdly, unrelated to Gaby chats for the time being (I think Jen's going to hit you guys with the safehouse stuff so I won't go too far into it here but) -

3. How difficult is it to get a business loan in New Amsterdam? Stephen's discussed taking out a loan with Markus to start up whichever safehouse business they go for to ensure the displaced can become self-sufficient further down the line, but would the process for that be the same sort of a one that you'd face irl or is it more/less difficult to pursue? He'd prefer to go via reputable sources, but failing that are there loan sharks about? Just to cover all my bases.

[mutriarchy]

One last question (which I should have asked way sooner) how does the account name appear? It was mentioned it's tied to their ID but do they have free reign on it? And are they able to delete it? And are there any restrictions on account/usernames?

[retravel]

THIS IS CRACKING MODS THANK YOU I'm so delighted.

Jose has been christened Jose Mercado, so Fitz can take his full name in vain for the drama, but otherwise I'll be back here with more concrete plans in future!

[revlon]

Thank you so much for this, mods! Peggy and Fitz will absolutely be jumping in on those new projects and are game to help the remaining NPC agents in any way they can. They will also be making a joint post to the network regarding these new developments (the information network, the option of joining Morningstar, sentiments re: the PCs) in the next week — and definitely after the new arrivals roll in so everyone can get in on the discussion.

As for Gaby, if they can lessen the workload on her at all outside the aforementioned tasks, they'll offer to do so. Or even just bring her a sandwich sometimes, damn.

If Laura or I have any further questions, we'll hit you up here! Thank you again!

[saviorexe]

Hello, I’m back!

Markus and Peggy are both very interested in trying to land invites to one of these auctions; their reasoning is that it would beneficial to see who’s attending them in person, as it might present an opportunity to strike up conversation (or just overhear something juicy) as to why these individuals, some of them influential big names, are so interested in art which basically represents the displaced as a whole.

Markus will do his best to earn an invite the only way he knows how, at the moment: hobnobbing with the elite. As he works at a very high-end, very exclusive restaurant, he surrounds himself with these sorts of people fairly frequently (movers and shakers, executives at big companies, etc.); I’ve established that Markus is generally well-liked at this venue, and that he does spend time eavesdropping when given the chance. He would keep eyes and ears out for any talk of the shrines, or talk of private auctions in which this art would be sold. After that, it’s a matter of striking up conversation with them, getting friendly, cranking up the charisma to 11, and relaying interest as an artist and individual intrigued about the shrines’ subject matter to see if he can wrangle an invite or two out of them. He’d play the humble card, if need be, implying that they’d be doing him such a wonderful favor, showing him endless generosity, by humoring him with a pair of invites. He’s always wondered what it would be like to attend one, and view the kind of art that goes on sale! Et cetera.

If it helps, there was discussion of Markus sometimes playing for corporate execs in privately rented rooms (here, #4 specifically) if that would make this scenario more reasonable.

So I suppose my questions would be:

1. Would he be successful in landing two invites to one of these auctions?

2. And not related to the auctions themselves, but if Markus goes back to the shrine he created about a week later, will he find anything else waiting for him?

[saviorexe]

Hi, it’s me again!

I think it’s a good time to at least begin talking about setting up a new safehouse for the displaced! There’s still a few conversations happening ICly, and likely another attempt to reach out OOCly to the community before putting a “final plan” forth, but I thought it would still be prudent for Markus to find out what’s viable and what isn’t first!

Approaching Gaby about this, he would first inform her of the post he made to the network (even though she’s likely already read the conversations happening there), so she can get an initial feel of everyone’s opinions. He’d stress that he views this as a partnership with MS, that he’s grateful for her help in all of this, and moving forward, hopefully this initiative will be beneficial for both parties in the end.

So basically with all the formalities out of the way, he'd ask if it would be possible for the displaced to claim two of the three sites? One used strictly as a business front, in order to generate capital and to keep the displaced afloat and self-sufficient as a group (with the underground area still being utilized as refuge, a storage area, a gathering place, etc.), and the other to be used strictly as an out-of-the-way safehouse (likely the bike repair shop) — potentially for newcomers, to get them oriented to their new situation away from a busier sector of the city. There’s also the advantage of not having all of their resources in one location if one of them is compromised.

Knowing if this would be possible would greatly inform the plan moving forward! Would MS be willing to work with Markus on this?

[windowsills]

Hi mods!

I was brainstorming jobs for Alex and I like the idea of her becoming a croupier and just have some questions regarding that.

• Do casinos still have a role of a human dealer or is it largely preformed by automation now? Or can the work/duties be split between the two in some way?
• If humans are still in the picture, would it be cool for me to make up a gambling game that has become popular in New Amsterdam in the last few decades?
• I’d like to eventually dig into some of the underground crime/mob scene and was wondering if I can assume that a casino would have some sort of ties to those organisations? If so, what kind of stuff would Alex overhear and learn about if she works there?

(Also not related but I noticed I goofed when I filled out Alex’s section on the Taken page and misspelled ‘gangsta’. Sorry about that!)

[larkers]

Hi Tifa!

We actually want to make two notes of clarification, because we want to encourage your overall direction. First - you're actually very close to a piece of plot information, so we definitely want to encourage this. It had to have been someone (or multiple someones) with privileged information. That leads to our second point: while the majority of Morningstar agents found their home invaded by the UNA, there were a small handful of newer recruits who were left alone - with Gaby being the unusual exception on either side of this knowledge. Gaby had mentioned that the information wasn't up to date, but she hasn't worked out the exact cut off for when someone was too new to be visible to the UNA.

Rey and Daisy's search is on the right track, but it couldn't have been anyone taken the night of the attacks (and the three aforementioned NPCs were). The UNA worked to divide and conquer, and couldn't have executed the plan as successfully if they only got it that night. The only reason why so many abductions were stopped is because the majority of the PC force went to save people from being taken from their homes. They wouldn't have left any target in the field to pry information out of them ahead of the attacks, as that would have tipped Morningstar off that something was coming their way.

[larkers]

Hi Shikki! They do have free reign, and since it's unique to their in-game ID, it would be a lot like Discord - only rather than having a unique series of numbers following a name, it would be to their real name. It would be something like handle (firstname.lastname). There is no real way to be anonymous online, though a lot of people are incidental or don't matter. As a note, this is how handles work for all online accounts, from MMOs to conspiracy forums! The reason why these display names aren't allowed to be changed for the Morningstar-supplied network is because anything flexible like this could expose flaws in the highly encrypted system.

They are able to delete their accounts, though most account deletions happen for people. Some of these deletions are as tame as someone leaking a spoiler for a movie or TV that leads to a corporation protecting their property, and some are done by the NAPD or other official agencies to keep a situation from escalating. Otherwise, some people delete - or, in some cases, reset - their accounts to get a "new start." No one does it to perform a social media cleanse, but, like today, someone might reset or make a new account because they upset someone and got people all up in their mentions.

[forcevisions]

ty for the encouragement bc this is super helpful!!!

so flipping the script: would it be possible for gaby and el to provide a list of the new morningstar recruits who were left alone for rey and other displaced/morningstar agents (she wouldn't want to leak morningstar agent info to ppl who haven't signed up, but others like kylo and keith have signed up--editing to clarify: i haven't talked to those players yet, i think rey would probably approach various morningstar-displaced privately to ask if they'd help out and i'll approach those ppl ooc if this goes somewhere so they can list questions too) to question and prod at ?

not even new members who would have file access but all of them just in case one of them like hacked it somehow.

[998]

Hey guys!!!

so first things first jon needs a job. I'm really into the idea of him being a bartender as it's probably the best application of his stewarding skills--he's going to say something at some point to the effect of the only thing he's (legally) good for here is making hot spiced wine. are there still jobs like this? how would he obtain one? he doesn't know much about mixed drinks but he's a quick learner.

another thing is he wants to sniff out morningstar a bit and see if they are a worthwhile organization, or if they are ultimately destructive and need to be stopped or modified somehow. I'm not expecting him to find anything out right away, but he will be hanging around the npcs acting like he doesn't know anything and playing the part of the honorable knightly character who believes himself in their debt for saving his life, and sansa's. he'll offer to pass along any information he overhears as a bartender,which probably isn't anything very useful, but if he proves himself an asset maybe they'll place him somewhere he can overhear Real Stuff? he's trying to lay the groundwork for a long term relationship and make himself seem trustworthy. None of this will be particularly obvious, he won't be doing or saying anything out of character or telling outright lies, he'll just be trying to make himself present and useful in the hope that people tell him things, not unlike his behavior with the wildlings. how will that go over?

and also!!!! he'll want to try and make some extra money in the fight clubs and he'd like to do that under a fake name. he'll be willing to pass on any information he learns here to morningstar as well. how would I get him involved with the fights and will he be able to use a fake name publicly or will viewers/bettors need to access his id (if that is the case he probably won't want to do it)? can they bring or improvise weapons to the fights?

thanks, I hope my questions are straightforward, ahahaha............

[larkers]

Hey Anne! We missed you too, and thanks for the questions!

1. Not hard at all, especially if he's already been in the fighting rings. He'll get a heads up from either someone else participating, or someone who's won a good sum betting on him! You're free to be creative with this.

2. Harder as they go up in tier! Since this world has its own share of seasoned fighters and cybernetic limbs, he'll see a distinct rise in body modifications mixed with skill.

3. A great deal of cash, notoriety among the fighting rings, and an opportunity for contact from some of the heavy hitters in New Amsterdam's underworld, as well as some of the corporate people who throw their support behind fighters in the ring so they can pad their pockets.

We recommend that you reach out to your fellow players to figure out who wins the championship. We do feel that the displaced have the best chances at winning this!

[larkers]

Hi Iola!

Thanks for the questions!

First off, as a note, Morningstar's interaction with the PCs is small at the moment, limited to just El and Gaby. Because of the events of our January plot (planning and aftermath posts), these questions would be less a point of interest for the organization - who are primarily invested in their own world - and more a point of interest for the PCs!

1. Her guess is as good as theirs! The current group of PCs has no idea how they arrived, and Gaby will tell her as much. There has been talk of multiversal travel, but there's currently no known technology in the world of Meadowlark that can be considered advanced enough to be responsible.

2. No, because the network is encrypted and secure - and many other PCs have spoken of similar things. Morningstar's interest in helping the PCs is because they were kidnapped and taken from their homes, and they want to help fund and support their efforts to get home. Unfortunately, that means that multiversal travel that's common for the PCs isn't common in this world, so a new mention of it wouldn't draw any attention from the NPCs.

[larkers]

Hi Gee!

Thanks for the questions. Here's some answers for you:

1. Because Stephen was willing to keep her relationship with Riko a secret, Gaby will be open with him about the opinions. First: there's absolutely no risk of retaliation. While the various agents who had to be promptly moved out of the city are angry about their lives, they know that their sentiments are at least in part because they don't know why their information was leaked. This will be Gaby sugarcoating in her own way - she truly believes that they'll come around, even if she's frustrated with what she views as entitlement from many of the displaced. Secondly, Gaby and El are good agents who have done a lot of good work for their world, and especially the citizens of New Amsterdam. This kind of inter-Morningstar conflict usually doesn't go very far (as they wouldn't have survived this long).

Plus, there's the fact that where they're going leaves them pretty incapable of doing anything. She won't give the where, but she will say that it's remote and away from any of the megacities.

Otherwise, a lot of the agents who were moved out are willing to provide support because they want to help New Amsterdam (as it was their home). They're employing a "wait and see" approach when it comes to actually making good on that. Gaby's encouraged by Fitz and Peggy's efforts to really get Morningstar moving again in the city among the displaced, and if Stephen is concerned, she'll point him in their direction.

2. No, she doesn't know, and she'll mention that the entire path from picking them up to dropping them off at the safehouse wasn't monitored, which isn't just because the UNA was attacking Morningstar agents. Any of the surveillance wasn't just wiped, but shut down completely. Additionally, there won't be any record about it happening, which will be another point of frustration for both the PCs' handlers and the NAPD. Because they were scrubbed, Riko set up an arrangement to work with the two men, which Gaby will be privy to and is happy to share with Stephen. Unfortunately, they'll have both disappeared and Riko will be left wondering if she wasted her time (or if they were taken).

As a note, she won't ever mention Riko by name.

3. This all depends on income and credit, along with who's backing him up! The two of them together have a better chance as partners, but they'll need a really thorough business outline since this is their first time going into business together. Much like today, the bank will want to ensure their business has legs, and that the money will be paid back with interest.

[larkers]

Hi Ellie!

Gaby will be very happy about the assistance, and may ask that they try to reach out to any newcomers to explain the ropes when they come in.

We're really excited to see what Fitz and Peggy do with Morningstar! Right now, we're angling toward Morningstar's New Amsterdam chapter being a PC-run organization with Fitz and Peggy at the helm, and will begin making that clearer as they take steps toward fortifying their ranks once again. If you need any assistance from us, please let us know!

[larkers]

Hi Tifa!

They would be able to provide those people, and unfortunately, they've been moved out of the city with everyone else. Since surveillance would have caught them being brought out of their apartments, they've been revealed to be a part of Morningstar just the same. None of them would have had high level access since, like the displaced, they would have been on a probationary period - albeit with a little more give and take of a relationship because they were established in world and could offer Morningstar more in return.

El and Gaby would also give approximate dates for their joining up, and it would all date back to early July and later. In providing this information, Gaby would offer to put Rey in touch with some of the older agents via a secure channel to ask about the agents who were involved in the bus crash in June where they attacked the mercenaries carrying the displaced. If she's willing to do the legwork and reach out, she may be able to get a sense of who would have this information, especially since all of those agents were taken and swept away before any Morningstar operatives could come to claim their own.

[larkers]

Hi Jen!

Prepare yourself for some answers.

1. With a little legwork and brown nosing on his part, Markus shouldn't find it too difficult to land an invite. The person who extends it will be very clear: The conduct of Markus and Peggy will reflect back on them, the one who invited them, so it will be essential that they know what they're getting into.

The auctions are mostly thrown in the now evenings, and require some demands of high style and fashion. Markus will, however, be there at the behest of someone else, and will most likely be under additional judgmental scrutiny by those attending the auction. The people there live in a world quite different from that of the majority of New Amsterdam, and many have never stepped outside of their wealth bubble. They'll have no problem picking out both Peggy and Markus, as they will obviously Not Belong.

When Peggy and Markus converse with these people, most of them will turn the conversation into light, meaningless gossip of the "problems" of the upper echelon, and ask Markus and Peggy about their own investments and what they plan to purchase at this event. Peggy and Markus will want to be careful, as their answers could easily end with them being the butt of a joke, or someone looking to put them down so they could find a leg up politically. Those attending will know the ins and outs of social politics, and they will play themselves accordingly, deliberately focusing judgement on Markus and Peggy - who are easy targets - whenever they get a chance to find a dig.

There are no mentions of the displaced, or people with powers, or anything of the sort when it comes to the auctions. Maeda is there, playing the game and scoping the competition. The trend seemed to catch by someone seeing the art in someone else's residence, and wanting to reflect the same style. They see it as a matter of a status symbol, rather than anything artistically significant, though there will be conversations surrounding the "philosophical and existential meaning" of the art (that Markus will be able to tell is completely off base).

2. No, but the shrine itself has gotten some foot traffic! He'll find that a few people have tried to assign their signatures to it, trying to claim it as their own, but there aren't any more physical offerings.

[larkers]

Hi Jen! Thanks for bringing this to us - we're excited to see where the safehouse goes!

They would definitely be interested in helping, but Morningstar would only be able to provide a small amount of resources for the displaced to get them started. If they go for a loan, for instance, Morningstar will provide the downpayment that's necessary to get them started. They'll give some information on contractors - Morningstar contacts, to be more specific - in other cities likely to travel to help the displaced despite everything that's happened.

Primarily: if they're going to utilize two of the three for themselves, Gaby will ask that the safehouse under the business be set up and ready for operation if there's ever a need for people to go into hiding there. She'll also recommend that they don't open a coffee shop - unless someone has a supplier for beans and a system for roasting them, it likely won't go well.

[rehandle]

Thank you mods, thorough as ever! I'll be back with any follow up and few more qs in the next couple of days I think, but I just wanted to say I'm so grateful for the amount of work you do to build this world and enable us to immerse our characters fully in it. The detail is so appreciated.

Thanks again champs ♥

[larkers]

Hi Laura!

1. It depends purely on the casino and the game itself. Most card games are now done by automation online, while games like roulette are done by human dealers, as there's a grumbling distrust for AI algorithms in games of chance.

2. You can feel free to do this! We made up a game here if you're looking to see what else we've done. Let us know what you come up with!

3. The casinos would have connections to either the Petrov Family or the Riverside Mod, as these crime organizations are the only ones who would have the power to influence an otherwise government-regulated casino. She could get a job handling low stakes roulette or ordering and delivering drinks to gamblers on the floor, and that could draw the eye of someone from the family. From there, she would have to prove herself trustworthy to begin working at some of the more private - and therefore, more exclusive - gambling dens around the city.

As for what she'd hear - it would depend on what's happening in the world outside. We encourage you to bring us additional questions about this. While sometimes they won't be saying anything particularly notable, we're looking to expand some of our meta plot into this arena as the game goes on.

[larkers]

Hi Lindsey! Thanks for the questions. We're glad you're reaching out.

1. Bars are still tended to by people. He's welcome to find any entry level opening and gain his cocktail experience from there. Of the very few remaining NPCs, Gaby is a bartender in her "real life," so she would offer to put him in touch with some bars willing to train him without saying how she knows this information. (Though he would be able to find out the how eventually.) We'll be expecting frilly drinks from Jon Snow in the future.

2. There's not much of Morningstar left in New Amsterdam, but we urge you to thread with Gaby during the arrival log to give Jon a good idea of who and what Morningstar does from an NPC perspective. The thread to do that is here. With the general state of disarray between Morningstar and the PCs, we would like to see the development of this over time. If there is information that he'd pass along to Gaby, please feel free to let us know! He can begin to work up his rapport with her.

3. Character identities are tied to their neural implants, so it's nearly impossible to go by a fake name. Think of it this way: any fiscal transaction will need to be done through neural implant, if that's buying a drink, or receiving money from a fight that Jon's won. Most of the places that host the fighting rings want to keep their reputations on the downlow, so there isn't the normal amount of security that comes with most other New Amsterdam establishments. He'd have to be very careful about how he conducts himself, and even more careful about who he's associating with if he doesn't want to be

Getting involved is simple, feel free to take a look at this comment we posted to another player as a springboard. Let us know if you need us to expand on that. Again, if there's information that you'd like to inquire about that he'd pass along to Gaby, please let us know!

As most weapons are illegal in New Amsterdam, the fights are mostly hand to hand! If he wants to dive further into the underworld where things get more illegal, he'd probably be able to find something a little more questionable, but there's likely less of a payout.

[culver]

thank you!!

[shorelined]

hi mods,

i wanted to check in how far kaldur's appearance (gills on his neck, webbing between his fingers and toes) would be noteworthy in new amsterdam. could these be passed off as body mods and would people assume that they are, meaning he wouldn't raise many eyebrows if he hid them less or hid them unsuccessfully?

thank you!

[batricide]

Hey mods!

If Damian were to try sending a message back with one of Maeda's thugs after trouncing them in the fighting rings - a followup on what he shouted after they sent them running the first time, something along the lines of an offer to train her men up to be worth fighting, or to hire him if she wants a winner on her side - would there be any chance of a reply?

[revlon]

Hi there, mods, apologies for the delay in this reply! We are so excited and incredibly grateful for this generous bit of plot. The network post is now up and running and we'll update you all in here as developments and new ideas/questions roll in. Thank you again and we look forward to working on this with you and the rest of the playerbase!