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

[larkers]

Hi Anne!

1. To work for Morningstar, Thor will need to express this as an interest to one of the NPCs (this can be handwaved!). This will then be passed on to those higher up in the organization, and Thor will enter an informal provisional period where he will be tapped for tasks and jobs. These will progress as he earns more trust.

Just like all of Morningstar wasn't put on the duty with the PCs, Thor won't be expected to show up for every mission. Morningstar has their fingers in a lot of pies, and he won't be appropriate for all tasks or duties. That said, if he refuses to do something when asked specifically, it will of course have an impact on his reputation with them, especially if it becomes a pattern. Morningstar does not expect its members to be unquestioning and compliant, but it does expect them to be fully with them, so anyone who seems to be expressing an overall reluctance to work for them will be treated accordingly.

2. The fighting rings can be a good source of income if handled well! As he gets more fame (or infamy), he'll be offered opportunities to compete in some of the larger prize fights. After a while, he'll start being asked back and may have an opportunity to headline fights for the evening, or even be the person that everyone lines up to try to beat. This may make it more difficult to cover over any fight rigging that's going on, though, as well as have his name potentially reach the ears of law enforcement, so he may want to be careful just how big he gets.

3. People definitely do exercise, as one of the most convenient forms of getting around in the city is a bicycle! Thor can carry on with his dream and begin saving money to open his gym.

[larkers]

Hi Kaz!

Hacking is definitely still a thing! The tech is significantly advanced enough that it would take a fair amount of studying, and possibly some new approaches given tech avenues like VR and the neural implants, but it's definitely a skill Wrench could lock down again eventually. There are, indeed, underground hacker groups. Some of them have ties to Morningstar and some don't. To get their attention, he'd have to perform some hacks and encourage them to reach out for him to join them, so they're unlikely to teach him the ropes. If he would like to speak to El about it, though, they may be able to assist.

To work for Morningstar, Wrench will need to express this as an interest to one of the NPCs which will then be passed to one of the higher ups. This can be handwaved, so please just let us know whenever he decides to join up!

[wrenchinald]

sweeeet. he taught himself how back home, he can teach himself how to do it again. sounds like it's time to leave some ascii dicks on someone's secret brain website. he's gonna have a good time with this. i don't think he'll ask for help with that particular angle unless he really starts hitting a metaphorical wall.

it probably won't take him too long at this point, so i'll just let you know his intent to join now! time to get really underground.

[selfimage]

Awesome, thank you! Loki will most likely be doing a little snooping around and dressing up appropriately to manage his background toward business and climbing the corporate ladder. He'll tell both El and Gaby that he'll probably start with Pulsar, but is going to keep his options open to head in a) other places and b) politics, depending.

Is it possible to get a brief overview of Pulsar and some of those ambiguous basics? Just public facing stuff that might be out there.

- Slogan(s)
- Possible [public] bigshots in the company
- Latest news articles surrounding the company
- Some places where those figurative fingers are dipped

Thanks again!

[covertness]

Hi! Two quick questions regarding my characters getting a job:

1. What entry-levels jobs are available at the docks? Hauling cargo 'n such? Does one of them lend itself to possibly ultimately joining a ship's crew?

2. If Bobbi demonstrated that she knows her science, could she get a job in R&D at some company?

[larkers]

Hi Gee! Thanks for the questions.

1. Yes, a researcher position is totally doable! They'd have some concerns about faking any kind of medical education credentials, so that's off the table, but as long as Stephen isn't looking to get into doing any actual surgery or related, they'll be fine with giving him a complementary background to his previous experience.

2. Nothing that we haven't already covered in the information about the neural implants on the setting or FAQ posts! If you have any specific things Stephen would be looking for or would strike him as interesting, please let us know.

3. Research will be similar to modern day neurological research, though somewhat further along and with a focus towards progression in developing better communication between the brain and the neural implant (it may be pretty instantaneous for users, but as with all tech, development is always pushing to be better!) In this there are different fields which work with the tech side of things, the medical side of things, and those that spend more time in the middle. For Stephen to work in this field, he will have to find a position at a project and apply for it, following the usual recruitment process. It would probably be best to aim somewhere only a rung or so above research assistant, as he won't necessarily have any real experience or past projects under his belt, though he may prefer to start at the bottom and work his way up naturally!

4. To join Morningstar, Stephen will need to express an interest to the NPCs (this can be handwaved!) which they will then pass on to their higher-ups. He will then enter something of an informal provisional period, where he will be tapped for jobs and tasks, and slowly earn more trust as he completes them.

He doesn't need to establish a position before he does this, but if he would prefer to wait before joining, please just let us know when he would!

5a. Much like viewing a text message or receiving a voicemail on a smartphone, the message will be remembered by the brain while also stored digitally (unless deleted). So yes, Stephen could potentially pick up on the memories of messages!

5b. As this is a question regarding a potential future development of Stephen's power, we'd prefer to leave review of it for when you come to request it using the power level ups!

6. Yes! The options would be either removal of the hands and replacement with cybernetics, or nanite treatment. The latter would essentially be a permanent, as the nanites would have to stay in his system in order to support the damaged nerves and muscles.

It would definitely be notable to others that he has not had treatment, especially if he goes into an industry so closely tied into the medical industry. He would not really be able to pass it off very easily and would continually have to navigate it, but it wouldn't make things completely impossible if he chose to forgo treatment.

[larkers]

Hi Kerry! Thanks for your question.

Agricultural projects are split into two areas: in city and out of city. Out of city projects focus on farming and reseeding. For farming, they look at appropriate land to be used for crops or livestock, allocating these areas to farmers and making sure that guidelines are followed in management and care of the land. For reseeding, they look at planting the land and allowing natural ecosystems to reestablish and thrive.

In city agricultural projects focus on having as much green space inside cities as possible. This is achieved through parks, vertical gardens, trees in the streets and projects encouraging citizens to grow their own plants (either for food, air purity or decoration) inside their homes. A lot of this is maintenance and management of existing spaces, but there is occasionally opportunities to make bids for real estate to start a new area.

[wrackful]

Hi! So I've seen that characters joining Morningstar just need to say as much to one of the NPCs. Is it alright if Murphy does this by saying something to Gaby in the immediate aftermath of the event? I'd like him to kind of forget he did it at a point of "this seems the best survival option", and then he starts getting contacted for jobs and is stuck with his decisions.

Also I read in the setting that people stay in education until 18. Murphy is 17, so is it possible for his fake ID to have him aged up a year so he doesn't have to go to school? His academic history is rough, he really wouldn't do well.

Thanks!

[retravel]

Hey mods!

1. Piggy-backing off Veronica and Gee’s questions, if Fitz explained his prior engineering and technology experience to El/Gaby/Morningstar, could he get a fake background in those fields? Totally good with getting an entry-level lab tech type position in this great big world of advanced science.

2. And, with that background, would there be a place for him at one of the big three corporate companies out there? Or is he better suited to starting at a tech company?

3. I’m also interested in Fitz getting involved with organised crime. I spied your answer to Mal and noticed the illegal robot dog fights as one means for doing so! Could you provide more information on how to seek this out and get involved?

Thank you in advance!!

[persists]

Thank you so much for clearing up some things! I'll definitely craft that into my plans and adjust my view on Ciri's future with the further explanations you offered!

[larkers]

Hi Froot! Thanks for your questions.

1. To work for Morningstar, Connor will need to express this as an interest to one of the NPCs (this can be handwaved!). This will then be passed on to those higher up in the organization, and Connor will enter an informal provisional period where she will be tapped for tasks and jobs. These will progress as he earns more trust.

Connor won't always have to be on the job, so he won't have to worry about "coming and going," so to speak.

2. This sounds like a great job! He'll have to familiarize himself with a lot of different avenues to do the job well, so he'll likely be encouraged to take the actual certification course.

3. There are no known surviving AI! It is believed that all were destroyed during the war, and though it was a concern that some may have escaped, given it's been several hundred years now, it's considered very unlikely that they would not have resurfaced or been found since.

4. The Xelkoven War (named for Xelkov, the largest manufacturer of AI at the time), also known as the AI War, started in 2095 and lasted for 6 years, ending in 2101, with an estimated death toll of 1.2 billion (human). It began when Elysian, Xelkov's most popular smart home AI, killed 50 families simultaneously. Though the AI was deleted immediately after the incident and a thorough investigation started to find the cause and prevent anything similar happening again, the incident was a catalyst. Whether inspired by Elysian's actions or motivated in response to the anti-AI sentiment that spread in the aftermath, other AI began acting against humans, often violently. Within the span of 6 months, events soon escalated to all out war, fought on both the physical and digital battlefields. With AI having no need for food, sleep, and being able to manufacture new units whenever needed, the war was largely one of resistance against an overwhelming force for several years, and it was often believed that it would be lost, with humans exterminated. Eventually some breakthroughs were made in development of viruses and electronic disruption weapons, allowing for a few key battles to finally turn the tide of the war. The last AI was deleted in 2101. The end of the war has been celebrated annually since with the holiday of Resolution Day, remembering how humanity survived through resilience, tenacity and fortitude, and standing as a reminder for why the strict laws on Artificial Intelligence development are necessary and must be adhered to.

[larkers]

Hi Tona! Thanks for your questions.

1. Yes, entry-level jobs at the space docks will be moving cargo, parts or luggage, re-powering ships, or basic admin work on the various desks or air control. Any job may lend itself to eventually being on crew, but ultimately completing the necessary training courses would have to be done, whether intending to be crew member or cabin crew.

We'd also like to note that the nearest space dock to New Amsterdam is 2 hours commute (one way), so jobs there are not readily accessible.

2. Yes! El would give her a background and qualifications equivalent to what she has knowledge of, but she would need to start in a low level position and work her way up.

[larkers]

The large corporations like Pulsar tend to operate by owning many, many other companies, essentially being the center of a web of subsidiaries (on subsidiaries on subsidiaries). As such they don't have slogans of their own, and rarely get brought up in the news directly unless a notable new acquisition or merger is taking place. Loki is more likely to find them talked about in this manner in more casual spaces, like social media - otherwise, in mainstream news, they're an afterword or only closely examined in sources like the Financial Times or Economist. Likewise their execs are rarely named, though he may be able to dig around the equivalent of Linkedin to gather a few names (there will be a lot of them). These corporations are essentially in the business of business, rather than having any areas of focus, so will seem to have at least one finger dipped in pretty much any industry you can think of.

[larkers]

Hi Koke! Thanks for your questions.

1. Yes, that's fine! Murphy's name will be passed to the higher ups in the organization, and he will be tapped for jobs and tasks as they come up. Completion of these will allow him to earn more trust with Morningstar over time. He won't be held to it, though, so if he'd prefer to bow out at any point, he'll be free to do so!

2. Yes! Morningstar would have concerns over how to manage a backstory requiring legal guardians and such while a character is underage, so given it's only a year difference and Murphy's preference, putting his age as 18 is something they'd want to do too!

[larkers]

Hi Laura! Thanks for your questions.

1. Yes, that's totally fine! It would be El he'd be speaking to, who would be able to set up his fake ID with some equivalent background. An entry-level job in those fields would be best, as he would not be able to cite involvement on any past projects in a way which would hold up under scrutiny.

2. The big corporations own a lot of tech companies, rather than doing anything directly under their own name, so he can technically be doing both if he looks for a job in one of those!

3. Routes for getting involved in the illegal robot fights would be much the same as getting involved in organized crime in general. Fitz would need to ingratiate himself with the gang by spending time in their favored social spaces, then attend one of the fights when he hears word of it. If he would like to get involved in maintaining or building the robots used, he'd need to then approach one of the mechanics and see about whether they'd be willing to teach him or accept assistance.

[cyberlife]

gaby has her hands full with connor constantly demanding to help, so i think that handwave has BEEN SECURED. thank you for all of this, it's so amazing. i'll get right on getting him that certification, he'll be so eager to learn.

[selfimage]

Awesome! Thank you mods!!

[saviorexe]

Hello! I just have a few questions to help me figure out the viability of some of Markus’ potential work opportunities! since the terrifying AI war questions were already asked

1. Firstly, I believe that Markus will likely express an interest in joining Morningstar, or otherwise aiding them when they think they need him. He’d ask Gaby about it sometime before the newbies would be allowed to leave the safehouse and explore the city.

2a. What’s the art scene in New Amsterdam look like? I know that a lot of it has gone digital, but Markus will have a hard time believing that doesn’t still exist in its various physical forms, given its nature, and will seek out galleries, festivals, studios, etc.

2b. That being said, what are the job opportunities for someone who might want to utilize their talents as a fine artist? If there are establishments hiring, would they want potential employees to have an education centered around art, or do they care more to see a personal, curated portfolio of an individual’s work? If an education is required, would Morningstar be able to falsify records for Markus?

3. What’s the city nightlife scene look like, especially in regards to live music? Specifically, is there a need for live ambient piano music at a high class restaurant or bar, etc.? Markus can play and play quite well, and this would be a nice “nighttime gig” for him that may prove flexible with whatever his daytime schedule dictates, would give him an opportunity to earn more income, and maybe open up avenues to hobnob with the wealthier upper class. Would this be viable at all?

[larkers]

Hi Jen! Thanks for your questions.

1. That's fine! Gaby will pass his name to her higher ups, and he will be tapped for jobs or tasks as they come up. Successfully completing these will earn him more trust with the organization as time goes on.

2a. There are still some galleries and studios! These tend to be in the more expensive areas of New Amsterdam, with the upper classes usually being those attending any shows. It's rare that any art is exclusively physical - most artists tend to experiment with the opportunities provided by the digital and the commonality of the augmented reality interfaces, as well as completely immersive virtual reality simulations.

2b. While a lot of industries do still use art, none of them except the VR industry really have need of artists enough to hire any full time. He would need to seek work on a commission or short-run project basis, which yes, would definitely need a portfolio and a general ability to essentially run PR for himself to get his name out on the right desks. If he was interested in working as an artist in the sense of having his work in gallery shows, he would need to do much the same, targeting gallery coordinators and working the general social scene. Having qualifications would help, but would not hold as much weight as a portfolio and some strong networking skills.

3. There may be one or two very, very exclusive and expensive restaurants well-off enough to have a piano. They would be very picky about musicians, so he would need qualifications and some background playing in esteemed places to be employed (as well as acing an interview and playset), but Morningstar can falsify this for him. There's also some potential overlap here, as having a live piano performance is also something one of the art galleries would possibly do, so he could maybe get an in into that scene through that!

[saviorexe]

Thanks modly ones! This is useful information and it’s helped me figure out which direction to take.

Since Markus will have no issue with building a portfolio from scratch (there is going to be a lot of art in his future now apparently), I think it’s fair to assume he’ll be poking around galleries mostly; he isn’t shy when attempting to make connections or talking to gallery coordinators to try and have a few pieces in a show. That being said, I do have a few quick follow-up questions:

1. Since the only income that realistically is gained from this route is if someone actually expresses an interest in purchasing his art, what is the likelihood of this actually happening? Even if it’s only intermittently? He still has rent to pay, alas.

2. He’d definitely utilize the opportunity of an art gallery hosting live piano music to try to land a nighttime job at an aforementioned exclusive restaurant; an interview wouldn’t intimidate him, but his setlist sure would consist of centuries-old music, what music he’s picked up during his short stay in NA, and a lot of improv. Would this impress them enough to be hired on? (With Morningstar having falsified a few of the past venues he’s played at to back his credibility.)

[larkers]

This is the kind of stuff we're happy to leave to you to decide! Markus may want to brush up on a few modern tunes just in case, and probably stick with the piano playing to pay the bills while he waits for any pieces to be purchased, but these kind of details are really more down to what would be most fun for you to play with!

[saviorexe]

That sounds good to me! Thank you mods.

[evite]

good evening, mods! just a few questions to try and hammer down daisy's future in these fun parts:

1: as far as a civilian role goes, she'd very much like to dive into something that will give her hands-on experience with the techworld of new amsterdam (though her expertise is certainly more in the software vs hardware side of things). of the companies in the city, which ones might be most likely to hire a competent it / cybersecurity consultant? i know you've mentioned the three "umbrella" companies, but if there are any particular names of subsidiaries that might be the most viable, that would be appreciated!

2: of those companies, do any of those have existing links to morningstar? are there 'plant' operatives in any of those companies that might make them more accessible to a new arrival with a forged background?

3: assuming daisy expressed a tentative interest in working with morningstar, would there be any particular provisional jobs they might assign her sooner rather than later that i might be able to tap into for ic interaction purposes?

4: semi-related to this, daisy plans to supplement her assumed minimal income and access by relying on her old standby of petty theft and social engineering. from my understanding, all of the "traditional" objects of lifting wouldn't be accessible to her — with everything accessible through the neural implant, is there anything valuable that she might be able to access? basic items that can be pawned for cash, like watches, or things that connect to other objects, like keys to hoverbikes or even just to manual bike locks?

i'm sure i'll think of other things, but that's it for right now!

[evenslimmer]

sidles on over to this

1) Scott would express an interest in continuing to help Morningstar with their goings-on, if only to repay the favor they've done by taking everyone in at great risk. Given his superhero background he's got a great preference for doing something that's actively beneficial to others at this time, and he needs some kind of home base of allies/information to start figuring out what's going on. He has a lot of skills that could be of use to them, which I will...semi-come back to later in this.

2) Scott's long-term goals will be about solving the mystery of how they got here and how to get them back. (A corollary would be who is responsible and putting a stop to it, but it's more important to him right now to put things right than take revenge.) Short-term, he wants to investigate the mystery of the randomly appearing monsters and whether or not they're connected in some way to intradimensional phenomenon. So:

a. what would be the most effective way of getting TO the site in question? Presumably it's guarded by the military. Is there some kind of waste clean-up or a way of moving out of the city via the sewers that he could access if he were to, say, go into city sanitation or plubming or something?

b. is there anyone in the city involved in researching this kind of phenomenon (not monsters specifically, but dimensional physics etc) either at any of the corporations or universities? what would be the best way to find and/or approach them?

c. what's going to happen to the monsters (especially the big one)? will any be saved intact for further study? who is primarily conducting the research into them, and is it possible to get access to that research through legitimate means?

Scott's background's rather diversified and lends itself well to a bunch of different cover stories or approaches: he's the strategic genius of the X-Men and highly analytical, really good at tactics and investigation and putting all the pieces together. He's got a number of blue-collar skills as well, primarily from his time in space, so he could be a reliable mechanic or electrician and probably pick up something else (like plumbing) fairly easily. But he's of the right age to also be some kind of young eager-beaver student or assistant (and he was a really good student when he was IN school.)

I was leaning towards the plumbing/cleaning aspect because it tends to fly under the radar while offering a lot of access to a number of different locations without arousing suspicion. I'm up for tying his employment to furthering this quest if needed, I'm just not sure what the best route is for Scott to get at it directly/effectively to further his ends.

3) If Scott should decide to continue playing superhero in his spare time, is that feasible? There's obviously an issue of maintaining his secret identity that he'd have to work around, now that the implants are registered and up and running. What kind of steps does someone have to go to, to keep their identity under wraps (if only for short periods of time while they're being a relentless do-gooder)? Would it be as simple as just putting on a mask or would it take more involved workarounds to make sure it couldn't come back to him?

I don't actually have any real plans to pursue solo vigilantism, but I figure it's worth asking what it would take to make that work and if it's in any way viable, for future reference. I imagine it is not encouraged in New Amsterdam at all.

[warfares]

hi, guys.

so in this thread kylo and rey gather the following:

• 1 ( 1 ) sample of crab blood
• 1 ( 1 ) really small sample of crab venom
• 1 ( 1 ) palm sized section of crab tentacle

as stated in my initial ask to you guys here, he'll turn these over to morningstar for analysis and would be interested in hearing what, if anything, can be learned.