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 Cata! We're behind in plot engagement, so we apologize for the likely delay on this! That said, we do need to know a bit more about how she died. Who brought her in? Where was she killed? What was the method through which she was killed?

In addition, with regards to the potential deaths in point number two, how likely do you think it is that she killed someone? We may need to request that you halt all plotting because the likelihood of her arrest will be very high.

Bear in mind that for both sets of questions that surveillance is high in Meadowlark's world, so we need to know about both PC and NPC deaths if there is a chance it could have been caught on camera.

Thanks!

[unlucky7]

Ginia was killed by Ephemera in the cave system in New Amsterdam late in the evening of March 12th. Her cartoid artery was cut with a knife and she bled out. Ephemera would have also taken her to the hospital. Sorry, we didn't realize we needed to run PC deaths by the mods! (thread link)

For point two, if it would lead to an arrest, let's say no deaths for now, and I will come back in the event there is a confirmed NPC death.

[larkers]

Hi! Thanks for clearing that up.

In the case of Ginia's death, can you clarify where in the cave system it happened? Some of the caves are more closely monitored than others - so, to be more specific, is it close to the hub to teleport elsewhere via the fast travel system? We don't actually have any notes clarifying PC death via other PCs! This is the first time it's come up, so we'll be looking at adjusting the FAQ to clarify that.

For NPC deaths, we actually need to know before the NPC has died so we can work with you to handle all of the logistics.

[unlucky7]

I've confirmed with Fade Ephemera would would have been somewhere in the caves pretty far from other people and general surveillance as he was carrying several weapons (guns from the last event, body armor, batons, knives) on him and looking for a safe place he could hide at. It would probably be closer to the hub area than inhabited areas.

[unlucky7]

Hi, sorry mods, but talking things over with Fade, we're going to retcon Ginia being taken to the safehouse instead of the hospital. We realized given the circumstances of her death and how much immediate suspicion this would have landed on Ephemera, in a way that contradicts other threads that have already happened, it's easier for us to change things on our end.

[purrsistence]

Hello mods!

So I've been kind of having Catra just sit on the excess money she's getting every month from helping Cassius, unsure what she should do with it. However, with Catra now living three people to her one-bedroom apartment (thanks, Faith and Adora), and with Catra missing living with other people and also starting to chafe under the directions of Morningstar, she's starting to think about going bigger. Maybe... much bigger.

Basically, what I want to know is, does Catra have the funds from the Cassius business to rent out a larger building and start up a Magneto-style Brotherhood of Mutants style household? Maybe an old, dilapidated B&B or hostel that has since fallen into disrepair, so nobody wants it?? Something in the style of the safehouse that Morningstar has set up, but. Nicer?? Communal kitchen and bathroom, but maybe only two people to a bedroom more like a dorm instead. Maybe with the capacity for 10 or so characters in it at max capacity (five bedrooms, two to a room)? (I'm spitballing here, not sure if that number is too high or too low?? I figure there aren't many buildings that'd be within Catra's monetary reach that'd have more than 5 bedrooms, so that's how I arrived at that number!)

Anyway, let me know if this is feasible, if it's totally impossible, or if it's feasible with a few changes, or if there's anything you'd like clarified!

[overrate]

Coming back and reading this, I realized I might want to add a bit more color:

1) He'll be getting lost occasionally, but also he's going to be working on befriending the people who manage some of the more sensitive docs, or in the teams/organizations that he thinks would have those. Basically, he will be working on building up some rapport, under the guise of innocently actually wanting a career in that organization. Expect that he'll have done his homework to make sure the lie comes off as believable enough. And again, always being an invisible fly on the wall, either by making sure he looks distracted and like he's not paying attention.

2) The room he's concerned about in the Maeda residence was mentioned by Jason as being heavily guarded. He's going to try and figure out how to gain access to it, and depending on how the situation shapes up, he might test the access point. I guess it depends on how likely it is he thinks he'll get caught, whether or not he tests or whether he passes the information back to Jason without trying it.

Sorry, I threw all that up with. a lot of stuff left out. Apologies!

[larkers]

Hello Dee!

While there is a lot of automated gambling online (similar to what exists today), it does depend a lot on the game. There are gambling dens that allow for in-person games. To be clear, there would be no paper cards or anything like that! It would still involve using AR to play the game, but everyone would be present so that elements like bluffing, poker faces, etc. are still relevant.

Most of the gambling dens are in the red light district of town and they're controlled and owned by the Petrov Family or the Riverside Mob, depending on the location. We wrote further information about this here and there's a subsequent location that you can refer to too! As a note, you're also free to make up your own gambling location if you want as well.

If Quentin starts to become a known name by gambling in any of these places and earning a lot of credits, he will start to attract the attention of whatever criminal organization is in charge of that gambling den. Just something to keep in mind!

As for the relics, it's fine for him to hold onto whatever he grabbed for as long as he wants! The relics are continued tools for player plots, so it would be up to you if you wanted to make use of it somewhere down the line. As a reminder, if characters hold on to their relics for a full IC month, the relic will begin to resonate and glow. The glow itself will be in one of seven colors: indigo, blue, red, orange, gold, black (it'll become obsidian, as if it's a volcanic object), or white. We'd also like to make it clear that he can do research on the relic's historical significance and function while he's holding onto it. He doesn't need to give it up to learn stuff!

At the silent auction, if it's anything auctioned up by an NPC, assume that he would have permission to take photos. If it's an item being sold by a PC, we would encourage you to coordinate with that character's player to see if it would be allowed / if their character would care!

[larkers]

Hey there, Bobby!

We set up a plot for mercenary companies a while ago, so the groundwork is already laid for Tim to get started. Essentially, Tim can begin to look into the mercenary guards that drop off the Displaced in New Amsterdam, possibly by finding a way to guess when they're likely to show up. We outlined this a bit here for our former Dutch player, though she intended to take a different angle. In addition, she ultimately didn't do this plot before she dropped, but we already have the fragments in place for Tim to chase them down (as outlined in the above-mentioned link!).

This would be a long route to finding out more about Global Spiral, but it would be the first and most readily available step to learning more about the world's mercenary companies.

[larkers]

Hi there, Raina! We had a response that we were going to send out to you tonight, but given that you've added some more information, we want to make some tweaks to take your additions into account. We'll be getting a reply to you tomorrow!

[larkers]

Hey Ana!

Drake would need a certification for this job, as you said. El doesn't create certifications, so Drake would need to complete an online evaluation to become certified. Mental health treatment and rehab are covered in the same way medical care is, and so Drake would be working as an intern in that capacity first. Internships are paid, and he'd be able to afford a small but comfortable apartment off of those wages.

If Drake wanted to make more money, there are private agencies that work specifically with the upper classes on these issues and pride themselves on being more discreet and "high class" than the services available to everyone else. He'll have to work his way up in traditional therapy and rehab programs to gain the experience and reputation necessary to be hired on by one of these agencies.

As for Morningstar, Drake can contact Gaby or El about joining whenever he'd like!

[larkers]

Hi Emma!

They won't be able to make a blog or Cooltalk that doesn't trace back to them, but there's no need to do that! There are a lot of food blogs in the world - some focused on recipes, while others are focused on traveling the world and trying food. The only way anyone would look into their movements would be if they started causing problems or started drawing a lot of attention. The way that would happen would be through trying to become an influencer via their food blog (which would be very difficult to do because of the oversaturation of the market) or because they put some things on their blog that would lead to it being flagged (so, pro-Morningstar propaganda or anti-UN sentiments).

Go ahead and review food places, Silena and Cass!

[larkers]

Hi Iola!

First off, we're going to say that she didn't get the attention of the Banksy-esque figure! Whatever she did was very cute (as per Ball, keep reading), but not enough! Thus, Ball would intervene. We've set up a starter for you at the charity auction here for Ball to step in once Diana shows up. Ball will be trying to help Diana get their attention, but would be happy to help her with any short term requests made on the spot.

This won't be a dead end on her quest to find that artist in question, of course! Ball will be trying to help Diana out, but he won't always have all the answers.

[larkers]

Hey Jessi!

1. They would be happy to hand over what they have, then! If you have any questions about what we outlined above, let us know.

2. This will net Jason information on either Lynch or Jovavich, but it won't be all on either (though that won't be obvious until the information is handed over and it seems incomplete). Let us know which one Jason would go for.

3. We also need to know where the Maeda plot is going, as we think there may be some crossed wires on who's moving forward with it. Let us know!

[larkers]

Hi Cata!

1. We're trying to determine how feasible this VR setup is, but we realized that we needed to clarify something with you! Were you picturing an arcade setup or more of a home installation? Talking it over, we think that the home installation would be more feasible because the safehouse doesn't have a lot of space to spare and there would need to be room allocated for the Displaced to play without hurting themselves or others. A home installation would also be a bit more affordable, but the types of games and VR experiences would also be more limited. Let us know if that works for you.

Her partitioning plans, on the other hand, should be fine! We think this is something that could feasibly be set up by the April arrivals, like you suggested. Please let us know if that's what you are going to go with (and if you want to add any more detail), as we can add some info to the safehouse section of the April arrival log, if so.

2. Just to clarify, for now we'll assume that she's only knocked some people out and broken some limbs in her attempts to break up criminal activity. Whatever gangs she's targeting (so as you said, the Warlocks or Kings) will clearly not be happy with her attempts to sabotage the work that they're doing. They will begin to add sheer numbers of people to their activities so that if she attacks again, they have a better chance of being able to overwhelm her -- and they won't shy away from violent physical retaliation in that case. They'll be keeping an eye out for her and also make efforts to be more clandestine in their dealings so it's more difficult for her to track their movements.

The police likely wouldn't get involved unless there was a murder, seeing how the gangs aren't about to turn to the police even if they're being targeted.

3. We are going with the retcon you mentioned already, but let us know if you have any further questions on this issue!

[larkers]

Hi Tifa!

The first thing we'd like to make clear here is that a plot that involves outing the Displaced to the general public is something that will need to involve the entire playerbase in some way. We're not sure whether or not Faith would have any interest in bringing this up to the other Displaced, but we'll need to fashion a reason that it becomes a discussion between the Displaced at large. It could even be something where another Displaced catches on to what she's doing and brings it to the rest of the Displaced, if Faith herself wouldn't do that.

However, we're not opposed to the Displaced ultimately being outed! This will be a long and involved plot but we're definitely open to that outcome.

As for your questions, we'd like to suggest that Faith go to a politician rather than the UNA because 1) the UNA is likely going to be a dead end and 2) it would also end up resembling the plot that you already did with Rey, which we'd rather not retread (and we imagine you'd prefer not to either!). However, getting a politician or anyone else to actually believe her and take her seriously will require work on her part, along with some hard proof. Also, most people in this world still correlate the Displaced with Morningstar, so that will be another point against her -- which may make whoever she goes to less willing to play ball. These are all things we'd just like you to keep in mind when approaching the plot.

Given that we're suggesting the candidates, both Durcell and Lynch are options! If you have a preference, let us know.

Re: the UNA officers, there are none! It's the eerie part of the UNA and how it functions, as it seems as if the orders come down from New Beijing. Faith would be able to see that this was likely because numerous soldiers keep being shipped back to New Beijing, especially if she was trying to find officers. Their movement out of the base is always as a unit, heading toward trains within UNA-affiliated trucks. Their homes are in barracks at the bases in each of the cities (if she goes worldhopping to verify), so they don't have any methods of reaching them for sabotage. None of them have personal lives beyond their commitment to the UNA. It seems as if there is an acknowledged direct line between the UNA soldiers and the government itself.

[larkers]

Hi Brandon!

First off, we want to begin with some links for write ups that we did previously on this plot: During Event 007 | Follow Up. The big takeaway is that this is all legal in terms of the world's structure (and therefore, its evils). It's just that this happens a lot more abruptly and horribly for the families in New Beijing because of the quotas involved.

That's not to say that there isn't a plot involved! Wealthy people are more likely to be approved for an adoption under this arrangement - it's just that the Black Market wouldn't be in play. They would instead be tackling the NBPD and its ills, as well as the corrupt officers who believe they can intervene in the lives of those who live in poverty. Tim and Klaus can choose to work with Morningstar and the sex workers there, or go their own way.

The world's structures and laws largely only favor the wealthy being able to raise children. It's one of the world's evils, and they could, for example, look at ways of finding out who's looking to adopt and sabotage them so they aren't approved. They can also look into retrieving children long adopted out and reunite them with their families.

All of this would take a lot of legwork and would be a rather lengthy sidequest, so let us know what you'd like to do.

[reneger]

2. Since El recommends Lynch for the win, he'll ask for dirt on Jovavich!

And 3--

I'll move Maeda plot things onto Gee's current thread, so (most) of it is under one plot engagement thread.

[reneger]

Building off of Stephen's recon with a little bit of Jason's own!

Jason's going to be looking for a guard of Aoi Maeda's that he can follow after when they're off duty to direct Strange towards, as Strange wants to try mind reading one of them to see what he can pick up.

Re: the direction of the Maeda plot -- Since Strange got involved due to his connection to Damian and Jason has (mildly successfully) been pulled into not just killing her on sight despite consequences, he's going along with info gathering for now.

To help towards this, he's asked tiny Jason to try and get back into the Maeda apartment (through Hideki, because he's not dumb enough to send himself after Aoi directly and Hideki is stupid enough) and is assisting in getting Strange close enough to the Maeda family to get some information.

[unlucky7]

1. I was thinking toward a home installation system! Basically something off-the-shelf Ginia can buy without drawing too much attention and easily set up. Maybe sectioning off a 8'x8' to 10'x10' space to work with?

Partitions: Let's say by April's arrival, she has curtains running along the foot of the cots and also one running across the room to divide it in half. The curtains are definitely a mix of old blankets, tarps, curtains, etc. hung on a wire with hooks or loops. Depending on the size, one blanket might cover the front of the cot, while the next section is a curtain that covers two cots. Everyone can be easily pushed aside or pulled into place, she'll continue working through April to section things off more.

2. This sounds good, thank you!

[filloryfanatic]

"If Quentin starts to become a known name by gambling in any of these places and earning a lot of credits, he will start to attract the attention of whatever criminal organization is in charge of that gambling den. Just something to keep in mind!"


(evil laugh)

I will be sure to check in with people who are selling objects then and assume it's fine with the NPCs!

[interminably]

Hi mods! Still in flux/talking things out with Bobby!

Wanted to approach you guys, though, after speaking with Allison. Initially, I was intrigued by playing Klaus adapting to his differences but a new idea has emerged for me that I think I could run with better. Is it possible over time, Klaus continues to lose everything which makes him a vampire, ie. everything supernatural until he is rendered human? Alison suggested perhaps as more gates are activated. I work with his nerfs, but it seems so interesting to track what it would be like to lost that which has made him for over a thousand years.

Even going so far, perhaps, to being an untriggered werewolf which would've been his original race. This would only mean that he could be easier to anger, more prone to violence and if something changed in game, his first real kill would trigger his first curse. I'm completely good with him never turning in this case.

[larkers]

Hey there Raina,

1. Tempo is not the only business in that building! It's shared by other offices, so his meandering may get him shooed back into the right place depending on who catches him, but he'll have the office space down well pretty quickly. Since his duties would include normal intern stuff, he'd need to run lunch and coffee errands for a variety of office meetings. He'll learn that their warehouses are not anywhere in the financial district. There are three, but all of them are situated in spots that are more lucrative to Tempo with cheap rent and more space. He's probably heard phrases such as "testing according to plan," "resources need to be adjusted" and recalls on specific bits and pieces of weaponry. He'll find that there are blueprints and specifications of the manufacturing of these weapons, but they're kept under some hefty security. Mason wouldn't have the permissions to get them, himself, and breaking the encryptions will take some slick 2512 hacking skills. There are a couple of teams that have access to that sensitive documentation, depending on what Mason's looking for: weapon specs, contracts, or shipment and customs documentation. He'll have to work a little to dig any further, but befriending all of them and snooping around will definitely cause some suspicion, so he should choose wisely. Let us know if there's a specific path he'd like to take here!

2. It would take a little time! Could you give us a few more details on how he'd go about getting in with Hideki? Let us know if there's a specific way that he'd approach him, and how he'd start to gain his trust! Since Hideki is a little more whimsical, Mason will need to find a way to keep his attention if he wants to party. Let us know what you'd like to do on this front, we want to make sure we can give you something to work with!

As far as the second part of the question goes, it's going to tie into the first. We'll say that most of the going-ons in the Maeda household don't usually involve Hideki, so while Mason might be able to gain some in, he'll need to find a more intelligent way of getting into that room. Once we get the first part down, we can follow up with the rest of this! Though, if possible, can you touch base with Jessi about what room Mason is trying to get into? It's possible that this was simply a locked room in the Maeda estate, and we want to make sure that we clear that up ahead of time so that the entirety of the plotting isn't pigeon holed by a miscommunication.

[overrate]

1. For this one, he'll definitely lean on contracts. That seems like it would have the widest net of the three, for more interesting stuff. The other two he'd be normally curious about, but contracts would be where he'd focus.

2. As for this one, Jason's going to focus on upping his party bro nature. He'd pick up what type of things Hideki typically likes (through his socials) and try to position himself as "hey shit, me too bro." It helps that Mason does genuinely love drinking in bars-- and would have some actual first hand research. Even if "partying" is something he'd have to fake it till he made it a little bit.

As for the room, I went back to the thread where Jason told Mason what to look for and it was "under heavy surveillance, but locked." This comment. If there are multiple rooms that fit this description, Mason would need to go back to Jason for questioning anyway.

[monomachy]

thank you so much! as i said, this is something she will continue to pursue into the future so i will check back in once an opportunity for more info presents itself.