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

sweeeeet, thanks mods!

All of this is amazing, I'll come up with the project he's joined sometime soon and get him cracking on it, thanks for the freedom!

Couple more things:

1. Do Morningstar have access to medical/forensic labs or equipment that would allow Stephen to do his own neurological and biochemical research?

2. If they do, what will it take for them to allow him access and how long is that likely to take? He'll approach someone about this sometime during this event: if the answer to 1 is yes and there's even the possibility that he'll be able to access this stuff faster than he will by being patient at work, he'll join up to Morningstar on the spot as impotence throws patience and caution to the wind

Hi mods!

I've got a quick question for you: when Gaby leaves the safehouse, is it possible to follow her without noticing? Loki just kinda wants to know where she goes ...

Hi mods! I have a silly question involving robotic dogs.

It was mentioned in the world building that they're a thing - what happens to them when they break down? Would someone be able to find them in the trash or the dump, or are they properly recycled? And if they're able to be found, how hard would it be for someone to learn how to repair them?

And a final question for far further down the line, assuming it's possible to both find and repair them - how hard would it be to remove the AI prevention limits?

Greetings mods. As Korra is finally starting to get past the "oh god everything is overwhelming and new" and adjusting to the idea of being here, I have found myself considering how to integrate her more into the society of New Amsterdam and Morningstar.

1. I would like to know how she could make it clear she wants to help Morningstar. She's not very skilled in the art of subtly, but she is good at learning, a strong fighter, and quite capable in intense situations...not to mention even without her water bending would have some skill in first aid and the like. She'd basically put it as "I'll do what you need me to do, but I want to help."

2. I am not sure what "day job" to get her. She's never really had one before, being the Avatar, though she did serve as a member of a police task force and as a pro-bender (think pro-athlete). And there are also the aforementioned skills in fighting, care giving, and she's good with animals/children...though I don't think she'd necessarily want a job in that area. The only ideas I've really had involve either becoming a fire-fighter or EMT of some kind...but she's never really had a job before in her life so her ideas are a bit limited. I guess on the slightly more ridiculous side might be some kind of yoga/tai chi instructor...would the members of Morningstar helping at the safehouse possibly have suggestions for her to follow up on?

Thank you again, mods! These answers are extremely helpful. Some wee follow-up questions:

1. Re: projects at home. Is it alright if he begins ICly working on projects for other people? i.e. Staves for Bobbi? Provided timelines/costs, etc., are considered, of course.

2. Can you give me any more information on the Hi-Jacks? Do they have notable members or quirks? An obvious hierarchy of any kind? Fitz will be pursuing the help at the botfights/gain an apprenticeship route.

3. Since these time/universal travel projects are so specialised/at the fringes, would it take time to establish oneself in the general corporate scientific community and get involved?

Hello!

1. I was wondering how the empathy effect would work if one or both characters are asleep while touching. Would it affect their dreams or not work at all? If one character is asleep, does the effect only work for the one who's awake?

2. I was thinking of having Kate work as a P.I., but I wasn't sure how that worked in this setting. Is there some sort of licensing requirement? Do lawyers or other well-connected people tend to hire them in this future or nah?

Thanks so much!

Hey Jenny! Because your first question is more related to in-game mechanics, can you please move it to the FAQ? Thanks!

Hi again!

You can feel free to make up the bar and club names yourself! However, we would want to touch base with you about his investigation, as we're not certain what he's looking for in them. Was there anything in particular that Kylo Ren hoped to find out? We're happy to tailor a response for you.

As for the gaming, it's actually more visible than what we have now! It is more structured than it is today, with a bunch of budding up and coming stars, as it's more widely available and accessible as a pastime (or potential career) thanks to the neural implants.

Hi again!

Morningstar does not have a lab of their own. They have a lab contact who's affiliated with Morningstar, but they wouldn't be willing to put Stephen in touch with them. If he has any specific questions or tests that he'd like to run, he can send it with any samples!

As a result, we assume he would not be joining Morningstar! Please let us know if he might so that he can begin to earn their trust for future circumstances. He still wouldn't be able to get into the contact's lab - as that's their place of employment, and they do projects for Morningstar on the side - but he may be able to communicate with them more directly once he's proved himself to the Morningstar higher ups.

Thanks for the additional follow up!

1. You can feel free to assume that he's doing just that! Please keep in mind a realistic timeline considering the day ratio and course of events in game.

2. The Hi-Jacks are an independent street gang that have made a name for themselves in their technological interests and accomplishments. They sometimes do jobs for both the Riverside Mob and the Petrov Family that play to their specialties. Beyond that, you can feel free to make up a cast of characters in the gang on your own! The hierarchy in the gang is merit-based, due to it being a group of self-taught engineers and mechanics.

3. Yes, it would take time! Fitz may need to publish papers or make inquiries to the scientists who are doing this research. Bear in mind that since there are no universities, he'd have to find the corporations invested in these particular projects.

Hi Shikki! Thanks for the questions.

Robotic dogs are typically recycled like any old toy, so it would depend on the location and the people involved. Bear in mind that these dogs are rather expensive, so he would find it difficult to find any parts lying around in the trash.

As for the AI, we'd like to clarify that the restrictions put in place are not preventative of further development, but that one would need to be created and installed into the dogs in the first place. To do this, someone would need to develop and program an AI, and then install the program into the dog. This would take a lot of time to accomplish, requiring an advanced understanding of the world's tech, and would still be difficult to pull off due to the culture of extreme paranoia about artificial intelligence in general.

Hi Veronica! Thanks for the question.

Loki will be most successful the first time he tries to follow Gaby. She returns to an apartment in underground New Amsterdam (it's on the other side of the city from the fire that took place). There's no way she rents that place alone, though he'll have a hard time getting into the building without an invite. If he continues to follow her, he'll learn that she comes above ground to be a bartender dive bar named Black Bliss, which isn't too far from the safehouse.

However, Gaby is well-trained and will be able to notice he's following her if he does it as Loki the entire time. His shapeshifting power will likely conceal him if he's curious, but as Gaby is aware of the powers of the people she's taking care of, she would notice someone following in the same set of clothes.

1. Korra can feel free to express her interest to El and Gaby (you can feel free to handwave this!), and she will be tapped for tasks and jobs in order to progress in proving herself. Korra can also be proactive and come to them with ideas once she's a member of the organization.

2. With the fire investigation underway, El would recommend that she look into firefighting, as it would provide information and offer her an outlet to help. It would provide on the job training, so she wouldn't have to worry as much about it being her first job!

fantastic!

okay, so: i think his initial hope would be to learn more about the opinions people might have about the current leadership of new amsterdam, and if there was any discontent, and if so what areas specificially. other than that, he'd be looking at the other megacities and if there were any tensions.

however, for something more current he'd be interested in if anyone had herd anything about the recent apartment fire? he'd assume given the response by the emergency services that it's not something especially commonplace, would be interested in any rumors that might be floating around ㅡ and anything that might be tied to the nurse specifically, though he's not that hopeful.

as to gaming, just to then clarify: he could start competing on a smaller, local level and gain some notoriety and potentially wind up competing in slightly larger and more prestigious competitions in the longer term? right now my plan is basically for him to start hanging out at vr parlours and getting the hang of some of the available games and then working his way up to competitions.

Hi Jenny! Thanks for your questions. We've answered the empathy one over on the FAQ, so we'll just address the PI one now.

Private Investigation in the world of Meadowlark is quite different than it is in current times. Though of course some feet-on-the-street work is still necessary, by and large the kind of information they'd be looking to dig into would now be wholly digital, and subject to much of the same heightened security which everything digital is in this world, being such a large portion of people's lives. As such, PIs are largely hackers who have turned their hands to investigative work, or sometimes investigators who have developed some advanced hacking skills.

As hacking is illegal, these PIs are not licensed (and licensed PIs, being unable to do too much illegal work, have ended up falling by the wayside). Lawyers and other well-connected people do use them, but it's very much hush-hush and under the table.

If Kate wanted to pursue this path, she would first need to work on learning the tech of the world, and developing some very, very advanced hacking skills.

In pursuing the tensions, Kylo Ren would learn that the world is under the same governing power (the UN), with megacities having their own governor to address local interests. Governor Gill-Jade is the one in power for New Amsterdam. Most tensions are more localized, with some of the different crime organizations that we described in an earlier answer being at odds with one another, as well as some of the corporations.

The only real known faction making any stand against the government is Morningstar, but no one in any of the bars will want to talk about them. Most of the sentiment toward Morningstar is to be cautious and rarely breathe a word about them, as it might come back to bite them. Morningstar's ability to prevail is markedly annoying to the government. If Kylo presses this angle, he'll find that he'll be shut down and he may receive a threat to be booted out of the establishment. They may be running illegal activities, but that doesn't mean they want to be linked to Morningstar in any way, shape, or form.

As for the fire, most of the people in these establishments will remark that it's strange that all the chaos was caused by people who lived there, and wonder if there was any weapon deployed. Otherwise, they'll be irritated that news outlets tried to suggest that anyone from one of the big crime organizations would even dare to do something like that. Why would they try to draw attention to themselves? There will be no information about the nurse.

Finally, the gaming route seems fine!

1. Great! I would like that then.

2. I'm excited to know that's an avenue I can pursue actually! I haven't been able to shake the idea. Is that also an aspect that I can sort of have going on in the background (as far as getting her start into job training and the like) and then maybe develop plots/ideas along the way? How much can I do as far as NPC fire fighters/fire department is concerned?

as a follow-up, with regards to the fire: if someone were to return to the site and speak to any of the people that lived there, would they be able to share any information about the nurse? or recall anything strange from the night when the fire happened?

This is super exciting. Thank you!

Maybe the final round follow-up, who can say: What corporations are currently invested in these projects? Are any of the big three more keen on it?

Hey mods! This is re: CSI New Amsterdam in the recent event:

1. If Fitz talks to Gaby/El about joining up to investigate the fire specifically, would they recommend any avenues/contacts in particular or just those mentioned in the wrap-up post? Can he get a physical description of the nurse from Morningstar? For posterity, he would have expressed interest in working with them following the initial aftermath of the fire, regardless of their answers.

2. If Fitz collects material and debris samples at the scene of the fire, would Morningstar be willing to test them for chemicals?

3. Is there a way to look into the residents and landlord of the apartment building beyond old-fashioned detective work with people in the area? A digital paper trail, etc. (I've tracked Mal's question re: interviewing the residents!) Could they use the address El provided to look into rent payments/implant registered ids/accounts for the nurse's apartment?

4. Fitz would be interested in tracking down the nurse's corpse and ascertaining the cause of death, given that Bobbi discovered that their man was found dead in the apartment. Would Morningstar suggest any contacts for this, specifically, such as anyone in the morgues (does New Amsterdam have morgues??) to tap? Is the NAPD keeping the investigation strictly in-house? With five dead in the fire, could individuals reach out to the NAPD/morgues about John/Jane Doe's lost in the fire under the guise of looking for missing friends, and get information that way?

Thanks mods!

Loki would use some shapeshifting, but it would be interesting to be caught by Gaby toward the end. Loki's pretty stealthy, and would try to conceal himself, but he's also kinda sloppy when he gets arrogant.

Let me know if there's anything that would go down when she did.

Thanks!

Hey mods!

Keith (and a band of friends!) will be trying to lead the charge to heal the remaining people. Right now, I have a plan that's basically like the one below:

• Hack into medical systems and try to find out where the people are right now. Are they in quarantine, or in a special wing and currently sedated to keep them from acting out? Damian and Kara will both be doing the hacking, but if you guys feel it'll be too difficult, Keith isn't against asking El. (I just didn't want to default to going to an NPC answer for this!)

• Have a voluntary person dislocate a limb, or something similar, and be admitted into these hospitals by their "friends who are helping them get there." Split up and begin curing people. Ahead of time (at the time of Keith's post), Noctis will be poking around a hospital to get a general feel for the security there and where people might be. If this helps!

• The idea is that there would be multiple forces to do this. In one instance, Katelin/Bobbi has offered her assistance in persuading people, so that may not necessitate an injury, and instead she can persuade people with her powers.

• Overall, the multiple forces would "strike" at once, sweeping through and curing people, trying to get access to everyone before they abscond.

I'm not sure if coming with a fully realized plan like this is okay! Or even feasible. Keith would let Morningstar know that he's interested in doing this, as they do seem to be the only people who can offer help to these people (and the fire was undeniably set off to keep them from getting to the nurse).

Edited 2018-11-04 00:15 (UTC)

Hey, just a very late thank you for this! I appreciate it.

Okay lamest question ever for the lamest king ever: are mmorpgs still in fashion? I'm happy to do the legwork on inventing one and messing with some elements -- and who knows, maybe using it as a plot device at some point in the future -- but I wanted to make sure first that it was safe to assume!

I think it'd be cool to eventually get some info out of it or at least some good citywide gossip.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

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PLOT ENGAGEMENT (ARCHIVED)

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