larkers: (Default)
MEADOWLARK MODS ([personal profile] larkers) wrote2018-06-17 09:38 pm

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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reneger: (you say you're no good for me.)

[personal profile] reneger 2018-11-24 01:34 am (UTC)(link)
Hello, mods! Thank you so much for the clarification.

Shikki, Gaia, and I have talked about this a bit and hope that this works with what you had in mind:

The dognapping incident occurred on August 8th, with Damian carting her off to the safehouse so he wasn't leaving Dick by himself in there. Jason would show up and tell Gaby that he was the one fully responsible for the incident and that he was fully intending on just using Damian as a scapegoat for the whole thing. Obviously, this wouldn't stop Maeda from seeing Damian with the dog at all, but he'd want to make sure that, regardless of how it went down with whoever owned the dog, that Damian didn't have any part of it as far as Morningstar is concerned.

We'd like to time the fight itself for about August 20th ICly. This gives Maeda time to track them down, and gives Jason more time to heal up. Maeda's goons will find Jason and Damian heading back to their cruddy warehouse they're trying to lay claim to on the far side of the city, where Dick's waiting. The fight breaks out, Dick hears the commotion and jumps in to help resolve it. While they're all three pretty heavily trained, Damian is the best fighter of the three, with Dick a close second and Jason not too far behind--that'll become evident enough in the fight.

As their goal is to just hurt rather than kill or seriously injure, there won't be any murderous intent coming from any of the three boys; Jason and Damian fight a little. . harsher, don't hesitate to break bones but won't go for the killing blow as long as the fight itself isn't being directed that way. And they wouldn't go after Maeda herself, because that's clearly a Bad Idea just waiting to explode in their faces.

Damian would make sure to make some comment about how shit her goons are, because he's a snarky little shit. And literally offer to train them because clearly whoever is doing it isn't doing it good enough. And Jason wouldn't be far behind him.
saviorexe: (Default)

[personal profile] saviorexe 2018-11-25 04:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Hello again! I’m back in here with a quick follow-up question regarding the fire. (And thank you for the previous reply, as well!)

Markus is making certain to not leave any potential leads uncovered, so he’d show an interest in looking into the apartment that had the carcasses of dead creatures stashed. Would questioning the neighbors, landlord, proprietor of the building, etc. lead to identifying who the individual who lived there was? And as a result, would this open up any avenue of contacts (or places of interest to explore) that Markus could follow up on?

He’s not quite sure if the connection between the nurse and the monster carcasses are coincidental or otherwise, so this would just be an attempt to see if either is the case.
Edited 2018-11-25 21:17 (UTC)

[personal profile] deicider 2018-11-26 02:14 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you!

Would there be anything in the realm of getting kids/low income students/whatever target population into STEM fields? Particularly geared toward the terraformation effort?

I assume volunteering with students would be even trickier with their job. Their advantages would be their charm ability, native charisma, and experience navigating the political charity scene. Back home, one of their siblings was involved in a sort of get kids into STEM/space terraforming thing, so they have whatever insight that exposure provides.

If that's not a viable path, they'll go for City Hall.
mercurio: ❥mercurio (Default)

[personal profile] mercurio 2018-11-26 05:02 pm (UTC)(link)
thanks mods!

1a+b. i'm thinking i'll be asking for his camera on the item requests soon, but it's cool to know that they still exist! if/when he gets his camera: will this freelancing be in conjunction with the news/press industry in new amsterdam? what... is that like, actually, if paper isn't a commodity: like a news blog kind of deal?

2a. of course! i'm interested in getting prompto to become an apprentice for an electrical engineer for the train station(s?) actually, (DIFFERENT FROM MECHANIC, I KNOW..) for minimum wage. would this be a viable source of income? his apprenticeship would focus solely on the electrical aspect of transportation. these are some of the tasks i'm thinking line up with what he would be doing (adjusted to the setting where needed, of course).

2b. if that (^) gets the okay, would an electrician's job in new amsterdam be similar to what we know of it now? such as working with cables, computer parts, working in cramped spaced, indoors and outdoors, etc? or would there be any key features that are different?

3. kind of unrelated to paper (but kind of related?), what about board games? playing cards? or is it a "we can play online" type of scenario? would it be easy to find sheets of metal or some other material in order to 'create' his own physical board game?

4. what are the cops like in new amsterdam? are they friendly and approachable under the right circumstances, or are they very difficult to approach?
forcevisions: (empty your sadness)

[personal profile] forcevisions 2018-11-26 09:05 pm (UTC)(link)
1. If a person were to lose their job as a result of the anger event, would it be difficult for them to secure different employment or would Morningstar be able to help install them elsewhere? I'm considering having Rey get fired because she went off on her boss.

2. What types of jobs are available through Giles Bell and would Morningstar be able to install someone there?
evite: (Default)

[personal profile] evite 2018-11-28 04:51 am (UTC)(link)
this is a fairly quick question/ramble, and i hope it hasn't already been answered!

as far as i understand it, domesticated pets like cats & dogs are extremely rare in new amsterdam due to the high cost of ownership. however, as seen with the batkids' player plot, clearly some very wealthy and/or well-connected people are able to afford them.

here in the real world, it's been shown that interaction with animals (whether it be pets, therapy animals, or even just one-off interactions at places like shelters or cafes) can have a positive impact on people's mental health and general wellbeing. in new amsterdam, would there be anywhere for citizenry to go to interact with animals to have this kind of effect? i was thinking of something akin to either a cat cafe (where payment is required for something tangential, like a cup of coffee, but the animal interaction itself is free) or a petting zoo (where the animals are the main attraction and also the reason for payment)

follow-up: if these places do exist, what would be necessary to access them? would they be treated like tourist attractions, with possibly some high fee for entrance? or would they be treated as a "holistic" alternative to modern medicine, perhaps only accessible by medical referral and/or possible fees?
stabilis: (Default)

[personal profile] stabilis 2018-11-28 07:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Hi mods! One general question and one job route question:

1. Technology, hacking, etc - I wanted to check in and get an idea of how much Johnny's knowledge from his homeworld would map onto the tech here. It seems like it's at similar levels on the surface, but I don't want to assume anything and know there would still be an adjustment period. I wanted to get your take on what kind of timeline the learning would be on and how familiar (or unfamiliar) it should be.

In case you aren't familiar with Killjoys, some of the tech Johnny's had access to: medical nanotechnology, VR that can be used to 'access' memory and subconscious thought, mental and emotional manipulation using tech (probably like, sound waves or something?? idk scifi), etc. He does a ton of hacking and is accustomed to systems that use AI in the more traditional sense; advanced and capable of self-defense and complex decisions, but still just fancy programs. Otherwise, space travel is common and they've got programs for genetic experimentation/cloning, terraforming, almost teleportation (they can break stuff down and store it, can't send it anywhere). He isn't familiar with all of it, especially the super advanced stuff, but just to give you an idea for world comparison.

2. And job paths, sort of depending on the above! He'd want to get into higher end thievery, both of goods and information. Assuming he is able to learn some things quickly or improvise convincingly, this would apply to fancy tech (maybe wetworks stuff), or hacking/accessing info for clients. I'm a-okay with this being a long con situation, either because he needs to study up on the tech or because he'd have to build up a reputation (or both). Mostly wondering if it's feasible and worth working towards.

Thank you!
retravel: (Default)

[personal profile] retravel 2018-12-01 02:00 am (UTC)(link)
Hey lovely mods! I am here with far too many questions about older business and new stuff from team SHIELD and beyond:
1. Where can PCs learn about the “Venus riots” that El mentioned led to Morningstar’s naming? If Fitz looked online/through holocatalogues, would he find anything? Would Gaby and El be willing to tell him anything? He’d be persistent about wanting an overview of the historical context and Morningstar’s role in it, seeing as he’s keen to work with them to the fullest extent possible and understand what they stand for as an organisation.

2. Are Gaby and El open about being the PC’s handlers? IF Fitz asked them what sort of information and reports they file on the PCs to Morningstar, what would they be willing to share with him?

3. Fitz would also inquire as to what their initial intel on the PC human trafficking shipments was. It was mentioned IC that they thought it was a weapons transport and OOC in a response to Rey that Morningstar thought it was the UNA (though this seems less clear icly). If Fitz asks for the details now, what would they give him?

4. How is Casper doing? The fans (*human trafficking victims) want to know.

5. Backtracking to the Kaiju event, it was mentioned there was last a seismic event the September prior. Is there any information on this or the circumstances surrounding it?

6. RE: A fire/outbreak event tidbit — the vice president of sales at a Giles Bell pharmaceutical subsidiary demands that security shut down all exits to the building, insisting that everyone must remain inside to be searched — Is this information common knowledge? Was it rumored or reported on in any way? If not, would a certain lovable safety officer (Connor) be able to spy it among the flood of reports from the outbreak?

7. Can PC characters who weren’t at the scene of the apartment fire still attempt to join the NAFD? i.e. newer folks trying to get involved?

8. Fitz would invite Gaby and El to his birthday drinks because he’s a brownnoser and also #toosincere about how much they’ve helped everyone… How does that work out for him?
evite: (Default)

[personal profile] evite 2018-12-02 03:31 pm (UTC)(link)
hey mods! more questions for you, thanks in advance.

situation #1. there's been a pattern of data being wiped/erased in new amsterdam. things like the monster attack (which was technically prior to daisy's arrival, but she's been briefed on it since), the various PC dropoffs, and the nurse's identity are all coming to mind as fresh examples.

question(s):
— daisy currently works under a vyonation subsidiary assisting with digital security functionality. it is exceptionally weird for her to have it be acceptable in a data-driven society for data to disappear. though she would have the smarts to not mention morningstar's work or the nurse, if she were to ask her coworkers or her boss about data backup practices in the event of a breach, would they have any best practices or information to share?
— is information typically backed up in new amsterdam as a general rule, or is "information getting wiped" a supposed nonoccurence to the general population? would being concerned about such an event raise eyebrows or potentially mark daisy as a potential enemy of the state? (i admit the last one is a bit farfetched, possibly too many polsci thrillers watched lately)


situation #2. it's been queried (thanks, noctis!) as to whether or not the erased data might be archived or stored somewhere — cloud storage, for example, or an ancillary drive. daisy knows that data doesn't necessarily have to be physically backed up via a cable or thumb drive, but that in order for large amounts of information to be synced up, there generally speaking has to be some kind of material set-up to facilitate it.

she theorized that satellites may be in play, possibly on roof-level or higher than average citizenry would have reason to access. fitz & connor will be heading to lunar for a space holiday, and fitz has offered to keep an eye out if possible to see what kind of setup he can spot.
question(s):
— while aboard the spacecraft, will fitz and/or connor be able to spy anything recognizable (a satellite dish, for example, or other technical item) that could potentially be used in data transfer?
— if so, will they be able to tell with any amount of specificity where these items are (such as atop the oscorp tower or catty-corner to a billboard for a specific item)?
— and if they are able to verify location, would any of the PCs have the ability and/or credentials necessary to access them and potentially learn more about them?
— assuming they can, would there be any information physically present on these dishes or accessible via their neural implants or other commonly found tools that they could garner?


situation #3. daisy would like to find an organization in new amsterdam that can be of assistance in discovering information. while she appreciates what morningstar is working for and is willing to assist them with odd jobs as requested, she's not quite as devoted to them as her colleague fitz. she gets why they have to be secretive and under-the-radar, but that doesn't mean she likes it. so! she's been briefed about the new amsterdam associated press and how they hosted video of the monster attack (even if it was later scrubbed), and she thinks this organization might be a good place to align with in looking for the light seeping through the cracks.

question(s):
— if daisy were to approach the new amsterdam associated press, would she be able to speak to someone in charge of hiring? if so, would it be an immediate "walk in and chat" or would she need to play the waiting game (ie sitting in the lobby until they were willing to talk to her, or alternatively having to schedule an appointment)
— would they be willing to hire her on? she would present her credentials as experienced in investigative journalism, but more urgently highlight her own desire to uncover the truth behind the "weird stuff happening in the city lately". earthquakes and monster attacks and sudden raging infernos don't seem to fit the narrative of a supercity with its shit together, if the editor in chief knows what she means, and she'd like to find out more about what's going on. she imagines they'd like to know too, if only to sell more "papers".
— if they are willing to take her on (she expects a freelance gig as opposed to a permanent staff position), what sorts of access would she gain in this way? as a member of the press, her expectation would be to be able to ask official questions to various businesses and organizations, to have a "legitimate reason" to stake out buildings or people, and to have access to areas she might not normally be expected to go. if asked by a police officer what she was doing in a seedy area late at night, for example, she could tell them she was investigating a lead in a story and present her press badge. does this seem reasonable?
selfimage: — ᴍᴄᴋᴇʟᴠɪᴇ — (Where have all the good times gone?)

[personal profile] selfimage 2018-12-02 09:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Hi mods! I've got a few questions for you.
  1. After talking to Clarke, Loki's going to follow up in looking for monster parts on the black market. He'll start by trying to collect some information from the gambling dens and fighting rings. If needed, he'll appeal to El or Gaby for a little help in trying to remain as low as possible without being identified, especially if exchange of credits is involved. He'll be looking for who is selling them, what parts of the monster they are selling, and the price ranges that they're being sold for. I can follow up depending on how these are answered!

  2. Thanks for your answers about the caves! I was wondering if I could get a few more details about them. This is a little more specific to Loki, so let me know if you'd like me to keep these questions here or follow up on the FAQ again: Does the cave system also link up to some of the other corporate buildings on the lower levels? Are the caves that are off-limits accessible (as in, is it a sign, or are they actively closed off, and if they are, can Loki squeeze in)?

  3. It's been a long time since the AI War and the Elysian uprising, is there any UN/government monitoring to ensure that potentially complex AI programs are not made with the same algorithm that leans toward self-awareness? Loki would be looking into anything surrounding how AIs are currently dealt with, including restrictions, tests, and what may potentially lead them toward what would be considered self-aware.

  4. Is it possible for Jughead to get an internship at the New Amsterdam Associated Press as he begins his education in journalism? He'd be looking into other places that might take him to begin to build up his reputation/resume.

Thanks mods!
Edited 2018-12-02 21:23 (UTC)

[personal profile] deicider 2018-12-04 05:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Hi mods!!!

Sniper's going to add some more volunteering to their plate, pitching in to whatever organization is bringing supplies to the those in tents due to the monster attack. They have a few goals with this.


1. Collecting rumors - specifically, they want to know what the word on the street is in regards to where the monster came from. This goes for social media as well. Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere.

2. Rumor engineering! They have two goals with this
A. Foment unrest, possibly even rioting. They're not going to be on a soap box anywhere, but they're good at manipulating situations. Partially they want to pull heat/police power off the investigation into who cured the remaining plague victims, but mostly they just want to rock the boat, and encourage tensions about economic disparity and governmental negligence.
B. Plant Rumors that Giles-Bell is responsible for the monster. Obviously they have no idea if this is true or not. If public opinion is such that this rumor wouldn't take off at all, I'll change this to something more workable. They know Giles-Bell is involved in the kaiju's corpse, and they hope public pressure will help shed light on why.


And finally, unrelated to all the above,
3. They want to know if there any any rumors floating around specifically in the sex worker community about drugs that enforce obedience. Was there anything on the market prior to game start that could enforce total or partial obedience? Anything new? Which establishments are peddling it as a service? They work in the brothel so they'll just be following leads form their boss/coworkers.
Edited 2018-12-04 19:05 (UTC)
fessus: (Animal Crossing)

[personal profile] fessus 2018-12-08 03:27 am (UTC)(link)
Hello, mods!

Two quick things: per Fitz's suggestion and pestering, Noctis is 1) interested in joining Morningstar with plans to seek out El to chat about the details, and 2) interested in joining the NAFD to help dig up more info on the ongoing fire investigations.

I'm happy to handwave the IC interaction with El to lighten the load around the holidays, but I'm curious what he might learn from getting in on the inside with the department. Also, for newbies joining the NAFD, would this be a paid or volunteer position?

Thanks so much!
deployed: (Default)

[personal profile] deployed 2018-12-10 01:34 am (UTC)(link)
hey mods, i'm on hiatus so there's no rush on this answer, i just had a couple questions kicking around that i wanted to toss your way.

assuming bellamy entered the trainee program of the police force after the monster attack, can i assume he's made it through the academy and gone on to field training by now? if he has, how much access does he have to databases and police reports that have been filed? would it be possible for him to work on getting close enough with someone to have them run some searches for him?

also, if he were to prod other officers and first responders in the course of casual conversation about experience on the job and any weird cases or disappearances in their memory that they'd worked on, would he come up with anything resembling the situation with the nurse? would he be able to get in contact with any of the police officers who were on site on the night of the fire/find out if there was any investigation picked up by the police department?
forcevisions: (bad trip)

[personal profile] forcevisions 2018-12-10 03:38 am (UTC)(link)
Whoops sorry for the misunderstanding about Morningstar and their job help. Thanks for clearing it up.

Rey would be looking in the realm of mechanical work — robotics, shuttlecraft, stuff like that. She can't do complex/high level engineering because she doesn't have the theoretical math background obviously, but anything application-based — if Giles Bell has any involvement in producing or operating stuff like that.