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.
.

revlon: (070)

[personal profile] revlon 2019-02-05 12:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Hello, mods! Some more questions re: government both local and international as Peggy settles into her job at City Hall.

• What’s the relationship with City Hall in New Amsterdam, the local UN embassy, and the headquarters in New Beijing? Is there a known hierarchy? How does New Beijing function as the centre of government?
• Peggy would express an interest in wanting to work in the UN embassy of New Amsterdam someday, likely framed as seeing the sudden changes and threats to the city and wanting to do her bit to help. What steps should she take to ensure that and roughly how long would it take in IC time for her to make the jump from City Hall, assuming she does exemplary work and is proactive and takes initiative? Nothing as grand as an ambassador or consul position, but say, as an assistant (or second assistant) or secretary to Someone Relatively Important?
• As per the calendar post re: Morningstar agents leaving certain jobs vacant, would any of those be an option down the line?
• Are there any government events/cocktail parties/etc on the calendar that she'd be able to attend for networking and eavesdropping purposes?

.......basically i'm shooting for her devil wears prada life in new amsterdam with a side order of #spy
Edited (SORRY LAST ONE) 2019-02-06 15:43 (UTC)
revlon: (062)

[personal profile] revlon 2019-02-17 02:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Hi mods! Thank you so much for all the fantastic info and sorry for the delay — I was brainstorming on how to best proceed with Peggy given these details and insight. So here's what I'm thinking, and please let me know if it's workable and what I can/should tweak!

2/3/4. Peggy in canon is extremely proactive both in the field and in the office, often completing important paperwork and tasks days ahead of schedule and before being asked to do so. She would show the same diligence in City Hall from the get-go, even if she's only been working there for a month. Peggy's been keeping up with the (digital) paperwork and memos coming in/out of meetings (covering general local gov't business and current projects; she goes where she's needed), taking minutes, preparing and distributing agendas, and doing follow-up on actions and directives (which are all within her purview as a deputy city clerk). Her demeanour throughout would be notable as being charismatic, hardworking, and discreet with a sincere desire to help the people of New Amsterdam*. Her skill at a polite turn of phrase is notably well-suited to diplomacy. In meetings, she'll show (and has already shown, at least once) she has a head for government matters. If her opinion is asked for in an offhand sort of way while taking down minutes, she'd offer a sharp, perceptive insight and would easily jump into the discussion more fully.

My specific idea in taking steps to advance herself is this: in the wake of the two border guards being killed sometime in July (with Morningstar named as the culprits), a small committee was pulled together to address customs and border protection policy. If it's cool, I imagine one of the junior members of that committee was a Morningstar operative who never returned to work after the UNA raids (and was involved to keep an eye on travel regulations). Because she's been up to date and in the room doing the duties mentioned above, Peggy would be diligent about picking up the slack left by that absence. Given the rumours flying around about why people were arrested, they wouldn't fill the position immediately and the committee would ask Peggy on board more fully as an extra set of hands and someone who knows the ropes rather than looping in someone new and catching them up.

More long-term: given that the UN embassy regulates travel between the megacities and this quiet little committee is tackling their local border issue (and that deputy city clerks are sometimes passport agents), I imagine there is communication between the two. And Peggy's duties do involve communication between departments, handling the documentation of the project, and maintaining records of appointments, should those meetings between the UN and City Hall take place. She'd be glad to accompany a City Hall official to those meetings or go in their stead if their schedule gets in the way, if only because she has such a keen memory for the details. This would be her point of contact with the UN embassy and she'd work on that connection from there. Tl;dr she's a Grade A secretary and liaison between organisations (it's not dissimilar to what she did back home between US and British gov'ts and military).

On a broader scope, Peggy had expressed an interest in inter-city travel during her first conversation with Gaby in the safehouse, so this is something she'd be especially keen on — particularly now that they're working to move MS agents out of town. This is what I have so far! I'll be glad to work with you on adjusting it wherever necessary since I don't know what plans you may have in your back pocket!

5. AND FINALLY re: Morningstar moving forward after the arrests... Peggy and Fitz have been talking and will approach Gaby saying they know Morningstar's presence won't be the same in the city but that they do believe in the group's mission and want to contribute beyond where their goals align (solving the mystery of the displaced, etc). How would this offer go?



*And beyond, like New Venice and New Oslo, which is a a detail that will be further fleshed out pending an answer on the event aftermath post! But no rush!!
Edited 2019-02-17 14:39 (UTC)
revlon: (260)

[personal profile] revlon 2019-02-24 01:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you so much, mods!! I'm excited to work on this moving forward and will definitely roll back in here as the game develops. I really appreciate you being so flexible with all this, you're the best.

Re: the second point, this is great to hear! Laura or I will bring any further questions or ideas we may have to you at a later date, but for now, it's safe to assume both Fitz and Peggy will start actively passing their government/corporate information in reports to Gaby. And if there's anything specific she'd ask of them, please let us know!

Also on a more personal note, Peggy would ask how she's doing because, you know. Shit sucks.
revlon: (Default)

[personal profile] revlon 2019-03-03 07:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you so much for this, mods! Peggy and Fitz will absolutely be jumping in on those new projects and are game to help the remaining NPC agents in any way they can. They will also be making a joint post to the network regarding these new developments (the information network, the option of joining Morningstar, sentiments re: the PCs) in the next week — and definitely after the new arrivals roll in so everyone can get in on the discussion.

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

If Laura or I have any further questions, we'll hit you up here! Thank you again!
Edited 2019-03-03 19:42 (UTC)
revlon: (095)

[personal profile] revlon 2019-03-12 12:28 am (UTC)(link)
Hi there, mods, apologies for the delay in this reply! We are so excited and incredibly grateful for this generous bit of plot. The network post is now up and running and we'll update you all in here as developments and new ideas/questions roll in. Thank you again and we look forward to working on this with you and the rest of the playerbase!