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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evasives: (120)

[personal profile] evasives 2019-05-04 07:55 pm (UTC)(link)
hello mods! a few questions/thoughts/idk idk

1) i'm very interested in getting to eventually explore doing spy things with cassian in game! his particular skillset is undercover work, networking, and covert assassinations etc. the not-so-nice parts of being a spy/intelligence are up his sleeve. he's already interested in morningstar and i'm working on getting that connection set up!

i'd like to have him start developing an npc network if possible? scattered contacts across the city in all walks of life - something he had done back home only across multiple planets haha. he also served as a recruiting agent for the rebellion, so he knows how to talk to people and manipulate conversations. i know this will take time, but would that be possible? even if these people don't think of themselves as informants outright, he'd just be looking to spread a wide net and see what crops up. fake friends in all places, wanting to get the best picture of this world he can. he's going to be moving in to the fancy apartment with daisy johnson and jyn erso, which i think could help jumpstart that from the elite/rich angle; cassian can act and project very personable, but given they're all kind of a bunch of ragamuffins who probably shouldn't be living there, i'd like to come up with a sort of fake image of himself to these people (which i can/will do), provided they aren't the sorts to immediately dig very deeply into what he might actually be doing for a living. but on the flipside, he'd be very interested in helping the less wealthy and building connections through people that way too.

1.5) RELATED i've been struggling with what sort of job direction to take cassian in. he'll express interest in working with or alongside morningstar via peggy, and he had volunteered originally for the new tokyo mission, as well as participating in a lot of the relief effort. he doesn't entirely trust morningstar yet but he sees them as a good venue for him to look into more and would show himself as supportive of their cause. fight the man!! help people who need it!! i'd like something that could put him in contact with a lot of different kinds of people! even superficially at first. i have him set to talk with peggy and fitz about work as well, but i'm wondering after jobs that exist in meadowlark that might give him access to that wide net and array of residents. he's very adaptable, technologically proficient, and has lived essentially his entire life as a soldier, but! he can easily pick up the how-tos of most basic jobs to blend in too.


2) i'd asked about medical stuff on the faq and i can't stop thinking about giving cassian a metal/cyberkinetic spine, but i was wondering if it would be possible to ask more about what that might entail before i decide! i'm not interested in any sort of body horror coming from it that might result in loss of autonomy, which is probably my biggest concern. but i'm curious as to what kind of route it might lead to. once he discovered his medical mystery and attempted to figure it out, might it lead to clues about where the displaced were being held upon arrival or what happened to them? i'm not asking about the clues itself, just if there is actual potential along those 'what happened to him' avenues (or other avenues), or if it would be more in regards to how it effects him personally.

2.5) since medical records don't really exist given they're all dropped off with nothing and need created identities, how might he figure out something like a new spine or at the very least having replacement vertebrae? even if it isn't the entire spine, having some level medical modifications is something i'd like to play with. his back smashed into a metal beam when he was falling several stories, it would be very easy to say bones were crushed and needed replacement (especially since realistically that fall should have killed him).

sorry wow this got longer than i intended!!
evasives: (10)

[personal profile] evasives 2019-05-10 03:52 am (UTC)(link)
1. that's awesome, thank you! is there anything in particular i should do, or just make note of npcs in tags/logs/etc as he explores new amsterdam? i was thinking as it grows, maybe creating a post in his journal to keep track of names/details et all.

also, really feeling the maintenance worker idea, wowow. speaking of overlooked, i hadn't even thought of something like that! could i make up basic establishments he might gain access to at a more "entry level" and work his way up into fixing up the Big Leagues? or choose some that already exist on the locations page? cassian is a very quick learner and already technologically proficient, is it safe to assume he could grow his areas of expertise and figure out more about the tech along those veins in this work too?

2. of course! sorry it was not that clear, and thank you for being so cautious! personal control and autonomy is very important to cassian and i wouldn't want a metal spine to suddenly like... be able to completely control his actions or his body.

i suppose it comes down to i would be more interested in psychological aspects than physical trauma or new physical traumas born of it. the occasional malfunction would be fine (like making him limp, a sore back, arm going numb, etc), but nothing lasting that would destabilize his whole body for more than a day or so. does that help?
Edited 2019-05-10 03:58 (UTC)
evasives: (256)

[personal profile] evasives 2019-05-20 03:54 am (UTC)(link)
hello again mods! thank you so much for taking the time to help me sort everything out! i'm so hyped for... everything.

1. i think i would like to set cassian up with an apprenticeship for a maintenance worker!! am i correct in reading this as someone who has his own fixer upper business? should i make that someone up or is that something i need to leave to you guys?

i'm so incredibly excited to work on and build this network. it'll definitely be compromised of the more overlooked people as well as maybe some of the staff from his apartment building to start, some eventual clients, etc.

2. okay consider me officially signed up for the cyberkinetic spine. yells softly!! should i inform you when cassian gets himself to a doctor? is that something i can just play with the after effects of with cr or would i need to do more with an actual doctor to kickstart everything?

i appreciate how helpful and flexible you are with my requests and (seemingly endless) questions about all this!
evasives: (15)

[personal profile] evasives 2019-05-31 12:38 am (UTC)(link)
all of this sounds great and has been so helpful! thanks so much mods!! i'll definitely be in touch c:
evasives: (250)

[personal profile] evasives 2019-06-16 03:47 am (UTC)(link)
hi mods! i thought it might be easier to post recent follow ups in the same thread rather than start a new one!

two quick updates! cassian will be making the discovery about his spine the day after the harvest festival when he slices open his finger on a broken mason jar and makes a run to a walk in clinic to get it patched up. the aftermath'll be threaded out here, and although i'd like to see how the thread goes before figuring out which exact direction he'll go in, he will decide to start digging.

and! over yonder is a list i've started developing for cassian's in game network. it isn't anything Deep so far, just connections he's made with a handful of people he's going to work on deepening, but i thought i'd share the link.
evasives: (165)

[personal profile] evasives 2019-07-14 12:47 am (UTC)(link)
hello i'm swinging back in!!

cassian will start by looking into the cyberkinetics of this world as a whole and just basically trying to mash his face into as much as he can learn about it as a concept and how it works on earth. specifically he'd be looking at things like what kind of technology it is (robotic, nanotech, etc) and any primary developers, as well as how someone would normally go about getting this type of surgery.

for example:
- what companies specialize in developing these replacement bones and/or body parts?
- how long a recovery does it usually take to bounce back from the more extremely invasive procedures?
- are there specific doctors in new amsterdam who specialize in this work?
- i assume he would quickly find out about how rare it is compared to shoving someone in a medi-unit, so he'd look into what kind of exceptions are made for injury severeness too. how bad does it usually have to be before cyberkinetics are even considered?

most of his initial research would be done through the neural network, digging through articles/documents/videos et all.

given she's a friend of his boss, he would also talk to the doctor he saw about his finger, though mostly about the technological development/who designs and builds it aspect - but he would be careful about his questions to make sure he doesn't come across as confused about his own cyberkinetics or someone not native to this planet. he'd have a backstory about a work related injury if questioned by her about his own. he'd ask more innocuous questions to some of his acquaintances as well, for the more public views.
evasives: (183)

[personal profile] evasives 2019-07-20 05:03 am (UTC)(link)
omg i'm losing my mind about all this. this is all so cool!!! thanks so much!

once cassian discovers how deeply intertwined the neural implants and the cyberkinetics are, he would think reach out to el, so i would like to throw him at el's inbox to chat about the implants sometime soon if that might lead to any kind of interesting conversations? since he knows el does a lot with the implants.

what kind of company is riverstone? cassian would also look into the basics of what they do and what other companies they might be connected with, if that information is on the neural network or through any of his contacts, even if it's just rumors to begin with.

can i ask if this was the hint?
Anyone in a hospital receiving care from a doctor or a medi-unit may find their life slipping away from them – and if someone's in a medi-unit when the EMP hits, they're almost sure to be dead or permanently injured, requiring different medical intervention.

if so i'd like him to make the connection there! or at least run with that as a theory. he would begin to look into some of the more recent history of new amsterdam, to see if there have been any significant power outages, even if it was for certain grids or areas of the city. he'd ask some of the people he knows if there had been any similar events as well as doing the new amsterdam google equivalent.

if not i will look over it again for more hints haha.
evasives: (128)

[personal profile] evasives 2019-07-29 06:50 pm (UTC)(link)
hello again mods every single comment just gets me more and more excited.

the riverstone stuff is so interesting! does new amsterdam house any buildings connected or owned by riverstone? like, do they have any branches in the city?

thanks for the history info! i am definitely interested in having cassian make a visit to new oslo! should i be on the lookout for that, or do i need to talk to any pcs/npcs?

he would also definitely start digging more into the power outage in sept 2510 if more of that information is available, ie: what the public explanation is, versus how much damage it was against the latest EMP. how long were the power outages? what specific areas of the cities went without power? if only the new amsterdam info is accessible, he'd just focus on that.

the power outage stuff is especially interesting because cassian suspects it might give him a potential timeline for his surgery and recovery, running off the theory that he was in a medi unit during a power outage. even if it wasn't that september - just how long it could have feasibly taken for him to go through the whole process of medi-unit -> surgery -> medi unit again for it to be successful, that's his angle.

quick side note: how long would it usually take a medi unit to heal a broken back?

as for the patients, would it be possible to get into medical records at a hospital? he could get in the building through his maintenance job, and if necessary bring a hacker with him, unless it's more easily accessible as something he could do a search through on his own. he wouldn't immediately approach anyone he found, and if this method isn't possible, he would try something else! (which i will get back to you about lmao)
evasives: (01)

[personal profile] evasives 2019-10-07 10:49 pm (UTC)(link)
slides back in two months later, hi mods, sorry for the delay... vacations and work oh my. yells more, belatedly! i feel like this isn't the most progressive comment for this plot but i'm slow chugging.

1. i would prefer a different way in! but he will be taking his time with riverstone and would investigate the company itself for a while before trying any kind of means to get inside. specifically, obviously, he is more interested in their cyberkinetics work and how closely they work with giles bell, and if there are any significant people/figures associated with riverstone cyberkinetics to start. also, do they have offices in any other significant cities? like, new oslo perhaps?

2. yes i have seen it! i'm excited to see where it all goes! :D

3. are there any more interesting wild conspiracy theories? even if it's not relevant, this is just me being curious, but also cassian would probably read them all haha.
3a. have the fault lines changed any from the current earth? if cassian looked into the actual scientific possibilities, would there be a pattern in the fault lines to back up the public explanation?

5. i think he would work on becoming friendly with some of the receptionists first, which is evidently turning into his MO in new amsterdam. i'd like to say this is what he was doing while i was on hiatus in august, starting pre the zerzura event!

6. new question! running off his conversation with el, cassian will be looking more closely into overlap between the big three corporations, such as significant business deals or public image of how they cooperate, and potential big blow ups/disagreements. this also ties into riverstone, he would look into what connections to any of the other big companies it has, or any joint projects.
6a. babies!! that is, el brought up cyberkinetics before implants in infants with birth defects, so cassian would look into how common this is, if there are public stats. but he is more interested in how much effort giles bell puts into it and if they work with any other companies and/or specific people who might be attached to this kind of technological development. what makes it different from regular cyberkinetics and who has their toes in that pool?
evasives: (128)

[personal profile] evasives 2019-10-22 03:37 am (UTC)(link)
hi mods! i'm going to come back to all the other stuff in a bit but i wanted to answer the new beijing/riverstone stuff quick bc of the event timing!

i think yes, cassian would be very interested in getting to new beijing! even outside his curiosity over riverstone, he's very keen on seeing more of the world, but since he's already looking into riverstone he would use the free trip to check things out on their homefront. should i move this specifically to the event planning ooc post?
evasives: (174)

[personal profile] evasives 2019-12-15 06:19 pm (UTC)(link)
okok here i am again!! god what even were the numbers, this is a short round of follow up for now!

a quick clarification about the 2510 earthquakes, since i've learned new beijing was prepared for them too. i know new amsterdam, new oslo, and new venice were hit, but was this a worldwide power outage? if not, what other cities were hit by it? it seems to be global but i can't seem to find anything in any of the threads about the exact scale of the earthquake/outages.

5. yes re: the records, i would like to say he's gained access a little bit pre new beijing but definitely post!


also as a side note, i am definitely trying to compile things cassian has learned into a network post! my goal is to get it up before christmas.
Edited 2019-12-15 18:19 (UTC)
evasives: (119)

[personal profile] evasives 2019-12-16 12:50 am (UTC)(link)
👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

is it possible for cassian to find the actual earthquake epicenter? like is there a map out on the big old internet? the outage wasn't global, but did the earthquake itself have ripple effects? or was it more several earthquakes at once?

re: new oslo, this is the first mention i've seen of them being prepared too! is that something he'd be able to find out more about once they make that trip to new oslo, or would he pick up hints on it through digging in the medical records?

i have been enjoying this a lot, mods! i'm excited to see where it goes and to take this angle a little more publicly.