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

[revlon]

Hi mods! Just checking in / following up on two points here: the gubernatorial elections and the progress of Peggy’s career in local government.

The Elections:

1. What’s the chatter around City Hall regarding the top three candidates? Who are people generally in favour of within government and does this sentiment reflect the public opinion? Are there rumours that would stand out, such as who might be financially backing any of the three (as Maeda did Gill-Jade)?
2. As noted in a previous plot engagement, Peggy now has a friend and ally in a superior (Neema Seif) since her proposal to aid New Tokyo was put forward and acted upon; they now regularly do lunch together, sometimes with colleagues of Neema’s rank in City Hall (they all partied together during the Halloween festival too!). What would Peggy be told in confidence about the elections and Gill-Jade, outside water cooler gossip? (Why did Gill-Jade decide against running for reelection, who do the higher ups in City Hall like/dislike with the new candidates and why?)
3. Related to the previous question, Peggy has also made friends within the UN Embassy during her weekly meetings with officials (as noted in a previous engagement from Feb here) since her committee — customs and border security — directly overlaps with UN duties related to travel regulation. During drinks with these friends, she would inquire about embassy staff opinions regarding the upcoming elections. Who’s the projected favourite? Who do they dislike? What would they like to see change (or stay the same, even) in New Amsterdam? Are they at all concerned?
4. I’m curious about Joseph Lynch! Specifically, what philanthropies is he known for? What’s his focus, what platform is he running on? What information would be publicly available about him and his life?
5. When are the elections? (This may already be stated somewhere, apologies if I've missed it in all my rereading!)

Peggy’s Career:

As you noted in the plot engagement I’d linked above (and my first one back in December), it would take a “few IC months” for Peggy to make a name for herself in City Hall before making the jump to the UN Embassy (since she couldn’t immediately start working there when she got to the game). So I’m curious how the dream event muddling with some IC timelines has affected the trajectory of Peggy’s career! A few preliminary questions re: that —

1. During the aftermath of the dream event, I’d asked about this and you clarified “her coworkers would know her longer” and “the conditions of her employment would be similar, only they would start earlier.” How much earlier? The aftermath post stated she received her promotion due to, in part, her “heroic and selfless efforts during the June 27 monster attacks.” Does this mean her employment record now states she’s worked for City Hall since at least May, possibly earlier? What does this mean for the timeline you gave me of “a few IC months”?
2. In another comment from our Feb engagement thread, you stated that cocktail parties and the like do happen amongst local government but Peggy’s entry-level position at City Hall at the time would mean she, understandably, would not be on the invite list. Given her promotion, stellar reputation of being a hard worker (bolstered by the monster attacks and her efforts for New Tokyo), and the extensive networking she’s done within City Hall and the embassy as mentioned above (it’s worth noting she also occasionally has lunch or coffee/tea with Ardyn since his promotion), how has this changed? Does she now have her foot in the door with these events?

I’m especially interested given that your reply back in Feb also said this — attending parties, networking — would be a strong step towards getting a job at the embassy. So I just wanted to check if I was on the right track with everything I’ve done since December! Thank you!

[larkers]

Hi Ellie! Thanks for bringing this to us!

The Elections

1. It's less that there is anyone they favor - Gill-Jade choosing not to run again has still thrown things into disarray - and more that they believe that Jovavich is a foregone conclusion. Public opinion hasn't made up their minds yet, but they seem to believe that Jovavich is a foregone conclusion, too. Polling backs Lynch, but that isn't with the same sentiments as anyone believing he can win.

2. No one knows for sure why Gill-Jade isn't running, but Neema will say that Gill-Jade seems to be a bit dead inside when it comes to her job and has been missing from her office. This isn't publicly known, and she may ensure that she and Peggy are sitting somewhere out of the public eye when she says it. There are rumors over why Gill-Jade is stepping down - mainly, that the big three corporations - but Neema believes that Gill-Jade was pushed to a point of extreme exhaustion because of the recent crises, and couldn't do it anymore.

Much like with what we said in question one, Neema believes Jovavich is a foregone conclusion, the same way that Gill-Jade once was.

3. They believe that Jovavich is the one who will win, and since she'll have the backing of the big three corporations in New Amsterdam, they believe they might as well back her, too. They don't want to support anyone who goes against the grain.

Lynch will be mentioned as being too soft, but appealing to the public eye - whereas Durcell won't be mentioned at all. There are other candidates, as we mentioned, but no one who's important enough to mention.

4. Joseph Lynch is the head of Ibis, an arm of Giles Bell that has been with the company for a couple centuries. It started off as a company to pioneer the development of replacement organs for people, and they've been behind the development of the medi-units. Obviously, Lynch wasn't a part of these developments, but Ibis is fairly well known for maintaining and advancing this technology, and it speaks well of Lynch is the current head of the subsidiary.

Lynch is personally a well-off black man in his 60s. He's been married since he was 20 to Marris Alonso, a woman who was born under less ideal circumstances. He's been reaching out to communities that are financially disadvantaged all his life, and he's also donated money to projects like PRESERVE in order to help them out. He helps other charity groups get off the ground, but as we noted before, a good deal of these groups don't go very far.

5. The last Monday in October 2512.

Peggy's Career

1. Let's say she's worked there since April 2511. But as we've discussed before, there wouldn't be a tidy rewriting of the fabric of the world, so most people would believe her to be a rather dedicated if not standout employee during this time.

2. Yes, she's on the right track with her career advancement, and would be invited to these parties! We do recommend that she try to hold down this particular version of her job for a few more (IC) months, as she may seem too impatient about her advancement!