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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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no subject
new job
1. It's definitely feasible. There are a lot of gyms around the city, so we'll leave this part up to you! Please feel free to make up any locations you might enjoy in game - our players are just as much creators of our world as we are!
2. This is unfortunately unlikely! He would have a better shot of signing up as a security guard and trying to get some experience there, or looking into being a bouncer. Working at a gym is likely not going to make Kylo stand out as someone as being interested in private security.
3. See question two! We think we covered it there, but let us know if you need to know more!
illegal racing
As a note, bear in mind that, as far as we know, Kylo doesn't have a vehicle with the means to race. If he's taken too long to take up someone on their offer to race, he may not have one. Feel free to correct us if our understanding is wrong!
1. It depends largely on if "fast and reliable" means "looks like a good driver." We're going to assume it does - and if so, then yes! He won't know as much about the inner workings so much as when they tend to happen and how he can know where to show up. Like the fighting rings, these are moved around so that it's difficult for the police to perform a sting.
2. The most notable name involved in street racing is the Warlocks, though many of the other gangs dabble in it from time to time and have their Usual Guys who race for them. There are a lot of burgeoning gangs that are trying to get noticed and get reputations via their street racing. You can assume that Kylo knows about the Warlocks, but probably won't have up to date information on the other gangs involved, or who's racing for them.
3. It depends! If the racer is racing for himself, he might be able to make a certain amount of the bets back depending on where he places. If he's racing for a gang, he likely has a guy making bets for him, and they'll split the winnings. Someone who's good could make a living off of this, just like with the fighting rings.
4. There wouldn't be anything like official sponsorships, but gangs will recruit good racers from burgeoning gangs or even just up-and-coming guys who show up. It isn't a full-time commitment in the least, as it's done in the evenings. Largely consider the street races to be a "racing" component of the fighting rings, but with the mob families not as involved.
legal racing
1. We haven't come up with any names yet! They are games that someone could encounter in any standard arcade or VR parlour. If you'd like to come up with a name, feel free! If not, we'll put on our thinking caps.
That said, there are probably one or two big racing games, with people generally dismissing the rest as buggy and not great.
2. Much like today, being recruited into VR racing is a similar track to esports. Someone likely needs to enter some amateur tournaments and get noticed. These run all of the time, with there being different tiers. The higher tier ones involve an entry fee, but if someone does well, they'll make that back (and more) quite easily. By playing in the amateur circuit, someone can eventually get noticed and signed with a racing group (which is where sponsorships and the like come in).
3. This depends on talent! Someone who's that good would eventually catch someone's eye. Overall, this is likely a much faster track than it might be in our world thanks to the number of amateur tournaments and the fact that no one would need to pay for constant car repairs.
gaming
1. All of the gaming companies are eventually bought out by major corporations in the world. "Indie" doesn't exist beyond someone using VR makers to create games for people to play (and in general, most "indie" creators are advertising themselves on social media). Despite the easy access to technology, most talented creators aren't going to be so dedicated to their art that they risk not making money. A good creator may develop a game independently, but then it'll be sold to a big developer who will then allow them to realize their dreams.
A few big names are SoftSofter (owned by Riverstone), VRiety (also owned by Riverstone), Rigged! (owned by Pulsar), The Dog That Barks (also owned by Pulsar), Ultiminute (owned by Vyonation), Floating Ball (owned by KCCC, a corporation based out of New Lagos), and GIANT boom (owned by Giles Bell). All of these companies are independent subsidiaries that don't have to answer to any corporate heads (unless they aren't putting out products - which would then cause some problems).
2. We haven't come up with a lot of big games, so we'd feel comfortable letting you do that! The big genre right now is immersive Choose Your Own Adventure games. These games are the 2511 equivalent of Detroit: Become Human or Telltale games, only the player is the protagonist, allowing them to take a lot of different paths, develop relationships with NPCs, and even get their rocks off if they so choose. Like in the haunted houses from our Halloween event, these games allow someone to choose the settings that will interact with their brain chemistry and set what is comfortable.
Again, please feel free to come up with what you want with games! We rarely have things like this thought up in advance, as we don't want to infringe on players' creativity.
3. It depends on their game of choice! FPS players will probably have objects that link in to their neural implant that are top of the line. If someone does fighting games, they'll have a proper floor for it so they don't slip, while a VR racer would likely have a seat that helps emulate the experience.
4. There are all sorts of cons! Conventions in 2511 are purely profitable experiences (compared to now, when they're largely run as non-profits). There are comic conventions, video game conventions like today's PAX, and everything in-between. Cooking convention? Sure! Tattoo Conventions? Done. They probably are happening all the time. We just try to spice up arrival logs.
tattoos
Go ahead and make something up yourself in this regard! There are definitely a lot of artists who have wide portfolios on Cooltalk, so he can pick out the one whose design appeals to him the most and ask if their books are open.
no subject
ok, so: radical thought but could i potentially look at kylo getting a gym job for the week and then possibly get in to being a bouncer part-time on weekends etc for some extra cash and then take him that route gradually? he is going to be looking to change apartments soon, looking for somewhere bigger and a bit pricier, so finding ways to make a little extra cash certainly feels feasible for him right now.
if not, this is also cool but i figure it doesn't hurt to ask.
otherwise, i'm going to percolate on the rest of this and shall return if i have any extra questions.
no subject
Yeah, that's fine!