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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
if a small group was looking to hit up new honolulu as a family vacation spot, what would they need to do? i imagine there is some travel agent that works with the rich assholes in jyn's building she could hit up but imma be real. idk how they would even get there? an underwater train? it is a long ass chunnel? since jyn has traveled to new tokyo and new beijing already, her natural wanderlust looks pretty real on the outside, despite the circumstances of her past travel. would this travel agent i just made up be able to help jyn navigate the papers and arrangements they would need to make to get to new honolulu?
no subject
There are no travel agents anymore, as those who are affluent enough to travel frequently have personal assistants who make their plans for them. Aside from the cities, there aren't many other places to go. That isn't to say that traveling is out of the question, just that it requires some level of personal research. There are guides and forums online that are dedicated to traveling all over the world! New Honolulu is usually passed up because of the strict travel restrictions around getting into the city, but those who do visit it say two things: It's one of the most, if not the most beautiful city in the world, and that it's an experience unlike they've ever had before (or will again).
From New Amsterdam the trip takes around 18 hours, and much like New Beijing, there's a maglev train that runs from New Amsterdam to New Honolulu. There's a single stop in New Tokyo where no one is allowed to leave the train before it runs beneath the Pacific Ocean and to its final destination. A round-trip ticket for a single passenger runs around one month's salary. That isn't the reason why New Honolulu is such a low tourist destination, though -- it's due to the heavy travel limitations on entering the city. All who make the trip must be up-to-date with immunizations, must ensure that they're bringing no foreign flora or fauna into the island limits, and must be quarantined for 12 hours upon arrival to ensure that no invasive materials contaminate the current protected ecosystem on the island. Any plans made for accommodations will ask for IDs in advance, along with the proper travel documentation. Some will remark that it was an invasion of privacy, as all of their luggage was thoroughly searched by armed guards. These guards stand at the entrance of the train station, and are definitely not UNA soldiers. Actually, the forums will remark at the very sparse UNA presence once they reach New Honolulu.
All this trouble is all for a good reason. New Honolulu is one of the only cities in the world surrounded by the last temperate tropical rainforest. Conservation is of utmost importance. New Honolulu has an impeccable record for reuse and conservation of resources. Hawai'i is now a large island connected by 500 years of volcanic and seismic activity. There are smaller islands sprinkled along the rifts, but the Big Island is now connected to the others. The wildlife and native flora have thrived, covering the entire island in lush greenery and unique plant life that can only be found there.
New Honolulu is purely powered by geothermal energy from the underground magma pockets and active volcanoes, which is more than enough to host a city that's a little over 1.5 million residents. New Honolulu is one of the smaller cities in the world, and one of the most communal. It almost seems like everyone knows one another. The residents of New Honolulu take the nature of the island very seriously, and almost seem to incorporate it into their daily lives. The city of New Honolulu still has vast walls, but the plant life has been welcomed into the city, supporting some very impressive flowering gardens that work with the native architecture. There are very, very few hotels, but that doesn't leave anyone at a lack of a place to stay. Many residents are willing to sublet their properties for a week or more to those willing to undergo the process to get into the city. (That isn't to say that they won't ask for assurance: IDs, copies of receipts and immunization records.) Those that have been there will remark on a few things that really stood out to them! They'll say that it has one of the lowest poverty rates in the world, and that food is not only surprisingly affordable, but fresh and unique. There's a variety of tropical fruits and vegetables, and fresh fish and seafood that are taken right from the coast. (Most of those practices are all done by hand, as there are still strict conservation rules!) Poke is definitely still a thing. There's plenty of rum, and the coffee industry is thriving. Get a cup of coffee in the city, and it runs half the price as it does in New Amsterdam! Though if anyone decides to bring it back out of the city, they'll be charged so many tariffs in customs (and they'll be checking) that they may as well have bought it where they came from.
New Honolulu is the only place in the world that allows for a far-range whale migration observation. The marine life that had passed through 500 years ago still passes through today. As New Honolulu is the only city on a vast island, the rest is made up of tropical forest. There have been efforts made to keep the volcanic activity (which is very frequent) from harming the ecosystem. There are no trips to the volcanoes, however, as it's not only dangerous for people, but also a threat to the wildlife. Small spots along the coast are still designated for physical (not VR!!) surfing. Head into a surf shop and they'll even print up a 3D board for you with the specifications that you want! Of course, they'll expect that it'll be brought back for recycling purposes.
If you have any other questions or want to expand this in any way, please let us know!