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To consolidate discussion so it's easier to keep track of, let's have new discussion posts listed on the timeline thread.

Added, Lost Horizons! Happy New Year! <3

The press conference had taken two hours. The NYPD had anticipated the popularity of the event, and scheduled it in a small park near one of their precincts, rather than the confines of their usual news room. The Mayor and the NYPD's highest ranking commander alternated speeches, with a backdrop of sunny weather and picturesque blue skies. They made scripted jokes about not understanding the science behind it all, but knowing from rigorous testing that the products were safe and ready for their first public field test.

Behind them on the stage were assembled the robots. The META Bots, Monitoring Emergency Tactical Automatons.

“The techies had to explain the joke to me,” the Mayor admitted with a jovial smile. “I admit, it was a little too meta.”

There was a mock swearing in ceremony, with each of the matte black robots getting its own police vest handed to it. The three humanoid bots put them on. The two dogs patiently stepped into their own K9 vests with the help of a human handler. Someone had programmed their tails to wag while the crowd clapped.

“With the addition of the METAs to our city's resources,” the police commander spoke, “We're making New York a safer, better place to live. Today marks a new day in our policing, and we hope all of New York will join us in welcoming them to our city streets.”

There was general cheering and clapping.

The question-and-answer session didn't go quite as smoothly.

“Why were no X-Men invited to speak at this press conference?”

“As acting deputies of the NYPD, the X-Men will be getting a more thorough conference on the METAs at a later date. The partnership between the X-Men and the NYPD has been beneficial for the city, and we hope they're just as excited as we are to be adding the METAs to our joint resources. Next question.”

“But why aren't any of them here?”

“Next question.”

“The last time the police got their hands on robots, mutants were rounded up and sent to concentration camps. Don't you think this move will increase tensions between the mutant population and the NYPD?”

“We hope for just the opposite. It's no secret that the NYPD has struggled with… sensitivity towards the mutant community,” the police commander kept a straight face, which was impressive. “When a human officer finds a mutant at a crime scene—maybe one with unknown powers, maybe one with known and potentially lethal powers—it's a very human thing to fear for your life. METAs don't get afraid, they don't use excessive force, they don't discriminate. Mutant or human, everyone can expect fair and equal treatment. Next question.”

“These robots were constructed by an outside vendor and essentially 'donated,' is that correct? Who is this benefactor, and how can we be certain of their intents?”

“While the METAs' maker wishes to remain anonymous, I can assure you that I have met the him, and toured his facilities personally. He's been open and enthusiastic about a partnership with the NYPD since the beginning, and has allowed our own experts to examine every step of the manufacturing process, and every line of code. You have my assurances that these robots are exactly what they seem: a helpful tool to aid in policing, and keep our city and our officers safe.”

The city's PR team took over the information stream from there, deluging the media with interviews from 'average citizens' as they encountered the METAs on their first official rounds through the park.

“They're kind of cool,” a gum-chewing college girl said, watching as her hipster boyfriend poked a Knight bot in the chest, then took a hurried step back.

“That tickles,” the Knight replied, in a synthesized voice.

“I mean, they'll definitely take some getting used to, but it's better a few bots get trashed than a dozen real officers whenever something crazy goes down, right?”

The Knight's head swiveled towards her, even as her boyfriend experimentally kicked it in the shin. “I do not want to be trashed.”

“Yeah,” she told it, with a smack of gum, “good luck with that.”

“Thank you,” it replied.

Another clip featured a blonde boy, no more than eight years old, gleefully chasing a Speed Scout as it ran in circles around him. He finally caught it (or it let itself be caught).

“What do you think of them?” The reporter asked, putting a microphone in his face.

“These dogs are the best dogs,” the boy replied, wrapping his arms around the scout's neck as it patiently sat. His voice was strongly accented with some flavor of Scandinavia, but his grin was infectious. “I want one. Maybe I ask my father, and he gets me one.”

The reporter gave a good-natured laugh. The dog wagged its thin black tail, as if in agreement.

---

META Bot Models
Handy Picture Line Up!
(Give your thanks to Alex for his awesome concept art.)

META Bot Plot Overview
Due to our site's rather long history of killing off cops, a generous donor in conjunction with the city council have worked to bring in the META Bots.

METAs will assist police actions. Some will patrol with regular officers, and some will be sent on their own missions, in conjugation with other officers or other bots. If a mutant gives a regular officer a hard time on the streets, META Bots will be sent in to assist, not more squishy officers.

METAs are programmed to aid, in this order: police, deputized X-Men, and civilians. They have a registry of all police and X-Men on file for quick identification in the field, and are equipped with an internal x-gene scanner that is 75.32% accurate.

They are NOT programmed to discriminate against humans v mutants civilians, but they WILL treat mutant criminals with more caution, especially if their power is unknown. Standard arrest procedure for mutants includes cuffing them with shock bracelets (built into the cuffs: picture normal cuffs, but bulkier). A struggling mutant may be sedated, as well. A human criminal would just be cuffed normally.

All METAs will try to arrest their targets with a minimum of harm. Only the Sentry Bot is authorized to use potentially lethal force, and Sentries are only sent out against known murderers (like Isabel and Aura). Think of them as large police dogs: they'll chase and bite, but if you stop running/fighting back, they won't hurt you.

Of course, those are the unglitched versions.

Thanks to Ragnarok's prank, you can play the METAs with any glitches that make for a good RPing~

(Rough) Timeline
The META Plot is going to be fairly free form. Below is an outline of things folks seemed interested in during the pre-plot-planning. We'll change/expand based on player ideas, so if you think of something awesome, let the site know by posting it on the RP Requests & Plot Ideas board!

1) META bots are announced to the public as the newest in police technology, helping to keep our officers safe as they do their jobs~ (As of this post, the METAs are now LIVE!)

2) The public (especially the mutant public) starts protesting the buggy AIs. The METAs start causing issues--like detaining all mutants at a crime scene instead of just the criminals, arresting random people on the street, falsely identifying humans as mutants and vice versa, etc—whatever people think is fun to RP.

3) Exercising their right to some constructive civil disobedience, Aura, Ragnarok, and/or others cause a big public incident. Probably by exploding something. Fearing another riot, a city-wide curfew is enacted (for both mutants and humans).

4) More shenanigans follow as tensions escalate, including a possible riot if folks want one.

Timeline to be updated as IC actions influence it.

At an estimate, this plot will run until Spring 2016. If folks enjoy beating up bots OOC, it's possible the METAs could stick around as a permanent addition to MRO's police force (...minus the bugs in their AIs). Let's face it, turning robots into scrap is fun. We'll have a discussion at plot's end to see where people want to go.

(Note: We are NOT leading up to a Registration Act/Camps plot like in the Stalker Bot plot from 2007. From the police perspective, this is exactly what it says on the tin: a way to keep down human deaths by sending out robots instead. The police and city will be trying very hard to paint a "friendly" face on the META Bot program and distance it from the previous Stalker Bots.)

META Bot Details
Glitches to the META AIs: Bots can glitch in any way you find entertaining IC, from harmless "the Knight Bot is arresting an old lady for J-walking" to serious "the bot takes one look at you and starts chasing, you have no idea why." You can also have normal, non-glitchy bots in your threads. Their default behavior is helpful to cops/X-Men/civilians, and be minimally harmful to criminals (they'll use only as much force as is necessary to arrest their target).

What Your Character Would See On The Streets: Visually, all META bots have a matte black finish with an embossed police badge and serial number over their "hearts." The Knights and ATS (All Terrain Scouts) are the normal, every day models. These will be sent to any crime reported to involve mutants, and you may occasionally see them patrolling the streets with regular officers as the city tries to build the "friendly robot" image. Speed Scouts, Cavalry, and Sentries are sent out on specific missions, and would not be seen roaming the streets unless they were en route to an encounter. Sentries are generally reserved for known mutant killers of the "mass murder" grade. Unless they glitch, of course.

X-Gene Scanners: All METAs have an inbuilt x-gene scanner that's about 75% accurate. That means they can accidentally label a mutant as human, and vice versa. Scanners do NOT tell the bots about the type of mutation, only a yes/no to "Is this person a mutant." Police have a hand-held version of this scanner. Standard procedure is to scan criminals before engaging. If a criminal is mutant, the police on scene will call for bot backup and will NOT engage the criminals. (Remember, the police goal is "not to die.")

Shock Cuffs: These look like bulkier versions of normal police handcuffs. If a mutant uses their power, they send a strong electric current into you, like a taser. It is now standard procedure for cops and bots to use shock cuffs on any mutants taken into custody, as a preventative measure.

Customized Bots: Normal bots not strong enough to take your character down, but you want a good fight? Feel free to run into a customized bot. Especially if your character is a wanted criminal. AKA: If you want to make a model harder to kill, have it flight-capable to catch your character, or able to shoot an electrified net out of its arm because-why-not, feel free to do so. Just make sure that any upgrades are within reasonable modern tech levels (they can pack a gun, but not a sonic screwdriver). Note that customized bots should still follow normal bot behavior. (...Unless they're glitchy. I'm just going to keep sayin' that, aren't I?)

Bot Creator/The NYPD's Benefactor: Let's face it, there's no way the NYPD afforded these bots on their own. For now, the bot's creator is preferring to remain anonymous. Speculation on why the bots were donated is rampant, and runs the gamut from "because he's a great person who wants to help our city" to "because those x-gene scanners are recording and transmitting information to the NSA."

The Pseudo-Science (For those who care; NOT required reading!):
Thanks to Richard and his OOC robotech knowledge for the following (modified slightly from his original version):

In general the composition of the META bots can be thought of in layers. The inner layer consists of the electronics, of which little is known although there are rumors of organic computers and advanced AI.

The electronics are encased in a carbotanium skeletal structure, a material that combines the flexibility of titanium with the strength of carbon fiber. Fluidic muscles give the stalker bots cutting-edge strength, agility, and balance.

Over the muscles and sandwiched between layers of spider silk armor sits a proprietary non-Newtonian fluid called SKINs. This SKIN acts as a damper to shield the robot against excessive vibrations but also serves to provide additional armor. The SKIN remains a viscous fluid until it experiences sudden shocks, such as harmful impacts. When exposed to shocks SKIN will instantly stiffen to provide temporary armor before resuming its fluidic state so as not to impede range of motion.

Aside from the SKIN, the Spider silk armor provides no small amount of protection itself, guarding against high velocity rifle shots and .22 caliber handguns.

The outer layer consists of segmented carbotanium plates, giving the META bots a stylish matte black finish onto which their NYPD logo and badge number (actually their serial number) are embossed over their "heart."

Starting a Faction

• Email the Mods for permission at <MutantRevolver@gmail.com>. Make sure your email includes:

[/u]

Faction Name:
Logo Request & Faction Colors
How will this faction help MRO?:

---

(Everything below this HR is meant to be posted publicly. Type wisely)



(This space should be used for the introductory persuasive argument for your faction. This is your elevator pitch. DON’T make it too long, but DO try to sell it.)

NPC Staff:
(You do not have to have ANY faction NPCs, but do not submit more than 3. These NPCs will not be allowed to leave the faction HQ to join members on missions, though they can leave the HQ and live their NPC lives. Their powers are meant to support and facilitate smooth faction interactions. Positions to consider: Security, Dispatch, Danger Room equivalent upkeep, Secretary, etc.)

NPC NAME: NPC Function
Brief description of power.
Link to expanded NPC profile


(Explain what makes the most sense in how to join your faction here. Give options and be clear.)

Faction Titles (if applicable)
(X-men titles are Team Leader, Member, Trainee, and X-Kid. List your titles and give a brief description of what that means.)


(brief description)


(brief description)

---

(Everything below this HR is supposed to be posted in a separate post below the above.)

Faction Manifesto

Faction Philosophy/Goals:
(A bulleted list is appropriate here.)

Faction Leadership Structure:
(We strongly recommend against single-character dependent factions. Create a fall-back structure in case life give you lemons and then squeezes them in your eyes.)

Faction Expectations:
(Be clear about what you want your minions to be doing, otherwise your faction will become nothing more than a label. For example, X-men Sponsors are supposed to thread with their Trainees and teach them the X-men way. X-men Team Leaders are supposed to be able to come up with and lead mission threads.)

Evergreen Faction Thread Ideas:
(Please submit a minimum of 3. “Evergreen” means that these are not reliant on any plots, but can be used again and again by many different characters at many different times. For example, the X-men are supposed to take turns on a security rotation guarding the Mansion against ne'er do wells who might harm the children. Won’t somebody please think of the children!? )

Differences from groups:
(NYPD/government, X-men, SUPER, Syndicate, Humans, Adapteds-- compare, contrast, and explain)

How to Interact with other groups:
(How do you expect your faction bros to treat each of the groups listed above.)[/code][/ul]
Please note: if your Faction isn’t significantly different in its philosophy/goals and the members it will attract, you won’t be approved. That’s the only hard requirement we have for starting a Faction. Pro Tip: look at the currently unaffiliated members and ask yourself, “Why haven't they joined a Faction?” If you can make a Faction that will appeal to them, you'll likely have a winner.

[li] After you get Mod approval, post on the RP Requests & Plots Ideas board to let players know what you’re up to. (This post can essentially be the same thing you sent to the Mods: Faction name, philosophy/goals, and potential starter missions).[/li]
[li] Start recruiting players IC. Congratulations, you have minions! Now send them scampering off on missions. See the “Does My Plot Need Mod Approval?” guide, but the general guidelines are: small missions don’t need mod permission, but anything that would affect the site at large do (ie mutant cures, more-than-modern tech, taking over a country, exploding Times Square). Email us with stuff like that, yo. An easy way to think up a mission or craft a plot is to look at current events. Has something blown up lately? Maybe you sent your minions to do that! It’s easy for the mods to say “yes” to destruction that’s already happened IRL.[/li]
[li] Once you have at least four active members (leader + three minions) AND have been actively running missions for at least two months (starting from the date of your first non-recruitment mission), you’ll be recognized as an official site Faction. Spies count for all Factions they’re in, so long as they’re actively participating in missions for all of ‘em, so don’t be afraid to admit traitors into your ranks. What could go wrong~[/li]

[/b]
[/font][/u]
- You and your minions get Faction labels slapped on your profiles (the “Member of ____” titles). You can pick your own Faction logo and color. Make sure your logo isn’t copyrighted and/or that you have permission from the creator to use if for MRO. Your Faction’s color must be one that shows up nicely on all of MRO’s skins.

- Your Faction will be listed on the Factions tab at the top of the page, along with a link to your Faction’s description (you can write something new for this, or we can just link to your existing philosophy/goals post.)

- If you have a site-wide plot you want to run, we’ll list it on the Plots tab, and give it announcement billing so all members know about it. In general, the Mods give Factions more leeway in running sitewide plots then we would to individual players (ie: using advanced tech, taking over countries, owning plot-influencing corporations, etc. Factions are legit to do those things, solo players are not.)

- Your Faction can have its own board as a dedicated base of operations for threading (ie, like the Faust Pharmaceuticals board). Your base can have its own version of the Danger Room for your Faction to train in.

Note that your Faction won’t get these perks until it’s official. If you can’t get it off the ground on your own, then Darwin doesn’t want it to live.[/ul]
Pro Tips for Building Interest in your Faction: Talk about it on the Cbox and Tbox to gauge interest! Starter missions don’t have to be anything big: “go get this item to help build my raygun,” “go attack this target,” “go spy on ____,” and “go recruit this other person for me” are all legit missions that are fun to RP. Not everything needs to be a massive site-wide plot. Threads for two minions are quick and entertaining for the minions involved, and can build towards your larger Faction goals. If your minions are happily chattering about their mission in the Cbox, then they are doing the recruiting for you. <3
[/ul]

Inactive Leadership/Changing Leaders

• If your Faction’s leader goes inactive (2+ months without doing leader-type things, like recruiting new members or running missions), they can be removed from power IC and OOC if the Faction’s active members (or the Mods) wish it. Note that a leader logging in and posting normally is not enough for them to be an “active leader” if those posts don’t include recruitment/missions--no camping the power base without using it, yo.
  
  Once a leader is inactive, any player who wants to take their place may. Just email the Mods to let us know what you’re doing, then start your IC takeover. It’s up to you to make this work IC so that the other characters accept your leadership. (AKA: Win people over OOC, then make your IC move.) Old leaders can return to power via the same means, if they get active again.
  
  If no one wants to be the leader, but the group at large doesn’t want to disband, then an NPC may be put in place to be a mouthpiece for missions. Players can then plot missions OOC, and have the NPC give them orders IC. We recommend having the previous leader’s secretary fill this role. This allows for a PC leader to step in at a later date if they want to without first having to off the NPC. Also the MRO Secretaries Club is slowly taking over the world.

Disbanding a Faction

• If a faction falls under four active members for 2+ months, it’ll be stripped of “official” faction status, but may keep operating minus some perks. Get your membership up again, and you can be official again. The Mods will PM all remaining active Faction members if this is about to happen, to give you a chance to revive things.
• If a faction totally dies (no missions for 6+ months) the faction will be disbanded. If the faction had its own board, the board will be locked to further posting. Disbanded factions can revive in the future, but they’ll need to re-meet all activity requirements. Faction perks will be fully removed, and anything major the group accomplished (like taking over a country, creating a high tech device, etc) will be voided IC (the country will rebel out of their control, the tech will be destroyed, etc). If they do revive, they’ll be starting from scratch again.

Exceptions

• X-Men and the Mansion: The X-Men will always retain official Faction status, and the Mansion will always have its own set of boards. Being iconic has its perks. But if they don’t want the baddies to take over their pretty little city, they’d best stay active.
• The Sanctuary: The Sanctuary provides a stable IC residence for baddies, just like the Mansion provides for the goodies. The Sanctuary’s boards will always remain open for posting, even if the Order itself is disbanded for inactivity (Faust Pharmaceuticals would be the only board subject to closing).

Update: Still alive, still missin' MRO. Currently off work for Winter Break, but using all non-holiday days to house shop. So. Will be scarce. Though I found somewhere that might be perfect, so hopefully not for too long...

Update: lovin' the new job thus far, but definitely still re-learning to do mah teacher-homework in a timely manner, so I shall be scare. Until Winter Break. As it turns out, teachers get paid to have long stretches of time off. This is a magical, wonderful gift, and I shall make sure to squander it on interneting like any proper adult. <3