thanks for your reply, things are clearer now! I do have a couple of follow-up questions:
A) Does the Devils Bargain you take when Embracing a Quirk provide the +1d?
B) If I risk spending a Trait every time I Resist, why not always leverage one granted I've still got Traits to spend? Is this about legibility (i.e. this trait doesn't fit here and thus can't be leveraged)? Or is it reserved for that one desperate final Resist roll when I'm outta traits and am risking Lethal Harm and thus being Taken Out?
C) Speaking of Harm: how do I make Minor and Major Harm actually matter mechanically? They provide additional Quirks and are thus seem empowering instead of being scary. Is it my job as the GM to, say, reduce effect, worsen position, or subtract dice by leveraging the harm the PCs have sustained? But if I do, this will surely remind the PC to Embrace said Harm as a Quirk--so do we do both? If Harm grants useful Quirks, what reason, if any, to try to avoid or get rid of it?
Anyway, thanks for designing this beautifully lean framework. I hope to adapt Plunged... for a series of artsy oneshots i'll be running next month--I'll make sure to share a postmortem afterwards :)