Objects/Characters losing their place

zeebarf

So I have inventory objects on screen that are set to different visibility and controlled by variables. When entering the scene I use the "On start" cutscene to check the variable states and set the object visibility accordingly. It all works fine until I switch characters. If the player leaves and you switch to another character still in the previous scene, it doesn't seem to run the onStart cutscene and the objects all become visible no matter what their variable state. 

The same happens with the NPC/player character. I have the NPC version hidden off camera, if you switch the player the NPC version takes its place. If you leave the scene and then re-enter the NPC version is no longer in their position, it's back to its original off camera position. But if you use the character switch the player does restore its on screen position that you left it in.

Any ideas for the best way to deal with this?