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Downtime Log - 04

Log 04 - Downtime

Outcome to The Mine Car

And so, Minecraftia is saved! Overall, characters opted to focus on closing the mines. Passengers will receive a summary of their results on their phone (though there's still no sender), and will see it play out around them.

With the deep mines closed off, the fungus responsible for the plague will no longer escape to the surface. Thanks to your thorough efforts, the dynamite has exposed new silver ore and treasure that the townsfolk can live off of, and the ancient mole civilization has also been laid to rest. They pass along this message:

Totally radalicious for ya to do us a solid like that bros. You wouldn't believe how bad those acid spores were harshin' my buzz. See ya on the flip side. Cowabunga, dudes!

Mayor Chadsef has been slain. The people of Minecraftia are grateful that his devious plots have been revealed, but are unsettled by some of your behavior. They are left without much leadership.

Continue to fulfill objectives. Do not dwell on completed cars.

Though passengers can stay in Minecraftia for a while, the exit door is now open! Because presumably some of them killed and ate Chadsef, the denizens will eventually chase them out for being weirdos.

Numbers: All numbers will change as a result of this log. Overall, those who focused on the mines will see their numbers go down, and vice versa. However, this is character-driven: a character that went to the mines solely to loot for treasure may still see their number go up, and likewise, those that attacked Chadsef may still see their numbers go down if it coincides with character growth.

Illness: Those who fell ill will have lingering effects, but the plague will clear without exposure to the spores. Symptoms can fade as quickly or slowly as players wish.

Then, as characters exit Minecraftia, they will receive another new message.

FROM: clownductor one

Well, that was unexpected.

Regular train cars will now resume. Please note that to end your journey aboard the Existential Express, the numbers located on your body must go down to zero. Indulging in your bad habits will cause your number to increase indefinitely and infinitely. Do not think of it as a prison sentence, but...

...A journey along the railroad of self improvement.

And from here on out, we're back to our regularly scheduled downtime log! Good work, everyone!

The Dinosaur Car

As characters enter the car, their phones will notify them of a new objective…

> [ this video starts to play. ]

That's not really an actionable objective, but you probably don't have much time to worry about it because in this car… there are dinosaurs! They seem to be engulfed in a vicious turf war between bickering herbivores and carnivores, and in the middle of the fighting is a flock of baby dinosaurs separated from their parents. :( Their size easily dwarfs the passengers, but compared to the adults, they're small and helpless and could use someone to take them back to their dens.

Unfortunately, not all the babies are cooperative. Some have no sense of danger, and others have too much sense of danger. While others won't stop crying, and some have decided that you're their new mother! Navigating them through the bickering adults won't be an easy task.

All carnivores except velociraptors have poor senses, so they'll only see you if you move. The herbivores will largely leave you alone... because they won't notice your presence at all, and will stomp on you with no reservations. Both sides will react poorly to violence against their own, so be prepared to run or fight if you're the hack-and-slash type. That said, these oversized reptiles are no pea-brains, and may actually be open to diplomacy…

The Crystal Car

As the characters enter the car, their phones will notify them of a new objective…

> Sing, baby, sing ♫

The inside of this car is peaceful and #aesthetic — everything is made of varying types of crystal, geodes, etc, and the pink sunlight glitters across every surface. What does this have to do with the objective? Nothing! Not everything in life has a meaning, you know?

However, there is one particularly shiny crystal not far from the door here, with a few fairly obvious hand-shaped indents. When touched, the crystal will shimmer and shine to an emotional song. But not just any song — it has to have sentimental value to the singer. That's right, you can't just pick the classiest tune of your Sp*tify to pretend you have good taste to your friends. This is about a mother's lullaby, or the horrible mix tape your first boyfriend made you, or the randumb song you made up with your friends as a kid. Once the crystal is satisfied with your performance, the exit door will open.

The Otome Car

As the characters enter the car, their phones will notify them of a new objective…

> Unlock a good end.

The assorted NPCs of this neo-noir world are occupied with solving grisly murders. Passengers will find themselves in roles such as jaded private investigator, lackadaisical forensics tech, vigilante hacker, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed dame, etc... but more importantly, above every character's head is what looks like a progress bar.

When someone encounters another passenger, the bar will fill up according to how much they trust and/or like them. (Yes, this will out anyone who's been sneaky or dishonest about their feelings.) In order to fill this 'trust gauge' to max, characters must pick the right dialogue options with each other (i.e. not piss each other off, flatter one another, etc. You may also interpret this as literal otome dialogue prompts, if you like), or otherwise convince all the NPCs that they care for each other. Maybe it's by holding hands, or fake dating, or pretending Wheatley is your beloved son orb (sorb).

Once both bars are completely full, characters will abruptly discover the murderer was the cop all along. They'll receive a bag of Sn*ckers for their detective work. Good end! If characters do poorly at this get-along task, they may get various Bad Ends, which will usually result in them nearly dying (or actually dying) before starting over from a previous checkpoint. Successive bad ends will turn more and more ridiculous over time.

The GBBO Car

As the characters enter the car, their phones will notify them of a new objective…

> Impress the judges with a delicious creation.

Upon entering the car, passengers will find themselves in a large tent. The tent contains rows of baking stations, equipped with ovens and a variety of kitchen equipment. Along the sides of the tents are fridges and freezers, and at the back of the tent is a pantry which will manifest any ingredient a passenger can think of. As passengers bake however, they'll find that they need to work together as access to the gadgets and ingredients is split between individuals. Whether it's the oven refusing to start, or eggs consistently slipping from their grasp, passengers will need to rely on a partner regardless of skill level. Characters that try to work on their own will consistently end up with a terrible tray of brownies, no matter what they're trying to bake.

Passengers will have 3 hours to create the dish listed on their station before being subjected to the scrutiny of celebrity judges: Haul Pollywood and Bary Merry. Ready... set... bake!

The Hand Holding Car

As the characters enter the car, their phones will notify them of a new objective…

> Bring the light to the cauldron.

Upon entering this car, passengers will find themselves in total darkness. There is nothing around them except, visible by the light of their phones, a single torch. They'll find that they can't light it using magic or matches, and that it only blazes bright when they hold the hand of another passenger. As soon as that contact is lost, the torch will go out.

There is no path or indicators as they trek forward—nothing but the black nothingness, their fellow passenger and the torch. But eventually, whispers. A cold sensation crawling up their spine, and the sudden, unshakeable fear of the person whose hand they're holding. A voice will warn them of the evil hidden in their partner's heart, the weapons they carry, and describe to them in vivid detail all the ways they could end their life, or worse. There's nothing more terrifying to you than this person, but if you let go, then there's only darkness.

One final catch: this connection goes beyond fear. Characters will find themselves able to read each other's thoughts while holding hands.

The Vacation Car

As the characters enter the car, their phones will notify them of a new objective…

> Slow down and get some R&R. You deserve it! Some of you, anyway!

The vast interior of this car is filled with a white, sandy beach. Clear water stretches as far as the eye can see, and the shoreline is dotted with everything you'd find at a popular boardwalk: food stands, cool drinks, tacky swimsuit huts, a brightly lit ferris wheel. Vendors don't accept money, but will gladly share their goods in exchange for good deeds. The beach is open to all, and sports all manner of coral and sea creatures.

(This may include flying sharks and giant octopi.)

And to top it all off, there's an enormous seaside spa! There are various different rooms, providing all kinds of treats to relax: bathing pools both hot and cool, luxurious showers, wet and dry saunas, lounging areas with refreshing drinks and snacks, and even several outdoor hot springs! Above them is always a clear night sky, with auroras dancing against the darkness if you get lucky. How does this all work in the same climate? Don't worry about it.

The spa is largely autonomous: bathing products automatically replenish themselves, food and drink appears and cleans itself up on its own, and there are somehow always warm towels and fluffy robes. This also means that no one is actually running some of the stations — namely the manipedi and massage rooms — so you may have to lend a helping hand or two.

OOC Notes

Car Order: While the cars are linear and in the order shown, characters can freely move between these six cars for the next three weeks — players may assume 1:1 IC:OOC time ratio.

Locks: Passengers may follow other characters out of cars after they've been unlocked — so in general, players can assume optional cars on downtime months are unlocked if they don't want to play in them. Likewise, if your character ICly would not participate in a car but you still want to play with those prompts, you can assume they're locked in and must complete objectives. Feel free to pick and choose what you'd like to play from any downtime log!

Update: We will also have a small update in the coming weeks — the setting won't change, but there will be a few more (optional!) aspects to play with later.

Feel free to direct questions to our Discord help channel. Have fun!

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CRYSTAL CAR

[ Walking amidst a forest of crystals, mostly alone, gives him plenty of time to think. The little bird he'd received sits on his shoulder, twittering now and then and only lending further weight to his nostalgic mood. Obi-Wan can't remember the last time he felt like he wanted to sing. The men would sometimes; songs in Mando'oa that weren't always proper for younger ears. The Jedi would sing to one another: to help the children to sleep in the creche, to share old stories, to take them through moving meditation.

Months have passed it feels like, and it's the first time since the end of the war began that Obi-Wan has let himself dwell on it at all. Allowed himself to miss what he remembered. The Jedi Order as it was. The thoughts would have swallowed him in their dark ichor of the mechanical bird didn't light up with song when he started to spiral. Maybe that's a big part of what gets him over the hurdle of encouraging himself to finish the objective.

He can either be found singing a lullaby or a working song in an unidentifiable language. ]

OTOME GAME

[ He thinks he has figured out the rules of the game. They are meant to be uncovering the mystery of some murder, but those details seem to matter less than what the people around them seem to think about him — or more accurately, his relationship with other people. Having yet to find the exit, and therefore unable to try to move on without playing along, leaves him doing things the old fashioned way. ]

Yes!

[ He declares, before the passenger next to him can answer the question Are you two together? in the lobby of their appointed hotel. He puts his hand out, laying his palm on their back — an unmistakably intimate gesture that draws the eye of the NPC. ]

We're together.

HOLDING HANDS

[ Maybe they've been travelling for a little while, maybe they've just bumped into one another, but either way the person with him has suddenly let go and plunged them both into darkness. Probably not a surprise, as there are many creative ways one could kill someone with a light saber or the Force or even physical skill. He knows what they are hearing, because he has heard it himself about them, and been making a concentrated effort on blocking it out. His mental shields are intense, which gives him a leg up in this car.

They are in almost perfect darkness, but Obi-Wan can sense the other person with distinct clarity. He holds out his hand between them, the screen of his communicator in his vambrace glowing around his wrist. ]

Take my hand. It's alright.

THE VENGA BUS IS COMING

[ For maybe the first time since the Korogu car, Obi-Wan looks - and sounds - happy. If the objective is to relax, then who is he to question it? Obi-Wan can be found relaxing in the hotsprings and saunas and in the bar area, always with some kind of fruity looking cocktail situation, and always in something like this.

Otherwise, he can be found at the boardwalk legitimately engaging with the vendors and the games. Standing in front of one such stall involving targets and water pistols, Obi-Wan looks at the person next to him with a twinkle in his eye. ]

Do you want the big prize?

WILDCARD
[ hmu anywhere. want to catch him with the dinos? lets do it. want to make him hold your basket of eggs for the bake off? heck yeah. want to text him bc i never put up a texting prompt? yes lets!! ]

[The car is nostalgic for Lucretia too. Although, in her case there's a sense of foreboding surrounding the pink crystals and she keeps her distance at first - logically aware that this is the Train's doing and not anything to do with the Philosopher's Stone, but the memory of watching the pink tourmaline swallow Lucas' lab was a painful memory in her mind. One of her many failures as a director.

She's stopped, looking at one of the tall pink crystals when a voice drifts through the valley of stone and gem. Familiar on the edges and haunting in the relative solitude of the car, Lucretia is drawn toward it, smiling when she sees who is on the other side.

When he's done:] It's a lovely song. [A beat, she clears her throat,] You have a lovely voice.

[ He can feel Lucretia coming, the specific swash of her signature in the Force. It doesn't stop him from continuing the song, even though it feels incredibly intimate singing it before someone who wasn't a Jedi. But even as he goes through the final verses and she's come into view, he has reached into himself to inspect why he feels that way and let the feeling move through him. Music wasn't made to be hidden. Qui-Gon wouldn't have felt that way. He makes eye contact with her as he's finishing the song, before his gaze goes over her shoulder to the crystals.

Having been shining solidly a moment ago, they dim back to a more neutral glow. He has time to think that they might be brighter than they were before when Lucretia speaks up. Obi-Wan smiles and clears his throat into his fist. ]

Ah, yes. Thank you. I am... rather out of practice.

[There’s something nostalgic about his singing. It’s the first time she’s heard it, to be certain, but it’s one of those things she never realized was missing until it was right in front of her. And it’s a funny, fuzzy feeling to listen to Obi wan do it now.]

I wouldn’t have been able to guess.

[She clears her throat for no reason and turns her gaze to the pink crystals. Memories unbidden of singing on board the Star Blaster – Lucretia did it often while she did chores. Lullabies and folk tales picked up from the worlds that they left behind. A comfortable habit around the people she cared for the most.

How long has it been since she sang anything? She touches the pink crystal, seemingly glowing warm from Obi wan’s song.]

Do you think it worked?

[ Obi-Wan is not ignorant enough to recognize the warmth that suffuses him is genuine pleasure, not of the compliment necessarily but of who it is coming from. That, he also recognizes, could be a problem. Although, if the nature of their trip on this train is temporary, perhaps it is less of one than it would normally be. There is no real danger of getting attached to someone who is guaranteed to leave your life, right?

Unfortunately he knows that the excuse is a poor one. Just like he knows he is not going to make an effort to distance himself from the one person on this train not of his world he sees as a true equal. ]

I have no idea. It seems to have done something, but I have yet to find the door.

[ He raises his hand to his beard, stroking along the ginger and silver as he looks around the immediate area. ]

I thought perhaps it would materialize if I sang the right thing, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

[Getting close to people who would only just leave her in enough time is a little too familiar a problem for Lucretia, although she spent the last ten years walls off from others. She was fond of the members of the bureau, to be certain. She rejoiced when they came home safely, but she kept herself separated. To protect them. To protect herself.

To feel comfort in the presence of another? It felt nice. Disarming in ways she didn't typically allow.]

The instructions seemed simple enough. [The crystal doesn't change, nor does any obvious path stretch out before them. On the contrary, the color starts to drain with time. Maybe it needs constant song to fuel it? Or each person needs to sing to open the door.]

I guess I could give it a try... [Why is she suddenly feeling bashful about it? she clears her throat, then gives Obi Wan a sidelong glance.]

Any requests...? I haven't done this in front of anyone in ten years.

[ Sing, baby, sing couldn't get much more straight forward unless it were literal, and he has not seen any singing infants tottering around. He watches the colour drain out of the crystal with a little frown. Obi-Wan is not sure he would have a song more personal than the one he just sang, and he knows that has something to do with it. He had already worked his way through a few radio tunes and songs from the Temple before finding something that made the crystals change.

But his attention comes back to Lucretia, the way she clears her throat and doesn't quite look at him. The corners of his eyes crease. He doesn't suggest a song because he is certain that they will not have much, if any, cross over in music. Common sounds might exist across worlds and universes but lyrics he thinks rather unlikely. ]

I can turn around if it will help.

No. [She says, surprising herself.] I don't mind. Maybe if you watch the crystals it might illuminate what makes them glow the brightest.

[Logical as always. Now to pick a song. There's something about the moment that reminds her of the world of the voidfish. Countless works of art presented but only a few chosen. Lup and Barry's duet, Magnus' wooden duck... the beautiful piano solo.

Slowly at first, Lucretia starts to sing. Its slow and sad and truly the only song she's had on her mind since she stepped into the room.]

Pulled from my home inside a cloud

lost to the dark I drift alone

now I've returned beyond the shroud

ever to reign upon my throne

here in my Crystal Kingdom...

[ He was right, he doesn't know the song — but the emotion behind it is clear, and Lucretia is not a poor singer. Almost immediately, the world around them lights up as she starts singing. Obi-Wan watches her for a long moment, the way the pink shines off her pale hair and dark skin — before finally wrenching his gaze away as the chorus begins.

This time, he does see something he hadn't before, maybe because he was lost in his own memory. As she continues, Obi-Wan reaches out and takes her by the hand. Without offering explanation, he smiles at her, then starts guiding her along a pathway lit with gleaming crystals as she continues singing. ]

I saw beyond the- the Omniverse...

[She only stutters once when she feels that first warm brush of a hand in hers, and it's her instinct at first to pull away, the tightness in her chest fluttering into sheepishness when she realizes Obi Wan's intent – notices the path that the crystals are making and she nods, turning her hand so that their palms are pressed together.

Here she continues singing, watching the reflection of both of them as they pass by the crystals – the shape of them stretching and skewing their figures like a funhouse mirror, until the image disappears entirely behind the glow that is bright enough to make her turn away. Towards Obi wan. And as she reaches the final bridge of her song, she gives his hand a squeeze and with a smile and a nod, coaxes him to (hopefully) finish out the last, repeated line with her:]

Lost in my crystal kingdom.

[ There's something ethereal about the way Lucretia's echoes voice around them, getting lost in the crystalline wall. Obi-Wan glances over his shoulder, looking at her profile as the warm rainbow of crystals they pass light up her face. He doesn't notice that he turns forward when she looks at him in turn.

Without the song to lead the way, they might not make it through the maze. The world around them twists and turns, but so long as the music continues they are shown the way. He senses it before she squeezes his hand, but still meets her gaze with her coaxing. It's easy to fit his deeper voice in alongside hers, harmonizing: ]

Lost in my crystal kingdom.

[ But then he repeats it again, nodding at her, encouraging her to keep going — but this time he begins chiming in on every repeated refrain. ]

arrrrgh this is so cute

7edacted - 2021-10-23 21:57 (UTC) - Expand

obi-wan kenobi | star wars | ota

Crystal car

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Wildcard, because I DID jest, but--

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otome (i just wanna flirt with obi-wan)

understandable have a nice day

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