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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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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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Instead, it looks like its big lizards.
How did so many of them get separated from their parents? Maybe this is the real reason people get brought onto the train. Every couple of weeks some new group needs to come through for babysitting duty.
Anakin moves comfortably through the brush despite the size of the creatures they share the land with. And despite what he knows, feels, is happening. That he's being followed. But in time, the path he's following comes to an end and by extension, the creature pursuing him will be drawn out by the potential for an easy meal. It's another one of the lizards, another kid one he thinks? This time with a long mouth. Snout. Whatever.
And also with- oh.
Recognition softens his stance; Anakin's arms come up to fold casually across his chest.] You know we're supposed to be returning them, right?
WELP
In that singular, time-stopping moment, it's all over for her.]
Oh, my, my, my! [What was he saying? All she's hearing is the choir of angels, strumming their harps and harmonizing in heavenly key. Her scarlet gaze sweeps down (slick belt, runner's thighs, boots coming to a tapered point) and up (broad chest, shoulders set in proud poise, slender slope of the neck, good god that jaw! Brooding eyes! Lips, cheekbones, brow, rakishly combed hair!), slow and salacious as can be. As if the way her tongue was hanging out the side of her mouth were no clear indication of where her mind is at.
Jill claps her hands to her cheeks and pants audibly, a fiery flush singeing her complexion. Shit, when was the last time she had it this bad on sight? Was it her first love, back in Shikoku? Sweet Junichiro, who ran behind the fishmonger's and tried to make her stumble, toppling the bin of carcasses as he fled? Master Byakuya, svelte and trim and slim in his school day haze, reading with one leg crossed in the Hope's Peak library?
Ooooof, maybe even better than that. This crush has been stewing. Maybe it's this jungle heat, maybe it's the thrill of having a hundred razor sharp teeth and a bone-snapping bite at her beck and call, but man she is feeling it!]
Puh-leeeeease tell me you're unarmed. Or don't! Oh boy oh boy, you look like you've got some fight in you...what do you prefer? Swords? Knives? Hand to hand, skin to skin?! I'm burning up! I'm gonna blow my top!
[She giggles and takes a giddy spin on the spot, heels kicking high, squealing into her hands before they rake into her hair. Her eyes have blown feverishly wide. She looks like she might rip the locks out by the roots.]
TELL ME YOUR FUCKING NAME!
💖 💖 🚑
His chin lifts, not haughty, just unmoved. Unintimidated.]
Anakin Skywalker [He calls it out the way a battalion returns fire.
Around them the jungle is still warm and damp and breathing. There are still more of these creatures out there, like the one that bends to her touch before she withdraws. The air buzzes around him as she spins wildly, digging her fingers into her dark hair and gripping at it.]
Who are you?
no subject
She releases her hair, giggling girlishly as the name ricochets through her skull.]
Hiya, Aniiii. [He even gets a saucy wave along with it.] Do they call you Skywalker because you came straight from heaven?
[The dinosaur child at her side gives a whuff, tail swishing. Jill pats a hand to its snout and affords it a thin slice of her attention.] Don't be impatient! We'll get you lunch just yet!
[All the while, her eyes are on him. She can't look away. Jill leans her head against the hungry beast's with a happy sigh. It'd be coquettish if it weren't for what she says next.]
If he tries to run, you can have him. Kay?
[The glowing number on her thigh had mysteriously shot down to 1003 while she was sleeping. Now it ticks back up. Four-five-six, ten-eleven-twelve. She's hardly got the mind to keep an eye on it.
She smiles at him. Licks the side of her mouth.]
You can call me Jill. Oh, but I'm guessing you're used to something else, huh? Either it's love at first sight, or you've been giving Miss Morose goosebumps for a while. [Idly, she scratches at the dinosaur's neck. Placating it for now.] It's the second one, isn't it? Don't deny it.
no subject
But for the strange tension in their standoff, they remain a pair of opposites. In every way that Jill shifts her weight, changes her expression, reaches for the creature all by melting into her touch- Anakin remains still. He doesn't start pacing their makeshift arena; it's clear that he's aware of her, perplexed even. But there is no fear or repulsion. If his fight or flight instincts have kicked in, there's little guess to which side he's ended up on.]
Alright, Jill. [The number on her naked thigh begins to climb. Anakin deliberately avoids looking at it.
Instead, he reaches into the small pack he'd picked up in Minecraftia- withdrawing some cured meats he'd collected before they left. The way the dinosaur's nostrils flare tell him it hasn't gone unnoticed. And in lieu of sensibly keeping his distance, Anakin begins to cross the space between them. He isn't going to bother trying to talk her down, that was Obi-Wan's specialty, but he's never been good at being prey either. Anakin keeps the meat in one hand, encouraging the dinosaur at her side to smell it, know that its there- but not to try and take it.]
Can't say I know that nickname, you'll have to be a little more specific.
no subject
Still, that's a bit of a thrill on its own, isn't it? She doesn't plan on dying per se, they have things to do. Big things, world-saving business. But if she has to go?
Jill watches his hips swivel in their cool cat stride. The way he's fishing provisions out, distracting her cutie baby boy. Already prepared, even for the unexpected. To die at the hand of a man like this? Wouldn't that just be a dream?
Yet with all these saccharine fantasies, she still snaps as quick and ferocious as a crocodile's jaw.]
DON'T PLAY DUMB!
[The dinosaur balks. Pulls loose of her grip, shaking its head. Jill doesn't melt back to herself, per se. Rather, she holds her hands to her heart and bats some serious lashes, bending her brows in a fretful expression.]
You nuh-nuh-know exactly who I mean. Are you puh-playing games with our little heart?
[Jill sweeps out of the ploy, haughty once more. He's a man of steady ease. She's a whirlwind of whims. Well, you know what they say! Opposites attract! And he keeps coming ever closer. Constant as the tick of a bomb.]
There's only so much a girl can take, you know. I've promised to be good. So don't make me break my word.
no subject
Jill shouts and Anakin thinks of the click of teeth on teeth. There isn't enough space between them for buildup, if this really is going to end in a scuffle- and that's just fine by him. When has he ever been afraid to get his hands dirty? Beside her the dinosaur rears, startled or maybe just frightened. Its head draws back, so Anakin holds his ground and waits for the excitement to settle. For the scent and nearness of food to draw its attention back to his hand. He isn't worried about fighting the thing if he has to- but he can just imagine the look on Obi-Wan's face over another "diplomatic incident."
Anakin doesn't see a weapon in her hands. He knows now that the absence doesn't make her any less dangerous.]
Fukawa is my friend, so I'd prefer it if you didn't talk about her like that.
no subject
[Ha ha. As if anyone's trying to punch that card. Ain't that always the way? She pushes a demure hand to her cheek, oh so bashful.]
Relaaaaaax! Don't get your panties in a twist. If you're friends with her, then you're friends with me. See? Don't you get it yet? Take a good look, Bananakin. Think about it, real hard. Did I paint this beauty mark on? Did I rip my skirt in all the same places?
[What a pity. Oh, there's plenty to be excited about here. She's never mad about meeting a new face, especially one so adorable as this. But the timing! The circumstance! Ugh!
Her grin shifts. Softens. Jill regards him as if he were a grand portrait over a fireplace, a beloved betrothed, lost too soon. She all but murmurs her next missive.]
So you should listen to me when I tell you: whatever you're doing with her, knock it off. For all our sakes.
no subject
So I should listen to you and just ignore her.
[Her expression shifts, softens. Anakin is aware of her the way he's aware of sandstorms and krayt dragons, of slave chips buried beneath the skin. Benign is no less dangerous. Instead of having the good sense to be wary, Anakin, who has never met a fight he said no to, raises a brow in her direction.] Because why?
Are you jealous?
no subject
Jealous? Of her?
[Pardon her cackling. It's piercing. Madcap. Sharp and sawed off at the end like her next words chopped it off short. The dinosaur at her side jolts and stares, but ultimately turns its eyes back to him.]
Oh no no no! I'm telling you, it's a bad idea is all! Say that you were raising a fox and a chicken. You love both dearly, they're your sweet little angels! You can pet the fox, you can cuddle the chicken, but can the fox be trusted with the chicken? Or would you wake up one morning, pour yourself a tea, and step outside to a complete massacre?
Or — [She breaks off, tapping her chin in thought.] Maybe that's not the right analogy. After all, in this scenario you're the bloody mess on the floor, and the fox and the farmer are one and the same.
[It's risky business, spelling it out so plain. It just can't be helped. She's trying to do him a favour. And in a larger sense, Gloomy too. If what that bastard conductor said about their numbers was true, giving into temptation now is gonna grant them a life sentence.]
I'm fighting my nature, you see. It's already an uphill battle. Don't make it so hard for us, okay?
no subject
Jill's mouth is still curved up at each corner as if she's warmed by mirth, even as she starts to elaborate. Pauses. Mulls over her analogy. Then seems to largely give up the ghost once she lays the threat out for what it is. Anakin, less intimidated than he is displeased on principle, frowns.] Plenty of us are fighting our nature. You aren't special. [It might be meant as an insult from anyone else, and while Anakin isn't hiding his dislike thus far, the words sound less like a hurled stone than they do a child muttering about unfairness.]
It sounds like you're just mad because you're the only one not getting what you want.
no subject
[Let's not fool ourselves though: he's not listening. Either he's too proud to admit the stakes are real, or he's not catching the right implications. Does he still think she and Gloomy are two separate people? Or is he like that four eyed freak, so high and mighty that no such thing as a threat exists?
Hot.
Their romantic sojourn is shaken by a sudden blast of a roar. Whatever it is, it's big, angry, and only a few miles to the west. But her giant bundle of joy perks up at once. Tail wagging, squirming on the spot.
Jill hoists onto her tip toes and puts a hand to her brow, as if she were searching for a baseball soaring off field.]
What is it lil' guy? Are those your folks?
[Ah...is their fated meeting about to come to a close?]
no subject
Anakin has never been worried for his own death, he's never had any visions of it. Death is something that happens to other people, to the people he loves. So if it's really Fukawa that's in danger- then he'll ask her himself, he's not about to take the word of some stranger. Someone who's clearly holding a grudge.]
If you want to get home you're going to have to resist. [That's the crux of it right? If Jill's the one who wants to kill him, and she also wants to get back home- then that means neither Anakin or Fukawa are the hostages here. The thought sharpen something at the corner of his mouth.] After all, it's on you to be on your best behaviour.
[The girl is already on her toes, squinting out into the brush as her dinosaur charge lifts its head.]
And it sounds like duty calls.
no subject
She twists her head back to beam at him, wholly charmed and heart-a-throbbing. Look at that darling smirk!]
Ooooh, I don't know. You still shouldn't go waving steak in a lion's face.
[He's got to be a hit with all the girls. A thought that only sharpens her prickling itch, fingers twitching in want of her scissors. She could make him hers and hers alone. Other girls just can't love the way she does, simpering touch just doesn't compare to the kiss of a blade. He'd be wasted on them. With her, he'd be immortalized. Never past his prime, never open to wandering eyes.
Aaaah, but she digresses. That's the kind of thinking that we need to avoid.
Jill pats her charge's neck. It leans down obediently, allowing her to leap atop its back. There's nothing of Gloomy's clumsy fumbling here, just the explosive power of a martial artist. And would you believe she's never taken a single class? Some people are just born with it she guesses. After all, she has an Ultimate Talent too. In her world that's as good as a destiny.
She settles astride the creature, winding arms around its neck as it rises. She bats her lashes one more time at her new beau, drinking it all in.]
You're right. It does. I'd say until we meet again, but you don't want that at all. Even so... [The creature whuffs, barks, teeth snapping. Antsy. Jill grins, and her teeth seem as sharp as the beast's.] Don't die without me, cutie.
[Wouldn't that just be a total waste?
She kicks into the dinosaur's side, and they race off. The rumble of footsteps is thunderous, and just as foreboding as a summer storm.]