![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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!
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
locomo e2 traincationFAQ & Game Info / Calendar / Taken
Applications / Reserves / Hiatus & Drops
FULL NAVIGATION
no subject
That might make things difficult for anyone that does not have a song about crystals.
[ He says, looking at the shimmer of the crystalline door. On the other side of it was another mysterious car, and Obi-Wan finds himself hesitating over losing this suspended moment out of time. ]
no subject
[Her teasing trails off, the lingering pressure of their hands together settling somewhere both comfortable and alien in her chest. It’s been a long time. Since Lucretia had entertained anything in her life besides the one, singular goal of stopping the hunger. For ninety nine years she witnessed the end of the world. Over and over again watched worlds and people - good people - get wiped out and destroyed and devoured. She hardened herself. They all did. She and the other six who were left to survive and suffer it all over again.
And those six people? Her friends – her family. She loved them, without a doubt, and even then she let them go. Made them forget about her when she fed a record of their journey to the Voidfish. To protect them.
She let go of all of them.]
Obi wan.
[She looks at their hands, still entwined. Then looks back up to meet his eyes. Almost sorrowfully, she nods to the door.]
…We should move forward.
no subject
Obi-Wan is watching her when she lifts her head, raising her eyes to meet his own. ]
Yes.
[ He agrees, and looks back at the door. The future wasn't going anywhere just yet. If Anakin is ahead of him, he will stop and wait for Obi-Wan eventually. He makes no move toward the door, and makes no move to let her hand go. ]
I never knew my real parents and I never really had any desire to find out who they might have been - but I think my Master, Qui-Gon, was probably the closest thing. He used to sing that when he knew I couldn't sleep, though I would never admit to it. He used to singing it to his plants.
no subject
But she doesn't let go. A crack in the wall that she's built around herself.
He speaks and her attention flicks outward, to him, and at first the trail of his sentence has her brows pinch together, understanding soon follows. His song. It had been a lovely one. Maybe if not for her resolute need to move forward she could have lingered longer, asked about it then.]
I wouldn't mind to hear it again. If you'd indulge me.
no subject
[ He chuckles under his breath, and steps away from her. He doesn't exactly release her hand, but lets his fingertips slide to the tips of her own, inviting her wordlessly to sit with him as he takes a seat on the smooth slope of a crystal nearby. Blue eyes lift to her face, watching her whether she chooses to sit with him or remain standing. ]
Not because of you, mind — it's just... [ He weighs the correct words for a moment. ] I'd rather save it for a night you might have trouble sleeping.
[ A benign sentence loaded with possibility: that he might sing it for her again, that he might do so in a more intimate setting. None of this is accidental. Obi-Wan smiles at her. ]
Where did you learn yours?
no subject
[Oh.
There's definitely a rosy hue gathering around her cheeks, although her response is a to chuckle, a smile pulling despite all of her reservation. The look she gives him is knowing, almost scolding, as if to say Obi Wan you sly, handsome man.
She does join him a moment later. And her hand rotates to make the hand hold more comfortable, not so much lacing them, but there's the suggestion of that, with a thoughtful thumb that runs over his knuckles.]
An old friend of mine. She didn't teach me so much as it was something I picked up. [Her smile fades, still there, but sadder.] She helped me found the Bureau of Balance, and... died while in service of it.
no subject
It is a different sort of loss, for it to happen in the line of duty.
[ Obi-Wan had known little of that, before the Sith returned. Now, he is all too familiar with it. ]
no subject
[The guilt is obvious in her voice, and she keeps her eyes down, thoughtful as she considers all of the people that have given their lives in service to the Bureau. Her responsibility to them.]
Her son was devastated. Tried to undo it by binding his mother's soul to a robot. If only I could have intervened, it might not have happened at all.
no subject
[ He murmurs an empathetic agreement, because Obi-Wan has had to watch far too many troopers march to their deaths under his instruction. Has lost members of his closest battalion members. He might not have a mother to report them to, but telling it to their brothers is just as bad.
As she sinks into the memory, Obi-Wan squeezes her hand, gently bringing her back. He isn't sure how he feels about the idea of undoing a death by binding a soul. It sounds far too much like ownership, or imprisonment — but he can see how it might have seemed like a logical step. Both to assuage her own guilt, and the grief of that boy. While to Obi-Wan, it sounds like a horror story, it is also a humbling reminder of just how far people will go for love.
Some part of him finds it abhorrent, but the other part...
His feelings on the matter, however, are not the point. He is sure she has heard every platitude in the book, so what he says is: ]
Grief is a heavy burden to carry.
no subject
Obi Wan brings her back to the present and a small smile pulls, and she looks down at their joined hands,]
It is. But. [A pause and the next words come out slow, with some difficulty,] It is easier when someone is there to help lighten the load.
[And then, something changes. It's a small thing, just a tiny visual change that she would have missed if she'd been looking anywhere else, but Lucretia notices it immediately. And immediately she pulls her hand back.]
Sorry, I. [She curls her hand in front of her, a tingling sensation crawling up her neck as she stares.] My number went down just now.
[For the first time since she arrived. Now on the back of her hand read a shining 490.]
no subject
But with her direction, he looks down too. The number is higher than his own, and lower than Anakin's, but he's given up on trying to discern exactly how they are measured. Given the nature of the car, he can only assume it has to do with how much inner work they must do. This must be the first time she has admitted that she does not have to do everything alone. Obi-Wan smiles, warm. ]
Well, if that isn't progress I do not know what is.
no subject
Do you ever think-
[Then, thinks better of it and shakes her head. Swallows it down and offers a smile instead.]
Nevermind. [Hands on her staff, she uses it to push herself back up to standing.] I should keep moving forward. Are you planning to remain here?