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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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locomo e2 traincationFAQ & Game Info / Calendar / Taken
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no subject
[In the midst of Toko's nerd fury, Rex takes hold of both her hands and simply squeezes them in an attempt to calm her down. He seems to harbor no sense of hesitation or nervousness when it comes to physical touch, channeling the air of a guy who has pulled this move a thousand and one times. He runs his thumbs back and forth over whatever skin he can touch, and there are two observations Toko will be able to glean from this.
Rex's hands run quite warm due to his elevated body temperature, yet not sweaty in the slightest. Additionally, due to his accelerated healing factor and the enhanced regeneration of his epidermis, for a man who uses his hands for just about everything, his skin is surprisingly
supplesoft.]And before ya squawk at me a whole bunch, I'm not callin' you one of those.
Look. We're in weird getups for this one. Maybe this is some kind of roleplay car? Tex definitely insinuated that we were gonna bone, and, you know what? I, for one, am insulted! I mean, what if I'm not the kind of guy who fucks on the first date?
I am, for the record? But-
[💀💀💀]
Oh, fuck. Who am I kidding?
There's no need to be embarrassed! Plenty of people like bein' stepped on. That makes you just like everybody else! Which means your fantasies are pretty run-of-the-mill.
[Rex leans in, pressing their foreheads together. His voice lowers into something of a whisper-]
You're not as much of a freak as you thought you were. Congratulations! It's party time.
no subject
[She's been captured. Toko squirms at once, but there's a curious air to the way he squeezes her hands that puts a pause on her escape gambit. He's just very awfully close. At this point that she'd usually start yelling about biting her tongue off or screaming bloody murder, but she feels strangely cowed, even if her ire over the jab has yet to abate.
Maybe it's the odd heat in his soft palms. Maybe it's the fact that they're this close, and both dressed in ludicrous get ups. Maybe it's the fresh body still cooling several meters away. Her eyes blow wide behind her glasses, darting between his own. It takes a moment for her voice to resurface, about the time she darts her gaze to the floor.]
I don't care what that d-degenerate is insinuating...he can burn alive for all I care...
[How Tex would find himself in such a predicament is someone else's problem.
It surprises her none-percent that Rex would rush straight to the bedroom. What shocks her is that this is his response to his own joke. Why the hell does he feel like he needs to placate her? Over a fantasy? Which she has fuzzy recollections of nattering on about her love for Byakuya and, um...Chadsef (UGH), which may or may not have included a desire to serve as their doormat. Among other things.
But now, he's telling her it's normal. Widespread, even. Then why does everyone always look at me like I'm a three-headed troll? He dips his head down and presses their foreheads together, and Toko's mind wipes blank.]
...
........
[Boy? Boy putting face on her face. Handsome glasses boy??? Very broad shoulders. Big warm hands holding hers.
"It's Party time." Party????
Party??!!]
...Is this... [Toko gives a little shiver. If she contorts her face any further that befuddled frown might connect with her jaw.] ...Are y-you offering to step on me?
1/?
2/3
3/3
[Okay, he'll bite. Maybe if he flirts back he can figure out what the fuck is going on here. That low rasp in his voice is... Sort of his signature? It's hard to tell if he's taking this seriously or not, but he's maintaining his physical proximity.]
But I'd have to be real gentle about it.
I wouldn't wanna actually kill ya, after all. You know! Superpowers.
[Unfortunately for Toko, Rex also has a strict "no banging normies" policy. They are breakable, and he doesn't want to accidentally be responsible for yet another murder. Highly combat proficient types, like martial artists or SWAT team members, are still on the table. But a normal schoolgirl? Oh no.]
They are good for sexy times, though! Sure, I can blow someone's head or arm off. Or even an entire building! But then there's the teeny-tiny, bursts of energy that can go just about anywhere.
You're a smart girl! You do the math.
1/?
B-b-bursts?
[Toko has become a statue. For all of ten seconds she says nothing, rigid beneath the press of his forehead.]
2/?
IS HE DOING IT RIGHT NOW?]
3/?
4/4
KYEAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!
[Have you ever seen a rocket in a mini skirt and heels? Well you have now. Toko has shot straight into the bookshelf behind them, knocking a few volumes loose on the way. Her glasses slip to the end of her nose, her knees are knocking. She points at him like it's Salem in the pilgrim days and she's outing a witch.]
You! You fiend! You're j-just using your powers of raw m-masculinity against me! I won't be fooled! I'm not so weak! I won't succumb to your wiles!! You think p-putting on those glasses is enough to sway me? Touching my hands like that?! Using your powers for filthy deeds...too bad! I'm not like those other cheap whores!
[Hold on is her bra still showing?
Toko's arms snap over her chest at once.]
I won't fall for it! T-try whatever you might! My — my body still belongs to Master!
[For the record, her meter is going haywire. Shooting up and down by forty percent at a time.
Help.]
no subject
I like the sound of that.
[Well, that certainly was a reaction. Oh, now he gets it. The meter is meant to measure attraction, or fondness, or kinship or something of the like. Does that mean he actually has the hots for Toko? Well, he is horny and it's been a minute since his last bang... And Rex has been known to lack discretion? So, for now, he won't overthink it too much. Instead, he lords it over with that cocky, lopsided grin of his, reveling in the fact that he is right about having a fairly universal appeal.]
Lemme ask ya somethin'- Why does it make a girl cheap if she knows what she wants? You're into girl power and all that shit, right? You write books, for cryin' out loud! Isn't your body, aaaah, your body?
[He points an accusing finger at her.]
Why should it belong to some guy who isn't even here?
[Rex resists the urge to say "loser." Oh, he knows how to change his game when he really has a target in mind.]
First and fucking foreplay? Aha, I mean foremost-
[He did that on purpose WHY IS HE PUTTING IDEAS INTO HER HEAD he's a jacKASS-]
What really matters is that everybody involved is on board, has a great time, and isn't gettin' gonorrhea in the next few days. You're livin' through the apocalypse! You've gotta recharge your batteries somehow.
Have you even kissed this Master guy? How do you know he's any good? It doesn't sound like you have any reliable sources who can give you a performance review.
no subject
[Damn. She needs to pull herself together and hit him where it hurts. Even if he is oddly impervious to nearly every blow she deals him.
She comes to much the same conclusion about the meters as he does, eyes flicking up to scowl at his bar. Nearly three-quarters full. Why? It can't wholly be romantic attraction, he's still hung up on his ex and casts a wide net (very wide) when it comes to flirtation. That he'd even consider hounding her of all people? No standards! Not one bit!
She ought to paint lipstick on a hole in the wall and leave them alone for the night.]
Th-that isn't — it's not the same thing at all! [How has he so smoothly turned this back on her?] Ugh! You wouldn't understand! If it's my choice then I'm choosing to belong to the one I love!
[This is the second time he's pushed for her to explain how she unwinds in an apocalyptic hell hole, but the first where he makes suggestions. Toko's nose scrunches and her head bobs back, affronted.]
No? I already t-told you, we're not in the same place right now, does everything I say leak out of those floppy ears?! And the only person there I can stand is Komaru, and she's a girl! [Meaning Toko is Straight. Which should go without saying
even though we all know better :/] Not everything has to be about s-slapping genitals together![Performance Review?
In the blink of an eye, the image of Byakuya with a thousand lovers from across the globe, each more resplendent than the last, buffets her mind like a wrecking ball. Her face heats to boiling. Her fingers clench on thin air.
She isn't winning many battles, but now she may just lose the war.]
We haven't— there's more to love than — I don't need some other sk-skank's input! And there aren't any, before you start spewing more garbage in my face!
[But...are there?
Toko snarls and musses her hair. Some stands fall loose of the perfectly coiffed bun, but because this is otome land they form fetching swoops to frame her face. This place is better than a snapchat filter.]
I d-don't want to do things just to try it out! Or pass the time, or j-just for fun, or because no one else would offer! I want—
[Her throat is closing up. Her eyes blaze wide, transfixed by the ground between them.
She can't say it here. This is absurd. This is all wrong. Suddenly she feels like a balloon, stretched to the absolute limit. One touch would make it pop.]
—And a-anyway, shouldn't you be trying to fix yourself? Why are you flopping around making passes at anything that talks?! If your heart is broken you can't mend it with meaningless f-fucking! That's like...like eating sawdust instead of sashimi! Just filling yourself up with worthless crap!
no subject
he doesn't need a lipstick gloryhole toko??? he has markSome of it really does hurt, especially the jab at the broken heart, which he is still nursing to a large degree. But that's the thing- He's been nursing it for years, long before he and Eve had ever met. If he is affected, however, none of it shows on his face.]
Whoa.
Call me a "skank" again? And we're gonna have some real fuckin' problems.
[Also, he'll have to wait to find love after returning to his home planet, and even then, he's now a Guardian of the Globe. Sure, that's enough leverage to bang any hot supergroupie he wants, but the life of a hero leaves little time for relationships. Rex, even less so than most other superheroes his age, doesn't have much in common with civilians.
He reaches over to idly tuck some tufts of Toko's hair back into that bun, very experienced in this regard, because... Manbun-]
Ooh. Oh-ho-ho! You meant the other girls. Hehehe. Someone sounds jealous.
I can't be lookin' for love in this looney-bin on wheels! I have to do somethin' about this number bullshit and get home! I have a job. The shifts are twenty-four hours. Seven days a week! Might as well have some fun while I'm here. What's the point in being miserable?
[He shrugs. With or without the meaningless sex, it would all just be the same.]
Look, my last girl and I.... We waited! For a long-ass time, okay? I was like fourteen when I met her. Ch'yeah! We definitely kissed a lot, sure... But we just spent a lot of time together. Did fun stuff! Threw barbs at each other.
It doesn't sound like you really get to do that.
[Rex is bullshitting, but he's fishing for an answer.
Anybody with a loving significant other wouldn't be... This brand of bitter. Right? Then again, he had been. Well.
Only recently.]
What the hell do you even want, anyway?
Like, do you even know?
no subject
then does mark need lipstick?]Not you. [She manages to spit out, just before he breaches the gulf of argument to come...fix her hair? For the record she had valiantly leaned back before he made contact, but there's no helping it.] Ghh!
[She is being doted on. This is weird. Not as weird as the forehead touching but still weird. Familiar in ways most people would never dare be with her. Is that what his seventy-some percent is for? Just plain old affection? It's still indecent. She opens her mouth to shout him off.
He cuts her off by realizing his error, then sliding into an explanation. Toko squawks and ducks her head away.]
Well you won't b-be having fun with me!
[Is that what he's trying for? No. Yes? No. But before — but now—
Now, he's telling a shockingly wholesome anecdote about his old girlfriend. Fourteen isn't too young for love, but it's still young. And she can't help thinking that it does sound rather sweet. The sort of thing she would have killed to have.
He asks her again what she wants. Toko stares up at him through the swoop of her bangs.
She feels rather small, suddenly. Like a bright light has been spun around and caught her scurrying across the floor. She didn't want to be cornered like this.]
I want...
[Byakuya calls her horrifying. Tells her to take baths because she stinks. To stay 100 meters away. That she needs to go fetch this thing in less than this amount of time, or he'll erase her existence from his mind. Stay here. Go there. Stop speaking. Every time, she finds herself drawn back to his heel. More, more, more. Waiting for the day.]
I want to be... [Her lip trembles. She tries again.]
Wo...w-w-wor—
[Worthy.
She can't spit it out. Because then she has to make it come true, and she's not sure she can.
The tears come sudden and strong. Toko rips out from his reach to the side, hands pressed hard to her face and glasses shoved up her brow to make way.
Pathetic. Stupid. Useless. Revolting. Vile. No one would miss you. No one would want you.
Maybe no one does.]
no subject
[He resists the urge to touch, to act out of impulse, to do anything that might spoil the situation further. The look he gives her is a sincere one, implying that he's been in a similar place before. He still may now, in all honesty, but he is too selfish to not want more for himself.]
Ohhhh, man.
[Rex sighs, understanding that she will dismiss his words even when he means them. It hurts, every time someone does that. He is well aware that he talks and talks, for minutes on end, often saying nothing at all. So when he does believe that he has a point, when it's clear that he's not bullshitting or joking around, being disregarded and cast aside stings in such a familiar way.
He had experienced a similar pang of anguish, although much greater, when he had seen his father happily embrace a new little girl through that unfamiliar window on Christmas. Never once had the man looked at him, his first born, with such joy. Ever.]
You already know you are, right? Look, I may not be your type, I get that! Sure.
But anybody you're with should never make you feel like you don't deserve to be there. No matter who the fuck you are! I don't care if you're an axe-murderer. Whoever you're cuttin' heads off with should make you feel like you're the fucking best.
You don't even let people who are worried about you live that down. Why should you put with a guy who doesn't make you feel good?
[Eve had been right to end it.
Rex knows.]
I don't get it.
cw: self esteem issues, unhealthy relationship dynamics, capital punishment, child abuse
You d-don't have to g-get it. Because...because it's my life! Not yours! You d-don't even know me! [If only there were more sleeves to this shitty barely-there blouse. She twists and fetches three napkins from a tissue dispenser beside the bookcase. How convenient. She swipes the first under her nose, near rabid as she rips the evidence of her fit off her face.
Fat chance of that. More just keeps coming. She feels like she's been stabbed, even doubling over as the phantom wound sears her nerves.]
I love him. [He's everything she needs.] H-he's the only one who...
[She won't kill. Byakuya makes them both feel alive. Makes her believe there's a future to look forward to. Can give her the life she's always wanted.
Yes yes yes, but is that going to culminate in anything? She wants to be held by him. She wants him to twist her hair and throw her down. She wants him to ruin her. Rein her in. Keep her from flying apart at the seams. He might be the only one who can, but he just won't. He still won't do it.
Toko shivers on the spot. She feels like she might throw up. She needs to get out of here. She hates this place. And she hates Rex, suddenly, viciously. Did he need to keep showing up and hammering nails into her chest? Where the hell does he get off? Why does he want to do this to her?]
It's not about d-deserving anything. Anyone can tell a s-stupid, disgusting hag like me doesn't deserve things. It's wh-what I need. I just need someone who'll...t-take care of me.
[Even when it doesn't mean being kind. If they're talking about what she deserves, there was a noose with her name on it back in the Tokyo Detention House. There's probably still room in that fetid closet in her mother's old apartment, too.
Toko swallows back another sob. Mashes the next napkin under her glasses. And unbidden, a different voice is whispering in her ear. Soft and sweet, feminine. Earnest. Nothing like him. "A lot of terrible things happened to me in this city... And I have a lot of...bad memories. But I am so happy that I was able to meet you."
Why? Why is she thinking about Komaru now? Is her own head looking for salt to rub in the wound?]
not me spotting typos in the rex tag before this, *PUT UP WITH gomen
As a hero, he manages big-picture fights. Lots of enemies, mass casualties, things that are threats to national, international, and even planetary security. Being reassuring has never been his thing. Heroes like Eve or Shrink Rae are better at that, soft at heart and in touch with their emotions, as Rex's sadness has been so much to bear he's almost blocked off all feeling entirely. Anger and bitterness are offensive tools, fiery and easily weaponized, but grief?
Still, he needs to say something. Whoever she may be, he will continue to believe that she never did anything to deserve this in the first place.]
That's fucked up.
[Fukawa earns a small gasp on his end. So she doesn't think there is hope for her.
Her voice and her tears- She is tired of fighting.]
That anybody made you think that? How they could they even...
I've said a lot of disgusting shit in my day, but, hell! So what, 'cause you're not some supermodel, you don't get to ask for the smallest ounce of human decency? The basics?
They're the ones who were wrong for that! Not you.
[She may be strange and constantly have a bone to pick with her world at large and this one too, but it's beginning to sound more and more like there are some very good reasons for that.]
I think everybody needs something like that. The strongest superhero in the world's got a wife and kids to cheer him on! Or, well, my world at least.
[He can't change her situation or her attitude, but what he can do is a hell of a lot simpler. Check in. Make sure she doesn't feel alone, even if he's not her first choice for company.]
But that's what friends are for, right? I know I'm probably not the one you wanted to ask you this, but...
I'm gonna need you to promise that you'll yell at my ass or blow up my phone if you need help, okay? It's not safe here. Fake blood and guts or nah...
Can you do that?