Tomlin's Little Life

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032739791961325568/unknown.png"> [When he finishes high school his mom gets him a ticket on the brand new Bullet Train. It goes 200 mph, and he rides it for hours.]<main| (link:"He sees a vision of himself as its driver.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[Tomlin can get an engineering degree or start working in the railroad industry right away. [[Either way he brings the cat.]]]]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032764896020009031/unknown.png"> [In his senior year Tomlin falls madly in love.]<main| (link:"His name is Mort.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[Mort has red hair and is studying to be a doctor. He is very tall and has a slouch, eats his Cup of Noodles cold. (link:"Tomlin has maybe never felt so happy.")[ (replace:?main) [$t[Just before graduating, Tomlin gets offered a job as a junior Bullet Train engineer in the small, far away town of Porkshire. It's the chance of a lifetime. [[But Mort can't go.]]]]]]]]

[[Relocate]] [[Stay]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032764855272362016/unknown.png"> [Tomlin is heartbroken, but he loves his new job.]<main| (link:"He gets to work on Bullet Trains every day.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[He can hear them whooshing by from his apartment. [[It helps him go to sleep.]]]]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032764939410092155/unknown.png"> [Tomlin finds work at a small train station as a junior engineer. He and Mort move into an apartment together.]<main| (link:"It has rats, but they're happy regardless.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[Mort finds an engagement ring in his Cup of Noodles one night. (link:"They get married in late spring.")[ (replace:?main) [$t[They adopt two kids, Michael and Bobbie, a boy and a girl. [[It's wonderful, but a lot of work.]]]]]]]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032770696700514345/unknown.png"> [The years go by. Tomlin gets his first grey hairs.]<main| (link:"Mort gets married.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[Work is lovely, but he still hasn't been made a train driver, and he's starting to get old. [[Tomlin reconsiders his goals.]]]]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032756433965563974/unknown.png"> [For another decade he works at the railroad as a part time engineer. He's not up for any promotions, but he feels like he's started to get his life back.]<main| (link:"He recognizes people around town.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[He joins a bocce ball league. He's quite good. He teaches a certification class in locomotive engineering. (link:"Eventually he starts teaching the class full time.")[ (replace:?main) [$t[One of his students is especially gifted. Her name is Jesse. [[Jesse thinks about nothing but trains.]]]]]]]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032756433965563974/unknown.png"> [It takes him ten more years. New kids show up from college every day.]<main| (link:"But one day his moment comes.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[They promote him very simply, by a slip under his door. [[It's the best day of his life.]]]]]

[[Relax]] [[Perservere]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032756378713989142/unknown.png"> [On Sundays he and Jesse watch the Bullet Trains come and go. Tomlin lectures on the inner workings of the machines as they pass.]<main| (link:"Jesse takes notes.") [(replace:?main)[$t[ [[In the end, it was an extraordinarily gratifying life.]]]]]

[[Continue|The End]]

[[He slips away peacefully.]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032756537460002936/unknown.png"> [When he's too old to work, engineers from the station still visit him at home.]<main| (link:"He's able to answer all their questions.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[The station gives him unlimited rides. (link:"He spends the last portion of his life looking out train windows.")[ (replace:?main) [$t[On one of those trips, while passing through some beautiful wheat fields, he closes his eyes. [[The rocking of the train gently puts him to sleep.]]]]]]]]

[[He passes away with the smell of train exhaust filling his nose.]]

[[His cat is adopted by the station.]]

Congratulations! You have achieved: Eternal Peace [[Play again]]

[[Continue|Continue]]

Congratulations! You have achieved: A Lasting Legacy [[Play again]]

[[He leaves his cat to Jesse.]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032770696700514345/unknown.png"> [Tomlin is picked to lead the design and production of a new engine. Mort has been given a senior position at his hospital.]<main| (link:"They're rarely at home.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[After talking about it, they both agree. [[Someone needs to stay home with the kids.]]]]]

[[Stay at home]] [[Continue working]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032756433965563974/unknown.png"> [Tomlin feels a little guilty, but Mort says he's happy to stay home.]<main| (link:"They settle in to their new routine.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[Tomlin gets promoted again at work. He gets busier. (link:"The kids get older.")[ (replace:?main) [$t[A new Bullet Train is built and stationed locally. Tomlin is asked to be its driver. His heart leaps. [[But it'd require constant travelling.]]]]]]]]

[[Mort organizes a simple, quiet funeral.]]

[[Michael adopts the cat.]]

[[Continue|Keep going]]

Congratulations! You have achieved: Unconditional Love [[Play again]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032756537460002936/unknown.png"> [They keep this up long into their old age, and spend an especially long time in Italy.]<main| (link:"Mort is astounded by how complex and subtle the pasta is.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[One evening Tomlin gets a bad stomach bug. [[It turns into something more serious.]]]]]

[[Tomlin spends his last few weeks surrounded by family.]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032756378713989142/unknown.png"> [His kids are already teenagers. He doesn't want to be gone all the time.]<main| (link:"He asks Mort for his advice.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[Mort suggests that maybe he could wait to take the job until after the kids have moved out. [[That's exactly what he does.]]]]]

[[Mort takes care of the funeral.]]

Congratulations! You have achieved: A Fulfilling Life [[Play again]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032756487459713105/unknown.png"> [He spends his last few years before retirement driving the Bullet Train up and down the coast at unfathomable speeds.]<main| (link:"On weekends Mort often joins him.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[ [[In the end, Tomlin got everything he wanted.]]]]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032756537460002936/unknown.png"> He and Mort move back into a small apartment, kind of like the one they started out in. But without the rats. [[They spend many years with their grandkids.]]

[[Tomlin passes away at home, a Bullet Train driver surrounded by family.]]

[[And also takes care of the cat.]]

[[Continue|More]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032739723346722886/unknown.png"> (set: $t to (t8n: 'dissolve'))\ [Tomlin is a year old when he gets his first toy train. It comes with a little plastic figurine for the train driver.]<main| (link:"From this moment on, his fate is sealed.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[His mom takes him to watch the trains after church. [[By the age of ten, he goes by himself.]]]]] (if: $key is true)[<script> var audio = document.createElement('audio'); audio.src ='https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1042883947308253225/i-like-trains-newfade_REEL_OGG.ogg'; audio.loop = true; audio.play(); </script>] (set: $key to false)

[[Start|Play again]] (set: $key to true)

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032756378713989142/unknown.png"> [They don't take to it. But that's okay.]<main| (link:"They like listening to him.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[Michael loves math, and Bobbie is a great basketball player. (link:"Tomlin couldn't be prouder.")[ (replace:?main) [$t[Mort retires a week after the kids leave for college. He and Tomlin buy one-way tickets to Europe and travel all over. [[By train, of course.]]]]]]]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032756433965563974/unknown.png"> [Tomlin still stops by the station every now and then.]<main| (link:"They're always happy to see him.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[It's a pleasure to watch his kids grow up. He introduces them to his taste in music, his taste in food. [[But most of all, he shares his love of trains.]]]]]

[[College]] [[Work]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032756537460002936/unknown.png"> [Tomlin lives long enough to see Jesse get into an excellent engineering school. Sometimes he hears from Mort.]<main| (link:"\"We're both crusty old men,\" Mort often writes.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[The hospital he's eventually transferred to has a view of the train station. It seems like everyone in Porkshire stops by to visit him, leaving him with a mound of flowers. (link:"He sleeps all the time.")[ (replace:?main) [$t[He often dreams of trains. But more often he dreams of Porkshire, Mort, his mom. He dreams about Jesse going to school. [[There are engines running and birds chirping outside.]]]]]]]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032756487459713105/unknown.png"> [He spends the last fifteen years of his career driving up and down the coast in the fastest train known to man.]<main| (link:"The world is a blur through his window.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[Dreams from more than fifty years ago have finally paid off. (link:"It feels like he's flying.")[ (replace:?main) [$t[(link:"And the train doesn't run late once.")[ (replace:?main) [$t[He retires with a big gold plaque on the station wall. [["For unique and passionate service to the railroad industry."]]]]]]]]]]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032764855272362016/unknown.png"> [He works as a receptionist at a small stop for freight trains.]<main| (link:"His boss is always eating cashews.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[The first time he asks for a cashew, he is promoted to junior engineer. [[It's unclear if these things are related.]]]]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1047637701966446732/image.png"> [They release him from the hospital. He finds a grassy hill overlooking some train tracks.]<main| (link:"He sits there for a long time.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[He watches the trains pass. (link:"He listens to the engines.")[ (replace:?main) [$t[He comes there every day for three months. [[He sits there from morning until night.]]]]]]]]

[[Engine Speed]] [[Passenger Comfort]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032764939410092155/unknown.png"> Tomlin thinks about the first time he ever rode a Bullet Train. [[He loved its speed.]]

An image captures itself in Tomlin's mind of a beautiful, organic train. [[Something that would seem natural in a forest.]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1047637787370864640/image.png"> [His designs begin simple, just a few sketches for some gears. It quickly turns into work on a full engine.]<main| (link:"His apartment becomes littered in papers.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[He has a low stress job at the front desk of the old train station. (link:"He edits his designs before and after work.")[ (replace:?main) [$t[Tomlin shows a few sketches to his boss, who becomes so enamored that his mouth drops open. [[A single cashew falls out.]]]]]]]]

[[Soul search]] [[Return to work]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032770696700514345/unknown.png"> [One morning, while working on an old engine, he injures his hand.]<main| (link:"He's rushed to the hospital.")[(replace:?main)[$t[His hand never fully recovers. (link:"Tomlin's become unfit for driving trains.")[(replace:?main) [$t[ [[For the first time in his life, he has no idea what to do.]]]]]]]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032770696700514345/unknown.png"> [Tomlin's doctor is quite handsome and funny. He brings him Cup of Noodles every night.]<main| (link:"Tomlin never gets his name.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[He returns to work, but doesn't feel very useful as an engineer. [[He talks a lot to the receptionist.]]]]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1047637701966446732/image.png"> [Her name is Priscilla. Priscilla knows even more about trains than he does. She likes to brag about it too.]<main| (link:"They become great friends.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[Priscilla suggests he become a conductor. He could punch tickets, ride the trains and talk to the passengers. [[But Tomlin thinks it might be time for something new.]]]]]

[[Conductor]] [[Something new]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1047637787370864640/image.png"> [Tomlin approaches his boss with a big bowl of cashews.]<main| (link:"He is given the position immediately.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[He enjoys the quietness of going up and down the coast, and he loves talking with the passengers. (link:"They always have interesting stories to tell.")[ (replace:?main) [$t[Priscilla is soon promoted to junior engineer. They walk home together. [[She's always covered in grease.]]]]]]]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032764939410092155/unknown.png"> [Tomlin quits his job. He relaxes, enjoys the sun, goes on long bikerides.]<main| (link:"He explores new parts of town.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[On one of these bikerides, he bumps into the handsome doctor from the hospital. (link:"His name is Mort.")[ (replace:?main) [$t[Mort asks Tomlin if he would like to get dinner sometime. Tomlin nods. [[They fall in love rather quickly.]]]]]]]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032756433965563974/unknown.png"> [After several years she's made driver of her very own train.]<main| (link:"She requests to have Tomlin as her conductor.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[They can often be heard laughing hysterically from the driver's compartment. (link:"Somehow the train remains punctual.")[ (replace:?main) [$t[It's nice to see the countryside with somebody else. [[Especially since Priscilla drives extra fast.]]]]]]]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032756537460002936/unknown.png"> [Priscilla visits him every day.]<main| (link:"They reminisce, sometimes for hours.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[ [[Tomlin passes away with very few regrets.]]]]]

[[She takes care of the cat.]]

[[Continue|Onwards]]

Congratulations! You have achieved: A Real Connection [[Play again]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1047637787370864640/image.png"> [They move in together. While Mort is at work Tomlin buys plastic trains on Ebay and fixes them up.]<main| (link:"They turn out better than new.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[Mort is impressed. He suggests Tomlin open up a toy store for refurbished trains. (link:"Tomlin looks up, blinks.")[ (replace:?main) [$t[He finds a little spot on the outskirts of town, and opens "Tomlin's Toy Train Station." [[Priscilla is his first employee.]]]]]]]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032756433965563974/unknown.png"> [They spend most of their time in the back room, giggling and working on plastic engines.]<main| (link:"It's not long before business picks up.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[When Mort retires, he starts helping out around the store, even though he doesn't really know what he's doing. [[Every day Tomlin's surrounded by family.]]]]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032756537460002936/unknown.png"> [He spends as much time as he can behind the counter, even when his legs get bad and he works from a wheelchair.]<main| (link:"The store stays open for several generations.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[ [[Many of the younger customers will love trains for the rest of their lives.]]]]]

[[The whole town misses him.]]

[[Priscilla and Mort share custody of the cat.]]

[[Continue|Pie]]

Congratulations! You have achieved: Inspiration For The Youth [[Play again]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032756433965563974/unknown.png"> [After several years, his boss gets Tomlin some funding, which lets him focus completely on his engine.]<main| (link:"He soon has a working prototype.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[But when they run a test, it doesn't go as fast as expected. (link:"He revises it for several more years.")[ (replace:?main) [$t[The second prototype meets his expectations. [[And the third one exceeds them by quite a bit.]]]]]]]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032756487459713105/unknown.png"> [By the time he retires, he's completely exhausted.]<main| (link:"He's made one of the fastest train engines in the world.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[Riding it takes him back to when he was a kid. (link:"Back to riding the Bullet Train for the very first time.")[ (replace:?main) [$t[ [[Tomlin leaves a small mark on the entire transportation industry.]]]]]]]]

[[He passes away feeling extremely fulfilled.]]

Congratulations! You have achieved: True Purpose [[Play again]]

[[Continue|dreams]]

Congratulations! You have achieved: Childhood Dreams [[Play again]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032764939410092155/unknown.png"> [And then, on a day like any other, he has his epiphany. He can't drive trains.]<main| (link:"But he could design them.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[ [[He knows exactly what needs to be improved for the future of railways.]]]]]

He walks along creeks, sits in the shade of trees, and dreams about this train. [[Its engine sounds clean, like rushing water.]]

He spends days off from work in a little cafe, writing down ideas and sipping his macchiato. There's a park across the street. [[He likes all the people lounging in the grass.]]

[Could delete this] ideas for the train sort of write themselves. [[Tomlin is in no rush, and wants to make sure it's good.]]

He shows his boss some designs. He says Tomlin could recieve funding for his work. [[Tomlin accepts the compliment and forgets about it.]]

He's having fun, just sorting everything out in his own head. [[It's like being a kid, and playing with his toy trains.]]

Years go by. The design process takes a lot longer than he anticipated, but he feels like they'll be done soon. [[And they are.]]

He brings the finished designs to his boss, who makes a few phone calls. [[Funding is secured, and prototype construction is started the next week.]]

It's weird, to see the train finished. [[Something materialized straight from his dreams.]]

It sounds exactly like he expected. [[The engine runs as gracefully as he thought it would.]]

It doesn't disturb the animals sleeping in the forest when it passes by. [[And it's emissions are near zero.]]

It might not be the fastest train in the world, but it runs quiet and smooth. [[Tomlin has achieved something great.]]

After spending a few years refining the design with a small team, he retires. [[He moves into a little cabin in the woods.]]

[[It's right by the train tracks.]]

He spends his last ten years breathing in fresh air, appreciating nature, and watching the train he built rush past once a day. [[Life has never felt so full or so relaxing.]]

[[The sun is shining on the day he passes away.]]

[[He feels no pain.]]

[[The committee for environmental improvement takes care of his cat.]]

[[Continue|purpose.]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032756487459713105/unknown.png"> []<main| (link:"They spend the rest of their careers working together.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[ After they retire, they set up lawn chairs and heckle old coworkers. (link:"People are usually glad to see them.")[ (replace:?main) [$t[ Tomlin starts to have a harder time getting down to the station as he gets older. [[Soon he can't get out of bed.]]]]]]]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1047637787370864640/image.png"> [After work he always walks to a cafe and sips a macchiato. There's a park across the street.]<main| (link:"People are lazing about in the grass, talking.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[He wants his train to be a place of gathering, where strangers could meet each other and talk. (link:"The best part of trains has always been the passengers.")[ (replace:?main) [$t[He imagines a train car with seats tilted slightly to face each other, and tables all around. [[It's warmly lit.]]]]]]]]

[[A local train museum takes care of the cat.]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032764939410092155/unknown.png"> There's laughter behind him. A group of friends are walking by, talking animatedly about something. [[A vague idea for a train sparks in his mind.]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032756433965563974/unknown.png"> [After about a decade of planning, Tomlin asks his boss if he can use the body of an old train for a prototype.]<main| (link:"His boss only requests that the train have free cashews.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[He spends over a decade piecing together his perfect train car. On many occasions he sleeps there. (link:"It's quite cozy.")[ (replace:?main) [$t[His work starts to attract the interest of several train manufacturers. [[They want to start production immediately.]]]]]]]]

<img src="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1030553713657528360/1032756537460002936/unknown.png"> [By the time he retires, there are eighteen active train cars using Tomlin's designs.]<main| (link:"He rides them often.")[ (replace:?main)[$t[There's a sense of ease in those cars. People seem happy. (link:"They talk to each other and laugh.")[ (replace:?main) [$t[As he reaches the end of his life, he's sent to the hospital. [[His boss visits him often.]]]]]]]]

[[And he hears their happy voices as he passes away.]]

[[His boss takes care of the cat.]]

[[Continue|purpose]]

[[At night, Tomlin thinks of all those smiling passengers.]]

[[He passes away quietly at home.]]

[[Priscilla is holding his hand.]]