You unlock the safe in your office and take out a key. Your predecessor gave you this key, in a secret meeting just before you were sworn in as mayor. You were hoping you wouldn't have to use it.



Deep in the basement of City Hall, there is a locked room only the mayor may enter. Your predecessor told you all about it, but it seemed bizarre at the time. But if what he said was true, then...



[[You open the door.|the secret room]]

"We're at our yearly limit for housing zoning, if that's what you're getting at." You get up. "Fortunately, it's almost New Year's. I'll make sure we allocate more housing then, if it's possible."



Sid isn't happy, but he understands the limitations you're working under. Well, mostly, anyway.<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>



<<if $annoyance gte 3 or $boredom gte 3>><<if $disasters eq 0>>[[You wake up in the night—|earthquake1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 1>>[[You wake up in the night—|tornado1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 2>>[[You wake up in the night—|shutdown]]<<endif>><<else>>[[A few months pass...|spring 2030]]<<endif>><<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

"You have interesting ideas, but this is going to require more study." You politely show Linley to the door.



Your predecessor seemed to think the machine was dangerous. Best not to waste its power on half-baked ideas.<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>



<<if $annoyance gte 3 or $boredom gte 3>><<if $disasters eq 0>>[[You wake up in the night—|earthquake1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 1>>[[You wake up in the night—|tornado1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 2>>[[You wake up in the night—|shutdown]]<<endif>><<else>>[[Soon enough, the winter ends...|spring 2029]]<<endif>><<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

One day in January, Alice drops by in person to give you the monthly Public Safety Report. "It's mostly the same old stuff, Sarah. One thing though. Our hospitals are getting pretty overloaded. A new facility, maybe up north of the Heights, would really help out."



You skim over the report. "You're right, we could use a new hospital. You know how the budget is, though."



She nods. "You'll figure something out."



* [[Figure something out|winter 2031 yes][$annoyance += 1; $season += 1; $boredom -= 1]]

* [[Not this time|winter 2031 no][$boredom += 1; $season += 1; $annoyance -= 1]]

It's nearly 5:00 on a clear, crisp December day when Sid Tow is shown into your office. You've met him before, of course; he's the leader of the Buttsville Manufacturing Coalition, which exists to tell you what the factory owners want. Sometimes they're sensible, sometimes they're not. "Good afternoon," you say. "What can I do for you?"



"I'll keep this quick since it's late. Mayor, we've got jobs but no people."



You blink. "How did that happen?"



"It's those new offices on the Yellow River," Sid says. "No one wants to work in a factory when they could work in an office instead!"



"And what? You want me to get rid of the offices? I can't do that." Especially since the high-tech businesses on the river pay more in taxes than the factories do, though you'd never tell Sid that.



Sid shakes his head. "No, no. We want people working our factories. Get more people to move in!"



* [["I'll see what I can do."|winter 2030 yes][$annoyance += 1; $season += 1; $boredom -= 1]]

* [["We're at our yearly limit for housing zoning, if that's what you're getting at."|winter 2030 no][$boredom += 1; $season += 1; $annoyance -= 1]]

Why is the machine here? Who made it? How?



In your free time, you've looked through the city archives. No one, ever, has mentioned the machine. Your predecessor pretends not to hear you when you ask him about it. There's nothing helpful in this room or on the machine itself — wait. The blank button is lit up again.



* [[Push the blank button|begin monument]]

* [[Don't risk it|tornado4]]

It's not about making yourself look good. It's about keeping a promise and making the city's schools better for the kids.<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>



<<if $annoyance gte 3 or $boredom gte 3>><<if $disasters eq 0>>[[You wake up in the night—|earthquake1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 1>>[[You wake up in the night—|tornado1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 2>>[[You wake up in the night—|shutdown]]<<endif>><<else>>[[Fall becomes winter...|winter 2029]]<<endif>><<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

<<set $disasters += 1>>The tornado sirens all over the city are going off. You haven't heard them outside of tests before, but the sound is hard to forget. You take your radio down to the basement and wait for the [[all-clear|tornado2]].

On your way to City Hall one fine July morning, you notice the garbage hasn't been picked up. On some streets, it hasn't been picked up for weeks. Did the garbage men go on strike without warning you?



Once you're at your desk, you call the Sanitation Commissioner to get to the bottom of this stinky problem. "I saw trash in the streets, Nick. In the streets! You know that's not acceptable."



"We haven't got anywhere to put it, Mayor. We just filled two landfills completely, and even had someone jump on top to pack it all down. Didn't work too well."



You frown, not that the Commissioner can see it. "That sounds unsafe."



"We were running out of options. Anyway, Mayor, we need a new landfill. Sooner we get it, sooner we get the trash out of the streets."



* [[Use the machine to solve Buttsville's garbage problem|summer 2029 yes][$annoyance += 1; $season += 1; $boredom -= 1]]

* [[Let it fester|summer 2029 no][$boredom += 1; $season += 1; $annoyance -= 1]]

Everything is dark. Too dark. Out the window, you can see the lights of Buttsville going out, like a wave of darkness crashing over the city.



Your neighbor's porch light goes out, and then—



[[Nothing.|the end]]<<remember $shutdown to true>>

"I'm afraid we haven't got the money to build a new landfill. Maybe in a few months, but not now. Find some other way to get that garbage off the streets."



It takes the city's sole incinerator running every hour of the day, but within a few weeks the streets are cleared. To help out, you appear in a public service announcement extolling the virtues of recycling. Nick doesn't appreciate that as much as you think he should, unfortunately.<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>





<<if $annoyance gte 3 or $boredom gte 3>><<if $disasters eq 0>>[[You wake up in the night—|earthquake1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 1>>[[You wake up in the night—|tornado1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 2>>[[You wake up in the night—|shutdown]]<<endif>><<else>>[[The rest of the summer is beautiful and uneventful...|fall 2029]]<<endif>><<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

"I'll see what I can do." It doesn't take long after that to get Sid out of your office. On your way out of City Hall, you go to the machine and push the button marked with a house symbol.



The next day, your receptionist tells you that some new developments have been started out near the factories, and it doesn't take long for the homes to be completed and new people to move in.<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>



<<if $annoyance gte 3 or $boredom gte 3>><<if $disasters eq 0>>[[You wake up in the night—|earthquake1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 1>>[[You wake up in the night—|tornado1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 2>>[[You wake up in the night—|shutdown]]<<endif>><<else>>[[A few months pass...|spring 2030]]<<endif>><<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

"You're right. Buttsville does need more parks, and I'll make it happen."



You've never seen someone literally jump for joy before. You call your receptionist to have Mrs. Fontaine escorted out, and later in the day stop by the machine downstairs.



A few weeks later, you see her at one of the new parks, feeding the pigeons.<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>





<<if $annoyance gte 3 or $boredom gte 3>><<if $disasters eq 0>>[[You wake up in the night—|earthquake1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 1>>[[You wake up in the night—|tornado1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 2>>[[You wake up in the night—|shutdown]]<<endif>><<else>>[[Fall becomes winter...|winter 2030]]<<endif>><<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

All that really did was hurt your toe; there isn't even a dent in the casing.



There are a lot of buttons on the machine, but one you've never paid attention to before now is softly blinking. It is completely blank; it could do anything.



* [[Push the blank button|begin monument]]

* [[Don't risk it|earthquake4]]

Ever since the foundation of Buttsville, a number of factories and warehouses have occupied the north bank of the Yellow River. Over the years, this has resulted in a very polluted and ugly waterfront.



Recently, a number of businesses in the area have moved across town to a new industrial district, spurred by a small tax incentive. When you put the incentive in place, the idea was to let the riverside indutrial district empty itself out as much as possible without direct interference on your part, then go in and clean it up.



However, Buttsville's environmental activists aren't as patient as you are. For the last three days, they've been picketing City Hall, demanding that you remove all the factories from the riverside and start the cleanup immediately.



* [[Use the machine to clean up the waterfront|fall 2031 yes][$annoyance += 1; $season += 1; $boredom -= 1]]

* [[Stick to the plan|fall 2031 no][$boredom += 1; $season += 1; $annoyance -= 1]]

Over the last few weeks, you've noticed a trend in your emails from the public and the newspapers' editorials: apparently, taxes are too high. There have always been a few people who would whine about taxes if you asked for a dollar a year, but this much complaining is concerning.



The problem, however, is that every penny of revenue the city raises is spoken for. You can't reduce taxes without reducing services, and you'd catch hell for that.



* [[Maybe the machine could help...|fall 2030 yes][$annoyance += 1; $season += 1; $boredom -= 1]]

* [[Do nothing|fall 2030 no][$boredom += 1; $season += 1; $annoyance -= 1]]

"Sorry, Alice, there's just no more room in the budget. Do what you can." Alice tries to argue, but you stand firm.



Crime rates stay high over the summer, and when the editor of the Buttsville Compass interviews the Commissioner, she wastes no time blaming you for the sorry state of the police force.<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>



The rest of the summer is [[uneventful|fall 2028]], if crime-ridden.<<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

<div align="center">Court disaster. Repeatedly.



[[<—back|previous()]]</div>

"I'm sorry, but the city's budget is very tight at the moment."



Mrs. Fontaine turns away. "I'll be back next month, missy."<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>



<<if $annoyance gte 3 or $boredom gte 3>><<if $disasters eq 0>>[[You wake up in the night—|earthquake1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 1>>[[You wake up in the night—|tornado1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 2>>[[You wake up in the night—|shutdown]]<<endif>><<else>>[[Fall becomes winter...|winter 2030]]<<endif>><<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

As the sun comes up, you walk through the path of destruction the tornado cut through the city. Thankfully, the sirens warned the city in time, and no one died. So soon after the earthquake, however, the property damage is demoralizing.



City Hall escaped the tornado unscathed; you can't recall it getting seriously damaged by any of the disasters in Buttsville's history. The machine is downstairs, [[waiting|tornado3]].

The room is lit by a single lightbulb hanging from a wire. Along one wall is a smooth gray machine, studded with large glowing buttons. One of them has a picture of a sewer pipe pouring waste into a river on it.



//Your predecessor explained this room to you. "This is where you contact the Authority," he said, and you could hear the capital A in his voice. "If you have a problem, push the button for it, and the Authority will fix it. Just don't use it too often."



"Or what?" you asked, humoring the old man.



"Or... well, remember the fire of 2021, Sarah? Or that."//



This is not how responsible city government works. And yet, the machine is here, and so are you.



* [[Push the button|spring 2028 yes][$annoyance += 1; $season += 1]]

* [[Don't push the button|spring 2028 no][$boredom += 1; $season += 1]]

No. You will have nothing to do with this machine. You lock the door and return to the office.



The sewage crisis worsens, and Ms. Hofner blames it on you. Press conferences become heated, and your email is swamped with angry citizens demanding you solve the problem, somehow. Eventually, enough people move out of Buttsville to reduce the strain on the sewer system, and the media find something new to carry on about.



The weeks fly by, and [[spring turns into summer...|summer 2028]]<<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

You stop by the machine on your lunch break, and on the way back to your office Jerome corners you. "You got my email, I know you did."



Actually, you got all thirty of his emails this morning. "I've authorized a new plant. Construction should begin within the next few days."



Jerome's jaw drops.<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>



<<if $annoyance gte 3 or $boredom gte 3>><<if $disasters eq 0>>[[You wake up in the night—|earthquake1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 1>>[[You wake up in the night—|tornado1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 2>>[[You wake up in the night—|shutdown]]<<endif>><<else>>[[Spring becomes summer...|summer 2029]]<<endif>><<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

Almost before you know it, the elections are over and it's time for the inaugural parade. The new mayor, Hikari Yukimura, gets to wander all over the city in a convertible covered with flowers. You get to wait at City Hall.



Eventually, the parade makes it to City Hall and Judge Eve swears Ms. Yukimura in on the front steps. As the crowd disperses, you draw her aside. "Come with me. I have something to show you."



[[The End|the end]]<<remember $parade to true>>

No. The machine was here long before you became mayor, and it will be here long after you're out of office. You're not going to push a button that could doom the city; instead you're going to rebuild it. Again.



About six months later, the affected neighborhoods are completely rebuilt. You just hope nothing else happens.



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First things first: checking your email:



//subject: Sewer backups out of control

sender: Geralda Hofner <ghofner@buttsville.gov>

date: April 4 2028



Mayor Rodriguez,



We are experiencing severe sewage capacity shortfalls in the Butthole Heights and Poop Lake districts. My department has stretched our emergency budget to its limits; we //need// you to authorize an expansion of the sewer system out of the general budget, or we'll have a health crisis on our hands.



Geralda Hofner

Department of Water and Sewage Services, Buttsville//



You're going to need [[help]] for this one.

It's hard to believe you've already been in office for a full year. Time flies!



After your morning coffee, you start reading your email. Your eyes are immediately drawn to one message in particular:



//subject: EMERGENCY: BH POWER PLANT OFFLINE

sender: Jerome Winton, jwinton@dpa.buttsville.gov

date: March 29, 2029



Earlier this morning, a fire broke out at the Butthole Heights power plant, taking it completely offline until further notice. Homes and businesses across northern Buttsville will experience rolling blackouts until the plant is repaired or replaced.



Any assistance you can render for us would be greatly appreciated.



Jerome Winton

Buttsville Power Authority//



* [[Build a brand new power plant|spring 2029 yes][$annoyance += 1; $season += 1; $boredom -= 1]]

* [[Repair the old plant|spring 2029 no][$boredom += 1; $season += 1; $annoyance -= 1]]

You wonder if she knows. She's been Public Safety Commissioner for a long time; if anyone knew about the machine, it would be her.



Over the next few weeks, new fire stations pop up all over the city. It's clear to everyone, especially the newspaper editors, that you don't plan to let a catastrophe of this magnitude happen again.<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>



<<if $annoyance gte 3 or $boredom gte 3>><<if $disasters eq 0>>[[You wake up in the night—|earthquake1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 1>>[[You wake up in the night—|tornado1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 2>>[[You wake up in the night—|shutdown]]<<endif>><<else>>[[Spring becomes summer...|summer 2030]]<<endif>><<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

It's another lovely summer day in Buttsville. Lenny's on the radio with the weather forecast (sunny for weeks!) as you go through your email.



Someone knocks on your door, but before you get up to answer it barges on in. It's the Public Safety Commissioner, Alice Crawl. "Mayor Rodriguez, we have a problem."



"And that is?"



"It's summer! Crime is up, way up, and I don't have the police I need to cover it."



*[["I'll see what I can do."|summer 2028 yes][$annoyance += 1; $season += 1; $boredom -= 1]]

*[["Sorry, Commissioner, there's just no more room in the budget. Do what you can."|summer 2028 no][$boredom += 1; $season += 1; $annoyance -= 1]]

You push the sewer button once, lock the door, and return to your office.



Within days, a new sewer pumping station has been built on the riverside and the city is safe from sewage backups once more. Ms. Hofner praises your decisive actions to the city press, and you even make time to attend a Little League game between the Poop Lake Catfish and the Butthole Heights Seagulls.



The weeks fly by, and [[spring turns into summer...|summer 2028]]<<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

The Mayor and the Machine

You write up a canned reply to the emailers, explaining that they can either enjoy the very good services Buttsville currently offers or pay less in taxes, but not both, and give it to your assistant to send back out. It's the best you can do.



Eventually, most of the people demanding lower taxes give up.<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>



<<if $annoyance gte 3 or $boredom gte 3>><<if $disasters eq 0>>[[You wake up in the night—|earthquake1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 1>>[[You wake up in the night—|tornado1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 2>>[[You wake up in the night—|shutdown]]<<endif>><<else>>[[The sky chills...|winter 2031]]<<endif>><<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

The summer concert season is in full swing, with a new show every weekend! The musicians of Buttsville have never been more popular, as a massive traffic jam after Erotic Cheese Foundation's concert proved — the jam lasted well into the next morning, snarling up traffic on the Big Booty Boulevard and beyond.



Concert-goers and commuters alike call and email your office, demanding road improvements to alleviate the congestion. Even Lenny gets in on the action when he notes that the Boulevard was never meant to carry a third of the city's traffic every day.



* [[Use the machine to build a new road|summer 2030 yes][$annoyance += 1; $season += 1; $boredom -= 1]]

* [[Do nothing|summer 2030 no][$boredom += 1; $season += 1; $annoyance -= 1]]

To be honest, you can't think of another way to get a road built; they just appear, and perhaps the roundabouts aren't quite perfect circles and the offramps from the highway don't make a lot of sense, but damn it, that's what makes Buttsville unique!



Sure enough, a few days after you push the button, a new marvel of civil engineering graces the city: an elevated parkway, built directly over the Boulevard, with on- and offramps connecting it to other busy arterials. It looks like it shouldn't work at all, but it ends up doing an admirable job at easing traffic congestion. You just hope it doesn't fall down.<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>



<<if $annoyance gte 3 or $boredom gte 3>><<if $disasters eq 0>>[[You wake up in the night—|earthquake1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 1>>[[You wake up in the night—|tornado1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 2>>[[You wake up in the night—|shutdown]]<<endif>><<else>>[[Summer becomes fall...|fall 2030]]<<endif>><<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

"I see. Consider it done," you tell Nick.



A few days after you push the button, there's a new landfill on the outskirts of Windbreaker Hills, and a few days after that, the streets are clean again.<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>





<<if $annoyance gte 3 or $boredom gte 3>><<if $disasters eq 0>>[[You wake up in the night—|earthquake1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 1>>[[You wake up in the night—|tornado1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 2>>[[You wake up in the night—|shutdown]]<<endif>><<else>>[[The rest of the summer is beautiful and uneventful...|fall 2029]]<<endif>><<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

The next morning, every abandoned building on the riverside has been demolished, and cleanup efforts have started. You calm the activists down by promising to draft an ordinance reducing pollution in all of Buttsville, and you personally remind the owners of the remaining factories on the riverside that they should move out of the area. Most of them get the hint.



Over the next few months, the riverside becomes a beautiful residential area, with a park running along the riverbank and most of the pollution cleaned up for good.



[[Your time as mayor ends in the spring...|end of term]]

The seal of the City of Buttsville dominates the wall behind your desk. The first mayor of Buttsville claimed the city was named for a man named Seymour Butts, who was a representative to some sort of congress.



No one believed him, of course. The world ends at the city limits! Everyone knows that!



Anyway, your desk is amazing. It even has a fancy little nameplate with your name on it! Being the Mayor has its perks.



You sit down with a cup of coffee, ready to [[start another day|title page]].

Traffic always, always gets congested after a major event. It's not your fault Erotic Cheese Foundation set a record for concert attendance and then played until 5 o'clock in the morning (in violation of city ordinances, by the way).<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>



<<if $annoyance gte 3 or $boredom gte 3>><<if $disasters eq 0>>[[You wake up in the night—|earthquake1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 1>>[[You wake up in the night—|tornado1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 2>>[[You wake up in the night—|shutdown]]<<endif>><<else>>[[Summer becomes fall...|fall 2030]]<<endif>><<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

It'll take time, but this way you don't have to use the machine. You shouldn't need it just to have a bus system that makes sense, right?<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>



<<if $annoyance gte 3 or $boredom gte 3>><<if $disasters eq 0>>[[You wake up in the night—|earthquake1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 1>>[[You wake up in the night—|tornado1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 2>>[[You wake up in the night—|shutdown]]<<endif>><<else>>[[Spring becomes summer...|summer 2031]]<<endif>><<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

The machine can do quite a bit, but asking it to magic up some water out of nowhere is a bit much, in your opinion. You send an email to Geralda Hofner approving whatever she needs to do to get the water situation under control.<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>



<<if $annoyance gte 3 or $boredom gte 3>><<if $disasters eq 0>>[[You wake up in the night—|earthquake1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 1>>[[You wake up in the night—|tornado1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 2>>[[You wake up in the night—|shutdown]]<<endif>><<else>>[[Summer becomes fall...|fall 2031]]<<endif>><<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

All the riverside really needs is time. Unfortunately, your term is almost up, so the next mayor will need to finish the job, but restoring the waterfront is a popular project. It'll get done.



[[Your time as mayor ends in the spring...|end of term]]

"There isn't a cloud in the sky today, folks! We're going to have another sunny January day!" Lenny, as always, is happy about the sun. He moves on to the week's forecast, but you tune him out. Really, you're not sure why you listen to him. The forecast is always the same, and Lenny's always right.



A knock on the door. "Your eleven o'clock appointment is here, Mayor Rodriguez." The door opens, and a short young man scurries in, clutching a folder.



"Nice to meet you, Mayor, I'm Linley Clusterhouse," he says. "Did you know Buttsville has no trains?"



You blink. "Yes, I knew that."



"Well, I just love trains, ever since I learned about them in school! My house is full of model trains, but I'd love to have some full size ones in the city." He pulls a photo out of his folder and shows it to you; the photo depicts a living room smothered in precisely laid miniature train tracks.



"Well, there would have to be some sort of public benefit. I can't waste the taxpayers' money on a vanity project."



"But there is! You know all that truck traffic on our streets? You could get rid of a lot of it with freight trains! And you could build a passenger line too, for people to get to work! C'mon, pleeeeeeeeease?"



* [["That does sound nice. I'll look into it."|winter 2029 yes][$annoyance += 1; $season += 1; $boredom -= 1]]

* [["You have interesting ideas, but this is going to require more study."|winter 2029 no][$boredom += 1; $season += 1; $annoyance -= 1]]

<div align="center">Take a risk. Don't fear the machine.



[[<—back|previous()]]</div>

"I'll see what I can do," you tell the Commissioner. Later in the afternoon, you slip down to the machine room and press a button marked with a car symbol.



A few days later, the police presence in Buttsville has notably increased, and Alice comes back to report on the lowered crime rate and thank you for your help.<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>



The rest of the summer is [[uneventful|fall 2028]].<<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

You push the button, and a panel slides open, revealing a screen and a keyboard. The cursor blinks greenly at you, waiting for you to type.



[[Why?|why]]

<<if $season eq 4>>[[The city moves on.|winter 2029]]<<endif>>

<<if $season eq 5>>[[The city moves on.|spring 2029]]<<endif>>

<<if $season eq 6>>[[The city moves on.|summer 2029]]<<endif>>

<<if $season eq 7>>[[The city moves on.|fall 2029]]<<endif>>

<<if $season eq 8>>[[The city moves on.|winter 2030]]<<endif>>

<<if $season eq 9>>[[The city moves on.|spring 2030]]<<endif>>

<<if $season eq 10>>[[The city moves on.|summer 2030]]<<endif>>

<<if $season eq 11>>[[The city moves on.|fall 2030]]<<endif>>

<<if $season eq 12>>[[The city moves on.|winter 2031]]<<endif>>

<<if $season eq 13>>[[The city moves on.|spring 2031]]<<endif>>

<<if $season eq 14>>[[The city moves on.|summer 2031]]<<endif>>

<<if $season eq 15>>[[The city moves on.|fall 2031]]<<endif>>

<<if $season gt 15>>[[The city moves on.|end of term]]<<endif>>

Honestly, you're not sure what the machine's going to do here, and you don't know if it'll be enough to solve the problem, but it's worth a try.



The next day, you get a phone call. "I don't know how it happened," Geralda says, "but our reservoirs refilled overnight! Our projections have changed completely. It's not official yet, but it looks like water won't be a problem for a long time."



You have no words.<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>



<<if $annoyance gte 3 or $boredom gte 3>><<if $disasters eq 0>>[[You wake up in the night—|earthquake1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 1>>[[You wake up in the night—|tornado1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 2>>[[You wake up in the night—|shutdown]]<<endif>><<else>>[[Summer becomes fall...|fall 2031]]<<endif>><<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

Out of bed at 6, out the door by 7.



Traffic through downtown is predictably awful, but you make it to [[your office]] by 8.

You stop by the machine and push a button marked with a green $ symbol. You have no idea what it does.



The next morning, you find out: the city treasury is double the size it was last night, and you now have enough breathing room to temporarily reduce taxes.



The emailers switch to demanding you make the tax cut permanent, of course.<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>



<<if $annoyance gte 3 or $boredom gte 3>><<if $disasters eq 0>>[[You wake up in the night—|earthquake1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 1>>[[You wake up in the night—|tornado1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 2>>[[You wake up in the night—|shutdown]]<<endif>><<else>>[[The sky chills...|winter 2031]]<<endif>><<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

j. marie

September's come around again, and with it a number of newspaper articles about overcrowding in the schools, like this one:



//Buttsville schools set record class sizes for fifth straight year

by Harper Thorburn



Tanya Jansen, a seventh-grade student at Riverside Middle School, is excited about returning to school this year — because her class will be outside. As beautiful as Buttsville's weather is, it is irreponsible of our schools and city government to continue to allow classes to spill out of the classroom...//



One of your campaign promises was to build more schools. One button press could fulfill that promise... but do you really want to use the machine just to make yourself look good?



* [[Push the button|fall 2028 yes][$annoyance += 1; $season += 1; $boredom -= 1]]

* [[Don't push the button|fall 2028 no][$boredom += 1; $season += 1; $annoyance -= 1]]

"Hellllllllllllllooooooooo, Mayor Rodriguez!"



You look up from your emails. "I have a door. And a receptionist."



Your visitor, an older lady with a big purse, frowns. "I didn't see a receptionist."



"Are you here about the parks again?" Every month, like clockwork, Mrs. Fontaine comes to see you about establishing more parks in the city. You have to admire her tenacity, even though you haven't been able to do anything about the parks yet.



"I did!" She smiles at you. "A city is measured by the quality of its parks, missy. And just think of all the pigeons!"



* [["You're right. Buttsville does need more parks, and I'll make it happen."|fall 2029 yes][$annoyance += 1; $season += 1; $boredom -= 1]]

* [["I'm sorry, but the city's budget is very tight at the moment."|fall 2029 no][$boredom += 1; $season += 1; $annoyance -= 1]]

Alice is definitely on to you, but you don't think she knows everything. For one thing, she doesn't seem to believe that the machine is dangerous.



Still, a new hospital is worth the risk.<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>



<<if $annoyance gte 3 or $boredom gte 3>><<if $disasters eq 0>>[[You wake up in the night—|earthquake1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 1>>[[You wake up in the night—|tornado1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 2>>[[You wake up in the night—|shutdown]]<<endif>><<else>>[[The cherry trees blossom...|spring 2031]]<<endif>><<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

//Why did you do it?// you type.



@@font-family: monospace;>wut@@



//Look at the city! All those people dead, all the destruction! You did that. Why?//



@@font-family: monospace;>idk i was <<if $annoyance eq 3>>annoyed<<else>>bored<<endif>> lol@@



...What? Does this person, whoever they are, think that this is all a [[game?|why2]]

One morning, your car just won't start. You give up on it fifteen minutes after you should have left home and walk to the bus stop.



It takes half an hour for your bus to show up, and it's stuffed to the gills. It then meanders through half of Buttsville before dropping you off two blocks away from City Hall.



* [[Use the machine to improve bus service|spring 2031 yes][$annoyance += 1; $season += 1; $boredom -= 1]]

* [[Wait until you can add it to the budget|spring 2031 no][$boredom += 1; $season += 1; $annoyance -= 1]]

The news breaks just after lunch: an entire city block burned to the ground after someone left a pot on the stove in their apartment. Thanks to an earlier mayor's foresight, smoke detectors warned everyone inside to get out in time, but there's still a lot of property damage. The newspapers are already blaming you and the Public Safety Commissioner for not giving the city's firefighters enough funding.



Alice emailed you earlier:



//As much as I hate to admit it, they're essentially right about funding. We could use more money for our firefighters. I know, the budget's tight, it always is, but if you could find a way we could prevent this from happening again.//



* [[Push the button|spring 2030 yes][$annoyance += 1; $season += 1; $boredom -= 1]]

* [[Don't push the button|spring 2030 no][$boredom += 1; $season += 1; $annoyance -= 1]]

<div align="center">Follow your feelings. Respect the machine. Survive your term.



[[<—back|previous()]]</div>

Education is important, but you just can't do it this year and you really want to save the machine for emergencies. Next year, you'll make sure the schools are better. <<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>



<<if $annoyance gte 3 or $boredom gte 3>><<if $disasters eq 0>>[[You wake up in the night—|earthquake1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 1>>[[You wake up in the night—|tornado1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 2>>[[You wake up in the night—|shutdown]]<<endif>><<else>>[[Fall becomes winter...|winter 2029]]<<endif>><<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

"Goooooooood morning, Buttsville! It's 6 AM—"



You slap the clock radio off. How is Lenny so goddamn cheerful this early in the morning?



[[Time to get up.|time to get up]]<<nobr>>



<<set $annoyance to 0>>

<<set $boredom to 0>>

<<set $season to 1>>

<<set $disasters to 0>>

<<endnobr>>

Bright and early in the morning, you gear up for another tour through the wreckage — and stop.



There is no wreckage. It's like nothing ever happened.



Except for one thing: in the center of the city, replacing a park, is a huge library. It's fifteen stories tall, sheathed in glass, and stuffed full of books.



Over the course of the day, the various City Commissioners call you, each one reporting unprecedented levels of good service. Crime is nonexistent, the schools are amazing, and the electricity is literally limitless.



Oddly, no one remembers the <<if $disasters eq 2>>tornado<<else>>earthquake<<endif>> except for you. Was it all a bad dream? And how long will this last?



[[The End|the end]]<<remember $library to true>>

<div align="center">Thanks for playing! [[Play again?|Start][state.restart()]]



Endings found:



1. <<if $parade eq true>>You have passed the baton to the next mayor.<<else>>[[?????|parade hint]]<<endif>>

2. <<if $library eq true>>You have made a deal with the machine's operator.<<else>>[[?????|library hint]]<<endif>>

3. <<if $shutdown eq true>>You have watched the lights go out.<<else>>[[?????|shutdown hint]]<<endif>>



Many thanks to Jacques Frechet for beta testing!



Written for [[Shufflecomp 2015|http://www.intfiction.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=17580]], based on the song [["This Is Not A Game" by Skunk Anansie|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMzCvIBxFJA]].</div>

//You were <<if $annoyance eq 3>>annoyed<<else>>bored<<endif>>? What? Is this all some kind of game to you?//



@@font-family: monospace;>its cb2000 lol@@



That doesn't make sense, but you know what? It doesn't matter. //You're responsible for this city. I tell you what needs to be done, and you do it. I know that much. So how about this? We work together, and make Buttsville the best city ever.//



@@font-family: monospace;>ok ill build something cool lol@@



//Not just that. No more disasters. Proper housing and services and jobs for everyone.//



@@font-family: monospace;>you want me to cheat lol@@



//If you have to. It's worth it.//



@@font-family: monospace;>ok lol@@



//[[We're all counting on you.|morning]]//

After lunch, you stop by the machine downstairs and press the bus button. A few days later, Buttsville Metro sends a representative to your office to thank you for the fleet of brand new buses and significantly increased operating budget.



One of the new routes conveniently passes both your house and City Hall, and for the rest of your term you decide to ride the bus.<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>



<<if $annoyance gte 3 or $boredom gte 3>><<if $disasters eq 0>>[[You wake up in the night—|earthquake1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 1>>[[You wake up in the night—|tornado1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 2>>[[You wake up in the night—|shutdown]]<<endif>><<else>>[[Spring becomes summer...|summer 2031]]<<endif>><<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

Alice is definitely on to you, but you don't think she knows everything. For one thing, she doesn't seem to believe that the machine is dangerous.



It's a hard decision, but you can't justify the risk.<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>



<<if $annoyance gte 3 or $boredom gte 3>><<if $disasters eq 0>>[[You wake up in the night—|earthquake1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 1>>[[You wake up in the night—|tornado1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 2>>[[You wake up in the night—|shutdown]]<<endif>><<else>>[[The cherry trees blossom...|spring 2031]]<<endif>><<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

"That does sound nice. I'll look into it." You gently lead Linley to the door, then head down to the machine. Trains would go a long way to making Buttsville a world-class city, and isn't that why you're the Mayor?



Not long after your visit to the machine, the first frieght line is built. Linley is front and center at the opening ceremony, beaming, and the press praises your foresight as a number of factories near the new depot expand.<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>



<<if $annoyance gte 3 or $boredom gte 3>><<if $disasters eq 0>>[[You wake up in the night—|earthquake1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 1>>[[You wake up in the night—|tornado1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 2>>[[You wake up in the night—|shutdown]]<<endif>><<else>>[[Soon enough, the winter ends...|spring 2029]]<<endif>><<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

"Good news, Buttsville! We've set another high temperature record with today's high of 104 degrees!" Lenny is probably the only person above the age of fourteen who thinks that's good news.



You have more serious problems on your mind than a silly record, though. A email from Ms. Hofner just came in:



//subject: Water reserves dangerously low

sender: Geralda Hofner <ghofner@Buttsville.gov>

date: August 10 2031



Mayor Rodriguez,



Our water reservoirs have reached record lows; while we project that only standard usage reduction will be necessary for the rest of the summer, there will be a severe shortage next summer, unless something is done. We have researched a number of interesting ideas but we do not have the budget to implement any of them on the scale we would need to secure Buttsville's water supply. I have attached overviews of the most likely-looking plans; please look over them at your earliest convenience.



Geralda Hofner

Department of Water and Sewage Services, Buttsville//



You look over the plans she sent. Rainwater collection? Banning lawns and golf courses? Yeah, the public will really love you when you tell them they can't have grass anymore. But there might be another way...



* [[See what the machine can do|summer 2031 yes][$annoyance += 1; $season += 1; $boredom -= 1]]

* [[Use the conservation plans|summer 2031 no][$boredom += 1; $season += 1; $annoyance -= 1]]

<div align="center">''The Mayor and the Machine''

by [[j. marie|https://twitter.com/calariene]]



inspired by [["This Is Not A Game" by Skunk Anansie|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMzCvIBxFJA]]



[[Start!|spring 2028]]</div>

No. You don't know what would happen if you pushed that button, and you don't want to find out; you have a city to rebuild.



It takes a lot of hard work, but after about six months Buttsville returns to some semblance of normalcy.



<<display backtotimeline>><<nobr>>



<<set $annoyance to 0>>

<<set $boredom to 0>>

<<set $season += 1>><<endnobr>>

<<set $disasters += 1>>Everything is shaking. Glass shatters. Your bookcase tumbles over, spilling books all over the floor.



Eventually, the rumbling ceases, and you venture out to [[survey the damage|earthquake2]].

It's worse than you thought. Swathes of the city are leveled. Firefighters are putting out scattered fires throughout the city, and every other emergency responder and a number of volunteers are searching the rubble for trapped people. This is, without a doubt, one of the worst disasters Buttsville has ever experienced, up there with the famous 2021 Fire.



City Hall is battered but structurally sound, so you coordinate rescue and recovery efforts from there. During a quiet moment, you slip downstairs to the machine.



[[You kick it.|earthquake3]]

You wonder if she knows. She's been Public Safety Commissioner for a long time; if anyone knew about the machine, it would be her.



Still, using the machine is risky. If you make a mistake, Buttsville could be faced with a disaster a hundred times worse than a burnt out city block.<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.//<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



//You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.//<<endif>>



<<if $annoyance gte 3 or $boredom gte 3>><<if $disasters eq 0>>[[You wake up in the night—|earthquake1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 1>>[[You wake up in the night—|tornado1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 2>>[[You wake up in the night—|shutdown]]<<endif>><<else>>[[Spring becomes summer...|summer 2030]]<<endif>><<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>

You compose a reply informing the DPA that they will simply have to repair the plant, citing a lack of proper funding.



This doesn't stop Jerome from dropping by in the afternoon to plead for a new plant. You stand firm, and by the end of the interview you're wondering if he set the fire himself.<<if $annoyance eq 2>>



You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is annoyed with you.<<endif>><<if $boredom eq 2>>



You feel uneasy, as if someone very far away is bored with you.<<endif>>



<<if $annoyance gte 3 or $boredom gte 3>><<if $disasters eq 0>>[[You wake up in the night—|earthquake1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 1>>[[You wake up in the night—|tornado1]]<<endif>><<if $disasters eq 2>>[[You wake up in the night—|shutdown]]<<endif>><<else>>[[Spring becomes summer...|summer 2029]]<<endif>><<nobr>>



<<if $annoyance lt 0>><<set $annoyance to 0>><<endif>>

<<if $boredom lt 0>><<set $boredom to 0>><<endif>>

<<endnobr>>