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Entry tags:
- *downtime,
- *event,
- danganronpa: toko fukawa,
- fe3h: claude von riegan,
- fe3h: sylvain jose gautier,
- ffxiv: ardbert,
- gbf: beatrix,
- genshin impact: diluc ragnvindr,
- genshin impact: kaeya alberich,
- jjk: satoru gojo,
- jjk: suguru geto,
- solo leveling: sung jinwoo,
- star wars: anakin skywalker,
- star wars: cal kestis,
- star wars: obi-wan kenobi,
- sweet home: eunyoo lee
Downtime Log - Intro
Log 01 Downtime Intro
Maybe you were walking to class, or riding into battle, or at your father's funeral, or gazing into the abyss as you brush your teeth and think about your waning youth. Maybe you're from 1000 years ago, or the far-flung future. But it doesn't matter how different you are, because all passengers will wake up sprawled on the same floor of the same car...
The Perfectly Average Everyday Normal Train Car
As characters stir from their slumber, they'll notice their new(?) phones vibrating in their pockets. An unread message is waiting for them...
FROM: clownductor one
Welcome to the Existential Express, car #83045029342000001.
[CHARACTER NAME] is currently engaged in Tutorial Mode.
Objectives:
> Read the Existential Express (E2) brochure.
> Access the user directory and send a message.
> Ask one of the other passengers to be your friend.
> Find the exit door.
By completing car objectives, passengers may proceed through the exit and onto the next car.
Thank you for riding with the Existential Express. Please enjoy your journey into the great unknown.
>>>>SUBJECT: New Passengers
How is that? I attempted to make it sound welcoming.
The message, strangely, cuts off there. The brochure goes over all the basic 'what is a train' questions people may have, but nothing else.
However, characters may find that the exit door is locked until they complete the objectives, so it's icebreaker time! On the bright side, it seems this is a dining car, so there's a few nice plates of treats and a bar that magically serves beverages when people make orders. The exit door will be locked until the objectives are complete! (Please see OOC notes below for more details.)
In any case, when they unlock the door and move on through the exit, there is a walkway to the next car. Please watch your step, and check out the FAQ for more details on trying to leave the train!
Immediately proceeding the intro car is...
The Land of Corginia Car
As characters enter the car, their phones will notify them of a new objective…
Because this historical city is occupied with... dogs! Mostly corgis. They are smart, verbal, and very good boys and girls. The dogs are happy to play with anyone, and will also help passengers get to anywhere they want to go. The car itself is basically Rome, with low doorways and ceilings.
And because corgis do have short legs and zero thumbs, they will sometimes need and ask for assistance. For example, you and a partner may need to help the corgis cross a river, give them belly rubs, or reach a ball on a high shelf. They are easily distracted, squirmy little babies and will make life very difficult, but they're just so darn cute!
The Museum Car
(tw: body horror)
As the characters enter the car, their phones will notify them of a new objective…
As passengers enter this car, they'll find themselves feeling notably lighter. This might be because they're suddenly missing a leg, or perhaps an arm, or their eyes, or tongue. Whatever it may be, a part of them has been taken away. There's no pain, or danger to their lives from the missing part, it simply isn't there.
It's been whisked away and hidden somewhere in the musty old museum that they've found themselves in. Luckily, it's currently closed, so there's nothing stopping them from raiding everything in sight! The displays span all manner of topics, from history to biology to space. Passengers might even find displays on familiar historical events or persons from their home worlds as they search—the collection is seemingly endless! Just watch out, because sometimes objects (and body parts) will come to life and lunge through the glass at anyone who walks a little too close.
NOTE: Characters can snipe items from the display cases in the museum! However, they'll discover the items are actually toy replicas made of flimsy plastic. They're completely non-functional and will break if handled too roughly.
The Birth of the Wind Car
As the characters enter the car, their phones will notify them of a new objective…
The world that lies ahead of the passengers is vast and lush; a spectacle of nature that spans snow-capped mountains, dense forests, deserts, and lakes. Aside from unusually large and extremely territorial fauna (1, 2, 3), the car appears devoid of any signs of civilization, and passengers might think themselves completely alone…
… Until they hear the tinkling of a bell, and a cheery, "yahaha!" in the distance. Upon closer inspection, the car is in fact populated by small, wooden creatures known as korogus (here). They hide at the tops of trees and mountains, on lone islands in large lakes, and under rocks. Once a passenger stumbles across their hiding place—whether knowingly or otherwise—they'll appear in a puff of magic holding a golden korogu seed. Simply finding them isn't enough for them to hand over the precious item however, and they'll require passengers to offer up one truth in exchange for a seed. And don't bother lying, they'll give you a solid bonk on the head and disappear if you do!
Numbers
Numbers! Everyone starts with one that glows on their bodies — as a fun thread mechanic, we suggest they're somewhere visible, but it's up to you!
Because while this is not IC knowledge yet, numbers are determined by how troubled your character is. This may be based on their past actions and crimes, but also alienating habits, regrets, personality flaws, trauma, etc — a higher number does not necessarily mean they're a bad person, but it may signify a difficult time in their life, or substantial personal issues.
Numbers change as characters work through their issues... which we'll cover next time! However, for this log, please note that numbers will remain static. They may flicker or warp occasionally, but don't worry about them going up or down for the intro! As a bonus, numbers can glow in any color you would like.
OOC Notes
Car Order: While the cars are linear and in the order shown, characters can freely move between these four 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. Welcome to Locomo, and have fun!
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no subject
He hears the shifting of fabric, the way that Suguru moves his robes to go in search of the object in question. Satoru waits for the reveal he knows he will not be able to see, and tries to determine what it could be. Something small enough to fit hidden away on his person — something Satoru likely would not have been able to tell he was carrying, or Suguru would have expected him to call it out earlier.
And something annoying, not unlike Satoru himself.
But there is no sound to give away a hint, and Suguru offers nothing of his own beyond a callback to a time and place long ago. But Satoru cannot see the shape in his palm, nor can he feel any energy emanating from it. Suguru has successfully called his bluff, and they both know it.
His impulse is to reach out. It's a move he would make under any other circumstances. Satoru reacting in that way would be normal, and Suguru must anticipate it — a scuffle, like in the old days, with him keeping something away and Satoru lunging for it. The two of them tumbling to the floor as they struggle over something stupid, until they break apart to laugh, with Suguru handing it over anyway, as they both knew he would all along.
But he holds back, and not because he's functionally blind. A fight without his eyes would not be ideal, but Satoru retains his other abilities. He does not need to see to win. But rather, to touch the prize would mean letting it through his Infinity — normally an easy task, something Satoru can do with little effort, but that would take precious energy from his dwindling supply. If this, or any of his other interactions in this car, leads to a situation where he has to fight, he needs as much of his energy as he can spare. And in keeping his Infinity active all this time, he has already used up enough of it to feel fatigued. It's been a long time since he last had to consider the toll his abilities take; given some of the threats on the train, he needs to be smart about how he uses them.]
You're the one who likes annoying things.
[To someone who happens to be walking by at that moment, it may sound like a rejection of what is offered. Satoru turns his head away from where he is pretending to look, away from the palm that he knows is held before him, the mysterious prize brandished in a way that undoubtedly seeks to confirm his current limitations.
But the words are more than that. They're an acknowledgement of a memory, of a conversation that they had years ago. They're not turning down the gift, but rather, accepting this test for what it is. Satoru is admitting, without outright saying it, that Suguru is correct — there is now no point in doing otherwise, because the moment of recognition passes before Satoru can assess how to react — and offering, in turn, an acceptance of what the prize should have somehow represented, if he could see it. If he knew what it was.]
I was hoping it'd be something sweet.
[He assumes it isn't, as sweets aren't annoying, certainly not to Satoru, whose sweet tooth rivals that of young children. And truth be told, a piece of candy would be great right about now.
He sighs. That smile is still on his lips. Satoru directs his attention upward, to a ceiling he can't see.]
Guess I've got no choice.
[And he really doesn't have a choice, presented with this confirmation of what Suguru now knows. He cannot accept the prize that Suguru offers in lieu of the one he suggested, because Suguru is now much more dangerous with the knowledge that he holds — with the vulnerability he now knows Satoru harbors. And while Satoru has invited him to sit beside him knowing the risks, in a temporary truce, as a form of that still-unforgotten trust that exists between them, that trust is limited. It has to be, because Satoru has seen with his own lost eyes the lengths that Suguru is willing to go to reach his goals — and he knows these trains are not filled with jujutsu sorcerers.
Though Suguru may be without his allies, he is still capable of hurting others.
And Satoru, his biggest obstacle, is restrained in ways he hasn't been since they were teenagers. Even more so, now that he cannot see.]
I'll go with my first pick.
no subject
and yet suguru glances down at the charm he continues to hold between them, wondering how satoru would react, if he could see it. what expression would flash across satoru's face. if satoru would think him silly for holding onto such an small thing when he let go of things that were so much bigger.
but there's little point to thinking about such things, which is why suguru slowly closes his fingers over the cheerful little frog. hiding it from himself, and himself alone.]
I thought so.
[simple acknowledgment—of satoru's choice and satoru's situation—as he pulls his hand back, letting it rest, lightly, atop his knee. the many unpleasant possibilities continue to hang between them; it would be a lie to say that suguru is not turning them over in his mind, considering what would be best in the long run, but again: nothing in this life is simple. no decision involving satoru gojo is ever easy.
and there is stull much of this train to see. acting rashly now could cost suguru everything all over again, so rather than focus on one method of victory—a lesson he only recently relearned—suguru decides the best course of action is to stay the course.
(and beyond that? there is the fact that what satoru said is true: suguru does like annoying things.)]
Then what should we talk about? [and he can hear it all over again: it's no fun if i have to pick. even if this conversation proves to be serious, suguru wouldn't put it above satoru to fall back on silly antics; it's easier, suguru is sure, than remaining serious in the face of what is now in the open, and so, almost patiently:] This is your prize.
[and he's already said his last words.]
no subject
If he were to rise, Satoru would have to follow. And eventually, whether here in his car or later down the line, they would have to fight.
He assumes that Suguru is considering his options — the cost of staying over leaving, what it would mean to draw a new line in the sand, to reestablish their connection as enemies only. Maybe he's filing this information away for later, when their conversation comes to an end. But Satoru once sent students after Suguru knowing — trusting — that he retained enough of the Suguru he knew to refrain from killing them. And likewise, Satoru gives him the space to make his choice, to decide what he wants most in this moment — out of that remaining sense of trust.
It's a lot to ask of him, and Satoru is aware of that, too. He once had Suguru's blood on his hands, once held his body in his arms — and he might, again, if Suguru pursues the non-sorcerers on this train, and if Satoru has to stop him here, just as he had to back in their world. Suguru could try to return the favor, and this may very well be his best chance; Satoru will be more formidable later, after he finds his eyes.
So the moment is heavy, weighted, and feels long despite being brief, though to anyone else, Satoru still looks like the annoyance he is. He still sits seemingly without a care in the world, carefree in demeanor and expression both.
Except, when Suguru makes his choice by asking that question, Satoru's smile turns a shade softer, in the way that it would have years ago, upon seeing Suguru for the first time after a long mission — in a way that only one other person could notice. And only for a moment, because then Satoru is gathering himself into a more reasonable sitting positon, pulling one leg to himself and resting his arm on his knee.
Suguru is right, of course, in assuming that Satoru's preloaded reply is to drag this out — to complain, talk about nonsense, and maybe even try to keep Suguru here long enough for someone to walk by with his eyes in tow. The conversation is serious, but Satoru rarely approaches important topics with the gravitas they deserve, especially if they may imply that there are additional vulnerabilities in play.
And so, with that gentle prompting, he does cut to the chase, in the sense that he doesn't attempt to turn the conversation back around on Suguru. But he does it with the frivolity of an old friend catching up on gossip, rather than with the solemnity that most other jujutsu sorcerers might afford the subject of one very big problem.
He cheerfully says:]
I made a friend.
no subject
but satoru shifts about, making himself more comfortable before offering up something that is, when taken at face value, so trivial as to be insignificant. they all made a "friend" in that first car; this is hardly news—except that it must be news, if this is how satoru is choosing to start this conversation. someone besides suguru happened to catch satoru's attention, and suguru thinks, instantly, of the cursed energy he's sensed from car to car. always on the periphery; an aberration suguru intended to double back to check, once satoru was dealt with, but now—
—hmm. suguru just barely tilts his head, seeking an angle that will allow him to keep closer watch on satoru's expression.]
Oh? [how curious.] You never were very good at that.
[he was always better at annoying others, leaving suguru to smooth everything over—or others were simply too intimidated to approach, or had preconceived notions of how satoru should act, or too often took satoru at face value. the list could go on, but the list is not what makes this supposed friend so curious.]
Do they have a name?
no subject
There has only ever been one person who truly chose to subject himself to everything that Satoru is — who looked beyond his strength and annoying ways, and who could understand Satoru when he forwent words for attention-seeking behavior. The same person who, for that very reason, Satoru would still call his best friend, despite everything that transpired between them.
That person sits beside him now, proving his acceptance of everything that Satoru is by talking, listening, and understanding what Satoru is communicating without outright saying it — accepting this temporarily truce though he has little motivation to do so.
And so Satoru tests the patience that Suguru has always afforded him by withholding that piece of information and saying simply:]
Yeah.
[Suguru will find out the name, whether Satoru tells him or he seeks out the source of the cursed energy himself. But the story of said friend goes beyond this train, and Satoru has to be careful about how much he reveals. He doesn't know how what will happen after they escape this train, and while Satoru does not want to believe that Suguru would do anything other than swallow the King of Curses if given the chance — he remembers Suguru targeting the school. He remembers the sacrifices that Suguru made to seek his goals.
Satoru's trust exists, but it is conditional, and he draws the line at potentially endangering his students.
He draws the line at endangering the people on this train.
So having established that there is an additional problem, Satoru moves on to his real request, far larger than the simple desire to have a talk.
He says:]
I've been thinking it's about time we work together again.
[This in and of itself is not a remark about the strength of the enemy who lurks in this car trains, but an admission of a further problem — of something that may render Satoru unable to take care of the problems from his world on his own. He is admitting that for the first time since their teenage years, Satoru — the sorcerer who thrives when he has no one to hold him back — needs a partner.
He cannot work alone.
So in suggesting this — in presenting this offhanded comment as though he's feeling nostalgic — Satoru is taking another risk.
If he could, he'd rely on the allies he's slowly trying to collect, and teach them like he does his students. But without his self-reverse technique, he only has so much time before he'll need to drop his Infinity and recharge. And if something goes awry, and Satoru's out of energy, he won't be able to protect anyone.
Attempting to team up with Suguru would require deep and unbreakable assurances, but it would mean that Suguru would no longer be a concern. Instead of Satoru having to keep close tabs on two enemies, there would only be one. And that's one they could face together if need be.
His face, as usual, doesn't give much away at all. It's as cheerful and conversational as it always is, and pretends to watch Suguru as if he'll be able to see his reaction. He imagines Suguru's expression as it was when they were teens, a brief show of concern — Suguru asking if he needs to sleep, if he's okay, and Satoru punching his shoulder in response to say, I'm good man.
He knows that's not how Suguru would openly look at him now. There's too much for him to consider from this singular statement: the potential that is a somehow vulnerable Satoru, the risk and opportunity provided by the existence of another threat, and what, exactly, Satoru will request from him as proof of his willingness to play nice with the non-sorcerers on the train.
But still he asks:]
Whaddya think?
[Lazily, his words stringing together, as he reaches across his body to punch Suguru's shoulder, despite the fact that he can't see exactly where his fist will land, despite the barrier that prevents true contact — reminding him that they've done this before. They can do it again.
Suguru can do it again.]
no subject
but then it becomes a question of why satoru would mention this at all. to hint about an ally? to warn about a potential threat? which would be curious, given satoru's current state. anything that poses a risk to satoru should—would—be of interest to suguru, even if it poses a risk to himself, for they seem to have an abundance of time on this train; suguru should be able to work out some manner of approach.
...the true answer is somewhere. suguru is more than capable of finding it, if given enough time—but he is trapped here for the time being, waiting and watching for satoru's next move. if he won't offer a name, then what will he offer? an abrupt pivot, suguru expects. he always favored those.
and true to form, satoru does take the conversation in an entirely new direction—and an unexpected one, at that. one that suguru finds himself altogether unprepared for, though he knows, on some level, that he shouldn't be—because it makes sense, in some roundabout way. they worked well together, when they were younger; they are aware of, and can compensate for, one another's shortcomings; they are trapped on this train, and thus they presumably share the same goal: to escape it.
(not to mention the convenience that is removing an enemy from the playing field. working together, even in the barest sense, means playing nice—so long as certain rules are followed. suguru can guess as to which rules satoru would insist he follow.)
but the true significance of such an offer is not lost on suguru. he remembers that year in which the greatest duo simply because the greatest; he remembers listening to satoru explain his mastery of his techniques, realizing, for the first time, that satoru truly was the strongest. there was no longer a need for suguru to keep watch, to remain close—and now, suddenly, there is. satoru is no longer capable of shouldering everything alone.
suguru should be pleased.
he is, on some level. a weakened satoru—outside of this one car, no less—is something to celebrate; it gives suguru greater impetus to act alone, allowing the chips to fall where they may.
and yet.
satoru's fist strikes him slightly off-center, knuckles catching the very edge of his shoulder—and this is another thing that suguru is unprepared for? this reminder of how things used to be, when satoru wouldn't have needed to ask for suguru's help—because suguru would have known. suguru would have been by satoru's side before satoru could say so much as a single word.
...there is nothing to be done about the choices that were made; there is nothing to do about the muffled ting of the charm trapped within suguru's fingers, though he swiftly tightens his hold, hoping to prevent anything more from slipping through. what does he think? what does he think.
first: a breath, slow in and slow out, as he considers what this conversation alone is costing satoru? in various ways, and for various reasons. then, after determining that it is surely more than satoru is willing to admit:]
I think you're tired, [he says, matter-of-factly, as he lifts his hand from his knee, bringing it to the front of his robes. one barely audible chime was enough; it's time for this charm to go back where it belongs, albeit carefully.] I think you're worried. I think I'm not the only reason why.
[the train, the cars, the people within, the "friend" that satoru refuses to name—all things for satoru to stress about, and for suguru to take full advantage of, if needs must. but there is something for suguru to take advantage of here, as well, which is why, in a somewhat lighter tone (as though he is wholly unaffected):]
Don't you want to work with your friend?
[once again, suguru expects little in terms of an actual response—but he's making a point.]
no subject
But whereas before these gestures were delivered without thought — whereas Satoru did not hinge his actions on proposals and considerations, but merely moved on impulse — now there exists a layer of time and space between them. They are separated by the infinite — still severed by all the choices they made before, and all the choices they will make in the future. One request will not bridge that gap; one proposal will not allow Suguru through Satoru's barrier. One agreement will not erase the past.
Because Satoru hasn't, and will not, lose sight of the fact that Suguru is an enemy. The still-present trust he holds for Suguru is fragile, layered with contingencies, and based entirely upon what he knows Suguru will not do — rather than what he will. Because Suguru is still a curse user, murderer, and Satoru's enemy. Because he knows that Suguru is weighing his options and thinking about what it will mean, when Satoru ends a long day with a pounding headache, tired, with no one to keep watch while he recharges.
And that's why Satoru has broached this topic now, before Suguru learns all there is to know about Sukuna, and before Satoru reaches his limit. If Satoru can protect the people on this train by teaming up with Suguru, pulling him from the opposite side to stand along with him, however temporarily, then Satoru can conserve the energy he would use on keeping tabs on him — and put it toward the other threats on this train, and to the overall goal of escape.
He remembers Suguru in his final moments. He remembers Suguru in the in between, drenched in rain. He remembers Suguru as a student. And he hears the muffled ting of a bell that is familiar, somehow — out of place, distant, but audible enough that Satoru's mind identifies it as significant.
And he knows, somewhere inside of Suguru's twisted, broken sense of morality, there remains fractured pieces of what once was.
That ting does not echo; it is cut off, hidden, replaced with blunt words — but Satoru will remember it.]
I don't think my friend wants to work with me.
[Spoken vaguely, it could mean either "friend" in question: the King of Curses, who wants to make good on his promise to kill Satoru, or Suguru himself, who identifies Satoru's proposal for the admission of vulnerability that it is, and spares no words in pointing it out.]
But that's a mistake.
[Because Satoru may be weak and limited in what he can do here, he may be restrained in this room by being unable to see, and may still feel that sense of fondness for what once was, the ting of memory, but he is still capable of fighting — he will still use the power he does have. And while a match between Suguru and himself may be more equal now than it would have been at any time in the decade that they were apart, there is one stark, painful truth that remains between them:
Satoru has killed Suguru before. If Suguru forces his hand, he will kill him again.
And he will grieve him again.
Satoru stands. His ability to navigate the museum is compromised, but he transitions to give Suguru a way out. He's lain the cards he wants to show out on the table, and now Suguru must decide his next play.
He stretches, rolling his neck and folding his hands behind his head, nearly taking out a display case in the process — unconcerned about whatever may be caught by his carelessness.]
Either way, things are about to get a lot more fun.
[Fun, deadly, dangerous —
like old times.]
no subject
...such a decision should not be made lightly, especially in a place as strange as this. there are far too many unknown variables; there is the knowledge that satoru may be the key to uncovering a majority of them, his weakened abilities still the perfect complement to suguru's weakened abilities.
(and there is also the knowledge that, if they both escape this train, satoru will once again pose the largest risk to suguru's family, suguru's goals. satoru once hesitated for a decade; he will not make that mistake twice.)
but satoru stands, somewhat clumsily, before suguru can speak, apparently calling an end to this temporary truce. to search for his eyes, suguru is sure—and as suguru can see, suguru could help. a gesture for a gesture. proof that suguru deserves the small amount of trust that satoru has offered him, and that maybe, just maybe, at least half of satoru's warning was unwarranted.
except that it wasn't, and thus suguru remains where he is? silently watches a blinded satoru almost knock over someone's something, his hand still resting over the charm that is now safely tucked away. fun.]
You would say that.
[spoken quietly, with an undercurrent of something that suguru couldn't hide if he tried, because even weakened and running on fumes—satoru would. but despite that—despite the charm he can just barely feel, hidden beneath layers of fabric—suguru thinks of all that he has yet to do.]
I look forward to learning more about your friend.
[whether it's information that satoru chooses to share—or information that suguru uncovers on his own. either way.]
no subject
He thinks about how, years later, he found Suguru in an alleyway, preparing for death. He wore nothing over his eyes then, either. He looked at Suguru without anything between them, and took his life.
Satoru hooks a finger in his blindfold and pulls it down.
He looks at Suguru without anything between them —
and sees nothing.
He smiles at the darkness before him, and with the weight of yet another parting on his shoulders, he finally turns.
With a wave, he says:]
Say hi to Ryomen Sukuna for me.
[And makes his way out of the hall.]