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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
[ His answer comes easily, giving Sylvain an amused look. He looks better today than when Claude had seen him last, which is somewhat of a relief. Despite his flippant attitude, he had felt a little guilty about getting him stung and then flown off a cliff.
Not guilty enough to offer up any secrets that he doesn't have to, though. ]
What I can tell you is that there seems to be no end to the number of seeds to find. [ He rubs a hand through his hair. ] I'm starting to wonder if we should organize as a group and divy up the areas of this car.
[ Not that they have a map. Should he make a map? ]
no subject
[ (He's GREAT at it. S+ Rank proficiency.)
And, a little accidental catastrophe hardly falls on the outlandish metric Sylvain uses to choose his grudges. If he had to hate Claude for something, it would probably be the way he suddenly waltzed into noble society with a crest. (...He'd still resent Byleth more, though.)
Anyway, he's not pressed about it—at least he's pretty sure Claude hadn't meant to put him through hell and highwater, which is more than he can say for— ...nevermind.
He doesn't expect that Claude might consider organizing korogu search parties among a group of total strangers, but in retrospect it's not that strange for him to do so. ]
Once a House Leader, always a House Leader, huh...
[ It's a neutral observation. Might be Claude is more reliable than the other Garreg Mach students seemed to give him credit for, but again Sylvain doesn't claim to know anything about him. ]
no subject
Should I be offended that you automatically assume that I'm terrible with girls?
[ Or that one of his priorities is the seduction of women?
Regardless, Claude looks at the screen of his phone again before hopping down from the branch, looking Sylvain up and down. He tucks his phone away then, giving the other boy his full attention. ]
But all right. Teach me how to woo a girl then.
[ Here he is, saying "yes" to something he could care less about. ]
no subject
[ (That's not the question that was actually posed to Claude, but that doesn't mean Sylvain can't make his own interpretations...) From what he's seen of him at the monastery in the past few months of the academy year, Claude doesn't seem to ever show what's really in that sharp mind of his, underneath that easy smile.
So when he agrees to allow Sylvain into his space... how can Sylvain not be tempted to push his buttons a little? See what he's actually made of, how alike they might be, or different. (He's guessing Claude agrees to this for the same reason he himself doesn't mind following through. They've both got something ulterior to gain from it—whatever mysterious reward the clownductor has promised them for their participation.) ]
Sure. It's easy—three steps. First, you give them your full attention. Let them know your world revolves around them, that you would do anything to win their affection.
[ He smiles gently, an expression so practiced it even touches the corners of his eyes as his gaze locks onto Claude's. He takes a slow, deliberate step forward and leans his weight towards him a little, not so close to be stifling but enough that there's no mistaking his interest. He speaks matter-of-factly, but there's a palpable shift to his tone. It's low and intimate, like they're enjoying a moonlit tryst. ]
Use your height to your advantage, and narrow their focus back at you. Doesn't matter if you've done it a hundred times before, your girl should feel special, appreciated.
[ Believe what you're doing while knowing none of it is real.
He takes his time studying Claude's face, looking every bit appreciative, even a little entranced, eyes dipping no lower than his collarbones—what might be considered gentlemanly.
He then laughs warmly, letting a bit of self-consciousness color his voice on the spot. As if he's embarrassed to be doing this at all. (He isn't, but it's easier to let people's guards down that way.) ]
...Are you feeling appreciated so far?
[ ('cause there's two more steps after this, and Sylvain's only just getting started.) ]
no subject
But he's not scared of Sylvain, so the proximity doesn't make him tense. Instead, he's... curious. A little fascinated by this game that Sylvain plays day in and day out, wondering what satisfaction it brings. What itch it scratches. Claude's never given any thought to romance or connection, and the way Sylvain frames it feels less natural and more staged.
Another act to follow, and another mask to wear. How exhausting. ]
Shouldn't you be able to glean that from my body language? Since you're such an expert.
[ He looks up at Sylvain, smiling pleasantly, letting himself lean in as if unable to resist the proximity. His hands twitch at his sides, wanting to reach out, but instead lace together behind his back. His head tilts to the side, the gold cap of his braid brushing his shoulder, waiting for Sylvain to go on.
Ah, how sad. The first time anyone has looked at him like that, and it's all a ruse. ]
no subject
The masks they wear and the lies they tell, they're just rules that add up to the unspoken game they play. For nobles like them, love and politics go hand in hand—shouldn't they exercise a little calculation in what they're willing to give to others? And what they take in turn? Shouldn't they be free to kill time however they like, before they're forced into an insipid marriage for the sake of status and prestige?
At least Claude seems to have one aspect of it down—he gives nothing away by his reaction, matching Sylvain smile for smile. ]
I should, shouldn't I? But you can never be too sure. Some girls are harder to read than others, some say one thing but mean another... Which brings us to step two.
[ He lets himself lean forward fully now, lance forgotten to the side as he plants his weight against the trunk of the tree, crowding Claude in. ]
Figure out what they want. Like you say, body language is important. Most get uncomfortable if you get too close or handsy right away. Back off if you're not sure. Others, though...
[ He brings his unoccupied hand up to Claude's braid, rolling the metal cap lightly between his fingers. He's been watching carefully for any signs of alarm or discomfort, and finds none. The other hand anchoring Sylvain to the tree slips down to touch the small of Claude's back. ]
Others like a little show of boldness. Makes them feel desirable. I get the feeling you don't mind, either, but feel free to stop me if I'm wrong.
[ This is a demonstration, after all... though it doesn't really seem like it, the way he presses them flush together, the hand in Claude's hair moving to caress his cheek, to trace the seam of his lips.
Sylvain closes in, but hovers meaningfully shy of a kiss. ]
Of course, [ he breathes like it's an afterthought, like he isn't purposefully barreling through this just to see how Claude fares, ] ultimately it's better to ask than to assume. You sure you want to go to the last step?
no subject
He thinks that Sylvain is right to call this a skill of his, and he's obviously practiced in the craft. His every gesture is confident, expression beguiling. He hadn't answered his earlier question, but if Sylvain weren't spelling out every step as he acted it out, he might have actually believed that Sylvain's attention was on him. And in a way that isn't quite intrusive, even for Claude, who generally doesn't want anything of the sort.
But of course, he does know better. And the sudden thud of his heart, and the prickle of anticipation, don't bother him. It's just another shade of the fear he's used to feeling before a conflict; the anticipation like the tension that comes from awaiting a strike. It's been many years since he's let emotion like that colour his action, and even while standing on unfamiliar grounds, he can count on years of practice to school his expression.
It helps that he knows that this is in no way genuine. (It helps that he has plenty of experience in people trying to get a rise out of him.) He doesn't answer the question with a smile or with a word, instead looking lost in thought for a moment.
It helps also, that Sylvain has done him the favour of leaning down, so that it only takes a tilt of Claude's head to close the distance between their lips.
It's not Claude's first kiss, but he's not well practiced so he doesn't try to be bold. He knows what intimacy is like- his eye often drawn to it, like a researcher obsessed with the great unknown. Maybe because it's so unfamiliar to him that it always stands out. The way siblings share space and personal real estate so easily, and how friends will grab each other in a moment of excitement. How other young people with embrace, like there's never enough time together.
So he thinks that he can mimic it well enough, drawing back from Sylvain with a playful bite to his lower lip. His gaze lingers there for a moment, before travelling back up to his eyes. ]
Looks like I beat you to it.
[ He'd settled a hand on Sylvain's chest when he leaned in, and he lets his fingers trail down a moment before falling away as he steps back, impatient now with the invasion of his personal space.
With normal distance between them, he puts a hand to his chin, looking thoughtful. ]
But you have given me a lot to think about. Too bad I wasn't taking notes.
no subject
It's not so difficult to pretend with someone like Claude—perhaps even surprisingly easy. Sylvain had half-expected he'd express disdain by now for the way he behaves, but Claude faces him unflinchingly. It's the first time someone looks at Sylvain like this, too, in this proximity. Like Claude isn't interested in whatever performance Sylvain has put on for him, but how the lines were written in the first place.
There's no resentment attached, and Sylvain is half-tempted to actually kiss him, if only to see if he can push him in that very direction. (Always chasing the worst outcome, an excuse to hurt someone to justify his self-loathing.)
And the other part of him thinks he doesn't want to do anything here. That instead of trying to ruin whatever silly mischief this is supposed to be, he ought to simply step back and laugh it off. (He wants a chance to find out where Claude's mind might be leading him, what he so fixedly contemplates that doesn't seem to include Sylvain at all. He wants to invite himself into that space, something outside them both that's more genuine and interesting than this cliché arrangement.)
But before he can make up his mind, Claude makes up his.
The kiss isn't anything shy, either, like it's meant to be given to him, like Claude's been thinking about it for a long time and this isn't just some stupid objective they've both impulsively walked backwards into.
Sylvain's hand curls into the other boy's jacket in his surprise, though he doesn't let go, as if he'd purposefully meant to do it to keep them both rooted in place. He hopes his split second of hesitation doesn't give him away, or the sudden leap of his pulse as it hammers in his chest.
It's over quickly, and he doesn't let his thoughts linger. Relief or disappointment, he shutters off whatever uncertainty with a humored smile, though there's a telltale flush to his bottom lip where Claude had nipped it. ]
...That wasn't step three, but I see you're already a natural.
[ (Certainly could've had him fooled.) He then cants his head to the side with a roguish grin. ]
Was that 'cause you were too busy falling madly for me? It's okay, I know I have that effect on people.
no subject
[ He just laughs, brushing past the experience like they hadn't so much as bumped shoulders, and he kisses people on a dare all the time. Claude's never been one to dwell on the past beyond trying to learn from it, so he pockets away this little encounter without much effort, mind already shifting to the next goal, the next puzzle that needs his focus.
His heart rate settles, mind no longer preoccupied with proximity and warmth. There's something else that requires his attention, and he glances down at his phone again before raising his gaze to the sky. ]
You received the message too, right? I'm assuming that's what all this was about.
[ Then, his gaze drops back to Sylvain, brows furrowed. ]
I wonder how the clownductor knows that we've met this objective... The ones before this required interacting with this train in some way. But these new ones make me think we're being watched much more closely.
no subject
He'll be be mulling over it later, but for now, he's kinda glad someone will play along with his antics without bestowing a verbal berating. ("I knew it!")
But back to train business. ...Though it's kind of fun to keep up the duplicitous banter, so he does. ]
Aww, it doesn't have to be all this is about.
[ Despite his joking tone, he holds out his screen to share his newest objective, knowing that playing coy all the time won't get them anywhere closer to the exit of this car, or off this train. (...He does have to stifle a snort when Claude says 'clownductor'. It had been funny the first time he'd heard it from Eunyoo, and it is no less hysterical the second.) ]
I'm thinking that too. Whoever they are, they might be using these devices to keep tabs on us, knowing we can't really afford to get rid of them. [ The communications function, the housing... They wouldn't survive long without their phones in a place like this. ]
...Or probably something even more complex than that. It's been a bit tough to wrap my mind around how anything works in here, but there just... doesn't seem to be a limit on what's possible, and isn't.
no subject
Yeah, just being here is well within the realm of impossibility as far as I'd know back in Fódlan, but whatever power is at work here has plucked people from all manner of worlds. [ He casts another glance at the space around them. ] Not to mention creating something like this... inside a train car.
[ Which, despite not being familiar with trains, he feels like isn't normal.
He sighs, having run this puzzle over and over in his brain, desperate for an answer but feeling as though there was none within his grasp.
So he turns his attention elsewhere. ]
Dimitri told me you hadn't even noticed that he was gone. For the record, the last thing I remember is returning to Garreg Mach with Jeralt and his daughter.
no subject
[ He's referring to the directory... At least, he definitely doesn't remember taking a survey before waking up here.
And while it's frustrating not having answers, there are only so many straws they can grasp at before they have to concede and accept the situation for what it is—beyond their comprehension. ]
Yeah, His Highness was definitely with us the entire time back in Fódlan. [ Sylvain then blinks, trying to parse that last sentence. ]
—Wait, you mean the Professor? [ That would've been at the very start of the school year— ] That would be... Great Tree Moon?
[ a.k.a. April... Sylvain looks entirely flabbergasted, now. He knew Dimitri had been taken to the train some time in what he assumed to be their future, but somehow he hadn't accounted for the possibility that Claude might be from the past. ]
Last I remember, it's already end of Verdant Rain. [ August, so that puts them some five months apart. What. ]
So... [ ... ] technically you're not even the Claude I know from the academy.
no subject
His frown deepens at the thought, trying to really grasp what this means. ]
No, it would appear not. [ And hm, that's an interesting thought. Another version of himself? ] So we're from alternate points in our history, or something like that?
[ His squints at Sylvain. ]
Which means you could give me some insight into the future, hm?
no subject
Something like that. Now it's making me wonder if some version of us is still back at Garreg Mach. Like everything's still going on as normal even though we're stuck here.
[ (Stuck collecting plant matter and pitting themselves in battle against murderous slimes...) As for the 'future', Sylvain hums lightly, tapping his chin. ]
Depends on what you want to know. If you're looking to borrow my notes on Hanneman's lectures, I'm afraid I don't have any...
no subject
Hm... On the other hand, perhaps the details of the future are better left secret.
[ Hanneman's lectures... He actually wouldn't mind some notes for a sense of normalcy. Or just some books. The days can get a little dull in between seed hunting.
It's a little weird to think that time might be continuing on completely normally without them too. Will they return to the same spot as when they were taken? Somewhere else?
He huffs. ]
What do you make of these so-called prizes?
no subject
[ He probably read that from a book on Reason, once. ...Ugh, you know it's dire straits when you're starting to miss class and training sessions... ]
Hmm. I'm curious what their idea of "customization" is. Will these prizes even be beneficial, or are they just trying to wheedle more cooperation out of us?
[ A pause. ] Say, you and Dimitri haven't gotten any prizes yet during the time you've been here, right?
[ It just keeps getting fishier—suddenly more passengers, and suddenly more objectives... ]
And, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm guessing you've never had to act against each other to complete an objective either...?