Downtime Log - Intro

[locomodo]

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…

> Lend a helping paw.



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…

> Complete yourself.



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…

> Collect all the korogu seeds.



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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Comments

[unrepentant]

[Stillness doesn't come naturally to Anakin. On Tatooine, any time he didn't spend building droids or racers he spent running around with the other kids in the slave district. And later in life, when he struggled to find the kind of internal quiet and calm that the Jedi told him would be found in meditation- he could always find something to do with his hands. There's a simplicity to be found in both combat and in fixing things; the scope of the universe narrows to only a few seconds where Anakin can easily find good and bad, broken and repaired, before and after.

The decision to walk is an extension of the habits he's never tried to hide and the needs he's never learned to address. His hands remain at his side, one flesh and one metal- both visibly empty and visibly still; this is the detail that's strategic. His Master may be the one to have earned The Negotiator as a moniker, but despite his own hard-headedness Anakin's managed to absorb a tip or two. On a more even-tempered man it might even be called an attempt at manipulation. For better and worse, Anakin possesses neither the will or the inclination. Moments like these, where he's trying to get a feel for another person, are mostly an exercise in patience. In his experience someone always tips their hand.

But the man matches his pace easily and they move with enough symmetry for conversation to flow. An instinct he doesn't try to name keeps encouraging him to bear north- so he does, making his way in the direction of a series of dog-chores that he doesn't even realize are waiting for him. They pass through what looks like a park, where a few of the stubby locals are bounding excitedly through a game of their own; even without the assessment that follows, harmless is a good word for them. The most work he's had to do so far was help one pick out a new ball.

Until now, by the sound of it.
It's clear that the opening salvo lands, because 'bigger concerns' immediately draws his eye. While used to standing apart, being other, Anakin knows what it means to be called to serve. To want to help. Bigger concerns implies a point of focus, a task. Something to be done for the greater good.

Unfortunately the elaboration that follows is just vague enough for Anakin to misjudge the request. His expression flattens, not hostility, but an unequivocal rejection.]

I'm not an assassin.
[And then, because experience is a memorable teacher:]

Not intimidated either.
You're gonna have to play nice like everyone else.

[mugen]

[Satoru laughs, a sound of true mirth, not intended to poke fun at Anakin's response to his questions, but more out of surprise and novelty. Satoru's very existence is intimidating to most in his world, and not many would look him in the eye and say otherwise. Though Anakin may not know how powerful he truly is, Satoru still respects those who stand up to him; this is, after all, how he made his very first friend years ago — by someone refusing to take his crap and proving he could stand toe to toe with him — a thought that makes him vaguely nostalgic.

Aside from the laugh, Satoru remains easygoing, not at all put off by Anakin's response. It's smart, after all — a complete stranger bringing up vague problems that have nothing to do with him is cause for a preemptive rejection. Regardless of how the rest of this conversation goes, Anakin has proven to have a decent head on his shoulders.]

I'm not looking for an assassin. And I'm not trying to intimidate you, either.

[There would be easier (and quicker) ways to intimidate a person if he truly wanted to; but based on the glimpse of the power he saw within Anakin, and taking into consideration Anakin's answers on the impromptu personality quiz, Satoru has a feeling he would be difficult to intimidate regardless.]

I'm questioning why the conductor of this train would choose to bring extremely dangerous beings from my world and put them on a train with passengers who can't defend themselves. [Adequately, at least.] I'm wondering who else is on this train, and what else is in store for us.

[He looks over at the corgis that bounce around the park, barking and chattering their way through requests, and considers the train cars that lie ahead. The possibility that more problems from his world, or others, could be summoned here — and what that means for the passengers and locals alike.]

It's like the question about the volcano and the tree. There's a volcano and a tree on this train [Not that either of them would appreciate being compared to those curses] but that's not the real problem.

[And now he looks at Anakin, dipping his head to look at him over his shades, giving him a grin as he takes his finger and mimics slicing his throat.]

I'm going for the head.

[He has never been a fan of authority, absent figureheads, and higher-ups who think they know best when they're too corrupt to see beyond themselves, and this train seems to be run by that exact kind of leadership style, given who else is here with him and what he's seen so far.

But it's more than that. This is also about the passengers who are at risk. This is about all of them being here against their will. This is about an even bigger problem waiting for him back in his world, while he's busy going from train car to train car because he's trapped.

And that's his pitch: They didn't get to choose this hell, but they do get to choose how to deal with it. For Satoru, the objectives are secondary to his overall goal of finding the conductor and doing something about all this.]

[unrepentant]

[Even the laugh is a familiar refrain and when the first note breaks the air Anakin barely bothers to scowl. Being the "chosen one" hasn't exempted him from criticism and he's used to encountering authority figures that chafe at his approach. He lacks eloquence or subtlety, he's too brash, too headstrong, too emotional; but from where he sits, the people asking things from him aren't on the moral high-ground either. Experience tells him that a person with a cavalier attitude who summons strangers to meetings, who broaches the subject of alliances and then starts talking about some problems they're dealing with- is probably a politician that doesn't want to get their hands dirty. Or worse.

Truth be told, to some extent Anakin is waiting for the other shoe to drop. Attempted hirings like this usually end in a handshake or a drawn blaster and while he isn't afraid of the eventual flip, he'd prepared for it. And that's why his gaze lingers when the man laughs. Anakin looks at the pale column of his throat and at the corners of his mouth that... lift. Like he's found something genuinely funny.

Wrongfooted all over again, Anakin's gait begins to slow simply because his focal point is changing. Instead of letting himself be drawn in the direction of their next task, it's on the man beside him, who begins to elaborate as his face turns in the direction of their far off charges- yipping and chattering as they trot around. Maybe this neutral ground gives them both enough space to examine the theory. Why bring so many powerful people here? Why bring the volcano and the tree? Why bring people who couldn't protect themselves?

The man looks back and for the first time Anakin can see the blue of his eyes over the top of his sunglasses. He looks back. But the thought won't settle just yet- it drifts too near the surface, not ready to be accepted as fact. He can appreciate expediting as fight as much as the next guy- but the people from his world that have been brought here... They aren't a danger to others. They were in danger themselves. And more than that, Anakin has been at the whim of powers greater than himself- that were able to pluck him out of the universe and keep him out of reach until their own needs were met.]

Maybe they were brought here to keep them out of the way.

[He isn't trying to argue the point so much as test it, to see what it feels like to say the words aloud. Anakin's brows come together. He sees the value in confronting the conductor, it's exactly the kind of straight-to-the-point approach he's always made. But Cal and Obi-Wan had both spoken of a genocide they've been trying to outrun. If the conductor was responsible and they really did want their deaths- why rescue them by bringing them here? Why offer refuge?

His gaze lifts.]

I'm ready for some answers. But what's going to happen with your volcano and tree in the meantime? They the type to sit on their hands?

[mugen]

[The issue with being someone for whom most things come easily — someone who stands alone as the strongest in his world — is that Satoru is accustomed to having situations work out in his favor. And when things don't come easily to him, he's accustomed to getting his way regardless, either by annoying others into compliance or sheer luck. He conducts himself as he does in part because he can.

But that isn't the whole story; Satoru's motivations are more complicated than simply getting his way. If he's obnoxious, people tend to pay more attention to his obnoxious behaviors than whatever else he's doing; if he's flippant, he will seem less like a threat to the current leadership of jujutsu society who must be watched closely and more like an annoyance no one wants to handle.

But no matter how he behaves, no matter how lacking his interpersonal skills may be, Satoru doesn't take cooperation for granted. Not anymore. He learned that lesson long ago, and that's why he understands the importance of having allies who are capable of standing beside him. It's why he's here at all, instead of making a plan to face both future train cars and the conductor entirely on his own.

As he trusts his students back home, he would like to trust others here — should the worst come to pass.

But this is an entirely voluntary proposal. Just as Satoru once learned the cost of taking others for granted, he also learned that he can't force others to do what he feels is right.

When Anakin slows, so too does Satoru, still allowing him to choose the pace, just as he will allow him to choose how to respond to this interaction as whole. He's still grinning, though his expression slides toward a more thoughtful smile when Anakin makes that astute suggestion. He maintains his stare just over his shades for a moment longer.]

I don't think that's the case. One was already gone. The other was contained.

[It's a lot more complicated than that, and difficult to explain in full without getting into all of the nuances of jujutsu society and cursed energy, but it's still true: both problems were handled, however temporarily. By unleashing them on this car, the conductor either made a huge mistake or they have bad intentions. Satoru's experiences lead him to believe it's the latter, but even if it is a mistake, one of this magnitude can't go ignored. Regardless, this would be a terrible containment system, given that they're allowed free reign of train cars and passengers alike.

But Satoru nods upon hearing Anakin say he's ready for answers. No matter what the intended reason behind all of them being on this train, no one should be content with having no explanation.

Satoru tilts his head back, once again looking through his shades rather than over them at the well of potential that is Anakin. Then he answers his question.]

Nope. But I've gone a plan to convince one of them to sit tight.

[In a manner of speaking. It's a risky plan, but the risk is Satoru's alone. If it works out as he intends, then the passengers will be spared.

The other is a lost cause. Satoru has already tangled with him once; there will be no convincing him of anything.]

I'll keep my eye on the other for now and [a little cheekily, considering Anakin's earlier statement:] play nice.