etrayamemes | TDM 005

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TDM 005

⏵ arrival ⏴
Arrival goes as anticipated. Characters awaken in a sterile hospital bed in a clean, white room to the hum of machines under the unnatural lighting common to well-kept institutions. Every bit was designed to be comforting and calming, even with the jarring undercurrent of this situation.

The first face they see is Aurora's: her smile appears to be warm, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. She might offer a quick explanation, or leave characters to figure it out for themselves depending on their approach.

The door to the room swings open, revealing a hallway that stretches out ahead of them. There’s noise from outside and strong pumpkin spice scents coming from the lobby. Ah, muffins and tea. Grab one and head into the crisp, sunny fall morning ahead.

⏵ potluck ⏴
Cutthroat Iron Etrayan Bake-Off

As you step out of the arrival holding area into the main thoroughfare, the entire street has been turned into tents and chef stations to accommodate the activities of thirty people at once. There’s seats, trailers, and robots bustling about to make sure everyone is ready.

A couple of cheerful robots in aprons and colorful sweaters approach and redirect you as you step towards the cooking area. There’s gas ranges, ovens, grills, blast chillers, mixers, and set walk-ins and pantries with just about every ingredient you can imagine. There are cameramen (also robots) patrolling the area to capture all your best moments and to broadcast them directly to your fellow citizens’ devices.

Your instruction? “Make your signature dish. You have one hour, chef.”

It can’t just be straightforward, can it? The land itself is held together with pure chaotic energy. If you’re lucky, all goes as planned. If you aren’t… well…

Roll a Die

1	Your leg is now tied to another chef’s	2	Your meal is continually un-cooking itself.
3	All of your ingredients are pickled now	4	The longer you touch an ingredient, the bigger it gets.
5	Every time you lift your pot lid, a component changes.	6	The aromatics are glowing and flashing like LED lights.
7	Your knife has been replaced with a cheese grater.	8	The ingredients are now magnetically stuck together.
9	Your meal is becoming deep fried.	10	Kittens are multiplying out of the cupboard. *
11	All of your ingredients have become incredibly heavy.	12	Your cook pot moves burners whenever you turn around.
13	Eggs scream when you crack them	14	The kitchen has become incredibly slippery.
15	It’s soup now.	16	All utensils have been replaced with crustaceans. **
17	Your knife has a mind of its own. Watch out!	18	Your fridge catches fire.
19	Your pasta is trying to escape. Go get it.	20	Any ingredient not in the pot starts to float away.

* All kittens disappear at the end.
** These however, stay.

⏵ share a meal ⏴
As all the cooking concludes, you will be invited to plate your meal into one of many casserole dishes, regardless of what was made. A ladle will be tucked into the corner and placed on the table with a folded bit of cardstock declaring the chef’s name and the name of the dish. A helper camerabot will come around to each participant and ask for their thinking and their process.

Even if you got away without having to cook, even looking towards the table of dishes will spur a helper bot to start making you a plate with one of everything. The helperbot will insist that it is rude to not at least try what their peers have made.

In fact, if you are to fill out the score card for each person, you really must taste everything! The robots can’t try the food, so it’s up to you.

The cards look like so. The grading system is opaque. Is it meant to be numbers? Stars? Letter grades? Well, you’re the judge. You figure it out.

Chef: ___________ Dish:_____________ Judge:___________ Overall Rating:_______

Flavor
Presentation
Stackability
Wet
Originality
Rizz

⏵ tummy ache survivor ⏴
No matter how well your compatriots cooked or baked their dishes, there are… factors. You see that carrot? It’s really just condensed chaos in the shape of a carrot. No matter how powerful you are, these particular ingredients may not mesh with your being.

…And even if it is truly a carrot, do all the chefs know the proper cooking temperature of chicken? Even chickens are aliens to many.

(Optional) Roll a Die

1	Tummy Ache. Go lay in bed. Complaining alleviates symptoms.
2	That plate of food has energized you. You feel compelled to race or spar.
3	The food has reminded you of home. You must tell someone a detail of your childhood.
4	That food was so horrible that it simply must be washed out somehow. Spicy peppers? Booze? Gravel??? You’re going to over do it.
5	You have now discovered your new favorite dish. Make them teach it to you or you’ll lose sleep over it. This is all you want to eat for the next week.
6	The oddity of the ingredients has transferred to you. You start floating away.
7	The range of food and textures have inspired you. Acquire an annoying new hobby or habit.
8	You are now haunted by the digital souls of chickens.

⏵ NOTES ⏴

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⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

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[it was hard not to be perturbed by being told she was here to prove her universe wouldn't be destroyed or something along those facts. it made no sense to choose her and if it was anything good, they wouldn't pick her, would they? so to her, it only made sense this place was very wrong.

and she was used to very wrong. it seemed like this other person did have the same sort of inkling as she did.]

How do you miss how weird this place is? All the signs point to bizarre. Yeah, new and freaked out. But seems like you should kind of smile and play nice, right? [it's what she was going to do for right now.]

( the funny thing about saving a world was heather and vincent were both convinced their world was doomed at this point-

if she knew maria had been from the very same world, her fears and stress would be alleviated. for now though she could sense the distress coming from maria, and it made her want to comfort her. assure her that if she was doing okay here despite the bizarreness, then maria could too. )

Hey...

( she reached out to place a gentle hand on her shoulder, offering a soft smile. )

It'll be okay, we'll figure this out. I'm Heather by the way, what's your name?

[maria isn't even sure what her world is. sure, it's earth. but is that really hers? she couldn't say. so her being chosen feels wrong. there's a sense that she should try because that's the right thing to do. the good thing to do and she should do good. but is she good? does she actually care?

being here makes her so anxious and unsure. the rules have changed and her entire purpose seems to have changed. this place isn't normal but her talking to someone else isn't normal. somebody introducing themselves and seeing her and trying to comfort her is so far removed from normal.

she tries to offer a smile back because the last thing she needs to do is actually talk about any of this. or show it. that's not going to win her any favors. it never does for anybody.

but she does want to smile for heather, who really can't be that old. it feels natural that she should try to help her too. try to navigate this strangeness because someone older should be there for someone younger, right? it does feel sincere even though she can't explain it.]

Thanks, Heather. I'm Maria. Have you been here long?

( the affection doesn't last for very long but only because heather wanted to resolve the problem before them. as maria spoke, she began to look around at the ingredients on the counter and wondered if the other items would have the same issue.

it seemed for now her note-taking would be put on pause, she was roped into cooking after all. )

Long enough to tell you that this place is deliberately trying to mess with you. It happens to us all, just be lucky-

( 'that you aren't being fed human flesh by someone else' was a thought she was about to say but she didn't want to scare this stranger. heather had dealt with that and it seemed this place didn't care about such things. so she sighed and reached for a carrot, which began to grow in size. immediately she dropped it. )

So....what are we making anyways chef?

[maria expects her to finish that sentence. it seemed like she had something to say? but she doesn't and maria wonders. though she doesn't push for it and if heather wants to change the subject then it's fine.

it's probably safer to talk about anything else.]

Meatloaf. It's kind of the only thing I know how to make? [she had never really expected to be in a kitchen though so if she can actually make it was truly unknowable.] But something about this place makes me think maybe I should consider a vegetarian diet. Heard someone crack an egg open and it screamed.

Maybe a salad is the safest option here. Can't burn the place down with a salad either.

Nothing wrong with that. My dad used to say as long as you know how to make one really good dish, then you're set for life-

( but maria made a really good point about the food. as soon as she said about the egg screaming, the sounds of kittens mewling began to fill up the space near them as someone else seemed to struggle with that.

with a more sheepish expression on her face, she shook her head and took another look around. )

You know, I don't think anyone would care if we did, consequences here are uh...rare? But I'd rather not add arson to the list of bad things I've done. Let's see..

( she began to look around for ingredients for a simple salad. no onions, no carrots. for now. )

Your dad was a smart man, then. [though she didn't know if meatloaf was going to be a choice here. especially if the onions were too heavy to lift. but as she looked around at the problems other people were having, she didn't know what would be.]

No consequences, huh? That's dangerous. People do dumb things even with consequences. We'll have to behave ourselves. [she flashes a small smile and takes a head of lettuce from a nearby table. however, when she picks up a knife, it flings itself out of her hand to start stabbing at the table over and over. instinctively she puts an arm in front of heather to protect her if the knife decides to do anything else.]

I think I'd take the screaming eggs.

I can assure you, I'm a well behaved person.

( to maria's small smile, she offered a rather big one, trying to hold back her laughter. it was a more serious comment she made, but she couldn't help but feel an excitement about all of this despite the chaos.

she had been smoking again while here, drinking wine and what not at hannibal's party, and hey she even made friends with a few other teenagers. she wanted a normal life more than anything and moments like these, surprisingly, were offering that to heather.

it was when the knife began to go out of control and maria stood before her, that she stopped smiling and watched in silence. finally she spoke up. )

Thank you...Maria...that was really kind of you.

[it makes maria happy to see heather smiling. she can't really say why other than she thinks someone that age should be smiling. though this place seemed like it would be a mess to handle. especially if you didn't have people.

it surprises her when heather thanks her. was it kind?] Hey, the least I can do is make sure you don't get stabbed as thanks for trying to help me. [and it did feel natural to try to protect heather, for whatever reason that was.

though a thought hits her, considering that heather is young and well, she should have somebody, shouldn't she?]

Are you okay here? I mean, I can see you're a big girl now but is your dad here or anything? Somebody? [to help you?]

( standing behind maria, heather watched as the knife went on stabbing the counter until it finally seemed to get stuck. for now it seemed the situation was okay, but she did give a quick glance around to make sure nothing was flying to them.

it was then when maria spoke up and asked her about her father that she stopped smiling. she wasn't sure if it was okay to share too much details with a stranger, but she had told a few others about his untimely passing before her arrival. it also seemed she felt she could trust maria but she wasn't sure if she wanted to burden her with that.

so heather decided to keep things simple and to the point. )

I've been through worse, but I'm pretty much on my own here. There's another man from my world but uh...I don't really consider him a friend.

[through worse? that isn't comforting and maria's frown grows as she looks at heather. like, sure, maria had as well. silent hill was worse than this from what she could see (for now, anyway). but maria considered herself an exception.

but if she tried to voice these thoughts, a teenager probably wouldn't appreciate it. especially if they said things like they'd been through worse. maria would just keep an eye out for her where she could. at least try to be helpful even if she didn't know how to do that. it didn't feel right to not try, though.]

Is he a creep? [she just assumes because isn't that always the problem with men?]

( it was amusing in a strange way-

amidst the chaos of the kitchen, the strange vibes coming off of this woman, heather felt strangely calm now. it was difficult for her to admit much about her past and life, especially when so much of it involved the order and silent hill, but at the very least she could warn maria of vincent.

she didn't hate him completely, in fact she had gotten closer to him through means outside both of their control but she wasn't going to sing praises of him. she also wasn't going to speak too poorly of him-

after all, they both had to work together to save their world, even if they both felt it was doomed anyways due to heather failing to stop god's rebirth. )

His name is Vincent and not in that sense.

( it was clear she knew what maria had been indicating. she was young, but she wasn't naive. )

He'll just talk your ear off about his religion at worst.

[that's a relief. her mind had truly jumped to a worst-case scenario. though if he had also been chosen to save his world then that had to account for something?

but maria had also been chosen and she remembers that.]

Well, if that's the worst then that's easy enough. But if he's trying to convert, is this the best place to do it?

[she picks up a head of lettuce and tries to just start shredding the leaves off by hand. no more weapons for them.]

( as the chaos of the knife and other sounds in the kitchen seemed to quiet down momentarily, heather began to look around for some other things to add to the salad. stuff like croutons, bacon bits, or anything else to garnish the salad with-

basically anything that didn't require too much preparation or risk of injury. as maria spoke, she did eventually find some oregano, oil, and croutons. )

I doubt anyone will follow him along, I think he just likes to hear himself talk for the sake of it.

( she came back to the area maria was with these items in hand, but of course things couldn't just be easy. the bottles seemed glued together now, with the bag of oregano hanging from the bottom of them. with a sigh, she set the items down and leaned onto the counter with both hands. )

Besides, I doubt anyone else here is from our world. It's not like he can recruit people to go to Silent Hill after all of this.

[truly could be worse, she thought. from the way heather spoke about this vincent, she didn't seem to be too worried about the man. maria would trust her about him. and besides, maria had already figured she would keep an eye out on heather. to anybody that had been nice to maria, maria found herself feeling fond of. but the fact heather was younger than her just made that feeling grow.

there's a smile on her lips as she looks at how the newest ingredients are going. it's really funny honestly and seems so simple. something she never thought she'd experience.

until it isn't funny and maria's smile drops.]

Silent Hill? Is that where you're from?

( there's a part of heather that isn't sure how to answer that question because she knew deep inside it would only raise more questions. she wasn't necessarily trying to hide who she really was, but no one other than vincent understood or knew how complex everything had been.

he also wasn't someone she could really talk about these things with because everything that happened was a result of harry mason getting involved, and vincent hated her father. any cruel words that came up about the man who saved her so many times was always met with anger and arguments between the two.

so she sighed and decided to give as little information as possible. for now-

because heather was truly wrapped up in her own thoughts and the things she had been through, she couldn't quite imagine that maria was born from the powers of the very town that once drew on her suffering and anger to bolster the other world. )

I guess you could say that, but he's from it too. I actually met him there when I went back to visit....

[maria wonders what she should say. what are the chances it was a different silent hill? but then what is the chance they're from the same one. the exact same world...

yet she knows deep down it has to be the same. it explains the draw that isn't just motherly. something even more.

what can she say? technically she should say she is from there too. it isn't like there had never been normal people there. even someone like mary had loved the place. so it doesn't have to mean anything. but if there's too many questions asked then how easy would it be able to tell that maria wasn't even real at all. never was...]

Ah. Visiting and running into a weirdo. How lucky for you. But if you were just visiting, it isn't really home I guess.

( unaware of the impact her words had on the other, heather seemed to take a more casual approach to the way she spoke with maria and handled the ingredients that stuck together. she had met half-humans, half-orcs, angels, and all sorts of interesting people and creatures here. something as simple as mentioning the town that once held her past self prisoner [in mind, body, soul], didn't seem all too crazy among the chaos.

additionally vincent knew of most members of the cult. if any of them had shown up, he would have told heather. at the very least he had that much going for him-

for all the taunting and bitterness he showed her, he at the very least was telling her things she should know. )

I.....I guess not.

( her words do bring about a sense of nostalgia for her, because even if that town meant suffering for her, for alessa, there was some positive things about it. lisa for example, the nurse who helped alessa all those years ago. she still held her in high regard, and even claudia, before the cult truly degraded her mind. )

Enough about me, sorry I'm being kinda selfish aren't I? Tell me about you Maria, is anyone else from your world here?

Nah, you're not. I like hearing about other people. [she was grateful for any conversation. and this was nice with heather. already she did like the girl and wanted to talk to her more. though maria did wonder if she should tell heather she was from silent hill. but did it matter? and if she talked about that then where else would that go? and maria didn't know what to say about herself. the 'life' she had was never hers anyway.]

Just me, I think. Which suits me just as well. Not like I ever made that many friends or anything. This is more conversation I've had in a long time.

[she's smiling because that sounds sad and the truth of it all does make her feel that. it was why she was content in hearing heather talk. she looks around at other ingredients, eyeing a tomato and wondering if she should go for it.]

( in the meantime, heather is wrangling the toppings she gathered up, trying her best to pull apart the oregano from the bottle of oil. she placed down the items onto the table before she reached for a spatula nearby to help her. )

Well the way this place is setup, you'd think it would be hard to make friends. However I've been pretty lucky, I've run into some kind people. There's actually a few others around my age who seem pretty nice.

( not that she wanted to divide maria and make her feel old, but heather was trying her best to comfort her. she knew what that was like, not having many friends, being ostracized and isolated. it made her heart ache for the other, even if she barely knew her-

what she did feel though was that maria was a kind person. she demonstrated it in her actions, hadn't she? )

Just stick to me Maria, I'll be your friend. Now if only we could get this salad to actually work...

[maria had already met other people here and they had been friendly. it had been a big surprise honestly and she was still taken aback by the fact she could talk to others. they could see her. seemingly enjoy her presence? it was novel. not something she thought she would ever experience.

and if she told the truth about anything about herself, would that still be true? or would they think she was something bizarre. something to stay away from because maria didn't really know that answer herself.]

Won't it get tiring being around an old lady like me?

[she's still joking and doesn't seem to mean it. but she is an adult and they're supposed to be uncool to teenagers. so the story goes.

though as she's touching this damn tomato, it keeps growing and she sighs, putting it down.]

Is this a test of patience because mine is being tested alright. You think a salad can just be lettuce and whatever you managed to pry apart?

( it doesn't take long to heather to see how maria had been struggling with the tomato and while it was true that adults were lame and uncool, someone here gave her a great piece of advice sometime before maria came in-

'make friends, look out for each other, and try to get a gun'

she was still working on that last part, but those words resonated with her. while she had made some efforts to be connect with a few other people here, they hadn't quite made a 'truce' about protection. she wasn't trying to use maria per say-

in fact she was trying to protect her despite the difference in physical age. )

There's lots of old people here, in fact, one of my friends here could pass for my grandfather.

( she chuckled a bit before moving closer to the other, after managing to pry apart the items she had been struggling with before. )

I think whoever is judging us will be happy we managed to make anything at all. Let's add in this stuff before it sticks together again?

[she laughs.] Good to know you are willing to friends with a grandma. [Maria, you are not even close to that. but it's honestly nice to be able to joke, and have fun, with someone at all. Heather is good company and she was in desperate need for good company. honestly, in need of any company. at this point, she wasn't picky.

the tomato is the size of her head when she tries to pick it up again and she throws her hands up.]

Well, at this point it feels more like your salad. [Maria had only shredded some lettuce because every other ingredient she touched seemed to want to go haywire.] Think it can be judged as a team effort?

Well if you're a grandma, you're the coolest one around.

( with a wave of her hand, it was clear heather was referring to the pink ends of her hair and her stylish outfit. it had been a long time for heather as well to just joke and have a nice conversation with anyone that didn't involve the order, pain and suffering, and other generally negative things. even if they had been struggling with this challenge, it still left her with a sense of happiness.

with one last bright smile of her own, heather chuckled a bit at her exhaustion with the tomato. )

I'm happy to share credit, let me just add the final toppings and we'll see what they say?

[it's true. she is truly so far from being a grandma. it's just not who she is.

she really had had fun with Heather, though. it'd been easy and she had never imagined conversation to be as such. nor did she imagine fun. especially since the last words she'd heard was James signing her death sentence basically.]

Somehow I doubt they will accept me doing much but I was also never made for the kitchen. [she motions to herself because what part of her looks like that either?]

/end

ingestion - 2024-11-27 17:03 (UTC) - Expand

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TDM 005

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cw: brief mention of cannibalism

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