TDM 005

[etrayamods]

⏵ 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 ⏴ Please direct all questions to our mod queries comment! ⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Comments

[simpcard]

[ She's been waiting for this moment!! Building up her courage! Figuring out what she is going to say! Everything!

The proper protocol for meeting one better? She isn't so foolish as to forget something like that - no way!

Standing at attention, she adjusts her stance. Her hands are placed on top of her legs, she bows low enough to expose her neck. Right! That's totally right!! ]

Forgive the disrespect! Kimie Arashiyama at your service! Hamster specialist! I have no kills under my name but hope you can forgive my weakness. [ It's best to be honest about these things! She isn't fodder! She isn't. But!! She doesn't want to be untruthful, either! ] I am here to offer my full service and assistance to anything that you need, sir!

[knightowl]

[ Clearly this girl is mistaken. Bruce has never had a need for a hamster specialist - whatever that is. What he needed (his dog and a way back home in that order) she clearly could not provide him. So Bruce waves her off with his cane. ]

What I need is for you to stop following me.

1/2

[simpcard]

[ Right.

She's acting like a total loser right now. If the people she cared about could see her, they'd definitely be disappointed. Cowing down this much to an experienced specialist? The important thing to always remember is that -- ]

[simpcard]

Well, that isn't happening!

[ She straightens up and slams her foot forward, striking a more confident pose. ]

We're specialists, after all! But more than that, we're people in a situation that's way over our heads! I'm sure that you're far smarter and stronger than me. [ Breathing out hard through her nose, she steps forward!! ] But! If we can't rely on one another, what kind of outlook does that bring to our world?

So, I definitely can't leave you on your own! I may have wanted to rely on you, but -- I'm also pretty amazing!

3/3

[simpcard]

And so is, Sirius!

[ Reaching into her hair, she produces a hamster for him to see. ]

So!! Let's do our best together!

[knightowl]

[ Is that what a hamster specialist was? A crazy person with rodents in their hair? Bruce eyes the hamster then looks at the girl again. He doesn't smile or seem amused at all by any of this (even though his mun thinks it's hilarious). ]

You have no idea who I am. Find someone else to bother.

(YAY I'M SO GLAD)

[simpcard]

That's why you have to introduce yourself, ya know?

[ She smiles that much brighter. Right!! This is the best way to act! ]

I know... you're probably from one of the four families, right? A specialist turned detective like myself probably has no right to talk to you. [ Right! Time to give the scariest truth! She's an assassin who never killed one person and has decided she's never going to kill anyone! Telling that to someone who probably has thousands of kills under his belt is probably sooooooooo insulting, but!! ] But, that's not right! Someone would tell me that we all have a right to talk to each other!

It's up to us to be able to communicate with one another!!

[knightowl]

[ A detective, is she? Bruce isn't impressed. But he's not impressed by much so that's not saying a whole lot. He turns around and begins walking away, as fast as he can for a man on a cane. The Tower is still his destination. ]

You have me confused with someone else.

[simpcard]

Well, if I have you confused, I have you confused.

[ What can she say? Her senses tell her that he's a big deal? It's like how a hamster instinctively knows these things for survival's sake. ]

But if you're an old man in a situation like this... doesn't that mean someone like me should help you out? [ Click-click-click. She continues to follow after. ]

[knightowl]

No. I'm not helpless.

[ Far from it. He's perfectly capable of wielding that cane as a weapon if needed. ]

I told you to stop following me. I won't ask a second time.

[simpcard]

Listen, I may be a low-level specialist, but --

[ Her eyes and nose start to drip pathetically. ]

-- I'm not going to let you bully me.

[knightowl]

[ Ah geeze why she gotta do all that? It's making Bruce cranky. Crankier. But he's not trying to hurt her feelings. Okay maybe he is a little. But not to the point of making her cry! ]

Look, I do not need your help or anyone else's. I can manage. Thank you for your concern.

[simpcard]

But --

[ The hamster on her shoulder squeaks and uses its little paws to pat her cheek. She's got this! ]

-- just if! Just if! What if I need help?

[knightowl]

[ Sigh. ]

What do you need?

[simpcard]

[ Beams!!!! ]

Your name! And level one start to our road to friendship!

[knightowl]

[ Bruce Wayne with friends? lol ]

Bruce. We are not friends.

[simpcard]

You're right about that, Bruce!

[ She's up close and still smiling big. ]

Step one to friendship is acquaintances!

[knightowl]

[ He's putting a more comfortable amount of distance between them. ]

You don't want to be friends with me.

[simpcard]

Huh? Why not?

[ She tries not to look too disappointed at the distance. But then, again, she's the kind of person that might hug someone's arm suddenly so maybe it's for the best? Maybe! ]

[knightowl]

[ Because he's a curmudgeonly old man. ]

I'm not very nice.

[simpcard]

You might not be nice, but you aren't mean.

[ In other words, so? ]

When I said I needed help, you offered to help me. So... I think you're a wonderful person to be friends with, Bruce.

[knightowl]

[ But he is mean. Just not mean enough to turn down people when they need help. ]

That's naive and stupid. Don't do that.

[simpcard]

Well - you don't be like that to my good friend!

[ She's gonna stamp her foot and point in his face! ]

My soon-to-be good friend Bruce is better than what you think! So, I won't stand for you thinking anything less of him! Got it? Messing with a specialist - even a low-class one - is dangerous! You're putting your life on the line here, you hear?!

[knightowl]

You don't know anything about me. If you don't need any help, stop following me.

[ He's turning to go now. ]

[simpcard]

B-But I already told you what I need help with --

[ She's scampering after. ]

-- we're both in a bit of a pickle right now, aren't we, Bruce?