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

[sonofzod]

[ Hernan doesn't like that word. Contingency. Like Kirk is some kind of wild animal that needed to be put down. He shakes his head. ]

We won't need a contingency. We're going to sort this out.

[godsandbats]

[Kirk isn’t as confident as Hernan about that. He needs a lay of the land first]

How long have you been here?

[sonofzod]

[ Too long. ]

About a month. Maybe a little longer.

[godsandbats]

Aurora mentioned a multiverse. Anything familiar here?

[Seeing the skyline being a mishmash of Gotham and Metropolis was jarring already]

[sonofzod]

Gotham's clock tower. The Daily Planet. I met Lois. She's...less insufferable.

[ He pauses, as if remembering something. ]

There's a child here claiming to be the son of Batman.

[godsandbats]

[Now it's Kirk's turn to not liking the news he receives]

Is there another Batman around here then?

[Because there's no way in hell Kirk has a kid]

[sonofzod]

I assume so. But I haven't met him. I met someone who told me about a Superman who hides his identity for some reason. Maybe this Batman does the same.

[godsandbats]

It would be appropriate. Bats are meant for the dark.

[Kirk shuts the lid and lifts it again, revealing peppers next]

Perhaps this Superman prefers privacy.

[sonofzod]

Seems like a waste of time to me.

[ Hernan crosses his arms. ]

I've only met the child. Tell me, if you happen to meet that other Batman.

[godsandbats]

It might be interesting.

[Or a headache. This multiverse business sounds messy]

What's the child like?

[sonofzod]

[ Definitely a headache. ]

Obnoxious. He carries an arsenal of weapons and he tried to stab me.

[godsandbats]

[Once again, Kirk is surprised]

Bold move for anyone to make, much less a kid. He didn't know who you were?

[sonofzod]

I told him. He did not believe me. Not until his sword began to bend.

[ He doesn't trust that kid and if he tries to stab him again, Hernan might just throw him. ]

I don't like this multiverse idea, Kirk.

[godsandbats]

[Kirk can guess why. It’s far from either of their control and brings up a lot of uncomfortable “what if” questions]

It was always a theory in cosmology and a common concept sci-fi writers like to play with. We’re probably seeing before us dozens of results from butterfly wings going in different directions.

[Or maybe bat wings in his case]

We probably don’t have a choice in this.

[sonofzod]

[ Hernan isn't used to not being in control. Fair Play or not, he was still one of the most powerful beings on earth. If he didn't want to be pushed around, he didn't have to take it. He could push back, often harder. He has to play by the rules here. He doesn't like the confinement. ]

I do not accept that. They do not control us. No one does.

[godsandbats]

[Kirk privately wonders if Supermen in other universes are just as stubborn and arrogant as Hernan]

Have you talked to Aurora or anyone who could be in charge here?

[sonofzod]

[ Other Supermen wishes they could be Hernan. True story. ]

Not yet. I have a map of this place and have been doing some investigating. I can share it with you through the network.

[godsandbats]

[Kirk nods. Superman's aerial view map could come useful at the very least]

Was thinking about doing a night flyover of my own.

[sonofzod]

I'll go with you.

[ Hernan's already done a flyover. But Kirk was always the more observant between them. ]

[godsandbats]

[Kirk nods. He could use Hernan's input since he was here first]

It'd be nice if there was boom tube around.

[sonofzod]

Our lovely Bekka took them off world with her.

[ he's not salty about it. He's a little salty about it. ]

[godsandbats]

She’s traveling around the universe. Maybe this’ll be one of her stops.

[Though that might also mean Luthor showing up too but eh. One problem at a time]

[sonofzod]

[ Maybe, but Hernan isn't going to get his hopes up about it. ]

Have you found a place to stay yet?

[godsandbats]

Not yet. Would there be a place? It seems that was missed in the orientation.

[And it’s not like it’ll be the first time Kirk was homeless]

[sonofzod]

There are apartments, but...

[ Hernan points in the distance at a building being worked on in Nova City. Though it is incomplete at the moment, it's a familiar sight. ]

The bots are building the Tower.