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

[godsandbats]

[jfc. Good thing there are certain lines Kirk won't cross]

No.

[Kirk's keeping his monotone because seriously. What is even happening here?]

You're the son of a different Bat?

[brat]

I didn't say that.

( he doesn't have any difficulty lying, but considering the circumstances, damian is assuming this man is getting his information from somewhere. he'd rather figure out where he's getting it than shut him down entirely. )

[godsandbats]

Not too many people would comment about Batmen.

[It's the plural use that gives it away. Sure plenty have opinion about one Batman but several is unusual]

Unless you've gone to some Halloween parties.

[Then again, Gotham feels like Halloween 24/7]

[brat]

I live in Gotham.

( even if he isn't robin currently, he's still damian wayne. )

The number of inane gatherings Father drags me to that get interrupted by petty criminals and then Batman is immeasurable.

[godsandbats]

[Sure, kiddo]

So there's more than one Batman in your world?

[Kirk has his doubts but the multiverse is messy]

[brat]

Multiple individuals utilize Bat as part of their moniker, yes.

( more than one batman, too, but generally only one at a time. unless they're counting bat-man, who was here. . . a while ago. )

[godsandbats]

[Deadpan]

Guess I should be flattered or insulted then.

[brat]

Or neither. I've never heard of you.

( it wasn't this guy everyone else was following after. )

[godsandbats]

It's for the best. Who are you?

[Because there's no way he's just a normal kid]

[brat]

( it's almost amusing, isn't it. how complicated such a simple question can be. robin is his immediate thought; though less because he associates himself so strongly with the name, and more because it's what he has introduced himself as to most people here. damian wayne only exists when robin needs to be put away. the name wayne is telling, but he isn't the only wayne lurking around etraya.

but damian knows better than to let a question sit. knows it just brings more focus onto the question itself and why it was taking so long for one to answer it. there's only the briefest of moments, the slightest tell that he has stopped to contemplate it before he answers with a truth - even if it isn't the full truth, )

Damian Wayne.

[godsandbats]

[If everyone in Etraya really was pulled in to help save their worlds, then presumably each of them has something special to help with the daunting task. So while Damian introduced himself almost like a normal person, Kirk senses there’s more than meets the eye]

And how long have you been here?

[brat]

Nine months.

( roughly, give or take some time. damian is counting based on aurora's provided dates and the assumed passage of time. for what they're worth. )

I was one of the first ones to arrive.

[godsandbats]

You've seen other Batmen here during that time?

[Not that Kirk's sure the kid will even answer honestly about that]

[brat]

You ask as if you expect me to tell you everything.

( the roll of his eyes is overly evident, exaggerated on purpose because, )

Do your own research. I'm not your assistant.

[godsandbats]

[Kirk remains stony faced. He's already assuming Damian's lying about nearly everything. The questions are really more to get an idea on how the kid ticks as opposed to getting answers to those questions]

Right. Just like I was trying before.