DiscoDude: ---BEGIN SESSION---
DiscoDude: Session logging commenced
Ryusui|GM: "Cooking fans! Bloodsports fans! It's time for another exciting episode of...URANIUM CHEF!!!"
Ryusui|GM: The camera pans across an external view of Kitchen Arena - with no Hydrangean vessels in sight this time, but one can be sure the extragalactic culinary tourists are still out in full force.
Ryusui|GM: "Once more, we're bring our four competitors to fight for their pride in the galaxy's toughest cooking competition ever!"
Ryusui|GM: Another montage ensues, this time of our four competitors!
Ryusui|GM: (Opening remarks time!)
Ryusui|GM: <@!Vera>!
Vera: "Uh... Can we make this quick? I woke up to nature's call, an' I gotta answer."
(I'm actually rolling QUICK for this; no consequences for failure, so...)
Vera: !f (QUICK)
DiscoDude: <@Vera> rolled 4dF for 1 [4dF = [ ][+][ ][ ]]
Vera: (Still a positive result!)
Ryusui|GM: (name it XD)
Ryusui|GM: <@!Margen>!
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: ((I leave to get food and it's already started.))
Vera: She plays it up enough that audiences realize it's not that urgent: "Where's She Going With This?" is on everyone's minds. They'll never get to see, though - until maybe later?
Margen: Margen bobs as he walks up, waves at the camera jovially, and says: "Hello from Kitchen Arena! I can't wait to see what we're doing next!" with an expression of glee on his face
Margen: (not sure which to do for that, actually. Any suggestions?)
Ryusui|GM: (Flashy)
Ryusui|GM: (you're trying to get attention)
Margen: (alrighty that's a +1)
Margen: !f 1 (flashy)
DiscoDude: <@Margen> rolled 4dF+1 for 2 [4dF = [+][-][+][ ]]
Margen: (neat!)
Ryusui|GM: (nice. name it!)
Ryusui|GM: (in the meantime)
Ryusui|GM: Tako! ( <@!;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾>)
Margen: The audience seems to paint Margen as an "Excitable Epicurean"
Margen: for his exclamation
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: Tako-san, being carted by the noticeably younger Mel, waves to the cameras as they approach. "Ai hope everyone at home is ready for when Tac/ko-Time™️ comes again!"
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: !f 3 (Flashy)
DiscoDude: <@;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾> rolled 4dF+3 for 4 [4dF = [+][ ][ ][ ]]
Ryusui|GM: (hot dang, that's an SWS XD)
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: ((Huh!))
Ryusui|GM: (name it!)
Ryusui|GM: And finally, Dovelia!
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: Tako-San's still has their Signature, Ever-Bubbly Demeanor ready for the cameras, even this early in the day.
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: ((Two free invokes?))
Vera: (One; normally would just be an aspect.)
Ryusui|GM: Dovelia looks pensive as the camera switches to her, but quickly rallies. "I think you're all going to be in for quite a show this time," she says, flexing her cybernetic fingers dramatically, trying to hide whatever uncertainty she's feeling.
Ryusui|GM: !f 2 (Careful)
DiscoDude: <@Ryusui|GM> rolled 4dF+2 for 2 [4dF = [-][ ][+][ ]]
Ryusui|GM: The performance goes off without a hitch; Dovelia exudes Culinary Confidence.
Ryusui|GM: Smash cut to the suites!
Ryusui|GM: What's everyone doing?
Vera: Vera is scrubbing a toilet with a very small brush, waiting for Margen to enter the bathroom.
Margen: Margen comes in to wash his hands before making a snack
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: ((Margen has hands?))
Margen: (well, tentacle ends)
Ryusui|GM: Dovelia gives Vera a wide berth, though she tries not to make it obvious. Instead, she goes looking for Tako.
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: ((Nublins. ;p))
Vera: "Oh, hey." Vera pulls her ungloved hand out of the toilet, revealing an ornate-looking toothbrush. "Washing hands. That's cool, I guess."
Vera: (THE ATTACK HAS ALREADY BEGUN! Vera's gonna be rolling SNEAKY to try and get Margen closer to showing his true colors while not looking guilty. Er, looking less guilty. Specifically not guilty just when it comes to provoking him. XD)
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: Tako-San and company are at various points in their mourning routines. Mel is already prepared for being the active tank girl this episode (it helps that she doesn't do much more than clothes and a shower on most days). Rachelle, is busy wrangling the quartet of indescribable horrors she calls her kids, and thus looks like they've just gotten out of bed. Lue-Anne is in the middle of a much more intricate routine including make-up. Daisy is still in the shower.
Vera: !f 2 (SNEAKY)
DiscoDude: <@Vera> rolled 4dF+2 for 1 [4dF = [ ][ ][ ][-]]
Ryusui|GM: Dovelia gives a curt nod to Rachelle, and approaches Tako. "I have to say, you make me curious. Not as curious as the other one, but it seems Vera has designs on him at present." She tilts her head briefly in the direction of the bathroom. She squints: "Are, ah, pescatoids like you common on your home planet?"
Margen: Margen feels like this might be bait and tries to play it off by thanking her for doing what she's doing (clever (+2))
Margen: !f 2 (clever)
DiscoDude: <@Margen> rolled 4dF+2 for 2 [4dF = [ ][ ][ ][ ]]
Vera: (Hmm... Let's see, are there any aspects...)
Vera: (Hey, can I invoke his deep secret without my character knowing what it is?)
Ryusui|GM: (no)
Ryusui|GM: (like the whole point in this is a protracted aspect-exposing)
Vera: (Dang... Oh, I know!)
Vera: (A zone aspect: Why Is It Always a Mess?! XD)
Vera: "Yeah, nice of Dovelia to oh so generously lend her brush." Vera tilts the toothbrush to show a better angle - the bristles are already turning off-white.
Ryusui|GM: (insert Joseph Joestar "OH MY GOD" meme)
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: "Pe-su-ca.... Nani?"
"I think it's from pescatarian," Mel responds "so....fish-like?"
Tako-San glares at Dovelia. "Ai am no fsh!"
Vera: (For the record, I'm Attacking Dovelia with this after the Contest roll is resolved. XD)
Ryusui|GM: (i'm a little iffy on giving you two moves in a row in a pre-game scene like this, but okay)
Ryusui|GM: "I was rather thinking of sea life in general. You are, more specifically, a mollusk of some fashion, are you not? Gastropod, unless I'm mistaken." She rubs her chin. "Specifics notwithstanding, the question still stands: are there more like you where you come from?"
Ryusui|GM: The question has a faint note of disbelief in it.
Vera: (Didn't the book say there was only a restriction on actions not directly involving other chefs?)
Ryusui|GM: (...true)
Vera: (<@!Margen>, any response to my boost?)
Margen: Margen sighs. "Try as they might, not even the Kitchen Arena custodiroids can keep up with the waste from this many chefs. They could really do with hiring some more, or updating the software with better detection."
Margen: (Not sure what to do here actually)
Ryusui|GM: (he's asking, do you want to concede to him, or do you want to try and boost yourself or something, but i think this is as good a response as any - you're showing your concern for cleanliness XD)
Vera: (That would be one victory out of three for me.)
Margen: (so what happens next?)
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: Mel looks away as Tako-San glares even harder. "Ce-pha-lo-pod." he carefully annunciates in uncharacteristically perfect English. "I am no snail, in spite of our relations." He snaps back to a jolly air; "But, yesu, there is a small community endemic to the octo-reefs off the coasts of Nihon. I'm the only one who has ever taken interest in the surface world (or beyond), though."
Ryusui|GM: (to be clear, Tako's secret is that this story is all bullshit and he is, in fact, an alien, correct?)
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: ((Other way around; his story is true, but it's difficult to prove, and Tako-San doesn't want to go through all that investigation, again.))
Vera: (Isn't he spilling it here, then?)
Ryusui|GM: (yeah, like, uh. how's this his "deep secret" if the point is that the thing he keeps telling everyone is true?)
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: ((He's trying to alleviate doubt to quash any potential investigation.))
Ryusui|GM: (we're gonna have to talk about this later)
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: ((Because it's can easily seem like a lie.))
Ryusui|GM: ('cause the point in a Deep Secret is having something people don't know)
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: ((Sorry; had no idea that's where you were going with this.))
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: ((I thought what I had was potentially complicating enough.))
Vera: (Can't exactly blackmail a chef with the fact that they were telling the truth.)
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: ((Can blackmail with "I don't believe you, so I'm going to start an investigation."))
Ryusui|GM: (i suppose mechanically it could work but it's a bit of a stretch)
Ryusui|GM: (at any rate Dovelia's going to be dropping this line of inquiry)
Ryusui|GM: Dovelia gives you a once-over, as if trying to detect some physical trace of a lie, but relents. "I wonder how your cousins would get along with the P'son on my own home planet. Rather solitary lot, them."
Vera: (Not gonna try to roll, or just tackling a different angle?)
Ryusui|GM: (yeah, i don't want Dovelia getting into a wild goose chase)
Ryusui|GM: (the caveat with this "Deep Secret" is that anyone who goes after it is going to just look dumb ^^; )
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: "Aa; yesu; I'm a quite gregarious one of my people."
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: ((In the end, but Tako-San would still rather they didn't for his own sake more than theirs; too much hassle.))
Ryusui|GM: ( <@&627978553669058562> ready to move on?)
Vera: "Mm... I guess that's true." Vera clinks Dovelia's brush back onto the shelf.
Ryusui|GM: (-pfft-)
Vera: She walks out of the bathroom without washing her hands... until she reaches the kitchen sink out of Margen's sight. The audience's curiosity is piqued after seeing her reemerge on camera only to go straight for a sink.
(Let's roll to SNEAKILY attack Dovelia this way.)
Vera: (Assuming we can cut straight to her using the brush, of course. If not, we can make it Create Advantage, to trigger at a later episode.)
Ryusui|GM: (sure XD)
Vera: !f 2 (SNEAKY)
DiscoDude: <@Vera> rolled 4dF+2 for 3 [4dF = [+][+][-][ ]]
Ryusui|GM: !f 2 (Clever)
DiscoDude: <@Ryusui|GM> rolled 4dF+2 for 0 [4dF = [-][-][-][+]]
Ryusui|GM: (...i can mark multiple conditions, right? ^^; )
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: ((I believe so.))
Vera: (Yeah. OOF. Since it'll be two Conditions (or a Lasting one) marked instead of one, I won't take the SWS "reduce for a boost" option.)
Ryusui|GM: (marking off Scrambled and Drained, then XD)
Vera: (Cut to the shot! XD)
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: ((Dovelia walks in and immediately notices the discoloration of the brush?))
Vera: (No; she only notices when it's in her mouth. XD)
Ryusui|GM: Camera cut to an unspecified amount of time later. Dovelia walks into the bathroom. There's just enough time to see her pick up the brush before she closes the door. A few seconds later, there is the sound of agonized screaming, as if Dovelia had just turned on the faucet to trigger a stream of knives, followed by the sound of her unceremoniously relinquishing her breakfast into the toilet.
Ryusui|GM: It lasts for at least a minute, and Holly makes sure the audience gets to hear every second of it.
Ryusui|GM: (next scene? XD)
Vera: (Yeah. XD)
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: "I did not need to hear that." Tako-San and company all say in unison when they watch the recordings afterwards.
Vera: (Could she compel a Confessional on herself? XD)
Margen: Margen, who had left the room, blanches at the sound
Ryusui|GM: (i think Holly got everything she wanted out of the noise.)
Margen: Then he turns a little purple (Glurrid equivalent of 🤢)
Vera: (Still, if there was anything that could be described as Confession-worthy... Then again, I only have two FATE; not spending it myself.)
Vera: "Not. One. Word." So says Vera, shit-eating grin plastered on her face.
Vera: (That's my last lines for the scene.)
Ryusui|GM: Cut once more to Kitchen Arena, where the four chefs stand to attention before the central podium and, of course, the Chairwoman.
Ryusui|GM: (Well. Three out of four are. Dovelia is not so much standing as slouching; the morning's events have left her somewhat...scrambled and drained.)
Ryusui|GM: "Chefs!" the Chairwoman declares. "All of you refreshed and ready for today's challenge, I take it?" If she's noticed Dovelia's obvious dishevelment, she pays it no heed.
Vera: "Boy, are we~" Vera gives an "Eh? Eh?" nudge to Dovelia, but quickly drops the act.
("Bored now.")
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: "Yesu!" Tako-San replies exuberantly.
Mel is leaning on the tank's dolly with a warm smile on her face.
Margen: Margen is still mildly discolored
Ryusui|GM: Dovelia gives no response but a gurgle. It will be some time before her teeth and tongue quite feel clean.
Ryusui|GM: The Chairwoman chuckles. "So far, you've dealt with all manner of truly alien ingredients, but today, we're going to work with something a bit more...traditional. You will each be required to make a single dish - a dessert, in fact. Something Sweet and delicious. And the secret ingredient? Why, it couldn't be simpler! SUGAR!"
Ryusui|GM: She claps her hands, and it becomes immediately evident there will be nothing simple about this.
Ryusui|GM: An enormous crystalline shape - like a colossal diamond, or perhaps a piece of an iceberg - emerges in the center of the arena, directly behind her.
Margen: Margen whispers something in awe about crystallization rates and drools a little
Vera: "Okay, now you're just fcking with us."
Ryusui|GM: "Crystallized sucrosium - some of the finest sugar in the galaxy." She raps on the colossal sugar-berg with the back of her hand. "Of course, in this state, extracting any for use will be quite a challenge. Fortunately for all of you, you won't be required to dig into this mountainous sugar crystal - there are these handy little outcroppings which you can break away!"
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: ((The crystal was already fully formed, it was just raised up through a trap door.))
Vera: (But it had to form at some point, right?)
Ryusui|GM: (yep XD)
Margen: (oh no he was commenting on how freaking long that would take to grow :0)
Ryusui|GM: The surface of the crystal, on closer examination, is covered in dozens of small nubs. Despite her breezy introduction to this part, removing one clearly takes some effort for the Chairwoman. "Just like that, ready to use in your cooking. Except this isn't actually pure sucrosium..."
Ryusui|GM: She cracks the chunk over her knee, and a delicious smell wafts through the arena. But not* one you would ever associate with sugar, let alone dessert.
Ryusui|GM: "That's right. This is actually Porcus Maximus Bacon - candied in Crystallized Sucrosium. And here..." She points to another nub. "Here we have Kaletronium, and over here are Nurgle Jolokia Peppers. None of them exactly ingredients you would want to put in a dessert, are they?" She laughs. "With some work, you may be able to harvest the Crystallized Sucrosium from these candied delights...or you can attempt to use them as they are, and roll the dice!"
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: "How is sugar an element?" Mel muses out loud.
"I'm sure there's nuance lost in the translation." Tako-San casually replies."
Vera: "Can't stick to just throwing one flavor at us these days, can you? Ah well, I'm game."
Ryusui|GM: (Extracting any of the three given ingredients from the mass of Crystallized Sucrosium will be a +2 challenge. Harvesting Crystallized Sucrosium from one of the candied ingredients will be a +3 challenge, removing its "Candied" aspect and giving you pure Crystallized Sucrosium.)
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: "So we're mining and refining?" Mel quips.
"Time to make like dwarfs." Tako-San adds.
Ryusui|GM: **`Porcus Maximums Bacon
ASPECTS: Crispety-Crunchety; Deliciously Greasy; Candied
Natural Flavor: Savory
Difficulty: Average (+1)
Kaletronium
ASPECTS: Dark, Leafy Greens; The One and Only Hyperfood; Candied
Natural Flavor: Bitter
Difficulty: Average (+1)
Nurgle Jolokia Peppers
ASPECTS: Tongue-Twisting Flavor; Offputting Appearance; Candied
Natural Flavor: Spicy
Difficulty: Average (+1)
Crystallized Sucrosium
ASPECTS: Tooth-Shatteringly Sweet, Not Diamonds But Close
Natural Flavor: Sweet
Difficulty: Good (+3) to extract from "Candied" aspect; Legendary (+8) to retrieve from central mass** Ryusui|GM: "Any further questions about this challenge, chefs?" ;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: "When do we start?" Tako-San is rubbing two of his tentacles together. Vera: (Can we get some Cook-Off stats?) Ryusui|GM:6 exchanges, 1 dish, must create a dessert using Crystallized Sucrosium, or an ingredient with the Candied aspect`
Margen: Margen, with Laser Meme Eyes ablaze, starts rambling about hydrocarbon accretion in the early outer solar system in response to Mel's question
Vera: (Also, I thought you said you'd go back to the standard Average (+1) difficulty for the initial retrieval difficulty?)
Ryusui|GM: (...sure, let's roll that back, but i'm keeping the difficulty of extracting the Sucrosium at +3, to keep it interesting)
Vera: (Yeah.)
Ryusui|GM: "Right...now! You have six standard exchanges to make a dessert using Crystallized Sucrosium, either pure, or via one of the candied ingredients! Commencez a creer!"
Ryusui|GM: The Chairwoman vanishes in a flash of interdimensional energy, and the timer starts
Ryusui|GM: QUICK-FIRE COOK-OFF START
Ryusui|GM: EXCHANGE 1/6
Vera: (Can we at least target one of the flavors this time?)
Ryusui|GM: (this is a Sweet challenge, with a twist XD)
Vera: (Or is it flavor roulette again?)
Ryusui|GM: (the ingredients are NOT sweet, unless you make them sweet)
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: ((I'd assume we can see what's inside each crystal.))
Ryusui|GM: (ah, dammit, i didn't make that clear, yeah)
Ryusui|GM: (it's not like the Scrambleberry challenge; you can pick and choose candied ingredients)
Ryusui|GM: Dovelia, still fighting the urge to retch, heads straight for one of the chunks of Kaletronium.
Ryusui|GM: !f 3 (Aggressive)
DiscoDude: <@Ryusui|GM> rolled 4dF+3 for 0 [4dF = [-][ ][-][-]]
Ryusui|GM: (...spending a FATE Point on Cybernetic Left Arm ^_^; )
Vera: (Would SCRAMBLED [?] apply here?)
Margen: Margen goes straight for a solid supply of the Sucrosium Baconite (careful)
Margen: !f 3 (careful)
DiscoDude: <@Margen> rolled 4dF+3 for 5 [4dF = [ ][+][+][ ]]
Ryusui|GM: (yes, but you'll have to spend a FATE Point to invoke it)
Vera: (It has a free invoke.)
Margen: (Is that an SWS on the retrieval?)
Ryusui|GM: (not that i'm doubting you but where is that mentioned)
Vera: (I thought conditions worked like Consequences?)
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: ((^))
Vera: (And that's how we've been doing it this whole time.)
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: ((^^))
Ryusui|GM: (in that case I take the L)
Ryusui|GM: Her cybernetic hand strikes the chunk with a thunk. Try as she might, she can't dislodge it.
Ryusui|GM: <@!Margen>, you manage to retrieve an extra-large chunk of Porcus Maximus Bacon! (SWS)
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: "Haiiii hoooou!"
"Hiiii hoooo!"
The to then two start singing in unison, "Hi ho! Hi ho! It's off to work we go!" including the whistling section in the chorus as they approach the Candied peppers.
((Flashily Create an Advantage against Average (+1) difficulty.))
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: !f 3
DiscoDude: <@;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾> rolled 4dF+3 for 1 [4dF = [-][ ][ ][-]]
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: ((Tie.))
Ryusui|GM: (hmm. that's a tie, unless you want to invoke something for a bonus?)
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: ((Not this early.))
Ryusui|GM: (right. this is a sitch i hadn't considered, but the scenario still applies - you have a boost, a one-time use of the ingredient; you can still try to make Sucrosium Crystals, but the boost goes away if you do that - you destroy the peppers in the process of extracting the Sucrosium XD)
Ryusui|GM: (sound good to everyone?)
Vera: (Yeah.)
;}"÷™+╎®♂★█¬ˇ¾: ((Huh. Sure. Was planning on making a Spicy dish anyway.))
Vera: (Hmm...)
Ryusui|GM: Tako, the chunk of candied peppers nearly breaks in two when you extract it - whatever you do with it, you're only going to be able to get one use out of it before it's gone!
Vera: Vera goes for the Candied Kaletrophium too, wielding a bartender's spoon like a rider's crop; she's aiming for some cathartic shattering action.
(Gonna go at this with AGGRESSIVE!)
Vera: !f 2 (AGGRESSIVE)
DiscoDude: <@Vera> rolled 4dF+2 for 0 [4dF = [-][-][+][-]]
Vera: (Shit. Hmm... What can I invoke...)
Ryusui|GM: (gonna invoke anything, or take the L like Dovelia? XD)
Vera: (Nah, already spent one before the greenroom - gotta conserve.)
Vera: Vera whips the end of that spoon around like a sword barrage, but it's ultimately futile; the sugar is Not Diamonds, But Close.
Vera: (That's my turn.)
Ryusui|GM: "Don't touch your remotes, folks! The competition's only just now getting started! We'll be right back after a word from our sponsors!"
Vera: (Actually...)
Ryusui|GM: (yes?)
Vera: (Can I compel a confessional on myself? ... I mean, it's not a gigantic setback.)
Ryusui|GM: (...sure)
Vera: (Is this confessional worthy?)
Ryusui|GM: -VWORP-
Ryusui|GM: "Nice aim with the spoon," Holly croons. "Too bad it wasn't a mallet, huh?"
Ryusui|GM: !f 2 (Clever)
DiscoDude: <@Ryusui|GM> rolled 4dF+2 for 2 [4dF = [ ][ ][+][-]]
Vera: "Hey, bartender spoons were made for crushing blocks of ice. It's all in the wrist..."
(Rolling CLEVER for explaining her weapon of choice.)
Vera: !f 3 (CLEVER)
DiscoDude: <@Vera> rolled 4dF+3 for 3 [4dF = [+][-][-][+]]
Vera: (I assume there's no invoke inbound?)
Ryusui|GM: (nope)
Ryusui|GM: (this brings you back to 3, right?)
Vera: (Yep.)
"... Oh, and just you wait; There's a Method to My Madness. If it ever looks like I'm doing stuff randomly, chances are you're not looking hard enough."
Ryusui|GM: Holly shrugs. "We'll see, won't wee?" she says with a grin, right as you return to reality, and the show cuts to commercial...
Ryusui|GM: !end
