Heart Through Stomach

“Food, in essence, gives you hope that maybe tomorrow will be better. That’s why a plate of food is so important in those moments.”
Chef José Andres

“The way to [someone’s] heart is through [their] stomach.”
Franky Fern

Cook time
Whatever it takes.

Yield
1 game.

Ingredients

• 52 standard playing cards.
• 1 block tower game. (Possible substitutions.)
• 1 notebook or word processor.
• 1 written recipe of your choice.

It’s evening. You’re in your apartment. What does your apartment look like? Where is it? Really form a picture of your kitchen. This will be important. What’s the weather like outside? What kind of clutter can you see? How was your day?

You’ve been looking forward to this for a little while. Someone you love (or at least like a whole lot) is coming over for dinner. Who are they to you? Hold them in your mind. Why are they coming over? Is there anything you’re hoping happens? Maybe a conversation you need to have, like an apology or a big question? Or do you just want to impress them? How do they make you feel? How do you hope to make them feel?

Oh, you’re cooking, by the way. 

Why didn’t you give yourself more time to get started? You’re really beginning to feel the Heat… and it’s not just from the stove.

Wellp. Here goes nothing.

Heart Through Stomach is a solo journaling TTRPG based on Innocent Goblin's fantastic  Standing Ovation SRD,  and built in part for Sam Armstrong Games' Indie Adventure Jam. You'll use a real life recipe -- whether you find it online, in a cookbook, your grandma's index cards, or your own memory -- to provide the steps, a deck of standard playing cards to give you prompts, and (maybe) a block tower game to provide tension.

Who's hungry?