LATE SUMMER FAIR (NSFW DESSERTS)

[spoofer]

Characters: Ensemble cast, any/all characters of Xistentia!
Summary: The slow transition from summer leads to a fair, complete with whacky treats and activities from other holidays and festivals from around the Multiverse.
Date(s): August 26-September 2
Warnings/Notes: None, please mark your subject headers with content.

Late Summer Fair

I play my part and you play your game

Welcome to Xistentia's first fair, F.A.T.E.S.' excuse to mingle. The setup appears overnight on the edge of town, a nonsensical mash of themes and places from the multiverse. Haunted house and circus tent, facepainting, ferris wheel and carousel, game stands that seem to self-operate, dozens of empty shopfronts, self-regenerating popcorn stands. Pretty soon, however, the people start to come, bringing their own goods and wares. The population of Xistentia is 333, which is more than enough people to fill a fair.

As far as fair food goes, there are penis-shaped waffles^[NSFW] in various flavors, two-sticked popsicles for sharing with a partner, turkey legs, fried dough, cookies as big as your head, fried fish, fried lizards, glutinous fruits, and lembas.

And let's not forget, there is an abundance of alcohol everywhere. Beer, wine, you name it.

But of course, let's not forget the games. Many of them are low-key and prizes vary from the ability to change your daemon's color to any other natural hue, to free food, horrible writing pens, and stuffed animals. Games vary from whack-a-mole to bobbing for apples. Everything is free to eat, drink, and play, barring some excuses for barter with some of your friendly neighborhood natives.

Some games, however, are less casual if not necessarily more costly. The contests of finesse and strength come with special prizes from F.A.T.E.S. and...

THE WINNERS ARE

Note that the "prizes" do not stack. Runner-up winners will not get multiple of the same type of prize, and those who experience a critical failure won't suffer particularly severe consequences. If your character receives a dream or a "unique item," you will receive a reply to your comment on the mod announcement with more information.

Contests of Finesse

DARTS
First Place	Vanyel Greyjoy	The ability to "say just the right thing" once this week
Still Good	Era, Alec, Nico, Vex, Rosie, Aymeric, Jace, Amanda, Zeke, Kavinsky, Janus	Emotional intuition boost
Yikes	Magnus, Barclay	Daemons totally lose filter and start saying the most awkward shit
RING TOSS
First Place	Jace Wayland and Magnus Lightwood-Bane	The ability to "say just the right thing" once this week
Still Good	Era, Alec, Nico, Vex, Rosie, Vanyel, Rafaello, Amanda, Zeke, Barclay, and Janus	Emotional intuition boost
Yikes	Aymeric and Kavinsky	Daemons totally lose filter and start saying the most awkward shit
ARCHERY
First Place	Alec Lightwood-Bane	The ability to "say just the right thing" once this week
Still Good	Nico, Vex, Aymeric, Zeke, Magnus, Kavinsky, and Janus	Unique items
Yikes	Rosie and Barclay	Uncooperative powers (very minor, non-dangerous incidents) and accurate memory of silly dreams
SPARRING
First Place	Kavinsky	The ability to "say just the right thing" once this week
Still Good	Era, Nico, Vex, Rosie, Aymeric, Rafaello, Zeke, Barclay and Janus	Emotional intuition boost
Yikes	Alec, Vanyel, Jace, and Magnus	Daemons totally lose filter and start saying the most awkward shit

Contests of Strength

ARM WRESTLING
First Place	Ezekiel	Precognitive dream later that night
Still Good	Era, Alec, Nico, Rosie, Aymeric, Vanyel, Rafaello, Magnus, Kavinsky and Janus	Unique items
Yikes	Vex and Jace	Uncooperative powers (very minor, non-dangerous incidents) and accurate memory of silly dreams
HIGH STRIKE
First Place	Era	Precognitive dream later that night
Still Good	Alec, Nico, Vex, Jace, Zeke, Magnus, Kavinsky and Janus	Unique items
Yikes	Rosie and Aymeric	Uncooperative powers (very minor, non-dangerous incidents) and accurate memory of silly dreams

See also detailed dice roll information for: darts, ring toss, arm wrestling, high strike, and archery.

Kissing Booth

And what would a fair be, without a kissing booth?

Just like the rest of the fair, the odd thing is that there is of course no payment required.

Instead, a large and lovely lantern hangs behind the booth. It seems to glow a little brighter every time a kiss is transacted. It's hard to know exactly what this means, but considering that emotional intimacy lights the streets of the city, one might guess that F.A.T.E.S. is saving up this particular energy for something special.

But until then, it's a good excuse to make out.

Comments

[tangleofgarlands]

[Something about that laugh puts Arthur at ease--along with Mandy's pep talk, he finds himself a little less shy, less self-conscious. He runs with it, determined to be brave for once, and try for an actual conversation.]

You look young for a medic. Are you in the military or something?

[healingdork]

It's not exactly the military although I guess it might seem like that. I'm a demigod so I live at this camp where we learn how to fight and protect ourselves from monsters trying to eat us. I'm a son of Apollo and got his gift of healing so... medic.

[tangleofgarlands]

You're a--really?

[The admission, as casual as it is, throws Arthur for a loop. Of course, he's certainly seen stranger in this place, and apparently to Will it's not strange at all, but it's still difficult to wrap his head round. The more he thinks about it, though, the more sense it makes.]

I think I understand how you fixed my ankle just by touching it, now. [And it explains a few other things, as well--the overwhelming sense of brightness, the way his hair catches the sun--but he's been forward enough for one day, so he doesn't elaborate.]

Where I'm from, Apollo's just a myth. Er--sorry, I'm sure you hear that all the time.

[healingdork]

Yep. There's a few others here too besides me.

It's no problem. A lot of people in my world think Apollo is just a myth too. They don't realize that the gods and other things from myths are actually real but that's probably for the best. There'd be a lot of mass panic if people saw monsters the way that we do.

[tangleofgarlands]

Like your boyfriend?

[As soon as he says it, it feels awkward and prying in his mouth, and he rubs nervously at the back of his neck.]

If you don't mind me asking. I've never met a demigod before; I'm not exactly versed in the etiquette.

[healingdork]

[Will doesn't mind, just smiling instead.] Yeah, he's a demigod too. And don't worry, we're just like regular people, except monsters think we're tasty and we have some different gifts from our godly parents.

[tangleofgarlands]

By 'monsters', you mean like--chimeras and that sort of thing, right? Er, I read the Iliad in secondary school, and it started a bit of a kick.

[Not nearly as big of one as his rock fanaticism, but for a few months he'd been at the library nearly every weekend, devouring every book of Greek mythology he could find, thrilled to have found--well, maybe he owes Will the explanation, recent activities considered. Still, he goes a little pink again.]

It was the first time I'd read a story where two men loved each other and nobody said there was anything wrong with them for it.

[healingdork]

Yeah, like that, except definitely real.

[His expression softens a bit at the last thing Arthur says.] Which story was that? There's quite a few stories about two guys being together in Greek mythology.

[tangleofgarlands]

Patroclus and Achilles, at first. After that, I read everything I could get my hands on--Apollo and Hyacinthus, Zeus and Ganymede...I mean, there wasn't that much aside from the classics, at least in Manchester in the seventies.

[Sure, there was Oscar Wilde, but his teachers had made a point of glossing over certain aspects of certain authors. Not that ignoring them had made Arthur any less gay, of course.]

[healingdork]

Patroclus and Achilles is a good one, even if it ends sad. At least they were devoted to each other. Zeus and Ganymede, well... Zeus is kind of a dick so I feel kind of sorry for Ganymede. As for Apollo, I'm not really interested in reading about my dad's, uh, exploits so I only vaguely know that story. If you were more interested in learning about Patroclus and Achilles, you should talk to my boyfriend, Nico. He's spoken to them personally, I'm pretty sure. He can talk to ghosts.

[tangleofgarlands]

It does end sadly, but I also found it--I don't know. Romantic, I suppose. The idea of loving someone so much that it hurts that much to lose them...

Does it say something about me, that I think that? Because I also sort of think I wouldn't mind if it were me Zeus were trying to kidnap. Not that I'm really his type.

[At least, this time, the conversation's lightened enough that Arthur can manage to roll his eyes in self-deprecation instead of just staring hotly at the ground and wishing for it to swallow him. It helps, too, that the last bit puts him in mind of his own mum and dad, and it's basically impossible for him to keep up any kind of heat under his proverbial collar with that in his mind.]

Sorry. I didn't even think of that. The idea of it being so commonplace is just...I can't even wrap my head around it.

[Jim Stuart had certainly treated it like it was the end of the world, like no one had ever committed such an atrocity. But, determined not to drag the conversation down, he moves on, avoiding the messiness of his own personal ties.]

If he can talk to ghosts...that means he's related to someone from the Underworld, right? Hades, or maybe Persephone? [Maybe that explains why the boy, Nico, looks so haggard and gaunt--suddenly, Arthur frowns with a pang of sympathy.]

I can't imagine that's very pleasant for him. I mean, it's fascinating, but it must get tiring.

[healingdork]

I think all love is supposed to be like that. It's supposed to hurt when you lose them, otherwise it's not really love, don't you think?

Oh trust me, from what I've heard about him? You can do way better than Zeus. That guy just plays people and he's not even faithful to his own wife. Not the kind of guy I think would be a good idea getting into any sort of relationship with.

Hades, yeah. He's his son. I don't think he thinks it's unpleasant all the time... From what he's said, it kind of sounds like dealing with regular people. Some people are just annoying and rude, but others are nice. Same with spirits.

[tangleofgarlands]

Yeah. I do.

[It's supposed to hurt when you lose them, otherwise it's not really love.

Maybe it's just because Arthur has a talent for relating everything back to music, but the immediate image that comes to mind is Curt writhing onstage, howling out his last anthem to Brian. And, of course, that puts him in mind of what followed, and he finds himself staring for a second before he shakes himself out of it.

Or tries, at any rate, because then Will is telling him you can do better, and even though it's likely more of a comment on Zeus than on Arthur himself, it still brings the blush right back into full force.]

No, I suppose not. [That, too, reminds him of Brian, and also of Mandy--that guy just plays people and he's not even faithful to his own wife.] He'd be the sort who cared more about himself than who he was sleeping with, wouldn't he? When you're on a pedestal that high, I think you start forgetting about everyone else who helped you build it.

[Alright, so maybe they're talking about two different people here, but the ideas are the same. The patterns, it seems, repeat themselves ad infinitum--it's just how one defines 'gods' that changes.]

I hadn't thought of that either. That people don't stop being people just because they die.

[healingdork]

Sounds about right. I mean, people have open relationships but that still involves all parties being okay with it and open communication. Zeus just... sneaks around. Most of the gods can be pretty conceited at times and they're thousands of years old so they probably have forgotten.