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

[astralera]

"...Someone being toted as having a skilled tongue is not the same as someone having a silver tongue, I imagine?"

Past encounters with oddly interested strangers begin to make more sense now, in retrospect. If Era looks at everything with the slightly skewed, sex-focused mind that so many others apparently possess... She sighs, shaking the thoughts from her head to focus on the rest of what Mandy has to say. It nearly makes her laugh, but Era refrains. The woman's concern causes warmth to bloom in her chest, for it is not something she receives frequently at all. Her strength is legendary, and so few feel the need to worry for her.

"I have no interest in others, and I have no need to fear the wrath of any man, rational or no." Which is not entirely true, but true enough in this particular context. "But I thank you for your concern."

[smileslie]

Mandy can't keep the laughter out of her voice this time. "No, it's not. Although, my darling ex was well practiced in speech, as well." It's easy for her to forget that Arthur is likely the only one to know Brian, that her bits of praise--and it's genunine, that's the rotten part, that he could be a genius and one of the worst people she'd even known--might be confusing for even people from the same planet, let alone Era. "If you ever suspect someone might be making a...rude comment that's passing you by, I'd be glad to clear up the confusion on that as well. And maybe slap anyone who takes advantage of the fact you're not from teh same place a lot of us are."

Between Era and Arthur, Mandy was actually realizing that she was stepping slowly into a role she would have mocked before, remembering the women and men and people in between who had rushed to the side of the bright-eyed youngsters to keep them from going too deep into the woods before they were ready. She'd shoved aside such help quite quickly herself, and now here she was rushing into it. Christ, this place really was a trip and a half.

She raises a brow in disbelief at Era's next comment. "No interest? Seriously?" There's more of the old party girl back in her voice at that, the nasally squeak threatening to come back although she manages to reign it in. Mostly. "There isn't anyone you've even thought about?" She doesn't even notice Era's lack of concern about men's 'wrath'--she'd known enough small and terrifying women in her time that she'll believe that--but the idea of someone not even thinking about sex even if they don't know much beyond the basics is frankly boggling.

[astralera]

"I appreciate the offer and shall keep it in mind." Era means both the offer for clarification and to slap someone on her behalf, though she'll likely only take Mandy up on the former.

...Was it really so strange? Her tail falls without conscious thought on her part, though the end stays curled up and wiggles back and forth very slowly. Era doesn't have any recollection of interest in anyone - male or female, regardless of race - beyond mere friendship. It wasn't until very recently that she realized she could feel something beyond platonic.

Her tail settles along with her thoughts as she finally shakes her head slowly in answer. "Perhaps I was too busy? My only focus was keeping Eorzea and my loved ones safe." With new Primals being summoned every few moons and imperial invasions and wars to worry about in the interim... Era hadn't much time to think about more trivial matters. "I have thought my friends are very attractive, but never in a romantic sense. It was always more acknowledgement of fact."

[smileslie]

Mandy shakes her head. "No worries love. Women need to keep an eye out for each other, no matter where we are." She's not sure if Era's world is anything like hers with how it treats its women, but she thinks it's better to err on it not being dissimilar from her own and being wrong than assuming that it's somehow more enlightened. "And even I wasn't born knowing everything I do. It took some years for a lot of it to stop confusing me."

She does frown a bit as she watches Era's demeanor change, feeling...well, like an insensitive git. Sure, she might feel like the people she considers hers have been at war for decades, it had mostly been metaphorical. Of course there had been attacks in the streets, but that hardly compared. She chews on her tongue for a second before nodding with a hesitant smile.

"Of course. I didn't mean--well, our worlds are obviously quite different, as I'm sure our lives have been. I always...sort of blurred the lines between friendship and other things from the time I was young. It's difficult for me to remember not everyone is that way." That not everyone spent years staring at their best friend trying to convince themselves they weren't in love because that would be wrong before finally giving in. "And it was a rather large part of my life. I can respect someone who has more...noble priorities." She doesn't hate what she was back then, not at all, but...she recognizes that maybe the way she and Brian went about it was a bit narrow minded in its own way, trying to force people to throw themselves into a 'liberation' that wasn't for them.

[astralera]

There isn't much Era can say in response to that - she agrees wholeheartedly, and merely nods earnestly to express it. It's also logical that Mandy would have accrued such knowledge over time rather than rapidly over a short period. It does make Era feel somewhat less self-conscious about how little she knows about intimacy.

"I have no memory of when I was younger," she admits. "It is entirely possible I experienced romantic feelings prior to losing my memories, but ultimately it is of no use to dwell upon."

[smileslie]

Well, Mandy is feeling more and more of a complete arse now, especially because she knows she wouldn't have felt that bad only a few years ago. What a difference getting away from an egotistical, manipulative addict makes.

"Jesus," she breathes after a second, the only response she can formulate at first. "I'm sorry. I don't remember large patches of my youth but that's entirely my own fault, and it's not quite so...drastic." She's not sure Era would understand even if she tried to explain that the memory loss was the result of quite voluntary things. So now, she just smiles, although it's a thin thing.

"Well, you've got the present to figure out what you want and who you want it with now. And that's all the more reason I won't be mean if you need to ask questions. And I'll try to do a better job remembering not nearly everyone is quite as...indiscriminate as I was in my youth."

She has no idea that Era probably thinks she was a lady of the night, and really, she wouldn't care much--if she'd gotten paid for that, she would probably be considerably better off now.

[astralera]

"It's nothing to be sorry over," Era placates. "I am content with things as they are. The memories I have made are cherished and more than enough."

She had wondered more than once if perhaps there was a family searching for her somewhere but stopped once she joined the Scions and found a family with them. It really didn't matter to her after that - she had a place where she belonged, so what else could she ever ask for?

"My thanks for your kindness." She offers a polite bow; just another juxtaposition between them, but all that Era can think to do to show her appreciation. "I shall take what you say to heart, and seek you out should I have any further questions."