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

[remarkablymodest]

[ Aymeric is almost used to standing out in Xistentia these days. He stands a good fulm (foot) taller than almost everyone present. Still, he isn't quite used to being singled out so that point definitely doesn't go unnoticed. He stands at attention, looking every bit of the six feet and eight inches he is somehow gracefully. ]

I'm afraid you are mistaken, ser, [ he answers, a shake of his head and the smallest, most modest of smiles on his face. ] This is the first faire I have ever attended. And quite different from the Moonfire Faire of my realm, I'm told.

[ He probably 'blends in' a little better, as it were, because he's not wearing his armor. He'd considered it, but is glad he ultimately opted not to since moving around in this crowd with it would have been a pain. ]

[servomotor]

[Tony stares at the man. Stares up at him, is more accurate. Inevitably, his eyes stop at Aymeric's ears, how swooshy and long and pointy they are, but then they return to the front of his head.] I take back what I said, [Tony says.] Renfaire, maybe. Pants are a little anachronistic though.

Nice to meet you. I'm Tony Stark. Of Earth, in Midgard. Galaxy Milky Way, sun conventionally referred to as... 'Sol.'

[He offers the very tall man elf man a handshake, his own hand relatively petite, but solid. Some calluses on it, an old soldering burn.] This is either the first faire I've ever attended, or I was in a blackout before. Very salt of the earth, blue collar experience, if you ignore the thematic. Smorgasboard. Usually the haunted house and the carnival run at two separate events.

[remarkablymodest]

[ That's been a surprisingly common reaction. Far as he's been able to tell, his ears are unique among the current population.
It's a bit... strange, honestly, to stand out so much. He has idly wondered more than once if this is how Era had felt among his people when she first arrived to Ishgard. ]

I am making an effort to adapt to the attire of this age, [ he says about his pants. Slate gray and a blue shirt tailored to be longer. Since while a lot people might appreciate this Elezen in a normal-sized T-shirt that would show his midriff, Era has so kindly had several shirts fitted to allow him to keep his propriety. ]

A pleasure to meet you, Ser Stark. [ He returns the handshake with a firm grip, very manly!! But still friendly. ]

I have to say, the organization does seem rather... chaotic. But the peoples of this realm are enjoying it nonetheless so that must count for something.

[servomotor]

[Tony observes the handshake, as white men do, an then releases with a nod and a slightly drunken smile. How tremendously tremendous is this guy. One appreciates it even more after having been powerfully but tenderly cradled in a hand. Stellar.] Yeah I think that's true, [he agrees.] Enjoyment following and/or concurrent with the end of the multiverse. You know, Egyptian Pharaohs used to anesthetize the masses with beer, and my contemporaries have fallen into the pit known as Instagram.

[He's a little paranoid a lot. But it's half-hearted in this particular moment.]

It's fine. Everything is fine. So, Aymeric. [He nods up at him.] This what war used to look like in your world?

[remarkablymodest]

[ His world doesn't have Instagram, so he unfortunately is unsure about the reference. A 'social media' site, he thinks, as theyve been referred to here... But! Thankfully, Tony is already moving on before he can think on it overly much. ]

No, [ he answers, perhaps easier than most might be able to. ] My people's war was the Dragonsong. As the name implies, there were much more of the Dravanians involved. Far less festivities.

[servomotor]

So you share my skepticism, [Tony says.] Or you don't, because you've been here longer, and had some time to reconcile the, [he glances around.] Off-season candy corn, with saving the multiverse. Not that I don't appreciate the refreshments and air of optimism.

Hard to win a war without those two things. Specifically. [Tony gestures with his solo cup.] If it's not-- insensitive to ask. [He's going to ask whether or not it's insensitive.] Did you kill all the dragons? Did any of them speak in a Scottish brogue.

[remarkablymodest]

I do, [ he admits. While he is used to the contention of a political nature more than physical these days, he hasn't known many wars to be fixed with a huge instead of a sword to the gut. Still. They have no other choice, it seems, so he's playing along for the time being. ]

And I am inclined to agree that at least some trivial enjoyments are necessary in times of war. [ Ishgard might not have been the best at that, honestly, but... After opening up their gates, he's learned a lot about the rest of the way Eorzea operates and is trying his best to follow in their steps for the betterment of his people. ]

No. Most of them were agreeable to peace twixt our peoples save for one faction. We slew him, Nidhogg, and stripped him of his eyes. They were cast into the abyss, but that turned out to be a more temporary measure than I assumed 'twould be. Still, his death meant the end of the war.

[servomotor]

[Tony's eyebrows climb Hella on his forehead. Taking out a dude's eyes is some horror genre shit. But he's read like three things about Norse mythology since kickin' it with his bro Thor Odinson, so he understands that Nidhogg is some kind of monster, probably, and hey, if he died in the end, that's a relatively humane way to end the separation of creature from eyeballs. Yes?

No?

Tony stares at the elf a moment longer.] Cool. And you know, you're probably not wrong, there's a reason that the alcohol culture is strong in the US military too. Combo self-medication and community-building. Better to die in the trenches with somebody you drank with. Unless you're Steve, in which case I guess your drug of choice is-- [he waves his hand, dismissing his own babble into thin air.] I highly recommend the Haunted House. That's some prime Earth stuff, right there. You'll get a kick out of it. But maybe don't be armed.

[remarkablymodest]

[ Don't worry, Tony. Nidhogg was only a dragon. He was also the biggest asshole of all the dragons, so. It's for the best he had his eyes torn from his skull and thrown away. ]

Drinking together does breed a certain sense of camaraderie. [ He's more a fan of a good lager though than the ales the common realms seem more fond of. At least F.A.T.E.S. has a decent selection at the lounge, but the fair's beers are... lacking. Still, he wouldn't be opposed to a drink or two later in the evening. ]

Era has told me of a place called Haukke Manor with witches and ghouls. Is that similar to the idea of "Haunted House"? [ And if so, Era totally went in armed because absolutely all of the things in there tried to kill her so. ]

cw ableist language

[servomotor]

Fake witches, [says Tony, already wondering what kind of extreme nonsense that the notion of real witches and ghouls may have led to. He doesn't yet know about Era and her shenanigans, but he is sort of picturing Thor being in there, and though the god of thunder has a rather good sense of humor, he can easily imagine that going badly awry after a misunderstanding. New Mexico was never the same after the eldest Odinson left it.] Fake ghouls.

It's for fun. You know, how we listen to sad stories and watch movies about evil people for fun? [He points at the Haunted House.] Sometimes it's a good time for somebody in a plastic dollar store costume to spaz your ass out.

[remarkablymodest]

[ Final Fantasy is a wild canon, Tony. Era likely would not be appreciative of jump scares. He knows his friend is more than brave enough to face down primals that dwarf her but he isn't sure how she'd respond to being purposefully being spooked. Especially since things that attempt sneak attacks on the Auri woman usually don't live to tell the tale.

Despite the fact that he recognizes it'd be all in good fun, it's not a chance they should probably take if the haunted house wants to remain standing. It also probably doesn't help that, ]

I am unfortunately accustomed to most things that leap out at me wanting to make an attempt on my life, [ he says, simply. It comes with the territory of his position. Getting stabbed though, 0/10 would not recommend. ] And I'm afraid that I'm not sure what a 'movie' is so the comparison is a little lost on me.

[servomotor]

Ask your daemon to find you one, [Tony proposes, brightly.] Look specifically for Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. Or the Breakfast Club. Two very different but culturally significant American classics, which evoke Xistentia in unique ways.

[Ragtag, diverse bunch of losers hanging out in a room together, is basically Xistentia. Also, the weird making-out between doe-eyed ""progressive"" tourists in a foreign land. Tony kind of mumbles some of this out loud, diminishing in volume so much that Aymeric can't actually hear him?? before his head snaps upright.] I'll get my daemon to send this important information to your daemon. Hopefully you won't be too busy trying to represent your friend murder in a court of criminal law someplace.

[remarkablymodest]

[ One of his brows quirk up at the mention of 'dirty' and 'dancing' in the same title. He's from a place where none of the dances are particularly risque. Traditional yet sprightly, perhaps, but not anything that he'd call dirty.

The Breakfast Club sounds alright though. While anyone would dedicate a club to breakfast foods is beyond him but he supposes there are stranger ways still to spend one's time. ] I'll look forward to it, ser.

[ Whoops. Sorry, Tony, formality is kind of a given with this Elezen. Still, ] And hopefully not. Though I have testified on Era's behalf and would gladly do so again should the need arise.