I see trouble on the way.

[lacquers]

Characters: Everyone! Yes, you too!
Summary: Mandy's Masquerade hosts a fantastic Halloween party with a costume contest, some very special cocktails, and a few other surprises.
Date(s): Late in the month of October.
Warnings/Notes: Please mark any threads that need content warnings.

Mandy's is looking a bit festive this evening. Arrayed with spiderwebs, pumpkins, and other ghoulish decorations, the interior resembles a spooky haunted house. Spooky, not scary! Everyone's invited to stop by and celebrate All Hallow's Eve with spirited drinks, excellent company, and a lot of that Magnus flair.

You can loosen up on the dance floor to Monster Mash, Thriller, Dead Man's Party, or maybe something from this list. The spooky sky's the limit! Visit the bar for one of several special drinks you won't soon forget. You can also sample some tasty and holiday-appropriate baked goods, courtesy of the other Mr. Lightwood-Bane. Finally, stop by the table with the MAGIC 8 BALL to learn a little more about your fellow partygoers.

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Potions.
drink list

Siren Song
If you're a little tone-deaf, don't fret. This drink will turn you into a master at serenading. It won't actually give you the ability to influence anyone via magical means, but maybe if your song choice is apt, you'll woo someone either way!

Firework!
A drink that comes with a portable fireworks show hovering over its surface. Drinking it will give you the sensation of ingesting liquid pop-rocks.

Blacklight
Does what it says on the tin and makes the drinker glow under a black light. It's also kind of sour.

Frankenstein's Monster
This drink is quite shocking. Not dangerously so, but when you drink it, you'll have the impression of getting a tingling little jolt of electricity down your spine. It's aliiiiive.

To Be or Not To Be (A Daemon)
Drink this and you will find you've been magically swapped with your daemon. It only lasts ten minutes, but hey! You'll get to see how the other half lives. A note: you won't inherit one another's abilities!

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Who Wore It Best?
costume contest

Congratulations to our costume contest winners!

In first place for individual costumes...

Rafa wins for his devilish costume and he'll be awarded 2 potions: the first of which will up his luck stat, granting him good fortune in an endeavor (it says "Deal with the Devil" on the bottle) and the second will up his persuasion stat, helping him to be more successful in an argument (it says "The Devil's Advocate" on the bottle).

In second place for individual costumes...

Nico plunders the second place spot and will be given a treasure chest full of chocolates that are rum flavored. Careful, they pack a bit of a punch and when consumed, they'll make whoever eats them feel especially happy. No sad drunks here!

In third place for individual costumes...

Zeke and his amazingly sunny costume are in third and he wins a sunflower plant that will never cease to bloom and seems to have a bit of a glow about it. Plus, perpetual supply of sunflower seeds?

In first place for couples costumes...

Magnus and Alec came first for their portrayal of... each other... and they win a pair of seemingly mundane t-shirts that say "Bennet" and "Darcy" on them. What's that about?

In second place for couples costumes...

Vex and Kenzi delighted with their take on the Addams' family patriarch and matriarch and won second place. As a prize, Kenzi will be given a shampoo and conditioner set that seems pretty innocuous until you check out the writing on the bottles: 'Have YOU ever wanted hair like Cousin Itt? Are you ever in luck!' Just a small amount will make her locks lustrous and smooth. Vex will be given a very lifelike and animated hand in a box.

In third place for couples costumes...

Rose and Kaz were drop dead gorgeous in their mafia-inspired garb. As prizes, they will receive the following: for Rose, a pair of magical die that make music when thrown, and for Kaz, a set of playing cards that are intricately illustrated with astonishing art that seems to move. Watch out for the face cards, they get very opinionated about your playing. They both also receive a chip that can be relinquished to Magnus for a small magical favor.

Comments

[monologue]

[ that hoodie is never coming home.

just saying it now.

juno's solidly there in the camp of lucid, but feeling it, basically perfect. he watches shepard reach over and take his hat, and while maybe he'd have preferred to give it over himself, he just grumbles into the lip of his drink and watches her complain about how she needs the whole damn thing. ]

Nah, you're a detective hamster. A radioactive detective hamster because look at the size of you.

[ he's finishing his drink and setting down the glass with a sharp, impudent tap as he nudges her shoulder back with a huff and a half-way there laugh, a little teeth, a shake of the head. ]

And for your information, it's called being authentic? People wish they could get this good, sand and old receipts and-- [ let him just put his hands in his pockets real quick, rifling around. something jingles. deep detective pockets (TM). ] --stuff. Face it, Shep. Only way you're getting this coat is if you break my arms and rip it off me.

[upside]

Radioactive detective hamster is kind of a stretch. I better have a killer backstory.

( the stubbornness of some people!!! seeing his glass empty, shepard waves down the bartender with two fingers raised, two more whiskeys being shortly tossed down at them. good service for the right price. shepard swirls hers around barely, tilting it this way and that, coming up with her infallible plan of attack. )

Juno, I could give you a million creds, and you'd complain about taxes. ( she says this teasingly, regardless of the undeniable truth of the sentiment. she sips her whiskey, eyeing him over the rim of her glass. ) Why do you immediately jump to break my arms instead of, like, strip poker, or something -- ooh. Oh! That's a good idea. A game.

( not strip poker. she's not that drunk. )

I've got it: arm wrestling. I win, you put on the hamster onesie. You win, you ... ( she raises a brow. ) Your pick.

[monologue]

[ where shepard sips, juno is not so casual about it, downing a mouthful of the glass as she speaks, eye twitching just a hair at the mention of strip poker. he's not losing his clothes at some idiotic card game, mostly because he's a shitty gambler and partially because it strikes a not-so-pleasant chord within him. ]

Breaking arms sounds means you gotta pin me down long enough to snap 'em. That's not a challenge enough for you?

[ way better than the defeat of an arm wrestling match. which juno isn't so sure he'll come out on top of. shepard's got arms for days, like seriously, it's basically unfair to challenge him to an arm wrestling match because she totally knows she's going to win. totally knows it. the suggestion has him scowling just a little bit against the lights.

still.

it's a challenge. and stepping up to one is in juno's blood. fuck that. ]

Fine. [ more whiskey. we're doing this. ] You win, I wear your dumb onesie and if I win you [ a vague wave of the hand ] burn that thing.

[upside]

It's challenge plenty.

( this is important for her to say, because juno is absolutely her strong fighting lady, and shepard would shoot herself straight in the foot before she'd dare underestimate him, or anyone for that matter.

anyway.

hopping up with juno's agreement, she thumps the back of her hand on juno's shoulder before directing him to an empty table for the challenge in question, clearing it of empty glasses and questionable puddles of liquid. )

Violence against animals! I raised you better than this, didn't I. ( daughter confirmed. taking a seat, shep maintains the proper arm wrestling stance, elbow on the table, hand eagerly awaiting juno's. one brows raises in his direction, encouraging. ) I'm going to get so many pictures of you in this onesie. ( this is the worst trash talk ever )

[monologue]

[ juno makes a noise when shepard thumps him on the back, something halfway between a grunt and a forced laugh as he watches her clear off a table for the both of them. there's regret sitting somewhere in the pit of his stomach, but it's so far underneath the determination to not wear that goddamn costume and juno's general stubbornness that he slips right off the bar and makes his way over, pulling up a seat. ]

I'd say the only crime here is you wearing the skin of that poor, deflated-looking hamster like a goddamn trophy.

[ juno flexes his fingers a little bit and

awfuck this is gonna be bad, shepard's shredded.

but he takes her hand anyways, eyes set firmly. ]

Anyways, the only pictures you're gonna have are of the charred remains of that damn suit. Maybe you can toast some marshmallows or something over it to cheer yourself up.