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

[vexy]

Just a bit of a tat, she didn't even have a full glass.

[ And to Vex that meant she wasn't really upset. ]

Right? Takes a bit of getting used to. I've been dressed down since I got to this bloody island so I feel all stuffed up in this suit. But hey, I must've pulled it off since I was only beaten by the best.

[ he flashed Alec a wink which, oddly, wasn't flirtatious- just friendly. ]

[helical]

It does. I don't know how either of you do it.

( always covered in... stuff. alec's usually wearing a max of two layers.

he rolls his eyes just a bit in response to the wink, but can tell it's meant to be friendly rather than flirty. even if it had been the latter, he knows vex is just vex and can't help himself. though a lecherous comment might have had him waving a hand and made vex spin on his heels to face the other direction, or taping his mouth shut.

might as well make use of having magic for a night. )

I didn't think we'd win anything... ( he does sound surprised. ) Just wanted to make it fun.

[vexy]

Practice, dear. Practice. It becomes second-nature after a little while, and once you get to that point you want to start adding more and more. Honestly, it takes more effort to not overdo it rather than put it on in the first place.

[ Or at least that's how it used to be for him, not so much anymore. ]

Not that you did win much, what was that? T-shirts? And I won a severed hand, rather morbid to give a mesmer don't you think?

[ Funny, but really morbid. ]

[helical]

I think I'll stick to this being an exception, thanks. ( he does like giving a good impression by how he dresses, at least to look serious and somewhat put together, but this is several levels further than he ever wants to take it. )

...A little. It's the thing, from the Adams Family? ( he does know who they are! thank u, magnus. )

[vexy]

Yeah, I remember that. Still, morbid. I had no idea Mags had such a sick sense of humor, I love it.

[ He chuckled wickedly. ]

That's too bad, it suits you. But I have to admit, your old wardrobe suits you even better.

[helical]

( sips at his drink. )

You mean the stuff I used to wear when we first met? ( alec likes the slight changes he's incorporated in his wardrobe in the year or so since. then again... ) We don't exactly have matching tastes. Maybe in colors.

( no offense, vex, but he wouldn't go to you for fashion advice. )

[vexy]

Look, what you have is a sleek black base, and there's everything right with that. When you want to match my tastes you add accessories. Rings, bracelets, so forth- seems you've added a bit o' that already.

Point is, you know I've always liked your style. It's why I hit on you the first time we met.

[ wow, much offense taken. ]

[helical]

( MR. SKEPTIC OVER HERE. )

Because of my clothes? Didn't you just hit on anybody?

[vexy]

[ For a brief flash of a second Vex almost look hurt, as if he naively thought that since they were friends Alec would know better than that.

Then he burst out into a loud laugh. ]

Oh! Yeah, well.

[ Just joke it off, Vex.

Time to pour himself another drink. ]

[helical]

( ah. he should clarify. )

I know you didn't just hit on anybody, Vex. I thought that at the time, but it was a long time ago.

( also, he was a lot more... well, new to all of this. this might be a good time to explain his own behavior, back in the day. )

I'd never kissed anyone but the guy I since married, and you were — ( getting laid?? ) a lot busier. ( this is maybe weirder to admit, or a lot more personal than he can sometimes get, but he doesn't want vex to think he thinks badly of him. he doesn't anymore. ) I'd never really been hit on before, it had only been Magnus, so I didn't get it... then saw you were hitting on other people too and figured... I don't know. I guess it was my way of telling myself it made sense. More sense than the alternative.

[vexy]

[ His devil-may-care look began to soften at Alec's clarification, as if he was relieved that Alec didn't still think that. He pursed his lips a moment before he looked down at his shot of whiskey and then downed it smoothly before continuing. ]

Some of us are just born with a libido that's through the roof, and some of us use anything- booze, sex, loud music- to distract us from how shit our lives are. [ This is Vex being Real here for a moment, honesty was coming up. ] You weren't wrong, I did hit on everything as crudely as possible just to get a reaction and I didn't care what that reaction was. Sometimes I still don't.

But, when I say it now, that I like your style, I mean it, yeah? Black is sexy, you're tall, handsome, look a bit like Hunter somewhat. I wouldn't go to bed with you, feel a bit like kissing my brother now, but yeah. You're still alright.

[ this was getting Too Real for him and he wanted to blurt out something terrible to ruin the moment, but he couldn't. ]

[helical]

( alec appreciates the honesty and realness a lot. he likes when they can talk like this. it showcases how far they've come, and shows their friendship is based on something real, something they worked at. )

Well... Thanks. ( barely any awkwardness in taking the compliment, this is progress!! he really is flattered, though. ) I always thought dark colors would make me blend in. That the less I stood out the better. ( a bit of a sad thing to admit, but it's the truth, and maybe would give vex some context for any colors alec might start wearing. they're a step toward being more himself. )

I've been too judgmental before. People cope in all sorts of ways. ( that's an apology, really. he can be a bit of a hypocrite, but he's trying to be better. he might not think sex or booze are the best things to throw yourself at during a hard moment, but neither is proposing to a woman or training with an injury or causing yourself one. )

[vexy]

Funny, I always wore black to stand out.

Yeah, well, you had to your reasons to judge and I had my reasons to be obnoxious. It worked out somehow.

[ Magnus. It all worked out because of Magnus. He doubted there would have been any other reason for them to come together, because it wasn't like Eudio would have any battles or such for them to bond over- which was Vex's typical way of bonding with people who would usually have nothing to do with him.

No, this was still Too Real. ]

Alright, enough of this bollocks. Let's get shitfaced, yeah?

[helical]

( it's true. alec would say the same, that their affection for magnus had made them put aside their differences. he's glad of it. vex is one of his very, very good friends. one of the people he's closest to, and to alec that has immense significance. )

Yeah, it did. Glad it did. ( he lifts his drink, grinning a bit crookedly. ) Way ahead of you.