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.

---

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!

---

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

COMMANDER SHEPARD. ▎ota.

[upside]

ONE.

( shepard is a bad dancer. she knows this -- her crew never quite lets her forget, every dancefloor on the citadel, or aria's omega. but. here's the thing. shepard -- doesn't care. she might be stuck in an oversized hamster onesie, with a couple of drinks contentedly thrumming in her veins to the sway of the music, and she might be naturally disinclined towards dancing, but she does it anyway, shaking a tail feather.

point and laugh, or join in the shepard shuffle? your choice! )

TWO.

( winding down a bit, shepard finds a comfortable seat and an even more comforting drink and relaxes, enjoying the crowd and whoever might be around to converse with. she's friendly enough, and seems like she has a fair share of stories to tell, equally as eager to sit back and listen.

if you aren't paying attention, you might be surprised to see her hands suddenly occupied with snacks. if you are paying attention, you'll see her reach into the zippered front of her onesie and pull out -- you know, the works. chips, candy bars. the candy corn things everyone pretends to hate. any questioning glances are met with one of her own, before she offers whatever she happens to be munching on gladly, tilting her head. )

Want some?

THREE.

( byop! hmu at fingerstripes for a starter. )

2

[servomotor]

[Tony Stark waits until the bag of corn chips has been set down before taking it, BECAUse he has that weird quirk about being 'handed things,' still. He tosses it in the air a moment, catches it again, rubbing a tawny thumb over the plastic surface of the bag.] Mmm, [he says.] It's still warm. [He'd say it even if he were sober, probably, but as always there's that odd quick ironic edge to everything he says. Unless he's talking about there being nothing in life except the mission, but he's not like that now.

He throws one of the little chips into his mouth, arching an eyebrow at her.] This is me, [he says,] not drawing any kind of parallels to my earlier joke about 'milking oneself.' Zero. How are you doing? You know, if somebody bursts through that door, [he points,] yelling thief, I'm ratting you out.

[upside]

( why are you so weird tony. why does shepard find it endearing. she rolls her eyes playfully at him, as if genuinely exhausted by his multiple breastfeeding jokes, but smiles nonetheless, not so easily dissuaded. )

Just to clear the air between us, I didn't milk corn chips out of my breasts. Although that would be a neat party trick.

( very neat. she chops on a candy bar. )

Anyway, you're an accomplice now to said thievery, even though I brought them from home. More importantly, you're supposed to have my back, crewmate. Is water suddenly thicker than blood?

[servomotor]

If we were related by blood, that would be, [this is the part where Tony realizes he started answering the question on chatty bombastic autopilot, before fully recognizing where he was going to go with it, and maybe he shouldn't have, because,] —problematic? [Because. Because they're crewmates, which is important, but not mutually exclusive from familial solidarity and the boob jokes were sort of setting him up already, weren't they?

He's drunk. Still drunk. Drunk just like last time.]

Make it up to you. [Change of subject. So subtle. He smiles at her though, crooked and ridiculous.] I'm working on modifying the tech in the lamp posts-- the ones that siphon and convert emotional energy into electricity. Pulled together a rig. I wanna find out if it can take energy from powers-- bionics, for example. Change it into other things we can use.

[upside]

( the quirk of her brow might be a tell-all sign that she recognizes tony just gave up something, to her, something that cost him to give, but she has the courtesy not to say anything. just look quietly pleased into her candy bar. )

It'd be pretty impressive if you could figure it out. ( she talks with her hands, a bit -- her own little hint that she might be somewhere in the happy void between tipsy and drunk. ) I'm happy to be your test hamster, hence the costume. I tried to look into that bit of working tech in the Temple with Aymeric, but when it didn't have a USB drive I gave up. Your tech skills are far greater than mine.

[servomotor]

You still have USB drives in your time? [Tony says, his face crinkling up into a smile that looks sillier than smart. He likes that. Either she's dumbing it down for him, or USBs are eternal. Hilarious. But he appreciates that they've not yet learned how to blink their thoughts at each other by the time her century rolls around. His personality flaws and illnesses wouldn't have much room to thrive in that sort of environment.]

I try to impress, [he answers, confident in an easy way.] And once we have that down, that energy can be converted for other things. Scientific adventures and misadventures. [He crooks a smile at her, then drinks more of his beer. Actually he finishes his beer. It's been a stressful day and this has always been his preferred coping, to perhaps a problematic extent.] Hope you and the elf didn't break nothing. Or if you did, you salvaged it so I can take a look-see.

And you know-- the funny thing about this place. A funny thing.

3 bc I do what I want

[remarkablymodest]

Good evening, Shepard.

[ He's learning! Much as the temptation to address her by her proper title was, Aymeric's been told his formalities are a bit... much. So he's trying to tone down. ]

I think your costume should have won on sensibility alone. You've certainly beat us all in comfort, at least. [ He reaches up to adjust his crown just slightly. ] I never realized how uncomfortable wigs were until this evening.

[ He seems to be enjoying himself regardless. ]

May I get you a drink?

u are the boss

[upside]

( she's not wholly used to looking up at people, but -- she greets aymeric with a firm nod of a hello, eyeing his costume with a critical eye. )

Hey, don't sell yourself short. You look great, Aymeric.

( and she means it!! )

I know we're just getting to know each other, but you should know, I never turn down offered drinks.

HECK YEA I AM

[remarkablymodest]

You flatter me, Commander.

[ Look, he lasted approximately a tag before returning to formalities. Baby steps. He'll get casual someday. Probably not, actually, but a writer can dream. ]

And I'm happy to hear it! You're a woman after my own heart, in that regard.

[ He ushers the closest available drink-serving person over, before asking- ]

What are you having?

( o2. )

[creatio]

( Clary's feet hurt, which is why she practically collapses onto a seat the minute she finds one. She doesn't know the redheaded woman, though she thinks she's seen her friends talk to her a time or two, but she smiles anyway because solidarity. Watching the dancing across the room, she definitely misses the appearance of the snacks, looking back only when Shepherd offers her something. )

Oh my god, you're a lifesaver.

( Yeah, she's definitely taking a candybar. )

I always forget how Magnus' cocktails pack a punch. I never remember to eat before.

[upside]

( somehow she is already the nicest of all the people she's met from shadowhunters verse

shepard offers a knowing nod, pleased to be of some help in the forever fight against tough cocktails. despite that, she's already wondering which one she'll try next -- but shepard has an iron stomach and drinks krogan under the table, so. she is not a good perspective on the subject of drinking and eating. )

Do you want me to grab you some water? I don't mind. Those shoes look like they could kill a man.

( what is with all you small ladies and your high heels!!! )

[creatio]

That's exactly the aesthetic I was going for.

( It's okay, Shepherd, next time you meet her she'll be the shortest and in flats. She just wanted to go the whole hog for Halloween.

The boys think they need to scowl to be cool, but Clary's a naturally sunny kind of girl and she makes friends easily. Part of it is just acting like she's known everyone for a long time, so that there's ease in it. She definitely looks relaxed when she stretches her legs out before her and tears open the wrapper of her candybar. )

I'm okay, but thanks for the offer. I'm Clary, by the way. I don't think we've met yet.

[ 2 ]

[dothelokimotion]

[ While Asgard had a rich table, constantly overflowing with bounty, there isn't much to be said about its variety. It was a stagnant place at times, as utopias often were. No one lacked for anything and food was always fresh and ready. So the manner of food this woman seemingly pulls out is fascinating. Wrapped in colourful paper and plastic. ]

What are they?

[upside]

( the question would be ridiculous if shepard were less accustomed to her culture being -- well, alien, to every new person she meets. she glances at the wrapper herself, making sure of it, before holding it back out. )

It's a candy bar -- Twix. It's like a cookie dipped in chocolate. I think there's caramel, too.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki looks blankly at the idea of a candy bar. ]

Is that not unnecessarily unhealthy and shorten one's already meager lifespan?

[upside]

You're gonna die if you live.

( c'est la vie!!! )

Although I don't think anyone is especially worried about a candy bar killing them. You'd have to eat a lot of them, and even then. ( she sets the bar on the table, loki's for the taking. ) Try it, you'll like it.

[dothelokimotion]

A bizarre turn of phrase.

[ But Loki carefully takes the candy bar, turning it over in his hands with ill-disguised curiousity. Finally, with deliberate carefulness, Loki peels away the wrapper and takes one small bite out of the bar. ]

[upside]

( post-munch, shep's hand flair out in a ta-dah!! way. )

What's the verdict?

3 blows a kiss at you

[monologue]

Uhhhh no thanks. I'm good.

[ really, he doesn't want to wear your costume. he's got a great costume all his own. it's called "his day job" and who knew it'd double perfectly for halloween. look, it's loud, there are bright lights, it might feel just a little bit like home, so juno's gonna do what he does at things like this: drink and not be made to wear a hamster onesie even if he has to fight shepard tooth and nail for the ability to Refuse.

hopefully it doesn't come to that. ]

Look, if you want to trade costumes I'll let you borrow my hat, but the only way you'll get me into that thing is if I'm a corpse.

catches and puts it in pocket

[upside]

( she could be feeling the booze, at this point. a little. the swirling of the room is nothing a short run around the party won't clear up, but for now she's enjoying the buzz and hum of it, eyes just the smallest bit glassy. she's aware! of what she's doing! and she has no regrets. juno would look so cute in her costume, not to mention that she's already well aware that juno fits in her clothes, thanks to a certain hoodie that is still mia.

fluidly, she plucks the hat off juno's head and sets it on her own, on top of the hamster head. detective space hamster. genius. )

I just look confused now. I need the whole bummy detective outfit to really sell it. ( she nudges him with her shoulder, palms flattening against whatever drink she's currently sipping on. ) Also, this isn't a costume. You wear this outfit everyday. I think your coat still has sand from the beach on it.

[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 )

have a foodie

[astralera]

[ hello space cow-hating commander! have a tiny lizard woman come join you. Era is sick and tired of the heels for the time being, and kicks them off of her dangling feet as soon as she sits. then adjusts her very long skirts to cover both the shoes and her bare toes so they don't get chilled.

Era nods enthusiastically at Shepard's offer ^{and this mun realized she'd been thinking of her as shepherd all this time oops}, always eager to try new foods. and eat, in general. for someone so very, very small she is capable of packing away at least her body weight in food if she tries hard enough. mostly because she burns through calories so quickly being a dedicated Warrior of Light^TM that it's difficult to keep up with her body's demands at times.

She usually carries some snacks of her own and tonight is no different - she pulls some bacon bread and two crystalline jars of frozen spirits out of seemingly nowhere in trade, if Shepard is interested. ]