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

[smileslie]

Somewhat. I was married to a very famous singer, and by merit of that, I was...not exactly a star, but I guess I got to share in some of his light. I always sort of...wanted to do something else to warrant the label on my own, but things didn't quite pan out.

[because Brian had been selfish and terrible and a better actor than she could ever hope to be]

[astralera]

You are talented. [ a clear statement of fact - at least in Era's opinion. ] It isn't so far-fetched a thought that it may still happen someday, should you still desire it.

[smileslie]

[in another time and place, Mandy would have cackled at that. Now...she just smirks]

Thank you darling. Where I'm from...I'm several years too old to be considered star material by most, and I've also sort of been...kept out of that line of work by people loyal to my former spouse. [she's sure blacklisted wouldn't mean a thing to Era]

But [her expression brightens a bit, as she looks around the club--her club, even if the splendour it wears tonight isn't her work] Perhaps you're right, at least here, it could still be possible.

[astralera]

'Too old'? [ she tilts her head, trying to see it. ] You're not youthful, but you're not old.

[ she definitely wouldn't know the term 'blacklisted', but something similar things happen amongst merchants to so the concept is familiar. ]

It is definitely possible here. Your [ she fumbles for the word - there aren't any 'clubs' in Eorzea, really. just taverns, pubs, bars, inns... ] club is a wonderful start.

[smileslie]

[Mandy is tempted to say she certainly feels it, although less these days than in the past, but she actually restrains that self depreciation]

I'm old by that industries standards. Which are ridiculous ones, but very hard to fight unless you're already well established in your youth. And my divorce sort of ruined that.

[she does properly grin at Era's next statement though] Thank you. I worked at a place very similar to it when I was young, so it's been very nice to have that back, and to have it all mine. Well, and Arthur's. He deserves the credit for encouraging me to do it, and promoting it a bit.

[she thinks he needs talking up more than she does, honestly, knowing what he'll be like in the future and seeing the shy boy now who just doesn't seem able to recognize his potential yet]

[astralera]

What is a divorce?

[ not a thing in her world, as far as she knows. probably because people die so often...

but all of that aside, Era's curiosity is piqued. ] I don't believe I've met Arthur properly before.

[smileslie]

It's when people who are married...decide not to be anymore. Legally speaking, it ends the contract they entered into and there's a lot of paperwork involving who gets what and generally no one comes out a winner. I certainly didn't. But I got out, which is what matters.

[she knows that. Even if it ruined so much of her life, she will never regret making that choice. She just regrets that it had to come to that.

Her smile flickers back though at the mention of Arthur]

He's a lot more shy than I am. His costume was a partner to mine. [she waves at her pale green face paint] If you see him about, he's the man in the blonde wig and floral print dress. We're dressed as characters from the same tv show--ah, a...broadcast of a serial play, I suppose would be the best way to put it.

[astralera]

There is no paperwork for one to go through a true eternal bonding ceremony. They must journey together and receive blessings from Hydaelyn' pantheon of Twelve. I'm not certain how a divorce would work.

[ she does recall seeing the man she's speaking of. though the rest of her comment gets a small laugh out of her. Era gestures to her own elaborate outfit. ]

I have been introduced to television. Aymeric and I crafted our outfits based on a series of films. It's an impressive invention.

[ much more elaborate than the old allag surveillance systems. ]

[smileslie]

In theory, I think the paperwork where I'm from is meant to keep people from entering into a union on a whim. In practice it just makes it harder to part ways when things get bad.

['bad' is an understatement, but she doesn't want to start airing the dirty laundry the whole world saw here, and not just becuase she's not sure how much Era would understand of just why she had to leave.

She does chuckle a little at the next comment, though]

Fair enough. Although I don't recognize where your lovely getup is from. Home is a few decades earlier than a lot of people here, so it might be something I haven't seen yet.

[astralera]

That sounds unnecessarily complicated.

[ As if traveling the realm and receiving blessings from the deities of her world is any less complicated. Though if Mandy had been suffering abuse at the hands of her husband Era were certainly understand the need to leave - she has aided enough women in distress to know how they can suffer at the hands of men.

Her expression brightens at the idea of being able to share relevant with Mandy instead of it always being the other way around - ]

The Lord of the Rings was a trilogy of movies that Rose introduced me to. Aymeric and I both found them enjoyable, and not solely because the setting is reminiscent of our home.

[smileslie]

It really is. There's a reason I never intend to do it again.

[it's hard to get too salty when Era lights up, though. That's part of the reason she's living with Arthur, she knows she's needed someone to balance out her bitterness for awhile. She blinks a couple times, then laughs]

Wow. They made films? I read those books just a short while after I moved to London. [which makes her feel old for a second, becuase they were still pretty new then] I can't imagine how they'd trim them down into something a person could comfortably sit through, but I guess considering some of the art films I've seen it's not out of the realm of possiblity.

[there are things that even a great deal of illegal substances can't make her forget seeing, as much as she'd like to. That's one thing she deinfitely envies Era for]

[astralera]

They did - three films of approximately three hours each. There were also three films of the prequel, The Hobbit of comparable length. Aymeric and I made costumes inspired by Thranduil and Galadriel respectively, though I would have been better suited to someone such as the shieldmaiden Éowyn.

[ or a Hobbit, as she has originally planned. given her height - or lack thereof - she feels odd dressing as something meant to be more similar to an Elezen. ]

Unsurprisingly, Aymeric fit the role of an elf king rather well.