Nexus Spring Market Fair

[varnished_truths]

Seemingly overnight, one of the grassy areas edging the Forum has been taken over by a spring market and fair. Part state fair, part craft fair, part Renaissance faire, there are attractions for all comers. Tents and booths of every size, shape, and color are lined up more or less tidily, sometimes with wide avenues between them and sometimes with paths skinny enough to crowd a single person. Goods and treats from the far-flung corners of infinity are on display. The general organization has magic and alchemical goods grouped together and slightly separated from the other tents; arts and crafts fill the area around it. Goods such as clothes and jewelry, plants, and vintage and antique items are in the back. Food is front and center, between the entrance and the rides. This is perhaps not an ideal placement.

To one side is a brightly-lit collection of rides and games familiar to anyone who's been to a state fair. A ferris wheel, flying swings, and all manner of reasons to regret that last funnel cake are blaring tinny music and sporting blinking lights. Remember: rides first, then eat. Classic games that test strength, agility, and luck offer plush prizes sure to delight anyone until the fur rubs off. There are also some animal rides near the exit.

In the back of the roughly-fenced-in area are the exhibits. There's a petting zoo with creatures mundane and more exotic, all promised to be tame; practical demonstrations of new magical and technological wonders; a juried art show; and a stage hosting a variety of performers changing on the hour.

((This is an open event. If your character wants to have a booth selling wares or food, set one up. If your character wants to perform or provide other services, go for it! Please note what sort of service you're providing, if any, in the subject line of your top-level comment. Basically, just run with it and have fun!

I offer pictoral inspiration and ask that any pictures used in comments not be more than 300 px tall (and it looks better if you can keep it about the same height as your text). Code to have your text wrap around your picture below.))

<img src="blah.png" height="300" style="border: 0pt none; float:left; padding-right:10px; padding-bottom:10px">

Comments

[william_kent]

Wil nods slightly. "Once you have all the pieces and you know how you want to arrange it, let me know and I'll start a first draft. Should probably work on it at least a few weeks before you want to open it to the public."

[losthunter]

"I will have to invite you over to the apartment then, so you can see the other pieces."

[william_kent]

"That'll work. Just let me know when." He nods towards the rest of Hunter's display. "In the meantime... quite the interesting booth you have."

[losthunter]

"Thank you. I am hoping to appeal to a larger market. I even have a pottery painting area for those who want to create their own take-home object.'

[william_kent]

"I haven't done any pottery stuff for years." He looks interested, though. While writing has always been his first outlet for expression, any kind of working with his hands has always been relaxing.

[losthunter]

"The wheel is pretty easy to use. And I have my own kiln, so you could explore the rest of the fair... and in an hour, come back for your own little piece."

[william_kent]

"That sounds cool. I've used a wheel a long time ago, but it's been a while. Mom's always encouraged us to be all artistic."

[losthunter]

"She sounds like an interesting person. I am glad she encouraged you to find that side of yourself."

[william_kent]

"Not all of us were very good at art. But it's fun to try anyway."

[losthunter]

"That fun never goes away. Give it a shot."

[william_kent]

Wil rolls up his sleeves, so he won't risk getting as much clay on himself as he would otherwise. "How much are you charging?"

[losthunter]

"For the make-your-own pottery? Nothing. It is all part of inspiring others to give art a try."

[william_kent]

"Cool." Wil's really rusty at making pottery, but he remembers the basics. "Bowls and vases and stuff are the easiest ones to do, right?"

[losthunter]

"They sure are. Just keep it balanced, and a steady speed on the pottery wheel."

[william_kent]

It takes him a few tries to produce something suitable, but fortunately clay is very moldable. Twice, he mashes it back together into one solid lump and starts over, not happy with what he made before. But at last, he produces a wide bowl that isn't lopsided enough to notice without careful scrutiny.

[losthunter]

"Now that you have your creation, you can decide if you want to use the wet paints before it goes into the kiln. Or paint it when it is fired."

[william_kent]

"Which do you recommend?" Hunter's the artist here, after all.

[losthunter]

"I find the wet paints seal any cracks better, and make for a better end result. The trick with the wet paints is less is more."

"You need to use a thin layer of the paint for it to dry better."

[william_kent]

"Less is more... I can get behind that."

[losthunter]

"I have an assortment of colors to choose from. Paint to your heart's desire."

[william_kent]

Call it stereotypical, but Wil goes right for the darker reds and blacks, two of his favorite colors. He paints alternating stripes up the sides of the bowl, trying to make them as uniform as possible. "Have you had a lot of people trying this out so far?" he asks as he works.

[losthunter]

"A couple of people. I have been marking them as they go into the kiln, so people can identify them later."

[william_kent]

"What'll you do if they forget to come back for them?"

[losthunter]

"I am a believing of not letting anything go to waste. I would break them and then use the chips to create some mosaics."

[william_kent]

"Huh. I guess that works. Points for recycling."