[kaitlynrhodes]

"Oh, calm down," Kaitlyn gave a laugh, taking the turtle in her arms and giving it a generous squeeze, briefly pressing it to her face so she could fully feel how soft it is. "I know I'm irresistible, but I can't have you talking about us having a child already - even if that child is just a plush ninja turtle," she teased. Her lips couldn't help tugging up into a small smirk when he conceded to the words she'd used to describe herself. "That's what I thought." She followed his gaze to the Ferris wheel and pursed her lips for a moment, as if considering it. "Maybe later," she replied, a hand reaching out to pat him on the chest. "If I decide I like you enough to risk possible death," she met his eyes with an admittedly fond smile, her hand lingering on his chest for several moments longer before dropping to grab his hand and tug him along. "Now, come on, we should go complete your collection, nerd."

[zacsylvester]

Zac's eyes went wide for a second and he felt the warmth creep into his cheeks almost immediately, letting out an awkward laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Whoa, okay. I was just talking about sharing custody of a ninja turtle, not jumping straight to parenthood," he chuckled, shaking his head. "You really know how to keep a guy on his toes." Watching her cuddle Mikey only made him grin. "See? I told you he was surprisingly cozy." He chuckled at her response to the ferris wheel, glancing over at it again before shaking his head. "Yeah… let's keep that one filed under 'we'll cross that bridge if we ever decide to tempt fate.'" He looked back at her just as she slipped her hand into his, his grin returning without hesitation. "Games, though? Now you're speaking my language." As she tugged him along, he made sure to point out which specific game had the prize they were looking for. "Balloon pop, that's where I won him at, by the way. I realize it's not the most challenging of these games, but I also know that they generally make a point of not blowing the balloons up too much, which makes them harder to pop and way more likely to just bounce the darts right off."

[kaitlynrhodes]

Kaitlyn sighed dramatically. "I know, right? That ninja turtle honestly looks annoyingly soft too and I might just have to force you to let me hug it for a little while. But, you know, it's the sacrifice I have to make," she played along, her lips quirking up. "Yeah... I guess that's true," she relented with a laugh. "You are a significant set up from that. Although, excuse you, if anything, my presence is a reward for you given a gorgeous, confident, intelligent woman has decided to spend her time with you." She paused to look at their surroundings once more. "Now, if the rides are a no-go for both of us, what's the plan?" she lifted an eyebrow. "Should we head back to the games so I can show you how it's done? Maybe win you another ninja turtle?" she challenged with a small smirk.

[zacsylvester]

"For a turtle, he really is surprisingly cozy," he joked, holding the plush out toward her so she could check it out. "I suppose I could let you borrow him. Maybe we work out some kind of custody agreement, though. I do have rights as the one who won him." At her comment about being a reward, he gave her a quick once-over, raising an eyebrow as a grin tugged at his lips. "Yeah, I mean... you're not exactly wrong there. The honor is entirely mine. Can't even come up with a good argument against that one." Zac glanced around the carnival again, considering her question. "Wait, you mean you don't want to take a romantic spin around the merry-go-round with me?" he asked, trying and failing to keep a straight face before laughing. "Okay, yeah, even I couldn't say that with a straight face." His eyes briefly wandered toward the ferris wheel before he shook his head. "Actually, if I trusted that thing not to become tomorrow's news story..." He let the thought trail off, not wanting to push his luck. "Nah, games. Besides, I've still got three more turtles to win if I'm going to complete the set."

[kaitlynrhodes]

She reached out with a finger to gently poke the soft plush, a hum dropping from her lips. "Can't say I did," she laughed. "Which I think is another tally for you in the dork column, since I don't know many people who keep up with the rarity of stuffed animal prizes at carnival games," she added, a teasing smile tracing her lips. "It's okay, though, you get a pass because you're cute." Kaitlyn pursed her lips as he turned the question back on her. "Yeah, no, you're definitely right that I feel like almost any of these could lead to some sort of Final Destination style end for me," she agreed. Feeling his arm now on her shoulder, she turned back to him with a grin. "What a shame. Guess that means I'm stuck hanging out with you."

[zacsylvester]

"Wow, stuck with me? Tragic. Absolutely devastating. I don't know how you're going to recover from spending your evening with someone who has excellent taste in carnival prizes and was kind enough to share his popcorn with you," he teased, clearly amused by her comment. He glanced back down at the plush tucked under his arm, shaking his head with a small laugh. "I mean, I guess if this is my punishment, I'll survive somehow. Could be worse. You could've gotten stuck with someone who makes you listen to them explain their fantasy football lineup or bragging about how much weight they can bench press."

[stellaschue]

I DID, it was fantastic. And there were only leftovers because I made a HUGE batch for like, four people, but later me was not complaining when I had chicken dip to warm up later!

[zacsylvester]

Sounds like you used it wisely, then. Now I can't wait for when Christmas comes around and you can brag about that hot chocolate recipe I gave you.

[kaitlynrhodes]

When she saw Zac's familiar face sliding up next to her, her lips naturally pulled into a smile right away, a playful glint in her eyes. "Couldn't say it any better myself," she laughed. "And don't mind if I do!" With her free hand, she grabbed a generous amount of his popcorn and threw it into her mouth. Spotting the ninja turtle under his arm, she couldn't help a small giggle. "Of course you went for the ninja turtle, you dork," she teased him, gently nudging him. She glanced around them again, nodding towards the various rides. "You actually planning on going on any of these?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow.

[zacsylvester]

Having no shame, he switched the popcorn to his other hand so he could grab the plush and hold it out in front of him, proud as a peacock. "Hey, do you know how rare it is to see these guys as prizes at these kinds of things? Besides, it's Mikey, he's my fave," he chuckled, tucking the turtle back under his arm so he could have a small handful of popcorn himself and glanced around at the various rides. "Yeah, I think the only ones I'd really trust besides the few kiddie rides that I'm too big for, are the carousel and the bumper cars. Everything else looks like it's one nut and bolt away from falling apart." He looked down at the popcorn container, pretty much all kernels and managed to toss it in the trash can without getting too close to it and playfully rested his now free arm on her shoulder. "How about you?"

[kaitlynrhodes]

Kaitlyn stood off to the side of all the rides, more specifically by The Zipper as she took a sip from the drink she'd gotten from the alcohol tent just before. She had been debating if it was worth it to ride anything and, admittedly, watching yet another person stumble off of it to throw up in a nearby garbage can was not making the idea very appealing. She grimaced at this, shaking her head with a disapproving hum. "You'd think people would realize by now that maybe they shouldn't shove funnel cake in their mouth right before getting on these things, but I guess you can't assume everyone will have common sense or make good decisions for themselves."

[zacsylvester]

Zac had been walking around for a bit, the ninja turtle he'd won at the balloon pop game was tucked under his arm as he held popcorn in one hand and was eating it with the other. Spotting Kaitlyn near the rides, he sidled up to her, just catching the same sight of what she saw and grimacing at the poor person spilling their guts into the nearby trash bin. "I think what makes it worse is that, I'd put money on it that they did the same thing last year and just never learned their lesson. You know how the saying goes, you can't fix stupid." Holding out his popcorn, he grinned at her, "Care for some?"

[thatschuesterguy]

If you do add a candy counter in your store, I'll be sure to stop by more often. Not going to lie; Hard-to-find 80s and 90s candy has got to be one of my guilty pleasures. And yes, you're correct, nobody wants a warm drink, you want to drink it ice-cold right away.

[zacsylvester]

Duly noted. And yeah, exactly what my thought was on the drinks, though I've since considered a couple of ideas to remedy that. Either a vending machine outside the store, depending on how much that would cost, or just seeing if I can rearrange some displays and move a table to fit a cooler inside the store. Whichever one is less costly is likely going to be the option I go with.

[stellaschue]

I had my very first potluck contribution EVER for the 4th (buffalo chicken dip) and when I tell you I finally felt like an actual ADULT, I'm not even kidding. Even my dog looked impressed with me, and Pepper never looks impressed.

[zacsylvester]

Oh nice, did you go with that recipe I told you about? How well did it go over, I'm assuming no leftovers to be seen, right?

[kaitlynrhodes]

Um, yes? Absolutely. I already like frequenting the store for nostalgia purposes as it is, but if you get some of my old fave candies and snacks from growing up in the 90s? I'm sold and you will probably see my pretty face be stopping by even more on the off-chance you get any in. Besides, I can never discourage anyone from developing their brand and expanding. Good on you for accessing more of that business brain, Z!

[zacsylvester]

Well hey, I like the sound of that. Any candies in particular that you'd be looking for? I'll be sure to keep stock of your faves whenever I can. Also, speaking of using my business brain, the more I thought about the whole idea with including drinks, I finally landed on something that could work. A vending machine with them outside the store. Just have to figure out how to get a customized vending machine for nostalgic drinks to start with. Or maybe I could take a better look at the shop's layout and see if I could fit a cooler inside, too. Maybe re-arrange some displays here and there, whatcha think?

[andersonjones]

Okay, now Bugs Bunny is an excellent addition to the list because he somehow weaponizes inconvenience. He's rarely the strongest person in the room, but five minutes later everyone else is exhausted, confused, and somehow wearing a dress they didn't put on voluntarily. I think that's actually the common thread between Bugs and Casey Jones. Neither of them shows up intending to have a normal fight. Points made, my dude.

Also, "the punk rock Chuck Norris of the fictional world" is such an absurdly accurate description that I'm annoyed I didn't think of it first.

At this point, I think a new category of survival strategy has accidentally been created. Don't bring the strongest character. Bring the one who's going to make the monster file a complaint with Human Resources afterward. Casey Jones and Bugs Bunny are apparently co-captains of that team. This is also giving me some ideas for a new game...

[zacsylvester]

Yeah, you just gotta think outside of the box sometimes for the best answers. Okay, but now you can't just say it's giving you an idea for a new game and then not elaborate. I'll admit, I'm not one to really play anything that was released in past fifteen years or so, but I'm open to anything that may have some nostalgia tied to it. Like when they put out those retro games for the switch, it was almost enough to convince me to buy that console. I didn't, but I considered it.

[zacsylvester]

You know what summer has me thinking about? All those nostalgic snacks from the 80s and 90s that you can no longer find these days, like they're discontinued or they just don't mass produce it anymore. Started to wonder if I shouldn't add a candy counter in the store with some of those candies and snack foods, if I can find them. I'd consider some of the nostalgic drinks, too, but I don't think I can fit a cooler in the shop to keep them in. Because let's be honest, if you find a drink in a store that you haven't had since you were a kid, you're gonna wanna drink it as soon as you buy it and who wants a warm drink, am I right?

[andersonjones]

This is actually a pretty interesting approach. The approach for the most part, elsewhere has been about strength, powers, combat ability, survival skills... But maybe what you really need is someone who's going to make the monster think, "You know what? This was a mistake." Because sure, Superman could save me. Buffy could save me. Polly could probably save me. Casey Jones would make the entire encounter feel deeply inconvenient for the monster.

You're absolutely right about the confidence. The man doesn't enter a fight wondering if he'll win. He enters a fight, wondering why everyone else is acting like there's a possibility he won't. And honestly, that's terrifying.

Honestly, the more we talk about it, the more convinced I am that Casey Jones might not even be protected by plot armor. I think plot armor is protected by Casey Jones.

[zacsylvester]

Yes, exactly. You can't just go for the obvious hero type, though I'm also not sure who Polly is, that's kind of a generic name, but you've gotta go with someone who's gonna react in a way the monster isn't going to expect! Take your diss on Shaggy for example, sure he may run away, but the way he can scoop up what I'm assuming is at least a 150 pound dog, he could surely take whoever is with him while he runs off. Or how about someone like Bugs Bunny, the way he gets himself out of the messes he winds up in, but he always throws the person who's after him - whether that's Elmer Fudd, that abominable snowman, or that big red monster dude. And totally, I mean Casey Jones is like the punk rock Chuck Norris of the fictional world.

[andersonjones]

Exactly. Casey Jones has the kind of energy where he'd show up carrying a hockey stick, a baseball bat, and somehow a waffle iron, and nobody would question it because clearly he has a plan.

And you're so right about the multitasking. The monster thinks it's getting a dramatic final showdown and Casey's already in the middle of three unrelated fights, two arguments, and a pizza order.

Honestly, I think half his effectiveness comes from the fact that normal rules stop applying the second he arrives. You can't psychologically prepare for a man whose response to danger is basically, "Interesting. Have you considered getting hit with sports equipment?" The real victim in this scenario isn't me. It's the monster realizing it's the side quest now.

[zacsylvester]

Honestly, I think that's the real secret to Casey Jones. It isn't even the hockey mask or the sports equipment. It's the fact that he approaches every situation with the confidence of a man who's already decided he's going to win before the fight even starts. Half the battle is probably the monster trying to figure out why this random guy seems genuinely excited that it's there. The more I think about it, the more I feel like the best answer isn't necessarily the strongest fictional character. It's the one who's going to make the monster regret getting out of bed that morning and Casey Jones is definitely at the top of that list. I mean, just look at his first interaction with Raph in the 1990 turtles movie.

[andersonjones]

Casey Jones is SUCH a good answer that I'm actually a little mad I didn't think of him first.

Like yes, absolutely. That man has never looked at a dangerous situation and thought, "Maybe I should be reasonable." He'd see a cryptid in the woods and immediately hit it with a hockey stick, a golf club, and somehow a toaster.

Also I feel like he has exactly the right amount of chaotic confidence to make the monster second-guess itself.

Monster: "I'm hunting humans."

Casey Jones: "Cool. I'm hunting YOU."

Honestly? Survival rates just increased by like 87%.

[zacsylvester]

The accuracy of him somehow escalating from hockey stick to random household appliances is exactly why he’s the right pick. I wouldn’t even be surprised if he showed up mid-fight like he was already halfway through a different fight and just decided to multitask. Also yeah, the confidence alone is probably doing half the work there. Most monsters are probably not emotionally prepared for that instant switch to them becoming the damsel in distress.

[stellaschue]

This is ingenious. I am taking NOTES, and I haven't had to do that since grad school, omg. Literally any time a recipe is 'dump in a pot and leave it alone', my little heart is full of joy. And I already know I have no self-control or patience, so forewarned is totally forearmed, 😁

[zacsylvester]

That is exactly the correct energy for it. If a recipe requires too much effort or emotional investment, it immediately stops being worth it in my book. And duly noted. Something tells me this may end up being your go-to dish for any future potlucks you may attend.

[kaitlynrhodes]

You know, I don't consider myself too big of a romantic, but even I love a good romcom. And you're right, the dorky guys do tend to come out on top, and honestly? Good for them. Obviously everyone has their different tastes and things they're into, but me, personally? I don't think it can be stated enough how attractive intelligence actually is. I do have to give you credit where credit is due. You've definitely got more common sense than most of these meatheads at the gym.

[zacsylvester]

Yeah, I’ll admit there are definitely a few romcoms that are just too good to pretend I don’t like them. The Princess Bride is one of those where it’s mostly the comedy that pulls me in, but the whole thing just works. And I hear you. Confidence is one thing, but once it crosses into full-on ego territory, that’s usually my exit point too. Doesn’t really matter how you dress it up, it all ends up feeling the same after a while. And thanks, I’ll gladly take that compliment.

[andersonjones]

Important question.

You're being chased through the woods by a monster. Which fictional character are you choosing to protect you?

There are no wrong answers. Except choosing Shaggy. Because he'd leave you behind and you'd both know it.

[zacsylvester]

Easy, Casey Jones from TMNT. Hands down, he'd be perfect to help fight the monster off if it came down to it. The man's unstoppable with that hockey stick or any other sports equipment that can be turned into a weapon.