let's go to the carnival!

[shelliemay]

the carnival meme

WHAT TO DO: 1. Post with your character! 2. Pick a scenario and reply to people! 3. Have fun and try not to get sick on the roller coaster! OPTIONS: 1. Games: From classic ring toss to the shooting gallery, here's your chance to win a prize for yourself or for that special someone. Some say the games at a carnival are rigged, but maybe, just maybe, you'll get lucky! 2. Food and Drink: The sweet smell of funnel cake and the familiar briny aroma of popcorn draw you over to the food and drink tent. There's cotton candy, candied nuts, and cheep booze, all here for your enjoyment. 3. Classic Rides: The carousel, the ferris wheel. All carnivals need these classic rides for kids and adults who aren't looking for the excitement of the faster-paced rides. Snuggle close to your partner and see if you can see your house from the top of the wheel. 4. Something More Exciting: This is for thrill-seekers. Here you'll find the Tilt-a-Whirl, the Gravitron, the Screamin' Swing--all the rides designed to make you lose your lunch. Hope you didn't have too much cotton candy! 5. Freakshow: Do they really have a bearded lady in that tent? It's time to find out. Buy a ticket and see the greatest oddities the world has to offer. 6. Tunnel of Love: Or perhaps tunnel of mild boredom. The red-tinted lights and quasi-romantic music are meant to make this ride a great makeout spot, if the chemistry is there. 7. Hall of Mirrors: You and your partner entered, thinking it would be easy to get out again, but dead ends abound in this wacky mirror-maze, and each mirror seems to show a more and more distorted image of each of you. 8. Fortune Teller: Whether one of the creepy machines or the even creepier women dressed up in a culturally insensitive costume, you cross someone's palms with silver and get your future told. Will it be happiness forever with your partner, or will ill tidings be bound your way? (Feel free to use this online tarot spread for extra fun!) 9. Wildcard: Any situation of your choosing happens in a carnival today! Go with the flow.

Comments

[eights_and_aces]

"Yea I know, I got a mouthful of spider feather." Anna gave him a pat on the thigh. "Good."

There was a bit of grin on her face, almost like she saw that blush. She laughed yet again. "They aren't all that scary when they are cross eye. You might make it out of this ride alive yet if it is a trend."

[icarusincarnate]

"I'll have you know I once was brave enough to bring Gang Orca soup when he had a toothache, and not many people can say that!" He had lost a wager but there was no need to dwell on that, the fact was that he had done it! "I wonder if the cross eyes were on purpose or just lazy..."

Their car moved into a room where a distressingly lighted surgery was in progress, blood all over the doctor and nurse and floor and patient and ceiling... "...I think they've lost the patient--fuck!" His witty statement was interrupted when the 'patient' began to jerk and scream as fresh blood exploded everywhere while a demon shot out of their stomach area.

[eights_and_aces]

"Orca soup?" She had to have misheard that one. "I hope it wasn't made from scratch.

Oddly, that one didn't get her. Anna had seen that movie, and that other one too. Though there was a lot of fake blood. She patted his leg in a 'there, there' gesture. "Now that was just going for the ick factor. Kinda lazy."

The car bumped along for a moment in utter darkness. Amplifying the squeak of the wheels and the stray grinding of metal as it followed the rails. Here it was suddenly very warm and humid....and there was a weird sound. Something raspy, like two pieces of sand paper sliding against each other was the best way she could describe it. But it was like a lot of sand paper.

The car suddenly lurched to a stop and she said. "What the..." and screamed when the lights cut on. They were in a clear tube with thousands of snakes, slithering just a few inches from them.

That pat on the leg turned into a death grip and her boots were kicking the front of the car to find purchase to push her back as far as she could. And that screaming? It was getting louder. A lot louder.

[icarusincarnate]

"Ah, no. Gang Orca was the one needing the soup, not being made into it..." He started to explain when Anna screamed. Genuinely screamed, not in playful fear. Automatically he drew her closer, wrapping one wing around her as he drew a feather, hardening it into a sword, looking around for the threat!

"Anna! Anna? What is--" Was she scared of snakes? Oh, shit. He couldn't just chop up the snakes-- Instead it was his turn to pull her into his lap, cocooning her in red feathers to block the sight and to protect her from any slithering movements. "I've got you, okay? I won't let them get anywhere near. Just hide your face against me and I'll take care of this. Do you need to get out of here? I can see an emergency exit, I'll carry you." He spoke quickly but soothingly in his practiced 'hero' voice.

[eights_and_aces]

Scared would be a severe understatement. The girl was absolutely terrified. So much so that there was no struggle against his efforts to shield her with his wings. At least the insanely loud screaming had stopped as she was busy hyperventilating against his chest.

Anna tried to answer his questions but the only thing that would come out of her mouth was a very soft 'out..'. Barely a whisper as she curled her fingers in his shirt. The feeling of deep dread or panic would be almost palatable.

[icarusincarnate]

"Alright. I got you." Hawks used some feathers to scoop up her bear, then climbed out of the car. He headed towards the glowing exit sign that was covered in cob webs (was that legal?), keeping his pace slow and steady so as not to jolt Anna any more than was necessary. Thankfully he had no fear of snakes. As he walked he talked, keeping his voice low and soothing so that she could feel the words he spoke in his chest just as much as hear him. "Rumi and I once were on a mission together; we can get a little reckless when we get teamed up but it generally works for us. There was a villain that had holed up in this old factory that we were after and what we didn't know was that the factory had been used to make sex toys. We were trying so hard to be mature adults about it..."

He leaned against the door until it was open, carrying Anna out into the fresh air. Parting his feathers just enough that some cool night air could get to her, Hawks carried Anna over to a bench, sitting down with her in his lap still, Steve sat down beside them. "...but then the villain tried to use a dildo as a weapon and we totally lost it. He did too. The police came to arrest him and we were all on the ground laughing like idiots."

[eights_and_aces]

The girl would be dead weight, but at least she wasn't dead legging. Those legs of hers were tucked up as tight as she could get them. Vaguely she was aware of him talking, it was rather hard for her to miss actually. At least she was quiet as she was carried out of the ride.

The cool air was helpful, as was the story. The further they got away from that sound it was better. Even if Anna shuddered a couple of times, almost like she was trying to shake off the sight of all those snakes. A deep shuddering breath at the last of the story, and now that she was sitting on his lap there was a loosening of her grip as she wiped her eyes.

"That isn't how they're supposed to work." Anna said quietly, bit of a pause before she said meekly. "Sorry."

[icarusincarnate]

"Hey, no worries." Hawks said softly, giving her a reassuring smile. "Nothing to apologize for, alright?" He kept her in his arms as long as she needed, even rubbing her back a little. "Can I get you some water? Or something stronger?"

[eights_and_aces]

Anna wasn't moving for a bit. "I hate snakes but usually it isn't that bad unless.."

She gave a bit of a sigh and nodded her head. "Stronger, definitely stronger. Please."

[icarusincarnate]

"...Unless?" Hawks dug a few dollars out of his wallet, using his feathers to deposit them on the counter of a stall before snagging a beer. Catching it out of midair as his feathers returned to his wing, Hawks offered the beer to Anna. "Here. Drink up."

[eights_and_aces]

Pardon her for a moment Hawks. She quickly downed the bottle in one pull and gave a deep sigh as caught what little spilled onto her lips with one finger.

"I'm close to one or surprised. I guess 'a lot' can be added to that list too." Bemused mutant is bemused. "Hell of a good way to find that one out."

If it was the distance, the beer, company, or combination of all three she was finally starting to settle down. Holding up the now empty bottle with an expression that asked for another on her face, before she continued.

"They used not to bother me. I mean I grew up in the country, but when I was about twelve or so a rattle snake spooked the horse I was on. It reared, I went off to one side and when I looked up after face planting I was looking at a very pissed off Mr. NoShoulders right in its creepy fucking eyes."

Shudders from before had nothing on the one that she gave after telling that story.

Fuck snakes.

[icarusincarnate]

Oh, he most certainly could get her another beer as he listened to her story. By the time she was done he had another beer to offer her and some vendor was stupefied to find a small pile of bills on his counter out of nowhere.

"Holy shit. No wonder you're freaked out." He said sympathetically, pressing the new bottle into her hand as he took the empty one to throw away. "I can't even imagine... They should warn you about that sort of thing before you go into a haunted hell house. What even was that room? It seems way too expensive for a carnival. I wouldn't be surprised if you're not the only one who's had troubles."

[eights_and_aces]

Anna would let him trade her bottles and she gave him a smile. Still a bit muted but no less genuine. This time she took a moment to hold the cold glass first to her forehead and then to each cheek before taking a sip.

Shifting a bit on his lap and nodding. "Well they did call it a haunted hell house...I can vouch for that, cause that was.." Anna shook her head. "Maybe we missed it, cause I wasn't paying much attention and who knows where they got them all. In fact I don't want to know where they got them from."

Another sip, and she looked at him. "At least got to play hero."

[icarusincarnate]

"That is the real question. Is there a Amazon website where they only sell snakes in bulk? Because I vote we shut that down." He smiled a little bit, glad to see her cheering back up. "As for playing hero, I didn't do that much. Now if one of those snakes turned out to have giant muscular arms and legs that tried to punch you into next year, then I could have really played at hero work."

[eights_and_aces]

"God I hope not." Anna just pales at the thought and takes another beer. "Unless they are cowboy boots or belts. 'Bout the only good they are for."

Yes the girl had a definite approach.

She snickered around the bottle as she tried to not cough up a mouthful of beer. Shaking her head and swallowing. "Well, I think you did alright. Side's no sense of messing up your face."

[icarusincarnate]

"Sorry, didn't mean to make you choke." He apologized, glad though that he had managed to get her to laugh. "I'm offended that you think that I'd let a snake with fists hit me in the face. This is the money maker!"

[eights_and_aces]

"Oh it is? Do you have a side hustle going on to make a little bit of change on the side?" A bit of a grin, and most of the distress in her voice now gone.

[icarusincarnate]

"I wish I had time for that. I do get to model, sometimes, if a brand wants me to be a part of their commercial. I don't get to make most of those decisions, though, that's my PR people... Heroes often partner up with brands we like, or sometimes ones we just find mostly tolerable. It's kinda like being any other sort of public face, you know?" He explained, returning the grin.

[eights_and_aces]

"Kinda sounds like you're a Calvin Klein model..." She gave him a side eye, glanced down and glanced up. "Are yo a Calvin Klein model on the side as part of your 'PR'"

She said it with a straight face and took another drink. Completely ignoring pretty much everything outside of those enveloping wings.

[icarusincarnate]

"...Well." He trailed off suggestively, raising his eyebrows. "I'm not going to lie and say I haven't modeled a few pieces of clothing here and there... But nothing in my underwear. Yet." He grinned and winked. "You have to look at the fanart of me for that."

[eights_and_aces]

"Are you sure you want me looking at the fanart? It might ruin my innocence and all." She quipped back.

[icarusincarnate]

"Oof, good point. Never mind, never look at the fanart. Or really, just don't Google me at all. It won't end well." He laughed! "Sometimes I really don't understand my fans, though I appreciate each and every one of them."

[eights_and_aces]

"Well since you just really got to know me, I figure I might as well warn you." She gently tapped the end of his nose with one finger. "Never tell me not to do something." She paused and took another drink. "Cause I might just do it anyway."

[icarusincarnate]

"...Oh, shit." Hawks laughed again, grinning ear to ear. "I knew I was going to like you when we first met, but now I'm starting to think we were destined to become good friends. I'm exactly the same way; it's a bad habit I'm not even bothering to try and correct."

[eights_and_aces]

"Sooooo.....it wasn't the shorts and crop top then?" Anna gave him a sly grin over the bottle resting on her lower lip. Cackling a bit. Obvious her earlier panic, no sheer terror forgotten. "Well then Hawks, you might be in trouble."