fandomhigh | Around the World in 16 Challenges, Thursday, March 24, 2016

Today Anakin and Obi-Wan were meeting their students on a beautiful Caribbean beach, wind gusting their robes around their ankles.

Anakin, for once (or maybe just not yet) wasn't bitching about the sand. "This is Trinidad and Tobago," he began.

"It is a twin island nation," Obi-Wan said, "Considered to be one of the richest in the region - both in coin and in tradition."

"Your challenges will take you to both islands today. Because we're so close to Easter, you will be participating in some local traditions centered around the holiday," Anakin added.

"For those of you who may not be aware, Easter is a holiday during which adherents of the religion of Christianity celebrate how their prophet once rose from the grave," Obi-Wan said. "It is considered rather important... and associated with eggs, for some reason."

Yeah, he wasn't sure.

"And making American children sit on the laps of giant weasels--" that's not true at all, Anakin, "--which is why we're not there to celebrate it," Anakin added.

"Hopefully, you'll find the local traditions rather more enlightening," Obi-Wan said, with a firm sweep of his arm. "May the Force be with you."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Festively!

Isabela

Kaylin Neya

Alex Mack

Blue Sargent

Kite flying is a Caribbean pastime all year long, but especially around Easter week, where the spring breezes help to keep a variety of kites in the air. Your challenge is for your team to get your kite in the air and up at least 30 feet (the string is marked with a flag when it gets that high) into the air without crashing into the ocean, making your kite soggy and unusable.

The teams come in:

1. Alex Mack & Kaylin Neya
2. Kira Yukimura & Laura Kinney
3. Eggsy Unwin & Rey
4. April & Isabela
5. Cosette Fauchelevent & Blue Sargent

Edited 2016-03-24 14:51 (UTC)

"Kites? Really?" Isabela was not a fan.

In Beat, you travel down the beach until you find a local man making an effigy of Judas Iscariot called a Bobolee, which are constructed out of old rags and then left out to be beaten by local residents as symbolic punishment for Judas' betrayal of Christ. Help me make a Bobolee, and then turn it loose for the crowd to rip apart! Cries of "Beat de Bobolee!" will rise from the crowd as the figure is merrily torn apart.

Isn't culture fun?

In Burn, you travel the other way down the beach, where you will have to build a fire from driftwood, and heat up a simple open-air grill hot enough to grill three small king fish without having them stick to the grill and becoming awful. When the fisherman thinks you've done a good enough job, you can move to the next task.

You know what was fun? Avoiding mobs, especially when there was the chance of getting a free meal out of it.

It's been a few weeks since you've been humiliated with wildlife, right? In this completely traditional annual Easter Goat Race in the village of Buccoo in Tobago, you have to race barefoot behind your chosen goat, switching it with a twig if it won't move.

Spoiler alert: it doesn't really want to move.

Don't ask where Isabela learnt to herd goats, because she wasn't going to give you a truthful answer.

Don't forget your shoes.

Edited 2016-03-24 15:07 (UTC)

Isabela dawdled on her way to the finish line, feeling absolutely no pangs of homesickness.

"You're fifth today," Anakin told her.

Maybe try to explain that children aren't sitting on the lap of a giant weasel, what is wrong with you, Anakin.

"Are you absolutely certain about the weasel?" Obi-Wan said, to Anakin.

Outside of that conversation, he was around and watchful.

"Like 80 percent sure," Anakin said, nodding. "Rabbits are supposed to be cute, right? These things aren't cute."

"I... thought you said weasels," Obi-Wan said, after a pause. "What do rabbits have to do with it?"

Neither of these animals laid eggs, as far as he was aware.

"I have no real idea," Anakin admitted. "Rory's not religious."

"I suppose there's a manner of symbolism in celebrating eggs on the day of a man's rebirth," Obi-Wan said, "but I'm still mystified by the fuzzy creatures."

"Me too," Anakin said. "It might be a sex thing? Springtime, lots of new fuzzy animals?"

"I didn't realize this Jesus Christ was somehow connected to..." Short pause. "That."

"Yeah, I don't know," Anakin admitted. "All the stories I've heard only having him hanging out with other men and his mother, which doesn't seem like it's going to lead to children."

There was a long pause.

"If we continue on this path, we will likely upset the locals," Obi-Wan said at last.

"Probably," Anakin agreed. "Would you like to come over this weekend and watch the kids dye eggs weird colors? It's traditional."

Obi-Wan squinted at him for a moment.

"Fine," he said, as if he was doing Anakin a favor. "It will be educational, I'm sure."

"Juliet will make you dye at least one pink," Anakin warned.

"Will there be drinks afterwards?" Obi-Wan asked, for no reason at all, really.

"Possibly during," Anakin said dryly. "It's pretty dull stuff."

"I believe I can live with that," Obi-Wan said.

As long as none of the children poisoned their drinks.

They were raised better than that!

"I look forward to seeing you," Anakin said with a small smile.

And the results are:

1. Laura Kinney
2. April
3. Kaylin Neya
4. Rey
5. Isabela
6. Cosette Fauchelevent
7. Kira Yukimura
8. Blue Sargent
9. Eggsy Unwin
10. Alex Mack

Around the World in 16 Challenges, Thursday, March 24, 2016

Sign in 3/24

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Team Challenge: Kite Flying

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Road Block: Beat or Burn!

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Detour: Goat Racing!

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Check in!

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Talk to Anakin or Obi-Wan

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OOC