fandomhigh | Summer Shenanigans, May 25, 2022

The park today looked like an insane person with a ridiculous love of bunting had been allowed to go absolutely nuts setting up mazes.

(In related news, Beaker had been consulted for ideas.)

There were four main areas ~~of concern~~: a maze with four wheelie recycling bins set before it; a series of folding tables with a variety of fruit and implements on top of them; two large fences with roughly 300 rubber ducks perched on top of them (and a velvet rope 100 feet away from it); and a final maze of bunting with a chair in the center of it.

In the center of all of this mess was a large shed with a closed door.

Anakin looked extremely pleased with himself as he leaned against the Table o' Terrible T-Shirts.

"Welcome back!" he yelled into his bullhorn. "I am pleased to see such enthusiasm for our weekly community building activities."

Sure, let's go with that interpretation. "Today we have several new obstacles for you to master! The specifics of each shall be made clear-" well. Clear-ish. "--as we move to them. The team with the most number of points wins! Listen for your names:"

TEAM NIGHTMARE CLOWNS
Steve R
Steph
Graham
Jo
Scott
Lana
Danny

TEAM 'MERICA
Clare
Tony
Sakaki
Connor
Goose
Vi
Liz

TEAM CHICKEN ON THE BEACH
Libby
Margo
Duke
Cara
Billy
Miguel
Irene

TEAM UNICORN BATTLE CAT
Travis
Sidon
Beaker
Rey
Summer
Stark
Steve M

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"Wonderful!" Steve, the possessor of both shoulders and biceps that could be considered distracting, said, clapping his hands together. "What languages do you speak, son?"

"Well," said Graham, taking a moment to think about it, holding up a hand to tick them off on his fingers. "I'm very good at capy, obviously, thanks to Triumph, and my squirrel is excellent. But I'm also fairly fluent in chimera, seagull, chipmunk, which, really, is so similar to squirrel that if you know one, you practically know the other, I've been brushing up on my bear and my dolphin, and I've gotten pretty good at rabbit, too!"

"And all I had was whatever I remembered from high school Spanish, which isn't much," Steph said, both eyebrows making a steady creep upward to the edge of her beanie. "Except I kind of want to see how this goes in dolphin."

Steph, no.

Then again, how much better were any of the other options likely to go? Might as well have fin -- er, fun -- with it.

Why they would come in last was becoming very, very clear. "Sure," Steve said with a shrug. "Let's figure out dolphin!"

"Excellent!" said Graham, shoulders straightening, and eyes lighting up, because he figured it would be a very, very long time before he got to properly put his dolphin to good use.

And then he nodded, honing in on his focus. "Alright," he told them, very seriously now. "When we need to go left, then that's going to be--"

And here came a short but incomprehensible series of squeaks.

"And right will be--"

Again, he offered out the translation in what he felt was a very well executed squeal.

"And forward will be--"

It was hard, to get the accent right with the clicking sounds, but he was gonna try, gosh darn it!

"And if I go--" Whatever followed seemed to be a mish-mash of all of it,"--then that means hold up! You've gone too far!"

"Right. Got it," Steph said, even though she honestly kind of didn't get it at all. "Should we do this thing?"

By 'this thing' what she really meant was 'fail spectacularly,' but she didn't know that yet.

He kind of heard the difference? Somewhere Namor was being hugely offended.

"Let's do it," Steve agreed, snapping his blindfold over his eyes. "Lead on, Graham!"

Well, then, Namor clearly must have known a different dialect!

"Awwwwwaaaaay weeeee goooooo!" Graham called out, enthusiastically, and, honestly, if any of these teams were winning on sheer spirit and energy alone, they may have stood a fighting chance. He gave a small "Hup!" as he launched himself over the edge of the bin and into it with a flutter of his cloak, adjusted his cap and got himself positioned with his hands on the edge, blinking his eyes wide and ready to direct them. "On the count of [click squeak squeal]! One....two....!"

He let out a little gurgle that clearly definitely signified going. Really!

It was too bad that Steph was a little spaced out today, because she took a second or two before processing that, you know, that had been the count that they were supposed to go on. In her defense she'd been expecting a [click click squeal] there, but still. Focus, Stephanie.

"Oh wait, was that --"

She started pushing, a little belatedly.

"Hope we don't get disqualified for a false start if I misinterpreted that..."

Summer Shenanigans, May 25, 2022

Re: Part 1: WHEELIE BINS

Re: Part 1: WHEELIE BINS

Re: Part 1: WHEELIE BINS

Re: Part 1: WHEELIE BINS

Re: Part 1: WHEELIE BINS

Re: Part 1: WHEELIE BINS

Re: Part 1: WHEELIE BINS

Re: Part 1: WHEELIE BINS

Re: Part 1: WHEELIE BINS