fandomhigh | Summer Shenanigans, Wednesday, June 5, 2024

It was not just you, it was a little buggy in the park this morning. Welcome, everyone, to Anakin Skywalker's Salute to Cicadas themed game today!

You were probably not nearly as thrilled about it as Cal and Arden, who'd helped set up said theme. Ohhhh, it was gonna be great!*

"Welcome!" Anakin called out as people arrived. "Today we will have only two teams led by Cal and Arden." Their shirts might be a clue about what ~~horrors~~ fun awaited you! "There is a fascinating scientific event happening on this continent right now, and while it is not impacting us fully, I believe we should embrace learning about the fascinating cicada, which has any number of useful traits."

He smiled. "For instance, did you know that it's extremely nutritious?"

Anakin, why are you like this.

"We will begin with a relay race and end with a game of skill!" Was Flip Cup really a game of skill? Guess we'll find out! "Listen for your names! You may not use your powers."

Team Brood Awakening
Cal
Stewart
Kitty
Graham
Belle
Eleanor
Steph
Steve R

Team Cicada Reunion
Arden
Gray
Kamala
Ben
Rey
Steve M
Vi
Thor

*not really.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

While the first set of partners have been racing, the second set have had time to change into their cicada costumes. Kitty & Graham, Kamala & Ben, you must climb the twenty foot trees in front of you, screaming as loud as you can when you begin, when you reach the top, and when you come back down. You know, like cicadas do.

[OOC: Kitty and Graham do this faster!]

"Who even thought to make cicada costumes?" Kitty demanded, pulling hers on.

"My grandfather needs new hobbies," Ben agreed, hopping into his.

"Someone brilliant, that's who!" said Graham, excitedly, as he, too, put his on. "This is great! Do you think we get to keep these? I bet something like this could come in handy some day!"

You might be asking yourself how, but you really never did know!

Kitty stared at him.

But not too long because they had work to do. "With that attitude I hope you win this."

"Oh, with this attitude?" said Graham, his grin not faltering a moment, even under that stare, and, in fact, he gave his newly cicada-costumed arm an encouraging pump. "I'm gonna be the best screaming cicada you've ever seen!"

In fact, he was absolutely wasting no time at all, he took a running leap for the tree, glomped onto it, and started climbing his way up, screaming his little feather-capped head off the entire time and with gusto.

Behold the finest Daventry had to offer, ladies and gentlemen!

Kitty started climbing, a little out of practice since she wasn't a kid anymore, but she was at least moving quickly anyway. Set was definitely forgetting to scream, though.

"I'm very worried about the Dean's state of mental well being," Kamala said pulling on her costume. "Has anyone checked in on him lately? Is he hydrating?"

"He's just like this," Ben said. "Has been for years. The foray into full-sized costumes is a little worrying."

"I'm not saying the costumes are a bad thing," Kamala countered as she pulled the cicada mask over her head. "The cosplay community can be great. Running across insects with bare feet... That's concerning."

"I think that part was punishment," Ben said, starting up his tree. "He made Cal and Arden do it."

"Still, I think he should talk to someone," Kamala muffled voice said behind the mask. "He might find it helpful. Should we start?"

And then with a bloodcurdling scream, Kamala launched herself at the tree.

"Oh, right," Ben said, letting out a scream of his own.

Anakin was so weird.

"EEP! EEP!" Bantha screeched along enthusiastically from the sidelines.

"Thanks, kiddo!" Ben said, waving at his family as he scrambled up the tree.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Kamala screamed as she climbed, and stopped to take a breath. "Oh is that your family?"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Ben laughed. "The loud one is Bantha."

"This may be a sign that an intervention is needed. For us, if nothing else."

Beat.

"I am so sorry by the way."

"Why? This is not your fault," Kamala's muffled voice said coming from the costume. "And I didn't have to walk barefoot on cicadas."

Arden shuddered. "And I'm pretty sure we're going to have to pick them back up," she groaned. "Maybe he'll accept that leaving them here is good for the soil or whatever."

"Well if he's not around to supervise," Kamala staged whispered because it's hard to be heard in a cicada mask. "I could probably give you some help."

She embiggened her hand and gave Arden a little wave for emphasis.

"Please." Arden begged, even if she was pretty sure the Dean would hang around because he was a sadist. "And, blergh. I might skip out on the blooming onion just so my hands don't touch anything about to go into my mouth."

"I got you," Kamala said giving Arden two embiggened thumbs up. "Just be glad you don't have to eat the leftover pizza."

Arden shuddered. "I would just leave the school," she decided. "Forget getting expelled, I would voluntarily withdraw from all my classes and get every single job so I could pay rent for Midnight and Marc couldn't say anything."

“I don’t think it will ever come to that,” Kamala said reassuringly. “Hey does this sound like a cicada to you?”

Kamala then started making cicada noises in her costume and tried to wiggle the antenna on her mask.

Re: Climb a Tree While Screaming

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