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.

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Get bad feelings about this if you were inclined in that direction!

The shirts were cute, for bugs?

...or whatever this is.

Tied to each other by the ankle because that had been so successful last week, Cal & Stewart and Arden & Gray must race barefoot across the grassy field towards the trees. The field has been liberally sprinkled with cicada carcasses. So crunchy and textural!

Ready, steady, go!

[OOC: Arden's team makes it first!]

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!]

Many thanks to Raiden at the Pizza Palace for providing us with delicious artichoke, sundried tomato and cicada pizzas! Each team (Belle & Eleanor and Rey & Steve M) must consume the entire pizza! Anakin doesn't care how that ends up divided out between you.

[OOC: Rey and Steve take this one!]

Edited 2024-06-05 13:56 (UTC)

Beaker & Steve R, Vi & Thor, it's riding on you now! There are six red Solo cups with shots of cicada-infused Malört (or cicada-infused Sprite, if your character doesn't drink) in each one (and a cicada husk for garnish!) on a cheap card table. Drink the shot, then place the empty cup on the edge of the table and flip it by the bottom of the cup to make it flip over. Only once it's landed upside down on the table can your partner take their shot. Repeat until you've each had three shots ~~or Beaker has spontaneously combusted~~!

[OOC: Thor and Vi win! But really, are there winners here?]

Mine is an evil laugh.

Stark always had a bad feeling on Wednesdays in the summer.

That he'd escaped another week of Anakin's nonsense had him all the more nervous. What did this mean?

Ben liked the madness and the exercise of shenanigans; Ender didn't. He usually stayed home on Wednesdays.

But the kids had wanted to go watch their dad do… whatever it was Anakin had invented this time. And Ender had actually felt like the walk.

So now here he was, on the sidelines, looking… bemused, holding onto Kol with one arm and Bantha with the other.

"Can I also get this in a men's size small?" Thor asked as he unstrapped his breastplate to put on his shirt. "For a friend." Otherwise he was afraid Don would steal his, and then he would just be drowning in it.

I'm a medium!

Those shirts were too big, but Thor was wise enough not to respond.

And how did Graham feel about the fact that, when he and Triumph came riding into the park that Wednesday to discover that he'd chosen a bug week to return for a visit?

If you guessed ecstatic, then you were right!

"Zounds! This is great! Oh, I've misse-- Triumph! No! Don't even think about eating those, here, have some jelly beans. That's a good boy, jelly beans are much better than--"

Triumph, happily eating jellybeans out of Graham's hand now, looked up with a few squeaking inquiries, and Graham squinted a little, tilting his head, putting his other hand thoughtfully to his chin.

"You know what? I bet there are cicada-flavored jelly beans out there somewhere! And I know just who to ask!"

Triumph chuffed and grunted a guess.

"Exactly!" Graham confirmed proudly. "But we'll do that later! Let's see if we can get in on this!"

He didn't travel all the way from Daventry just to say hi, after all!

Kitty was not happy. Not happy at all. Could anyone stop her from using powers if necessary? Nope!

At least the shirts weren't bad.

"Well, this will certainly be a thing," Ben said, grinning as his name was called.

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

"Sure," Anakin said. "Pick one up after the races."

"Kick their asses, dad," Val informed him. "Kick them right in the paraproct."

"You heard her," Ender deadpanned. "Defend the family honor."

"This one's normal," Steve complained. "I don't come here for normal."

Cal wasn't easily squeamish, and he had been taught that all creatures had a place and a purpose in the universe... but this wasn't his universe, so he was going to assume something wrong had gone into the creation of cicadas. Don't mind him wiping his hands on his shirt like the smell of bugs was going to go away any time soon.

Ben burst out laughing. "Not sure how honorable this thing is going to be."

Gray looked at his shirt and wondered aloud, "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" like he was in some kind of Space Battles movie or something.

Thor nodded solemnly at him. "My thanks."

"Okay," Gray said as he unlaced his Chucks, "I figure the faster we do this, the faster it'll be over, right? Like eating a frog!"

A) WTF is that simile, Gray? and also B) It was probably a good thing he had been asleep too much lately to know anything about Arden's role in their current situation.

"Well," Ender said, "I'll accept 'not falling out of the tree and dying dressed as a cicada'. That's honorable enough."

This was a very solemn, silly moment to steal a kiss, wasn't it? Ah well.

Edited 2024-06-05 14:25 (UTC)

Look, Vi tearing off the sleeves of her shirts was a ritual by now. A ritual.

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Summer Shenanigans, Wednesday, June 5, 2024

Arrive and Mingle!

Voluntolds, Come on Down!

Get Ready to Race!

Barefoot Cicada Run

Climb a Tree While Screaming

Delicious Food Eating!

Game of Skill: Flip Cup!

OOC

Re: Arrive and Mingle!

Re: Arrive and Mingle!

Re: Voluntolds, Come on Down!

Re: Arrive and Mingle!

Re: Voluntolds, Come on Down!

Re: Arrive and Mingle!

Re: Climb a Tree While Screaming

Re: Voluntolds, Come on Down!

Re: Arrive and Mingle!

Re: Voluntolds, Come on Down!

Re: Voluntolds, Come on Down!

Re: Arrive and Mingle!

Re: Voluntolds, Come on Down!

Re: Voluntolds, Come on Down!

Re: Barefoot Cicada Run

Re: Arrive and Mingle!

Re: Voluntolds, Come on Down!