Summer Shenanigans, Wednesday, August 21, 2024

[sith_happened]

"Today is our last team building exercise of the summer," Anakin announced to the group in the park over the sound of preschool children playing on the playground equipment. "And today I have brought in helpers!"

Oh, good.

"You will be put into teams and work your way through a series of obstacles with the help of a four year old child."

Well. "Help." Anakin knew four year old children.

"Today you will be wearing festive hats instead of shirts!" he added. "They were not at all inspired by my wife watching political conventions the last few weeks."

Lies. There was no other reason to wear a corn hat.

"Listen for your names!"

TEAM LIBERTY
Harley
Hannibal
Kamala
Raiden
Steve M
Eleanor

TEAM CHEESE
Vi
Sam
Stewart
Arthur
Stark
Lana

TEAM LOBSTA
Senshi
Flint
Navaan
Summer
Don
Belle

TEAM CORN
Miguel
Beaker
Lydia
Jon
Gray
Ben

Comments

Challenge 1

[sith_happened]

Working in pairs (Harley & Hannibal, Vi & Sam, Senshi & Flint, Miguel & Beaker), get the children off of the playground equipment!

RNG says it goes: CHEESE, CORN, LOBSTA, LIBERTY

Re: Challenge 1

[sharp_man]

They were two psychiatrists! They knew how to get people to do things! How could this possibly go wrong?

Re: Challenge 1

[totalwildcard]

Harley was good with kids, at least!

"Okay, you little brat, get down from there!"

Well, correction: Harley could be good with kids. She also happened to have kind of a competitive streak that might override that an eensy bit.

Re: Challenge 1

[sharp_man]

Hannibal was absolutely good with children! Largely because they were easy to bribe.

"I have chocolate. I could share it if you like."

Re: Challenge 1

[what_the_shock]

"I think it's totally unfair we can't use explosives for this," Miguel noted.

What? He knew his teammate's strengths!

Re: Challenge 1

[meepmeepmeep]

"Meep meep meep meep meep meep meep mee!" Beaker exclaimed, first pointing at the small children, then at the Dean, who would definitely murder Beaker if something happened to the small children.

Re: Challenge 1

[what_the_shock]

"Well, yeah, I know why we can't, it just doesn't seem fair." Miguel shrugged.

"Maybe an explosion far enough away...hey, kids like exciting things, right?" Miguel grinned. "Let's do our collective most interesting science and make them want to come watch!"

He probably absolutely should not be encouraging this, but look, when your partner was Beaker, you leaned into it!

Re: Challenge 1

[but_mostly_america]

Sam had a very authoritative voice. He could bark orders with the best of them. Not that that necessarily worked on small children but he also had the advantage of being a Muppet wearing a cheese hat and that was unusual enough to at least get the attention of small children.

Re: Challenge 1

[giveittoyoursister]

Vi had been an older sibling most of her life (and was doing her best to beleive she still was), she cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled "Who wants to tackle the felt bird man?"

Sorry, not sorry, Sam.

Re: Challenge 1

[fears_no_one]

"You," Flint said, pointing at his team's small child. "Move."

Said child immediately burst into loud, hiccupy tears.

Re: Challenge 1

[sailor_meshi]

Senshi just gave Flint a long look of deep disappointment. "That's not how you speak to a kid," he said, going over to the child and hunkering down - well, not very far because he wasn't much taller than the kid already.

"Hey," he said softly, much in the same way he spoke to spooked animals. "Looks like you're havin' some big feelin's right now."

Were they gonna get this child off the playground equipment quickly? Absolutely not. But were they maybe gonna have a child a little bit better adjusted to their emotions?

...Jury was also out. Kids, yo.

Re: Challenge 1

[fears_no_one]

Flint didn't come from a time where children were, well, noticed. "Who the hell cares about her feelings?"

Re: Challenge 1

[sailor_meshi]

And look how well Flint had turned out.

That was sarcasm.

"Decent adults," Senshi said flatly. "People with empathy. Just to name a few."

Re: Challenge 1

[fears_no_one]

He hadn't killed anyone in weeks!

He stared blankly at Senshi, then at the kid, then back at Senshi. "Uh huh."

Re: Challenge 1

[sailor_meshi]

Well, that sure was...some kind of record?

"Maybe if you sat in and talked with us, you'd feel better, too," Senshi offered.

Someone needed a hug. Desperately. Like, Senshi wasn't gonna be the one to offer it, but just saying.

Re: Challenge 1

[fears_no_one]

"No," Flint said flatly.

Re: Challenge 1

[sailor_meshi]

Someone's inner child needed healing, just saying.

"Then you wanna stop making faces and scarin' Kayleigh," he suggested. "She'll get off the playground faster that way."

Impossible to say why they came in third.

Re: Challenge 1

[fears_no_one]

Gotta wonder just what Harley and Hannibal did worse, huh.

"This is just how my face is," Flint protested.

Re: Challenge 1

[sailor_meshi]

"Oh." Well that was awkward. "Couldja try smiling?"

Re: Challenge 1

[fears_no_one]

Flint gave possibly the least reassuring smile in history.