fandomhigh | Summer Shenanigans, May 27, 2026

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summer games

Summer Shenanigans, May 27, 2026

Today Anakin had a helper!

An unwilling helper.

A helper who didn't know she was helping until right now.

"We're playing musical chairs today," Anakin said, gesturing for Rey to put chairs into a circle.

It might be obvious how much Rey didn't know she was helping by the wary look on her face even as she arranged the chairs.

"A little warning might be nice," she muttered, like she didn't know better.

"Where's the fun in that?" Anakin replied with a smile. "But musical chairs by itself is dull, and we've done team-building versions too often. So this time you will be seated in one place and pass a balloon around and around."

"How is it terrible?" Rey asked. "It's always terrible."

She defended you, Anakin. Always remember she defended you.

"When the music stops, the person holding the balloon has to pop it," Anakin said. "The balloon isn't empty."

"I hate the ones where I have to do laundry," Rey sighed, with the face of someone who would not be doing any defending today. "What are they filled with?"

"Surprises!" Anakin said with a bright smile.

Rey sighed. Sorry, everyone! Sorry!

"Listen for your names and come grab your shirts," Anakin said.

Those names:
Ilya Rozanov
Rey Skywalker
Hannibal Lecter
Isabela
Remy LeBeau
Jonathan Sims
Duke Crocker
Vi
James Flint
Lydia Bennet
Henry of Skalitz
Sairis Karkaroth
Erasmus Boone
Beckett Mariner

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Chat! Hope you aren't called!

The shirts are pink, and they are all a size too small. Wear it in good health!

Rey sighed. The last time she'd worn pink she'd been a fluffy nightmare and she was not especially thrilled by this.

Or by the sizes. What the hell.

A size too small meant that all Steph's jokes about Vi tearing her sleeves off just by flexing actually came true.

She had to know she was going to get whistled at for that, right? Right?

Vi was shocked, shocked that Steph would do such a thing. Shocked and not preening and flexing at all.

"This is so much fanservice," Steph yelled, smirking. "So much."

Was this a complaint? No.

"So you're saying I should put on a larger shirt?" Vi teased, still flexing for Steph.

Steph snorted, which she was pretty sure was audible even at a bit of a distance. But it was appreciative snorting. "Neverrrrrrrrr."

Vi grinned. Very, very smugly. "I guess I'll need some help cleaning up later."

Actually, she wouldn't but she didn't know that yet.

"You know I'm always at your service." Steph sketched a ridiculous (largely because she was still seated) bow.

Please, like she wouldn't find an excuse to help with cleanup later anyway.

"I'm gonna hold you to that," Vi called out cheerfully.

Well, yeah, but it was nice to have a ready made one.

"Yeah, you better," Steph replied even more obnoxiously cheerfully. "It's part of the fun."

Yes, but where was the joy of creativity with a ready made one?

"I'm beginning to think you like me getting dirty." Only beginning to, Vi?

Steph grinned and blew a kiss at her, only a little bit mockingly. "Aww. You're cute when you're just barely catching up."

"Yeah, but I'm always cute, so it doesn't count," Vi retorted, still grinning.

"Obviously," Steph shot back good-naturedly. "Just pointing out you can be cute and behind the curve at the same time because you're talented like that."

Sorry not sorry that you had to report on this again, Cara.

"But they're such nice curves to be behind," Vi said, sadly unable to obviously check out Steph's ass like she wanted to.

This was just the kind of thing that happened when your girlfriend lived in the same place (but not with you, obviously) as you, Cara.

"I'll keep that in mind for later," Steph said, ever so innocently. (Never mind the waggling eyebrows.)

Wow, narrative, way to go after Cara like that.

"You know I will." (Vi never did mind those.)

Cara knew what she did. Or rather who she wasn't doing.

Edited 2026-05-28 08:06 (UTC)

Mariner was completely unperturbed at the shirts. She was a problem solver!

Which was how she came to be wearing her shirt like a violently pink headband.

A minute with a handy knife to alter the neckline and Isabela's shirt wasn't a problem.

For her.

Instead it was everyone else's problem.

Anakin, why? Why would you encourage her like this?

"I wonder if he finally wore down his tailor," Henry mused, holding up his shirt.

Remy was not even a little bit put out by the tight, pink t-shirt. (Anyone who had ever seen him in his uniform should be unsurprised by this.) It would probably end up a crop top he wore hanging around the house.

He was a man of very little shame, okay? When it came to his clothing, anyway. Besides, pink was his color!

This was what Duke got for leaving the port. And for forgetting what tended to happen in this town on Wednesdays in the summer.

"Is shirtlessness an option instead?" he asked, somewhat caught as he tried to pull the t-shirt over his shoulders. "I vote for shirtlessness."

Why did Jon keep doing this? Oh, right, he was trying not to be a hermit.

He made a face at the shirt, but honestly, he was mildly impressed they'd managed to find one too small for his scrawny chest.

Sairis was deeply suspicious this week.

It didn't save him.

But at least he'd get a (very odd) shirt out of it.

Fourteen chairs!

Like the list above says, Ilya is next to Rey is next to Hannibal is next to Isabela is next to Remy is next to Jonathan is next to Duke is next to Vi is next to Flint is next to Lydia is next to Henry is next to Sairis is next to Erasmus is next to Beckett is next to Ilya.

Anakin hands two balloons to Beckett and Ilya. Beckett passes right--to Erasmus--and Ilya passes left to Rey. The balloons go around and around and people will end up with both balloons in their hands at some point.

When the music stops, Duke and Hannibal are holding the balloons. They're full of vegetarian gravy, so enjoy that!

Edited 2026-05-27 02:24 (UTC)

"Oh no," Duke said, finding himself holding a balloon. "I'm out."

Then he popped it. And that "oh no" was no longer sarcastic. (At least it was vegetarian. He wouldn't have to worry about going home to Octavia smelling of meat.)

Flink sniggered. "I am beginning to see this game's appeal."

As long as it wasn't him.

Yet, Flint. It wasn’t you yet.

Duke tried to lick gravy from his fingers. If it happened to hit Flint when he did. . . .

Hannibal could already smell the stuff before he popped the balloon. "What are you going to do if we don't pop it?"

He held it gingerly in one hand.

Twelve chairs!

Ilya is next to Rey is next to Isabela is next to Remy is next to Jonathan is next to Vi is next to Flint is next to Lydia is next to Henry is next to Sairis is next to Erasmus is next to Beckett is next to Ilya. There are two balloons again, handed to Beckett and Ilya, going in opposite directions like fun little grenades.

When the music stops, Isabela and Sairis are left holding them. Enjoy your lapfuls of green slime! It looks amazing with your shirts.

Edited 2026-05-27 02:28 (UTC)

That was because everything looked amazing on Isabela. Duh.

"Ugh!" Sairis grimaced. "What is this?"

Ten chairs!

Ilya is next to Rey is next to Remy is next to Jonathan is next to Vi is next to Flint is next to Lydia is next to Henry is next to Erasmus is next to Beckett is next to Ilya. There are two balloons again, handed to Beckett and Ilya, going in opposite directions again to jaunty, increasingly jaw-clenching, music.

Two balloons were too many and when the music stopped it catches Lydia and Flint, seated next to each other. When the balloons are popped, they are sticky, sweet, and covered in fake pancake syrup.

Edited 2026-05-27 02:27 (UTC)

"Sun of a --" Lydia's right there, Flint, "--person."

Eight chairs!

Ilya is next to Rey is next to Remy is next to Jonathan is next to Vi is next to Henry is next to Erasmus is next to Beckett is next to Ilya. There are two balloons, handed to Beckett and Ilya, going in opposite directions one last time.

The fates catch up to Remy and Jonathan and their laps full of shampoo.

"Huh." Remy shook a bit of shampoo from his fingers and then sniffed at it. "That could have been much worse, non?"

"Definitely," Jon said. Honestly, at least it was clean.

Six chairs! One balloon, handed to Ilya and from Ilya to Rey to Vi to Henry to Erasmus to Beckett. Round and round it goes, where it stops...whoops.

Sorry, Ilya. Especially about the molasses.

Edited 2026-05-27 02:34 (UTC)

Five chairs! The balloon goes first to Rey, then to Vi to Henry to Erasmus to Beckett.

When it ends up back with Rey eventually, the music stops. Cold, sludgy, coffee is no way to recruit a Shenanigan apprentice, Anakin.

Rey knew better than to expect that "helping" would end with her clean. And yet.

And the sludge made it smell worse.

Four chairs! No one wanted to hold the balloon!

It finally goes back to Beckett, who reverses the direction back to Erasmus to Henry to Vi, but that didn't help the bad luck. Beckett is knocked out and gets a lap full of melted strawberry ice cream.

Everyone else wins the thrill of not getting a lap full of nasty! Team building, yay!

Oh noes! "Why have you betrayed me, music?"

Henry was tense. Henry was very tense and had been throughout (though at least there wasn't any swimming).

And then--

"Wait, is it over?" he said. "Did I win?"

Or yell about a lap full of cheap fake syrup. We figure you have thoughts, Lydia.

Last Wednesday at work!

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Summer Shenanigans, May 27, 2026

Arrive and Mingle

Voluntolds, Come on Down!

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Musical Chairs

Round 1

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Round 2

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Round 3

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Round 4

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Round 5

Round 6

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Final Round!

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Talk to Anakin!

OOC