How are these two things similar? (Redux: want to play a game of similarity?)

If this were the back of a cheesy board game box, I’d say: Get ready for the mind-bending, brain-twisting fun inside!

This is a game from 6 years back. I can’t remember how I ran into it again. One link led to another and then there it was. I thought it was hilarious then, and reading it now I think it’s hilarious again. It requires quick wit and keen humor, or at least a willingness to grasp at the straws dropped in your lap. I go for the straws.

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The rules:

1. Describe a similarity between the two things mentioned by the previous jelly. It can be any similarity. It can be several similarities. Be imaginative. Be daring. Be absurd. Be very serious.

2. Name a new pairing for the next jelly. Try not to simply pick things that are opposites. Pick things that seem unrelated to each other. They can even just be random choices. Make the jelly below you sweat a little. :)

I hope those rules are a little clearer than the ones from last time.

Here’s the example. Skip the description in the OP—or at least don’t pay it any attention. I explained the concept confusingly, but the other jellies helped give the game a rhythm and a shape. You can see it develop after the first few comments.

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I’ll give three options to start. The first jelly only need pick one. (Overachievement is always encouraged in this game, so you’re welcome to do more. You just don’t have to.)

Starting Round

a. Blackpool and a stapler. (Credit to the black cat in the top hat. The game ended shortly after that post, so the similarity between these things was never solved).
b. A violin and clothespins.
c. Arachnids and imaginary numbers.

(Remember to name a new pairing for the jelly after you!)