# Cicada Block Cicada Block, known as Semi-Don (蝉ドン) in Japan, is a comedic pose where one person traps another in a corner by planting both hands and feet against the walls, resembling a cicada clinging to tree bark. Japanese Twitter user Naruse Hatoh coined the name in October 2012, and within a week fans on pixiv and Tumblr were drawing Pokemon and Homestuck characters frozen in the four-limbed trap. ## Origin On October 13, 2012, Japanese Twitter user Naruse Hatoh (@Maki0046) posted a four-panel comic that labeled progressively more elaborate variations on the kabe-don pose, ending with the full hands-and-feet 'Semi-Don' at panel four[6]. The joke drew more than 24,000 retweets and 8,500 favorites in its first week, boosted by Naruse's catchy insect naming[3]. The same four-limbed stance had appeared in a 2008 Omocoro web comic, but it had no name there and never caught on[3]. - **Platform:** Twitter (Japan) / Tumblr and pixiv (viral spread) - **Creator:** Naruse Hatoh (@Maki0046) - **Date:** 2012 ## Overview The pose plays off kabe-don (壁ドン, 'wall bam'), the shoujo manga cliché where a bold love interest slaps a wall and leans in close over a flustered partner. Semi-Don takes that romantic beat and makes it ridiculous by adding both legs, forcing the aggressor to spread-eagle like an insect pinned to bark[3]. That setup reads as both intimidating and absurd, which fit the Japanese moe comedy the pose parodied[3]. Fanart almost always casts a tall, assertive character pinning a smaller or more timid one. Pokemon pairs such as Lance over Lyra became common pixiv subjects[2], while Homestuck fans staged the pose with the trolls Karkat and Nepeta[3]. Live-action attempts also circulated, including a photo of two men demonstrating the full four-limbed stance that was lifted from a Japanese tweet[1]. ## How to Use Making a Cicada Block image typically means drawing or staging two characters in a corner, with the aggressor's arms and legs stretched against both walls above and beside the trapped character. Common convention is to pair a tall, dominant character over a smaller, flustered one, often borrowed from an anime or video game pairing with existing romantic subtext[2]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Cicada Block? Cicada Block is a comedic pose where one person traps another in a corner by pressing both hands and feet against the walls, resembling a cicada perched on a tree[3]. It is the English name for the Japanese joke pose Semi-Don (蝉ドン)[1]. ### Where did Cicada Block come from? Japanese Twitter user Naruse Hatoh posted a four-panel comic on October 13, 2012, naming the pose Semi-Don[6]. Tumblr user Rabulen130 attached the tag '#cicada block' to a Pokemon fanart on October 16, 2012, giving it the English name[3]. ### What does Cicada Block mean? Semi-Don means 'cicada bam' in Japanese, a play on kabe-don or 'wall bam,' the shoujo manga wall slam[3]. The 'cicada' part refers to the all-four-limbs stance that mimics an insect clinging to bark[1]. ### How do you use Cicada Block? Typical use is fanart, in which an assertive character pins a smaller one in a corner using both arms and legs. Pokemon and Homestuck pairings dominate pixiv's 蝉ドン tag and Tumblr's '#cicada block' tag[2]. ### Is Cicada Block still popular? Cicada Block peaked in October 2012 on pixiv and Tumblr, where dedicated tags filled with crossover illustrations[2]. The pose is still catalogued on Zero Chan and Know Your Meme as a documented fandom format[5]. ## References 1. [https://web.archive.org/web/20130126193456/https://fideo.tumblr.com/post/33741184154/if-anybodys-wondering-where-the-meme-came-from]() 2. [https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/30841602]() 3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/cicada-block]() 4. [https://www.deviantart.com/sanpincha/art/PGNC-Cicada-block-d-332818856]() 5. [https://www.zerochan.net/Cicada+Block]() 6. [https://twitter.com/Maki0046/status/257127345343844354/]() 7. [http://fideo.tumblr.com/post/33767684160/people-seem-to-be-loving-this-so-have-some-more]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/cicada-block Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library