Welcome to the 69th Muppet Family Reunion! (Plus Extended Family)

[themuppeteers]

[You received the invitation for the Muppet Family Reunion about a week ago. These reunions have become a routine thing for you and the extended Muppet Family. Whether it be by plane, car, cave tunnel, or magic, you made your way to Emily Bear's house and settled in for the night. Emily Bear was nowhere in sight to greet you, but, surely that's nothing to be worried about.

However, upon waking up, you'll find that a fierce blizzard has descended upon the house overnight--several feet of snow have piled up on the front porch, and, from the looks of it, the snow won't let up anytime soon. Not to mention the fact that Emily is still not here.

Something feels wrong, but you can't quite put your finger on it.

You may notice a small note pinned to the wall where you slept, which reads:]

COME TO LIVING ROOM AT NOON FOR IMPORTANT FAMILY MEETING :)
[Whatever this meeting is about, you have some time to explore the house and chat with the other people gathered here.]

(ooc: Welcome to the Muppet Murder Hour mock trial week! The host NPC will show up around 5 pm est. Until then, feel free to explore the house and interact with everyone else!)

Comments

[sockluck]

[In situations like these, Boober would normally be panicking. Scratch that - Boober did his best to avoid getting into situations like these in the first place. Of course, trouble was second-nature for fraggles, but waking up in a strange house and encountering strange stuff falling from the sky was an entirely different kind of trouble.

So after hyperventilating for a good while, he decided that the only way to get out of here and possibly find someone to explain this mess was to leave the bedroom.

What he needed was routine - routine was always good for calming nerves and keeping doom at bay - so he decided to go to the tunnel he'd entered from and see if Gobo had relayed him a letter from Uncle Traveling Matt. As dense of those letters were, they were part of his routine.

Arriving in the basement, however, Boober's heart almost stopped.]

The tunnel! What happened to the tunnel!?

[tobeginwith]

What, isn't it obvious?

[Dickens is hanging around in the basement still, maybe trying to get a read on the background scenery of the place or maybe just waiting to spring his narration on unsuspecting visitors. Either way-]

They're trapping us in here so we can't leave and ruin the whole story. Everyone knows you can't give your characters any option to back out once the inciting incident occurs.

[He's helping.]

[sockluck]

Inciting incident?

[Boober cocks his head to the side. This strange creature - looking more like one of the things from the tunnels than a fraggle or a Silly Creature - isn't making sense.]

Anyhow, I am not trying to leave.

[Honestly, the thought hadn't even occurred to him. Escaping usually wasn't an option when trouble arrived.]

I was just trying to find a letter. I need routine, I need familiarity, or something.

[tobeginwith]

Oh. Really? That's a new one, most people want out of family reunions as soon as they start.

[Upon second thought, he doesn't remember this guy playing a big part in any of the previous family reunions. He's pretty good unwilling protagonist material, which is good because it seems to Dickens that everyone here is going to be the protagonist of this narrative, but he doesn't seem to quite get the whole story structure thing.]

Anyways, the whole point of the inciting incident is to take you out of your routine. You're not going to find anything.

[sockluck]

Out of my routine? Then... then what should I do? You must have some sort of suggestion!

[Boober is panicking. This odd fellow seems smart enough, he probably knows what to do.]

I don't even know what's going on! I was invited to some reunion for people I don't really know, along with my friends, but they are all busy and Mokey said she would do the laundry for me, and now I am here, and I do not know where here is, and now you are speaking about exciting incidents and there is stuff falling from the sky and I know absolutely nobody or nothing, and, and...

[He collapses on to the floor, dejected. Hearing that this meeting was in outer space, he never should have come. Maybe he should just lie there forever.]

[tobeginwith]

Sure I have a suggestion. I can give you a new routine- I'm a narrator! It's what I do.

[The revelation only occurs to him after he spends a while nodding thoughtfully while entirely tuning out everything Boober is saying. But once he's thought of it, he's a big fan of his own suggestion. Clearly this guy hasn't been told how main characters handle danger reasonably before.]

Here, it'll be great. Just keep doing whatever you're doing right now and I'll tell you how you should respond. You're a protagonist now, you have to follow the right narrative beats if you want to make it out of here in one piece.

[sockluck]

[Boober has no idea what "narrative beats" means, but the idea of a new routine is a tempting comfort. He nods slowly, still on the ground.]

Keep doing whatever I'm doing now, huh... So I should just keep lying on the floor then?

[That sounds good to him. This protagonist thing doesn't seem too hard after all. He lets the comfort of the basement floor sink it, mulling over the stranger's words -]

Hey, hold on a second! What do you mean, "out of here in one piece"?!

[tobeginwith]

Yep. Just keep lying just like that while I think of a character arc for you.

[Tragic death seems likely, but everyone appreciates a good training montage instead... maybe Boober can just get ripped as hell and tear the Swedish Chef in half at one point. Dickens thinks this would work out nicely for everyone involved.]

Oh, you don't know? Stories like this always have to have high stakes. With the way we're all trapped here I give us a few days before someone kills someone else.

[couldvebeenasurgeon]

[Monty turns around. There's a knife in his hand. Don't worry about it.]

Huh?

[sockluck]

AAAAAAAAAAH!

[A breath. Boober tugs at his scarf. And then:]

AAAAAAAAAAH!

What is that? And where did you get it? And what are you doing with it?

[He drops to his knees, quivering.]

Please don't hurt me... there are so many socks at home I have yet to clean...

[couldvebeenasurgeon]

[He didn't really expect him to start screaming. He likes it when they scream. He's having fun here.]

It's a knife, for cutting open bellies!

[He stabs the air with it, though with Boober cowering on the floor the theatrics are all going to waste.]

Empty out your pockets, or else!

[sockluck]

[Boober stops cowering for a second, and looks up, perplexed.]

Well, there's a problem here! I do not have any pockets! All I have is my scarf and my hat.

[He stews in his triumph, momentarily distracted. He has no pockets, so perhaps there's no danger!]

[couldvebeenasurgeon]

[That is, indeed a problem.]

...

[Wait a second....]

THEN I'LL BE TAKIN' YER SCARF AND HAT!

[sockluck]

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!

[Boober jumps back, hands pressing the hat down on his head.]

I need these! Without them, death and pestilence will fall upon me! I'll be out of luck and just as good as dead!

[This stranger clearly doesn't understand how charms and curses work. This is very concerning to Boober - so far nobody has shown any care for superstition. But he looks back down on the knife, which is an even more immediate threat.]

Is there anything else I can give to you?

[couldvebeenasurgeon]

[He angles the knife towards him, but maintains the distance between him and Boober.]

What do you mean- death and pestilence?

[its_not_fair]

[Oh no! Sarah's explorations have brought her to the basement. She sees the poor little guy in distress and rushes over, crouching next to him.]

Whats wrong? What tunnel?

[sockluck]

[Boober starts at the voice, turning to see the large figure next to him. He looks her over, and realization sets in.]

You... you're a Silly Creature!

[Hold on. As nerve-wracking as her appearance is (but isn't this whole situation nerve-wracking?), he recalls the letters describing these creatures as relatively docile and simple. Taking a breath, he turns to the bricks in the wall.]

There was a tunnel here... that's what I came in from. I was going to go fetch a letter, but it's blocked off. What am I supposed to do now? And who are you?

[its_not_fair]

Silly? [She tilts her head at him] why do you say that?

[She writes off his rude comment as the difference between their worlds or something. Shaking her head slightly, she focuses on his questions.]

Your tunnel's gone? That's so strange. I've been to a labyrinth where things change like this, but Emily's house shouldn't do that. Maybe it's just been hidden behind some of these boxes?

[she smiles warmly at him] I'm Sarah. What's your name?

[sockluck]

I'm Boober Fraggle. [He reaches out his hand to shake, but then pulls it back when it occurs to him that she might be carrying infectious diseases.]

It didn't disappear or anything. There was a hole here - [He gestures at the bricked-up portion of the wall] - but now I can't get through. Ohhhh, this is a disaster! Who would do such a thing?!

[its_not_fair]

It's nice to meet you, Boober Fraggle.

[She doesn't take it personally when he rescinds his hand shake. She looks over at the wall]

Well... holes don't just disappear. Things aren't always what they seem. [She moves closer, reaching out a hand to touch the area of the wall he'd pointed to]

[sockluck]

[It's simply brick, mortared and stacked over the hole, and doesn't seem inclined to budge. He goes to touch it too, nervously, but to no avail.]

Oh, it's hopeless. I just wonder who would do this! It was fine last night. [He buries his head in his hands.] What should I do?!

[its_not_fair]

[She frowns. That's definitely not good. Looking around, she tries to spot any sort of hidden entrance or anything... but there's nothing there. With a sigh, she sits back on her heels, looking down at him]

I'm sorry, Boober. It looks like we're all trapped here for now. [She reaches out a hand to touch his shoulder] If we work together we might be able to figure out what's going on so we all can go home.

[asksforsolittle]

Snowed in, by the look of it. It's deep as an oubliette outside. Didn't you see?

I suppose someone thinks they have an answer. [Jareth waves his note a little, then tucks it back into his vest pocket],

In the meantime, no sense huddling around a dank, draughty basement. I've heard there's going to be popcorn.

....whatever that is.

[eggciting]

Ba-cawk! Bawkbawkbawk. gawbk...

[Obviously the tunnel's gone and there's nothing he can do about it. He's trapped here with a bunch of lunatics, Camilla not included in that group. She's a perfect chicken after all.

She takes her wing and gives him a few pats for comfort.]

[sockluck]

Th-thank you...

[Boober appreciates the comforting gesture, though he can't help but be a bit frightened by this strange creature. She's about the same size as him, maybe just a bit smaller.]

Ohhh... what should we do now?