Monday Morning Meeting

[WebMistressGina]

Okay, after questions, promises, hits, and misses, I can finally present to you a part of that fic that I keep saying I'm working on. So to set the scene - takes place after The Muppets 2011 (so the latest film) and kinda goes over a typical Monday office meeting.

I will try my utmost of keeping people in character (as I do with all fan fics), as well as keeping things canon that should be canon, but as this is my very first foray into Muppet fan fic, please don't hesitate to suggest or correct. I think it important, in lieu of my own internet stalker, that I take concrit very well. In fact, I ask for it and many times, will utilize said concrit for improvement. I'm trying to get back into the art of telling and not showing (something I seem to have lost once I started hardcore fan ficcing), but sometimes I might get a little too into telling; expect long expositions.

You know what, just expect long stories from me period. While this is supposedly a one shot, they never are. I've given up the point of writing short stories; just can't do it.

Okay, okay, enough talking, here it is (well, the first part anyway)

Monday Morning Meeting​

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Monday mornings on the western coast of the United States were usually a cornucopia of sun and blue skies. Within the Golden State of California, this was especially true. Known for its sunshine days, blue skies, and sandy beaches, California was also one of the entertainment capitals of the world, sharing its title with New York.

The entertainment biz in Cali could be traced back to the start of a little town called Hollywood; before anyone could say ‘Hollywood sign’, the city of celebs and cellulite attracted many a rising star. The very golden age of movies and television began in the city, giving way to such names as Bogart, Bacall, Robinson, Cagney, Bergman, West, and even Marx; infamous shows like Dragnet, Get Smart, Mary Tyler Moore, Dick Van Dyke, and My Mother the Car all began here.

In the history of television, there are many a show that got their rough start in front of the cameras, just as there were many a star to get started there as well. Once upon a time, a star struck frog saw an advertisement for an audition in the golden state and as he traveled the roads and country side, he came across a multitude of wanna be actors and actresses who had the same talent and same dream that he did.

One standard rich and famous contact later, this frog and his friends found themselves in front of the camera, in a variety show that was more famous for its backstage routines than the ones done on stage. This show, this Muppet Show, propelled the group to stardom, paving the way for fame, fortune, and notoriety. There were movies, there was merchandise, there were interviews and red carpet premieres…as the years went by, their status rose, but so did the demands of the very life they lived.

Their second show suffered, their movies began to suffer, until ultimately, even their union started to suffer.

Just as the Beatles said goodbye, the group said goodbye – to their fans and to each other.

It had been years since the group had done anything together, years since they had even seen each other, but an unusual set of circumstances threw the group back together; one more show to save their studio and their name. There was still some debate on exactly how much money they actually did raise with the Muppet Telethon; down to the wire, the numbers had read only a dollar short of the ten million that was needed for them to purchase the property in which Muppet Studios and that of the Muppet Theatre resided, however a dramatic bump by the bear comedian had jarred the numbers to read closer to ten thousand.

But as with any Muppet adventure, fate decided in favor of the zany group, allowing for a head injury to change the mind of Tex Richman, the evil oil baron who had been dead set on buying and destroying the property for oil. Not only had fate saved the studio, the theater, and the very Muppet name, but it had brought the Muppets back into the limelight and to the attention of everyone in Hollywood.

After months of interviews and promoting their movie version of events, the prospect of doing another live show had been thrown around and talked about.

Within the residence of one Kermit the Frog, the day was greeted with somewhat of a nostalgia feeling. There was still some wonderment and awe that held him with this new resurgence of popularity with the Muppets; their telethon may not have given them the money they needed to save the studio and their name, but it had certainly brought about the love of their fans. The newest Muppet, Walter, had been right – their fans hadn’t forgotten nor left; they had just been patiently waiting for some sort of comeback.

Today was the first actual, real Monday he had since all the press had stopped or rather had given him a time out of sorts. While it would have been nice to stay inside or go outside to sit in the sun, Kermit had a ton of things to do. The interviews and tours may have stopped, but now that they were back in the limelight, it was important to make sure that their fans were aware that they would be here for a while and hopefully, to stay if they still wanted them.

That meant needing to decide what it was they planned on doing next. An impromptu dinner meeting had opened the floodgates and discussion on their current options, which were doing another movie or doing another television show. The vote had been a landslide - if you can call four votes to two a landslide - for that of another show; if he was honest with himself, the frog had been a bit surprised at the two who had voted for a movie instead of the weekly show.

Their reasoning made sense, however it seemed a bit out of character for both to not want to enjoy the live audience. Or maybe he just didn’t know his friends as well as he had. That in itself was a rather disturbing thought and brought about some of the reasons he was living by himself and not with the lady pig that adorned the front gate.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, Kermit couldn’t help the feeling of restlessness he seemed to have this morning. The sun was out and the weather seemed the perfect mix of spring and summer and the morning sun seemed to be calling his name. A bike ride sounded like a great idea and something he hadn’t done for a very long time.

 

[The Count]

Hmm... A rather nice beginning. So we're going off of the end of the last movie. Nice to think the frog's going for another bike ride. This shows promise, please, post more when possible.

 

[WebMistressGina]

Heading from the master bedroom that was situated near the back of the house, Kermit began to make his way towards the garage, however instead of just taking the patio door that led from his bedroom to that of the patio and to the garage, the frog decided to take the longer route, the one that would lead him through what he affectionately called the Peanut Gallery.

The Peanut Gallery was in essence a Muppet Hall of Fame, with individual oil paintings of the featured cast that made up the Muppet Show and whom Kermit considered some of his greatest friends. For a long time, only a few of the portraits had hung on the walls, the very activity of hanging them up had been stopped after…well, after he became the sole occupant of the house. However, with the recent upswing in his popularity and his mood, Kermit had begun to not only hang up some of the other portraits but uncovering those portraits he had been determined to not look at.

As part of the Muppet Show send off, a professional photographer had come by to take pictures of the last week of production within the Muppet Theatre. He hadn’t known at the time, but apparently the photographer was an amateur painter whose talent didn’t seem so beginnerish when the final product was revealed; he had done several, individuals as well as some group shots, not only showcasing his own talent, but that of the closeness the entire group felt with each other.

Usually when Kermit went down this hall, the memories would make it too hard to finish the tour; as the years rolled by, the more the memories hurt, especially when he was left in the house all alone.
Today however taking this visual trip down memory lane only seemed to bolster his spirits, so much that he didn’t even bat an eye when he came to the portrait of a sultry swine dressed in red; there was still that ache that was always present whenever he looked at her, but it didn’t seem so bad today. Maybe because she had consented to stay – for him of course and not with him, but it was a small and manageable victory and the amphibian was going to take it.

Taking this longer way to the garage always meant needing to hide from his so-called personal butler and companion, the 80’s robot. Completely stuck twenty years behind the rest of the world, the little bot had taken some time to get used to, but as his personal chauffer and someone to talk, he wasn’t totally inept; in thinking about it, Kermit had to admit out of all of the inventions that came out of Muppet Labs, this one was rather decent.

They basically sold the unit and had him at, ‘this piece of equipment will not explode or disembowel you’.

Miracles of miracles, Kermit the Frog made his way towards the large garage without being accosted by horrible 80’s lingo or references, finding himself outside the open space. It really was almost too ridiculously big, allowing for at three large trucks to sit in if they really tried; the space was called to attention with the fact that there were only three things inside in the first place - the car they had bought from Mad Mooney, a nice and shiny black Harley Davidson motorcycle, and his bicycle.

The bicycle was a classic Schwinn and a replacement for the one he had lost many years ago; if he remembered correctly, it had been a gift from everyone on one of his birthdays. Casting a mirthful glance at the Harley, he remembered he had given that gift to the former occupant for her birthday; what was it about her and motorcycles, he didn’t know and probably didn’t want to know, but gosh, did she look hot riding one!

Shaking his head from where his thoughts were headed, he walked over to the Schwinn, lightly wiping dust and cobwebs from the handlebars and seat. Cherry red, with a black leather seat that was made for his little tukhus, and two white wall tires…Kermit took a deep breath before swinging his leg over and sitting astride the seat. When was the last time he had taken a nice, leisurely bike ride? He couldn’t remember and that troubled him a bit.

“No time like the present,” he murmured to himself, putting one webbed foot on one pedal and pushing off with the other. Within moments, the frog was going through the gate of his house and out on the streets of Beverly Hills, California.

​

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About thirty minutes later, Kermit found himself at the entrance to Muppet Studios. He was just as surprised to find himself there, considering he hadn’t planned on going to work for at least a week; of course, sometimes the mind can lead a person to where they are most needed.

The fresh air and the breeze had been a beneficial reprieve that the frog hadn’t felt in quite some time; his riding pace was leisurely, giving him ample time to think about where he and the rest of the Muppets would off to now that the renewed interest was still high. Most of his weekend had been spent speaking with producers, writers, and directors who wanted to work on something with them, as well as studio heads who wondered what would be next on the Muppet rollercoaster.

He had also gotten a…somewhat friendly call from the attorneys that represented one Jack Black and something he would need to discuss with those who had been involved in the…incident. Normal circumstances always seemed to hold a level of disbelief when it came to his friends, but God love them if they didn’t do what it took to raise his spirits sometimes.

Thoughts and ideas had entered his head as he rode, taking little no backstreets in order to avoid any kind of crowd that would gather. He loved their fans – they probably had the best fans in the world – but sometimes, a frog needed his privacy and Kermit was a very private individual; especially during times where he needed to think about the next move, the next project, the next script. Kermit hadn’t set out to be the leader, but had somehow gotten elevated to the position during their journey to Hollywood and during all of their projects.

He was their director, producer, and writer sure, but leader hadn’t been a direction he thought he was good at. But apparently, as his starlet, he tended to inspire people – which of course he smirked at, because lately he was inspiring otherwise illegal activities among his friends.

So caught up in his musings and ideas, it was only until he reached the staff entrance to the Muppet Studios that he was aware he had even made the familiar trip. The studios, which had been badly dilapidated, had currently undergone a complete overhaul, in order to not only function as a work place for the group, but to continue the popular tour that their fans always enjoyed. Name changes had gone into effect for some of the attractions – Bunson’s Lab of Fun was now officially Muppet Labs, while Rowlf’s Music Parlor had been combined with the Electric Mayhem to be officially Muppet Music Mayhem.

The general layout of the lot hadn’t changed all that much really – at least in terms of the studio tour. Fans of all ages could start at the very entrance of Muppet Studios (that is, the official entrance) and head towards any of the specific areas to their hearts content; weekends had been especially great as those were the days that patrons were allowed seating during the live performances of the Muppet Show.

Located at the back or top of Studio Row, the Muppet Theatre had been a staple in the growth of Muppet performers and for the fans, a great treat for their studio ticket. The live performances were the usual ones that had been shown on television, such as debut acts like the Flying Zucchini Brothers to that of popular sketches such as Pigs in Space and Veterinarian’s Hospital.

These live shows really brought about the vaudevillian feel that the show had created; if they were lucky, their guest star for the week would do an act or two and leave the fans in tears – usually from laughter, mostly – and it gave performers the ability to get rid of any kinks or polish up any acts they planned on airing.

On the other hand, it also allowed for acts to sometimes go over allotted timing or worse, allow for performers to decide that the live show to be no holds barred. This was usually the case with many of the Great Gonzo’s acts, where the blue creature would attempt seemingly ridiculous feats just for the fun of it; however, it wasn’t just Gonzo who thought these live shows were great at dispelling any type of semblance of normalcy – the worst offender was that of Vet’s Hospital, where it seemed all three performers did their best to throw in as many puns that could make both the audience and their co-stars laugh loudest.

The sketch with the bunch of bananas had been the worst, ending in the entire cast just breaking down in laughter. That wasn’t to say that some of these giggle fests hadn’t been caught on camera; the telephone bit came to mind…

Shaking his head at the onslaught of memories, Kermit moved his bike inside the backlot which was reserved for staff and cast and locked it up – he may have been a star, but this was a nice bike.

It had been months since he’d been on the studio lot and years since he had truly last stood on the ground, greeting fans and helping in the tour of the studios. In the area he stood, set a bit apart from the normal zaniness that any Muppet production held, was a small stretch of office cottages; while his office usually off the tour, he did actually have an actual office in which he would work in or have small office meetings.

The first few cottages were offices for various members of the Muppets, with Kermit’s starting off the row, followed by Scooter Grosse’s office, the musical office of Rowlf the Dog and Dr. Teeth, and the primary office for Dr. Bunsen Honeydew. After Bunsen’s office was a medium sized building that was used for many of the different coordinating production offices that were needed for both Muppet movie productions and that of the Muppet Theatre; it was also a familiar place for those who worked behind the scenes for both movie and TV sides.

Maybe it was nostalgia calling to him or just a curiosity that had the frog heading past the office cottages – with a quick peek inside his own, of course – and into that of the production office building. The building was mostly dark, with shadows playing on the white walls as he entered. With the money and recognition that had been given after the telethon, a few cleaning companies had offered their services to help restore the various rooms to their former glory, all because many of the employees were fans themselves.

Now instead of dirt and grime littering the floor or cobwebs hanging in corners, the floors gleamed bright and shiny, while each office was pristine – or rather, as pristine as the occupant usually kept it. They did a great job, Kermit thought as he looked around. The outpouring of support could be overwhelming, not because of the work but the sentiment behind it. Years and years of thinking that the public had finally stopped caring and had completely forgotten him and his motely band of misfits had been utterly turned upside down and transformed.

Walter had been right – the public hadn’t forgotten, not for one second.


That's it for now. More to come!

 

[WebMistressGina]

Hmm... A rather nice beginning. So we're going off of the end of the last movie. Nice to think the frog's going for another bike ride. This shows promise, please, post more when possible.

Ask and you shall receive

I think the majority of the ideas I've come up with will stem from the newest movie, which - as someone who is constantly complaining about how Hollywood keeps kicking my childhood in the head (the nicest way I can put it here) - actually managed to give my inner child hope for the future.

And then I heard that was a Three Stooges movie...

 

[The Count]

The new installment was very well-handled. The chills of memories going through both the hall of famed portraits at Kermit's house and then the various sectors of the entire studio lot, that definitely gets you points. There are parts where I feel sentences could be chopped up a little to prevent running-on... And maybe separating segments would look better if done with dashes instead of Muppet smilies, but that's your style and I am enjoying the story posted so far.
Thanks for sharing and happy Easter weekend.

 

[Misskermie]

I loved it! I really liked Kermit's feelings toward the portraits, and his
"No time like the present" thing.

 

[WebMistressGina]

The new installment was very well-handled. The chills of memories going through both the hall of famed portraits at Kermit's house and then the various sectors of the entire studio lot, that definitely gets you points.

Glad you like it so far! I have to say that "Pictures in My Head" certainly gave me a heart wrench when I first saw it (still see it); it's probably my favorite song in the whole movie (which continues my weird love of the depressing songs within the Muppets), maybe because it's a really good character piece. Not even reading the novelization of it (which I am on the verge of temptation to buy), it just shows the weight of what was more than just a parting of friends (like in TMTM); it's like Kermit is baring the responsibility of not being a good friend and leader, which led to many breakups.

You can kinda hear it when he has he talk with Fozzie.

There are parts where I feel sentences could be chopped up a little to prevent running-on... And maybe separating segments would look better if done with dashes instead of Muppet smilies, but that's your style and I am enjoying the story posted so far.
Thanks for sharing and happy Easter weekend.

Yeah; expect long and wordiness in this first one, maybe the second. Just me getting my sea legs under me. Whenever I switch into another fan genre - especially one that I've never written for or haven't seen for a while - I have a desperate need to unleash every thought that hits me. There's also the case that, especially now with freelancing, I haven't written creatively for a bit, so I'm once again getting back into the habit.

I had tried to figure out if you guys had a horizontal rule, but couldn't find one, hence the smilies. Normally I do dashes, but sometimes Word doesn't like that and it looked too weird just doing [hr] (which is what I normally do in Word). I'll play around with it and see if I can't find a better way of doing it.

 

[The Count]

Yes, most first-time writers get that observation hurled their way.
Personally, I prefer to have a two-ton cannonball hurled at me.
I know Newsie uses dashes, other people present similar brakes between segments in their stories, you can peruse some examples like Lisa (TogetherAgain), Aunt Ru, Ryan (theprawncracker), amongst others as listed in the FLI thread's initial post/listing.

You're not the only one who loved Pictures In My Head as the depressing song, fellow forumer Puckrocks heralded its hauntingness when she got the chance. *Misses Jules around here.
I myself loved the full version of Me Party, it's so 70's Abbaish discoeque infectious.
Should I get the disinfectant?

Hope for more story when you can get it posted.

 

[WebMistressGina]

So here's a little more that my brain spit up like two minutes ago. I promise hilarity ensues after this and thar be talkies now!


Taking a stroll through the building, for good ole memories sake, shouldn’t have given Kermit any pause of alarm. That is until he heard the murmurs of voices further down, towards one of the largest offices. Struggling to remember if there was something scheduled for today that he had forgotten; he thought and failed. It was a real Monday (and not a movie Monday), which meant that the studio was closed to the public and certainly they had yet to regularly open because of the renovations that were going on.

And to his knowledge, he didn’t know of any workers that were supposed to be there. In fact, they would be reopening that week to show off the new changes. So to hear that there was someone within the building was definitely troubling, which gave the frog a cautious pause, but he none the less headed towards the sounds. Near the back of the building was commonly group meeting office, a space where script changes or ideas could be discussed or fully thought out before implementation.

It was also the largest area in which to discuss the budget or usually their lack of one.

Rounding the corner from where he had come from, Kermit was surprised to see a familiar group apparently standing around outside the door. Upon his approach, they all turned and called out greetings for the morning. “There you are!” called one fellow, a mustard yellow Muppet with a shock of red hair on top of his head. He seemed a bit younger than the rest, though Kermit was well aware that looks could be deceiving and that this particular Muppet was probably more knowledgeable than all of the best scientists combined.

“What’re you all doing here?” blurted the frog, confusion clear on his face.

“It’s Monday,” answered the red head, in a way that clearly stated the whole point of six Muppets standing in a hallway so early in the morning. “Real Monday that is.”

“Right.”

A beat later came the obvious statement through a question, “Budget meeting?”

As though a tiny light bulb went off above his head, Kermit opened his mouth in a silent, “oh”. It had never occurred to him that while he clearly remembered the familiar Monday morning office meeting that the others would too; no, that wasn’t true. He had often wondered if the others ever had a sudden pull or occurrence in which they went about their everyday lives where they would remember something of the past. Apparently they did.

“Huh,” the amphibian chuckled, making a nervous tug on one point of his collar. “I uh…hadn’t even thought of that. What time is it?”

The first Muppet to speak, the stage manager and personal assistant Scooter Grosse, immediately made a grab for his cellphone to check the time. “About quarter after eight.”

Of course, Kermit thought. Budget meeting always started around 8am on Mondays…shrugging, he looked at the usual group that had assembled – Scooter, of course; Fozzie Bear, the resident comedian; the Great Gonzo, performance artist and stuntman/lunatic; Rowlf the Dog, pianist and musician extraordinaire; Dr. Teeth, a fine pianist and keyboardist in his own right and the leader of the rock band the Electric Mayhem; and then there was her.

The headliner and overall resident diva within the group and the one person Kermit had been sure would back them up in their quest of saving Muppet Studios; having her walk away from him (again!) while in Paris had actually devastated him more than the first and last time (leave number five) she had walked away combined. Of all the Muppets he thought wouldn’t return, she was the last person he expected to turn him down.

That wasn’t to say that he hadn’t been reluctant to see her in the first place. Their on again-off again relationship status was legendary; one reporter had called their fights “stuff Taylor and Burton wish they could come up with!”. Arguments constantly spilled over from personal to professional and back again, with several having onscreen evidence in case an argument was ever forgotten. It was routine – their routine – to the point where the first thing asked when entering a room filled with tension was, “Off or on?” in regards to the two of them.

But routine can be monotonous and two people can only go so far in speculation and hearsay; ultimately it came down to the wire – Kermit the Frog wanted privacy, Miss Piggy wanted publicity and the battleline was not only drawn in the sand, but down the middle of the room, through the halls of the house, and finally down the seams of notoriety. As big and public as their fights could get, their splitting up was the quietest fall ever heard.


And there are our featured players, folks! Before I go on I just want to give credit to an author I think either on here or that of fan fiction.net - the idea for a meeting of the minds was inspired by something I read (which I will find so I can give actual credit) in which the group routinely discusses the business. It was an idea that I thought had merit - after all, if Kermit could do everything, than why have Scooter? - and it started from there.

I've also noticed that a few others also invoke the idea of a standard Muppet meeting in regards to anything big happening, so I also went with that. So...enjoy!

 

[Misskermie]

Very good describing Piggy and Kermit's relationship!

More please!