The Game of Games

[WebMistressGina]

You guys are gonna hate me. Yes, I know I have two unfinished fics that should be finished. I know this, I do, and you know what would totally make me finish these is...I don't know, but I do want to finish them. However...

The muse can not be denied. The muse came up with another idea that needed to be written and thus, I have written it. I was gonna put this in the One Shots, but kinda like Deadly Delay, this seems like an actual tale, so here you are.

This is for all my It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia fans, a show that I have literally binged watched all last week to get caught up to season 11. If you haven't seen Sunny, all 10 seasons are streaming on Netflix, as well as Hulu (though apparently, you now need a cable subscription in order to watch season 11. Utter BS, Hulu.) The episode this little gem is based on is Season 7's "Chardee MacDennis".

I won't bother to explain it cause our fave Mupps are gonna do that for me. This is another Up Late universe fic and it takes into account the new season premiere hijinks (sorta, cause I haven't seen it yet, but I kinda know what happens). For now, here's a video for you that you should play when we get to the pre-game toast -

The Game of Games​

It was a dark and stormy night.

Clouds had rumbled into the blueish skies above California, turning them into darkened skies of gray and bringing with it a downpour of rain. While the sunny state of Cali normally saw more sun than rain, a storm front came up from the Gulf and planned to make its way across the west, starting with California.

Within the entertainment industry, rain could easily effect on location shoots, especially if they needed to be done in real time. For the crew and cast of Up Late with Miss Piggy, the day had been a wash once the storm had rolled in, effectively throwing the day out of the window. When it was clear that no one was going to do any work, head writer Gonzo the Great declared he was going home, or rather he at first declared he was going to lunch and once he had a few people going with him, the sky had opened up and thankfully they were close enough to his house to seek safe passage.

At some point, Kermit, Denise, and Fozzie had made their way over and before he knew it, Gonzo had a small house party going. Floyd Pepper and Janice Bennington, of the Electric Mayhem, had just happened to be getting lunch at the same place so they had jumped onboard when Gonzo had announced going home; Scooter Grosse had gone to lunch with Gonzo, so he pretty much was in the stuntman’s hands.

Miss Piggy and scientist Beaker had been doing, well no one was really sure what they had been doing, but it had ended with both of them hurrying away from the scene of the crime.

Ultimately, Gonzo’s house was now host to eight people, on a rainy day that didn’t seem to be letting up and worse, they were starting to run out of things to do.

“I’d say let’s run lines,” Gonzo joked. “But I left all my stuff at work and I’m not sure how much any of us want to go outside right now.”

“It’s like, really coming down out there,” Janice replied, peering out the window and the continued rain storm.

“We’ve got a bunch of flood alerts, too,” Scooter murmured, flipping through the weather reports on his phone.

“How long do you think this is gonna last?” Denise asked, looking worriedly at her boyfriend.

“Supposed to rain all night,” Scooter informed her, showing her some of the information he was getting.

“So we’re stuck here all night?” Piggy asked, rolling her eyes. “Terrific.”

“Yeah,” Kermit replied, smirking at her. “I’m sure this is gonna totally interfere with that hot date you have tonight.”

The diva delivered a quick elbow to his ribs, but it was clear it wasn’t intended to actually hurt him. The two had been on a much better path since the holidays, coming to an understanding at least on their friendship with each other, which put them on a better path than they had ever been.

“Well then hey hep cats,” Floyd spoke up. “If we gotta sit around, we might as well be sitting around doing something.”

“Alright, like what?” Piggy asked.

“What about a game?” asked Janice.

“Hey, that’s a great idea, Jani,” Kermit replied, looking at everyone. “What should we play?”

Everyone looked around at each other, trying to decide which game they should play, until Gonzo’s eyes widened. “Oh,” he whispered, in excited awe. “I know exactly what we should play. Germit Bloyd!”

Instantly, everyone in the room had an opinion on the suggestion – with most of the occupants all for the idea; that is, everyone but Fozzie and Kermit. Denise, who of course had never heard of this game in her life, was forced to finally ask, “What is Germit Bloyd?”

“Firstly,” Piggy interrupted through the sea of explanations. “That is not the name of the game…” Again, a litany of voices rang out. “We never decided on a name! And Moi is not about to call this Germit Bloyd, that’s stupid!”

“It was named for the team captains,” Gonzo protested.

“Which have changed, in case you’ve forgotten, which obviously you have…”

“Needless to say…!” Scooter interrupted. “Yes, we haven’t come up with an actual name, however, I – personally! – don’t believe we need to have an actual name, as this is the Game of Games. The Game of Games needs no name.”

“So we’re decided then?” Gonzo asked, though slightly annoyed at the whole naming thing.

“No, we are not decided!” Fozzie exclaimed. “Kermit and I don’t want to play.”

The others groaned. “It’s six to two,” Piggy hissed.

“C’mon Fozzie,” Denise replied, sweetly, patting the bear on the arm. “It’s just a game.”

“It’s not just a game!”

“It’s a war,” Kermit muttered, giving his girlfriend a look before sighing. “A war of annihilation.”

The Game of Games

Instructions​

When looking back on it, this was certainly not how Denise wanted to spend her day. Lunch with her boyfriend had the potential of turning into a romantic afternoon once the rain started, but as with everything else, Kermit’s friends managed to interrupt anything that she tried. Why Fozzie Bear had been invited to their lunch date, she didn’t know, but it was becoming clear that she didn’t seem to be meshing with the group as much as she needed to be.

But she wouldn’t be a very good girlfriend if she didn’t at least try to get along with Kermit’s friends, even when they insisted on spending time with her frog when she wanted to spend time with him. So that was how she managed to be a part of a game that seemed to have been completely made up.

“Alright,” Piggy commanded, standing front and center in the living room. “You guys set up, Moi will explain the game.” To Denise, the diva smiled. “The Game of Games is played, and was conceived, on a day much like this, when we were stuck inside and needed to do other than kill each other. Anyway, the game is a simple race to the finish across this board -”

Here Janice joined her, holding a homemade game board in her hands. The board itself was made on a thin sheet of wood, which was used as a backing to a plaster board that was attached to the top of it; on the plaster board itself were three felt circles evenly spaced apart, with the words Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 on each corresponding circle. On the left hand side was the word START, while on the right hand side was the word FINISH.

“There are three levels –” Piggy continued, gesturing to the board while Janice held it like a show display girl. “Mind, Body, and Spirit. Level 1, Mind, consists of trivia, puzzles, and artistry; level 2, Body, consists of physical challenges, pain, and endurance; and Level 3…well, let’s see how far we get, shall we? Each level is broken in 20 minute segments, though there are multiple clock stops and of course our pre-level toast.”

“In the end,” Janice concluded. “Each team has to get a specific number of cards in a level in order to move to the next level. The first team to get finish level 3 wins. And gets a super awesome prize.”

“Really?” Denise asked, perking up. The game sounded simple enough and it certainly sounded interesting in playing… “What’s the prize?”

Here, both ladies grinned widely. “The winning team gets to set the losing team’s flag on fire.”

“Oh,” the diva said, snapping her fingers. “I hope you don’t have plans after this cause this is, after all, a drinking game. Follow us.”

The marketing manager was still confused, though she was a little disturbed that this was the first time she was hearing that this game involved drinking. As she stood up, she noticed that Kermit was removing a first aid kit from the apparent game box, just as there came a knock on the door. “What’s the first aid kit for?”

“It’s required,” the frog replied, smiling when the new occupant was revealed. “Rowlf! Excellent. Hey guys, Rowlfie’s here!”

“Is Rowlf going to be playing with us?” Denise asked, following her boyfriend into the kitchen, which apparently had become the new hangout for the group.

“No,” Kermit responded. “But he is required for the game.”

Only when Denise arrived in the kitchen did she notice that the bar owner had carried in a few boxes of alcohol with him and was in the process of placing them on the table, next to a medium sized alarm clock. “We all set?” the dog asked, once his burdens had been laid down.

“Yes,” Fozzie nodded, before he quickly turned to the host. “Oh no wait! Gonzo, did you nail the board down?”

Gonzo nodded. “I did indeed.”

“Wait, why is the board nailed down?”

“Because ultimately,” Floyd answered. “Someone is going to try and flip the board in anger. It always happens.”

“Before we get started,” Piggy added. “Moi thinks it only fair that Denise is on your team, Kermit.” Smirking at the frog, she replied, “All things considered.”

“Did you tell Denise about the drinking?” asked Gonzo.

“Yes,” Piggy said. “Though I didn’t go into specifics, but she can pick it up as we go along. We ready?”

Pre-Game Toast
& Flag Raising Ceremony​

“What’re we doing?” Denise asked, as Rowlf handed her a beer.

Along with the group and the alarm clock, someone had put on a string quintet piece as background for whatever it was they were doing in there.

“Each level starts with a pre-level toast,” Scooter explained. “It’s to present an air of sportsmanship.”

“Good game to you, my lady,” Floyd replied, clicking his beer bottle against that of Piggy’s.

“And to you, sir.”

“This is also the only time in which you can ask questions.”

Okay…

“Uh,” she stumbled. “Why is Rowlf here?”

“Rowlf is here,” Kermit piped up. “Because of an incident in which one team - who shall rename nameless, but they know who they are – were caught cheating for not actually drinking their alcoholic beverages.”

“And we will still maintain that if we had, you would’ve been all over us because of Scooter,” Gonzo countered. “Just like with the brownie incident. It’s the brownie thing all over again.”

“So you guys were punished for cheating?” Denise asked.

“Oh no,” Piggy said. “Cheating is allowed.”

“It’s encouraged,” added Kermit.

“Just don’t get caught,” said Scooter.

“Needless to say,” the frog continued. “That ever since, there is no longer any outside alcohol allowed during the game unless it is brought in by Rowlf. This ensures that everyone is consuming an alcoholic beverage.”

“Drinking is a part of the game,” Scooter went on. “Whenever an opposing team receives a card, you have to drink for five seconds. There’s other stuff, such as you have to drink if you get caught cheating…we’ll explain it as we go.”

“What’s the time, Rowlf puppy?” Janice asked.

Glancing at the alarm clock, Rowlf announced, “Two minute warning.”

At that, the group seemed to form together to hold up their beers in a toast. “Gentlemen,” Piggy began, nodding to the men in their midst before giving Denise and Janice a nod. “And ladies…suck it. Suck it hard, losers.”

To Denise’s surprise, the others downed the rest of their beers before dropping them, causing them to smash upon hitting the floor. Then, at Gonzo’s “Attention!” everyone snapped to attention. “Prepare for the flag raising ceremony! Team captains to your stations!”

Kermit, Piggy, and Beaker then proceeded to march out of the kitchen and back into the living room and stood behind the couch and waited while the others filed out after them. Once they were all herded into the living room, Denise couldn’t wait any longer. “What is going on?” she whispered to the person nearest to her, which happened to be Rowlf.

“It’s the flag raising ceremony,” he uttered back. “It presents the teams, their flags, and their game tokens.”

“This is a little much for a game, don’t you think?”

“The Game of Games is unlike any game you’ve ever played before,” he said, giving her a smirk. “For instance, Kermit’s team is Southern Comfort, so named after the alcohol, though we quickly changed that once Robin started playing with us. It consists of just him and Fozzie most times, though as you’ve noticed, odd man out will often be on their team.”

As her beau raised their flag – a nice blue tapestry with a bright sun in the middle and the word SoCo in the middle of that – Denise couldn’t help but notice that the flag and the game piece looked like it had seen better days. “Why is the flag so…?”

“Beat to all get out?” the dog finished for her. “Someone told you what happens to the loser in the game, right?” the pig nodded. “SoCo has never won a game in the 26 times that it’s been played. Not once, not ever. It’s actually statistically impossible for them to have lost every single one.”

“That can’t be true,” she whispered.

“It is,” Scooter added. “I did the calculations myself and Beaker and Bunsen confirmed it.”

Gonzo, who was apparently the flag presenter, moved on next to the Scientific Mayhem, which consisted of Beaker, Floyd, and Janice. Their flag, which was a reproduction of the Pink Floyd album Dark Side of the Moon, only with a beaker in place of the prism, was in much better shape than that of SoCo; their game token was also a beaker that had been painted up in rainbow colors. Which would also explain why Gonzo kept stating it was the ‘alternative lifestyle gaming piece’.

Lastly came Piggy’s team, which Denise finally deduced consisted of Gonzo, Scooter, and Piggy. “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, board gamers of all ages. It’s time – once again! – to introduce the hardest working team in the business. I proudly present to you, your 22 time and current champions of the Game of Games…THE DARK ALLIANCE!”

Compared to the other flags and pieces, the Dark Alliance was pristine; the Galactic Empire emblem from the Star Wars movie was presented as a patch for their game token, while the image was the background for their flag, which had what Denise assumed was Gonzo as Darth Vader to the right, Scooter as perhaps a fallen Anakin Skywalker to the left, and standing center, with lightsaber in one hand and lightening from the other, was Piggy.

“The flags have been raised,” Gonzo announced. “Let the games begin. Welcome to Level 1.”

 

[The Count]

Why does I always find these fics o' yours after they've been posted? Suffice to say I'm pleased that you is writing again Gins, your fics have such a fun flair to them and help brake the monotony from the boredom of not much else posted here.

Which leads me to say... Please post more! We needs at least a round of Level 1 competition. And I'll put $1.00 down as a wager that Team SoCo will win now that they have the added power of Denise on their side. Teach them how long a K is!
Oh, and and are being set-up for reuniting on next week's episode. *Swipes pair of martinis from the counter for Uncle Deadly and Gloria Estefan.

 

[WebMistressGina]

Why does I always find these fics o' yours after they've been posted?

I don't know, Margo.

Suffice to say I'm pleased that you is writing again Gins, your fics have such a fun flair to them and help brake the monotony from the boredom of not much else posted here.

I too missed it. I've had a lot going on with work and banging it out, but once this idea came to mind, it had to be written!

Which leads me to say... Please post more! We needs at least a round of Level 1 competition. And I'll put $1.00 down as a wager that Team SoCo will win now that they have the added power of Denise on their side. Teach them how long a K is!

Oh, don't you worry, you're gonna see the entire game play, hence why I decided this needed to be it's own story and not just a one shot as previously thought. If you've seen the episodes Chardee MacDennis and/or Chardee MacDennis 2: Electric Boogaloo, then you kinda know what's gonna happen.

But as Denise will ultimately discover, you can learn a lot about a person/people when they sit down to have a 'friendly' game.

Oh, and and are being set-up for reuniting on next week's episode. *Swipes pair of martinis from the counter for Uncle Deadly and Gloria Estefan.

I heard and I'm looking forward to it! From the first reports, it sounds like the new showrunner recognized the issues with the show and the writers are (and have) addressed them in this episode. I'm debating if I should just start fresh and jump into 1B or if I should just knuckle down and start up from Pig Out and finish up all episodes.

I should probably do the latter. I should.

So...I'm about to head to lunch...would you like to see how Level 1 went down?

 

[WebMistressGina]

Just a simple game, right? Oh Denise, what have you gotten yourself into...

Level 1: Mind

Trivia, Puzzles, and Artistry​

“In fairness, the losing team goes first,” Piggy announced, giving SoCo’s members a look.

“Fine,” Kermit huffed, grabbing the trivia box and opening it. Inside were a stack of index cards, though it didn’t seem as though anything was written on them until he pulled out the first cards. “No puzzles, no puzzles, no puzzles,” came the chant from both frog and bear until Kermit flipped it over. “Trivia,” he sighed, before perking up. “And this is totally you, buddy!”

“Lay it on me,” the comic said.

“What…is the greatest comedy movie of all time?”

“Caddyshack,” came the immediate answer, causing Kermit to cheer and the others to groan.

“Wait, wait,” Denise stated, watching as the sextet began to take drinks from their bottles. “That doesn’t make sense. Caddyshack is not the greatest comedy ever.”

“Oh, we know that,” Piggy said, glaring at the comic, who took the glare and enjoyed it with his plate of gloat pasta.

“Don’t start,” Kermit warned. Turning to his girlfriend, he explained, “We created the trivia questions, so there’s a lot of personal opinion. At this point, trivia is mostly a memory game, to see if we remember what our answers were.”

“I don’t care what anyone says,” Fozzie responded. “Because right here, right now, in this room, and in this game, Caddyshack will forever be the greatest comedy – nay! The greatest movie! – of all time!” He ended his speech with a great cackle that Denise, if she were to honest admit to herself, surprised and scared her slightly. Looking at the diva sitting across from him, Fozzie continued to taunt, “I see it, Piggy; I see the judgement in your eyes.” Holding up their trivia card, he exclaimed, “Well judge this!”

“Are you done?” she questioned.

Beaker meeped what sounded like a condemnation to Denise’s ears before Floyd agreed with him, saying, “Yeah man. You’re taking up precious time with your gloating.” The bassist reached over and grabbed the box, before turning it so that Janice could pull a card. “Trivia!” she announced, flipping the card over for the question. Her excitement dropped however, once she looked it over. “Ugh,” she sighed. “This is totally a Miss P thing. Okay – Name the highest fashion stock in 2015.”

A look of confusion fell across the bearded face of Pepper and he immediately responded with, “Pass.”

“Pass?” asked Scooter. “You’re passing?”

“No, he is not passing!” the guitarist insisted. Turning back to her compadre, she said, “You are not passing. C’mon honey bunch, think about this.”

“Jani, I don’t know who it is, babe,” Floyd said, annoyance ringing clear through his voice.

“Beakie?”

The assistant also had no idea what the answer could be, causing Janice to groan dramatically, especially when she saw the eager looks on the faces of the team to her left. “Fine,” she said. “We pass, chance to steal.”

“G-III,” came the answer, right from the question’s writer. Gonzo quickly grabbed the card, as the group began to chant in victory. “Alright, our turn.” The trivia box was passed over, with Piggy grabbing a card. “Artistry,” she announced. “And it’s an all-play so pay attention. ‘Each team’s artist must write the word of the object from the card on their team member’s back. That team member must identify that object from feel.’”

Piggy was the artist for the Dark Alliance, with Scooter as her canvas, while Denise decided to get involved in this bizarre game as the artist while Kermit became her canvas. Janice looked to be the artist and Floyd her canvas for the Scientific Mayhem. The object in question was a canon and she felt that she could easily write the word and Kermit would get it.

The group frantically began to write, hoping their partner would be able to guess the word. Denise took her time making sure her penmanship was straight so that her beau could guess, but he was just not getting it. “Car?” he asked. “Can? Con?”

“Kermit, I’m not finished yet!”

“Canon!” Gonzo exclaimed, getting the answer correctly and earning the DA another card, making it two and pushing them into the lead. What of course the other teams didn’t know – and wouldn’t know for quite some time – was that Piggy didn’t actually write the word ‘canon’ on the sheet, but ‘Betsy’ which was the name of Gonzo’s canon.

It wasn’t a total loss – at least SoCo had one card, which meant they still had a chance at least. And it was their turn once again. “Okay, here we go,” Kermit said, pulling the box towards them. Once again, both he and Fozzie began a chant of “no puzzles, no puzzles, no puzzles,” as the frog pulled their next card. Flipping it over, he read, “Puzzle. ‘Put this violin back together’.”

“What violin?” Denise questioned.

She hadn’t seen Scooter stand and walk over to the mantle and pick up a violin that sat nearby with a series of other objects.

“This one,” he said, before smashing the instrument against the wall and floor and then handing the broken neck over to the marketing manager. “By the way, you asked a question. That’s gonna require a drink, darling.”

The team, though mostly Fozzie and Kermit, began to meticulously put the broken violin back together; that is, after the three of them had to drink for five seconds. Denise had to literally bite her tongue from asking why the two had to not only put an entire violin back together, but to also make sure someone could actually play it, despite the fact that - to her knowledge - no one in the room played violin.

None of it made sense. None of it!

“Yeah!”

“That totally works!”

“I’m pretty sure I have a piece of wood stuck in my shoulder,” Kermit added, rubbing his shoulder slightly. “And we’re gonna have to get some tweezers later, but it doesn’t matter because we got this!” Waving their achieved card around, the two crowed over their win. “Do you guys feel that?” Kermit asked. “Do you feel that sun on the back of your necks? That’s the SoCo sun!”

“That’s our sun, baby!”

“Where’s your Order 66 now, huh?” the frog taunted, sharing a hi-five with the bear.

“I believe it’s Scientific Mayhem’s turn,” Piggy replied, passing the box towards the other team.

“Let’s go team!” Janice cheered, as Floyd pulled a card.

“Check it,” Floyd said, happily. “It’s Chance.”

“Oh! Oh!” Fozzie exclaimed, patting Denise on the arm. “Chance is awesome! We totally stole that from Monopoly.”

“Could be good,” Kermit began.

“Or could be bad,” Piggy finished.

Flipping up the orange Chance card that was taped to the trivia card, Floyd muttered an annoyed, “It’s bad. Lose a turn.”

“Aw man,” Janice complained. “The mellow is not with us tonight.”

The group passed over the box to the Dark Alliance, with Scooter reaching inside to grab a card. “Oh nice!” he said, showing the card to his team mates. “It’s a Sorry card.” Flipping over the familiar card from the game, the talent manager did his best to contain his glee, however it was still evident in his voice. “‘Remove a trivia from the opposing team of your choice’. Well, well, well, let’s see. The Scientific Mayhem has no cards, so…”

Immediately, the entire DA team turned to face the members of SoCo. “Hey Fozzie,” Scooter said. “Why don’t you hold up that Caddyshack card you got earlier?”

Obviously not happy about it, Fozzie casually held up the card. “No, no,” Gonzo suggested. “Hold it higher so we can see it.”

Glaring at the group before him, the comic held up the card to eye level, watching as Scooter leaned forward slightly across the coffee table. “Before I take this card,” he began. “I want you to know that this is purely out of spite. Because Caddyshack is not the greatest comedy movie ever, it is the worst! And I'm going to take this card in spiteful glee and add it to our collective, where it will be used to further our trek to our 27th win and your ultimate downfall.”

And with that, the younger Muppet did indeed gleefully snatch the card away.

“Where’s your judge now, Bear?” Piggy mocked. “Huh? Where’s your judge now?”

“Whoa, guys! Guys!” Gonzo interrupted, holding up one of their gotten trivia cards. “What’s this? One…”

“Two,” the diva continued, holding up their second card.

“Three,” Scooter said, smugly, and holding up the stolen card. “We’re moving on up!”

The Dark Alliance all laughed and cheered, singing something they called ‘Order 66’ as they crowed their victory.

Pre-level Toast​

“I do hope you’re enjoying the game, dear frog.”

“The pleasure of your company always highlights our playing.”

Denise watched as Kermit and Piggy appeared to be civil to each other, while clinking their wine glasses together. They had again gathered within the kitchen for what was a pre-level toast, this time consisting of either red or white wine depending on the drinker’s preference. Wine was apparently the drink of choice for the second level, which apparently now added in physical challenges, pain, and endurance, none of which sounded appeasing to her.

“Can I ask questions now?” she asked, hesitantly. She really wanted to ask if Kermit was ready to go, as it seemed the raining had dropped to a slight drizzle and though she’d arrive home looking like something an alley cat would dig up, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to stay for the rest of the game. She probably should have known better; the last time she had been involved in a game night at Gonzo’s, they had played True Confessions, which seemed to be a lot more fun for the others than for her.

Oh, she learned a little bit more about them, but it was clear that everyone had decades on her when it came to separating truth from fiction. This time, it wasn’t even about everyone knowing what was going on, it was about the fact that this game seemed to be bringing out the worst in everyone. She wasn’t naïve; she knew sometimes games played with others could bring out competitiveness, but this weird mix match of games and perhaps personal quirks didn’t seem like fun, more like ‘anything to win’.

“Yes,” Gonzo said.

“So,” she began. “If you guys are on level 2, are we still on level 1?”

This time Beaker stepped up to try to explain everything, using Floyd, Janice, and Gonzo as stand ins for the three level. Honestly, Denise wasn’t getting any of it because she didn’t understand a word the scientist was saying. “This sounds a bit convoluted,” she muttered, watching as the second red head was describing something using Janice’s hand.

“Yeah,” Rowlf whispered, next to her. “But if Beaker’s explaining it to you, you should probably listen. He usually gets this game.”

Denise tried to understand the gist, though she could easily admit that she had no idea what was going on. “Okay,” she said, nodding after Beaker finished his explanation. “I think I get the gist of it.”

“Oh honey, you haven’t begun to get the gist of this,” Janice replied, sarcastically, probably the first time the pig had ever heard such…vitriol in the guitarist’s demeanor. She immediately went back to her sunny disposition by smiling at Denise and saying, “But don’t worry; it’s your first time. No one gets it the first time.”

“Hey guys,” Rowlf interrupted, gesturing to the clock. “It’s time.”

“Yes!” Piggy exclaimed, quickly going over to the iPod that was sitting on the kitchen counter. The sounds of the previous string quintet was then replaced with the rocking opening to AC/DC’s “Back in Black” as the Dark Alliance began to dance around the kitchen, followed by the Scientific Mayhem and reluctantly, SoCo.

Figuring they would get penalized for the question, Denise shot a confused look at Rowlf. “The team in the lead gets to choose the music to start Level 2,” he explained. “It’s supposed to pump everyone for the next level, which…you kinda need. Don’t ask, you’ll see.”

Denise wasn’t sure she wanted to.

 

[The Count]

Never seen the episode this is supposedly based on... But I is still betting on Team SoCo. Hey, at least they still have one Level 1 card. Dunno if they move up to Level 2 as well, rully Denise, you should have just asked after finished explaining with an apologetic look his way. It'll have to do until after this game night, you should buy an English-Guineapig dictionary.

As for you Gins... Yes, continue watching Muppet episodes from Pig Out if that's Episode 104. You do not want to miss the epicness that was and at the tavern and Rainbow Connection from 107, the latest act by and Joseph Gordon Levit's equal crazed gamesmanship for Muppet money in 109, and the warm fuzzies of the cast sing in 110.

 

[WebMistressGina]

Level II – Body

Physical Challenges, Pain, and Endurance​

The Dark Alliance, because of their win last level, were able to go first in this newest level. Through some creative wording, Denise was finally able to get the answer to her earlier question – it turned out that yes, both SoCo and the Scientific Mayhem were still stuck on Level 1, however during this level's gameplay they would be able to move up to level 2 if they got three cards. Unfortunately, despite being on Level 1, they would be playing with Level 2 rules.

Just as Denise feared, Level 2 seemed to be way more dangerous than their previous, normal level of trivia and Pictionary. Before they had even started, her team mates had cautioned her about pulling the dreaded ‘operation’ card, which was as horrible as it sounded; and the stories behind it didn’t help either – they had once detached and then reattached one of Beaker’s fingers and apparently before that, Piggy had removed Fozzie’s appendix, though according to the comic, he was about 85% sure that Piggy removed the wrong thing.

Denise wasn’t really sure what was worse – the fact that unregulated and unsanctioned surgery was going on in the group or the fact that the group seemed to find this was perfectly normal. It was utterly disturbing! What the heck was her boyfriend involved in!?

Even now, they were setting up for an all play called Battleship, which sounded exactly like the popular board game; the difference being that one team member from each team would be the battleship and the method of sinking was to take a paintball to the body. The team member who remained standing and flinched the least, won the card. She couldn’t possibly let Kermit go through with this!

“Don’t worry,” he replied, patting her on the arm. “This is not the first time I’ve played Battleship. I can take it.”

Due to the fact that they had an even amount of people, it was decided that only one team member would be the shooter, while the other two acted as the battleship. It seemed all the male members felt the same way, volunteering themselves for battleships, while the women were the shooters. “I’m not sure I can do this,” the manager worried, holding the paintball gun in her hands.

“Don’t stress,” Janice replied. “It’s just like paintball, only that instead of running away and hiding, we can see them just fine.”

“You boys have your assigned spots?” Piggy asked, sweetly.

Beaker gave a thumbs sign, while the others nodded in agreement.

“Alright, let’s begin. A7?”

The sextet looked between themselves, but it seemed as though no one had the number. “Looks like you missed, Missed Piggy,” Kermit taunted.

“Oh, that’s clever,” the diva chuckled. “That’s very clever, Frog. Moi will most definitely keep that in mind.”

“C2,” Janice guessed, receiving a similar response. Then it was Denise’s turn.

Taking a deep breath, she said, “B9.”

“Crap.”

That was uttered by Scooter, who stepped forward. “Hit,” he said, standing straight and preparing himself for the onslaught.

“You can do this, Kid,” Gonzo whispered, encouragingly.

Denise was not in the habit of hurting people, so she didn’t put much effort in aiming before she pulled the trigger, launching the paintball and hitting Scooter in the shoulder. Scooter, brave though he tried to be, couldn’t stop the growl of pain that escaped his lips as he grabbed his shoulder in pain.

“Oh my gosh!” Denise exclaimed. “I’m so sorry!”

“Stand your ground, Scooter!” came Piggy’s cry.

Scooter tried his best to stay up right, but getting hit by a paintball on unprotected skin hurt like a raging fire stick of…well, pain. And at any other time, he would have a litany of curses coming from his lips, but this was level 2 and there was no cursing allowed.

He’d discovered that hindrance once before.

The talent manager took a knee, but it was enough to sink him and put the Dark Alliance down a man.

“You tried, buddy,” Gonzo said, patting the younger Muppet on the back. “But Battleship is not for the weak.”

The stunt weirdo was correct – this game with the absolute combination of this level, a physical challenge that encompassed both pain and endurance. Ultimately, only the perverse were able to stand tall and end the round – after a well-placed hit on Kermit from Janice, Beaker was left standing tall and earned the card for the Scientific Mayhem. Everyone who got hit by a paintball, especially those who didn’t have the protection of clothing, were going to feel it in the morning. “Sweetie, are you okay?” Denise asked, already starting to see bruises forming on his green person.

“Yeah,” Kermit grimaced, rubbing his flipper lightly over the bruise he could feel was forming on his chest. “Better my chest than my face.”

“Oh my god!” Piggy groaned. “I’m sorry about your face! How many times do I have to apologize!? And quite frankly, it’s no more than you deserve after you embedded a dart in my hand!”

“Moving on,” Floyd interrupted. “We won, so it’s our turn. Pass that box.” Grabbing the card inside, Floyd turned it over. “Another all play, cats. This time…it’s ‘Light My Fire’.”

That…did not sound appeasing, nor did the sudden appearance to three candles that were placed on the coffee table and lit. “What are you doing?” Denise asked, earning groans from her team mates.

“We’ll explain it while you’re drinking,” Gonzo chuckled, watching as SoCo grabbed their wine glasses and began to drink. “Light My Fire is simple – you basically place your hand over the fire that’s lit on the candle. You keep lowering it until the first person breaks. Last man standing and all that.”

“Redeem us, Gonzo,” Piggy stated.

Flexing his hand, Gonzo said, “Don’t worry, Princess. It’s in the bag.”

For this challenge, Fozzie, Gonzo, and Beaker went for it, though the comic only insisted because Kermit had taken the brunt of the last challenge. He didn’t last long – after the first second, when the three were commanded to lower their hands, Fozzie pulled away, knocking out SoCo. Beaker and Gonzo practically had their hands on the flame, but neither of them flinched.

“Bunsen told me he was thinking of adding fire to your next experiment,” Gonzo replied, conversationally.

Beaker meeped back, nodding.

“Oh I know you aren’t scared of fire,” the head writer continued. “I mean, look at us. The strong of the strong. I’m merely making conversation after all. It is worrisome however that Bunsen didn’t think twice about cutting your health insurance. I would think in your line of work…”

Beaker interrupted.

“Oh, did you not hear?” the weirdo asked. “I…would have thought you’d been the first to know about that.”

Again, Beaker said something.

“Just making conversation, bro. By the way, your skin’s getting tan.”

“Mee mee me.”

“I got at least ten minutes before it hits the skin. Besides, it’s only my hand. Once, I had a good major of my fur burned off; took three months for it grow back. I was like a bald little eagle. A sexy little eagle. A sexy little bald eagle. Like Sam. But cooler. And bluer.”

“Dude, some of us have to sleep tonight,” complained Piggy.

“Do you want this win or not?”

“I do.”

“Well, okay then.” The stunt weirdo then turned his attention back to the science assistant, though he had never taken his eyes away from the redhead.

“You’re trembling, Beakie. I can see it in your eyes. You’re experiencing the start of 1st degree burns, the redness, the pain. Sooner, you’ll be entering in to second degree territory; I know you’ve been there before – the burning, the welting. I’m not sure we have anything in the first aid kit to treat that, but you never know. We’ve played this game for a while; is that the hand we removed your finger from?”

The stare down only lasted for a few moments more until Beaker removed his hand, giving the win to the DA. “C’mon Beakie,” the stunt weirdo replied, standing and heading into the kitchen. “Let’s go run some cold water over our hands. And maybe if we cry a lot, we can get the girls to bandage them for us.”

Denise wasn’t sure how much of this obvious lunacy she could take. Taking a glance towards the living room window, she couldn’t tell if the rain had let up or not, but at this point, she didn’t think she really cared. She actually just wanted to go home and she wanted to take Kermit with her.

“Is it still raining outside?”

“Baby, come on!”

Denise looked at her team mates in surprise. “It’s a legitimate question!” she exclaimed. “It has nothing to do with the game!”

“It’s still a question,” Scooter countered.

“How am I not supposed to ask a question that has nothing to do with the game?”

“Denise, stop it!” exclaimed Fozzie.

“You can start by less talking, more drinking,” Piggy replied.

Beaker and Gonzo returned from the kitchen, with Gonzo grabbing the first aid kit as they retook their seats. “What we miss?” he asked.

“Like Denise keeps asking questions,” Janice said.

“Sounds like awesomeness for us,” Gonzo smirked. Looking at the three, he smirked. “Makes you a lot more viable during level 3.”

“Assuming you make it that far,” Piggy chuckled. “It’s your turn, by the way.”

Angrily pulling a card from the box, Denise flipped it over and discovered another Monopoly Chance card. “Looks like it’s a Chance card,” she said, flipping the card up. “‘Go to jail. Do not pass go, do not collect $200 dollars.’ Okay, so we’ll just move our piece to jail.”

The others giggled or chuckled, while Gonzo excitedly hoped up and ran down the hall. “Oh no, no, no,” Floyd replied. “There’s no jail on the game board.”

“But we do have an actual jail,” Scooter said, just as Gonzo returned, pulling a single metal cage behind him into the living room.

“You can’t be serious!” Denise exclaimed, looking around at everyone. Were these people insane? “Where did you even get that?”

“My bedroom,” the weirdo answered.

“Why do you have a cage in your bedroom!?”

“I don’t ask what you and Kermit do in your spare time,” Gonzo admonished. “We’re all close, but you…boundaries.”

“It’s ironic that that statement came from you,” Kermit said.

“Don’t stress, Den Den,” Janice replied, giving the marketing manager a smile. “You can totally get out of jail!”

“You’re just not gonna like how,” Piggy mentioned.

Throwing a look at Kermit, Denise saw him sigh before he reluctantly said, “You have to eat a brownie.”

“Okay…” she asked, hesitantly. “That doesn’t sound so bad. A brownie sounds really nice.”

“No,” Janice said, handing over a tray with a carton of eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and a box of brownie mix. “You have to eat the ingredients of a brownie.”

Throwing a last look at her boyfriend, Denise was expecting that Kermit was going to come to her rescue; to state that they were going too far and putting someone in a cage was not, in any way, an appropriate part of any game. But all she got from him was an apologetic shrug.

So Denise found herself locked in a cage with the ingredients for a brownie.

“Oh hey,” Scooter replied, shoving a large binder through the bars. “Freshen up on some of the rules.”

It was clear to everyone that Denise was not happy, not at all, though the group had assumed it was because she was in jail and/or she was going to have to eat the ingredients of a brownie to get out. “Hey, don’t blame us for this,” Gonzo stated, turning and pointing a finger at Kermit. “This is all your boyfriend’s fault. We used to have an actual brownie…”

“We are not getting into this, Gonzo,” the frog shot back. “I had some very legitimate reasons to make you guys stop doing that, such as my ten-year nephew was playing and it was, you know, illegal.”

“It’s not illegal now, baby,” Floyd pointed out.

“We could easily revise the rules,” Gonzo pointed out. “We’ve done it before.”

“Are we gonna continue playing or are we gonna sit around and talk about this all night?”

“Big words, Frog,” Scooter replied. “For the team still stuck on Level 1.”

“Oh!” Piggy laughed. “And it’s Grosse with the side punch!”

“We gonna play or what?” Kermit stressed.

For Denise, being in jail at least meant she didn’t have to be a part of these weird shenanigans. Not that she was happy about it, because she certainly was not; delicious brownie batter aside, having to eat an entire box of browning mix, along with the other ingredients – worse because there wasn’t a bowl included – wasn’t at all healthy and neither was this game. Glancing at the so-called ‘rule book’ enforced that.

The marketing manager found her position oddly ironic – the outsider looking in was pretty much how she saw herself, even before this night of…who knew what. She had originally thought that dating Kermit would be troublesome because…well… he was Kermit the Frog after all or even the fact that he was technically her boss; upon discovering the frog was the executive producer of his ex-girlfriend’s show also threw her for a loop, but ultimately, it wasn’t even the proximity of his ex. And if she was honest with herself, it wasn’t even Kermit’s friends that were the cause of these problems.

It was Kermit.

It wasn’t to say that Kermit was in anyway a, well, bad boyfriend, but it was becoming increasingly clear that his priorities weren’t on her – the show came first, Piggy came first, his friends came first, his family came first, even his fans came well before her and it was creating an advancing difficulty in her feelings for him. She understood that he was the type of frog who cared about everyone in his life, but it seemed that this did not include his romantic entanglements.

And in the end, that hurt.

Turning her eyes back to the game before her, it looked like there was another all play that seemed to be reminiscent of the game Hungry Hungry Hippos, as Piggy, Fozzie, and Janice tried to get as many grapes in their mouths as possible.

“Dang,” Janice huffed, looking down at the grapes in her hands. “I only got seven.”

“Me too,” Piggy said, looking between the two of them.

“Oh boy, Kermit!” Fozzie exclaimed, looking at his team mate. “I got so many grapes!”

“I know, it looked like…” the frog started before he stared at the bear. “Where are they?”

“What?”

“The grapes?” Kermit asked. “Where are the grapes you picked up?”

Fozzie opened his mouth, before realization sank in.

“You’re not supposed to eat the grapes!” Kermit exclaimed.

“Did we win?” Piggy asked, looking at the others.

“Well, it’s a tie,” Scooter began. “Do you guys both get the card? I don’t remember.”

“Hey Denise,” Gonzo called over to her. “Look up to see what happens if there’s a tie on level 2. I think there’s a specific rule about that.”

“I can get them back!” Fozzie insisted, immediately sticking his finger down his throat. Kermit, meanwhile, was doing his best to flip over the board that Gonzo had previously nailed down.

 

[WebMistressGina]

Never seen the episode this is supposedly based on... But I is still betting on Team SoCo. Hey, at least they still have one Level 1 card. Dunno if they move up to Level 2 as well, rully Denise, you should have just asked after finished explaining with an apologetic look his way. It'll have to do until after this game night, you should buy an English-Guineapig dictionary.

You've never seen It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia??

Admittedly, I wasn't sold on it when it first came out, but after catching episodes when my roommate was watching on Netflix, it's a really funny show and it's even funnier when you go back to the beginning to catch all the different characters and references.

For this, if Sunny isn't your cup of tea, you'd be fine just watching teh Chardee MacDennis episode; it's a bottle, so it only has the gang in the bar, with no other characters. The sequel to the episode brings in Andy, a 'Mattel' employee who plays along, which is where we get our three teams that feature in this story (the original episode only had two teams playing).

As you've probably read now, SoCo and Scientific Mayhem were still on Level 1, though for our entry into Level 3, one of those teams made it to Level 2.

I've always thought everyone pretty much could understand Beaker, kinda like the Skywalkers and Han can understand Chewie, despite never living on Kashyyk. It's kinda like how everyone seems to understand Camilla or the Penguins or even Swedish Chef.

As for you Gins... Yes, continue watching Muppet episodes from Pig Out if that's Episode 104. You do not want to miss the epicness that was and at the tavern and Rainbow Connection from 107, the latest act by and Joseph Gordon Levit's equal crazed gamesmanship for Muppet money in 109, and the warm fuzzies of the cast sing in 110.

No, I did hear the show got better right around Pig Out, so yes I'll just go back and watch the show again at some point. When I don't know, but yes at some point.

 

[The Count]

Meh, I don't have/know what number channel Comedy Central is on now and though Mom got Netflicks for the entire family I've yet to successfully access it to watch anything. Maybe somedays later.

Yeah, I had a hunch what kind of brownies you meant, the gross kind that make you all trippy and stuff.
Looks like is familiar with Mr. Pukey.
Sure, the Muppets can understand each other... To a certain degree. But outside people or characters might not always exactly understand what's being said.

So, what happens if the DA takes a spin of the Wheel of Fortune and land on "Bankrupt"? Do they go all the way back to Level 1?
And hey, Gonzo and Kermit should have penalized with a drink each back there. Nope, not playing, I'm with Rowlf, call me... The Score Keeper! *Maniacal cackle.

 

[WebMistressGina]

Meh, I don't have/know what number channel Comedy Central is on now and though Mom got Netflicks for the entire family I've yet to successfully access it to watch anything. Maybe somedays later.

It's on FX or FXX. For Netflix, are you just not able to log in? Or did she not create a profile for you?

Yeah, I had a hunch what kind of brownies you meant, the gross kind that make you all trippy and stuff.

You don't actually taste the...extra ingredient. Tastes like a normal brownie, which is dangerous cause...well...needless to say, I got the munchies once and ate another brownie, completely forgetting what was in the brownie. Hilarity ensued.

Looks like is familiar with Mr. Pukey.

I'd like to think this wasn't the first time that Fozzie accidentally ate the grapes during the Grape Gobble.

Sure, the Muppets can understand each other... To a certain degree. But outside people or characters might not always exactly understand what's being said.

Well, for some reason I was thinking of...I think it was an old school TMS where Beaker is saying something to Piggy and she told him that she hadn't when he did/said something because she didn't understand what he was saying.

But with that said, I was think at this point, the core group understood everyone, but as you said, people outside of the group wouldn't. It's like having an inside joke - those involved with it understand, those who weren't don't.

So, what happens if the DA takes a spin of the Wheel of Fortune and land on "Bankrupt"? Do they go all the way back to Level 1?

Technically Wheel of Fortune isn't a board game, but essentially, it is slightly touched on during the pre-game toast - the reason SoCo was able to reach Level 3 was because the DA were caught cheating; according to Chardee MacDennis, if the leading team/team that's ahead is caught cheating, the other team automatically jumps to that team's level.

So basically, SoCo had still been on Level 1, while DA was on Level 3; they discovered they hadn't been drinking alcohol and SoCo immediately advanced to Level 3 as DA was caught cheating.

And hey, Gonzo and Kermit should have penalized with a drink each back there. Nope, not playing, I'm with Rowlf, call me... The Score Keeper! *Maniacal cackle.

Really? Oh...you're correct on Kermit, as he asked if they were going to continue or discuss the game. THough I'm not sure on Gonzo...however, when I look back at it, DA should've taken a drink as Piggy asked if they had won.

Good eye there, Counters. You're getting the game!

 

[WebMistressGina]

And hey, Gonzo and Kermit should have penalized with a drink each back there. Nope, not playing, I'm with Rowlf, call me... The Score Keeper! *Maniacal cackle.

You know, in going back over gameplay, there are a number of places where they should've taken drinks and after looking at the episode again, the gang is very tight on both that and the swearing.

So I will make a mention of that, because Denise will make a point of it - reading them rules and all.