Introduction
It is a rather spooky night as thunder crashes down overhead, and rain pours down as a small group of sixteen characters gather before a dark, looming mansion. They shiver in the cold, dark air as they wonder what they are doing.
"I'm so...c-c-cold!" shivers Birdo. "When are we g-g-going to be l-l-let inside?"
"Hopefully sometime soon!" answers another voice, which sounds incredibly beautiful to Birdo. She shyly peaks through the crowd and sees him...the most handsome guy she has ever seen in her life. Yoshi turns slightly, and she quickly looks away and slips back into the crowd, hoping he hasn't noticed her staring at him.
"Let's-a go already!" cries Mario, impatiently.
"Gwa-ha-ha! MUD FIGHT!" roars Bowser's voice, and a wad of mud flies through the air and splatters all over Ganondorf.
"Yer gonna get it now!" howls Ganondorf, grabbing up a wad of mud with a smirk and hurling it back at Bowser.
A stray mud pie flies off course and splatters on Link, who wipes it off himself angrily.
"You morons! Watch where you're throwing that stuff!" he growls.
"Gee, whiz! Somebody's a grouch today!" grumbles Ganondorf, and Bowser splatters him good, as he is distracted.
Suddenly, the door creaks open, pouring light out onto the characters. They shield their eyes as a dark figure comes out, huge at first. As the figure approaches them, it seems to be much smaller.
"Who's there?" asks Captain Falcon, squinting.
"Just your Nintendo Big Brother host," replies a familiar voice, and Toad becomes visible to them all. "My, my! Everyone's here so early! But it makes no sense to stand out in the rain...please, come in, all of you."
The group shuffles in, and Toad closes the huge, forbidding doors behind them.
"Have a seat, make yourselves comfortable," says Toad, and quickly Bowser and Ganondorf fight for the biggest, softest chair. Mario sits down with Peach, who is staring across the room dreamily. Mario follows her look to Fox McCloud, who has made himself comfortable on the couch. Captain Falcon sits down beside Mario.
"Dude...what's she staring at?" he asks, confused.
"NOTHING," answers Mario, grabbing Peach's arm and making her wake up and smile innocently at Mario.
"Mind if I sit here?" Yoshi asks, and Fox waves his acceptance. Yoshi settles himself beside Fox, and Birdo quickly sits down beside Yoshi, holding her breath and looking away.
"Tee-hee...I hope you weren't saving this seat," she quickly says, and Yoshi shakes his head no.
Donkey Kong jumps up on the couch and claims it as his own, and Candy sits down next to him. They lean towards each other to kiss, but Wrinkley Kong's head suddenly pops up between them. Shocked, they quickly jump back, and she sits down between them.
"None of that now!" she scolds, making herself comfortable at DK and Candy's expense.
"Is this seat taken?" asks Link, to Captain Falcon, and he quickly shuffles over to make room. Link sits down, and Peach's eyes slowly turn past Mario onto Captain Falcon and Link.
Zelda settles down on the remaining couch, and Samus quickly sits down beside her, introducing herself. Krystal lazily plops down on the opposite side and stares around the room at the others, sizing them all up. Her eyes rest on Fox, and he smiles at her. She smiles back. Before she knows it, however, Impa plants herself in the seat beside her, staring straight ahead rigidly. Krystal turns, a bit nervously, and Impa makes a weird smile at her, using just the corners of her mouth. Krystal quickly stops smiling and turns back away, trying to forget that Impa is sitting next to her.
"Now that you're all seated," begins Toad, "I will explain the rules of the game. You are now all trapped in this house, and you may not leave at any time."
"Not even to go to the bathroom?" whines Bowser.
"Us civilized people tend to do that INSIDE, in the BATHROOM," grumbles Mario.
"What an idiot," chuckles Link.
"HEY, SHUTTUP!" snarls Bowser, extending a large claw menacingly. "I'll wring your stinky little neck if you dare insult-"
"AS I WAS SAYING-" continues Toad, drowning out everyone else. "You may not leave the house. At all. For the next thirty days, you will stay in this building and live with one another."
"Thirty days, with all of us?" asks Captain Falcon, surprised. "Won't it be a bit crowded around here?"
"Ah, but I have not finished yet," replies Toad. "Every other day, starting tomorrow, there will be a challenge of some sort. You will all compete in these challenges and the one who wins the challenge will be named Head of the House Hold. On the day following the challenge, you will all meet in this parlor to choose one member of the house who must leave."
"We have to pick someone ourselves?" asks Zelda, uneasily.
"The Head of the House Hold will nominate two players and give their reasons very openly as to why they choose these two people for nomination."
"Can the Head of the House nominate themselves?" sneers Bowser, stupidly.
"No," replies Toad, flatly, "and after the Head of the House Hold has nominated the two, the voting process begins. One by one, you will all shuffle into the Camera Room, located just through those doors..."
He gestures at a pair of ornate wooden doors, standing rather eerily alone along the wall.
"...and cast your vote for one of the two nominees. You will vote for the person you wish for to leave, not the person you wish to keep. When everyone, including the nominees and the Head of House have voted, the votes will be tallied and revealed; whomever obtains the most votes will be EVICTED from the house, meaning they must leave, and their game ends there. They may not return or linger in the house-they must leave immediately, and their game is over."
"That's harsh," mumbles DK.
"In the event of a tie," says Toad, "there will be a revote. If the votes remain deadlocked, then the Head of House will cast the only vote, deciding who leaves. Once the evicted player has left, they are no longer a part of the game, and the Head of House Hold will remain Head of House Hold until the start of the challenge on the next day. Then, the process restarts itself."
"Wait a minute, we have to play the whole game right here in this room?" gapes Mario, looking around.
"You will have minimal access to the house at first," answers Toad. "This room, the kitchen, and the bathroom. However, you will slowly expand your total living space as the days go by. Every two days you survive in this house, you will receive access to one new room. If I am feeling especially generous...perhaps two."
"What about food and supplies?" asks Link.
"You will be equipped every four days with a fresh load of food and supplies, and you should always have more than enough of everything to last until the next shipment arrives. These are the only rules-the rules of the house, if you will. Learn them, memorize them, and keep them, if you wish to stay in the game until the end and win the million dollars. Oh, and keep in mind that no matter where you go or what you do...we'll be watching you..."
Toad turns and begins walking for the door.
"Wait! When's this thing begin?" gulps Krystal, jumping up.
Toad turns slowly, with a smirk on his face, as he grabs the door handle and turns it. The heavy front door opens to the black night.
"Right now."
The door closes behind him, and the first day of Nintendo Big Brother, inside Luigi's Mansion, has begun.
