Slackbot draws stuff

[charlietheowl]

Marooned is incredible. I was shocked the first time I watched it about how matter of fact they were about death, especially when they actually talk about how they're running out of air. Wow!

The genuine air of the show is what I think makes the show so good. The writers weren't afraid to tackle big topics (death, racism, the environment, jealousy, saying goodbye) and they didn't talk down to their audience. Things were handled in an intelligent manner, with enough humor to keep everything from getting too heavy-handed. Hopefully when I finally finish my fraggle fic, I'll be able to keep that balance between sentiment and humor. (I tried outlining/planning one and wrote like two and a half chapters but upon further review it was way too maudlin and was threatening to spiral out of control. I've hacked away a lot of excess and now I hopefully have a leaner, lighter, and better story to tackle.)

 

[Slackbot]

Today I saw Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at the Center for Puppetry Arts. And since I got there early I spent some quality time in the Museum. After the most uncomfortable half-hour sitting on the floor, getting a crick in my neck from looking up, I had this...

Captive Skeksis: The Garthim Master, drawn quickly with a two-sided Sharpie. The room was very dimly-lit, which made it hard to see the detail on the puppet and also to see what I was drawing! That forced me to do a very loose sketch, but then sometimes I need to loosen up.

Oh, and another Fraggle pic...

Get Back! Wembley doesn't have enough respect for germs, and he will pay the price.

 

[charlietheowl]

AAAHHHH they're so cute in their winter clothes! Looks like Boober's about to launch into his spiel about how germs are the absolute worst things in the world from Pebble Pox Blues.

 

[Slackbot]

Hee hee. More winter clothes are coming up. Hmm, I wonder what Sidebottom wears when he has to bundle up?

Boober doesn't actually start lecturing Wembley about germs. One, he learned from the time Wembley got the pebble pox and doesn't make a practice of freaking out his patients by talking about how terrible disease is, and two, Wembley's been exposed by the time he touches Janken, so the damage is done and there's no point in fussing at him about it.

 

[charlietheowl]

That makes sense. I guess Boober's improved his bedside manner since his younger days. He wouldn't make a very good doctor if he manages to convince all his patients that they have the worst case of pebble box ever like he did to poor Wembley. After all, half the battle of getting better is the attitude part.

 

[Slackbot]

Yep. PPB was a second-season episode, and you can see that by the end of the series he was much more pragmatic about things. He even took pride in being "Doctor Boober Fraggle." This story takes place some years after that.

Hmm. He's the launderer, cook, and doctor of Fraggle Rock. He deserves some serious appreciation, because without him they'd be hungry, dirty, and unhealthy.

 

[charlietheowl]

Totally agree. Boober is my personal favorite fraggle. He gets the funniest lines in the show by far, plus underneath that anxious, uptight exterior lies a heart of gold. He helps Red handle her fears in the cave-in, saves the doozers from the glob, not to mention saves the entire rock from destruction with his returning of the postcards. And he willingly does all the work that isn't as exciting to the rest of the fraggles.

My favorite line of his is in Red's Club, where he seconds Mokey's idea of the helping club because "it would be perfect for those of us in constant need".

 

[Slackbot]

*chuckles* Boober may be a drudge, but he enjoys it. He actively takes pleasure in scrubbing and cooking and aiding the sick, so more power to him. And with Sidebottom to pull him back when he starts getting too boring even for himself, he's stable.

I've noticed that Boober is rarely brave on his own behalf, but he can be brave for someone else. If Boober was alone in Marooned, he probably would have used up all the air in that little pocket in a massive freak-out, if he didn't bring the rocks down on himself first. He cowered and ran away from the pink Doozer-eating blob, but to save Cotterpin he could go up to it and tell it jokes, and even touch the globular monstrosity. He may be needy, but the needs of others bring out the best in him.

 

[charlietheowl]

I never thought of that with Boober, but it makes a lot of sense. Perhaps the "fight-or-flight" idea kicks in for him, and he doesn't have the time to really focus on his anxieties when someone else is in danger. He'd prefer to hide under a rock, but his loyalty to his friends kicks in and he saves the day.

 

[Slackbot]

Oh, Boober. You are fun to draw.

Leaf Basket - Ever have a drawing for which you just couldn't come up with a title? No? Er... me neither.

Statuesque Sidebottom - I loves me some Sidebottom. After I drew the Skeksis a few posts back I had some more time to kill, so I drew this. I have no idea why he's posed like this. I painted it up in my usual style rather than the cel-shading I've been using 'cause I wanted to make sure I didn't forget how to do all the fussy, wrist-crampy painting.