Slackbot's text sketchbook

[The Count]

Wery sneaky of you. *Chuckles with the sound effects mention. Still, I likes this interlude, please post when you get inspired.

 

[charlietheowl]

Awww! Very cute, thanks for posting!

 

[Misskermie]

Aw, Wembley! Heh heh...

 

[Slackbot]

...And now you know how Janken got his schnoz.

 

[Twisted Tails]

...And now you know how Janken got his schnoz.

Uh... I forgot what a schnoz is?

 

[charlietheowl]

Schnoz means nose.

 

[Twisted Tails]

...And now you know how Janken got his schnoz.

Oh yeah, his nose does look kind of similar to Wembley's. (laughs softly!)

 

[Slackbot]

Yup. If Boober had run his own errands that day, Janken might have looked very different.

I'm writing another story which I hope to post in the next few days. It involves domesticity, secrecy, and jewelry.

 

[Slackbot]

Here's another shortie. It takes place sometime after Brothers and Sisters, and continues a thread from Masks and Growing Together.

*****

Ring of Truth​

by Kim McFarland​

*****

It was a lazy Tuesday morning. Fridays through Sundays, the Muppets put on their shows at the theater, and on Mondays they filmed the backstage segments and any other footage that would be needed for the corresponding television episodes. Tuesdays through Thursdays were for rehearsal, costume and scenery work, and damage control. Unless Scooter was cast in a skit and thus needed for rehearsals, he took a day or two off.

He was still lying in his pajamas on the couch that served as a bed. He usually stayed here, in Janken's apartment, on non-show nights. He had been iffy about that at first, but Janken had gently persuaded him to take time off from his work on the show, which always bled over into the boarding house. Scooter had agreed, reluctantly at first, but now he enjoyed the break. The troupe could function without him for a few days, knowing that if the travel plans for the guest star glitched he was only a phone call away. Of course, he stayed at the boarding house on show nights—and, more often than not, so did Janken. It was an arrangement that suited them both.

It might have suited them a little better if Janken was not such an early riser, Scooter thought. The Fraggle popped out of bed at the crack of dawn. Literally; sunlight woke him up. This wasn't a problem in winter, but during summer it could be downright exasperating. At least he had quickly learned to let Scooter sleep in. Or, as he was doing today, awaken him with something pleasant, like the smell of coffee and breakfast.

Scooter sat up and stretched. Janken, hearing the movement, looked over and smiled. He was still in his pajamas. Scooter got up and went to the bathroom, where he brushed him teeth and otherwise prepared himself for the rigors of consciousness. Then he returned to the living room, which was the only other room of the basement apartment. Janken was turning a vegetable and mushroom omelet out of an electric wok onto a plate.

Sitting on the couch again, this time in its capacity as a couch, Scooter said, "Good timing."

Janken handed him a cup of coffee. "You trained me well."

Scooter sipped the drink. It had just the right amount of cream and sugar. Janken couldn't stand coffee; he was a tea drinker. Thank heavens for instant coffee. He supposed that one could say that he had trained Janken to wake him up with coffee and breakfast, or one could say that Janken had trained him to wake up without complaint at the smell of food and caffeine. Whichever it was, it worked.

Janken divided the omelet, set out some biscuits, and served two bowls of fruit salad with yogurt and granola. To Scooter, who had been acclimated to cereal and waffles and bacon, this had originally seemed weird, but once he got used to it, it was really good. One thing you could say about Fraggles; even though they were vegetarians they ate well. Afterward Scooter washed the dishes. That was the usual division of labor, as Janken enjoyed cooking and, if it was left to Scooter, they would have been eating a lot of PBJ sandwiches.

They hadn't discussed that; it had just happened. A lot of things just worked themselves out these days. They knew each other that well, and if there were any sticky points, they were comfortable talking about them, so tension didn't build.

Janken said, "Do you have anything planned today?"

"No. How about you?"

"Just the usual." When Janken had time on his hands he did volunteer work for the TMI. That organization had helped him adjust to life on the surface after he had gotten trapped out here by a rockslide, and he had remained good friends with the staff of this city's office. So he often went in and helped them out, sometimes by working with some of the Monsters they were assisting, sometimes by doing office work or just answering the phones. It was, he felt, a way to give back to those who had helped him in his time of need, not because he felt he owed them, but because they were his friends, and friends helped each other.

Scooter said, "I was thinking, maybe we could get rings."

"Rings?" From the way Scooter said that, it had been on his mind for a while. Janken sat next to him.

"Yeah. People who are couples often wear rings," Scooter explained.

"Wedding rings," Janken said uncomfortably. The idea of pairing off with someone was fine, but Janken found the social and legal structure surrounding marriage appalling. Love was too personal a thing to be treated like a contract.

Scooter said, "I know Fraggles don't marry. Don't worry. I just thought, well, I'd like to wear a ring, and I'd like to give you one too."

Janken asked, "What would it mean?"

"Just that I love you."

Janken looked at his hand. After a long moment he looked back up at Scooter and said with a smile, "Yes, I'll wear a ring that means I love you."

Scooter grinned and hugged Janken. "Great!"

Janken laughed a little. Then he asked, "What kind of ring?"

"Men's rings are usually pretty simple. I was thinking a band of some kind. Couples usually get matching rings."

"I like simple. I don't think I could manage rocks like Miss Piggy and Dr. Teeth wear."

"I don't know how Teeth pulls his sleeves over those things."

Janken picked Scooter's tablet up from the coffee table and turned it on. Scooter said, "Hmm?"

Janken said, "I don't know much about rings. I'd like to see what they look like."

"Oh, sure."

"Um, if it turns out that I can't wear it on my hand, could I wear it around my neck?"

"Wouldn't that be kind of a pinch?"

Janken nudged him with an elbow. "I mean, on a chain or something."

"Sure, that'd be fine. I wouldn't want it to be uncomfortable."

"Thanks." The browser was now up. Janken asked, "Is there a site I should go to?"

"Just Google around."

Janken did, and selected a likely looking link. A few more clicks brought them to a long page of men's rings. They came in a wide variety, from simple, unadorned bands to glittery gauds. Scooter let Janken scroll around for a while, looking at the styles.

Janken turned to Scooter. "I don't know what I like. I don't know what it'll look and feel like on my hand."

"We'll buy from a place in town, not online. We can try 'em on," Scooter assured him. "I like the simple ones, myself." He pointed to several bands that were either plain or had simple engraved designs.

"Yeah," Janken nodded. Then he said, "Um, if we buy them from a store here, someone might see us."

"Yeah, and someone's sure to notice if we start wearing matching rings during the show."

They both knew from their time spent on several Muppet message boards that fans were notorious about noticing little details like that. Janken said, "We won't wear 'em on camera, right?"

"I'll keep mine on."

"Then I should take mine off?" Janken asked, puzzled.

Scooter said quietly, "I mean, let 'em notice. And if they put two and two together, well, okay."

"You want people to find out we're gay?" Janken had never been self-conscious about that—among Fraggles, sexual orientation was no big deal—but Scooter had wanted to keep it a secret. So, in public and on camera they were just friends. Outside of Fraggle Rock, only the other Muppets and Scooter's sister Skeeter knew the truth. Janken hadn't expected Scooter ever to drop the mask.

Scooter explained, "Well... I just don't feel the way I used to about it. Even with everybody telling me I'm okay, there's nothing wrong with me, still, it's hard letting go of that baggage. If I'd known someone else like me who was like me—does that make sense?" Janken nodded encouragingly "If I'd known, maybe I wouldn't have felt so weird, been afraid of what I am. Now, well, I feel silly about that."

Janken put an arm around Scooter. "You shouldn't," he said.

"I guess it boils down to, I don't want to hide any more. I don't want to pretend. I don't want to make a big deal about it either, though, because it isn't. This way, I can let 'em figure it out for themselves without making a production out of it, 'hey, look at me, I'm gay,' ugh. If word gets out, well, let it. And maybe there's someone else out there who feels like I used to, and maybe it'll help 'em to know there someone else out there like them."

"Yeah."

"Boy, did that need a script editor," Scooter stage whispered. Then he said, "But this isn't about getting noticed, Jan. I love you, and I want to wear a ring that means that. That's all. Um…what do you think about this? Letting people figure it out?"

Janken smiled and took his hand. "Scooter, I'd wear your ring even if I had to pierce my tail to do it."

Several minutes later the conversation switched back to verbal mode. Scooter said, "Want to go to shopping today?"

"Why wait?" Janken answered.

*****

Scooter is copyright © The Muppets Studio, LLC, and is used without permission but with much respect and affection. Janken and the overall story are copyright © Kim McFarland (negaduck9@aol.com). Permission is given by the author to copy it for personal use only.

 

[charlietheowl]

Awww! I really like how Scooter is ready to put himself out there without worrying too much about whatever whispers may result. It's a lot like Janken volunteering with the TMI; doing little things to help out people who are going through the same things.