Meeting at Schotsky's

[Twisted Tails]

This is great, Gina! Post more soon so I don't get someone to force you to get more chapters.

 

[newsmanfan]

------------
Geez you write fast. Playing catchup already...

I like the interactions between the new friends. Gonzo WAS a bit of a letch early on (I especially love the "cluckitis" ep, where he starts chummily rubbing...everyone) and it's funny to see Piggy already having to fend him off. Also, I like the subtle hints that Kermit is already attracted to Piggy -- and his friends probably realize it before he does. That seems very right.

Your dialogue is well-done; I laughed at the bits between Piggy and Gonzo re: finding out just how weird he was -- and playing in traffic. Also the "please let's not have a repeat of breakfast" is wonderfully evocative of some chaos not shown.

Hmm. Are the irritated newsies Ron Burgundy and his cronies?

Just FYI...Kermit couldn't be filming "Sesame Street" in LA. The show is not only set in, but has always been filmed in, NYC. One could argue him taping things in LA to be sent to production in NY, but since many of his skits involved other Muppets on the show that seems like a lot of travel expenses for a kids' show just starting out... Oh, and Arkansas IS considered "southern". (They were pro-slave.)

You're right, though. West Palm Beach is not Southern, nor is it FL...it's a snobby enclave of rich ex-Yankees.

Enjoying your story. I fully expect a rumble between the journalists and the Muppets at the Special Table, though...
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[The Count]

Things I liked...
Rowlf noting flirtaceous and indifferent ascribing the qualities to and .

“There’s so many places I want to be asked to leave and Schotsky’s is not one of them.”

Look, I even had them remove the bottle cap for

Can't find it, but I know you threw out a quip of "what's wrong with you Gonzo?"
D'ya want the short list? Or in alphabetical order?

 

[WebMistressGina]

------------
Geez you write fast. Playing catchup already...

When on a roll, man, you gotta take it with butter. Oh god...I'm starting to sound like Gonzo...

Starting to?

Listen...you...it's after three in the morning and I'm not even sure if I've slept or not so you...shut up. Yeah.

I like the interactions between the new friends. Gonzo WAS a bit of a letch early on (I especially love the "cluckitis" ep, where he starts chummily rubbing...everyone) and it's funny to see Piggy already having to fend him off. Also, I like the subtle hints that Kermit is already attracted to Piggy -- and his friends probably realize it before he does. That seems very right.

I really do like the idea of him being attracted to and having feelings for Piggy, but I think overall he does things to get a rise out of her. Actually, I think he does and says things just to see the reactions and Piggy really does give him some gems.

While doing this, the idea of reimagining a story idea into the build up to Piggy's leave popped into my mind and I thought it was such a good Gonzo and Piggy moment, I may actually have to write it up.

Your dialogue is well-done; I laughed at the bits between Piggy and Gonzo re: finding out just how weird he was -- and playing in traffic. Also the "please let's not have a repeat of breakfast" is wonderfully evocative of some chaos not shown.

I had actually was supposed to use another line, but I think it's early enough that I can still use it. I just love the two of them together.

Hmm. Are the irritated newsies Ron Burgundy and his cronies?

I won't lie - the idea of a newsie show down with the Muppets ala Anchorman did pop into my head for a moment. It may makes it's way in, but only the aftermath I think cause...that would be funnier.

Just FYI...Kermit couldn't be filming "Sesame Street" in LA. The show is not only set in, but has always been filmed in, NYC. One could argue him taping things in LA to be sent to production in NY, but since many of his skits involved other Muppets on the show that seems like a lot of travel expenses for a kids' show just starting out... Oh, and Arkansas IS considered "southern". (They were pro-slave.)

See, I knew NYC would come biting me in the ***. I...think I can work around this. How? I don't know, but I can work something out.

I think I know Ar-Kansas is southern, but I don't think Piggy and Gonzo know. Or maybe Piggy does, but admitting that would be admitting that Gonzo would be in the running for a southern gentleman and I think we know how well that would end.

You're right, though. West Palm Beach is not Southern, nor is it FL...it's a snobby enclave of rich ex-Yankees.

Enjoying your story. I fully expect a rumble between the journalists and the Muppets at the Special Table, though...
-----------

Actually, I thought area rather ghetto myself. But the ocean was pretty. Newsie rumble...okay, you talked me into it. It can be arranged.

Can't find it, but I know you threw out a quip of "what's wrong with you Gonzo?"
D'ya want the short list? Or in alphabetical order?

I did; it's towards the end of chapter 3 when our fab four go to dinner. Gonzo tells Piggy that he likes his women beautiful and dangerous, to which she asks what was wrong with him. Which is when he replies that they could figure it out together if she so chose (she didn't).

EDIT - So I made to mention that no one seems to have caught the rivarly between Fozzie and Piggy. Call it a shameless plug, but no worries. The two become friends, even if they have to share Kermit.

 

[WebMistressGina]

Hi ho MC! So sorry for the lateness of this. I actually had the idea and wanted to take a break, but tonight (or this morning) I said, hey. Break over. Here is the first part of chapter 5 and right off, it's different from the other chapters.

Why?

Cause this one starts in the past...

Chapter V – It’s Time to Play the Music​

​

The Past

Rowlf, Fozzie, and Gonzo were already at Schotsky’s by the time Kermit and Miss Piggy made their entrance. Their froggy friend had just come back from another trip to New York in order to film his Sesame Street segments and the trio hadn’t seen Piggy during that time either.

Rowlf thought it funny – and interesting – that while the group hadn’t known each other long but they were already hanging out and acting as though they had known each other for their whole lives. Fozzie, Gonzo, and Kermit got on like gangbusters, though Kermit may have complained that the two were a lot zanier than he was; Rowlf of course had gotten along with everyone, his laid back and calmer personality was such a departure from the character part he had played on Jimmy Dean.

Rowlf found it easy to handle Fozzie’s usual miss of humor, while handling Gonzo’s more outrageous ideas was taking a bit of time to get used to; the brown dog actually found that he enjoyed Piggy’s company the most.

While she was definitely a diva and starlet in the making, there also seemed to be a vulnerability about her that just drew out his protective side; he felt the same way about Fozzie, but Piggy had a bit more street smarts than the bear. She was also a very eager music student – the few times that he had made his way to the piano in the bar, she had been right there, wanting to know what pieces he was playing.

That usually warmed Rowlf’s heart to anyone. And the fact that she was easy on the eyes made spending time with her all the better.

He knew Gonzo felt the same way, though he wasn’t sure if the weirdo was just playing a game with both the pig and frog or if he actively had feelings for her. Time would have to tell on that one. The rivalry that seemed to crop up between Fozzie and Piggy dissipated, or at least they weren’t doing it so noticeably in front of the frog anymore.

And then there was Kermit and Piggy.

Rowlf didn’t think he had ever seen a girl try so hard to be noticed by a guy, nor had he even seen someone as dense as to not notice he was being noticed than those two. To say Piggy had a crush on the frog would have been like stating that the Earth was round – not rocket science – however, Kermit’s actions felt like a rubber band at times. Some days he’d ignore the pig flat out and then there’d be times, like this, where he’d place his hand on her back to lead her, pull out her chair, etc.

Rowlf would have to keep an eye on that.

“Hey Kermit!” Fozzie exclaimed, his face lightning up at the sight of his best frog friend.

“Hi ho, Fozzie,” Kermit replied, pulling out a chair for Piggy before taking a seat himself. “Hey guys.”

Leaning over to Piggy, who had sat next to him, Rowlf whispered, “Where’ve you been?”

“Not here,” came her saucy response.

“Obviously,” the dog smirked. “Have a good trip?”

“No idea what you mean, Rowlfie.”

“Sure,” he nodded. To Kermit, “Hey Kermit, help me out with some drinks, right?”

“Sure Rowlf.”

The two friends headed up to their customary places at the bar, waiting for the bartender to notice them, which was the perfect time for Rowlf to ask the question he wanted to. “So,” he started. “You and Piggy headed up to New York, huh?”

“I headed up to New York,” the frog groused. “She just happened to be there when I got there.”

“Really.”

“Yes really,” Kermit huffed. “I know what you’re thinking. You think there’s something going on between us and well, I’m going to set you straight because there isn’t. I don’t even like her.”

“I like her,” Rowlf asked.

“Why?”

“She’s got spunk,” the dog replied, chuckling as he did. “I like spunk. She’s a girl who knows what she wants and she does what she can to go and get it. She’s independent, intelligent, beautiful…”

“Demanding,” Kermit added. “Grandstanding, clingy…” Throwing a look over his shoulder, Kermit noticed that Gonzo had quickly taken over the chair that Rowlf had vacated and was trying his best to talk to the pig. “Gonzo certainly likes her.”

“Gonzo likes anything in a skirt,” Rowlf laughed. The brown dog had noticed that right off the bat; Gonzo was definitely a lover of the ladies, regardless of size or species. “Heck, I’m sure he likes anything out of a skirt. C’mon Kermit, honestly; you don’t really dislike her, do you?”

“Who? Piggy?”

“Yeah.”

Kermit grimaced before sighing, causing the bartender – Eddie tonight – to look at him strangely when he dropped of their drinks. “She’s alright,” he muttered.

“Good,” Rowlf replied, nodding his thanks to Eddie. “Cause she really likes you.”

“I don’t know why,” Kermit grumbled. “We have nothing in common; she and Gonzo would make a better couple.”

The two turned to head back to their table, drinks in hand, when they saw Piggy pick up her complimentary water and throw it in Gonzo’s face, leaving him a soggy mess.

“Oh yeah,” Rowlf nodded. “They’d make a great couple, assuming they didn’t kill each other first.” Walking up, Gonzo relinquished the dog’s seat as he put drinks down on the table. “Problems, kids?”

“Just a simple misunderstanding,” Piggy replied, airily. “Gonzo wanted his hand on my leg and I didn’t.”

“I was thirsty anyway,” the weirdo said, wiping his face with his napkin.

“Can’t you control your libido for five minutes?” Kermit chastised.

“No actually,” Gonzo retorted. “I can’t, especially not with blonde, busty, and beautiful at the table.”

“Only you could take a compliment and it dirty,” the pig glowered.

“I do, but try.”

Topic of conversation had of course turned to what the frog and pig had done in New York. Piggy played it off as a vacation that just happened to include Kermit, which the frog vehemently denied; when talk turned to his work on Sesame Street, the underlining annoyances came out once more, though Rowlf noted they seemed to be even stronger than before.

It certainly wasn’t that Kermit didn’t love kids; he did! He certainly had enough nieces and nephews that he just adored, though one name kept popping up more and more lately. Even Kermit couldn’t pinpoint what it was exactly; maybe that he was in front of the screen and not behind like he’d been wanting to do for a while; maybe it was that, while Sesame Street was a great program for kids and Kermit would state that until his dying day, he wanted to be doing something else.

That’s when Rowlf asked a question he had done earlier. “So again, I ask you, Kermit,” he began. “What do you want to do? Create your own show?”

“Yes!” the frog exclaimed. “Yes, okay, Rowlf? Why not?” He was quiet for a moment, just staring at his bottle. Why not? The first time Rowlf had asked him the question, Kermit didn’t have a ready answer. Truthfully, the question frightened him a bit. What did he know about creating a show? And what kind of show would it even be anyway? After all his grousing and groaning about the lack of children’s educational shows on television, here he was turning his back on the very thing he had a hand in starting.

While he was extremely happy with Sesame Street, that was great for the little kids in the audience, but what about the bigger kids? What did they have? Wasn’t he always hearing his little nephew Robin complain that he wanted to watch a big kid show, but there were none for him to watch. Why couldn’t Kermit do that?

Why not?

“Why not?” Kermit whispered, more to himself than anything, but the others none the less picked it up.

“What?”

Looking up, Kermit repeated, “Why not?”

“Why not what, Kermit?” Piggy asked.

“Why couldn’t we create our own show?” he asked.

“What?” Gonzo countered. “Just the five of us?”

“Well, no,” Kermit said. “Not just the five of us, but…well, why not just the five of us? Why couldn’t we start our own show?” The others were quite frankly stunned and couldn’t bring themselves to even remotely come up with any arguments. “What’s to stop us?”

“Uh,” Rowlf began. “Executives, money, directors, money…”

“Look,” the frog began, a very serious look in his eyes and voice. “We all came out to Hollywood for a reason and that reason, I hope, was to make people happy. Well, we’re here, so why aren’t we making people happy?”

“Kermit, you are making people happy,” Fozzie insisted.

“I know, Fozzie,” the frog conceded. “But that’s just kids and even that is a small portion of kids. There’s still so many people out there. Why can’t we make them happy too?”

The group let those words wash over them. The frog made some pretty good points; why were they in Hollywood if they weren’t planning on doing what they came to do? Currently, only Kermit seemed to be achieving that dream and he wasn’t content to just dream small either.

“But Kermit,” Fozzie asked, tentatively. “What would we do a show about?”

“It could be about anything, Fozzie,” he said. Turning to the bear, he continued with, “Aren’t you always telling me how much you hate performing at El Sleezo’s? And that you wished you had a bigger audience?” Turning to Piggy, he aksed, “You want to be a star, don’t you? What better way than to have millions of people know who you are? Rowlf, didn’t you say you missed playing? And that the dive bars weren’t doing it for you? And Gonzo…you’re a lunatic.” The weirdo couldn’t help but make a strained laugh at that.

“But no one is going to let you be a lunatic except for me.”

“You really mean that, Kermit?” Gonzo asked. No one, not even his clients, really ever truly let him do what he wanted to do and here was this frog that he had crashed into offering him his art on a silver platter, if he wanted it.

“Yeah Gonzo,” Kermit replied, honestly. “I really do.” Looking around at the table, he whispered, “Guys, we could do whatever we wanted. So what’s stopping us? Why not?”

The quartet looked at one another. The idea was probably crazy and they would certainly need to find a way to do it, but something about what Kermit had said and how he had said it just, well, inspired them. “Okay Frog,” Rowlf nodded, placing his beer bottle in the middle of the table. “You haven’t steered me wrong yet. I’m in.”

“Me too,” Gonzo replied eagerly, following Rowlf’s example and pushing his bottle to the center.

“Fozzie? Piggy?”

The bear and pig looked at the frog before looking at each other. If there had been any hope of getting rid of the other for Kermit’s affection, that would be over. They were looking at the prospect of sharing the frog on a weekly, maybe even daily schedule. But they were loyal, to Kermit, and to their crazy dream that had brought them to Hollywood in the first place.

As one, both pushed their bottles to reside with the first two. “We’re in,” Piggy stated, watching as the frog smiled and pushed his bottle out to complete the circle.

“We’re all in, Kermit,” Fozzie grinned.

“Yes we are.”

 

[Twisted Tails]

Hi ho MC! So sorry for the lateness of this. I actually had the idea and wanted to take a break, but tonight (or this morning) I said, hey. Break over. Here is the first part of chapter 5 and right off, it's different from the other chapters.

Why?

Cause this one starts in the past...

Chapter V – It’s Time to Play the Music​

​

The Past

Rowlf, Fozzie, and Gonzo were already at Schotsky’s by the time Kermit and Miss Piggy made their entrance. Their froggy friend had just come back from another trip to New York in order to film his Sesame Street segments and the trio hadn’t seen Piggy during that time either.

Rowlf thought it funny – and interesting – that while the group hadn’t known each other long but they were already hanging out and acting as though they had known each other for their whole lives. Fozzie, Gonzo, and Kermit got on like gangbusters, though Kermit may have complained that the two were a lot zanier than he was; Rowlf of course had gotten along with everyone, his laid back and calmer personality was such a departure from the character part he had played on Jimmy Dean.

Rowlf found it easy to handle Fozzie’s usual miss of humor, while handling Gonzo’s more outrageous ideas was taking a bit of time to get used to; the brown dog actually found that he enjoyed Piggy’s company the most.

While she was definitely a diva and starlet in the making, there also seemed to be a vulnerability about her that just drew out his protective side; he felt the same way about Fozzie, but Piggy had a bit more street smarts than the bear. She was also a very eager music student – the few times that he had made his way to the piano in the bar, she had been right there, wanting to know what pieces he was playing.

That usually warmed Rowlf’s heart to anyone. And the fact that she was easy on the eyes made spending time with her all the better.

He knew Gonzo felt the same way, though he wasn’t sure if the weirdo was just playing a game with both the pig and frog or if he actively had feelings for her. Time would have to tell on that one. The rivalry that seemed to crop up between Fozzie and Piggy dissipated, or at least they weren’t doing it so noticeably in front of the frog anymore.

And then there was Kermit and Piggy.

Rowlf didn’t think he had ever seen a girl try so hard to be noticed by a guy, nor had he even seen someone as dense as to not notice he was being noticed than those two. To say Piggy had a crush on the frog would have been like stating that the Earth was round – not rocket science – however, Kermit’s actions felt like a rubber band at times. Some days he’d ignore the pig flat out and then there’d be times, like this, where he’d place his hand on her back to lead her, pull out her chair, etc.

Rowlf would have to keep an eye on that.

“Hey Kermit!” Fozzie exclaimed, his face lightning up at the sight of his best frog friend.

“Hi ho, Fozzie,” Kermit replied, pulling out a chair for Piggy before taking a seat himself. “Hey guys.”

Leaning over to Piggy, who had sat next to him, Rowlf whispered, “Where’ve you been?”

“Not here,” came her saucy response.

“Obviously,” the dog smirked. “Have a good trip?”

“No idea what you mean, Rowlfie.”

“Sure,” he nodded. To Kermit, “Hey Kermit, help me out with some drinks, right?”

“Sure Rowlf.”

The two friends headed up to their customary places at the bar, waiting for the bartender to notice them, which was the perfect time for Rowlf to ask the question he wanted to. “So,” he started. “You and Piggy headed up to New York, huh?”

“I headed up to New York,” the frog groused. “She just happened to be there when I got there.”

“Really.”

“Yes really,” Kermit huffed. “I know what you’re thinking. You think there’s something going on between us and well, I’m going to set you straight because there isn’t. I don’t even like her.”

“I like her,” Rowlf asked.

“Why?”

“She’s got spunk,” the dog replied, chuckling as he did. “I like spunk. She’s a girl who knows what she wants and she does what she can to go and get it. She’s independent, intelligent, beautiful…”

“Demanding,” Kermit added. “Grandstanding, clingy…” Throwing a look over his shoulder, Kermit noticed that Gonzo had quickly taken over the chair that Rowlf had vacated and was trying his best to talk to the pig. “Gonzo certainly likes her.”

“Gonzo likes anything in a skirt,” Rowlf laughed. The brown dog had noticed that right off the bat; Gonzo was definitely a lover of the ladies, regardless of size or species. “Heck, I’m sure he likes anything out of a skirt. C’mon Kermit, honestly; you don’t really dislike her, do you?”

“Who? Piggy?”

“Yeah.”

Kermit grimaced before sighing, causing the bartender – Eddie tonight – to look at him strangely when he dropped of their drinks. “She’s alright,” he muttered.

“Good,” Rowlf replied, nodding his thanks to Eddie. “Cause she really likes you.”

“I don’t know why,” Kermit grumbled. “We have nothing in common; she and Gonzo would make a better couple.”

The two turned to head back to their table, drinks in hand, when they saw Piggy pick up her complimentary water and throw it in Gonzo’s face, leaving him a soggy mess.

“Oh yeah,” Rowlf nodded. “They’d make a great couple, assuming they didn’t kill each other first.” Walking up, Gonzo relinquished the dog’s seat as he put drinks down on the table. “Problems, kids?”

“Just a simple misunderstanding,” Piggy replied, airily. “Gonzo wanted his hand on my leg and I didn’t.”

“I was thirsty anyway,” the weirdo said, wiping his face with his napkin.

“Can’t you control your libido for five minutes?” Kermit chastised.

“No actually,” Gonzo retorted. “I can’t, especially not with blonde, busty, and beautiful at the table.”

“Only you could take a compliment and it dirty,” the pig glowered.

“I do, but try.”

Topic of conversation had of course turned to what the frog and pig had done in New York. Piggy played it off as a vacation that just happened to include Kermit, which the frog vehemently denied; when talk turned to his work on Sesame Street, the underlining annoyances came out once more, though Rowlf noted they seemed to be even stronger than before.

It certainly wasn’t that Kermit didn’t love kids; he did! He certainly had enough nieces and nephews that he just adored, though one name kept popping up more and more lately. Even Kermit couldn’t pinpoint what it was exactly; maybe that he was in front of the screen and not behind like he’d been wanting to do for a while; maybe it was that, while Sesame Street was a great program for kids and Kermit would state that until his dying day, he wanted to be doing something else.

That’s when Rowlf asked a question he had done earlier. “So again, I ask you, Kermit,” he began. “What do you want to do? Create your own show?”

“Yes!” the frog exclaimed. “Yes, okay, Rowlf? Why not?” He was quiet for a moment, just staring at his bottle. Why not? The first time Rowlf had asked him the question, Kermit didn’t have a ready answer. Truthfully, the question frightened him a bit. What did he know about creating a show? And what kind of show would it even be anyway? After all his grousing and groaning about the lack of children’s educational shows on television, here he was turning his back on the very thing he had a hand in starting.

While he was extremely happy with Sesame Street, that was great for the little kids in the audience, but what about the bigger kids? What did they have? Wasn’t he always hearing his little nephew Robin complain that he wanted to watch a big kid show, but there were none for him to watch. Why couldn’t Kermit do that?

Why not?

“Why not?” Kermit whispered, more to himself than anything, but the others none the less picked it up.

“What?”

Looking up, Kermit repeated, “Why not?”

“Why not what, Kermit?” Piggy asked.

“Why couldn’t we create our own show?” he asked.

“What?” Gonzo countered. “Just the five of us?”

“Well, no,” Kermit said. “Not just the five of us, but…well, why not just the five of us? Why couldn’t we start our own show?” The others were quite frankly stunned and couldn’t bring themselves to even remotely come up with any arguments. “What’s to stop us?”

“Uh,” Rowlf began. “Executives, money, directors, money…”

“Look,” the frog began, a very serious look in his eyes and voice. “We all came out to Hollywood for a reason and that reason, I hope, was to make people happy. Well, we’re here, so why aren’t we making people happy?”

“Kermit, you are making people happy,” Fozzie insisted.

“I know, Fozzie,” the frog conceded. “But that’s just kids and even that is a small portion of kids. There’s still so many people out there. Why can’t we make them happy too?”

The group let those words wash over them. The frog made some pretty good points; why were they in Hollywood if they weren’t planning on doing what they came to do? Currently, only Kermit seemed to be achieving that dream and he wasn’t content to just dream small either.

“But Kermit,” Fozzie asked, tentatively. “What would we do a show about?”

“It could be about anything, Fozzie,” he said. Turning to the bear, he continued with, “Aren’t you always telling me how much you hate performing at El Sleezo’s? And that you wished you had a bigger audience?” Turning to Piggy, he aksed, “You want to be a star, don’t you? What better way than to have millions of people know who you are? Rowlf, didn’t you say you missed playing? And that the dive bars weren’t doing it for you? And Gonzo…you’re a lunatic.” The weirdo couldn’t help but make a strained laugh at that.

“But no one is going to let you be a lunatic except for me.”

“You really mean that, Kermit?” Gonzo asked. No one, not even his clients, really ever truly let him do what he wanted to do and here was this frog that he had crashed into offering him his art on a silver platter, if he wanted it.

“Yeah Gonzo,” Kermit replied, honestly. “I really do.” Looking around at the table, he whispered, “Guys, we could do whatever we wanted. So what’s stopping us? Why not?”

The quartet looked at one another. The idea was probably crazy and they would certainly need to find a way to do it, but something about what Kermit had said and how he had said it just, well, inspired them. “Okay Frog,” Rowlf nodded, placing his beer bottle in the middle of the table. “You haven’t steered me wrong yet. I’m in.”

“Me too,” Gonzo replied eagerly, following Rowlf’s example and pushing his bottle to the center.

“Fozzie? Piggy?”

The bear and pig looked at the frog before looking at each other. If there had been any hope of getting rid of the other for Kermit’s affection, that would be over. They were looking at the prospect of sharing the frog on a weekly, maybe even daily schedule. But they were loyal, to Kermit, and to their crazy dream that had brought them to Hollywood in the first place.

As one, both pushed their bottles to reside with the first two. “We’re in,” Piggy stated, watching as the frog smiled and pushed his bottle out to complete the circle.

“We’re all in, Kermit,” Fozzie grinned.

“Yes we are.”

This is awesome! I can hear the voices of those characters with the original performers including: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, and Dave Golez. Even though Dave and Frank are around today, they still think about the "fearless leader" who started the Muppets and we all know that.

 

[Muppetfan44]

I must admit that I am really enjoying this story. I like the dynamics that you have going between Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, Rowlf and Piggy; how one interacts with the other, how Rowlf pretty much can see down to what's actually going on and etc. It is extremely interesting and very creative, a much different take than what I usually read on here.

Most of the time when people depart from the traditional muppet canon as we know it they veer way too far off course and I quickly lose interest- but with the way you have the characters playing off of one another while keeping their personalities familiar is great- very well done. I enjoy this different take and it reads and feels like it could of happened that way.

I do have to admit though that I was a little disappointed when Kermit and Piggy did not have their big romantic date after the pageant that goes all wrong but still has a great ush-gush moment (hmm..sounds a lot like The Moon doesn't look like you...I wondered who wrote that...)

Anyway, keep up the great work- I'm intrigued to read what happens next, (and hoping for a few sweet frog-pig ush gush moments!! )

 

[WebMistressGina]

I must admit that I am really enjoying this story. I like the dynamics that you have going between Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, Rowlf and Piggy; how one interacts with the other, how Rowlf pretty much can see down to what's actually going on and etc. It is extremely interesting and very creative, a much different take than what I usually read on here.

I'm definitely glad you're enjoying it!

As I mentioned earlier, it was a thought that had appeared in my mind before I joined the forums on whether or not what took place in TMM was real real or Hollywood real. Of course, being a movie, true stories are never placed out as being exactly true, so I tried to think of it as, "if some of this stuff was true, how would it have gone down?"

Most of the time when people depart from the traditional muppet canon as we know it they veer way too far off course and I quickly lose interest- but with the way you have the characters playing off of one another while keeping their personalities familiar is great- very well done. I enjoy this different take and it reads and feels like it could of happened that way.

A great many thanks! I'm always wondering if I'm dong the characters justice, especially when I'm entering a new fandom. So the fact that I'm holding your interest and the characters sound the way they should is a great compliment!

I do have to admit though that I was a little disappointed when Kermit and Piggy did not have their big romantic date after the pageant that goes all wrong but still has a great ush-gush moment

Anyway, keep up the great work- I'm intrigued to read what happens next, (and hoping for a few sweet frog-pig ush gush moments!! )

Actually, I was thinking about that and kinda figured that moment actually happened while the two were in NYC. I may have Piggy or Kermit discuss it, haven't decided yet. Depending on how my brain (and stomach) work in conjunction today, I may have something new later tonight!

 

[WebMistressGina]

Sup kiddos! So in light of the tragedy that I'm not going to mention, I've been doing my best to find positive and happy things to do and guess what was running through my head as I left work today. So here's a new post for you! We're still in Chapter 5 (4? 6? what chapter is this??), which I've decided is gonna be a bit longer than the others.

Jim Henson was known as a genius when it came to puppetry. It wasn’t just the aspects of puppets that he worked with, he had a knack for finding those creatures that he had deemed ‘Muppets’. The world had never seen these types of being before and it certainly wouldn’t be the last time the world would hear of the Muppets.

For his part, Henson was also good about bringing together the magic of childhood with the humor of being an adult. Much of the material that he had worked on when he was on the Jimmy Dean show had showcased that and even some of the material that he brought to Sesame Street was appealing to both kids and adults.

But as with many things, while he had tried his best to bridge the gap, those shows were still designed ‘for adults’ and ‘for kids’.

So when his friend Kermit had called, stating that he had a new idea for a show that would appeal to both kids and adults, Jim was all ears. “You sounded a bit haggard on the phone, Kermit,” the man replied.

He was a relatively tall man, with shaggy brown hair and a matching bushy beard to go with it. He was quite jovial, inviting both Kermit, Rowlf, and their three friends to dinner in his home on Thursday night, all because he wanted to hear about this idea that Kermit had.

“As well you know,” the frog chuckled. “Living in California and working in New York can be difficult, but I’ve managed. I certainly couldn’t imagine not going back to the street.”

“But?”

“Hmm?”

“There’s a but,” Jim repeated.

“There’s always a but,” Fozzie joked.

The human couldn’t help but laugh. “I like this guy,” he said. “He’s pretty funny.”

“Thanks, Mr. Henson, sir!”

“Jim,” the man said, nodding at the three who accompanied the other two. “All my friends call me Jim.”

The group had been seated around the dining table of the Henson home, finishing up a light dinner while going over show business talk and the like. “Alright Kermit,” the bearded man replied, taking a seat across the frog and his friends. “What’s this idea you have?”

Kermit outlined their idea, the idea of a show that would appeal to both kids and adults in the audience. The frog had the overall idea, but it was his companions that added in the nuances – Fozzie suggested a vaudeville like theme, where there could be comedy and dancing; Piggy and Rowlf had taken that idea and run with it, suggesting musical numbers and even musical guests to star on the show; Gonzo of course had mentioned his own acts, daredevil and exciting.

In the end, Henson was impressed with the idea and liked it. With the success of Sesame Street even he too was looking for another outlet to bring entertainment to the masses and the idea that these Muppets had just outlined looked to be the kind of thing he not only was looking for, but was willing to back.

“So you’ve got a crazy show with a bunch of Muppets,” he chuckled, liking everyone’s ideas that he had heard so far. “What’re you going to call it?”

With everything they had come up with, that was the one thing they hadn’t. Kermit looked to his left, where Rowlf and Gonzo were seated; they looked back at him as though they had figured he had come up with a name. He turned to his right, where Fozzie and Piggy sat; they were equally looking at him.

Everyone was entrusting him to come up with a name that basically conveyed what the show was and what they were about.

Shrugging, Kermit said the first thing that came to mind. “The Muppet Show,” he said.

TMSTMSTMS​

Coming up with the idea for a show is completely different from actually getting the materials for a show. Jim Henson had of course backed the endeavor and had stated should they need anything, he would be at their disposal.

Kermit was finding that request would need to happen sooner rather than later.

Once again, the quintet were seated around their favorite table in Schotsky’s, trying to keep an already frazzled frog from completely losing it. “Now I know why I never followed this crazy idea,” the frog was muttering. “Look at all we need to do first!”

“Calm down,” Rowlf replied, pushing another drink towards Kermit. “Look, we’ll take care of it.”

“You’ll take care of it?” Kermit laughed, mirthlessly. “Rowlf, we need a place to put this whole thing on, we need actors, musicians, sets, people to work the sets, people to assist the people working the sets…”

“You should really take a breather, Kermit,” Fozzie said, patting the frog on the shoulder. “You shouldn’t get so excited. Ma says that if you get too excited, your body doesn’t like it.”

“Your mother’s a doctor then?” asked Piggy.

“No,” the bear huffed. “But she’s a mom and they know things.”

“Kermit,” Rowlf interrupted. “We got everything under control. I told you, I know a guy who knows a band we can hire and I know a couple of the local musicians who just love a steady gig. And I told you about that old abandoned theater that’s up the street from the studios. We just gotta contact the current owner…”

“Leave that to me, Kermie,” Piggy said, smiling at the frog.

Kermit of course eyed her with dubious suspicion. “How’re you going to get the owner to let us use the theater?”

The diva in training laughed lightly at that. “A lady never reveals her secrets, mon cher.”

“What is that?” Fozzie asked.

“What?”

“What you just said?”

“It’s French,” Piggy said, haughtily.

“You know French?” the bear asked.

It took a beat before Piggy answered with a confident, “Yes, of course I do.”

“Cool!” Fozzie exclaimed. “Say something!”

“I…I just did.”

“No, I mean say something else.”

“What am I?” the pig groused. “Your language instructor? Go learn a foreign language from someone else.”

“Focus, kiddies,” Rowlf admonished, watching as Kermit began to massage his temples to obviously ward off a headache.

“Hey Kermit,” Gonzo piped up. “I know a couple of guys who could help with a whole bunch of stuff.”

Kermit looked up and stared at the blue daredevil. “Somehow that doesn’t comfort me.” With a sigh, he threw himself back in his chair. “What was I thinking?”

“Come on, Kermit!” Fozzie cried, moving his chair closer to that of the frog. “You can’t give up now. What about the dream?”

“What dream?” asked the pianist.

Fozzie looked around at the table. “The dream of us making people happy!” he exclaimed. “We can’t just give up now!”

“Fozzie,” Kermit growled, moving away from the comforting hand. “I never promised you guys anything! I just said if you wanted to come, you could, and it works, well great. Stop looking to me like I’m the one with all the answers, cause I don’t have any.”

Everyone looked at the frog, some of them in shock and others were a bit dismayed. “Are you done?”

Kermit looked over at the brown dog, who had casually crossed his arms on the table and was leaning on them. “Did you really think it was going to be easy?” he whispered. “Even after everything we’ve done, did you really, honestly, truly think it was going to be easy a third time around?”

Kermit opened his mouth to answer, but he couldn’t seem to form the words that he wanted.

“Because you’re right,” the dog chuckled. “It is easier this time, but only if you let go a little and let us do our thing. Piggy’s gonna score you a building, I’m gonna get you a band, and Gonzo’s gonna get…you…something that is hopefully legal in all fifty states.”

“What about me, Rowlf?” Fozzie asked. He had to give the bear credit; he could bounce back after anything.

“You have the most important job, Fozzie.”

“Really?” Fozzie was practically bouncing in his chair.

“Oh absolutely,” Gonzo replied, nodding to the dog his understanding. “You’ve got to keep an eye on Kermit. Make sure he doesn’t get any greener than he is now.”

“I don’t need a babysitter,” Kermit grumbled.

“Yes sir!” replied the bear, saluting smartly in the dog and weirdo’s direction. Everyone apparently chose to ignore the glare that Piggy was sending towards both Gonzo and Rowlf. “No worries, Kermit, I’ll take real good care of you.”

“So the frog and bear have been taken care of,” Rowlf began, downing the rest of his beer and standing. “We gotta jet. You’re with me, Princess.” The trio stood and made their departure, feeling confident in that Fozzie would do everything he could to ensure that Kermit would get out of his funk eventually.

Once outside, Gonzo took his leave, only stating that he knew a guy that could help with them with any wiring, should it come to that. That left Piggy and Rowlf, heading towards the beat up car that the dog called his mode of transportation. “Still mad?” he asked.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you do,” he chuckled. Turning to face, he continued with, “You’re mad that I left Fozzie back there with Kermit instead of you.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Piggy huffed. “But if I was upset over that, you can understand my confusion as to why Fozzie isn’t going with you.”

“Firstly,” Rowlf stated. “You already said you would get the owner to get us that theater. Secondly, in order to hold true to that statement, I’m gonna need you and…all of your assets.”

Piggy’s baby blues did narrow slightly, but there was a bit of a mischievous gleam that managed to shine through. While Gonzo was a lecherous creep, Rowlf’s flirty attitude had been nothing but playful with a side of flirtiness.

“I think you just enjoy spending time with my assets,” she quipped.

“Well, I certainly like looking at them.”

“I’m starting to wonder who’s the cad here.”

“Oh Gonzo’s a bonafide letch,” Rowlf admitted. “However, I’m appreciative.”

“What’s the difference?”

“I’m appreciative,” he stressed, wagging his eyebrows at her. Piggy couldn’t help but laugh; the brown dog always did have a way to make her giggle.

Giving him a playful slap on the arm, she giggled, “Get in the car.”

Rowlf hurried to the passenger, opening the door like a gentleman. “An appreciative gentleman always opens the door for a lady,” he smiled.

“Flattery only works with me ninety percent of the time.”

“You know,” he began, leaning on the door as she got in. “If you and the frog never make it…”

“I know where to find you,” she replied, coquettishly

“I’ll be around,” he chuckled, before closing the door and heading for the driver’s side.


There is more...a lot more to come, so keep staying tuned in! Same Muppet time, same Muppet forum!

 

[The Count]

Is chapter 5, thank you for this, me liked it very muchly. *Collapses back onto bed.