Flippersteps in the Sand

The Count

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Layla... Remember who you're talking to here... No, not the voices in your head... The voices in Lisa's head.

BTW: Lisa... TMM was released in 1977, my birth year. Heck, I should know. And I'm not sure if MuppetWiki or any Wiki and "accurate" should be in the same sentence. You are aware that at any time anybody can go up there and post that Muppets Tonight was filmed and aired in 1999 just because that's when the repeats were shown... And then someone can go back and correct it to 1996-1998, before the next guy comes in and changes it to whatever other date... Just to give an example.
So... I'd generally go with whatever other source of Henson history you have and doublecheck your facts with all the knowledgable folks here on the forums.
Hope this helps.
 

TogetherAgain

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Released in 1977, yes. But in theory, Kermit the Frog and company would have signed the "standard rich and famous contract" before they rose to stardom in The Muppet Show, thus placing the actual events of the movie a few years before it was filmed and released. The hard part is connecting that with the pilots, which didn't have a lot of the show's main characters. How to explain The Electric Mayhem being in "The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence" when Fozzie was not? Oh, well, you'll just have to wait and see.

And thanks, I do understand the Wiki system, which is why I rely mostly on The Works, and I'll be re-reading the interviews in the articles section of MC as well- just as soon as some Muppeteers finally join the company.

I've more I'd like to comment on, more I'd like to write, more I'd like to post... But as much as I shake my fist at biological needs, I must obey them. My stomach and my bed are both beckoning to me. I kind of doubt I'll get more up tomorrow, unfortunately, but I'm hoping I'm wrong! If not, I'll see if I can continue my random comments. Sleep well, all!
 

The Count

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Hey Lisa... To answer another of your questions... The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson wasn't at the theater... It was sort of more of a TV studio, not KMUP, but a sort of homelike studio. Got it in my video library, haven't watched it yet, just going by what I remember. If you still need help, I'll come back and post after watching the special.
 

Aleal

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Hey, Count! Just to clarify something. I understand your skepticism about Wikis, but Muppet Wiki is *not* Wikipedia and does not abide entirely by "Wikipedia rules" as you've implied.

For one thing, we have a strict username policy. Anonymous users are allowed five edits, at which point they either register and thus allow their edits to be questioned (any strange additions are made subject of enquiry, and we're increasingly trying to encourage sourcing, especially for backstage info). The policy has been a great help (even if it did bring us a certain amount of criticism from Wikicities admins for a brief period). Sure, there's occasional vandalism, but any pages that are subject to repeated nonsense can and have been protected. There's errors, I'm sure, but we've caught most of them and in fact, with close collaboration between multiple users and even many folks actively involved in productions, including songwriters and performers expanding and correcting their own entries, we've been able to verify and clear up many mysteries and even denounce outright myths. The claim that Fran Brill had a cameo in Muppets Take Manhattan, for example, was disproven by Ms. Brill herself. For the most part, there's no sudden random changing of dates that isn't instantly reverted of the kind you suggest. And if you do notice any extreme errors, please, whether you don't care to use us as a resource yourself, let us know!

Also unlike Wikipedia, we do a lot of careful original research, try to limit wild guesses (in many cases, when a performer is in dispute, rather than guessing, we just include a "performer unknown" box until the matter is settled). Take the Puppetman page (which I can't post a direct link to, but do a search for it). Through careful research from second hand sources through reviews to finally locating a university special collections copy of the script and pilot itself, we've put together a pretty good page, if I do say so myself.

So I appreciate your skepticism, and with any online source, and that includes Wikipedia and fan message boards, it's always wise to double check or ask folks where they got their information. No pressure for you to join or even approve, but I thought it best to point out that "Wikipedia rules" and "anybody can make up anything and it gets by" are to a great extent misconceptions.
 

The Count

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Thanks for that information A.Leal... Might give it a chance... Though I'm in the middle of getting things finalized for Muppet Listing 16.0.
Guess I still have a bit of a grudge against Danny Horn, from Tough Pigs... And to think, my Muppet Listings and this could very well merge into the Muppet Universe project that I want to expand the list into in the future...

But enough muffining of Lisa's thread. Come on, what do we have to get her for some more story?
 

TogetherAgain

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You have to convince me that even though I haven't really even finished the chapter before the chapter that I wanted to have done before posting chapter five, the chapter I wanted to have done is as good as written, because I know where I'm going and what I'm doing with it, and it shouldn't take long at all to write, and... Oh forget it, I already convinced myself.
 

TogetherAgain

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Chapter Five

After dinner, someone decided they should have a dance. Kermit settled in on a log with his banjo across his lap, and smiled at Melinda as she sat next to him. “Having fun?” he said quietly as he played a lively tune for the swamp to dance to.

Melinda hesitated as she looked around. “You know,” she said softly, “…I kind of am.”

His smile grew. “I uh,” he cleared his throat. “I- don’t suppose you’d- be interested in dancing with me?”

She looked down, shifting her weight. “Umm…”

He scrunched his face up. “I guess that’s a ‘no,’ huh?” he said.

“Well-“ She glanced at him and looked away.

He frowned. “I- I’m a pretty good dancer, you know…”

She looked at him. “Don’t take it personal, Kermit,” she said.

He scrunched his face up again. “Yeah,” he said, looking away. “Sure.”

“Kermit…” She scooted closer and poked her head over his shoulder. “It’s not you,” she whispered. She put her hand on the back of his neck.

He looked at her. “Pardon?”

“The fact that it’s you asking has nothing to do with why I’m saying no,” she said.

“Oh,” he said. “Well, is it the music? Because I can change that-“

“No, it’s not the music,” she straightened up with half a smile on her face.

He lowered his voice. “Is it the swamp?”

“No,” she chuckled.

“Well then, what is it?” Kermit asked.

Melinda shrugged, smiling. “I just don’t like dancing.”

He stared at her. “Oh.” He looked away, shrugged, and turned back to her. “Why didn’t you just say so?”

“Because you were too busy guessing,” Melinda said.

Maggie poked her head between them from behind. “I hate to interrupt you two,” she said with a devious twinkle in her eyes, “But uh, Meli-“ she jerked her head towards a small group of lady frogs at the edge of the clearing. “Girl talk,” she said.

“Okay,” Melinda said as she stood up. She tossed a smile to Kermit over her shoulder as she followed Maggie to the other lady frogs.

Kermit watched them go and shrugged, still playing his banjo.

“Don’t you hate it when they have girl talk?” Croaker said as he sat down next to Kermit. “They just leave us instantly.”

Kermit looked at Croaker, who was gazing longingly at Maggie. “Well,” Kermit said. “It has its advantages.”

Maggie put a hand on Melinda’s shoulder as they walked. “You know how I said I hated to interrupt you two?” she said. “It’s not true at all. Mit’s always messing with my love life, so I jump at every chance I get to mess with his.”

Melinda laughed. By now they were with the other girls. “Speaking of your love life-“

“Oh hey wait just a minute,” another girl interrupted. “You’re new here, Melinda, you tell first.”

“Yes, Melinda, tell us,” the girl next to her said. “All we know is that you’ve been dating Kermit for… What is it now, almost a year, right?”

“A little under ten months,” Melinda said.

Maggie folded her arms and smiled. “And?”

“And what?” Melinda said.

“And, how serious are you?” Maggie asked.

The girl next to her leaned forward eagerly. “Are you gonna get married?”

Maggie elbowed her hard in the side, scrunching her face.

Across the clearing, a few of the male frogs had gathered around Kermit.

“Me?” one of them said, shifting his weight. He was a dark shade of green. “No one,” he said.

Croaker looked up at the sky. “He’s ly-ing,” he said.

“No I’m not!” the frog said.

“Oh, you are,” Croaker said. “He’s lying, Kermit.”

“Croaker, I know when my own brother is lying,” Kermit said.

“Thank you,” the other frog said.

“Take right now for example,” Kermit continued.

“Hey!”

The others laughed. “Come on, Jimmy,” one of them said. “Out with it!”

“I’m not saying,” the frog in question said.

Kermit smiled. “You don’t have to, it’s already obvious,” he said.

Jimmy stared at him, horrified. “It is?”

“It is,” Kermit said.

“It is?” Croaker repeated, confused.

“It is to me, anyway,” Kermit said.

Jimmy sighed. “And let me guess, you’ve got advice.”

“Just ask her to dance, Jimmy, she likes dancing,” Kermit said.

“She loves dancing,” Jimmy said.

“Yeah, and so do you,” Kermit said. “So go ask her!”

“Yeah, go ask her,” Croaker chimed in.

“But-“ Jimmy glanced at the group of girls. “But they’re having girl talk!”

“Just go,” Kermit said.

Jimmy nervously stood up and walked towards the girls. He stopped when he heard Melinda’s voice.

“Come on, Leaper,” she was saying, “Even I’ve seen how you look at Jimmy, and I haven’t even been here a whole day yet! Just fess up already.”

Jimmy held his breath and listened intently.

“Well, he- he’s… cute…”

And?” Maggie said.

“Okay, okay, I like him!”

Like him?” Maggie said. “You love him, you’re desperately in love with him!” She turned to Melinda. “And you’re desperately in love with Mit!”

“And you’re desperately in love with Croaker!” Melinda rebutted.

Maggie froze. Her mouth hung open for a moment. “…I… I- didn’t- say that.”

Melinda threw her head back and laughed.

“THEY’RE HATCHING!”

Everyone suddenly ran to the edge of the pond. Everyone, except Melinda. She stood where she was, confused. Kermit ran over and grabbed her hand. “The tadpoles!” he said excitedly.

“Oh!”

He quickly led her to the pond’s edge. She marveled at how the sea of frogs seemed to part for him. He crouched by the water and stared intently into it. Melinda looked around. Everyone was watching the water. She looked, too.

Then she saw.

There were thousands of eggs. She could see at least ten that were all hatching at once. Then there was a tiny sliver of green, and a tadpole was born. And there was another tadpole, and a third, and now there were four, and look, more over there! She smiled a slow, quiet smile and leaned forward to get a better look. A gentle wind blew her hair back out of her eyes as she watched the eggs hatch, and the tadpoles swim and explore… Her eyes danced, and her smile grew. She slid her hand into Kermit’s. He didn’t look at her- he kept his eyes on his newborn nieces and nephews. But he squeezed her hand. Her smile grew, and she watched the tadpoles swim.
 

The Count

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Aw... That's beautiful Lisa. So, are you going to have as hard a time of naming these tadpoles as last time?
And the whole bit with the girls talk and the band of male frogs... Just hope for more, it's rully getting good... And hey, Chapter 6 already? Isn't that one of the big ones you've been hinting at for a while now?
Looking forward to whatever it is.
 

redBoobergurl

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I am just loving this story! I could see the whole scene playing out in my head with Kermit and the guys and then Melinda and the girls. It's so cute and so fun and I could just squeeze it! More please!
 
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