#(coz i'm sure that as they played trains he would have come up with more stories even if he wasn't writing them for anyone but christopher)

[mean-scarlet-deceiver]

I personally believe that Awdry's original intention was to make "the fat director" a character who was somewhat out of touch with the railway world, and that the Hatt depicted in 3 railway engines who's "doctor has forbidden him to pull/push" and abandons Henry is very different from the Hatt who drives percy to his new home and puts on coveralls to test drive Henry and see his problems for himself. It would almost seem like character development if it weren't for the fact that we know that the latter Hatt is Swindon trained. And, of course, even in book 2 he seems to be much more involved in actual on the ground operations.

Oh yeah, yeah! 'Out-of-touch dumbass' is 100% what "the fat director" was for Awdry originally. The shenanigans in "The Sad Story of Henry" are fully in line with the kinda stories Awdry liked to write — you see it all again in The Little People — he really does just like to make up some guys, put them in situations, and have them ineffectually try to idiot their way out of things (and make an even more bizarre situation in the process).

Actually so based of him to be like, "This is a book about trains. Trains are great. They're big and stupid and emotional, but great. The guys who run the trains are cool too. Btw kids, you know who on a railway sucks? The directors." Wilbert A., in that moment you were kind of an icon.

The anti-fat and ableist tropes ('he's making it up, he doesn't need accommodations, he's just too lazy to try and pull a train') are not so chill but I do love this anti-top-hat energy he was bringing to the table in the early game.

The publishers were honestly right to make Awdry bring all three engines onto the same railway and to make a happy ending for the stories... but, Fat-Director-wise, the result is hilarious. I don't think "some people be hardasses sometimes," even "some of these hardasses are useless themselves but still have the power to destroy your life and they will use it without thinking twice," is nearly as off-color a message in a kid's story book as "and sometimes that terrifying hardass is just this nice, kindly, fair paternal figure :) who was justly pissed off at you for your ignorance :) but who will be nice to you later :) and you should be grateful to them really :)" Such is almost always the way with clumsy attempts to sanitize — the result is worse.

Book 2: "The terrifyingly clueless hardass is your enginesona's dad now, kiddos! :)"

To be fair, I don't think it's certain that Hatt's Swindon training guarantees he'd be any nicer — we don't know that — though it is undoubtedly weird that "the Great Western way," with all its implied efficiency, would result in an apprentice who grows up to brick up a gauntletted line and bore a new tunnel rather than just get a few engines to drag Henry somewhere out of everyone's way before abandoning him. The stupidity of it is harder to explain by "he undergoes some character development :)" But the dropped over-the-top harshness could be explained that way.

Anyway it would be so cool if someone rewrote the RWS but with the Fat Director/Controller maintaining his original characterisation. I just want to see what that would look like.

[vsirin]

WHOA I PLAY FLUTE TOO!

And I also own a bunch of instruments I don't know how to play...

Have you been to any live concerts?

OH!? NICE! i was sort of forced to learn at first haha but i really like it now! what kind of music do you like to play? also where do you get sheet music because i dont know where to get nice songs :)

i love this question !! i have! i'll talk about them all but.. i'll put it under a cut because i'm so wordy~

my first show was seeing roger daltrey on his 2018 solo tour, which was just the perfect first show for me coz he is my favorite <3 he did all of the tommy album with an orchestra, it was so pretty!!! 

then i saw the who twice, a week apart! the 2nd time i went out of state and saw them in philadelphia which was perhaps the most fun show i’ve been to, it was perfect!!! i sat like in the 7th row or something and everyone around me was standing the whole time and really into it but not in a distracting way (except when so many people came to join the group beside me that i got slowly pushed into the aisle and a security guard told me to go back to my seat and in fear id lose my spot so close up i was like !!!!! I CANT fsdjfdg but they kinda just let it go and it wasnt a problem) oh aND a really lovely lady named linda gave me one of pete’s guitar picks <333 she was up at the front and i had chatted with her earlier and she took my pic by the stage. i still think about her and the doctor from texas beside me who splurged on a who ticket while taking care of stuff after his moms funeral... i love meeting people at concerts !!! 

theeeen i lose track of the order but i saw RINGO!!! and queen (i was so late for that show, when i got in the stadium i kept thinking for sure i heard them come on stage, but i didn’t miss anything!), those were both in 2019, i guess? and in the fall 2019 i saw the who again at MSG!!! that one was kinda crazy (but VERY close up front!!!) that was my last pre-covid show, and thankfully i only missed one more who show during covid that got cancelled. and then the more recent ones !!! this fall, i went all the way to england to see justin haywaaaaard, i’m still not over this... it was in union chapel in london, a really pretty church, and um i happened to get the very front center seat and everyone around me was so kind and fun to talk to, and the opening act mike dawes was INCREDIBLE, and justin <33333 wowowooww he is SOOO kind and so humble and,,, wow i love him so much and he sounded so good! there were so many lovely moments during that show!!! next was my deep purple show, also in england!! i had soooo much fun, their music is just made for hearing live!!! 

and then my latest show was seeing robert plant in glasgow and i went with jonna @sastrugie after our edinburgh trip and wow none of this seems real, it was SOOO fun :’) i love the style music robert does now and it just creates such a VIBE when you hear it live, and jonna being such a huge fan was the perfect companion & then we booked it to get the very last train back to edinburgh, we got quite lucky there haha 

ok that is all of them! and sadly i have none lied up for the future but they’ll happen... maybe... 2023 is the year i see paul <3 i can hope!! 

what about YOU?! and if not, what artists would you really like to see?