#also hi again stex fandom

[thefangirl-16-blog]

can't believe we're getting toxic yuri in the train show

[cbdinodoodlez]

Uranium the Radioactive Waste Truck

guys i made another train oc

you know those nuclear waste barrels? he carries those to places to be disposed of

also don't touch his tail because the goop does dissolve whatever it touches

more under cut bc im EVVILLL

Control got him rlly dirty once and he never got cleaned so now hes on his villain arc

he was left at the bottom of the toy box for several months, but one day Control brought him out and now hes very agitated

he feels like all the other trains forgot him and sees himself as a monster because hes all broken now

this man needs a pat on the back or something he really wants to be fixed and silly billy again

[the-french-eurobitch]

// IMPORTANT P.S.A

Hi friends...

So, it just came to my attention that there had been rumors spread about me while I was inactive on Discord in the past few months. And if I'm correct, some people were pointing out, and believing, that I had been "sick, and had been faking it".

Those of you who are on a StEx server with me, or are on more than one server with me, I'm sorry if you believed that was my intention. However, as much as I wanted to do my best to be active on the servers that I'm on, I feel not everyone understood that I had a lot going on that kept me from being active in the fandom. At the same time, this is also not to say that I am taking sides against anyone, as that was realistically never my intention to begin with. I am a friendly, very easy going indivdiual with a clear activity of my own making. But as a college student, and an aspiring theatre artist who wants to pursue professional work, I have immovable obligations that may, unfortunately, pull me away a bit.

That being said, I want to work toward getting active when I can again. But I feel it’s getting to a point where I don’t feel wanted within the general grounds of the fandom…

[nalascat]

writing ask game: 7 11 and 4?

4. Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

it STRIKES me.

I have a few certain aus and things that follow me from fandom to fandom- ex. Labyrinth or StEx aus- and those often get rehashed by me when I find characters I like or enjoy haha.

But! Ideas can come from pretty much anywhere for me, may it be me rewatching a movie or episode, or learning more about the characters (cough, the amount of barbie rockers stuff ive found in the past few days, cough), or pretty much anything!! If I have time where I'm stuck to think, I often think about silly new ideas and such. :)

7. How do you choose which POV to write from?

This is a hard one. I guess whoever I think I will get more emotion out of OR whoever has my brain at the moment, I guess?

Let's use, for example, my current wip- it's a fake engagement fic, and I started the fic off with the character that the fake proposal is given to. I wrote out their reaction to it, because I felt it'd be more fun for me to write, and probably more fun to read the confusion! Also. POV character is favorite character heehee.

For the same pairing, I've tended to write in the other character's POV, due to the way their character fits in with my writing style/it's more fun to write in his POV, just because.

Depends on the plot and the vibes, haha.

11. Link your three favorite fics right now

RIGHT NOW ???? I'm gonna link the fics that STICK with me omg- i am pretty sure I've answered something like this before, but ill also bet that list is completely different lol- I've read SO much fanfic over my however long I've read fic

Your Fault, My Fault, Whatever - whichlights - Jay/Kai (Ninjago) - if there ever was a fic that I was COMPLETELY obsessed over it's this one. I feel like this is the fic I've read over and over and over, just because I loved it so so so much. It was essentially my lifeblood when I was in the Ninjago fandom and I honestly STILL think about it even though I have not watched any Ninjago recently other than an episode or two.

All is Fair in Love/I Will Love You Better Now- nothingwithoutyouxo - Harry/Peter (TASM) - One I've reread several times and honestly I need to read it again aghhhh.... THESE two are probably the fics that made me love parksborn so much, especially TASM. I love them SO much and !!!!!!! (To be honest I may have read these BEFORE I watched tasm, right after I watched the raimi trilogy. Oops.)

The Two Musketeers - summoner_yuna_of_besaid - Chekov/Sulu (Star Trek: TOS) - okay, now I have to link one I've found and read more recently, haha. (New fandoms wooo!!) This one is so sweet and I DUNNO I love the way the author wrote this one. It's just so them and perfect?? idk aaa

[green-planets]

StEx Appreciation Month Day Twenty-Nine: Favorite Characters!

I chose my favorite character from each main group: Engines, Freight, Coaches, Components, and Nationals (because I have too many favorite characters! I swear I am so normal about this musical)

Electra: Ough there's so much, the wig, the make-up, the costume, the songs, the attitude, the canonical bisexuality and gender fluidity. What more could you want in a character?

Dustin: He's so friend-shaped! And I'll say it again, I think he's underrated within the fandom (I also think he should get a little more recognition within the musical for being the other half of the winning team, but what can you do)

Ashley and Buffy: Oops, it's a tie! I love them both so much, I can't separate them. I love their dynamic with each other and with Dinah! They just seem like such a close-knit bunch

Krupp: I'm gonna be honest, my favorite component rotates so much because they're all such cool characters! For now, Krupp gets the honor

Brexit: Yeah, he kinda just wiggled his way to the top. He's just so small and silly!

[buff-electra-truther]

Stex Appreciation Month: Electra

Fav actor: Koffi Missah is the best overall.  I think the MJ/Prince train angle is the most effective characterization for Electra and he looks, acts, and sounds perfect for that approach.  It’s fun and recognizable in the cheap seats in a language you don’t know.  But it also has a lot of potential for depth, there’s a double entendre to be made about the government/big companies conspiring against electric trains for being too successful and certain tropes about electrical powers. 

Mykal Rand is basically impossible to beat aesthetically for me.  I cannot look away from the absurdity of how smooth and girly his face is combined with how cartoonishly ripped he is.  Even footage of him on tiny tour stages in beat up ill-fitting costumes is captivating. He’s just so extreme and maximalist yet alien looking.  

I’m surprisingly unpicky on Electra actors as long as they aren’t boring.  That’s the only real crime.  But I tend to prefer ones who have/could pull off Greaseball because I prefer a bolder, louder Electra (and basically require it post 2018 so I don’t forget he even exists with that borderline camoflouge costume)

Fav songs/scenes: Dinah’s Disco because I love watching him get shoved, a nice more intense version of AC/DC, anything involving No Comeback or its leitmotif.  Once again, What Time Is It? is a terrible song but purely redeemed because Mykal is hilarious in it.

Fav costumes: Broadway/Bochum toothpaste is a classic, but I’m also weirdly fond of Late London because I love the cartoony look (especially on Chris Copeland since he went all in on the makeup style to match)

Ships/Friendships: already went over how I view him and Greaseball the other day.

I like to look at pictures from the JPN/AUS tours out of context and think Electra looks cold and lonely and in need of a buddy and Caboose coaxes him into fun bad ideas

Headcanons: 

-I habitually call Electra “he” because it’s what canon does 90% of the time, but view the character as neutral (all of them really).  Electra and the Components are about the only ones smart enough to realize these forms are an illusion and there’s no reason to play by human paradigms, it would be equally stupid if they subscribed to blood type personalities too.  They are VERY smug about this but slowly the message is spreading.  

-I vary in what exact basis I’ll give him but see him as either irl, alternate timeline, or outright sci-fi Amtrak’s choice of successor to the GG1.  He isn’t weak or terribly delicate if the infrastructure works (unless you keep him as 40101 lol), he follows in their tracks of being a huge effortless machine that’ll run away with basically anything you stick on it.  If he actually played it clean, he’d probably dominate going uphill vs Greaseball and especially Rusty, he just doesn’t flaunt strength much in canon because it’s not relevant to the race.

-Electra is a  Fully Automated Bi Space Communist who wants to run catenaries across the Rocky Mountains and Siberia

-If you turn the dials and knobs Electra will morph like a game’s character slider just like how it’s simple to regear electric locos for passenger/freight use.  

Unpopular opinions:  lmao I think all my Electra preferences are moderately to very fandom unpopular.  I’m a contrarian who likes the character for fundamentally different reasons than most.  I’ve vaguely known of the character for years but didn’t really fall in love with him until recently when I saw those 2013 tour videos people either love or hate. Yeah they have the worst staging and costumes but I went “oh hell yeah finally a less problematic alternative to my blorbos Ganondorf and Velvet von Ragnar”.  I think those two names alone make it pretty clear why I like a bulkier, hotter natured, more affectionate and competent Electra than most.  I crave novelty and get bored by oversaturated things so I’m naturally drawn to androgynous characters that aren’t twinks or prettyboys so seeing Mykal vs the more typical tall skinny Electras really made me more interested in the character, even if I think there’s more interesting characterizations than his.  

[mr-face-both-ways]

Stex Appreciation Month: CB!

Can’t trust anyone these days, remember I can face both ways!

Ah yes, my url’s namesake, i finally had time to finish and post something lol i’ll post the others soon

Questions answered under the cut! This is extra long because he is my Fave and im Biased 

Fave song: There’s Me hands down, the whole scene including That Was Unfair is just so good in establishing CB’s, Greaseball and Dinah’s characters so well, plus the melody is just*chef’s kiss* and the fact that its technically a villain song?? Love that, plus the parallels of him finding Dinah alone and upset and comforting and supporting her and lending her a hand up and sending her on her way after she’s cheered up, with post race 3 where he’s the reason Rusty’s alone and hurt on the floor, kicking him when he tries to get up (looking at you 1991 boot) and mocks and insults him, leaving him alone with his confidence broken as he leaves laughing. What an absolute bastard!! But when There’s Me is taken out, you don’t properly see his two sides, both the bad and good sides are important to his character! He’s a contrary dude but that’s just him! Plus the actual song has one of my fave melodies of the show, I can and do listen to the intro from the ost on repeat, plus that lil bit in the japan vid?? So cute?? And the contrasting styles to that and Wide Smile?? Amazing, love it

Fave actor: Once again my fave actor list is gonna be like 5 people lol, the great thing about C.B’s material is that his attitude and demeanour can change based on his inflection, movement etc so! Michael Staniforth is a given, his Wide Smile really demonstrates his range which imo not many others have been quite as good, plus what extremely little footage and photos there are of him he was extremely expressive and just fun to watch! I’ll also go with Peter Rees, Andrew Prosser, Hans Johansson, Oliver Rhoe Thornton (and what the heck let’s also go for early Kapa Kitchen and Daniel Ellison)

Fave ship: Ohh boy this is super self indulgent but CBGB honestly (has the fandom given it a nickname? Greaseboose?? idk) I love that in the older scripts him and GB high five (that us boot where cb does a lil jump to hit GB’s high five?? Adorable) and actually talk like friends?? Like Greaseball is a jerk to pretty much everyone and for him to be friendly with him is just sweet. Not to mention its Greaseball who tells his gang that CB’s a “mean machine”, is always calling out to CB in the races and a recent thing that clicked in my brain is that when CB says “what a race, what a team!” and GB’s like “shhh! ohhh you mean me and dinah?” like did he just think that CB was about to out that they were working together during the race to crash the other engines in front of Dinah so he shushed him, then realised he was talking about GB and Dinah?? then just the whole exchange after sabotaging Rusty?? Duet One Rock and Roll? That GB just lifts him up like its nothing then they just kinda sit on eachother?? Those two are in cahoots I tell you!! Plus to me i get the vibe that they’ve been working together for years?? I just love their dynamic haha (and CB’s the only one i think who calls him GB that’s so cute) oh and platonic CB/Dinah is top tier, I feel like Dinah’s a very emotionally honest person so CB would feel like he could actually trust her?? And thanks to the new megamix Canoose/Elektra can have one right, as a treat

Fave thing about him: His independence! All the other characters are very much driven by either winning the races or finding love (or both), and C.B. just...doesn’t care. What you “are” is a big deal in Stex, like the engines, coaches and freight all have their identities shaped by their titles, and that can influence how they feel about the above two subjects “nobody can do it like a steam train”, etc and looking at when C.B. does participate in the races him and his partner tend to take the lead so he is good at racing!! But he chooses not to in order to make his own fun (at the expense of pretty much everyone else). He also seems to have a level of self-awareness, take his verse in Freight for example, he knows that as a brakevan he has to essentially serve the freight train, perceptually at the back of the train. But instead he uses his “purpose” aka his brakes to not do what he’s been told and to disrupt the train, and gets away with it by presenting himself as the innocent helpful brakevan! He’s just doing his own thing, (poor Rusty but,,) good for him!! And of course I have to say again, his two sides, and the ambiguity of it?? Like is he good, bad?? He’s both and neither?? An absolute force of chaos, but it only really works when both sides are present. Plus he a cutie tehe

Random headcanon: I think he’s unnervingly observant, even moreso than Pearl, and has amazing peripheral vision. That and taking notice of things like vibrations on the rails he’s very good at telling whose around before they’ve fully come into vision. He’s always watching everything around him, and isn’t necessarily being creepy, he’s just trying to get as much info on the current situation as possible. I think he likes to have some control and be on top of things?? I also really like the ex-boxcar theory (I first saw this theory on the old bellesdomain forums, rip) and I think that maybe when he was converted it was very difficult for him, having to deal with people, and having the CB radio to control what he hears helps ground him and keep his thoughts less cluttered?? He might’ve also forgotten a lot of his boxcar days, so when he says “you know I’m to blame but you don’t know my name” maybe he doesn’t even remember his original name?? And never got a new one as just the Red Caboose, so he clung onto the CB radio to give himself a sense of identity when his previous identity was stripped from him?? IDK

Unpopular opinion: This wagon can hold so many spicy takes he’s not a murderer lol but at the same time i can see where people can think that considering the lyrics reference several real-life train crashes even if they don’t make sense for CB to be there which tbh I put down to Stilgoe going tehe railway incident reference! I think he’s travelled around a lot and done a lot of questionable things, and maybe he was responsible for those crashes in the stex universe?? or maybe he’s just lying?? he’s definitely responsible for some shit, but considering he crashes 5 (!!!) engines during that one race night and being publicly humiliated after race 4 he doesn’t get in trouble and besides, all those engines are back for light at the end of the tunnel, they’re fine lol. Another thing is that I haaaate how CB has like no agency anymore in the current version like everything he does is for money, he’s basically a henchman for the engines (and everyone knows what his deal is and he isn’t in train jail?? what??) and they got rid of the pre-race 4 bit “just for me, I’m in this just for me” (in that slightly twisted there’s me melody) and Electra desperately pleading “help me caboose, help me caboose” to just the generic “I’ll help you win” at the end and not really its own little bit anymore like he barely has his own motivations anymore, it actually makes me really sad :( it really just doesn’t feel like CB anymore, though his character has been really disjointed since like 2007 when they got rid of there’s me. He’s just kinda bland now, like before he instigated a lot of the conflict, now others tell him to do something and he does it. I could like him more if he had an ounce more depth, like why is he so motivated by money? Maybe go into that old vs new tech theme and bring up that now that there’s new tech that can do the job of a brakevan he’s now antiquated and has to go into crime to get by?? Idk just please give me something, I think CB’s always been a bit of a fan favourite because he had multiple layers to his personality but new boose just has a whole lotta nothing :/ 

Anyway let’s end on a positive note at least we got pride lighting and a solo in the megamix so that’s something I guess XD 

[mister-beetlejuice]

A lil late (again) but here's day 2 of stex appreciation month, Electra! I looove his design so much and he's so fun to draw 😍 answers to the questions below!

Favorite song he's in: AC/DC of course! But One Rock and Roll Too Many is a close second.

Favorite actor: Mykal Rand. Hands down. His voice is AMAZING and he has the perfect looks for Electra in my opinion! Although, I have a biiig soft spot for John Partridge, so. Gotta love his Electra too!

Favorite ship with him: CB/Electra/Greaseball is my absolute favorite tbh. CB/Electra or Electra/Greaseball are both great too though! Electra/Components is also suuuper good too 👀

Favorite thing about him: His confidence and flamboyance. He really is magnetic, not gonna lie. 😏

Random headcanon: He becomes full of static electricity when he's nervous, so he accidentally shocks people, which in turn can make him even MORE nervous. 😅

Unpopular opinion: Maayyybe not so unpopular, but I definitely think the fandom should explore Electra's genderfluidity more!

[lottalucamotion]

Stex Appreciation Month day 31: Nit Picks and What You’d Change

*Cracks knuckles*

Alright.

Once more this will be all text and no art since this is topic is probably better covered in words.

So basically I will be breaking down Stex into the way I would direct it if this was “Luca’s Starlight Express”. Some aspects will be full on changes, though most will just be a mix and match of aspects of different shows over the years that I liked.

So let’s begin this break down.

So first off I’ll talk about what seems to be wrong with Starlight and what the trends seem to show. I of course no nothing for sure, but this is just speculation based on rumors and little tidbits of information I’ve picked up on during my time in the fandom.

It seems like the biggest flaw that the show has is the lack of care, mainly by Andrew Lloyd Webber, for the show in general. While the show is heavily credited to have been created by ALW no doubt because he’s more the household name, Stillgoe is the one who really made Starlight what it is. Lloyd Webber was just reluctantly along for the ride. He was never fully on board with the idea of making Starlight a musical, and just intended for it to be a music collection for kids. It was to the point that ALW felt the need to put a disclaimer for critics saying that he didn’t really want to make it.

Starlight was always meant to be an audience entertainer, not a critic entertainer. From the minute it was conceived as a train musical on skates, it was damned to be crucified by critics, and well, the biggest issue with where it has ended up is the lack of acceptance to just let it be what it is.

This is not to say the show hasn’t always had some flaws. Where it seems to have always lacked is the story. It relied more on the spectical of being a series of being a roller skate show with music and races rather than a musical with a complex story and characters. Don’t get me wrong, this by no means implies the characters are not likable. The main cast has a lot of likable qualities even if they’re characterizations are fairly basic. In a sense this, give a chance for the audience to interpret the characters how they want. Though on the other hand it can also make the the main characters difficult to root for since their motivations are never really made clear.

In addition to that there are of course that matters of making certain characters out to be shallow stereotypes, and the critique that there is sexism in the story. Honestly, I think the poor direction in which the “fix” for the sexism critique is due to attention being paid too much to professional theatre critics who don’t actually want to give stex the time of day so they just say the story is sexist with no further elaboration, causing the direction to go blind into whatever the hell “I Need Me/Ich bin Ich” is.

Though not everything I would apply to my ideal stex is related to story. Most of it is just things are of no real consequence, just preference for this sequence or that song.

So now that this ramble is over, let’s actually get to the real meat of the matter.

I like the transition between the introduction of the nationals and Rolling Stock rather than starting with Rolling Stock.

I have a difficult time deciding whether Engine of Love should be Rusty’s intro or Call Me Rusty. I’m leaning more toward Engine of Love simply because I like that song more. Though putting in Engine of Love means that there won’t be any Whistled at Me variation. I would be okay with that even if I do love the pop version. Forgoing the “Dream Engine” plot point altogether honestly makes creating a more compelling characterization for Rusty and Pearl easy (Pearl’s dream train is a steam engine, and Rusty’s a steam engine so it just makes no sense why she would fall for and electric and diesel when she’s specifically looking for a steam engine).

So on that note let’s talk about what plot I have in mind for Rusty and Pearl. Pearl is a young excursion car who works around a lot of vintage engines for a luxury tourist line. Rusty and Pearl have known each other for a long time and promised each other that they would run their first race together.

While other engines are more inclined to be prejudiced toward steam engines, coaches find them quite romantic. However, Rusty’s physical state and the fact that he’s a switcher engine means that the coaches not only don’t believe he is capable of racing, but also believe it’s too dangerous for him. When Pearl agreed to race, she was not aware of how dangerous racing could be for Rusty.

Basically “Make Up My Heart” rewrite where Pearl makes the point that racing with Rusty could hurt him physically but she also doesn’t want to hurt his feelings.

It makes Pearl’s motives for leaving Rusty much less likely to be read as malicious, and makes more sense for their eventual romance.

As for Rusty, I prefer the writing going more toward how Rusty was originally written, more motivated to prove himself rather than racing to win over Pearl. Rusty’s reluctance to race coming from the fact that no one believes in him rather than just being rejected by Pearl. Obviously it stings the most coming from Pearl since the two of them were the closest, but she’s not the only factor. Maybe he even has thoughts that the coaches are right and he could get hurt.

Speaking of romances, let’s talk about Greaseball and Dinah. Dinah actions are likely the biggest sexism complaint source, and I won’t really deny that criticism. I get that we want everyone to get a happy ending at the end because that’s just the nature of this musical, it’s supposed to be light hearted and all. So if Greaseball and Dinah have to get together again, some justification should be given there, like implications that Greaseball and Dinah’s relationship beforehand is good and worth keeping even if just through the actors’ body language (like maybe Greaseball acting a bit more lovey-dovey toward Dinah in Pumping Iron rather than just having him treat her like all of the other coaches). Greaseball can still be a general asshole without being mean to Dinah. They can still have an argument about Greaseball’s cheating, but instead of having Dinah immediately backpedal to try to beg him out of leaving her, it should be an agreed action, where Dinah willingly leaves Greaseball as well as him leaving her. 

Greaseball should also at one point show some sign of remorse, maybe he notices her in U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D., watches her, thinks about it for a bit after she leaves, but shakes it off for the time being since he has a race to focus on.

Back on the subject of songs, for Lotta Locomotion, I’d love to see it with more subtle lyrics like “A Lotta Locomotion” but slap hard like “A Whole Lotta Locomotion”.

Bring back the original coaches. Yeah maybe Ashley is “outdated” and not PC but this is coming from the same people who put the confederate flag on the diesel gang and named the British Engine Brexit. I can’t fathom why they got rid of Buffy too?

I like all versions of ACDC and think what version would be best depends a lot on the voice of who’s playing Electra.

Red Caboose toaster hat edition - no Canoose. Also Killerwatt has no rights, I’d bring back the original components.

I actually really like the newer versions of the Rockies, I just don’t like the new Right Place Right time, the original version was the best in my opinion.

Even though I would include Caboose, I do like how Flat Top was given a more prominent story role without him, and would kind of like to emulate that.

Dustin should also be given more fleshing out in the first act, for example, having him sing “There’s Me”. While on one hand, having Caboose sing There’s Me gives more ways to think about his character, it just makes sense to give that comforting role to someone like Dustin (plus Dinah and Dustin being friends would just be the cutest shit ever).

Go back to the “Hey you” version of the Rap, none of this train Tinder bullshit we have now.

I usually hate the love songs in Stex but “I Do” is one of my favorite of all stex songs so that can stay as is.

Lastly,

Bring back No Comeback.

[bunnyjoyce-blog]

Things to Keep in Mind for Your StEx Fanworlds

Also posted here on DA: https://bunnyjoyce.deviantart.com/art/Things-to-Keep-in-Mind-for-Your-StEx-Fanworlds-698056898

Need a few ideas to flesh out your fanworld for your Starlight Express fanfics? Here are some tips for you! Even if you are going the toy route of the canon, the trains believe they are the real deal. Greaseball and Rusty don't really burn coal and oil. They're likely electric-powered toys, making the whole racism pretty silly (is that the point?), but Poppa is still willing to risk his life in an elimination heat to get steam into the final race. As such, it's enough that they believe that that they're real trains who have jobs, fall in love, pursue religion, etc.. So, whether you're writing the trains as toys or the real McCoy, here are some things you can keep in mind as you explore your interpretation of their universe.

How do rolling stock relate to humans? In a lot of stories, humans seem to be a minute issue even though they would be pretty important -- Red Caboose is a house on wheels for the human freight crew; the coaches clearly enjoy their passengers; the Rockies don't like carrying hobos, and the freight trucks agree that they don't like how people talk a lot; firemen (the crewmembers that keep the fires in a steamer going) are mentioned in "A Lotta Locomotion." The rolling stock use slang that originated from humans. (Belle says she's "down at wheel" which is a play on the phrase "down at heel," and Flat-Top and Dustin say that bricks and mortar "are thicker than water," referring to the expression "blood is thicker than water.") Belle is a Pullman car because of George Pullman, a human, and in the Broadway show she says she was bought bought by a Vanderbilt, a member of the wealthy human family. Poppa mentions James Watt as a pioneer for steam engines, and Greaseball mentions Miss America -- and somebody had to graffiti Flat-Top! The whole reason trains exist is because railroads are businesses. If the passenger trains have no humans to carry, why do they exist? If no one is buying bricks or aggregates, why hire trucks to transport them? What's the point of building engines if there are no humans to pull the cars to? It's actually interesting to see how little humans factor in some fanworks. One story claimed that the first railroad tracks were made by trains, not humans (so where did the first train come from? How did they have wheels made for tracks before there were tracks?) In another case, one of my Scandinavian friends told me about a story she had read where a human OC was shipped with Electra, and in that world trains are only a little taller than humans. While the height difference might have been convenient for the couple, one now has to ask how passenger trains work in that world. Do coaches let humans ride piggyback? I'm not saying you have to give humans a major role in your stories, but it's worth keeping in mind, and it opens the door for some possible OCs. How does Caboose relate to his conductor (especially since his costume shows he used to be a boxcar)? What does Buffy do when she has a rude customer on a long train ride? Are any of the human freight crew nice to Dustin? Do any humans ever climb into a corroded engine like Rusty, or does he get neglected even by them? Who sneaked into the yard and vandalized Flat-Top? (If you are working with a toy angle, I've seen model railroads with human figurines inside passenger cars and on station platforms and the surrounding landscape. Can the toy trains interact with any toy human Control owns?) Who performs which jobs? What "non-railroad" jobs are available? Going further, what jobs are performed by humans? And what jobs are performed by trains? When repairs are necessary, to what degree can a repair truck help them? To what degree can a human help them? Who paints the trains and designs their wigs? Who keeps the yard clean? Who digs up the coal for the steamers? Who drills the oil for diesels? Where do replacement parts come from? Who builds the "newborn" trains? Are trains able to own businesses? Can there be a shopping district in the yard? Can trains change their clothing and buy more? If Pearl can move like a ballerina, is there somebody giving dance lessons? Can trains open restaurants/food stands? If Greaseball can be a bodybuilder, do trains have their own gyms? How easily do trains slip into racing mode and back? We joke in this fandom about how similar Starlight Express is to Transformers (sans the 80s cartoon's icon soundbite), yet there are definite similarities. From the overture of the original soundtrack, we know that the characters don't always look as they do in the show because Control orders them to change to racing mode. Likely, they are anthropomorphic while racing and normal trains while working. (The 3D race footage show the racers moving around normal rolling stock!) How do trains function in this other mode? How often are they in this form? Do trains regularly get time off from work? Are other kinds of vehicles alive in your fanworld? CB's fascination with semi-trucks and highway culture might suggest that automobiles are alive -- or he really, really identifies with human truckers. A friend of mine countered that (in a non-toy setting) humans might not all enjoy owning an automobile who can talk back, but then again if a person were rich enough, and if talking trains were the norm in this universe, it might be worth considering if cars could be alive. (If you're working with the "everyone is a toy" view, does Control have toy cars, planes or boats?) When and how do trains get education? We know from "UNCOUPLED" that trains can spell/read (and it would be useful if Dinah could read a recipe!) Purse is supposed to be Electra's accountant, which means he needs to have learned math, and Dinah and Buffy would also need to know math if they sell food to customers. ("Buffy here. I'll sell you a beer.") Wrench had to learn mechanics somewhere, and someone had to teach a freezer truck how to be a hairdresser if the story about Volta being based on Jeffrey Daniel's stylist is true. Plus someone had to teach them how to sing and play musical instruments. Are trains "born" knowing this when they come out of the factories? Or do they have to be taught by their parents or some kind of yard school? (Does Greaseball misspell "sorry" because he wasn't properly taught, or is that just because he survived a crash a short time before and probably hit his head?) Fun fact: The Canadian Pacific incorporated "school cars" which regularly toured the lines to give education to the children of railroad workers and aboriginals (and sometimes their parents). Make of that what you will, fanfic writers. How long does it take trains to reach mental maturity? While trains may not "age" the same way as humans do, mentally or physically, how mature are they when they are brought to life? How many weeks/months/years does it take before they can work? Race? Marry? (How old are the canon's youngest characters, Pearl and Electra, in your fanworld?) How do trains interact with their co-workers? On passenger trains, how do cars relate to their engines? How do the sleepers relate to the chair cars? How do the first-class are at the back of the train relate to the baggage cars at the front? How does everyone relate to those scenarios when there are freight-carrying cars (like horse cars and express reefers)? How do the cars on one train relate to the cars on another? On freight trains, how do the trucks interact with the engine and the caboose? How do they interact with trucks and cabooses on other trains? Many freight trucks can actually end up riding on trains that belong to another company. (A person in the east might order cargo from a company in the west, so the western railroad pays a fee to let their truck ride on an eastern line.) How do the "new" guys feel on another train? How does everyone relate to switch engines (those engines that link and unlink trains)? Rusty laments that he hitches and switches at everyone's call, implying he is seen as a servant, but is that how all switch engines are seen, or just him? What kind of rights do trains have around humans? Caboose says he'll "take the fifth" (referring to the Fifth Amendment), and the components establish that the police exist in "Wide Smile." However, at the same time the British train can be scrapped. (Of course, we all know Princey can show up in the finale depending upon the production). To what degree are trains owned by their companies, and to what degree are they their own individuals? What other kinds of laws might be in place in a world where Pacific Rim styled trains co-exist with humans? Are there any laws that protect trains specifically? (What stops one train from building another train for immoral purposes such as slavery or smuggling?) How do electric engines get to the yard? Electric locomotives get their power from pantographs or from a third rail, so while Electra probably does have head-end power to give electricity to a coach (and shoot his components for the fun of it), he would not be able to get the power necessary to move far away from electric tracks. Since Dinah and Greaseball are going steady, but Dinah is implied not to be from the Union Pacific (otherwise she would wear yellow and represent her company and her boyfriend in the world championship race), then Control's yard (in a real-train AU) would have to be near UP tracks -- which is pretty far from electric lines. In 1992-1993 the Swedish electric X2000 train toured the Continental US on Amtrak lines. In order to get it across lines without overhanging wires, the X2000 was hooked to a diesel engine! So, who might have been the engine who transported Electra to the yard? Who transported the electric Nationals? How do celebrities and media work in your fanworld? Greaseball is the reigning champion for racing. Has he ever been interviewed on TV or for newspapers/magazines? Has he ever been given a celebrity endorsement in a commercial? Electra is supposed to be a train rock star. Has he ever held a concert? Do trains, humans or both attend? While the components are supposed to be his entourage, a real musician might have even more staff such as roadies, technicians, press agents, photographers, chefs, etc.. Who handles these jobs? Does he have songs playing on the radio? The Rockies mention that in the past they tried for a boxing championship (and failed), and when Rocky One is asked to partner with a steam train, he replies that his fans wouldn't "like to see me get beat." What other non-racing athletic events are available to trains, and how popular are they? Going further, CB says, "See the news on your TV," meaning that trains have access to television. He also mentions E.T., Donald Duck, Kermit the Frog, Snow White, Piglet and Winnie the Pooh, and Bambi (and Heidi in the German version). In the Broadway version he also mentions Lex Luther and Spats Colombo. This all shows that trains are able to watch movies and probably read books and comic books. So, has a train ever published a book? Do trains have their own magazines? Magazine models? In the real world, some trains are famous for being in movies (or multiple movies). Are these regarded as film stars in the StEx universe? Who gets to have shelter? In "Starlight Express" Rusty sings, "When your good nights have been said and you are lying in bed with the covers pulled up tight." Meanwhile, Belle sleeps on a coal pile, and no one bats an eye at it. Who has houses/sheds? Who doesn't? How does money work? Considering how small bills and coins are compared to humans, how are trains paid? A money truck like Purse might use a computer to handle Electra's finances, but what of other trains? Are they paid in notes which they can exchange later for legal tender ? Are they paid in ration cards? Spare parts or merchandise? How common are conversions? CB's costume shows that he used to be a boxcar. Greaseball and Electra at least consider converting to steam. Real life freight trucks have been converted to passenger equipment (like baggage cars) and vice versa. How common are these types of vehicles? How does train society view them?