#poppa x belle

[phopollo]

You too said "Poppa x Momma x Belle rights!!!"

I sure did!

Live footage from right after Momma and Belle won champion status

[starburst2000]

Some say: Poppa x Belle

Others say: Momma x Belle

My school of tought says: Poppa and Momma are 2 separate characters, and they're in a lovingly poly relationship with Belle!

[thisismondaymood]

Just a little headcanon: whenever Poppa won a race, he was together with Belle.

[starburst2000]

I upped my game. Poppa x Momma x Belle. Old train polycule.

i always see people shipping poppa and belle (og belle not. 2024 belle) but nobody shipping momma and belle WHERE ARE MY OLD LESBIANSSS!!!!!

[dinahdoeeyes]

My ideal production of Starlight Express.

I suppose I'll just get right into it. First the list of characters, then the songs (excluding little bits/non-songs like Taunting Rusty and the races), then the rest.

Cast:

Rusty

Pearl

Greaseball

Dinah

Electra

CB

Ashley

Buffy

Poppa

Belle, the Sleeping Car (called Memphis Belle)

Dustin

Flat-Top

The Rockies

Volta, Joule, Wrench, Purse, and Krupp

The original National Engines

Duvay and the Sleepers

Control

Setlist (* = will be addressed below):

Entry Of National Trains

Rolling Stock

Call Me Rusty

A Lotta Locomotion ('83 Workship version, but with Buffy added)

He Whistled At Me (Minus the Rusty/Pearl conversation)

*Dinah/Greaseball duet

Freight (With the girls bullying the boys)

AC/DC

Pumping Iron ("Trying to build my body, trying to lose my mind" and "Stretching my bullworker, heaving on my weights" switch spots because I just feel that it'd sound better that way.)

Sleepers moment

*Dinah solo

Hitching and Switching (probably original)

Crazy

*That was Unfair (extended)

That's Me/There's Me (duet)

Poppa's Blues

Belle's Song (Combo of OG & Broadway — especially "sniffing the coke")

Starlight Express

The Rap: Hey You

*Make Up My Heart

Pearl Twirl

U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D.

Girls' Rolling Stock

Wide Smile (Mostly the Broadway version, except he says the OG "...C.B." in the chorus instead of Broadway's "...the Red Caboose," until the ending after Electra & co leave.)

I Was Robbed

Right Place, Right Time

I Am The Starlight

Rusty and Dustin

*Dinah's Disco (extended)

No Comeback

One Rock & Roll Too Many

I Do and/or Only You (I really want "I Do," and it feels redundant to do both in a row, but I feel like "Only You" is important?)

*GreaseDinah reunion (extended)

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Starlight Express Megamix (of course)

Notes:

We are leaning hard into the 80's here! None of that trying to modernize StEx they've been doing since the 90's. It doesn't work, and the hyper-80's...ness is one of the best things about StEx!

This is about 60% the 1984 original, so keep that in mind.

Dinah & Greaseball look most like the original Dinah and Greaseball. (Though Dinah's hair looks like this. I'll get to her costumes below.) Greaseball looks completely like Jeff Shankley's GB.

Most of the costumes look like the Broadway versions.

However, Pearl gets 3 costumes; her pants outfit from the '84 previews (but with white pants), followed by her sleek Broadway dress outfit (w/ Electra), and then the fluffy dress outfit (w/ GB).

Dinah has 2 costumes; the first one being more Broadway (but I dislike the leggings, so different ones), and then, when she pairs with Electra, she changes to an outfit that is similar to her OG outfit.

C.B.'s look is very similar to the original, except his pants are black, and he has his later hat.

I want some of the choreography from the '83 workshop. ( x x x x )

Dinah & Greaseball banter a bit because "Incapable of feeding yourself, Greaseball?" Ohhh *chef's kiss* 2017 London Workshop did something right!

*Dinah & Greaseball get a couple's duet. It's a fun, cute, rock/80's pop mix song that touches on their love for each other and how they don't care about others' bullshit. ("Our Lips Are Sealed" kind of vibes, I suppose.)

Ashley and Duvay are sisters.

Greaseball pulls the girls during "Freight," like he originally did.

*Dinah gets a solo after "Pumping Iron" after the Sleepers talk their bullshit. It'd be about 3½ minutes long. If you've read my Dinah rants, you can get an idea of what it's about.

Greaseball, Bobo, and Espresso are part of the choreography during "Crazy" toward the end, racing around with Dinah, Ashley, and Buffy. (I promise this is FIRE in my head. Have faith. 🥺)

*Grease & Dinah have a longer argument before their breakup.

Dinah and C.B. have a duet. It's the Broadway version of There's Me combined with That's Me. (Dinah singing her solo part first.)

*Pearl sings "Make Up My Heart" about Rusty, Electra, and Greaseball. (Explanation here.)

*"U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D." is slower, sadder, and has more lyrics, like it was in the '83 workshop.

Buffy & Ashley are finally canon. It's Complicated™️, but they get it together by the end.

*"Dinah's Disco" is a bit longer, as is *Dinah & Greaseball's reunion/makeup.

Pearl is absolutely like original Pearl in this: A selfish bitch (who learns and gets better by the end); she is not "naive." ("Further from my vision" over "Sadder but no wiser.")

We actually acknowledge that Pearl is an asshole. But, like Greaseball, she learns and is working on herself by the end! 🙌🏽

Pearl apologizes to Dinah at the end. FINALLY. (During a break in LATEOTT.)

Control loves the engines/coaches/freight, and they love him. He's just a bossy little kid, but they're also actin' up. (I'm open to Control being a girl.)

Electra and the Components do come back.

I... think that's it. I hope didn't forget anything.

CHOO CHOO! 💋

[green-planets]

StEx Appreciation Month Day 2: Pearl!

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Face Claim: Lovette George (I AM A HUGE REVA PEARL ENJOYER BUT SHE'S ALREADY MY FC FOR MOMMA!)

Favourite Song/Scenes: OLC He Whistled At Me, Pfeife für mich (the German lyrics are less muddled than the English ones imo), Her twirls during Make Up My Heart, “Pearl-lease let me go with you!”, Only He, Only You/ Du Allein (my heart also melts when she calls Rusty the starlight on the OLC 🥺), PRUSTY ARM THING!!! RAAHHH!!

Favourite Costumes: Early London fluffy skirt and the Japan/Aus tour cotton candy-looking wig (I love the little braids!)

Favourite Ships/Friendships: Pearl x Rusty, Pearl x Coco, Pearl x Electra (but mostly Workshop Electra because it's silly to me). Her friends are the coaches (especially Dinah and Belle Jr.), Rusty, Dustin, Poppa, Momma, and Electra (post-canon)

Headcanons: She's an adrenaline junkie and has always wanted to be a racer. Of course she would jump at the chance to race with the reigning champion! Post-canon she goes on to become a champion racing coach

Unpopular Opinion: Aside from her and Rusty's meet-cute (Pfeife für mich is so adorable!), I don't really like the rewrites where she's completely new to the yard. It's more interesting to me when she and Rusty have a bit of history

💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

[tabooiart]

STEX APPRECIATION MONTH DAY 16: (POPPA/MOMMA) MCCOY

spent a lot of time deliberating on whether I should draw Momma or Poppa but ended up deciding on Poppa since I feel like he gets less art

Favorite Actor(s):

Poppa: Lon Satton, Steve Fowler, Lothair Eaton

Momma: Reva Rice!!! Jade Marvin also does really well :)

Favorite Song/Scenes: I love all of their scenes with Rusty and the freight sooo much. Also Light At The End Of The Tunnel is such a good and underrated scene with some great vocal moments for McCoy!!

Favorite Costume(s): When it comes to Poppa, I think the Japan/Aus Tour really nailed the shapes and colors!!!! For Momma I like her Bochum costume except I don't like her skirt she wears in act 2. I don't understand their insistence on all the female characters wearing skirts just let her have overalls!!

Favorite Ships/Friendships: McCoy x Memphis Belle goes hard ngl. We could have had old lesbiansss. And of course I love them as a parental figure to Rusty and the freight!!! But I think they would offer advice and affection to anyone who came to them :)

Headcanons: The reason McCoy is still in such good condition despite their age is that they're kept around as one of those touristy steam train tours.

Unpopular Opinion: I like Momma and Poppa equally!!! In my ideal world it would be a genderblind role. On that note I am a #poppadefender4life I've seen people be so mean about him in the past, calling him manipulative etc and I really just think people need to examine why they really feel that way <3

[pinkmirth]

@monirei OMLLLLLLL

REINERRRRRRRRRRRR! MAMA LOOOKKKKK😍😍😍😍😍🤭🤭🤭

THIS HAS BIG POPPA REINER WRITTEN ALL OVER IT! 😩🫶🏾 oooh friend listen, you don’t know how much i love this damn photo! sexy lil southern belle x big daddy cowboy reiner = a match made in heaven!!!

[finleyforevermore]

2023's StEx Appreciation Month!

Day 12: Poppa and Momma McCoy

Lothair Eaton in the first picture and Maria Jane Hyde in the second picture.

Favorite Actor: Steve Fowler (Broadway, 1987-1989), David E Moore (Bochum, 2009-2016), Mica Paris (2017 Off-West End Workshop), Reva Rice (Bochum update, 2018-2023), and Maria Jane Hyde (Bochum update, 2021-2023, understudy)

Face Claim/Voice Claim: Lothair Eaton (face) and Steve Fowler (voice), Reva Rice (face and voice)

Favorite Song/Scene: Starlight Prelude

Favorite Costume: For Poppa, Broadway/pre-2018 Bochum. For Momma, the one she has looks great! Though I never really understood why she wore a skirt for act 2, when she didn't wear one in act 1.

Favorite Ships: Poppa x Momma, Poppa x Belle, and Momma x Belle

Headcanon(s):

Poppa/Momma is not Rusty's biological parent.

This isn't a headcanon I personally believe, but I think the idea Momma being trans (MTF) is really sweet.

Unpopular Opinion: None for Poppa, and for Momma, I like her a lot!

[amayzingmayzie]

Thoughts on GreaseDinah(post-OLC), Prusty and AshDustin? Also what is your favorite ship?

OOOOH AN ASK! IM OFFICALLY A TUMBLR USER!

I love Greasedinah so much grrr- they're like my otp-

I like Prusty! I think they work well together (although sometimes I believe that Rusty deserves better but I'm very salty towards Pearl)

Ashdustin was never a ship I considered! I think that could be really cute, actually! Similarly, I do really like Flat Top and Duvay!

My favorite ship is definitely Greaseball, Electra, CB, and Dinah. Just. All four of them- Although, Electra x BV is an interesting ship I like! BELLE X POPPA OMG I LOVE THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE SO CUTE!!!! I also have a soft spot for Krupp and Wrench-

[goblin-iz-whack]

StEx Appreciation Month Day 12: Momma McCoy

Favorite Actor: Reva Rice

Favorite Songs/Scenes: Momma’s Blues

Favorite Costumes: She has one-

Favorite Ships: Her x Belle

Headcanons: Transfem Lesbian, Huge adoptive parent to a lot of trains, sometimes a neglectful parent because she was so focused on racing, her prejudice against diesels really comes out sometimes and it makes everyone uncomfortable

Unpopular opinions: It’s completely wackadoo that people hate Poppa for his prejudice against diesels and his super religious ways but adore Momma when Momma, to my knowledge, does the exact same crap.

[sweet-dining-car]

What ships will be in the fic? Is it really just GreaseDinah with only a little Electra x Caboose?

Well there is GreaseDinah, Electboose and Prusty for the main ones but there is also a Carrie, Ruhrgold, Manga and BV love thing going on too. We have slight Ashley and Dustin but it is not mentioned a whole lot. We also have a Bobo, Buffy and Flat-Top love triangle too(idk why tbh but I have too many ships for too many characters I guess). We have Belle and Poppa I guess but that's just cuz they're Rusty's parents, so not really mentioned. Gear and Tassita, this one will only be mentioned like once maybe(if I actually do write the oneshot) but I think it's still interesting.

[marastriker]

StEx Ship Appreciation Month Day Twenty-Seven: Poppa/Belle (Sleeping Steamer?)

[bag-of-broadway-snacks]

I crave Sleeping Steamer content

[nauticaltrain]

Starlight Express Appreciation Month

Day 12: Belle the Sleeping Car

Hey sexy mama

Favorite Actor: PP Arnold, that voice oh my god

Favorite Song/Scene: Her duet with Poppa in Starlight Express :,)

Favorite Costume: Broadway, but that London costume is something else

Favorite Ship: Belle x Poppa/Momma, what else

Headcanon: She’s a first class carriage def, like she smells like expensive perfume and fine wooden cabinetry

Unpopular Opinion: I love her as much as the next person and wish she would return to the show, but oh my god is she pointless in the Broadway version. Homegirl wakes up, sings a song, and then goes right back to sleep. Like couldn’t they have had her race with Poppa instead of Dustin? It would have been so easy, why didn’t they do that?

[green-planets]

StEx Appreciation Month Day 1: Rusty!

🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂

Face Claim: Adrian Hansel

Favourite Song/Scenes: Keiner kann es besser als die Dampflok!!! ENGINE OF LOOOVE! TAKE ME WITH YOU BAAABYYYY!!! (every version of this song fucking slaps), Getting bullied by the Rockies after Momma's blues, Starlight Sequence, Only You/Du Allein (my heart melts during versions where Rusty calls Pearl his starlight 🥺), PRUSTY ARM THING!!! It's so important!! It's the moment they're finally in sync with each other!!!!

Favourite Costume: 2018 Bochum (I prefer the mostly black accents over the red ones on the current costume) BOCHUM BLEASE DONT TAKE AWAY HIS HAT AGAIN!!! Also I would like to rescind my statements from last year about Rusty's mullet and issue an apology to all Rusty mullet truthers

Favourite Ships/Friendships: Rusty x Pearl, Rusty x Dustin, Rusty x Flat Top, Rusty x Hydra (or any combination of those! Rusty has two hands!!) He is friends with both the freight crew and the coaches! Dustin, Pearl, and Dinah are his best friends but he's also very close with Momma/Poppa, Memphis Belle, Belle Jr., and Brandi

Headcanons: His rust is like the train equivalent of psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis

Unpopular Opinion: Soft boy™ Rusty is kind of boring. I want to see more jaded and sassy Rusties! Give this guy his fight back!

🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂