Pearl The Observation Car - Tumblr Posts
LEAKED ORIGINAL PEARL TWIRL RECORDING!!!1!1!!1!!!!!!111!!!!!!!1!!!!!(REAL???)
starlight express hot takes:
- i much prefer freight when rusty is managing both freight and passenger trains rather than greaseball pulling the coaches while rusty shunts the freight. imo it’s pretty funny seeing rusty being pulled every which way to prevent the coaches and trucks from breaking into a fight also it’s a good way of showing his abilities as a switcher, and that he actually is capable of a lot more if he’s able to manage two trains at once.
- i don’t think that i am me is that bad, i think it certainly could be better but i think it also could be worse. the chorus is the strongest part of the song for me, though i would prefer it to be faster like how it is in the bochum megamix. (i do however, fully understand how this song is basically just lip service SAYING that coaches are capable of a lot more, while we're never actually shown that in the actual show, that is a very valid criticism.)
- i think that if a production has caboose but he barely does anything, at that point just get rid of him or just don’t make him a villain. i am not tolerating teasing me with JUST the intro of wide smile and ending on “i’m on mine” or “under the smiles and under the fun, i’m public enemy number one.” at LEAST if caboose isn’t even there, i can’t be baited with one of his best songs in the show by far. (while it is a shame later versions of bochum’s caboose didn’t use the full original caboose track, he did get like 2/3 of wide smile, and was still able to taunt rusty during i was robbed, i don’t consider that as bad as say, the vegas production or later tours)
- as cool as starlight rusty is, i actually prefer it when there’s no magical transformation because at least to me, it shows that rusty was able to the win the race just as he was. the rusty little engine that looked too weak to even place, was able to win all on his own, without any divine intervention, just a pep talk from god itself. i may be misinterpreting the starlight rusty plotline, and i’m open to being wrong because i know a lot of people enjoy it very much, and probably see it in a whole different light than i do so like, if anyone wants to explain why they disagree i’m interested to hear how you see it!!!!!
- i can’t believe this would actually be considered a hot take but pearl isn't a bitch for not wanting to immediately get with rusty
- union square dance is a fun song you guys are just haters. yeah i said it.
Hi, it's me again with another question!
Who are your top five favorite StEx characters and (if you feel like answering this follow-up) what are your favorites headcanons for each one?
RUSTY AHHHHHHHHHH- IM SO SO SO NORMAL ABOUT RUSTY HE'S MY FAVORITE IM HIS NUMBER ONE FAN HES MY BEST FRIEND I WANT TO LAUNCH HIM INTO SPACE INTO A BLACK HOLE. anyways a hc i have for rusty is a little unrealistic but at least makes sense to me, he actually isn't that old. him being a young steam engine is actually true, he was built in 1960 and is 23 during the events of the show. it's a whole tangent that would make this post way much longer than it probably is LMAO so i might explain that in another post that's not this one XD.
PEARL IM ALSO VERY NORMAL ABOUT PEARL SHES ALSO MY BESTEST FRIEND IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD I LOVE HER VERY MUCH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH- anyways i'm one of the many supporters of pearl being tall (partly because im a tall girl as well) but it just feels right for pearl to be very tall, it's always been something i subscribed to from day 1. also a personal headcanon is that if pearl was a dog, she would be a poodle, specifically pink poodles because she's pink and fancy poodles are always are always pink in cartoons LMAO.
SLICK SLICK SLICK I DIDN'T EXPECT ID LOVE HER SO MUCH ESPECIALLY OVER SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME BUT IVE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH HER AND WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR HER. a headcanon i like is that slick's motivations for what she does is fueled (WAKA WAKA) by an insecurity she has about being replaced by other forms of fuel, especially when hydra introduces himself to them by saying his gonna replace them, especially when she has to affirm to herself that she's "still quick, still slick" I LOVE THE THEMES ABOUT OBSOLESENCE ALSO EFFECTING THE VILLAINS OF THIS SHOW
I LOVE FLAT TOP VERY MUCH HE'S SUCH A LITTLE SHIT my best headcanon that i have is that flat top actively pays out vandals to give him more graffiti tattoos for him to show off to the other trucks
HYYYYYYDROOOOGEN I LOVE HYDRA I ALSO DIDN'T EXPECT TO LIKE HIM BUT HES SO FUCKING LOVEABLE I CANT NOT LOVE HIM. a headcanon i have (because of a misinterpretation of hydra's character i had before learning more about him) was that he comes off as this shady drug dealer guy trying to get rusty to try out "the stuff" when in reality he's just a vegan with autism (that's not just a human au thing, i think that hydra as a truck is vegan LMAO)
a bit of train lore mixed with prusty content
(idt i’m gonna do anything with her, but pearl and rusty’s trainlet is named copper)
take some PEARL AND RUSTY CONTENT WEIRDOS
cute gif i found on accident under the cut (because it wasn’t relevant but i wanted go save it !!!)
time to talk about why terrorizing rusty is peak with a bullet list of everything i like about it
- the song itself is so tense, each line comes after the other with barely any room to breathe, until the part when rusty is confronted by greaseball’s friends. rusty barely has any time to even speak, and when he finally is able to defend himself, he’s cut off twice and greaseball kills any chance him being able to explain himself any further
- greaseball ADMITS that rusty was actually pretty good during the race, hence why he decided to cheat before he could get ahead of him. i think it’s a clever way to set up that rusty DOES have a chance at winning if he was fast enough to make the CHAMPION at least slightly threatened says a lot about rusty’s abilities
- the marshals blindly believing electra and greaseball’s story of rusty causing the wreck when it was very clear to anyone with eyes that it wasn’t, very much implies that they aren’t as impartial as greaseball says (something something the system is rigged for more powerful people to abuse something something)
- the line “the marshal’s impartial it has to be true!” goes so hard
- the diesels beating him up, as much as it hurts me to watch, in my eyes, tries to trick the audience, and rusty to think that greaseball and electra are right. steam engines are weak and frail, and not fit to go into the race, as he’s not strong enough to fight off a few measly diesels, but in doing that, it proves that they’re wrong. yes, rusty couldn’t fight the diesels off, but that was only because they overpowered in him numbers, and physically restrained him so they could beat him up. it was not a fair fight in any way, implying that rusty actually might’ve stood a chance if the diesels didn’t overpower him.
- i like how slick and flat top (in their respective shows) are the ones to check to see if rusty is ok after everything that’s happened, it gives a lot of depth their characters, showing that while they certainly won’t show it, they really care about rusty at the end of the day (which is especially interesting for slick since she’s one of the main villains)
- (this only applies to the bochum production pre-update) caboose further taunting rusty after everything that’s happened just adds an extra cherry on top of his shit cake. (also i think it’s funny when caboose mockingly imitates pearl yelling “rusty!”)
- (this only applies to the london revival) pearl going up to rusty after he’s beat up, asking him to whistle for her like she did when they first him, only for him to sit there silent is SO. FUCKING. SAD. MY HEART. ITS BREAKING. (note: anything i say about the revival is based on what i’ve heard from people who have seen it so please take this with a big spoonful of salt)
- (this only applies to the vegas production) i think it’s funny how that one diesel goes fucking ham on rusty like he just burned his crops, pissed on his wife and took the kids when literally no one else does (he was the only one punching him too 😭)
STEX APPRECIATION MONTH DAY 2: PEARL THE OBSERVATION CAR
- Favourite Actor?
QUITE A FEW. lovette george is just pearl to me, if you gave her a pink wig then that would make her extra peak imo, reva rice, stephanie lawrence, nikki belsher and also like big shoutout to KAYNA MONTICELLO FOR BEING ANOTHER PEARL WHO IS STRAIGHT UP JUST PEARL TO ME. (kayna if you’re seeing this HI HI HI KEEP BEING AMAZING ✨)
- Favourite Song/Scenes?
any pearl scene is like, amazing as is, but he whistled at me is a standout pearl song and it is a DAMN SHAME it is gone. as weird as it sounds that pearl didn’t want to get with rusty because he wasn’t EXACTLY like her dream train, i think it establishes pretty well that pearl is a hopeless romantic who doesn’t fully get how romance works (same applies to rusty but i already spoke about him), and it also shows that she still does care for him, even if just as a friend despite her rejecting him. also in “hey you, yes you” i love her defending rusty from greaseball and actually making gb change his mind about rusty being in the race, yet another example of her caring about rusty despite rejecting his romantic advances. while i do prefer pearl and rusty having some history prior to the show, whistle at me is actually so cute. the way pearl is like the only person who likes the sound of rusty’s whistle and encouraging him not to be ashamed of it, and then learning how to whistle herself will never NOT be adorable. how could i forget only you/he, I LOVE PEARL BEING ABLE TO REFLECT ON HER ACTIONS AND BEING ABLE TO MOVE PAST THEM. I LOVE PEARL SHOWING SELF AWARENESS TO HER FLAWS AND HOW THAT COULDVE AFFECTED OTHERS. I LIVE FOR PEARL IMPROVEMENT, there was one that i saw (from one of the uk tours i believe ???) where she was so ashamed that she couldn’t even look rusty in the face when he came to find her, and the thought of her costing him the race is enough to bring her to tears which is like. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH- and her and rusty’s little arm thing which finally shows that they’re in sync with one another, ready to officially start a relationship is SO BEAUTIFUL IT SPEAKS LARGER WORDS THAN IF THEY KISSED IMO.
- Favourite Costumes?
my favs have to be the early costumes, olc (like any olc pearl costume), broadway, and japan/australia tour are really what i’m looking for in a pearl costume, they’re so cute and streamlined and pink and sparkly, extra points if pearl has a curly pink ponytail. also i would be lying if i didn’t like pearl’s purple color scheme in wembley, it’s also VERY cute (it’s almost like purple is the best color huh)
- Favourite Ships/Friendships?
duh of course prusty is at the top because they’re amazing and i love them and i would gladly sell my soul to them if they asked, but i’m also a pretty big fan of pearl and dinah, and weirdly pearl and belle the bar car (my problematic faves). as for platonic relationships, i’m SO SO interested in the idea of pearl having to earn back dinah’s trust and forgiveness for how she treated her in the show, but even moving past that, i love exploring their friendship, as in my head, they’re the youngest of all the coaches and therefore gravitated towards each other, i’d say that ANY pearl friendship with the other coaches is fun to think about !! as with rusty, i think the idea of electra trying to be besties with pearl despite having done nothing to earn her forgiveness or friendship is absolutely hilarious.
- Headcanons?
at least for my pearl, i headcanon that she began life as a more vintage looking observation coach (but upper class nonetheless), and once she reached adulthood she decided to be rebuilt into a more modern looking, streamlined dome coach. this new kind of coach fashion was very alluring to her as she was growing up, and while she doesn’t hate how she looked in the past, she definitely prefers how she looks now.
one more headcanon !! when pearl first arrived to the yard, she was aware there were a few steam engines still around, and the first person she saw was ashley, and because of her chimney, pearl thought she was ONE of the aforementioned engines, and developed a crush on her as a result, but even after learning that ashley was a coach like her, pearl’s one sided crush for ashley persisted for a few months until she had her little dream about a certain kind of engine, an engine moved by steam.
- Unpopular Opinion?
considering i’m the captain and founder of the very real and official pearl defense force, and since i’ve seen a fair number of people dislike her, pearl, while definitely flawed, is not a bad person ???? omg i cannot believe that this could be considered an unpopular opinion, but i’ve already said my peace on why pearl isn’t this cold hearted bitch that some people think she is, so i would like to add something to my already established opinion about pearl’s flaws: pearl doesn’t have to be LITERALLY A DAY OLD in order for her flaws not to dictate whether or not she’s a good person. even if she’s been around for quite some time, her being a hopeless romantic who sucks at empathy and reading social cues are obstacles she can overcome and move past, and flaws are what make us human (especially when compared to greaseball, cb and electra, pearl is LEAGUES more redeemable than any of them)
traaaains (mostly ceeb)
i think theyre silly
don’t look at this too long it’s an anatomical nightmare. this was also a challenge considering i’ve never drawn buffy & ashley before but they came out pretty decently so you know..
just a couple of observation cars…wonder what their talking about..
The Coaches as Pixies (PAQUITAS)
What’s your favourite StEx art that you made? What do you like about it?
You know, this is a question that is even difficult to answer, because to be honest, I like all my legacy, all my arts, because I love to draw, since I was a little boy.
But, one of the drawings I like the most is my drawings of the coaches, because I have a certain special affection for them, there are four (not counting the sleepers) beautiful, cute, adorable girls, and I really like them
What’s your favourite StEx art that you made? What do you like about it?
You know, this is a question that is even difficult to answer, because to be honest, I like all my legacy, all my arts, because I love to draw, since I was a little boy.
But, one of the drawings I like the most is my drawings of the coaches, because I have a certain special affection for them, there are four (not counting the sleepers) beautiful, cute, adorable girls, and I really like them
“…A lotta locomotion, and the right approach,
For there are lots of different kinds of coach….”
Credit
Give us the Pearliest Pearl that ever Pearled, please!
Your request is an order, buddy! Huhuh
this barbie is looking for her locomotive
🩷 INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 🩷
Hail! to our Starlight Girls
