never posted these here but wanted to prop this up: a well directed sequence! some VERY strong and in your face parallels (especially that up angle of Popeye and Bluto throwing Olive onto the couch, establishing her as the helpless middleman), little nuances that support those parallels, and just a great helping of personality that is always so dominating of the Popeye cartoons. that the dominating music here is “Love thy Neighbor”—used with an acerbic irony—ties it all together.
the punches Popeye and Bluto throw at each other is my favorite part. Bluto only needs to throw one punch—it matches how big, imposing, and “whole” he is. Popeye throws multiple; they’re smaller, just as he is, but more spry and split the difference. likewise, Bluto throwing in that extra “runt” after his punch is a great reflection of his character—he resorts to violence AND petty insults, making him seem even more unlikable. Popeye gets back at him with the violence, but he doesn’t stoop to his level with the name-calling.
even how they react to Olive offering candy is indicative of their character. Bluto is indulgent, pleasure-seeking (even if it is from a mere chocolate), and seldom thinks before he acts. Popeye on the other hand is more courteous, polite, and doesn’t succumb to his instincts as easily. his “no thank you,” is more genuine than Bluto’s own coy expression of thanks
Welcome to the Island of Sodor! As the O’Jays say: The next stop that we make will be England! Now that you’re now an employee of the North Western Railways, you can finally experience your lifelong dream of romancing your dream engine (driver) on this small, quaint island!
Romanceable characters include:
Thomas
Percy
James
Edward
Henry
Gordon
Duck
Diesel
... and so many more!
There are tons of things to do in this game, like listening to the charming rambles of your dream date, getting lunches with them, hang out after work with them, and even give them gifts! The more you spend time with them, the more your character stats and character romance points will go up, and the higher the chances of them ending up with you!
But watch out! One wrong turn, and you could spiral down a railroad towards a more sinister, more complicated love life...
Coming soon to itch.io! I hope you guys look forward to this game, and thank you for all of your support! 💞🚂
[More information about this game, concept sketches, and scrapped ideas under the cut]
nighttime with the little dudes! douglas havin a great time, oliver wanting duck to stop being a nuisance, duck... being a nuisance and donald zonked out snoozemode (fella loves falling asleep to a monologue)
Thomas: swears at least once a day when nobody is around, thinks saying no-no words is funny
Edward: never said a bad word in his life, will remind everyone to watch their language
Henry: would if he could but knows that swear words hurt people.
Gordon: thinks swearing is undignified, despicable, disgraceful, and disgusting.
James: doesn’t swear except for that time he derailed when his brake blocks were on fire.
Percy: learned a new word, uses it, until he’s told that it’s a bad word
Toby: scolds Percy and Thomas for foul language, swear police
Duck: thinks that swearing is not the Great Western Way ™. Swear police no. 2
Donald: swears in his sleep when he’s stressed out.
Douglas: will swear occasionally for fun
Oliver: will swear occasionally when Duck and toad aren’t around
Emily: is a proper lady and thinks swearing isn’t ladylike
Salty: picked up his vocabulary from the sailors. Has quite the sailor mouth
Cranky: sailor mouth no. 2
Diesel: has a potty mouth so big that it’s a septic tank
Bill and Ben: turn into a pair of giggling middle schoolers when anyone swears.
Mavis: will tell bill and Ben to “stop saying that Word! It’s a swear word and it’s not a nice !!$#&!! Thing to say!”
BoCo: scolds anyone for swearing
Duncan: if Diesel has a septic tank mouth, then Duncan has an entire sewage treatment plant mouth. He uses words like !!$&#!!, !!$#&!!, and !!$#&!! So liberally that they are now conservative.
(Get it, like the political spectrum where theoretically you can go so far in one direction that you wind up on the other side…
This is pretty goofy, but I’m thinking about what sorts of TV the engines might watch if they had a TV or a streaming device in their sheds. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far!
—————————————
Henry loves nature shows, of course. In addition, after his fireman lamented his spilt hot cocoa, he wanted to understand why humans care so much about food. This led him to cooking shows, which he found very relaxing. He likes to watch raw, disparate ingredients become something beautiful and complete.
Edward goes for mysteries — lighter, cozier shows like Midsomer Murders, Rosemary & Thyme, and Murder, She Wrote. He’s also a fan of Granada Studios’ 1984 Sherlock Holmes. It tickles the same part of him that enjoys ghost stories, giving him a slight thrill alongside a pleasing mind-teaser.
Gordon watches the news every morning and evening. He likes to feel up-to-date on important events, expounding on them to his colleagues. Any program about opera and orchestral performances also appeals to him. There’s some snobbery involved, but he does enjoy hearing and learning about musical genres.
James likes game and talent shows, often shouting answers and opinions at the TV. He’s so attuned to these shows’ editing that he’ll guess a season winner, set up a betting pool, and rake in all the favors after the finale with a smug grin. (Gordon and Henry only keep placing bets because they want to show him up someday.)
All three big engines indulge in the guilty pleasure of soap operas. They think nobody else knows about this. Pip and Emma “obliviously” intrude on their watch parties to make them squirm.
Thomas and Percy watch ghost hunting shows together. They scoff at the idea of ghosts, accuse each other of being ‘fraidy-cats, and huddle close in fear as an episode progresses. They also watch late-night airings of schlocky films with Toby, whose sly commentary cracks them all up.
On his own, Thomas watches motorsport broadcasts. Bertie hooked him on it not long after they started racing each other. He’s a fan of some F1 drivers and their cars, often comparing notes with Bertie in serious (and sometimes heated) discussions.
Percy has a soft spot for period dramas. He’ll laugh at historical inaccuracies, get invested in all the characters, and ponder common tropes. He’s not afraid to ask about the servants who have to endure the wealthy protagonists’ dramatics.
Toby doesn’t watch much TV outside of what he sees with Thomas and Percy. However, he and Henrietta are partial to some late-night talk shows. If the show’s interviewing someone they’re interested in, or if they think the host is funny, they’ll give an episode a try.
Duck adores How It’s Made. It’s very satisfying for him to watch a bunch of moving parts at work, slotting pieces into their rightful places to assemble something. Other nights, he watches travel shows. They explore locations all around the world, scratching his itch to see what’s beyond his horizon.
Donald watches stand-up comedy specials, going for a good laugh at the end of the day to decompress. Ever since Duck “gifted” him Dilly, he also watches nature programs and shows about training/caring for pets. (He and Dilly are working on some tricks.)
Oliver picks sci-fi shows, with Star Trek and Doctor Who as his favorites. He’s drawn in by the pulpy adventures, moral dilemmas, and complex protagonists. It all makes him feel better about himself: you can mess up on an astronomical scale, but still be capable of good things. You don’t have to be a perfect hero to be a good person.
Douglas enjoys shows about antiques and vintage items — things in the vein of Antique Roadshow, or American Pickers. He’s a sucker for knickknacks that meant something to someone, for all the stories behind each one, and for their loving restorations.
Bill and Ben think fitness shows are hysterical. They’re forever amused by the odd ways the instructors contort their bodies. But they also scheme for their crews to watch these shows, hoping they’ll participate and stay healthy for years to come.
Daisy’ll watch any program about fashion or body art (tattoos, piercings, etc). Being so attentive to her swerves, she’s curious about the ways that humans adorn themselves. She’ll sometimes take inspiration from what she sees, but she’ll always argue that fashion is an art form, pointing to these shows for examples.
——————————————
What are your guys’ thoughts/headcanons? I’d love to hear them!