Comment on Jinty, Pug and the Ffarquhar Engines

  1. anonymous_boxcar on Chapter 4 Fri 26 May 2023 12:55AM UTC

    This fic balances hilarity and more serious character interactions/conflict very well! I really like your take on “Thomas and the Jet Engine.” As much as I love the original’s “hiGordonbyeGordon,” I think your more realistic take is clever and fresh. You keep in the absurdities of the event while grounding it with the consequences for the airport workers and for Harold’s friend. It feels in-character for Thomas to find humor in all this misfortune, as well as for his friends to find his reaction offensive.

    Daisy picking Pug as her pet is hysterical and still in-character, too. I can easily see her demeaning another engine in this way if she feels it enhances her “swerves.” Pug seems to understand this by the end of the tale. The way he gets her off his back is by cramping her style, after all! And in a way that makes sure the piglet is happy and nobody’s hurt except Daisy! I love his elegant, laser-guided prank. It’s very endearing and compelling characterization.

    The overarching plot of the Ffarquhar engines shunning Thomas is also well-executed throughout. I like how you used it to lead to fun stories such as Mavis struggling to understand Donald and Douglas. (There’s a character combo I wish we had more of in canon!) And I think its resolution feels organic and believable: of course Thomas would step in if any of his friends are unjustly attacked. The Ffarquhar branch can be dysfunctional and combative, but he’s 100% willing to go to bat for all of them… and to see sense when pushed hard enough.

    And poor Murdoch! The idea of smoke deflectors worsening migraines is very cool, and the detail of Murdoch’s reluctance to ask Sir Stephen for different deflectors makes for fascinating characterization. (I’ve been struggling to get that fic about Murdoch’s migraines off the ground, but I think that tidbit’s given me an idea. Maybe I could write a conversation between Sir Stephen and Murdoch as they’re installing his new smoke deflectors, wherein Sir Stephen tries to end Murdoch’s fear of being a burden?)

    Excellent fic as always!

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    1. Weirdo_with_A_Quill on Chapter 4 Sun 28 May 2023 08:05AM UTC

      This fic possibly took me the longest of any fic in the series. I mean it - this was meant to take the place of 'Dockside Diesel Salty Again'. It was meant to come out in October 2022 - and instead it came out in April 2023. In that time, I rewrote the entire thing several times, with only one story remaining roughly the same: the Thomas and the Jet Engine rewrite. It was so hard to part with the iconic "hiGordonbyeGordon" line - I tried including it in some sense and failed miserably - but in the end I'm really quite happy with it and the book!

      Daisy and Pug's story also went through so many rewrites. Just... so many. Somewhere in the depths of my series notes I have a line about 'the Night Train' and 'UFO?' for a Pug-centric story. I have no clue what I wanted to do with it, but it was certainly the story I got stuck on the most. I think this story is much more insane, hilarious and interesting though! Daisy has got her radiator so deep in the pages of fashion magazines she missed 'normalcy' by an entire railway! And Pug had so much fun with his revenge!

      Mavis, Donald and Douglas' story was a bit last-minute if I'm honest. I managed to sort of etch out the rest of the book, I wrote it, I uploaded the first story - and then I realised I was stumped. I originally wanted to do something where Thomas and Jinty got mistaken for each other but it wasn't working and so I just kicked the two out and rewrote it with Donald and Douglas. It's so much more fun.

      Thomas and Murdoch have a very funky dynamic with each other - Thomas has a habit of scolding and plotting against Murdoch (and the big engines in general) but this time it's not really Murdoch's fault! Thomas steps in for any of his friends - and he also steps up for Murdoch once he finds out what's the matter.

      I'd love to see what you come up with! (Just remember to credit me! XD)

      Thank you!

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      1. anonymous_boxcar on Chapter 4 Tue 30 May 2023 12:47PM UTC

        Here’s the link to the fic! I think I’ve credited you pretty well, but let me know if I’ve fallen short and I’ll fix it ASAP: https://archiveofourown.to/works/47522539

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        1. Weirdo_with_A_Quill on Chapter 4 Wed 31 May 2023 12:37AM UTC

          You've more than credited me pretty well! It's a real honour to know I inspired a story, and it was such a good read too!

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