I meant to say this a long time ago, but it was so interesting to read your interpretation of the dynamic between Bill & Ben and Alfred & Judy!! If you feel like yapping about the bees more, how do you characterize Bill and Ben individually? That is, outside of them of being one half of a set?
Aww thank you so much!! <3 I'm so glad you enjoyed reading that! I'm always happy to yap more about the bees (and their IRL counterparts), so that really means a lot to me! ^^
(I mean just lookit these goobers, I love them smm <3)
(And yes, they do fight over their single shared braincell LMAOO)
As for your question though, it's kinda funny because I definitely think the bee twins ham up their likeness 1000%, but they also do genuinely have similiar personalities.
They're both super extroverted, outgoing, stubborn and headstrong, super naive and gullible as heck lol, but still decently hard workers. And ofc they're both pretty cheeky lil buggars, too! xD
And though I do love them playing up their twin shtick, I also love trying to give them some differences too. >:) Bc yeah, while they do play up their identical-ness, they are still individuals and I like to show that!
As for how I personally characterize each of them, though...
For Bill, who's full name is William but basically no one ever calls him that (unless it's for a bit or he's in SERIOUS trouble LMAOO), I see him very much as the defacto "leader" of their little double act.
He's a bossier sort, the kind of guy who tries to act tougher then he is and puts on a "strong" front (to try and hide that he's actually quite the scaredy-engine LOL), and who likes taking charge of things/showing off bc it makes him feel important.
Not to say he's bad at what he does, he's pretty dang good at his work, he just can get a little obnoxious about making sure people know that.
He will also absolutely whip himself into an utter frenzy over the tiniest percieved slights, and he's very prone to holding grudges. He's more bombastic and loud, probably too headstrong for his own good, but he won't hesitate to speak up for himself (and others) at least. xD
Funnily enough, he's not as mischevious as you might think. He's certainly no stranger to being a little cheeky, but he doesn't often come up with tricks or games. Most of the time he looks to Ben for ideas and then they plan something together.
(And I use the term "plan" very loosely, Bill may be better at planning then his brother is but not by very much! xD)
So if Ben was like "hey, we should do xyz", Bill will 9 times out of 10 go "okay bet" and they'll go from there. He's more of a "yes man" to his brother's more mischevious plans and trickery. He definitely has fun with it, but it isn't something he does much on his own.
(Not unless he feels someone's slighted him, then... woo boy, all bets are off, he's going full gremlin mode! xD)
For the most part, though, he always gets way more excited just to be part of something exciting, more then about what they're actually doing. And though he can definitely be a bit obnoxious and defensive, he's by no means a bad sort. :) A little loud and annoying, maybe, but pretty dang harmless LOL
He's also surprisingly good at math! Especially mental math. He likes numbers, and especially puzzles involving numbers. They're fun for him! ^^
And his favourite colour is yellow. :)
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As for Ben, or Benjamin which you can call him too but he will get a bit nervous if you do (he'll think he's in trouble LMAO), he is the epitome of a class clown. He loves making dumb jokes and getting a rise out of others.
(He also has a particular knack for ragebaiting Bill LMAOOO /lh /silly)
He's definitely more laidback and takes things way less seriously then others do. He won't take anything lying down, ofc, not without giving a few jabs or quips of his own, but for the most part he's more chill and doesn't care as much. He just likes doing his own thing and getting a reaction out of people for his own amusement.
The only times he ever really gets riled up is usually just bc either Bill is actively trying to rile him up (picking on/teasing him, trying to scare him, all that good stuff LMAO) or Bill's upset about something and now Ben's upset bc, well, his brother's upset!! He doesn't like seeing his brother upset!! :(
He's definitely less guarded and shows his emotions more freely. He's got quite the imagination and he's very impressionable, and he's also very easy to scare. xD
(And yet somehow he's still less of a scaredy-engine then his brother... despite said brother's adamant protests to the contrary!! LMAO)
With that said, he's also THE source of trickery between the twins; since he's much more creatively-minded he loves coming up with new games and tricks, and roping others into his little schemes.
He's also very prone to chronic boredom and is always looking for ways to make things more interesting for himself. Leave him alone in a slow shunting yard too long and he'll have done something stupid, probably LMAO
Safe to say he is also quite impulsive, and rarely ever thinks before he acts… if he does at all. xD
He's not quite as vengeful as his brother, either, but he will always back his brother up if need be. Petty squabbles aside, they will always team up to get back at those they feel have wronged either one of them. And you know Ben revels in any opportunity he gets to be a little extra devious... hehe >:)
He also LOVES riddles; he adores any chance he can get to flex his creative muscles and think outside the box about things. ^^
And his favourite colour is orange. :)
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Aaaand yeah that's about it for them for now! I hope all of that makes sense. ^^''
Funnily enough I realized while trying to write this that it's actually kinda tricky to write about them as individuals, at least without mentioning the other one like six times LMAO, but they do definitely have some influence each other so I think it's fair. xD
(They do have similiar personalities but they also rub off on each other a LOT, I think. For better and worse. LOLL)
I hope y'all can enjoy even more of my bee-fuelled yapping either way! xD And if you have any questions, absolutely feel free to ask!! I'm happy to clarify anything. ^^
(And I'll get to yap even more about my favourite lil cheeky tankers!! hehehehe /lh /silly)
Gordon, Henry, James (lives in Tidmouth) - carpools in Gordon's Mercedes-benz. James is a passenger princess. Henry wishes he isn't here. Gordon goes over the speed limit when authorities aren't looking even though it's at most a 20 minute drive or something.
Rosie (lives in Vicarstown) - Motorcycles there. Her ride is a cherry pink customised bike with rose decals.
Donald and Douglas (lives in Arlesburgh) Takes one of the connecting trains from Arlesburgh to Tidmouth. Refuses to take the bus as they don't want to deal with Bulgy.
Diesel (lives in Knapford) - motorcycles there in a Vespa. It's painted black and you KNOW this guy has a vanity plate (D13S3L)
BoCo (lives in Wellsworth) - Takes the train from Wellsworth to Tidmouth. That, or he drives there with his Skoda Octavia Estate.
Bear (lives in Tidmouth) - yknow the loudest motorcycle you can think of? Bear has that, and he usually drives to Tidmouth that way.
Works Diesel/Warren (lives in Vicarstown) - Just walks there like a normal person. Or uses the tramway.
Charlie and Billy (lives in Knapford) - rides a bike for two but it's the most goofy looking bike ever
Emily (lives in Tidmouth) - Bikes there! Occasionally carpools with the Big Engine Drivers.
Murdoch and Neville (lives in Brendam) - Carpool together in Murdoch's Volkswagen Beetle, and after dropping Neville at Wellsworth...
Molly and Hank (lives in Knapford) - They meet up with Murdoch and walk all the way to the sheds!
Rebecca (lives in Tidmouth) - She skips there. No, not jogs, not runs. Skips. She somehow gets there first nearly every time.
Hiro (lives in Vicarstown) - Takes the tramway! Has struck up a friendship with fellow tram takers Warren, Victor, Kevin, and Den and Dart.
Victor and Kevin (lives in Vicarstown) - also takes the tramway! That, or Victor rides his motorbike with a sidecar attached for Kevin to sit in.
Diesel 10 - straight up lives in the dieselworks.
Den and Dart (lives in Vicarstown) - Takes the tram, or uses their Honda Jazz.
Philip (lives in Wellsworth) - Carpools with BoCo, or he takes the train!
Sonny (lives in Vicarstown) - Drives a motorcycle there. Sometimes visits Ruth in Knapford for repairs, and they struck a friendship.
Pip and Emma (lives in Vicarstown) - Drives there with their Mercedes-AMG SL 48, music blasting all the way.
THE BRANCH LINE LEAGUE
Brendam
Edward (lives in Wellsworth) - Walks, or rides a bike! After getting injured during The Exploit, he takes the bus more often)
Bill and Ben (lives in Brendam) - rides a horse. No, I'm serious. At first it was a prank but they trained it so well. The China Clay Pits have a fucking stable coz of this.
Timothy and Marion (lives in Brendam) - They carpool together. In Marion's forklift.
BoCo again (lives in Wellsworth) - Walks with Edward! After the Exploit, he buys a two person bike and rides it with Edward when Edward's leg pain flares up.
Nia (Lives in Knapford) - Takes the bus there, or uses the main line stopping trains.
Derek, Harvey, Salty, Paxton (Lives in Brendam) - Takes the bus together!
Neville again (Lives in Brendam) - Carpools with Murdoch, or takes the bus!
Ffarquhar
Thomas, Percy, Toby, Henrietta (lives in Knapford) - Usually carpools in Toby's dinky little Wolseley Ten. However, individually... Thomas rides a bike, and Percy jogs.
Daisy and Mavis (lives in Elsbridge) - Mavis picks up Daisy with her badass motorcycle and drops her off before going to the Quarry.
Bloomer (lives in Elsbridge) - Walks. Takes in the sights and sounds and ends up late much to Thomas' endless frustration.
Splatter and Dodge (lives in Ffarquhar) - They walk there but always ends up lost in the middle. Mavis wonders why they aren't always late.
Arlesburgh
Duck, Donald, Douglas, Oliver (lives in Arlesburgh) - Carpools there in Oliver's Rolls-Royce Cullinan. They fight over the radio.
Other Branch Lines
Arthur (lives in Kirk Ronan) - is environmentally conscious, and bikes to his workplace!
Ryan (lives in Arlesburgh) - Drives a dinky, yet fancy car. It's purple. He named it Vera.
Stanley, Flora, and Sidney (lives in Great Waterton) - after Sidney gets lost for the nth time Stanley and Flora agreed to walk together- they're neighbours, anyway.
I often like to think of important days on Sodor like Godred's Day and alla that shit where fireworks are involved, the miniature railway are like the calmest when it comes to fireworks, mainly because they just don't like a shit ton of crazy stuff n that.
THE STANDARD GAUGE RAILWAY AND NARROW GAUGE RAILWAY HOWEVER- OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHH BOY
I feel like they have firework wars, like they get 3 engines from each railway to stockpile on fireworks and buy the best ones they can find, another few engines set them up and then one lucky engine gets to set them off,
The standard gauge has never won any of these little mini wars, Rusty or Duncan always somehow gets a supernova esc firework from fuck knows where (rusty probably makes them anyway) so they have a 100% chance of winning each firework war
plus they prob don't even get mad over it, it's all for fun and games
A random RWS fact I find interesting is that Donald and Douglas work the Brendam Branch just as often as they do The Little Western! Any thoughts on this? I just wish that it was touched upon more! I think it would be cool to see more of their interactions with Edward and BoCo! (and maybe even the bees hehehe…)
OMG YES DONALD AND DOUGLAS ON THE BRENDAM LINE!!! Yes, this makes me so happy to know, because I agree there's fun potential there that hasn't really been explored as much!
Honestly I've always kinda thought D&D would be pretty likely to move around to different lines, as they kind of feel like the jack-of-all-trades engines of the railway. The workhorses that run around behind the scenes and get the work done while everyone else is having their adventures. They work wherever they're needed, they don't stick to any one particular line (or they don't seem to) and also they're not always together and they can each be off doing their own thing as needed.
Buuut I do still definitely have some thoughts >:))
As a big D&D and bee enjoyer, of course I'd love to see the two sets of steam engine twins meet/interact (which I'm still kinda shocked they never met, at least in canon material), hell, a few years ago I actually did a piece ABOUT the twins meeting and the little story I made up surrounding it!
(Here's the old art with the story concept if ur curious, but TLDR; Bill and Ben tease Dougie the first time they meet at the docks, not realizing Dougie ALSO has a twin, hilarity ensues LMAO
If I went back now I'd prolly change up the story a wee bit, and I kinda wanna redo the art someday, but the concept is still very much a fun one I'd like to explore again sometime! I'd love to see more of the twins interacting with each other hehe
Also good god that art is almost three years old now it does not feel like it's been that long that's crazy-LKAHSGSA)
Anyway, I personally really vibe with Don and Dougie kind of being like, uncle/big brother types towards the bees. Their more mature and grounded but they're no strangers to tricks and follies themselves, which I think the bees would take a shine to. Hell they might even see them almost as role models/mentorly figures, but not quite to the same level of Edward ofc.
They would absolutely drive the Scots a little nutty sometimes (imagine being exhausted one morning after a long midnight goods and you're trying to get a quick nap in, only to be besieged upon by two, albeit well-meaning, squeaky little tankers that want to yap your ear off, WOOO BOY LOL), but I like to think they'd still have a bit of a soft spot for the wee tankers. And the bees would certainly learn real quick not to mess with em LOLL
Also I 1000% think the bees would be very excited to have met another pair of twin engines hehe (if not a little tiny bit disappointed bc that's supposed to be their thing, dangit!! xD)
But I would genuinely also love to see more of the Scots with Edward, and especially BoCo. There's so much fun potential there that I don't think has really ever been fully tapped into.
We all know Don and Dougie's story, their initial animosity towards him and their eventual comearound, but it wasn't super heavily fleshed out?? And it was kind of a generic "for a diesel, yon BoCo's nae such a bad sort a' engine" line, rather then anything in particular about him that finally helped the Scots put their prejudice aside and see him as an equal.
I'd genuinely love to have seen more of their interactions, because BoCo really is such a great foil to not only the "all diesels are devious" rhetoric, but especially to Don and Dougie specifically (and Oliver as well, honestly). Especially seeing as BoCo is a class of diesel that was deemed a failure and had most of, if not all, his siblings likely meet the cutters' torch, so the way they could play off each other could be really interesting.
Let's be honest, the idea of diesels being scrapped is not something I think any of the steamies who survived through modernization would have ever considered, but imagine if they were faced with the reality of that.
We know Douglas saved Oliver without a second thought, but what if it had been a diesel on the cutting block instead? Would he have done the same thing? Now that'd be quite the revelation for not just him, but both of them, to have to face, I think.
Also personally I just like the idea that if the Scots knew that BoCo had lost his own brothers, it would give them genuine pause and really make them reconsider their attitude towards him. Of course, BoCo being the good plucky lad he is and always happy to help would also certainly help get him in their good graces. (Plus his knack for shooing away a particular pair of bee twins if neccessary… lol)
Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Edward was another big part of what helped push them towards their eventual acceptance of BoCo, or maybe even Duck!
But the other part of that of course is the idea of their diesel prejudice actually rearing it's ugly head again, how would BoCo react? There's definitely room for some interesting conversations and maybe even some conflicts between them hehe
I don't have as many thoughts on Eddie with the Scots specifically, but I would absolutely want to see more of that potential dynamic explored. Has Douglas ever thanked Eddie for standing up for him after the incident with the spiteful brakevan? Did he ever try to maybe do something in return? Who knows!
Whether or not they'd get along with Eddie, I absolutely wanna see more of the Scots on the brendam line. I wish this had translated to the TV series (or we'd just gotten more of the Scots in general), but either way it's really fun to think about the possibilities! ^^
So yea I'd love to see more of any of the above or anything else! I'd just love more content of the Scots in general cuz I just love them sm <33 hehe
Thank you for the ask! This really got me thinking about a lot of fun things and maybe given me a few new ideas for art to play with… who knows ;P
Apologies that this took a bit and is rather long, and it might be a bit nonsensical at points but eh LMAOO hope y'all can enjoy them anyway! xD I know I always enjoy getting to ramble more about my favourite boyss hehe
Hearing that your Bill and Ben are into math puzzles and riddles respectively is so fascinating to me because of the implications; math as a concept has concrete answers, yet still allows flexibility for how you get to the answer, whereas riddles I think allow more creative freedom in that there can be more than one answer so long as it follows the rubric. In a way, they could be considered 'left brained' and 'right brained.' I know this might be a lil odd to fixate on out of everything your wrote, but I just thought it was an interesting thing that separated the two :)
YEESSS yes yes yes I actually love that you pointed this out, bc the more I thought about it, the more I realized it actually encapsulates my view on them pretty darn well! ^^
I wanted my interpretation of them to feel very alike, while still being able to stand out from each other in some way. To seem more like they just happen to compliment each other really well rather then be truly identical, if that makes sense?
Bill being more logically-minded ("left-brained"), and Ben more creatively-minded ("right-brained"), helps them sort of round each other out, I think. They don't oppose each other's line of thinking, but they both bring something a little different to the table.
Like you said, math is more concrete with it's answers while riddles let you get more creative with them, but both still fall under a certain set of "rules" and both allow for at least a little flexibility in how you get to your answer.
Both twins have a general understanding of rules, and both have some sense of creativity ofc, but they still inherently have a different way of approaching problems, which makes it all the more fun to explore! ^^
So while they can get to the same answer in the end, it's how they get there that truly helps set them apart. And their preference for math vs riddles is a pretty darn good example of how they each think about things! xD
But even still they usually have the most fun combining their efforts to solve little puzzles/riddles together! ^^ Regardless of the type of puzzle or riddle it is.
(...Doesn't mean they don't still have their preferences, though ;P)
Thank you for the ask, I really do appreciate it! ^^ And I'm glad I could bring up some interesting implications for ya hehe
Pardon me for dropping in, I just wanted to say I loved that April Fool's piece with the bees and Edward, they were adorable! And the way you characterize Alfred and Judy is so fun! If you're still taking questions, do you have thoughts on what a first meeting between them and Bill&Ben might look like? Keep up the good work!
OMGG AAAA Thank you so much!! ;; 💖 Genuinely I appreciate that so so much!! Reading this absolutely made my day.
I'm glad you enjoyed my silly bee art and especially my Alf and Judy!! I've put a lot of love and attention into them and I'm glad you guys have enjoyed them too hehe! ^^
I've been frantically trying to sort through all my ideas, since I actually have quite a few different ones regarding how a potential meeting between them could go, but I'll narrow it down to my two favourites so I'm not throwing a full 12-page essay at you guys. 😂
When I got this ask the first big thought was "when would they meet?", bc my takes on Alf and Judy do change quite a bit between their Port Of Par days and the 40 odd years later when they're both in preservation.
Ofc this is all mostly just theoretical and for funsies anyway so it might not make complete sense anyways but ah well x'D I still like them!
(Also I'm pretty sure if all 4 of them actually came together the universe would probably explode [or BoCo would at least LKHASGA] /j /lh
1 - The siblings meet sometime in the mid 60s, when the Port of Par is starting to head into it's downswing but the Claypits are still busy as ever.
As a result, Alf and Judy are loaned out to S.C.C for a week or two to help out. Much to the surprise of the bees, who had no idea they even had other siblings, let alone were expecting them to come help out!
Judy would honestly get along with the bees well enough. She wasn't quite full gremlin back in those days but she still has her brand of quiet chaos, and would play along with the bees more then scold them.
(Though her incessant need to be a 'good big sister' and teach her little brothers/"lead the way", so to speak, might get on the bees' nerves a lil lmao)
Throwing Alfred in with the bees, however, would be the equivalent of throwing a lit match into a full tanker of gasoline. Alfred used to be the most obnoxious little know-it-all you'd ever meet, bullheaded and with an inflated ego to hide his own insecurities, and you just know him and the bees would haaaate each other. xD
Suffice to say, the week would be pretty much disastrous. Alfred and the bees would be at each others throats, Judy would be trying to keep some semblance of order but basically just get roped into all the nonsense instead, and not a single dang thing is getting done in that yard LMAO
After everything officially crashes and burns (and is put right by management), they'd all part ways by the end of the week, likely never to see each other again. (For better or for worse? Who knows xD I'm sure the bees wouldn't miss Alfred much tho LOL)
2 - For funsies, if I throw some realism to the wayside and assume Sodor persists into modern times, they could instead meet each other much later in life, when Alfred and Judy are living as preserved engines. (So sometime in the 2010s up to current day)
Perhaps the NWR, or one of the other railways on Sodor, is hosting a big heritage gala and Alf and Judy are brought out to attend.
From there, there'd be several different avenues to go. But my personal favourite would have to be one of the bigger engines meeting Alf and Judy before the bees do, and either mistaking them as the bees (just repainted green), or assuming that bc they look like the bees that they're equally as troublesome and treating them quite rudely.
Alfred would let any rude engines know exactly where they could shove their words (he may not be as obnoxious as he used to be but he's still a loudmouth with no filter, and he is not at all shy about telling others off), but Judy would instead be cooking up her own little scheme. Perhaps involving these so-called "bees" everyone's going on about...
All the while, the rumours spread about two little green tankers showing up that look strikingly like a certain pair of bees. And the bees decide they need to get in on that action by making up their own little rumour about having "long lost siblings", that they "lost so many years ago" and dramatically woe-is-meing about how much they miss them.
Basically just taking the piss out of the whole situation and making everything more confusing, as they tend to do LMAO
Cue all the confusion, misunderstandings and general hijinks that would come with all that. And then throw in Judy "pretending" to be one of these so-called bees, to the point of possibly even confusing one of the bee twins themselves!
(Bill swears he saw a glimpse of Ben scuttling around in the dockyard when he should've been at the pits, but Ben insists he was in the pits and Bill's just crazy!)
It all eventually comes to a head when the siblings finally come face-to-face for the first time. Everyone is utterly dumbfounded to learn that yes, there are indeed 4 identical little low-slung bagnall saddletanks, and even they had no idea that the other pair really existed! xD
(I can just hear the bees exclaiming "we were joking!! we didn't know we actually DID have long lost siblings!!")
But I think in the end they'd all get a pretty good laugh out of the situation, and the bees would be excited to meet these long-lost siblings of theirs. They'd still get along with Alfred about as well as hot oil mixed with water (albeit perhaps they could eventually see eye-to-eye better with a lil time hehe), but hey, at least their new big sis is pretty cool!
(She's not super talkative, but she's awfully devious... and they like that about her >:) )
I feel like I've been rambling for ages so I'm gonna cut myself off here, but yeah! There's a few of the many, many ideas I have for them meeting. xD
None of it's really fully fleshed out proper yet, so I could absolutely go a different way with them, but I thought y'all might enjoy these two silly lil scenarios I came up with either way!
Generally, though, if they met I think the twins would like their big sis but not like their lil brother very much. I know Alf certainly would not care for the bees or their antics, but Judy would adore all her dumbass lil brothers. <3 hehe
(Also yes, Alfred would theoretically be younger then the bees. And yes I find that hilarious. Poor baby brother Alf never catches a break! xD)
All the same, though, double the twins means double the chaos! And thensome! So let's all pray for Eddie and BoCo, bc god knows they're gonna need all the help they can get if those four do meet someday LMAOO
As thanks for reading through all my ramblings, here's a bonus lil doodle of what the siblings' general dynamic might look like (just for funsies <3) ~
And on that note, y'all are absolutely welcome to drop into my askbox anytime! I am more than happy to answer any questions y'all send my way, I love getting to yap more about my silly lil trains hehehe
Thank you so much for the ask! ^^ Have an awesome day/night!
