#Thomas had never seen such bullshit before

[lockheed-martin-unofficial]

Astrotrain is finished! Look how handsome he is!

[fandom-chic]

Please Please Please: Chapter 4

Summary: Y/N is only a child when she and Tommy Shelby meet. The two quickly become best friends as they grow up in Small Heath. As the years go by, Y/N and Tommy realize there may be more to their friendship than they originally thought.

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x Y/N

A/N: Hello everybody! Hope you enjoy this chapter. Love seeing all the comments, they make my heart smile. You guys rock my socks <3

Previous chapter

James and Y/N drove in silence through the streets of Small Heath. It was a silence that hung in the air like the end of a bad joke, except no one forced a polite smile, especially Y/N. All she wanted to do was curl in a ball on her bed and hope for sleep to take her away from Tommy. It seemed to be the only time she could truly escape from his grasp on her. It was when she saw the outline of The Garrison did she realize she had another outlet to forget about Thomas Shelby.

“Let me out here,” she said, not bothering to glance at her date. She felt the car slow to a stop and she hopped out. It was then that she spared a glance at James. There was a pitiful air to him, one that told her this was the last time she would see him.

“Get home safe.” Was all he said, before pulling her door shut and driving off. She watched the automobile disappear into the darkness. She would get home how she got home at this point, all she knew at this moment was she needed a glass of whiskey in her hand. She walked through the front door of The Garrison and was surprised to see it almost empty, except for a few patrons and one familiar figure.

“Look who the hell decided to show up.” she teased, a smile musing upon her lips. Arthur turned to face her, a goofy smirk on his face.

“If it ain’t Y/N,” he got up from his spot at the bar, approaching the younger woman and enveloping her in a hug. “How are you, love?”

“I’m alright,” Was all she was willing to disclose to him. He didn’t dig deeper as he ushered her toward the bar. 

“And what will the lady be drinking tonight,” he asked, motioning for the bartender to approach.

“The strongest whiskey you have,” she replied, eliciting an eyebrow raise from the bartender. He could sense her present level of intoxication, but he didn’t question it. He poured her a glass, nodded toward Arthur, and began to clean the bar. She took a large swig, letting the amber liquid slide down her throat. It burned going down but the buzz that was there afterwards made up for it. 

“I never took you for a whiskey girl,” Arthur said, taking another sip of his own.

“I guess it’s one of those nights,” she said, preparing herself to guzzle down the rest.

“So, who’s the bastard who broke your heart this time?” She smirked to herself, knowing Arthur had seen this show before. He was well acquainted with the bad luck that seemed to revolve around her love life. During her years of friendship with Tommy, Arthur would be pulled into the teenage drama that revolved around the duo. He pretended to be annoyed by all the chaos and gossip that accompanied the teens, but she could tell he enjoyed hearing about their lives.

She waved down the bartender, asking for another drink before responding, “Your fucking brother.” 

A sigh escaped Arthur’s lips, “What’d the fucker do this time?” he asked. She shook her head to herself as the bartender poured her second drink of the last few minutes.

“He told me he didn’t want to see me anymore,” She took a sip, “He said our friendship didn’t make sense. What the hell does that even mean? It doesn’t have to make sense! It’s not a bloody algebra problem! It’s such bullshit.” She could feel the steam coming out of her ears.

“What a bastard,” Arthur said wistfully, as if there were words between the spaces of that sentence that needed to be said. 

“A bastard indeed,” Was her response. She stared straight ahead as Arthur turned to face the younger woman.

“Tommy will kill me if I told you this but,” he gestured to Y/N, “I can’t see you looking that sad. It breaks me heart.” A stifled chuckle escaped her lips, bringing the cup up to her mouth to take another long sip. Everything inside her tried not to look at Arthur because she knew the second she looked into his eyes, she would break. 

“What is it?” she asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer. 

A long exhale escaped her friend as he responded, “He misses you like hell, kid.” She impulsively turned toward the man beside her.

“He sure has a shitty way of showing it,” she said, a quiver in her voice. 

“Since whatever happened that day on the lake, he hasn’t been himself,” Arthur said, taking a swig of his drink, “He’s been more solemn than he already is and that’s saying a lot. Usually, you’re the one to make him less depressed” A bitter laugh erupted from her as she tried not to roll her eyes.

“So, he didn’t say that he missed me, you just think there’s the possibility that he might miss me.” She watched the way the ice settled in her drink, wishing she could sink.

Arthur shook his head to himself, knowing that he would not convince Y/N, “I know my brother, Y/N. Something went out in him after that day. The only thing I think it could be is you.” 

“Well,” she said, putting her drink down on the bar, “if he truly missed me, wouldn’t he have said something rather than push me away?” Arthur cocked an eyebrow at Y/N as she relayed the events of that night. 

Arthur finished off his drink before responding, “Tommy is who he is, and whatever is up his ass might just need a bit more time. You know as well as I do how he can be.”

“We’ve never fought for this long, Arthur,” she gazed away from him toward the bottles of liquor behind the bar, “Even as children when he hit me with the baseball, he was at my door within minutes to apologize.” If a child can see the difference between right and wrong that quickly, she could only imagine what an adult would do in that exact situation. To her surprise, she heard a light chuckle leave Arthur’s lips.

“Did he never tell you what actually happened that day?” Arthur questioned. Y/N looked toward him, tilting her head in confusion. “I guess he didn’t. Might as well tell you.” He brushed a hand through his hair before continuing, “That day, he wasn’t going to apologize.” This made her sit up straighter.

“What?” she asked, her whole friendship with Tommy rushing before her eyes. 

Arthur smirked and nodded, “He was ready to let you go, that’s how he has always been with everyone. Then I asked him if he was really willing to let you go over a stupid baseball game. I don’t know what it was about that but something clicked and he ran after you. That night when he came back home and I asked how the apology went,” Arthur paused, looking at Y/N, “he smiled and said ‘I think I met my best friend,’” Y/N could feel her heart soften at the end of that story. She knew she felt that way that day but she didn’t know Tommy felt the same. She felt a tear come into her eye and a finger go up to her eye to wipe it away.

“Why are you telling me this story?” she questioned.

“Sometimes, Tommy needs some convincing to realize he is making a shit decision,” Arthur motioned to the bartender to top off his drink, “And I just don’t think anyone has called him on this shit yet. I’d say you will have Tommy back soon.” Arthur’s words along with the alcohol softened Y/N.

“You really think so?” It felt like a plea coming from her lips.

Arthur nodded, “He needs you as much as you need him.” Y/N was ready to hug the older man when she noticed something, the music on the phonograph slowed to a tune she could recall from anywhere. It was The Girl With The Flaxen Hair by Claude Debussy, one of her favorite songs. Arthur saw the change in her expression and smiled at her.

“Care to dance?” he asked, holding a hand out to her. She looked around the room but the bar seemed empty except for the stray patron or two. Perfect.

“I would love to,” she responded as Arthur led her to the center of The Garrison. Her left hand goes into his and her right hand falls onto his shoulder. His left hand gives hers a squeeze and his right hand falls onto her back. She couldn’t help but smile at the man before her. He was the brother she always dreamed of having, tough but loving. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder as the song went on. For the first time in a long time, she was at peace, but that was only momentary. She felt Arthur stiffen as the song came to an end. She looked up at him to see him staring at the entryway. She followed his gaze to see a man she did not expect to see tonight.

“You two look to be having a good time.” Tommy’s voice felt like a dagger, punctuated by the exhale of a cigarette in her direction. Arthur immediately detached himself from Y/N, taking a step away as well. Y/N looked over at Arthur, her eyes pleading for him to say something, anything to make this situation less terrible.

“I’ll give you two some privacy.” That was the last thing she wanted him to say. Before she could interject, Arthur had already made his way into the back of the bar. 

Tommy turned to the remaining patrons, “Out. Now.” As if his words were a spell, they followed what he said. Now, they were truly alone. He takes his jacket and hat off, placing them on a table before asking, “What are you doing here?” 

She shrugged her shoulders, “It’s a bar and I wanted a drink.” 

Tommy let out a sigh, bringing his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose and rubbing it, “You know this is my bar.” 

She gave him a sarcastic smirk, “I didn’t think you would be coming here tonight, your date seemed like a pretty sure thing.” At that, Tommy approached the bar, opening up the side door to go behind it. He began to pour himself a drink.

“I can at least say I tried.” He mumbled to himself.

“Tried what?” Y/N asked. 

“To make you leave.” He puts the bottle down. “Seems I can’t get rid of you.” He throws back the drink.

“Tommy,” she said, approaching the bar, “Why do you want me to leave? Did it ever occur to you that I don’t want to go away?” Tommy didn’t meet her gaze, as he poured another drink.

“I want you to be safe, Y/N.” He put the bottle back on the counter, “You know the way that my life is going, that won’t be possible anymore.” 

The alcohol went around her shoulders like a blanket, giving her the confidence to say, “That’s so stupid, Tommy.” A real smile and laugh came out of Tommy. One that she had not seen in six months.

“Now that is not how I expected this conversation to go.” He took another drag of his cigarette, “In all the ways I thought of this talk going, I did not imagine you calling me stupid.” 

She giggled to herself, taking a seat on the barstool, “So, you knew we would speak again.” 

He leaned against the bar, his face inches from hers, “I told you, I can’t seem to get rid of you and you can’t seem to get rid of me. Maybe that’s just how life is supposed to be, you and me.” Her thoughts began to swim. She wasn’t sure if it was the booze or the fact that Tommy smelled like whiskey and soap. All she knew was that she didn’t want to move away from him. She only moved when the next song came on, one that she remembered well. The movement was a chuckle that turned into a laugh as Tommy followed suit. 

“You remember this song?” She asked, motioning toward the phonograph. 

He smirked and nodded, “How could I forget?” 

The first time that Y/N heard this song was a moment that replayed in her head from time to time. It was a hot August day. She was 16 and Tommy was 17. There was nothing to do that day but lay on the floor of Tommy’s room and listen to music. They stayed side by side for hours as track after track played. Finally, a track with provocative lyrics rose from the phonograph, causing Y/N to giggle and blush. Tommy looked over at her and smirked.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing!” she said, shaking her head as if she was trying to shake the blush off her cheeks. 

Tommy nudged her shoulder, “Come on, tell me.” 

She paused before answering, “I don’t know, the words are just so… raunchy.” The blush came back onto her lips as Tommy let out a belly laugh.

“What? Have you never had a shag?” This caused Y/N to burst out in laughter.

“I haven’t even had my first kiss, let alone slept with a man.” She expected Tommy to laugh along with her but when she looked over at him, he was already sat up, looking down at her. 

“Really?” There was a hint of disbelief in his voice.

She sat up and faced him, “Really,” Y/N said. She shrugged to herself, continuing, “I just don’t think anyone wants me in that way.” There was a long pause as Y/N expected Tommy to say something sarcastic but all he did was stare. Y/N matched his gaze. 

He then took his best friend's hand, “Don’t say that,” and continued to stare. He took a deep breath before saying, “If you’d like, I can kiss you.” Y/N didn’t know how to respond, all she could do was gaze into her best friend’s eyes. Neither teen knew what to do except let their faces grow closer together. His breath graced her lips, so close. Then the song changed, and so did her mind. 

“No, Tommy,” She backed away. “Not like this.” He backed away.

“I understand.” He said with a nod.

“I want it to be with someone I love who loves me back.” 

Y/N felt her mind come back to 1913 as she giggled to herself,  “Fuck that is what you said!” Tommy said as he took a large sip from his drink. 

She shrugged, “I was harsh, it might be why I didn’t have my first kiss for another year.” 

“I remember that,” Tommy said, sitting beside her at the bar, “George Milton, right?” 

She nodded, “By the bridge. He bit my lip and it bled.” Tommy let out a snicker. A comfortable silence fell over the two old friends. Tommy was the first to break it.

“So, why did you say no.” She looked up into his blue eyes to see a sense of curiosity there.

“I told you, my sixteen year old self wanted it to be with someone she loved,” Y/N took a sip of her whiskey before continuing, “She wanted magic and delusion. Still haven’t found that yet.” James crossed her mind for a fleeting second and left as quickly as he came. Tommy’s gaze did not leave hers, watching how the words stayed in her mind. Then the song changed again. The tune was a waltz, one that made a smile come onto Y/N's face. 

Tommy held out his hand, “Arthur can’t be the only one dancing with you tonight.” Y/N gave Tommy her hand as he led her out to where she and Arthur danced earlier. Their hands found their homes on each other's bodies easily as the couple began to sway to the tune. Y/N looked up into Tommy’s blue eyes and he gazed down into hers. His hand relaxed on the small of her back, sliding down and pulling her closer. She laid her head on his chest feeling his heartbeat against her cheek. She moved her arm behind him, holding him tight. The pair swayed as Tommy laid his head on top of hers. 

“Y/N?” She moved her head off his chest to look up at him, “You’re not delusional. You just want what you deserve.” That was when she felt her lips begin to grace his. As soon as they touched, Tommy backed away. 

The pair stopped and pulled apart.

“I have to go,” Tommy said. Before Y/N could question him, he was out the door.

Next chapter

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[crow-aeris]

Part 4 of And yet the Clock Twists Back

aka, my cursed object au, or the au my beloved brainworms gifted to me 😔

Parts 1,2,3

-----

Jason grimaces as he sees Tim's binoculars gleam in his peripherals. Sure, he did NOT want to be kidnapped by a creep, but Tim had offered himself first, and Jason would rather die a third time than allow Tim to do whatever his stupid little genius stalker brain brewed up. Jason had also given the weird pendant to tim so maybe he could find out something new while jason was being kidnapped.

And, like clockwork, Robert Shawn rounds the corner just as Jason lights the end of his cigarette. A smaller part of him that had grown more vocal since the beginning of the whole time-travel bullshit screams for him to stop. they've seen it happen to their mom, so jason should stop before be got addicted too.

But, he gently reminds the smaller, worried, and child-like part of himself that he wasn't smoking it. he was going to let the cigarette fumes curl into the air like a signal, a catalyst of events that will lead him and tim to their big brother.

the small voice quietens to a low buzz at the back of his head, so Jason continues.

"hey, thomas," that guy approaches, a hungry gleam in his eyes, "where's alvin? what are you doing all by yourself? smoking, no less?"

"Non'ya business what i do on my own, dipshit," jason snapped, glaring at the man.

"Don't be like that," the man said in a tone that was almost teasing, and oh shit, he was one of those men- ones who only wanted people so he could break them. They want the power and that comes with being in a position of power, and when they couldn't do that...

"I can be however i want," jason scoffed. He sees the gleam blink twice, and so jason turns his back on the man.

Just like he predicted, arms grabbed him, slapping a hand over his mouth. Jason struggled like a kid his age would. He screamed- the sound muffled by the man's hand as he was dragged away kicking and thrashing.

Shawn snarled, obviously frustrated, before slamming jason into the wall, "If you dont fucking behave, then i will find your little brother and i will have my way with him, got it?"

"Y-you dont even know where he is," Jason snarled despite being winded.

Shawn rattles off Jason's address, and it was all he could do to keep from laughing hysterically. God, this man was so stupid. If you did nothing other than surface-level research, then you deserve to be punched by Bruce.

But, he had a cover to uphold, so jason falls quiet and stares up at the man with wide, watering, doe eyes, "Y-you! Please- d-don't hurt him!He's all i have left!"

a sadistic light enters the man's eyes, and Jason was suddenly viscerally aware of the knife tucked in a hidden pocket, "so long as you remain and a good little boy, then i promise i won't touch a single hair on your brother's head."

there were so many loopholes that allowed the man to fuck with his "brother", but that was only if he could find tim first. If Batman didn't notice an inexperienced Tim Drake following him, then some average criminal could never dare to find a very experienced Tim Drake who has the size advantage.

Jason dips his head and allows himself to be lead away like a lamb to the slaughter.

but little do these butchers know, the creature they caught wasn't a lamb, he was a Bat through and through.

And when there was one Bat, there is always bound to be more.

-----

Parts 1, 2, 3

and the directory

[coeluvr]

Tryin' the fire route out of curiosity and lmao, love how Luceris reaction, after Lancelot broke the door and ask if MC is alright, is basically the "Thomas had never seen such bullshit before" meme 😭

He's like "you're supposed to be asking ME that!! 😾😾😾"

[randomly--accessed--memories]

I adore Vox's daughter being a winner, but now we have to bring out the rest of the family. So I offer you this.

It's 3 months after Alastor left Vox's broken body at the door to V Tower and fucked off for what would be 7 years. Vox's face is still everywhere, videos and commercials he made are still playing. The Vees are trying to pretend everything is fine.

And then some guy shows up, asking to see Vaughn, saying he's his son. The Vees know who Vaughn is, but they weren't aware he had a son. The guy is insistent, he idolized his dad, grew up watching all his old shows. His face may be different but his voice, and his mannerisms, are recognizable, to someone who's seen as much footage as this guy.

Velvette sends him away, giving him some corporate bullshit excuse that she's been giving everyone, but promising to give his number to Vox. She never did, she still has the scrap of paper with the guys name and number. Sometimes Vox asks about his family, where they are, and she's almost tempted to call him, but she knows Vox wouldn't want any of his family to see him like this, and she isn't sure if Vox would've wanted to see his family at all before. It's just one more secret she has to keep, but she's fine, really, promise, she's fine. (She's not)

Oh jeez. Thomas either goes off, bitter that once again, even after 70 fucking years, his dad still doesn't care enough to see him, or has to grapple with the fact that mere weeks after he manifested in Hell and realized his dad had become one of its most powerful overlords, he was "murdered" live on the air before Tom could manage to get in contact with him.

Fucking typical either way. Vaughn Oxright, the neglectful father, or Vaughn Oxright, the man who died in a freak accident on live television. He may have picked a new name, but he's still the same man Tommy remembers.

[evita-shelby]

Tie your heart to mine

Chapter 19

Cw: suggestion of an illegal abortion(as an option)

Douglas hadn’t been expecting Thomas Shelby to call and order him to meet him at Diane’s Office.

The man sat on the desk Diane looked too young behind in and held as much authority as he did when he was the feared Sergeant Major of the 179th Company. It was his distinguished service in the tunnels that made the Crown turn a blind eye to his crimes, an open secret most knew.

“I would’ve asked to meet at a more relaxed setting, but I can’t risk getting caught with this.” The gangster turned politician offered him a medical file, one with all the signs of its legitimacy.

“Why?” Douglas asks wondering why this man who cannot stand his namesake would do this kindness.

“Because.” The same answer they always got during the war. This time it meant something different.

Because I’m a father too.

“If anyone asks, I called you here to discuss a job in the transportation department in my company. The file was retrieved from the physician that saw to your son and was misplaced by his nurse.” Shelby rubbed the cigarette on his lower lip before lighting it.

Douglas Bennett hasn’t run like this since Lois was born. He is out of breath and ready to collapse and by divine luck, finds Tom packing in his bedroom.

“Unpack, boy, you aren’t going anywhere!” Douglas tossed the file on the bed for him to see.

“How did you get this?” Tom does not open the file detailing some nonexistant thing that rendered him unfit to serve.

“Doesn’t matter, all that matters is that you won’t be coming back dead to me.” The older man is so relieved that he can’t help but grab his son’s head and kiss the mop of blond hair so like Vera’s. “You aren’t dying, Tom, you’re staying here away from the war.”

“Dad. I’m going, not gonna die there anyways.” They had never agreed on much, and yet this is the last thing he thought they would disagree on.

Tom has always placed himself first, his life, his fun. Tom’s selfishness always won and yet here he was refusing this last ticket to freedom thinking himself fucking immortal.

“That’s what everyone fucking says about it until your best friend dies in your bloody arms! Ships sink, they get attacked and you just can’t bullshit your way out of the prison camp or fucking death, Tom!” it always comes to him trying to shout sense into his bloody fucking head.

Stubborn as he was before the war. Douglas saw the boy who died in France so much he couldn’t live with him half the time.

“Diane’s seen it. I trust her visions, and if she says I’ll live long enough to marry her and give you grandchildren, then I know I’ll be fine wherever they send me.” Tom confessed his reasoning and resumed his packing.

“You’ve never believed in that bullshit and now you’re trusting someone’s who you’ve only known for less than six months?!” his father cannot wrap his head around how his son who doesn’t even believe in God believes a girl who claims to see the future.

“I believe her, and I’m going to marry her when the war fucking ends whether you like it or not.” He stands his ground, because of all the lessons he’s tried to teach him, that is what sticks in his thick head of his.

“Suit yourself then, boy.”

Those are the last words Douglas Bennett will speak to Tom until he returns from the Battle of River Plate.

“You’ll write to me, won’t you?” Diane’s voice is quiet and soft as they say goodbye at the station like all families and lovers are doing.

He has had the ring in his pocket since that morning and yet no moment feels right. Tom has never been one for thinking things through and living in the moment and yet this has him hesitating and doubting himself.

Perhaps it was because things had gone to shit with his old man again after he refused to present the phony certificate claiming he’s got some fucking heart condition, and his blind trust in Diane’s visions of his future.

He’d said goodbye to Lois who was getting on her own train as well and now he was here holding onto Diane who refuses to let go as if he was being sent out to die already instead of basic training.

“Yeah, gonna bore you to death with my letters so much you’ll know you’re worrying for nothing, Di.” He answered cradling her face in his hands and reminding himself it’s just basic training.

The blond is aware he could die in training too, but the vision Di had of them having a life after the war gives him the confidence to think himself immortal. That nothing will hurt him and that he won't come back as a shell of a man like his old man did.

Diane’s never been wrong.

“I love you.” She said holding back tears and the ring feels heavy in his pocket.

But he doesn’t reach for it, Tom knows she’d say yes, but it just doesn’t feel right.

“Steal away to Cornwall, and I’ll find a way to see you off-base, Di,” Tom leaned down to kiss her goodbye and added after, quietly as if it weren’t obvious, “I love you too.”

Lois knows she’s dome for when there is a second month she doesn’t bleed. There is no question about what led to this, and she hates there is no chance it wasn’t Charlie’s.

It would be easier if it had been him, no matter what decision she took he’d support her and do the right thing if need be.

“Did you ever think about what would happen if you and Tom weren’t playing it safe?” Lois rolls onto her side and sees Diane take her brother’s bed as if it always belonged to her.

She’d moved in here with them at dad’s suggestion. Not all the boarders were as nice as Mrs. Johnson, some distrusted her because of her Romani blood made worse by Tom’s presence almost every night in her bed.

So Lois’ dad asked her to stay one night and suddenly a month and a half later, Diane was living with them even if she still paid her rent to Mrs. Johnson.

“We’ve talked about it, well, more like joked. We agreed we’d get married and name the first girl Vera Eve after your mum and mine.” She spoke so sure of it, as if Tom’s ever been serious about anything longer than an hour.

“He’s serious when he wants to, or has some external force pushing him to be. The baby is Harry’s, a girl, by the way.”

The witch looked at her having heard her thoughts, how Tom dealt with this on a daily basis was beyond Lois’ understanding.

“I suppose Vera it is.” The Mancunian girl had really hoped it wouldn’t come to this.

One fucking time.

Single mother to Harry’s bastard baby daughter, just her fucking luck.

“You don’t have to, you know, there’s people you can go to. My mum knows someone in Birmingham who can do that.” Her mismatched eyes tell her she’s not kidding, that she really is suggesting an abortion.

Lois hadn’t considered she may have a way out.

She’d heard of it, as something wrong and dangerous and illegal, heard of women who pay to get rid of unwanted babies and go on living normal lives as if it never happened.

It was a tempting offer, something she wasn’t refusing right away because she isn’t even sure what she’s going to do with a baby.

“Don’t tell my dad or Tom, please. You know how they are.” The blue eyed girl pleaded and the witch nodded in understanding.

The distance between Manchester and Torpoint is enough that Diane only comes down twice a month and in her vardo hitched to horses and as a guest of a nearby farmer lending his land to some romani family Diane only met on her way here.

Tom knew Norman had his back and would cover him as he has always done, especially now that they’d be shipping out to the Falklands. There they’d go on to serve on the HMS Exeter in the warm and sunny part of the world. He’s a fleet arm air gunner, third class, just as she had said before the war became true as well.

If that came true then the rest will too, he reminds himself. He won’t die. He’ll be the same Tom who returns home. He’ll not become like his dad nor hers.

“Dad’s worrying for nothing, no reason for the gerries to be there. Just a bunch of trade ships.” The blond says tracing patterns on Diane’s bare back.

They don’t always fuck, some nights he just holds her pretending its still spring in Manchester. Does that now that his training is ending, and his first posting came.

Tonight he’d taken his time, committed each freckle and sound she made to memory. She’d follow him anywhere, but the Falklands isn’t somewhere she can go with ease.

“Argentina is a great admirer of the Germans, might be the only one who likes them in Latin America.” She knew about things like these because of her parents, figures she’d do her homework about his assignment before he even knows himself.

“Well, now they’ll admire the way I look in my uniform.” He joked hoping to put her at ease.

If she knew how it ends, why was she so worried?

“I’m gonna marry you. After the war, so I know I won’t die before that.” Tom had hoped for a better way to do this, and yet no place was as special to them as this canary yellow vardo.

She smiled and leaned up to kiss him again. “Is that why you’ve been carrying your mum’s ring in your pocket every time I come here?”

“Yeah, been wanting to since I left.” He answered leaning over to grab the coat from the bench next to the bed and finally popping the only question that’s ever made him truly nervous.

She’ll say yes, he knows she will.

[latenightgasstationwalk]

One time when I was in like 3rd grade the principal pulled me into a room and screamed in my face like a drill Sargent because I couldn’t hold still while we were in line to go on stage and preform a Christmas choir bullshit thing that I wanted no part in because I knew my parents weren’t able to come so it just felt like a huge waste of time to me. He got big big BIG mad, because as soon as he was done screaming at me, all I said was: “you’re dumb”

I was forced to preform in the dumb Christmas thing, but I did not sing, I only moved my mouth like I was singing.

Same principal who encouraged my parents to put me on aderall and scolded me in front of my entire class multiple times for not being able to eat. Because that totally doesn’t make you feel like a freak, if you don’t already, on account of being the only kid in your class that HAS to be on mini-meth pills to help you focus.

My 3rd grade teacher also made fun of me in front of my entire class for being on aderall, after she (along with my principal) grilled my mother about putting me on said aderall. I went home and told my mom about it and she immediately got in the car and took me to the school and went BIG MODE on this woman. I was outside the classroom but I could hear her going ape Shit on her. My mom was gettin thug in that elementary school. Love that woman. (Incase you’re curious She called on me to answer a question and I wasn’t sure where we were in the book and she said “wow did you take your pill this morning? I know you need it. You need all the help you can get” even my bad little Ass was like wooooow okay you can’t say that to me lmao)

My 8th grade music teacher made us all take a guitar class, this was some time before I had taken an interest in playing music, we all had to preform in front of the class. We could chose between smoke on the water, Elenor Rigby or some other song I don’t remember. I very foolishly chose Elenor Rigby over smoke on the water and totally ate shit in front of the class. She gave me a D (like verbally, in front of the whole class of course, everyone else got their grade in private. But not the freak. He exists to entertain us) and then Stated aloud “that’s okay Jay, you’re just not cut out for music”

Shows what she knows. I Fucking rip at the guitar now. What now miss Thomas, Whatchu guna say now, yeah that’s right you got nothin. *poorly plays cliffs of dover*

One time when I was in high school my best friend overdosed on purpose in an attempt to take his own life, and the SECRETARY, not a teacher, for no reason walked up to me after school and said “you’re a bad friend. I’d never let my friend do something like that” and I was literally like “😦” like. What the Fuck do you even say to that he didn’t even take them at school. I wasn’t FUCKING THERE WHEN HE DID IT YOU DORK.

One time, also in high school, I found a super useful truancy loophole. If you got sent home, they couldn’t send you a truancy ticket. But coincidentally, if you were seen on your phone they’d confiscate it. But if you refused to give them your phone they’d send you to the office. Where you would once again be asked to turn over your phone. If you said no again they’d send you home. So of course I’d just be texting all first period until someone told me to stop and then I’d just leave. Free truancy.

One time, also in high school, I got in trouble for peeing on the building during gym class, but I got away with it by insisting “it was an emergency”

One time in middle school some kid dumped an entire Dr. Pepper on the audio mixing board in the auditorium. It literally wasn’t me. They (principal, vice principal, and the janitor for some reason) walked right up to me during lunch and said that I did it. I had no idea what they were even talking about. I hadn’t even been in the auditorium at this point as it was like the 2nd week of school. They all pulled me into the office and tried to force me to confess to breaking “a $5000 piece of equipment” and I just kept stone walling them and saying it wasn’t me because I knew they had no proof because I DIDNT FUCKING DO IT. They eventually let me go, because they couldn’t prove that I did it, because I didn’t do it.

This other time in middle school, I dumped a whole Dr Pepper on this dumb audio mixing board thing

This other other time, also in middle school, we were given a project where we were supposed to do online research on a celebrity or historical figure and write an essay on their life and accomplishments. I couldn’t decide on who to pick, so I asked my aunt to help me out, she was a huge Elvis fan so she recommended him. I was like “sure okay” and wrote this big ass thing about Elvis’s life and everything and read it infront of the whole class. Every one was snickering at me the entire time but I had no idea why. Until I got done reading the essay and the teacher revealed to me that not only were we assigned people to do the report on, but the project was black history month themed, I don’t think I need to even explain the irony in doing an entire report on Elvis for a black history month themed project. (She was cool and gave me a D instead of an instant fail, which would have been totally understandable)

Also worth mentioning that by 4th grade I could barely see in front of my own face because of my dog shit vision and my parents refused to by me glasses because I kept breaking them. I didn’t get another pair of glasses until my first job when I turned 18. So for alot of these stories I’m also like legally blind.

This other time, when I was in the juvenile detention center, I was sitting in my teachers chair doing an impression of him to make the other kids laugh, because he wasn’t in the room. Except he was in the room. And these teachers can hit you. He like clotheslined me out of the chair and dragged me around by my neck screaming “YOU THINK THATS FUCKING FUNNY??” I didn’t say anything because, between the lack of airflow to my lungs and the crazed laughter, I couldn’t talk at all.

Same year at the same place, they we’re giving kids from one of the high schools in the area a tour of the facility, for some reason. And I once again got grabbed by my neck and dragged into a room and screamed at because I walked by 2 girls from the high school and said “hey ladies :)” what a terrible terrible child I was.

I was ASKED to stop showing up to school my sophomore year. Which I gladly agreed too.

My school experience was so whack.

[werewolfetone]

Really ill on what was meant to be my mental health Break From It All day thomas had never seen such bullshit before

[demona-andariel]

A Simple Act of Kindness - 19 / ??

Fandom: Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

Pairing: Thomas Hewitt (Leatherface) x OFC

Summary: Elizabeth wakes up in a stranger's home. Her fate to become another victim of the Hewitt family is all but sealed till a simple act of kindness changes her life forever.

Warning: (Encompassing the whole story in no particular order) dead dove, rape/Noncon, violence, forced marriage, kidnapping, cannibalism, explicit sexual content, loss of virginity, angst

Author Note: Minors DNI!

Word Count: 3,743

Chapter 19 - Hope

Hope.

She felt like an idiot. Why the hell did she let herself fall into a fantasy? Her rapist falling in love with her? Winning his family over? Them seeing her as something other than a babymaker and eventual food that she very clearly was at the beginning.

Delusional is what you are. A god damn fool.

Thomas’s large hand held onto hers firmly. Almost as if he was worried she’d pull away. But, she wasn’t lying when she said she was done. Of course, her brain kept insisting on falling back to that hopeless romantic she apparently was. It wanted to believe there is a better future. That all her hard work to win Thomas over wasn’t in vain. That his family could learn to accept her.

She suppressed a snort. That probably wasn’t possible now. And even if they did accept her and pulled her into their circle for some fucked up reason. She couldn’t picture any possible way she’d ever forgive Hoyt. It would have to be some massive apology to change her mind.

“You ain’t blood.”

A sting of pain ran up her right arm as she dug her fingernails into the palm of her hand. As if that would ever happen. Him apologize? Actually be sorry? A silly fantasy of him groveling at her feet, flashed through her mind. He would try, Thomas would make him, but she'd stomp on his hand and cock in defiance.

The anger that filled her body quickly evaporated into defeat and her shoulders slumped. It would never come true. Nothing even close. She needed to remind herself of that. Needed to stop living in a fantasy. Hoyt would never be sorry for what he did. The Hewitts would never see her more than a babymaker. Thomas would never be by her side demanding his uncle make amends to her.

Thomas paused by the door and picked up her hat. There was no hesitation as he set it on her head. The bandage on his left hand drew her attention. There’d been a fight last night, a major argument. She had heard shouting, Luda Mae screaming, things were thrown and broken. Thomas had clearly punched someone. Hoyt? Probably. How could it not be? The way Thomas flew out of their room when they heard Hoyt's laughter upon his return. The anger in Thomas's face.

She felt her stomach drop with fear. She'd never seen him that angry before. And hopefully, he'd never show her that side of him. Although, she probably would sooner rather than later.

Yesterday had gone a little bit differently than what she expected. She didn’t plan on bearing her soul to Thomas. Didn’t plan on saying a word or acknowledging the rape.

Thomas probably thought she went down into the basement to end her life. She didn’t even notice the knife was in her hand until Thomas showed up. He was so scared, and it made sense. Had she been someone else she probably would have already done it. Ended her life. Unfortunately, despite all that had happened, her god damn brain kept insisting it wanted to live. Wanted to keep pushing forward because maybe, just maybe things would get better.

Idiot.

She probably didn’t need to tell Thomas that Hoyt raped her. He had to have known. How could he not? His family didn’t keep secrets from him. Hoyt was probably a step ahead of her and told Thomas she’d seduced him or some bullshit excuse. Most likely claimed her fucked her ass or mouth because “the baby has to be Tommy’s”.

It did somewhat surprise her Thomas’s reaction. His stunned surprise. But then she had to remind herself that maybe he was lied to. That Thomas was stunned to find out Hoyt raped her pussy. There was a possibility that if she was pregnant it was Hoyt’s. Small, but possible.

She clenched her jaw at the thought. Would it be telling? Did it matter in the end?

From there she just found herself blurting out everything she’d been wanting to say. Consequences be damned. What more could she lose? Her life? Not yet, she still had to have at least one baby.

It was surprisingly easy to shut down from there. To no longer care what happened to her. Rape? Beatings? Isolation? Tied up? Hung up? She didn’t have the energy to give a damn about her fate.

But none of that happened, much to her surprise. He didn’t try to “reclaim” her. Didn’t try to hurt her for lying to him. In fact, she was sure he wanted to feel free with him. Safe. But she didn’t. She couldn’t. And, she didn’t care enough to try anymore. He probably didn’t fully grasp what she had told him anyway. He could turn on her, once it all kicked in.

Thomas messed with her hat for a moment, tugging and pulling till he was satisfied with the way it set on her head. His eyes creased behind his mask from a smile. She resisted the urge to mess with his mask in kind. The leather mask he’d put on was his best one in her opinion, and thankfully not his favorite human made one. It was the one he knew she preferred of all the others. Not that she could put much meaning behind that.

The calluses on his palm brushed her cheek as he moved her hair back behind her ear. She couldn’t help but lean into his warm hand.

“He loves you,” the romantic in her said. Perhaps he did, but he was just making things harder for them. His love for his family would always trump his love for her. And sooner, rather than later, he’d prove it once and for all. Better to expect it now than to have her heart crushed and grounded again.

She pulled away.

Thomas slowly clenched his fingers, then he walked away.

Elizabeth gulped as his warm presence left her side, leaving her alone at the front door. Suddenly, her heart started to beat faster with fear.

He’ll be back.

He hadn’t left her side all day yesterday till the fight. They had spent the whole day in their room. Not fucking. Not doing much of anything for that matter. Thomas stood by the door as if he was guarding her. Protecting her. And she sat on the bed. A part of her wanted to go to sleep, because he was there and wouldn’t let any harm come to her. She hadn’t slept much over the last four days. But, only nightmares awaited her unconscious mind.

Elizabeth’s musings were interrupted as Thomas returned. He set down a picnic basket then opened the door. Despite the early hour, it was already hot outside.

Dishes clanged and cluttered in the kitchen, catching her attention. Luda Mae probably. Elizabeth gave the house a quick glance. She didn’t see anyone. She hadn’t seen anyone since the day before yesterday. When Thomas came back after the fight he didn’t let her leave, bringing dinner up for them.

Thomas turned and held out his arm to her. She automatically placed her hand on his arm and let him escort her out. Such a gentleman. They probably looked like such a pretty couple, dressed in their Sunday best. Thomas in one of his nice suits and her in a pretty sundress.

Hope.

Elizabeth quickly squashed those feelings, embracing the numbness.

Time. That was all that was needed. A little bit of time before the truth hit Thomas. Or till he gave up. His family would eventually win out. It was better this way. For her. Why did she even bother trying in the first place? A babymaker. That was all she was at the end.

The wind causing her dress swirl a little. Heat rushed inside of her as her heart picked up and fear spiked through her. She didn’t want to wear a dress, but Thomas had set it out and she wasn’t about to disobey him. But, she felt so vulnerable, despite Thomas being by her side.

She turned her head and glanced behind her at the old house. The dirty, yellow windows hid any evidence that they were being watched. But, Hoyt had always been watching her before, she was sure he probably watched her now.

Hoyt.

Oddly enough, it wasn’t Hoyt raping her that truly broke her. Sure, it was a part of it, but she would have gotten past that. She was strong after all. A fighter. Life kept throwing her lemons and she kept making God damn lemonade with each situation.

She could have pushed through. She would have. Would have healed and gotten stronger. But it was his words that did her in.

How happy the bastard whistled during the rest of the car ride back. Happy as could be because he got what he wanted while she had a war within herself. There was almost immediate regret that she had left the engagement ring on the ground. Fuck him! Hoyt was trying to get into her head and she let him. Thomas loved her and she was sure he would stand by her side.

Except, the moment she stepped out of the car and she saw Thomas her heart dropped and she knew she was wrong. His eyes had fallen immediately on her stomach. There was a giddy joy to him and excitement. A child waiting with glee to open his present.

When she walked up to him he’d placed his hand on her stomach.

Babies.

What a fool she’d been. He looked confused when she placed her hand on his cheek, slowly rubbing that leather mask. But, she had to say goodbye to the man she erroneously believed he was. The fantasy she indulged to cope with her situation. A stupid hope that he saw her as more than just a babymaker. That he could be her partner and truly protect or avenge her. But, she realized that Hoyt was right. The way he looked past her at his uncle in confusion, wanting an answer from that man. Not her.

Elizabeth let out a deep breath. No tears. But, she was tired and drained. She didn’t have the energy to cry.

The hot air cooled slight as they walked into the woods, the large trees covered the morning sun. Where was he taking her? The little meadow where he proposed popped into her mind. Her muscles tensed and she felt the overwhelming urge to run away. The man was giving her false hope.

Thomas lowered his arm and interlaced his fingers with hers. She absentmindedly squeezed his hand back, but focused on the ground.

She just needed to remind herself that he didn’t understand and wouldn’t be able to understand that he was giving her false hope. That no matter how much he tried to show his love it wouldn’t matter in the end. She didn’t matter. His family did. Having babies did. She was just a means to an end.

The insects of the forest made their presence known, filling the silence with their calls as Thomas walked Elizabeth further into the woods. She felt empty.

She’d given up. She hated herself for that decision. Always a fighter. At least, that’s how she used to view herself. Fighter for others never yourself. There was a reason why she fell for Thomas, despite everything he’d done, his family had done. Looking back, she was pretty sure her feelings had deepened toward him when he took care of her a few months ago when she got sick.

No one had ever taken care of her like that before. When she woke up with a fever she figured she’d have to deal with it on her own. Probably push herself and pretend to get better. But nope, Thomas refused to let her get out of bed. And he didn’t leave her side till he was satisfied she was better. She didn’t necesssarily need him. It wasn’t as if she were dying. But it was nice to see someone worry about her. He took care of her then, just like he tried to take care of her last night.

Hope.

Elizabeth gritted her teeth. No! She had to squash that feeling again that he’d done it for her. She had to think of him in a less romantic light. He was her rapist after all. The man who forced her to stay with him. Right, he didn’t let her leave the room because he was in fear that she’d harm or even kill herself. If he attacked his uncle then it wasn’t to avenge her, but because he was upset that Hoyt raped her pussy. That Hoyt may have gotten her pregnant and the baby had to be Thomas’s.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Thomas stopped in his tracks. She found herself pressing against his body as butterflies filled her stomach with nerves. Slowly, she raised her gaze from the ground to look around. She didn’t recognize the area. But they hadn’t been walking for that much time. So, they were near the house. The butterflies intensified as her eyes fell on the structure in front of them.

They stood before a little cabin.

Overgrown shrubbery grew around and on the cabin. She wasn’t entirely sure it was livable. Thomas stepped forward and she automatically followed him.

The screen door was actually well intact, not sporting any large holes due to neglect. She blinked in stunned surprise as the main door didn’t fall apart when he opened it. The hinges squeaked and groaned, but held the door firmly to the frame. Thomas placed his hand on the small of her back, encouraging her forward.

She stopped only a few steps into the cabin. The insides looked almost as bad as the outside. It smelled of dust and possible mildew. Leaves piled in a corner near a broken window. Was it even fixable? Livable?

There was a large couch by a wall and a loveseat near it. Both were facing a fireplace and a sheet covered them. The fireplace was interesting. She’d never lived in Texas, she was a Northern girl after all. She wasn’t sure if a fireplace was even needed. But it did look nice.

The place had clearly been worked on at some point. Not recently though. She could see the thin layer of dust on the floor and furniture. Wooden beams stood ready for drywall to be attached to them to create walls to separate the rooms. But, from where she stood, most of the house was rather open and visible.

Why bring her here?

Hope.

Her heart picked up its pace as she desperately tried to squash that feeling. She gulped before turning her gaze to Thomas.

The floorboards creaked with each step he took. He set the picnic basket down in the kitchen area before nonchalantly reaching out and tugging on a wooden beam. It was as if he was testing how sturdy it was. She half expected it to snap and for the whole house to topple onto them, but it didn’t.

He moved around, carefully tapping the wood and testing it as if this was the first time he’d entered the cabin as well. As if he knew what he was doing.

Hope.

Closing her eyes, Elizabeth took in a deep breath and let it out. No. They were there for a different reason. They were probably going to sell the house and they needed someone to majorly clean it or something.

Her fingers gripped the fabric at the top of the couch. Yeah, clean and polish so that another family of cannibals would live on the Hewitt land. Opening her eyes, Elizabeth found Thomas.

He stood in the corner of the room. Behind him she could see the way into what she assumed was the kitchen. His eyes were soft, but his body slightly tensed. He was watching her carefully. It was almost as if he was holding his breath.

Hope.

“Don’t do this,” she whispered.

His eyes widened slightly. He didn’t expect that. Neither did she. She felt her heart pound hard in her chest.

“Please, Thomas. Don’t give me hope,” her voice cracked. “You’ll kill me.”

He quickly shook his head and took a step toward her, hands reaching out. She rushed backwards, hitting the front door hard with her back. Her whole body screamed to run away, but she couldn’t lower her hands to turn the doorknob and appease her flight reflex.

“Don’t,” she whimpered. Her hands moved automatically in front of her as if she could stop him. But, she couldn’t handle it. Not anymore. She was barely hanging on by a thread. She was going to lose her goddamn mind, her will to live. And for whatever reason, she didn’t want to. This was the only way she could survive. It wasn’t much, but it was something. Just let them do whatever they wanted and expect nothing good to happen. Be the mother of his children and watch them be raised without having a say. Just be. That’s all she wanted now. To just be even if that wasn’t really living.

Thomas took a step back. He looked away for a moment. She couldn’t move, could barely breath as she watched his movements. He set down the bag, he had slung over his shoulder, onto the end table by the couch.

Her whole body remained tense, stiff. She was unable, unwilling to give in to hope. Hope that perhaps she did have a higher value than Hoyt was making it seem. That Thomas was her ally. Her partner. That he was devastated and angry at his family and at Hoyt for what Hoyt did to her. That he would stand by her side.

Sifting through the bag, Thomas froze. She saw him gulp. Clearing his throat, he stood up and pulled a book out.

A wave of disappointment washed over her. So dramatic over a stupid book? She did like reading, but a book wasn’t going to fix the situation. Wasn’t going to make her feel better or give her the reassurance she needed.

Thomas walked toward her and she tried to shrink back. But there was nowhere for her to go. Stopping in front of her, he grabbed her hand with his free one. She refused to look at it as she stared up at him. Her mouth opened and closed in a silent plea. Thomas didn’t take the book away. Instead, he closed her fingers around it before taking a few steps back, giving her room to breathe.

The weight and feel was oddly familiar. Dropping her shoulders, she lowered her gaze. She did tell herself she would do whatever he wanted and not argue, after all.

Her eyes widened and her world swirled on her.

“My… my album,” she heard herself say, but she didn’t recognize voice. Her mind remained blank, refusing to believe just yet. It had to be a dream. Her imagination.Wishful thinking perhaps?

With reverent care, she opened to the first page. The first two pictures were of her and her brother at their local fair. Both were doing their best to make a silly face in one photo. The other photo she had her arms wrapped around his neck and her lips pressed to his cheek.

Hope.

Butterflies filled her stomach. No, she couldn’t allow herself that hope. Snapping the album shut, she looked up at him. Anger bubbled inside of her.

“I… I get to keep it?” she asked, her voice was soft with fear. Those weren’t the words she wanted to say. She wanted to scream at him and demand he burn it. Or beg him not to give it to her. To throw it away in front of her. Not give her hope.

He nodded his head.

She felt her legs buckles as her knees gave out on her, but she couldn’t do anything about that. Thomas’s boots scrapped the wooden floor and suddenly, his strong arms wrapped around her, catching her before she hit the ground.

He easily lifted her up, pressing her tightly to his chest. Her fingers clenched onto the album tightly. It was a strange feeling as her body moved through the air while Thomas held her.

He moved them to a couch and sat. It creaked and groaned from their weight. His fingers pressed hard against her body, not letting her go. She didn’t want him to let her go and wrapped one arm around his neck to hug him. The album pressed between them.

Hope.

No! She shook her head on his shoulder. She couldn’t allow herself to give in. Thomas’s family meant everything to him. She wasn’t blood. She wasn’t family.

Lifting her eyes, she meet his hazel ones. Soft. Caring. She couldn’t help but shake her head.

“Thomas,” she whispered, fresh tears started to flow down her cheeks. That was all she could say. Her throat refused to give any other sounds.

Thomas released her legs and moved his free hand up to his leather mask. He didn’t hesitate in taking it off. Her fingers reached out to caress his face, like she’d grown accustomed to doing. She wanted him to be comfortable with being himself around her. No matter what he looked like.

He closed his eyes for a moment, clearly enjoying her touch. Then, grabbing her hand, he brought it to his mouth to kiss it. It was difficult to breathe. Difficult to comprehend or allow herself to believe what was happening.

Her eyes fell on his scrapped knuckles. She sniffled.

“You… you beat him up because he raped me? Not…not because you were worried he got me pregnant?”

Her light brown eyes raised to met his hazel ones. Since he couldn't talk she learned to read his face a little. And his eyes couldn’t lie to her.

He held her gaze and firmly nodded his head. Letting her hand go, he reached out and stroked her cheek. Her whole body trembled as she fought with herself. She couldn't give in. The album was just another thing that could be used against her. Taken away from her.

A sound came out of his mouth. His throat moved and he grimaced then frowned in frustration. He was clearly trying to make a certain sound and couldn’t.

“Thomas-” He placed his finger on her lips, silencing her and shook his head.

His throat moved as he swallowed and closed his eyes for a moment. He let out a long breath. Then, squaring his shoulders he focused on her again. There was so much determination in his eyes.

“Ww,” he coughed and grimaced.

Tightening his grip on her with his left hand, he set his right hand on her chest and cleared his throat.

“Wife.” The word came out forced, just a little high pitched and clearly hurt.

Wife.

Hope.

Chapter 20 - To Trust, Just One Last Time

[popculturebuffet]

Thomas and Friends Retrospective: Season 6: In Loving Memory of Britt Alacroft (Comission by Lachey V)

Hello all you very useful engines and welcome back to my look at the wonderful and wonderfully messed up world of Thomas the Tank Engine. For those just tuning in, for the past few years i've covered the series first 5 seasons on and off for friend of the blog and train enthusiast Lachey V, along with a selection of it's US Sister series shining time station, it's spirtual spinoff Tugs and both cuts of the movie. Lachey took a short break after the film to do other things but we're back baby and probably.. never leaving Sodor. Probably. Over these 7 seasons and a movie we've seen trains psychologically tortured for their hubris, threatned with extinction, turned into batteries, menaced by cows and boulders, the creator of the series loose his shit over a forest, attempted naval boat murder, the one true savior that is schemer, and Alec Baldwin on a majestic mountain of cocaine acting with trains. It's been a weird time and i'm happy to see it continue

Before we move on to the the show proper though we have to adress some sad news: Britt Allcroftt, who co created the show and was the reason it exists, passed on recently. It's devistating news. I wouldn't be here doing this if it weren't for her and I thank her for all her hard work. While a LOT of talented people made this show possible, she's the one who put it all together and whose company made it and shining time all possible. So thank you Britt. Enjoy your rest up there. So long and thanks for all the very useful engines.

Thankfully Series 6 is a great place to slide back into the series and to honor her. It's post movie and things got shook up a bit: While Britt Alcroft's company, Guillane Entertainment is still running the show, they had to subsidise things to kids entertainment juggernaught H.I.T.

The good news is , at least for these first two seasons, it worked out well and rather than begin the show's downslide, we're thankfully at least one season off from that from what i hear, it gave us it's best season. This is thanks to the biggest change: a writer's room. I was suprised but it makes sense: The show had two writers to rewdo scripts, britt in a pinch and was largely adapting the books. It had a few original stories but largely didn't need that many writers.

Now the books have run out, that changed and since for some reason they didn't want to do the reverened's son's books, reasons I still just plain dont' have for you, they instead went their own way. And it worked out swimingly, with tales on par or suprassing the revereneds. The writers still largely kept the formula of "Train fucks up, some chaos happens, a lesson is learned", but diversify a bit: the show's a bit more of an ensemble as while Thomas still gets featured plenty, everyone in the main cast gets an episode this season. Even Edward, who I forget about most of the time gets a full on spotlight late in the season. The show recenters on the main cast and is better for it, allowing me to tell them apart easier. The trains always had unqiue personalities but feel way more distinct this season. Aside from Gordon whose still the world's biggest dick and always has stood out for that, but who also gets punished way more often for his bullshit.

It's a very useful season. It's also thankfully still got some wacky nonsense as we get a train blowing up a hot air ballon, Percy's season long breakdown and dip into chocolate, Thomas powered by a jet engine, and an organist subbing in for a whistle. All the nonsense you'd expect but in stronger stories that don't feel like their punching down as much in places. All under the cut

Salty's Secret

This episode is apparently second aired but i'm putting it first as it comes first in canon and introduces the greatest engine. Ladies, gentleman, nb's and that beautiful technicolor rainbow inbetween, this is Salty. I liked him when I first saw him and thankfully he doesn't disappoint as he not only has a unique look, with his caution stripes and red streaked bumper, but he's also a nice guy whose only real character flaw is going on about his special intrest or life experinces, which I relate to. I mean I just reviewed my faviorite comic the other week and will continue not to shout up about it in the comic months. I get it. I get it. So i'm on Salty's side as he annoys other trains, wants to work by the sea bu tis happy to do quarry work, and gets promoted to the docks to his joy. I don't remember much else here I just know Salty is the best and the next episode Clinched it

No Sleep for Cranky

NO

SLEEP

FOR CRANNNKKKKYYYYY!

This episode features the return of Cranky the crane, a crane whose cranky. If you want character depth go watch bluey.. seriously go watch it it's amazing. Still haven't found anyone to ship with Wendy yet.

But enough of my weird problems, Cranky is tired of being around other engines, this may be the most relatable season yet, and his only friend are seagulls, so he snaps when Salty does his thing. How dare he. But as any train is he's punished for his hubris .. and in a way that's genuinelly funny: he drops some pipes so he's stuck with one of the sets of twins as Salty repeats see shanty's all night, like the time a bunch of his mates had to rescue a boat from being murdered by the navy as the boat's retirement. Quite the tale that. So Cranky realizes maybe being alone ain't so bad and is a bit nicer.. a bit. I mean he's still got a name to live up to. But he won't be whapping his son with his crane cane anymore so that's nice.

Harvey to the Rescue

We get a new engine whose barely used.. Which isn't new, but what is is that Harvey has a unique deisgn. He's a crane engine designed for Wrecks. He also has a jay leno chin, which looks a tad weird but I give props for being one of the first times they've really played with the face shapes. Makes him stand out.

Naturally though the other trains bully him for being weird, suprising no one. He then saves the day nad proves himself. Harvey is a neat addition and looks neat but the episode is a tale we've heard before

A Bad Day for Harold

A note I forgot before I got in deep we're back to the british version for this one. Forgot we did the american one last time because Alec Baldwin's voice was entertaining but apparently he just.. flat out gave up this season so we moved back to good old Micheal Angelis.

Moving on this one begins Percy's seasonlong breakdown. While Percy's always been a little fussy this season he's OBSESSED with his cleanliness, obsessed with his ocasoinal mail deliveries and liable to be in a snit at any given minute. Starting here he brags about doing the mail, is mean to harold and then nearly breaks down when Harold has to deliver the mail. Calamity happens of course but i'ts a sign of things to come.

Unrealted I also just remembered the indignation meeting. Good times.

Elizabeth the Vintage Lorry

We get our final motor vehicle character intro of the season... kind of. There are some other newcomers but it's a complicated case. But out of recurring cast Elizabeth's our last edition for the season.

Thomas breaks down.. physically, he's not pulling a percy and his drivers find an old lorry in a shed, a coal powered one named Elizabeth. elizabeth is great; she's cross they woke her from her super slumber and batty, but still gets them back to get coal for thomas. Basically she's a jerk but her egotistim is justified unlike gordons as despite years and years of disuse she springs right into action.

This also makes me realize later canon has made the Henry stuff SLIGHTLY better. I mean the Fat Controller is still gaslighting him into obdience instead of having Gordon push him along, as we see this season trains CAN be pushed or towed along, it's still messed up.. but Henry could super sleep if he wanted. Even if he was bricked up for always and always. That said I still say making Smudger into a living battery was horrifying as it was clear he coudln't sleep due to the process.. just starring at you in horror.

So moving on from what I dream about every night as I toss and turn and beg for relief, Eizabeth turns out to have been one of the Fat Controller's old vehicles he lost.. he did look and I buy it. So he has her refurbishd and all is well I guess.

The Fogman

So this one's kinda nuts but less because of the weird shit and more because of a bit of old timey train lore i'd never heard of. So back then to warn trains in fogs to stop, a man would set up small explosives to rattle the train. It's kinda nuts but I get it and it's delightful we get a whole episode about it, which not only edudcates kids but my grown ass. My life is indeed better knowing men used to set explosives on tracks for entirely noble purposes

In this case that man is Cyril, whose out of a job thanks to automation as the fat controller buys a fog warning machine. No one is happy about this, but luckily before Cyril becomes a batman villian, as frankly he'd have every righ tto, the machine breaks down and Cyril steps back in and gets his job back. hooray! A good fable about how the human touch is sometimes better.. as is dynamite.

Jack Jumps In/A Friend in Need

This one's a two parter and a good old fashioned backdoor pilot. Gilluane had intended to make a spinoff, Jack and the Pack about construction machines, not a bad idea honestly, a neat way to make more thomas style stories... but like Tugs it didn't take off. And unlike tugs it was just.. cancelled despite being finished and it's 13 episodes were put on dvd long after this point. Since they have new titles and what not Lachey's having me hold off for now.

It's a solid pilot: Jack's an enthuastic new red construction equipment who becomes friends with thomas , meets new friends including his green best friend, and then causes an oopsie that threatens his new job.. but then pulls off one hell of a save. I gotta admit the climax to this two parter is amazising as Jack holds up a motherfucking bridge that was collapsing that thomas ended up on long enough for Thomas to escape alive. It's objectively cool and a hell of a character intro. While having your new lead save the old one is risky, Jack pulls it off. It helps Thomas and Friends get into scrapes like this at least once an episode. So Jack formally joins the pack and we'll see him again later. Maybe i'l learn his friends names then. But it's a solid pilot: I like the people at the company, the bigger variety of human characters and the fact that aside from a designated asshole Thomas met offscreen, the crew are all nice, at most having a friendly rivalry with jack. It's a nice change of pace from teh sodor crew being as nice as the episode requires.

It's Only Snow

Thomas hates having a snowplow... that would be all I write but then it gets awesome as to save another train, Thomas agrees to freball it anyway and while he learns how hard it is he presses on. Because Thomas is a fucking champion and I like when the trains get to pull off cool stuff. The show dosen't need to be only that, the disasters and nonsense are fine, but I like mixing it up ab itmore with feats of strength.

Twin Trouble

One of the sets of twins gets into a snit and the other works with duck for a while. Both learn their lesson. And this isn't even the only twins in a snit episode this season. It is however aggressively mediocre, something most of the season can't say about itself.

The World's Strongest Engine:

Disel kidnaps gordon to try and steal his brain and Thomas nad friends must fight his minons to get it back.

Also Disel comes back after Henry gets injured and is as usual a racist dick plotting world domination. No really he wants to replace all steam trains with disels. This could of easily been forgettable as like his previous return it's "Disel comes back and is a dick" but they find a fun way to spin it: this time the troublesome trucks get involved

While everyone's face got a refurbish, sharpening them up to be in line with the film, the big one was the trucks who all go from having the same goofy face.. to EVERY ONE having a unique face. So the show will cut back and forth. It makes them even creepier and more gremliny, this hoard of monstrosties who all look diffrent but all think the same. IT's why the Fat Controller can't fire them: they are legion.

They end up pushing disel off a damn and he gets repremanded and goes away again.. but he'll be back.. HE ALWAYS COMES BACK.. because the Fat Controller's long term memory is very poor.

Scaredy Engines

This is one of my faviortes of the season, helped by a new set. Most of the sets either got refurbished like the quarry or got new sets to the poitn the intro now covers a bunch of areas. It helps up the look of the show. In this case the smelter's is shown, remodled from a set used in the magic railroad, and Percy is nervous because of ghosts.. which is an entirely rational fear to have frankly. This world has sentient boulders, talking trains, talking boats and alec baldwin on cocaine. It defintely has ghosts.

Still Thomas is a dick about it and Percy gets his revenge by accidently scaring thomas while lost. Thomas admits he was a dick, and the two walk off while Smudger's ghost nods in approval.. he can nod in train heaven.

Percy and the Haunted Mine

Let's take a ride, to a haunted mine. What once was a something something is now... filled with fog and stuff.

Anyways Percy is menaced by Gnomes. Okay maybe he has a reason for his slow mental deteration given he was scared stupid last episode and this one things GNOMES are haunting the railway after some fall out. Turns out their for a station decorating contest mentioned early on. All is well.

This ep is simple on plot but just fun, from the sheer absudrity of Percy beign terrified of gnomes, to the deep thick atmosphere of the fog. This season really stepped up the series atmosphere: it was already a change that was happening last season but it's more uniform here. The foggy mine truly feels spooky and unerving.

Middle Engine

So we get a character reintorduction that confused the hell out of me. So this one brings back Arry and Bert, two engines who were menacing disels in that one where one of the engines had to save another from certain death. They were intimidating assholes, that was their job and they did it well.

So now thier back.. but they weren't named last time and have new rolls, so I had to ask Lachie what the fuck. Turns out the fuck was they weren't named before. They also werne't petty bullies. They are effectivfe bullies though adn they get in James head, not hard and Percy, even easier to get them scrucnhed up between a truck and some pipes as middle engines. This sure is a thomas episode and only really notable for the new old faces. And the look of murder on james face there. I wills ay even in a pretty standard episode, there's some neat visuals this season

James and the Red Balloon

This one is probably my faviorite of the season as it's a neat spin on an old faviorite; Train Jealousy. In this case it's summer in sodor and that means vacationers, plenty of work for everyone and good vibes. It also means a hot air ballon is doing flights for the tourists and James quickly becomes paranoid they'll took his jerb. I love how the Thomas wiki has the summary as

"Thomas and mostly James worry that a red hot air balloon will take their passengers away."

I can't decide which is better, the fact whoever wrote this decided the main character HAD to come first even when he's not the main character of this story or the acknolwedgment this is mostly Jame's hangup and he just kinda sucked thomas into it.

Mostly James ends up helping his hated enemy in one of the most delightfully batshit scenes of the season, tied with another we'll get to in just two episodes. So the hot air ballon looses air and rather than try to use the sandbags or anything it just.. crashes into the train yard. WE get a great effect of it covering james, how they had a camera tiny enough for this angle in the mid 90's I do not know, and james inflates the thing. James inflated a hot air ballon. I love this show. Not even ironically I genuinely love the show by this point. It's not in my age bracket but dang is it fun.

James is disappointed to find out the red ballon is not a dead ballon but is reassured by the fat controller they aren't being replaced. A fun time for all.

Gordon Takes a Tumble

Speaking of fun times for all, we have Gordon eating shit after he does something stupid out of spite AND getting called out for his usual bullshit.

Yeah this is one of my faviorites of the season. Look i'm hard on Gordon.. because his main character trait is "smug asshole". He's the kind of guy whose made the world what it is and I don't much care for him. So an episode where he suffers throughly and for something REALLY dumb, especially in the world we live in is something I really needed. The writers room really got the best way to use gordon: as an ocasional asshole and if the focus, getting a through commpuance. And I mean through.

Okay so due to a high workload Gordon is asked to do trucks. This is a fantastic setup and nicely builds on a running quirk of Gordon's: he looks down on truck work. I may of struggled with the characters names at times, and some stuff may blend together but of all the things I remember well the fact any time moving Trucks comes up, Gordon almost always chimes in with how distastful he finds it, how he hates it or how it's bad work and the engines doing it aren't as important for doing it. Season after season this has been one of those things he just can't not be a dick about, so while I don't think it's the first time he's pulled trucks, it still feels oh so cathartic. IT's done in a way where if you haven't spent a good chunk of your time and work hours thinking about trains, you can enjoy it but if you have it's heaven. And Gordon does complain and is an ass.. but Fat Controller is stern, telling him to shut the fuck up and do his job.. .in a polite mannmer.

It's something I REALLY like about this season. Outside of one stupid bit where he berates Percy for something that was the truck's faults, FC is a kind patient mentor, something he's been since season 2 but really sinks in here. He wont' take crap and will be honest, but he's a lot more patient with the trains than he used to be.. and to my delight a lot LESS patient with Gordon's assholery. He's always called him out but here he's a lot more specific about how the engines fuck up, and thus is a lot more cutting.

Gordon is pissy and Salty only makes it worse. And that's another point for this one, might put it above the ballon really, as Salty is the one getting under Gordon's skin. Salty is the antitheseis to gordon: rough looking, a smaller engine... but happy to do his work without complaint even when he dosne't like it, cheerful and cheeky but not in a way where he's cruel to people. He just takes the piss out of people who are already angry assholes.

And Gordon is the angriest asshole there is, deciding to ignore Salty's warnings and when told to slow down by a sign decides to speed up to show that sign whose boss. I'm entirely serious, Gordon is so pissed off by a sign he ends up crashing into a farmer's field. And then is throughly berated by the fat Controller for trying to one up salty by being a moron. It is so damn fun to see Gordon act like a scolded child... all the engines do when upset, but the rest are usually contrite when they fuck up. Gordon rarely is.

Salty apologizes because he's train jesus and Gordon apologizes and everyone toots. A fantastic episode. Take it back this is my faviorite.

Jack Frost

Percy's seasonlong breakdown continues as he's scared of Jack Frost. James teases him about it and you can see where this goes just looking up. IT's worth it for the image alone.

Percy's Chocolate Crunch

Percy destroys a chocolate factory. Many brave Oompa Loompa's died that day.

I really could end it there, I could, but the context is even more fun. So percy is mad he can't shower as there's a water shortage on the island and is trying to do clean jobs, hating working in coal and getting shit from a bridge.. and the metaphorical kind of shit from the Troublesome Trucks who make up a cruel song. He thinks working with candy will be a nice clean job... and thus Percy CRASHES through the choclate factory because god may or may not be smiting him for his hubris. I honestly can't tell. I mean he was fussing over getting dirty, but gets a bath from this. So is god helping him by having him commit oompa loompa cide or trying to punish him and it backfired? it's really hard to tell. Train God is a complicated bastard.

I will say the choclate effects are excellent.. I don't know if they actually used choclate or what but it looks so dang real. Too sweeeeet.

Buffer Bother

Ben gets new buffers and Bill is jealous and injures himself being stupid. I didn't really care for this one. Would've helped if they coated in him carmel.

Toby Had a Little Lamb

Toby is, as he always was our hero but god damn does he get to show his bravery in this one. So in a blizzard Toby is found by a farmer who despite his resting bitch face is genuinely begging for help: one of his lambs is giving birth and needs to be transported saftely. Toby goes to get duck who does his best but the snows just too deep and the lines too big. .but not for Toby. While Fat Controller has his worries for his train son's saftey, he reluctantly agrees to let Toby go save the day and he does. This is just a fantastic one. It's nice to see Toby get a starring roll again and that the writers took care to give each train at least one spotlight episode a piece. And he makes a meal of it, proving his bravery heart and why I love this old man.

Thomas, Percy and the Big Squeak

Thomas is tapped to deliver a famous opera singer and is mildly dickish about it, but gets a mouse in his car and the opera singer is a dick about that. Thankfully percy gets to transport her instead. A rare win for percy this season. Train God was probably busy fighting Train Satan that day.

Thomas and the Jet Engine

While I will stand by Percy's choclate adventures being the peak of nonsense this season it does have some close copetition. That title is not a misnomer: Thomas gets a fucking jet engine being transported through sodor.

It's also another "Gordon gets his compuance" episode, and in the place it hurts most: his pride. Gordon is bragging about how he's faster, better and has a bigger train penis than everyone else, and Thomas wishes he could go faster than gordon just once.. he's already packing so he's good elsewhere.

So while transporting a jet engine, Cranky does an asshole and his anger casues the jet engine to activate. So now

THOMAS!

HE CAN REALLY MOVE

THOMAS!

HE'S GOT ATTITUDE

THOMAS!

HE'S THE FASTEST THING ALIVE!

HE'S THE FASTEST THING ALIIIIIIIIVVVVVVVVEEEE!

It's a truly amazing sequence of thomas speeding by every other train including gordon. The other trains all gladly razz gordon... except Percy who meekly stands up for him for reasons only know to Train Jesus. Percy you have enough problems don't get attached to Gordon.

Edward the Really Useful Engine

I love this one. Part of it is it spotlights a train who was honestly a lot to deal with early on, as Edward and Thomas, while far from twins, were both blue engines and unlike gordon, there was no bit size diffrence and he had no personality to speak of. Look I take a bit to learn character names in shows with distinct characters, my autistic brain isn't going to take "this one is blue and this one is als o blue but his face is different and his personality is absent" well

Thankfully Edward gets a spotlight here long after I sorted it out and long after the show had seemingly forgot about him. I mean he'll pipe in during Indignation Meetings ocasionally, but he's mostly just.. there. He takes up space. I don't hate him, but till this episode he just kidna faded into the background. The others may of been lost on my brain sometimes, all having only the slightest diffrences with this season and the previous doing a better job to make sure their distinct more often, but Edward really was just there.

If there's one thing to get me to like you though.. it's Gordon hating you. Gordon has decided Edward is too old and must be retired. There's a lot of delightful layers of asshole to this: the fact Gordon himself is one of the older engines, the fact he's saying this for no real reason he's just decided another train must die or go into a forever coma because they got the olds, and the fact he has no shrimp to eat while he's announcing he wants to retire someone for being old.

Thankfully the other engines all completely disagree with his bullshit. Not a one agrees with this and it's sweet to see: normally the trains are either divided on it or all gang up on whoever's being bullied with one or two trains saying no to that. Here every train agrees Gordon is being even more of a prick on rails than usual, all united in their hatred of gordon.

This. This is one of the best days of my life. Even the Fat Controller plans to have a talk with him but Gordon being gordon dicks himself over his arrogance. Not even going to refresh my memory is to why let's see he saw a sign telling him to break and thought he'd show that stupid sign. Edward saves him, the Fat Controller calls Gordon out again and children sing in joy.

Dunkin Duncan

First class title there and it's all I remember about this one: We get the return of the other line, and Duncan, who I forgot existed falls off a cliff into the mud. According to the narration no one was hurt despite his lineman and some other dude looking very dead. Maybe it's a legal thing. I dunno. It is however comedy gold.

Rusty Saves the Day

I love this one. So Skarloey and Renias loose thier line as it gets all banged up and the Fat Controller tried nothing and he's all out of ideas. Rusty wants to save their jobs so he agrees to repair it in time. What I Love is how this power trio resolves things: Mavis, whose apparently been moved to the other side of the island, snorts at helping, so Rusty appeals to her ego to get her to help and thus the line is saved. I swear I might of found Gordon's perfect mate if the idea of gordon breeding, or trains breeding in general didn't haunt my nightmares. Great episode though.

Faulty Whistles

A really fun one to close out this round. So Duncan bursts his whistle showing off because Percy isn't on this branchline and someone has to be punished for their hubris to meet Train God's quota.

Luckily their carrying an organ and transporting the headmaster for a school, who proceeds to doot on his organ to simulate a whistle. i'ts a gloriously weird premise and I love it. Everything about this. It's so charming and cozy. A great cap to a fantastic season

Next time at some point: Someone throws a brick at Gordon... one can only hope.

[btas-rewatch-and-comments]

Ep 6 - The Underdwellers

"You play chicken long enough, you fry." (I can't 😆 )

Bats: You think I'm crazy, don't you? Alfred: In what way, sir?

"You have a fine flair for the dramatic, sir." (that he does)

He got that 3D face

This tiny interaction 🥹 >>>

He a father fo sho

Alfred: “M-me? But I know nothing of children?” Batman:

(THAT SMIIIIILE - so cute - only around Alfred)

Bats: “Hahaha… I wonder if I was that much trouble”

THIS! 😩

Bats: "BELOVED CHILDREN???"

Thomas had never seen such bullshit before

NEVEEEEEEEEEER falls into the abyss

(sike he survived - unfortunately)

“I don’t pass sentences. That’s for the courts! But THIS TIME... this time, I am SORELY tempted to do the job myself.” - Batman

Look at this baddie <3

(HE'S SO COOL)

Well, I'm pretty happy with this one!

-Iris out

[bored-cop-man]

percy

Thomas had never seen such bullshit before

[azure-aeon-dragonica]

Thomas had never seen such bullshit before

Goofy ass Thom expression from the old episodes my beloved

[falconedreams]

Mistaken Time-Travelling Shootouts

Last night I dreamt I saw 2 men coaxing this young boy into their van, saying that they were his uncles. So, I called the police. Yes, I know, what a busybody I am, right. Maybe they really were his uncles, right? But I thought that better a misunderstanding than an actual kidnapping, right? 

Nope! I was wrong. I called the police, and they really were his uncles, and they really were there on the orders of his mother, but it didn’t end with just me being scolded for being a busybody. Nooooo, it turned out that the entire reason the boy’s mother had sent the uncles was because the little girl whom the boy had been playing with prior to the “”kidnapping”” was the daughter of a rival gang’s boss, who’d killed the boy’s father. And because I'd stopped the uncles from quietly bringing the boy home by calling the police, the rival gang boss came down to find his daughter being all “Noo why are you taking my friend away!!”  and a fucking shootout erupted in the middle of a grocery store.

This being Singapore, however, firearms are highly restricted, so even the most notorious of gangsters were only able to get their hands on extremely lame 6-shot handguns, and on top of that, everyone was absolutely horrible at shooting, so the initial shootout ended pretty quickly, with nobody getting hurt, only collateral damage. So as we were all awkwardly staring at each other like “what now?” the PEAKY BLINDERS stormed out of a cleaning supplies closet with machine guns and went “THIS ESTABLISHMENT IS NOW UNDER THE MANAGEMENT OF THE PEAKY BLINDERS!!”

Then we all looked at them awkwardly. I finally managed to find my voice long enough to pipe up, “Oi, this is Singapore, mate.” Then Arthur Shelby awkwardly stammered out “....WELL IT’S A COLONY INNIT?! WE HAVE JURISDICTION!!” I was about to tell him, no, it’s 2022, Singapore gained independence a long time ago, when Thomas turned to the others and was like “Are you sure you put 120 minutes?!” Then John Shelby turned pale and ran back into the storage room for a couple minutes, and then ran out again shouting, “SHIT, NO, IT WAS ON YEARS!!” 

Then Thomas was like “SHIT, SORRY, EVERYONE BACK IN!!” and hustled his family back into the storage room, but not before Arthur swiped a bunch of bananas because he said he’d “Never seen them so fresh before!” Then once the PB disappeared, everyone went back to fighting, but with throwing crates and produce because no one had any ammo left. 

Just the kind of bullshit that you’d see on CrimeWatch. Very fitting for SG.

[trollingyoualways]

[izzyliker]

i saw a post earlier with like 1k notes that was claiming that "jonny was going to kill off martin and only wrote jonmartin because he saw the chance to pander to his audience" which is just patently false??? like the op was completely misinformed and it was so frustrating bc they dont have anon on and their post was spreading really awful misinfo

HUH???????????????????????