#also steam engine!!! underrated!!!

[zirafail]

the average monkees listening experience

[hertwood]

thoughts on hertwood??

oh my god i wish i had more coherent thoughts. i find them so intriguing. i'm obsessed with how in every andretti video marcus is just an obvious 3rd wheel bc colton and kyle already know eachother so well. the other day @charliemcavoyjr told me that kyle shares colton's motorhome sometimes and that just broke my brain. there's just so much room for ~ppl assume they're dating before they actually start dating~ fic concepts.

ALSO the way colton's dad is kyle's engineer creates such a interesting dynamic? they are just so connected in so many different ways. they r both very mellow and chill in similar ways that i dont rly see a lot when sports rpf ships tend to feature much bigger personalities

i ran out of steam halfway through this ask im sorry but i think theyre SO underrated as a ship there is so much to build fics on already im obsessed with them!!!!!!

[nanomooselet]

Episode Seven: Wolfwood

It's a lovely evening in No Man's Land, and you are a horrible cultist.

The more I think about the idea that Legato wasn't ordered to do this, the more sense it makes to me. Let's do a count of assets this craziness puts into peril. We have the Punisher, highly chemically compatible and on an assignment already, who really doesn't need to be under more stress. We have the Doublefang, who's even better than the Punisher since he heals without the drugs, and through him Wolfwood learns that the Eye of Michael can't be trusted to keep its word.

We have the Plant aboard the steamer, as Zazie points out, and I'm not sure Legato is as concerned about it as he claims to be. We have the steamer itself, a relic of the spacefaring age with plenty of still-functional technology on board even if the humans can't do much with it. (And isn't that interesting? They seem to have just stuck a steam engine in there and closed off the rest. Cool worldbuilding details.) It travels to and from July - I suspect it carries at least some cargo and personnel for the cult. Speaking of, we have Hopeland Orphanage and its stock of potential subjects, which we know for a fact the Eye has its stamp on.

Finally we have Vash, who's one of the cult's figures of worship. He's the only living thing that Legato's "beautiful angel" truly cares about. Even if Legato's plan is a success, is achieving Wolfwood's perfect loyalty worth losing any one of the rest, let alone Vash? I really have to wonder how Legato planned to explain any of this.

Of course, he does explain, doesn't he? You must give up on your little brother and face reality. I must take everything you love from you so that you can fulfil your noble purpose as a weapon. What we're seeing is Legato's first demonstration of his character to come, building sadistic traps to force painful choices upon his target, but also a glimpse of what awaits Vash at the end of his journey. Where could Legato have learned his definition of love? And let's not forget that he refers to his feelings as love in the first place.

He's such a drama queen. Can't wait to see him ruining everything next season.

So much in this two-parter is amazing, but I think a somewhat underrated moment is Vash preventing Wolfwood from killing Livio with that insane trick shot. My boy frees Wolfwood from a horrific mental trap because no one should have to choose between the things that they love, the things that keep them alive. Best of boys. Precious darling. He wants so, so badly for there to be a way out for him.

I'm hesitant to discuss Livio that much, because we, uh, really don't learn that much about him? We see the sad little boy in Nick's memories - which I have reason to suspect are not entirely the objective truth - and we have the stumbling puppet who boards the steamer. He isn't in a position to make his thoughts known, except once, and, well… it’s a decisive demonstration. But one that precludes any further participation. I have read the manga, yes, and I know what he's like there, but my feeling is that's more what he'll become than what he is now. There seems to be one fairly significant change, however: Razlo, and Livio's attitude toward him.

Razlo's there. I'm sure he's there. But is he always there in the same way? Is Livio so out of it because he's under the mask's control, or is it Razlo the mask keeps supressed? And when it becomes damaged, why does what Livio see in the mirror so horrify him? Does Livio even know who else is in his mind?

(We get our first glimpse of Chapel, too.)

(Somehow I feel like I'm not going to be a fan of this guy.)

They didn't save Livio, but he got to make a choice. Even if it was a choice they wish he hadn't made.

Speaking of choices!

Meryl and Roberto continue to be the show's main source of comedy - the dub work for the Bad Lads Gang is so funny. Poor Meryl's teary little face when they bring up the Worms. Them being all excited about getting on the cover of an outlaw magazine, whatever that is. Roberto just being all welp, this might as well happen when he learns the faltering steamer has a space age cannon stuck to the top and that still works.

Not enough booze in the world.

And then Meryl makes a choice. Roberto's right, on some level - they're not soldiers. They're not fighters. By any sane standard this is not their fucking job. But there is no one else who can do it. Regardless of ability, there's simply no one else who's been given the choice between standing there, taking the risk, or fleeing with the knowledge you could have done something and didn't. So Meryl makes her stand... and I realised that Roberto does too, because he faces the same choice. They all do! There's something they all want to protect more than anything else. Such different people with such vastly different skills and life experiences all have something in common, and they work together to realise their purpose. It's the second time in the series this has happened and disaster's been averted with their efforts. I just!

Of course then things get even crazier and we move into what might be among my favourite action sequences in the entire series? It's admittedly hard to narrow it down. This has been extensively dissected elsewhere, but it really might have the most beautiful cinematography (especially in the Plant room - ethereal, and then the hard cut comparison to the steel and scorching flesh of Wolfwood's efforts and I'm reduced to helpless arm-waving). But I think there's one detail I want to emphasise?

Cool watery blue and burning fiery orange-red, yes. Gorgeous contrast. But both also have just a dash of the opposing colours. The two aren't so far apart, each holding part of the other - fundamentally connected, in spite of all the ways they're different.

[buff-electra-truther]

Feverishly writing out my wildly Americanized Stex reimagining concept. So much goes the way of “Immer pünktlich” in that it works so well in ways it was never intended to, and makes no sense outside of one regional audience (and people who have physically gone there by train)

I need to iron out some stuff but hopefully I’ll post the whole concept soon. It would be moderately sacrilegious, but also weirdly bring it in line with how the Railways Series was written (heavily rooted in how trains actually were at the time). While also providing some surprisingly elegant solutions to some long-term problems the show has, and implement a lot of stuff it’s tried to do over the years in really clunky half-baked ways.

“Starlight Express, Are you real, yes or no/I don’t want you to go” goes from “haha train god” to “passenger trains nearly vanished from the US altogether after WWII largely due to the government’s actions and those are genuine reflections of that”. The fundamental thing is you need to totally rewrite the Starlight Sequence to be about “you alone are an engine not a train” and emphasize that banding together as a group is the actual way to make systemic change (and also one of the main strengths of trains!).

Just saying, in the 80s (and even now) a steam engine as the high-maintenance celebrity who’s a neutral but obstructive figure with an entourage who follows them around is a fun and accurate depiction of mainline excursions (and the problems they cause can so fun and versatile to explore)

And New York City is right at the epicenter of where passenger rail was repeatedly set up to fail by the government, and how dated and worn out many electrified lines are is perhaps the most visible and vulnerable symbol of that.

A kid playing with a mismatched train set half consisting of their grandpa’s decades-old rails and wiring and wondering why the new engine they got for Christmas doesn’t work well is a very on the nose depiction of Amtrak in the 70s-early 80s. They think about what to ask for their birthday, toy cars? Planes? Tanks? And then a funny crowd of voices yells “TRAINS!”

“Coach sexism” becomes actually compelling in the context of how the position of US passenger rail and women in the workplace vaguely correlate post-WWII, the steam heat/head end power changeover around the 60s-80s is an underrated metaphor for orientation (and give Pearl even more depth as a glass slipper if you make her a then-new Amfleet car), and with an electric protag you can finally replace Hydra/Dustin with a nuclear flask and have it make a ton of sense. It feels like they wanted to make him nuclear coded so badly with how he’s shown as a green-hued, sinister-looking, but heroic alternative energy, but it’s total sci fi to apply it to a steam locomotive.

Oh yeah, it’s also a blank check to bring back Slick and/or barely-modified Trucker Caboose, along with a lot of other popular old things that suddenly fit again (Dinah’s Disco, OLC Belle, There’s Me)

[gascon-en-exil]

I’ve seen you mention Octopath Traveler 2 quite a few times; would you say it’s one of your favorite games? And would you recommend it to people who typically enjoy tactical RPGs, such as Fire Emblem?

Seeing you talk about it so much and going to the lengths to write fanfic for it makes me think it’s worth playing and giving a try.

I would say it's a criminally underrated game for sure, receiving very little attention when it came out last year and now mostly faded into the background of its more commercially successful predecessor. The first Octopath Travler is a fine game in its own right, but the second improves on it in just about every measurable way. I'm actually planning on putting together an in-depth video on OT2 for my channel early next year, to roughly coincide with the game's two-year anniversary. I was originally going to do it in December, but I've had to make some adjustments.

Compared to Fire Emblem, the Octopath games are standard turn-based JRPGs with combat and core gameplay that's known for being a fun and fairly engaging throwback to classics of that genre, ex. the older Final Fantasy titles. In terms of setting the first game will be more familiar to FE fans because it's the standard pseudo-medieval setup, but OT2 advances the timeline to roughly the 19th century which makes it a bit more interesting in my opinion (even if it's not the most consistent...there are steam engines and industrialized cities, but no firearms). How Octopath handles story is divisive, but it helps if you think of the games less as individual narratives and more as a choice of eight mostly separate stories with interwoven elements, with OT2 also handling the story combinations a bit better overall. Each story has its own tone and sometimes genre differences, so while you're unlikely to enjoy them all there are almost certainly going to be a few that catch your attention. The games are also pretty nonlinear on the macro level because you can progress along the eight stories + all the extra content in almost any way you like. I'm pretty sure both games still have demos up on the Switch if you just wanted to get a feel for them.

Additionally, OT2 has more interaction between the travelers, and is fairly gayer on the whole which is what's gotten me to crank out 130K+ words and counting about the torrid romance of a murder hobo math professor (he gets better) and a socialist cowboy (who is technically neither a socialist nor a cowboy) with two dads that get divorced and then get back together.

Aww, in-game family portrait. Not an entirely complete one, though...but game mechanics don't allow for that and also that would be going into spoiler territory.

[jj-2005]

Why is thermography essential with Electrical safety audits in India ?

Thermography is an effective tool for identifying anomalies in electrical installations especially when the electrical installation is in energised state. Many issues like looseness, improper crimping, underrated conductors, poor quality conductors and materials, many such issues can be identified with thermography without switching off the power supply. In a new facility many tests can be performed but that is not the case for an installation like a hospital or an IT company. Considering the importance of electrical safety, such audits must be carried out without disturbing operations and hence thermal imaging is a great tool, provided it is done by a qualified thermographer with expertise in electrical inspections. When hospital electrical safety audits are carried out, thermography is an essential tool to find out anomalies in the system without affecting normal hospital operations. In simple thermal imaging is an essential tool for electrical safety audits in critical facilities. Hospital electrical safety audits may be carried out every year for all critical health care facilities.

Electrical Engineers with Thermographer Level 1 and above certification can identify anomalies in electrical installations with ease and suggest areas of improvement, which can improve electrical safety, reliability of services and also reduce energy wastages and save energy.

Thermographers with expertise in electrical audits can identify anomalies leading to electrical hazards easily and classify based on their risk potential, which will help to prioritise the activities and corrective actions can be ensured based on priority. Team Sustenergy is following Japanese maintenance management systems using thermography and effectively assuring safety and reliability through continual improvement. Thermography is also an effective tool for energy audit especially in thermal process systems like Boiler and steam systems, Furnaces, Kilns insulation checking and loss identification along with electrical audits.

[sustsf]

Why is thermography essential with Electrical safety audits in India ?

Thermography is an effective tool for identifying anomalies in electrical installations especially when the electrical installation is in energised state. Many issues like looseness, improper crimping, underrated conductors, poor quality conductors and materials, many such issues can be identified with thermography without switching off the power supply. In a new facility many tests can be performed but that is not the case for an installation like a hospital or an IT company. Considering the importance of electrical safety, such audits must be carried out without disturbing operations and hence thermal imaging is a great tool, provided it is done by a qualified thermographer with expertise in electrical inspections. When hospital electrical safety audits are carried out, thermography is an essential tool to find out anomalies in the system without affecting normal hospital operations. In simple thermal imaging is an essential tool for electrical safety audits in critical facilities. Hospital electrical safety audits may be carried out every year for all critical health care facilities.

Electrical Engineers with Thermographer Level 1 and above certification can identify anomalies in electrical installations with ease and suggest areas of improvement, which can improve electrical safety, reliability of services and also reduce energy wastages and save energy. Thermographers with expertise in electrical audits can identify anomalies leading to electrical hazards easily and classify based on their risk potential, which will help to prioritise the activities and corrective actions can be ensured based on priority. Team Sustenergy is following Japanese maintenance management systems using thermography and effectively assuring safety and reliability through continual improvement. Thermography is also an effective tool for energy audit especially in thermal process systems like Boiler and steam systems, Furnaces, Kilns insulation checking and loss identification along with electrical audits.

[shinygoku]

Oh I see! How about Thomas?💙

Apologies for the delay, I had both lots occuring in the week and many, many thoughts, so that actually stringing them into a readable form was a thing of it's own! I've got another Thomas ask from Jobey and thus another essay planned to appear after this, but here we can go in the nice orderly template ;3

First impression

Ah yes, it’s that Train Character popular with Children. I’ve heard of him :)

Impression now

Darling Baby Boy! Big Son Energy Little Engine! My charming, beloved rude sweetie~ 💙💙💙

He’s such a wonderful and enigmatic blend of personality traits wrapped up in a shiny blue metal box! He’s so faceted and nuanced that even characters within the universe misread him or don’t see his depths.

His personality is so delicately balanced, it’s all too easy for inferior writing to tip the scales way off, and the shoddy reconstruction doesn’t have things in the right place and some notions have rolled under the sofa and get missed entirely, and That��s Not Thomas! But sadly, it’s the false doppelganger who is in the HiT and most (if not all) of the Mattel era.....

But Peak, Core Thombo? [chef finger kiss] 👌😸

He has 0% Filter and 100% Honesty. And maybe 5% Ego Cushioning because wow, that guy does not take slights in good grace! He feels things hard and fast and his mood changes faster than the signals. Thomas is temperamental!

Truly, he’s one of the very best Jerk With A Heart Of Gold type characters. Because yeah, he certainly has moments of being a Blue Meanie... But also that sincerity and urge to do the right thing, and as harsh as he can be I think he generally lacks malice, but his priorities are a bit askew from human / a lot of the other Engine’s standards. Like, his hilariously callous moments are said when he’s already irritated and he takes certain aspects of his life extremely seriously, like running his train on time. He seems inclined to Doubt(ing Thomas) any type of excuse even when it's totally valid.

But there is a fairly obvious Sweet side that’s on show sometimes. He always tries his hardest, even when he’s not enjoying it, and he tends to learn his lessons quickly. Whenever he sticks up for one of the others he does so in an aggressive way but there’s no doubt it’s from the right place. 💖

Favourite moment

This is a very difficult question lmao, there’s a lot!

I feel like re-asserting my fondness for Thomas and the Trucks and that it’s so very underrated! It does the laying down of loads of foundations that are later built on, and giving us an insight into Thomas’ experience (and lack of!) in general and regarding what he was used to. That he's tired from implied years on end of him doing the same tedious Coach Fetching, and that just moving goods to the nearby station is such a big step on the route to Thomas the Branch Line Manager lol

Idea for a story

Not to sound too much like the TV producers lol, but Thomas is pretty adaptable to a lot of potential plots! (I say this cause Awdry seemed more intent on keeping him moored to the Ffarquhar line once that was established, for better and for worse)

In any case, it could be interesting if, due to his fame in the books and TV series, some inept crooks tried to steal him [in their defence it does seem that the engines are a bit comically helpless if they don’t have crew and/or a fire burning....]. Thomas gets Very Cross and makes their lives hell. This is more a plotless short film than an actual fic idea, but it amuses me anyway :P

Unpopular opinion

When Thomas said he wanted to See The World™, he was speaking in hyperbole. For him, the next station down the track is new and thrilling!! He wanted to see further than the one Big Station he wasn’t allowed to leave! Not go on a half baked stereotype tour as the ultimate fulfilment of this comment made by a frustrated young lad.

Also that my favourite Voice for him, by a long shot, is Ringo. Whenever it’s not Ringo it should at least sound like a Liverpudlian Young Adult, not a widdle kid and not too posh and weird sounding. He may’ve been ‘born’ in Brighton but he’s lived on Sodor for decades on end, he wouldn’t keep any Southern Accent if he ever had time to develop one in the first place! The voice he was supposed to have in Magic Railroad was great and the Focus Groups ruined it!!

Favourite relationship

Still him and Edward, and probably never shifting from that! B3

Honourable mention goes to Gordon though, for reasons I went into on his ask. They’re Rivals and also Allies who both won’t admit they have sooo much in common~

Favourite headcanon

Jobey’s lore that he wasn’t actually Steamed for the first time until he was already on Sodor is so embraced by me that I keep having to stop to remind myself that it’s not technically canon lmao (It could be in RWS and the Model era...! CGI does shoot it down though, another reason I Do Not Vibe with it :T)

I also like to toy with the notion of him explicitly being an E2, but one who got modifications that worked very well in the long run but made him noticeably smaller than his siblings who did stay in The South...

[femalechibiblogger]

My Top 7 Underrated Indie-Horror Games

1. Detention 

Set in 1960s Taiwan of the White Terror period, students Wei and Ray find themselves trapped and vulnerable in Greenwood High School (翠華中學), which is located in a remote mountainous area. The place they once knew has changed in unsettling ways, haunted by evil creatures known as the "lingered" (魍魎). While hiding from the rampaging monsters, the protagonists unveil mysteries which slowly reveal the dark past of the cursed school.

Detention is a horror adventure video game created and developed by Taiwanese game developer Red Candle Games for Steam. It is a 2D atmospheric horror side-scroller set in 1960s Taiwan under martial law. The game also incorporates religious elements based on Taiwanese culture and mythology. The game was released on 13 January 2017. A demo version was released on Steam Greenlight on 13 June 2016.

The concept of the game originates with the Red Candle Games co-founder Shun-ting "Coffee" Yao. In February 2017, a novel based on the game was published by novelist Ling Jing. A live action film adaptation distributed by Warner Bros. Taiwan was released on 20 September 2019.

2. Layers of Fear

The player takes control of an artist who has returned to his studio. His initial goal is to complete his masterpiece, and the player's role is to figure out how this task should be accomplished. The challenge comes from puzzles which require the player to search the environment for visual clues. The house appears straightforward at first, but it changes around the player as they explore it in first person. These changes in the environment provide scaffolding for the puzzles and provide regular jump scares common to games of this genre.

The game is divided into six chapters with various items for the player to find in order to complete his work. The game is heavily dimmed, and there are objects that uncover certain aspects of the painter's history. While completing the painting, there is a letter that is slowly pieced together, which shows the origin of his masterpiece, and objects which explain the secret of the painter through dialogue flashbacks.

Layers of Fear is a psychological horror video game developed by Bloober Team and published by Aspyr. It was released on Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One worldwide in February 2016.

In Layers of Fear, the player controls a psychologically disturbed painter who is trying to complete his magnum opus as he navigates a Victorian mansion revealing secrets about his past. The gameplay, presented in first-person perspective, is story-driven and revolves around puzzle-solving and exploration. Layers of Fear: Inheritance was released on 2 August 2016 as a direct follow up add-on to the first game. This time the player controls the painter's daughter with the downloadable content focusing on her apparent relapse into trauma after returning to her old house.

A definitive port for the Nintendo Switch, entitled Layers of Fear: Legacy, was released on 21 February 2018 and it features, in addition to the Inheritance DLC, Joy-Con, touchscreen, and HD Rumble support. A limited physical retail release for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, published by Limited Run Games in North America, would be available starting October 2018. A sequel titled Layers of Fear 2 was announced in October 2018 and was released on May 29, 2019.

3. The Blackout Club

You are a teenager from a small, modern town. Each morning, you awaken covered in mud or scratches, with no memory of the night before. You've heard of sleepwalking - but this is different. Sometimes you lose entire days.

There are others like you. Your new group of friends bonded over this shared secret, forming a club to investigate the cause of these BLACKOUTS. Together, you discovered a network of bizarre underground tunnels, hidden just beneath the surface of your quiet community. An uncanny, disorienting music beckoned from below.

You hesitated. But last night, your best friend vanished - and now, a mysterious group of adults wants to eliminate you. You must strike back, capture their activities on camera and expose them to the world.

The Blackout Club is a first-person co-op horror game centered around a group of teenage friends investigating a monstrous secret beneath the skin of their small town. 1-4 players explore procedurally-generated missions against a fearsome enemy you can only see with your eyes closed.

The developers describe the content like this:

There is violence in the game where players or enemies might use tranquilizer darts or electric stun guns on another human. Although there is no excessive violence or gore in this game, there are scenes with blood and evidence of crimes such as kidnapping and murder. It should be noted that the player characters and their allies are teenagers. Players are not allowed to injure or hurt another teenager, but the game does depict teens in situations of peril.

4. Cry of Fear

The player controls Simon Henriksson, a 19‑year‑old who wakes up in an alley shortly after being hit by a car. The player must navigate the city solving puzzles and fighting monsters to progress. The game switches between normal gameplay levels representing the city and surrounding areas, and "nightmare" levels, similar to those found in the Silent Hill series of games. 

Cry of Fear features many unique mechanics, such as the limited inventory system, which allows the player to carry only 6 items at a time and does not pause the game while the inventory screen is open. Another unique mechanic is the ability to dual-wield inventory items, allowing the use of two weapons at a time, or one weapon and a light source. Item combination is also possible from the inventory screen. Health is recovered by the use of morphine syringes, which can blur the player's vision if overused. Stamina is consumed through strenuous actions such as running and jumping, and can be recovered by resting or the use of morphine syringes.

Some days before Cry of Fear's anniversary, Valve released a Half-Life update for Linux compatibility, making changes in the folders and engine. This update made several Half-Life mods, including Cry of Fear, incompatible with the base game. Team Psykskallar decided that, since no more could be done for the mod itself, they would finish a standalone version. Confusion due to Valve regarding Cry of Fear's status as freeware caused the game to be delayed until April 25, 2013.

5. The Coma: Cutting Class

The story follows Youngho Choi, a freshman student at Sehwa High. In the midst of finals season, a student attempts to commit suicide during their study session. Despite this event, final exams are scheduled to continue as normal. Youngho proceeds to take his exam, but falls asleep from exhaustion due to having gotten no sleep the night before. Consequently, he wakes up at his school desk in the middle of the night and finds that there is more to Sehwa High than he thought.

The Coma: Cutting Class is a 2D survival-horror video game developed and published by Devespresso Games. It was released on October 19, 2015. It follows the story of Youngho Choi as he explores the mystery behind the abandoned Sehwa High school.

A remastered version was released on September 22, 2017 for Steam, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, and on December 21, 2017 for Nintendo Switch. A mobile version was released on January 17, 2019 for Android and January 22, 2019 for iOS. A sequel, The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters, was released on PC platforms (Steam, GOG) on January 28, 2020.

6. The Park

The game follows Lorraine, a struggling single mother and widow with a troubled past, as she searches for her young son, Callum, who goes missing in Atlantic Island Park. Lorraine enters the park after her son just as the park prepares to close for the afternoon, only to find that nighttime comes unnaturally fast as she ascends the escalator and discovers the park to be abandoned, vandalized and rundown as if several years have passed. Despite abandonment, the rides and lights mysteriously still function. Lorraine calls for Callum and his voice calls to her, leading her through the decrepit park.

Lorraine boards several rides which reveal the themes and backstory of the game: the Tunnel of Tales tells the story of Hansel and Gretel, this time with a new ending - in which after cooking the witch in the oven, Hansel and Gretel devour her. On the Ferris Wheel, Lorraine remembers Callum's father Don, a construction worker at the park who died in a fall from the Ferris Wheel when Lorraine was still pregnant with Callum. Between rides, Lorraine expresses her frustration with Callum, her belief that she is a failure as a mother, her history of mental health problems, and her fear that Callum is becoming changed by some mysterious threat. However, while aboard the roller coaster, a monstrous top-hatted ringmaster (identified in the credits as The Boogeyman) accosts Lorraine and claims 'the Witch' has her son.

The Park is a first-person psychological horror adventure game developed and published by Funcom. The game was released for Microsoft Windows via Steam on October 27, 2015 and is a spin-off of an earlier Funcom game, The Secret World. It was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on May 3, 2016 and Nintendo Switch on October 22, 2019. It will be released in Japan on September 24, 2020. The game takes place in the Atlantic Island Park that closed back in the year of 1980 for mysterious reasons that are gradually revealed throughout the game.

The Park is experienced from a first-person perspective as the player, Lorraine, interacts with and experiences the decrepit environment of Atlantic Island Park. There is no combat or defense and the player has no health HUD as Lorraine can only interact with limited objects in-game and there are no enemies to battle. These objects mostly consist of pages that reveal the backstory of the park and later, Lorraine. Lorraine can call out to character Callum at any time during gameplay, and this may have a small affect as it allows Lorraine to follow Callum's voice and thus continue the narrative of the story or to reach necessary areas or objectives within the park such as the rides. The rides act as both exposition and scares. To enter the House of Horrors, Lorraine must find a flashlight. Throughout the game, Lorraine narrates her feelings and memories to the player.

7. Mad Father

Mad Father takes place in northern Germany, where the 11-year old protagonist, Aya Drevis, lives with her father, Alfred Drevis, and their maid Maria. Aya is a shy girl who never goes outside. Her mother, Monika Drevis, was incredibly ill, and presumably died of illness before the occurrence of the game. Her father performs secret research in his laboratory in the house's basement, with the assistance of Maria. Aya is aware that Alfred experiments and kills humans in the basement, as well as the fact that he is involved in an extramarital affair with the younger Maria, a former homeless woman he had taken off the street some years prior.

On the anniversary of Monika's death, the very beginning of the game, Aya awakens at midnight to find herself surrounded by test subjects that escaped from the laboratory. Fleeing back into her room, Aya encounters the mysterious salesman Ogre, who offers her the task of solving puzzles to break into her father's laboratory and uncover his secret. Aya discovers that her father had intended to perform taxidermy on her and convert her into a doll, as he had done to numerous other children, having been enamored with preserving humans after having killed his own mother as a youth. Aya soon discovers that her father killed her mother in fear of her mother taking Aya away to prevent him from performing taxidermy on her.

The game has three endings based on the player's choices. In one ending, Aya allows her undead mother to take her father away to another world. After returning to the real world, she runs into Maria, who knocks her out, takes her to the basement and then kills her, turning her corpse into a doll. In the second ending, Aya saves her father from being taken by her mother's spirit. However, after doing so, Monika reveals to Aya that Alfred murdered her for one of his experiments. Horrified, Aya flees while being chased by a chainsaw-wielding Alfred. While attempting to escape, she runs into Maria. Maria attempts to follow her, but when she fails to capture her, Maria is attacked by Alfred. The game then branches into two endings depending on Aya's actions; if Aya neglects to help Maria and instead attempts to escape the mansion, she is found by her father and killed, with Alfred performing taxidermy on her corpse and rendering her into one of his dolls. In the true ending, Aya helps Maria, declaring that the two shall henceforth live together. Maria then kills Alfred and the two women leave the mansion, which is burned down by Dio, the spirit of one of Alfred's human test subjects.

As the house burns down, Ogre transports Alfred's spirit to another world, where he is free to experiment to his heart's content, creating a mature adult clone of his daughter, leading into the events of Misao. Meanwhile, while walking away from the burning mansion, Aya notices that her father's medical book has survived the blaze. Some years later, Aya and Maria have created a clinic, where they perform medical services free of charge. A poor woman named Jean Rooney arrives for an examination, and Aya uses anesthesia to render Jean unconscious, claiming that Jean will no longer suffer from her illnesses. In another room, Maria muses that Aya has become just like her father and that the tendencies run in the family, heavily implying that Aya has followed in her father's footsteps.

[sudrianforces]

Character : Lady

First Impression: First Sparkly Magical Female Steam Engine

Impression now: Still The First Sparkly Magical Female Steam Engine

Favorite moment: when she was reawakened in TATMR

Idea for a story: N/A

Unpopular opinion: A very underrated, Unused, and Nearly Forgotten Character that needs to appear more and needs more lore and personality

Favorite relationship: Thomas X Lady for a romantic relationship and Lady & Percy for a Brother & Sister type relationship. Don’t @ me.

Headcanon: A strong, powerful, independent leader who will fight for the freedom and justice for her people. She only uses her powers rightfully & responsibly and won’t give any evil a piece of mercy. She looks tough and strict on the outside, which she is, but on the inside she’s nice, loving, and caring to those who are good & close around her. She’s also gets flustered easily whenever Thomas flirts with her, but sometimes, she can have an amazing reply to those flirty remarks.

[palettepainter]

OMG SOMEONE ELSE WHO LOVES POWER LOADER! I am such a simp for this small man 👌😔 Can i please know more about his siblings?? The one you designed?? Also your Wctoplasm x Powerloader art is GORGEOUS!

On this blog we love our tiny little dirt gremlin, honestly glad to meet another fan of him cuz he’s so underrated!

These are the ideas so far I had for Powerloader and his family and his siblings! Got a good idea in mind for his mum and dad so will hopefully draw them out later, for now this ask will just include designs for his siblings

-So Powerloader is the oldest sibling. I’ve always liked the idea of Powerloader coming from a big family, having a more down to earth upbringing before he eventually went into the city and joined at UA when he was sixteen. His parents had Powwerloader when they where still quite young, his mother had just recently turned twenty and they where still building renovations on their home (his father like himself enjoyed building and as such brought some land to build their own home). Never the less Powerloader was happily welcomed by his parents despite being a total surprise and had a very happy childhood. The next child to come along was Powerloaders younger brother, Hono

-Hono and Powerloader as kids where typical brothers, They rough housed a lot in the yard while under the watchful eye of their dad as he worked. They both rolled around in dirt, climbed trees, and tried to bring snakes into the house giving their poor mother a heart attack. Typical kid things!~ Hono, being the younger brother by five years naturally couldn’t do all the stuff Higari could do, so when his big brother pushed a heavy box he couldn’t, or climbed up a tree to get his ball with ease Hono would think he was so cool! (though Powerloader had his times of tumbling out of trees as a kid-). Their dad in particular loved to wrestle with his sons after he was finished with work, he’d more or less let his sons win of course but if he was feeling particularly playful he’d grab Hono and Powerloader under his arms like they where sacks of potates and march around with them like that, prompting many giggles from them. After Hono turned four Powerloader and him where given twin siblings, and then seven years later a baby sister

(re-did the twins designs as I felt like the yellow hair was out of place, changed it to red/brown)

-Powerloaders dad started up a mechanic business when he had finished building the family home. Powerloaders family lived and still does live in a cozy villiage off in the country. It’s got a small population and little to no villian attacks, leading to it being very peaceful. With his dad running one of the only mechanic businesses in the area, and his dad also being very passionate about engineering they drummed up a bit of business. For safety incase the business went bust their mother went out and got a proper job, and with the combined money the family runs well - for a while. Still deicing how, but before Powerloader turns sixteen their father passes away at age fourty-one. Maybe this happens in like an accident or maybe he gets a sickness, still deciding. The death left their family in pieces, and their mother heavily distraught, and heavily pregnant with their youngest sister. After the passing of their father the business gradually begins to loose popularity, and the only source of income becomes their mothers day job, leading to Powerloader having to watch over his siblings until he mother came back from work, often late and looking very tired, which only became worse after Suru was born, their mother having to take a few months off work to raise Suru until she was old enough to be left with the other kids. Their mothers crumbling mental state led to Powerloader, the child who had to take on the most responsibility, developing a habit of tugging on his hair and biting his claws when stressed (this was based off @frelmidja heaedcannones, please go check out their stuff if you’re a powerloader fan anon!)

-Both Powerloader’s parents wanted a big family, and when their father was alive both parents set aside a portion of money each month, to go towards the children’s future. Sadly with his passing, they where only able to raise enough money for both Powerloader and Hono, and only a bit for the twins - after Powerloader turns sixteen his mother hands him the save up money that herself and his father had collected for him. Powerloader’s dad also had a passion for inventing, and absolutely let his son tag along with his when he was in his work shop, and so wanted to make sure that if he wanted to peruse engineering at an elite school like UA, he’d have the chance too. It took a lot of persuasion from his mother, but after a tearful moment Higari agrees to go live in the city with relatives and apply for UA’s support course. Higari left for the city when Hono eleven, leaving him as the oldest child. His mother assured Higari they would be fine, but things aren’t fine. After loosing her husband, and now loosing her eldest child who’s now staying up in the city, their mother falls back into her downward spiral, leading to her to sometimes not be able to properly care for Higari’s siblings. Hono was confused and wasn’t sure what to do, he’d always turned to Higari for guidance, now he was alone. Hono grows up angry and violent after this, believing that Higari ditched them to start a better life without them. Hono takes on the responsibilities to care for his other siblings, and at times his mother. He had to grow up fast to care for his family, further making him angry towards his brother, who had it easy up at that decked out snobby school. He utterly despises his older brother now but deep deep deep down he just really missed him:

 Hono grows up a tempermental youth, coming off as strict and cold even to his own family - little letters from Higari make him believe he’s forgotten about them all together, leading to Hono sneaking off to the local junk yard to let off steam with his quirk. One day, Hono doesn’t get out of the way in time of his explosion, and ends up getting a big burn on the side of his body when he was twenty-six, also leading to him loosing most of his hearing in one of his ears (he doesn’t like to talk about this)

-The cost of Hono’s treatment for his burns was another loss to the family financially, as their mother lost her job due to her being unable to meet up with the jobs demands, which meant the cost of his treatment had to come out of the money their father had saved up for them. While Hono recovered the twins the twins took up part time work at a pub while their mother continued search for a job in the city. Once she did the twins quit their jobs at the pub and reopened their fathers mechanic business to be closer to home. Taiho taking priority of the prices for payment and parts and Chikara taking the role as actual engineer. After Hono had recovered from his burns he became much more softer towards his family, though the injury was a scare to himself and the family, it did open up Hono’s eyes for how immature he was being, and ever since began to act more like a proper role model for his siblings. While the twins and his mother have their jobs, Hono manages the house work and looking after their youngest sister. He teaches her the ropes of mechanics like their father once did to Higari and then Higari to him. Hono takes Suru under his wing, treating her with a lot more care with her being the youngest, so he feels naturally protective of her. The two handled the cooking and up keeping of the home and yard up until their mother retired, when Hono then went out to take up a demolition job and Suru began to work in the mechanic business alongside Taiho and Chakara

Those are all my main story points but here are some more minor points I may work more on in the future with their story:

-The family own a dog named Benji,He’s an old dog now so spends most of his days curled up by the fire, but they all love him

-All of the Maijima children have some kind of scar of injury. Higari’s digging claws are scratched and slightly chipped in parts where he would bite on them when he was nervous, Hono has a scar over his side, Taiho has a scar over his nose, Chakara has a torn ear and Suru many little scars and scrapes from her time working in the mechanic business

-All of the siblings in a way, minus Suru, are envious of Higari to some degree. While Higari got to go off and go to UA, be a hero, persure a career he loves and even get married and settle down, they all had to sacrifice their own goals and dreams to support their family. The twins never voice this as to not be rude but Hono is very open about this

-Hono hates Ectoplasm with the heat of a thousand suns. Hates hates HATES him. He thinks Ectoplasm stole away their brother and was the reason why Higari never came back, he often gives Ectoplasm the silent treatment on the rare occasions he and Higari come to visit.

-Their quirks are:

Hono - Landmine,  Landmine allows the user to bestow explosive properties on anything they’ve touched. The explosions could be detonated at will. The explosives they create are noted to not be very strong, but they’re still powerful enough to deal a lot of damage to a person if they’re used in numbers

Taiho - Cannon ball (made up quirk), he can roll himself into a perfect ball and launch themselves into objects at high speeds while sustaining little damage. 

Chakara - Super strength, name speaks for itself, she has super strength on the same level as Higari, only person thus far to beat him in an arm wrestling match

Suru - Blowtorch (made up), can produce flames from the metal caps on the ends of her fingers, she can control how hot, large and powerful these flames are 

[ohfugecannada]

A game series for fans of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance

@deetrian @theworldofthedarkcrystal @hollerbatgirl @ben-the-hyena @dracocheesecake @mystics-and-chill

Ok so I think we can all agree the wait for Age of Resistance season 2 confirmation has been gruelling to say the least. But, in the meantime, I think I’ve got just the dark, ugly-cute creature sff world game series recommendation to satisfy your own dark, ugly-cute creature sff world craving...

Friends... this is Oddworld;

It’s a video game series that originally debuted in 1997 on the original Playstation. The studio behind it, Oddworld Inhabitants, was founded by computer engineer and business woman Sherry McKenna and cg filmmaker and artist Lorne Lanning.

The first Game in the series, Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee, is a cinematic action puzzle platformer that follows Abe, a hapless floor waxer and an alien known as a Mudokon working as a slave at a grimy, corrupt meat processing plant called RuptureFarms. Until he overhears a meeting where Molluck, Abe’s boss and a Glukkon tells his fellow Glukkon coworkers that they’ve run out of animals to turn into meat products, and so plans to start killing the all the Mudokon slaves in order to make a profit. Understandably terrified for his life, Abe runs away and the rest of the game follows his escape from rupture farms and into wilds of the planet Oddworld, leading to a spiritual quest to stop the Glukkons and, more importantly, save his fellow Mudokons.

Now, I know what some of you age of Resistance fans are thinking; gee, doesn’t that premise sound familiar?

And you’d be right! Oddworld and The Dark Crystal (and especially Age of Resistance) do have quite a lot in common: both are dark and atmospheric stories dealing with the themes of colonialism, slavery and race exploitation, environmental destruction, spiritualism, revolution and capitalism set in an alien world filled with ugly yet imaginative and endearing creature/character designs and deep lore/world building that’s been developing for literal decades. The main difference with Oddworld being that it’s a video game series, that it’s set in an Orwellian dystopia rather then a dark high fantasy setting and features a dark/twisted sense of humour. Not to mention, Oddworld is much more on the nose about its anti-capitalism message when compared to Dark Crystal.

AoR and Oddworld also differ when it comes to their protagonists. Where Rian is a more conventional hero archetype with good looks and a cool sword,

Abe... isn’t.

He’s not strong, he’s not smart and all he has is a loincloth and some rocks to defend himself. He’s just a helpless goof who got tangled up in something way over his head. And everything around him from the security guards of the factory, to the creatures in the wild want him dead (and often succeed in gameplay... over and over again...). However it’s in his flaws that help you relate to him, feel oppressively weak with him and make his and your victories within the game feel truly earned. This combined empathetic nature, heart and hidden inner strength make him, in my opinion anyway, one of the most endearing and interesting male characters in any video game.

Now, onto the other games and where to get them...

Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee was originally released on the PS1 and is currently available on Steam.

It’s HD remaster, Oddworld: New N’ Tasty is also available not only on Steam, but also PS4, Xbox One, and Android and IOS devices.

Oddworld Abe’s Exoddus is a direct sequel to Oddysee that picks up right where the first left off. This time, Glukkons are digging up the graves of his Mudokon ancestors and it’s up to Abe and his buddies to shut that all down, similar to the first game. Exoddus was originally released on the PS1 and is available on steam for the same price as Oddysee.

Oddworld Munch’s Oddysee is the third game in the series. This time, you not only play as Abe, but also Munch, a creature known as a Gabbit who’s the last of his kind who has to team up with Abe to retrieve the last remaining Gabbit eggs, known as Gabbiar, from an evil conglomerate called Vykkers Labs. Munch’s Oddysee was originally on the original Xbox and is available on Steam, IOS, Android and the Nintendo Switch EShop.

Oddworld: Strangers Wrath is an FPS spin-off of the platformer Oddysee titles that follows a character known only as the Stranger. A bounty hunter who has to hunt down and turn in various outlaws in order to gain the funds to pay for an operation that could save his life. Strangers wrath, much like Munch’s Oddysee, was released on the original Xbox and is available on Steam, Android, IOS, and Nintendo Switch.

Finally, there’s Oddworld: Soulstorm, a direct sequel to New N’ Tasty and complete re-work/re-telling of Abe’s Exoddus. As of writing this, Soulstorm hasn’t come out yet, but is said to be released sometime around 2020 exclusively on the Epic Games store for PC and the Nintendo Switch.

As for stuff outside the games, well... unlike the Dark Crystal which has a somewhat sizeable collection of expanded universe materials such as books and comics, Oddworld doesn’t have any of that. Though, there are two art books: The Art of Oddworld: The First Ten Years and Oddworld: Abe’s Origins. Both of these, however, are rare. With the first going for hundreds of bucks online. Thankfully, there’s also the Dear Alf section of the official website where the chracter Alf, Abe’s brother and founder of Alf’s Rehab and Tea, interacts with the Oddworld community by answering questions and letters from fans.

Anyway, I hope you guys give this series a try and kill some time while we eagerly await AoR season 2. And who knows hopefully you’ll come to appreciate this underrated gem of a video game franchise as much as I and others in the Oddworld tumblr community do...

[daikenkki]

epiclafiteau: If Edward and Henry never left Tidmouth Sheds, BUT two engines HAD to leave, who would they be and why? Let me hear what you think! Who would be in their spots? Someone that's been there before, or someone that hasn't? My take btw: Edward and James. Edward at Wellsworth Sheds makes so much sense, and James should've been kicked out as the punishment. Yeah, Thomas/Percy at Ffarquhar would be neat but Toby's at Arlesdale End now. Henry doesn't need to stay at Vicarstown and Emily is just there.

JD41796: Honestly do what the series did and move Edward to Wellsworth because that actually makes sense, and throw Thomas and Percy back with Toby. Have the engines stay closest to their place of work, and have the sheds be what it used to be; whoever is working in that area, stays there.

epiclafiteau: Edward moving to Wellsworth to be closer to his branchline was a smart move, and it made sense. The issue is they're like "Henry's going to Vicarstown ok bye". I'm sure we were supposed to get an episode further explaining it but they haven't done so yet and the only thing to back it up is the fact that Henry is on the Mainland in 70% of the specials lol.

StreakSmeargle: I’d actually kick out three. Thomas, Percy, and Edward. Thomas and Percy can move to Ffarquhar (and honestly Nia can live there too). And Edward can move to Wellsworth like he already does. Fill up the missing Tidmouth slots with Rebecca and maybe the Scots?

epiclafiteau: Unless I'm missing something, I'm not actually sure where exactly Duck, Oliver, Donald and Douglas stay in the CGI Series. We see Ryan, Daisy, Judy & Jerome at Harwick but are there sheds somewhere else on the Little Western? It made sense for Duck to stay at Tidmouth in Duck and the Slip Coaches cause he was needed nearby, something they should do more often, but I don't think we've actually seen where he normally stays.

StreakSmeargle: There should be sheds at Arlesburgh if the RWS is any indication. Duck, Oliver, and Toad would realistically stay there. Donald and Douglas could also stay there but it might make sense to have them at Tidmouth as they’re not strictly tied to Little Western only. Gordon, James, Henry, Rebecca, and Emily can definitely stay at Tidmouth tho. Henry at Vicarstown was a neat concept but it went nowhere so I say move him back.

epiclafiteau: I can get past Edward moving because of etc reasons but the big 3 should definitely stick together. Edward leaving felt sort of natural because it had a whole episode to it and he suggested staying at Wellsworth permanently. Henry liked the idea, followed by deciding to transfer to Vicarstown, and nothing happened.

StreakSmeargle: If they ever do move Henry back to Tidmouth, they could do an episode where he starts reconsidering his decision on moving to Vicarstown but worries about what the others will think. That would allow him to move back and even potentially shedding light on why he moved in the first place.

Jacob34335638: Well, I think James could be kicked out as punishment for destroying the sheds in the first place, and Emily could possibly leave too since she works on the Misty Valley Branchline, and it would be convent for her to be closer to her work like Edward is at Wellsworth Sheds.

epiclafiteau: Yeah, literally. I never understood why they were like "Well James, you destroyed the sheds... Okay, Edward, go find somewhere else to stay".

Echo62445283: Because apparently they were like "Hey thats Edward's part of the shed guess he has to go, not like he can sleep in your spot James".

ComradeSpinel90: Tbh... Percy and Thomas. They have sheds at Tidmouth and Ffharquhar. And in Nia and Rebecca and it would be fine. Or better yet. Drop Nia and add in oh idk... Stanley, or someone underrated imo.

epiclafiteau: Now you're on the right track.

ComradeSpinel90: And it wouldn't be out there norm. There was many time where they were at Tidmouth and Ffharquhar.

ilovetrains3232: The obvious Thomas and Percy go back to Ffarqhuar, Edward going to Wellsworth like in the show because, and as much as some people hate to hear, it was a great idea. They just haven't executed it to it's fullest ability. James could be an interesting choice as a punishment for crashing into it in the first place. I feel like Gordon is the only one who should stay there no matter what. Emily was the reason the 7th she'd was added but that doesn't necessarily mean she HAS to stay there and Henry, should have probably stayed but could easily go somewhere else and it would work. Tidmouth AND Vicarstown both honestly don't make much since for Henry. Yes, Henry does go to the mainland sometimes but not as much as he works elsewhere. If anything, Henry should have moved to Wellsworth with Edward. Since he has to go to Brendam anyways to pick up the Flying Kipper, and Wellsworth is in the center of the island so it would make it easier for him to work anywhere. As opposed to be on either side.

legomastr_365: I love all of them too much to kick anyone out, but seeing the replies makes sense since that's literally what I do in my series.

epiclafiteau: Thomas and Percy is the most logical answer but I'm curious to know if anyone would consider Emily or James, or have other reasons for Thomas/Percy.

GraydonBruckle1: Definitely Emily, as for the other I'm not sure.. I guess Edward or Percy. Edward does make sense BUT he is one of the three original character the Rev W. Awdry wrote about.. Percy could go to Ffarquhar. That way he wont have to go far for the mail run or something like that.

ElliotKW: It would be Thomas and Percy and I'd move them back to Ffarquhar Sheds (even though the sheds are in the yards at Tidmouth Station). Series 2 kept the roots of Thomas, Percy and Toby living in the sheds for five episodes and I would love to see that happen again in the future.

SunilFan48: Thomas and Percy. Go to Ffarquhar sheds with Toby like they did for S2 and then never again. Leaves room for Nia and Rebecca and no Tidmouth Shed reconstruction.

ThomasTheorist: The only engines who really need to be at Tidmouth Sheds are Gordon, Henry and James. Everyone else can be shuffled around.

TheLargeBarge: At Tidmouth Sheds you'll have Henry, Gordon, James, Emily, Rebecca, Donald and Douglas. At Ffarquhar, Thomas, Percy, Toby and Mavis. Knapford Sheds; Nia, Paxton and Rosie. Wellsworth; Edward and Philip. Arlesburgh; Duck and Oliver and Harwick; Ryan and Daisy.

CTFEologist: Thomas and Percy; move them to Ffarquhar with Toby instead.

DanielAlsop2: Well I’d still go with Edward, but also Thomas and Percy to Ffarquhar or Tidmouth Station, since they both work on Thomas’ branch line and if they had the usual adventure encounters, they could meet the others at Knapford or Elsbridge, simple.

GTSHProductions: I’d actually kick Thomas and Percy to live at Farquhar. But to be honest, I liked it better when the engines just slept wherever whenever they wanted.

TFan512: This may be controversial, but I’d still let it be Edward and Henry. Wellsworth is on Edward’s branch line, and he could be a mentor to Philip like he was to Thomas in The Adventure Begins (too bad no episodes have so far done that). As for Henry, he goes up to Vicarstown a lot anyway when he travels to the Mainland, and with him taking The Flying Kipper at night, he hardly has any time to rest at Tidmouth. I don’t agree with James being moved out as punishment, as he showed remorse in An Engine of Many Colours and was forgiven.

NWTom25: I choose three, Edward, Henry and Emily. It make sense to remove Edward to his branch line shed, Henry at Vicarstown since he could run goods trains from there to the mainland and Emily could stay at Knapford sheds like she did in CAE! I honestly don't see the need to remove Thomas and Percy since it had been stated in a Mr. Perkins interval that Knapford was the starting point for Thomas' branch line. So it make sense in the current series to have Thomas and Percy at the sheds. Plus Toby could fill in the spot at the sheds that the engines I chose left and maybe fill in the space for any of the secondary characters (e.g - Duck, Donald, Douglas, Rosie etc.).

TidmouthStudios: Y know if Knapford sheds came back I would LITERALLY LOVE THAT SO MUCH. I think Emily earned her spot in the sheds though and calling all engines definitely made a good move by specifically confirming that Emily was an official part of the core cast.

crikey_fell: Kick out everyone but Henry, Gordon, James and Emily, move them to their RWS positions.

Fan12Thomas: Thomas and Percy they should be on Ffarquhar Sheds.

kirkronan25: I'd chuck Edward to Wellsworth and I kinda like the idea of James having a shed all of his own, but I'm not sure about that.

Diesel20212: Thomas and Percy. I just can’t see them staying in Tidmouth when they already have their own sheds on their branchline.

TruckFan1996: Emily and Henry. I hate Emily and Mattel has made Henry wimpy.

WyattLoughrie: Well Thomas and Percy would have to live at Ffarquhar sheds with Toby and probably have Donald and Douglas take their places in Tidmouth Sheds.

SciFiCosplay99: Maybe have Thomas and Percy move back to Ffarquhar, perhaps add Toby and/or Nia. The Scots then move in. Also, show a shed where the Great Western Engines and the Scots live at some point, please show?

YBoi95: Honestly probably still Henry and Edward. Edward is too smart to be involved in the hive mind mentality of the Steam Team and Henry is just kind of there and doing very little. Honestly the two just don't really contribute enough to be worthy of being main characters.

gwr_fan: Part of me wants Thomas and Percy at Ffarquhar with Toby, Mavis, etc

Mechai94829484: For me it’s Thomas and Percy instead of sleeping in Tidmouth sheds they sleep in the sheds at the ffarquhar station with Toby and Henrietta just like in the railway books.

CementLord: Thomas and Percy, send them off to Ffarquhar.

TidmouthStudios: I’m not mad that Edward left due to the fact that he simply wasn’t offering anything consistently new to the franchise for some time at that point. He’s been outshined by the other core cast members since S5 and him being removed from said cast was inevitable. I’m happy they just did it in a nice and pleasant way and didn’t just suddenly have him leave. He at least got an episode showcasing his goodbye. Going off where he was going to be stationed makes more sense and serves as a sorta mentor for Philip like bill and Ben before him.

FantasticMrS3: I'd go with Emily and James. Then they could be given their own branch line to share, and it would open up more storytelling possibilities for them, especially Emily; God knows more could be done with her as a character.

TomtheSTL: Thomas and Percy, they don’t belong on the mainline or you know, besides the big 3 and Emily, not having a strict cast at Tidmouth, have it change a bit, hell the Brenner era did it on occasion.

HTGE3Prod: Hmm, Edward and Thomas. Both have their respective branchlines to run. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if Salty, Bill and Ben are running Edward's line, and Mavis and Toby for Thomas' line.

Edwardandjamesp: Thomas, Percy and Edward. Thomas and Percy can go and sleep at Ffarquhar because that's where they work, and Edward could sleep at Wellsworth with Philip. And the ones to replace them would be Rebecca/Bear and the Scottish boys.

8Puffer: It would make more sense to put Thomas, Percy and Toby at Ffarquhar as it would help develop the three characters more and help build the relationship further.

ChaosDustSteam: I would actually pick three. Thomas, Percy, and Emily. Thomas and Percy would go to the Branchline Sheds, revealed in a new render for CGI. Emily would be moved either to Knapford Sheds or her own sheds, as I feel she is not a Main Line worthy engine.

BJG922: Hmm I would take out Thomas and Percy from Tidmouth and take them to Ffarquhar Sheds like how Edward went to Wellsworth, and keep Henry, Gordon, James and Emily at Tidmouth and allow Bear, Pip and Emma in Tidmouth.

ahmirallthings1: The answers obviously be Thomas and Percy. They lived in Ffarqhuar.

LNERA0X: If we wanted to apply this to all the engines really only Henry, Gordon, James, and Emily should be stationed at the main sheds. Decentralize the cast a bit.

JohnDarkblaze: Thomas, Percy, and Toby. My head canon is that they belong at Ffarquhar like they were before (also considering Arlesdale End hasn't been relevant for a while). As for Tidmoth Sheds itself, I'd leave Edward, James, Henry, and Gordon while adding Rosie, Stanley, and Molly.

TheThomasFan: Thomas and Percy, they’re supposed to be at Ffarquhar.

benbearce96: Toby and Emily because for Toby I just think he’s overrated as a character and Emily, well she can live at the shunting yards with Spencer Murdoch Arthur etc.

IvoryGreen456: Thomas and Percy. Because they were originally based at Ffarquhar they can easily go back.

SayCheeseBurgr: Emily and Edward, but Edward would still remain a main character, purely to line up with old continuity :p

sixteen_dnw: Edward to Wellsworth and Percy to Ffarquahar, they wouldn’t take Thomas away from Tidmouth.

EianHardy: I’d choose Thomas and Percy to go, as a way for them to be with Toby again in the branch line sheds.

TY_HAMMER_TIME: Its a tough one. I see a lot of thomas, percy, and Edward. But i think the "steam team" while still cool concept i think it hurt the series. Why not have a rotating cast of engines at Tidmouth Sheds per season. It would allow the writers to switch the engines in the shead and we wouldn't need to feel that Tidmouth Sheds = 100% steam team residences. Maybe then when Edward and Henry moved out it wouldn't have felt like such a blow or need explanation.

NWRGresley1942: Thomas and Percy because it would make sense that their work are closer to his branch line. Toby could also sleep at Ffarquhar with them. James because he destroyed the back of the sheds and Sir Topham would’ve strictly moved him out.

the_mega_derp: Move Thomas and Percy to Ffarquhar. It can have the same benefit as Edward moving to Wellsworth, since they’d be living on the line they work on. Whatever happened to them vibing in Ffarquhar sheds back in the day?

Jordan192692: I think Percy and Emily; To run the “new” Kirk Ronan branch-line. Thomas would miss both engines, but he would know it was for the best.

jaymeerkat520: It would be Thomas and Percy. Those characters have just become annoying now.

imnotveryfunny0: My take is Edward and Henry, yes, but don’t stick Nia there. Put her and her bland personality at Vicarstown. Put Rosie there with Rebecca, who knows the others but still has some well deserved fleshing out to be done.

HydesR01: Personally, I’d say Emily and Edward. Emily doesn’t really “click” with the originals, and I think Edward would be better suited at Wellsworth anyway. And in their spots, I’d say Rosie instead of Emily and Stanley in place of Edward.

Glover368: Emily and James, just send James back to his early RWS shed, and Emily can go back to Knapford.

RealMay_C: Emily and Henry, Emily is just a badly written character and Henry is just the stereotypical worrier and I'm really not a fan of that trope.

cgsmodelling: Let me say it loud enough so everyone can hear.... JUST ADD TWO MORE FUCKING BIRTHS. ITS NOT THAT DIFFICULT.

SquidTrain2020: Thomas and James can simply fuck off. But instead of Nia, replace James with Rosie and Thomas with Rebecca.

[shipsofyore]

Cunard’s RMS Carpathia. Finished in 1902, the Carpathia was somewhat of a low profile ship of the british shipping company. She was designed for the immigrant trade and, as such, neither did she have an opulent interior nor was she designed to raech high speeds. Ships like the Carpathia were extremely popular amongst shipping companies in the Belle Epoque since their operational costs were very low and there was a huge demand for cheap transatlantic crossings by thousands of european immigrants, which were hoping to start a new life in America. The Carapathia operated on various routes on the North Atlantic. In the last years before the war she connected New York with the Mediterranean, bringing american tourists to Europe and returning with immigrants to the US. She quickly gained a reputation as a stable and safe liner and was popular within her target group.

It was on one of her journeys from New York to the Mediterranean that the Carpathia gained international fame as the rescuer of the survivors of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. In my opinion both the bravery and effort of this act is often underrated, which is why I’d like to give a recount of what transcured on that fatidic evening on board this otherwise so undistinguished liner. In the late hours of April 14th 1912, the Carpathia’s wireless operator Harold Cottam was ending his shift after a long day of work. As it was the case whith most of the ships of this early days, the Carpathia only had one wireless operator, which meant that him going to bed would have made the Carpathia impossible to reach for the rest of the night. Considering this, it is really a miracle that Cottam decided to stay awake just for a few more minutes listening to the transmitter before going to bed. After he had noticed that the land - based wireless station of Cape Cod, Masachussetts, was trying to send messages to the Titanic, Cottam decided to get in touch with the White Star liner, asking why they weren’t answering. The Titanic’s wireless operator Jack Phillips had not answered any of Cape Cod’s messages because by then, around 12 pm, he had already received the order to send CQD (come quick danger) - messages. Once Cottam got through to him Phillips requested the Carpathias assistance. Opposed to what many of us today would think, receiving such a message in those days would not have meant a inmediate response. Many nautical officers distrusted the wireless and a messages like that must have sounded like a bad joke to many sailors. However Cottam believed Phillips. He believed him so much that he even decided to wake up the Carpathia’s captain, Arthur Rostron, although the officer in charge of the ship at that moment (who was the first one Cottam had gone to) tried to stop him after dismissing the Titanic’s distress call as some sort of prank. Initially Rostron was angry at his wireless operator, who had stormed his cabin in the middle of the night. However he believed Cottam and it was in this second that the Carpathia became a rescue ship. The outlook was not at all positive. The Carpathia was more or less 107 kilometers (or 65 miles) away from the Titanic’s position and her maximun speed was 14 knots, which meant that she would only arrive there in around three and a half hour. Time was precious, as Thomas Andrews, the Titanics builder who was on board the ill - fated liner, had given her no more than two hours to sink. Aware of the urgency of the situation, Rostron inmediatly gave orders for his ship to turn around and drive with full speed to the Titanics position. One should consider the risks involved by this decision. Steaming with full speed at night through the North Atlantic had been the reason of Titanic hitting the iceberg in the first place. Rostron also ordered the heating to be turned of to divert all the steam into the engines. This was also risky, since forcing the engines like this could cause a lot of damage. Nearly the whole crew was woken up: an extra shift of stokers were sent to increase the speed even more. Soon this efforts showed results: not only did the Carpathia reach her maximum speed of 14 knots, she even surpassed it, reaching 17 knots (!), a speed her constructors never would have dreamed she would be able to reach. Additional lookouts were sent to the ships bow to avoid iceberg’s. Many pessengers woke up and helped in any way they could to reconvert the public rooms of the Carpathia into dormitories for the survivors. Others helped the crew to make giant amounts of warm beverages and soups to warm up the survivors.  None of them complained (after all, rescueing the Titanics survivors could easily delay their travel plans fore weeks).   Navigating through waters infested with icebergs without lowering her speed, the Carpathia arrived at the last position the Titanic had sent at around 4 am, one and a half hour after the White Star liner had gone down. For the next five hours, the Carpathia picked up the more or less 700 survivors which had had the luck to get a place in one of the few lifeboats. By 9 am all survivors had been saved and were cared for by the Carpathias’s passengers and crew. Rostron now had to decide were he would disembark the passengers. Considering that the Carpathia was on her way to the Mediterranean, the cheapest option would have been the Azores. However, not only did he decide to go to America, he even turned down ports which were much closer to his position like Halifax and decided to set course for New York, the Titanic’s original destination. Steaming again at a more normal speed, the Carpathia was expected to arrive in New York two days later. Assisted by the Titanics junior wireless operator Harold Bride (Phillips had died during the sinking) Harold Cottam, who had not gone to bed for the past 36 hours, started to transmit the names of the survivors to the RMS Olympic (the Titanic’s sister ship, whose help had been categorically rejected by Rostron, who feared that the sight of the Titanics nearly identical sister would cause panic amongst the survivors) and the cruiser USS Chester. They did this in a orderly fashion, rejecting to answer any questions of the press and even of sitting US - president William H. Taft, whose close friend Archibald Butt had been on board the Titanic (and sadly didn’t survive the sinking as it turned out later). The Carpathia arrived at New York on April 18th 1912.

For his efforts, Rostron received a knighthood from king George V and the Congressional Gold Medal in the United States. His crew all received decorations as well. It is obviously true that most of the deaths on board the Titanic could have been avoided if she had carried enough lifeboats for all on board. However, many more would have died if there would not have been a ship and a crew, whose decidedness and courage became a real example for times to come.

The Carpathia was sunken by a german submarine on July 15th 1918, approximatly 190 kilometres (120 miles) off the southwest coast of Ireland. All crew and passengers survived.

[buff-electra-truther]

Asterisk, 25, 90% here for the Electra multiverse and cheering for literally anyone but the actual main character. I‘m too into irl train history to be willing to demonize electrification, especially in any kind of US setting, and especially where the protag is spouting Thatcher/Reaganite messages (he’s a major reason why it’s been on the backburner for decades now). I think rail realism is underrated in fictional media and it’s more interesting to tell stories about relevant train issues vs lionize choo choos yet again. I’m not a hardcore one yet but I definitely skew more railfan than most of this fanbase. US electrification has been a main focus, I like other trains too but it has such a tragic and little-known history I’ve grown fixated on it. Partly because I live near the epicenter of the trolley apocalypse and de-electrification of the mid 20th-century.

Most of my headcanons and sort of AU are based on US train history and politics, but give me a couple months to gather info and I may take a stab at UK/Germany oriented ones.

Here is my list of train/transit info resources if you want to research more yourself, it’s a running list I’ll add to over time. Mostly focused on more modern trains and electrification, but I have a mix of historical and steam/diesel stuff on there too. If you’re new to trains and want technical/historical advice on something or an explanation of something I’ve made a post/fic about, I’m happy to try and answer. I’m not a hardcore railfan yet but can probably point you in the right direction. I’m a manufacturing engineer irl and have worked at a heritage railroad so I have a decent conceptual grasp on a lot of random heavy machinery things or just the feel of midcentury US trains.

Mykalectra isn’t my favorite Electra but he’s the most blorbo to me. He just feels the most accurately train-like, especially towards the very end where he’s an absolute unit delicately rolling around. Finally some electric train representation that accurately makes them kinda stubby but unreasonably powerful for their size. Electra being amusingly old (and beat to shit visually on the tours) is also a depressing reflection of how left behind US passenger rail is, unironically still a utopian futuristic character 40 years later. Again, I just can’t villanize someone who threatens me with such a good time.

Not much of a shipper because I hate romance in general. I think the best “11th hour ballad” was the interrupting BBC van. I pair characters up based on how funny they would be in a fight.

I mostly draw, sometimes write. Please do NOT share my work with anyone involved with the show. I do not want to draw their attention to this blog.

You can chuck ideas at me in general but no guarantee I’ll do anything with it. I’m a lazy bum who rarely does finished art, so if a sketch I did catches your eye and you want to work off it, consider it an open collab invite. Any concept I do as a fanfic/headcanon/other fanwork is free game to blatantly rip off as long as you don’t just claim my actual art/writing as your own.

[mandelene]

💜👻💍😏😢 please???

Thanks for the ask!

💜- top 3 favorite lines

I tried to force myself to choose older works. I like my opening lines to Girlhood

👻- 2 or 3 sentences from something you haven’t posted yet

I’m not giving you guys any spoilers to one of my fics. xD Instead, you can have a few lines from my original fiction that I’ll probably never post, but here’s a taste. 

Mr. Petrov’s stories have nothing on Aunt Cheryl’s. She once said she’s got enough problems to cover the tri-state area, and she can talk about them for as long as you let her. She also knows what’s going on with everybody else—Victoria from laundromat just had her third baby, and Ricardo, the engineer who lives three blocks away finally fixed his car this weekend after it was letting out hot steam for two days. Sometimes it’s crazy to think about how all of that information can fit into one head when I can barely remember the names of the kids in my class. 

💍 - your most underrated story

I’ve been blessed in terms of feedback. I don’t think any of my stories are “underrated,” just some are less popular than others. The Prussian Santa and Too Hot for the Kitchen are examples of this, lol, but I don’t think that makes them underrated. Besides, I kinda know why they received less traction.Also, any stories that don’t contain Dr. Kirkland tend to historically do worse for me, the only exceptions to this rule being Journey to Home, Child’s Play, and maybe Plastic Talks. xD 

😏- your most risky line

Sometimes, I throw in little controversial political lines because I can’t help myself. The entirety of US Domestic Politics and a Kale Salad is an example of this, haha. Actually, I take back what I said earlier, US Domestic Politics and a Kale Salad is very underrated LOL. Also, this little jibe in How to Fall in Love With a Frenchman: 

😢- a line that made you cry

I’ll just post this whole thing from Journey to Home to upset you all, lol. 

The sun doesn't look any different no matter where you look at it from, and that small realization brings him comfort.

He tries to imagine what he'd be doing if he weren't at war right now. Maybe he'd be studying for a class, reading a book, visiting town and helping to plan Gilbert's wedding. Arthur is most likely asleep because although it's well in the afternoon where Alfred is, it's an hour or two past midnight in Illinois.

Then again, his old caretaker has been having trouble sleeping lately, according to Matthew. Is he up now—looking out the window and having a cup of chamomile tea? Is he thinking about him? Can he somehow feel that he's lying in the middle of this abandoned beach, bleeding out and waiting for help?

Probably not.

He closes his eyes and remembers the drywall behind him on the very first day he met Arthur, green eyes blinking at him with conviction—asking for his name. Riding in the car for the first time. Meeting Baron. Going out to town with Francis. The chocolate bars at Beilschmidt Sweets. Ms. Hedervary in her garden. Ivan sitting by his bedside. Ludwig sweeping the floors. Mr. Honda reading his haiku and saying poetry could give a man his wings.

And he could use some wings right about now. He could fly up and off of this beach. He could leave the anger and the pain and the fighting behind him. He could go back to when things were simple and easy—when the hardest part of his day was convincing Arthur to let him go exploring the fields with Toris.

Pain. He's starting to feel it now. It's an awful thing. He hopes he managed to take some of it away over the years, like when he stayed with Arthur when the man broke his wrist. Or when Baron died, and they shed tears for him together. Or when he helped Francis with the groceries. Or when he asked Gilbert to play soccer. Or when he walked Toris home after he was bitten by that snake. Maybe all of it meant nothing.

Maybe there wasn't a resolution at the end—but it was something, and it mattered.

He is tired. Maybe he'll just rest. The blood is now seeping from between his fingers, but he doesn't try to stop it. Maybe this is how all of the pain leaves the body. He feels himself becoming lighter, as though he's floating a few inches off the ground. Mind separates from body. He feels like he could just drift away. At first, the sensation is alarming, but then, he lets it be.

Everything is okay. The fight is ending. The town will always be there, and they will have each other, just as they always have.

The pain begins to fade. It still hurts, but it won't hurt forever. The rushing sound of the waves crashing into the shoreline gets softer, and he just lets himself drift.

Drifting… Drifting…

Drifting all the way home.