#firebar

[umbraticstickerz]

My hands hurt bro 😭😭😭

LookieKeeper Wally- broxen_the_ignited_fox (Tiktok)

Cupcakes Wally- amothwithaneyepatch (TikTok)

Firebar Wally- MariMi76242348 (Twitter)

Anxiety Wally- alexfroppy (Discord)

HG Wally- r1zart_ (Twitter)

Greyscale Wally- @sweetest-honeybee (Tumblr)

[rungian]

Tornado work challenge [impossible]

[szklany-kot]

Trepan your friends/ crude skull

[lightestskinnedwizard]

The tomes containing my mix tapes are so fire the pages be smokin'

I told the dwarves my shit is fire and they threw it in the lake. I let the hate roll off me like droplets though.

[weirdowithaquill]

Traintober 2024: Day 19 - Admire

Douglas Couldn't Help It!

Douglas smiled softly as he watched the station. It had been only a couple of years since his dramatic escape from British Rail and arrival on Sodor, but Oliver was already fitting in like a natural. The Great Western engine was an absolute social butterfly, able to charm the big engines with ease even as he made Duck laugh with all his in-jokes that only the two truly understood. He was admittedly still a little wary of the diesels - especially Bear and Daisy whose classes had worked around where Oliver had lived and replaced him and his siblings - but even then he was growing more confident around them with each passing day. 

“It’s nice being on Sodor,” Oliver had confided in Douglas. “Diesel and steam engines can live in harmony here without fear of one replacing the other.” Douglas couldn’t agree more, he himself feeling more at peace with the diesels on Sodor with each passing year. But the way Oliver seemed so relaxed and confident in himself, it made Douglas feel all sorts of things. Douglas couldn't help it! Oliver was so suave and witty and brave - how could he not admire him? 

As if on cue, a cheerful whistle blasted in the distance, and Oliver steamed in. Douglas puffed over, a broad smile already growing on his lips. “Hullo Oliver, how was yer run?” “Oh, hi Douglas,” grinned Oliver. Douglas felt like his fire was about to melt right through his firebars and fall all over the line. “The run was good - I don’t think I’ll ever get over how beautiful this line is!” “Aye, it is a fabulous little line, though I’m sure yer old line was also nice.” “Oh it was!” Oliver began, “but… then the diesels began to arrive, and we didn’t get to use the line as much. And that was after they replaced most of the Autocoaches with their Mark 1s… nasty, heavy things!” Douglas just hummed, a little dopily. Oliver chuckled, shooting Douglas a megawatt smile that went straight to the poor Scot’s boiler.

“I’ve got to go, and I think you do too,” grinned Oliver, already beginning back down the line with his train. Douglas blinked, and looked back. His guard was tapping his foot impatiently, and when he spotted Douglas finally paying him some attention, gestured to the trucks. Douglas went red with embarrassment and hurried to get back to work.

As he back down onto his trucks, Douglas looked over and spotted Mike sitting on the Arlesdale Railway’s tracks next to him. Mike was shooting Douglas the most disgusted look an engine could, his face scrunched up comically. “What?” “You’re besotted,” sneered Mike. “It’s pathetic to watch – just talk to him like a normal engine, ask him out if you have to! But stop gazing after him like he’s some damsel in a Hollywood film!” Douglas just sighed. “Ye'll understand ane day.” “No I won’t! Who would I even look at like that? Frank?! You’ve lost it, Douglas!” Douglas ignored the little pillarbox of an engine and steamed away.

Douglas worked hard all day, trying his best to find another time when his schedule matched up with Oliver’s so they could chat – only much to his dismay, it just didn’t happen. Poor Douglas was never in the right spot, and all he could do was watch as the cute Autotank vanished out of view with his passengers.

“Ah canae tak it anymore! Hou is it thon A keep missin Oliver by mere seconds?!” burst out Douglas to his twin that night. Donald snorted. “Ye're juist unlucky. Iver considerit playin cards - ye'd have more luck thare than i love!” Douglas rolled his eyes at his twin and went unhappily to sleep.

An entire week went by in this manner, with Douglas managing one or two short conversations each day where Oliver would leave him absolutely flustered and whining to his twin about the Western engine he had rescued. Donald indulged his twin with a wry grin, remembering similar conversations he’d had to listen to back in Scotland and back at Tidmouth.

Finally, Douglas managed to strike good fortune. On Saturday, he finished up his duties near Tidmouth, and convinced his driver to let him sleep there the night, so he could try strike up a conversation with Oliver again. But as he neared the shed, he heard voices – it was Oliver! And… Gordon?

“I mean, he’s just so strong,” sighed Oliver wistfully. “I suppose, though I don’t see the appeal personally,” came the reply. Douglas felt his boiler pressure drop. Who was Oliver talking about?

“I mean, have you seen him?” went on Oliver. “Especially at night! Watching him go by is a true sight.” Gordon snorted. “You talk like he’s me! Please, just because we—” Douglas reversed back down the line as fast as his wheels could carry him. Oliver liked another engine. Oh.

Oh no.

And Douglas knew who it was too – a strong engine who ran at night and Gordon could relate to? It had to be Henry! Gordon and Henry had shared a shape, and Henry hauled the Flying Kipper. It made so much sense, didn’t it? Of course Oliver would want someone like Henry, who was strong and caring and determined! And the two shared a shed too, so of course they had gotten to know each other well; and to think Douglas thought he had a chance.

Douglas managed to get James to agree to trade his late evening coal train – which was not that difficult, all things considered – and got as far away from Tidmouth as quickly as possible. He delivered the coal, then slept unhappily at Vicarstown.

Douglas didn’t say much for the next few days. He did his work, sighing quietly but still treasuring every smile Oliver sent his way. The Fat Controller had listened to his rather sudden request to help out on Edward’s branchline and agreed – for a few days at least, but all too soon Douglas was back on the Little Western.

Donald had noticed Douglas’ change of mood almost instantly, but waited a few days before confronting his twin.

“Richt, ye've been mopin aw week. Whit's wrong wi ye?” snapped Donald at the sheds. Douglas jumped, and looked at Donald for all of three seconds before gazing down at his buffers, a defeated look gracing the Caledonian’s features. “Oliver likes a different engine. A dinnae want tae get i the way thouch - A'm no some insane jealous idiot wha refuses tae see him happy without me thouch – e'en gin it's wi Henry. A'll juist admire him from afar an wait for these feelings tae gae away.”

Donald stared at his twin for a long, silent minute. He didn’t know what to say – Douglas believed, of all things, that Oliver liked a different engine. “Are ye sure?” he asked delicately. Douglas sniffled a little. “Ay, A overheard him at the sheds. He wis talkin tae Gordon aboot his crush. A'll be ok, juist... give me some time, aw richt?”

Donald agreed, and watched as his twin fell asleep. Then, he groaned aloud. “These twa idiots,” he grumbled. “A'm gaun'ae have tae talk tae Duck aboot this.”

Duck agreed with Donald. “Oliver’s been moping about Tidmouth too,” he huffed. “These two are as dumb as each other, I swear. We need to do something about it.” “Douggie wonae dae anythin - he's committit tae "just admirin him from afar" like some sort o chivalrous knicht.” “So it’ll have to be Oliver,” Duck realised. Donald agreed grimly.

These two would definitely need a push in the right direction – and thankfully, Duck knew exactly what to say…

“You’re an idiot and now Douglas thinks you like Henry.”

…Or maybe not.

“He thinks what? How?!” “He overheard you talking to Gordon about him and somehow misunderstood everything. The only reason I know is cause he told Donald, and I put ten and eleven together and figured out how dim-witted the pair of you are. Go ask that dumb Scot out already or I will dump you with Thomas.” “I get along fine with Thomas,” huffed Oliver. “He’s having another spat with Percy,” Duck replied with a groan. Oliver shuddered. The two still remembered the screaming match the pair had had in the middle of the Big Harbour a month back – it had been so bad that Gordon had to drag Thomas away while Henry held Percy back from chasing after the blue tank engine.

“Those two fight like cats and dogs,” sighed Oliver. “inconsistently and whenever it suits their fancy.” Duck couldn’t help but laugh, before pausing. “Don’t try and distract me – go ask Douglas out!” Oliver groaned, and puffed away to go do just that.

He found the Caledonian dozing in his shed up at Arlesburgh. Thinking quickly, Oliver convinced the signalman to let him roll onto the same line as Douglas, puffing right up to the Caledonian’s bufferbeam. Douglas opened a sleepy eye – and then bolted right awake.

“Oliver?!” “Hi Douglas. You know, I heard a very interesting thing today.” Douglas gulped, feeling his fire go cold. “O-oh?” Oliver grinned at the nervous engine, and smiled cheekily. “Oh yes – a birdie told me that you liked someone. And imagine my delight when I found out who.” Douglas listened intently – and then it sunk in. “Delichted? Are ye…”

Oliver smiled at the Caledonian, and rolled forwards until he buffered up to him.

“You’re an idiot, you know that? I like you, not some other engine. Strong, runs at night, saved me, blue like Gordon? It’s you.” Douglas just blinked dumbly, then groaned. “O course Gordon wad compare our paint juist sae he coud talk aboot himself!” “Of course,” agreed Oliver. “But I’d rather not hear you talk about other engines when we’re talking about us.”

Needless to say, Douglas was flushed bright red for the rest of the day and Oliver scored himself a Caledonian boyfriend.

Back to the Master Post

[firebarzzz]

"Shaq Life Lesson"

Si tu apprécies le post, n’hésite pas à laisser un commentaire ou un petit ❤️. C’est toujours bon pour la motivation et pour la survie du site. Amicalement & Respectueusement Firebar💤

[liamthemarowak]

This is The fifth pic of the Mario movie prequel series. It was an exciting night at the pokemon obstacle course, and Meowscarada is hoping to win this pokemon warrior contest. "Ok, I need to win this, and I will never let any of my fans down!" Meowscarada said as she begins to complete the course. The fans are cheering for meowscarada as she tries her best. But, that one obstacle course that she struggles the most is the icy platforms because she could be worried if could fall off. "Woah, I better be careful and not to fall off!" meowscarada said as she tries not to fall off, but she did fall off and went into the water. "Oh dear, now that cost her a time loss to beat the time!" The commentator said. "Aw great, Now I need to be more faster, I got to beat that time!" meowscarada said as she swims to the ladder and climbs up. She has reached the goal, but she did not beat that time record. "Oh! She was too late to beat that record!" The commentator said. Just then, quaquaval appeared, and he was so pleased that Meowscarada didn't beat his record. "Nice try to beat my record! Better luck next time!" Quaquaval said. "I really need to train even more if I want to beat his time record, and I don't get knocked out of the tournament!" Meowscarada said. The next day, Meowscarada did her training run, when all of a sudden, when went to fast that she warped! "What's happening?! I'm going too fast that I'm going to warp somewhere!" Meowscarada said as she warped like the delorean from back to the future! Then, she warped to the castle, and she was so amazed about the look of it! "Wow, Maybe someone can help me train to win the pokemon warrior contest!" Meowscarada said as she went to the castle's entrance and knocks on the door. The door opened, and there was princess peach, looking at Meowscarada. Hey there Cute cat, How can I help you?" Peach asked. "Wait, you're peach, the one that got captured by that dragon creature." Meowscarada said. "Wait, you do know about me, and how I was got captured by bowser! But this time, Bowser wants to rule the mushroom kingdom soon, and one of the toads predicted it!" Peach said. "That's terrible, and even scary! So, do you have an obstacle course I can practice on? Because I need to beat Quaquaval's time, and get the trophy!" Meowscarada said. "Sure, But I'm saving it for the ultimate hero who can save the mushroom kingdom, so follow me." Peach said as Meowscarada followed peach to the obstacle course. At the obstacle course, Meowscarada can see loads of obstacles, and she was so amazed about it! "Wow, that's a good obstacle course you got there!" Meowscarada said. "Thanks, now let's being your training to win the pokemon warrior contest!" Peach said as Meowscarada gets ready to go through the course. Meowscarada tries to dodge the firebar, but it hit her, causing a time loss. Next, she would be able to dodge the bullet bills, but one bullet bill got her and she was zooming across the obstacle course. "Ugh, this cat needs to learn more." Peach said. On the final part, Meowscarada needs to make the jump, and she successfully made that jump, but the donut block let her go straight down. Meowscarada went back up, and needed to try again. "Well, Looks Like I need to try this again, but to be more better." Meowscarada said as she tries to do it again. She dodges the firebar, jumped on the bullet bills and even avoided the donut block. She reached the finish by attacking the wooden bowser figure by using her grass type moves. Meowscarada has now finished the obstacle course, and she was pleased about it! "Wow, you really did your training there Meowscarada! Now good luck winning the Pokemon warrior contest!" Peach said. "Thanks, Now I could fast warp back and beat quaquaval's time!" Meowscarada said as she uses her fast warp back. "Well, looks like I'm gonna set all of this back up and wait for the ultimate hero!" Peach said as she resets the obstacle course. This night, Meowscarada meet quaquaval, she was ready to beat his time. "So, are you ready to beat my time? Or are you going to lost this tournament?" quaquaval said. "Well, wait and see what I can do!" Meowscarada said. At the pokemon warrior contest, Meowscarada is prepared with a lot of training from peach. "Welcome back to the new round of the pokemon warrior contest! Our contestant Meowscarada is going to do this, but will she be able to win the contest, or get kicked out?" The commentator said. Meowscarada goes forward and tries her best by dodging and jumping, but she was so speedy there! "Woah, she sure has a lot of speed to beat that record!" The commentator said. Then Meowscarada finished the course and beaten the record! "She had broken the record, she is now the champion of the pokemon warrior contest! quaquaval was very shocked on Meowscarada has beaten his time. "H-how did you manage to beat my time?" quaquaval asked. "Well, I was trained by that princess of the castle, and she took me to her obstacle course and I trained there very well." Meowscarada said as she hold's her trophy up in the air. "Well, I'm gonna beat you next time!" quaquaval said as he looks at Meowscarada with his arms folded. Confetti went down to the ground for Meowscarada's victory.

Pokemon Belongs to Nintendo and Game Freak

The Super Mario movie belongs to Nintendo, Universal and illumination

Super Mario Belongs to Nintendo

[gatethecat]

GME9 Update

I have added an option on the firebar object to make double sized firebars.

To make them appear, just apply these settings on the variables:

[vinodthirumala-blog]

iNFiRe - 12w firebar 12 unboxing || soundbar speaker unboxing || best bl...

[kimasov]

Яковлев Як-28П (Firebar B) был усовершенствованной модификацией существующего Як-28П (Firebar A) , который впервые поднялся в воздух в 1965 году. Он имел двухместную кабину с экипажем из двух человек: пилота и оператора радара для нового радара "Орел-ДМ".

Вооружение включало ракеты класса "воздух-воздух" Р-98Р/Т и Р-3С без внутренней пушки.

[antmutemorgan]

Let’s have fun tonight 🙌. Music makes the world go round’ 🌎 🎵 Clips from: @agonajdini [“Dancing grandma”] @iamyasin38 [“fat man dancing, belly jiggling”] @gertrudywitdabooty [“black new funny dance grandmother costume”]. @pacificnorthjess [“grabs foot/feet while hilarious laughing; open mouth—from a musical audio”] . [Spicy lyrics poem/poetry 🌶] A pitbull could shake, but it can’t shake like this! Betty Crocker could bake, but she can’t bake like this! Domesticated with him, but with me she’s wild, turned on like a foot fetish when the feets is out. #funlyrics #nycmusic #firebars #openmics

[smashingveteransandnewcomers]

"Now then Gentlemen, if you can finish this course, you shall accompany the Princess on her quest, where in time, you will help her take down Bowser and save those you are looking for." Toadsworth explained "Princess, please show them what to do."

"Watch and learn, boys~." peach smirked before she started going through the course, dodging the mechanical piranha plants, leaping up blocks , ducking under the 'firebars' raced over the collapsing doughnut blocks , bouncing off the soft Bullet Bills before finally reaching the flag where she floats down using her dress to a stunned Mario

"Holy Ravioli....T-That was amazing..."

The Rise of the Superstars of the Mushroom Kingdom

@smashingveteransandnewcomers

The Super Star, a very rare and powerful Power-Up. It can grant whoever uses it the strength they need to take on an army, it can even make them invincible from any form of damage. But fallen into the wrong hands, it can be dangerous... And unfortunately, two of them will fall into a sinister pair of claws... We start in the Cosmos Kingdom, where one of the Super Stars is being kept in a shrine and protected by a certain family. Things were peaceful, up until the denizens of the kingdom saw a floating fortress heading towards the shrine and dripping lava in its path until it found a good spot to drop anchor and land, unloading an army of turtle-like creatures known as Koopas and their subspecies as they lined up in front of their fortress and among the gate protecting the shrine. And suddenly, a Magikoopa by the name of Kamek suddenly appeared like magic and faced the guards of the gate

"Behold! The King of the Koopas!" He announced before the Koopa Pack made a path and they saw the mouth of the fortress open up to reveal their king

[linkandorf]

there is little to no reason these things should hold such a large portion of my heart

and yet

[djfadeinthemix]

#FridayNightLIVE with #DjFade at @lumberbaronsbrew @stables_firebar #FireBar #BayCity #TONIGHT! Special guest @djsweetnlow76 joins me #inthemix! #LiveBand in #TheStables and #karaoke in the pub! On #MidlandStreet! #ladiesnight #girlsnight #tgif #dj #pioneerdj (at Lumber Barons and Stables) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7J4t-3J-NV/?igshid=w4hv8tclsca2

[ccdailydeal]

Today's Cape Cod Daily Deal is $40 towards food at Ember Coal Fired Pizza and Wings in Harwich, for only $20 #capecod #ccdailydeal #ember #pizza #wings #harwich #coalfiredpizza #firebar #cookiepizza

[weirdowithaquill]

Who's the Best Mentor for Ivo Hugh?

Seeing as I just finished my ERS 'Ivo Hugh the Young Engine' fic, I think it's about time I ask the serious question of who exactly would be the best mentor for Ivo Hugh.

This will focus only on the Skarloey Railway engines - I am not going to consider the mainline engines because I both don't have the patience or the mental strength to try and figure out just how bad that would go. I will also only be considering Railway Series characters; I don't think Mighty Mac would even have a chance! Please note that this is all entirely my opinion, and while you are free to add your own suggestions, please do not hate me for favouring one character over another.

Skarloey:

Initially, I thought Skarloey would be an ideal candidate. He's got a wealth of experience, and he acts like the stern, elder leader of the fleet. He also knows how to handle wayward engines, as seen in 'Gallant Old Engine' when he teaches Duncan a lesson.

However, Skarloey has had no actual experience teaching a new engine. Rusty arrived before Skarloey returned, so Skarloey had no hand in their education. In fact, every engine prior to Ivo Hugh has already been taught in some capacity how to do the basics of handling trucks and coaches and listening to their driver, if not much more. Ivo Hugh very much hasn't. Furthermore, Skarloey has a temper that would severely limit his ability to mentor. His role in the series - if you look close enough - is often just scolding the others. He scolds Nancy for cleaning him, Duncan for stopping with his passengers on the viaduct, Sir Handel a number of times, the coaches for being difficult - the list goes on!

And that's before mentioning young Skarloey! Skarloey has blown smoke at his manager and insulted Rheneas and bounced his manager into a bush - and that was before the railway even opened! As a mentor, Skarloey just doesn't sit right with me. Skarloey certainly has his part to play - but he's just not quite right.

Rheneas:

So, if Skarloey isn't ideal, how about Rheneas? He's very similar to Skarloey, only not quite as stern and certainly a lot more mature from the get-go. He's persistent, as seen by his determination in Speedkiller. He quite literally is the 'Gallant Old Engine' who is very much a hero of the railway! So far, a much better fit.

Unfortunately, much like Skarloey, Rheneas has also never taught a brand-new engine before. Rheneas arrived back from his overhaul after Sir Handel, Peter Sam, Rusty and Duncan had all settled into life on the SKR - Rheneas himself just slotted into his spot. We also don't see much of Rheneas in the series at all. For an engine with a book named after him, he doesn't do an awful lot in said book. He appears in one of the four stories, and that's mostly told in flashback!

And that particular story also points to my one major concern about Rheneas: he pushes himself too far. Rheneas jams his cylinder trying to take on the work of two engines. Rheneas takes on a herculean effort to try and keep the railway running, but doesn't seem to have the ability to stop pushing himself. It is strongly implied that his breakdown in 'Gallant Old Engine' was not a one-off event. My worry is that he'll manage to teach that sort of mentality to Ivo Hugh. It's unlikely - but not impossible. Add this to the fact that he's never taught an engine before, and while he's definitely a better choice than Skarloey, he is not the best candidate to mentor Ivo Hugh.

Sir Handel:

No. Just no. Sir Handel has insulted the coaches, damaged himself, purposefully derailed himself, knocked his firebars loose, gotten into a fight with a steamroller and insulted Skarloey - just to name a few incidents!

Sir Handel hasn't shown many signs of maturing by the time Ivo Hugh was built either, seeing as that firebar story comes from the same book Ivo Hugh was introduced in. Sir Handel is probably the second worst candidate on the entire railway.

Peter Sam:

Now, Peter Sam is an interesting choice. He's by no means the same engine he was when he started on the SKR, and he may have had a hand in teaching Rusty - though that's unlikely, seeing as Rusty just sort of arrives and knows what to do - but he has also shown that he may not be the right candidate.

He's naive for one thing - Henry managed to trick Peter Sam into panicking about being late, causing Peter Sam to forget the refreshment lady; which suggests that he can also be forgetful. He's also shown to be cheeky in 'You Can't Win!' and both over-confident and stubborn in 'Peter Sam's Prickly Problem'. Now, none of this is to the detriment of Peter Sam, just as none of this is to the detriment of any of the characters - but it's also not the best base for a mentor.

I wouldn't say he's a bad choice - Peter Sam is a good candidate. He may be stubborn, but he's also persistent and determined, as well as kind and polite. But I think there are better candidates, and he has no experience with teaching other engines.

Rusty:

Rusty also shows a lot of the strengths that Peter Sam, Skarloey and Rheneas show - Rusty's intelligent, hard-working, kind and level-headed, going as far as to warn Duncan about some bad track in 'Rock 'n' Roll'. However, it's that same story that might just be Rusty's undoing.

Rusty leaves Duncan to find his own coaches - furthering Duncan's animosity towards Rusty and making him late, and then Rusty refuses to go to Duncan's aid until Skarloey scolds him. While this may be a biproduct of Rusty's young age, the fact we don't see much of the little diesel in the series either before or after this really doesn't help us get an idea of their character. It's the same issue that I have with Rheneas: we just don't know enough about them to make a judgement.

And one final thought: Rusty grumbles about Fred not doing his job in 'Speedkiller'; and Fred is the other track maintenance diesel on the railway. When Fred arrived, Rusty was most likely the engine who taught him how things worked... and didn't manage to succeed.

Duncan:

Duncan matures a lot over the series. When introduced, he's rude, loud, brash, dismissive - the list goes on. However, by the time we reach 'Pop-Special', he's changed drastically. Duncan is a very different engine in this story, going out of his way to help the scouts during the hot weather. He's grown a substantial amount!

However, I wouldn't say he's changed entirely. He is seen being abrasive and brash as late as 'Bulldog', arguing with Peter Sam over his interpretation of a 'Duke'. His change may also have been spurred on more by vaguely disguised threats than anything, seeing his reaction to Culdee's story in 'Bad Lookout':

Duncan is not the worst candidate for a mentor figure for Ivo Hugh - however he is quite low on the list, as his bad language, biting remarks and abrasive personality would not make for the most ideal learning environment.

Fred:

Look, we know nothing about Fred. He does not appear in any illustrations, have any speaking roles or even have an effect on the series. All we do know about him is that he shirks off his job as the weedkilling engine and Rusty is forced to do it. So I'd say based on this single incident, Fred is the worst candidate for a mentor for Ivo Hugh.

Duke:

And after all of them, there is only one left. Duke. Now, old Granpuff does have his faults - but he also is the only one of this entire group to have experience teaching engines. He raised Peter Sam (Stuart) and Sir Handel (Falcon) on his own - and by all accounts, while they were on the MSR they were really useful, polite, friendly and helpful. It isn't until their stint at the Aluminium Works that they gain their current personalities.

So, Duke has the experience - which suggests that he probably has a decent temperament for teaching and a wealth of knowledge to pass down, all tested on previous students. He's also surprisingly relaxed about his role. In 'You Can't Win!', Duke actively plans and takes part in a prank against Stuart as retaliation for rude comments. His ability to roll with the punches and also have fun is extremely useful in a teaching environment.

Duke also has the same determination and drive as Rheneas, handling his entire railway alone successfully for generations. Unlike Rheneas however, Duke doesn't drive himself to failure.

Duke also has the instincts. In 'Bulldog', Duke double-heads a train with Falcon - who spends the entire journey belittling and taunting the old engine. However, when Falcon derails and dangles over a cliff, Duke does not hesitate for even a moment, going into parental instinct instantly and not stopping until Falcon is safe, going so far as to bark orders at his crew and the passengers. This is an actual human reaction too, known as maternal instinct - this is an instantaneous reaction a mother will have if their child is in danger.

He acts more like Stanley is a problem than an opportunity, which could be due to Stanley's attitude or Duke's stubbornness - either way, the depiction of Stanley in 'Granpuff' is both very disturbing and very open-ended. Was Stanley that bad? Was Duke negligent? Was it actually the fault of management, and Duke is desperately trying to ensure that Stuart and Falcon don't go the same way? If it is the last one, then that's another positive for Duke as a mentor. Otherwise, not such a great sign. Duke can also be a bit... boring. He drones on about 'His Grace' so often that Stuart and Falcon get sick of it. Duke is also remarkably stubborn, being unable to deviate from his own beliefs in several cases. He also has a temper of his own, snapping back at Stuart and Falcon several times - though this was after considerably more provocation than Skarloey.

Despite these flaws, Duke does manage to balance them out far better than the others in a parental aspect. What really sets him apart is that parental instinct - it's a real game-changer, and he's one of only two engines in the entire series to be explicitly shown as having it. The other is Edward, who put himself in massive danger to save a runaway James, but even then, it's not quite the same. Edward's said to be the only other engine in the yard, and James is in nowhere near as much danger as Falcon was. Falcon is in perhaps the most danger any engine has ever been in the entire railway series in this moment:

Based on all this, I think Duke is the best choice to be the primary mentor for Ivo Hugh. There is just more instances of him being a proper mentor in the series, which makes it easier to spot how good he is at this role. Were we to see Rusty's early days, or even that Ivo Hugh book we all wanted, we'd probably have a much better idea of who is the actual best candidate. As it is, I stand by my choice of Duke, with Rheneas, Peter Sam, Rusty and Skarloey also having a large influence. After all, it takes a village to raise a child and a railway to raise an engine!

As usual, none of these images belong to me, and are the property of their respective owners.