defencebeetle

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Got to see some celebrities this summer! (didn't get the best pictures though lol)

Top: CP #60 Jupiter and UP #119 replicas at the Golden Spike National Historical Park

Bottom: UP #4014 the big boy himself, just passing through town but a lot of people came to see it anyway :)

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Big Thunder my childhood wonder

Oh how long it's been

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

🤠 🚂 🤠 🚂 🤠 🚂 🤠 🚂

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Oddly enough, my first experience with a Snake-like game was really close to this. Behold:

Hidden in the first video game I can remember playing as a kid (Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside, 1996) is a minigame exactly like Snake but with minecarts and crystals.

While I know the main game like the back of my hand, I don't think I ever got past level 20 or so in the minigame. (I did find a full playthrough of it here though if you want to see!)

Game idea: it’s literally just Snake except it’s Thomas going around and collecting trucks to form an increasingly longer train

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I really don't know how to feel about this.

(Thanks for the quiz @floorbed!)

everyone take my which thomas and friends engine are you uquiz right freaking now

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Ah Yes, Series Five.

In which, luckily, no one was hurt nobody died.

Locomotive accidents,

road accidents,

attempted murders,

and natural disasters notwithstanding.

Also, the island's full of ghosts, sentient cranes are a thing, Topham gets whiplash from 30 odd years of missed bad hair days while his wife undergoes a complete makeover, and Percy has his first kiss.

Weird times.

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why did the tumbleweed talk though

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So, a while ago I ran across a fan made movie poster for a "The Adventure Begins" style TTTE special based on the Narrow Gauge engines.

And then, yesterday, my brain randomly decided to summon it back into remembrance and refuse to put it down till I wrote up a concept for how this could work.

Warning, it's long.

(and not well written, I might come back to fix it later)

Concept:

A "The Adventure Begins" style TTTE special centering on the Narrow Gauge engines, particularly Sir Handel and Peter Sam. The movie will use the "Duke the Lost Engine" as bookends for the film, while filling in the middle section with various Railway Series (and 2 famous/infamous TTTE original) stories.

The way I've written this out, it can be viewed as a sort of coming-of-age film for Stuart and Falcon.

Characters:

Stuart/Peter Sam

Falcon/Sir Handel

Duke

Skarloey

Rheneas

Duncan

Rusty

Thin Controller/Mr. Percival

Duke of Sodor

Cameos:

Nancy

Stanley/Smudger

Ms. Jenny

_____________________

Prologue:

Brief introduction as Stuart and Falcon learn they have been bought by the MSR.

Act I:

Introduction of Peter Sam and Sir Handel to Skarloey and Rheneas.

Sir Handel begins his bastardization arc, actively shaping himself into what he fancies is a combination of Skarloey and Gordon, but really only taking on their worst traits. Meanwhile, Peter Sam is just plain busy, while occasionally getting into minor scrapes.

Possible stories here:

Sir Handel

Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady

Trucks!

Special Funnel

Old Faithful

Act II:

(Imply the passage of time)

The SKR is doing better and with all its engines back is looking forward to considerable expansion. They plan to open more branches to their tourism lines. These plans are put on hold however, when nearby mines (once part of the MSR) are found to still be quite rich in [mineral].

Duncan and Rusty are brought on (Duncan for extra roadwork, Rusty for rail restoration and maintenance).

Restoration of the mines begins. An interplay of "Rusty and the Boulder" and "Duncan gets Spooked" plays out.

Rusty is worried about safety in some of the mining areas (he knows what he's talking about, he's done similar work before).

A soft re-opening of the mines is set as a celebration for when the Duke of Sodor will visit in [X] months.

Peter Sam and Sir Handel are delighted to be back to part of the MSR (I assume they never visited this part of the line, they didn't run this far out, and the mines were closed several years before the MSR as a whole).

Some incidents happen, Duncan showboats. Peter Sam and Sir Handel decide to pay him out.

They get a ghost story off Skarloey (it doesn't have to be the exact same one as in "Duncan gets Spooked", but if it can fit all the better), modify it as if they knew the engine and it happened on the MSR.

They play the prank on Duncan, while he's at the mine alone, he swears other stuff happens (bolder face scare, falling rocks, cracking ground) that simultaneously acts as set dressing and foreshadowing.

The prank plays out as usual.

Construction continues, the Duke's arrival draws near.

The boulder incident occurs, shutting down the mine project.

Sir Handel has a character moment and is one of the engines to buoy up Mr. Percival in the aftermath, suggesting that they go back to building the loop line. All the engines gather together, and are determined to make the most of the situation.

ACT III:

What they have salvaged from the mines helps balance out some debts. Other assets from the project are ripped back to use on the completion of the tourism line.

Everyone pitches in. (Everyone pitches into big project trope/mandate fulfilled).

They run a few promotional trains and then have the celebration with the Duke opening the line. Everyone's happy. Everyone should be happy, but Peter Sam is not. Being back on a part of the MSR, failing to restore it, and thinking about loss has brought back his worries for Duke.

Peter Sam makes the awkward interruption of the speech, asking if he's the real Duke and why he hasn't asked about his engine. The Duke is obviously confused.

Queue the Bittersweet Act 4.

ACT IV:

The movie takes a sad turn. Eventually, rail enthusiasts, including the clergyman band together and launch the expedition to find Duke.

In the RWS, the Arlesdale Railway is used to get back to the old MSR. In the version, I propose that Peter Sam and Sir Handel get to take the expedition back through the mine pathway and further into the hills.

Queue an expedition montage. Sir Handel and Peter Sam get back to the old line, cutting to some flashbacks of back when they ran on the rails and the rails were new.

Bonus: if we can slip the Bulldog story (even a reference) into the story before, have a flashback of the incident--just for a second--as Sir Handel goes through the same tunnel.

I originally didn't want any diegetic musical numbers in this. But as I though of this scene, I thought of a little ditty for them to sing during the travel montage, hitting the final note as they pulled into the main yard where the sheds used to be.

They make it back to the yard, and can't seem to locate the shed (everything is overgrown after all). The search party splits up and begins searching.

This scene has similar feeling to those sad fake-out deaths shoehorned into the end of all sorts of movies (which I am sick and tired of but I think those emotions work here).

Triumph over bad guy = Pulling into the old MSR yard.

Oh no, main character has passed out, I think they're dead, moment of silence. = Realizing that the shed is nowhere to be seen.

Eyes crack open. Main Character lets out a wheezy "...farfanaludingus...?" Everyone celebrates the miraculous recovery. = The Fat Clergyman falls into the shed and we hear Duke's voice. "Excuse me... Are you a vandal?".

They bring Duke back to the SKR.

The movie cuts out as they pull back to the return journey.

Maybe some mid or post-credit sequences of Dukes repairs and such, or interactions with the SKR fleet.

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"What should I do today."

[rolls dice]

"...huh. pixel art. Not bad."

[spins wheel]

"... okay, TTTE pixel art. Of...?"

[rolls dice again]

"Four. Hm... Gordon or Sir Handel, Gordon or Sir Handel, Gordon or..."

"... or ..."

Have an animated Culdee, cause why not?

Also, have a Happy New Year everybody!

Jokes aside, I didn't decide to do this by rolling dice. To be honest, I have no idea how I got settled on the idea of doing this. One second I'm working [insert project here] the next second I'm trying to figure out how this piston system works.

I love the Snowdon locomotives, they're so weird!

I'm also only realizing this now that I'm comparing the sprite to the drawing but the dome is about half the size it should be.

Can't win 'em all I guess.

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I now introduce MS Paint Liveries!

Upper Left: Reference photo of a Baldwin 10-12-D loco (I think I snagged this off Wikipedia?)

Upper Right: Based on No. 2 (Stanley) as he appears in the RWS.

Lower Left: The standard SKR livery (classy as expected).

Lower Right: Colors based on Smudger's appearance in the TV series (and merchandise).

I originally made these almost a year ago. I think I just wanted to test what Smudger's colors would look like on Stanley's basis.

I didn't ever expect to post this so I decided not to take too much time on it.

It's low quality but I think it gets the idea across.

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Test Post

First post.

For testing purposes.

The first post used for testing purposes.

That post.