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alright some of my aforementioned random stuff i failed to get back to (gimme a sec for the rest Thanks 10 image limit)

s’very messy but that’s expected lol

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The thing I remember most about this episode is the mad respect for Percy to not crash out, especially right here.

GIRLS PERCY IS YOUR FRIEND. YOU ARE NOT HELPING OH MY GOD

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Squad Goals

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So what exactly gave you the idea to paint James red?

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"I hadn't done exactly right by James." Came an oddly solemn response from Sir Topham Hatt. "I was fully aware of his wooden brakes and the risk of them catching fire. I assured him I would have them replaced yet I set him to work on the railway not long after he arrived on the island anyway."

"...That crash of his could have been so much worse. He could have ended up in pieces and I felt quite ashamed of myself for not tending to the culprit of the problem sooner when I had all the means in my hands to do so. I thought it was only fair, I also hoped it would cheer him up, that James got to choose what color he would be once he was mended."

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ooooo

CLOSED STARTER FOR @romancenights .

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It was winding down to be a quiet evening at Tidmouth Sheds.

One by one a colorful group of engines who wore their numbers with pride were backing up into each of their own berths from the turntable. And although it seemed that the machines were ready to call it in for the day, for it certainly had been a busy one for them, that simple fate wasn't meant to be. No sooner did they rest their wheels a small storm of curious chittering, cheeky teasing, light scolding, gentle worrying and prideful flaunting started to interrupt the brief silence.

But Sir Topham Hatt's engines weren't alone. For there was another presence near the sheds, not that any of them had been paying enough attention to realize there was a stranger.

But someone else adorned in a tophat certainly noticed.

There were sudden footsteps from behind, clashing into the gravel upon the approach, then a hand shot out. Planting itself firmly on the other's shoulder. An even but deep voice rang out, too, demanding with a touch of suspicion in tone.

"Is there a reason you are present upon railway property at this hour?"

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Suppose Thomas and James dated Rosie and Emily?

Ooooo— (warning: cursing and bad memes ahead)

Preface:

Elephant in the room: Shipping the engines in itself is kinda crazy work. Not necessarily just because it’s a kids show, based on a series of books for kids. But to get into this universe is to accept that these vehicles have their own lives and personalities, they feel heat and cold and water and, at least in the show, breathe air and cry salty water tears like we do. But they are still engines, not humanoid creatures cosplaying as engines. They cannot jump, skip, bleed, go to the bathroom, have sex or kids, at least on any kind of biological level. Their families are their siblings, with honorary parents and mentors, such as “Grandpuff” Duke. Or how Edward exists in this blurry status as both a father and big brother figure to engines like Thomas, Bill and Ben.

Is it that complex romantic relationships break the immersion of these guys actually being locomotives, or that it’s just inexplicably strange? Considering the amount of time these metal dragons have lived and the fact that they have to see each other every day as they work, and the complexity of their characterizations, and the backdrop of steam and railroading and blood sweat and tears and industry and life and death and laughter… honestly, it’s kind of romantic in itself. It’s the same thing that draws me to period stuff like Anne of Green Gables and Downton Abbey and Little Women. It’s a different world. A simpler world, and a grittier world at the same time. A word without phones to perpetually distract us from the relationships and drama of the here and now around us. (okay now that the Captain Obvious shit is out of the way)

Add to that the ongoing timeline, character arcs, an immersive ongoing timeline, mass of episodes and books and headcanons, and these are some pretty damn fleshed out trains. And it’s for that reason that it’s easy to see pairings in this particular fandom go so many ways. Are these just pleasure pairings? Or possibly even relationship goals? So much for a quick and concise post. TL;DR answer at the bottom:

Let’s start with JamesxEmily.

I’ve never thought about this pairing before. In my own stories I kind of allude to them as Emily being sisterly to him, particularly in a defensive way. She’s a justice warrior if ever there was one, and while James’s flippant nature is bound to make them butt heads, seeing him down and out without a friend to vent to, even if he’s in that situation thanks to his own troublemaking, would surely bring out her protective side. Emily, at least in early episodes, is the girl who makes it a point to sit with the quiet lonely kid in the lunchroom. She might have a special sort of relationship with James because, frankly, not many other engines are willing to defend him when he acts out. He’s the railway’s Loki that way. And even James can’t be too bullheaded to refuse her brutally honest constructive criticism and just her company in general.

But a romantic relationship?

The first thing that comes to mind is a hurdle. James. Bro very well has the capacity to love… you know… himself.

There quite possibly might be nothing and nobody James loves more than himself. Still, the fact is already a puff in the right direction. He’s not emotionally dysfunctional, aside from his disproportionate love for himself. And after all… You’ve got to love yourself if you could ever love me

This verse from Lifehouse’s “Whatever it Takes” (yeah, that song that you couldn't escape on the radio in 2007) has come back to me at odd times a lot over the years. Before I ever got into my first relationship, I took the lyrics to mean, if you’ve gone so cold to the world you can’t take care of yourself, you’re too cold to worry about anybody else who worries about you. But that’s not exactly true. 

First, unrequited love is a thing. Second, people dump their wallets and hearts for someone else, and don’t have the means to break it off, even though it's not returning nearly half of what they are putting in. In order for a healthy relationship to exist, you’ve got to respect yourself, and respect what you bring to the table. It’s not that you need to love yourself to love someone else, but in order to take care of that other person, you’ve got to have the means to take care of yourself too. Furthermore, a little self confidence gives you the balls to stand up towards anything that threatens that other person’s best interest. (Emily's certainly got that going for her in any relationship she would get into.) And James does respect himself, so as a partner, it’s not hard at all to imagine he could have the capacity to stand up for someone else (remember this when we get to the other ship in question). Sadly, I can’t think of any examples I’ve seen where he does just this. And a moment like this would be huge for his character. But I’m still making my way through the CGI seasons, so let me know if I’ve missed something. The issue I’ve stumbled upon in trying to ship James with anybody is, how would he foster a healthy, endearing relationship with his level of narcissism? I’ve read stories of narcissistic people who’ve ruined the lives of their partners and families. While it sounds progressive to be able to depict someone suffering legit narcissistic tendencies and then combating their issues in order to keep bridges from burning around them, but definitely above my writing skills. Short of a serious maturity arc, I get the vibe he'd be the one-date-and-done kinda dude rather than someone who'd seek out a serious relationship. He be a party boy like that.

So, RIP ALL James ships. *quietly coughs in "Crashed"'s hiatus* But I'm guilty of going absolutely weak over the idea that James acts out to hide some deep insecurities. He’s one of the only main cast who’s made so little in the way of triumphs in all the years he’s lived. In which case his self-respect is a big house of cards. But there’s a lot of room for growth there. More importantly, that would open the door to the idea that he’s actually more mindful of others, and is only keeping those feelings to himself because, well, this is the James everybody knows him as: The big mouth, the talker, the one who walks alone. Mr. Independent. And though the other engines don’t always give him that credit, it’s just more fun to imagine James has more going on behind his glazed over eyes than he lets on.

The next part of the issue is, does James have the capacity to catch feelings for somebody? I’ll say… sure. Though he’d have to look up from his own reflection in the river in order to do so.

Getting in a relationship with someone else would also require them to 1) catch feelings for James in return (OH the indignity!) And 2) for James to admit those feelings back. It’s tricky to say how that’s gonna go. To find someone is more attractive than he is, not hard to believe. But to admit it? Well, that might be moving mountains.

And even if James never quite makes it in a functional relationship with anyone, he could absolutely act out in a fit of denial over the grief over ‘the one that got away.’ Which brings us to the other half of the equation: Emily. An TV-only character, and who’s personality in the show has been, contrast to James who pretty much stays the same, all over the map. Her appearances range the spectrum from sympathetic and mature in somewhat stereotypical girly ways, to entitled, impatient, cattish, selfish, and Karen-esque. Especially in the HIT years. They did her dirty, man. I get why some people might disregard the entirety of the HIT appearances of some of these characters as canon. But I gotta admit, for as flawed as she is here, I still like that she HAS flaws to balance out her positive attributes, the motherly concern she has for others, her boldness, etc. It's just... she really barely gets to demonstrate those positives.

Wrapping all her appearances together in a big burrito for consideration makes for an interesting character, Em. Could she, the version of Emily who both came down on Thomas and Percy for making fun of Salty, as well as bullied poor Travis into dragging that log over the track, fall in love? Definitely, and hard to boot. She’s the kind of girl who works hard, makes passive comments on her one strength and independence once complimented, and then goes back to her shed to snuggle up with her Twilight fanfics. Lately, I feel like Emily is the kind of girl who WANTS TO BE SEEN as a tomboy, so she’s not seen as weak, even though she really isn’t. Too easily I could see her talking excitedly about weddings and dresses and dreams of having one of her own.

(heh, I can think of someone she could chat wedding planning with…)

Emily feels things deeply, and thinks with her heart before her head. She’s not ashamed to show concern for others, and she would not merely STAND UP, for her significant other, but burn down buildings in their name. (Which is one reason I’m leaning towards the idea she would be best matched for someone gentle, like Henry or Edward.) But the idea of her having a crush on any of the engines around her, well, that would be a closely kept secret. Give the boys more reason to remember she’s actually very dainty and rip the hell out of her for it.

But if her heart was broken? You bet the whole chuffin' island of Sodor would know about it, with the warpath and tears in her wake. This is the thing about Em: she thinks she knows best, but her HIT episodes reveal she operates entirely on emotion. She takes priority of one thing, say the baby cows, and to tell with everything else in the way of helping them. Thinking with your heart is just that’s not the ideal we were told by animated movies as kids. In order to be a functioning adult, you’ve gotta be able to listen to reason.

So, how do she and James get along in canon? Surprisingly well, given the evidence says they really should not get along, like, at all. Often in the HIT era, she's seen in the Pink Ladies club in what appears to be Henry's old place. Not sure if that says more about Emily or Henry, given his noticable distance from Gordon's gang this point forward.

Anyway, I think his how their rapport began. It's surprising she wouldn't make it a point to single him out and chew him out by the danger he causes on a regular basis thanks to his selfish decisions. You’d think as the “safety engine” James’s recklessness is bound to grate her, even in her chilled out CGI years, if only because he chances putting others in danger. She’s sweet as sugar until you’re a threat, then she turns into Mama Bear. The day he slammed into Tidmouth, ooooh, if that was her man at the time, Emily would’ve eaten him alive. Whether they are both bonafide narcissists or exaggerate these moments to protect their real feelings, mayyyybe James and Emily’s egos have the potential to humble each other. And that balance could be a key component in making them a believable couple.

She’d have a piston to pick with him about exaggerating the facts of Black Loch and scaring the ever-loving shit out of her in "Emily's New Route."

But then again, maybe he didn't think he was exaggerating. We don’t see a cutaway seen after she leaves, revealing James was getting a kick out of working her up. (This is in contrast to, say James leaping at the chance to abuse Percy's paranoia and gullibility to his own delight in Tale of the Brave, for instance.) Even though it would be more up his alley to pull a trick on whoever he can, it seems James (despite how long he’s been on the island, IDK, maybe his disgust with branch lines makes him naive to the other parts of the island??) genuinely thinks this threat is real, and is warning their newcomer about it. This is rare for James. And it’s a good moment to consider in favor of this ship.

In conclusion: Would JamesxEmily work? Honestly, as they are in canon, no. James as he is would swing between lovers like a pendulum, and Emily’s too impatient for his pranks and shenanigans. I can’t see Emily not want a serious, loyal relationship with someone she can trust, and even if they tried dating, it would crash and burn pretty fast with their different expectations.

Emily would have to stop acting on point blank emotional bias, and listen to reason. Furthermore James would have to spin wheels over water to prove he could be a good partner... BUT, James's maturity arc is left a pretty blank canvas for the fandom to toy with. As contrived as it might be, I wonder if love could possibly be the catalyst for James’s change after all this time.

Could this be a ship worthy of relationship goals? Ehhhh Not sure. But if Emily could bring structure and accountability to James MO, and Emily could finally learn some god damned patience from taking James by the hand, they could achieve bringing about better versions of each other, and that’s the target.

Now let's move on to ThomasxRosie.

Off the bat, aside from Toby and Henrietta, Rosie seems to be the first instance romantic feelings are at all plausible in the TTTE canon between the engines. No thanks to the purposefully ambiguous narration.

It’s very lightly suggestive that he can catch feelings for chicks thanks to Ashima (dammit the intentional ambiguity with some of these crushes will put me in a grave, I swear.) And if Thomas had to get together with someone, and Nia wasn’t the next most likely candidate, given their kinda romantic journey together, then Rosie would probably be next in line. 

ThomasxRosie rubs off on me like the Timmy TurnerxTootie situation. Or even Harry Potter and Ginni. A very obvious, unrequited, somewhat idolizing crush that goes on for years and years and somehow, someway, someday, the boy “wakes up” and realizes oh, that girl who’s been stalking me and the rest is history. I guess it’s a “girl next door looks different today and I don’t know why” situation. Unfortunately, the events of the Valentines Day episode “Rosie is Red” went out of its way to bring this ship to the forefront, and then douse it with a gallon of water, if it was ever built to be one in canon.  (That episode gave me flashbacks to SpongeBob and Sandy’s Wedding from Truth or Square, holy fuck the rug pull was still the most spiteful, evil thing I've seen from a cartoon towards the audience 15 years later.) 

I can’t tell if the books and their fans exist at all in the show’s universe, but Rosie might be star stuck in her thing for Thomas. Then it would be like a celebrity crush, and those feelings might have turned platonic once she got to actually work with Thomas and get to know him personally.

While Thomas is quite prideful, unlike say, Gordon, who would be utterly unfazed about having a disciple, Thomas was pretty put off by Rosie at first. A pessimist would call it stalking, an optimist would say she’s just playing copy-cat, which is a stereotypical little-sibling thing to do. When people say Rosie is like Thomas’s little sister, her debut episode conjures this image in my head.

And once someone is like a sibling to you, the love is never going to be anything other than platonic. However, if Thomas never thought of Rosie as anything more than the strange girl next door who occasional proves to be more useful than annoying, if he were to ever to see her with new eyes, it would be when she takes over as station pilot opposite where he began his career on Sodor.

Thomas: “So… Vicarstown.”

Reimagining Rosie's move, Thomas would congratulate Rosie on this promotion. I mean, it’s a big deal to her. She’s worked hard for it, and she’ll do good. She’ll say something to the affect of-- Rosie: 😅“Yeah yeah, I get it. A tank engine promoted to station pilot. 🙄Next on the six o’clock, a caterpillar is promoted to butterfly.” Thomas: “No, it’s not like that! It’s… *sigh.* Okay, it’s not what I wanted to do. I hated it. But you don’t. And that’s great! We’re built for it, shunting. You’ve got to do whatever makes you happy. Don’t give a toss to what anybody else says you should do. And… *chuckle* you’re better at it, anyway, so…” 😄“I’ll take that for what it is.” Rosie is no longer a disciple. She’s not his shadow, nor is she what anyone expects her to be. Contrast to Emily who's known for her beauty and who I staunchly believe is a girly girl, the removal of Rosie's makeup kind of strikes me as symbolic. She's embraced the tomboy she is on the inside. She’s independent, rough and tumble, coming into her own, and she’s got a new livery with no makeup, a new station, new friends and a new life. She’s kinda grown up at this point, and I love that she’s got something roughly like a character arc!

And I think it’s this moment where, if Tom was ever going to ‘notice’ her, it happens. Watching her leave for Vicarstown for the first time in the sunset, light making him squint, grinning from either end of his smokebox door. Percy: *pulls up behind him* That smile could crack your face plate in half! 😠You're that glad to finally be rid of her? Thomas: I’m just… I don't know... proud. To think I wanted her as far away from me as possible, and now, there she goes. Percy: 😞 She was a help on our branchline here and there. She'll be good to them. Toby: 😏Sorry to see her go, but happy to watch her leave. Thomas: Yeah... wait. NO-WAIT-WHEN DIDYOUGETHERE? But Rosie has said goodbye already. That crush is over. Realistically, this is where the possibility of them would fizzle out.

Still, in a cliche twist, the idea that Rosie has grown up and apart from Thomas and that’s what makes him attracted to her is compelling. They kind of feed on each other’s playful energy, which brings out a childish/carefree version of both these living breathing antiques.

Ya'll TomxRosie fans love this episode, and, yeah, I kinda see it. Although I'm going on record to say, they are both depicted extremely juvenile here, compared to their for their overall characterizations, I do kinda enjoy the idea that when you meet someone you can be that chill with, you let loose and do silly stuff like this. It’s romantic, and these two are not above games. I just feel like they wouldn't try and get others onboard with something this juvenile, especially not Thomas. It would be a quiet moment when nobody is looking kind of thing, catch my drift? But what about maturity? The best relationships bring out something better in each player. Rosie’s achieved a lot since coming to Sodor, and it’s a wonder if Thomas didn’t inspire her to get to where she is. Conversely, it’s not hard to imagine a better version of Thomas being inspired by Rosie’s growth. Even in his later years, Thomas still demonstrates some arrogance from time to time, and in a canon where the books’ popularity reaches the engines, It’s possible he saw Rosie as nothing more than a weird fangirl. He could due for some humbling. imagine this: Having him offer to be station pilot in Rosie’s place as she’s being repaired. stepping down from his own passenger duties, keeping her job and all she has to do, while the coaches and trucks chastise him day and night. It’s the hell of Knapford yards all over again. But for the girl who came out of nowhere and rescued him on High Farm? It’s worth it. Hell, he’d temporarily paint himself hot pink if that’s what it took to get the coaches to obey him, just to repay that favor. His stubbornness is the only thing more powerful than his pride.

If explored in that way, with a good writer, not only is this a guilty pleasure ship, but it COULD verge on the kind that brings out the better of both parties.

Thomas: ROSIE, wait up—

Rosie: *stops* yeah?

Thomas: something’s… different. Something else. Uh, did the paint men forgot the… um… lip… stuff?

Rosie: *backs up* the what? Oh. The… lip tint. That was old driver’s idea. Thought maybe it would distinguish my life here from when I was a plain war time shunter. To be honest, I never really liked it. It was sticky and made bugs stuck to my mouth… *winces* so I asked new driver not to do it. I mean… is it that noticable?

Thomas: yeah.

Thomas: You look better without it.

Rosie:

Rosie: I gotta go. Um. See you later.

Thomas: Bye bye, butterfly.

*”Start Me Up” by Rolling Stones fades in before the fade out*

TL;DR: James x Emily? Idk, but would like to see this ship explored by someone who's passionate about it! 

Thomas x Rosie? The ship is growing on me.

(and just because this came up while researching. Felt roughly appropriate enough to include.

(Not including Nia, the OCs, and I mean, The GUYS TOO. IIRC he’s shipped with more characters period. That’s just the cost of being the character with the most screen tim though. This is funny because I genuinely see James being the player but Tom’s got more chances for bedpost notches.)

I hope somewhere along this ramble I managed to answer your question, hehe... What do you think? Like I said somewhere above, I'm still making my way through quite a lot of Thomas CGI content so I might be missing some scenes from much later on in the series. Okay, I've worked on this response for over a week. Enough is enough, let it rip.

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SWEET VICTORY

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Respect that you married the daughter of a competitor

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"Best decision I ever made." Sir Topham Hatt proudly remarked, his eyes flashing from under his tophat. A smug, almost mischievous grin growing on his features to the point that it almost resembled the sly look of a certain red engine that brandished a number five on his tender.

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seeing something close to my name in print is so jarring sometimes. I scrolled passed this like a kid dodging the teacher who wants to talk to his parents.

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sigh... I love Ed and Rolf

yeah

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Just a Nick All-Star Brawl drawing with some character pairings I thought would be fun

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Henry is overdramatic, he would rather become one with the forest than be human.

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How many engines were scrapped on the NWR before you declared it to be a bastion of steam?

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"Ah...well..."

A solemn look came over the man's features and he let out a small sigh. He opened one of his desk drawers, pulling out a single piece of paper. It was an old list of engine names, numbers and classes, NWR engines, ones that came and went long before Thomas ever set a wheel on Sodor. There were dates too and the ominous word 'Scrapped' followed by a signature from a Hatt. Finally, at the bottom of the paper were the names 'Henry' and 'Edward'.

But there were no dates. And no signature.

"Far too many...when I became the controller after my father I swore I would never scrap an engine."