#Lady Murdoch

[makoto-nihil]

The Ocean Hunter: Eyes of Truth - Log Entry 01-02

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~~CONTENT WARNING: Implied awful parents, negative thoughts near the end~~

"Today's news...."

The car pulled up to a fairly large manor at the edge of the city. The land surrounding the two-story building consisted of a large open field, a big forest to the left of the house, and a hill that stopped at a cliff that looked out to the sea beyond. A wooden staircase ran down along the cliff to a small beach and a private harbor at the bottom. A small airship - a large, copper-orange modified bathysphere with fin-like parts sticking alongside the bottom section, attached to a larger blue envelope with a crow's nest on the top of it - was currently docked at the harbor along with a small, wooden boat.

"...the ship, which was scheduled to arrive at the port in the Caribbean a week ago according to the company responsible for the shipment, has been confirmed to have disappeared out at Tartarus Deep. Many have already speculated that this was the work of Charybdis, but some have argued it was an act of piracy..."

"Huh. I guess Uncle turned up the radio again," Torel remarked as they and Chris stepped into the foyer.

The foyer led to a big hall and a staircase that led upstairs to the personal bedrooms and bathrooms. The doors to the left and right of the hall led to the parlor and the library respectively, and those further down the hall led to the dining room, drawing room, a bathroom, and a smaller hallway. A fair-skinned maid walked out from the parlor and towards the two young adults as they hung their jackets onto the nearby coat hanger.

"Welcome home, young master," she said, bowing. "Good afternoon, Mr. Lee," she quietly added, bowing to him. She turned back to Torel and her voice returned to normal level. "Young master, you are expected at the parlor by your father."

Torel paused midway of removing their satchel from their shoulder. Chris nearly froze.

"What?" They looked at her, dumbfounded. "Father's home right now? This early? What does he want from me?"

"I don't know," the maid replied, uncertain. "But he wished to speak with you as soon as you arrived home."

Torel swallowed. They took a deep breath, and another. They felt a hand on their shoulder, and already they could feel the worry and concern radiating from Chris's eyes as he looked at them. It's one thing to suddenly hear that their father came home early today, but out of all of the days he would do such a thing...

Had Mr. Lee known of this, he wouldn't have allowed Chris to come over today. I can't let Father know...

If they were quick enough, they could bolt out the front door right now and ask the middle-aged, fair-skinned butler in the garage as he's parking the car to drive them and Chris back to the city to drop the latter off and then drive back home like nothing had happened. But their father, and perhaps their mother if she's in the same room as he, would easily hear the car departing from the parlor, and they wouldn't want to endure the questions that would come once they would arrive home.

"T-Tell him I'm coming. But, please don't tell him Chris is here," they said quietly for only the maid and Chris to hear.

The maid bowed with a quiet "Of course" and returned to the parlor. Torel lifted their head and looked at Chris. He's frowning now and he looked like he wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut and he's concerned about them right now from the look of his eyes. They quietly pat their hand over his on their shoulder.

"I think I'll be OK. G-Go on ahead to the library without me," Torel whispered to Chris. "I'll try to get back as quickly as I can."

The frown and the worry and concern didn't leave his face, but Chris silently nodded and let go of their shoulder. He caught Torel's satchel as its owner tossed it over to him and then silently made his way to the library. As soon as he slowly closed the door behind him so that it wouldn't creak or alert the house of his presence, but not before giving them one last glance, Torel walked to the door leading to the parlor and opened it. The room was exactly as it was before they left this morning - fancy, vibrant in a range of blue hues, and tidy, with a couple of fancy-looking couches here and side tables there and a couple glass-doored cabinets against the walls. Sitting on the long couch that faced the door from opposite side was a tired-looking fair-skinned man in his late forties. Despite his weary-looking face, he still maintained a stern and calm impression. He had a beard and mustache, and wore a dark blue-gray waistcoat over a plain white shirt with a dark azure cravat, a dark brown coat and trousers with matching colors, and a monocle over his left eye. His dirty blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail, leaving the ends curled up. The man was currently talking to a dark-haired, tan-skinned man, and a fair-skinned blonde man with a bushy mustache. The three men stopped talking as soon as Torel entered the room and looked up at the young adult.

The tired-looking man smiled. "Good afternoon, son," he greeted.

"Good afternoon...Father," Torel said while trying to keep their voice steady and neutral.

***This was...my father, Samuel Murdoch, or as everyone called him, Professor Murdoch. Current head of the family house, lead scientist of an oceanographic research institute, and a part-time professor at the University of Plymouth. Because of his work Father usually doesn't come home until late at night. The only day he ever came home early was on my birthdays, but it basically could be summed up as a simple, "Happy birthday, son."***

***For him to come home this early on this day was rather unusual.***

***The man with the bushy mustache and sitting next to Father is my uncle, Roger Murdoch. He was visiting the manor at the time.***

"Seth, this is my son, Torel," Professor Murdoch said, gesturing the dark-haired man to Torel. "Torel, this is my colleague and assistant, Seth Douglas."

Seth smiled as he extended a hand out to them. "Pleased to meet you, young man." He too looked tired, but their clothes and hair were unkempt and messy.

"Um...pleased to meet you too, Mr. Douglas," Torel replied.

"My apologies," Prof. Murdoch said to a confused Seth. "He's a bit...shy around strangers."

No I'm not, Torel thought, trying to keep themself from growing tense.

"Father, is there something you wanted to talk about with me?" Torel promptly asked.

"Ah, yes." Prof. Murdoch got up. "Excuse me, gentlemen. Brett, if you may," he added, nodding to a woman in a vibrant crimson dress who was sewing a shirt with the maid on the couch adjacent to his as he rose from the couch, and the two adults led Torel out of the room.

~~~~~~~~~

"You're going away to Luna Sea tomorrow?" Torel asked.

The family of three were in the drawing room, which was, in comparison with the parlor, less vibrant but retained the same blue hues in appearance. Not much sunlight could peek behind the closed window blinds and into this room save for the lit lamps, giving the entire room much somber impression.

"Yes," Prof. Murdoch said. "Seth and I are going to meet up with some of our colleagues to check on the recent activity with the hammerhead shark population there. There had recently been an uptick in their numbers."

"But isn't it still dangerous to go out there, Father? The last time you went out on an expedition to one of the Seven Seas, you nearly died."

***Ever since the Seven Great Monsters came ten years ago, most of the sea creatures, even the predators who usually don't attack unless provoked, have been attacking any human who dive into the Seven Seas. As a result it became extremely difficult for scientists like Father to continue studying the nature and mysteries of the ocean, especially with what's been happening to the sea life in the Seven Seas. Not that they have it worse than every other treasure hunter and diver out there.***

"I know, son, but considering the recent claims of this abnormal activity with the hammerhead sharks, even with the Seven Great Monsters still present in the seas, we can't just ignore our duties to investigate the ongoing changes in the seas," Professor Murdoch said.

"I see..."

Torel swallowed and looked down at the floor. Their mother - Lady Murdoch, a young-looking fair-skinned woman who always kept her fine brown hair in a tight bun - hadn't said anything during the entire conversation, nor had she said anything to her husband or looked at him. Instead, she had been looking at their own child, scrutinizing them while their father was talking for any reactions or flickers of emotion that she didn't like to see on their face. They could still feel her brown eyes burning against their head.

"Son, is there anything you would want to tell me or talk about? I will have to prepare for the trip later tonight, and I know we haven't seen each other for long periods of time because of my work, but whatever's on your mind that you want to discuss with me right now, please don't hesitate to."

***There was one thought I had that day that came out to the forefront, out of all the other thoughts that were racing in my head back then. I just wished Mother wasn't in the same room as me when I said it.***

"Father, I uh...I want to go out to the seas with you someday," Torel finally said after a minute of silence passed.

"You will not," Lady Murdoch snapped.

Prof. Murdoch almost immediately looked at their wife in surprise. "Brett..." he started to say.

"Mother, I-."

"How many times must I tell you again?" The woman had her hands clenched into fists as she stood upright and glared down at her child. "I forbid you from ever stepping foot into the seas! Do you even know how many have died out there because of those monsters?"

"I do-."

"No, you don't!"

"But-."

"You never do! I told you many times before, and I'll say it again. I won't allow you to wish such a thing! You'll forget ever thinking of doing such thing right now!"

"Brett!" Prof. Murdoch shouted sternly.

Lady Murdoch turned to look at her husband, her face still livid. Now that their mother's attention was off them, Torel quietly let out a breath they had been holding. While the two adults talked to each other in low voices, although Lady Murdoch was furious and louder than her husband's, Torel felt their right hand starting to twitch and grabbed it with their other hand before their parents would notice. A few minutes passed before their parents turned back to them. By then, Torel had managed to keep their expression neutral and breathing steady, hiding the fact that there were many thoughts racing in their head for the past few minutes and still going, and had moved their still-shaking right hand behind them on their back. Prof. Murdoch studied their expression with his sky blue eyes for a bit before he spoke.

"Torel," Prof. Murdoch said, his voice still stern. "I have asked you this before when you were younger, but I'll ask again: Why do you want to go down to the ocean?"

Torel blinked. They remembered being asked this question when they were younger, back when they used to look forward to their own birthdays because it meant they'll see their cousin again, back before she and her family stopped coming for reasons they still don't know and were never told. They remembered the discussion back then that led their father to ask them this particular question in the first place.

~~~~~~~~~

"What do you wanna be when you grow up?" Torel asked their cousin.

Morfa tilted her head left and right as she thought about it, her curled up pink hair that surrounded the sides of her fair-skinned face swaying along with her head, and her fork pressed against her lips. "Well, I wanna be a historian like my Mom! Study and record the past and stuff!" Morfa exclaimed with a smile.

Out of the corner of Torel's eye, they could see their aunt Minerva, who was standing nearby the two children, briefly turn to look at them both with a smile, still sitting next to each other on the big couch with plates of cake slices on their laps, before turning back to the relative she was talking to and resume her conversation. Her curled up braided pink hair, its color a somewhat contrast to her fair-skinned complexion, whirled around along with her head's movements and came to rest on her left shoulder. None of the other relatives in the room seemed to pay much attention to the two children, not even Prof. Murdoch despite that he was also standing nearby the couch, and were instead busy discussing with each other.

Morfa chewed some more of her cake slice, ignoring the fact that there were smears of cake and frosting around her mouth. "What about you?"

"Hmmm..." Torel poke their cheek with their cake-stained fork. "I think I wanna be like my Father. Go down into the ocean and study all the scary sea creatures and underwater plant life and stuff!"

"Ooooooo! Sounds pretty cool! Wonder what kinds of creatures or plants or stuff you'll find down there!" Morfa exclaimed.

Neither of the two children heard or noticed Prof. Murdoch pause in his conversation with a relative and glanced at Torel with a frown respectively. Torel didn't expect to be asked why they thought of wanting to go down into the ocean until the evening arrived and Morfa and her family and everyone else who were invited had left the manor. Back then, they didn't had a good reason to give besides a "Because I wanna see what it's really like down there with my very own eyes! Everything I've heard and read sounds so scary but pretty!" (then again, they were very young at the time), but it was enough to persuade their father to not dissuade them from their interest, much to their mother's chagrin.

~~~~~~~~~

Now, Torel took a breath before they gave their reason for this time.

"I...I want to see the world down there, to see what wonders and beauty it holds through my own eyes. I don't care if I have to wait a few more years or until all of the monsters are gone, but I'll fight my way if I have to! I just don't want to live in ignorance of the underwater world and the life within it."

Silence filled the air after Torel finished talking. They looked down to the floor, awaiting whatever their father would respond with while ignoring how tense their body became.

"I see," Professor Murdoch said after a few seconds. "If that's so, then so be it. However," he added added abruptly. "If you were given the chance to do it, would you be willing to take it, even if you may never return?"

"I..." Torel started to mumble.

"Samuel, what are you-?" Lady Murdoch started to ask her husband, but he held up his hand towards her.

"You may be aware of the present dangers in the Seven Seas, even in the ocean, but it would take one's pure, sheer will to dive much deeper. What me and my colleagues are doing out there, even now, are at our own peril. Even though the seas are no longer safe, we can't ignore what's happening down there nor abandon our jobs. The same goes for the scientists who went to North Sea five years ago to investigate the decreasing numbers of the whale population there."

The professor paused to push a strand of hair away from his face before he continued.

"Humans are to blame for the current state of the ocean. The Seven Great Monsters may be the ones who are destroying the ocean now, but they also serve as grim reminders of our past mistakes. Unless we break free from the cycle of destruction and apathy that the Old World succumbed to, we are to forever carry the heavy burden of our ancestors and of the Old World. We may never see the end of the monsters, but as the new generation it is our job to fix the mistakes of the past and preserve the beauty and the life the ocean bears while we can, even if it costs us our lives."

The room was silent once more.

"I'm sorry, Father," Torel said. Their eyes still kept to the floor. "Just...forget I ever said anything."

"It's alright, son," Professor Murdoch said. "We'll discuss more about this when I get back."

"I'll...get back to my studies then." Torel started to turn towards the door.

"Torel, wait."

Torel stopped. "What is it, Father?"

"Your mother mentioned that you were going to ask your friend, Chris, to come over today for a study session for the coming exams, right? Is he here right now?"

Torel nearly raised their head sharply. They did their damnedest to stay calm and keep their breathing level and steady and the color on their face. They seemed to have succeeded, judging from the lack of reaction from their parents' faces as they continue to look at them. He can't know. I can't tell Father, they thought as their mind raced. I already have to beg the butler not to say anything this morning and on the ride back before, and the maid has always kept her word. But Mr. Lee made me promise not to ever let Father know Chris is here if I ever bring him over, no matter what...He'll kill me if I do.

"Actually...no. Chris had to help at the shop after classes," Torel said instead. "Something about...a car nearly blowing up while it was being repaired."

Prof. Murdoch let out a disappointed sigh and shook his head sadly. "Oh, I see." He took a deep breath before he continued with a smile. "Well, I was hoping to finally be able to ask him something about his father. Thank you, though."

His father? But Chris never spoke of or mentioned him before...

Torel quickly turned to the door before they could go down the rabbit hole and headed out of the room. Their right hand was still slightly twitching.

~~~~~~~

"Yeah, I'm OK. No, he doesn't know I'm here yet. You sure? But what about the-? I know, I know. But, give us an hour or two before you come over. They really needed my help with the subject and we'd agreed to today. OK. I know. I'll be careful. See you later. Love you too."

Chris put the phone down and looked outside the window at the afternoon sun. The library he was in was relatively bigger than the parlor and any other room in the house, and was the only room with a fireplace that faced the windows looking outside to the sea beyond, although it looked as though it hadn't been used for a long time. A side table with the phone Chris was using earlier was sitting next to the windows. He took a look back at the room. Shelves stuffed with fine-conditioned encyclopedias and books aligned the walls stop near the fireplace. A big, long oak table sat in the middle of the room, having been cleared of the books and papers that were sitting on it before Chris entered the room and replaced with his and Torel's satchels. A small lamp sat in the middle of the mess. Six wooden chairs were placed by the table, and a few fancy armchairs around the room. There were a few small framed photos on the mantlepiece, which included a younger smiling Torel (although from the look of their expression, Chris would have to guess they had to smile for the picture) with their grim-faced parents, and his uncle with the carcass of a bear behind him, presumably from a hunting trip.

Chris quietly walked to the big table and lifted a chair out to sit on it. He pulled out the textbooks related to the subject of today's study session from his satchel, while listening for any noise coming from outside the room. It was bad enough for Torel's father to unexpectedly arrive home without either of the two's knowledge, but it was worse calling Taka about this and hearing his very concerned voice at the other end of the line. If Torel's father were to step into the room right now, the windows were easy to unlock and push up and big enough to slip out through, and there's a bus station nearby, and he still had the pocket money Taka had given him in one of the inner pockets of his satchel that would cover the bus fare back to the city, but if the bus hadn't arrive in time he could just walk-.

He felt and heard a soft, low hum against his chest. He placed his left hand against the source of the quiet noise and felt the pendant hidden under his shirt. He nearly forgot about it still hanging around his neck from what had happened so far. The fact that it's trying to calm him down now was familiar and soothing, even under the current situation. He took a few steady breaths before patting the pendant again. The hum quietly faded away, but its presence against his chest remained.

He then opened the textbook and turned to the chapter that he found would be very useful for the exams when he heard a door open in the hallway outside. The low hum returned, echoing against his chest. He quickly, but quietly, got up and pressed himself against the bookshelves near the windows as he heard footsteps approaching the library door. As soon as the door opened and he saw the familiar seashell-shaped blonde hair poke in did he relax and the same for his pendant.

"Sorry about that," Torel whispered as soon as they closed the door behind them. "Father wanted to tell me that he was leaving for a trip tomorrow, that's why he came home early." They let out an exhausted sigh and scratched their head. "You OK, though? No-one heard you or try to come into the room?"

"I'm alright. I called Taka a few minutes ago about what happened, but no-one else in the building heard me," Chris assured them as he moved back to the table. "What about you?"

"I...I think I'll be OK for now." They paused for a bit. "When is he going to come pick you up?"

"Give him an hour or two. He was already ready to drop what he was doing and come pick me up when I made the call, but I managed to convince him to give us time to study."

Torel pulled out one of the chairs surrounding the table and sank down onto it. They looked at the satchels and the textbook Chris had pulled out earlier scattered on the table. "We probably should have done this at the school library or at your apartment instead..." they mumbled, their hand pressed against their own forehead.

"You didn't know," Chris insisted quietly. "It's not your fault."

"But-." Torel wanted to disagree, but they quickly shut their mouth instead. As much as they want to disagree right now, they both have an hour or two with the time Chris managed to get for both of them to understand and cram whatever they could into their head to remember for the exams during the study session, before Taka would arrive to pick Chris up, and then they and Chris wouldn't have to be extremely tense and stressed out right now under the current circumstances. But at the same time, they wished they weren't having difficulty with the subject in question - physics, of all the other subjects they could've had trouble with like mathematics and geography - to necessitate a study session mere days before the exams.

So instead of trying to counter Chris's words and risk having everyone else in the manor hear the commotion, they just quietly sighed, and got up to pull another chair from the table and propped it against the door in case their father or anyone else decided to barge into the room without knocking for whatever reason. They sat back down into their seat and pulled out their textbook and notebook, Chris doing the same.

"Let's just get this done," they reluctantly whispered.

~~~~~~~

An hour later, the sun was midway to sink below the horizon out at the sea by the time a pickup truck pulled up at the manor. Prof. Murdoch was still in the parlor talking with Seth and Roger by then, and he hadn't dared to step into the library for whatever reason, so Torel and Chris were able to grab their things and sneak out the front door and to the driveway as the truck stopped. A dark-skinned, dark-haired man stepped out from the driver's side. The man wore a stained beige shirt with dark suspenders and dark grey trousers. His dark hair was tied back in a short ponytail and he wore googles over his forehead. Besides his dark stubble, a stern-looking face, broad shoulders, and a semi-pronounced nose, he shared the same eyes and eye color as Chris.

***That's Mr. Taka Lee, Chris's uncle and guardian. A tough, mean-looking engineer, but he's actually nice once you get to know him. He owns and works at an auto shop in the city that primarily services vehicles and Shock Guns. The apartment building where he and Chris lived in is a few blocks down from it. He's actually one of two men who invented the Shock Gun, and the only one of the two that people remember and recognize the most besides his top-notch skills. It's because of that that people would go to his auto shop more than the other auto shops in the same area and request repair or maintenance work from him.***

"Hey, kiddo," Taka greeted his nephew with a smile. "How did the study session go?"

"You can say it went well. So well, I think Torel wouldn't need to study for the next two days at this point," Chris said with a smirk and a nod towards Torel.

Torel could only laugh in response, in spite of how tense they both were in the past hour. They didn't realize they were laughing too loud until they heard the front door open behind them and someone stepping out onto the porch. They stopped laughing the moment they heard their father's voice call out from the porch.

"Torel? What are you-? Oh! Chris! You're actually here?"

Taka frowned and quickly stepped in front of Chris, blocking Prof. Murdoch's view of him. "Chris, get in the truck," he told his nephew.

The front passenger door quickly opened and closed shut with a click in a matter of a few seconds. Torel looked between their father now approaching them and Taka, who remained steadfast and still where he stood and with his arms crossed across his chest.

"Son, go back inside. Taka and I are...just going to have a chat." Prof. Murdoch gave a look at Torel. "We'll talk later."

Torel was too well familiar with the subtle undertone in their father's voice. They knew the moment they stepped back inside the manor and Taka and Chris had left the premises, the building would be filled with loud, angry voices, disappointed and upset that they were lied to and berating Torel for all of this. They know how awful their mother could be when she gets angry. Their uncle would be too oblivious about what happened to try and step in. But their father would be droves worse.

I'll be dead if I step back into the house right now...

"Torel..." Taka started to say something, but Torel had just opened the front driver's door and bolted in. Taka quickly glanced at the door as it shut closed before turning back to Prof. Murdoch, who had stopped some distance away from him in shock and confusion of what Torel just did.

Torel was fortunate Taka didn't get called to an offsite repair or maintenance job today because it meant they could slip behind the driver's seat, throw their satchel onto the backseats that were devoid of any tools or equipment Taka would've brought with him, and slide down to the floor that was also devoid of said tools or equipment to hide. They could hear their confused father outside exclaim in surprise at their sudden act of defiance during all of this, but then he quickly changed the subject to something Torel had a feeling Taka wouldn't like. They were proven correct as they listened to the argument happening outside the truck.

"Taka, honestly, I don't understand why you always never let me talk to your nephew."

"You know damn well why, Sam. We're not having this discussion again."

"Yes, you kept mentioning his father didn't want me to ever as the reason why before, but I'd never heard from my old friend for a very long time before he-!"

"Former friend. And you'll do well to remember that."

"But-!"

"Torel? You OK?"

Torel looked up from where they were sitting on the floor. During the argument outside (which was still ongoing), Chris had moved from the front passenger seat to the backseats and was crouching in front of them. The worry and concern were back on his face. Just his look alone caused Torel to crumble on the inside. They buried their head into their hands and let out a weary groan.

"This was not how I wanted today to go," they mumbled. "This was not what I want you to have to deal with today. If I'd known Father would come home early from the beginn-."

"Torel."

The way Chris gently spoke to them now was enough to make them clamp their mouth shut. They looked up to see a gloved left hand extended out towards them - a familiar invitation for times like this. They took it and felt Chris gently pull them into a hug, and they wrapped their arms around him without hesitation. The loud voices outside slowly faded away as Torel shut them out and only focused on the now with their partner. They took a few steady deep breaths to try and calm themself.

"It's not your fault," Chris told them as they calmed themself down, repeating the words he'd spoken to them earlier at the library. "It's not your fault you didn't know. You didn't ruin anything."

Torel could only nod. They didn't have the capacity to try and disagree right now because they knew Chris was right and that he cared for them. But on the contrary, their mind was disagreeing with his words - Your fault, your fault for not double checking that your father would come home early, your fault for wanting this study session, your fault... - and trying to talk right now would only echo what their mind was saying. They shook their head to try and push those thoughts away, and buried their face against Chris's shoulder. The two remained where they were on the floor, holding each other tightly, and they still were when the commotion outside finally ended with a final loud voice, followed by the front driver's door opening as Taka sat back inside on the driver's seat and shut the door vehemently. There were no words spoken inside or outside the vehicle as Taka started the truck and started driving out of the manor premises. As he made a turn onto the road back to the city, Torel was tempted to peek out the rear window to see if their father was still standing at the driveway or trying to run after the departing vehicle to get them, but that would mean separating from Chris and they loathed to do so in their current mental state.

"He's still standing there when we left, if you're wondering," Taka said, finally breaking the silence, as if he could hear Torel's thoughts. His eyes kept to the road ahead, but he took a glance at the two from the rear view mirror. "Fuming on the inside, yeah, but he's not driving after us right now. He mentioned as well during our little 'chat' that he's leaving for a trip tomorrow, yeah?" He asked, glancing at the rear view mirror again. Torel nodded from where they were. Taka looked back at the road ahead and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. "Well, knowing him, that means he's got better things to deal with tonight than chase after us or send someone else to drag you back home. If he'd ever, that is."

"And yeah, I already know what you're going to ask," he added before Torel could open their mouth. "You can stay over for the night, or as long as you need. Gonna have to clear the couch again when we get back, though. But right now, you two need to get up from the floor and put on your seat belts. I rather not get pulled over on the way back because my nephew and his partner weren't properly being seated and buckled up."

And with that, Torel and Chris finally but reluctantly pulled away and did as Taka told them to do. They had to push their satchels to the floor since they were taking up space in the backseats in the process, but it'd do. A few minutes passed before Torel turned to look outside the window at the passing trees, the glowing lampposts, and the afternoon sky. Already, they felt somewhat tired from what had transpired today, but at the same time, they didn't really want to fall asleep right now. But...

"You don't mind if I take a nap on your shoulder?" Torel asked Chris.

Chris shook his head. "You're not going to scream in your sleep if you do, like the many times before?" he asked in return.

"Hopefully not this time," they replied with a weary smile.

Chris rolled his eyes, but he let Torel rest their head on his shoulder. As soon as their head landed on his shoulder and they closed their eyes, they were lightly snoring. Chris could already tell Taka was grinning at the sight from the view off the rear view mirror, but he knew his uncle didn't mind any of this in the slightest. He carefully reached for his satchel without jostling their sleeping partner and pulled out the book he was reading earlier this morning. He rested his head against Torel's and continued reading from where he last left off for the rest of the ride home.

Torel didn't scream or fidget in their sleep for the rest of the ride back to Taka's and Chris's apartment.

[vampirecatboy]

i like imagining a better world in my stories, which is why pretty much every character in my current project is bisexual or trans or bisexual and trans

[greasegifs]

WALK, TALK LIKE A T-BIRD #2 (aka the T-Birds parallels series)

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies - S01E02 // Grease

Potato and Gil // Kenickie and Danny

[steam-beasts]

My TTTE timeline - a concept

1800s

1805 - Construction of the first ever railway on Sodor was initiated. The first ever line to be built was horse-powered, which obviously meant that horses were used pull carts along a plate way from the Balladwail harbour to the copper mines in the foothills of Wardfell, this very tiny railway was simply dubbed "The Railroad". Slate was later on discovered in the hills and were eventually also mined.

1853 - After a few decades of using just horsepower, and having the only railroad on Sodor, the government finally caved in and agreed to help build a standard guage line from Ballahoo to Rolf's Castle in the Kirk Ronan area. This line would then be planned to be extended north to the Mainland. Three box-tank engines were sent to this line to assist with construction, one of which was called Niel.

1863 - The S & M railway soon extended south to the Kirk Ronan harbour in order to export slate and copper from the mines. Soon, the plateway was moved up to a new route near the Skarloey lake and replaced with rails for steam engines. This new railway was named the Skarloey Railway.

A narrow guage engine was ordered from the Fletcher, Jennings & Co from White Haven in England. At this time, Skarloey and Talyllyn had been built and were both waiting eagerly to be bought. However, when the year came around for Skarloey to depart for Sodor, he was quite upset to be leaving his sibling Talyllyn as he and the other had gotten quickly attached to each other. This caused some complications with unloading him at the docks, as Skarloey would have a bit of a tantrum due to being separated from Talyllyn. Neil, one of the box-tank engines had to step in and help calm Skarloey down, and transport him to the new railway. This sparked a new rule to be spread around to other steamwork companies on other railways which was to not let sibling engines get too attached to each other.

1865 - Later in the year, another engine from the same company that made Skarloey was bought and made to work alongside him, this engine was called Rheneas. He was bought not only to double the speed of work at the railway, but to be a companion for Skarloey as he began displaying signs of loneliness and possible depression from not seeing Talyllyn anymore.

1867 - Two years later, Skarloey is sent back to White Haven for a rebuild. He was given an added ponytruck and an enclosed cab for his updated design. Talyllyn was also given these new parts but in a separate room as to not let the pair interact. Rheneas would eventually follow suit (even if he didn't like it a lot). Meanwhile, on the south of the Sodor mountains, coal mines are dug and a town formulated around the hub called Great Waterton. A standard-guage tramway is built from the town, going through Crovan's Gate to the wharf at Balladwail, connecting to the S & M railway.

1870 - In another few years, more standard-guage railways were built. A new line was built up from the wharf at Suddery to Wellsworth and back, then known as the "Wellsworth & Suddery Railway". A fleet of four 0-6-0 saddle tank engines were sent to the railway, it's unknown where these four specific engines are to this day.

Mysteriously, during the construction of what was Sodor's 4th official railway, the slow but steady appearances of the railways and their engines began catching the attention of a bizarre community. One by one, strange men and occasional women would be seen around the railways. These mysterious people were all dressed up in tidy conductor uniforms and would appear and disappear in a cloud of golden dust...but that's what the workers stated, so it's still unclear.

No one's too sure who these strange folks are, or WHAT they are, but the managers say its best not to interact with them to be on the safe side...

1872 - Due to a recent shortage of sleepers in some parts of Sodor, along with the stormy showers wearing away the wood, the decision was made to find the sturdiest and most resistant wood in the world for the sleepers, thus discovering Jobi Wood. Unfortunately, the wood could only be found in the likes of Japan, which was ALL the way on the other side of the globe. This decision gets dismissed until a month later, two hikers visited Misty Island; A tiny neighbouring island located off the east coast, which was untouched by mankind for a century, and was nicknamed due to the heavy mist that surrounded it.

It was there that the two hikers discovered the Jobi wood when trying to burn it for their fire, only to find that it just partially burnt up and mostly still ok. This discovery was later spread, and managers of the standard guage lines were DELIGHTED to hear the news. Another month passes and Sodor gets in contact with an American logging company, known as the Bear Harbour Lumber Company.

A deal was struck and four boats from the company later arrived on Misty Island to begin constructing a new logging station and railway, with help of the Sodor Construction team.

1875 - A few years pass before the railway on Misty Island is officially completed and is named "The Bear Valley Railroad". Later that year, a small fleet of Climax Class A, B, and C logging engines are built at the Climax Locomotive Works in Corry, Pennsylvania and almost immediately are sent to work on Misty Island.

1879 - Up in the west of Sodor, a second narrow guage railway is constructed from the Arlesburgh harbour to the west mines of Peel Godred. This would be the Mid-Sodor Railway, which consisted of four engines, the first one to arrive being Duke. The others would arrive later.

1885 - Meanwhile, a third standard guage railway would be made at Toryreck to serve the lead mines located there, it was named the Elsebridge and Knapford Railway. A fleet of freshly built vertical boiler engines nicknamed "Coffee Pots" are loaned from the mainland. Glynn, a member of the Coffee Pots was designed and hand-built by a young rookie engineer named Richard Hatt and named by him personally. Richard Hatt will play a huge role in the railway's developments later...

Glynn was later bought from the Mainland to resume a permanent service at the railway after working tirelessly day and night. The other Coffee pots would remain loaned.

It was during this year the Mid-Sodor and Skarloey companies would attempt to built a third narrow guage line that went east through the Bluebell valley into Vicarstown, creating a link between it and Peel Godred. But this line would be abandoned shortly after as the Mainland built the Vicarstown bridge that went over the river and into the actual mainland. The S & M hammered the final nail in the coffin by extending their line down to the holiday seaside town of Norramby.

1886 - Back on Misty Island, a near-accident occurs where a Climax Class B locomotive almost gets hit by a landslide in the valley. A young Class C logging loco named Ferdinand luckily notices and pulls him out of the way. Ferdinand, like the other climax locos was initially loaned to the railway, but due to his heroic act, he was purchased and officially became the Bear Valley's No.1 engine.

1899 - Elsewhere, a rack railway was constructed to climb to the top of Culdee Fell, Sodor's largest mountain. Five angled-boiler engines were purchased from Switzerland, and they were odd ones. With the usual grey faces on the front of their smokebox and a second face on the back of their cabs. The railway's namesake, Culdee was trialed the year after before the grand opening and passed with flying colours. On Misty Island, one of the world's first diesel engines is sent to work there – her name was Dolly, and she was mostly used to clear away logs on the rails or to double-head log flatbeds. After a few months of tension, her and Ferdinand warmed up to eachother and became close friends from then on.

1900s

1900 - It is the 20th century. After Culdee's successful trial, the railway was soon approved for opening and opened in May for passengers and hikers. Everything went smoothly, until an accident occurs a couple months later where Godred, the Culdee Fell's No.1 derailed and tumbled down the mountain side, suffering critical damage. He was scrapped shortly after, and the railway was forever left without it's No.1.

1901 - During the first 15 years of the 20th century, several developments to the standard guage lines occured, the Wellsworth and Suddery Railway extend south to Brendam.

1902 - On Misty Island, two new engines arrive and are quite odd looking – A pair of young 0-4-0 twin B.H.L.C engines named Bash and Dash. They are both rather cheeky and annoying, causing disruption at the station and being a pair of little shits to everyone, especially the No.1, Ferdinand who wants nothing to do with them. But trouble blooms as Ferdinand accidentally derails in a more secluded part of the island. Bash and Dash rescue him, and are purchased as a reward, becoming the railroad's No.2 and No.3. The three are on good terms now.

1903 - Back on the Mid-Sodor, a new engine named Falcon is purchased and brought to the railway alongside Duke. On his first run up the mountain with the older engine, Falcon is reckless and nearly tumbles to his death. Duke however, catches him in time and is deemed a hero.

1904 - The harbour at the Elsbridge and Knapford railway becomes hard to upkeep, and is eventually abandoned. The line is moved up to Tidmouth through the headlands, and even though Tidmouth's a small place, it's harbour is surprisingly larger than the Knapford harbour. But unfortunately, a storm destroys the track.

To prevent this from happening again in the future, another track is created going through Knapford and a tunnel is constructed to let the track go on to Tidmouth

1905 - The tunnel is complete and the Elsbridge and Knapford railway becomes the Tidmouth, Knapford and Elsbridge Light Railway. Later on, the Light railway and the Wellsworth and Suddery line fuse to become the Tidmouth, Wellsworth and Suddery Railway.

(Ya'll feeling a bit confused? Good. So am I :,D)

1905 seemed to be the year where multiple changes would occur, as on April, the tracks to Elsebridge would become the Elsbridge branchline. Back to Great Waterton, an unfortunate event occurs where the mines dry up and the people abandon the town to find other jobs. Great Waterton is left to become ruins and the tramway is closed.

1906 - A year later, all the standard guage lines finally fuse together into one big railway, known as the "Northwestern Railway". The Wellsworth and Suddery become the brendam branchline. There is now a plan to create a big station in Knapford that links together the headland line and the mainline together.

1907 - The big station at Knapford is complete, and named "Knapford Station", for obvious reasons. It becomes the railway's top link station. Meanwhile, all the the way in Japan, a rail engineer called Hideo Shima creates a Class D51 2-8-2 called Hiro. Hiro is quite a rarity, he is actually a prototype Class D51 2-8-2 tender engine, he came WAY before any of his brothers and sisters. As a replacement for the retired D50s, Hiro's design was initially a practice design and not yet official, and Hideo Shima and the JR didn't plan on using him as many engines already took up the railway. So a call was made to the Northwestern Railway in Sodor, offering the prototype to take up any freight services or passenger runs.

The offer was, after a lot of persuading, accepted and Hiro was sent Sodor and was loaded off at Brendam Docks, becoming the Island's first ever standard-guage tender engine. Hiro would go on to do passenger runs from Knapford to Vicarstown and many freight runs. Mind you, this all happened near the start of the year.

1908 - Back at Misty Island, an incredible discovery is made – a tunnel. This tunnel however, wasn't normal. It was found that the tunnel linked the small island with Sodor by going right under the ocean bed and out of a tunnel mouth on Sodor that was covered up by years of growing terrain and plants. A very bizarre discovery indeed. The tunnel seemed to be incredibly old as well, sodor historians and geographers theorised that it dated back to the 1600s, where King Godred ruled. The Misty Island tunnel could've been a secret escape passage that allowed kings and queens to escape to safety without being seen by enemies.

The idea was then made to reuse this tunnel as a quicker way to deliver jobi wood to Sodor instead of sending it by boat. A new line was built through the tunnel that would be used to fetch and bring wood from the Bear Valley Railroad. Hiro and Glynn would be first to do this. However, for Hiro, this is the last time he is ever seen before suddenly vanishing the following year.

1910 - Glynn's designer, Richard Topham Hatt becomes the director of the Northwestern Railway.

Remember that "odd community" that I mentioned before? The small crowd of strange conductors had blended into the Sodor population by then, so they were hardly noticed. That was until after a month of becoming director, Richard Hatt is approached by one of them. He was a tall man with elf-like ears and a mustache.

The conductor explained who he and his fellow conductors were, that they came from an unseen railway, a "magic railroad" as a way to put it. He then requests the new director to allow him and his fellow conductors to stay. Reluctantly, Richard agrees to this, and that's how Mr Conductor and his family became involved with Sodor.

1914 - To help with passenger runs and freight services after Hiro's sudden disappearing act, the Northwestern Railway loans a small, elderly dark red tender engine from Barrow-in-Furness named Edward. At the time, Edward was the only tender engine on the Northwestern Railway, and had to do a majority of tasks by himself. But he got help from a couple of the Coffee Pots now and again. He was the top-link express engine and delivered goods trains across the whole railway. With help from the Coffee pot engines, Edward managed to finish the line all by himself. Glynn and two other vertical boiler engines are sent to Knapford to shunt trains as at the time.

A branchline is created during this time, running from Ballahoo to the seaside town of Norramby.

1918 - Edward is purchased by the NWR, and becomes the No.2 of the railway. Glynn, being the only officially bought engine, is still the No.1. Edward is repainted into a NWR royal blue later that year.

1920 - Back to the Mid-Sodor, a new little engine named Stewart is bought and is transferred to the railway via traction engine.

1922 - Several engines from the Mainland are loaned to help out on the railway. A third engine is purchased, a supposed A3 Pacific meant to help out with passenger runs. However, due to poor steaming problems because of an unusually small firebox, he's unable to. The engine's name is Henry, and it turned out he was a squandered design that Sir Nigel Gresley threw away. Despite these issues, the Fat Director kept him out of the kindness of his heart.

But Henry would put that generosity to the test when later that year, he goes into a tunnel due to apparently not wanting to get his livery ruined by the rain. Even long after the rain stops, he refuses to come out like a stubborn big baby. Despite all the efforts, Topham ultimately decides to brick Henry up in the tunnel, remove the tracks and never let him out. Suffice to say, Henry regrets his life decisions.

1923 - The next year rolls by, Edward finds himself retired in terms of Express duties by a new and flashy A3 Pacific from the L.N.E.R called Gordon. Gordon becomes the island's top link express engine, replacing Edward. With all the more modern steam engines coming to the island, poor old Edward is used less and less, eventually left sitting at the back of the sheds. Eventually, a sympathetic crew let him out for some fresh air and he got to pull trains again, along with the express. The Fat director is pleased with Edward, so he awards him with odd jobs to do in Wellsworth. Sometime later, Gordon gets stuck on a hill and Edward has to come and help him up. A few months later, Gordon bursts his safety valve near the Ballahoo tunnels where Henry was walled up in.

Edward comes along to pull the Express for him, but finds himself struggling to do so. The Fat director, who was on the Express decided to try with Henry again. Henry was let out and successfully assisted Edward with pulling the coaches. The three of them became long-time friends after that.

The Peel Godred Electric company constructs a hydro-electric power station in Peel Godred that utilises the three nearby lakes. The only issue was that the bulky equipment they used was too big to fit the line clearances on the Mid-Sodor, so they switched to standard guage lines instead. The company struck a deal with the Northwestern to build a branchline from Kildane up to it. The gradients were steep, so electric engines with currents supplied from the power station would run it. With that, the line is made and a junction is created at Kildane with facilities for the electric engines and a line that stretches up to Kirk Machan. This line takes you from the NW to Culdee Fell. These changes would seal the Mid-Sodor Railway's fate.

1924 - In early January, a 5th engine for the NWR is bought. He is a sleek black Class 28 tender engine from the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, and his name is James. He was bought and assigned to goods trains, but was personally not fond of it. The only problem with James (asides from his obnoxious personality) were his brakes; For some reason, James had wooden brake blocks which made braking a little risky for him as they could catch fire. During the time of James's arrival, Glynn goes missing. After an island wide search, the NWR finds itself left without its No.1.

In the late summer after Glynn's disappearance, and without a station pilot at Knapford to handle the coaches and shunt in the yard, the Fat Director tries to find a replacement. He was initially planning on buying an E2 tank engine in 1916, but other Railway directors had purchased them all. It was until he discovered that a new E2 was very recently built and grabbed at the chance.

Phone calls were made and a week later, an E2 tank engine arrives on Sodor, his name is Thomas.

Almost immediately, Topham and Edward notice something off about Thomas's appearance; Despite being an E2, Thomas was much too small, probably just a tiny bit smaller than a Jinty or a Pug class. E2s were, I kid you not, MASSIVE, just a little taller than a tender engine, whereas Thomas was the opposite. Asides from his size, there were other complications with his design if you compared it with the blueprints.

At first, the Fat director thought he was scammed like he was with Henry, but after a talk with the supposed E2's crew and a look at his blueprints, it turned out that Thomas really WAS an E2. Thomas's build was just delayed due to the war and so had to be postponed, but when his build DID happen, it was rushed. However, the reason for his homunculus appearance is still unknown, as he refuses to say why.

Moving on, Thomas became Knapford's new Station pilot. He was although, newly built and was still trying to find his way around the railway. But luckily, Edward decided to come forth and mentor him through tough times.

1925 - Thomas eventually gets bored of being a station pilot and finds himself yearning for something different. One day he complains to Edward about this and the elderly K2 offers Thomas with taking his goods train to Wellsworth. Since it's his first time, Thomas has some... difficulties with the trucks, but manages them in the end. The Fat Director is there to see him with Edward's train and tells him off, same with Edward.

Thomas's promotion from pilot duties would coincide with the deal struck between the NWR and LMS that year. This deal allowed the NWR to extend their services over into the Mainland and so, a bridge was built over the wide river that separated the island from the Mainland. Sometime later, an incident occurs where James's wooden brake blocks fail and the trucks send him barreling through Wellsworth. Thomas tries to prevent him from crashing out in the farm fields but fails and James derails. Thomas acts quickly and fetches the Breakdown train, he is then considered a Really Useful Engine. As a reward, Thomas gets the Ffarqhuarr branchline and a repaint into the NWR blue like Edward.

He later encounters Glynn, the lost coffee pot engine who was sitting behind thick foliage that hid him rather well. Glynn had caught wind of his bravery and asks Thomas to take his place as No.1. So, by Glynn's request, the little blue tank engine has a number #1 painted on his side-tanks. James arrives back from the works later that year in a splendid new red livery.

Thomas's branchline runs from the Elsebridge station to Ffarqhuarr, the Ffarqhuarr quarry had recently opened, so the Fat Director believed Thomas would be the right engine for the job. In the early days, Thomas does many things on his branchline such as; fishing, leaving his guard behind, getting rescued by Terence on his first snow day on the line and racing Bertie. James pilots at Knapford for a little while before the director allows him to pull passenger trains.

1926 - A year passes, and Knapford still has no station pilot. The big engines start getting sick of shunting their own trucks and coaches, and decide to initiate a strike. They would nevertheless, begin regretting it as the Fat Director would keep them stuck in the sheds. Because of them refusing to do their jobs, Thomas has to come back and help Edward with the extra workload. Luckily, the Fat Director acts accordingly and purchases a small green saddle-tank engine he named Percy.

Percy takes up pilot duties, and the big engines are let out of their berths at Tidmouth once more. The Fat director even lets Thomas and Edward take a couple days off, saying as they had to handle most of the work.

1928 - After a series of accidents and warnings from Duke, the No.2 of the Mid-Sodor, Smudger is broken up and reduced to a generator at the back of the shed. Falcon and Stewart are quite horrified at this change.

1934 - Henry's steaming problems are becoming more and more frequent each week, and the Fat Director gets fed up with trying to fix him. It's until Henry's fireman recommends trying Henry with Welsh coal, and it seems to do the trick.

1935 - The year after, Henry pulls the Flying Kipper – a non-stop fish train to Manchester. However, due to an iced over signal, Henry ends up barreling into a siding where he has a high-speed collision with the back of a goods train. His crew and the guard and crew of the engine pulling the goods train were, by a miracle, not badly injured. Henry, needless to say, WAS badly injured. Henry is then sent to Crewe, where he is overhauled into a new shape and gets a bigger firebox. Henry returns that summer a better and stronger engine, and has had no steaming problems ever since.

1943 - World War II has begun, and over on Sodor, a couple events occur on the Skarloey railway. The railway's two main engines, Skarloey and Rheneas are over 70 years old now, and are starting to show their age. Skarloey unfortunately goes out of commission, and with no money due to wartime to overhaul him, Rheneas is forced to run the line himself.

1945 - Over on the mainland, Wilbert Awdry, a clergyman and priest writes and publishes the first ever Railway Series book that tells the many stories of Henry, Gordon and Edward, also known as "The Three Railway Engines". During this year on Misty Island, the Bear Valley Railroad encounters a sudden bankruptcy and immediately closes down. The company abandons the island so fast that three of their logging engines get left behind; Bash, Dash and Ferdinand, including a couple of its young lumberjacks.

1947 - A couple years after, the Mid-Sodor Railway meets its demise and closes after the mines are flooded. Most of the remaining engines that worked there are sold off, including Falcon and Stewart who are auctioned off to the Aluminum works at Peel Godred, while Duke is left in the sheds, tarped up and abandoned. Smudger is still a generator at this time and remains at the back of the shed, what's left of his body rotting away to time. It's just... haunting to think he's probably still there to this very day.

Later that winter, Thomas intentionally breaks his snow plough one day due to how uncomfortable it feels and as a consequence, ends up crashing into a snow drift later on. Luckily, Terence the Tractor comes by and rescues him, showing that you can never judge a book by its cover.

1948 - All four railways on the mainland join forces and become a national network called British railways, this officially makes the Northwestern Railway the Northwestern region of British Railways. The Fat Director is awarded his baronetcy for his services to the railways and becomes chairman of the Regional Executive, thus gaining the title "Sir" and having his nickname changed to "The Fat Controller". On his branchline, Thomas meets Bertie the Bus and races him to the Ffarqhuarr station.

Clay beds are discovered near Brendam and the Sodor China Clay Pits are formed. Two little Bagnall saddle tank engines called Bill and Ben are brought to Sodor and are sent to work there. They pull the clay trucks from the pits to the Brendam Docks. With Brendam Docks becoming revitalised, the line to it find new use, and so Edward is sent to run it.

Later on, Edward is taking a train of scrap to the new Peel Godred Ironworks, built at Peel Godred. The NWR built a branchline through the Mid-Sodor, north of Abbey and through a valley up to it. On his way there, he meets Trevor the Traction Engine, who's due to be broken up the following week. Edward refuses to let this happen, so he convinces the Vicar of Wellsworth to save him.

1950 - Deep in the bowels of one of Sodor's biggest forests, two young best friends, a boy named Burnett Stone and a girl named Tasha make a remarkable discovery when they find an old, dying driver and his engine at the cliff face of a mountain. This discovery will change how these two children view engines forever..

1951 - Sir Topham Hatt takes his family on holiday to East Anglia, where they meet an elderly J70 steam tram named Toby, and his faithful coach, Henrietta. The family takes a liking to the pair and by the children's request, go for passenger rides along the tramway. Sadly for Toby and Henrietta, they both knew these were the last passenger rides they were ever gonna give...or so they thought.

Later that year, Thomas gets in trouble with a policeman because his wheels aren't covered, so he can't get on the tramway to the quarry. Sir Topham Hatt remembers Toby and writes to his controller, then purchases him and Henrietta. Toby and his coach arrive later, and he becomes the railway's 7th engine. Back on the Skarloey, Rheneas finally reached his limit and his valve gear jams while he is on route with a passenger train. He reaches the station by good luck but is in need of an overhaul. With both of the main engines out of action, two new engines are brought to take over; Stewart and Falcon. But now, the two had been renamed "Peter Sam" and "Sir Handel". The pair had been auctioned off to the Aluminium Works four years prior and had been repurchased and named after the owner and controller of the railway respectively.

That Christmas, a landslide occurs and blocks the tunnel that Mrs Kyndley's cottage is situated near. Mrs Kyndley was sick that day, but after seeing the landslide, she quickly grabbed a red blanket and waved it out of her window, knowing Thomas was coming. She flagged Thomas down and stopped him just in time. After Mrs Kyndley's heroic act, Sir Topham Hatt came and thanked her personally at her cottage.

1952 - The next year rolls around on the Skarloey railway and Rheneas is finally sent to be overhauled, being absent for 9 whole years. On the NWR, Edward is sent away for an overhaul after rescuing a runaway James who had his controls messed with by some foolish boys. While waiting for his turn to go to the works, Edward and Skarloey converse, with Skarloey filling him in on everything that's happened on the SR.

After Sir Handel derails, Skarloey is let out of the shed after years of not running, despite a leaky boiler and warped firebox. He breaks a spring during his first-in-a-long-time passenger run, but gets the passenger train to the next station. The railway is so pleased with him, that they agree to send him for an overhaul. He leaves, leaving Sir Handel and Peter Sam to handle the railway themselves.

That same year, before Edward left for his overhaul, Gordon refused to pull a goods train and ran off the turntable into a ditch. He managed to make up for his mistake though after rescuing a reckless Thomas who fell down a dilapidated mine at Toryreck. That Christmas, the fat controller hosted a Christmas party to thank Mrs Kyndley for her act of heroism last year. Everybody gets a little drunk while being surrounded by a bunch of sentient trains with faces. 1952 was a big year.

1954 - The newly-crowned Queen Elizabeth || travels around the whole of Britain to greet everyone, including Sodor. Gordon is chosen to haul her coaches. Sir Richard Topham Hatt retires, leaving his son, Charles Topham Hatt to inherit the railway.

1955 - On his first year of becoming controller, the Fat Controller's first act is to reopen service at the old Knapford harbour. Work begins immediately that year, and Percy, Thomas and Trevor are enlisted to help with restoration. With Percy not stationing at Knapford, the Fat Controller purchases another engine from the mainland to take his place. The new engine is a Pannier tank from the Great Western region named Montague, but is nicknamed Duck.

After Percy proves to be quite good at the harbour, he is relocated to work at Thomas's branchline, and Duck becomes the new official station pilot. Duck is purchased and becomes the railway's 8th engine, but the Fat Controller graciously lets him keep his Great Western livery and nameplates.

Due to the new construction of the harbour, the map of the Ffarquhar branchline changes; the south harbour junction closes and a new one is opened north of the river. A new line for passenger services is built over the old dryaw line, and so the old one closes, but then it is revitalised for goods services.

Probably everyone who read this all so far;

During the time when Percy is helping to restore the harbour, he meets Harold the Helicopter at the Dryaw Airfield and doesn't take a huge liking to him. Soon enough, the old Knapford harbour is finished and opened for service.

Later that year, the Ffarquhar branchline caught in a heavy downpour and suffers flooding near Elsebridge. Percy is filling in for Thomas at that time, but braves the flood and gets the passengers home.

1956 - At the Knapford harbour, Percy brags to Bill and Ben about the time he braved the flood to get Thomas's passengers home. Bill and Ben were amazed, Henry...not so much. At this time, the foundations of the key had sunken, making the rails slope down. There is a danger sign to warn engines of this, but Percy was too big-headed to believe it, even a warning from Thomas doesn't make him wary. Out of stubbornness and seeing what he can get away with, Percy one day gets some troublesome trucks to push him past the sign, but this doesn't end well as he ends up plunging into the sea. Percy got humbled that day U_U

A month later, a horrid storm beats down on Sodor and destroys a forest situated between Wellsworth and Crosby. Henry is dismayed at the news. To cheer him up, Toby, Terence and Trevor help to clear up and repair the damage.

Meanwhile at Barrow on the mainland, an engine derails, leaving Gordon to step in to take their train to London.

The railway series books are proving to be a massive success, and the Fat controller gets letters from children on the mainland asking if his engines are real. So, he gathers his eight famous engines and they all embark on a trip to Houston station for a rail gala. Several BR engines fill in for them on the railway.

Sir Topham Hatt | passes away in his house, leaving his son, Charles to inherit the baronetcy and become Sir Topham Hatt ||.

1957 - The famous 100mph record-breaker engine, City of Truro visits the railway and has a lovely time with the other engines on their railtour. Gordon himself tries to go 100mph, but to no avail, loses his dome when going over a bridge.

A few months later, an 08 diesel shunter named Diesel (what a beautiful name) is trialed on the railway. Diesel doesn't take a liking to Duck after he plays a trick on him and spreads false rumours around the yard that lead to Duck being sent away to bank trains at Wellsworth.

One day, Duck crashes into a newly opened Barbour shop at Crosby after being chased by runaway trucks. Turns out that all along, Sir Topham Hatt || knew about Diesel's scheme and sent him packing, much to Duck's relief. From then on, Duck was allowed to sleep at Tidmouth once more, the big engines greeted him warmly.

Back on the Skarloey railway, a new maintenance diesel named Rusty is brought to the railway to help mend the old dilapidated tracks. They end up discovering the disused line that goes through the Bluebell Valley.

1958 - A new engine from a factory on the mainland called Duncan joins the Skarloey fleet. He instantly dislikes Rusty. Shortly after, Peter Sam suffers an accident that damages his funnel. Skarloey returns from his overhaul that year, and just in time as a group of BBC producers arrive to broadcast a live documentary about the Skarloey Railway.

Back on the NWR, parts of the railway were starting to show their age and problems began to rise; a few tracks on the Ffarqhuarr branchline had been warped from the heat and Thomas ended up derailing because of it. So, Sir Topham Hatt sends everyone to work at different areas until the issues are fixed. Percy and Duck are sent to work at Brendam Docks and have the unfortunate experience of meeting Devious Diesel, who hasn't changed a bit. Turns out he was given a second chance, but fails once more. A few months prior to this, a circus visited the NWR and one of its elephants ran away and hid in Henry's tunnel.

After the commotion with Diesel, Duck discovers his love for the sea.

1959 - On the mainland, steam is slowly dying and being taken over by diesel, being dubbed "a new era" for British Railways.

Sir Topham Hatt purchases a Caledonian engine from Scotland to help out on the railway as it's growing and needs more handling, but is dumbfounded and utterly confused when two arrive, the twins' names are Donald and Douglas. Sir Topham Hatt had purchased Donald, but Douglas stowed away with him as he knew he would be doomed to become scrap. The Fat Controller finds himself stuck on what to do, so for the time being, he trials both of them.

The twins prove themselves to be useful after saving a derailed Henry on a snowy day. After some persistence from the other engines, Sir Topham Hatt agrees to keep both of them. They become the NWR's 9th and 10th engines respectively.

A few months pass and the Fat Controller decides to build a new station near the old port at Arlesburgh. This ends up resulting in the creation of a new branchline from Tidmouth to Arlesburgh, with plans to stretch it up through the fish town of Harwick and along the west coast. Duck was requested to run it.

1960 - We're starting off with a literal crash into the 60s as Thomas crashes into the stationmaster's house during their breakfast at Ffarqhuarr. Despite the crash mostly not being his fault, he gets scolded by Sir Topham Hatt and sent to the Works to have his buffers mended. In Thomas's absence, a new diesel railcar named Daisy is brought to manage the passenger service. She is selfish and spoilt at first, but gets humbled a month on after Percy endures a bizarre derailment that lands the branchline in quite a predicament. Luckily, Thomas is back from the Works by this time, so it's not all terrible.

On the same year, the mascot of the Bluebell Railway on the mainland, Stepney, is withdrawn from service. Also on the same year, Boco arrives on the island and gets harassed by Bill and Ben. He joins the railway later after Edward suffers an accident that gets his side all ripped up and taken to get repaired, becoming the NWR's second diesel.

The branchline from Tidmouth to Arlesburgh is completed and the village of Harwick celebrates by holding a fun fair. Toby is chosen to be the attraction, but by the time he goes there, plans are changed and he just went up there for nothing.

1961 - Peter Sam's funnel finally breaks one snowy day after it gets hit by a fallen icicle. He gets it replaced by a new, special funnel, a Geisel Ejector. It proves to be a success.

Finally, Rheneas makes a gallant return to the railway after his 9 year overhaul

1962 - Stepney brings a rail tour to Sodor as a big marketing event for the Bluebell Railway. During his time on Sodor, Sir Topham Hatt trials a Class 40 diesel called Derek. Derek ends up breaking down while going down the line to Brendam and Stepney and Duck double-head the train in his place. Stepney departs Sodor the next day.

1963 - Culdee, the namesake of the Culdee Fell Mountain Railway returns after his overhaul in Switzerland and gets to know the new faces brought in to the railway, one of them was called Lord Harry.

Lord Harry would later rescue a climber at the Devil's back, a part of the mountain known for often having bad weather. In return for his heroism, he gets his name changed to Patrick after the climber he rescued.

On the mainland, Alan Peglar rescue Gordon's brother, The Flying Scotsman, from scrap. Sadly, all of Gordon's other siblings aren't lucky.

1964 - On Thomas's branchline, the Ffarqhuarr quarry acquires it's own small diesel shunter named Mavis. She's young and confident, so she believes she can do everything herself and insults toby. But after Diesel gives her bad advice, she eventually gets her just-do and learns to never take advice from Diesel, who was miraculously still on the railway.

On autumn that year, Percy crashes into a lime cart that gives him a ghostly white appearance. He uses this to his advantage to scare Thomas after he states his disbelief of ghosts. During this time, the Norramby branchline is in need of an engine to run it, so Rusty is tasked with finding one.

Rusty stumbles upon Stepney on their way through a scrapyard one night, and helps him escape. After Stepney is rescued, he is purchased by the railway and sent to run the Norramby branchline for a while. Eventually, Stepney gets bored and decides to go visit the west side of Sodor by the Fat Controller's invitation. During his time there, he makes Thomas jealous, double-heads the Express with Duck, escapes from the Ironworks and gets chased down by Caroline. He leaves for the final time after that with a proper send off.

1965 - The Skarloey celebrates its 100th anniversary of being open, with the brand new opening of a loop line around the lake of Skarloey. The current owner of the Skarloey Railway, Sir Robert Norramby, hosts the celebration. Before the opening, a talk with Duck about dukes sends Peter Sam into a crisis, panicking about the fact that his Duke may have gotten scrapped. He learns his mistake but he and Sir Handel start to talk about him frequently.

An incident at Knapford occurs when a beehive is found within the station and a swarm of bees attack the passengers. James gets stung on the nose by one and the swarm latches on to James's boiler. After several attempts, the bees finally let go.

The NWR decides to reopen the Arlesburgh harbour as an addition to Tidmouth, thus extended Duck's branchline.

1966 - A discovery of ballast is made at the old Mid-Sodor mines. Subsequently to this, all of the railway controllers come together to create a miniature guage railway that runs along one of the old track beds of the long-abandoned Mid-Sodor Railway.

1967 - The next year, the Arlesdale Railway officially opens for services and a new controller is hired, he is Mr Fergus Duncan. The engines brought on to run the line are Rex, Mike and Bert. There is also a miniature diesel named Frank, but passengers of the railway rarely see him. Duck meets them while visiting one day.

Two clergymen visit the railway one day and have encounters with them, one of which is Wilbert Awdry, author of the railway series and his friend, Teddy Boston. Awdry decides to write a book about Rex, Mike and Bert, but leaves out Frank which gets him upset and crashes into the back of the shed in retaliation.

Meanwhile, Gordon catches wind of the fate of his siblings on the mainland and enters a severe depression because of it. To cheer him up, Sir Topham Hatt calls Alan Peglar and they arrange a meeting between Gordon and his last surviving brother, the Flying Scotsman. Henry gets jealous of Scotsman's two tenders, but after getting tricked by Percy, learns that one tender is good enough

During the FS's visit, two diesels are trialed on the railway. One of them breaks down and the other gets to stay. The new third diesel is nicknamed Bear.

On Duck's branchline, new sheds are built adjacent to the Arlesdale railway. Douglas has his own adventure when he's delivering a midnight goods train and comes across Oliver, who's marked for scrap. Oliver and his brakevan, Toad are trying to get to Sodor to escape getting scrapped. Douglas decides to help him out and brings him back with him.

Upon meeting him, Sir Topham Hatt purchases Oliver and he becomes the railway's 11th engine, joining the twins and Duck at the Little Western.

1968 - The end of steam traction arrives, and the Island of Sodor becomes the only place in Britain with a steam-powered railway.

1969 - Peter Sam and Sir Handel won't stop talking about Duke, and this gets the two clergymen intrigued and wondering about his whereabouts. They, Mr Fergus Duncan and the duke then band together to find Duke. They search the remains of the Mid-Sodor Railway, and the search reaches an end when Teddy Boston falls through the roof of Duke's old shed and lands on top of the old engine, who turned out to be asleep for 20 whole years and wasn't aware of how much time passed.

He is rescued, restored and brought to the Skarloey Railway where he reunited with Peter Sam and Sir Handel.

1970 - The Arlesdale railway unveils its own newly made steam engine, Jock. Jock was built by the railway itself. Meanwhile, the ever-growing Brendam Docks acquires a new crane named Cranky. When a storm hits the island, Cranky gets knocked over, he's raised, then knocked over again...then raised again.

1971 - A branchline from Kirk Ronan is built up to Kellsthorpe, the branchline has a big canopy station as its terminus that overlooks part of the island. Gordon's brakes failed here and he ended up crashing through the station wall on its opening day, getting the "better view" he wanted. He makes up for it and is rewarded with his own window.

1972 - Signalmen and late night railroaders had begun reporting peculiar sightings of a mysterious female steam engine with a maroon pink livery steaming around during the night, leaving gold dust trails along the tracks she glides along. They say it's like seeing a ghost, and they can even hear her whistle echo throughout the night. Due to the bizarre descriptions of these sightings, the controllers and mayor all pass it off as "foolish folklore" or just a hoax.

After these rumors cleared up, Henry was taking a midnight goods train to Peel Godred where he encountered Old Bailey, the original stationmaster for the Mid-Sodor station at the crossover. The Sodor Preservation society restores the station, and anoints Bailey as its keeper.

Sometime later, the lake adjacent from the station is drained and the old Mid-Sodor tracks are pulled up, making way for tarmac to be paved down to create a road link, but it's not done too well.

1975 - On the Skarloey Railway, Duke is sent for a lengthy overhaul. When he'll be back? No one knows...

At some point, the NWR took charge of the Norramby line from the previous manager, and Sir Topham Hatt gained ownership of Stepney. He allowed Stepney to revisit for a little while by helping out Toby and Mavis at Ffarqhuarr Quarry. After helping out, Stepney takes a wrong turn when returning to his shed and ends up at the Ironworks where he is taken by Arry and Bert, who try to scrap him. Luckily, Sir Topham Hatt rescues him in the nick of time. Later in the year, the Skarloey's owner, Sir Robert Norramby decides to go on a global trip around the world and leaves Sir Topham Hatt in charge of his railway.

1979 - After Gordon breaks down before pulling the Express, Thomas, Duck and Percy are enlisted to triple-head the train.

The China Clay Pits meanwhile suffer a catastrophic avalanche, making everyone evacuate. Bill and Ben act quickly though and rescue everyone before doom struck them fatally. The clay pits end up closing after this and Bill and Ben relocate to Ffarqhuarr Quarry.

One early autumn night, Oliver is temporarily assigned to pulling the mail train, but ends up taking a wrong turn into a abandoned line and crashes into an old shed at Arlesdale end. He is saved later on by the Fat Controller, who takes an interest into the old area and decides to refurbish it for visitors. He acquires the rights and relocates Toby there to help finish construction. The old shed that Oliver crashes into is refurbished as well into a new shed for Toby and Henrietta. The line now belongs to Toby.

1981 - On Toby's line, the Great Dam breaks due to heavy rain and unleashes a flood that nearly kills Toby and his crew. In the warmer months, the dam is fixed and the line is fully complete and open for service with its terminus at Callan on the Little Western.

Sometime later, Toby and the Hatt family venture into the abandoned mining network at the tail end of Thomas's branchline. There, they come across the ruins of Ulfstead Castle and the gold mine. Both are restored and Ulfstead Castle is opened for tourists. During restoration, an old engine from the Mid-Sodor era called Bertram was discovered and was sent to pull tourists around the gold mine after restoration was finished. A connection between Ulfstead and Arlesdale end was built, creating a loop. Arlesdale End became a through-station.

1983 - Thomas and Percy travel up to the Ironworks and come across an old coach dubbed "Old Slow Coach". After a fire breaks out at the worker's hut at Tidmouth Hault, Old Slow Coach is repurposed into a new permanent housing quarters to replace it, and is quite happy. But when Mrs Kyndley's daughter gets married later, she becomes part of the good luck package.

Around the month of August, Sir Topham Hatt decides to reopen the old boulder quarry at the Mid-Sodor. The plans are changed when a seemingly sentient boulder terrorises the little engines and deals significant damage to the site. Sir Topham Hatt then figures that the boulder some sort of warning from God and ultimately decides to abandon the quarry.

1984 - Sir Handel gets into trouble for some unknown reason and Sir Topham Hatt sends him to the Shadow Re– the slate mines as a punishment for an undefinite amount of time. On the same year, a television series based off of the stories from the Railway Series is created by a lady called Britt Allcroft and a man called David Mitton. The series is named "Thomas the Tank engine & Friends" and uses model versions of the engines. The series is narrated by the Beatle himself, Ringo Starr.

1988 - A blue Class 07 diesel-electric shunter purchased from the mainland travels all the way to Sodor to work as a quarry diesel with Mavis and the tank engine twins. He works there for a short while, but longs to be by the sea, and so he is relocated to work as a shunter in the yard at Brendam Docks. His name is Salty.

The Elsbridge is getting weak and is in need of renovation, and so Sir Topham Hatt puts up a weight limit for the bridge. Thomas is too heavy for the bridge and so is relocated to Wellsworth with Edward for the time being, but returns next year.

1989 - The Skarloey gains a new maintenance diesel named Fred to help out Rusty, but going into present-day, no one sees him anymore. On the NWR, the railway gains a new Crane-tank engine named Harvey.

1990 - The National Railway Museum in York invites Thomas to take part in a Rail gala. Thomas leaves the next day in his own power, and Toby, Daisy and Percy take care of the branchline while he's gone.

1992 - Thomas returns from York and Henry is send to Crovan's Gate for an overhaul. He comes back early after a locomotive crisis and isn't fully repainted yet. Later that year, Sir Charles Topham Hatt retires, leaving his son, Bertram to inherit the railway. On his first act as controller, he rescues three engines from being scrapped; Murdoch, Arthur and an elderly, yet youthfully spirited Stirling Single named Emily.

1995 - While on route to Brendam, Thomas breaks down and his crew come across a shed, where inside is an old steam lorry named Elizabeth, after she gets let out, Elizabeth helps Thomas reach Brendam. She was Sir Topham Hatt |'s first ever vehicle, but was eventually left in a shed. The Fat Controller was so pleased with the discovery of his grandfather's old lorry that he paid for her to be restored to full beauty. She now works on the roads close to the narrow guage lines.

50 years have passed by since the first Railway Series book, and a big celebration is held at Tidmouth to celebrate it.

A high-speed train from the mainland carrying Prince Charles arrives at Knapford to celebrate the occasion.

1996 - Utter horror and tragedy strikes the rails as a feud between two drivers named P. T Boomer and Burnett Stone leads to Burnett's wife, Tasha getting killed after she and their steam engine are pushed off of a partially dilapidated viaduct by Boomer's equally malicious Class 46 Warship, Diesel 10. As said, Tasha is tragically killed in the fall, but their steam engine is still clinging to her life. Burnett leaves Sodor the next week to repair his engine and is never heard from after that.

2000s

2000 - The events of my TATMR rewrite occur. Just think of the og TATMR but the American test audience didn't screw it over.

2004 - Sir Topham Hatt || dies peacefully in his sleep, leaving the current Fat Controller to inherit the baronetcy, becoming Sir Bertram Topham Hatt |||.

2005 - (My planned CAE rewrite) The station at Kellsthorpe Road is rebuilt into a bigger station with a bay platform. During construction, Thomas prevents runaway trucks from crashing into it. Above the Kellsthorpe Road, the ground is prepped for the construction of a new airport for holidaymakers and tourists.

The construction sparks a rivalry between steamies and diesels as the construction requires nearly every single engine on the NWR. As the construction begins, a bad storm delays the build and destroys the suspension bridge over the River Hoo (I dunno how to spell it 🥲). It was quickly rebuilt, and mainline services resumed. The storm had also demolished the original Tidmouth Sheds, and so the engines all had to relocate until it was rebuilt.

Thomas stayed at Knapford Sheds with Emily, who had taken a sudden switch in personality during that time (seriously, she became a gODDAMN BI–) and didn't take kindly to him staying there...at first.

Tidmouth Sheds gets rebuilt with an extra berth for Emily, who stays there permanently.

2006 - The expanding Skarloey Railway was becoming too much for Sir Topham Hatt ||| to handle, which makes sense since he was in control of two whole railways. He hired a man called Peregrine Percival, more commonly known as the Thin Controller, to run it.

A bunch of loaned engines from different railways arrive to the island for temporary services on the NWR. These engines are Molly, Dennis, Neville and Mighty Mac. The bridge for the Peel Godred across the mainline falls into disrepair, and during its reconstruction, Neville missed the warning signal and nearly ran off it. Thomas catched him just in time.

A new statue of the main Tidmouth engines (and Toby) is put on display at Abbey Station.

Around June on the Skarloey, Sir Handel makes a return from the slate mines after his extended, and isolated stay.

2007 - Gordon attempted to beat his speed record again, but gave it up to help out Henry. He eventually did break it, and Sir Topham Hatt awarded him with special coaches. Toby's old shed at Arlesdale End was rebuilt with a new roof, and his old roof was made into a little birdhouse up front.

Another engine from the Mid-Sodor called Freddie was found...somewhere, and brought back to former working order. He reunites with Sir Handel, as he and him are old friends.

Meanwhile, a new breakdown crane named Rocky comes to Sodor, and Edward just hates him for some reason . Why did Edward not like him, you may wonder?

I don't know.

More engines are brought to the island like Rosie, who at the time was absolutely obsessed with Thomas. A engine called Whiff is purchased to work at the recycling plant. There was also Billy, but he's in the Shadow Realm now.

2008 - A snow slide blocks the Skarloey Railway and Duncan has to be transported via road by a snub-nosed lorry called Mage, who takes him to the transfer yard, south of the sheds. In early July, Duncan gives Thomas the wrong directions to the wharf to get him lost. Thomas instead ends up finding the ruins of the long abandoned Great Waterton. He brings Sir Topham Hatt to see it, and he is thrilled with Thomas's great discovery.

Reconstruction of the town is made at once, with Thomas in charge. A new, bigger tank engine called Stanley is brought on to fill in for Thomas's branchline duties and ends up staying at the railway.

A big celebration is held later on for Sodor Day at Great Waterton.

During the same year, a new quarry site is made near Daisy Halt. The quarry is dubbed "The Blue Mountain Quarry". A little Irish engine named Luke is picked up from Ireland by a boat setting course for Sodor to work at said quarry. While on the boat, he meets a Cuban engine named Victor who speaks a different language. As the two are being loaded off at Brendam, Cranky accidentally knocks Victor into the ocean while unloading Luke. After a couple months, Victor is sent to the Steamworks at Crovan's Gate and is repaired. He now works there.

2009 - The Duke and duchess of Boxford build a summerhouse in Sodor while their private engine, Spencer helps with reconstruction. Thomas and him race, but the race ends when Thomas gets diverted down an overgrown siding and discovers Hiro. Hiro had been abandoned by his crew due to him breaking down, with the empty promise that they'd be back. Attempts to restore him prove successful and he gets on the next boat to Japan, bidding everyone farewell.

However, he comes back later that year as the railways in Japan had become overrun with speedy bullet trains, and he preferred the slow and steady nature of Sodor more.

2010 - Imagine Misty Island Rescue but it actually makes sense and the characters, including the Logging Locos, have genuine personalities and aren't bad. Oh yeah, and I gave the island the most logical reason for existing as I could.

2011 - Diesel 10 returns to Sodor with a second chance given to him by Sir Topham Hatt. However, he hasn't changed a bit, as he gathers as many diesels as he can to the rundown Dieselworks in Vicarstown to plot his revenge on all the steam engines. Mainly, Diesel 10 plans to kill Thomas himself for helping Lady escape from his grasp all those years ago. Diesel 10 then attempts to try and derail Edward, set Henrietta on fire with Toby watching, attempts and fails at sending a truck full of explosives into Tidmouth Sheds and crushes one of Thomas's side-tanks, causing a leakage.

Diesel 10 then gets pursued by a few of the steamies and invades the Steamworks. After another life-threatening situation, Sir Topham Hatt confronts the warship and punishes him severely, taking away his wheels and his claw. Diesel 10 now sits at the Arlesburgh beach as a beach hut. He's absolutely ruthless.

2012 - Back to the Blue Mountain Quarry, the Skarloey fleet now works at the quarry as it is part of their railway. Paxton, a diesel who was unwillingly forced into helping Diesel 10 during his fiasco, pulls the slate train from the quarry to Brendam. An accident puts him out of commission and Sir Topham Hatt puts Thomas as the temporary slate hauler.

Thomas ends up finding out about Luke and after hearing his sad story, attempts to find the truth. Diesel catches wind about Luke and views him as dangerous, he then tries to rat out Luke with a reluctant Paxton following behind. You know how the rest goes ;)

After the blue mountain situation is resolved, Sir Topham Hatt's rail inspection car, Winston discovers something VERY special; It was Sir Topham Hatt ||'s old birthday carriage that he used to go around in as a boy. It gets refurbished and is pulled by Edward for Sir Topham Hatt's upcoming birthday. Nevertheless, Sir Topham Hatt becomes tearful when he sees it, a rediscovered remnant to remember his father by.

2013 - Sir Robert Norramby returns from his global trip, and along the way, it's discovered that he purchased Stephen, formally known as Stephenson's Rocket from the National Railway Museum. The Earl reveals that he wants to reopen the tourist attraction at Ulfstead Castle and have Stephen be the main feature of the attraction. Before the grand reopening, Stephen ends up getting lost in the mines beneath the castle and ends up discovering King Godred's crown. He is soon rescued and the crown is brought back to the estate, where it is put on display.

A collision between Gordon and Paxton occurs at Knapford and a stone from Paxton's trucks flies out and punctures Gordon's boiler. At first, Gordon ignores it, but then he soon finds himself constantly low on water. Meanwhile, a new dock engine called Porter is brought on to help Salty.

At the Ulfstead Estate Railway, Stephen is tasked with bringing ingredients for the afternoon tea. Spencer makes fun of him, but Stephen ends up with the last laugh.

Henry and Hiro are enlisted to double-head a big goods train from Ffarqhuarr to Tidmouth Harbour. Unfortunately, they struggle along the way due to bad coal. But in the end, they got there eventually.

Two years after the Diesel 10 fiasco, Percy finds that the out-of-commission diesel, Sidney still hasn't been put back into service and proceeds to help him get his new wheels. Sidney gets his new wheels when Christmas rolls around and visits the engines at Tidmouth to thank them personally.

2014 - After years of heavy reconstruction, the Sodor China Clay Pits are finally approved for a grand reopening, and Sir Topham Hatt sends Thomas there as there is maintenance being done on one of the bridges at his branchline. Along the way, Thomas meets a newly purchased oil-burning engine named Timothy, who he met after being pranked by Bill and Ben. He then meets a very enthusiastic steam shovel locomotive named Marion.

After a few days of working at the pits, a storm comes and Timothy warns Thomas of the unstability of the clay cliffs during bad weather. Out of stubbornness, Thomas doesn't listen and he goes down a line that traverses through the cliffs while the storm is at its highest. A landslide occurs and luckily, Bill and Ben swoop in and save him. The rest will be in my rewrite in the future :)

Later that year The Fat Controller purchases Duck's old slip coaches from the Great Western Railway after he talks about them to the other engines.

2015 ‐ The Earl constructs a new dinosaur park at the estate after getting inspired from the dino skeleton in Wellsworth. The dinosaur park can now be seen on one of the estate railway's routes. A little diesel boxcab named Phillip is purchased and brought on to be Knapford's new station pilot after Duck abandoned it years ago. He takes a liking to Gordon, who doesn't share the same sentiments.

He then races the big engine and wins, and doesn't stop talking about it, much to everyone's annoyance. Some months later, he rescues James from a rather nasty fall.

One of Sir Topham Hatt's workers, Albert has a baby who gets named after Thomas after Thomas babysits him.

A new branchline from Harwick to Arlesburgh is being built, and many engines make a return, even Donald and Douglas who came back after a hefty overhaul to help with construction. Thomas is also sent to help as a punishment for a coach mishap and is replaced by a cocky, over-confident big tank engine named Ryan who does his branchline duties. Thomas tries telling Sir Topham Hatt that he had nothing to do with it and that Gordon was teasing him. But no one believes him.

At Harwick, an incident at the site occurs where the ground collapsed and Thomas goes down a cavern (this gives me flashbacks). When he hits the bottom, Thomas discovers a 4000 year old pirate ship. The ship is raised, moored and put at the Arlesburgh harbour as a part of the maritime museum.

Judy and Jerome, the breakdown train that was used to hoist James out of the fields all those years ago are old and are hardly used anymore due to Rocky taking charge in rescues. They are finally relocated to Harwick, where they handle all derailments from there.

2016 - Thomas travels all the way to Vicarstown, where he meets the Flying Scotsman for the first time. Scotsman reveals that he has been invited to a rail gala happening on the mainland, sparking jealousy from Gordon. Several of the sudrain engines are invited to the event, and Gordon streamlines himself in an attempt to become faster than Scotsman. He gets upset about not being recognised as an A3 Pacific which nearly hinders the start of his race against other big engines.

He loses after nearly exploding because of his missing safety valve, and the Flying Scotsman makes fun of him for it since Gordon was claiming he'd win. Pretty cruel thing to do. Gordon now began despising his only brother the more he was ever talked about or mentioned.

Meanwhile, on the Kenya-Uganda Railway in Kenya, a little orange tank engine named Nia abandons her goods train to go hide in an old mine tunnel.

Back on Sodor and right Before Christmas, Marion discovers Glynn, the old Coffee pot engine from the original Tidmouth, Knapford and Elsebridge Light Railway days. He is taken back to the Steamworks for restoration. Sir Topham Hatt comes to visit and Glynn mistakes him for his Sir Topham Hatt, Richard Hatt. The current Topham is is Bertram. After some explanations, Glynn offers to take Sir Topham Hatt to the Christmas eve fair at Ulfstead, in which he gladly complies. The Fat Controller drives Glynn to the estate where he join joins Stephen from now on.

2017 - A new modern gantry crane named Carly arrives on the docks to help Cranky as his age was catching up with him. Also, Big Mickey breaks his silence. Meanwhile, Rosie, a little pink tank engine gets repainted red and relocated to Vicarstown to pilot trains.

James tries to create a world record as the fastest red engine on Sodor, and his brakes end up failing and he crashes into the Tidmouth Sheds. He is taken away for repairs and the others have to find other places to sleep while the sheds are being fixed. Edward decides to permanently move into the Wellsworth sheds as it starts at his branchline. Gordon really hates this change and tries getting him to come back, but to no avail.

Sometime later, Thomas steals James' goods train to Bridlington, but ends up getting lost on the mainland and imprisoned by the Steelworks engines, Frankie and Hurricane, and their boss. James and Percy go to look for him, find him, and save him.

2018 - A yellow rally car named Ace arrives on Sodor to get the next boat to Africa. Thomas meets him on a passenger run, and Ace tries convincing him to go to Africa. Thomas, at first, is unsure. He may have wanted to see the world when he was still new on the railway. After some more persuading and to be honest, flat out pressuring from Ace, Thomas sneaks away from his branchline and gets on a boat to Africa at the Tidmouth harbour. He takes Annie and Clarabelle with him.

His departure to Africa takes a few days and during those days, everyone panics about his whereabouts. Thomas arrives on Africa and follows Ace. But along the way, he's mistook for a goods engine and is forced to pull a goods train to Dar E Salaam. On his 5000 mile journey, he comes across a little tank engine named Nia blocked up in a mine tunnel.

He helps her get to a nearby Steamworks for repair and continues on his way. However, Nia comes back to Thomas, who is struggling up a hill and helps him out as thanks and joins him on his journey. The two go to a few countries while chasing Ace and get into a few mishaps along the way. The two return to Sodor in one piece and a welcome back party is initiated.

A few months pass, Nia stays in Edward's berth by invitation and Gordon isn't happy with it. Gordon only gets more mad about the changes when Henry decides to move to Vicarstown to have his jobs done quicker, and to have time to visit his forest. Gordon lashes out about the changes and takes it out on Sir Topham Hatt and Nia. The sudden changes are messing with Gordon, but everyone dismisses his feelings as him overreacting. Gordon is just forced to suck it up.

2019 - A quick rise in tourists coming to the island puts a bit of pressure on Gordon, tiring him out as schedules are a lot tighter, and so he has to pull the Express much earlier and much more than usual. So, Sir Topham Hatt purchases a Bulleid Light Pacific named Rebecca. Gordon does NOT take kindly to Rebecca, especially when she takes Henry's old berth. Meanwhile, Nia begins to pick up feelings for Henry.

A storm destroys the school in Harwick, and Duck finds an old coach named Dexter, who becomes restored into a new schoolhouse for the kids.

2020 - A few years had passed since the birth of Albert's son, Little Thomas who has come to see Big Thomas. Henry meanwhile, begins hearing about a stray canine nicknamed "The Railway Hound", as the dog is only ever seen walking along or resting beside the tracks. Concerned for the dog's safety, Henry goes looking for it along with Thomas. They eventually find the dog and Little Thomas adopts it.

Many events would follow suit; Emily gains a shiny new brass nameplate on her smokebox and gets her number at last. A technology fair is held at Ulfstead Castle, introducing a new bullet train named Kenji. Kenji stays on Sodor before going back to Japan, and after a rough 10 year stay on Sodor, Hiro leaves for Japan.

In winter, things take a turn for the worse when Nia takes the Flying Kipper when Henry's filling in for another engine. She crashes into a goods train near Kirk Machan due to faulty signals, sliding into a cold ditch along the way. Thankfully, James pulls by with the Judy and Jerome and hoists her back up to safety. She is then sent to the Steamworks for an indefinite long repair.

2021 - Nia returns from the Works in early Spring with a new safety valve and a better firebox, everyone welcomed her return. A month after, Queen Elizabeth || writes a letter to Sir Topham Hatt, inviting him to London for a special reward for his services to the railways. By the specific request of Prince Charles, Edward and Thomas get to come along with their controller. Along the way, the trio encounter many mishaps ànd end up getting dirty.

During the journey, Edward and Thomas have several encounters with Diana, who rudely keeps taking their spots for coal refills and water fills. After she bursts her safety valve, the two help her get to London Station and to their utter shock, Diana turned out to be the Queen's private engine and she was pulling the Queen and his son during the entire trip.

Prince Charles tells Edward and Thomas how he loved to read the books about them as a child and personally rewards them both with medals. Sir Topham Hatt gets a medal too, of course.

Alls well that ends well...

Or is it...?

[just-an-emily-existing]

I FINISHED IT!!!!! I FINALLY DID IT!!!!! I got Ryan and Lady done for Purple and Pink and I hope you guys like the result! Thank you all so much for voting and helping me decide which characters to draw for each color!

[yorgunherakles]

bizi hangi mucize biraraya getirdiyse yine aynı mucize birbirimizden ayıracak, mesele bu. biz kopmak üzere biraraya geldik, birlikteliğimizin nedeni bu.

iris murdoch - kara prens

[ha-bloody-ha]

Can we talk about this?

[daikenkki]

https://twitter.com/Dennisdpk24/status/1633783489014398978

[cressida-jayoungr]

Coeli's Picks: Pink, part 2

(Multiple movies listed left to right.)

One Dress a Day Challenge

March: Pink Redux

Murdoch Mysteries (s7e8, "Republic of Murdoch") / Hélène Joy as Dr. Julia Ogden

I asked Coeli if she knew of any good pink dresses for Dr. Ogden and she said there were surprisingly few. And then I ran out of March before getting a chance to use any of them! But here's what she found.

"This one seems to be from Season 7. I have not yet tracked down a better picture or an episode number for it, but it looks promising."

s13e11 ("Everything Is Broken, part 2"):

Niagara (1953) / Marilyn Monroe as Rose Loomis

The 10th Victim (1965) / Ursula Andress as Caroline Meredith

To Catch a Thief (1955) / Grace Kelly as Frances Stevens

"Did she wear a single outfit in this movie that wasn't iconic?"

Green Acres (s1e2) / Eva Gabor as Lisa Douglas

s4e2:

Bewitched (s5e12, "Weep No More My Willow") / Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens

DuBarry Was a Lady (1943) / Lucille Ball as May Daly

L'Innocente (The Innocent) (1976) / Jennifer O'Neill as Teresa Raffo

American Horror Story: Hotel (episode 2 "Chutes and Ladders") / Lady Gaga as the Countess

"Okay, the color of this one isn't really pink, but I love it!"

[hazel-of-sodor]

100 followers! I wasn’t expecting this anytime soon. To celebrate, here is every locomotive I’ve mades as this post.

[jones-art-blog]

Random drawing I did of Kenickie Murdoch from Grease. Partially for fun and partially in celebration of Rise of The Pink Ladies! I'm only on episode three but I'm enjoying it so far.

[makoto-nihil]

The Ocean Hunter: Eyes of Truth - Log Entry 02-01

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==June 14, Year 10==

***The following morning, Father departed for his trip to Luna Sea without seeing me for one last time.***

"He left just a few minutes ago. He didn't mention if he'll stop by your friend's place to see you before his flight later this morning," Their uncle Roger's voice spoke on the other end of the line, still cheerful as ever. "But don't you worry about your father, boy."

Torel twisted the cord connecting the handset receiver to the wall-mounted telephone with one hand as they held the receiver with the other against their ear. The morning sunlight in the living room area on the other side of where Torel was in the apartment was peeking through the closed window blinds, but it still felt too early to be awake at seven in the morning, especially on a weekend.

A few minutes ago, their peaceful slumber was interrupted by the wall-mounted telephone ringing across where they were in the living room area of the apartment's main room in the dining room area. Since Torel was sleeping on the couch in the living room area last night, their earbuds were immediately subjected to the loud noise the moment the phone rang. At first they'd thought it was for Taka, since Chris had mentioned that in the past people would sometimes call him directly in the early hours before the auto shop opened to schedule appointments for repairs and maintenance ahead of time, much to his chagrin and annoyance. They'd pulled the pillow over their ears and tried go back to sleep in spite of the loud noise. A minute later, they'd heard Taka grumbling from his room, which was near the dining room area, followed by some shuffling, and then his door opening and him dragging himself to answer the phone and muttering to himself, accompanied by the sound of a metal crutch clacking against the hardwood floor. Another minute passed along with a small conversation muffled by the pillow over their ears before Torel heard Taka walk over, them hearing the crutch coming closer and clacking against the floor first before they felt him shake them by their shoulder with a gruff, "It's your uncle calling for you." Torel made sure to thank Taka before the older man headed back into his room to go back to sleep.

"Why, when we were young lads, we once got lost in the woods behind the family manor! I was scared out of my wits, being in the middle of nowhere, and your aunt, who had the entire woods mapped out in her brilliant and bright mind, was busy helping your grandmother with some historical records. But your father kept his chin up and remained absolute that we would find our way back home! Just when we thought we found the path we'd took earlier to head back home, a huge bear suddenly appeared and-."

"Roger, please!" Lady Murdoch's voice snapped in the background, interrupting Roger.

Torel heard his uncle's and mother's voice become muffled on other end of the line, as if his uncle had put a hand over the receiver to discuss something with her. "At least tell him to come home right now!" and "He'll come home when he feels like it" were what Torel managed to make out from the muffled discussion. A couple minutes passed before they heard their uncle get back to them.

"Anyways, I'm sure Samuel will be just fine," Roger said reassuringly.

"I guess so," was all Torel could mumble in reply.

***Despite how I felt about Father back then, even back since I was younger, I still felt a little worried about him. This was the first research expedition he'd done after he and his research institution were forced to stop five years ago because of what happened at North Sea. I thought about what if something happens during the trip? More importantly, would he return home like he'd always done in his previous trips?***

***Even so, I pushed those worried thoughts to the back of my mind.***

After his uncle wished them a good weekend before hanging up, Torel put the receiver back on the phone box and dragged themself back to the couch. As soon as they get some more sleep, they and Chris (who was still sound asleep despite all the noise outside his room) would continue with their study session for the upcoming exams which, as a result of their impromptu decision to stay over at Chris's apartment for the weekend yesterday, something they looked forward to at this point and would be for the rest of the weekend. They flopped back onto the couch and instantly fell back asleep the moment their head hit the pillow. The last thing they heard before their lights went out was the low whirring hum of the small rotating fan that sat on a chair next to the couch and towards them.

By the time the alarm clock in Taka's room went off an hour later, Torel was still fast asleep.

~~~~~~~

==June 16==

***Soon enough, the exams had came and gone, and summer break finally arrived.***

"Finally, it's over!" Torel exclaimed, exhausted. They stretched their arms up as they spoke, only for exhaustion to catch up to them and causing them to suddenly slump onto Chris, who was walking next to them. They managed to sling their left arm around his shoulder before their body almost gave way.

The two were walking through a huge crowd of students flooding out of the front doors of the school building. Chris blinked down at their now-tired queer platonic partner before wrapping his right arm around their right shoulder to pull them up and turning his attention back to the book open in his left hand - Moby Dick - while keeping an eye on the path ahead. As the crowd around them started to scatter off to different directions, Torel leaned against their partner and walked alongside him for a few more minutes before they finally realized Chris hadn't said anything to their earlier proclamation. They lifted their head slightly up to look at him.

"Hey, aren't you glad the exams are over?" they asked, still feeling exhausted.

"Hm?" Chris's eyes flickered towards Torel. "Yeah."

Torel tilted their head a bit. Chris didn't look as tired as they were; in fact, he looks rather relaxed and calm. "Really? 'Cause you were looking extremely focused and tense during the exams, so I'd thought you'd be happy to be done with them."

"I am. I just didn't devote my entire brain power into completing them, unlike you." Chris then lightly tapped the book against Torel's head. Torel exclaimed in surprise and lazily swatted at him with their free hand while Chris cracked a small smile at them.

Torel then noticed some of the upperclasspeople nearby being surrounded by Torel's and Chris's fellow current year students. The crowded students were being wished by the underclasspeople good luck with getting into the colleges or universities of their dreams, their future endeavors and whatnot.

"You know, it's really sad to see them go," they remarked as they scanned the crowded upperclasspeople to find a familiar face. "It's kinda hard to see them depart for college or other ventures after all the studying sessions and support for each other and us underclasspeople for the whole year, except for the jerks of course. Even though there's a chance that they'll come back to the city to visit whenever they can."

Chris hummed in assent, looking up in the same direction as Torel was. Before he could say anything, he felt someone glomp onto his right side and squeeze his right arm tightly. He glanced over to see a familiar dark-skinned girl with dark short hair clinging onto his right arm. Torel too was glancing over to see who it was, this time standing upright instead of slouching. Chris sighed and turned his left hand to lightly tap his book on her head. "Hey, Kayla," he mumbled.

"It's...sad," she mumbled.

"Sad?" Chris inquired.

"They're leaving. They kept saying they're going for their dreams, but it's just an excuse for something else..."

"Like...hunting sea monsters?" Torel guessed.

"Hm?" She looked over at them with her emerald green eyes.

"Well, it's no surprise, Kayla." Torel, Chris, and Kayla turned around to see a tall, fair-skinned upperclassman with short brown hair approaching them from behind. "Considering the bounties on the Seven Great Monsters' heads had increased just yesterday, it's no doubt people like them would be enticed and distracted from their otherwise stated goals to try to claim the big prize," the upperclassman continued.

"Why would they, though?" Torel asked.

"Even though many others have tried and failed in the past?" Kayla followed.

"Who knows?" The upperclassman shrugged. "Maybe they think their futures aren't worth it in the long run and that hunting sea monsters for their bounties sounds more exciting and prospective."

"Well, maybe it's something else besides that. Maybe they just want to get glory and fame faster?" Torel pointed out.

"Or maybe it's for personal vengeance," Chris guessed.

Silence quickly fell over the four young adults. The chatter and noise from the other students around them continued on.

"So what about you, Charles?" Torel asked the upperclassman a minute later. "What do you really plan to do now that you're done with A-levels?"

"Me?" The upperclassman immediately straightened up and stood with his arms crossed. "Well, I ain't fishing anytime soon. Ain't got the time for that!" he declared. A bold smile streaked across his face.

"So, you're still going for it?" Torel inquired excitedly.

"Definitely!" His face was now beaming with confidence and his bright purple eyes twinkled with excitement. "In three to four years, depending on your perspective, England will hear from the next Charles Dickens, the most awesome writer of all time - Charles Radcliffe!" he proclaimed, extending his hand to the air with a flourish. "I just have to decide which of the many universities that accepted my application I would attend," he added, lowering his hand a bit.

"Well, guess that means we'll have to wait for more than three to four years for your first novel," Chris said in a jokingly half-resigned and half-nonchalant voice.

Kayla giggled with a hand over her smile.

"Chris~!," Torel whined with a sweat drop rolling down the side of their face.

"What?"

"Why you got to bring down the mood?"

"I wasn't."

Charles laughed and playfully cuffed Torel and Kayla by their shoulders, causing both Torel and Chris to bonk each other in the head and almost throwing Kayla off-balance. "Oh, I'm so going to miss y'all. But hey, my ol' pop sent my final manuscript of my short story to his friends at a literary magazine publisher just yesterday," he added with a wink. "With any luck, my months of drafts should pay off soon and you'll definitely see my first work before the semester starts."

~~~~~~~

Much later, the group had relocated to the city park. Since it was still early in the afternoon, the park wasn't very crowded when they arrived, and so they were able to find a spot in the grassy parts of the park to sit together under the warm afternoon sun. Torel and Chris sat next to each other, their satchels placed behind them to act as cushions, while Charles sat a bit from Torel's side and Kayla close by Chris's side and still clinging onto his left arm. For a while, the four friends did nothing but gaze out to the blue sea beyond while the the sounds of chatter and kids playing around them in the distance and the seagulls cawing above carried on.

But, it didn't take long for the calm and tranquility of the park, or rather the peaceful silence between the group, to be interrupted by loud chanting and shouting behind them in the distance.

"Them again?" Torel sighed in annoyance. They didn't bother to look over their shoulder to see where the source of the unexpected commotion came from - rather, everyone in the park and in the vicinity of the noise knew very well where it's coming from.

"Who? That group over there?" Charles inquired, looking behind him and pointing his thumb at the group of figures in black cloaks walking into the park.

"Who else?"

"Oh, the Vox maris Dei-whatever. That fanatic sea monster cult."

While Torel and Charles were chatting, Chris had quickly grabbed his satchel as soon as he heard the loud commotion behind them in the distance and got up, pulling Kayla with him in the process, considering that she was still clinging onto his arm and her satchel still slung on her shoulder, but she nevertheless willing to follow where he goes. Torel didn't notice this until they caught them by the corner of their eye heading down the hill. They looked back to where the cult group was and just then noticed the path the cultists were starting to walk down on would lead down close to where they and their friends were sitting. Quickly connecting the dots, Torel quickly picked up their satchel and followed after them with a "Hey, wait up!", Charles following suit.

The cult group soon walked past the four's original sitting spot, chanting loudly a disarray of phrases and gibberish. Some of the parkgoers looked at them, a few in annoyance and even shaking their heads. The rest were pulling their children towards them and away from the cultists while covering their ears. Eventually, the cultists reached the end of the path and were walking away from the park, much to the relief of every parkgoer, and the parkgoers resumed their activities before they were interrupted earlier. In the case of Torel, Chris, Kayla, and Charles, however, they remained at their new spot further down the hill and past the promenade and near the park's lighthouse.

"They seem to be going around more often than they used to," Kayla noted as she watched the cultists disappear from view. "Even though no-one listens to them at all."

"Well, who'd listen to them?" Charles remarked. "Scream and yell the same fanatical crap all the time, and people are bound to detest you, even ignore you completely. Though, it's not like that's ever stopped them from bothering everyone else they come across."

"Father and the other scientists at his research institute have had a few bad run-ins with the cult because of their work," Torel said, adding to the conversation. "Those fanatics have been harassing them for years, for 'disrupting the harmony and well-being of the Seven Seas'. What they don't understand is that Father - and my family in that matter - and the other scientists have been doing the opposite for a long time, even before the Seven Great Monsters came."

"But, as to why they'd been more active lately," Charles noted, "it's probably cause of this so-called 'doomsday' that's supposedly coming up."

"Huh?!" Kayla tightened her grip on Chris's arm as she and Torel whipped their heads towards the older young adult. Chris, for his part, grunted in pain and patted Kayla's shoulder to get her to loosen up her grip, which she promptly does, before turning his head to look at Charles.

"Haven't you heard?" Charles looked at his younger friends' puzzled look. "I know I said that people would usually ignore the cult, but I picked up a few details or so from their ramblings this past week. Supposedly, this 'doomsday' they'd been wailing and crying about nonstop is drawing near, around this summer or fall or something. Course, it doesn't sound like Rahab, who they proclaim to be their so-called god, could ever destroy the world and remake it in his own image, since after all he is just a sea monster. I would say, though, that Great Monster is a better mystery than the other six," he added. "But hey, it's not like the world will end soon."

"What makes you say that?" Torel asked curiously.

"Call me crazy for actually catching on to what the cultists that walked by earlier were yapping about, but supposedly Rahab would have to wait until he and the other monsters find this...thing of sort." Everyone gave him unimpressed looks. "OK, I wasn't that attentive. But the way I see it, and given that it's been ten years ever since the Great Monsters appeared, it'll probably be years before that sorta thing could happen. I would say, though, this 'prophecy' kinda reminds me a bit of this old tale I've heard of before". Charles scratched his hair. "I think it was called, The Man of the Sea, or something..."

Out of the corner of Torel's eye, they noticed Chris perked up a bit.

"But either way, I forgot how the old tale goes," Charles quickly admitted. "It was something I read up on in a book while I was touring one of the universities I applied to over waaaaaayyy back during January break, in the campus library."

"I think I may have also read something like that too in the library back at home, now that you mention it," Torel noted, rubbing their chin. "What about you, Chris?" they asked as they glance over at him.

The moment the attention turned to him, Chris nearly froze. "I, uh...maybe?" was what he managed to stammer out, a sweat drop rolling down the side of his face.

"What do you mean, 'maybe'?" Charles inquired, tilting his head in curiosity.

Chris could still feel everyone looking at him. "It's...just something my Mom used to tell me..." He stopped talking with a sigh.

Torel noticed something flicker in his eyes when he spoke and immediately got the feeling of what it was. A pang of guilt twisted inside them. "Hey, you don't have to continue if it's making you uncomfortable," they quickly said, putting a hand on his shoulder, which they hoped communicated to him as reassuring. "Sorry for asking-."

"No." Chris patted the hand on his shoulder. "I-It's fine. It's fine." He took a deep breath before he continued. "I just...only know the parts of the tale that she remembered." He swallowed and cleared his throat a bit.

"There was once a man who lived with his two children in the sea. The endless ocean was his home, and the creatures were his friends. And they all lived happily together in the sea in peace.

One day, the man fell into a great slumber. But when he woke up, he found destruction...and one of his children gone."

Silence filled the air, save for the whistling winds coming from the direction of the sea far away and the hubbub up the hill where most of the parkgoers were.

"That's...all I know," Chris said apologetically, looking away. He curled his right hand halfway into a fist, if not all the way, had Torel not gently placed a hand on his back and Kayla squeezing his left arm.

"I'm sorry again," Torel apologized.

"I'll be OK," was his response.

A few minutes passed before anyone spoke.

"Well, I think I'll raid the public library and see if I can find the old tale in the folklore section or similar," Charles proclaimed. "If not, then I'll swing by your place, Torel, and raid your library! Kidding!" he exclaimed, laughing, as Torel moved to swat at him while shouting, "As if!"

"But really," Charles pointed out, "it does leave a lot of questions. Like who or what destroyed the sea that the man calls 'home', and what happened to his kids. Ahaha...theories abound!"

Charles pulled out a pen and a notebook from his satchel and started to jot down ideas and theories. As he does that, Chris glanced over at Torel, who had turned their head to look out towards the sea beyond.

"You're worried about your Dad?" he asked.

Torel bit their lip as they contemplated for a bit. They shook their head. "Not really...but a part of me is, as much as I don't really want to," they admitted reluctantly.

"Even after ten years, your ol' pop must be really crazy to go out to to the Seven Seas at a time like this," Charles remarked, lifting his head up as he continued to write. "But, everyone here still respects him, as far as my pop told me."

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time he'd crossed into dangerous territory for the sake of research," Torel shrugged, followed by a sigh, "but, who knows? Maybe he'll come back alive and okay from this trip, just like he always did."

***Or so I thought.***

***I didn't "hear" from Father until a week later...***

[bearsinpotatosacks]

Rage Rising - Chapter 1 - A Grease Fic

Kenickie’s been antagonising Sandy for a while, but when something goes wrong in his personal life, it all comes to head with Danny.

Words: 3244

Also on AO3

The group sat around the fire, the embers flickering up away in the early spring breeze. Half hearted laughter blew away along with it as Sonny and Doody made an attempt at humour. Danny tried to make his reaction genuine, yet struggled, as their humour hadn’t evolved past elementary school and was starting to wear down his patience.

He tightened his arm around Sandy and smiled. The fire glowed on her skin, made the light blazing in her eyes intensify as her body shivered slightly in the cold. An instinct, a hidden one from years before when his Dad tried to teach him the ways of women, told him to take off his own jacket and place it around her, making her grin when he did.

She seemed more comfortable after a few months of being at Rydell, now the drama of her first getting here, the dance and the drive-in had settled he could see she was getting close with the group. Well, apart from Kenickie.

He knew why. The arrival of Sandy had changed everything they had and had been building up. Years of trust gone down the drain because of some unspoken rule that they couldn’t be friends while Danny was with her. 

They weren’t just friends, though. He remembered the nights spent by the racetrack watching the drivers train. The lights shone on his face the same it was on Sandy’s now, but he gave him butterflies as they kissed in silhouettes, she radiated comfort as he tried to bury the past.

A car rumbled along the dirt track, they weren't too far from the town but far enough out that the lights in houses were distant and the road petered out about half a mile away. 

Headlights lit up the trees, turned them from black to vibrant green before the car turned and stopped beside Danny's and Rizzo's. 

Danny knew that fresh paintwork, the shabby bumper and tired flat top roof. It was Grease Lightning. So, it was Kenickie.

He hadn't seen him much lately, all his time had gone into the car. Danny had helped of course, they were all helping, but it was always with the others. They didn't seem to be alone anymore. Every time Danny suggested anything, fixing the car, going to Frosty's or just hanging out, Kenickie'd shrug it off. 

Suddenly he could handle the car alone, wasn't hungry, like you needed to be hungry to go to Frosty's, or he'd just outright make some snide comment about Sandy needing him.

He thought he wasn't being obvious with how little he liked Sandy but he definitely was. His face had become scarce at group hangouts like this, ones where Sandy came. Even Rizzo was being more civil than him, and she could be a real bitch sometimes.

Kenickie lit a cigarette with his overdramatic lighter and slammed the door behind him. He scanned the group, his eyes landing on Danny before switching to Sandy, then back again. His hand lingered in his pocket as he put his lighter back, tension sprung tight in his jaw.

Sandy, being her usual naive self, waved at him. Her face dropped when he scowled. He dropped himself near Rizzo. The gang stopped in their antics, stared at him before he raised his hands and pulled out his cigarette.

"What?" He said.

"Nothing," Rizzo said, then added under her breath. "You're just the Jack Ripper of the mood that's all."

Kenickie must not have been fully paying attention, as he just scowled, again. He usually would spit something back at her, that was their strange dynamic when it came to flirting, yet, when he saw Rizzo's face, he wondered if they were fighting again.

She just rolled her eyes and turned to Sandy. Danny wouldn’t say they were friends, Rizzo would talk enough shit behind her back to make that known, but it had decreased of late. She was being civil a lot more, not directly antagonising her like she did at the start. Maybe Frenchie had talked to her, she was the only one who really seemed to be friends with everyone lately.

“So-” Rizzo said with one of the fakest smiles he’d ever seen, like he said, they weren’t friends, “Frenchie tells me that you two went on some kind of date?”

As she said that, she glanced at Kenickie. Danny didn’t even know what they were fighting about now, he couldn’t keep up with them before Sandy and certainly couldn’t now. From what he knew, Nick was trying to be supportive about Rizzo being pregnant, so why was she annoyed?

"Oh, yeah, we took a trip over spring break to a racetrack in-" Sandy pondered for a second.

Danny filled in the blank, "Sonoma, near San Francisco."

He moved his gaze away from Kenickie deliberately. That place was special to them. When Nickie first got his licence, because of course he got it first, he always drove when they 'borrowed' people's cars, they took a long weekend away to San Francisco. The school would've raged if that was their first time skipping school, but it wasn't, so no real fuss was put up for them.

It wasn't glamorous. As two poor sixteen year olds, they couldn't afford the ritz, or even a hotel. They slept in the car, under the stars and were thankful for the California weather.

"Sonoma?" Kenickie said, almost a whisper.

"Yeah, it was great, although I don't know much about racing," Sandy exclaimed.

She must have been oblivious to the shadows running across Kenickie’s face, but Danny wasn't. He saw him go through the stages of grief in a single moment before darting up and breaking the scene.

With his locked on the fire, he said with words seething rage, "Danny, can I speak with you for a second."

He knew what this would be. It had been building for a while. Since Sandy came into the picture they just hadn't been the same, and despite them both trying to keep it under wraps, some things just couldn't stay unspoken for long.

~~~~

Kenickie tugged Danny toward the wooded area away from the light of the fire, not too far so they’d be in complete darkness, but far enough away that they wouldn’t be heard. And he needed to make sure they weren’t heard. 

After they’d gotten far enough away, Kenickie could finally let go of everything that had been driving him crazy for the last few weeks, no months. He could barely speak. Anger was flooding his system, more than he thought he could feel for someone so close to him. But under that, beneath the layers of viscous red was something much worse, something he was almost afraid to feel because it would mean so much more than just a girl stealing his friend. It was heartbreak.

“Sonoma?!” Was all he could get out at first. “You took her to Sonoma?”

“What, like it’s illegal?” Danny spat back

The look on his face told Kenickie he didn’t mean it. But he didn’t care.

“It was a date, I wanted to take her somewhere special, somewhere where we wouldn’t get disturbed by a certain group of teenagers,”

Maybe he was a little right about that? That night at the diner may have been a little disruptive, but maybe he wanted it to be? Danny being with Sandy was the whole reason he was so angry lately. He wanted nothing less than to ruin every moment they had, maybe then she'd leave him alone. 

"Fine, but Sonoma? That place is almost a seven hour drive away, you couldn't think of somewhere closer?"

"Didn't you hear me? I wanted somewhere far away."

"San Francisco, then?" He said. "Why Sonoma?"

He stepped closer, close enough that he could see the distant flames flicker in Danny's eyes. Clenching his hands at his sides, he fought the urges to pull the lapels of his jacket, the one they spent hours trying to stitch with their insignia. He knew that part of him he was afraid of, the part being denied because of Sandy, would take it too far. 

"You know what that place means to me, to us,"

As he stabbed his chest with his finger, he thought back to that weekend. Stolen car, beers bought off a fake ID, watching races without a ticket. The stars glittered so brightly as they talked about girls. In a moment of impulse, they said some bullshit about practicing kissing for girls and their lips met. Cars raced past, the wind picked up and something undoubtedly began. Something Danny couldn't just deny now he had a new girlfriend.

"I know, okay?" Danny said.

Honesty was wrought all over his face. It didn't stop everything else Kenickie wanted to say, but hesitation began to spring. 

"I know we can't do this-" he gestured between them. "But just, don't pretend that we've never been more than friends."

He glanced around at the floor, "Sandy may be a cover for something, but don't make me feel like I made it all up. I get it, sometimes I wonder if me and Rizzo are real, I do feel things for her, or if it's all a cover up-"

"Sandy’s not a cover up." Danny said, confused. "I never said she was a cover up."

Kenickie ran a hand through his hair. By the way Danny's face went from reminiscing about to the past to noticing the cold hard present, he'd fucked up with that last comment. He pushed him away. Kenickie’s anger at each him finally matched.

"But that's just what you want, isn't Nickie?" 

Was he a wimp if that nickname made it hurt more? Only Danny ever called him anything other than Kenickie. 

"And you're fed up because you're not getting what you want, like you always do."

Sentimentality was gone. He thought of the letter in his pocket. That's why he actually came here, not to shout at Danny, but to finally get a chance to talk to him alone. Now they were here, rage rising, full of anger.

"Get what I want?" Kenickie snapped. "When have I ever got what I wanted? My mom walking out on me, is that what I wanted? Having a dad that doesn't give a shit, is that what I wanted?"

"My dad's in prison, you're not the only one who's had a hard life, alright?"

Both of them were heaving now. His hands were shaking, partially from anger, partially from hurt. They'd never fought like this.

"And why are you going on to me about not being there? You're the one avoiding me at all costs!"

He looked away. Sure, that was true, but he had his reasons. Danny didn’t have to say it in a way that made him question everything. Not that he would tell him that, he couldn't trust him anymore, not after everything that had happened.

"Why would I want to spend time with you when all you do is talk about her?" He bared his teeth at him. "Oh, Sandy’s parents invited me for tea, they really liked me, running track's not so bad maybe Sandy’s onto something."

He pulled away, running his hand through his hair again, one of his nervous ticks. Whoever said talking about emotions must've never actually done it. All he was feeling was shaky, guilt flooding his system but satisfaction at seeing Danny's face before he came up with something to say.

"You're changing too much. I don't want to be around you because you're boring, becoming like everyone else. Clubs, parents, the Danny I remember was there for me when I needed him, answered the phone or rang me back because he knew what it meant."

"Well maybe I don't want to hold your hand like some baby anymore!"

Thwack! Danny recoiled from the punch and stumbled back a few paces. Blood trickled from his nose. He swiped it with his finger as he looked up at Kenickie. 

More guilt flooded his system, almost making him forget why he did it. Even during their worst fights, it never got to that point. It had always been them. Their bond was strong and consistent, sometimes the only consistent things in each other’s lives. But now that was gone, Kenickie felt he was spiralling. The only thing keeping him tethered was the car and Rizzo being pregnant, even if it wasn’t his. 

Then the anger came back and he remembered that was exactly why he did it. Danny had always been there, rain or shine, girl or no girl. If he rang him, a mess, in the night, he’d pick up or have a better excuse than ‘I was having dinner at Sandy’s’. If he knocked on his window, he’d let him in. Now the world had turned on its head and couldn’t make out which way was up. 

“I’m not a damn baby Danny and you know it,” he spat. “You’ve always known it. If there was anyone who’s been through shit, it’s us, so don’t go saying that me needing you is me being a baby. You know I needed you and now you’re feeling guilty-”

He pointed at him and as he kept his gaze at where they'd kicked up dust from their scrapple, “Well, good, but don’t go blaming me just because you can’t handle that your changing is pushing everyone away.”

Tears sprung now. Everything was going to shit. Just when his life seemed to be going well, Sandy came into the picture. And, sure, he knew she wasn’t manipulating him and he knew that their friend group wasn’t breaking apart but it was so much nicer to have someone to blame. Because he’d gotten tired of blaming his dad, he knew he’d never change, and couldn’t blame a mum that wasn’t around. Blaming Danny and Sandy was the closest he had to getting something to change, even if it hurt deep down.

The tears blobbed down his face now. He tried to rub them away but the dam was open, he couldn’t stop it now. Reaching into his pocket, he thought he might as well show him the letter. They’d come this far, why not tell him what he’d intended to in the first place.

“You know, I actually had a reason for talking to you, something serious.” He tugged the crumpled letter out of his pocket and flashed it at Danny.

“My mom wrote, Dad got to the letter before I did, he was drunk out of his mind by the time I got home from working on the car and you know what he gets like when he’s drunk,” he said, keeping his eyes on the floor. “And I called you because you get it, except now you don’t.

“You don’t get it, you call me a baby for wanting some support in my shitty life but instead you’re with that bitch-”

“Hey!”

“You’re with her and you don’t care what else happens as long as everything’s fine on your own little planet, well for the rest of us, maybe it ain’t!”

He couldn’t take this anymore. His feet carried him away, out of the wooded area and back toward the fire. He didn’t feel like staying, though.

“Kenickie, wait!” Danny called after him. “I’m sorry, okay?”

He turned around, fully aware that everyone was watching them but suddenly not caring, “You’re sorry? You’re sorry? Maybe you should show it by thinking of something else but you and your girlfriend, Rizzo’s pregnant, Frenchie left the school and came back, and I-”

He held his tongue about the letter. Mentioning his mum was something he rarely did to the others. They thought he was aloof and blasé about it, not that he’d cried when he’d found the envelope opened by his dad on the kitchen table just because that tiny little connection he still had with his mum, wherever she was, may finally be broken.

He stood in close, tapping his chest, “-I needed you, and you weren’t there, so don’t bother next time, okay? I don’t need you, not anymore.”

He knew that was an exaggeration. It was a good way to end an argument but what was he going to do on Monday, or in the shop with the car. He needed him and he knew it but he couldn’t let him know that, at least not yet.

~~~~

“Kenickie,” Danny called after him as he climbed into his car. “Nickie, wait, please!”

The group was speechless as the car pulled away, its headlights illuminating them for a moment before the tires screeched on the dirt path. They just left to watch Danny. He stood like some lost kid waiting for his mother to come back. He left his gaze on where the infamous ‘Grease Lightning’ had been parked.

Sandy broke the silence, “Maybe I should talk to him, it looks like what Kenickie really said really hurt him.”

Rizzo placed her hand on her arm and gave her a look she evidently didn’t understand.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said.

“Why? They've been fighting since I got here, they don't seem like good friends from what I've seen,”

It was in times like this that it really showed that Sandy was the new girl. Most of them had known each other their whole lives, or at least more than a year. Frenchie had moved here in her freshman year, Rizzo wasn't proud of how she’d treated her at first, but as their group slowly formed, everyone eventually got along. Until now, of course.

Rizzo turned to face her fully, "Look, Sandy," she started. "Danny and Kenickie have been friends for as long as any of us can remember, and they've been all each other has had for almost as long."

"Has Danny told you about his dad?"

She knew that information was sensitive. Usually she didn't care about keeping secrets but even she knew there were some things you didn't spout carelessly. 

"Yeah, he's in prison, isn't he?"

Rizzo nodded, "When he got sent down, Danny went straight to Kenickie’s house, still in his suit, and practically dragged him out the house."

Sandy took the information in with wide eyes. 

"And Kenickie-" she wasn't sure whether to tell her, but Sandy didn't seem the type to heartlessly tell people's tragedies. "Well, don't tell him I said this, but his mom walked out, dad didn't take it well, whenever things get a little much, including the day his mom walked out, Kenickie could always rely on Danny."

"You being here has disrupted that, and I know you probably didn't mean it, it's just that Danny's never been with a girl as seriously as you have, so there's less space for Kenickie in his life," she said, then added. "At least that's what Kenickie thinks, anyway."

Sandy didn't respond for a little while. There was a look on her face was confused Rizzo. After trying to decipher it, she realised it was her being pensive.

"Maybe someone should talk to him, then," she said, as if it was that simple.

But as Rizzo watched Danny trail about without purpose, she wondered if it actually was. They were all so tied up in their own complicated worlds, preconceived ideas and places in their group made fixing things seem impossible. Maybe someone new was exactly what they'd needed after all? 

Not that she’d admit that to Sandy.

I've had some ideas for grease for a while and @caveiratimida encouraged me to write this! My general ideas are that Danny's dad is in prison for GBH, Kenickie’s mum walked out on him (with his sister that he doesn’t tell anyone about). Also, yes, they do have thing, or did before Sandy.

Thanks for reading!

[whatithinkaboutdarkshadows]

Episode 255: My fair lady

Accustomed to Her Face Imperious eccentric Barnabas Collins wants to reinvent working girl Maggie Evans as a member of his class- genteel in manner, florid in speech, thirsty for the blood of the living. Willie Loomis does not believe Barnabas’ plan will work, but because of the nature of their relationship he of course helps him with it. Living in their house, Maggie sometimes seems to be well…

[rebornrosess]

msnbc trying to make people sympathize with trump by likening him to LOGAN ROY to prove he’s a FAMILY MAN is so fucking funny

[ejzah]

George: Although, I’ve known some particularly strong women in my time.

Henry, smirking: You certainly have.

Probably best not to go through George’s dating history.