#Ship transmission

[sixth-rung]

A Transmission From the Dark

[ A call from the dark depths beams to all near enough to hear. It presents its origins proudly, a beacon in endless night.]

Travelers, come to the Anabasis! Ascend to the Sixth Rung! Let the master of the house shower you with gifts. Tell your stories and know you are loved! The Anabasis, great capital ship of a mighty fleet, returns from far uncharted stars to civilization once more! All are welcome to come and peruse its findings. All are welcome to ascend to the Sixth Rung. Join there with the captain in merry making.

Travelers! Yours are the most beloved of guests. Come, for to the captain you are kin.

[The message repeats after a pause, no different than before. Steady, constant, brave. ]

[kakusboyfriend]

Robot characters who are given names like SL-308-62 but instead of their human friend going Well let's call you Sally for short, they instead ask the other if they Like their current name.

"Do you like your serial number?" they ask. "Yes, quite. It reminds me of who I am" the robot replies. "I have heard others like me go by different names after some time, and maybe one day I'll choose one for myself, too. But right now that is my full name, yes" they continue.

Because it's not your decision to make whether or not the robot will receive a new name. It should be theirs only. What's the difference? One is more complex and the other is simplified. They were both given by strangers instead of themselves.

"62 will do," they conclude. "It's my model number - there will be no other 62 after me."

[heart-of-the-morningstar]

Transmission really did that, huh?

[drawing2cope]

quick head empty doodle

[halflifebutawesome]

I see that tomrey tag on the ghostbusters au pleaseeeee talk about them 🥺. You're a voice for the people

LOOKS AROUND ALL NERVOUS.

YEAGH. tomrey..... UMMM. well. Like I said ☝️ my AU my weirdly specific personal tommybeny dynamic.

This is also just kinda tied into my personal hlvrai canon thoughts but like. Ok. When Tommy was like..... probably a teenager..... Benry (a teen-aged Fucking Thing) escaped through a Crack in the fabric between the world of the living and the ghost realm and ended up meeting Tommy who was out on his first ghost bust.

Tommy's like. Pretty in-tune with ghosts and their presences/energies so he just kind of. Decided to befriend Benry on the spot and drag him around with him. I think Bubby and Coomer and Gman I think always. Kept an Eye On Benry because they figured out pretty quickly that Ben wasn't like..... a normal ghost and was some sort of entity.

But all that to say they were just always kind of casually affectionate with eachother to the point where I don't know If it ever was an official like. "Now We Are Partners" thing but it was just kind of like. They just kind of were always like that. Kissies and naps together and just generally joined at the hip. Tommy I think Knows what Benry is and is kinda trying to avoid talking about it for fear of something Happening to Benry.

TLDR they kind of grew up together and it was just a natural and casual progression of their dynamic. They're just kind of goofy I dunno

When the AU kicks off with the Resonance Crossrip, Tommy isn't on the bust where they capture Benry in the trap, otherwise he probably would've protested quite a bit lol.

have this warmup from yesterday also smiles

[littlewestern]

I must inquire about your feelings on douglas and oliver 👀

(Tags by @mean-scarlet-deceiver)

Absolutely! These tags are fantastic, and I think this is a great time to talk about a phenomenon I've noticed in certain fandoms. I don't have a word for it yet, but something that can happen, especially in cases like this where a ship is sort of a foregone conclusion (either for lack of options for the characters or - in this case - because there's one really compelling point of shared development), is that it can often feel like we are *supposed* to ship something, and that there aren't any other options.

I think 10x11 is absolutely one of those ships, and I can totally understand why it might not work for some the same way it does for others. It's easy to fall into the trap of complacency or to feel like there's not actually anything there and the rest of the fandom is just shipping cardboard cutouts. And because everyone treats the ship as default, there's no one out here really up on their soapbox for it or making any groundbreaking content. It runs the risk of feeling stale.

Luckily, I'm here, and I do this shit for free. In point of fact, you couldn't pay me to stop. So let me make the case. Hopefully by the end of this we'll all come away with a better understanding of the characters, their relationship, and ourselves. (I like to aim high.)

So there are a few major pitfalls that this ship can succumb to right out of the gate that I think can frequently make this a harder sell as a romance specifically:

First, the rescue. The foundational text. Everyone loves Escape!, and for good reason. It's an extremely rich vein to mine for drama and feelings and having these characters bond in a way that feels complex and authentic and real... And it also can make a relationship founded on romantic love between them feel compulsory on the part of Oliver. This is not at all cool or fun or sexy or even really in-character, and I expect it's one of the reasons this ship can be hard to work with at times. To put them in a romantic context without any kind of examination of what is desired vs. what is owed feels rushed and disingenuous to me. If your only reason for shipping Oliver and Douglas is that one of them saved the others' life - full stop, no further examination required - this ship is going to be quite boring and a little iffy besides. This is a fantastic foundation, but it can't be the only thing holding them together, or else you've just reinvented the booktok romance novel.

The second pitfall is one that isn't the fandom's fault but is definitely worsened by years of fandom dilution: Oliver lacks a lot of direct and explicit characterization as a result of showing up late to the RWS party. He has this great origin story, fucks up once, gets a few funny scenes, and then about drops off the page. This leave shippers in a bit of a predicament, because really compelling character romance needs really compelling characters in the first place. Oliver has such a great backstory and that immediate bond we talked about with another well-developed character who also has a great backstory. It feels like it should be very easy to make this work, but it just... doesn't. Because Oliver in-canon is often a role-fill character. He's great, but no one (least of all the later season TVS writers) can seem to agree what his personality actually is, so he ends up being written to slot wherever he's needed or to achieve a specific narrative beat. The resultant 10x11 content which is informed by this feels flat and boring because if the only goal is for them to end up together, you simply have to write that happening and it occurs. Fandom Oliver often has no desires or wants outside of getting together with Douglas, his knight in shining paintwork, and it makes for dry reading.

So how do we reconcile this? What can we do with this information to make it work in favor of our desired outcome instead of as a hindrance to it? How do we use the facts to enhance our fiction?

The first key is remembering that Oliver is actually a little badass who, for 95% of his time on the run, did not actually need any help. The only reason he got to the point at which Douglas could come rescue him was because he fled under his own power from the southern part of the country all the way up to Barrow. His journey only ended there because they ran out of coal, which probably wouldn't have happened if Oliver hadn't also elected to take a coach and an unrelated break van along with him. Because, again, he's a badass. When the big engines say that Oliver has "resource and sagacity", they're absolutely correct. There's material to work with here, we just need to spin it out.

So let's start there. Let's give Oliver that plucky spark back, and have him be a wee bit peppery as a treat. A guy doesn't outrun packs of rabid diesels only to come out the other side a meek and obedient little bore. Let's really lean into his loyalty and bravery too, since an engine willing to risk his own life to save the lives of some lowly rolling stock must be both. And finally, let's also have him really appreciate that second chance he's been given! My favorite Oliver characterization is one that swings at every wild pitch just for the joy of feeling and moving and being alive.

What Douglas has given him isn't a debt, it is a gift, and paying him back doesn't mean feeling like he owes him anything, it means hitting the rails every day with as much enthusiasm and excitement and verve as a little engine possibly can. I like an Oliver that works hard and plays hard and - crucially to the relationship in question - I think Douglas likes this too. Here's a pair of guys who are both brave, loyal, adventurous, quick-thinking, generous, and god damned happy to be alive. Their experiences in Escape! shouldn't make them rescuer/rescuee, it should make them some of the only guys on the railway who know what it's like to look death in the face and laugh. They're equals, and more importantly, friends.

And maybe I buried the lede a little bit there, but I think this really is the crux of it. To me, this relationship is one that starts as a very long, very close friendship with that little bit of extra complexity always simmering below the surface and the little bit of weirdness of falling in love with the guy who saved your life isn't something that should be swept under the rug, it should be an active part of the core relationship conflict.

Oliver looks at Douglas and thinks: He's my best friend. I love him. He saved my life. I don't know whether that last thing is influencing the other two and I'm worried that trying to find out will ruin everything.

and Douglas looks at Oliver and thinks: He's my best friend. I love him. I saved his life. But I don't want him to think he owes me anything just because I did.

So Douglas is waiting on Oliver, and Oliver is waiting on his complicated feelings to resolve themselves. In the meantime, in Ray world, I like to imagine them carrying on a very raucous and boisterous friendship/working relationship involving a lot of pranks and good-natured ribbing, because I think the Little Western being the most efficient branch line while also being the one comprised nearly entirely of chucklefucks is hilarious.

I also like the idea that during all of this, Oliver is constantly going through romantic partners because, again, just happy to be alive here! But also because maybe if he finds the right engine those sticky feelings he has towards his bestie will go away. And all the while Douglas looks on and smiles and plays his cards very close to the chest.

Maybe even gets himself a girlfriend in the meantime.

I have this whole arc plotted out for a story I will never write where Douglas and Emily become an item and everyone else loses their minds because oohh it's just so cute and they look so great together.

Very suddenly Douglas has a girlfriend and also very suddenly Oliver does not have a best friend anymore. And (much to Oliver’s surprise) he’s kinda upset about it!

At first he thinks it has to be jealousy, because like... On one hand, he’s over the moon for Douglas. Douglas seems happier now, quicker to laugh and more easygoing (not that he wasn’t always). But on the other hand, they’re not hanging out as often anymore and it’s not really fair that Douglas lands the perfect partner on what is ostensibly his first attempt when Oliver’s been trying and failing at it for so long. He writes it off as him being jealous of Douglas and tries to put it out of his mind.

Except he sees them together, and he sees how happy Douglas is in-person and how Emily is nice enough but all wrong for him. For one thing, she’s the *safety* engine, which– ha! Douglas? Not the most risk-averse engine to ever grace Sir Topham Hatt’s Railway. For another thing, she’s not willing to go on any of Douglas’s more adventurous errands. Too, her more staid nature doesn’t seem to be rubbing off on Douglas at all, so it’s a source of friction in their relationship. Oliver delights a little bit at that, and goes out of his way to tell Douglas he’d be happy to see how fast they can get the goods train to the harbor, speed limits be damned, just because Emily won't like it.

When Oliver explains this to Mavis later (the third time they’ve rehashed this subject this week) she pauses to fix Ollie with a Look.

“Are you sure you’re not jealous of *Emily*?”

“That’s ridiculous,” Oliver scoffs, dismissing it before the words have really sunk in. “If I were jealous of… of her, I’d– I’d be–”

And then the other shoe drops.

“Oh.” “Mhmm.” “Oh no.” “MmHMM.”

Oliver has fucked another of his relationships, the only one that actually mattered in his estimation. And now he’s stuck, because this is the happiest Oliver’s ever seen his best friend. And a real best friend wouldn’t try to sabotage that just because he was too stupid to see what was plainly obvious to everyone. No, he has to be cool about this, and it’s going to nearly kill him.

But hey, look who else in the yard is single and pining over a Caledonian engine. You wanna have a Great Western Time about it?

Again, because I am a sucker for true romance, this sorts itself out in time. Douglas and Emily realize they're not actually that great a fit for one another, Oliver and Duck get as much out of their time together as they like before moving on, and Douglas and Oliver get to have a long overdue conversation about what they mean to each other - no jokes, no bullshit. I'm sure it would all be very cute and romantic, if I were the type to write that sort of thing.

In the meantime, I hope I've at least made a case for why this ship tickles me and where I think everyone can improve in their writing of it. Thanks for the ask, sorry it was so long!

[deus-ex-mona]

ok ik the kimikawaii mv has the possibility of referencing hiyori’s latest solo, since, y’know, rule of paired songs. but since that mv released forever ago, and since nagisa has already met lxl (and had that jealousy episode come and go in the distant past), i like to believe that idiotxidiot aren’t involved in kimikawaii at all

[awsteb]

gift for my love @ofide 💞💞💞

[fabuloustrash05]

One thing I didn’t understand when I first watched the Baby arc in GT is why didn’t Baby take Bulma as a hostage when he was leaving Earth??

She was still under his control and wanted to go with him, so using her as basically a human shield to prevent Goku from blasting his ship and killing him could’ve added something more to the climax. Yes, I know Goku could just instant transmission and get her out of there easily then blast the ship, but at least it’s something which is better than nothing!

[volivolition]

I KNOW WE JUUUST SENT YOU A MUSIC REC AND YOU DID ANSWER IT (WE LIKE TO WAIT A FEW DAYS AT LEAST BEFORE SENDING YOU ANOTHER ONE SO WE DON'T LIKE,, OVERWHELM YOU OR ANYTHING hfjddjfj) BUT I GOT. REALLY EXCITED WHEN I FOUND THIS SONG I HOPE YOU DON'T MIND AHAHA;; TAKE YOUR TIME WITH IT OFC! <2 <3

COCAINE JESUS BY RAINBOW KITTEN SURPRISE! REMINDS ME OF FORD AND I HONESTLY, ESPECIALLY THE PRE-CHORUS:

“When you find an old picture of us,

And you clear away the dust,

I hope you miss me sometimes.

When you see a frame that reminds you of me,

Do you remember the times,

Oh the times, that we believed?”

IT'S... KINDA SAPPY I GUESS? A BIT SILLY? I DUNNO. BUT IT'S A REALLY GOOD SONG AND I'VE HAD IT ON REPEAT ALL DAY TODAY. IT'S ONE OF THOSE SONGS THAT HAS A LOTTA MEANING TO US, I THINK!

SOMETHING ABOUT THE DRUMS IN THIS ONE DURING THE PRE-CHORUS AND CHORUS IS ALSO REALLY GOOD TOO. OVERALL JUST A DAMN GOOD SONG, I THINK RKS IS MY FAVOURITE BAND PERSONALLY (BUT I'VE GOT A LOTTTTTT MORE MUSIC TO CHECK OUT, AS I'VE BEEN DORMANT SINCE 2013-15ISH LMAO SO WE'LL SEE!)

-BILL

!! hii hello Bill!!! i never mind at all, i mean that!!! i will always love hearing from yall, even if it takes me a bit to respond!! im glad you were excited to share something with me YAY!! <33 <22 thank you all for your patience :']

Cocaine Jesus is a wild name i think (affectionate) hgkj <33 OH THE HARMONIES?? oh thats SO interesting hello?? and the guitar meloy picking up around the :50 mark wah?? :'] this is so lovely, RKS this is a 2 for 2 on good songs, hell yes!! <33 the DRUMS you're so right, theyre fuckin GOOD!! i love the punchy TAK!-TAK!-TAK! hell YES, the drumline throughout the whole thing is so good <33

omg you and Ford song wahh!! :'D <33 i LOVE sappy and silly dont worry hkjh i think the lyrics are so sweet in a lost, nostalgic way :'] YESS i can absolutely see why they'd be a favorite for sure, from these two songs already :D ooh lots of music to check out, i hope you find more songs you like along with these ones!!!! <222

[rollinouttahere-writes]

She hates him more than anyone else

Lizard shoves him down the stairs after nabbing the transponder snail that broadcasts across the island

Lizard: I have come to make an announcement! Spandam is a bitch ass motherfucker

[marinetteplztakeabreak]

“The new ladybug and cat had one job and it was to not fall in love—” ACTUALLY their one job was to Not have a mental breakdown about secret identities.

Marinette and Adrien were so in love and it was never a problem. They were always allowed to be in love, they just have to be cool with Not Knowing who they are as civilians. That was the thing that was crushing them and the reason they needed to take a break and get some perspective and remember how to be Kids for a minute.

If a new ladybug and cat wielder flirted incessantly and also thought that keeping their identities secret was fun and sexy then they would be absolutely fulfilling their job requirement perfectly. And in that case they could and should be allowed to kiss on the lips. In this essay I will—

[kakusboyfriend]

'your f/o has no official merch :-(...'

The Nefarious Arts-N-Crafter:

[heart-of-the-morningstar]

Listen, I’m absolutely ECSTATIC that Adrienette is pretty much canon now after Transmission but my Ladynoir stan heart is devastated because now it’s like...technically the least canon out of the four love square ships and I AM SAD 

[petrichal]

OP anime getting a break for 6 months, all I hear is that I've got 6 months to catch up

[littlewestern]

Henryships, please!

This one goes out to @belle-aesthetics who asked for Henry as well!

Henry!! Oh Henry, how troublesome you are to ship sometimes. I feel as though he's in a similar situation to Gordon where there aren't any engines that are an exact perfect fit in a way that I find satisfying.

I prefer ships where the whole is greater than the sum and facets of all characters involved are brought out by the relationship that wouldn't be revealed otherwise. But Henry has so much work to do on himself and his own confidence that it's hard to set him up in a relationship that feels balanced in that way. It's not impossible to make work, but it often feels like shipping him with other engines is an exercise in trying to pair everyone off who doesn't have a partner, which I don't care for... But I do have a few thoughts.

HIRO:

Good ship! Solid canonical foundation, mutual respect and admiration, shared experiences on which to build further growth!

I mentioned in the Gordon post that Hiro likes being supportive and leading by example, and it's easy to imagine him finding a relationship with Henry satisfying for that reason. Henry needs someone who will build him up with reassurances and encourage him to be more self-assured. It's really cute, and I think that they'd both get something out of it.

The thing I think holds this ship back from being really top-tier is that I feel like Hiro might fall into the trap of being too helpful? Because he is so cool and nice, I could see him doing the thing he does in Henry's Hero where he tries to let Henry off the hook and ends up taking on way more work/responsibility because of it. Someone with more investment than me could do something with that, but I just don't see the potential for growth here in either of them. That wouldn't (and shouldn't) be a dealbreaker, but it makes it far less appealing for me personally. Now, a similar ship with a little bit more edge to it, that might be something. Which is why I might suggest...

EMILY:

Oh you know I love me some Green Engine Solidarity. And it doesn't get much more solidary than this!

Rewatching the show this last time around, I was a bit surprised by how many incidental little moments these two have together, it's probably about as many interactions as Henry has with, say, Edward - intrigue!

I like this ship for a few reasons. Emily, like Hiro, enjoys "helping" other engines, but she's usually much less gracious about it, especially in the early seasons (which are the ones where I like her the most). Unlike Hiro though, Emily would not be out here cutting Henry any slack if he started getting skittish about ghosts or rain or whatever else. This is an opportunity for growth on both their parts, as Henry gets encouragement without coddling, and Emily gets practice being a bit more defthanded and gentle with her attempts at building Henry up. This is the kind of relationship I like to see!

A unique thing about Bossy Emily, though, is that she's actually never rude to Henry as far as I can remember. She ticks off quite a few engines in those bad old seasons, but Henry she's always quite sweet to. Henry matches that with a joking kind of camaraderie we don't see much from him, which I love. When Hatt asks another engine to take the mail in Percy's stead, Emily volunteers Edward for the job and Henry immediately picks up the assist by saying how Edward knows how to do everything, swanky eyebrows and all.

After all, the mail is a job for a small engine.

They also have a connection with being safety oriented. Henry cares deeply about protocol, and does not fuck around when someone is out here flouting them for the sake of convenience Gator ahem. In another episode, Emily is assigned the title of Safety Engine, which would have been a great addition to her character arc of feeling like she has no job except for the fact that it's never brought up again afterward. Ray never forgets, though, and if it were up to me I would simply pull that into being a regular and acknowledged aspect of her character. But nobody asked me, of course.

Henry is also among the engines Emily asks to be her best friend in a later episode, which... Y'know, she asks every engine she sees but Henry readily agrees!

Idk, I think they're cute. If I wasn't ride or die for Emily/Caitlin also I think this would be my favorite ship for the both of them. That being said I do have one more dark horse contender that might be. Slightly controversial.

SPENCER:

OKAY WAIT. LISTEN. HEAR ME OUT.

I love this episode, it's so funny to me.

"You need a big, strong, Duke's Engine to protect you? ;)" takes me out every time I watch it, and I have watched it a frankly embarrassing number of times.

Spencer, to me, is the kind of blue-blood type who is aware of his station, aware that his build and breeding make him the envy of every railway, and finds the idea of being brought down into the gutter with these common engines... utterly thrilling. He can't say that's what he wants, but oh god does he want it - and it manifests in him trying to get Henry to hide behind him like a scared teen watching a horror movie with their crush. Hi-larious.

They're not good for each other and I'm not sorry. This is my favorite Henry ship by miles. Go watch The Beast of Sodor if you haven't already, it's so great.