#i haven't done a tier list recently but if i did one he would be in A tier

[dimiclaudeblaigan]

i remember when the hopes leaks were first coming out and i saw the miklan screenshot and basically lost my shit immediately

bc at that point most of my stuff for him was headcanon and i'd been co-writing a fic with a friend that included him in it and i was getting very attached to him over that time (previously i was interested in him and what he could've been based on dimitri talking to byleth about him and crests, thus sprouting a lot of those headcanons).

originally the plan was to kill him and glenn off after making them secondary major characters so that people reading would be attached to them when it happened and feel sylvain and felix's grief better, but then i got too attached to them and chickened out and decided not to go with that (the fic is still in progress bc we haven't touched it for a long time bc my friend got very busy with medical school and eventually her job). we're nowhere near where that was going to happen but by chapter two i was like wait no i can't do this djhskgfjga.

so this fic had started getting written and i had started writing out his relationships with glenn and sylvain primarily. it's a dmcl au primarily but with other major characters. during this time i was like what do you know i rly like the personality that i gave miklan that feels very "what he would be in a better situation".

eventually hopes got announced and not too long after that my thoughts drifted to "i wonder if miklan will even be in this game" but it was a pretty brief thought bc i wasn't sure he even would be. in fact, i was thinking more abt glenn bc i was like, they have a chance to finally show his face and/or more about him, so i was anticipating more glenn lore between the two of them (ironically, considering we got the opposite!).

AND THEN I SAW THE SCREENSHOT WHERE DIMITRI WAS TALKING TO HIS LIL GROUP ABOUT HOW HE'D MADE MIKLAN A COMMANDER AND STUFF AND I LOST MY MIND IN THAT MOMENT AND BOOKED IT TO TELL MY FRIEND (who i asked if i could share my excitement with bc it was technically a spoiler at the time but she was fine with it!) and i was losing my mind until the game came out bc i was like damn he's actually gonna be on our side this time??? i am finally going to get more miklan content??? will he be everything i imagined him being???

AND THEN THE GAME CONFIRMED MY (non AU) HEADCANONS FOR HIM and then i melted away and the rest is history and commissions.

[busting-buffers]

I was watching The Unlucky Tugs' video where he ranks the TTTE movies from worst to best and decided to make my own so HERE WE GO!

Tier List maker HERE

14. MIR: I liked this movie as a kid. But I recently rewatched and boy howdy is she BAD. I didn't watch series 11 when Whiff was introduced, so having him in this movie was odd to me because I didn't know who the hell he was! The train racism in this is so overdone and never gets resolved, the logging locos are ANNOYING, and Thomas is just a dick the entire time?? -5/10

13. CAE!: This was one of those that they could have done better. The learning segments make it hard to watch when you're older, but it's for kids so who cares. But again, Train Racism. It gets resolved at the end, sure, but literally just...keeps happening. MIR in point. Also, the random involvement of D10?? And Lady?? who haven't been mentioned since TATMR??? Odd choice. 2/10

12. DotD: They basically rehashed CAE in CGI form, but none of the Train Racism is resolved. The Diesels suck, manipulate Percy, and take over the steamworks. That's it. That's the plot. 2/10

11. BW!BA!: I liked it. The songs were fun, Ace was a cool addition as a bad influence on Thomas, and Nia sure is a girl's engine. It seemed so rushed, though. Like Thomas had this grand idea, Sir Topham jokingly says yes, and like 15 minutes in Thomas is sailing off on a ship to Africa. "Where in the World is Thomas?" is a good ensemble number with cool callbacks to other movies, "Free and Easy" is just catchy as hell, and the other numbers are fun too. It was okay, but not my favorite. 4/10

10. TotB: It's just so, so average, but better than the others ranked lower. I love how James is the antagonist because he's covering up how scared he is in the end, but Percy just seems to baby-like for my taste. His fears are rational, but they really dumbed him down. I do love the introduction of Gator, and his and Percy's friendship is adorable. But it's all downplayed as Thomas didn't comfort Percy, so Percy gets a new BFF and Thomas is upset when Percy wants to leave. I get it, but I don't. 5/10

9. KotR: Ok this was a fun one. We get 1-5-6 buddy-content and it's super cute! I love this pal trio. The Earl and Stephen are such fun characters and I love how they worked them into the series later on. Stephen's characterization is so odd though, but I get it. He's upset he can't be useful like the young engines, and that's all he wants. This movie sets up for some good episodes later. 6/10

8. BMM: This one is so cute! I love the Narrow Gauge engines, and the beginning sequences are action packed and set up the movie well. But it comes back to Train Racism AGAIN. Diesel overhears about Luke and decides he wants him to be sent away, and then Diesel is in the wrong as always. I mean, he is, but we gotta stop making the diesels just bad engines. He did what he thought was right, especially not knowing the context. 6/10

7. HotR: Thomas's first CGI movie was a hit with me. Obviously it set up a rough era but I enjoyed the movie! Hiro's introduction is so fascinating, and Spencer being the antagonist is so so neat to me. This big silver showoff wants to get rid of an antique, but for what. That's why I didn't rank it higher. There's no why as to why Spencer wants to get rid of Hiro. Because he's old? Then why doesn't he hate Eddie?? His actions have no motive. 7/10

6. TaTMR: Don't come for me. I like this movie! It's whimsical and fun and a cool take on the series. It has it's flaws, obviously, like there's no set up for as to why D10 is there in the first place. But then again, this movie was rewritten I think three times? The original script would have been fun if the movie wasn't made for kids. An evil bastard who hates Burnett Stone because he was in love with Tasha, and wants to destroy the last thing Burnett can remember her by? So fascinating. I would have loved to see the original done as a more adult-ish action take on the franchise. 7/10

5. TAB: This movie is so awesome. Retelling the OG RWS and TV series stories in CGI, giving Thomas an introduction arc, and most importantly, Black Livery James (you know I had to mention it). It's such a great call-back to the original 5(?) stories and episodes, and I thought it was done very well. It holds a special place in my heart, but it's not my favorite. 8/10

4. TGR: I loved the musical take on this AGGHHH. All the musical numbers are so fanciful and catchy. I loved the plot, I love how the characters are set up. But like TUT says in his video, some of it is all marketing ploys. Like Thomas jumping the drawbridge, which I will continue to question why. But if you overlook Mattel's marketing, it's a good movie and it stands up well. 8/10

Also the next three movies are in no particular order so:

JBS: THIS. THIS WAS AN INTERESTING PLOT! James is boasting about how he's the favorite and the best, as always, so Thomas decides to put him in his place. But Thomas, unlike James, doesn't know the mainland well because he has lived on Sodor for probably 99% of his life. He was sent/arrived there in 1915, the same year he was built. He only knew Brighton! The experimental engines have great character, and I wish we got more of them in the series. Frankie and Hurricane are so, so interesting: they butter up Thomas to think he's hot shit, then BOOM! Trapped because they need another engine to work there, and can't do it unless they train-nap them. "Hottest Place in Town" is such a good song and aids to their plans, and it sets up their trickery well. The ending is not the best, but seeing Hurricane almost melt was just top notch to the whole thing. 10/10

SLotLT: This and TGD are so interesting because we see another side of Thomas. He thinks he can do no wrong, causes an accident, and ends up being punished. He does it twice, and winds up in a sort of Boy who Cried Wolf-ish situation after saving Ryan from the dynamite. Sir Topham only saw the part where it seemed Thomas was trying to get rid of Ryan, and gets angry with him again (and uses his full name? Papa was upset.) Ryan and Thomas's dynamic was so, so interesting and I wish we had more. Daisy being reintroduced was something I didn't see coming, and was a great way to tie her in to the series again. Same thing with Donald and Douglas, our beautiful Scots. Sailor John being the first human antagonist is so interesting, and this movie also has it's dark points. John was actually going to try to blow Thomas up aith dynamite! He blew up Sir Topham's office! This movie was great. 10/10

TGD: I had the DVD when I was younger and watched it every night before bed. It was so interesting. The songs are top notch: Racing to the Wharf, Jobs-a-Plenty, and Where, oh, Where is Thomas. The bridge scene is incredible and a great way to set it up. Thomas being insecure after Stanley shows up was something that never really happened, and he despised him so much he tried to essentially decomission him? Devious Thomas is my favorite. Thomas actually regretted how he treated Stanley, and they became good friends. SLotLT and TGD had similar plots in that aspect, but they did it so differently that it's not another DotD and CAE! issue. This was my childhood favorite and it still holds up. 10/10