#redengineposts

[theredengineapologist]

I said what I said.

[theredengineapologist]

I am on a ROLL!!!! Two edits in one day. Truly, I have entered my editing era. ✨

Also the flags featured on the border are my headcanons for Jameward! James is ✨GAY✨ and Edward is ♥♥♥ BI BI BI ♥♥♥

[theredengineapologist]

HAPPY 2/5 GAYS!!!

My video finally loaded 😭

I wanted to make something special to celebrate 2/5 but I didn't have time to draw. So instead I taught myself how to use CapCut and made this little ship edit! 💙❤

The song is meant to convey their relationship from Edward's POV. As I've said before, I think Edward's been in love with the red engine since that very first day he saw him in the technicolor dreamcoat. But he didn't want to rush James into anything, so he waited for him to make a move first. But don't worry, someday they will be happily married.

Anyway, this is my first CapCut video EVER and I'm very happy with it. I hope y'all like it too!

[theredengineapologist]

You know you're in too deep into Thomas and Friends when every time you hear or see the word "splendid", all you can do is picture this motherfucker's face.

[theredengineapologist]

His ass doesn't know how to use Google

[theredengineapologist]

I HAVE ACQUIRED A NEW JAMES

This is the new AEG Motorized Graffiti James! I love him very much!

Here's my thing:

Do I think James would ever be into hip hop? No.

But do I think the design on his paintwork looks REALLY FLIPPING COOL???

HELL YEAH!!!!!

So of course the moment I saw him at the store I couldn't let him go. I love the gold lettering and the star on the A. I really wanna give my humanized James an outfit inspired by this because it looks so so cool.

Also his little truck says Sodor!

I just have 2 gripes with him:

The graffiti paintwork is only on one side. Which in my opinion is really lazy.

Could just be a defect on mine, but the hook on the truck is not put on the side that would actually allow James to carry the truck with the graffiti side facing out. The other side of the truck has a picture of a cow on it. And I know that my James would not want to be caught dead carrying farm animals ("Not splendid at all!" I think he would say)

But otherwise, he's a very fine engine! He looks cool, he goes fast, and he doesn't get stuck on the tracks (unlike some of my other motorized AEG engines)

So with that in mind I give the AEG Motorized Graffiti James a solid 8/10!

If you wanna see the other Jameses in my collection, click here!

[theredengineapologist]

I always intended to follow up my WesternAU! Edwards drawing with some WesternAU! James, especially after Shika drew her James as a cowboy. But y'all know I'm a slow cooker XD But here he is now! One of these days I wanna draw him getting lassoed by Edward, but I've got some other drawings I wanna take care of first, so it might be a while.

Hope y'all like his design though! He's very sparkly. 😊 Also yes the rainbow clouds were intentional (because he's GAY!!!!)

Close-up shots under the cut!

[theredengineapologist]

"Yee Haw Cowboys!" 🤠

This is what happens when you loop Cotton Eye Joe for hours while thinking about this drawing by @shikariiin. XD

I originally had this planned for 2/2 but I couldn't even get the sketch done in time by then. So 2/22 it is! XD Better late than never I suppose.

Without question, I always planned to draw two Edwards for 2/2, mine and someone else's. And that someone else HAD to be Shika because, like, y'all she's such a good friend. I love her sm (platonic). I could literally stay up talking to her for hours (and I do!).

Anyway, hope y'all enjoy this silly drawing of our Edward's together. 💙💙 They're gonna wrangle some naughty red engines.

Bonus Textless version under the cut!

[theredengineapologist]

The amount of L's James could have avoided by simply not being a dumbass is astonishing.

Examples include (but are not limited to):

S8 Ep13 "Spic and Span"

S9 Ep25 "Keeping Up with James"

S10 Ep27 "James the Second Best"

S18 Ep7 "Duck in the Water"

S18 Ep8 "Duck and the Slip Coaches"

S19 Ep15 "Reds vs Blues"

S19 Ep18 "Philip to the Rescue"

S20 Ep16 "All in Vain"

[theredengineapologist]

Headcanon that Duck has said "That's not very Great Western of you" as a genuine expression of disappointment. On multiple occasions.

[theredengineapologist]

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone! 💙❤

Of course, I had to do something Jameward for the occasion. Even though this meme is literally called "Understand my Ship in 5 Minutes", I still wanted to include some commentary/headcanons because I've been DYING to talk about them forever. So if you're interested, read on under the cut!

(Also, please note that the interpretation of the characters depicted here is specifically for my AU, TTTE: Sudrian Boys)

NAMES: For the sake of making sure their names fit in the boxes, I used the last names they picked for themselves before they got married. When they do eventually get legally married, they'll combine their last names together (a conclusion they got to after much bickering). So respectively, they will be James and Edward Hughes-Pettigrew.

GENDER + SEXUALITY:

James is GAY. GAY GAY HOMOSEXUAL GAY. Sorry not sorry, but there is not a woman-liker bone in his body.

Edward, on the other hand is bi. Part of me thinks he tends to prefer the company of men, but maybe that's just because there's significantly more male engines on Sodor. Also he is nonbinary. This will be something I explore later. But to summarize, Edward never felt entirely male in the strict sense that humans define it. However, he felt the need to be the consistent, steady, "old reliable" his peers saw him as, so he never questioned what others chose to call him. This changed when "The Great Shift" happened (aka, the engines learning to shift into a human-like form). Edward saw an opportunity to experiment with his presentation, and so he had a brief stint where he tried going in the opposite direction, presenting as a woman named Alice. As fun as it was, however, he found that it didn't feel quite right either. To him, "Edward" was where he felt most at home. He's not a man or a woman, he is just "Edward". Edward uses "he/they" pronouns because those feel the most neutral to them.

HORNY LEVEL: I will not be elaborating.

AWKWARDNESS LEVEL: I don't think Edward and James ever really had an "awkward phase". Before they got together, they always felt comfortable with each other as close friends would. They never really had that thing of "oh I want to tell him I like him but I also don't want him to know". Edward always knew he liked James, he just didn't say anything because he didn't think James was interested. And once James admitted to himself that he liked Edward, he confessed and it was all smooth sailing from there. To be honest, not much changed when they moved from "close friends" to "boyfriends". They still act like close friends, just with added kissing privileges.

JEALOUSY LEVEL: At the point where they're at in their relationship right now, both James and Edward are pretty secure, so it's rare for either of them to act jealous.

From Edward's perspective, he knows that James is young (relatively speaking) and very attractive, so it's hardly surprising to see that other people would try to flirt with him. There's a small pang of jealousy that comes from him thinking James would have preferred someone younger or stronger, but that quickly goes away once he sees James return to being on his arm and very proudly proclaiming he's already spoken for.

From James's perspective, he thinks Edward is the real catch between the two of them. Plus, it's not often that other people would try to shoot their shot with the silver fox. So when other people do try to get a little too close for comfort, James would certainly be stewing in jealousy. If the feeling gets to a certain point, he'd probably make himself known. But once they get home, the situation gets explained out, and they're cuddling on the couch with a blanket and some tea, James finds he can let go of the jealous feeling relatively quickly.

BIG SPOON/LITTLE SPOON: Majority of the time, James is the little spoon. He likes to be held and Edward LOVES holding him. James's favorite thing is when Edward keeps their hand on his chest. But occasionally, they do switch places, especially if Edward has a particularly hard day. Sometimes Old Iron wants to be cuddled too.

LENDS/BORROWS CLOTHES: Both of them tend to steal borrow clothes from each other, but under different circumstances.

At home, it's relatively commonplace to see Edward walking around in one of James's pants, shirts, or even his prized red coat. But more often than not, these are cases of Edward just picking them up of his own accord and James just letting him have it.

Outside, it's James who more actively does the borrowing and Edward who does the lending. James likes to go out ✨IN STYLE✨ without taking into consideration pesky things like the weather. So when James (inevitably) gets cold at night, Edward is the one to lend him his jacket.

PET NAMES: They don't use pet names often, but they do use some of the more basic ones on occasion. For James, Edward would sometimes call him "Jamie", "darling", "dear", or his personal favorite, "love". James usually calls Edward by his full name because Edward prefers it, but sometimes he might slip in an "Eddie", "baby", or a "kitten" in there just to make the old man flustered.

AFFECTION THROUGH WORDS/ACTIONS: This one might seem paradoxical, but let me explain.

James is more receptive to affection through words because he's used to being dismissed. In his worst moments, he can be pretty down on himself as his insecurities eat away at him. At times like these, Edward knows exactly what to say to help James pick himself back up again. It's especially meaningful because Edward absolutely means everything he says. He's not the type to lie just to make James feel better. He's honest and straightforward. If James did something wrong that needs calling out, Edward will tell him (politely of course). So when Edward tells James that he's wonderful or that he's a "really splendid engine", he 100% means it. And you can tell from just the look in his eyes that Edward loves his red boyfriend SO DAMN MUCH.

Conversely, Edward is more receptive to affection through actions. Edward is always the one out caring for everyone else and tends to forget to care for himself too. But at the same time, he's very much the type to never ask for help (even if he needs it). James knows this, so he goes the extra mile to help take some of the load off. If Edward is especially tired one day, James will step up and do Edward's share of the housekeeping without being asked. He'll volunteer to go supervise Bill and Ben so that Edward can take a day off. He'll fix up a warm bath for Edward after a hard day. Anything to make sure Edward is taken care of, James will do it. Not only that, but James is also the one planning most of their dates. ;)

CONFESSING:

Edward NEVER had any plans to confess to James. Romantic relationships are uncommon amongst engines since there's no real use for them. Plus, he didn't think James would be interested in a plain old iron like himself (as he views himself anyway). So Edward was just content to just feel his feelings and never act on them.

James, on the other hand, took several years to both realize and accept that he was in love with Edward. But once he got to that point, he confessed fairly quickly. Sure, there was a normal amount of hesitation and worry that Edward might not feel the same. But he was about 90% sure that Edward loved him back so he didn't end up worrying that much leading up to the confession.

CAN'T DRIVE LOL: Even as engines, they can't drive themselves. Plus, they know trains are the superior way to travel. So if they ever need to go somewhere while shifted into humans, they just catch one of their friends' trains. I don't think they've ever even sat in a car before.

COOKING: Edward loves to cook (especially baking). It was one of the first hobbies he picked up after learning how to shift and he would often make meals to share for the entire Steam Team. James, on the other hand, can cook, but not nearly as well as Edward. He doesn't know as many dishes as Edward. Even the ones they both know, James's, for some reason, aren't as good. The only time James would ever take over cooking is if Edward is feeling too exhausted to do so. There's a mutual acknowledgement between them (and also the rest of the Steam Team) that Edward is the superior chef (and he also enjoys it more). So if he can help it, James prefers to leave the cooking to Edward.

PDA: James absolutely LOVES PDA. He will take literally every opportunity he can to dote on Edward in public so that the entire island knows that they're together, much to Edward's embarrassment. Edward secretly loves the PDA too, and he appreciates how proud James is to be his boyfriend (and later husband). But Edward would never admit it. He tries really hard to at least appear decent in public. That said, when the opportunity arises, Edward does like getting to flip the script and fluster James in front of onlookers.

OVERPROTECTIVE/CHILL GOING: Both are more than reasonably protective over each other, but for different reasons and under different circumstances.

James gets into accidents relatively often, usually as the result of his own dumbassery. So Edward has gotten to a point where he's not too concerned if James winds up in an accident again. He'll still worry a little and warn James to be more careful next time, but Edward knows after a trip to the Steamworks that his boyfriend will be good as new again.

It's when they're shifted into humans when Edward becomes more protective of James.

Because of the way James looks, it's unfortunately not uncommon for James to get harassed while shifted as a human. When this happens, Edward goes into full protective mode to make sure his beloved stays safe. Thankfully, it doesn't happen too often. But it does happen often enough that Edward feels like he has to keep close watch of James while they're traveling after nightfall.

James, on the other hand, always has a bit of worry for Edward at the back of his mind. He knows Edward is capable of handling himself, but he also knows that Edward is old and doesn't recover from accidents as quickly or easily as he does. He worries that if the damage is too great, Edward could be scrapped. So if Edward were to end up in any sort of accident, James would go ballistic. He's puffing over right away to make sure his beloved is okay and may or may not have a fierce word with whoever caused the accident. The same thing goes when they are in human form. If Edward were to end up in some sort of fight, James would put himself in harms way to make sure Edward is protected (even though in human form, Edward is actually physically stronger than James).

RELATIONSHIP EXPERIENCE: Neither of them had any relationship experience before each other, they were each other's firsts. You can maybe argue that Edward has slightly more experience because he's had crushes on other people in the past, but fleeting attraction that is never pursued could hardly count for true experience. Their whole relationship is something that James and Edward are navigating together. It's new and at times a little scary, but there's nobody else James and Edward would rather be with than each other.

[theredengineapologist]

[Jameward Headcanon] I can pinpoint the exact moment these two fell in love

In my opinion, I would definitely say that this was a case of "fell first" vs "fell harder" (though both of them absolutely adore each other)

Let's start with Edward first, shall we?

Edward always thought James was attractive. Something about that engine's confidence just naturally drew Edward to him.

But that day Edward saw James in his red paint for the first time...

It was like something clicked. Like Edward KNEW, "This guy, this one right here. This one's the love of my life."

Seriously, watch that scene again and look at Edward's expressions! The way his jaw DROPPED, followed by the wide eyes and big smile. Old Iron was SWOONING. He's got HEART EYES.

But of course, Edward didn't want to say anything right away. He knew that HE was in love, but he didn't think James would feel the same way. Surely, someone like James would want an engine who was younger or bigger or stronger than he was. So Edward continued to love him silently, and supported James through his first days as he would have any other friend.

Now on James's end, he always appreciated Edward being there for him. I like to think he was probably more comfortable around Edward than any other engine at this time. Even in later years, I think James still finds Edward the most comfortable to be around, but we'll get to that another time.

The point is, James and Edward were pretty close, but James still didn't think of Edward as anyone other than "Old, Reliable Edward" yet. He was a close friend, and like any other friend, sometimes James gets annoyed with him.

"Edward is impossible! He clanks about like a lot of old iron! And he's so slow, he makes us wait!"

Little did James know he would be eating those words later that day.

Fast forward some time. James has become a runaway again. He has no driver. He's all alone and he's terrified. And who comes speeding down the line to come save him?

Why, it's Edward of course!

And as they're puffing along the line together, side by side, James realizes things all at once. It's not just that Edward is the most comfortable to be around, he feels safe with him! Secure with him! Edward's got him!

Before he even thinks about it, he just says how he feels in that moment.

"You were splendid Edward."

Splendid. That's a word James usually reserves for himself. But Edward can have it today. And tomorrow if he wanted. Edward deserved it.

Oh, and let's not leave this part out from the books.

James missed Edward more than his own driver!

I don't know about you fellas, but that sounds gay to me.

From "Old Iron" onwards, James knew he was in love with Edward. But that didn't mean he said anything about it. In fact, he was pretty in denial about it for some time. But by the time we reach "James the Second Best", I think that's when James finally accepts that he has feelings for Edward. And once we get to "All in Vain", James and Edward have already started dating.

Or alternatively, they've both reached a point where they both just acknowledge that their feelings for each other are mutual. Sometimes I like to think that steam engine courtship is less formalized than it is for us humans. A simple "we both love each other", and then being extra sweet whenever they happen to be in the same vicinity. It's hard to go on dates when you've got jobs to do everyday.

But the point is, by the time we reach the events of "All in Vain", James and Edward are basically already together. And everyone knows it. 💙❤

[theredengineapologist]

They're pair-bonded your honor.

[theredengineapologist]

Inspired by many conversations I've had with @shikariiin , in which we are in agreement that if my James and her James ever got in a fight, my James is getting folded like a lawn chair. My James is the twinkiest twink to ever twink. Sure, he's tall. But he's scrawny, there's no meat on his bones. Meanwhile, Shika!James is BEEFY. He would break my James like the toothpick he is. So here is the result of their one-sided battle illustrated. XD

Bonus:

I was gonna include a second panel where my Edward pulls out a megaphone and shouts "Beat his ass James!" (referring to Shika!James), but I got impatient and wanted to post this quickly. I was too excited and couldn't keep the surprise in any longer. ^^; But just know, my Edward is rooting for Shika!James in this fight. Get wrecked James (affectionate)

[theredengineapologist]

I decided to publish my first Jameward short fic!

Title: Under Lavender Skies

Summary: James would have liked it if he and Edward could run side-by-side forever. AKA James proposes to Edward and they get married. That's it. That's the fic.

This is the first time I've written Jameward fic and the first work I decided to post publicly in years, so please keep that in mind. ^^;

Inspired by this post by @shelli-gator

[theredengineapologist]

TAKE A LOOK WHOS COMING DOWN THE TRACK!

MAKE WAY FOR JAMES! HOORAY FOR JAMES!

THE ✨SHINY✨ ✨SHINY✨ PAINT WITH THE JET 🖤 BLACK STACK 🚂💨

MAKE WAY FOR JAMES! ❤ HOORAY FOR JAMES! ❤

"What is the certain end we really should note?" 😕

"It's indisputable!" 😲

"But let's take a vote!" 🙋‍♂️🙋‍♀️

HE'S THE ✨ REALLY 💋 SPLENDID 💅 ENGINE 🚂 WITH THE BRIGHT RED COAT ❤💃🎶