#it's only me | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

weirdowithaquill · 7 months

Text

Traintober 2023: Day 5 - It's Only Me

The Words that Mean the Most to Edward:

Edward had been celebrating a successful rescue of Henry. Henry had just gone to push Gordon into the works siding, when he heard ballast crunch on the lineside behind him. “Driver…” “No Edward.” Edward jumped; a line of trucks behind him went flying. “It’s only me,” snorted the Fat Director, stepping around to the front of the old blue engine. “I thought I’d congratulate you on a successful job today.” “Oh, uh… thank you sir. I did my best.” The Fat Director chuckled. “That you did,” he said easily. “But next time… perhaps give Gordon some tips on what to lie about breaking down. Safety valve my hat! Did no one think to mention I was CME of the railway at one point?” With his piece said, the Fat Director strode off, leaving Edward speechless.

The old blue engine watched as James sulked away, banging the coaches roughly as he shunted them back into their sidings. “Stupid coaches, stupid passenger, stupid newspaper, stupid bootlaces…” the red engine muttered darkly under his breath. “Do you think we should keep him?” asked a familiar voice. Edward jolted – the Fat Direct—no, the Fat Controller was standing right beside his bufferbeam. “It’s only me,” chuckled Sir Topham Hatt, patting Edward’s buffer before leaning against his running board. “I just thought I’d ask your opinion on James.” Edward shot a look over at the red engine, then back at the controller. “I think he has a lot of potential sir, but I also think he needs to challenge himself to show off his potential. He’s in a new environment, with new engines and he had a crash – he’s just acting aggressive to try and hide his fear.” The Fat Controller nodded, and strode away.

“I can’t believe they would… they would say such things about me!” hissed Edward furiously, sparks shooting from his funnel as his safety-valve popped up. As much as he’d tried to keep a calm face in front of the Fat Controller, to hear the engines he’d thought of as friends treat him like they did – speak to him and belittle him for just wanting to do his job and doing the job none of them would do. It… it hurt. “It wasn’t right of them,” agreed Sir Topham Hatt, stepping into the shed from out in the cold. “I… uh… sir! I apologise, I must have sounded a right—” “Edward, please,” Sir Topham huffed, pulling up a crate and sitting down beside the old blue engine. “It’s only me.” “I… I don’t know what to think, sir. They’re meant to be my friends, and yet they treated me like ash and clinker…” Edward spent all night talking, venting out his thoughts and feelings – and when he was done, Sir Topham Hatt simply patted him on the buffer, smiled and strode out.

Edward barely managed to keep a grimace on his face, and not burst into tears. Henry was one of his closest friends on the railway – in spite of years’ worth of teasing – and here he was, lying on his side half-buried in the snow. He was groaning lowly, and the way almost every piece of his running gear was skewed in some unnatural direction made Edward feel sick – but he had to help. He had to help clear away the splinters that remained of many of the vans, then position the flatbed and the cranes so they could hoist Henry up into the air. “The signal was down sir…” Edward couldn’t bear to listen. All he could do was wait and watch as James resolutely dragged the flatbeds away. “Are you alright, Edward?” “I… don’t want to talk sir.” “Oh Edward… it’s only me,” Sir Topham said gently, taking a moment to haul himself up onto Edward’s bufferbeam to sit beside the old engine. “You can talk to me about this, it must have been traumatic to witness.” Edward couldn’t deny it, and even though it was dangerous, and against railway regulation, and all sorts of other things, Sir Topham Hatt sat on Edward’s running board as the old engine slowly puffed home, releasing all his fears and worries and letting the kindly controller into his deepest, darkest thoughts.

Edward cried at the funeral. The Fat Controller was gone – dead, and he’d left Edward and the other engines right after British Railways had announced their plans to scrap them all. While he wasn’t the first owner Edward had had, he was certainly one of the men closest to Edward’s heart – for all that some controllers said engines didn’t have hearts, and didn’t care, Edward did. Almost all the engines did, for all their various relationships with their controller had played out. Sir Topham had kept him on long after another controller would have scrapped him, had listened to him in his darkest times and sought his advice when needed. And perhaps he wasn't perfect - no human was - but all the same, he'd done a lot more for his engines than history would ever give him credit for. “Don’t cry, Edward,” whispered a voice on the wind. “It’s only me.” And for a brief moment, Edward thought he could see Sir Topham Hatt smile at him from beside his son, their new controller.

Back to Master Post

#fanfiction writer #railway series #weirdowithaquill #thomas the tank engine #railways #traintober #traintober 2023 #It's Only Me #ttte edward #ttte sir topham hatt

96 notes · View notes

iclout · 2 years

Audio

#forever #lil baby #it's only me

421 notes · View notes

tweedlefan · 2 years

Text

There's a point toward the end of Master and Commander where The Sophie is beaten and the crew is taken prisoner and I was thinking oh! A chance for drama! Maybe the next book will start with a daring escape!

And then it cuts to the French captain enthusiastically showing Jack a watercolor of the English house where he grew up, and Stephen doing silly experiments with the French doctor. An English fleet shows up and the captain goes "awww, do you think they'll attack us? Or are they just going to port?" and when Jack says he's pretty sure they'll attack he's just like "booo. Oh well, no reason to spoil breakfast over it." And they just finish eating until a cannonball flies through the window, at which point they calmly go on deck.

These books are comedies

#it's only me #master and commander #aubreyad #obrian seems to avoid drama at all costs really #jack got half his face blown up and he only brings it up when it's funny #stephen fell off the boat and it was just kind of a silly thing that happened to lighten the mood

278 notes · View notes

ambitious-az-a-outlaw · 2 years

Audio

#lil baby #fridayy #music #it's only me

58 notes · View notes

feybeasts · 1 year

Text

People out there are callin' me the Strawberry Cheesecake Dipshit, many such cases

#i'm “people”#it's only me

12 notes · View notes

inthemixmedia · 2 years

Text

#coi leray #lil baby #quality control #it's only me #trendsetter #4pf

16 notes · View notes

spectrumpulse · 2 years

Video

youtube

4 notes · View notes

sylvies-kablooie · 3 months

Text

i do unironically think the best artists of our generation are posting to get 20 notes and 3 reblogs btw. that fanfic with like 45 kudos is some of the best stuff ever written. those OCs you carry around have some of the richest backstories and worldbuilding someone has ever seen. please do not think that reaching only a few people when you post means your art isn't worth celebrating.

#i often wonder about how many things would be considered classic or high art had they only received the marketing #how many short films that were made for class could have been the most powerful thing you'd ever seen? if you'd seen them?#“you know the greatest films of all time were never made” etc etc #but like. these works of art ARE being made. it's just enjoyed by a smaller audience with equal impact though #i think about this one furry i used to follow on insta who had the coolest worldbuilding ever. it's been years.#thought prompted by that sketch of nimona from ten years ago that was just for a character design #posted to the creator's tumblr and now it's nominated for best animated feature film at the oscars #and by the genuine emotional reaction a fan comic made me feel. how much work had gone into it. how beautiful it was to me.#idk what to tag this but i hope whoever needs to hear it does #writing #writer #fandom #fandom culture #artist

59K notes · View notes

nighthawkes · 3 months

Text

I must sleep. Sleep is the mind-healer. Sleep is the big-life that brings total ability to fucking do anything. I will face my bed. I will permit the blankie to pass over me and snores to pass through me. And when sleep has gone past I will turn the outer eye to greet the new morning. When the sleep has gone there will be everything. Energy and will to live will remain.

#having a come to Jesus with myself about trying to work late #sleep is the only path to productivity. rest is the only thing that lets me get things done.#litany against not laying down

59K notes · View notes

cemeterything · 5 months

Text

"you will look for themes and motifs in media that isn't worth the effort" i will look for themes and motifs in the dirt. on the ground.

#🐉#sometimes its all i have. dont take my only joy from me.

60K notes · View notes

riacte · 5 months

Text

not romantic not platonic but a secret third thing [what would happen between earth and the moon if the earth stopped spinning as illustrated by xkcd randall munroe]