#edward ttte

Finally with updated designs so it’s more visually appealing.

I have also updated their references a bit, as I’ve been working on my AU timeline and oh boy THINGS ARE CHANGING. I am 99% sure that the Steam Team’s birth years are now set in stone, so hopefully I never have to touch these ever again🥲 I also gave them all name tags and added their relatives!

Y’all didn’t think I’d miss 2/2 day did you?

I can’t believe how long this took to get around to- January was insane

On a brighter note, here’s part two of my art series where I draw as many TTTE characters as possible with my headcanons and style by number, following up my Thomas post with the all-beloved number 2! In my headcanon for Edward, (be prepared this is about to be a stupidly long post), Edward was the first engineer employed on Sodor, though legally he was the second since he started his work as a volunteer. He was already in his thirties when he started, and he honestly was just looking for something he could do after his time in the military. Over the years, Edward became the one man Sir Topham Hatt, and his son afterwards, could rely on no matter what. But that wasn’t without a few missteps here and there. The war soon came about on the mainland, and with hours hard to find for an engineer with an engine not quite large enough to do the big jobs, not small enough to make it worth it to use for shunting, Edward had to fall back onto his roots and join the war efforts. His engine spent several long months in the shed until Edward was discharged for taking shrapnel to the leg. A crippled soldier is not a useful soldier after all. After he returned to island of Sodor, he made very sure that very line didn’t come back to haunt him, and put all of his effort into his work. Even with comments from his younger coworkers about his age and ability to work, he rose to become the one steady star in the strange little line of work. But his problems didn’t end there. How could they end there? The war left him changed, though it didn’t start to show until later on, when the war was over and the railway finally had a name for itself. He was already a typically quiet man, only ever raising his voice just to be stern when someone did something out of line. However, over the years the quiet became paranoid, and the stern became snappy. He wasn’t all there anymore, and it showed. Maybe it was from the poorly treated old injury coming back to stab him (literally) after one fateful passenger run out in a horrible storm, or his time in service finally catching up with him, but whatever it was made him into a very different man. Eventually, he was convinced to go to counseling, and with some very needed outside help, and a bit of time, Edward was able to be that steady star he was all those years ago.

He still suffers from moments of disassociation, and though he has proven himself over and over throughout the years, he is still looked down upon by some of the more popular engineers. That doesn’t stop him from being the backbone to whoever needs it, and everyone on the island can always rely on him in times of confusion or need. He’s not perfect, no one is ever perfect, but just knowing and acknowledging that is what makes him so great. Edward is happy with his number, and happy with his supposed rank. In the grand scheme of things, it’s what he’s done to improve that makes him the North Star of the North Western.

Aaaa can you guys tell that he’s my fav? There’s still so much more I wanna say about him but this is already basically a whole ahh fanfiction so I’ll cut it short and continue on.

Edward Itabag in progress

Ref image under the cut!