There’s a lot of wonderful and unique humanized designs in the TTTE fandom so I wanted to draw a few of my favorite ones from the Steam Team!
@ferlost ‘s Edward and Henry - I really love how you made Edward so sweet and elderly (and sometimes a bit silly) and Henry an intimidating mariner, which is an interesting take on him! I love both of them!!!
@bruhstation ‘s Gordon - Your Gordon has got to be the most majestic Gordon I’ve seen yet and I’m excited to see what you have in store for him in Casa Tidmouth. (Probably A LOT of angst haha)
@trainpalsforthawin ‘s James - I think he’s really cute and you captured his proud but pathetic attitude really well. Especially when you draw his iconic smug face of his!
@fraiserabbit ‘s Thomas and Percy - Your designs were the first ones I’ve seen and they were so lovely I couldn’t help but feel inspired! I remember drawing your Percy before so here he is again with Thomas!
and the third q...least favourite Cars character? >:]
Hi! Thank you for these wonderful questions! I'll try my best to not write an entire essay.
Favorite History Fact
Oooh, this is a toughie. I don't think I can pick just one, so here are a few:
During World War I, steel shortages compelled the U.S. government to commission ocean-going ships made out of concrete. One of these, the SS Atlantus, was launched in 1918 and used to transport American servicemen home from Europe after the war's end. In 1926, it was brought to Cape May, New Jersey with the intention of using it as part of a ferry dock, but it unfortunately ran aground during a storm before these plans could come to fruition. After all attempts to get it unstuck failed, it just sat there off the coast, at one point being used as a billboard. It's still there, but these days only a tiny bit peeks above the water. I grew up around this area and remember being taken to see it as a kid.
A man named William Crothers Dulles sailed on the Titanic in First Class, and sadly died in the sinking. His body was recovered and buried in the family mausoleum in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia. Dulles is something of an enigma because so little is known about him. He allegedly had a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania but 1) never practiced law and 2) the school had no record of his attendance. He owned a horse farm in New York, had a huge collection of sports memorabilia, and could afford to travel First Class, so he was clearly a man of means. But what was his deal? Did he lie about his legal qualifications, and if so, why? IDK, he was probably just a rich guy who didn't need to work, but his whole story is just a bit weird. Only a couple of people remembered seeing him on the ship, and (allegedly) no known photograph of him exists. I went on a tour of the cemetery and visited his mausoleum about a year ago and still think about this story from time to time.
The Boeing 2707 was America's answer to the British-French Concorde. This aircraft was designed to hold up to 300 passengers and travel at almost three times the speed of sound, leaving its competition in the dust. Unfortunately, this project proved too ambitious for a number of political and economic reasons, and its development was cancelled in the early 1970s. It's kind of a shame, because it was one cool-looking plane. I think it's interesting to look at what people in the past thought the future was going to be like. I also have a LM (though not Pixar Cars) character based on this aircraft.
Favorite Sci-Fi Media
If I need to pick one (and I will actually pick one this time), I need to go with the works of Ray Bradbury. I read The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man in high school and both of them blew me away. They are older and, to be fair, are absolutely dated in places, but the author's writing style and imagination are still phenomenal. If you're looking for the "greatest hits," I recommend reading "There Will Come Soft Rains" from The Martian Chronicles and "The Veldt" from The Illustrated Man.
Least Favorite Cars Character
Honestly, I don't have a least-favorite. Even the ones who are jerks fall into the "love-to-hate" category for me. I'm mostly thinking about Chick Hicks here. As much of an ass as he is, I can't bring myself to hate the guy. He's just too much fun.
Here are my Artfight Attacks for this year! We’ve got:
Lokomoor for ChaoGalaxyWarrior
Fossil Fighter Magnitude for @captainmvf
Noemia for @tareloin
Harvey for @fraiserabbit
And Boaris for @corvidcasting
Sorry if there’s not a lot. I mentioned before that I was hesitant about participating this year, but at least it’s better than nothing. I hope you all like it!
i simply must know more about vincent and theodora oml
Hi! Thank you for the ask!
So, I’ve been meaning to write a proper character bio for Vincent, but I’ve been so busy with school and work lately that I haven’t had time. My semester is over in about a week and a half, and then I’ll (finally!) be able to write the bio, and the story I’m planning, starring the hearse man and friends.
In the meantime, here’s a short version of Vincent’s bio.
[Disclaimer: I’m still working the details out. Some things may change in the story.]
Vincent would call his childhood “idyllic.” He grew up in Sleepy Hollow (yes, the town with the Headless Horseman–I wonder how that would work in the Carsverse. Roofless Carriage?). His parents were loving and supportive, and he grew up in a stable home. There were cobblestone streets lined with Victorian houses (one of which belonged to his family); a rambling old cemetery to explore; endless adventures to be had by a smart kid with a big imagination.
When he was a kid, and someone asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, Vincent answered, “a guy who reads books all day.” This was before he learned that “historian” and “archivist” were careers one could pursue. Eventually he would earn a Master’s degree in history from a local university and hold a number of different jobs in those fields.
Vincent’s mother, Theodora, was his biggest role model growing up. She rented out rooms in the big old house they lived in to boarders, travelers, people from all over. She was known for her exceptional kindness to those viewed as social outcasts by the community. Cars who were down on their luck could go to her and she would take care of them without judgment. Vincent took her example to heart and strives to be like his mom in how he treats others. [This is really all I have for Theodora’s character right now. I need to develop her more.]
After graduating, Vincent had a series of short-term jobs before landing one with a historic preservation-focused nonprofit. At least, that’s how it started out. At first things were golden. The pay was good, and Vincent got to do the type of research he loved. Then, things started to get dodgy. The founder–the car who’d hired Vincent, and the one who really cared about the company’s mission–was forced out of his role by the company’s vice president. The VP started making some business decisions that rubbed Vincent the wrong way, like selling off historic properties to developers who were just going to knock them down and build soulless new buildings. The final straw for Vincent was the VP asking him to fudge the results of the research report: essentially, hide the evidence for a particular building’s historic significance, so it could be sold and demolished without any trouble. The VP not only asked Vincent to do this once, but wanted him to keep doing it, so the company could make money. Vincent angrily refused, and quit.
Around the same time as the job drama, Vincent was having some trouble in his personal life. He’d been in a serious relationship for several years. They lived together. He thought they’d eventually get married, that she was The One, the Morticia to his Gomez Addams. Unfortunately, that wasn’t to be. The lady had never been as devoted to Vincent as he was to her. She was really a selfish car, who took advantage of Vincent’s kindness and generosity. He was far too in love to realize it at the time. The breaking point came when a mutual friend let slip that she had seen Vincent’s partner on a clearly-romantic date with somebody else. Vincent was utterly heartbroken. It took him a long time to pick himself up and try to put his life back together after the breakup and quitting his job.
He worked in an antique store for about a year after quitting the nonprofit. It was slow, but steady, and at least he was surrounded by old things. He also had some good friends, and his parents, supporting him throughout the ordeal.
One day an ad in the Classifieds section of the paper catches his eye. Westerly Hills, a local historic cemetery, needs a caretaker and archivist. Vincent, being a hardcore history nerd and familiar with the area, knows about this place. It was founded in the middle of the nineteenth century–its oldest “residents” are steam locomotives–it’s huge, sprawling, overgrown, all-but-abandoned. A plot hasn’t been sold there since the 1970s, and the absentee owner doesn’t bother taking care of it. Didn’t anyway. Westerly Hills was under new management, according to the ad, and it needed someone who cared. Vincent didn’t hesitate. He applied, knocked his interviewers over sideways with his sheer enthusiasm, and was quickly hired.
Shortly thereafter, Vincent moved into the cemetery’s gatehouse. It was a small living space by the standards of the trains who had built it, over one hundred and fifty years ago, but it was more than enough room for a single car and all of his books. He adjusted to life in the cemetery easily enough. Sure, his job kept him busy, and sometimes he had to deal with punks knocking over the gravestones, but Westerly Hills was, for the most part, peaceful. Strange things tended to happen, though. Like the clacking sound that traveled up and down the disused railroad tracks that cut through the oldest section of the cemetery. Or, every night at approximately 12:47 a.m., the sound of an old car horn–from a model that would have been old when his mother was a baby–emanating from an ornate mausoleum. Something, or someone, moving around the papers on Vincent’s desk and pressing the keys on his computer. The realization, piece by confusing, maddening piece, that he might be the only living soul in Westerly Hills when the gates closed at dusk, but he sure wasn’t alone.
Fear not, Vincent will be fine. 1) The ghosts don’t mean him any harm and 2) He won’t be unlucky in love for very long. Soon, he’ll meet Thomas Brookwood, and there begins another story…
A couple of bonus notes that I forgot I wrote:
Sings in the car wash.
Talks to himself.
Drinks scalding hot beverages in 90+ degree (Fahrenheit) weather.
Likes to go on midnight drives around the cemetery.
Collects random nuts, bolts, buttons, keys, and scraps of metal that he finds laying around. He has jars and boxes full of this stuff. “You never know when it might come in handy!”
One of his prized possessions is an old phonograph key that originally belonged to his grandfather (mother’s father). Theodora gave him the key when he was a kid and he has treasured it ever since. Looks something like this:
🌽 How does this OC feel about acts of affection? What's their favourite act of affection, physical or emotional?
[Context: I ship Arlene with Mel Dorado] Before she and Mel got together, Arlene had not dated anyone in a long time. It took her a while to be comfortable with touch. Once she was, though, she couldn’t get enough of it. Whenever Arlene and Mel are together, one is leaning on the other. (To be honest, she was pretty touch-starved before dating Mel, she just didn’t realize it!)
🍹 Does your OC have any funny anecdotes told about them?
Arlene is known for doing great impressions, and that skill has landed her in a couple of awkward situations. First there was the time she did an impression of her math teacher, got caught, and had to do detention for two weeks. To this day, she insists it was worth it. Then there was her first meeting with Mel. He drove in on her doing an impression of him for their mutual colleagues. Arlene felt bad about it, fearing she’d taken the joke too far, but Mel couldn’t stop laughing. She’ll still do the impression from time to time, just to make him laugh.
🍪 What is something that's sentimental to your OC?
Memories of her early career in television. She counted some of the great hosts and comedians among her closest friends and mentors. Most of them have since passed on, and not a day goes by where she doesn’t pause and remember all the things they taught her, all the grand times they spent working and having fun together. They made her who she is, and for that she’ll always be grateful.
Vincent
🌽 How does this OC feel about acts of affection? What's their favourite act of affection, physical or emotional?
Touch is his love language. He could snuggle up against you and stay there for hours if you let him. Would happily let his significant other snuggle up against him. Gives the best hugs (or the car equivalent).
🍰 What's something your OC counts as unforgivable?
Manipulation of all kinds. He has first-hand experience with the emotional variety, having been badly taken advantage of by the car he considered the love of his life. Also loathes manipulation of facts/the perceived truth for personal gain—so much so that he quit a well-paying job over it.
🍎 Do they share any features or traits with any family members?
Vincent is a hearse, like his mother Theodora, and they share a similar black paint job with chrome detailing. He’s also a lot like her, personality-wise. Theodora always said that being a force for good and doing right by others were things you had to work at, not things you were born knowing. Vincent follows her example and strives to do the right thing, to the best of his ability.
