the tin man.

Name's Mickey. Some people call me the tin man because I like working on machines and computers. If you're seeing this page, it probably means we know each other, so what's the point in telling you what you already know, yeah? If you like movies, you can check out my blog: www.mickeysmithmoviebuff.com.

[tinmickey-blog]

Boy, nothing says the holidays like stuffing yourself full of turkey and pecan pie, am I right?

No, is that just me? Can’t say I’ve been eager to get on the Internet, what with all the eating I could be doing. How was everyone else’s holiday?

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What would you name a tin dog?

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msdonnanobleteacher:

She couldn’t help but grin when Mickey laughed. That was more like it! 

“All right then, lights and sounds it is then,” she declared and couldn’t be more pleased when he agreed to head out later that night.

“Brilliant!” she agreed, pretending to get a bit flustered. “Oi! I knew if I was patient that this day would come!” she placed her hand over her heart, swooning exaggeratedly for a moment. “And here it is! Be still my heart. I got asked out by Mickey Smith!” she teased gently, “I knew all those long nights pining away for you would pay off in the end,” she gave him a little wink, her grin widening at their private joke.

“You pick the place and I can meet up with you, or you can pick me up.” Donna made a little face, “Or, I could come get you; if you are feeling brave. You know how much I trust that heap I drive.”

She could always borrow Chris’ car; only that presented two completely different problems. One, how to explain why she’d have it in the first place, and two, dealing with a certain jealous grammar teacher. 

He laughed as Donna pretended again like she had a crush on Mickey. 

“Why can’t we both get an Uber?” he asked seriously. “I’m just saying, I’m planning to drink a couple pints and it’s probably the safest best-- but if you’d like to crash on my couch, that’s fine too...” He didn’t want to force Donna into paying for a car, but he wasn’t about to get behind the wheel after drinking either. That wasn’t his version of a good idea.

They had decided on a time and place and Mickey had gone the entire day anticipating telling Donna exactly what was wrong with him. He didn’t know what his problem was, exactly, just that he didn’t like talking about his problems with anybody, not even his best friends. But for some reason, this was the last straw, and if he has a little bit of liquid courage in him --

He walked into the pub where he was to meet Donna and waited for her to arrive.

[tinmickey-blog]

Trick or Treat { martha & mickey }

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coalhillmartha:

He took her phone back and she frowned. What had she done that convinced him?

“I never said it wasn’t funny,” she said after a second, smiling. “I just didn’t want to get sick of it, you know? I mean, whoever took the time to go through and do it…” She trailed off.

“Wait a minute. You fixed it that fast and still expect me to believe it wasn’t you?”

“Oi, you called me for help and expected it to take more than a couple minutes? I’m the tin man!” he exclaimed, mock offended.

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What would you name a tin dog?

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missbosswald:

Dunno about that, bet you’re better with a pickle jar than I am.

Yeah... not quite sure about that one either.

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What would you name a tin dog?

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msdonnanobleteacher:

“Ah see,” Donna pointed at the other, “there’s the problem with dogs then,” she nodded her head, “I wouldn’t know what to do with something that just followed me around and blindly loved me for no good reason,” the ginger gave her head a thoughtful little shake, “No, it would just end up runnin’ away to find a better home eventually,” she acknowledge. “I’m probably much better suited for a cat, or a dozen of them. They’d come around when I’d open their tins of food and then disappear and ignore me until it was time to eat again. That is a relationship even I can’t muck up too badly, at least… I hope not.” she concluded with a wry grin.

Changing gears, Donna planted her hands on her hips, “If you’re sure you want to help out, I am happy to have you, but you don’t have to,” she insisted. “But if you’d like to, there are other things you can do besides the lights and sounds you know? It was only a suggestion. Like I said, I could use your help on the piano for at least one song for sure, if you’re willing?”

“Well, come on then, out with it Sunshine!” she goaded him, more teasing than demanding. “If it’s not Rose, than what’s got you in a state? You’re not foolin’ me, I can tell somethin’s on that mind of yours,” Donna tilted her head slightly, giving the mechanic an appraising looking. 

“You know you can talk to me, right?” she said softly. “If you want, we could go get a bite to eat? Maybe some pizza at lunch, or maybe a pint or two later tonight if you don’t feel like talking about it at school yeah?“ she let him know, an understanding smile on her face. “Just,” she hesitated, “don’t fret too much on your own, okay? You’ve got mates that care about you. You great big silly thing you!” she laughed at him, giving him a little push.

He laughed at her explanation about why she liked cats better. “Well -- I suppose when you put it that way, it’s hard to argue with.”

Mickey was nervous about the idea of performing in front of so many people after such a long hiatus. “Lights and sound sound good to me,” he affirmed.

When Donna began teasing him and then went on to get more serious, Mickey nodded in understanding. “I understand,” he said, looking around a little bit to see if anyone was around and listening before he said. “Y’know, yeah, pizza and a pint later tonight,” he said with a nod. It was difficult to open up, but he figured he probably should. But he didn’t want to do it within earshot of Idris.

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What would you name a tin dog?

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msdonnanobleteacher:

She tilted her head slightly as she listened to Mickey talk. Something seemed a bit… Off about him. Donna bit down on the corner of her lip for a moment wondering if she was imagining things, but something didn’t feel quite right.

“Yeah, dogs are fine and all I suppose,” she said with a little shrug. “Never had one myself, at least not that I recall,” she admitted the last bit softly, not even fully aware she had said it out loud before perking up and continuing. “But I have been thinking about getting a cat I couldn’t have a dog in my flat anyway and us old childless spinsters got to start on our cat collection sooner rather than later,” she responded cheekily.

Donna took a small step closer and placed a hand on the other’s arm. “Are you quite all right, Mickey?” she asked, looking at him with a bit of concern. “You do know I was just teasing about the play, right? You don’t have to volunteer to do anything. Just showin’ up and cheering me and the kids on would be more than enough,” she smiled at him to show she meant it. “I know this isn’t everybody’s thing,” she rolled her eyes, “trust me, I’ve heard it plenty.”

She withdrew her hand and gave him a quick once over with her eyes when another thought came to her. For once her life, she remembered to lower her voice before speaking as she leaned in some to ask her question.

“This isn’t about Rose is it? Because you seem a bit out of sorts,” she straightened up. “If I’m wrong, I’m sorry. Tell me to shut it and I will,” she held up her hand in a “I swear” gesture and then grinned at him. “Well, I promise I’ll  try to shut up about it at least. I can’t make any promises though… Not when someone is messing with my crush’s heart now can I?” she teased, bumping his shoulder with hers, trying to get a smile out of him.

The ‘not that I can recall’ comment took Mickey by surprise, but he didn’t comment on it because of how softly she’d said that part and how Mickey wasn’t sure if she’d wanted to speak about it. He had a soft, empathetic look on his face, but he quickly covered that up with a smile. “Dogs are better. That’s not to say cats are bad, mind, they’re not, but -- at least for me, if I’m going to take care of an animal, I want the animal to love me, y’know? Not that cats don’t, but they’re more solitary. Except when they wanna climb all over you when you’re busy coding or something.” He’d never owned a cat, himself. His gran had, though. Quite a few, actually. She’d loved the little things and Mickey loved them too, but he’d have loved dogs even more. After his gran passed, he kept the remaining two cats until they passed away. He’d never really counted that as ‘owning’ a cat because they never quite warmed up to him the way he would have hoped. And that was okay, they missed his gran. He did too. 

“No-- I mean, yes, I’m fine!” he insisted. He didn’t realize how much of an inferiority complex he carried around with him most of the time. “I’m happy to help, really.” 

When she asked about Rose, he shook his head furiously. “No. Nope, not about Rose. It’s fine. Honest.” Honestly, it wasn’t entirely about Rose. The situation with Rose was the symptom of a greater problem. And he didn’t know how to begin talking about it.

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What would you name a tin dog?

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missbosswald:

No. The first thing I think is ‘awe’ and ‘cute’. Wall-e was adorable. For a robot.

I suppose you’re stronger than I, Miss Oswald.

[animusrox]

30 DAY MOVIE CHALLENGE: DAY 13

↳ Your Favorite Animated Movie - The Iron Giant

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What would you name a tin dog?

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justsaygeronimo:

Not if it’s built right. Haven’t you seen a mobile? Same basic concept. Doesn’t matter how small it is. 

How about… Mickey?

But a mobile isn’t made of tin, it’s made of glass, nickel, cobalt, zinc, copper-- tin’s too sensitive to heat. It might end up working, in theory, but it’ll bend the thing out of shape and turn into... the blob. 

Mickey, huh? I like it, but don’t you think that’d get confusing?

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What would you name a tin dog?

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missbosswald:

Yeah… but like, the clever’s got to outrank that, right? I mean… why’s it got to be sad?

The clever’s good, yeah. But how could it not be sad? Isn’t that the first thing you think of when you think of that movie?

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Trick or Treat { martha & mickey }

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coalhillmartha:

“Thank you,” she said, but then frowned. “What do you mean by that? I can call you ‘Voldemort’ or ‘He Who Must Not Be Named’ in texts without having this happen every time, if that’s what you want. But it happens with everyone, including Donna. It’s going to get old rather fast, and I’d rather not deal with this until I’m forced get a new phone.”

Martha seemed genuinely upset by this and that was the last thing he wanted, for her to be actually upset. He took the phone back, thumbing through some pages for a bit. “Alright, you’ve sold me,” she said. “But it was pretty funny, you’ve gotta admit,” he laughed. A couple minutes later, the problem was solved and he handed the phone back to Martha. “Good as new,” he said.

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What would you name a tin dog?

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msdonnanobleteacher:

“Oi!” she swatted him on the upper arm, “You’re talking about my heart here! It’s not easy fancying someone from afar like I do you. And you have to go and make fun of me for it?” she played along, laughing a bit at the end.

“Well, Watson,” she smiled at him, “I think the first clue is the tin dog himself,” Donna pointed at it before placing her hands on her hips. “That’s a bit of an unusual gift, isn’t it? He’s cute and all,” she admitted, “but someone must have chosen if for a specific reason,” she hinted at. Donna let the subject go figuring that was a good enough first clue.

Donna could see Mickey tense up slightly when she mentioned Rose. Her hand instinctively reached out and she laid it on his arm. She hadn’t wanted to bring up old feelings or anything like that!

“Mckey…” she sighed, her eyes soft as she looked upon her friend, “shut it with that now will you? What do you mean what are you good at? How many times have you patched up the electronics around the school, or fixed something deemed non-salvageable, yeah?” Donna smiled at him, “Why, you are a virtual genius when you set your mind to it!” 

She let her hand drop and nodded at him, “Actually, I could use you to play the piano on a song where I have to fill in on cello,” she admitted, “but I also need someone with computer know-how to run the lights and sound for the show too. I mean, have you seen the light and sound board?!” she exclaimed, “It’s one massive set of dials and switches… knobs and computer-type parts. I don’t know who would be better qualified around here than you?”

When Mickey mentioned Hamilton, her eyebrow rose up at him. “Hamilton, really?” she sighed slightly and chuckled, “Well, it’s not a bad musical I suppose, and if it gets you to check out others then enjoy your ride on the bandwagon, Mickey,” she shook her head slightly as she smiled at him, giving his shoulder a little pat.

He simply laughed as she played along about the ‘crush’ she had on him. It was funny, mostly because the idea of anybody fancying him was laughable. 

“Well, I figure the tin dog thing is a play on my nickname. The tin man, y’know? And dogs are cool, who doesn’t like dogs?” However, he wasn’t too keen to talk about the dog when there was the threat that Donna might be cross with him.

“I didn’t realize the lights and sound during the show were so complicated,” he said truthfully. “If that’s the case, I’d be happy to help out with that. My forte is the programming, though, not so much the execution and timing and stuff. Well, I’ve never tried it but I suppose I wouldn’t be much good--” He had been in a couple plays when he was a kid but was always too scared to approach the lightboard because they were expressly forbidden from doing so. He didn’t want to get kicked out of the play. It all seemed a little bit like the wizard of Oz behind the curtain now. Something he was now capable of doing really broke the mystique. 

He shrugged, “I haven’t listened yet. Like I said, I don’t know anything about musicals, don’t really care for ‘em.” 

[themanwhoneverstopsrunning]

About that dog... - Mickey & Chris

Chris was walking away from the school building, still fuming over his meeting with Owen - that man had the power to annoy him like no one else. If only he wasn’t so bloody obnoxious! Chris was trying to calm himself and thought that a walk on the grounds would do the trick.

He didn’t count on the grounds being full of people though. Not in the middle of November. Sighing, he looked around for any spot that might be quiet and remote enough for him, when he spotted Coal Hill’s own mechanic, with the very tin dog Chris gifted him for Halloween if he wasn’t mistaken.

Grinning, he headed towards Mickey. He only stopped when he was standing right behind the other man and grinned wider as Mickey didn’t seem to notice he was there.

“Did you manage to find a name for your new best friend yet?” he asked in a cheerful tone (and somewhat more loudly than necessary, hoping he could make the mechanic jump).

@tinmickey

[tinmickey-blog]

Mickey had been on his way to lunch. Well, it was a little late for lunch, where everybody was eating together, but he figured he might be able to talk Rose into giving him whatever was left. He’d missed lunch today because he’d been solving a computer problem for someone in the office. "Someone’s hacking me!” he’d exclaimed when he explained the situation on the phone. Mickey had hurried over, but instead of being met with someone hacking the computer, he was met with a SLEW of computer viruses and there was no anti-virus system on the computer. It took him about three hours to do everything he could. What kind of stuff are you watching at work, mate? Mickey thought, but couldn’t bring himself to ask out loud. Not with Idris so close and with ears like a bat.

He popped into his office for his trusty tin dog, which he’d begrudgingly named K9 at James’ suggestion. He didn’t like James, but the name just... stuck. It was a good name. He picked up the little fella, taking the lid off and sticking it around his feet so he could pick out some of the candies that were left in it. If Rose didn’t have any food left, K9 would help him out. 

He was so close to the cafeteria when he was startled by -- he couldn’t even tell who it was, he was so startled. He jumped and if he hadn’t tightened hold on the tin dog, it would have gone flying. Lucky thing. None of the chocolate even popped out, which was a surprise. Hungry and a bit fed up, Mickey turned around to see Chris standing there. It was only in retrospect that Mickey understood what he’d said; it was weird how that happened sometimes. Chris didn’t seem hostile, he seemed... cheerful. Mickey was willing to react cheerfully as well, but he was skeptical. 

“Yeah. Someone suggested the name K9. Not canine, but K-9,” he said with a bit of a laugh. He didn’t name who suggested it because he didn’t want to give him credit. Maybe that was petty, but Mickey wasn’t always the most mature person in the world. “Whattaya think?” he held the dog up, showing it to Chris as if he hadn’t seen the dog before because, for all Mickey knew, he hadn’t. 

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Trick or Treat { martha & mickey }

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coalhillmartha:

“Mick-” she said, but it was too late– he had her phone. She sighed, raising an eyebrow at him as he typed something out. As long as he didn’t text something embarrassing to someone on her contacts, she honestly didn’t care and waited patiently. She assumed he was done when he laughed at himself and took the phone from him, glancing down at what he’d written. She scoffed.

“Like I’d ever admit that.” She smiled at him, though, making it as obvious as she could that she was (Mostly) joking. “So you know how to fix it or not?”

“Oh yeah, I could fix this easy,” he said, handing the phone back to Martha. “But what will that get me? I mean, this is pretty funny. What happens when you type in Donna?” he asked.

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What would you name a tin dog?

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msdonnanobleteacher:

She grinned at catching Mickey by surprise. “Nope. Not me. I sent you the Star Wars mug with the chocolates! How quickly we forget!” she pretended to pout for a bit before giving him a bit of a shove and smiled, “just sayin’ it wouldn’t be hard to find out is all… Who sent it that is.” (She knew full well who sent the tin dog but wasn’t about to tell.)

“Oh, and so modest too!” she gushed mockingly, with a bit of a laugh at the end “but yeah, it sorta does., Good thing you are bloody brilliant with those things so it’s not just lip service, yeah?” she grinned at him.

“Speaking of which, “ she lead, “I spoke with Rose the other day, she’s going to  help with make-up, for the fall performance,” Donna told him, pausing for another sip from her cup. “She seems lovely, Mick. Really. But I am left wondering why my mates ex-girlfriend has already agreed to help me out with the performance but my friend hasn’t? Seems a bit off doesn’t it?” she gave him a bit of a perplexed look, eyebrow raised over the rim of her cup as she brought it up to her lips again.

“Right! Sorry,” he said, “but to be fair, you fancy me, so you could very well have given me two.” He was teasing in a way he normally wouldn’t. He couldn’t even say the words ‘you fancy me’ as a joke to many people. Donna was different, he felt comfortable around her.

“Where would you start then, Sherlock Holmes?” he asked, not as an insult of the ‘no shit Sherlock’ variety, but as a complimentary joke. He smiled as she confirmed his joke about his “genius” but didn’t comment further.

When Donna had brought up Rose, Mickey tensed a bit, not sure where the conversation was going to go. For the briefest moment, he allowed himself the hope that she wanted him back. When he realized that wasn’t the case, he let out a sigh before answering: “Well, what am I any good at, y’know? I mean, for this sort of thing? Suppose I could play the piano but I figured the professional had that covered. And I know nothing about musicals -- unless it’s, y’know, the Wizard of Oz or something. Funny... Amy just got on me about this new musical called Hamilton.” He wasn’t lying about any of the above, but he did feel bad that he may have hurt Donna’s feelings.

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What would you name a tin dog?

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thehairfantastic:

tinmickey:

Asking for a friend.

K-9!

Does your friend have a tin dog? May I see it? I love tin dogs!

That’s a cool name. Yeah, stop by my office sometime.

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What would you name a tin dog?

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missbosswald:

Well… sad movie sure, maybe, but… clever, yeah?

Clever, yeah. Depressing? Yeah. Won’t be able to look at the guy without thinking “Eva” in that sad, little voice.