Thomas

**Thomas** is a male steam locomotive dinosaur. He is the leader of an assembled group of monsters known as the Steam Team. Being one of the most iconic and recognizable characters, Thomas is typically portrayed as a heroic monster on the Island of Sodor.

## Overview

### **Bronze era**

#### **1-1. *Sodor's First Monsters***

Thomas’ egg was discovered in Brighton, London around 1945. It was transported to the Island of Sodor, where it was later sent to Sir Topham Hatt and brought into his office. Acknowledging that he was awaiting the birth of a locomotive dinosaur, Hatt pulled up a book explaining the characteristics and needs of the species. When the egg finally hatched, the infant was given the easily recognizable name, "Thomas".

In 1946, Topham was warned about the presence of another (much larger) monster, Edward. Approaching Sodor's docks, Edward inadvertently caused structural damage when walking across the small city and ignored the attacks set up by the Sudrian military. When Hatt noticed that Edward was not out to actively attack and instead wanted to see the hatchling from the egg, he was at first reluctant but then shortly accepted the request of the larger monster, letting an excited Thomas approach Edward openly and affectionately. From this point on, Thomas mostly remained under Edward's protection and care. At one point, the two stargazed at an unknown solitary area of the island.

#### **1-2. *Three Beasts & a Saddletank***

Around 1948, Thomas was introduced to a slightly younger green dinosaur, Percy, who became an adoptive brother to him. The curious and naive cubs they were, Thomas and Percy had recklessly taken off from Tidmouth Sheds a few time without permission from Edward. While Percy had interrupted a fight between James and Edward in the city area of Wellsworth, Thomas headed toward Knapford and encountered the much larger and more powerful Gordon. In an initial attempt to fight and challenge against him, Thomas was casually pushed to the side by Gordon, who was disinterested and scornful towards the much younger monster. Edward later came into the scene on time, leaving Gordon in confusion and Thomas sheepishly turning back to his father.

#### **1-3. *Night of the Wooden Ringer***

Thomas was mostly not present during the events in which Toby had arrived. At the end however, he can be seen sleeping next to Percy in the sheds.

### **Gold era**

#### **3-1. *Lost***

Thomas, Percy and James take off from the sheds once again, despite being instructed not to, as the older dinosaurs will mostly remain busy hunting and gathering food during the unfolding winter season. As a means of attempting to prove themselves being capable of fending for themselves like their elders, the three decide on traveling to a place more dangerous than what they are used to - they soon end up finding themselves in a messy, desolate area of Diesel 10's Mountain and split paths individually. Upon properly meeting with the sly and devious Diesel, Thomas engages in a battle of intimidation with him, only to be met with a greater threat when Diesel orders others of his kind to pursue after him. After a while of being stuck and alone, Thomas feels cold, hungry and somewhat guilty. James and Percy soon reunite with him during the rest of the chase.

Cornered, the three struggle to fight against Diesel as well as Splodge. Edward, Henry and Gordon then arrive to their rescue by surprise, with Edward especially showing disappointment with his son. After a firm reprimand and lesson, a promise was agreed upon to where Thomas would have to further train and refine his fighting abilities before forming any more ambitious ideas that could perhaps lead him to more trouble.

### **Platinum era**

#### **10-1. *Sudrian Cataclysm***

Thomas was the only monster not to be controlled by the Androids, along with Edward for most the invasion.

**10-3. *All to an End***

## General information

### **Design**

Thomas overall resembles a very typical steam locomotive dinosaur - a bipedal reptilian possessing black paws, silver spines and claws, a white underbelly, a vividly colored horse-like mane, as well as a funnel like structure on top of the head - with a few obvious exceptions to reinforce his identity from others. Thomas' features are often drawn as stubby and rounded (which also extends to his claws and spines, having round tips instead of sharp ones). His tail is short, possessing a pair of large pale blue fins and a gold whistle appendage beneath the tip. In all eras, his eyes and mane share almost the same hue as his scales.

Thomas is classified as small or mid-size when standing next to other monsters. He was a short and squat, early adolescent in the Bronze era. In the Gold era, he became considerably larger with thickened proportions. In the Silver era he had a slimmed down barrel-like build to allow for greater mobility. From Platinum onward his textures and proportions were more defined and readjusted, along with additional details such as plating that runs from his shoulders to the center of his back (which in a way reflects the twin side tanks of his basis), as well as a row of feathers along the center of his chest. The growth of the latter trait is evident in the Diamond era, appearing bushier and making Thomas have a closer resemblance to Edward.

Thomas wears two (occasionally four) black bracers with red lining. He sports a bow tie labeled with his signature number 1.

### **Roar**

Thomas' roar was created by using plastic and metallic instruments. They were slid across certain surfaces (especially cardboard) and edited heavily to achieve a loud shriek-like noise.

### **Abilities**

To a fault, Thomas is one of the most versatile monsters in spite of his simplicity in comparison to many others, and can adapt to numerous different settings and strategies of opponents when in combat. His physical strength is stated to be "higher-than-average" - lifting weights that exceed his own to some degree - which is comically emphasized via the ability to swing and toss certain monsters (often at least twice his size) by their tails - though this tactic can backfire easily if tried on much heavier monsters such as Gordon. Thomas is mostly impervious to plenty but not all forms of conventional weaponry. He can usually shrug off smaller weapons, though evidently shows more struggle against larger forms.

There are instances where Thomas displays impressive agility, performing acrobatic maneuvers such as flips, leaping great heights, as well as dancing. His running speed is considerably faster than a majority of other monsters that are close to his size and weight. Being associated with water, Thomas is a naturally skilled swimmer, with his tail fins providing ballast when making sharp turns. The hue of his scales enables him to camouflage with aquatic environments - which can take full effect heading down deeper levels below the surface, and giving him a high advantage in scenarios where one of the most effective survival tactics is stealth.

Thomas boasts strong and unique firepower. His breath weapon is a blue missile-like energy projectile containing acetylene, a chemical component used in oxygen-fuel welding - providing the illusion of resembling a “flame”. Although small, this blast is often launched at an alarmingly rapid rate and inflicts explosive damage upon impact. It can ricochet off of hard surfaces, as well as stun or sometimes knock-out opponent monsters outright.

### **Weaknesses**

Thomas' statistics indicate that he is overall well-rounded and average among other monsters, though these are not exactly exceptional. In traditional hand-to-hand combat, he is able to hold his own against those that are simply smaller or weaker - but also proves to be greatly disadvantaged when put up against ones that outclass him drastically in different areas. Some examples include Gordon with superior muscle, Spencer having substantially faster speed, and Emily with the ability to inject venom (etc).

One of Thomas' most prominent weaknesses is his short range, and as such he can be classified a "rushdown" archetype. Furthermore, Thomas is limited in that he does not gain or lose energy-based abilities or variants of such, aside from his standard breath weapon - thus unfortunately having to rely on forcing himself to approach opponents closely if his breath attack becomes unusable for any reason. In severe cases, this can render him virtually defenseless, either leaving him forced to retreat or call for assistance. He also has difficulty countering against powerful attacks or weapons that cover long ranges.

Thomas' tail fins are primarily to allow him to remain stabilized in water. It is implied that if one or both of these fins is injured, missing or destroyed, he could lose the ability to swim efficiently.

### **Personality**

Thomas is optimistic and friendly at heart, but also very plucky and ambitious, similar to the behavior of a small dog. He is notoriously known for his cheekiness, finding enjoyment in teasing monsters larger than himself, and applying a small sense of playfulness in battle scenarios. This exuberant personality naturally led to him developing friendly rivalries, particularly with James, Gordon (to some extent), Stanley, and Ryan to name several. He seems to have little interest in more adult concepts such as romance. Thomas also has a tendency to be territorial, which may lead to him acting difficult towards others, even challenging with individuals whom he barely knows. It is assumed that this is likely due to him not having very much early socialization with humans or other beasts (outside of Sir Topham Hatt and Edward respectively) during the years when he was a hatchling.

Despite his reputation of being comedic and occasionally haughty, Thomas acknowledges when to set this humorous personality aside in dire circumstances. He built up a strong sense of empathy and sportsmanship as he became older and more experienced as leader, to where he can rally the rest of the Steam Team and other allies when the situation calls for it.

## Gallery

### Designs

BronzeGoldOld conceptPlatinumPlatinumPlatinum
## Trivia

* Thomas was the second character to be designed and developed for *SM*, the first being Edward.
* Thomas' year of birth is a direct reference to the year in which the very first *Railway Series* book was published (1945).
* Thomas' first design was very rounded in all areas of his body. His head was drawn much more spherical and his original height was roughly 5 or 6 feet tall. His face was notably tweaked many times to give the impression of a happy mammal.