Stories by @ltathena

Wilbert the Forest Engine

Dear Friends, Wilbert works in Gloucestershire, on the Dean Forest Railway. He kept asking if he could meet Thomas and at last Sir Topham Hatt/the Fat Controller managed to arrange it. The visit was not without its mishaps, but I know that Wilbert enjoyed himself. We hope that you will enjoy the stories of his adventures on the Island of Sodor as much as he and the other engines did. The Author

Super Electromagnetic Robot Combattler V (1976)

Thousands of years ago, the people of the planet Campbell decided to leave their planet and seek out new worlds to inhabit. One group, led by the scientist Oreana, landed on Earth, but was delayed from their mission. In the early 21st century, Oreana's group reawakens and begins their plan to conquer the Earth. The only effective defense against the Campbellians' giant bio-mechanical slave beasts is the super-electromagnetic robot, Combattler V and its pilots Hyoma, Juzo, Daisaku, Chizuru and Kosuke. (NOTE: PLEASE CAST USING PLAYERS FAMILIAR TO ANIME DUBBING SCENES IN CALIFORNIA, FLORIDA, NEW YORK AND TEXAS).

Fighting General Daimos (1978)

After the destruction of their home world, the survivors of the planet Baam head towards Earth with the goal of negotiating the purchase of land for emigration. Unfortunately, during the negotiations, the Baam Alien leader is assassinated by his second in command and the delegation from Earth is framed for the murder. In the ensuing chaos, Doctor Isamu Ryūzaki of the Earth delegation is shot and killed. Shortly after the disastrous end of the talks, the Baam began a campaign of terror against Earth. The only thing standing between the Earthlings and annihilation is the transforming, karate-using super robot, Daimos and its pilot, Kazuya Ryūzaki. But that changes when he meets and falls in love with a mysterious girl named Erika, who turns out to be the daughter of the deceased Baam Alien People leader. Over the course of their struggles to reunite, Kazuya and Erika each learn that the other's people are not all evil... And that their own people are not all good.

Henry and the Express

Dear Friends, When I went to see Henry recently, she was worried about not having had a book to herself for ages. "Yes," I agreed, "There's the story about patching up your smokebox..." "And the time my wheel broke," she interrupted. "What about when you came out of the Works before you'd been properly painted?" I said. "You wouldn't...!" she gasped. But I would and I have. It might teach Henry not to try to tell me what to do. But Henry also introduced me to one of her most favorite places - the Crosby Royal Forest - which I have helped Lady Hatt in declaring a preserved nature site on the Island. The Author

By Nightfall

An epic tone poem about the Vietnam War as an experience in following a ragtag group of service men as they are move from the nightmare of Basic Training through to combat on the front lines, being sold out by one of their own to become prisoners of Hỏa Lò Prison (the Hanoi Hilton) and a girl Vietcong soldier who helped them escape. Together, the four escapees and their rescuer survive the jungles of North and South Vietnam in trying to make their way back to their own lines while hunting the Phantom Blooper that is slaughtering American and Vietnamese forces alike before memorializing their rescuer in fighting for peace back home in the United States. Dante's Divine Comedy of Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso as seen through the lens of Vietnam.

Battlestar Galactica: Volume III - The Peaceable Kingdoms

After the fall of the Galactica and planet Anastasis, the human race has finally managed to catch their breath as there has not been much of an attempt by the Union to Resist Colonial Intervention forces to strike back against them. Even so, Count Iblis is counting on the nihilistic quest of the Humanoid Cylon model Number One: Brother John Cavil to lead the Union forces in destroying all existence. With word from the Seraphs (including Apollo's deceased wife Serina) that the factions of the Union are being rallied by Iblis for what could be the final battle, our heroes must depart Earth with the spirit of Galactica riding with them as the Battlestar Pegasus and destroyer Colonial One begin a crusade to destroy Iblis and his Akuyokis so to bring peace and justice back to the galaxies.

Thomas Comes Home

Dear Friends, Daisy was most upset when she heard that people were saying there weren't many female engines on Sir Topham Hatt's Railway. "You must do something about it", she told me indignantly. "There's me and Mavis and I was in charge while Thomas was away at that Great Railway Show, wasn't I?" Well she wasn't really, but would you dare tell her? These stories are about what happened before Thomas came home and of a very special adventure Thomas had on the way home with Stepney, Flying Scotsman and City of Truro. The Author

The Terminator (Gender-Bend)

In the next century, a weapon will be invented like no other. This weapon will be powerful, versatile and indestructible. It can't be reasoned with... it can't be bargained with. It will feel no pity, no remorse, no pain, no fear. It will have only one purpose - to return to the present and prevent the future. This weapon will be called the Terminator. Now in a city under cover of darkness, someone is stalking Samuel Connor. He doesn't know why, but it's him she's after. And no one can help him except for one woman. They came to fight for the one man who could save the future. One came to protect him, the other to kill him. And now, Samuel Connor's world has become a battlefield with him at Ground Zero and the Terminator closing in. Your future is in its hands.

Back to the Future Part III - Outatime (Coed Edition)

The third part of the trilogy begins with Marty McFly and Jennifer Parker stranded in 1955 but still successful in having saved 1985. Marty and Jennifer in going to Doc Brown's 1955 counterpart for help on getting back to 1985 learn about the death of 1985!Doc in the year 1885 and must travel back in time to save him. With no fuel readily available for the DeLorean after they took a Native American Indian arrow to the fuel line, the three time travelers must figure how to escape the Old West before Emmett is murdered. Matters are complicated by Doc falling in love with a teacher named Clara Clayton who was slated to die crashing her buckboard wagon into Shonash Ravine and the outlaw gang of Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen terrorizing Hill Valley of the Old West.

Thomas and the Great Railway Show

Dear Friends, Henry, Gordon and James have been grumpy lately. They were jealous because Thomas had been asked to visit the National Railway Museum in York. Sir Topham Hatt was afraid that they would go on strike, but they didn't. "If Thomas wants to be a museum-piece", they said to each other, "what's that to do with us?" Meanwhile Thomas was enjoying himself. I hope you will enjoy reading about how he did so. The Author

E.T. II: Rescue From Beyond

Grateful to the Taylor family for helping one of their own return home to them, the Asogians of the planet Brodo Asogi begin to take a benign interest in intervening in Earth's history in order to steer us on a better evolutionary path. E.T. finds this a most welcome development, but he misses Elliott and wants to organize an expedition to visit Earth and maybe begin a potential culture exchange between Terrans and Asogians that could be their interstellar alliance for galactic civilizations. But a more sinister extraterrestrial race called the Herods has also heard of Earth and plans on capturing some humans to experiment on and vivisect them in order to breed a super race. When E.T. warns the Taylors and Tedrow "Keys" Garrison of this development, the Asogians' expedition must get underway while Elliott, Gertie, Michael and their friends evade capture on Earth by the Herods and a splinter alien hunter cult targeting them until E.T. can arrive to save the day.

It's An ABBA World

It is the middle of 1978, and ᗅᗺᗷᗅ (Agnetha Fältskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad) take a wrong turn while driving their Rainbow Bus on a backwoods roadway in Sweden. This wrong turn leads them into the 21st Century, where many people are anxious to welcome them back having assumed them dead long ago. As they try to readjust to life in the 21st Century, the evil Wizard King Roffe kidnaps many of Sweden's elementary school children to use as messengers of hate and war to overthrow Earth through its music. ᗅᗺᗷᗅ sets off to free the children and save the world by defeating Roffe, whose castle is at the center of ᗅᗺᗷᗅ World - a theme park used as a shrine to the band to mourn their disappearance. Along the way, they meet many colorful characters and perform their own songs to save the world.

Jock the New Engine

Dear Friends, The Arlesdale Railway is a narrow-gauge line which runs inland along a beautiful valley. It starts at the terminus of Duck's branch line and Duck and Oliver bring many visitors. So many, in fact, that Rex, Bert and Mike found that they couldn't carry them all on their own. And that was why Jock was built. I like Jock - I hope you will too. The Author

Science Ninja Team Gatchaman II (1978)

Two years after the defeat of Galactor and the apparent death of Condor Joe, a cruise ship is attacked by Leader X, killing nearly everyone on board. One of the survivors, a young child known as Sammy, whose gender is ambiguous, but is implied to be a hermaphrodite, is captured by X and rapidly aged into the bizarre, masculine-voiced, and androgynous villain known as Gel Sadra. Though they have the appearance of an adult, Gel Sadra is not immune to throwing childish tantrums and behaving immaturely. In the midst of the revival of Galactor, the Science Ninja Team is called back into action, with a shady man known as Hawk Getz acting as the replacement for Joe. Getz is quickly revealed to be a Galactor agent in disguise (and had killed the actual Getz who was to join), and winds up killed by a mysterious feather shuriken. After hints spread in the first three episodes, Joe reappears in the fourth episode, having somehow survived his fatal injuries at the end of the first series, and rejoins the team. It is later revealed that he was rescued by an ex-Galactor scientist at the brink of his death, and was the subject of various cybernetic augmentations.

The Charlie Brown and Friends Adventure Hour

In this new take on the Peanuts gang, old comic strips and specials are adapted and or featured alongside brand-new or re-imagined takes on historical events, classical stories and even popular media. One thing remains constant - life in Monroeville, Minnesota is never dull for Charlie Brown and his friends. In between the usual antics of Charlie Brown trying to kick the football and make friends with the Little Red-Haired Girl, Lucy trying to woo Schroeder and rid of Linus's blanket, and Snoopy's attempts to down the Red Baron; there are mysteries going on that involve the realms of horror, fantasy and science fiction which our heroes must confront in order to protect their town. But here, adults do appear in full and can speak perfect language instead of trombone.

Thomas and the Twins

Dear Friends, Bill and Ben keep asking if they can be in a volume again. Well, in Cornwall during 1988, I met Bill and Ben's twins Alfred and Judy while talking to the engineer driver of one of them at Par. He set me thinking, and this is the result: if our china clay twins enjoy being in a book again, they should thank him not me. I hope you will enjoy the stories too. The Author

Trans-Con!

The year is 1863, and the race to connect the country has begun! Join chief engineer Jack Casement and his sister Sarah Casement, the land surveyor, as we sign with either the Central Pacific leaving Sacramento or the Union Pacific leaving Omaha to help lay track all the way to Promontory Point, Utah near Salt Lake City. Along the way, make peace with Native Americans and watch out ahead for natural disasters, buffalo stampedes, and a band of ornery outlaws out to steal the Golden Spike and sabotage the Transcontinental Railroad.

Yulenka of the Giant Amazons

In this re-imagining of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, Yulenka Amarsova is a prominent left-wing activist in the Russian Federation. A comet fragment of a near-Earth asteroid 99942 (also known as Apophis) crashes in Moscow and wipes out Russia's ruling far-Right wing party leader Valentin Popov. Absorbing radiation from the comet piece, Yulenka finds her life turning upside down when she starts growing proportionally taller until she is at least 111 feet tall from head to toe - utterly disproving the Square-Cube Law! Rescued by the United Nations, she discovers to her amazement that the antidote lets her grow to giant and shrink to normal or microscopic sizes at will. With monsters erupting from or villains gaining power from fissures in spacetime to threaten the peace of the Earth, Yulenka must become a new hero. Known as the Amazon, Yulenka dons a shifting suit of armor and variable-sized weapons to battle forces of darkness.

Toby, Trucks and Trouble

Dear Friends, Freight cars (also known as goods trucks, vans and wagons) are silly things. They rattle, bang and chatter to each other so much that they can never hear what their engine says. Even if they did, they probably wouldn't take any notice. They pushed Mavis into a lorry truck, and that made extra work for Toby and Percy while she was being mended. But on the other hand, perhaps they're not all bad - after all, they did teach Bulstrode a lesson. See what you think. The Author

Unsavory

A violent, tyrannical and machismo-driven Drill Instructor of the Marine Corps is drummed out when his two deputies expose his recurring cycles of abuse beyond tolerable levels towards the recruits. Forced to reacquaint himself with the civilian life he had entreated to apostatize, the Drill Instructor finds himself being driven to homicidal derangement and apoplectic bloodlust by the feminist and pacifist movements taking root in America. Illicitly procuring armaments from police raids, he embarks on a spree of obscenity and violence raging hither and yonder. A younger Marine captain is dispatched to undermine the Drill Instructor and expedite his capture or deliverance of a retribution.