#starlight express Appreciation Month 2024

[unknowns-musical]

Okay, starting off this is gonna be my little brain dump for how I think the trains are made in this universe. So, prepare for a lot of text and silly scribbles. If you make it to the end, I'm gonna explain why I first came up with this idea and that it links to Hermes and his past.

To start off with, the trains are toys they can't be born but made. Even as toys, Control sees them as real trains/people, meaning that they have to be made in his world and not just in the real world as their toy forms. But, since he sees them as people that also means they can age and I do believe this is a thing considering Momma, Poppa and og Belle are older than the rest of them, and have a history from when they were younger. If any of you know transformers, I'm basically gonna describe cold constructs in my way.

The first step is to make a base form of what kind of engine or car you want. A simple frame work that contains their internal structure that holds their power source and lets them keep their form. In a way like their version of a skeleton, organs and muscles. You want to make an engine? Their chest would contain the engine part, and the rest is spread out under their "skin". For a freight or coach? They still have a power source, only it's smaller as to make room for their original purpose to hold/carry things or people in their chest cavities.

This is just a rough idea of what they would look like in my head. Kinda like a puppet, a basic form that can be changed and molded to what they're being made for.

However, in this state they are just lifeless, an empty shell of what they should be. So, to give them life they need a spark to give them life. That power that the engines have the strength and speed to race, that power that gives the Freights and Coaches that energy to do what they need to do. That spark is shared to give these base forms life.

The spark doesn't always work though, it won't give these base forms life if they were made incorrectly most of the time or if the user is incapable of sharing the spark in some shape or another. Be that age, an injury, or a fault in their own system.

If they spark can be shared then it is a race to finish the base form before difficulties arise. The spark not only gives them life, but the last bit of energy needed to finish the outside of the body. An outer shell that can fuse to their form, that gives them protection and allows them to grow as they get older. Giving them an overall human appearance, which varies on what you make. A Steamer needs a form of chimney or vent to let their smoke and stream out. The electrics need extra padding to prevent themselves from shocking others on accident and prevent rain from getting into their systems. Diesels need several vents to let out their smoke like steamers, but also a large room to for their internal controls and to monitor their engine, as well as store their oil.

The energy is used up at this point to finish off the form and give them life, creating a child of a varying age depending on how old they were designed to be. Usually they're about six to eight, sometimes older if they're in a rush for them to get to work faster since they have less time to reach that maturity. But creating them younger is overall more beneficial as it gives them more time to learn about the world and develop properly.

Now we're onto why I created this idea and how it links to Hermes. His backstory is very basic: he was found as a toddler by CB who was a child at that point and was adopted into the family since he looked similar to him and CB wanted a little brother. That lead me to thinking about his backstory more... If the trains are created, then like a birth certificate they would have a certificate of manufacturing. Saying who made them, where and what their original purpose was. What kind of train or car they are, so in future if they had to be converted they could convert them without harm.

Yet no one knows who made Hermes or where he was made they have no where nearby that a child like this could come from, which gave me the idea of what if he wasn't complete? If he wasn't complete, then he wouldn't have a certificate of manufacturing, meaning something happened that stopped his creator from finishing him and somehow got separated once he gained consciousness. But if he wasn't finished, no one knows what he was meant to be so the Freights, and their guardians attempted to finish him without knowing what he was. So, the body he has when he is older isn't his true form.

Now, I will say who made him and what he was meant to be but no one in the yard knows. Og Caboose was his creator, his father and by default Hermes was meant to also be a Caboose like his dad and technically his bio brothers as well. What stopped him from fully finishing Hermes I don't know, I have yet to decide. Despite being incomplete being a Mail Freight in a sense is close enough to his original purpose. He carries both people and mail, for long journeys and travels a lot.

Now, being incomplete I had the idea that the extra energy that was meant to be used to finish off his form never left. It was meant to be used up before he gained sentience, but it was never used up, so instead it stays with him. That energy is why he is always energetic and why he is so fast, even faster than the engines.

As a byproduct it creates two issues: he rarely gets tired and he wears out his parts faster then everyone else. With all that extra energy, it's hard for him to get tired in general so he has to work twice as hard and twice as long just to tire himself out enough to sleep. Then we have the wearing out his parts faster than the others, being on wheels more often his wheels and pistons are gonna wear down from over use. Easy enough to replace and fix, but annoying to deal with since it means he needs more medical attention compared to others.

That's everything I have so far and thank you for reading this if you made it all the way through!!

[starburst2000]

Starlight Express Appreciation Month 2024!!

Day 18: Volta & Zero!!!

🎶Shift Electra🎶

[mysticalcats]

I FORGOT THIS STARTED YESTERDAY... here's a quick 2024 rusty for the stex appreciation month :)

[unknown-art-room1]

I had a thought which lead to a headcannon and now you all have to hear it.

Okay, for starters I recalled a lot of people in this fandom like to make the Stex characters very human like or put them in full on human aus. Then I remembered something about diesel engines, you have to be very careful about the fuel you put in it or it's just a bad time for everyone... Which lead me down this spiral of thoughts.

So, Greaseball is the one who started off this train of thought and who it is mainly centred about. But if diesel engines can have only certain fuels, then as a human that would translate to them having a very strict diet. Probably even food intolerances and allergies, limiting what they can eat. But, since they're dating Dinah she can make them so many safe foods that actually taste good.

Next up, the electrics... Honestly, I can see them eating only "pure" food. Mainly a vegetarian/vegan diet but can and will eat only expensive meat. The entire ideology is it has to be free from any chemicals and no guilt would come from eating the food they have. Electra would probably eat a lot of salads. Though, I can also see them not being able to handle rich foods.

The steamers, no dietary restrictions or anything like that, but I can see them having more of a food culture based on how they prep it. In other words, they like to roast, boil and steam the foods they eat... Hell maybe even BBQ on the occasion. Rusty might have a more mixed diet since he works with the freights a lot? Not sure.

I don't think the trucks, freights or coaches would have any restrictions but would have a similar case to the steamers. It's more based on their jobs?

For example, the freights would have more finger food/packed lunches. They are more represented as the working class, so I can see them eating food that's fast to eat like sandwiches, or left overs. I can definitely see CB just sitting back with the most picnic like packed lunch.

The coaches I believe would have the most variety, but they each have a preference. Dinah and Buffy would have the biggest variety since they can cook, but it's more like diner/cafe food. Ashley and Carrie would be more little snacks and orderves (I have no no idea how you spell that word).

For the trucks... I don't actually know. I don't know much about them so I can't say. But, I would love to hear your thoughts and feelings about this! So please don't be afraid to add to this!

[u-n-c-o-u-p-l-e-d-dwoht]

Theres no girls girl group better then the coaches

[stelscribbles]

oh but it would be totally different if dinah was the one who left her 😼

[honey-dont]

stex month day 13: flat top!

favorite actors: SO many. ross dawes is my forever fave but i also love delano williamsen, dennis courtney, luuk hartog, todd lester, mark davis, richard mylan, marcel brauneis, and paul treacy! plus whoever played him in tuacahn, i've never been able to find a cast list </3

i think a lot of actors tend to play him pretty one-note so i love when people balance his jerk asshole side with his softer caring side! plus he's always fun comedic relief, shoutout to ross for smacking himself in the face with his own brick. and how can we forget dennistop's goofy helium laugh. love him

favorite songs/scenes: watching him mess around in freight and the blues is SO fun he's so funny <33 the lil spin and suspender snap paul does is adorable, also love him bothering this poor random woman in the audience with his brick. i mentioned ross above but him climbing around on the set like a jungle gym is so so cute!! also tuachan flats getting super excited to see rusty and waving at him!!

love literally all of his and dustin's interactions too, esp when he waves off the rockies for teasing him ough. their little goofy solo in freight!! <3

AND ofc all of his and rusty's interactions! him being a little shit to poppa and rusty jerking him back by his couplers....peak sibling behavior. love him giving rusty his helmet back after he gets beat up, esp how ross does it bc he doesn't tell him to give up!! he still believes in him!! brb exploding

him and poppa/momma are rly fun too, flat top is definitely their least favorite child but they still care about each other <3

honorable mentions to dinah giving him a cheek kiss too it's so cute

OH wait one last thing. when he hears about cb's plan and he looks SO disappointed in greaseball bc that's him finding out that his hero isn't who he thought he was and UGH. it's so good

wait i lied one more. him and rocky messing around during the megamix and throwing the brick to each other <3

favorite costumes: london!! oh my god all the little details are so good like he's quintessentially 80s london punk and it shows. his little socks! the steel toes on the skates!! the bigass frankenstein bolt collar <3 i'm especially fond of his earlier fluffy black & silver wig, it's adorable

i also loooveee the 3d glasses makeup but the bit where he just had graffiti scribbled all over his face is so funny like "hey what should we put on him to show that he's rebellious?" "just write SEX + DRUGS" "ok got it"

also brick on a chain my beloved <3 AND in late london where his belt was made of wood planks to show that he's a flatcar!! so good

i also have a fondness for on ice flats. his stupid nail boots. and tuacahn bc i respect the decision to put him in a crop top and chaps

favorite ships/friendships: flatdust is my train otp i love them i love them i love them <333 they have it all....friends to lovers....sunshine/grumpy....introvert/extrovert....good stuff. their friendship is so sweet to me bc they're total opposites and yet! special shoutout to that one boot where it genuinely looks like they're about to start making out onstage

i love him and rusty too, they're absolutely siblings to me and wind each other up all the time but they still care for each other! also him and cb in a frenemy situation bc cb thinks it's funny to push his buttons

his hero worship on greaseball is also really interesting bc it ties into his whole self-discovery arc imo

headcanons: he's physically the weakest of the freight and he absolutely has a chip on his shoulder about it </3 i hc him as a bulkhead so engines tend to dislike him too due to him being prone to derailing at speed, so he's desperate to prove that is he is cool and strong actually!! he's also like 5'4" without the boots lmao little guy

he's scared of thunderstorms but won't admit to it so dustin will hold his hand and pretend that he's the one who's scared ;-; he also helps dustin out in his garden sometimes but he sucks at it so he just gets to stand there and be moral support. guy who doesn't get the concept of seeds and will just rip up whole flowers for dustin to plant

also very rarely smiles bc he doesn't like his tooth gap :( dustin thinks it's cute tho

unpopular opinion: flat top is such an interesting character bc like. he does NOTHING and yet he has one of the strongest character arcs in the whole show! it's all about him figuring out who he is and where he belongs and it's so fascinating to watch unfold in the background. him racing with rusty in the final would've been such a good culmination of that

also i don't think this is unpopular but on my knees begging him to be punk again like that's his whole point

anyway sorry for writing an entire essay i'm normal about him.

(last two pics are commissions from arachnidal and sparemayonnaise!)

[wonderful-magician]

StEx appreciation day!! Day 20!! Krupp!!

Favorite performers ( not ordered )

- Joey Mckneely

- Toby Poole

- Gareth Bretherton

- Richard Leavey

Favorite songs/moments

I LOVE HIS SPIN IN AC/DC also this is weird but he looks so funny in the rap the dance doesn't fit him at ALLL!!

Notes

HES MT FAVORITE COMPONENT I LOVE KRUPP I LOVE KRUPP RAAAAHHH I need him back I'm okay with Killerwatt but KRUPP HAS RHHEGE Krupp is like peak StEx design to me

Oh also support moneygun

[tabooiart]

STEX APPRECIATION DAY 3: GREASEBALL

Favorite Actor(s): Carlos Gastelum, Nigel Casey, Ernest Marchain, Michael Quinn

Favorite Song/Scenes: Pumping Iron!! Especially the dance break which is one of my fave scenes in all of stex honestly it's just so fun

Favorite Costume(s): OLC Greaseball served like no one else has ever served. I'm also very fond of broadway GB and his yellow wheels

Favorite Ships/Friendships: I don't ship Greaseball with anyone because everyone should stay away from him

Headcanons: Greaseball used to win races fair and square but as the fear of his obsolescence and desire to keep his power kicked in he started cheating to secure his place. The race we see in canon is sort of the peak of how egregious his cheating is because he felt genuinely threatened by the competition

Unpopular Opinion: Idk if this is unpopular but gb is a bad person and that is okay because he is the antagonist <3 Like he beats up people for fun and treats women like shit. And I don't really agree that he should be toned down because like. He's the main villain!!!

[green-planets]

StEx Appreciation Month Day 2: Pearl!

💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

Face Claim: Lovette George (I AM A HUGE REVA PEARL ENJOYER BUT SHE'S ALREADY MY FC FOR MOMMA!)

Favourite Song/Scenes: OLC He Whistled At Me, Pfeife für mich (the German lyrics are less muddled than the English ones imo), Her twirls during Make Up My Heart, “Pearl-lease let me go with you!”, Only He, Only You/ Du Allein (my heart also melts when she calls Rusty the starlight on the OLC 🥺), PRUSTY ARM THING!!! RAAHHH!!

Favourite Costumes: Early London fluffy skirt and the Japan/Aus tour cotton candy-looking wig (I love the little braids!)

Favourite Ships/Friendships: Pearl x Rusty, Pearl x Coco, Pearl x Electra (but mostly Workshop Electra because it's silly to me). Her friends are the coaches (especially Dinah and Belle Jr.), Rusty, Dustin, Poppa, Momma, and Electra (post-canon)

Headcanons: She's an adrenaline junkie and has always wanted to be a racer. Of course she would jump at the chance to race with the reigning champion! Post-canon she goes on to become a champion racing coach

Unpopular Opinion: Aside from her and Rusty's meet-cute (Pfeife für mich is so adorable!), I don't really like the rewrites where she's completely new to the yard. It's more interesting to me when she and Rusty have a bit of history

💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

[unknowns-musical]

This musical has gotten stuck in my head and gave me the brain worms... I don't think they're leaving any time soon.

[starburst2000]

Starlight Express Appreciation Month 2024!!

Day 15: Caboose!!!

🎶The Red Caboose is not Snow White!🎶

[op3ra]

hands that fix / eyes that shield

fav actresses: there are so many wrench actresses i like!! i haven't seen footage of her but recently maja johansson is my fav visual inspo for her <33 the perf faceclaim honestly

fav ships: oh u know i'm unironically mentally ill about wrench x rusty. i think she deserves softness in the form of the kindest most stubborn idiot she's ever met. that "older workaholic couple learning to love for the first time in many years" dynamic just gets me. i also love dinah x wrench OF COURSE and my besties are massive brained for coming up with that one <333 volta x wrench and joule x wrench also favs

headcannons: she used to be a steam crane before converting herself to a diesel hydraulic crane. she's self propelled so she's pretty fast and can't race behind an engine in partner races since she's classed as one herself. she's been a dedicated race medic and trainer her entire life, and is highly sought after by professional racers. inbetween racer contracts she works as a standby medic for races. hasn't dated in decades because she prioritizes her career and is thrilled to have found herself a partner who is cool never being her first priority and values independence. repaired and brought joule to life and is incredibly fond of her <3 owns two robocats who live with rusty. constantly feels cold due to a fluke in her conversion. is the only train to have done her own conversion with her own hands. instead of dreaming when asleep she runs maintenance on her code. has misophonia and major depressive disorder. convinced she doesn't know how to be vulnerable or loveable. krupp is her oldest friend and has worked with her many times before they both got hired by electra. big enjoyer of different teas. is a crazy workaholic. has triangular pupils which nobody knows the explanation behind. has seen her fair share of death and suffering as a trackside emergency responder. has an innate need to look put together to other people at all times even when she's struggling. knows how to fight and will fight to protect her loved ones (the components). rough and blunt on the outside. gift giving and acts of service are her love languages. doesn't really have a home because she's traveling with electra so often. there's more but this is a huge wall of text already

opinion: i don't like it when men cover her tbh let androgynous women be women. luuk hartog is the only exception bc he's so damn good at her makeup

[unknown-art-room1]

I was going to post something else, I had another drawing at the ready to go! But no! @princeelectra you had to post this, you had to give the brain worms the fuel for me to draw this. I blame you for this Leccy, I blame you very much/j

[u-n-c-o-u-p-l-e-d-dwoht]

Time to give my friend her daily dose of greaseball

[cryptic-mythos]

EDIT SUGGESTIONS PLS.

you can be as detailed as you want- wether that be a certain character(s), with a certain audio, with a certain line from said audio, and a certain StEx actor/era- or just give me an audio! It’s mostly audios I need but I love making edits ppl wanna see! (Starlight express themed only unfortunately </3)