#totally not a starline au reference

[totaleclipse573]

Guys I think I broke the alien how do I fix it

[boombrothersasks]

while Eclipse runs away from his smoke bomb prank, he runs into.... a certain platypus

(Yo 👀)

"Okay, so I'm a little lost, but that's okay!" Eclipse told himself. "Pretty sure I'll figure something out along the way. I'll know where I am soon enough!"

---------------------------------

"I literally do not know where I am." Eclipse finally decided to admit to himself after running for a while. "Oh well, just standing here isn't gonna do anything. Better keep running!"

"That's a terrible idea."

"Maybe, but its kinda the only way I-wait. That's not what my brain sounds like!" Eclipse quickly turned to find that someone was behind him. A really weird looking someone. "WHO THE HECK ARE YOU?!"

"...Dr. Starline. Didn't we already do this?"

"Nah. I would've remembered if it were important."

"Was that supposed to imply what it did-"

"Also, what kind of name is that?!"

"The one I was-"

"You sound stupid, duck-man. And you look stupid too-"

"SHUT IT." Starline shouted, and Eclipse took a few steps back, his hands outwards.

"Jeez, someone's sensitive. You're as bad as my brother..."

"But aren't you Eclipse? The brother of..." the duck-man glared. "Shadow the Hedgehog..."

"...WHAT...are you staring at."

"Not important. Do you still remember what you told me the last time we met?"

"No?? I didn't even remember you. I'd think that was a given, duck-man."

"Its uh...platypus, actually."

"Same thing."

Starline sighed briefly. "Anyway, you were telling me of all the things Shadow's done to you. How much of a bother he is, how much you hate being forced to stay with him..."

"I said that?" Eclipse tilted his head in confusion. "I think you might have the wrong guy or something."

"Honestly, how many people are named Eclipse or...Shadow."

"WOULD YOU QUIT STARING OFF INTO THE DISTANCE ALL MYSTERIOUS LIKE AND EXPLAIN?!"

"I'm only saying, you don't like him, I don't either. If you want to get rid of him, then I'll gladly help."

"Uh...yeah, sure," Eclipse turned, trying to walk away. "You do that. I'm just gonna go back this way now, okay? Okay, nice talkin' to you-"

"One more thing."

Eclipse looked back.

"Its probably best if you forget this happened too."

This left Eclipse extremely confused, given their previous conversation, but he didn't want to deal with this guy anymore. "Riiiight...I'll be headed out now."

And he sped off, running back towards the cave.

Yeah right...like I'll actually forget anything this time...

---------------------------------

Once Eclipse got back, he saw Shadow standing outside the cave. Looking pretty angry, at that. He should've expected this though. He had just thrown an entire smoke bomb in there not too long ago.

Unfortunately, though, when he tried to stop running, Eclipse tripped, falling straight to the ground and in front of Shadow. The hedgehog may have been angry with him, but his eyes still widened, looking down to see if his brother was okay.

Eclipse looked right back up at him, awkward smile and all. "Heyyyy Shadow..."

"Where were you."

"Eh?"

"Where did you run off to while I wasn't looking?"

Eclipse sat up, trying to remember where he went. He was JUST there, right? Yeah, he was. So it shouldn't be taking this long to remember...but nothing came to mind. Nothing at all.

"I...I don't think I remember!"

[shinxeysartgallery]

You DO realize that its not actually shard thats coming to speed battle right? Thats metal 3.0

he's not coming back. get over it fan brat

Did I not literally refer to him as Metal Sonic 3.0 in the first fucking line of that post? (https://www.tumblr.com/shinxeysartgallery/748519077573804032/holy-shit-metal-sonic-30-not-a-skin-i-expected)

Look! You can even see it in the URL! You don't even have to actually click on it to see that I said that!

Me saying I could "pretend Shard was alive again" was meant as a joke; I know it's not actually him. The whole context for that was based off the fact that Shard's design was based off of Metal Sonic 3.0. They're both totally separate characters though. That would be like me saying that Surge and Starline are also the same characters as the Ashura and Wechidna glitches, respectively, because that's what they were inspired by. That's stupid.

I already know they killed him off because of the mandates and that it's also why a character like him can't ever exist again. And I also know they'll never bring him back because the Archie canon is dead and discontinued, resulting in all Archie-exclusive characters being effectively dead and disallowed from canonical use. That's not going to stop me from making jokes, AUs, or the like though.

"Get over it fan brat" why don't you get a fucking life instead of bitching in peoples' inboxes over trivial shit like making an obvious joke about a character skin? Go touch some grass for god's sake; y'all are terminally online.

[rhydium]

Could you give a big general description of what your AU is about? I've only been able to catch some tidbits of it (feel free to give as many details as you want though, I love reading about people's stories/headcanons!!)

i can do my best yea!!! :D

to kick things off, i would recommend checking the masterpost, which will be pinned on my blog! particularly, infinite’s backstory essay. already 12k words of free content right there, and good for establishing context!! more things will also be added over time, such as updated references, so i recommend checking back now and then if you’re interested!

given the length of the essay though, for you or anyone else who may not want to read through it, the main details you ought to know are as follows;

– the au is fully canon compliant to the prequel comics, the main game, and the episode shadow dlc minus one detail;

– that detail is that shadow did not kill the jackal squad, however, until after the war is over, infinite believes he did due to eggman being a massive [redacted]

– yes, they are still alive, but who can say where... if you were wondering :)

– this is all only partially idw compliant as it's an ongoing series obvi, and diverges around when starline has been kicked from the empire

essentially, i guess it’s about... okay. so. infinite and starline are very parallel characters in my opinion; they both crave recognition, acknowledgement, and will chase that desire for these things to very dangerous lengths. they both feel they must prove something, to either others or themselves. i'd say its considerably more noticeable in infinite, and my personal belief regarding him is that he ties in his worth with his strength – i mean, that’s practically canon, it's not really subtext.

i feel it’s something sorta like... if people fear them, to be perceived as a bad person, a threat, they're still being perceived. if people are scared of them, that means they're worth noticing, their lives have some kind of impact – even if it's negative. we don't know as much about starline, you could definitely say these themes went a lot harder with infinite, but they're like... i do think they're there. i saw similarities in their thought patterns, and i really, really wanted to explore these similarities!

while infinite is kind of manipulated into the empire to a degree, starline is far more enthusiastic, but ultimately... the interesting thing is, they end up in pretty much the same place. discarded.

infinite, post forces, has been trapped in nullspace, for... roughly a month. my calculations could be a bit off, i really did try to keep track of the loose passage of time in the comics, but. yeah! take this estimate with a grain of salt!! he can't get himself back out again, as the phantom ruby is totally janked up. if you check out my side document on the ruby, there’s more info on that! an abbreviated version – he overused it, and an off-balance ruby is a dangerous ruby, hence his struggle to maintain a physical form. you can’t just recreate the entire sun without paying a uh... significant toll.

his experience there is definitely not pleasant, with nothing to do but contemplate his failures and faults. it’s also disconcerting, as time there is absent. he has no idea how long he’s been there. hours? days? weeks? or years? and what if he never gets out – is this his punishment, he wonders? condemned to an eternity alone, floating in an empty void? not even capable using the ruby to create the illusion of company? unable to die?

but finally, then, then comes a glimmer of hope, with the appearance of a strange new gem. the warp topaz. in the present day/real world, as we knw from the comics, it had just been cast away to an unknown location. don’t ask me the specifics on how this works, but, like, listen, it’s magic, and that thing has gotta be somewhere!! anyway. while escape isn’t possible with the drained phantom ruby alone, when he combines both gems, he’s able to warp time and space and free himself, though it’s not a painless endeavour.

finally, he is back in the real world. he identifies his location as mystic jungle, where it all began – the irony isn’t lost on him. as he is very disoriented, unsure of how long he’s been absent, he decides he ought to, naturally, get a grasp on that. he could also do with having shelter, as unless it’s been many years – which is plausible, but he would prefer not to entertain the concept – then he will want to stay away from any watchful eyes and lay low.

the two gems are also now unresponsive, most likely a result of the massive reaction between them. he should figure out what this other one is, he thinks, once the basics are covered. he’s significantly weaker following these events; first the drained ruby, then the massive energy reaction of using both it and the topaz, combined with the fact that, while he can survive for quite some time without sustenance, he hasn’t eaten in a long time. being part organic, part robotic, and involved in a symbiotic, parasitic relationship with the ruby, it all gets kind of complicated for him. he needs food and water and rest still, however, it’s more infrequent. after a week or two is when the side effects begin displaying themselves. anywho!

infinite also briefly wonders what his long-term plan is, now, following his defeat, finding he isn’t sure. he doesn't know what he wants anymore, feeling purposeless. he can’t dwell on it.

he heads for the abandoned laboratory.

it is there, however, that he finally ends up learning of eggman's lies to him. when he turns on the power to boot up the computers, he is able to determine the date... and then he decides to go through some of the files. his attention is caught by a folder simply titled “infinite.” within it are details about him, an unnerving amount of things, audio and text logs of various experiments, and... a recording from january 11th. two months before the war began. the night his squad – his family – had been killed.

he draws a deep breath in when he clicks it.

eggman’s gleeful cackle fills the room, and he swears he feels something deep within him twist. the man happily details the success of his plan to frame shadow for murder, to set infinite up, and in that moment, everything changes.

for better or for worse?

they’re alive. or – were? what had happened since? what if eggman killed them later? what if they got away and then – then... died because of – he feels sick. because of the war. because of him. the war he started because he thought they were already dead.

dread, relief, anger. mixed emotions pull him all directions, but as he sits there, letting it all sink in, one is strongest; the one that’s always strongest.

eggman. the doctor used him, manipulated him. turned him into a pawn, and infinite, gods, he had let him, guided by grief and a very similar fury to the one he’s feeling right now. he gave up his body, endured test after test, tore the whole fucking world down, and why, for what? everything he had done, he did for a lie. the torment he caused, the destruction... becoming a weapon. he had become everything he despised.

but he knows now. he has the truth, now. and he has his new purpose. it won’t be like last time, no. infinite is informed, and this is between solely him and the doctor. eggman is right in his crosshairs, and he’s itching to fire.

first, however, he has to find him.

so, he checks the eggnet pings. he sets out, chases some rumors, dead end leads. then, he gets a name. starline. from all the intel infinite can gather, he was working with eggman during the time he himself was gone, and he had missed... quite a bit. it isn't clear if they are still in alliance, but either way, the platypus may know something, so infinite decides to divert attention to searching for him, instead.

he finds him.

he's quick to learn starline is no longer with the empire, another lackey tossed aside, though the man claims even if he knew anything, he wouldn't tell infinite anyway.

"you would show that much loyalty to a man who cast you aside in a blink?" infinite asks, and starline is quiet. "you owe him nothing. even if he takes you back, you will never know security. one mishap, one wrong remark, and you’ll be back here again, squirming around like a maggot in the wreckage. if you have studied him this long, you ought to be aware of the patterns."

"i was–"

"different?"

the silence is confirmation in and of itself.

infinite snorts softly. "don't go fooling yourself."

"then why did you?" starline bites, gritting his teeth. "why did you align yourself with him? you're acting like you're so smart, but need i remind you, here we both are."

infinite's gaze is icy, unwavering. "that's my business. but i was not planning to remain complacent. our agreement was built upon deception. he withheld information, and intended to betray me. i planned to do the same. subservience is not my style. was it yours?"

starline glares back, equally frigid. his fingers curl, clenching into fists, but he says nothing.

“if i were you, i would not allow myself to be limited by merely trailing along after another.”

“i don’t recall asking for your advice, dog.” the doctor sneers.

infinite hums. “i suppose. we’re done here, then. do whatever you want,” he waves a hand dismissively, turning to take his leave, “it’s your choice.”

he gets only a few paces away before starline suddenly calls out, halting him in his tracks.

"wait," he says, "i believe you have something that belongs to me."

infinite twists to look over his shoulder, unblinking. "we are through talking."

"the warp topaz. return it."

"why the hell would i? i don't know you, and you've been nothing but a pain in my ass.” infinite replies coolly. “who are you to make demands of me?"

"i have spent a very long time studying it. it’s incredibly valuable research."

"yeah, well, good for you. there's nothing in this for me," infinite’s tail flicks in irritation and adjusts his mask, "i do not care for a one-sided transaction." he pauses. "...although if you were to change your mind about eggman, perhaps we could negotiate."

starline makes a low, frustrated chittering sound. infinite waits, despite the strong desire to put this entire interaction behind him.

finally, the platypus pinches his bill and sighs.

"...i truly do not know anything."

"i see."

infinite observes him; his posture, tone. he doesn't appear to be lying.

"that's unfortunate."

he doesn't reply. he seems conflicted.

infinite is about to give up and head off once more, only for starline to finally say,

"i could come with you."

"excuse me?"

"i have a proposition. you have something i want, and although i can not advise you in regards to doctor eggman, i may be able to assist you in a different fashion. have you somewhere to stay?"

infinite frowns. "you're desperate."

"what about the phantom ruby?”

“...excuse me?”

starline adjusts his glasses, then states, more calmly, “you aren’t using it, despite the fact it would benefit you to do so – such as when you tackled me back there. i almost got away, but you didn’t simply trap me with your illusions because you couldn’t,” infinite grinds his teeth as he smiles, smug, “am i incorrect? you’re also playing things rather cautious. and if the topaz – my topaz – was functioning to standard, you would have simply warped away, just now.”

“that is none of your concern.”

“but you don’t know how to fix it, do you? i, however, have enough resources available that i could analyse both gems, identify the problem, and potentially remedy it.”

“you think i'm so stupid as to risk trusting you?”

“i think you’re smart enough to understand that i'm your best bet.”

infinite finds himself truly consider it, much to his annoyance. as if sensing that he’s swaying him, starline continues,

“you can't keep hiding out in old labs forever, you don’t have any equipment, and you surely want to have access to your former abilities again. and without them, what do you truly have to lose right now?”

my sanity, he thinks sarcastically, though i guess i've already lost that if i'm thinking about partnering up with him.

“i assume you’ll be wanting the topaz back?”

starline smiles again.

“it’s a fair price, is it not? a more secure place of shelter, and your phantom ruby restored.”

after a long moment, infinite sighs.

“...where’s your base of operations?”

so... they strike a deal!! a very grouchy alliance is formed!! this is a spontaneous, loosely written interaction, but. that’s the gist!

the plot is, i guess, predominantly about mutual healing. see, they're so alike, and first, a lot of their dislike for one another is, at it's core, due to the fact that... they see their faults and failures reflected in the other person; their presences are a constant reminder to one another of everything they don't like in themselves.

the thing is, as time passes and they come to care for one another, that in turn also teaches them to show that same compassion and, eventually, love, for themselves. like, recognition and acceptance of the self through the other. growing, recovering, how our relationships with others can affect our relationships with ourselves, that's the story at it's core!

infinite does almost succeed in his mission, which is definitely a climax in his character arc, but from there, he slowly mellows out. for the most part, we just have a couple of losers (affectionate) hiding out and trying to figure themselves out. their “redemption arc” is more complex than like, they become totally Good though. like, they heal and grow into better people, but i want to acknowledge the fact they both still have bastard energy. their characters i think would still be in the grey zone, and i don’t want to really, bend them waaaay out of their shape to fit something else to the point they’re more like ocs. so while not pure evil, they’re more like... demoted to cartoonish villains. domesticated. they’re bad but not like........ BAD?? they don’t really take sides and are basically just allied with each other, though will if circumstances really call for it, similar to how eggman will work with sonic sometimes.

think less “wanna destroy the entire planet together?” and more “hey, wanna go break into that warehouse? i know you wanted parts for your latest invention <3″ lmao. infinite does help out with rebuilding sometimes, though, as he does feel guilty regarding everything, and it seems only right. starline tags along because, package deal. two for one on war criminals. do not separate them.

WHEW i hope this was a satisfying answer!! tysm for asking and sorry abt the wait!

[boombrothersasks]

(Boom!Shadow getting bad vibes from others bc they did something bad in "another universe" and while he's keeping him away from those people Eclipse is just like "dude what does that even mean")

[boombrothersasks]

Eclipse, what would happen if, say, you were kidnapped by an evil scientist who would use and break you?

(SHADOW, I KNOW YOU’RE THERE. LET THE TODDLER SPEAK.)

(definitely not a Starline AU reference psssh)

(These not Starline AU references give me life do you understand)

Eclipse simply stares.

"Whazzat?"

"You expect him to answer a question like that? Shame. And if you're talking about that guy...he'd better not try anything."

[totaleclipse573]

The song "Puppet Boy" came up on shuffle and yall already know

[totaleclipse573]

First of all Total, let me make it 100% crystal clear that YOU ARE LOVED!!!! ❤️❤️❤️ I hope you feel better soon, so I am here to offer my services to talk. :) Here's a few questions for ya.

What are the favorite foods of your OCs?

In the Clone AU, does anyone else besides Shadow and Tails (I think) know Eclipse is a Clone?

Do you have any headcanons about Starline and his past? :]

🥺This made me smile <3 Thanks sm

The favorite foods for each of them? That's quite the list...

Terios - Loves both mac n cheese and cookies. Not at the same time though....possibly

Doleon? Hmm...he'd like meaty stuff, of course. Not sure what specifically...he also just eats rocks /gen

The Chaos Sibs (who I need to talk about more) are all different. Sky likes biscuits, Rose loves cupcakes (specifically chili chocolate cupcakes, pyrokinesis gives her a reaaaally high spice tolerance level in general,) Zoom is a simple boy. Peanut butter sandwich.

Penny loves pizza, Evelyn probably likes poundcakes with whipped cream, and I think Pollux would try those mini zebra cakes and go starry eyed (possibly literally)

2nd question? Yeah, others know. Rouge and Omega, of course, maybe Sonic? At one point? Remember how Clip hadn't gotten to meet anyone in this au. He wasn't redeemed, so for example, if Sonic were to find out, he'd know from others that this was a clone, but uh. What's up with the original you speak of. There was one, apparently! (Also, if we're counting the au of the au, then Starline, too. Bc ofc that happened 🤭)

And the last one. Ohhhhh yes I do. A few silly and one not so silly.

I'm going to assume that by "past," you mean when he was younger, hopefully I'm right 😅

The obvious theatre kid headcanon that is basically canon by this point

Starline isn't his name. It's his last name. He's called Dr. STARLINE. That means its his last name and I will not be changing my mind. What is his first name, I have to know. Give me answers Sega, before I headcanon Perry (this is relevant I promise look : it's probably something he hated so much that he went to great lengths to never reference it ever again in adulthood)

He wasn't really.....cared about. Didn't get much attention. Ever. And it lead him to, in the future, do anything to get the approval of his idol. He's so dedicated to prove that he can and WILL succeed, by any means possible. He HAS potential, and NOBODY CARES. (When character no backstory or explanation for their actions, I give backstory and explanation for their actions. Simple as that.)

He was 100% The Weird Kid™

I've seen most of the interpretations of his past have him come from a wealthy family. I like to think they were literally just normal, and his eggman fanboy-ism happened after witnessing an attack nearby. He's totally normal guys. The place is on fire yeah yeah whatever but look at the TECH on those things

Haven't thought about it much since the single brainburst all of this came from, but there you go!

[rhydium]

Info dumbo about the StarFinite story?

aright u asked for it anon GET READY [cracks knuckles] this is gonna be long so obligatory cut in 3, 2........

...1!

so the uh, the au! the story!! w/e yall wanna call it! full disclaimer, i only began working on this whole thing a while ago, but it's totally taken over my fukn brain. like, we're talking big hyperfixation hrs. am i cringe for being this invested in my own content? yes? cool i do not Care >:3€

i should also throw it out there real quick that i am kin w/ infinite, n this is actually one of my two canons (both of which are my own aus lmfao wow). i didn't go into it expecting it to be but sfsfsgdfs here we are ig!! for that reason it's got extra importance to me n this definitely contributes to the euphoria i get from it!! it's a lil odd writing ur own canon,,? but i kinda just go w/ the flow!

the au n, the story that i will start Eventually, revolves around infinite n starline (obvi) n it's honestly just ... the tl;dr is big healing momence n, what's this? uh oh sisters !!! they are falling in love 😳😳😳

uhhhh so infinite is an android, made by eggman. that's like, the most notable canon divergence here! super important context to have. i've got a whole big theory on the possibility of sega originally intending infinite to be an artificial being (which i explored in the works for my Other canon too), stemming from not only the scene in forces wherein infinite comments on sonic's "data", but a line of dialogue from tails in one of the last stages of the game where he Literally Says "so this is where eggman built infinite". that ... i mean. that contrasts w/ episode shadow pretty hard don't it?? would explain why that dlc was so rushed, n the comic too. ANYWAY adsfsfs um that's a seperate ramblepost. yeah!!!

they are also agender n use they/them (primarily) as well as he/him!! so i'll be refering to them w/ those pronouns!

after the war, infinite is taken in by the resistance n, instead of being dismantled, they're basically given a chance to rehabilitate themselves. it's agreed that they won't be reprogrammed, as despite the potential risks, it feels wrong to do so; like a violation of their free will, individuality n thinking. if infinite is to be a good person, it's not gonna be bc other ppl recreated their entire personality, it's gonna be bc it's what they themselves truly want. robot ethics idk man!! u can't tell me that sonic n co wouldn't offer this to infinite if they offered it to metal in IDW,,,, i am Standing By This!!!

it's, yknow, a bit rocky, at first. infinite has to really fight the urge to return to eggman (something they already tried once, before the resistance found them; they were cast out). it's a struggle against what they were built to do, against giving into unhealthy familiarity over facing a, while healthier, unfamiliarity. new faces, a new life, turning their back on their mission n creator, it's like, a lot.

they work for/with the sonic crew, rebuilding the world they tore down as deemed fitting justice, being closely monitored for a bit as a natural precaution. as it becomes apparent infinite truly no longer has any ambition to harm others (they don't have much ambition for anything, really), they're then granted more freedom, n start taking on more important missions!! it at least gives them something to do, keeps them occupied. they have issues with dissociation, unreality, whether they're truly a real person bc, well, android. feeling purposeless, n a lack of worth, especially. a need to prove themselves. heavy stuff. i'll kinda go into that a bit more in a sec. their work grounds them, if only temporarily.

n soooooo... IDW comic stuff happens. metal virus time. starline gets kicked out of the empire.

now, as the comics are ongoing, n as this is already an au, there's gonna be divergence, n i must admit i haven't planned out all that yet. there's a lot i have to consider!! infinite being w the resistance/restoration is a big game changer ... tho i Do believe that they were absent, likely on a far out mission during most of the chaos. eggman doesn't know abt them, nor does starline or anyone else other than the sonic crew; n some civilians that recognise them.

i'm not 100% sure of Exactly when it happens, but i think it's just after bad guys, that infinite is sent to locate n bring in starline. it doesn't prove too difficult. there's a whole, starline realising "oh fuck it's you???", some bickering n, the two don't hit it off right away. they're both kinda like. not mentally stable ddgddgdds,,,

so uh. starline ends up essentially going thru the same sorta shit as infinite. careful watch, rebuilding, all that jazz, making sure he can be trusted. he's like... very very lost, quite like infinite is. the world has kinda calmed down, in the meanwhile.

it's at this point i'm gonna go ahead n drop a bit of a ramble i subjected my friends to a while ago, to articulate the way i see the two, n their dynamic together!! i was considering making this it's own post a while ago!

analysing their characters a bit... let's look at starline. Like. so we have this, in bad guys, which SENT ME tbfh;

i feel like it's the moment that triggers starline onto the path he is rn canonically,,, he's clearly like. rly mad n bitter. the core of this?? he wants his work n his efforts to be acknowledged.

he's big angry. still kind of in denial at this stage. he has himself obsessed w/ the idea of making eggman see him as Worthy, that if he just tries hard enough, that'll happen. he's dependent on eggman's validation, n i mean, it's no surprise; he's followed him a Long Time by the sounds of it.

then in the recent issue, hold the fuck up, bc we got, This;

god. my god it's all comin together now homies. this???? this right here??? it is the CLASSIC "i have to do this to prove i'm strong n powerful n smart n worthy n should be respected please Give Me Acknowledgement" ..... n who else is Like That? can u see where im going w/ this?

i think most ppl are aware of infinite's character being extremely indicative of self worth/esteem issues n the need to prove themself, right?? the extreme adversity, repulsion, perhaps even fear toward the idea of being weak. the compulsion to prove otherwise, to show their strength, to become powerful, to conquer to make a point. their theme exudes this same energy as their behaviour in-game; an aggressive attitude, trying to assert themself, while if u rly listen...? the lyrics are actually really sad in places. it reeks of cover up, although composition wise, a v interesting thing to note is a lot of the more telling lyrics are prominent while some of the affirming ones are in the background. indicative of a desire to have their true feelings be heard but caught in a vicious loop?

okay okay that's yet Another different analysis. AHEM.

not to get deep on main (oh who the hell am i kidding that's the point of this entire thing) but i think starline has issues w/ his worth in a similar way to infinite. they both seem to have this need to Prove something, whether it's to others or themselves, n get caught in a toxic spiral of doing worse n worse things for Some kind of validation or acknowledgement. they'll go to really big lengths chasing that, n both of them ultimately sought validation in the wrong place n wrong way.

this is a big part of my starfinite dynamic,, n so, what happens, as they get closer n open up??? we have them BOTH realising together that they don't have to do fuck all to prove anything to anyone. they don't need to do all this to show they're strong n smart n worth something, not to anyone else OR themselves. they're enough as they are. they bond over that shared feeling that they have to do xyz, to prove themselves, n that desire to just finally be acknowledged n appreciated n help each other thru it. to help each other understand that other ppls approval, or lack thereof, doesn't define them, their strength, intelligence, and worthiness.

i feel like they have an interesting parallel between them in like... the above could be taken as a general analysis, but to go more in depth on this au specifically?? ...

starline followed eggman for presumably a long time n it no doubt left him feeling a heavy and deep regret for all that time wasted n spent on an unhealthy path. infinite kinda teaches him that what matters is what he's doing Now n also reminds him that if none of it happened, starline wouldn't have learnt a lot of the serious skills he has. n while starline still feels bad, he also realises himself that, he likely never would have crossed infinite's path if none of it happened. for that reason, he wouldn't take it back.

infinite has only been recently made, on the other hand. they haven't really existed long, yet, but so far their experiences haven't been very positive n it can be .... discouraging. starline sorta, shows infinite their limited experiences w/ the world are a very tiny fraction of what's out there, n things can absolutely change, yes, including for the better; that's the essence of life, a neverending, constant flow of change.

it's a big tale of moving on n letting go, honestly; made easier as they're doing it together. n as they heal n grow, well... these bitches gay. sfshshdgds like, ig that's putting it p bluntly but!! they start to trust each other, understand each other more. as they get to truly know who the other is, they both start developing The Feelings. they're both pretty oblivious n the reveal is totally unknown so far!! yeah, i know, bummer. i suck. boo. adafsfsds however i can say there will be lots of content in the making!! if that soothes the soul! i've got of ideas i hope to bring to life.

ofc there's still a lot of more specific things i haven't covered here so! if y'all want more juice hmu w/ more focused questions but !! this is the overview n i hope it was a decent read now that gave some uhhh! Cool Insight! yea!!! ✌