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theramblingsofadork · 1 month ago

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Congrats on the big release of the first arc! 🥳👏✨

I couldn’t resist the desire to read the entire thing once again, so I did exactly that. And it made me wonder about the characters’ backstories, namely Hex, Lug and Cello!

And by backstories I mean the story behind their creation as characters.

Were they initially created as teammates for Starline or do they have the story before the AU?

(That’s a weird one, but) Do you remember the moment they appeared in your mind - you came up with them?

What inspired you to create them/what did you reference while creating? - maybe there’s a song that they’re practically based off, or a prototype character from another media?

How did you come up with names for them? Were there other options for the names?

What are some things about them that used to be/were planned to be canon, but were got rid of during the development of the story because they didn’t fit anymore, seemed outdated, etc?

That’s a lot of questions, so no pressure at all to answer fast or answer at all! They’re more of a prompt in case you want to talk about them but are unsure of where to start :3 (And yeah, the questions are sort of phrased like the three characters are not separated 😅 but please answer separately about each of them, if you do :3)

Hey there! First of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH! 💖💖💖 I’m genuinely so happy this first part is out. It’s like a huge load is off my mind. 😭

Second, thanks for the questions! I’ll try to answer them as best I can!

1. Cello, Lug, and Hex were all created for the purpose of the AU. While they’ve since grown and now all have backstories, dreams and ambitions, I never had them tied to the canon in any way before.

2. Surprisingly, yes. I had vague ideas of who they were based on what archetypes of people I needed to have on the team to make it somewhat balanced. They kind of appeared in my head then. I always knew Cello would be a blue bug of some sort. For Lug and Hex, I thought bulldog and maybe a squirrel. But when I drew it out, I liked the rat angle better for Hex.

3. Nothing, shockingly, considering most of my characters come into being through means of a song. I think Lug was the only one who was inspired by my friend’s old bulldog, Leo. Real gruff and tough looking guy, but all soft and heart underneath.

4. For me, once a name sticks, it sticks. Rivet, Charge, Hex, and Lug were all named around the ‘Sonic method of naming characters,” which is name them something having to do with what they do or who they are.

> Ex: Hex is a mechanic and a wiz with hacking (‘He’s hexing our systems!’), and Lug is a big ole lug who can carry heavy stuff.

After that, the naming sort of fell into my usual method of ‘the first name that attaches to them is what I’m going with’.

Cello was unfortunately the first of these casualties. 😔 It was always supposed to be a placeholder, but it just.. stuck.

The only way I can really relate her name to her is through the fact that cello music fits her personality and work style (focused, concise and sometimes scary) and she’s more contemporarily classy and learned than the rest of the group. (Minus Starline)

None of them had alternate names that came to me.

5. Ooo, good one! First thing that comes to mind was early on, I toyed with the idea of Lug being more hostile and anger prone due to his abusive dad, working with Yew and Co and betraying the Starpoint Squad for money to save a kid sister.

I ditched the idea because it would have destroyed the tight knit BFF relationship he and Hex have, I already had a hothead on the team, and it just didn’t feel right to do when Starline was already planning to betray them.

It was also supposed to play into an earlier version of the story involving Zeroth, but that definitely got scrapped.

As for the other two… I can’t say much has changed in their stories from conception. I suppose I did consider the possibility of Cello being a big cry baby with almost bipolar mood swings, but I think I settled on giving that to Stormy instead. (Fits her name better too.) :P

Hope that helps answer your questions! ✨✨

#asks #Starpoint squad AU #cello the firefly #hex the rat #lug the bulldog #thanks for the questions!#ramble talks

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theramblingsofadork · 1 month ago

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⭐️ Hey all! I made/finished up a TON of art in the week leading up to the release of my AU’s first arc— (I think 10 pieces in total which is UNHEARD of for me, praise be He for giving me so much creativity—) o^o

So, just in case you missed them, here they all are! (Some with commentator’s notes! :D)

This. Piece. 💖

💡 Did you know: This was the first piece that really jumpstarted my AU?

> It was the first drawing I ever did when the AU idea first struck me. Sadly, it got extremely complicated and sat in my drafts, untouched and half finished, for a full year and a half. It wasn’t until the release date that I knew I had to finish it, due to the significance of the moment.

It feels really nice to have the lineart for it all done. I’ll eventually add color. (Bonus points to whoever who can guess where the ‘friends and ice cream bit of the story’ was inspired from. ;)

> One of many old sketches I finished up. The big buddy/little buddy chaos duo is honestly so fun to draw sfhddahdhdh 💖

> Holy perspective Batman, this one was a CHALLENGE.

I really wanted to add some power to the battle photos since the moments of impact are so intense in my head. (Blame all the anime fights I watch xD)

This piece really challenged me, not only because I had to draw a mech suit (AAAH), but because Skara and Stormy are flying out of Starline’s portal as well. Not to mention the Head of Innovation and the background pieces to fill out the scene.

It’s not perfect, but I am proud of it. :3 (Next lesson to teach myself: How to do smear frames.)

> This piece cracks me up. Not only do I love Starline getting to be smug. But getting to be so to my wolf boy Atlas is even better, because his reactions are hilarious, and man is he a pathetic, soggy, drier sheet thin, limp noodle of an undercooked biscuit. 🤣

Someone get him a blow drier for gaia’s sake — They so silly and I love them both. XD

> This is one of my favorites. Not only did I complete it while half asleep and have it turn out great, but it also showcases my favorite mentor/apprentice dynamic between Starline and Hex 💖 Oougwh I’m soft for their friendship. /);w;(\

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theramblingsofadork · 1 month ago

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<<First Act: Act 1 — The Starpoint Squad

< Previous Act: Act 2 — The Plot

Current Act: Act 3 — The Battle for Atmos

A/N: This is the final part of a 3 part deep dive into my Starpoint Squad/Dr. Starline Redemption AU. If you have not read the previous acts, please consider doing so before reading this one! 💖

🎵 Accompanying Music: Guide My Way - Jeff Williams

Upon escaping the facility and gaining a vantage point, the Starpoint Squad use Skara’s binoculars to scope out the ceremony. They realize that Atlas has tucked the EMP trigger away in his pocket, and is up next to speak for their team.

Starline states that he’ll take care of him and get said trigger. When Charge asks why he should be the one to do so, he states it’s because Rivet and Charge need to face and distract Katrina with their shared touch-and-go teamwork, as it’ll make it hard for her to use her powers on them.

Rivet agrees, and Charge reluctantly goes along with it.

Cello and Lug are concerned about Yew and Co. targeting the other competitors, so Starline tells them they should work on getting them to safety.

Hex will support them by disabling security and using his VR headset to hack into and regain control of B.U.D.D.I. (Putting to good use those ‘weapons’ they installed.)

Skara and Stormy tell them that they’ll protect the Head of Innovation, wanting some revenge against Yew. Starline agrees.

Down below, Atlas begins his speech for their team, thanking everyone for the opportunity to be here, and loudly sighing that the Starpoint Squad “failed to make their appearance, accepting their defeat against superior skill and wit.”

The control signal gets activated, and they take control of all the robots, turning them on their inventors, the Head of Innovation, and the Council. (The ones who dictate decisions and how the CORE’s power is used.)

Yew appears in the robot pilot suit Skara put together, making a declaration to the entire board (and world) about nature, the world’s failure towards it, and her plan to fix things.

However, just before she can grab the Head Innovator and force him to take her to the CORE, she’s hit in the face by the tagteam duo of Skara and Stormy flying in via a warp portal.

Shock and panic ripples throughout the crowd, and Yew tells Katrina to stop them, only for Rivet and Charge to tackle her out of the way and force her to battle them instead.

Atlas then commands the robots to attack, making them all grow violent and target anyone attempting to flee or fight back, no matter how innocent their primary objectives originally were.

Only for Starline to warp in behind him and easily grab the trigger from his pocket, stating with a dramatic flourish, “And that’s curtain. Hm. Where is your luck now, Atlas? I’m disappointed, really.”

However, the trigger gets knocked out of his hand when one of the robots defends him. Atlas laughs at him. “You were saying?” And Starline tackles him, the two getting into a full on tussle as they fight to get the trigger. (All sorts of silly warp portal shenanigans happen here.)

Yew meanwhile is stopped again by Skara and Stormy, who both have their missile bazookas on them. “HEY dirt for brains!! We don’t quite appreciate our inventions being used for evil!“ Skara snorts. “Or being locked up like criminals!”

“And we certainly can’t forgive someone who wants to destroy all the pretty nature! Even if it is to protect nature.” Stormy adds with a scary look in her eye.

They fight Yew and protect the head innovator, while Lug and Cello protect and direct some of the fleeing competitors to safety. (A handful of competitors help out as well with their own inventions.)

Hex hijacks the command station and hacks into B.U.D.D.I’s system, before piloting it in VR, taking out the robots swarming in on his friends. “Whoo hoo!” The kid is having the time of his life, one step closer to piloting a mech of his own.

Eventually when Skara and Stormy are disabled and thrown away from Yew, Lug tells Hex they’ve got things here, changes to defending against the robots, and tells him to go help them.

Hex directs B.U.D.D.I to fight Yew, spraying her view with the fertilizer hose extension and distracting her, which gives the Council time to quickly help the Head of Innovation get away.

Yew grows furious when she sees her target has escaped, and upon realizing Hex is the one piloting B.U.D.D.I, she breaks off from it and flies for him instead, earning him a horrified warning from Lug.

Meanwhile, Charge and Rivet are using their x-gear and co-op teamwork to attack Katrina, making it hard for her to get a handle on them with her powers.

In response, she grabs a huge pipe with her telekinesis and rips it from the building, but can’t get a read on their pattern until she finally loses patience and launches out a shockwave, knocking them back.

However, in doing so, she suddenly realizes she’s lost control of the pipe above her head, and for the moment that she’s burnt out, it lands on top of her.

The siblings high-five, then they hear Hex’s cry for help over the intercoms, followed by a shout from Yew.

“NOT ANOTHER MOVE FROM ANY ONE OF YOU!”

They discover that Yew has grabbed the rat and is now holding him at blasterpoint. She THREATENS to end him if they don’t surrender and give up the activation trigger immediately. (Which Starline’s finally wrestled away from Atlas and is currently holding out of his reach.)

Things seem hopeless, and Atlas mocks the pinned Starline, telling him to give it up. He doesn’t want his little student to get hurt, does he? Digging into his weakness for the rat.

Starline assesses the situation. The group are too far away to get to Hex before Yew can pull the trigger. She’s mad enough to, and he can’t risk Hex’s life. But giving up the trigger now will mean the end.

As different voices argue via coms in his ear, Starline realizes there is still one possible way out of this.

It requires him to fully sabotage his opportunity to salvage his ambitions, and make a risky, uncalculated decision to put his faith in his team. Specifically, the one who never trusted him.

“Charge! You’ve got one chance! The outcome of this is up to you!“ He yells, before pushing the trigger button.

The robots under Yew’s control immediately spark, and their override code begins to malfunction as the disruptors do their job. Yew’s focus is broken for a few seconds as she watches, having not expected him to ‘sacrifice’ Hex.

“You just made a big mistake!!” She declares to him, before turning to finish off Hex.

Only for a bolt of electricity to light up and fill her glasses as Charge, taking advantage of those few precious seconds, shows the full strength of his power by firing himself at her like a high speed, electrical railgun.

He slams into her mech, damaging and knocking it back, causing her to lose her grip on Hex. The rat falls, but Rivet manages to rush in on her hoverboard and catch him as Charge lights up Yew’s robot, causing it to spark and malfunction before it can cause any more harm.

She attempts to use the jet thrusters to escape higher into the air, but once she realizes it's a losing battle, she ultimately declares, “THIS ISN’T OVER!” and ejects, leaving the suit to die out and cascade back down, heading straight for the competitors.

Cello states that because the mech is housing dangerous chemicals, the impact will cause an explosion that will cause massive structural and chemical damage to the surrounding area and all still assorted there.

Charge has no choice but to let Yew escape, and tries to reactivate the controls to avoid a wreckage, but to no avail.

Rivet then calls in for Charge to get out of there, and once he’s in the clear, Skara, Stormy, Cello, and Lug work together to fire off a larger scale, makeshift bubblegum bazooka Skara slapped together, which coats the robot in a shock absorbing substance and prevents it from crash landing.

🎵 Accompanying BGM: The Edge - Casey Lee Williams

Everyone cheers. There's a massive celebration.

Atlas is dismayed, DESTROYED. APPALLED. Glasses hanging off his face. How could this happen?! His unparalleled luck has never let him down before! His perfect record has been besmirched!

And Starline gets to be incredibly smug. “What was that you said earlier about being on the winning side? You see, this is the difference between you and I. Luck is a fickle thing. At the end of the day; it’ll never be able to hold up to real skill and intellect.” Mic drop moment.

(Silly fact as well: Atlas never has his insanely good luck again after this. It’s all downhill for him after this. XD)

“But— but—“ Atlas stammers.

Atlas and Katrina are then arrested and taken away, with the latter suffering a head injury that prevents her from using her powers without shorting herself out.

Starline grumbles about his outfit being ruined in the scuffle with Atlas, only to be surprised when he gets tackled by Rivet in a hug. She commends his plan to save Hex and thanks him for trusting Charge.

Hex also begins to sniffle and cry, stating he thought he was done for, but stayed strong because he knew Starline wouldn’t let him down.

And yet again, Starline feels a genuine moment of tenderness for them.

Charges then reappears, stating he tried to chase after Yew, but couldn’t find her anywhere.

Rivet elbows him, and he grumbles before reluctantly complimenting Starline, “…Maybe I didn’t give you enough credit.”

“!!!”

The police promise the group to keep an eye out for Yew, and the Council and Head of Innovation comes to thank them for their help.

They do state though that unfortunately, they do need to disqualify them since they did technically sabotage the competition, to which Lug exclaims that it was in order to stop Yew.

They can’t prove that was the plan from the start though. And so, Skara and Stormy are presented with the win, as the Head Innovator was incredibly impressed by their robot, and the bubblegum bazooka.

The two celebrate, and the Starpoint Squad are super bummed out by the loss. But Lug raises their spirits by declaring they still technically won the battle against Yew, and there’ll always be a next time to prove their worth. To which the others agree.

Skara and Stormy thank them for their help against Yew and Atlas, and extend an olive branch by offering to buy them dinner as a consolation prize. Even stating that B.U.D.D.I was pretty cool.

The Starpoint Squad agree to it, then all clean up and head into town for the hangout celebration at their favorite restaurant. The party lasts well into the evening, and everyone cheers and converses about life and the competition.

Starline joins them for it, and discovers by watching the news that the live camera feed was disrupted during the fight, leaving many in the dark as to what exactly happened.

He breathes a long sigh of relief that his reputation is safe, and Eggman won’t be able to see him acting the hero.

As he nurses his second drink (he refuses to get drunk and accidentally spill the beans on everything he’s so carefully kept secret), he observes his friends excitedly chatting and decides, “it’s time to go.”

He attempts to sneak out without anyone noticing, but Charge catches him, seeing as he was hanging out outside. “Trying to sneak off with your reputation intact, huh?”

Starline scoffs, and Charge chuckles. “Kidding.” Showing that he’s not as wary of him as before.

Starline is a tad caught off guard by this, then opens up a bit and states that, ”as thrilling as this experience has been, we lost the competition. So it’s time I start exploring other avenues to make my dreams a reality.”

“Back to being a solo act then, huh?” Rivet then appears with the rest of the team and she tosses him a snack for the road. “You really never take a break, do you?”

She then offers Starline another option. She and the team have been talking, and they'd like to try and stick together to make The Starpoint Squad an official team, since they all work so well together and have similar goals.

“We’d… love to have you join us, if you want.”

A night wind blows, signaling a major opportunity, and Starline blinks, rather surprised by their offer.

He hesitates.. for just a moment, before smiling as he declares, “Thank you for the invitation. I’m afraid I must decline at this time. But.. should things not work out in the future, I’ll consider it.”

They’re saddened, but accept his decision, and tell him that they’ll all be meeting up again in a month’s time, just in case he changes his mind. Hex then hugs him, asking if he really has to go.

”I do.” Starline feels a soft tenderness for the kid again and puts a hand on his shoulder, instructing him to keep improving his craft. “Make me proud. And never let anyone tell you that you’re not good enough.”

Hex sniffs and brushes his tears away before nodding. “Yeah, I won’t.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure no one crushes his dreams.” Lug swings his sad buddy up onto his shoulder.

“I have no doubt of that, Lug.”

Cello makes a cold comment about things being quieter without him there, seemingly ready to pick another fight. But then she states, “I will miss not having someone to intelligently debate with though.” Which is a rapturous compliment coming from her.

Charge tells him not to get into too much mischief out there. To which Starline retorts, “Who do you think I am?”

And Rivet smiles at him with a sad look in her eyes before lightly punching his shoulder. “Hey— Take care of yourself, Doc.”

“I will.”

Starline says his goodbyes and parts from them, letting the smile fade from his face as he steps onto the darkened streets and leaves them behind, physically and mentally. While he may have served them platitudes about a future team up, in reality he knows it’s an unlikely scenario.

They simply were never meant to live in the same world.

While he felt a sort of warmth being with them, he’s still set on his calling to rise to the side of his idol, as Yew’s unhinged grab for power once again brought him to reaffirm his belief that Eggman must be in control in order to bring about real change.

His eyes are solely set on the future now, and he’s determined. Next time, he will not fail to capture his idol’s attention.

— End Arc

> The Downfall Arc: Henchman Era (TBR)

—

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed! I know there are probably some things I could tweak and make better, but for now, this is the best that I have. 💖 I’d love to read your comments, any critiques you may have, etc!

⭐️ I want to take a second to give a shoutout to my friends for bearing with my many changes throughout this story, and listening to me ramble about it like a silly person. I also want to thank God for helping me with this final stretch. To go from struggling to draw a single piece of art in a week to drawing 10 in the a week is INSANE, and I couldn’t have done it without his strength 💖✝️ I’ll be taking a break from writing for a bit to recoup before I start work on the masterpost for the Downfall arc, but if you have any questions feel free to ask!

Again, if you managed to get this far, I really appreciate it! It’s soooo nice to finally get out this idea that’s been rattling in my head for the better half of a year and a half.

Anyways, I’ll stop rambling now. Maybe I’ll make a follow up post here in the future. Either way, I hope you all have a wonderful day! ☀️☀️

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theramblingsofadork · 1 month ago

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< Previous Act: Act 1 - The Starpoint Squad Current Act: Act 2 — The Plot

A/N: This is the 2nd part of a 3 part deep dive into my Starpoint Squad/Dr. Starline Redemption AU. If you have not read the previous act, please consider doing so before reading this one! 💖

⭐️ As the end of the competition draws near, Starline’s confrontation with Charge in the lab keeps his thoughts and mind scattered.

Rivet happens to take notice one day, and thinking it to be the deadline coming up on them, she invites him to the library, wanting to help him de-stress.

As they’re browsing the titles, a song happens to come on over the radio that Rivet recognizes and loves, so she invites him to come dance with her. He refuses at first, but upon watching her have fun for a bit, he ends up rolling his eyes when she approaches again, and lets her pull him out of his seat.

The two dance around the room, getting more and more into it, until it turns into a mini competition where they almost try to show each other up by taking turns leading the dance. It melts away any uncertainty, and they end up laughing and having fun, whirling around until Starline ends the dance by sweeping Rivet up into a dip.

And in that moment, the world slows to the stop, and reality bleeds back in.

They suddenly realize how close they are. How romantic this position is. How beautiful the other one looks in the warm glow of the firelight.

And Starline realizes with a harrowing start— these… feelings of respect he’s been harboring towards her, may have quietly been growing into something else.

And by the way she’s looking at him, he can tell, she’s thinking the same thing.

This causes a knot to form in his throat as the depth of that realization begins to sink in.

No— His true dedication has always lay in his goal of reaching Eggman and following his vision. Not in a mere cat, one who values the weak and perpetuates the cycle of hero and villain.

Atop that, even if he wanted to pursue her, he can’t. He knows he’s lying to her. To all of them. He’s not the man she thinks he is, and just like his parents when they learned the truth about his inspirations, he knows, she won’t accept him either. That he can’t be the man ‘she wants him to be.’

So, he cuts things off before they can become anything more. Distances himself, claiming it’s because they still need to focus. Rivet is confused, but respects him enough to let him go, sensing his mind is on his goals, and not wanting to force him into something he’s not ready or willing to do.

This shakeup clears a few things up for him, and forces Starline to focus back on his plan. The deadline is fast approaching, and he needs to figure out what to do.

As luck would have it, not soon after this, he happens to accidentally stumble upon a secret meeting of their rivals’.

⭐️ He overhears Yew scolding Atlas for being so reckless in speaking so freely about their own plan for the end of the competition. It’s revealed that, because of his blunder, they were forced to ‘get rid’ of Skara and Stormy (who had suddenly been announced to be dropping out of the competition earlier that week due to ‘a family emergency’).

“You're just lucky most of the work is already done, or we’d be up a creek for sure.”

Starline quickly realizes he needs to find out what they’re up to, so he decides to sneak into their lab and hack into Yew’s computer.

🎵 Accompanying Music: My Hero Academia: U.A Corridors

The warp topaz won’t work in the lab spaces due to Atmos’ security, so he’s forced to go old school. Ends up running into Hex in the vents, banging his head when the rat surprises him.

“What are you doing in here?!”

“No one bothers me when I’m in here. …What are you doing here?” Hex squints an eye.

He ends up accompanying Starline, and the two get into their rivals’ lab where they work together to hack into Yew’s computer and start copying her files to a thumb drive.

They happen to be found out by Cello who is passing by outside. When she realizes who’s inside, she whisper yells at them as to why they’re in enemy territory, and Starline assures her there’s a good reason for this. And to stand guard lest they all get caught and disqualified.

Unfortunately for them, Yew ends up returning to the lab from lunch break while they’re doing this. Cello manages to stall and distract her, just barely long enough for the boys to finish copying the files and quickly scramble back up into the vents before she can walk in.

The lab is empty and untouched, but Yew sees her laptop’s power on and gets suspicious.

Once they fall out of the vents, safely back in their own team’s lab, (startling Rivet and Charge in the process), Starline and Hex express relief over getting out of there in time, and the siblings question what they were even doing up there in the first place.

Cello then bursts in, demanding they explain themselves breaking into their rival’s lab, to which Charge states he knew he was up to no good.

And although Starline intended to look at the information on the thumb drive by himself, he’s now forced to include the team. (Lest he end up looking like the bad guy for breaking into another team’s lab space)

As they open the files, to everyone’s shock, they learn that their rivals have a large-scale plan to take control of Atmos Industries by turning the security robots and inventor’s inventions against them during the winners’ ceremony.

According to the notes, they then plan to kidnap the Head of Innovation, who will be attending the winners ceremony, to force him to use his key to grant them access to the CORE. (The massive, living power source that powers and runs all of Aethos).

While it’s usually strictly off limits due to it’s dangerous nature and the Human/Mobian political tensions surrounding it, they plan to awaken it and use it’s Primal state to bring about an end to infrastructure, pollution, and the evil corruption plaguing them. Vanquishing ‘the problem’ threatening nature and society, ushering the world into a new era of rebirth and recovery.

A Great Natural Reset, so to speak.

Charge immediately frowns without an ounce of joking. “This is a horrible idea.”

Charge is right, Starline acknowledges. The CORE is a highly dangerous piece of tech, and that kind of power in mere idiots’ hands is a guaranteed recipe for disaster. One small, miscalculated input or misstep, and the CORE’s power could fluxuate out of control, causing a massive natural disaster that would spell the end for the entire region, and perhaps even further out.

It’s a shockingly wild and dangerous plan, and Starline can’t agree with it in the slightest. It’s guaranteed to go wildly wrong!

And yet.. he considers the possibility of using this to his advantage..

He could convince Yew and Co. that they need his help to properly ensure a world ending travesty doesn’t happen, then backstab them and take control for himself—(For while THEY may be idiots, that kind of power in Eggman’s hands would truly give him the power to shape the world as he saw fit! And what BETTER way to secure the man’s approval than to be the one to hand him the very keys to that infinite power?) It’s brilliant!

In the same vein, he could also use this as a scare tactic to ensure the Starpoint Squad leave the region, thus removing them from the picture so they won’t be dragged down by his plans.

They’re good willed, sure, but even THEY would understand that no competition is worth risking their lives, especially when the odds are so dire.

No one in their sane mind would ever see a situation like this and POSSIBLY think—

“We have to try and stop them.”

????!!! *Break screech sound effect*

“…Excuse me??”

Rivet stands up from her place at the counter. “We can’t let this happen! If what you all say is true, then a lot of people are going to get hurt, regardless of if their plan works or goes belly up.”

“Be that as it may, did you not hear me when I said it’s incredibly dangerous to remain here??” Starline argues agastly. “We have no chance to beat such insurmountable odds.”

“We still have to try.”

“Yeah.. I’m with Rivet. As much as I’d like to sit this one out, I can’t in good conscience let the whole region go up in flames.” Charge adds, standing up as well.

“You too?! Why throw away your lives so needlessly for people who mean nothing to you??”

“Because that’s what heroes do. All people hold value, Starline.” Rivet states.

“Something someone like you probably wouldn’t understand.” Charge adds, being cold cut.

Starline argues he’s being logical about this, not emotional. Again tries to convince them they’re better off leaving before it’s too late.

But the siblings refuse. There's a pause of silence as their differences in priorities really starts to shine.

The others slowly agree to the plan as well, much to Starline’s dismay and alarm.

Hex states that just because he’s not a master at mechanics yet, doesn’t mean he can’t do something to help. The heroes in his game wouldn’t run away, so neither will he. Lug agrees, chiming in that they're part of a team, and if they’re going, then he’s going too.

Starline turns to Cello, desperate for someone to respond with some common sense. For a moment it seems as though she’s on his side. But then she states that if it were her town, and someone knew about a plot that would jeopardize it, she would want them to do something too.

“You all are being incredibly foolish!”

“Well, think of it this way, Doc,” Charge walks backwards and shrugs as they all turn to go. “If we fail and something happens to us, you won’t have to worry about pretending anymore.”

Those words hang heavy in the air as they leave, and Starline is left alone.

At first, he brushes the whole thing off. “Tch!! Fine! If they want to be reckless, then so be it. It's not my place to force them, and this opportunity is too good to afford to let it slip by…”

But…

His hesitation grows as he looks over the plan again.

They’ll likely be heading straight into their own demise. Rivet and Charge have seen battle before, but the others? Never. Especially on this scale.

They were all likely going to get hurt… or worse. And if Starline joined their rivals to help the plan proceed smoothly… well.. then he was going to actively have a hand in making that very thing happen..

Despite Charge’s accusations about him, Starline has secretly gained a selfish attachment to the Starpoint Squad, and he finds himself at a crossroads as his ambition and concern for them begin to clash.

Team up with Yew and the others, and betray his team at the cost of losing more than just their friendship?

Or help his team stop their outrageous plan and lose his best opportunity to make his dream come true?

He’s torn.

But as he thinks on all his time spent with them, on their smiling faces and the good moments they’ve shared… he heaves a heavy sigh as he comes to the realization that he can’t bring himself to let them get hurt over such a reckless and ill-thought out plan.

“I’ve gone soft. Ha..!” He snorts. “Eggman would be so disappointed in me…”

He quickly leaves to follow and join up with them. Yew’s plan is set to take place in the morning during the winners’ ceremony, so there’s little time to waste.

When he finds the team, they’re shocked to see him, asking why he’s here when he was so vehement that what they were doing was hopeless.

And he replies with, “Your heroism is exhausting, and foolhardy at best. But what kind of leader would I be to let you all charge in so recklessly without a contingency plan?” He flashes the warp topaz with a smug smile.

They’re all surprised and relieved by his decision, and Rivet smiles, practically glowing like a warm ray of light. “I knew you’d come around.” It makes him feel... good about his decision, for a moment.

Together, they discuss the situation and realize that they can prevent the event from happening entirely if they get Yew and the others’ caught before they can cause any damage.

This inspires an idea, and Starline has them quickly craft up some homemade disruptors/EMPs, with Charge questioning if he was planning to use something like this if it seemed like they were going to lose. But that point is dropped fairly quickly, as they need to work fast so as to not get caught.

Hex then hacks the security cameras, looping the feed so the group can sneak into the warehouse where the inventions are being stored for tomorrow. They split up and begin to discreetly plant the devices on the competitors’ inventions. They’ll activate them come the winner's speech in the morning, and short them out when Yew tries to put her plan into action, getting them busted on live TV.

However, just as they’ve finished setting the charges and are about to leave, the trigger gets knocked out of Starline’s grip. They suddenly find themselves not alone, as Atlas and Katrina appear from the shadows, the latter of whom freezes them with her telekinesis.

🎵 Accompanying BGM: Kalki - Villain’s Theme

Yew then appears on a large flat screen and commends them on their finding out her plans. She suspected they were onto her when she found the files still open on her computer. (Starline glares at Hex a bit at this one)

Atlas then expresses his surprise of Starline still being with the squad, POSITIVE that he would have defected to their side upon realizing they were on the winning side…

...To which Starline scoffs and chastises his confidence in such a reckless plan. Stating how they’re more likely to wipe the region out than save it since they don’t know the first thing about handling things delicately.

Atlas is quite stung by this, especially considering he always thought him and Starline to be equals. (Spoiler alert, they are not and only Atlas believed that.) But he moves past it and pronounces that his insanely good luck is on their side anyways.

When Cello then asks why they’re even doing this, Yew shares her reasoning for resorting to such a crazy plan, declaring that there was no other way since all other avenues have failed.

She was simply another nature enthusiast. Poured her money, time, and research into ways to protect the planet from destruction. But time after time, she kept running into roadblocks.

Her conservation plans and serums were denied, or would be stuck in bureaucratic limbo for years before they ever saw approval. The higher ups on large scale conservation efforts she met appeared to be more concerned about themselves and keeping the shareholders happy than protecting nature.

Her view of the ‘corruption’ got to the point where her anger boiled over, and she was finally convinced it was time to take matters into her own hands and speed the process up.

“So your way of solving pollution is to eradicate all of modern civilization?!” Cello exclaims.

“SILENCE!!” Yew booms. She’s tired of this conversation and their complaints. So she commands Katrina to lock them up so they can’t interfere.

They’re thrown into a room guarded by an energy wall, where Skara and Stormy are already being held after discovering their secret earlier on.

Starline attempts to warp them to freedom, but just like in the labs, the field nullifies all arcane magic or tech, preventing the usage of said warp topaz, much to Atlas’s amusement.

As such, they’re stuck and ready to give up as all their escape plans fail. Squabbling starts up as some tensions ignite between the rivaling teams, playing the blame game with each other.

How do they get out of this now?

However, Lug manages to silence the ruckus, and rallies them together, reminding them of who the real villain is here. They can do this! They just have to put their brains together.

So, with some creative thinking—and a few extra disruptors he still had hidden on him— they manage to use Charge’s sparks to activate them without the trigger, and fry the grid keeping them locked in.

By the time they get out, the winners ceremony has already begun. They’re almost out of time, and Starline, despite the awful odds, knows that now they have no choice. They have to see this through, or it’s over for everyone. —

> Final Act: Act 3 —The Battle for Atmos

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theramblingsofadork · 1 month ago

Text

⭐️ A/N: What you are about to read is a paraphrased timeline story of the first arc in my Dr. Starline Redemption AU.

This AU is my personal look at “What might have happened if Starline had some good influences in his life before meeting Eggman?”

For context: This AU still heavily follows canon, with more deviations happening the further into Starline’s journey we get. This specific arc takes place approximately 3-4 years before Starline’s introduction in the comics. It follows his misadventures with a group of ragtag inventors and chemists as they work together to win top spot in an innovator’s competition.

Enjoy. 💖

⭐ Act 1: The Starpoint Squad ⭐

🎵 Opening Theme Song: Touch the Sky - Jeff Williams

Starline has been a fan of Eggman’s for as long as he can remember. In fact, he’d say probably no one else compares when it comes to his knowledge of the man.

He’s made it his job to follow in his footsteps and follow his legacy, dreaming of one day joining Eggman himself so he can help him accomplish world domination at last.

Coming from a wealthy, prestigious family, and being a confident scientist and chemist— he’s sought this path out for many years, but has had little success garnering the man’s attention.

One day, as he’s considering if there’s anything he hasn’t tried yet, he happens upon an advertisement for the innovator's competition coming up, run by Atmos Industries.

They’re a well-respected name in the tech world, known for their many innovations and inventions; residing on the coastal town of Aethos, known for it’s beaches and technological harmony with nature.

The top prize for said competition boasts the highly sought after position of becoming the company’s next big innovator. Considering the selective and closed off nature of the company due to political tensions around the island’s power source, this is a very rare and juicy opportunity.

Starline decides to enter, deciding to secure first place and declare allegiance to Eggman during the winner’s speech. (As he KNOWS he’ll be watching.)

At first, he believes it’ll be a walk in the park. But upon clearing prelims, it’s a surprise to all when the heads running it announce that the competitors are now required to form teams.

Although notably frustrated, Starline’s not willing to be bested by this, so he decides to find people who might be easy to manipulate into following his brilliant blueprint and gameplan.

He ends up settling on Rivet, (a inventor and x-gear rider he met in prelims when they both worked together to stop a runaway rocket thruster),

Hex, (a mech-loving, inventor rat whose insane coding skills caught his attention during prelims),

Lug, (a dumb, but incredibly strong bulldog who cooks a mean stew and is Hex’s best friend and bodyguard),

Charge, (an oddball, plant loving bio-electrokinetic who understands a great deal about the physiological workings of living creatures, plants, and Mobians alike),

And Cello, (a very confident and blunt chemist firefly who makes her own concoctions.)

✨ Fun fact: Starline wasn’t certain about her on account of her possible unwillingness to corporate, but quickly added her on lest he end up being stuck with the other option of Atlas (his idiotic and annoying rival from their academy days who he can’t stand.)

Starline happily anoints himself as the leader of the group due to his expertise in all the assorted fields, and at first the team is on board with it. But as he begins to ignore their attempts at insight and aims to run and control the whole show via micro-management, the team quickly starts to push back, quickly causing arguments to fly and tensions to mount, especially between him and Cello.

It gets so bad that they quickly become the laughing stock of the competition, gaining mockery from their soon-to-be-rivals as they can’t even decide on a team name. And after a few days of nonstop headaches, Starline’s at his wits end on what to do. (Wishing he had mind control so he could simply impose his will upon them.)

Beyond frustrated and bewitched as to why they’re fighting his perfect plan for victory, when he learns Hex and Lug are thinking of dropping out of the competition entirely, he finally realizes that he has to do something or his whole plan will go up in smoke!

As such, he asks Rivet for her insight, as she’s the only one who’s still willing to talk to him right now. What’s going on? Why is everyone fighting him and his flawless gameplan? They DO realize it will lead them to victory, right?

And she sighs and explains that it’s not that they don’t trust his vision or skill, as clearly he’s the most learned of all of them, but he’s not giving them room to be involved in the process at all; treating the team like they’re cogs in a machine to be used, vs real people with ideas and aspirations of their own.

“I get that you’ve always worked alone, but that single-minded mentality doesn’t work when you’re a part of a team.” Rivet tells him.

“Have you even asked anyone why they’re here? What they want to get out of this competition?”

He says no, stating that they’re all after that position and title, aren’t they?

And Rivet tells him that that’s only part of it. Explains how she knows she’s not the greatest with tech, and really didn’t enter thinking she could win first place. More so, joining was a chance to push her limits and work with others to see how much they could contribute to a good cause together.

How being constantly reminded of her failings and not being allowed to make mistakes was stifling her team morale.

She tells him point blank that they ALL want to feel as though they’ve actually done something and earned the victory because of their own efforts, instead of just winning because they followed Starline’s orders.

He’s a bit taken aback by this, and doesn’t believe her that the others share her thoughts, so she recommends he go talk to Hex and the others directly. “Just listen to them. You’ll be surprised by what you hear.”

So, Starline takes her advice and does so, tracking down the rat first and finding him playing his favorite fighter game, Hero Mania. The conversation starts out awkward, but they soon get to talking about the competition, and he discovers that… Hex was bullied for a good portion of his life. Told by friends and family that his dream to make a difference, and build hero mechs like in Hero Mania was ‘silly’ at best and ‘Eggman-like thinking’ at worst.

That ‘he was too young to change the world or do anything that made a difference.’ And because of that, his spirit was crushed time and time again.

Lug was the first one to not think that stuff was silly or dangerous. It gave Hex hope that maybe he could do the things he dreamed of. The only reason he entered the competition at all was because of Lug’s suggestion, the Bulldog hoping that maybe Hex could find like minded people. People who might be willing to give him a chance to show what he could do, and help him where he was weak.

But considering Starline and the group have been excluding him from their conversations and arguments cuz ‘he’s just a kid’, he’s starting to think it’s better if he just went home.

This… surprises Starline, and he can’t help but feel a scrap of sympathy for the kid, as he himself can understand the feeling, having had difficulty garnering support from his own parents growing up.

He also knows that if he wants the team to stick together, then he needs to do as Rivet said. Be an accomplice and ‘fan the flames’, so to speak in order to keep the team from floundering.

So, he pushes aside his pride and encourages Hex that he is most certainly capable. Perhaps one of the most talented coders he knows of, especially for his age group. And while his robots are… scrappy, his dream isn’t impossible— nay, it’s in fact very much obtainable!

And Hex’s eyes spark with tentative, reluctant hope. “You.. really think so?”

“But of course!” Starline smiles.

The encouragement comes from a selfish place, but he still finds his words being a bit genuine.

Cello has a similar vein of thought when Starline next goes to her— the start of the conversation being tense before erupting as usual. When he tells her he’s trying to understand, she calms down and tells him that people have always told her what she should and shouldn’t do. That they’re quick to judge her concoctions and ideas because they seem insane or impossible, even though she knows her chemistry extensively. She has a special vision that allows her to see the stability percentages of possible combinations, which she checks her facts up against.

(Something Starline tests, and confirms. Huh.)

She tells Starline that while being a part of Atmos would be great, she really joined this competition because her father had been telling her she needed to join the family business of mining, when she knew her calling in life was to be a chemist.

“If I can prove myself by making a brand new type of eco fuel that's revolutionary enough to win first place with my team, then he’ll have no choice but to accept my path in life.”

Yet again, Starline finds himself respecting and relating to that. Especially considering his family was very opposed to him running off pursuing a career modeled after Dr. Eggman.

He begins to see that Rivet was right, and that everyone here isn’t in it for the prestige or a cheap, easy win. They all have a goal or dream they want to fulfill; be it helping a friend, testing their limits, making a difference, or proving themselves capable to themselves and others.

With all this knowledge in mind, he begrudgingly makes the decision to pull back his heavy hand a bit. Give them a chance to suggest ideas and voice their thoughts and opinions in order for the team to survive.

And to his surprise… he’s rewarded for it! At the meeting where he announces the change, tensions simmer, and Lug of all people ends up being the one to surprise him by coming up with a good team name they all actively agree on, suiting them and their shared goals.

Thus, they formally become known as:

The Starpoint Squad.

(ROLL DRAMATIC STAR WARS LIKE CREDITS)

(… no but like— just roll the montage music.)

🎵 Montage Music: Brand New Day - Jeff Williams

We then see a montage of everyone working in tandem, while clashing with the rivals that scorned their lack of teamwork.

(Said rival team is constructed of a biker and inventor Skara the Skunk, her best friend and chemist Stormy the Mink, the nature enthusiast and chemist Yew the Human, Atlas the Timberwolf (Starline’s rival), and Katrina the Cougar (His bodyguard)).

The competition aim is focused on building tools to help aid future fighters or the recovery of nature and civilization from Eggman or extraterrestrial attacks.

As such, Starline and the Starpoint Squad agree on a modified version of his original idea; a robot that lends environmental and structural aid and support.

The once sleek and very Eggman reminiscent robot design becomes a more colorful and scrappy looking B.U.D.D.I (Botanical Utility Device and Damage Improver). A helper robot designed and equipped to help hose down fires, fertilize fields, lift collapsed tunnels, saw fallen logs, and weld metal back into place.

(A lot of these features were added by Starline under the guise of good to make him a weapon suitable of showing off his elegant yet destructive design during the winner’s ceremony, but the team doesn’t need to know that, right?)

He can’t let his vision of B.U.D.D.I disappear entirely, and when they come in need of extra robot parts, he excitedly suggests they use fallen Eggman tech, to which they express concern.

But in typical slick Starline fashion, he argues, “Not only does Eggman know how to build quality machinery, as it must be able to take a beating to stand up against Sonic of all people. But you can also think of it as a great way to... how you say..? Reuse and recycle.”

Rivet backs him up, considering she also has used Eggman tech before in her own builds. He’s pleased as punch to have her support, and the team can see the logic in that, so they let him happily drag them to a robot graveyard of one of Eggman’s former fights, where he fanboys a bit about the parts they find.

(He makes up an excuse that he’s studied up on many different inventors, which they buy, much to his relief.)

As the weeks progress, the team begins to find a real flow, and despite it all being for the sake of his goal at first, Starline… slowly begins to find himself coming to enjoy being around them.

We see Rivet being a big reason for this, breaking through Starline’s initial unwillingness to interact with the team more than necessary for the project by dragging him out of the lab to join them for team lunches and other outings. While he’s aghast and irate at first by her taking him away from his work, after a time, he begrudgingly submits to, and even comes to partake in her friendly antics.

When he starts willingly joining them for their team lunches, they’re shocked, to which he argues, “Oh don’t act so surprised! We all know she was going to drag me here anyways, so why waste time with theatrics anymore?”

“Aww, you do love us, Doc,” Charge teases him, and all laugh as he argues vehemently.

⭐ ️Despite the tensions, once Starline loosens his grip and starts interacting more with the group, he and Rivet end up growing quite close, finding they enjoy conversing with each other while working together in the lab. Despite their differences, she doesn’t mind hearing him go on his long rambles, appreciative of how passionate and dedicated he is to his work, while he finds her quite fascinating, especially after learning that she’s not an expert at her craft because she grew up in the wilderness and had to teach herself mechanics without any formal training.

She doesn’t mind hearing him go on his long rambles, appreciative of how passionate and dedicated he is to his work, and he finds her quite fascinating, especially considering she grew up in the wilderness and managed to teach herself mechanics without any formal training.

(“You figured all this out on your own? It’s a miracle you didn’t blow yourself up.”) (”Oh, I did. Many times.”)

(They even bond a bit over a shared appreciation of Egg Tech, since a fallen Eggman Badnik is the reason she even got interested in technology at all.)

The two even have a sweet moment one night, when Rivet covers him up after he falls asleep in the lab from working too hard and she can’t bring herself to wake him.

Then another, when she convinces him one day to take a ride with her on her hoverboard, instead of shortcutting via warp portal into town.

She takes a detour to show him her favorite view of the valley, and the two watch the sunset before continuing on with their work. They get back well past dark, chatting and bantering with each other in more than just a fond tone.

⭐️ We also see a bunch of other silly and important moments with the rest of the team.

Such as when the team gets to experience Cello and Starline explaining something to them in incredibly large, scientific words while they try to comprehend what they’re saying like dumbfounded sock puppets.

Starline loses his cool and gives the boys a strict lecture on eating and drinking safety when he finds them doing so without care in the lab.

Starline compliments the cafeteria’s sandwiches and soup— only to spit out said soup in shock when he discovers Lug is the one who made them.

In an attempt to impress Starline, Hex and Lug end up going on a raid mission into Cello’s area, (HIGHLY off limits when she’s working,) to steal a piece he needs for his power of the project. They end up having to run away from her wrath.

And there are many, many more.

⭐️ Starline also becomes Hex's mentor, taking the little rat under his wing and helping critique him on his robot builds and designs. He does so to help mold him and help build up his confidence, much like Eggman’s legacy did for him once upon a time.

And Hex responds positivity, starting to open up to him until he’s like a completely different person; eagerly asking questions, listening to and following Starline around like a little shadow, and taking all the notes he can.

Starline becomes quite a fan of the praise and attention, the idea of having someone look up to him bolstering his pride. Meanwhile, Hex is just happy to have such a smart mentor that’s willing to help him get better. (The thing he’s been looking for all along.)

Through their interactions, Starline unwittingly gains quite a soft spot for the kid, to the point where when the rat falls asleep in the lab while helping him, he submits himself to gently carry him back to his and Lug’s room. There, he ends up having a heart to heart with Lug, who admits he’s jealous of their friendship, but thanks Starline, as he knows he’s been good encouragement for his bud.

⭐️ This conversation is the first moment that plants a seed of discomfort in Starline’s mind about how he plans to betray them at the competition’s end. But in the moment, he brushes it off.

The next stab of discomfort comes later on when he ends up getting into a discussion with Charge in the lab.

The cat observes that he’s been getting really chummy with everyone, to which Starline admits that they’ve all quite exceeded his expectations. He’s actually quite pleased with how things are turning out, despite it not being exactly what he had envisioned.

He even states that despite his and Cello’s intense fights, she completed the task she set out to do, and he respects that.

Not knowing that Cello happens to be right outside listening. She smiles a bit and flutters off.

Charge eyes him thoughtfully for a moment, before suddenly flipping the conversation on it’s head.

“Then why is your aura still so dissonant?”

“…What?”

The cat’s mask of nonchalant laziness slips, and he reveals to Starline that he’s known something’s been off with him since day one. Unknown to all but Rivet, Charge’s power gives him the ability to sense and discern a lot about people and who they really are by observing their bio-electrical fields. (Their auras)

While he normally tunes out this ability due to the information otherwise bombarding him from all sides, he’s been in Starline’s vicinity a lot, and as such, has tuned into the fact that something’s off with him.

When Starline tries to play it off, Charge tells him that he can’t fool him. That the only reason he hasn’t taken action yet to expose him, is because this team is important to Rivet, and she’s convinced Starline has his reasons for keeping quiet about whatever he is.

Charge warns him to figure out what really matters to him and where his priorities lie, and that whatever he’s planning, to leave Rivet out of it. Before reverting back to his chill, tired self, stating he’s gonna go take a nap.

It’s quite a scary and tense moment for Starline, and it leads him to really question, fear for, and reflect on his plan. Charge is right, that despite his befriending of the Starpoint Squad, his goal for the end of the competition has not changed. He still wants to capture Eggman’s attention! To show what he is truly capable of and declare all loyalty to him!

…But…

He also can’t deny that there is that small part of him that’s been starting to hesitate and ask if that's what he really wants.

He, for the most part, has been able to keep his admiration of Eggman a secret from the group. They know he has an inspiration he’s eagerly pursuing after; that some great robotics master made him into the man that he is today, but he’s managed to never truly share the truth of WHO it is. After all, if they knew, he’d more than likely get kicked from the competition!

So everyone is left in the dark.

But Charge’s revelation and a strange sense of guilt begins to gnaw at him. His attachment to the squad begins to show it’s hold on him as he remembers Lug’s ask for him to watch out for Hex. Thinks about his friendship with Rivet and partnership with Cello.

These nagging feelings become even more blatantly obvious to him when Lug suggests they all go out for ice cream to celebrate them completing B.U.D.D.I. Win or lose, they did their best and made something awesome!

They convince Starline to tag along—seeing as Aethos is home to some of the best ice cream on the planet—and they all cheer their team name before Lug gets the owner to snap a picture of them all together.

…It’s looking at this photo that Starline finds himself truly questioning things.

They’ll be the ones to take the fall when he enacts his plan.

They’ll be the ones to bear responsibility for his actions, even though they weren’t a willing part of it.

Can he truly be okay with that outcome? With sabotaging and ruining the dreams of the people who look up to and respect him, just to obtain his own, selfish desires?

For the first time in a long time, he has doubt. What is he going to do?

—

> Next Act: Act 2 - The Plot

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