#between u n me i think rusty's nose-bridge rust becomes a part of his markings to him. he can't bring himself to get rid of it <//3 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

op3ra · 5 months

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lore bit: facial markings

(rusty, dinah, wrench, caboose)

general lore about markings in my au is under the cut. feel free to shoot me an ask if there are other characters whose markings you'd like to see :>

All trains have colorful designs on their faces. Known mostly as facial markings and sometimes facial patterns, they’re permanent parts of a train's livery (so, closer to a tattoo than to face paint). They’re intended to be unique to each train; there’s nothing exactly keeping track to make sure every train has something completely brand new, but there’s generally an effort to come up with something distinctive.

All trains are given basic markings when they’re manufactured (typically around the eyes), but most trains gradually add on to them to create a truly individualized design. Although patterns are mainly centered on the face, lots of trains have them on their necks and even down their bodies--for example, Dinah has a chevron across her chest, and my OC Screw has them along her left leg. Typically, patterns are 1-2 colors, although it's not a strict requirement.

Trains are generally very proud of their liveries and even when trains repaint the rest of their liveries (to either match a company contract, or just to switch things up), their markings tend to stay the same or similar.

When originally manufactured by humans, trains were given blank, vaguely human-colored faces; after they separated from humans and took over their own manufacturing, trains developed their markings, desperate for something to give themselves individuality and separate themselves from humans.

Rusty is very self-conscious about his rust overtaking the majority of his markings; after he wins it’s a little overwhelming to finally repaint them after so many years of them being missing :,,,,)

#stex #starlight express #starlight express au #starlight express headcannons #between u n me i think rusty's nose-bridge rust becomes a part of his markings to him. he can't bring himself to get rid of it <//3 #if you look closely at the rest of my art you'll see the trains all have recurring patterns #for ex. the yellow squares under greaseball's eyes #i also have a cutesy little headcanon regarding rust repair's markings but i'm embarassed to drop those on this post LOL #lots of markings include eyeliner btw! rusty‚ the components‚ and the coaches all have eyeliner in their markings #art or whatever

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