In the StEx universe, it’s tradition to have one of these.
Except you can buy plain ones in multiple shapes, different engines, coaches and trucks
You can paint your stock that matches you, and all trucks are compatible with all engines and each other, so you can customise your christmas tree train!
If you don’t have an engine to add, you can buy default Christmassy ones, same with coaches and trucks! Multiple engines can go on the rails (if you time it right)
So if they all regulate Electra’s emotions/behaviour, they also regulate each other. It is imperative that they remain in a set radius of each other (using the shared datastream/telepathy headcanon here).
Their emotions and personalities DIRECTLY affect each other, while their own personalities tend to show a little more. They need each other around to act in socially acceptable way
What happens if each component is separated?
Firstly, if Electra is separated from their components, their dominant personality, and instinct to lead has nowhere to be aimed. With nobody to command, they will eventually just shutdown, since they practically become useless, and their systems don’t know how to cope.
If Joule is separated, she becomes erratic and hyperactive. With nobody to calm her down or regulate her, she will burn through her fuel and crash, leading to a shutdown.
If Volta is left alone, he will become regimented and panicked. If he is with someone who isn’t part of Electra’s team, he will be harsh and snappy with them, trying to restore discipline around him until he eventually stresses himself to shutdown.
Purse’s self assurance becomes full blown egoism. He will refuse help from anyone, insistant he can do it on his own, and becomes generally unpleasant to be around. If not regrouped, he will remain solitary until he runs out of fuel, like Joule, and shuts down.
Wrench’s decision making will become inconsiderate. She will make any decision necessary, regardless of people’s feelings or thoughts to get back to her group. She is the only one who is likely to find them again, though that doesn’t mean she will.
Krupp goes from being alert, to hypervigilant. He will behave distant, paranoid, and is not above attacking people he perceives as a threat. Krupp is the most dangerous of the group to lose as he adopts a fire first, think later mentality. He is likely to shut down because of stress or power loss.
Killerwatt is somewhat a combination of Purse and Krupp, where he becomes paranoid and nervous, but instead of becoming egotistical and overly self-reliant, he will become self-deprecating instead. His likelihood to attack comes from a place of fear, however, like Purse, he is more likely to seclude himself and hide until he is found or he shuts down.
Electra and the components clearly have something going on, right? (In older versions)
What if engines and their components as a romantic group isn’t uncommon
Imagine
An engine. We’re gonna use Electra & Killerwatt for this because I love them
Electra finally has their new security truck
He’s been trained up, shut down, and shipped to them. Wrench is actively powering him on.
His eyes open- they’re big and curious, and the first thing he sees is Electra. They hold eye contact, literally bonding them
This imprinting has a purpose though.
The datastream. By allowing a component to imprint on the engine, the component learns everything they need to about said engine via shared data packets etc, but it also allows the component access to the data steam (or to form one if there isn’t one already)
The datastream is already a widely accepted headcanon I know - I like to think it’s a unique frequency that only imprinted components can access. The imprint prevent other data streams from overlapping and getting confused
It’s very easy to fall in love with someone who you’re connected with for basically your entire working life
Components semi-imprint on eachother too! It’s not done via direct eye contact, but a pre-established bond is shared between components via their bond with the engine. It’s no less binding though
There are also instances where no buyer shows interest in a component. In this case, the manufacturer activates the component and just lets them go on their own way. From then, imprinting on an engine is a choice.
I think Wembley Lec bought Killerwatt and Wrench, but Joule and Volta they met at bars and the like. For older versions, I think all five of them were bought. For Bochum, I think that all of them were met
Guys holy shit wait if you saw me talk about the components literally being PART of Electra here consider the components working like the emotions in inside out and each of them has a different role
Joule is Electra’s spontaneity - she keeps their life interesting and fun, as well as allowing them to make split second decisions during races
Volta is Electra’s discipline - he makes sure that they don’t get themselves into trouble, while keeping them organised so they don’t fall into chaos (a counter to Joule)
Purse is Electra’s self-assurance - he ensures that Electra does not doubt their own abilities and therefore chicken out of situations. This also keeps Electra sociable and charming
Wrench is Electra’s rationalism - she keeps them steady and reasonable when they need to make decisions, while ensuring they don’t come across as overly narcissistic (a counter to Purse)
Krupp is Electra’s alertness - he keeps them active and prepared at all times, especially to handle the outcome of Joule
(Depending on the version of course, Killerwatt manages both Purse & Krupp’s roles)
While I’m posting angst I’m gonna tell you about a Leccywatt idea I had
This links heavily to this headcanon so if you haven’t read that then it provides context
TLDR; Killerwatt physically can’t confess his love to Electra because of his programming. Has a good ending and a bad ending
The company that produces security trucks feels that they’ve been generous enough allowing them to have hobbies and opinions, and decide that allowing security to fall in love (or at least outwardly express it) would be simply inefficient.
So when Killerwatt falls in love with Electra, it’s easy enough to ignore. He doesn’t act on it-he can’t, and he is at no risk of giving it away, so he is able to push it down and move on.
Until Electra says that they love him. Killerwatt can only listen as his own voice has to politely turn them down. He doesn’t know how to tell Electra that it isn’t him turning them down. How can he break his programming? How can he tell them that this isn’t him and that he loves them?
Killerwatt can only watch as Electra, distraught but excellent at hiding it, turns to leave. They don’t look at him the same way anymore. They don’t smile at him. They don’t invite him to sit with them on the sofa. They don’t want him near them.
Good ending :)
Wrench works out the issue and manages to mess with Killerwatt’s programming, allowing Killerwatt to outwardly express his feelings
Bad ending :(
Electra, heartbroken, moves on to someone else to try and distract themselves (maybe Porter or BV) but it ends up going well. Electra falls for the replacement and Killerwatt is left to yearn
Do you think Hydra yearns for Rusty and it’s made worse every day since they’re now Rusty’s fuel source and so they just have to travel with Rusty and Pearl and third wheel them and they wont say anything in fear that they’ll destroy their friendship but they also dont want to wreck what Rusty worked so hard to build with Pearl so they just suck it up and accept that it wasnt meant to be or is it just me
