"A Summer's Day" ~ 1894

"A Summer's Day" ~ 1894

This young woman is Emalia Nyland, Jeter's ward since she was a toddler. Her parents both died to a disease known as "The Rust", and has been under her future husband's care since then.

It's not unusual for sick parents to hand their child over to an automaton, as it provides the kid with an immortal bodyguard. Most, if not all, of these kids end up forming a strong bond with their automatons, and end up marrying them. This is also what will happen with Emalia, since she and Jeter are nearly inseparable. Ever since she was little, she looked up to the automaton and eventually fell in love with him.

Now, this may seem odd, but Jeter is the only loving figure that she has had in her life. (Besides her parents of course. Zala, her cousin, could also be considered a loving figure, but he rarely ever sees her.) Because of this intense bond, Jeter has given himself the golden filigree that you see on his right cheek. (Once an automaton is considered married/ spoken for, they will get filigree somewhere on their face. Most commonly on their cheeks or chin)

Ema spends most of her days at the manor with Jeter, doing her own thing or getting things ready for meals. Her life is pretty routine, but she couldn't be happier about it. The times where she does go to the city, she finds herself sticking to Jeter's side. It's a big place with a bunch of strangers, and Jeter provides a warm feeling of protection. Of course, they sometimes visit Zala at his home a few hours away, but this is only once or twice a month. As he is very busy with his studies, and Ema doesn't want to bother him.

Personality wise, Emalia is very much an introvert. She spends most of her day inside or around the manor, her nose in a book or hands full of ink from drawing. She's extremely creative, constantly writing stories or doodling pictures, anything that pops into her head will be jotted down. Her room is filled with journals and miscellaneous novels, all sorted by date of recieving them. She wishes to become an author one day, or even an explorer like her parents. Anything to gather more fun stories and drawings that will hopefully make it into their own books one day.

Fun fact about Emalia, she is completely colorblind. She sees the world through shades of grey, and this trait is shared with every woman in her bloodline. This doesn't bother her at all, as she has found other ways to enjoy "colors". Instead of seeing colors, she relates them to textures, emotions or even flavours. Dispite not being able to see these colors, Emalia considered a delicate light blue her favourite. Jeter has told her that she reminds him of this color, as she is soft spoken and welcoming.

Headcanon voice/actor: Phillipa Soo

Crimson Stained Copper

If I were to describe my story with a genre, it would be cyber/steampunk. This is because there are aspects of my story that seem futuristic, but everything has a steampunk/victorian aesthetic.

The plot:

The story mostly takes place within the city of Brenning, where humans and automata live side by side. It's a city that prides itself in its security and progress, but things have been happening these last few years. People have been disappearing during the night, with the kidnapper leaving no trace behind. There are rarely ever signs of a struggle, and the scene of the crime is always set up to seem like the person had packed up and left. There has been no leads on what could possibly be happening, until someone stumbles their way back to their home.

A detective, a doctor, and a scientist. All three are trying to figure out where the stranger had gone, and why he was the only one to reappear. Something is off about the man however, he was changed somehow, his memory fogged to the point of disorientation. He only remembers his name, but everything else is a mystery. Scars he can't recall, voices he can't decipher, he's taken in by the detective in order to piece together the accident and who may be behind it.

The characters:

Jeter Nyland: A famous automaton doctor in Brenning, skilled in nearly every type of surgery. He is patient and diligent, not resting until his client is healthy once more. Emalia's guardian, Henderson's teacher. (Headcanon voice/actor: Jon Sprocket from Death of The Cog)

Emalia Nyland: A young woman who was orphaned at a young age, and later taken in by Jeter. She is soft-spoken and creative, keeping all of her thoughts in a journal she constantly carries. Jeter's ward, Zala's cousin. (Headcanon voice: Melanie Leishman. Headcanon actor: Phillipa Soo)

Henderson Balgraven: A slummer turned prosthetist, thanks to necessity and Jeter's teachings. He's grumpy and aggressive, but still enjoys helping people with his skills. Jeter's student. (Headcanon Voice/Actor: Peter Keleghan)

Zala Nyland: A scientist who isolates himself in his manor in the woods, alongside his automatonic "siblings". Extremely nervous and intelligent, he loves to study life and death. Emalia's cousin and Jeter's confidente. (Headcanon Voice/Actor: David Michael Bennett)

Pierre Romanski: A detective who works directly under the overseer of the city, tasked with finding out who the stranger is and why he returned. Diligent and cold, he always finds his answers. Son of District. (Headcanon Voice Andre Keith Braugher)

Catalyst: A paranoid man who returned after seemingly vanishing into thin air, unfortunetly he can't recall a thing. He's confused but polite, trying his best to help Pierre solve the mystery of his past. (Headcanon Voice/Actor: TBD)

I am currently planning my own webcomic, which will take place in a victorian-esque steampunk city. Automatons have as many rights as humans, and are seen as equals. They live amongst the other civilians of Brenning, and can have a job as anything they please.

Jeter Nyland, one of the main characters in my story, is a doctor for the city of Brenning. He is on the wealthier side of things, owning a large mansion outside of the city limits. His name is known by nearly everyone, and he prides himself in that. Showing off his wealth through custome fitted suits and expensive parts, he has money to spare.

Dr. Nyland is a perfectionist, everything must be in its place and accounted for. Intelligent and talented. He has built a smaller building onto the side of the mansion, where he performs surgeries on his clients. This ranges from simple checkups to limb/organ removal and replacement. He has spent decades studying his craft, and it really shows.

When not working, he cares for his ward. A young woman named Emalia Nyland was placed in his care after her parents died to a mysterious disease. He takes this very seriously, and Ema is well cared for and in perfect health. Her wellbeing comes before his own, and he keeps her blissfully ignorant of his scientific/medical studies.

Voice claim: Jon Sprocket (Cog is Dead. Specifically their Hallelujah cover)

Another quick art trade with @airatherobot ! This time of their character Mr. Filinski!

Patience, The Towers "Gentle Giant"

The newly forged automata of Brenning need a teacher, someone to teach them how to become part of society. Everything from etiquette to stocks are placed in multiple courses over the first decade of the new-forged lives. Every class, every individual lesson is taught by one single person. This is a daunting task to most, dealing with the responsibility of making sure every automaton turns out perfect.

This is where Patience comes in. An automaton who houses multiple streams of thought, able to organize and keep track of everything the new-forged would ever need. Patience is an old and wise being, their knowledge being collected over centuries of life. They can answer any question and solve any puzzle with ease, no matter the subject or complexity. Because of this, Patience in in charge of everything pertaining to schooling and the preservation of information/culture.

But, every dime must have a second face. A side that can be called upon and seen if needed, as long as the flip is justified.

Patience stands at 13 feet tall when their body is relaxed, and is indeed a force to be reckoned with. Their mind is sharp and dangerous when called upon by District, carrying out whatever task is needed. Executioner, The Reaper's Scythe, Death's Vulture. Names whispered amongst those who handle any mess left over from Patience's duties.

What exactly does Patience do? No one is certain, but the automaton can be seen standing vigilantly next to District when not happily teaching the new-forged how to fit in. Their dime is usually on its head, showing a cheery and almost maternal side. But if the coin were to flip over to tails, no one wants to be in their way.

Experimenting with a style to see if it was more fun to use and I actually quite enjoy it?? So I think I have found the style I will use for my comic, as this could potentially create some nice atmosphere. Also, using this style, would allow each character to be identified by their own colors. Jeter would be brown/gold, Henderson is Burgundy/Mahogany, and Zala would be green, etc. Most environments and objects will be in simple black and greys.

These two images are a little muddied, which is something I will practice with as time goes on.

Also, these two panels are not connected, even though it looks like Jeter and Zala have spotted each other across a room. I promise, Zala is too much of a recluse to attend any event that includes strangers.