You Can't Have A Story Without At Least One Asshole Character, And My Story Is No Exception.

You can't have a story without at least one asshole character, and my story is no exception.

Henderson Mortimer Balgraven. He is the kind of man who would insult you while he give you medication, berate you while stitching up your leg. He may be a doctor, but that doesn't mean he has to be nice to people. This doesn't mean he hates his job, in fact, he rather enjoys what he does.

Henderson is a prosthetist, the best one you'll find in Brenning and it's neighboring cities. No matter how bad the wound is, he is able to skillfully amputate and replace any part of the body. Not only in humans, but automata as well. He uses spare parts from automatons to build and install the prosthetics, making it so they function like a natural limb. It's an extremely painful procedure, but it's worth it in the end. In fact, he replaced his own eye, after it was destroyed during a bar fight. Henderson was nearly black out drunk and was still able to get the eye working as if it was his own. And several years later, the eye still works perfectly, only needing a small tune up here and there.

Born and raised in the slums of Brenning, Henderson was a part of a group called the Mulligans. Named after the run down building the group lives in, they were a decently sized found family. Anyone who was homeless or broke found themselves under the headmistress' care, who raised them like she would her own children. The Mulligan kids were free to do as they please, as long as what they do doesn't harm another member. Henderson is the oldest member, and is seen as the older brother of everyone else there. He may be sour and aggressive, but he has never hurt any other Mulligan. Screamed at, yes, but never hurt.

When Henderson was in his thirties, his skills were discovered by a doctor. That doctor was Jeter Nyland, who hired the man on the spot. Henderson was a little skeptical but agreed, and later moved into the manor in order to help Jeter with his work. During this time, however, he signed some papers he was too drunk to fully comprehend. Next thing he knew, he woke up in bed with multiple large scars running up and down his body. His skeleton had been replaced with one made of metal, giving him a heavy yet sturdy base. Unfortunately, the human body wasn't built like an automatons, and the metal skeleton brings more harm than good.

Every day is filled with a numbing pain, and the strange new weight has caused Henderson to have a strong limp. He turns to the bottle in order to forget the pain and just relax, but Jeter has forbade the use of alcohol within the manor. That doesn't stop Henderson, he just finds ways to sneak in a drink here and there.

Jeter and Henderson argue nearly every time they're together. It's very one sided, however, as Jeter has learned to ignore the man during his tirades. The only time that the automaton fights back is if things get physical, or if Emalia is brought into the conversation. Thankfully, Henderson has never directed his anger towards the young woman, only ever focusing on her protector.

Fun fact about Henderson, he actually loves Emalia like a daughter. He isn't as aggressive when she is in the room, and has even tried to make peace with her through gifts of new journals. She is extremely nervous around him, but he hopes that some day, she'll come around and at least talk to him without fear in her voice. Of course, his behavior isn't helping, but he tries to keep the volume down when she's in the room.

Headcanon voice/actor: Peter Kaleghan

I have so much more about each and every character, I love them all. I just want to dump everything but I also don't want to spoil the story.

Just two detectives sharing a light

Totally normal detective partners

Pierre belongs to @crimson-stained-copper <3

I've mentioned Zala a few times in my other OC posts, so why not introduce him?

There has always been something a little... off about Zala, something that unsettled those who met him. Maybe it was his curiosity, or the way he'd hold himself as if he was constantly on edge. No one was sure, but people tended to stay away from him, even at a young age. Not that he minded of course, Zala was never one for social interactions.

He has found solace within his cousin Emalia, who shares his interest in strange creatures. Zala is rather talkative when he wants to be, to the point where he's constantly stammering and cutting himself off in order to get a thought out before it dissapears. Usually though, he finds it extremely difficult to hold a conversation. He's awkward and nervous, preferring to speak with family over anyone else.

Fascinated by life, death, and everything in between, Zala is a man of science. He loves to pick things apart just to figure out how they work, and to have the fun of putting them back together again. As a kid he used to dissect insects and small animals, just to see how they looked from the inside. Everything he saw would be sketched and noted, and he still keeps those books today.

Along with books and drawings, Zala has an extensive collection of taxidermy animals in his house. From strange fish to conjoined twin bears, he has them all. Anything odd is captured and brought to him by other scientists, whom he shares his studies with on occassion. One fun thing, Zala does indeed have a selection of taxidermy humans, and is rather pleased with how clean they came out.

Evolution, mutations, disabilities both physical and mental, he was interested in it all. The brain, the human consciousness, how does it work? How do people learn and adapt while keeping who they are intact? Zala loves to ask questions, every tiny little detail being questioned and prodded until something akin to an answer can be found. He can't leave anything unanswered, not even the most mundane questions. He needs to know everything.

His intelligence comes at a price, however. Zala focuses too much on the outside world and it's state, and completely ignores himself. He has kept himself awake long enough to become a somniphobiac (The fear of sleeping/falling asleep), and is incapable of getting any proper rest. Food and hygiene come last to him, always, as his time is better spent in his lab.

Thankfully, he has a pair of automaton that also live within his house, who constantly watch over him. Darla (an automaton I have yet to design) keeps him decently clean, and makes sure he eats enough to keep him alive. Zala is ever thankful, excited to be in good enough health to continue his work.

Headcanon voice/actor: David Micheal Bennett

Some Facts About The Automata in my World

These are just a few points. There are some names and terms mentioned that will be elaborated on in future posts.

Nearly all automatons are built around human skeletons, which gives them their humanoid shape. The spine, fingers and bottom jaw are exposed, and that tells you how old an automaton's model is. Older models will have more bones exposed, their plates and mechanisms built directly on top. Mostly relying on the skeleton to keep the frame in one piece. Newer models will have less showing, and may even be made with a fully mechanical skeleton. No matter how new a model is, the spine is always visible. 

They can come in any shape or size, though most are 6’5 and under. The shortest ones are just below 5’, and are mostly nanny’s or other child care workers. Automatons can be thin, stocky, round or lanky. It all depends on their occupation and the capabilities of their model. Changes may be made if needed, and these procedures are rather expensive. Usually they are only done once an automaton passes (in which the husk will become a host for a new personality), or if a company needs a specific body type for a job.

The automata of Brenning are treated as equals, instead of being seen as the lower class. They can get any job, or live in any financial status just as a human can. It also isn’t uncommon for humans and automata to get married, and is embraced by the city. Once an automaton is married, they will receive golden filigree somewhere upon their body that is visible at all times. The most common place is the face, mostly upon the cheek or chin. Hands are also popular, and you may even see an automaton with a completely golden hand. The human has two choices when it comes to marrying an automaton. They can either get molten gold poured upon the skin in lavish designs, or get a special plate implanted into their arm. This plate allows the human to feel the emotions of their automaton partner, and vice versa.  

There is a race of automata called Gardeners, who are bipedal humanoids with multiple limbs. They tend to Brennings plantlife, and are extremely docile. They are very agile and strong, able to climb up the clock tower with ease. The city has multiple gated tunnels that the gardeners use to traverse the city without bothering the human population, or to escape the rain. Emotionless, thoughtless creatures, the gardeners tend to keep to themselves. The only thing they care about is the well being of the plants within Brennings walls, keeping the city green any way they can. Standing at 7’ when straight, they have a large compartment in their stomachs that they use to house dirt and plants for transport. As long as people steer clear, the gardeners are quiet and diligent.

Another special race is the Watchers, medieval knight like automata who patrol the city streets at night. They are protectors, diligent guards that walk the city streets once the sun falls. They were built to protect the people from night time criminals, and they also keep people from sneaking into the city. The civilians of Brenning created a nightly curfew after a few years, due to a multiple deaths that occured due to people messing with the automata. They are extremely violent when provoked, not letting up until the person they are focused on is either incapacitated or dead. There are a select few who are able to evade the watchers' gaze, and those are the ones who work for the Tower. To the automata, a Tower worker is completely invisible, unless physical contact is made. This same rule applies to members of the Circle, but the Circle is able to control the Watchers whenever it is necessary. Usually, a Watcher will walk a specific pre-programmed path, but a member of the Circle may order it to follow them, or to chase a specific person.

Automatons never truly die, but are just reset. Their programming enters a state called “The Phoenix Code” in which the automaton's skillset is recycled and passed onto a new life, giving the new personality a muscle memory of their past skills, but with no recollection of their past life. A single automaton may have multiple lives within their programming, giving them a wider range of skills to potentially use. For example, My character Jeter is on his 8th phoenix. This means that he has lived seven previous lives, all living more than 80 years each. Each one had a different job, and passed on their skills to the next life. Jeter started off as a guardsman, and has been a baker, a businessman, a mechanic, and is currently a doctor. Everything he has learned has been passed on, but he has no idea who exactly he was in a past life. 

Generation 1 automatons are considered “children”, as they currently have no skills to build their lives off of. The first life of an automaton is mostly spent within the Tower, learning multiple skills that will be passed onto their next life. The teacher is another member of the Circle (I will be going more into the Circle and its members in a different post as well), who spends their days making sure each and every newly forged automaton knows how to survive in the city.

I'm going to introduce the main automata in my story, then move onto the humans. I will also be adding voice claims and/or headcanon actors.

So, the third major automaton in my story is named Odin. Now, Odin is a special automaton, as he has no will or consciousness of his own. He was built to be completely obedient, and to not ask questions. He will obey any order given to him without question, as long as his programming recognizes the person as an authority figure. Programmed to be a hitman, this automaton has quite the set of unique abilities.

To start off, Odin is able to sound like anyone he has heard before. Located within his chassis is a series of miniature wax cylinders, which record and play back any and all sounds. Using these, he can mix and match syllables and words in order to form his own sentences. On rare occurrences, he may use different voices to speak, depending on what sounds he has in his library at the time.

His second ability is to remove and replace any plating on his face and hands, meaning he can literally steal the faces of those he has taken out. Dozens of tiny mechanisms detach and attach to the face plated, granting quick and easy changes. Odin's programming also picks up mannerisms of the person he is posing as, allowing him to blend seamlessly into his role.

He was extremely efficient, being the best agent to send. That was, until he was ordered to take out the leader of the Circle, which ended up being harder than originally planned. Odin was quickly beaten by Pierre and tossed out, believed to be completely destroyed. That is, until a lonely scientist named Zala happened upon his corpse.

Repurposed and revived, Odin became Zala's "brother" of sorts. The automaton now helps the man in his studies, following every order he is given without question. Instead of being told to kill however, he was now being told to learn and adapt.

Zala dressed Odin up and gave him a home, treating the automaton like a beloved brother. A fancy corset vest was added in order to keep the automatons inner mechanisms in place, as his age and damage was too much to keep him upright for very long. Odin went from ruthless killer to gentlemanly brother in the blink of an eye, and if he could experience emotions, he would be thankful. No longer were his hands being used to shoot and tear, but instead being used to study and build.

Main voice claim: David Micheal Bennet (due to Zala, who's headcanon actor is him), but can also sound like anyone you can think of

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.